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quarterly auctions cleared over $500 million in proceeds, the May and August auctions last year generated only $10 million and $8 million, respectively.
Fluctuating demand for allowances by itself is no cause for alarm, as it has no impact on the emission reductions that the statewide cap ensures. But safeguarding California’s climate investments and enforceable emissions limit beyond 2020 will be of vital importance to achieve the aggressive climate and equity goals that the Legislature has embraced.Theo Walcott is on the verge of a summer move to West Ham United, according to an ‘exclusive’ in The Sun.
The attacker, who this year celebrated a decade at Arsenal, has fallen out of favour at the Emirates and is believed to be excited at the possibility of kick-starting his career with the Hammers when they move to the Olympic Stadium.
The report, which comes less than 10 days since a spurious link with Manchester City, claims Arsene Wenger is open to letting Walcott move on, so long as the Gunners recoup a fee in excess of £20 million.
Walcott, 27, has scored 85 goals in 344 appearances since joining from Southampton in 2006 but has struggled for form since returning from the cruciate knee ligament injury that cut short his 2013/14 season.
Perhaps a move to a stadium built for athletes that run without a ball might suit the lad.
Let’s see, it could be more posturing on the part of his representatives. Here’s the poo-ometer anyway…Mar 27, 2017; Toronto, Ontario, CAN; Orlando Magic guard Elfrid Payton (4) during their game against the Toronto Raptors at Air Canada Centre. The Raptors beat the Magic 131-112. Mandatory Credit: Tom Szczerbowski-USA TODAY Sports
What should the Phoenix Suns do with Alex Len’s restricted free agency?
What should the Phoenix Suns do with Alex Len’s restricted free agency? by Gerald Bourguet
The Orlando Magic needed a player to make some sort of leap to keep the belief that their youth movement can work over time. Elfrid Payton delivered.
The Orlando Magic‘s 2016-17 season has come to an end and while the postseason continues on, now is a time for evaluation.
Although none of their players has come close to winning a league-wide award, that doesn’t mean their achievements can’t be recognized in house, which is why we will be crowning certain players with unofficial awards as we take one last look at the season that was.
Already we’ve looked at the MVP campaign Nikola Vucevic put together, despite many fans feeling he is a prime candidate to be traded in the near future. When it comes to this team’s Most Improved Player, however, there can only be one winner, and that is point guard Elfrid Payton.
In his third season with the team, he had career highs in points (12.8 per game), assists (6.5 per game) and rebounds (4.7 per game). Other statistical highs included his Player Efficiency Rating (17.2), win shares per 48 minutes (.88) and offensive (104.7) and defensive (107.5) rating.
Essentially every part of his game improved, but sadly, the team as a whole did not. In fact, the Magic finished bottom of their division for the fifth season in a row, and won less than 30 games for the fourth time in that period.
Tonight's attendance at Amway Center: 19,458 That is the largest attendance in Orlando Magic history.#PureMagic#LetsGoMagic — Orlando Magic PR (@Magic_PR) April 13, 2017
Despite that, they had the 15th highest attendance average in the league (17,753), despite putting a sub-standard product on the floor. The big thing that kept these fans somewhat entertained is also directly linked to Payton as well.
He had five triple-doubles throughout the regular season, a number which is already good for the highest in the history of the franchise. As quirky as that personal statistic is given some of the players the Magic have had through the years, it was really overlooked.
This was because the otherworldly exploits of both Russell Westbrook (42 triple-doubles) and James Harden (22) dwarfed what Payton was doing on a poor team.
Still, the five he put up was the sixth-most in the league, tying Draymond Green of the Golden State Warriors.
As little as four years ago that would have led the entire NBA too, with Lance Stephenson amassing a league-leading five back in 2013.
In any event, part of what made the Magic fun to watch after Christmas was the strides Payton kept making, and seeing if he would put up a triple-double in a game.
It was hardly Westbrook-level stuff, but for Magic fans Payton’s play was exactly what they needed it to be: a young player showing promise while they ultimately lost most games, which in turn enhanced their draft position.
He really doesn’t have much competition for this award either (Aaron Gordon isn’t there yet, but is improving nicely), but this actually presents a problem for the team as well.
Do the Magic gamble on Payton’s ceiling continuing to rise, or should they pursue a potentially great point guard in this year’s draft?
For that reason, Payton’s improvement couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Then again, with players who aren’t even professionals yet already snubbing the team, maybe they should stick with who they’ve got running the point.
The team needs to nail its lottery pick this summer, after years of missing out on top level talent or not giving their picks enough time to grow (see Oladipo, Victor).
At least in Payton and Gordon, the Magic have two players who still look like they could one day start for a playoff team.
Then again, a floor general who can shoot the ball well would also look really nice on this team, and that remains the glaring weakness in what Payton does on the court.
He doesn’t shoot the ball well at all.
If Elfrid Payton could shoot he would have potential through the roof. How he is able to run PNRs so well without shooting is beyond me. — mike malone (@FUCORY) March 9, 2017
Often that doesn’t matter, as he is so good at getting into the paint. In fact, 63.3 percent of all Payton’s points scored came around the basket. The reason that number was lower than last season (69.2 percent) is because he tried to extend his range. It did not go as planned.
Payton attempted a career-high 1.8 three-pointers per game, making 27.4 percent of them. He hit 40 threes all season, a modest improvement on the 30 of a year before, but it took him nearly 50 more shots to get there (from 92 to 146).
For some context Marc Gasol, who had made 12 three-pointers in eight years in the league prior to this season, made 104 this time out.
It’s an area that needs serious work, and yet Payton’s aforementioned effective field goal percentage was a career-high. Not bad when you consider he doesn’t have range to his shooting, and that his free throw attempts (2.6 per game) remained the same from the season before.
If he’d added a more dependable three-point shot, Elfrid Payton could have been the Orlando Magic’s MVP this season as well.
Although it didn’t happen, there were enough positives on display to put the team in a difficult position in terms of what kind of player to draft this summer.
Payton’s style was one which fans enjoyed too, as he tried hard in every game, and looked like he cared when the result went against them.
One late season loss against the Charlotte Hornets stands out in particular.
As the team left the court, they laughed and joked with Hornets players. Not Payton though. He was straight off the hardwood alone, scowl etched across his face.
It’s only a little thing, but in a season where the Magic needed to get the little things in order before handling bigger issues, it was nice to see.
Elfrid Payton was the Orlando Magic’s Most Improved Player this season, and it remains to be seen if that will end up actually being a good thing or not.Share This!
Pandora: The World of Avatar opens officially at Animal Kingdom on May 27, 2017 and crowds will flock to the park to take in the new attractions. Expect to wait 200 minutes or more to experience the new attractions during the first week of operation. We also expect wait times at other Animal Kingdom attractions to increase 15% when the new Pandora attractions open, and we expect that increase to last throughout most of the summer.
The last major addition to a Disney Park was New Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom. The expansion ended with the opening of Seven Dwarfs Mine Train on May 28, 2014, two days after Memorial Day. Wait times at Magic Kingdom rose dramatically after the headliner opened, not just at nearby Fantasyland attractions but across the park. Animal Kingdom doesn’t draw the same crowds that Magic Kingdom does, and Pandora likely won’t have the same draw that New Fantasyland did, but it is reasonable to expect a significant bump in attendance. The new Pandora attractions will see extreme wait times throughout the summer, but we expect rides like Expedition Everest and Kilimanjaro Safaris to see wait times go up, as well.
As a result, we are updating the Crowd Calendar to reflect the announcement of Pandora’s official opening date. In addition, we are making a few minor updates to other dates and parks in line with our most recent analysis.
Other New Developments That May Affect Crowds
Disney announced an increase to Walt Disney World ticket prices, with costs going up as much as 10% for certain multi-day tickets. A price increase can lead to a small dip in attendance, either through shorter or fewer trips. What we don’t yet know is how much this price increase will affect crowds, given the opening of Pandora and other developments.
We expect Disney’s Hollywood Studios to drop its evening Extra Magic Hours program. We also expect the Animal Kingdom to add evening Extra Magic Hours, and Magic Kingdom not to replace its evening parade (at least with anything new or notable) for the next few months. The net effect of those changes should be to push evening crowds to the Animal Kingdom. We’ve never seen this situation before, though, and we don’t know how much the price increase in park hopper tickets will discourage people from visiting a second park per day.
It may take our models up to 30 days to recognize the impact of these changes. We’ll adjust each park’s crowd predictions based on that and post something to the blog explaining the changes as we get them.
What’s Behind These Crowd Calendar Updates
Here is a brief description of what you will see on the latest crowd calendar. As always, the crowd levels are subject to change as they are based on the information available to us at the time we make the predictions. We always encourage you use a touring plan as the best defense against any size crowd – they work, so use ’em!
February
The rest of February will see some minor changes that reflect dips in wait times we have seen in late January and early February, mostly at Hollywood Studios. The calendar is currently not predicting a large boost in wait times at Animal Kingdom when Rivers of Light begins regular performances but that may have to be revised once we see what happens after February 17. Unless you are visiting specifically to see the show, try to avoid that park, especially in the evening.
March
March will see some minor changes of one index level scattered throughout the month. Forecasts for Soarin’, Frozen Ever After and Meet Anna & Elsa recently went through some substantial adjustments. For new or refurbished attractions it can take a while to see how the attractions behave in the different seasons of the year so we refresh our models every few weeks to make sure we are keeping current.
April
Changes in April are minimal with most being a one-point dip. Most of those come in the middle of the month after the Easter holiday has passed. We still expect the post-Easter crowds to be busy however, as many schools are on break. It may be that Animal Kingdom sees a dip in crowds during April and Early May as locals who might normally visit will put it off until the new stuff arrives later on the spring.
May
May will see some minor changes but mostly increases. It is possible that the late May opening of Pandora will bring large crowds to the other parks as well, especially if Animal Kingdom gets overrun by curious locals. If you plan to be among the first to see Pandora you should plan to arrive very early, well before the sun rises. A good plan might be to wait a week or two and arrive first thing in the morning on a weekday – a rainy day would be best.
June
Hollywood Studios is the only park that sees some increases of more than one index point in June. Other parks see almost no change except for the occasional drop by one index point. June forecasts may change once we get closer to the summer season and know more about the schedule and how Animal Kingdom’s new attractions are affecting the flow of guests between the parks.
July
July is looking a little more crowded than our last crowd calendar predicted, especially at Animal Kingdom and Epcot. We saw from New Fantasyland in 2014 that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train brought in large crowds during the busy summer season, we expect Pandora to do the same for Animal Kingdom.
August
Conversely, our models show that August will be a quieter month for Animal Kingdom as the novelty of the new attractions begins to wear off. Some estimates for Magic Kingdom did go up a point or two in August however, mostly in the later part of the month.
September
September looks great as always! Lots of crowds in the lower part of our scale. If you want to see crowd levels of ‘1’, ‘2’ or ‘3’ then September is the month for you. Some crowd levels in late September and early October did go up a few points as these latest updates include a complete analysis of what we saw in Fall 2016. We expect wait times to repeat themselves during this period in 2017.
October
The majority of significant changes in October occur at Magic Kingdom as we saw some higher wait times than usual in 2016, continuing a trend that we saw since Fall 2014. Still, October will offer moderate crowd levels most days.
November
Some forecasts around Veterans Day and Thanksgiving have increased the crowd levels in November, especially at Animal Kingdom and Magic Kingdom. This reflects what we saw in 2016 during the same period. Although our forecasts are not based solely on the previous year, we do give more weight to recent observations so what we saw in 2016 counts more than what we saw in years past.
December
Similarly December will see some boosts in crowd numbers during the middle of the month in reaction to what we observed in 2016 but mostly minor changes throughout the rest. Of course, once December 25th arrives, the parks will be extremely crowded for two weeks.
January
Wait times in early January 2018 are forecast to be higher than originally predicted given the surge in wait times that we saw this year well after the Christmas rush would normally have ended. Crowd levels are still decent throughout most of the month however.Changes to the Canada Pension Plan? A piddly 47 responses. Input on the most inspirational Canadians? About 12,000 people weighed in.
But public online consultation about legalizing marijuana netted 30,000 responses, proving pot stokes the passions of the Canadian public. (Though not quite as engaging as the topic of prostitution, which drew 31,172 responses.)
A vast majority of the pot submissions — 29,000 or so — were responses to an online survey.
Questions in the survey included:
Should consumption of marijuana be allowed in any publicly accessible spaces outside the home?
To what extent, if any, should home cultivation be allowed in a legalized system?
How should governments approach designing laws that will reduce, eliminate and punish those who operate outside the boundaries of the new legal system for marijuana?
What are your views on the minimum age for purchasing and possessing marijuana? Should the minimum age be consistent across Canada, or is it acceptable that there be variation amongst provinces and territories?
The survey, which allowed up to 1,500 word answers to a series of questions, was open to the public between June 30 and Aug 29. Participants were also asked for personal information like age, gender, level of education and to check off boxes that described their personal experience. Options included lawyer, parents or guardian of a minor and marijuana activist.
A spokesperson for the task force couldn't offer any information about where the majority of survey respondents stood on the various issues. The information will be analyzed and used by the the task force on marijuana legalization and regulation in its final report to the Trudeau government in November.
Task force goes south
The task force has also been collecting other perspectives. Officials travelled to Colorado and Washington, where pot is already legal, to find out more about how systems work there. According to a spokesperson, the task force has also visited several Canadian facilities licensed to grow medical marijuana.
It has also held eight invitation-only roundtable discussion across the country, with experts recommended by various levels of government. There were two days of discussion in both Toronto and Vancouver along one with roundtable each in Edmonton, Montreal, Ottawa and Halifax.
The Canadian Medical Association released its recommendations to the government earlier this week — including making the legal age for marijuana consumption 21.
A spokesperson for the task force said sessions will also be held with youth and Indigenous representatives.A CHINESE man died after donating sperm four times in 10 days.
Zheng Gang, 23, was found slumped over and unconscious when staff broke down the door at a private booth in the Wuhan University clinic in Hubei Province.
They’d become concerned when he hadn’t emerged from the booth in more than two hours, the New York Post reports.
The death occurred in 2012 but has only been made public now because Mr Gang’s family have launched legal action against the sperm bank because they feel the clinic is responsible for his death.
They claim staff made him sign up and have demanded $648,545 in compensation.
As part of their claim they have alleged he was pressured into making regular donations and staff did not properly handle the situation when they first found him.
But their claim hasn’t been successful.
A court has ruled his death was entirely his own fault because he was capable of making his own decisions, including regular sperm donations.
Mr Gang had been studying to be a doctor. He joined the sperm bank program in 2011 and was known to visit it regularly — even encouraging others to make their own donations.Fifty-four out of a hundred consumers now say they would consider ending a relationship with a retailer that fails to directly deliver tailor-made, relevant content to them.
That’s the reality of the world retail brands live in today. They need to become masters of delivering the right content, to the right people, in the right places. A perfect formula doesn’t exist, but a few brands are emerging as publishing pioneers, creating rich, targeted content that drives sales and engagement. And now that companies like Nike offer wearable technology and interactive apps, retail brands are even helping consumers tell their own stories.
Contently’s new e-book, “State of Content Marketing: Retail,” examines the retail industry’s most important success stories and trends, such as:
The new Vogue
It’s not just about being in Vogue anymore—it’s about being the new Vogue. That’s the mindset of new-age retail brands like Net-a-Porter, which recently released a glossy print magazine, Porter, which rivals the world’s best fashion magazines in quality and star-power. Gilt Groupe’s DuJour and Saturdays Magazine have also entered the publishing game with surprising success.
Social strategy
Facebook “Likes” can be a useful gauge of a brand’s impact, but the top 100 retailers on the network only average a 2 percent engagement rate. The social scene is shifting quickly, and the need to understand what social sites are most effective for driving engagement is crucial. Pinterest, for example, tripled revenue for some online retailers on Cyber Monday, while others still struggle mightily with social content.
Transparency trending
Retailers can also connect with their consumers by pulling back the curtain. Some have launched their own in-house fashion publications, while a slew of other brands have created stories and short documentaries that tell their product’s story in an intimate and engaging fashion.
iBeacon targeting
The surge in mobile usage has made it possible for brands to locally target their customers to the point where relevant reminders and coupons can be sent to your phone when you are near a specific store. Companies like Macy’s and Walmart have been using this geotargeting strategy for a few years, and one brand is breaking new ground, using iBeacon technology to connect with consumers and drive conversion rates in the high teens.
To learn about the innovative and exciting state of content marketing in the retail industry, DOWNLOAD THE FREE E-BOOK BELOW.Robert Miles, the DJ and producer recognised as one of the legends of Trance, has died aged 47.
According to DJ Mag Italia, Miles passed away today from a nasty disease.
[Update May 12: Robert Miles’ Belearic radio station OpenLab has stated that the legendary artist died a “courageous battle with stage 4 metastatic cancer over the last 9 months.”]
Robert Miles was best known for producing the piano-driven timeless classic, ‘Children’, a sublime record that captured the hearts of thousands of people across the globe, reaching #1 in more than 12 countries, selling over 5 million copies and and taking the #1 spot in the Euro Top 100 chart for 13 consecutive weeks.
“The tragic news of the death of a very talented artist of our time, makes me incredulous and upset,” close friend and colleague, Joe T Vannelli said in a statement published by DJ Mag Italia.
“With him also it is a part of my life as an artist manufacturer. I will miss the fights, brawls, criticism, judgements but especially your talent in finding sounds and melodies unparalleled.”
Many Trance artists and music fans took to Twitter to pay tribute to Robert Miles.
RIP Robert Miles. Children changed EVERYONE’s lives. <3 — Max Graham (@MaxGraham) May 10, 2017
RIP Robert Miles, Children is a favorite of ours. Will always be remembered. — Binary Finary (@binaryfinary) May 9, 2017
I don’t really do these type of tweets often but wow, RIP Robert Miles, Children was, is and always will be a true Masterpiece. you legend! — 7 Skies (@7Skies) May 9, 2017
RIP Robert Miles.. Another legend taken to soon xx Our thoughts are with his family and friends. — HP Source (@_hpsource) May 9, 2017
R.I.P. Robert Miles. Children is and will always be a corner stone of the rave scene. — Jay Mac (@jamo_mc) May 9, 2017
Hearing that Robert Miles has passed away.. Children will always be one of those classics.. That piano just ooozed emotion — Josh Bailey Music (@JoshBaileyDJ) May 9, 2017
I’m so sad about Robert Miles omg — shreenidhi? (@Trancepunzel) May 10, 2017
Sad to hear that dance musician Robert Miles, whose tracks Children and One & One were huge hits in 1996, has died at age 47 — Lee Graham (@leepg) May 10, 2017
#RobertMiles got me into trance music which became such a huge part of my life. 2017 can seriously just do one. #RIP — Joe Lidster (@joelidster) May 10, 2017Herp Queries: Finding The Next Big Thing In The Reptile Trade
By Bill Love
Question:
I’m sure many snake fans have noticed, the same handful of types are all I’m seeing at shows. It’s getting monotonous. We need some new types badly! Can you suggest some native snakes that would be good to keep, and that I should consider breeding?
Ronnie Pendar, Winter Haven, Fl.
Jay Ondreicka/Shutterstock Garter snakes have been all but forgotten, except by a handful of dedicated breeders.
Answer:
Simply catching and propagating new species of snakes that are not conspicuous in the trade won’t necessarily work as easily as one might hope. Seasoned herpers are always on the lookout for the next big thing. For the majority of people, the several dozen species already entrenched are providing the variety needed. New ones are going to have to jump hurdles to grab the public’s attention. Ideally, they’ll need to offer something not yet available with the established types.
Firstly, they’ll need to pass the “hatband test”—in other words, they’ll have to be attractive in pattern and color to be alluring. They’ll have to impress even non-herpers, possibly by prompting them to comment something such as, “That snake’s skin sure would make a pretty hatband [or belt, or pair of shoes]!” If a snake can inspire a remark like that, it’s going to have broad appeal. True herpers don’t need such a crude comparison, but it’s a way to gauge overall interest in the attractiveness of a herp.
Next, the candidate species must possess other traits that endear it to people. Just think for a moment what makes ball pythons and corn snakes so popular:
They are a convenient size for handling and caging. They exhibit a calm nature around people. They are hardy as pets. They breed easily and are prolific in captivity. They are attractive visually and behaviorally.
Newcomer snakes will have to compete favorably with the established types that are dominating the market today, to find their own niche.
I’ve always admired the garter snakes of the genus Thamnophis, especially the ones that sport brilliant blue, red and orange coloration. They’ve been all but forgotten, except by a handful of dedicated breeders. Their demerits in the past were for temperament and “inconvenient” food preferences, but those issues have been evaporating with successive captive-bred generations of garter snakes. They will still squirt musk sometimes, but that small imperfection will gradually disappear with improved docility over generations.
Misguided Thinking
Question:
It seems that many reptiles are in trouble—most animals, in fact. I believe the collecting of rare reptiles for sale is an important factor, but a distant second after the loss of their natural habitats. How do you view making money on rare and endangered species?
Constance Tristan, Edinburg, Texas
Answer:
I’ve digested opinions running both sides of this spectrum for years and have come to some conclusions of my own. They’re not necessarily any more accurate than the next one, but they are based on more than four decades around herps, both in the field and within the pet industry. I tend to be an optimist, too, and pro herpetoculture, so keep that in mind because it admittedly “taints” my answer with an automatic, but still informed, bias.
You nailed the biggest problem right out of the gate: habitat alteration and destruction for human use. There appears no change in sight for the next 50 years, in my estimation. I think people will go on doing as they’re doing until things get much, much worse than they are now. That includes making money at the expense of dwindling species, but let’s first look at who’s profiting from endangered species.
Mainstream business owners, hobbyists and breeders have attracted some bad press, being portrayed as the wolves preying upon wildlife. However, another huge, growing and largely hidden contingency is also conveniently profiting from the situation.
Protecting wildlife began as a heart-felt effort by concerned citizens and governmental agencies in response to the growing interest in wildlife for pets and products made from animal skins. In many cases, this demand was coming largely from a small handful of “rich” countries, such as the U.S. To combat this demand, restrictive legislation was enforced that made increasing numbers of species illegal to import.
Once the legislation momentum got rolling, it became almost trendy to petition federal and state governments to add additional species to the forbidden lists. Anyone could propose an addition by submitting their reasons for official review. Everyone and their brother could also initiate a campaign to protect their favorite species if they presented it with some credible backing that supported their demands. Many people bought into the idea that once an animal was listed, its troubles were essentially over.
This widespread belief was largely predicated on the notion that collecting herps (and this applies to other animals, too) for the pet trade was the main cause behind their threatened status in the wild. The laws were supposed to help by curbing the trade in truly rare types, but they also distracted the public’s attention greatly from habitat loss, which was the biggest culprit. This was ignored for the most part because it was, and is, a huge, intractable problem that can’t easily be stopped.
Hundreds of organizations quickly formed (and continue to form) to support this conservation strategy. The whole process morphed and metastasized into a humongous money-making enterprise, earning livings—some very plush—for many people.
One of their tactics is simple: Turn the general public against people who keep herps as pets by labeling them as the bad guys, because they are the reason the herp trade even exists. Herp owners are painted as consumers of animals, bottomless pits that swallow wildlife and give nothing back. Cats and dogs make great pets, why do these oddballs need herps, too?
Captive-breeding efforts are totally ignored. Why inform the public that herpetoculture was making major progress in providing a viable alternative to wild-caught animals? Because doing so might give people hope and squelch the donations that are the lifeblood of many conservation groups. Is it any wonder we’re seeing a burgeoning load of new laws on the horizon? Too many people now depend on them to stay employed.
As long as there’s a demand people will collect rare animals, but there’s a hidden silver lining that’s been progressing since at least the 1970s: herpetoculture and captive breeding. Millions of breeders worldwide have taken up the challenge. Supplying a “product” (captive-bred reptile pets) that is in demand works in regard to herpetoculture just as with any other enterprise.
Recognizing that animals have commercial value is a first step toward reversing the current mindset that has herpers being demonized by many pseudo-conservation groups striving for their version of a perfect world. Currently, these groups are stalling potential progress that could be made toward saving imperiled species by devoting captive-breeding programs to them.
Dave and Tracy Barker have discussed these ideas at length in their new book, The Invisible Ark: In Defense of Captivity (2014). This unique publication is available through the Barkers’ website, VPI.com.
Bill Love photographs herps in nature, writes and lectures. He assists his wife, Kathy, with her business, CornUtopia, and via his company, Blue Chameleon Ventures, leads nature tours to view herps in Madagascar.There are plenty of Christmas events taking place across Auckland in 2018, find out more about road closures and parking restrictions for each one.
If you're planning to use public transport, use our Journey Planner.
Christmas events with road closures and parking restrictions
View areas of Auckland below for more information on any events, detours and delays happening there.
Information updated: 21 December 2018. Information is correct at the time of publishing and subject to change.
Central
SKYCITY 12 Days of Christmas - Friday 14, to Monday, 24 December (Christmas Eve) 2018
Location:
Auckland City Centre.
Timing:
11am to midnight on each day.
Roads closed:
11am to midnight: Federal Street.
Parking restrictions:
None.
North
There are no events listed for north Auckland.
South
There are no events listed for south Auckland.
East
There are no events listed for east Auckland.
West
There are no events listed for west Auckland.Coffee won't be the only thing brewing at Caffe Calabria for long; owner Arne Holt tells Eater that the North Park roaster has begun the process of transforming the cafe's basement into an in-house brewery which will be called Birrificio Calabria.
As a fixture of the craft beer corridor otherwise known as 30th Street, Holt wanted to support local breweries but also give their beer menu an Italian spin. Imported Italian craft beers proved too costly, so four months ago, Joey Cox, the roaster's Production Manager and an avid home brewer, suggested to Holt that they brew their own. In October, the two traveled to Italy to visit a number of breweries and took a particular liking to the easy-drinking lagers at Birrificio Italiano in the Milan area.
When Calabria has installed their new seven barrel brewing system, Cox says he plans to focus on sessionable beers with a lower hop profile, inspired by what they tasted on their Italian trip — a pilsner, a hefeweizen — and of course, coffee-infused brews. Holt says they'd like to continue to collaborate with local breweries (their coffee is currently used in Ballast Point Brewing & Spirits' Victory at Sea Imperial Porter) but that they're also looking forward to creating their own, unique coffee beers. If all goes well, you'll be drinking Birrificio Calabria's beer in six months time.
· Caffe Calabria [Official Site]
· All Beer Coverage on Eater [~ESD~]110 SHARES Facebook Twitter Linkedin Reddit
Developer Niklas Persson is working on bringing the visceral, gore-soaked carnage of the Doom series to virtual reality with HordeZ, a multi-player coop shooter for the HTC Vive.
Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, there’s very little in the world of gaming more satisfying than laying waste to hordes of evil demons / zombies / aliens / <insert antagonist here> with heavy weaponry. This, along with some very impressive game engine technology, is a large part of what made Doom such a PC gaming classic back in the 90s. Now, imagine if you could experience all of that, in virtual reality, with motion controls allowing you to dual wield realistically whilst sharing the experience with friends.
Well, developer Niklas Persson, founder of studio ZenzVR, is creating a game offering just that. Clearly a fan of the aforementioned carnage, his new game HordeZ, in development for the HTC Vive, very much seems to channel the essence of the id franchise.
Persson himself hails from the gaming industry, having founded the studio Refraction – responsible for Battlefield: 1942. That studio would later become DICE, who you will doubtless know from the continuing Battlefield franchise. Persson took a 14 year hiatus from the games industry, now returning to make games in virtual reality, which has been a long-time passion of his.
“Hordez is meant to be a full throttle action shooter from start to finish played out in the near future,” Persson tells me, “It immerses you in a classic world of zombies and demons threatening to take over the world.” So far so familiar. Persson continues “The game offers an immersive experience of non-stop carnage in a true room-scale virtual reality with multiple levels and different settings.” But here’s where the addition of VR and 1:1 motion controls begin to separate HordeZ from the average monitor based PC shooter. “Every shot you make is entirely up to your own aiming skills. Headshots will take out the zombies stone cold so having a good aim surely helps a lot!”
And this is the key. Take a relatively derivative idea, transfer it to virtual reality where you share the same space with demons, fending them off with virtual weapons as extensions of your own physical hands, and it becomes a potentially more compelling prospect.
So how will the game be structured? “The game will include 8 different levels/settings which can be played solo or co-op up to 2 players. There will also be 3 death-match levels where you play against each-other and the zombies in a large room where you can be up to 4 players in a 2 vs 2 vs Zombies playmode,” says Persson.
It’s early days for HordeZ in terms of development, and whilst the originality of the concept is clearly minimal, the power of room-scale virtual reality with intuitive, motion controlled shooting action, all within an oppressive world you share with a friend, could yield exciting results.
HordeZ is due for release for the HTC Vive in Q2 2016. The HTC Vive goes up for pre-order on February 29th and is due to ship from April 1st.HOW good or bad are the ambulance response times where you live? We can’t tell you because Ambulance Victoria won’t release this basic information.
On April 15 the Freedom of Information Commissioner told Ambulance Victoria it must give the data to Leader Newspapers but it has not done so.
In September last year, Leader asked Ambulance Victoria for ambulance response times for Code 1 calls (a time-critical case with lights and sirens) for each branch in Victoria in the period July 1, 2012, to June 30, 2013.
This request was denied so Leader asked for this data through a freedom of information application.
Ambulance Victoria rejected the freedom of information request, arguing that the information “would excite public controversy”, could have an adverse effect on morale and ambulance subscriptions, and did not correctly reflect the standard of performance that Ambulance Victoria was required to achieve.
>> What do you think? Should Ambulance Victoria release ambulance response times? Leave your comment below or join the debate on our Facebook page.
In November, Leader appealed this decision to the Freedom of Information Commissioner.
After five months the commissioner handed down a ruling in Leader’s favour and instructed Ambulance Victoria to release the information.
But despite the commissioner’s determination, the taxpayer-funded organisation has still not handed over the documents.
Asked where the documents were, Ambulance Victoria chief executive Greg Sassella said the organisation was reviewing the commissioner’s decision.
The Ambulance Victoria 2012-2013 Annual Report only includes a statewide figure of ambulance response times, which revealed response times were below target.
Ambulances responded to Code 1 calls within 15 minutes in 73 per cent of cases instead of the 85 per cent target.
Opposition health and ambulance services spokesman Gavin Jennings said the figures were being hidden because they would show the ambulance system was badly broken with ambulances and patients forced to wait hours outside clogged emergency departments.
University of Melbourne Law School Associate Professor Beth Gaze said Ambulance Victoria should release ambulance response times.
“A publicly funded organisation that is providing public services should be in a position to be accountable for the services that it provides.
“Otherwise its performance can’t be assessed. They need to be accountable |
such a great number of far-right positions is in many ways a more shocking phenomenon than the rare topic on which they disagree. Here are just a few areas of consensus on which the rightward lurch of the GOP during the last few years has become remarkably apparent:
1. Hard money. With the exception of Ron Paul’s serial campaigns and a failed 1988 effort by Jack Kemp, it’s been a very long time since Republican presidential candidates flirted with the gold standard or even talked about currency polices. Recent assaults by 2012 candidates on Ben Bernanke and demands for audits of the Fed reflect a consensus in favor of deflationary monetary policies and elimination of any Fed mission other than preventing inflation. When combined with unconditional GOP hostility to stimulative fiscal policies—another new development—this position all but guarantees that a 2012 Republican victory will help usher in a longer and deeper recession than would otherwise be the case.
2. Anti-unionism. While national Republican candidates have always perceived the labor movement as a partisan enemy, they haven’t generally championed overtly anti-labor legislation. Last Thursday, however, they all backed legislation to strip the National Labor Relations Board of its power to prevent plant relocations designed to retaliate against legally protected union activities (power the NLRB is exercising in the famous Boeing case involving presidential primary hotspot South Carolina). Meanwhile, at least two major candidates, Michele Bachmann and Ron Paul, have endorsed a national right-to-work law, and Romney and Perry have also encouraged states like New Hampshire to adopt right-to-work laws.
3. Radical anti-environmentalism. Until quite recently, Republicans running for president paid lip service to environmental protection as a legitimate national priority, typically differentiating themselves from Democrats by favoring less regulatory enforcement approaches and more careful assessment of economic costs and market mechanisms. The new mood in the GOP is perhaps best exemplified by Herman Cain’s proposal at the most recent presidential debate that “victims” of the Environmental Protection Agency (apparently, energy industry or utility executives) should dominate a commission to review environmental regulations—an idea quickly endorsed by Rick Perry. In fact, this approach might represent the middle-of-the-road within the party, given the many calls by other Republicans (including presidential candidates Paul, Bachmann, and Gingrich) for the outright abolition of EPA.KP Assembly asks Centre to stick to original route of CPEC PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution that asked the federal government to honour its commitment made at the All Parties Conference on May 28 about sticking to the original route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) parliamentary leader Sikandar Sherpao presented the resolution that was signed by lawmakers from all the political parties. The resolution asked the federal government to ensure work on the original route of the multi-billion project so that the country could be put on track to progress. Sikandar Sherpao, Awami National Party’s Syed Jafar Shah, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker Munawar Khan, Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan from the Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s Salim Khan believed that changes have been made in the route of the economic corridor. Vowing to resist any change in the CPEC route, they maintained in their speeches that non-implementation of the original plan would be an injustice to the smaller provinces. Taking the floor, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha dismissed the reports about the change in the corridor route. He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would not go back on his words, adding the project was being implemented as per its original map and the western route would be executed first. Aurangzeb Nalotha said the western route would pass through Burhan-Fateh Jang-Mianwali and Dera Ismail Khan and dry port would also be constructed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The unanimous resolution adopted by the assembly on Tuesday reads: “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a fortune changer project. The people of Pakistan fully support it. The project became controversial when the original route was changed.” The provincial assembly has passed unanimous resolutions to urge the federal government to strict to the original map. A number of seminars, conferences, walks and protests were also held to pressure the federal government to restore the original route of the corridor. On 28 May, an all parties conference (APC) was held in Islamabad with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the chair. A consensus was evolved in the conference with the prime minister announcing that the western route would be completed first. He had also named the cities and towns through which the western route would pass. Subsequently maps were issued, but allocations in the federal budget created doubts. According to the plans, the western route will remain the same old single road National Highway. The budget allocations are mainly for the eastern route. The rest of the allocations are to connect this route to Gwadar and Karakoram Highway. The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly through the resolution asked the federal government to keep its promise made at the APC held on May 28. It said that deviation from the decisions of APC would not be acceptable to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The assembly unanimously passed two more resolutions. The resolution moved by QWP’s Meraj Humayun Khan asked the provincial government to enhance the status of the Primary School Teachers (PST) by giving them their due rights, scales and incentives. It asked the government to direct the media outlets to project the importance of PSTs in the education system. The resolution demanded that PST should be given pay scale in accordance with their qualifications i.e. scale 15 for undergraduates, scale 16 for graduates and 17 for Masters degree holders. It said that trainers for primary teachers should be selected from among PSTs and they should be given share in appointment of Subject Teachers (SS) and merit should be upheld at the district and tehsil level. Through another resolution moved by Amna Sardar of PML-N, the government was asked to declare December 16 as public holiday to commemorate the sacrifices of those killed in the carnage at the Army Public School Peshawar last year.
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Tuesday unanimously passed a resolution that asked the federal government to honour its commitment made at the All Parties Conference on May 28 about sticking to the original route of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project.
Qaumi Watan Party (QWP) parliamentary leader Sikandar Sherpao presented the resolution that was signed by lawmakers from all the political parties.
The resolution asked the federal government to ensure work on the original route of the multi-billion project so that the country could be put on track to progress.
Sikandar Sherpao, Awami National Party’s Syed Jafar Shah, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) lawmaker Munawar Khan, Minister for Information Mushtaq Ghani belonging to the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Minister for Local Government Inayatullah Khan from the Jamaat-i-Islami and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP)’s Salim Khan believed that changes have been made in the route of the economic corridor.
Vowing to resist any change in the CPEC route, they maintained in their speeches that non-implementation of the original plan would be an injustice to the smaller provinces.
Taking the floor, Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) parliamentary leader Sardar Aurangzeb Nalotha dismissed the reports about the change in the corridor route.
He said Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif would not go back on his words, adding the project was being implemented as per its original map and the western route would be executed first.
Aurangzeb Nalotha said the western route would pass through Burhan-Fateh Jang-Mianwali and Dera Ismail Khan and dry port would also be constructed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The unanimous resolution adopted by the assembly on Tuesday reads: “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a fortune changer project. The people of Pakistan fully support it. The project became controversial when the original route was changed.”
The provincial assembly has
passed unanimous resolutions to urge the federal government to strict to the original map.
A number of seminars, conferences, walks and protests were also held to pressure the federal government to restore the original route of the corridor.
On 28 May, an all parties conference (APC) was held in Islamabad with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in the chair. A consensus was evolved in the conference with the prime minister announcing that the western route would be completed first. He had also named the cities and towns through which the western route would pass.
Subsequently maps were issued, but allocations in the federal budget created doubts.
According to the plans, the western route will remain the same old single road National Highway. The budget allocations are mainly for the eastern route. The rest of the allocations are to connect this route to Gwadar and Karakoram Highway.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly through the resolution asked the federal government to keep its promise made at the APC held on May 28. It said that deviation from the decisions of APC would not be acceptable to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The assembly unanimously passed two more resolutions. The resolution moved by QWP’s Meraj Humayun Khan asked the provincial government to enhance the status of the Primary School Teachers (PST) by giving them their due rights, scales and incentives.
It asked the government to direct the media outlets to project the importance of PSTs in the education system.
The resolution demanded that PST should be given pay scale in accordance with their qualifications i.e. scale 15 for undergraduates, scale 16 for graduates and 17 for Masters degree holders.
It said that trainers for primary teachers should be selected from among PSTs and they should be given share in appointment of Subject Teachers (SS) and merit should be upheld at the district and tehsil level.
Through another resolution moved by Amna Sardar of PML-N, the government was asked to declare December 16 as public holiday to commemorate the sacrifices of those killed in the carnage at the Army Public School Peshawar last year.Hajime no Ippo 3rd Season Published by on
George Morikawa’s popular boxing novel is about to take another round, not on the ring, but on your TV screens. The 34th issue of Kondansha’s Weekly Shounen Magazine has just disclosed that Hajime No Ippo (はじめの一歩) is green-lit for a third serving. The anime is scheduled to start airing fall of 2013 in Japan.
In the announcement ad, one can read the headlines “Ippo Fights the Formidable Enemy, Sawamura! Dempsey Goes Down?” This is enough preview to excite the anime fans locally and internationally, especially those who loves the sport.
Morikawa has written and illustrated this series, which was serialized in the Weekly Shounen Magazine since 1989. The title has over a hundred tankobons to date. Hajime no Ippo follows the story of Makunouchi Ippo, a high school student who keeps to himself and often bullied. However, it is when he met Takamura Mamoru, a renowned boxing champion that Ippo decided to be stronger. He then joins Kamogawa Gym to be trained into one of the greatest boxing champions in Japan. From then on, Ippo learned the one thing which he lacks—a fighting spirit, and thus began to work his way from his ground up.
Animation studio Madhouse, Nippon Television and VAP produced a 76-episode anime series with the title Hajime no Ippo: The Fighting. The anime ran from October 2000 to March 2002. An original video animation and a movie were also inspired from the title. A second season of the series ran on January 2009 and ended on June of the same year. Presently, Kodansha is publishing the manga locally in Japan, and will be releasing the 104th compiled volume next month.
Hajime no Ippo has been released in North America and other international regions under the title of Fighting Spirit.Microsoft Corp., the software giant worth an estimated $600 billion, said Thursday it is trying to determine who in the company forgot to pay a $35 bill, partially crippling its Hotmail free e-mail service.
But it's very grateful to Michael Chaney, an independent computer consultant in Tennessee who single-handedly restored the service by paying the delinquent bill.
Because of the forgotten bill, some Hotmail users were unable to access their accounts over the Christmas weekend, said Microsoft spokeswoman Kathy Gill.
Hotmail has more than 52 million users around the world, but Microsoft said it was unclear how many had experienced problems.
The company is still trying to figure out who dropped the ball on the $35 payment.
"It may have been that the person who usually handles that was out of the office," Gill said.
On Dec. 24, Chaney--an Antioch, Tenn.-based programmer who works with the Linux operating system, an upstart competitor to Microsoft's Windows platform--dialed up his little-used Hotmail account. He couldn't get in and noted that the password system, which uses information found through the World Wide Web address www.passport.com, wasn't working.
"I didn't think much of it," Chaney, 31, said in an interview Thursday, noting that Hotmail had previous access problems because of technical glitches.
Hotmail still wasn't working Christmas Day. So Chaney surfed to a technology discussion site, Slashdot, where he learned why.
Microsoft somehow forgot to pay the $35 fee to retain the rights to the passport.com Web address. So Network Solutions Inc., which maintains the Web's domain naming system, essentially removed the name from the Web, leaving computer users without an electronic pathway to Microsoft's computer servers.
Chaney decided to resolve it himself. He went to Network Solutions' site, called up the data on www.passport.com--and paid the outstanding $35 with his MasterCard.
"The people on Slashdot figured it out," Chaney said. "I just took the last step." Network Solutions restored the address, and Hotmail was back in business.
"We obviously owe Mr. Chaney a huge thanks," Gill said. "We had someone here give him a call to thank him, and we'll definitely reimburse him for the $35."
On his Web site, Chaney hinted his bailout may be worth more than that.
"Microsoft is under no legal obligation to repay the $35 to me, and it doesn't really matter to me if they do or not. If they do... I would ask that when they make out a check they consider how much revenue would have otherwise been lost had this been down for another day or two, in addition to the inconvenience to people who rely on Hotmail as their only source of e-mail contact," he wrote.Saturday, January 16th, 2016
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- Two people from Madera are under arrest in connection with a massive brawl that broke out at a Sikh temple in Turlock.Police arrested 51-year-old Balwinder Bagri Kaur and 47-year-old Gurdev Singh Friday.About 300 people were attending service at Sikh temple Turlock when a brawl broke out last Sunday. Police believe 100 people were actually involved, including both men and women throwing punches. Officers also arrested a third person, 38-year-old Sandeep Singh, the man seen on video swinging a sword. "He basically picked up a sword, an article of faith, and assaulted an elderly person. Which cannot be tolerated in a house of worship," said Harinder Toor, member.According to members, the fight involved two big groups-- the current temple leaders versus a group of newly emigrated members from India often considered to be traditionalists.Members said Singh is one of the traditionalists and he's been in trouble with the law before.The mayor and chief of police are now holding meetings with the Sikh community to make sure it doesn't happen again. nullThe next entry in Naughty Dog's Uncharted series is coming to PlayStation 4, Sony announced on the eve of the next-gen console's launch.
A teaser trailer featuring narration provided by an unfamiliar voice and a camera panning across a map of the southern tip of Africa and toward Madagascar — and the title Uncharted — was all that Naughty Dog would reveal. Naughty Dog's Evan Wells wouldn't confirm whether or not series protagonist Nathan Drake would return, but the company's co-president said the teaser might contain a few clues about the game.
Co-president Christophe Balestra said the next Uncharted will continue to push the storytelling and performance capture the series is known for, as well as bring about a big graphical leap on PS4.
In a post on the PlayStation blog, Naughty Dog community strategist Arne Meyer confirmed game director Justin Richmond and creative director Amy Hennig are working on the game.
"Our goal is to continue what we've done in previous console generations and once again deliver the best in storytelling, performance capture, technical innovation and graphics on the PS4," Meyer wrote. "We can confirm that the voiceover is performed by Todd Stashwick and he will play a character in the game."
You can watch the first Uncharted for PlayStation 4 teaser video below in an attempt to unearth your own clues about Naughty Dog's next-gen foray.MARIAN T. HORVAT, Ph.D., in this 2003 piece, examines the pervasiveness of black clothing, especially for women:
When did black begin to be considered fashionable wear in the West? It seems to me that we can follow two distinct channels of acceptance. The first upsurge to make black acceptable came from the fashion houses of Paris and London and was directed at the fashion elites – the rich, the glamorous and the chic. Chanel’s revolutionary “little black dress” for the elite lady of style entered the fashion scene in the post war period.
In the ‘50s Christian Dior made popular the black afternoon dress and jacket, but again, only for the wealthy and super fashion conscious. However, it wasn’t long before the black dress lost its revolutionary tone and had become a staple at any fashionable gathering. By the early ’90s it took a lot more to startle a gathering than a scintillating black dress, and it became quite the fashion at high society London and Paris parties to masquerade in Frankenstein-Marilyn Manson black costumes with clearly Satanic tones. This is not to say that everyone who, for fun or shock-value, joins in the fad is involved in outright Satanism. It is merely to point out where the first channel seems to flow.
The second channel flowed through the beatnik and artsy-academic circles to reach the university students, the middle class, and everyone else. In the ’60s the beatniks made black the core color of what became known as “Beat style.” Black became the favored color among artists and intellectuals. The black apparel of the reactionaries not infrequently seemed to accompany the popular revolutionary longings of the day and to provide fertile soil for fermenting utopic communist and socialist ideas.
— Comments —
Mrs. Emily Lawson writes:
Interestingly enough, Chanel’s interest in the color (technically, complete lack of color) was sparked by grief. Her lover, polo player Arthur Capel, died in 1919 in a car accident (on his way to Chanel for a rendezvous – his daughter and pregnant wife were safe at home). Coco Chanel was devastated by his loss and swore that she would “put the whole world in mourning.” Aesthetics were secondary.
I studied Chanel briefly during a greater study of French fashion in an endeavor to add more sophistication to my wardrobe once I became a mother. As a Jew and a descendant of Holocaust victims and survivors (one of whom turned 100 last year), I make a point to wear LOTS of color to parties rather than mourn the boy-toy of a Nazi sympathizer.
Jeanette V. writes:
Is it just me or are those dresses ugly?
I tend to wear a lot of black with color. I love black and red.
Laura writes:
I don’t think it’s just you.
Buck writes:
I have always thought that black was the presence of all color, and that white was the absence of any color. It seemed logical to me that if I mixed together all the colors of paint in my basement, the last color that I would end up with would be white, even if most of them were white. Oh, well.
I’m the antithesis of fashion. For practical reasons, during the hot months I wear white shirts during the day. I wear black shirts at night or when its cold. I have three tall stacks of shirts, one black, one white and one of various colors, all of them otherwise the same. I remember reading that Alfred Hitchcock, who could affort to dress any way he wanted, wore only black suits, black tie, and white shirt. You will never see a photo of him dressed otherwise. One less thing to think about.
The Wikipedia entry on “black” outlines the fascinating history of black; from the Ancient world, to its controversial use in fashion at the end of the Middle Ages and today, and its symbolism among different religions and different cultures.
But, like sound, and all of our physical senses, color is an illusion. Color doesn’t exist in the physical world. It only exists in our minds. The physical world is silent and colorless. Like everything that we deem to be the good, it’s good only in a realm realized and shared by our minds. We “all” believe that we see red and experience red. But, red is nothing more than a sensory impression that we misinterpret as the true character of an actual rose.
For some reason, this reminds me of a post by Lawerence Auster, in which he explains the meaning of a passage by Eric Voegelin. The entry: If God is good, why is there so much evil?
Laura writes:
I don’t believe it is correct to say that color is an illusion. It’s effects of light perceived by our eyes.
But that is not the main subject here.After the death of her husband, the mother of Julie, Jack, Sue and Tom begins to suffer from a mysterious illness. Aware that she is going to have to go into hospital she opens a bank account for the children, so that they can be financially self-sufficient and will be able to avoid being taken into care by the authorities. Unfortunately she also dies and Julie and Jack (the older, teenage children) decide to hide her body in the basement so that they can have free reign of their household. Soon Tom has taken to dressing as a girl whilst Sue has become increasingly reticent, confiding only to her diary, meanwhile Jack and Julie sense an attraction developing for each other. However Julie's new beau, Derek, threatens to unearth the many dark secrets within this family as he becomes increasingly suspicious of Jack. Written by Jagged-11Recently, there’s been a round of news stories focusing on various problems with the nation’s largest retailer, and one of its worst employers, Walmart. These problems range from national and international labor issues, to poor customer service, low-quality produce, empty shelves, and declining sales.
At the same time, Costco, the nation’s second largest retailer which famously pays its workers good wages and benefits, has been getting some of the best press in its 30-year history. Unlike much of the rest of the retail sector, Costco keeps posting strong sales — according to the most recent quarterly report, sales are up 8% and earnings are up 19% compared to this quarter last year. Costco has also won praise as a socially responsible investment.
I’ve written about Costco before. I’m a fan of the store as a consumer, and I also like it as a model of capitalism. A retailer that delivers high-quality products at rock-bottom prices, and is philosophically and practically committed to treating its workers well in the bargain — what more can you ask for? Its smashing success proves that the low-road, Walmart way of worker exploitation and selling cheap crap is not the only way to have capitalism in our society. We do have a choice.
This week, I’m writing about Costco again because of this wonderful article about the company, on the cover of Bloomberg Businessweek. There’s tons of fascinating info packed inside, even stuff that I, who consider myself to be something of a Costco nerd, didn’t know. This hilarious anecdote, about Costco co-founder Sol Price, by itself made it well worth reading the entire bloody thing:
Price was a liberal Jewish attorney from New York who embraced organized labor. According to Ralph Nader, who met him during Nader’s 1996 presidential run, Price often told a joke about meeting some discount retail executives who reverentially told him, “Sol, you are the father of everything we have inherited.” To which Price replied: “I really wish I had worn a condom.”
In my earlier piece, I mentioned some of the business strategies that have made Costco a success, investing in their employees being the most fundamental one. But the Businessweek article mentions a few other company policies I did not know about. Most fascinating of all, there is this:
[Snip]... Costco does not hire business school graduates—thanks to another idiosyncrasy meant to preserve its distinct company culture. It cultivates employees who work the floor in its warehouses and sponsors them through graduate school. Seventy percent of its warehouse managers started at the company by pushing carts and ringing cash registers.
Those sentences speak volumes. They tell you that Costco is a company that values its own hard-won experience over trendy B-school subjects like management theory and Econ 101 abstractions. They’ve found a formula that works and they’re not going to mess with it. I’ve long found the typical B-school curriculum to be problematic. On the one hand, you have management “theory,” which frequently is not well-supported by rigorous research, and might be characterized as more theological than anything else — Tom Frank has often been insightful about the ideological function served by this kind of business literature.
Then, on the other hand, you have B-school economics. One of the great sins about economics as a university subject is that, particularly at the introductory and intermediate levels where people are most likely to study it, the econ that gets taught tends to be almost entirely theoretical, not empirical. Few economists understand how businesses work, because few of them have actually bothered to ask businesspeople how they make business decisions. Instead, they make assumptions. But even assumptions that seem highly plausible in theory can turn out to be wildly off-base in fact.
Here’s a wonderful example of empirical economics in action. A number of years ago, a Yale economist named Truman Bewley wrote a terrific book called Why Wages Don’t Fall During a Recession. Bewley had noticed that, of course, during recessions, employers tend to lay off workers. But it might seem equally logical to cut wages instead — thus the book’s title. Economist Barbara Bergmann wrote about the book (she’s quoted here):
The most intensive interaction with business people so far seems to have been carried out as a solo venture by Truman Bewley who interviewed about 300 business managers, asking why they don’t lower wages in a depression. The failure to do so, which may (or may not) be an important reason for the failure of unemployment to dissipate rapidly, has long been a subject of speculation among economists. Bewley’s book lists no less than 25 published theories that economists had invented to explain the phenomenon, 24 of which were wrong. Bewley was the first who dared to go out and ask those making the decisions what they did and why. They told him that to lower wages would create severe morale problems, and so would interfere with the operations of their firm.
You would think that a book that was so ground-breaking and so crucial for public policy would have created a revolution in the field of economics. Sadly, you would be wrong. Here’s Bergmann again:
While observation-less theorizing is still the most common way economists think to advance the science, the new interest being shown to behavioral and experimental methods at places like Princeton and Harvard is an encouraging sign. But actual observation of business behavior has barely started. Whether it will flourish depends on whether an ever increasing corps of economists willing and able to do the work of observation gets trained and then finds jobs.
A few years ago I had occasion to ask Truman Bewley whether he was training students at Yale to carry on research like that he did on wages. His answer, I am sorry to report, was, “No, that would ruin their careers.”
Getting back to Costco: the abstract theorizing that MBA students learn in microeconomics courses often has little relevance to practical business situations. The simplified textbook models teach the lesson that policies like unions and the minimum wage are inefficient and wrong — that message comes through loud and clear. Economics as it’s taught in most American colleges today more or less encourages poor labor practices.
No wonder why Costco prefers its own cart-pushers to fancy MBA bean counters. Costco’s business model relies on investing in its workers. It’s one you won’t find in a standard MBA textbook, and yet it is paying off in spades for Costco stockholders, employees, and customers alike. Maybe they know something that the management consultant class doesn’t. And maybe it’s about time the rest of corporate America start paying attention.In honor of the Ally-ification of National Coming Out Day, I’ve put together a quick list of the top 19 things bad allies say and do, courtesy of the hilarious-in-an-omg-that-is-so-sad-and-accurate-kind-of-way Tumblr, littlestraightallythings. Enjoy.
1. “I can’t be homophobic! I have a gay friend/brother/uncle!”
Remember, Rick Santorum’s press secretary in the early-2000s was gay. Would you say this makes him “not a homophobe” as well?
2. “I don’t really identify with the word ‘cisgender.'”
But, um, you are. I might not go around announcing myself as “Parker Molloy, transgender woman, homosapien, American, resident of Earth,” but those are all true statements. If someone said, “raise your hand if you live on Earth,” I’d raise said hand.
3. Comparing “oppression” they’ve faced by identifying as an ally to the life experiences of someone who is gay or trans.
Please don’t do this. We all have different privileges. Acknowledge them. That one time some guy called you a name for saying you supported LGBT folks doesn’t compare to the actual oppression that LGBT individuals face (increased levels of unemployment, poverty, murder, assault, housing and employment discrimination).
4. “Gay privilege” and/or “trans privilege”
I’m not sure what society you’ve been living in, but these aren’t things. There has never been a time in my life where being trans vs. being cis has led to an improved outcome.
5. “I wish I could fight for equality with them, instead of next to them. I wish there was an ‘S’ for ‘Straight’ in the acronym.” (Yes, people say this.)
Rather than “fighting with us,” how about you just try to help out as needed? This means not drowning out LGBT voices. You don’t have to be “part of the fight” to make a difference.
6. Misgendering people they dislike.
I know that Ann Coulter is a no-good, very-bad, terrible, awful person. Still, calling her a “man” or a “tr*nny” is transmisogynistic. (P.S. this applies to LGB folks who do this as well, like Dan Savage, who called Rob McKenna, a cis man, trans.)
7. “Discrimination doesn’t happen that much when you’re looking for jobs, if it did, everyone would be getting sued!”
Care to back that one up with some facts? No? Well, I’ve got some. Enjoy.
8. “Yeah? Well, I identify as a toaster, but that doesn’t actually make me one!”
Get out before I plug you into the wall, toaster boy.
9. “But I didn’t misgender you, because you are still biologically a boy.”
*shakes with rage*
10. “Love the sinner, hate the sin.”
Aw, that’s cute. What a nice little way of both condemning my life. You might as well say, “I’ll be nice to you here, but after all, we both know you’re going to burn in hell for all eternity, right?”
11. [Invasive questions about my genitals.]
This happens way too often. Think about how often you ask your cisgender friends about their genitals. Think about how often they ask about yours. That would be pretty inappropriate of them, right? What makes you think I’m the exception to that rule?
12. Using terms: “f*g hag,” “lesbro,” “beard,” “purse.”
If you don’t see what’s wrong with these terms, there is seriously a problem.
13. “Lesbians are hot because they’re forever virgins.”
I’m sure all the lesbians I know would disagree with you on that one.
14. “You should jump at the chance to educate people!”
I’m not a walking encyclopedia of queerness. There’s this awesome website called Google. Get to know it.
15. Use of the phrases “Heterophobia” and “Cisphobia”
There is no institutionalized oppression against hetero- or cis- people, thus, there is no such thing as “heterophobia” or “cisphobia.”
16. Unsolicited opinions on how well I pass/”You don’t look trans!”
Ah, I see what you did there. You gave me a compliment (thank you) while still letting me know that you have a very specific idea of what a trans person looks like. Also, saying that I’m “passing” as a woman is suggesting that I’m tricking people. Nope. I am a woman.
17. “But (Arrested Development/How I Met Your Mother/South Park/Family Guy/It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia/SNL) makes fun of everyone! You can’t be so sensitive.”
There’s a difference between making a joke about a government, a company, a large organization, a religion; and making fun of people for being gay or trans. What’s the difference? You can move, you can work for a different company, you can change religions. I can’t just not be trans.
18. Brushing off my discomfort with gendered terms like “bro,” “guys” and “dudes” as being hypersensitive.
To my guy friends: if you do this, I will start referring to you as “sweetie” and “princess.” You’ll notice that it gets pretty annoying after a bit.
19. “I long for a day where feminine boys don’t feel like they have to transition in order to feel accepted.”
Ah yes, the ally’s way of saying, “trans women are really just hyper-feminine men” (and vice versa). I’m not a “hyper-feminine man,” and even in a world where the most feminine of boys was accepted with open arms, that still wouldn’t be a role I could play.The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz
The following is a classic account of the importance of first-hand observation, and careful, intense, focused study. It teaches lessons that apply to almost any discipline. Indeed, it is widely used in colleges and universities across the U.S. as a teaching tool in both the humanities and the sciences.
Its lessons certainly apply to studying the Bible. Too often students of the Bible rely on second-hand, derivative knowledge, acquired from pastors, teachers, parents, books about the Bible, or other secondary sources. While all of these have their place, there is no substitute, in the end, for one's own first-hand study and experience of the Scriptures, and for the joy of discovery.
If you are interested in the story behind this story, please click here. If you are interested in David Howard's essay on how to use Biblical commentaries ("On Using Commentaries"), which reflects some of the same philosophy that is found here in "The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz," please click here.
The Student, the Fish, and Agassiz
by the Student
[Samuel H. Scudder]
Illustration by Diana Rome Peebles, 1998
Courtesy of Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Division of Marine Fisheries.
It was more than fifteen years ago that I entered the laboratory of Professor Agassiz, and told him I had enrolled my name in the scientific school as a student of natural history. He asked me a few questions about my object in coming, my antecedents generally, the mode in which I afterwards proposed to use the knowledge I might acquire, and finally, whether I wished to study any special branch. To the latter I replied that while I wished to be well grounded in all departments of zoology, I purposed to devote myself specially to insects.
"When do you wish to begin?" he asked.
"Now," I replied.
This seemed to please him, and with an energetic "Very well," he reached from a shelf a huge jar of specimens in yellow alcohol.
"Take this fish," he said, "and look at it; we call it a Haemulon; by and by I will ask what you have seen."
With that he left me, but in a moment returned with explicit instructions as to the care of the object entrusted to me.
"No man is fit to be a naturalist," said he, "who does not know how to take care of specimens."
I was to keep the fish before me in a tin tray, and occasionally moisten the surface with alcohol from the jar, always taking care to replace the stopper tightly. Those were not the days of ground glass stoppers, and elegantly shaped exhibition jars; all the old students will recall the huge, neckless glass bottles with their leaky, wax-besmeared corks, half-eaten by insects and begrimed with cellar dust. Entomology was a cleaner science than ichthyology, but the example of the professor who had unhesitatingly plunged to the bottom of the jar to produce the fish was infectious; and though this alcohol had "a very ancient and fish-like smell," I really dared not show any aversion within these sacred precincts, and treated the alcohol as though it were pure water. Still I was conscious of a passing feeling of disappointment, for gazing at a fish did not commend itself to an ardent entomologist. My friends at home, too, were annoyed, when they discovered that no amount of |
ahead and then a louder call, antiaircraft fire. "This is Sunday, the Navy got up early this morning and it looks like they are having practice." We went by Diamond head. Then we could really see the black antiaircraft fire. Honolulu was on our right and a destroyer was going around in circles just off shore, firing at the sky.
"The Japs have hit Pearl Harbor," came over the intercom. "This is no drill."
I looked up through the radio room window and saw six airplanes with red dots on their wings flying in formation. As we made our approach toward Hikam we heard one of our other airplane pilots ask the tower for landing instructions. He told them: "Land East West, wind five, Land on runway two, look out there is a Jap on your tail. This is no drill." He gunned it, came around again and landed without incident. As we flew past Hikam we saw clouds of smoke and dust and trucks and jeeps going every which way. That scene was enough to make up the pilots mind that we weren't going to land at Hikam. We circled Pearl Harbor 3 times and as we started our third pass he turned to the engineer and said, "I sure don't like this", and the engineer said," Well lets get the Hell out of here then." The pilot said, "All right, where? Down there looks impossible” The engineer pointed northwest and said, "I was here 6 years ago. There is a small fighter strip we can get in on. Its dirt but we can make it."
We came in down wind and made it easy. Another of our airplanes had landed just ahead of us.
A gas truck arrived and we unrolled the hoses and then somebody screamed, head for cover there's a Jap going to make a pass. Then we all heard the unfamiliar drone of an enemy airplane. Every body headed for the ditch and we all watched as a Jap Navy single seater Val made his pass, firing on some P36 fighter, trainers parked on the opposite side of the runway, then he was gone.
We all stood in the ditch with nothing but forty fives on our hips. Some of the guys fired and the infantry opened up on him with their rifles but he got away.
Another crewman and I were ordered to take the 30-caliber machine gun out of the nose of the airplane and a flight jacket. While we did that one of the other crew got a belt of ammo from the squad of infantryman. We met back at the ditch and loaded the gun, wrapped the flight jacket around the gun barrel, a man on each side of the gun and somebody to fire it and we would give any other airplane a different welcome. We didn't have a tripod to mount it on. No more enemy planes strafed us.
A short time later the pilot went to the airplane and radioed the Hikam Tower and got permission to land. The raid was over. We were all a dejected bunch of guys. We wanted to go out, find and punish the Nippon Navy for this dastard attack.
We landed at Hikam and were met by a white haired colonel with tired blue eyes. He welcomed us and gave us instructions to taxi to another part of the field.
We were issued fold down canvas cots to sleep on for the night. It was our first but not the last time to sleep out side. We called it sleeping in the bunnies. We were given an area of the swampy side of Hikam for one night. The mosquitoes were big and hungry but not as big as some we would see later in New Caledonia and New Guinea.
As darkness swept the Harbor and Hikam, December 7th, 1941, several of us got wind there was chow in building number so and so. It was suggested, be careful and follow the main paths. It was around a mile away. It had been quite a while since we had food. We found the food and were greeted several times with a shot from an over zealous guard firing in the air. Some a long way away and some not so far. We were all observers of the 3 or 4 marine carrier planes that came in to augment the fighter force and were damaged because of wrong air to ground and ground to air signals and some loss of life by friendly fire. The barrage they sent up was spectacular. I saw two other nighttime barrages during the war but this was like the whole sky exploded. We could hear the swish of the shrapnel of the exploding shells come down.
The next morning we got word a truck would pick us up and take us to the hospital to give blood.
More volunteered than they had room on the truck so the truck made two trips. It was a sorrowful scene. All the halls were full but they took our blood. We could hear the moaning and calls for painkillers. There were many, many burn victims and they had the toughest time. Some of them had swum through the burning oil and were either picked up by one of the boats or made it to shore on their own.
We patrolled for 6 weeks out of Pearl and then were sent to Australia to patrol and drop bombs on the advancing Nippon Army and Navy.
I flew 67 missions over enemy held territory with a total of 547 hours over the target in one year of over seas duty. I received the Air Medal and Distinguished Flying Cross along with several squadron and group citations. I came home at Christmas time, 1942 and spent rest of the war in Peyote Texas as a Radio operator gunner instructor. We put Air Crews through their training exercise and sent them on to war.PERTH — Woodside Petroleum has shelved plans for its US$45-billion Browse liquefied natural gas project in Western Australia, saying it will consider a floating LNG plant after deciding the onshore development did not make economic sense.
Global energy firms have invested US$140-billion into six LNG plants in just two and half years as Australia ramps up production on its way to becoming the world’s largest exporter of the clean burning energy source.
But Australia’s LNG sector has seen investor interest cool due to huge costs overruns and with competition from North America where new supplies of gas have been exploited from shale.
The Browse decision could spell an end to new onshore gas projects in Australia in favour of offshore plants that can be built more cheaply and face fewer environmental and landowner hurdles.
“This decision will surprise few as the proposed onshore development always looked too economically, technically, environmentally and socially risky for too little reward,” analysts at Macquarie said in a note.
Woodside also appears to be pivoting its focus towards North America, confirming on Friday that it had lodged an expression of interest to develop a Canadian LNG project.
Browse LNG was to be Woodside’s biggest LNG development yet, but has been plagued by controversy over its proposed location at James Price Point on the northwest coast, coming under fire from environmentalists and some indigenous landowners.
The site is also home to the world’s largest dinosaur footprints and sacred Aboriginal sites known as “songlines”.
Woodside CEO Peter Coleman said any new development would have to provide significant costs savings, adding: “our customers are saying to us very clearly,’No longer can we pay for your expensive projects’.”
A floating LNG plant is considered to be the most likely alternative for Browse by many in the industry.
JP Morgan has estimated that a floating project would mean a 20 percent cost saving with capital expenditure of $35.5 billion versus $44.6 billion for the onshore development option.
Estimates of the cost of the onshore plant vary, but some analysts had said it could be as high as $48 billion.
Of seven LNG plants under construction in Australia, all of which are due to come online in 2014 or later, four have already announced cost blowouts ranging from 15 to 40 percent.
Woodside owns a 31 percent stake in Browse, which it is developing with partners Royal Dutch Shell, BP Plc, PetroChina, Mitsui & Co and Mitsubishi Corp.
CHEAPER FLOATING
Shares in Woodside, which is worth around $30 billion, rose 3 percent on expectations it will develop a cheaper option, but Japan’s Chiyoda Corp, which has a contract for the project, tumbled 11 percent.
Building a floating plant in Asia and towing it into place off the Western Australia coast is likely to save billions of dollars in construction costs.
Earlier this month, Exxon Mobil and BHP Billiton revealed plans to build the world’s largest floating LNG vessel offshore northwestern Australia, producing 6-7 million tonnes per annum (mtpa) of LNG from 2020-2021.
Woodside’s Browse had been targeting 12 mtpa.
A person with knowledge of the joint venture partner discussions said Shell had been pushing the partnership to go with floating LNG given the high costs of an onshore plant.
Shell, which owns 24 percent of Woodside, has not publicly supported a floating LNG plant for Browse, but Ann Pickard, Shell Australia’s chairman has, pointed to floating LNG as a good solution for Australia’s problems with high costs.
Pickard has also championed floating LNG as a way for Australia to make revenues faster, though unions and politicians in Australia are worried about job losses from going offshore.
Another joint venture partner, PetroChina, said on Friday it is still deciding whether it will invest in Browse and is studying the project’s feasibility.
POLITICAL BLOW
The decision to shelve Browse is a blow to West Australia’s premier, Colin Barnett, who won reelection last month and has been a vocal proponent of establishing a gas export hub at James Price Point, with Browse LNG as the cornerstone project.
Another option for the plant would be for it to be delayed until construction costs ease, something some analysts expect to occur once the existing plants under construction in Australia come online.
“If Shell were to persuade Woodside that they need to take more time on this, I don’t think Shell would be criticized. I think that would be seen as a sensible decision at this point,” Tony Regan, an analyst with Tri-Zen International in Singapore said.
Shell has delayed its Arrow LNG development in eastern Australia and has said it is in no hurry to proceed with an expansion of Gorgon LNG, in which it is a stakeholder, leading some to believe that the company would prefer to wait for costs to decrease before making more large investments in Australia.
Prime Minister Julia Gillard said the decision was a commercial one and did not mark the end of the country’s near decade-long boom in resources.
“We haven’t seen the peak of the investment phase into resources yet. And we are yet to see the peak of the production phase,” Gillard told reporters in Sydney.
“So we will be seeing the resources boom at work in our economy for a long time to come.”
© Thomson Reuters 2013Based on the effort – and money – BMW is spending to break off the coupes and convertibles in its lineup as even-numbered models (like the new 2 Series and 4 Series ), we figured the production version of the 2012 Concept Active Tourer was a lock to wear the 1 Series GT name. These spy shots paint a different picture, however, as they show the car seemingly in full showroom-ready trim during a photo shoot, wearing the 225i name indicating that it will be in the 2 Series family.While it's still very possible that this badging is the final bit of trickery for disguising the front-wheel-drive 1 Series GT, the hatchback itself appears to be the real deal. Aside from new fascias, a smaller grille and slightly different lights, the styling of this "225i" stayed pretty true to the Concept Active Tourer. Thanks to our long-lensed photographer, we also get a brief glimpse inside the hatchback, which reveals a two-tiered instrument panel layout including the free-standing navigation display that is similar to the concept car Regardless of what name this new model will wear, expect it to be unveiled at next year's Geneva Motor Show in March before arriving in the US sometime in 2015U.S. Vice President Joe Biden, center, listens during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping inside the Great Hall of the People on Wednesday in Beijing. (Lintao Zhang/AP)
Vice President Biden urged Japan and China last week to set up “effective channels of communication” to avoid a dangerous escalation in their increasingly fraught dispute over maritime territory. But the estrangement between the Asian powers is so deep they are barely talking.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping, both in office for roughly a year, have spoken just once — for a matter of minutes. The Japanese and Chinese foreign ministers haven’t held formal talks in 14 months. There is zero contact between their coast guards and militaries.
“There used to be so many channels” of communication, said a senior Japanese Foreign Ministry official who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive information. “But that has all but stopped.”
The decline in high-level contact, the most pronounced since Japan and China normalized relations 41 years ago, points to fundamental shifts in both countries that have made it harder for diplomats to control and solve problems. In particular, hardening nationalism in China and Japan has reduced the ability of officials to appear conciliatory. Japanese Foreign Ministry officers who appear to be sympathetic to China have been largely sidelined over the last 12 years, according to two former senior-level officials who handled Asian affairs.
Several current and former Japanese diplomats emphasized that both sides are responsible for the current freeze. China, they say, appears to increasingly value demonstrating its military strength, even at the risk of causing discord. The Chinese Foreign Ministry — the one official channel open to Japan — has little sway with members of China’s more powerful military and Politburo.
Japanese officials say it is increasingly difficult to talk to the Chinese decision-makers, even through the secretive back channels that were once a staple of relations. The last such channel, between Zeng Qinghong, a former member of the Politburo Standing Committee, and Hiromu Nonaka, a powerful figure in Japan’s largest political party, disappeared when Zeng retired in 2008, according to an April report on Japan-China relations by the International Crisis Group.
In recent months, even the most basic attempts at agreement have fallen apart. Officials on both sides say they’re interested in dialogue, but China says it should only happen after Japan acknowledges that the uninhabited rocks it controls in the East China Sea are indeed disputed. Japanese officials say their claim on the rocks is so incontrovertible that no dispute exists. The feud over the rocky islands — known in Japan as the Senkaku Islands and in China as the Diaoyu Islands — escalated after China declared an “air defense identification zone” over them last month.
“The situation now is that both sides are embroiled in conflicts, and they pretty much insist on doing things their own way,” said Liang Yunxiang, a specialist in China-Japan relations at Peking University’s School of International Studies.
A troubled history
Relations between Beijing and Tokyo have long been fraught, due to the memories in China of Japan’s brutal invasion and occupation beginning in the 1930s. When Japan and China established diplomatic ties in 1972, the countries’ leaders, Mao Zedong and Kakuei Tanaka, tried to bury much of the resentment. Mao suggested that both sides put off dealing with territorial disputes. China’s Foreign Ministry said Japan’s friendship should be welcomed, because the “time had changed.”
Within Japan’s Foreign Ministry, relations were largely managed by a group known as the “China School” — officers trained for years in the Chinese language, who also gained vast knowledge of Chinese political history.
One of their biggest jobs was crisis prevention, said Kunihiko Makita, one of the China School members and a retired high-ranking official. They worked quietly to prevent activist landings on disputed islands and revisions of history textbooks that would have downplayed Japan’s responsibility for World War II atrocities. They also opposed the idea of Japanese prime ministers visiting Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial Shinto site that honors 14 war criminals among its war dead.
“I regard the relationship as a minefield,” Makita said. “If you are careless, you hit a mine and it explodes. The responsibility for Japanese Foreign Ministry officers is to make sure mines don’t explode.”
But over the past two decades, Makita said, officers who were considered China specialists have increasingly been attacked by Japan’s right wing. Much of that, he said, is a result of China’s behavior: Its increased military spending and patrolling of the waters around it has swung public sentiment. Nine in 10 Japanese people now view China negatively.
Since the early 2000s, Makita and another former senior official said, China School officers have been less likely to get top positions, leading to a more hard-line policy toward Beijing.
Since 2001, Japan’s Asian and Oceanian Affairs Bureau has been run by non-China specialists. Some of Japan’s ambassadors to China have also been non-China specialists, including the current one, Masato Kitera, a member of the Foreign Ministry’s French School.
“Gradually, the China School has started to have a bad connotation, as making too many compromises,” said the other former senior Foreign Ministry official, who is not a China School member and requested anonymity in order to speak about a sensitive topic. “I think there was an effort to exclude them from decision-making on China. The background is clearly [that] China rises rapidly, and there’s a growing anti-China feeling. Politicians figure the China School is not appropriate to represent Japan.”
A current high-level official in the Foreign Ministry says it is “too simplified” to suggest that China School officers have been phased out. Rather, China’s power has grown so much that it can no longer be handled with just “one taste” or opinion, he said. Japan’s Foreign Ministry, he noted, has always shuffled its officers from region to region, no matter their original area of expertise.
Inflamed tensions
The poor communication between China and Japan has already proved costly, enabling two incidents that helped ratchet up maritime tensions.
After a Chinese trawler captain in 2010 rammed two Japanese coast guard vessels, Japan charged the captain criminally and held him for two weeks, prompting a diplomatic standoff with a furious Beijing. China temporarily cut off the shipment of rare earth metals used in Japanese high-tech products and suspended many bilateral exchanges. Many Japanese analysts say the detention of the captain was a mistake, because it permitted China to become more aggressive toward Japan.
Two years later, Japan purchased several of the contested East China Sea islands from a private landowner. The purchase was an attempt to prevent the islands from falling into the hands of former Tokyo governor Shintaro Ishihara, a nationalist, but Japan’s central government again underestimated the Chinese backlash.
While considering the purchase, Japan ignored the advice of its then-ambassador to China, Uichiro Niwa, who warned it could spark a crisis. At the time, Niwa faced broad criticism for the comments, and some Japanese parliament members called for his firing. Niwa was replaced months later.
In remarks earlier this year at the Foreign Correspondents’ Club of Japan, Niwa said Japan had “misread” the Chinese response, and added that Beijing viewed the purchase as an “insult.”
“If we were a married couple, we could have divorced. But that isn’t an option,” Niwa said. “We will be neighbors [for good] and whether we like it or not.”
Yuki Oda in Tokyo and Guo Chen in Beijing contributed to this report.In measured steps a column of five men enters the screened enclosure concealing the hangman’s noose. The officer in command gives a terse order, and the somber group halts. More commands are given, and the execution detail moves toward the brightly lit gallows.
One man catches all eyes, the central figure whose hands are bound in front as he approaches the gallows steps. He is the first of three Japanese soldiers sentenced to die this morning. The condemned man is dressed in the plain garb of a private soldier, stripped of ‘decorations and other appurtenances signifying membership in the military profession,’ by personal order of General of the U.S. Army Douglas MacArthur. At his side is a Buddhist priest.
Waiting at the top of the gallows is Lieutenant Charles Raroad, a military police officer charged with executing the condemned. ‘The stage was set under a tropical star-studded sky,’ Raroad wrote just hours later. ‘The stars, usually so warm and friendly, seem gradually to lose their warmth and assume the air of dignified judges turned stern witness.’
At the top of the gallows stairs the executioner steps aside to let pass 61-year-old Lt. Gen. Tomoyuki Yamashita. Nothing about him suggests he is the same ‘Tiger of Malaya’ whose troops rampaged through the South Pacific early in the war. Raroad later called him a ‘heavy, squat, yellow-visaged figure that seemed calm and stoic about his impending doom.’
Twelve days before this day of execution, MacArthur denied the Japanese general’s final appeal. ‘It is not easy for me to pass penal judgment upon a defeated adversary in a major campaign,’ MacArthur wrote in his terse, four-paragraph decision. ‘I have reviewed the proceedings in vain search for some mitigating circumstance on his behalf. I can find none.’ And so now Raroad prepares Yamashita’s passage, working with quick, confident movements. First Raroad places leather straps around Yamashita’s arms and legs, followed by a black hood over his head. Finally, Raroad drops the noose around Yamashita’s thick neck, ‘the bulging knot pulled taut under the left ear.’
Now the stillness is interrupted, ‘hardly broken,’ Raroad later wrote, by the high-pitched chant of the Buddhist priest who stands in front of the trussed figure. The priest’s words gradually fade as Raroad prepares to speak. He pauses and then asks, ‘Have you any last words to say?’
There is a brief, muffled reply from Yamashita: ‘I will pray for the Japanese emperor and the emperor’s family, and national prosperity. Dear father and mother I am going to your side. Please educate well my children.’ Then, the condemned man nods, and Raroad looks around a final time to, as he later wrote, ‘gather strength and control.’ The knife blade in Raroad’s hand flashes momentarily in the bright, yellow light as he quickly draws it down across the counterweight holding the rope. Immediately the silence is shattered by one rasping shriek as the retaining bolts of the trap door pull free. The figure standing before Raroad plummets down, only to be arrested with a sharp jerk after a 6-foot fall. It is 3:02 a.m., February 23, 1946, at the Philippine Detention and Rehabilitation Center near Manila, and the Tiger of Malaya is dead.
‘The General died before dawn,’ proclaimed the next day’s Pacifican, as the Pacific Stars & Stripes was called in the Western Pacific. ‘Executioner Lieutenant Charles Raroad sent Yamashita to join his ancestors.’
It was an ignominious end for one of Japan’s greatest soldiers. Yamashita began his military career in 1916, after graduating with honors from the Japanese War College. During the interwar years he served in many influential posts in the army, including staff, command and attaché duties in Switzerland, Germany and Austria. In 1937 he was posted to Korea, where he commanded an infantry brigade.
By 1941, Yamashita was the commanding general of the Twenty-Fifth Army. His plans for taking Singapore were already underway. On December 8, 1941, he struck, marching his troops for nine weeks through supposedly impenetrable jungle to pounce on Great Britain’s ‘Gibraltar of the East.’ On February 15, 1942, Yamashita prevailed, when British Lt. Gen. Sir Arthur Percival and 130,000 Empire troops surrendered. It was the largest surrender in British history.
Five months later, Yamashita was transferred to the backwaters of Manchuria, the victim of Prime Minister Hideki Tojo’s jealousy and Yamashita’s often-voiced dislike of the warlord’s policies. For the next two years that is where Yamashita stayed, watching his command dwindle away as his soldiers were called to fight in more active theaters. Then, in the fall of 1944, when the Pacific War had reached its zenith, Yamashita received orders to command the defense of the Philippines. It would be his final call to destiny.
By then the Allies had swept the emperor’s soldiers away from most of their fanatically defended island bastions. Yamashita already knew that the Philippines were next on the Allied list for liberation. He also knew that the Philippines were an absolutely vital link in the shrinking supply lines of Japan’s crumbling empire. Yamashita had no illusions about his chances for success. At best he hoped to deprive the Allies of the Philippines as a forward operating area for as long as possible. He reached Manila on October 5, 1944, two weeks before his last battle would begin.
Meanwhile, MacArthur’s Southwest Pacific area forces were on board hundreds of troopships bound for the Philippines. On October 20, Lt. Gen. Walter Krueger’s Sixth Army stormed ashore almost unopposed on the east coast of Leyte. As soon as Yamashita learned of the invasion, he reluctantly ordered troops stationed on Luzon to reinforce Leyte’s outnumbered garrison. More troops were brought in from Korea and Manchuria. By November, the Japanese had 45,000 soldiers facing MacArthur and more were on the way. Eventually, 75,000 Japanese soldiers would be thrown into the fight on Leyte.
The battle raged for more than two months. Before it concluded in late December, Yamashita had lost 60,000 soldiers killed. U.S. Army casualties were 3,500 killed and 12,000 wounded. MacArthur called the battle for Leyte ‘perhaps the greatest defeat in the annals of the Japanese army.’ Still ahead, however, were the grim battles for Luzon and the Philippine capital, Manila, the prewar ‘Pearl of the Orient’ and MacArthur’s adopted home.
The opening gambit of the battle for Luzon started on December 15, 1944, when MacArthur ordered troops ashore on the nearby island of Mindoro. MacArthur knew that if he attacked Luzon without overwhelming superiority the invasion would be a bloodier repeat of the 1942 Japanese conquest. To that end he needed airfields to gain air superiority and protected supply routes that avoided Luzon’s still dangerous air force.
Young Japanese kamikaze pilots already were crashing their planes onto the decks of Allied ships. The first American ship lost to the suicide planes had gone to the bottom on October 25, when planes from the hastily formed kamikaze squadron of Vice Adm. Takijito Onishi’s First Air Fleet sank the escort carrier St. Lô. In all, 16 ships would be sunk off the Philippines and another 80 damaged before the Americans gained total control of the air.
The invasion of Mindoro surprised Yamashita. He had anticipated that MacArthur would develop airfields farther south, thinking that it would take too long to build runways on the marshy ground of Mindoro. Within eight days of landing, however, American and Australian engineers had two fighter strips in operation. A week later they added a bomber base for Fifth Air Force medium bombers.
Within three weeks of landing on Mindoro, Allied aircraft were striking hard at Luzon. More than half the ships carrying supplies to Yamashita were sunk. Thousands of fresh troops drowned, and those that managed to get ashore had nothing to eat.
Yamashita was left with few options. The only offensive weapons he still possessed were the young pilots who were willing to fly one-way suicide strikes at MacArthur’s support ships, and their numbers were dwindling. The situation on the ground was even worse. On paper, Yamashita had 275,000 troops, but those numbers were deceptive. Many of his soldiers were survivors of other battles thrown together in ad hoc outfits of dubious value. Many more were service troops and second-rate line units.
Another 16,000 sailors and special landing-force troops of the 31st Naval Base Force were stationed around Manila under the command of Rear Adm. Sanji Iwabuchi. Although Iwabuchi was nominally under Yamashita’s command, in practice the fiery Bushido warrior chose to ignore orders from Yamashita that he did not like.
The plan Yamashita finally adopted for defending Luzon was simple. He would abandon Manila and its environs and head for the hills. Already resigned to losing eventually, Yamashita simply hoped to occupy as much of the island as possible to deny its use to MacArthur. He later claimed that he was already prepared to cede Manila to MacArthur when the Sixth Army struck. Meanwhile, Iwabuchi put his own simple plan into effect. Iwabuchi planned to defend Manila to the death.
On January 9, 1945, MacArthur finally mounted his invasion of Luzon. At two points on Lingayen Gulf, 110 miles north of Manila, 68,000 men from Krueger’s Sixth Army waded ashore. Two days later, Krueger established a secure beachhead and began forging inland. With I Corps on the left flank and XIV Corps in the van, Krueger headed for Manila.
For the rest of the month he piled on new divisions, until almost the entire Sixth Army was ashore. Throughout January, Krueger’s troops fought a series of tough actions that slowed their assault on Manila to a crawl. Some of the pressure on the Sixth Army’s front was relieved on January 31, when the 11th Airborne Division came ashore by boat at Nasugbu Bay, 55 miles southwest of Manila. But it was not until February 3, when the newly arrived 1st Cavalry Division drove 70 miles through thinly held Japanese lines to reach the eastern approaches to Manila, that the Sixth Army’s goal was in sight. The following day the 11th Airborne Division entered the city from the south to catch Iwabuchi’s sailors in a giant vise.
Remarkably, MacArthur was still hopeful that Manila could be taken without a serious fight. To that end he ordered his soldiers and airmen to use restraint when taking the city. MacArthur completely forbade the use of tactical airstrikes in the city, and he told his gunners to shoot sparingly. There were both philosophical and practical reasons for doing so, MacArthur told his generals.
First and most important, MacArthur said, Yamashita could not feed Manila’s 700,000 civilians. Second, if Yamashita allowed his army to be bottled up in Manila, he could not defend the rest of the island. Finally, MacArthur, for whatever reason, did not believe that Yamashita would order the city’s destruction.
Perhaps MacArthur believed that the dire warnings he had been broadcasting to Yamashita after landing at Leyte would give the Japanese general pause. In a broadcast initially read on October 4, 1944, and repeated many times during the ensuing campaign, MacArthur warned Yamashita that he would ‘hold the Japanese military authorities in the Philippines immediately liable for any harm’ to POWs, civilians and internees trapped in the Philippines.
By February 6, facing mounting casualties, MacArthur purged himself of his grand delusion and ordered his soldiers to use their artillery. He still forbade tactical bombing. Once the earlier prohibitions against using heavy artillery on important buildings was rescinded, the Sixth Army began applying its full might against the Japanese. As fighting raged from building to building and strongpoint to strongpoint, the battle slowly consumed the city.
Later, Yamashita protested that the naval troops and service units still in Manila were not supposed to be there. During his court-martial, Yamashita testified that even before MacArthur had invested Manila he had given orders for his troops to pull back into the mountains to the north and east. The bulk of the Japanese forces complied, he said, though some army service troops and almost the entire contingent of Iwabuchi’s naval force stayed behind.
The U.S. Army’s own reconstruction of the battle several years later somewhat supported Yamashita’s view. In fact many of the service troops in Manila were simply trapped there by MacArthur’s relentless attacks. But others, particularly Iwabuchi’s naval troops, had refused to leave. It was those die-hards who faced Krueger’s troops.
By February 23, the Sixth Army had forced most of Manila’s defenders into the Intramuros, the 150-acre ‘walled city,’ a three-square-mile area near Manila Bay, where many government buildings stood. The retreating Japanese left thousands of murdered and mutilated Filipino civilians in their wake. Holed up with them were 4,000 more civilians who could not escape.
When the Americans began the task of reducing Iwabuchi’s final stronghold, the slaughter was terrific. Still denied air power by MacArthur, the soldiers resorted to massive doses of artillery to give them the edge. Inside the walls of the old Spanish city, Japanese soldiers and sailors went on a vindictive rampage, burning and looting indiscriminately. When the last shot had been fired, Intramuros was razed to the ground, as were the stout government buildings where the Japanese had sought final refuge. Included in the destruction was MacArthur’s six-room penthouse above the Manila Hotel.
The carnage MacArthur witnessed was incredible. Almost all of Iwabuchi’s 16,000 troops, including their commander, were dead. More than 1,000 American soldiers were also killed, and another 5,500 were wounded. But the greatest toll was taken on Manila’s defenseless population. More than 100,000 souls, including most of those trapped in Intramuros, had been wiped out. Thousands more were wounded or missing.
The fall of Manila did not end the Philippine campaign. Yamashita was still to the north of Manila with the bulk of his remaining army, and there were many bitter campaigns ahead. For the remainder of the war, Yamashita’s soldiers fought a series of fierce delaying actions along Luzon’s Cordillera Mountains. It was not until the last day of the war that Yamashita stopped fighting. And then, on September 2, with nowhere else to go, Yamashita surrendered. ‘If I kill myself,’ the general explained,’someone else will have to take the blame.’ The blame was not long in coming. On October 8, 1945, five weeks after Japan unconditionally surrendered, Yamashita was arraigned before a military commission in Manila and charged with war crimes. MacArthur had drawn up the charges, appointed the military commission, and set the rules for the trial.
Yamashita was charged with failing to ‘discharge his duty as commander to control the operations of the members of his command’ between October 2, 1944, and September 2, 1945. In the same specification Yamashita was accused of ‘permitting them to commit brutal atrocities and other high crimes against the people of the United States and its allies and dependencies.’ The prescribed punishment was death. Yamashita’s defense was simple. He claimed he was not there. During his trial at the high commissioner’s residence in Manila, Yamashita testified that he had ordered his troops to leave Manila to the Allies. But because of the stranglehold MacArthur had placed around his garrisons in Manila, he was unable to make sure the orders were carried out.
Yamashita denied any involvement in the atrocities that took place in Manila. ‘I positively and categorically reaffirm that they were against my wishes and in direct contradiction to all my expressed orders,’ he told the court-martial panel. ‘They occurred at a time and place of which I had no knowledge whatsoever.’
It was to no avail. MacArthur had already made up his mind. Yamashita was defended by a battery of competent trial attorneys. His case was even appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. During the first week of January 1946, the high court listened to arguments from both sides. The defense claimed that Yamashita could not have received a fair trial under the mandates dictated by MacArthur. The prosecution argued that the destruction of Manila by Japanese troops under Yamashita’s command was all the evidence needed to convict him. In a 72 decision, the high court ruled Yamashita’s conviction and death sentence were just and fitting. The two dissenting justices called it ‘a legalized lynching.’
MacArthur would hear none of it. On February 11, 1946, he wrote: ‘This officer, of proven field merit, entrusted with high command involving authority adequate to responsibility, has failed this irrevocable standard; has failed his duty to his troops, to his country, to his enemy, to mankind; has failed utterly his soldier faith. The results are beyond challenge.’
On February 21, 1946, Lt. Gen. W.D. Styer, commander of the Western Pacific forces, ordered Colonel John H. Fonvielle, commanding officer of the Philippine Detention and Rehabilitation Center near Manila, to carry out MacArthur’s order. Two days later, Yamashita dropped through the gallows floor, unrepentant to the end. ‘Before my God I have told the truth,’ he announced through an interpreter when the sentence of execution was read. ‘I do not believe that I have sinned. I think that I–my soul–will live forever.’
Yamashita swung below the gallows for 25 minutes, swaying to and fro in the early morning breeze. Raroad, the executioner, remembered how the lights suddenly went out–because someone had thrown a circuit breaker–and how the taut rope stood out ‘evilly, connecting the crossbeam and the platform. ‘Yamashita, general in the Imperial Japanese Army and its commander of the Philippine Islands, had been hanged by the neck until dead.’
This article was written by Nathaniel R. Helms and originally appeared in the February 1996 issue of World War II magazine. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today!
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appreciate what Xavier is trying to get done, but man he’s… To what end will mutants have to keep dying in order for people to realize that, “Hey, maybe the fact that we’re treating them as inferior individuals won’t solve anything?” And Lorna did a great job of just voicing those anxieties of the characters.
Justin: To me it’s interesting though, because it’s like, “When does Lorna get a break?” Like someone said earlier. And if you think about it, she was… This traumatic thing happens to her when she first comes on the scene. She’s fighting with the X-Men. Then, she goes from that to kind of joining back with the X-Men. She goes with Alex to San Francisco. Get’s her Ph.D. in whatever, in Geophysics or something.
Nolan: Which Alex also has. It’s a Master’s. They both have Masters in Geo…
Justin: Oh, Masters. And you know Jean Grey has a Master’s in Psychology, I think, at Columbia. So then she goes from that to kind of joining back the X-Men, joining back with the X-Men. She has that whole experience with Zaladane. She has the experience in Genosha and the really shitty experience with Alex leaving her at the altar… Spoiler alert if you haven’t read X-Men Sacred Vows.
On Needing a Moment of Rest to Figure Out Who You Are
When does she really get to experience who she is as a person? Or as a woman? As someone outside of the X-Men? As someone, yes, who has the ideology she has, but as just… When does she get to be a person and relax and take a breath and figure out who she is? I feel like the other characters get this moment, but I don’t ever feel like she really gets it. Maybe until now, and we’ll talk about that in X-Men Blue. I think she’s starting to really come into her own. And not that we don’t see her in control before, but do we ever see her have the opportunity to reflect on what makes her, her?
Nolan: I think comparing her wedding issue with Alex, with the very famous Scott and Jean wedding issue illustrates this. The whole idea of the Scott and Jean wedding issue is like, “This is a break from the constant threats and action.” There’s conflict between characters but not… There might be like a fight, I don’t remember. Either way, this is like a moment to mark their lives, their festivities, the sort of reason we have holidays in our lives. Whereas the Polaris and Havok wedding issue is just like grim, dark fuel for making things real rough for everybody.
X-Factor: Polaris Takes Charge
Kat: I think later on Polaris just gets much more agency over her traumas and over who she is as a person. I don’t know if she ever overcomes a lot, but in her later depictions, like in X-Factor and in All-New X-Factor where she takes on a more leadership role. But even in that earlier run of X-Factor, she’s a lot more in control of herself, and she still has moments where she kind of snaps and kind of acts out against people. But I think people understand her at that point, and I think she’s a lot more in control of that part of her personality and that part of who she is.
Mara: When she was standing up to Professor Xavier, again, I don’t mean to keep harping on these issues, but when she was able to question why the X-Men do what they do, and essentially the Xavier Institute as a whole. That to me was her starting to find her own identity because she no longer was a complacent part of the team. She was really trying to figure out like, “No, what do you stand for? What do I stand for?” And trying to find her own place in relation to all of that. And I was very proud of her for doing that and, “Good job Lorna.”
Polaris Develops Further in X-Factor
Marius: I’m not sure if that counts but I thought that how she got really competent and just like a good leadership figure in All-New X-Factor was kind of interesting and kind of… We still get Alex depicting her as kind of a crazy person and being kind… As we already established he’s being an asshole about the situation. But in terms of how she’s depicted as a team leader, and also how she is able to negotiate between the team and the company, she’s portrayed as really competent. And apart from the Quicksilver betrayal storyline, I think we kind of get her catching a break. Just being a member of this team and possibly the most important member also.
Nolan: But I thought when she seemed like the most normal X-Man was in Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire when…
Justin: Oh my God. I so disagree, but sorry, continue.
Nolan: You do?
Justin: I do. I thought she was the most “Havok’s girl” in that story than I had ever seen her since the beginning.
Nolan: I didn’t think so at all. She does take his side in everything, yeah. And at the end, she’s like, “I’m staying with you in space, Havok.” Which, now that I read earlier developments between them, after reading that, I find that to be a lot more shocking. She doesn’t seem so traumatized, she seems to deal with post-trauma well. Her powers are like on a kind of an even keel for a while there. They’re like slowly getting more powerful. She’s slowly relearning them after Apocalypse.
Polaris, the Politician
She is kind of one of the super-powered members of the team in that, like one of the most powerful ones. But not so over-the-top as like Jean Grey in The Dark Phoenix Saga where it’s just like everyone else is like, “Whoa.” So she just has that kind of a proper role, I feel, in that, in Rise and Fall of the Shi’ar Empire.
Polaris’s Ideology
Justin: So something she says in 443 is, “Good and bad often come wrapped in the same package.” And I was curious what you think Lorna specifically meant by this, was this a character statement? Why does she feel this way? And how do you think it speaks to her evolution as a character from when she was a teenager to this point?
Marius: While it also is indicative of her ideology in this issue, it also has kind of a double meaning to it, because it’s very much about her relationship to Magneto, to her father. Because while we could probably agree that overall he’s being a pretty terrible father, from her point of view, I imagine it being a bit more complicated than that.
Mara: If I remember what I talked about in the piece and also the comics is that, “Good and bad are essentially… ” I don’t wanna downsize it but they’re more or less framing devices, and I feel like Lorna does a good job explaining how one character’s methodology and one person’s worldview very much so depends on how they frame a problem. And even if we might see it as being objectively bad, that doesn’t necessarily mean that a different side wouldn’t see it as a positive.
Polaris and Understanding Villany
That’s what Lorna was really getting into with why Magneto had to have been right because given all that the mutants had gone through they should be allowed to fight back.
Justin: I watched a George RR Martin interview a few weeks ago. He was saying that the villain is always the opposition’s hero. I thought that that kinda came across when I reread this.
Kat: What Polaris means there is that it’s not black and white and it’s all very subjective, so what somebody perceives as bad, somebody else is gonna see that as good, and also that good people are gonna do bad things and bad people are gonna do good things. And I think that pertains to Lorna herself a lot too, is that, you know, whether you’re inherently good or bad. I feel that she’s been through a lot of trials throughout her life and I don’t think she wants to see herself as a bad person, just because of the things that have happened to her, the same as Magneto.
Maite: Yeah, earlier we were talking about how we thought that Polaris may not be so distinguishable in comparison to other popular female superheroes in the Marvel Universe. At the same time, I feel like this duality kind of gives her a stronger characterization. She struggles with this duality. She struggled with it since she first appeared in the comics, and she still struggles with it. Her relationship with Magneto, with all her past traumas, it’s something that she’s never truly come to terms with. It continues to contribute to her perception of herself and her identity as an X-Man.
Recovery
Justin: I did kind of think this was a problematic question even though we kind of talked a little bit about it, but does Lorna ever kind of recover from the traumas that she experiences?
Kat: I don’t think Lorna recovers from those traumas she experiences and I think that’s okay. I make this reference a lot and it’s kind of dorky but if you guys have seen the movie, The Babadook, the message in that movie is that you can’t get rid of your traumas but you can learn to live with them. And I think that’s exactly what Lorna does. The traumatic events of her life obviously still bother her, and they definitely should, those are huge things that are really difficult to get past, but she’s able to have more agency over them now and she’s able to live her life and be part of a team, and I think that she accepts them now, I think she accepts them as a part of her. But she’s able to live.
Justin: I think that’s really beautifully said, because who really does get over those things? I don’t. AnyDoes anyone want add anything? Maite?
Maite: Yeah, kind of just what you just said. I feel like that’s a very common aspect throughout comic books and superheroes, like look at Batman, look at every superhero that’s experienced some sort of trauma, they don’t really let that go. And again, like Kat said, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. If anything that gives them more complexity, that gives them more, I feel like, motivation in their character.
From the Small Spoons, She Rises?
Justin: It doesn’t matter who writes Polaris, her role as Magneto’s daughter seems to be super important to her. At one point when Alex leaves her at the altar, spoiler for those of you who haven’t read, is it Uncanny 425, 426 you definitely should, because it’s really campy and… I wouldn’t say it’s awesome but it’s… I was glad I read it. The arc is called Sacred Vows, it’s two issues. So like I said spoiler alert, Alex leaves her at the altar, she dons… Is it dons or dones? Dons? Dons. She dons Magneto’s helmet, she creates it out of silverware no less. She’s like, “I don’t need these spoons, but I need Magneto’s helmet to kick your ass Havok,” when he leaves her at the altar. What does this mean for her in terms of her character development from the early X-Men issues to later ones?
Mara: I want to quickly point out by donning the silverware and by using domestic household items in order to create a suit of armor can be read as her rejecting the heterosexual norm of the housewife and becoming her own self-actualized person.
This arc frustrated me on many levels because I didn’t think that she deserved what happened to her, it didn’t seem just or right. And so, when she was about to go destroy Alex and get revenge, I was kinda there with her, I was like, “Yes girl, go! Go, beat his ass!” Like, “Come on, you deserve this.”
Polaris’s Wedding from Hell
I was very proud for her though it did seem a bit weird that they kept hearkening back to her being married. She still had the tattered remains of her wedding dress and was singing, “Here Comes the Bride,” [chuckle] which if there were ever to be an intimidating moment of that song other than the actual event, I suppose that would be it. And I wasn’t sure if we were supposed to be siding with Alex, because she definitely, like that was more of a, “Good on her moment,” like, “Yes, revenge. Let’s do this, guys.” But… Yeah.
Polaris as a Victim of the Overused “Crazy Girlfriend” Trope
Justin: I do think it’s interesting how they tried to change our perspective because she sleeps with that Gambit impersonator the night before as if to say, “Well they’re not gonna get married for the right reasons anyway.” So it’s kind of okay that he does this. I’m just throwing that in there, not that I feel that way.
Kat: I have so many mixed feelings about this because of the trauma she dealt with. I hate this crazy girlfriend narrative superimposed onto Lorna. As far as her donning the costume, I think she did it for the drama of it all. It’s been really tumultuous, her figuring out where she fits in as Magneto’s daughter. It was kind of just this representation of all her fears, and all of this latent power that she has, that she had to kinda take on the image of her father. I did think the whole spectacle was a bit ridiculous of her.
“Her donning Magneto’s helmet saw her embrace her role as daughter of Magneto. She embraced her dark side completely…”
Mara: Frustrated me to no end, that the only reason she was having this great show of power, and honestly a fantastic outfit. Really well retooled for her own person, was because a guy left her at the altar and, like they said in the little introduction into one of the issues, “Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned.” And I’m like, “Okay. One, this feels like slightly dated. Two, yeah she has a right to be upset. Why are you trying to make it seem like she shouldn’t be mad? Even if they weren’t getting married for the right reasons, he still left her there, at a moment that should’ve been one of the happiest moments in her life.” That’s not okay.
Magneto Armor
Marius: This is also something that was striking me as odd, which, it’s from the Chuck Austen run, we already talked about that on several podcasts. It has its moments, it’s kind of like weird moments, dated moments, kind of cheesy moments, in that case. Was it something that bugged me? Yes, definitely. But I also thought it was telling that she would kind of take on the Magneto armor, which is kind of also for drama but it also while she has a complicated relationship to her father, something that I took away from almost all the other stories, where the two of them were together is that she also has a lot to learn from him.
Nolan: It also portrays her as so clueless that she didn’t notice there were problems in this relationship coming up to the wedding. And that she’s surprised enough to become so angry. And if not clueless, then it portrays her as kind of loyal and perseverant, which is just as much of a stereotype I think.
A Different Take on Polaris’s Wedding from Hell
Justin: I will say that I totally agree with Kat and also everyone else’s saying that the narrative is structured in such a way that you are supposed to identify or at least empathize more with Annie and Havok, but I do have a different perspective, should I say. Let me say that I might say the mechanism in which to deal with this character drama is maybe a little bit cheesy with the leaving at the altar thing.
Although I do think it’s different for X-Men, I sort of saw this whole storyline as a character-driven moment in the X-Men’s history. And what I liked about it was that it was a story about this guy who fucked up and his girlfriend who isn’t in a really good place from what’s happening and probably isn’t ready to get married. And he does this dickish thing and here’s what happened, and none of it’s really dictated by plot, which I kind of liked.
Polaris’s Rage
Maybe I have… Because I love Madea and I love A Doll’s House, so maybe to me, when a woman reacts in… She overreacted, Lorna, she broke, and I feel like to me that’s always like a Medea-esque reaction that I find very desirable and really cool as a reader. And I guess it’s not that I even disagree with everybody, it’s just that I wasn’t necessarily caught in the morality of it. I was team Lorna the whole way, but what I liked about it was that I saw different parts of the characters and more fleshed out attributes of the characters that I don’t see in this sort of big battles, the big events. And for everything that it was, it was a quieter moment that I liked as a reader.
I think that her trauma from Genosha has her teetering more what she considers to be her dark side, which is kind of ironic after that whole story and that whole stance she has in Uncanny X-Men: 443. Her donning Magneto’s helmet saw her embrace her role as daughter of Magneto. She embraced her dark side completely in order to do this task which is to get back at Havok, and I also thought that that was kinda cool. I don’t know, when I saw that panel I was like, “This is so badass. Lorna is so bad ass.”
Rage Reaction Framed the Wrong Way?
Mara: I think it has a lot to do with how her reaction was framed. If it were like,” we were supposed to be sympathizing with this woman. She has been understandably hurt and has dealt with a lot of things already,” then I feel like people would have been a lot happier with it. It could have been a great character development moment for Havok. He can’t treat people like they don’t mean anything. Instead, the way that the intro into the comic has it and the way the comic reads is that we’re supposed to feel bad for this romance between Havok and Annie. That’s not okay. It’s not. First off, it’s not narratively satisfying for a reader who’s already followed a relationship between Lorna and Havok for so long.
It’s not enjoyable from just sort of like a drama perspective because it doesn’t feel like it’s been earned. It’s just something that’s sort of contrived and thrown together for the sake of it. And I guess that’s what my real problem with it is, in the end, is that it just feels kinda mean as opposed to a well-earned like soap operatic moment.
Magneto’s Daughter
Justin: What does Polaris see in Magneto that has her taking pride in their relationship as father/daughter really throughout the entire series? She does reject his philosophy during the Claremont era but that relationship was always really important to her even when she doesn’t think that that’s her father, isn’t aware of that.
Nolan: I think her defense of Magneto just after Magneto’s attack on New York, it kind of heralds an editorial shift in the 2000’s that has been building pace up to today in which we see these attempts to recast Xavier as a misguided character or one with ultimately negative influences.
We see the kind of failure ultimately of Xavier’s efforts to mold Cyclops and certain other characters into heroes for mutant kind and a kind of corruption of those characters. And now we see Magneto as more or less leader of the X-Men, leader of half the X-Men, a kind of a repeat of the early 90’s with Age of Apocalypse and of the mid 80’s when he was the leader of the New Mutants. So there’s kind of a cycle here but we’re on the… Ever since that moment or right around there we’ve been on the upswing of the pro-Magneto cycle, so her character is a natural choice for someone to begin the upswing of that cycle by defending her father.
Polaris Turns the Tables on Magneto
Marius: Yeah I think that, first of all, I agree with the points that Nolan has made but I think that whenever she, apart from whether she actually agrees with his ideology or not, I think that she always feels like Magneto can be useful to her in terms of how she can learn things from him. And ultimately I think that she has kind of… She know’s that Magneto as a father is probably not the best person to actually fulfill that role. I think she’s very aware of that, throughout her entire history with him.
Maite: I was thinking along the lines of the fact that maybe she has an innate desire for some sort of guide in her life. She lost both of her parents and you can perceive Xavier as that mentor, but at the same time maybe inherently she feels as though Magneto will understand her in a way that no one else does particularly her duality.
Magneto’s Favorite Child?
Marius: Part of what makes up her, in a weird way her fascination of Magneto is that Magneto is very good at getting her to a place where he needs her, like in terms of… I figure a very good example for this would be the Cullen Bunn Magneto solo series where… Solo book where he manages to manipulate her into assisting him in trying to save his universe, or his earth in that case, from the ultimate universe.
I think that she’s not easily falling for that, but falling for that too often for her own good, which is one of the reasons that she has this very complicated relationship to him. And Quicksilver points this out in… I think it was Magneto Dark Seduction where she initially really doesn’t come out to denounce his bigotry and is kind of still on board because she thinks that Magneto can amplify her power level and that’s where she needs to be at that point.
Nolan: She also points out that it has been argued that schools themselves create that environment and that gets a rise out of Xavier. He raises his voice and he’s like, “No, my school is different. It doesn’t do that.” Would I… What this makes me wonder is, is she too forgiving toward Magneto just as she’s too forgiving, I think, toward Havok. Should she be more demanding toward Magneto? She does tell him he’s a bad father but should she just not be willing to interact with him unless he becomes a better father?
Magneto’s Influence Over Polaris
Mara: I think that that’s a very tall demand for her to do and just in general for the type of relationship that they have because, I can’t speak to this personally but if you haven’t really known this father and you haven’t really necessarily had a real father/daughter relationship it’s hard to kind of try and rekindle that as an adult because you don’t necessarily need him like you would have as a child.
“Jean Grey shared a strong stable bond with her parents. Circumstances of nature took that away from Polaris.”
It seems like what she has come to him more for, and this is sort of the point that I wanted to make was that, when she’s trying to figure out who she wants to be and how she wants to perceive the world and go about it, was at the very least, his ideologies were able to help guide her into how she would want to approach being a mutant and being a person with extremely powerful magnetism abilities. Then I would think it’s more like the whole nature versus nurture thing.
She wasn’t necessarily raised by Magneto. I think that’s an… Is that an accurate statement to make? Yeah, she wasn’t necessarily raised by Magneto. But she has a lot of him in her and that’s not something that she should necessarily shy away from and the fact that she’s starting to learn that just because he is more villainous than some other people and just because his thoughts are more extremist, that doesn’t necessarily mean that she, in and of herself, has to deny that part of her. She can be that and still be herself.
Why Polaris Chooses Magneto Over Xavier
Justin: Kinda jumping off from that I wonder if Xavier is not enough for her. Is not enough of a mentor, is not enough of a father figure. And that there’s a certain… I don’t know, I’m not sure what the word is. She needs to have a one-on-one relationship that that fills that void of not having grown up in a typical nuclear household the way she wanted to or like the other X-Men really.
Mara: Just to answer that point I think that that’s part of why she does go towards people like Havok. That’s why she does develop these strong, if a bit, absurd relationships with people in her life is just to have that kind of connection that she seems to want to have with someone. I don’t want to just say, “Oh it’s daddy issues,” because that is a whole sea of problematic but I do…
Justin: I think everyone has daddy issues to some extent.
Mara: Oh yeah, it’s a real thing. But I feel like at least, again in 442 and 443 when she’s starting to see herself as like, “Magneto maybe wasn’t all that bad. Maybe I can incorporate more elements of him.” It’s kind of like a way of rekindling that kind of relationship with somebody even post-mortem, which I thought was a good idea for her to do, to finally, finally be a really true independent character.
Justin: Here’s someone who’s never been allowed to feel special their whole lives. What would make someone feel more special than that? Polaris never had the parents Jean Grey had. Jean Grey grew up feeling very special and loved. She shared a strong stable bond with her parents. Circumstances of nature took that away from Polaris.
Identity Politics?
Maite: Going off of the point that you said earlier about Xavier not being enough for her, I think she’s not necessarily seeking empathy from her peers, I think she might also be seeking a way to identify with somebody else, who her personal experiences are very different from the people around her and what they’ve experienced. So I think in a way she’s kind of seeking that connection in which she can relate to somebody and not necessarily just receive their empathy because that doesn’t mean they understand which is Xavier’s perspective I think.
Polaris Goes to Therapy
Justin: Doc Samson he psychoanalyzes the whole team on X-Factor. I was curious. I loved that issue when it came out and loved going back and reading that. When I was younger, I thought it was longer than it was. I thought it was a little bit more in-depth and I kinda wish it was, like, a double-sized issue because it would have been cool to hear more psychoanalysis. On Marvel.com, Tim Stevens, who has been on this podcast before, writes these amazing Psych Ward articles. I don’t know if you guys have seen them, but the Emma Frost one is super amazing. So definitely check them out on Marvel.com. I want to ask everybody here if there was something that you learned from her in this issue that you found interesting or telling about who Lorna is.
Kat: I was really interested to learn just how insecure she is and for Doc Samson to say, he gave all these metaphors with her magnetic power saying, “She repels people and she’s afraid that she’s not attractive.” And I thought that was very interesting. It wasn’t something I had gotten from her before, for him to make those points about her and she reacted to that and then she comes in later super defiant.
Polaris’s Big Moment Sexist?
Mara: And just jumping off Kat’s point and I know I shouldn’t expect so much from a comic or what have you but would they have said that to say, Magneto, who has the same exact power set she does and a very similar trauma? Probably not because they would have been like, “He attracts people. He is powerful and strong. He has all this stuff.” But because she’s a woman they can just assume those things and roll with it because, you know, girl.
Justin: That’s a good point but I would say as someone who was overweight as a kid, I identified with that because at least they were talking about weight with somebody.
Marius: I would probably agree with what Kat was saying is that, it was interesting to see some of her vulnerabilities and her difficulties in opening up to others. This is kind of something that really annoyed her or set her off, I guess. This idea of having to open up to others because she thinks there was even some… To her, it almost seems like there was some kind of malicious intent. So I guess in terms of how she copes with her trauma, that was one of the more interesting issues for me. Because before it was kind of hard for me to really get a grasp on the character and I think that helped.
Polaris’s Defiance
Nolan: I think it was her defiance to repeat myself that I learned about… Only in the wedding issue and those that come after Magneto’s attack on New York does she seem so combative. And in a lot of her other appearances, she’s quite passive. And in this, it’s not about Magneto and it’s not about her role in the Marvel Universe or anything like that or global ethics or anything. It’s just she just doesn’t wanna be psychoanalyzed. She does, it’s not about Magneto, but she does sound like him in his solo run when he keeps saying, “You don’t know me,” over and over to people. She has that same attitude.
Maite: I agree with Nolan with that. I feel like it was a big transition for her character, which I find very compelling. I think there was a moment where you maybe not identify with her but you can almost understand her in a way you didn’t before. You knew about her different character aspects, her different histories but at the same time you didn’t really understand maybe her perception of those events in her life and I feel like in that issue you’d came to understand that in a way you couldn’t before.
Justin: I love that that you kinda understand her perception more. And, also, for me, I found this issue nourishing in terms of a place decades later to kind of explain her behavior and parts of her relationship with Alex, for the reasons she states that she’s insecure. It’s no wonder why she would never really feel at ease in this relationship and especially after the whole Annie thing and being left at the altar when they got back together.
Polaris: Character Analysis
Justin: So let’s do the whole Susan Batson thing. So for those who don’t know, Susan Batson wrote a book on method acting but it’s also really good for writers who wanna write really compelling characters and really three-dimensional characters. She talks about what the actor can do to turn a character in a script and make that character more three-dimensional.
The three dimensions that she talks about are the public persona, how a character wants to be perceived, the need, the driving force behind most of the character’s actions and what is requisite to that character as an organism to survive. And she describes the third dimension, the tragic flaw as a jam up, something that prevents the need from being accomplished. So let’s go around and how would everyone describe Lorna’s public persona? And I should add that when I interviewed Peter David at Five Points Festival and I asked him this… I did that word association thing for him to say, “What he thought about as characters?” And he said, “Lorna was a would-be leader.”
Mara: I definitely understand where Peter David would coming from, later. Especially how she’s seen now, I would definitely say that she is more of a leader persona, but especially early on and I feel kind of bad for saying that she was more of a victim.
Justin: And do you think that’s how she wanted the world to perceive her?
Mara: I don’t think that’s how she wanted the world to perceive her but I feel like that’s what she wound up being anyway.
Marius: I find myself agreeing with the leadership statement a lot, I guess, because we see that in recent depictions of the character.
Public Persona of a Leader?
Nolan: She wants to be perceived as the bigger person, the one who is forgiving, adaptable, low maintenance who is heroic in that sense like always rising above, but she has a temper, just like her father and she’s quite perceptive and intelligent and she’s not that forgiving about people’s flaws. When it comes down it, she notices them very acutely, and she doesn’t have patience for them when she gets truly mad and that’s why she blows up sometimes.
Justin: When we talk about what it means to be a leader, one of the qualities people like in a leader is that they are self-sufficient and low maintenance and I know you are gonna talk about her need. And for those who don’t know she’s in Batson’s work Truth, the book that we’re talking about. A way to discern the need is to look at what the opposite of the public persona is. The need is for safety and to be taken care of in a way… It’s almost like her personality, her public persona is about hiding the fact that maybe, even though she is self-sufficient even though she does have the qualities of a leader, that she doesn’t feel that way.
Polaris: A Different Kind of Leader
Nolan: I don’t know if it has so much to do with leadership, I think to take her father as an example. Magneto is self-sufficient and commanding but not low maintenance. Magneto has to be handled because his ego is so big. She has that… I think her need is to be commanding rather than forgiving, to be taken seriously rather than taken as someone who is low maintenance. When you take someone seriously, you take their opinion into consideration, you give it equal weight with other people’s opinions. When you remember that someone is easy to deal with then you just go, “Okay, well, they’ll be fine.” So she needs to be commanding but feels that that is too much to ask of people, including her lovers, including her friends too.
Polaris/Hillary Clinton 2020?
Justin: And also, I just read Hillary Clinton’s book and I’m sure we can talk about this a little bit but it’s… Hillary Clinton talked about how dangerous it was for her as a woman to be seen as commanding. And I wonder if that plays into Polaris’ character at all.
Mara: I don’t know, maybe it’s just because I’m so hung up on her, like the fact that she does wind up becoming so obsessed with Havok and these men who, honestly can’t hold a torch to her. But the fact that she just wants somebody to at least love her as much as she feels she kinda needs that validation from someone. And it’s painful because I don’t necessarily think she needs to find that in a romantic partner or in any of that. She could just go out and get a dog and then get that unrequited love basically from the same place. But it’s just the fact that someone would need to see her and appreciate her and give her the love that she honestly deserves is what I feel she could do well with.
Justin: Yeah, I could see it to be the need to be special. What’s the tragic flaw then? And then we’ll do the reverse order. So what prevents her from being as you said, Maite, was is the Polaris that… What were the words you used?
Maite: I think the Polaris that she is comfortable being or the Polaris she aspires to be.
Polaris’s Tragic Flaw
Justin: Oh yeah, so what prevents her from being the Polaris that she aspires to be? What prevents her from accomplishing her need? Where does that jam up come from?
Kat: Yeah, I think, what’s preventing her from that is definitely all the traumas that she’s been through. She’s definitely been put through the ringer and after so many times it gets harder and harder to pick yourself back up, so, eventually, it’s just gonna become more and more exhausting for her to kind of get past all of that stress.
Marius: I definitely agree that the traumas would be one of the main reasons and also the fact that, which is also one of the reasons these traumas exist in the first place, is the fact that the people in her life wouldn’t stop being manipulative towards her, or mistreating her, especially… We’ve talked about this. Especially with Magneto and Alex.
The Tragic Flaws of Magneto Versus Polaris
Nolan: Well, by the schema that I was laying out there, it’s that the flaw is that she can’t be consistently commanding. She can’t keep that up. It either comes out in bursts or not at all. And take Magneto, he is consistently commanding, demanding, unwaiverable. Dark Scott is the same way.
Justin: [chuckle] Dark Scott.
Nolan: Xavier consistently forgives, giving people second chances.
Justin: Or pretending to be that way.
Nolan: I think he really is that way but we can get into that on the third The Dream annual podcast [chuckle] or whatever.
Justin: You mean the fourth one?
Nolan: The fourth one! She wants to be that forgiving person, but this commanding person lies underneath and comes out in bursts. That’s the flaw, those explosions of anger. If she could just keep it consistent then she would be a great leader, but I don’t think it’s so much about leadership really.
What Polaris Needs
Mara: I don’t think she knows how to help herself right now. I think that she needs some help and I’m not saying that she won’t eventually get to a point where she can understand that she doesn’t need other people to validate who she is, but especially the stuff that really stuck with me was that she really needed someone there for her and she was kind of reaching out into the darkness and nobody was there to hold on to. That felt like that was really hard and there is no good answer for what would help her get better. I guess therapy, but that doesn’t really seem to be option in the X-Men Universe.
Justin: I guess she could go back to Doc Samson.
Mara: Yeah, that’s didn’t seem to go over too well.
Justin: I |
people get better within a couple of days, but this can be a serious illness for some and there is no treatment or vaccine.
The CDC estimates that there are more than 20 million cases a year. In fact, norovirus is the cause of more than half of all foodborne illness outbreaks.
The best way to prevent transmission of the virus, according to the CDC, is wash your hands thoroughly with warm soapy water; if infected, clean and disinfect possible contaminated surfaces and don't prepare food if you're sick.It's one more and out for Being Human - BBC Three's incredible cult drama finally draws to a close this Sunday night, but fans of Hal (Damien Molony), Tom (Michael Socha) and Alex (Kate Bracken) can console themselves with the news that series finale 'The Last Broadcast' is an absolute triumph.
Touchpaper
A werewolf, a vampire and a ghost will take on the Devil in an epic fight to the death and you simply must watch. Prepare to laugh, cry and gibber uncontrollably as writer Toby Whithouse draws you into his dark, vivid, wonderful world one last time...
The final episode of Being Human airs on BBC Three this Sunday (March 10) at 10pm - check out our ten teasers for 'The Last Broadcast' below. Mild spoilers!
> Being Human: The final episode in pictures
> Being Human star talks final episodes: 'Fans will be blown away'
1. "Am I basically one of the X-Men?"
2. We open with a musical number - no, really, we do.
3. "I shall now pause for giggles."
4. Hatch (Phil Davis) is determined to extend his dark influence...
5. "I've killed entire phone books of people."
6. A number of familiar faces return and still more old characters get namechecks.
7. "I'm getting resentment, fury… hints of heartbreak."
8. Tom shows off his bad-ass vampire-killing skills more than once - but is Hal one of his victims?
9. "Everything is incomplete without them."
10. The final scene is pretty much perfect - bravo, Toby Whithouse, bravo.
What do you make of our new Being Human teasers? Share your thoughts below!Though the fight for net neutrality might be looking grim for supporters of Title II Internet regulations following the release of the FCC's draft plan to roll back such protections, it's far from a lost cause.
Today, many tech companies have banded together to write a firmly-worded letter to FCC Chairman Ajit Pai, arguing in favor of strong net neutrality protections. Signed by over 200 tech companies including the likes of Twitter, Reddit and even Airbnb, the letter uses Cyber Monday as an example of the positive impact a free and open Internet can have on America's economy, for businesses and consumers alike.
According to the letter, Americans spent roughly $3.5 billion online on Cyber Monday last year, reportedly making it the largest online sales day in the country's history. Black Friday's online sales weren't too shabby, either, coming in at about $3 billion last year.
"With strong net neutrality protections, the Internet is an open marketplace where any business can compete, allowing individuals to start companies easily, market their products across the country, and connect with customers anywhere worldwide," the letter reads.
"With strong net neutrality protections, the Internet is an open marketplace where any business can compete..."
The letter also calls the FCC's recently-released plans to roll back Title II regulations "disastrous," while claiming that implementing such plans would "end this open commerce" and "eliminate the protections that keep the Internet free and open" for Americans.
Whether or not this letter will influence the FCC's decision in any way remains to be seen but it's clear that tech companies aren't giving up the fight easily.The email newsletter for Kodansha's Comic Plus members confirmed on Wednesday that a film adaptation of Hajime Isayama's Shingeki no Kyojin (Attack on Titan) manga will open in Fall of 2013. More details will be provided in future postings of the newsletter.
Hajime Isayama launched Shingeki no Kyojin in Kodansha's Bessatsu Shonen Magazine in 2009. The story follows the life of humans after giants suddenly appear and take over the entire world. To keep out these invaders who eat humans for food, the humans erect huge walls, but at the cost of their freedom in the outside world.
The manga has become a sleeper hit, selling over 3 million copies since last year. The fifth volume shipped in August.
The official website of Itako, a city north of Tokyo, posted an October 3 casting call for extras on the latest film by award-wining director Tetsuya Nakashima ( Confessions, Kamikaze Girls, Paco and the Magical Picture Book ). According to the casting call, the crew is looking for 80 "healthy male and female" extras "to play people fleeing in panic from 'giants' who suddenly appear in a peaceful shopping district."
[Via J-Comi, Kyō Kara Watashi wa!!, Yaraon!]Two reports released last year—one from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Biomedical Research Workforce Working Group, and another from a presidential commission of the American Chemical Society (ACS)—explored questions about the training of graduate students and postdoctoral scientists. Although the two reports were focused on different disciplines—biomedical science and chemical science, respectively—they reached many of the same conclusions. The ACS report, however, directly addressed a crucial question that the NIH report sidestepped: Are academic institutions graduating too many Ph.D.s for the job market to handle? The ACS commission's answer is a qualified "yes."
The two reports share several conclusions—which is not surprising because, according to chemistry professor Paul Houston, the commission's executive director and dean of the College of Sciences at the Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) in Atlanta, members of the ACS commission read early drafts of the NIH report as they put their own report together. Both reports concluded that:
"If we can convince NSF to shift … some of the funding from PIs to program grants, what we feel is that will empower the students more." —Paul Houston
Graduate school training is too narrow to prepare trainees for the wide array of careers that graduates pursue.
Too many trainees are supported by research grants instead of training grants, with the result that graduate students and postdocs are too often valued mainly as a labor source rather than for their future scientific potential.
Postdocs aren't paid well enough or given benefits proportionate to their value and training.
Diversifying training
Although language in the report specifically highlighted the crowded market for Ph.D. chemists, in interviews with Science Careers, members of the ACS commission downplayed the idea of shrinking graduate student enrollment, focusing instead on the need for departments to broaden the range of skills they teach so that there is less redundancy among Ph.D. graduates. One of the major obstacles to young chemists finding jobs, they say, is that too many departments prepare students with the exact same sets of skills.
"There are a lot of Ph.D. programs out there in chemistry, and they shouldn't all be trying to be top-10 research university programs," says Jacqueline Barton, a chemistry professor at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena and a member of the commission. "They should each find their niche. Different departments have different strengths. … Maybe some departments should be focusing on environmental sciences, and another program should be focused on joint programs in biotechnology."
"Obviously, the biotech industry has collapsed in terms of employment, but that doesn't mean that chemists are not being employed," Houston says. "There is a large chemical industry, and there are still some very good jobs at the bigger chemical companies, but there are a lot of jobs at start-up companies and smaller outfits, too. So one of the things that we thought a lot about is what kind of training does a graduate student need to be successful in that kind of market."
Courtesy of the California Institute of Technology Jacqueline Barton
How can ACS encourage departments to broaden or diversify their training? One approach that ACS will take is to try to persuade funding agencies—primarily the National Science Foundation (NSF) but also NIH—to redirect training money from research grants toward training grants. Rather than narrowly training students in their principal investigators' (PIs') particular areas of research, training grants could be awarded to departments who have strong training curricula, or to target programs training students in particular areas of need. "If we can convince NSF to shift … some of the funding from PIs to program grants, what we feel is that will empower the students more," Houston says. "I think there's a sympathetic ear, particularly at NSF."
Courtesy of the Georgia Institute of Technology Paul Houston
If that idea sounds familiar, it's because the NIH report made similar suggestions. NIH, though, decided not to implement that idea. Apparently, members of NIH's Advisory Committee to the Director were worried about the reduction in PIs' autonomy; there were also concerns about unspecified legal issues. If ACS is to be successful on this point, they'll have to do a better job than NIH's own workforce working group of convincing funding agencies—including NIH—of the importance of this kind of change.
Tracking graduates
Another strategy for empowering students recommended by the ACS commission is to track career outcomes for students graduating from all chemistry departments across the country and publish them; this way, students would have a better idea of the range of careers open to them and would know beforehand whether graduates from a particular department fared well in the area they want to work in.
Whether ACS's recommendations will be implemented depends mostly on the society's ability to convince departments and funding agencies—but tracking graduates is a task that ACS itself can take on. Gary Schuster, a chemistry professor at Georgia Tech and a special adviser to the commission, writes in an e-mail to Science Careers: "ACS has an important role to play in gathering and disseminating relevant data on chemistry graduate programs. The availability of those data will help guide faculty, student, and institutional choices. Those choices will create the future."
NIH is implementing similar recommendations from its working group report.
"Population control"
Courtesy of the Georgia Institute of Technology Gary Schuster
The ACS report explored a theme that the NIH report flirted with * but never outwardly addressed: ensuring that the number of scientists trained is proportionate to the number of job opportunities. "Departments should give thoughtful attention to maintaining a sustainable relationship between the availability of new graduates at all degree levels and genuine opportunities for them," the ACS report says. The phrase "genuine opportunities" is notable, suggesting that graduates should expect good jobs in the field and not an endless series of postdocs, menial positions, or jobs only tangentially related to the degree.
Even with better tracking of career outcomes and broader training opportunities for graduate students, chemistry departments may still continue to produce more graduate students than there are opportunities for genuine employment, Houston says. And one of the main drivers of high graduate enrollments in chemistry is the use of graduate students to teach large undergraduate classes. That's a bad idea, Houston says.
"Many departments have a Ph.D. program because they have to teach undergraduates, and that's a way to get undergraduates taught," he says. "We don't think that's a sufficient reason to have a large graduate program. Quite the contrary. What we'd prefer to see is places that have large undergraduate programs … hire more instructors, maybe postdocs who've been trained in teaching."
Houston notes that on this point, ACS "doesn't really have a stick" to motivate compliance with this recommendation. The best it can do is encourage departments, through site visits and sponsored talks, to disentangle graduate student enrollment from undergraduate teaching needs, he says. He knows it will be a struggle. "I think anytime you shift the paradigm, there are going to be people who resist it," he says. "People have fine-tuned their system to take advantage of what's there."
Resistance can be found even in the commission's ranks. Schuster, for example, does not believe that chemistry departments should reduce their graduate enrollments. "Opportunities in chemistry, viewed as the'molecular science', are growing as disciplines such as biology and materials science become ever more'molecular,' " he writes. " 'Population control' is not necessary or desirable. What is required is increased diversity of skills and perspective so that students see and embrace all of the opportunities of the'molecular science.' "
NIH shied away from major changes in implementing recommendations from its working group report, despite its ability to directly influence departments' behavior via funding and policy. The ACS commission advanced a bolder agenda than NIH's working group did, but the professional society must rely on persuasion to win implementation of its recommendations. It remains to be seen which approach can be most successful in reforming graduate and postdoctoral training.
*For example, the Vannevar Bush quote that leads off NIH's report: "The plans should be designed to attract into science only that proportion of youthful talent appropriate to the needs of science in relation to the other needs of the nation for high abilities."Image caption Oil rigs exploring for reserves offshore could soon be a familiar site off the coast of Somalia
The price of oil may have fallen off a cliff recently, but that has not deterred energy giants like Exxon Mobil, Royal Dutch Shell, BP and Chevron from reactivating plans to drill in Somalia.
The Horn of Africa country could be the next focus for the energy industry, as the government claims the nation will be producing oil within six years.
London-based Soma Oil and Gas, which is backed by Russian billionaire Alexander Djaparidze, has completed an onshore and offshore seismic survey and it is encouraged by the results. Details are expected to be published by the end of the year.
Security remains a concern for foreign investors, but Somalia says with the help of troops from the African Union, it is making progress against the Islamist insurgents al-Shabab.
Nevertheless attacks continue in the region, with ones in the capital, Mogadishu, the south-central town of Baidoa and north-eastern Kenya, near the Somali border, in the last week alone.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption There are frequent attacks in Somalia by al-Shabab militants
Soma Oil and Gas chief executive Bob Sheppard, told the BBC the company's seismic survey covered thousands of kilometres without any security worries.
"We're able to do that with zero security incidents. What we've been able to demonstrate is that you can conduct offshore operations safely and securely," he said.
A seismic survey involves firing an audio signal underground and analysing the sound waves that bounce back, which can indicate if there are deposits of oil or gas.
Territorial dispute
The government in Mogadishu will reward Soma for carrying out the seismic survey with licences to explore for oil.
Image caption Soma Oil and Gas chief executive Bob Sheppard is confident Somalia has good reserves
"The government have recognised they need to stimulate exploration. They need to stimulate the creation of a hydrocarbon regime because they are in a prospective area," says Mr Sheppard.
He notes that the region's geology looks positive. "The analogous area would be the north-west coast of Madagascar, which has oil, because back in Triassic time (205 to 248 million years ago) they were joined. So we think the same hydrocarbon environment may exist," he said.
There is a tremendous improvement in security in Somalia at the moment Abdulkadir Abiikar Hussein, Director of oil and gas exploration
"We're hopeful about oil."
Another thing that could disrupt development of Somalia's oil and gas is a territorial dispute with Kenya over the offshore border between the two nations.
Talks between Nairobi and Mogadishu have failed to resolve the dispute and tensions increased after Kenya issued exploration licences to drill in the region.
Somalia has filed a case with the UN's International Court of Arbitration.
Petroleum and Mineral Resources Minister Daud Mohamed Omar is confident Somalia will win its case.
"We do not believe that it is a disputed area. We believe it's the property of the Somali nation," he said.
Image caption Somalia's Petroleum Minister Daud Mohamed Omar is confident of winning a territorial dispute with Kenya
"As we have hired maritime lawyers, we have hopes that the outcome would be a mutual understanding between the two countries or we will have to wait for the ruling of the court," he said.
Another complication for the government in Mogadishu lies in the fact that the autonomous regions of Puntland and Somaliland have also issued exploration licences.
'Hottest opportunity'
East Africa is the new frontier for the world's energy industry, as reserves of gas are being developed off the coast of Mozambique, Tanzania is exploring offshore and oil has been discovered in Kenya and Uganda.
"East Africa is regarded within the oil and gas industry as having huge untapped potential," says Steve Robertson, a director with the energy analysis group Douglas Westwood.
"It has been regarded in recent years as one of the hottest opportunities available to both independent and larger international oil companies," he told the BBC.
Abdulkadir Abiikar Hussein, the director of oil and gas exploration at the Ministry of Petroleum and Mineral Resources in Mogadishu, is confident Somalia can attract the world's big oil companies to start drilling.
"Comparing to what we have seen in the region. From Mozambique through Tanzania, Kenya, that has proved there are gas resources." And the bulk of the Indian Ocean is with Somalia so that's why there is a rush to Somalia these days," he said.
Mr Hussein also insisted stability is returning to the once war-torn country.
Image caption Somalia's director of exploration says that the Indian Ocean "is safe enough these days"
"The Indian Ocean is safe enough these days. There was the problem of piracy and piracy has dwindled. In terms of al-Shabab and other problems, that is a continental problem, but not in the Indian Ocean, so as a priority the Indian Ocean has to be explored first," he said.
"There is a tremendous improvement in security in Somalia at the moment," he added.
New port
Companies like Royal Dutch Shell and Exxon Mobil are being encouraged to reactivate dormant contracts to explore for oil and gas. They withdrew from Somalia two decades ago after civil war broke out in 1991.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The port in Mogadishu is being expanded
They may be encouraged by Somalia's plans to develop the country's infrastructure.
According to Mr Hussein, "there is an expansion going on to Mogadishu port and initially that will be adequate enough to receive the movements of rigs and things like that into Somalia.
"But there will be another project that will include building a new port to handle the massive equipment imported in by international oil companies," he added.
Somalia is confident it will be producing oil within a few years, but given the planned development of oil and gas resources elsewhere in the region, notably Uganda and Kenya, the government in Mogadishu would do well to remember an old Somali proverb: "One cannot count on riches."The biggest danger creationism plays, according to Bill Nye the "Science Guy," is that it is raising a generation of children who "can't think" and who "will not be able to participate in the future in same way" as those who are taught evolution.
Speaking on MidPoint, Nye said he blames an older generation of evangelicals "who have very strong conservative views" and who are "reluctant to let kids learn about evolution." Their presence on school boards leads to debates over curriculum, Nye argued, which further inhibits schools' ability to teach facts.
"Religion is one thing. People get tremendous comfort and community with their religions," Nye said. "But whatever you believe, whatever deity or higher power you might believe in, the Earth is not 6,000 years old."
Nye, who has a new book out titled "Undeniable: Evolution and the Science of Creation," recently participated in a debate with creationist Ken Ham, which some argued was a moment of embarrassment for the science community.
University of Chicago evolution professor Jerry A. Coyne called the debate "pointless and counterproductive." The Guardian's Pete Etchells wrote:
Scientific literacy is crucial for society to function effectively, which means that we can’t afford to be messing around with the way that it’s taught in the classroom or wasting our time with fruitless public debates.
Nye stood by the debate, however, saying he "stepped into the lion's den" in order to spread awareness about the academic opportunities children are denied by being taught creationism.THE PEACH PROSCIUTTO PIE IS BACK! View this email in your browser The beloved Peach Prosciutto pizza is coming back TOMORROW, 6/1 and will be here through July! This pie starts with an olive oil base then we top with ricotta, Parmesan & mozzarella cheeses, fresh peaches, prosciutto, basil and a honey balsamic drizzle. (Yum)
Tomorrow, 6/1 we're celebrating all day with a Peach Prosciutto Launch Party. Here are the details:
The deal: $3.14 off Peach Prosciutto pizzas (reg. $8.99) ALL DAY! (1 per person, cannot be combined w/other discounts or coupons, in store only). Plus you'll get a coupon on your receipt to get $3.14 off your P&P pie if you bring it back within the following week.
The brew: New Belgium will be featured. We will feature ALL New Belgium brews for just $3.14. Draft line-up will include Heavy Melon Watermelon Lime and Citradellic plus bottles of Fat Tire. New Belgium brews will be on special for $3.14 all summer (until 7/24).
The music: Live music from, our favorite, the Alex Guthrie band! They'll perform from 6-8pm.
The trivia: Trivia will start at 8pm by Patrick Holloway. Bring your friends and come compete!
We hope to see you tomorrow! Stay tuned for sweet giveaways as part of this promotion too!
Cheers,
Morgan & Lisa Facebook Instagram TwitterWe are a culture of hype-hounds, eagerly drooling over every possible nugget of pre-release information that seeps through the cracks. More effort is put into video game announcement teasers and character reveal trailers than film studios’ once dreamed of. To make this list of contenders, a piece of anticipation-fodder had to pass along the game’s feel and keep our eyes riveted on the screen. And most importantly, leave us wanting more for as long as possible.
Nominees
Assassin’s Creed II E3 2009 Trailer
Assassin’s Creed II “Ezio’s Destiny”
Halo ODST “We Are ODST”
God of War III “Epic Scale”
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 “Infamy”
Winner: God of War III “Epic Scale”
Three full minutes of Kratos’ killing and titan-sized stage shifting made for a thrilling piece of media that packed more intensity into its passive form than most games can fit into an entire franchise. The former God’s fury was evident in every instant he was on screen, a palatable rush of anger that – along with the rousing score – kept our hearts leaping out of our chests. And with the God of War franchise guarantee of unbelievable vistas and epic action behind it, our excitement reached a fever pitch that has yet to be matched since its debut. Only Kratos could make death so beautiful.Better Know a Champion Volume 1: Leona – The Radiant Dawn
Champion Usage:
Leona is a tanky support who specializes in getting in the enemy team’s face and locking a dangerous champion down. Often paired with an AD carry in the current meta, Leona’s strengths come from her two forms of hard cc (crowd control) and her passive. Her passive, Sunlight, marks all enemies hit by her abilities for 3.5 seconds. If a teammate hits a marked enemy in that time, the passive will burst for an extra bit of damage. Leona cannot proc her passive on her own, which is why she makes a much stronger support than solo laner.
Her kit is one of the best in the game for sticking to an enemy who you are looking to take out of a fight. Her Q ability, Shield of Daybreak, stuns the next target Leona attacks for 1.25 seconds. Her W ability, Eclipse, is her main source of damage and natural tankiness. When activated it creates a shield with bonus resistances for 3 seconds and when it ends the shield explodes out, damaging enemies around it.
A nifty thing about the shield is that it lasts an additional three seconds if it hits any enemies (including minions)! Her E ability, Zenith Blade, transports Leona to the last opponent it strikes. This is very helpful to keep Leona on top of someone. Her R ability is the icing on her cc cake: Solar Flare. This ability calls down a beam of sunlight in an AOE skillshot to stun your target for 1.5 seconds. Enemies struck near the edge of the beam will only be slowed.
• Fun Fact: Leona also has a hidden passive. When her passive sunlight procs on any champion wearing sunglasses, it deals 1 less damage.
Champion History:
Leona was released on July 8th, 2011. The Radiant Dawn was added to the League because of multiple threads on the Riot forums noting the game’s lack of female tanks. She was designed by David “Volty” Abecassis and is a widely popular support champion.
Leona was released relatively balanced. Other than a few tweaks to lower her cooldowns in the patch after her release, there have been almost no changes. With season 3 and the item rework coming up this could change in a hurry, but for now Leona remains the balanced, crowd control queen.
Champion Lore:
Leona was born into the same tribe as Pantheon, but was averse to killing. This made her quite the deviant in the Rakkor tribe, and they took her to the top of the mountain to make an example of her. When the Rakkor tried to strike the final blow, she was miraculously saved by the sun. This caused the Solari (a group of people who worship the sun) to claim her as their own. As a result, Leona was able to hone her affinity with the sun and concentrate it into abilities.
She has a close relationship with two champions in the league, Pantheon and Diana. Pantheon grew up with her and they remain close friends even now. Diana, a Lunari, is a bit of a rival to Leona as they are diametrically opposed. Despite this, there have been no confirmed incidents involving the two… yet.
Champion Competitive Play:
By the end of Season 2, Leona has become a very popular support pick in tournament play due to her ability to shut down a lane. In the Season 2 World Finals sponsored by Riot Gaming, she was picked in 7 games, or 22.6% of the time. Her win rate was rather low, going 2-5 overall. Despite this lackluster showing at the world’s biggest League of Legends tournament, Leona was not forgotten. She was picked in 6 games at the MLG Fall Championship, going 4-2 in the process.
High elo Insight:
Finally for today, we hear some wise words from high profile, high elo summoners renowned for their Leona play.
Mitch 'Krepo' Voorspoels of Counter Logic Gaming Europe is a player well known for his impressive performances with Leona. Krepo’s highest elo is 2372 on the European West server, and he is well versed in many supports. When asked what advice he would give to aspiring Leona players he responded, “It's better to miss 10 ulti's than to never cast one out of fear of missing. Especially when learning. No balls no glory."
Until next time, I'm Silly Season and now you better know Leona.Rep. John Lewis John LewisThe Hill's 12:30 Report: Trump looks for boost from Korea summit The Hill's Morning Report - A pivotal week for Trump Six most memorable political Oscars moments MORE (D-Ga.) said Wednesday he is reconsidering whether to attend this weekend’s opening of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum after the White House announced President Trump will be there.
“It’s going to be very difficult for me to be there and be on the same platform with him," Lewis told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Lewis was scheduled to speak at the museum opening on Saturday in Jackson, Miss. However, he told the newspaper that Trump's attendance would be inappropriate, citing his response to an August white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in which Trump said there was blame on "both sides" for violence that ensued.
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“I think his presence would make a mockery of everything that people tried to do to redeem the soul of America and to make this country better,” Lewis said.
Lewis has been a frequent critic of Trump and drew the president’s ire in January, before Trump officially took office, after saying he didn't consider him to be a “legitimate president."
Trump said on Twitter that the congressman should “spend more time on fixing and helping his district, which is in horrible shape and falling apart (not to mention crime infested).”
Lewis on Wednesday was one of 58 House Democrats who voted in favor of beginning impeachment proceedings against Trump. The measure overwhelmingly failed in the GOP-lead House.
Lewis was a key civil rights leader in the 1960s as chairman of the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee.
Since 1987, he has represented Georgia’s 5th District, which is predominantly black and includes much of Atlanta and some surrounding suburbs.
The NAACP on Tuesday announced opposition to Trump attending the museum opening, saying he has created a “racially hostile climate.”
White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Tuesday it was "very sad" that anyone might object to his presence.Image copyright Reuters Image caption Local residents tried to pull survivors out of the vehicle after the crash
More than 30 people - almost all of them schoolchildren - have been killed in a bus crash in northern Tanzania, officials say.
They say the bus plunged off the road in a steep ravine near the town of Karatu.
A number of people were hurt. Officials later tried to remove survivors and dead bodies from the vehicle.
The students from a primary school in Arusha were travelling to another school to sit an exam.
The final year pupils from the Lucky Vincent school - believed to be aged between 12 and 14 - were on their way to take mock exams when the accident happened on Saturday morning.
Two teachers and the driver were also killed.
President John Magufuli said the accident was a "national tragedy".
"This accident extinguishes the dreams of these children who were preparing to serve the nation, it is an immense pain for the families involved and for the whole nation," he said.
Regional police commander Charles Mkumbo told Reuters that "the accident happened when the bus was descending on a steep hill in rainy conditions".
"We are still investigating the incident to determine if it was caused by a mechanical defect or human error on the part of the driver," he added.It’s been some time since the Miami HEAT have been very active around the trade deadline, but they sure packed in a few years’ worth of transaction excitement when they acquired Goran Dragic and his brother Zoran Dragic just before Thursday’s cutoff. In exchange, Miami sent Norris Cole, Danny Granger, Shawne Williams and Justin Hamilton to Phoenix and New Orleans, along with two first round picks.
Your familiarity with Dragic depends upon how much of a League Pass devotee you happen to be. Through no fault of his own, Dragic hasn’t been an All-Star. He’s played on National Television, but sporadically. It’s been years since you’ve seen him in the playoffs. Even if you know his name and heard he’s good, you might not know how good. Or why.
So, how good is Goran Dragic?
The short answer is that he’s so good we can start talking about any aspect of the game at random and we’ll find a way to talk about how good Goran Dragic is at it. He’s the guy who comes to the job interview in a freshly-tailored suit and, when asked what his biggest weakness is, replies that his biggest weakness is not having a weakness to acknowledge. Sure, we could nitpick his defense and talk about how he’s only an average free-throw shooter, but that’s would be missing the point entirely.
The even shorter answer is that Dragic is so good he can transform your entire team.
It’s no secret that the HEAT haven’t played very fast this season. If you’ve watched more than a couple of games, you know that. For a variety of reasons, including the fact that they’ve rarely enjoyed a stable rotation for more than a handful of games in a row, the team is last in the league in possessions per game, using just 91.8 on average.
This is not on purpose. Erik Spoelstra wants to play fast. We know he practices fast. You can see him regularly urging his players up the floor. He wants to get back to the pace-and-space offense. It just hasn’t been in the cards this season.
It might not happen overnight, but Dragic should enable everything Spoelstra wants to get to. With Phoenix – granted, a team that will play faster than most squads every year – Dragic led groups which played at a 98 possession pace. Some of that is system, but much of that is Dragic, the one-man fast break.
Being 6-foot-3 and incredibly fast with or without the ball helps, but the reason he can take off after makes, misses or turnovers is that Dragic’s speed is more than an empty threat. If you don’t respect his speed in transition, he’ll finish at the rim as well as some of the league’s elite big men – better than Blake Griffin this season – not just well for a guard. If there’s a gap, he’ll hit it and get to the rim. If you’re in the way, he’ll initiate contact, bounce off you and get to the rim. If you try and jump with him, he’ll find an angle you can’t reach.
This may all sound somewhat hyperbolic, but if there’s a better finishing point guard in the league good luck finding him.
Such a high level of efficiency around the rim is an incredible weapon for a guard. It forces the defense to devote extra attention to transition defense, which can turn into bodies being pulled off the offensive boards. Otherwise…
Considering Miami currently ranks 27th in transition efficiency, per Synergy Sports, the sort of play shown above is an immediate upgrade. But in the half-court, where Miami has been a bit better than their below-average offensive efficiency would indicate, Dragic puts a ton of pressure on defenses. Big men know he can finish in the paint so they can’t venture too far from the middle of the floor. But what we haven’t mentioned yet is that Dragic is also a deadly shooter off the dribble or the catch.
While Dragic is still shooting well this year despite effectively being a small-forward at times in the Suns’ three-guard lineups, as a lead guard a year ago he topped 60 percent in true-shooting percentage (accounting for the value of threes and free-throws). Combined with the number of possessions he used and the shots he created for teammates, here’s the list of players who have had similar seasons over the last 30 or so years:
James Harden. Kevin Johnson. Steve Nash. Mark Price. Chauncey Billups. Manu Ginobili. Stephen Curry.
Pretty good company.
What most of these players have in common is they didn’t give defenders any easy outs. There was no easy way to scheme them without giving up something valuable in return. And these guys don’t need to be given anything in the first place. They’re takers.
We’re talking at length about how well Dragic can score because that’s a big part of his game, but he’s still a point guard. Phoenix, and Houston before, had seasons where they needed him to create for others, and he did. Last year they needed him to score, so he scored. Exactly what balance Miami will need from him is yet to be determined, but the growing process shouldn’t be a painful one.
For Dwyane Wade, Dragic can remove the pressure to constantly create – Wade, at 33 years old, was using more possessions than anyone not named Kobe or Westbrook – by getting Wade off the ball. Wade excelled at cutting baseline over the past few years, which means easier points for him and more efficient shots for the team.
For Chris Bosh -- when he can get healthy, which is far more important right now -- Dragic can be one of the best pick-and-roll guards in the league, using the aforementioned pressure he puts on defenses to give Bosh the space he often hasn’t had this year. A year ago, Dragic worked a deadly pick-and-roll with stretch-big Channing Frye, not to mention the other stretch-forwards of Phoenix, so he should be right at home with the skills of Bosh.
For Luol Deng, as with Wade, Dragic gives Deng a facilitator for off-ball movement. It’s not easy ghost cutting the defense when there is constantly a pair of eyes on you.
For Hassan Whiteside, Dragic presents his paint conundrum. The Dragic-Bosh pick-and-roll will be very strong, but defenders will be pulled in just as many directions with Whiteside setting the screen. If you’re the help defender in the paint as Dragic turns the corner, you’re trying to decide whether to slide over to the best finishing guard in the league or leave one of the best finishing big men in the league. There’s no easy answer.
For Mario Chalmers, Dragic allows him to get back to the combo-guard position of the past few seasons. Chalmers has been one of the best corner three-point shooters in the league before, and Dragic should help the team manufacture more open shooter looks.
Notice the combination of players who excel in pick-and-roll or playing off the ball? The impact Dragic has on one player with the impact he has with another.
We can go on. Dragic should make the game easier for every player he shares the court with. Yes, he’ll be turning 29 years old making the HEAT’s window much more about the now – as it should be, given the makeup of the roster – but this team was never in rebuild mode in the first place. And Dragic is joining the HEAT at a younger age than Tim Hardaway was when he joined the team or when Steve Nash joined the Phoenix Suns. Point guards in the prime of their game change everything.
Truth is, this article took about twice as long as normal to write because it’s so easy to lose track of time when watching Dragic on tape. An hour can turn into two or three or four as he surprises, shocks and enthralls you. That’s how much fun he is.
That’s how |
be left out, however, since so much of Christian scholarship and philosophy depended on it.[75][77] These shaped Byzantine Greek character and the perceptions of themselves and others.
Christians at the time of Constantine's conversion made up only 10% of the population.[74] This would rise to 50% by the end of the fourth century and 90% by the end of the fifth century.[77] Emperor Justinian I (r. 527–565) then brutally mopped up the rest of the pagans, highly literate academics on one end of the scale and illiterate peasants on the other.[77] A conversion so rapid seems to have been rather the result of expediency than of conviction.[77]
The survival of the Empire in the East assured an active role of the emperor in the affairs of the Church. The Byzantine state inherited from pagan times the administrative and financial routine of organising religious affairs, and this routine was applied to the Christian Church. Following the pattern set by Eusebius of Caesarea, the Byzantines viewed the emperor as a representative or messenger of Christ, responsible particularly for the propagation of Christianity among pagans, and for the "externals" of the religion, such as administration and finances. The imperial role in the affairs of the Church never developed into a fixed, legally defined system, however.[78]
With the decline of Rome, and internal dissension in the other Eastern patriarchates, the church of Constantinople became, between the 6th and 11th centuries, the richest and most influential centre of Christendom.[79] Even when the Byzantine Empire was reduced to only a shadow of its former self, the Church, as an institution, exercised so much influence both inside and outside the imperial frontiers as never before. As George Ostrogorsky points out:[80]
"The Patriarchate of Constantinople remained the center of the Orthodox world, with subordinate metropolitan sees and archbishoprics in the territory of Asia Minor and the Balkans, now lost to Byzantium, as well as in Caucasus, Russia and Lithuania. The Church remained the most stable element in the Byzantine Empire."
In terms of religion, Byzantine Greek Macedonia is also significant as being the home of Saints Cyril and Methodius, two Greek brothers from Thessaloniki (Salonika) who were sent on state-sponsored missions to proselytize among the Slavs of the Balkans and east-central Europe. This involved Cyril and Methodius having to translate the Christian Bible into the Slavs' own language, for which they invented an alphabet that became known as Old Church Slavonic. In the process, this cemented the Greek brothers' status as the pioneers of Slavic literature and those who first introduced Byzantine civilization and Orthodox Christianity to the hitherto illiterate and pagan Slavs.
Identity
Self-perception
In modern Byzantine scholarship, there are currently three main schools of thought on medieval eastern Roman identity.
First, a school of thought that developed largely under the influence of modern Greek nationalism, treats Roman identity as the medieval form of a perennial Greek national identity. In this view, as heirs to the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Byzantines thought of themselves as Rhomaioi, or Romans, though they knew that they were ethnically Greeks. [81]
Second, which could be regarded as preponderant in the field considers "Romanity" the mode of self-identification of the subjects of a multi-ethnic empire at least up to the 12th century, where the average subject identified as Roman.
Third, a line of thought argues that the eastern Roman identity was a separate pre-modern national identity.[82] The established consensus in the field of Byzantine studies does not call into question the self-identification of the "Byzantines" as Romans.[83]
The defining traits of being considered one of the Rhomaioi were being an Orthodox Christian and more importantly speaking Greek, characteristics which had to be acquired by birth if one was not to be considered an allogenes or even a barbarian.[84] The term mostly used to describe someone who was a foreigner to both the Byzantines and their state was ethnikós (Greek: ἐθνικός), a term which originally described non-Jews or non-Christians, but had lost its religious meaning.[85] In a classicizing vein usually applied to other peoples, Byzantine authors regularly referred to their people as "Ausones", an ancient name for the original inhabitants of Italy.[86] Most historians agree that the defining features of their civilization were: 1) Greek language, culture, literature, and science, 2) Roman law and tradition, 3) Christian faith.[87] The Byzantine Greeks were, and perceived themselves as, heirs to the culture of ancient Greece,[88] the political heirs of imperial Rome,[89][90] and followers of the Apostles.[91] Thus, their sense of "Romanity" was different from that of their contemporaries in the West. "Romaic" was the name of the vulgar Greek language, as opposed to "Hellenic" which was its literary or doctrinal form.[92] Being a Roman was mostly a matter of culture and religion rather than speaking Greek or living within Byzantine territory, and had nothing to do with race.[93] Some Byzantines began to use the name Greek (Hellen) with its ancient meaning of someone living in the territory of Greece rather than its usually Christian meaning of "pagan".[93] Realizing that the restored empire held lands of ancient Greeks and had a population largely descended from them, some scholars such as George Gemistos Plethon and John Argyropoulos[94][95][96] put emphasized pagan Greek and Christian Roman past, mostly during in a time of Byzantine political decline.[93] However such views were part of a few learned people, and the majority of Byzantine Christians would see them as nonsensical or dangerous.[93] After 1204 the Byzantine successor entities were mostly Greek-speaking but not nation-states like France and England of that time.[93] The risk or reality of foreign rule, not some sort of Greek national consciousness was the primary element that drew contemporary Byzantines together.[93] Byzantine elites and common people nurtured a high self-esteem based on their perceived cultural superiority towards foreigners, whom they viewed with contempt, despite the frequent occurrence of compliments to an individual foreigner as an andreîos Rhōmaióphrōn (ἀνδρεῖος Ῥωμαιόφρων, roughly "a brave Roman-minded fellow").[85] There was always an element of indifference or neglect of everything non-Greek, which was therefore "barbarian".[97]
Official discourse
In official discourse, "all inhabitants of the empire were subjects of the emperor, and therefore Romans." Thus the primary definition of Rhōmaios was "political or statist."[98] In order to succeed in being a full-blown and unquestioned "Roman" it was best to be a Greek Orthodox Christian and a Greek-speaker, at least in one's public persona.[98] Yet, the cultural uniformity which the Byzantine church and the state pursued through Orthodoxy and the Greek language was not sufficient to erase distinct identities, nor did it aim to.[97][98]
Regional identity
Often one's local (geographic) identity could outweigh one's identity as a Rhōmaios. The terms xénos (Greek: ξένος) and exōtikós (Greek: ἐξωτικός) denoted "people foreign to the local population," regardless of whether they were from abroad or from elsewhere within the Byzantine Empire.[85] "When a person was away from home he was a stranger and was often treated with suspicion. A monk from western Asia Minor who joined a monastery in Pontus was 'disparaged and mistreated by everyone as a stranger'. The corollary to regional solidarity was regional hostility."[99]
Revival of Hellenism
From an evolutionary standpoint, Byzantium was a multi-ethnic empire that emerged as a Christian empire, soon comprised the Hellenised empire of the East, and ended its thousand-year history, in 1453, as a Greek Orthodox state: an empire that became a nation, almost by the modern meaning of the word.[100] The presence of a distinctive and historically rich literary culture was also very important in the division between "Greek" East and "Latin" West and thus the formation of both.[101] It was a multi-ethnic empire where the Hellenic element was predominant, especially in the later period.[98]
Spoken language and state, the markers of identity that were to become a fundamental tenet of nineteenth-century nationalism throughout Europe became, by accident, a reality during a formative period of medieval Greek history.[102] After the Empire lost non-Greek speaking territories in the 7th and 8th centuries, "Greek" (Ἕλλην), when not used to signify "pagan", became synonymous with "Roman" (Ῥωμαῖος) and "Christian" (Χριστιανός) to mean a Christian Greek citizen of the [Eastern] Roman Empire.[3]
In the context of increasing Venetian and Genoese power in the eastern Mediterranean, association with Hellenism took deeper root among the Byzantine elite, on account of a desire to distinguish themselves from the Latin West and to lay legitimate claims to Greek-speaking lands.[103] From the 12th century onwards, Byzantine Roman writers started to disassociate themselves from the Empire's pre-Constantinenan Latin past, regarding henceforth the transfer of the Roman capital to Constantinople by Constantine as their founding moment and reappraised the normative value of the pagan Hellenes, even though the latter were still viewed as a group distinct from the Byzantines.[104] The first time the term "Hellene" was used to mean "Byzantine" in official correspondence was in a letter to Emperor Manuel I Komnenus (1118-1180).[105] Beginning in the twelfth century and especially after 1204, certain Byzantine Greek intellectuals began to use the ancient Greek ethnonym Héllēn (Greek: Ἕλλην) in order to describe Byzantine civilisation.[106] After the fall of Constantinople to the Crusaders in 1204, a small circle of the elite of the Empire of Nicaea used the term Hellene as a term of self-identification.[107] For example, in a letter to Pope Gregory IX, the Nicaean emperor John III Doukas Vatatzes (r. 1221–1254) claimed to have received the gift of royalty from Constantine the Great, and put emphasis on his "Hellenic" descent, exalting the wisdom of the Greek people. He was presenting Hellenic culture as an integral part of the Byzantine polity in defiance of Latin claims. Emperor Theodore II Laskaris (r. 1254-1258), the only one during this period to systematically employ the term Hellene as a term of self-identification, tried to revive Hellenic tradition by fostering the study of philosophy, for in his opinion there was a danger that philosophy "might abandon the Greeks and seek refuge among the Latins".[108][109] For historians of the court of Nikaia, however, such as George Akropolites and George Pachymeres, Rhomaios remained the only significant term of self-identification, despite traces of influence of the policy of the Emperors of Nikaia in their writings.[110]
During the Palaiologan dynasty, after the Byzantines recaptured Constantinople, Rhomaioi became again dominant as a term for self-description and there are few traces of Hellene, such as in the writings of George Gemistos Plethon;[111] the neo-platonic philosopher boasted "We are Hellenes by race and culture," and proposed a reborn Byzantine Empire following a utopian Hellenic system of government centered in Mystras.[112] Under the influence of Plethon, John Argyropoulos, addressed Emperor John VIII Palaiologos (r. 1425–1448) as "Sun King of Hellas"[113] and urged the last Byzantine emperor, Constantine XI Palaiologos (r. 1449–1453), to proclaim himself "King of the Hellenes".[114] These largely rhetorical expressions of Hellenic identity were confined in a very small circle and had no impact on the people. They were however continued by Byzantine intellectuals who participated in the Italian Renaissance.[115]
Western perception
The Entry of the Crusaders into Constantinople, by, by Eugène Delacroix, 1840.
In the eyes of the West, after the coronation of Charlemagne, the Byzantines were not acknowledged as the inheritors of the Roman Empire. Byzantium was rather perceived to be a corrupted continuation of ancient Greece, and was often derided as the "Empire of the Greeks" or "Kingdom of Greece". Such denials of Byzantium's Roman heritage and ecumenical rights would instigate the first resentments between Greeks and "Latins" (for the Latin liturgical rite) or "Franks" (for Charlemegne's ethnicity), as they were called by the Greeks.[97][116][117]
Popular Western opinion is reflected in the Translatio militiae, whose anonymous Latin author states that the Greeks had lost their courage and their learning, and therefore did not join in the war against the infidels. In another passage, the ancient Greeks are praised for their military skill and their learning, by which means the author draws a contrast with contemporary Byzantine Greeks, who were generally viewed as a non-warlike and schismatic people.[97][116][117] While this reputation seems strange to modern eyes given the unceasing military operations of the Byzantines and their eight century struggle against Islam and Islamic states, it reflects the realpolitik sophistication of the Byzantines, who employed diplomacy and trade as well as armed force in foreign policy, and the high-level of their culture in contrast to the zeal of the Crusaders and the ignorance and superstition of the medieval West. As historian Steven Runciman has put it:[118]
"Ever since our rough crusading forefathers first saw Constantinople and met, to their contemptuous disgust, a society where everyone read and wrote, ate food with forks and preferred diplomacy to war, it has been fashionable to pass the Byzantines by with scorn and to use their name as synonymous with decadence".
A turning point in how both sides viewed each other is probably the massacre of Latins in Constantinople in 1182. The massacre followed the deposition of Maria of Antioch, a Norman-Frankish (therefore "Latin") princess who was ruling as regent to her infant son Emperor Alexios II Komnenos. Maria was deeply unpopular due to the heavy-handed favoritism that had been shown the Italian merchants during the regency and popular celebrations of her downfall by the citizenry of Constantinople quickly turned to rioting and massacre. The event and the horrific reports of survivors inflamed religious tensions in the West, leading to the retaliatory sacking of Thessalonica, the empire's second largest city, by William II of Sicily. An example of Western opinion at the time is the writings of William of Tyre, who described the "Greek nation" as "a brood of vipers, like a serpent in the bosom or a mouse in the wardrobe evilly requite their guests".[119]
Eastern perception
In the East, the Persians and Arabs continued to regard the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Greeks as "Romans" (Arabic: ar-Rūm) after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, for instance, the 30th surah of the Quran (Ar-Rum) refers to the defeat of the Byzantines ("Rum" or "Romans") under Heraclius by the Persians at the Battle of Antioch (613), and promises an eventual Byzantine ("Roman") victory.[120] This traditional designation of the Byzantines as [Eastern] Romans in the Muslim world continued through the Middle Ages, leading to names such as the Sultanate of Rum ("Sultanate over the Romans") in conquered Anatolia and personal names such as Rumi, the mystical Persian poet who lived in formerly Byzantine Konya in the 1200s.[121] Late medieval Arab geographers still saw the Byzantines as Rum (Romans) not as Greeks, for instance Ibn Battuta saw the, then collapsing, Rum as "pale continuators and successors of the ancient Greeks (Yunani) in matters of culture."[122]
The Muslim Ottomans also referred to their Byzantine Greek rivals as Rûm, "Romans", and that term is still in official use in Turkey for the Greek-speaking natives (Rumlar) of Istanbul cf. Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Turkish: Rum Ortodoks Patrikhanesi, "Roman Orthodox Patriarchate"[123]).[14] Many place-names in Anatolia derive from this Turkish word (Rûm, "Romans") for the Byzantines: Erzurum ("Arzan of the Romans"), Rumelia ("Land of the Romans"), and Rumiye-i Suğra ("Little Rome", the region of Amasya and Sivas).[124]
Post-Byzantine history
Byzantine Greeks, forming the majority of the Byzantine Empire proper at the height of its power, gradually came under the dominance of foreign powers with the decline of the Empire during the Middle Ages. Those who came under Arab Muslim rule, either fled their former lands or submitted to the new Muslim rulers, receiving the status of Dhimmi. Over the centuries these surviving Christian societies of former Byzantine Greeks in Arab realms evolved into Antiochian Greeks, Melchites or merged into the societies of Arab Christians, existing to this day.
The majority of Byzantine Greeks lived in Asia Minor, the southern Balkans, and Aegean islands. Nearly all of these Byzantine Greeks fell under Turkish Muslim rule by the 16th century. Many retained their identities, eventually comprising the modern Greek and Cypriot states as well as the Cappadocian Greek and Pontic Greek minorities in Asia Minor. Other Byzantine Greeks, particularly in Anatolia, converted to Islam and underwent Turkification over time.[125]
Other than the Western term "Graikoi" ("Greeks"), which was not in common use, but used as a term of self-designation up to the 19th century by scholars and small numbers of people related to the West,[126] the modern Greek people still use the Byzantine term "Romaioi," or "Romioi," ("Romans") to refer to themselves, as well as the term "Romaic" ("Roman") to refer to their Modern Greek language.[127]
Many Greek Orthodox populations, particularly those outside the newly independent modern Greek state, continued to refer to themselves as Romioi (i.e. Romans, Byzantines) well into the 20th century. Peter Charanis, born on the island of Lemnos in 1908 and later became a professor of Byzantine history at Rutgers University, recounts that when the island was taken from the Ottomans by Greece in 1912, Greek soldiers were sent to each village and stationed themselves in the public squares. Some of the island children ran to see what Greek soldiers looked like. ‘‘What are you looking at?’’ one of the soldiers asked. ‘‘At Hellenes,’’ the children replied. ‘‘Are you not Hellenes yourselves?’’ the soldier retorted. ‘‘No, we are Romans,’’ the children replied.[128]
See also
Ethnic, religious and political formations
References
Citations
Sources
Further readingGnome's Garden: New Home was available as a giveaway on December 31, 2017!
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After defeating the sorcerer collector, the gnomes returned the castle to its old form. However it continues to stand in the grey wasteland and nothing would grow. To prevent starvation, the princess decides to set off on a journey to find the secret Green Recipe.
Venture through an unknown land full of secrets and mysticism in the thrilling, casual fantasy strategy game! Restore ancient cars, plant magic gardens, manage resources and build buildings.Charles Woodson has been plugging the Raiders this season in his new role as an ESPN studio analyst on Sunday NFL Countdown, so it’s not surprising he is excited about a 7-2 record at the bye week.
“You’re having an exciting time out there. I’m loving it,” Woodson said in a recent phone interview.
To Woodson, the Raiders’ resurgence is a continuation of what he saw as a player on a team that went from 3-13 to 7-9 in the second and third years of his second tour of duty in Oakland.
Mostly, the Raiders’ current state has more to do with Reggie McKenzie stocking the roster with talent than anything else.
“When I first came back three years ago, there were a few players with first-round type talent and we didn’t have any depth,” Woodson said.
Woodson referenced returning players such as tackle Donald Penn, free agent signings such as center Rodney Hudson, guard Kelechi Osemele and cornerback Sean Smith, 2015 waiver claim David Amerson and draft picks such as Derek Carr and Khalil Mack as being a solid core to the roster.
“Now you just have more depth, more quality players to go out there and finish ballgames,” Woodson said. “We weren’t able to finish. We might keep it close for a while, but we could never close it out. Now they’re able to close out games.”
When Woodson came to the Raiders in 2013 on a free-agent visit, a social media driven welcome at the team facility with more than a hundred fans begged for him to return.
Woodson signed, and the moment has a place in his heart, but he can see where the franchise needs a suitable place play — whether it’s Oakland, Las Vegas or someplace else.
“It’s more about an actual stadium than a move,” Woodson said. “I played in Green Bay. I look at their stadium, I look at the Packers Hall of Fame and all the things that go into that experience.
“I feel the Oakland Raiders are an organization that deserves something like that. You can’t talk about the NFL without the Raiders, the three Super Bowl championships, what Al Davis meant to the league.”
So what happens?
“You would love for a stadium to happen right there in Oakland,” Woodson said. “But I feel like there’s some kind of sentiment to deny the Raiders the respect they’re due, to have a top high quality stadium, to keep up with what’s going on in the rest of the league.
“I would love for them to stay in Oakland, but I know Mark Davis is fighting tirelessly to get a stadium and I would be happy to see them get one wherever it may be.”
Woodson will be part of the ESPN crew when the Raiders come back from their bye week to face the Houston Texans in Mexico City on Nov. 21.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Renee Slater entered a mannequin as a candidate in Aberdeen's city council election
An Aberdeen woman charged after a mannequin was entered as a candidate in last year's city council election has been acquitted.
Renee Slater was taken to court over the name Helena Torry being put forward to stand in the May election.
She was charged under the Representation of the People Act 1983 and went on trial at Aberdeen Sheriff Court this week.
A sheriff ruled there was no case to answer after two days of evidence.
Deputy returning officer Crawford Langley had told the court he had taken nomination papers from the accused an hour before the close of nominations.
Ms Slater was charged with adding a candidate she knew was, in fact, a mannequin.
Ms Slater did not seek to belittle or demean the electoral process and is glad that, on this occasion, common sense has prevailed Gregor Kelly, Defence lawyer
Speaking after the trial, Mr Langley said he believed the prosecution failed on a technicality.
Ms Slater told BBC Scotland she had wanted to represent the voice of the silent majority in the Torry area of Aberdeen.
Her defence lawyer, Gregor Kelly, said: "My client is grateful that this harrowing ordeal is now at an end and is pleased to have been vindicated by the court.
"She told the police that she sought to inject humour into an austere process.
"Ms Slater, who has worked tirelessly over the years in various community projects, did not seek to belittle or demean the electoral process and is glad that, on this occasion, common sense has prevailed."
'Obviously disappointed'
Mr Langley said: "I am obviously disappointed that the case against Renee Slater was dismissed by the court on the grounds that there was no case to answer.
"It is important to understand that this decision was based on a strict legal technicality in the way that the charge was framed and that the court did not consider the facts of the case or give a ruling on legality of nominating a non-human candidate.
"As I understand it, the prosecuting authorities chose to bring the charge under section 65a of the Representation of the People Act 1983, which is the provision which applies to general elections in Scotland and local government elections in England.
"The equivalent offence in a Scottish local government election is section 65b. Since section 65a does not create an offence at a Scottish local government election, there was no case to answer."
Reunited with Helena
He added: "The decision to prosecute and, if so, on what charge, is entirely a matter for the procurator fiscal and the person making the complaint has no control over it, nor even formal knowledge of the charge.
"Since the decision was on this narrow technicality, it has not changed or clarified my understanding of the legal position in relation to the nomination process.
"If faced with the same situation again, I will have no hesitation in referring the matter to the police."
A Crown Office spokesperson said: "The accused was acquitted after trial following legal submission. The Crown is currently considering the decision of the Court."
As for Helena Torry, the mannequin has been held in storage by Grampian Police and is due to be reunited with Ms Slater at a later date.Jordan Williams is committed to Clemson.
The four-star defensive end from Virginia Beach (Va.) announced a verbal commitment to Clemson on Saturday during a 5 p.m. planned press conference at Frank W. Cox High School.
Williams chose Clemson over Virginia, Virginia Tech and Tennessee.
Williams was kind enough to speak to The Clemson Insider about his decision prior to the announcement.
“I just feel that they are the best overall fit for me and my family,” Williams said. “Also, I have a great relationship with the staff.”
On June 1, Williams announced that his top five schools were Clemson, Tennessee, Virginia, Ohio State and Virginia Tech before later removing the Buckeyes from consideration.
In July, Williams attended Clemson’s fifth-annual All In Cookout and told TCI he had a great experience.
One important factor in Williams’ commitment is his strong relationship with Clemson defensive ends coach Marion Hobby.
“We have a great relationship,” Williams said. “I feel like I can talk to coach Hobby about anything, and I know that he will be hard on me but just wants me to develop and be able to succeed.”
With his pledge, Williams became the 12th member of Clemson’s 2017 recruiting class.
Williams said he is excited to join one of the best groups in the country.
“It feels great,” Williams said. “I have a great relationship with all of those guys, and now it’s time to recruit some missing pieces.”
How does Williams feel having made his decision?
“It’s a lot of stress of my shoulders,” Williams said. “But I feel great about it.”
Williams is rated by the 247Sports Composite as the No. 5 player in Virginia, the nation’s No. 11 weak-side defensive end and the nation’s No. 179 player overall.The head of the Mossad warned Sunday that as the Islamic State terrorist group is beaten back, Iran and its proxies are rushing in to take over its territory.
“The areas where Daesh [an Arabic term for IS] presence is decreasing, Iran is working to fill the void,” Mossad chief Yossi Cohen said during a security briefing to cabinet ministers on Sunday.
In late 2014, the terrorist group controlled approximately 100,000 square kilometers (38,610 square miles) of territory in western Iraq and eastern Syria, according to the US-based RAND Corporation think tank. (The group also controlled an additional 10,000 square kilometers in Nigeria, Libya, Afghanistan and Egypt.) It started losing ground in 2015 and currently controls less than half that area, or some 36,200 square kilometers (14,000 square miles), according to the IHS Conflict Monitor intelligence think tank.
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Israeli security officials have warned that Tehran may use the area of western Iraq and eastern Syria as a “land bridge” connecting the Islamic Republic to Lebanon, through which it can move fighters and weaponry.
Cohen said Iran is also taking over territory for itself and its proxies in Lebanon and Yemen.
The Mossad chief noted that in the two years since the signing of the Iran nuclear deal, known formally as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, Tehran has not abandoned its desire to develop nuclear weapons, and that the agreement “only reinforced that trend and strengthened Iranian aggression in the region.”
The JCPOA came under considerable criticism in Israel for its failure to address Iran’s disruptive non-nuclear activities, and for what Israeli officials described as legitimizing the regime in Tehran and its activities in the region.
During his presentation to the ministers, Cohen said Iran was now enjoying economic growth and international contracts in the deal’s wake.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to Cohen’s presentation by noting “that Israel is in no way beholden to international treaties signed by Iran,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a statement.
The Prime Minister’s Office added that “Israel will continue to operate with determination and in a variety of ways in order to protect itself from those threats.”I have been warning that the objective of modern government everywhere is to eliminate cash to ensure 100% tax collection. There is absolutely NO INTENT to return to a gold standard and give up the ability to borrow whatever they desire forever (as they see it). It is now coming out that France intends to outlaw any payment to be in cash greater than €1000. I can say when I was recently in Paris, the ATM machine maximum amount you could get was €200 whereas in Germany and Switzerland there was no problem getting even €1000 euro or Swiss at an ATM.
http://www.forbes.com/sites/jonmatonis/2013/02/14/france-plans-to-prohibit-cash-payments-over-e1000/
The antique shows held in Paris since World War II have been cancelled. The government wants notice of anyone buying or selling anything period. Commerce in Paris that has been there for decades has left town. Reports from sources show there are many French just leaving now headed to Ireland, Switzerland, and Spain at the top of the lists. Politicians just refuse to reform. They will destroy free civilization rather than give up any power whatsoever.
There is discussion now in Washington to shut off the ability to wire ANY funds out of the USA without prior clearance. The $3,000 limit of the Patriot Act was not good enough. How this has ANYTHING to do with terrorism is beyond me. I guess they are now worried about terrorists leaving America rather than coming in. Bin Laden was the only person to change the American Constitution. Hitler. Stalin, Mao could never do anything. Bin Laden succeeded in eliminating American Liberty. They should put his picture on a $1 billion now.
We are in such desperate times where it “feels” like the Iron Curtain is now descending around the countries in the West and anyone leaving is viewed with suspicion. Any package sent out of the country must now reveal the contents. The latest – you cannot mail computers with lithium batteries. The new excuse, it is a risk for airplanes. Does that mean they will start to confiscate computers as carry on’s? Who is dreaming up this stuff?
Unfortunately, there seems to be no stopping this massive contraction in the global economy. The data that showed European GDP negative, would NORMALLY have been grounds for a decline in rates in the USA in anticipation of further economic decline. Rates did not decline sharply warning that this trend is also coming to an end. Our warning that Europe will be the WORST area for economic growth this year is already off to a good start. This proves politicians could care less about the people. This is all about retaining power.
The solutions are so simple and straight forward, but they are based on what is best for the people not the bureaucrats. This is shaping up into what can only be likened to similar events in history when government just did not care. As the said in France – let them eat cake. At the Sovereign Debt Crisis Conference on March 16th, in Philadelphia, we will be looking at the problem, the solution, and what to do individually to survive.
Unfortunately, the French never really had a revolution that restored the rights of the people. They merely exchange tyrants. Will they explode into civil unrest when they realize all the politicians did was chase everyone out who would invest and hire people? What will happen when the people wake up and realize there are no rich left? Who will pay for the unfunded promises then?A Last Minute Influence Op by Data DDoS
Where there’s smoke, there’s a smoke machine!
thaddeus t. grugq Blocked Unblock Follow Following May 6, 2017
Today, just before the legally required 48 hour French media election coverage blackout came into effect, “Someone,” released a 9 gigabyte archive of alleged Macron related emails. This dump has been much anticipated. Just a couple weeks ago I explained the rationale behind the prediction that they would release whatever they had (and it wouldn’t be much) sometime between the first and second elections. At the last minute they came through and released a massive collection of assorted emails and documents from a variety of sources (none of whom is actually Macron) covering a range of topics.
In this post I will examine the release itself, rather than the content (I can’t read French so cannot contribute to the analysis.) Instead, I'll look at:
Timing : too late for indepth analysis – or response – before the election
: too late for indepth analysis – or response – before the election Packaging : they know how people consume information online and have constructed the archive to exploit that
: they know how people consume information online and have constructed the archive to exploit that Tampering?: there are clear indication that some files were accessed and modified (but to what extent is unclear)
?: there are clear indication that some files were accessed and modified (but to what extent is unclear) Volume : this is what a denial of service influence op looks like, a flood of data to exhaust the available analytic resources. This is the exact opposite of the bite sized complete stories supplied to reporters during the 2016 US election.
: this is what a denial of service influence op looks like, a flood of data to exhaust the available analytic resources. This is the exact opposite of the bite sized complete stories supplied to reporters during the 2016 US election. Amplification: the leak was accompanied by a full force of trolls, promoting bullshit narratives and flinging cyber feces at any discussions they could find (many didn’t even bother to change their pro Trump personas.)
Executive Summary
This package of leaked data contains mostly old content unrelated to Macron. The leak was timed to appear just before the media’s election blackout in France, allowing time for the electorate to learn of the leak but preventing political parties or the media from addressing and debunking it.
The leak package is huge – 9Gb – suggesting at a quick glance (all the time anyone had) that there was a lot of scandalous or incriminating content. No such luck. Although this was promoted as #MacronLeaks, there are no emails from Macron. The majority of the package seems to be padding to fill it out.
The archive was intentionally packaged to give the appearance of a data dump containing documents, emails and other recent primary sources regarding Macron. It contains nothing of the sort. The packaging was maliciously crafted to deliberately mislead a cursory reading.
There is direct evidence that some of the documents have been altered from their original source. What actual tampering has been done is impossible to know given only the data supplied by the malicious agency. Some content is highly peculiar – an emailed receipt to an obscure old politician for 10 grams of 3MMC, purchased with Bitcoin, to be shipped direct to the National Assembly!
With the release and amplification, the malicious agents were able to promote the idea of a huge damning leak brimming with incriminating intel. By timing it right, the media and political parties are unable to debunk the “false leak.” The malicious actors exploited the expectation of a leak using a dump too large to analyze in the time available (unlike previous dumps which have been small enough to be processed by the news cycle.) This clever approach to creating something from nothing relies on the media blackout blocking news of the leak’s fakery. However, during the election blackouts the French turn to Switzerland and Belgian media to provide continuing coverage. I guess this deliberate fake out is gonna turn into the dud it is.
Election Media Blackout in Full Effect
Additionally, the press are specifically prohibited reporting about the data release. With the quantity of data released, and the short time available, it is unlikely that the contents could be verified and analysed in time for the election. There is no meaningful intelligence (data plus context and analysis) that could be produced given the severe time constraints.
It is prudent to block any stories based on the content of the data released today. Hot take stories rushed out based on these emails and documents are likely to be inaccurate, misleading, or even entirely false.
There are clear indicators that documents have been altered.
Some of the stories are so bizarre they’re either fabricated or require considerable journalistic legwork.
The volume of archive is intentionally prohibitive, suggesting that the leakers seek to overwhelm, to flood, the analytic resources in the short time available.
The packaging is intentionally misleading, suggesting that the release of the data is malicious, and raising serious doubts about the authenticity of its content.
Hacking Headlines for Fun and Profit
People¹ consume online² information in a very shallow³ way. Most read only the headline. A subset reads the first paragraph. A subset of them will skim the rest of the article, looking for visual hooks: bold or highlighted text, |
Some early mistakes taught them to see the bigger picture, like when swaths of algae attempted to smother the lakes. They realized they needed to foster an environment where the algae and the bacteria were balanced.
“We thought it would be, you turn this knob, it does this, you push that button. It’s not like that at all,” Elkins said.
Now the wetlands area is more mature, they mostly step back and let it do its thing. Since then, Elkins has seen some pretty incredible wildlife just show up.
“We noticed within the first year or two that we were starting to get some different populations of fish,” Elkins said.
Fish that somehow made it through the various barriers the department set up. That sure made the pelicans happy, though.
“American white pelicans have been wintering here,” said Mark Larson. “They breed in the upper midwest on prairie ponds.”
Larson said it’s not unusual for these snowbirds to winter in Arizona. “But there now are a few that actually stay here all year.”
“That is unprecedented,” he added.
There are also a lot of people flocking in: researchers, students and nature enthusiasts. The city has documented visitors from 23 states and Canada. So, the department is turning its attention toward growing the recreational side of the wetlands. Their next step is to connect the Tres Rios trail with the Maricopa Trail, and promote this as a place for anyone to stop by and discover something new.“The ideology, strategy, and tactics of Jihad has constituted throughout history a fundamental part of Islamic Jurisprudence and literature, since it is through jihad that the Islamic community developed and expanded.”
A duality, Islam is first and foremost a political movement ensconced in a religion from which it expresses its imperialist nature through a multi faceted concept known as jihad. Christian Europe today, among other factors to be discussed later, lacking cognizance of Islam’s millennial ploy of hegemonic control via emigration, is saddled with a demographic birthrate inverse to that of their new emigres. Europe is in the throes of Islamization. Writes author Bat’Ye’or in her critically acclaimed work: Eurabia: The Euro-Arab Axis.
She highlights a three point historical blueprint used for centuries to secure the fall and Islamization of earlier Christian societies throughout the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, and how these constituents eventually subdued the majority host populations:
1- As a result of “wars, conquests, temporary peace treaties, terror like practices and alliances” There was a “gradual erosion of resistance within societies targeted but not yet conquered by jihad.”
2- “Insecurity caused by the constant mass immigration of foreign populations and the subsequent process of alteration and substitution of one civilization by another, hostile to the indigenous inhabitants.”
3- The emergence of powerful collaborationist parties economically and politically linked with Muslim Rulers.”
Wars, conquests, temporary peace treaties, alteration of host societies, terror attacks, emigration, gradual erosion. Sound familiar?
Keeping in mind, this book was first published in 2005, the author is not referencing today’s monumental mass immigration into Europe but those of earlier migrations subsequent to the Second World War. The intent of this hijra is unmistakable. It can be traced back to the dawn of the Muslim era and codified by the the Treaty of Hudaybiyyah in 628 AD. This one event set the criteria, the pattern for international relations between Muslims and the Kafir (anyone not a Muslim) to this very day.
The Treaty was between Muhammad from Medina on the Arabian peninsular and another tribe opposed to Muhammad, the Quraish from Mecca. It was intended to end years of strife and warfare between the two sides subsequent to Muhammad’s banishment from Mecca. In part It acknowledged: A 10 year truce; allowed for Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca whence originally they came; offered the Quraish the option of conversion.
Hudaybiyyah, quoted throughout the centuries is a traditional source of pride to Muslims; it’s been their rendering for conquest of non-Muslim lands for millennia. Facing pposition to the Treaty by some within his group, Muhammad allayed fears by promising “great booty” in the near future. True to his men, not so the Quraish, within two years Muhammad abrogated the treaty and conquered the city. Why is this relevant today?
As the archetype of Islamic conquest, Hudaybiyyah contains all the elements utilized in jihad to sap the strength of an indigenous population until it breaks: incessant hostility; terror tactics; 10 year truces; mass emigration; exhaustion of host resources. This tried and true approach will become the death knell for modern Europe. Consonant with other aforementioned considerations, mass immigration by foreign Muslim populations is once again leading to one civilization, the Muslims, replacing another, Christians, Jews, and all other “non-believers” on the continent.
Permeated with guilt never shared for their Jewish inhabitants, the European Union (EU) is finally beginning to realize they have opened up the gates of their own demise. Efforts have begun to stem this unprecedented avalanche of Islamic immigration. According to an article in the Gatestone Institute International Policy Council: “Germany’s Muslim Demographic Revolution,”
"There are 20 million refugees waiting at the doorstep of Europe.”
Mosque attendance in Germany has doubled.
Muslim men “routinely take advantage of the social welfare system by bringing two, three or four women from across the Muslim world to Germany and are married by an Imam.” In accordance with Muslim doctrine the wealth of a country is degraded and usurped as:
The married women demand social welfare benefits, including the cost of a separate home for themselves and for their children, on the claim of being a "single parent with children.
It’s worth quoting in full a requiem by Victor Orban, the President of Hungary:
"For us today, what is at stake is Europe, the lifestyle of European citizens, European values, the survival or disappearance of European nations, and more precisely formulated, their transformation beyond recognition. Today, the question is not merely in what kind of a Europe we would like to live, but whether everything we understand as Europe will exist at all.”
A prescient observation by a man recognizing the handwriting on the wall. Orban acknowledges the insidiousness of this uncompromising, messianic movement and how it seeks not only eradication of host culture but its history as well.
Across his border, German Interior Minister, Thomas de Maiziere stated on August 19, “800,000 Islamic refugee migrants are slated to enter Germany in 2015; a 4 fold increase over 2014.”….the equivalent of nearly 1% of its total population. Orban concluded:
“Many of the migrants are from the Middle East and North Africa, a large number (40%) are from countries in the Balkans, including Albania and Kosovo. This implies that nearly half of those arriving in Germany are economic migrants, not refugees fleeing war zones.”
Germany is not alone and this is not new news. According to the latest 2015 Pew Research Center research, the demographics of this latest migration breaks down the following way:
With an additional 1.5 million Islamic “refugees” expected to stream across the continent this year; 81%, 35 or younger, the alarm has finally gone off. The European Commission and Turkey have agreed on a plan to stem the flow of refugees to Europe by patrolling Turkey's frontier with Greece and setting up new camps, but in lieu of factors already mentioned, it appears too late for Christian Europe to recover. Indeed all signs suggest the next 25 to 50 years will see the inevitable displacement and Islamization of Europe’s Christian population. The predominant question to many minds is: How did this happen? Who made the pivotal decisions to allow such unrestricted immigration onto the continent?
On October 2, 2014 Switzerland voted to limit mass immigration thru its borders. Rather than follow its lead, European officials registered “regret” over the results of this referendum. “There will be consequences, that's clear,” demurred Luxembourg foreign minister Jean Asselborn. German foreign minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier chimed in, “Switzerland has rather damaged itself with this result.” Not to be outdone, French Foreign Minister, Laurent Fabius stated the vote was “bad news for Europe.” One year later, arguably the greatest proponent of Middle Eastern immigration, German Chancellor, Angela Merkel is facing what the Wall Street Journal refers to as a “Revolt over Migrants.”
Speaking in Eastern Germany this past week it was difficult for her to ignore a man holding a poster that read, “stop the refugee chaos. Preserve German culture and values. Topple Merkel.” By all accounts it may be too late for such sentiments. Reports have it Sharia courts presided by Muslim “peace judges” now dot Germany, where even non-Muslim German judges in German courts cite Sharia law and quote from the Quran.
In 2011, Vienna's High Court upheld a court conviction of a woman, Elisabeth-Wolff for making this factual statement about Muhammad:
"We all know that Muhammad married Aisha when she was 6 years old and consummated the marriage when she was 9. Now, what do we call this behavior if not pedophilia.”
This is the moribund state Europe is in today. At least the fabled denizens of Troy had only to contend with one Trojan Horse, not so Europe today; many have already breached their gates. Greeting these new arrivals are the progeny of earlier emigres usurping the lifeblood and culture of their new homeland.Daily Events Top
At first glance, I didn’t understand the big stir over the New York Times’ piece about weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. We’ve known about this for years, even if some of the details about the exposure of American troops to chemical weapons they discovered across Iraq were not widely disseminated until now. The opening paragraphs of the Times piece provide a tense description of one such encounter:
The soldiers at the blast crater sensed something was wrong. It was August 2008 near Taji, Iraq. They had just exploded a stack of old Iraqi artillery shells buried beside a murky lake. The blast, part of an effort to destroy munitions that could be used in makeshift bombs, uncovered more shells. Two technicians assigned to dispose of munitions stepped into the hole. Lake water seeped in. One of them, Specialist Andrew T. Goldman, noticed a pungent odor, something, he said, he had never smelled before. He lifted a shell. Oily paste oozed from a crack. “That doesn’t look like pond water,” said his team leader, Staff Sgt. Eric J. Duling. The specialist swabbed the shell with chemical detection paper. It turned red — indicating sulfur mustard, the chemical warfare agent designed to burn a victim’s airway, skin and eyes. All three men recall an awkward pause. Then Sergeant Duling gave an order: “Get the hell out.”
Then comes the thesis statement for the article:
From 2004 to 2011, American and American-trained Iraqi troops repeatedly encountered, and on at least six occasions were wounded by, chemical weapons remaining from years earlier in Saddam Hussein’s rule. In all, American troops secretly reported finding roughly 5,000 chemical warheads, shells or aviation bombs, according to interviews with dozens of participants, Iraqi and American officials, and heavily redacted intelligence documents obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
It then occurred to me that this is all news to liberals. They spent a decade shrieking that there were no WMD in Iraq; it’s something close to a religious belief among them. “NO WMD IN IRAQ!” and “BUSH LIED, PEOPLE DIED!” are comparable to the Islamic shahada among the modern Left, a ritual declaration of faith required of all members. The rest of us heard reports of chemical weapons stockpiles over the years, and knowing that Saddam Hussein had a history of using such weapons, filed it away in our mental Of Course folders. Liberals didn’t hear those reports at all. The data just rolled through their brains without sticking to a single neuron.
The game changed recently for two reasons. One of them is the unfortunate seizure of Saddam’s toxins by the unruly new owners of northern Iraq, the Islamic State. There have been photographs of Kurds killed by ISIS who appear to have been exposed to chemical weapons. A few minor WMD scores were rumored for ISIS in Syria and Iraq, but the real earth-shaking moment was the Islamic State’s capture of Saddam’s chemical weapons factory at Muthanna… where the Iraqi government recently confirmed long-standing CIA suspicions that a few thousand shells full of deadly sarin gas are stored. According to a report at the UK Daily Mail, Iraqi officials actually watched ISIS loot equipment from the base on closed-circuit TV.
The other reason the New York Times is bestowing its official benediction upon the “hey, guess what, Saddam did have WMD!” storyline is Hillary Clinton. Her impending presidential campaign requires some cover for her vote in favor of the Iraq war, especially if she keeps using surrogates like Leon Panetta to paint Barack Obama as a boob she quietly tolerated while Secretary of State because she’s a good soldier. Obama’s people have already reacted angrily to Hillary’s “distancing” efforts. Those efforts will surely intensify as 2016 approaches, pitting a Clinton team eager to portray her as the smart centrist Democrat who can clean up Obama’s mess versus Obama loyalists eager to build up his “legacy.” Somewhere in that scrum, Obamabots are going to throw a “she voted for Bush’s War!” punch at Clintonoids.
The NYT is moving into position as a referee, with an eye on Obama’s cratering approval numbers and growing public anger over the disaster he created in Iraq. If Obama had done a better job of securing the country’s defenses, we wouldn’t be worried about ISIS thugs making off with sarin gas shells right now. The tricky part is that the Times has to make Hillary look good without openly admitting that Bush was right about Iraqi WMDs all along. This is how they do it:
The United States had gone to war declaring it must destroy an active weapons of mass destruction program. Instead, American troops gradually found and ultimately suffered from the remnants of long-abandoned programs, built in close collaboration with the West.
That is not true, and it’s not a typo – the Times repeats the claim several times during the piece, at one point going out of its way to say “the discoveries of these chemical weapons did not support the government’s invasion rationale.” It’s Democrat mythology about the Iraq War, but it has nothing to do with what George Bush actually said, when he went about securing the Authorization for Use of Military Force that Barack Obama is still using, because he can’t be troubled to ask Congress for one of his own. The myth is that Bush tricked Democrats into voting overwhelmingly in favor of the Iraq invasion by telling them we would find a mad-scientist lab cranking out nuclear bombs. The truth is ably chronicled by Gabriel Malor at Ace of Spades today, who did what the New York Times apparently couldn’t bring itself to do, and reviewed the actual words of President Bush in 2002. There’s nothing ambiguous about this, as he makes clear in his summary:
As I have demonstrated from Bush’s own contemporaneous words, an active weapons program was not the sole reason for war. In fact, an active weapons program was not even mentioned in the multiple speeches Bush delivered to the American public and to an international audience. Do not let the NYTimes get away with its false history of the Iraq War. The war was not made solely based on claims of an active Iraqi weapons program. It was made because, as President Bush explained repeatedly to the American public: Saddam Hussein possessed old weapons of mass destruction, desired to evade inspections so as to keep them, hoped to restart his weapons programs in the future, and could pass weapons to terrorist groups with ambitions to harm the West.
One might also read the text of the Authorization for Use of Military Force, which does mention Iraq’s “continuing to possess and develop a significant chemical and biological weapons capability, actively seeking a nuclear weapons capability, and supporting and harboring terrorist organizations,” but also specifically mentions existing WMD stockpiles as one of the reasons force was authorized:
Whereas the efforts of international weapons inspectors, United States intelligence agencies, and Iraqi defectors led to the discovery that Iraq had large stockpiles of chemical weapons and a large scale biological weapons program, and that Iraq had an advanced nuclear weapons development program that was much closer to producing a nuclear weapon than intelligence reporting had previously indicated; Whereas Iraq, in direct and flagrant violation of the cease-fire, attempted to thwart the efforts of weapons inspectors to identify and destroy Iraq’s weapons of mass destruction stockpiles and development capabilities, which finally resulted in the withdrawal of inspectors from Iraq on October 31, 1998;
Keep that in mind as you watch lefty pundits and bloggers haul the Iraq goalposts out of the ground and lug them right out of the stadium, claiming that they always acknowledged Saddam had extensive stockpiles of WMD, but Bush still lied about the regime’s constant creation of new weapons as the sole reason for invading. Concerns that they would ramp up production again were part of the case for war, and will remain a historical imponderable, since the war happened. Suspicions that Saddam had, or was on the verge of obtaining, nuclear WMD were well-sourced by international intelligence services, and reinforced by the regime’s behavior, but didn’t pan out. But yes indeed, he had weapons of mass destruction on hand, and a demonstrated willingness to use them.
The new details revealed by the NYT piece make it well worth reading, as do concerns about troops exposed to Iraqi WMD who say their health has been compromised by the government’s decision to keep their discoveries secret. If their allegations prove true, these troops also deserve the commendations they have long been denied. But it’s downright comical to watch the Left crank up its Memory Hole and prepare the political battlespace for ISIS’ capture and deployment of WMD they spent over a decade pretending did not exist, while shoring up their old fairy tales about how Bush said nukes were the only reason to invade. What’s happening right now is exactly what supporters of the Iraq War were worried about: terrorists getting their hands on Saddam’s stockpiles. Liberals were so busy crafting a political narrative that would let them hammer Bush, without holding the Democrats who voted for the war accountable, that they completely lost sight of the actual debate over the invasion. Among other things, this made it tough for them to constructively criticize the decisions made after 2002, which would have been more useful.
We’ll never know for certain if Saddam would have used them himself, or ramped up production to create more, or finally gotten the nuclear weapons he most certainly did want – and would have wanted even more fervently as his old nemeses in Iran drew closer to producing their own bombs. We’ll also never know how the rise of ISIS would have played out if Saddam was still in power, but there are plenty of reasons to think the situation would not be more positive than it is now. Saddam’s old Baathist stooges seem to have found a ready home in the Islamic State. One of the reasons they want to take Baghdad is that it’s the historic seat of the “caliphate” they’re intent on reviving and expanding. Saddam Hussein probably would have dropped off his resume for the Caliph position, don’t you think? And he would have listed “history of defying the West and thwarting U.N. weapons inspectors” as bullet points.Two people are dead after a gun battle at a Sonic restaurant in northwest Houston.It happened in one of the drive-in bays at the restaurant on Wirt Road and Flowerdale Street around 9:45pm. Police say multiple shots,at least 10 to 20, were fired during what might have been a drug deal gone bad.We know two people, both in their mid-twenties died during the exchange of gunfire.Police say a silver Impala was in one of the drive-in bays when a blue Honda Civic pulled up.Two men in the Civic got out and walked up to the Impala and at that point the driver of the Impala and one of the men from the Civic started shooting at each other.Houston Police Sgt. Joshua Horn said, "So it looks like there was an exchange of gunfire, between our victim here, after that exchange of gunfire another victim collapses on the ground. It looks like suspects that are with that guy that collapsed on the ground grab him, load him up onto the blue Honda Civic, take him and leave."That second victim was driven to a nearby hospital but died from his injuries. Police say the driver of the Blue Honda Civic then took off and is still on the run this morning.Police say they found a small bag of marijuana and that might have been the reason for the shooting.Greetings Sam,
I wish to reply to your blog posting about me this week. I have not spoken to the media so they don't have my side. Frankly, I've always loved your blog and have massive respect for the writing that you give us. So I'm replying to you.
I will be brutally honest here.
I was born with a disability. I have cerebral palsy.
I was always a very determined young kid. I had constant speech therapy, physio, legs in plaster, legs in splints, chiropractor appointments and massages up until the age of 16. I still do constant stretching and free weight work.
As you might suspect, I got singled out for being different and bullied. I couldn't physically defend myself, so I just took the crap I had pushed upon me. It was verbal stuff, not physical thankfully.
Things were OK until I was 12. I was coping. It's when puberty hit that the rot really started to kick in. Everybody wants acceptance from the opposite sex. When I was 14, there was a high school social I went to. It dawned on me that night that I was going to be up against it in the girl department.
My friends were getting interest and I felt like I never was going to. It was very isolating. I went home to my mum that night and cried for two hours in her arms. Sadly, I resigned myself to defeat there and then. It was too painful so I shut off.
Because of this, asking girls out was simply a rite of passage I missed out on. I had too many inner demons to fight. Every time I thought someone was showing interest or my mates told me about it I would think, "Nah, couldn't be right. Has she seen my leg?"
As an adult going into the world (think beyond high school) I was a spineless little wuss in general. I simply had no self-esteem as I had been battered around emotionally. Time passed and I thought I was getting better. I thought I was ace.
Last year, I met a girl with a similar mind to mine. Ticks the same way etc. Basically, I get complimented on my looks a bit so I get interest. That photo is not representative of me as I write this now. I will explain that part in a minute.
Because of my issues, every time a girl would try and get close to me, I would want this, but I would self-sabotage. I simply could not open up about my disability. It was too painful. That wound would get picked at every time I was asked. I had a massive wall around me.
For the girl mentioned above, I sucked it up and told her. That was 15 years worth of stuff locked away. It was f---ing hard. She asked if I'd ever had a girlfriend, I plainly said "no".
Basically, after that she got scared off. Not because of me but because I probably had an emotional overreaction to the relief, like a dam wall busting. I lost my head after that. Not masculine.
Time passed and she floated back into my orbit again. Again, she expressed an interest and I started to freak. I thought she was going to string me along. I wrote her a message on Facebook. I wasn't abusive but I projected my problems on to her, thinking they were hers.
This was about three months ago.
The impact was like a bomb going off. She felt sick. This smashed my mind open. It was then I realised how poisoned I had become. I felt sick. I was in tears. I was in a blind fury for the time I felt I had wasted in my life. I felt I'd been lied to. I was told I was worth nothing. I believed the bullies.
This started an absolutely furious emotional purging process. I wrote down my innermost thoughts and sent it to my mum. I was devastated doing this and in tears. I had to open up about my greatest inadequacies. I sent her the letter. She was speechless.
I also started writing to my closest mates. At this time, I composed a "footnote" that contained multiple bullying incidents that had made me ashamed of myself. This included uncensored language to give the tormented little boy inside his chance to speak up. I also sent this to people.
I had responses come back to me. One from my closest mate and another from the girl mentioned above. My courage gave them courage.
I had a beard. I shaved that off. I had long hair. I shaved that off. I threw out a stack of old belongings. These were all objects that I was emotionally attached to. Links to my sad past. Throwing them away was yet more weight coming off.
I also started seeing a counsellor through work. As you can likely imagine, my underlying issues had an impact on my work performance. I have always been a perfectionist to make up for my inferiority complex about my disability. Luckily, I found an awesome one who gave me tools to rationalise my thoughts.
I am a massive advocate for mental health after this. We frankly all need these "mental tune-ups" from time to time. The world is full of mixed messages and it can be hard to make sense of them. Our mountains are often just molehills.
I was told something in counselling that resonated with me hard:
"Lying uses emotional energy."
I used to say that I was in a car accident when somebody would ask about my cerebral palsy. I couldn't hack the truth myself. Too traumatic. Too many years of being called "spastic" and "retard".
Since the counselling process started, I've cut the bullshit and dropped the "mask". I'm a much happier person for it. I'm not seeking advantage from anyone. People can accept me as I am or not. I finally accept myself, warts and all.
With my past, I never used to take risks in life. I wrapped myself in cottonwool. I fell over so many times physically as a child that I didn't want to feel that pain again. I cocooned myself emotionally.
To test the "new me" I set myself a real challenge. I enrolled for skydiving.
I think I rehearsed the scenario about 1000 times in my head for a month, wondering if the parachute would deploy or not. I didn't tell too many people I was skydiving. This would have built extra pressure into the situation.
The day came and that feeling of having my legs dangle out of a plane at 14,000 feet, looking down at Wollongong was terrifying. However, the feeling of jumping out of the plane and conquering that fear was exhilarating.
Naturally, I was f---ing content with myself that day, at peace. I had accomplished a massive goal I had set myself. The old me would never have gone skydiving.
That night I went out to a club with mates. This was the night I met Olivia. I met her at a club, not a party as has been reported.
Olivia came up to me and started talking. We got along easily. She has a mind as well as being attractive. This caught my attention. And her attention flattered me greatly. She told me I was lovely. She was tactile. She seemed in control and not overly drunk. When my mates saw this, they became instantly more animated. Excited. I was relaxed.
Anyway, we had our encounter and parted as you do in those environments. She went back to her friends. As soon as this happened, my mates got straight in my face.
"Dude, that fish has jumped straight in your boat. Do something!" was one comment.
Another guy who I had said 20 words to all night then gave me a 10-minute "pep talk" uninterrupted. It was during this time Olivia left the club area.
Her friends were still there so I thought she would come back. She did not. The level of disgust you likely felt at my not seizing [the] moment pales in comparison to what I felt on that night.
Then the comments continued: "Man, maybe that stuff doesn't bug you but it would if it was me."
The guys were trying to help, but all they did was make me gradually more pissed off. They were ramming that pedestal males have for attractive women down my damn throat. I've worked my arse off to overcome that. I'm not impressed by a woman easily. Not at all.
I went home that night completely frustrated. Again, I had choked. Like the old me would have.
This was a night I should have been feeling chuffed about my skydiving achievement and my personal journey thus far. Instead, skydiving felt like it was worth nothing. I had been through the hardest time of my damn life and achieved something great.
I gained 10 hours of inner peace from it. I felt ripped off.
All Sunday I was ruminating over it. I wasn't going to do anything about it at that stage.
However, I woke up the Monday morning knowing I was going to go through with it. I was going to go through the entire mental process I had done for skydiving and jump again, only in a different context.
This was me saying: "Society you always have ripped my dignity away as soon as I attain it. I've had enough. If you're threatening to totally cut off my balls, I'm fighting you tooth and nail for what's left. I dare you. F---ing bring it on."
I simply took matters into my own hands. If I had a 0.00005 per cent chance of making contact with Olivia, I was going to take that instead of having a zero per cent chance.
This was about reinforcing the lesson from skydiving. I was not going to let the fear from others, and peer pressure, dictate the situation. I understand this is a negative motivation, Sam but I'd simply had enough. That email was a last resort. I did try a Facebook search.
I stuck everything on the line, I was that fed up. My balls were on the guillotine and the blade was lowering... This was my Michael Jordan moment. Game six in the '98 finals against Utah.
I composed my email. I went to push the button. I hesitated. I muttered to myself "F---ing push the button." (This would have been audible; on the inside I was screaming it.)
I pushed it...
I stuck my head straight in my hands and went into a cold sweat. The email program started to choke and my PC started to whirl like a lawnmower.
The reason I composed the email in the way I did was to be respectful to Olivia firstly, to warm other people's days secondly, and to elicit compassion to hit my target.
I wrote that email from a place of soul-bearing honesty, not approval-seeking. I admitted I f---ed up to 4000 people. I didn't expect the court of public opinion to expand to 22 million people.
I immediately got phone calls.
"Why did you do this?"
"Totally inappropriate".
I got called into my bosses' office. I explained what happened as best I could. I immediately got responses.
Then a funny thing happened. Despite the initial shock, the replies I got back were positive on the whole. About 95 per cent of them.
A woman said: "I wish a guy would go to that sort of effort for me."
The response that sticks out the most is this: "I didn't expect it to go viral. Amazing. I wish you all the best with Olivia but regardless of what happens, I love your spirit. You have a strong one. Honour it."
I expected a few "tut tuts" and "Aw, isn't that sweet?" responses and for it to remain "in house".
How naive I was.
Prank calls then started. My work number was immediately cancelled and a new one set up. I was instructed not to reply to any of the responses. I got wind of my email going to the riotact at 1.45pm.
I forwarded it straight to our Values and Conduct section. I thought I was toast employment-wise. I had a recorded interview with them. I hid from nothing.
After I got back from the interview and sat at my desk, I saw it. Olivia had responded. The real Olivia. Her response was "Wow". She mentioned that she was sort of seeing somebody but was really flattered. She called me a dag for sending the email to the entire department. I couldn't reply at that stage, I was muzzled.
Mission accomplished. I did not fail.
I went back to my boss. I explained my thoughts. She said she knew I was mentally preparing for the worst case scenario but that it likely wouldn't result in termination.
That night, I was at my friends getting my legs massaged. Totally freaked out.
After my massage, I was pacing around the kitchen. Anita, my friend said "Steve, I can tell when you're not all right, you're not are you?"
I simply shot back "No."
Her reply was "Go and talk to Wes [my mate and her husband] now."
That's what I did. I hashed it out for an hour with him. It was tough. I then went out into the living room. The Channel Ten late news was on in the background. That's when I got wind it had gone national. I freaked out again.
I then told Anita. Thankfully, she advised me to stay at their place and not go home. I needed them at this stage. Obviously, I couldn't look at the media storm. An absolute frenzy.
I had the Tuesday off and hid out. Anita and Wes monitored the public sentiment: 75 per cent positive on the whole, they said.
I went back to work on the Wednesday.
All media requests in my inbox were nothing but respectful. For this I am appreciative. I did get the SMH contacting me. If I'm talking to any SMH journalist, it's you Sam. I respect your message and support everything you stand for.
During the period of time before I sent that message on Facebook to the first girl I mentioned, I realised how cold and empty I was inside and how isolated my disability had made me feel. I wasn't giving any warmth to others because I wouldn't let people get close enough to me. I thought I was a man and didn't need anybody to lean on. I had minimised my torment and pushed it down. This is why I never spoke about my disability.
What I learned from this is that if you're lacking something on the inside, you need to give it out to others. Even if it isn't returned in kind, it will make you feel happier inside.
The media storm over this whole thing has been a joke. I achieved my primary purpose before it broke national. Things got blown massively out of proportion.
Ninemsn had the wrong photo of me.
The Sunday Telegraph had an article featuring an Olivia Nasser. I have never met her. This was the number one clicked article on the news.com.au website.
Kerri-Anne Kennerley claimed to have found Olivia; whether it was Nasser or another one, I don't know.
If the "Olivia" quoted in media doesn't remember me it's because I look totally different with a shaved head and stubble compared to the Jedi photo and I've likely never met her.
The real Olivia most likely went underground as she wouldn't have wanted a part of the hype. She is seeing somebody else and needs to protect that. This is not another invitation to find her by the way. I have stayed silent whilst the media twisted themselves in knots.
I haven't really looked at much of the press, Sam. It's too overwhelming. The Olivia Nasser report alone disgusted me. I know I have to take the good with the bad.
I specifically logged into your blog to check if you had said anything about me. I sensed you would say something. Thanks for taking the middle ground and not completely sticking the boot in. You have illustrated why I respect your opinion. You're a good man.
I suppose my message can be interpreted as having romantic undertones. Respect and dignity were my main objectives.
I had the best of intentions, but I lit a fuse and the bomb exploded. I had more pure objectives than what the scuttlebutt suggested. I only wanted to make contact with her: you know, one step at a time.
Headlines of me being a "lovelorn public servant" are hyperbole.
I don't become impressed by a woman very easily. My self-worth does not hinge on their approval. This one was exceptional, however. And I do want to mend fences with the other person in this story.
I felt like I had to do what I did. Otherwise, skydiving would be forever tarnished and my mates would constantly refer back to Olivia and make me feel like shit.
I am a person that is different from the majority. I look at the world differently. I've had a different life with much adversity thrown in my path from a very young age. I listened to what other people told me I was worth. This shaped me into a very timid adult.
I have been going through a personal transformation the last three months. I learned that I was an unhappy person inside with many demons I had not come to terms with. Thus, I started a process to face these and kill them off.
That photo leaked to the press is the "old" me.
I look totally different now.
This revolves around me living my life as honestly as I can. People are too unsure of themselves today; especially men. I've had enough of peer pressure and the media stereotypes brainwashing males into submission. I'm as loathing of it as you are.
These messages had controlled me for long enough so I threw a punch at it. Society is cold and most people have to always wear a mask. This disgusts me.
People want acceptance but they aren't doing anything to get it. Instead, they walk around staring at the ground, unsure of themselves. I injected some warmth back into the place.
I wasn't taking any risks before and it was making me unhappy internally. I sought to redress this balance. And I am happier. The fact I stirred both sides of public opinion meant I took a real punt.
What this all boils down to [is] me not distinguishing the |
one aspect and claim that's it, belittles the speech and shows how little we as a people actually listen to what's said versus what we think or are told is said.
Read it, or listen to it again without your preconceived notions, without the Utube titles, and NOT from a conspiracy website or mindset. Do that with an open mind, hear whats said as it is and not what you wish or what somebody told you to hear in it, and hopefully it will start a chain reaction of careful thought, rather than blind acceptance. Then we won't have to worry about being led to our fate, but rather create our own.
5. - September 17, 2012Hearing what you want vs what is said.
Reviewer: StuckMic - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 2, 2011
Subject: This speech is NOT about secret societies This speech was given 10 days after the bay of pigs. Kennedy is talking about communism and the cold war. He is discussing the balance between our freedoms of speech and the responsibility of newspapers to not publish information that might compromise national security (similar to the WWII "Loose ships sink ships" slogan). He is making an appeal (not a decree) to the newspapers to be more discreet with the information they publish.
This speech had NOTHING to do with any alleged secret societies. StuckMic -- November 2, 2011This speech is NOT about secret societies
Reviewer: obfuscation nathan - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 20, 2010
Subject: In response to djlhdjfh JFK was a great man to stand up to the Bilderberger group that has us in their hands as we speak. I am a hip hop artist in California. My group has exactly what you are looking for. You can contact me at nateskeet@ gmail.com and i will email you the song. - October 20, 2010In response to djlhdjfh
Reviewer: djlhdjfh - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - October 19, 2010
Subject: Last American President Excellent speech. Even today I am amazed how evolved and correct Kennedy was, and how far the world is lagging behind today. What am I saying, we're in utter shambles. Doomed.
On a lighter note
Please PLEASE somebody make some music sampling this! What he says is very important, his words are so hard hitting and the phrasing is almost musical. djlhdjfh -- October 19, 2010Last American President
Reviewer: Secretariat73 - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - December 9, 2007
Subject: Look at the date. This was in the wake of the failed Bay of Pigs disaster, which Kennedy blamed, rightly so, on the CIA. He was talking to the press about their cooperation with the CIA, if you read between the lines. Had they helped expose the plot before it happened, it would likely not have been able to go forward, and many lives needlessly lost would have been saved. - December 9, 2007Look at the date.
Reviewer: XDelusion - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 30, 2006
Subject: JFK ain't the only one! You must also remember that this is not the only forefather talking of secret societies in America's past.
This was also talked about by Washington (pre-Communism), Jefferson (pre-Communism), Franklin (pre-Communism), Lincoln (pre-Communism), Woodrow Wilson, FDR, Nixon, and the list goes on.
Besides if JFK ment Communists, then I'm sure he'd just say, Secret Communist Societies! - June 30, 2006JFK ain't the only one!
Reviewer: PubliusNJ - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - June 16, 2006
Subject: JFK Hints At Secret Societies Threatening America Folks, it is just COMMUNISM that President Kennedy was ALSO talking about were the SECRET SOCIETIES that run America BEHIND the scenes. You have to listen to the speech at least TWICE before you get this -- ESPECIALLY the remarks about "SECRET OATHS," "SECRET SOCIETIES" and "SECRET PROCEEDINGS."
Get it folks? This guy is talking about the very people that ultimately killed him. - June 16, 2006JFK Hints At Secret Societies Threatening America
Reviewer: harrietmiers - favorite favorite favorite favorite favorite - November 19, 2005
Subject: Tremendous speech!! - November 19, 2005Tremendous speech!!(BALTIMORE, MD) — (October 9, 2015) — The Rebel Alliance faces a new challenge after the Battle of Endor in Greg Rucka and Marco Checchetto's prequel to the new Star Wars film, Journey to Star Wars: The Force Awakens #1 from Marvel Comics, the best-selling comic book in September 2015 according to information provided by Diamond Comic Distributors, the world's largest distributor of comics, graphic novels, and pop culture merchandise. Marvel Comics was September's top publisher with a 32.67% dollar share and a 38.12% unit share. DC Entertainment was the month's number two publisher with a 26.01% dollar share and a 26.32% unit share. August's number three publisher was Image Comics with an 11.81% dollar share and a 12.07% unit share. In fourth was IDW Publishing with a 5.72% dollar share and a 4.84% unit share. Dark Horse Comics placed fifth for the month with a 4.42% dollar share and a 3.64% unit share. Overall, the comic book specialty market continued its ongoing trend of annual sales increases with comic book and graphic novel sales up over 7% year-to-date. In August, Marvel Comics had six titles among the top ten best-selling comics, including Tim Seeley and Elmo Bondoc's Deadpool Vs. Thanos #1 at #4 and Dan Slott and Adam Kubert's Amazing Spider-Man: Renew Your Vows #5 at #6. DC Entertainment had three titles among top ten positions including Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman #44 at #3 and Geoff Johns and Jason Fabok's Justice League #44 at #8. Also in the top ten was Image Comics with Robert Kirkman's The Walking Dead #146 at #9 for the month. Outside the top ten, the month's best-selling non-premier comic book was Oni Press' Invader Zim #3, based on the fan-favorite animated series, which ranked #41 overall. Brian K. Vaughan and Fiona Staples' Saga Volume 5 from Image Comics was the best-selling graphic novel for August and one of the publisher's four volumes in the top ten. DC Entertainment had five titles in the top ten, led by Scott Snyder and Greg Capullo's Batman Volume 7: Endgame at #3. Also in the top ten was Dark Horse Comics' Avatar: The Last Airbender Volume 10: Smoke and Shadow Part One from Gene Luen Yang and Gurihiru at #6. Neil Gaiman reimagines the fairy tales of Snow White and Sleeping Beauty in his illustrated children's book, The Sleeper and the Spindle, from Bloomsbury, the best-selling book in September. Also among the top ten was Dark Horse Comics' The Legend of Korra: The Art of the Animated Series Book 4: Balance at #3. Based on the best-selling video game, DC Entertainment's Batman Arkham Knight: Arkham Knight Action Figure was September's best-selling toy and one of the manufacturer's four products in the top ten. Scholastic's Minecraft: The Official Mojang Construction Handbook Updated Edition, a guide to the fan-favorite game, was the best-selling game product of September. Also in the top ten was Diamond Select Toys' Back to the Future Monopoly, a custom edition of the beloved board game, which ranked #5 for the month. TOP COMIC BOOK PUBLISHERS RETAIL MARKET SHARE PUBLISHER SHARE MARVEL COMICS 32.67% DC ENTERTAINMENT 26.01% IMAGE COMICS 11.81% IDW PUBLISHING 5.72% DARK HORSE COMICS 4.42% BOOM! STUDIOS 2.11% DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.79% AVATAR PRESS INC 1.55% VIZ MEDIA 1.32% TITAN COMICS 1.31% OTHER NON-TOP 10 11.29% UNIT MARKET SHARE PUBLISHER SHARE MARVEL COMICS 38.12% DC ENTERTAINMENT 26.32% IMAGE COMICS 12.07% IDW PUBLISHING 4.84% DARK HORSE COMICS 3.64% BOOM! STUDIOS 2.08% DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 1.80% VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 1.58% TITAN COMICS 1.25% AVATAR PRESS INC 1.19% OTHER NON-TOP 10 7.12% NEW TITLES SHIPPED PUBLISHER COMICS SHIPPED GRAPHIC NOVELS SHIPPED MAGAZINES SHIPPED TOTAL SHIPPED MARVEL COMICS 80 23 0 103 DC ENTERTAINMENT 70 25 0 95 IMAGE COMICS 73 18 0 91 IDW PUBLISHING 42 20 0 62 DARK HORSE COMICS 29 26 0 55 BOOM ENTERTAINMENT 30 9 0 39 DYNAMITE ENTERTAINMENT 20 7 0 27 TITAN COMICS 11 12 3 26 VALIANT ENTERTAINMENT LLC 10 5 0 15 ONI PRESS INC. 7 2 0 9 OTHER NON TOP 10 118 190 49 357 COMPARATIVE SALES STATISTICS DOLLARS UNITS SEPTEMBER 2015 VS. AUGUST 2015 COMICS 0.89% -1.10% GRAPHIC NOVELS 8.71% 14.79% TOTAL COMICS/GN 3.49% 0.30% SEPTEMBER 2015 VS. SEPTEMBER 2014 COMICS -19.62% -20.15% GRAPHIC NOVELS 12.51% 30.61% TOTAL COMICS/GN -10.73% -16.89% YEAR-TO-DATE 2015 VS. YEAR-TO-DATE 2014 COMICS 7.21% 6.58% GRAPHIC NOVELS 7.06% 8.48% TOTAL COMICS/GN 7.16% 6.73% THIRD QUARTER 2015 VS. SECOND QUARTER 2015 COMICS -12.07% -14.18% GRAPHIC NOVELS -0.26% 1.14% TOTAL COMICS/GN -8.49% -12.94% THIRD QUARTER 2015 VS. THIRD QUARTER 2014 COMICS -8.08% -10.07% GRAPHIC NOVELS 9.32% 17.13% TOTAL COMICS/GN -2.98% -8.07% TOP 10 COMIC BOOKS RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 JOURNEY TO STAR WARS: THE FORCE AWAKENS: SHATTERED EMPIRE #1 $3.99 JUL150767 -M MAR 2 STAR WARS #9 $3.99 JUN150792 -M MAR 3 BATMAN #44 $4.99 JUL150256 -M DC 4 DEADPOOL VS. THANOS #1 $3.99 JUL150789 -M MAR 5 DARTH VADER #9 $3.99 JUN150796 -M MAR 6 AMAZING SPIDER-MAN: RENEW YOUR VOWS #5 $3.99 JUL150737 -M MAR 7 BATMAN ANNUAL #4 $4.99 JUL150258 DC 8 JUSTICE LEAGUE #44 $3.99 JUL150202 -M DC 9 THE WALKING DEAD #146 (MR) $2.99 JUL150569 IMA 10 DEADPOOL VS. THANOS #2 $3.99 JUL150792 -M MAR TOP 10 GRAPHIC NOVELS & TRADE PAPERBACKS RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 SAGA VOLUME 5 TP (MR) $14.99 JUL150565 IMA 2 DESCENDER VOLUME 1: TIN STARS TP (MR) $9.99 JUL150554 -M IMA 3 BATMAN VOLUME 7: ENDGAME HC $24.99 MAY150231 DC 4 CHRONONAUTS VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 MAY150488 -M IMA 5 BATMAN VOLUME 6: GRAVEYARD SHIFT TP (N52) $16.99 JUN150290 DC 6 AVATAR THE LAST AIRBENDER VOLUME 10: SMOKE & SHADOW PART 1 TP $10.99 MAY150050 DAR 7 MAD MAX: FURY ROAD TP (MR) $14.99 MAY150271 DC 8 BATMAN: THE KILLING JOKE SPECIAL EDITION HC $17.99 NOV070226 DC 9 THE JOKER: ENDGAME HC $29.99 MAY150232 DC 10 SAGA VOLUME 1 TP (MR) $9.99 AUG120491 IMA TOP 10 BOOKS RANK DESCRIPTION PRICE ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 NEIL GAIMAN: THE SLEEPER & THE SPINDLE HC $19.99 JUL151864 HAR 2 WILLIAM SHAKESPEARE'S STAR WARS: THE TRAGEDY OF THE SITH'S REVENGE HC $14.95 JUL151875 QUI 3 LEGEND OF KORRA: ART OF THE ANIMATED SERIES BOOK 4: BALANCE $34.99 MAY150040 DAR 4 THE SHADOW DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 99 SC $14.95 JUL151869 SAN 5 DOC SAVAGE DOUBLE NOVEL VOLUME 83 SC $14.95 MAY151803 SAN 6 AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: SUPERGIRL'S PET PROBLEM PB $3.95 JUL151821 CAP 7 THE WALKING DEAD VOLUME 6: INVASION HC $26.99 AUG152007 STM 8 AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: MAGIC MONSTERS $3.95 JUL151823 CAP 9 AMAZING ADVENTURES OF SUPERMAN: BUBBLE TROUBLE $3.95 JUL151822 CAP 10 DC SUPER HEROES SUPERMAN: LEX LUTHOR'S POWER GRAB $5.95 JUN151733 CAP TOP 10 TOYS RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: ARKHAM KNIGHT ACTION FIGURE SEP140355 DC 2 AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON: HULKBUSTER VS. IRON MAN ARTFX+ STATUE MAR152213 KOT 3 ARKHAM: BATMAN ACTION FIGURE 5-PACK MAR150321 DC 4 BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT PLAY ARTS KAI: ARKHAM KNIGHT FIGURE MAR158226 SQU 5 BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT: BATMAN ACTION FIGURE SEP140356 DC 6 DC COMICS: ZATANNA BISHOUJO STATUE FEB152360 KOT 7 AVENGERS AGE OF ULTRON: THE HULK ARTFX+ STATUE MAR152212 KOT 8 TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: LEONARDO PVC FIGURE NOV148117 GOO 9 ELECTROCUTIONER/LADY SHIVA/HARLEEN QUINZELL FIGURE 3-PACK MAY150300 DC 10 BATMAN ARKHAM KNIGHT PLAY ARTS KAI: BATMAN FIGURE FEB158188 SQU TOP 10 GAMES RANK DESCRIPTION ITEM CODE VENDOR 1 MINECRAFT OFFICIAL MOJANG CONSTRUCTION - UPDATED EDITION HC JUN152754 SCH 2 MINECRAFT OFFICIAL MOJANG REDSTONE - UPDATED EDITION HC JUN152756 SCH 3 MINECRAFT OFFICIAL MOJANG ESSENTIAL - UPDATED EDITION HC JUN152755 SCH 4 MINECRAFT OFFICIAL MOJANG COMBAT - UPDATED EDITION HC JUN152753 SCH 5 BACK TO THE FUTURE MONOPOLY JUL152198 DST 6 DC DICE MASTERS WAR OF LIGHT FOIL PACKS JUN152765 NEC 7 D&D MINIATURES SET THREE BOOSTERS JUN152763 NEC 8 DC BOMBSHELLS 1000-PIECE JIGSAW PUZZLE JUL152777 NMR 9 MACHI KORO CARD GAME DELUXE EDITION JUN152743 IDW 10 DC DICE MASTERS: WAR OF LIGHT STARTER SET JUN152769 NEC Dollar Market Share – September 2015 Unit Market Share – September 2015 How does Diamond calculate the charts? It all starts at the comic book shop. Data for Diamond’s sales charts — which includes the monthly market shares and all top product charts — are compiled by Diamond Comic Distributors from sales made to thousands of comic book specialty shops located in North America and around the world. Additional sales made to online merchants and other specialty retailers may be included as well. Unit and dollar market shares are calculated based upon orders for comic books, graphic novels, and magazines invoiced and shipped to Diamond customers during any given month, which comprises pre-orders, advance reorders, and reorders, minus any copies that are received back from a title marked as returnable. Please note that comics marked with an asterisk (*) have had their reported quantities reduced due to retailer returnability, and thus may rank lower on the charts than their actual sales would reflect. The New Titles Count Chart includes all titles that were invoiced by Diamond to retailers for the first time during the month and is not the official solicited title count for the month. Variant edition comic books and graphic novels at the same price point count as a single SKU. Variant edition comic books, lenticular covers, digital combo packs, and graphic novels at different price points count as separate SKUs for each edition. *** ABOUT DIAMOND COMIC DISTRIBUTORS (DCD) —Diamond is at the nexus of comics and pop culture merchandise. Based in Baltimore, MD, DCD is the world's largest distributor of English-language comic books and pop-culture related merchandise, servicing thousands of specialty retailers worldwide. For more information, visit Diamond on the web at www.diamondcomics.com. © 2015 Diamond Comic Distributors, Inc. All rights reserved. Diamond, the Diamond logo, Diamond Books logo, and PREVIEWS are either registered trademarks or trademarks of Diamond Comic Distributors in theUnited States and/or other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective copyright owners.Results and videos
Congratulations to Luckey Li and Terrance Wang who claimed this year's Canadian Champion titles, and Christopher Chunn for winning the International X division!
(Click to enlarge)
About Canadian Nationals
Videos: 1A division (finals)
Welcome to the official website of the Canadian National Return Top Championship 2018! Some of the finest return top players from across Canada will be competing for this year's national titles in Toronto on May 20, 2018. As sanctioned by the Canadian Yo-yo Association (CANYA), the Canadian Champions will be seeded to the World Yo-Yo Contest 2018 this summer. Non-Canadians are also welcome to compete in International X division for prizes.
This event is family-friendly and open to the public for free. Spectators may enter this event without admission fees. Contestants must register here by April 30 for the early bird rate, or May 7 at the latest.
The social media hashtag is #CanadaNats2018. We will be announcing updates via our Facebook event. Please join us and invite your friends!
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For inquiries, please email the contest organizer at contact@yoyotoronto.comA paper published earlier this week in BMC Evolutionary biology suggests that one of only 12 known Archaeopteryx fossil skeletons is not in fact an Archaeopteryx at all but a new species of theropod dinosaur, Ostromia crassipes. One Dutch newspaper, perhaps over-egging it slightly, went as far as likening the discovery to finding out that your Monet painting turned out to be a Van Gogh. So what is Archaeopteryx and why has this paper got palaeontologists (a bit) excited?
What is Archaeopteryx?
You will find a cast of Archaeopteryx or two, or a model reconstruction in almost every natural history museum and Archaeopteryx is, quite rightly, described in the new paper as an iconic fossil. However, from personal experience in talking to museum visitors, it is not an extinct animal that many people are familiar with, being not quite on the same tier of recognisability as large dinosaurs.
Smuggled fossil'very weird' new species of amphibious dinosaur, say experts Read more
First described in 1861, Archaeopteryx lithographica was the species name given to an isolated feather fossil, and later a fossilised feathered skeleton excavated from the lithographic limestone of Solnhofen in Germany. The Solnhofen limestone is one of the most widely known examples of a Konservat-Lagerstätte, a geological site of exceptional preservation. The discovery of the feather alone pushed the age of bird fossils back tens of millions of years, but the discovery and description of a the feathered skeleton could not have been better timed in the history of evolutionary biology, helping to build the iconic status of Archaeopteryx.
Icon of Evolution
Discovered just two years after the publication of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life, Archaeopteryx ruffled feathers (boom boom) from the off. The fossil skeleton of Archaeopteryx showed typical reptilian features but also appeared to be covered in feathers. The discovery was met with incredulity by palaeontologists of the time, to whom the fixed nature of species was a long-ingrained idea. Feathers were firmly a characteristic of birds and could not be found associated with a reptile. Some scientists doubted the fossil until they saw it; others proposed that the structures superficially resembled feathers but were something else. Even renowned anatomist Richard Owen played down or ignored problematic reptile characteristics such as teeth in the skull and the anatomy of the limbs. The reason why the timing of the discovery couldn’t have been better timed is because many scientists were still debating Darwinian ideas of the transformation of species over time. For opponents, like Richard Owen, an almost perfect example of an “intermediate form” between birds and “saurians” like Archaeopteryx was problematic. Whether or not Archaeopteryx was a bird has been debated almost ever since, and very little else about this animal has been settled on. Amusingly, the Guardian fell foul of the Archaeopteryx bird-or-not curse with Archaeopteryx being “knocked off its perch” in July 2011 and subsequently re-perched in October of the same year.
It’s a quirk of the history of discovery that Archaeopteryx has become a fulcrum for debates around evolution, the fixity of archetypes in animal groups and whether it’s a bird or the earliest true bird fossil. It’s only discoveries of other feathered reptiles, dino-birds and feather-like structures in reptiles in recent decades which have opened up the research in this area. It’s tempting to imagine how evolutionary biology may be completely different today had Archaeopteryx never been discovered exactly when it was. Would Richard Owen and allies have drawn out the acceptance of evolution without Archaeopteryx as a poster specimen for evolution (albeit not in the way we now understand it)? Because Archaeopteryx is an icon of evolution it’s also a target for creationists and there’s no doubt that the re-evaluation of this specimen will be hitting the print-on-demand creationist presses soon as yet further proof of the great palaeontological conspiracy or whatever it is we’re supposedly up to.
Hot fuzz: the baby bird fossil that gives new meaning to ancient feathers Read more
Following the discovery and description of the feather and first skeleton, over the years a number of other specimens came out of Solnhofen and one other locality and each gained a nickname, normally based on the museum they ended up in. After a long campaign to secure the specimen, the first skeleton ended up in the Natural History Museum London and became known as the London specimen. A second skeleton, the Berlin specimen, was discovered in 1876 and described in 1884. The Maxberg specimen, currently missing, was found in 1956. The Haarlem specimen was found in 1855 but not described until 1973. The Eichstätt specimen was found in 1951 and described in 1973. The mysterious Solnhofen specimen, original locality unknown, was described in 1988. The Munich specimen was discovered in 1992 and described in 1993. A further six specimens have been found since the late 1990s including a specimen held in a private collection and one specimen still awaiting scientific description.
These twelve specimens are all that is known about Archaeopteryx, and plenty of questions remain unanswered. A number of different identifications have been suggested, the number of species of Archaeopteryx is debated and size ranges across the known specimens have been posited as different developmental stages.
Whether Archaeopteryx was capable of true flight has also been the subject of much debate in the literature. Controversy around the origin, loss and rediscovery of some specimens means that interpreting the geographical, geological and temporal range of this species or group of species is also difficult. Twelve skeletons and a feather separated by thousands or tens of thousands of years in the geological record is an extremely limited data set to draw many firm conclusions from. Now, that list may be eleven skeletons and a feather thanks to the paper published this week: Re-evaluation of the Haarlem Archaeopteryx and the radiation of maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs (Foth & Rauhut 2017).
Facebook Twitter Pinterest The Haarlem specimen. The rectangles are around the manus and pubis, where differences were spotted. Photograph: Christian Foth and Oliver W. M. Rauhut/Courtesy of Teylers Museum
The ‘Haarlem specimen’, found in 1855 and described in 1975 is a part and a counter-part (two separate pieces of the same slab) which only preserves part of the right wing, part of the leg, some toes from both feet, a few vertebrae, belly ribs and fingers from the right hand. It is currently housed in the Teylers Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands.
The research team re-examined the Haarlem specimen and found that, even given the poor preservation, anatomical details were different enough to distinguish it from Archaeopteryx and warrant an entirely new genus. Proportions of the fossil bones present were distinct from Archaeopteryx. The presence of furrows on both sides of the phalanges (fingers) is a character shared with theropod dinosaurs Anchiornis and Eosinopteryx from China. This specimen is distinct from both of those in the small size of the claw. This specimen is geologically younger than the supposed relatives from China and these characteristics and temporal difference are given as the basis for the new species, Ostromia crassipes.
Early bird called Dawn beat Archaeopteryx to worm by 10m years Read more
As a number of palaeontologists have expressed on social media – and the research team themselves comment in the paper – the grounds for these differences aren’t as robust as they could be due to the partial preservation of the Haarlem specimen, but this is all part and parcel of the self-correcting process of science. No doubt this new research will prompt other scientists to reevaluate this specimen, other Archaeopteryx specimens and other closely related groups and it’s probable that consensus won’t be reached for a while.
Unfortunately for Ostromia crassipes, if the species holds up, it will likely always be associated with once being the iconic Archaeopteryx. As the researchers note, Archaeopteryx still holds onto one “perch” as the only Jurassic paravian theropod (the group of dinosaurs that also includes birds) outside of China, which isn’t quite as memorable as the first bird.
On a more personal and unprofessional note, if you do find yourself in the Netherlands and in the mood for a museum, I’d skip the Van Goghs and the Monets and make a pilgrimage to see Ostromia crassipes and the other geological wonders of the Teylers Museum for yourself.
General Reading
There is quite a bit of literature about Archaeopteryx but two books stand out as an excellent overview of the history and discovery. Unfortunately, neither are up to date with recent discoveries. Bones of Contention: The Fossil that Shook Science by Paul Chambers is a popular science book that covers the controversy surrounding the discovery of Archaeopteryx, and the political and financial wrangling of scientists to get their hands on specimens. The second is Archaeopteryx: The Icon of Evolution by Peter Wellnhofer which is beautifully illustrated and packed with detail about the discovery, description and history of Archaeopteryx study.
References
Foth, C. and Rauhut, O. W. M. 2017. Re-evaluation of the Haarlem Archaeopteryx and the radiation of maniraptoran theropod dinosaurs. BMC Evolutionary BiologyBMC series. 17:236 Available Open Access (hurrah!).Game of Thrones showrunners David Benioff and DB Weiss have claimed that season five might "be the strongest yet".
The pair told Entertainment Weekly that they are "nearly finished with the first drafts" - with the new episodes "drawing heavily" on George RR Martin's 2005 novel A Feast for Crows and his latest effort, 2011's A Dance with Dragons.
"His books are the blueprint for the world we're building," the pair said in a joint statement. "Ultimately the show needs to work on its own terms, and keep on moving. Our job is to square that necessity with George's work to the best of our ability."
Benioff and Weiss also confirmed that they plan for Game of Thrones to run seven seasons in total.
"It almost feels like this is the midpoint for us," Benioff said. "If we're going to go seven seasons, which is the plan, season 4 is right down the middle. It's the pivot point."
Game of Thrones will return to HBO and Sky Atlantic in 2015.
Game of Thrones season 4: Ranking the best deaths
How would the stars of Game of Thrones punish spoilers? Find out below:When you think of the zombie movie genre, the films that pop into your head don’t necessarily include great female characters. That may be starting to change, with films like “Pride & Prejudice & Zombies,” “Maggie,” and “Life After Beth,” but a new film seems to utilize female characters in an innovative way.
Based on M.R. Carey’s novel of the same name, “The Girl With All The Gifts” offers a new spin on the zombie thriller.
In the near future, humanity has been almost wiped out by a mutated fungus that eliminates freewill and turns humans into flesh eating “hungries.” A small group of children, including the young Melanie (Sennia Nanua), seem immune to the disease, retaining their normal thoughts and emotions, and are subjected to cruel experiments by Dr. Caroline Caldwell (Glenn Close). Melanie is particularly loved by her favorite teacher, Helen Justineau (Gemma Arterton), who believes that the young girl is different, and holds the key to their survival.
The zombie movie genre has gotten a bit tired as of late, and needs a new touch. With the popularity of “The Walking Dead,” zombie films have become a trend. “The Girl With All The Gifts” looks like it will put its own stamp on the genre, with a welcome take on zombies that utilizes many female voices in its story.
So far, “The Girl With All The Gifts” only has a UK release date of September 23. We’re hoping that a U.S. release will be announced soon. Perhaps right around Halloween?A Lower Haight landlord has waded into controversy again, this time serving local restaurant Cuco's with an eviction notice.
Two months ago, we reported that tenants of a building at Haight and Fillmore had received a letter from their landlord outlining strict criteria for living at the address, including a minimum annual salary of $100,000 and credit score of at least 725. That story ignited a firestorm of attention, and the landlord, who was soon identified by various media outlets as Robert Shelton, quickly retracted his letter.
Now it seems he's turning his attention to the ground floor tenants at Cuco's.
In a letter postmarked June 24th, an attorney for Shelton informed Cuco's owners Domingo and Carmen Campos that the restaurant had to shut down within thirty days.
The letter reads, in part:
"NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that your tenancy of the aforesaid premises is terminated as of thirty (30) days after service on you of this Notice (excluding the date of service). You are hereby required to quit and surrender possession thereof to the undersigned no later than thirty (30) days after service of this Notice upon you."
The notice is signed by attorney Daniel Bornstein, "the landlord's duly authorized agent." No explanation is given for the eviction.
"I felt like it wasn't legit, just by how the signature looked," said Domingo and Carmen's daughter Judy, who supplied us with a photograph of the letter yesterday.
"This happened three years ago... He was telling [my mom] verbally, 'you have thirty days.' It was verbally, he never sent anything in the mail. But now it's serious."
Judy is referring to February of 2012, when Cuco's first allegedly received a similar eviction threat from Shelton. At that time, the family solicited pro bono help from a lawyer, gathered support from customers and neighbors via a petition, and eventually got Shelton to back down. They're hoping a similar groundswell of support will help them overcome this latest challenge.
The Campos family has operated Cuco's for 22 years, paying rent to Shelton on a month-to-month basis.
"We don't have a lease," Judy told us. "If he wants to evict us, he can evict us."
The family's most recent rent payment, made on July 5th, was returned, along with a second letter from Bornstein that they received this past Saturday. It reads, in part:
"Enclosed please find Carmen Campo's Bank of America check #469, in the amount of $4,287.00, made payable to 312 Fillmore Street L.L.C. and purporting to represent rent for the premises, 488 Haight Street, San Francisco, CA.
Said check is being returned because your tenancy is being and/or has been terminated."
According to Judy, Shelton has also made frequent demands that the restaurant either upgrade its interior or face eviction, a behavior that she said was "like harassment."
"He wants her to remodel the [space] that we're in. Which, I have an understanding that it's his responsibility, being a landlord," Judy said.
The thirty-day notice does not give the Campos family much time to make alternate plans. If Shelton had given them a few months, Judy noted, they might have chosen to move to another location or wind down the business. Instead, Judy told us Carmen has no intention of giving up.
"She's going to try to do everything she can to fight it. She's been here so long."
We have reached out to both Shelton and Bornstein for an explanation, and will update if and when we hear back.The Supreme Court on Friday blocked a Louisiana law that threatened to close all but one of the state's abortion providers, mere days after hearing a major abortion rights case from another state.
In a short order, the nation's highest court effectively halted a state law that required all doctors who perform abortions to have admitting privileges at hospitals within 30 miles of the clinic.
That provision is nearly identical to one the justices considered Wednesday, when they heard oral arguments in Whole Woman's Health v. Hellerstedt, a case from Texas that could determine the fate of similar abortion regulations in a number of conservative states.
The court's action Friday coincided with the justices' scheduled private conference, in which they preliminarily cast their votes in the cases heard during the week. A decision in Whole Woman's Health is not expected until June.
The court did not indicate which justices agreed to keep the Louisiana law on hold. Only one justice, Clarence Thomas, noted his dissent and would have allowed the admitting privileges requirement to be enforced.
Still, it is likely the justices' deliberations in the Texas case informed what to do in the Louisiana one, which is still going through the appeals process.
In January and following a six-day trial, a federal judge ruled that the Louisiana law, signed by former Gov. Bobby Jindal (R) in 2014, unduly burdened the right to choose of "a large fraction of Louisiana women of reproductive age seeking an abortion" and prevented the law from taking effect.
But an appeals court last week allowed the law to move forward, sending local clinics into crisis mode, since many of their doctors had trouble obtaining the required admitting privileges or were still in the process of obtaining them.
The Supreme Court's reprieve on Friday appears to have given them a sigh of relief. The court's action keeps clinics open at least until the formal appeal moves through the lower court.Israel backs aid to Palestinian Authority
In a dramatic public shift that appears to lower the intensity of the simmering diplomatic conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, the Israeli government is backing a strings-attached compromise that would restore American aid to the Palestinian Authority.
House Republicans have called for cutting off the P.A. over its push for international recognition through the United Nations, over the objections |
will be integrated into Google search. Users will be able to stream songs directly from Google via partners iLike and Lala. Additional information around the music query will be provided to users as well (presumably any relevant results from YouTube as well as information already available in Google’s existing music search – example). One source said that Google will organize music searches in a way very similar to the way they do public company stock searches today.
Users will also be offered the opportunity to purchase songs for download, we’ve confirmed.
Both iLike and Lala provided limited streaming services today. Lala lets users stream a song once, then a user either has to pay or only get a 30 second clip. iLike has some full streaming, some 30 second clips. MySpace Music has full streaming rights from all four major labels.
Update: Screenshots and more information.Donald Trump reached out to African American voters tonight in West Bend, Wisconsin north of Milwaukee.
Trump told African Americans Hillary Clinton is a bigot.
Via Real Clear Politics:
The other party – the Democratic Party – nominated the personification of special interest corruption. The Democratic Party rigged the nomination to give it to Hillary Clinton, thus giving the soul of their party this year to the special interests.
I am running to listen to your voice, to hear your cries for help. The quiet voices in our society, not the loudest demonstrators, need to have their demands heard.
Jobs. Safety. Opportunity. Fair and equal representation.
We reject the bigotry of Hillary Clinton which panders to and talks down to communities of color and sees them only as votes, not as individual human beings worthy of a better future. She doesn’t care at all about the hurting people of this country, or the suffering she has caused them.Should Phil Jackson Return As Head Coach Of The Los Angeles Lakers? by Chris Walder
In a very surprising move by the Los Angeles Lakers front-office (especially considering all of the rumours surrounding Phil Jackson possibly being brought on for a third time), the team has hired former New York Knicks and Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni to replace Mike Brown as Head Coach.
The decision was made late Sunday night, just one day after the Lakers met with Jackson to discuss his possible hire.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/Mike_Bresnahan/status/267894975583375361″]
According to sources, Phil wanted to many regulations on his deal, such as greater pay ($10 million a year), more personal control and fewer appearances at road games as to not put any wear and tear on his surgically repaired knees.
D’Antoni has signed a three-year deal with the Lakers worth $12 million with an option for a fourth year, according to his agent Warren LeGarie. He is now awaiting doctors approval to travel from New York to Los Angeles after undergoing recent surgery on his knees.
An official press conference by the team will take place sometime this week.
Is Mike D’Antoni the right man for the job?
He’s certainly quite the accomplished coach with a solid resume to boot, but he’s no Phil Jackson.
It seemed like a sure thing to bank on Jackson getting hired, so I’m very much surprised to see D’Antoni as the new coach of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Over the course of his 10-year coaching career, Mike D’Antoni has a record of 388 wins and 339 losses, including 26-29 in the postseason. His most recent stint was with the New York Knicks where he resigned from his position after the team started the year 18-24.
His biggest success in the NBA came as coach of the Phoenix Suns, where he and current Lakers point guard Steve Nash helped lead the franchise to four straight 50+ win seasons.
D’Antoni will now be reunited with Nash in Los Angeles, with hopes of possibly bringing back the up-tempo “7 seconds or less” style offense that made the Phoenix Suns such a potent threat years ago. I would assume that Mike will give Nash even more control of the basketball, allowing the 2x MVP to run the offense himself with more pick-and-rolls and fast-paced transition scores.
Kobe Bryant and Dwight Howard will also participate in this Reunion after playing under Mike on the 2008 USA Mens National Basketball “Redeem Team”. D’Antoni served as an assistant coach on Mike Krzyzewski’s staff with Team USA at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
As a child growing up in Italy, Bryant was actually quite the admirer of Mike D’Antoni as a basketball player, even choosing to wear the #8 as a homage to him.
[blackbirdpie url=”https://twitter.com/SpearsNBAYahoo/status/267913007999352832″]
The one big concern about this hire is Mike’s lack of emphasis on defense. The Lakers never had a problem scoring points under Brown, so continuing to make strides on the defensive end with an offensive-minded coach will be crucial to the team’s success.
Reuniting D’Antoni with some of his former players will make this transition go a lot smoother, but I’m sure the Reunion Lakers fans were dying to see was that of Phil Jackson and the team he won 5 NBA Championships with.
Jackson was the safe choice. Even if the team didn’t thrive under Phil, who would have blamed the Lakers for that hire?
Mike D’Antoni isn’t a bad coach. His offense is probably a better fit for this roster over Jacksons triangle, especially for Nash and Howard.
But again, he’s not Phil Jackson. That’s reason enough to be skeptical.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UUKYjdR5lso
Christopher Walder is a sports blogger and lead editor for Sir Charles in Charge. You may follow him on Twitter @WalderSportsWith a record-breaking bow in China, Warner Bros.’ “Pacific Rim” beat out overseas box office favorite “The Smurfs 2” by a hair to take first in the international marketplace.
Sony’s live action-toon hybrid took first globally with $80.3 million, $27.8 million from Stateside auds and $52.5 million from 43 overseas markets. Meanwhile, “Pacific Rim” earned $53 million abroad, about $45.2 million of which came from China, pushing the film’s foreign cume to $200 million.
Domestically, “Smurfs 2” opened Wednesday to earn as much in five days in release as Universal’s “2 Guns” earned in three. The R-rated actioner bowed to $27.4 million, a nice start for a film budgeted close to $60 million.
SEE ALSO: Film Review: ‘The Smurfs 2′
Fox’s “The Wolverine” took second Friday-to-Sunday with $21.7 million, an almost 60% week-over-week drop, followed by “Smurfs 2,” which earned $18.2 million in three days.
“Wolverine” also had a good soph sesh abroad dropping 56% to $38.5 million. The “X-Men” spinoff’s worldwide cume is at $255 million to date.
“The Smurfs,” 2011’s predecessor to this week’s newcomer, spent eight weeks on top of the int’l box office and earned 75% of its lifetime cume from overseas plexes. Will “Smurfs 2” see similar numbers? Sony distribution topper Rory Bruer thinks so.
Related The Future of Gaming Is Subscription ‘Stan & Ollie’ Producer to Make TV Series About Joan and Jackie Collins
“We have little blue guys running around every corner of the planet,” Bruer said, noting that the franchise is still endearing domestic auds, just in lower numbers.
Though “Smurfs 2” opened higher than its predecessor in markets like Russia and Korea, overall the foreign bow was down 4% from “Smurfs,” and it didn’t hit the studio’s $100 million global weekend goal.
Bruer attributed the sequel’s softer Stateside bow to a market saturated with family fare, including recent 3D toons from Pixar, Illumination and DreamWorks Animation.
The overall business was up about 13% over this frame last year, helped largely by “2 Guns.” The actioner played strongly to African American and Latino communities, and exit polls indicated the chemistry between stars Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg is resonating with audiences.
“2 Guns” is already U’s seventh number one film in 2013.
Sony Picture Classics expanded Woody Allen’s “Blue Jasmine” from six to 50 screens this frame, bumping its weekend haul up 230% to $2 million.
Film (Weeks in release): 3-day gross*; Locations; Per-theater average; Cume*; Percentage change
2 Guns (1): $27.4; 3,025; $9,045; $27.4; — The Wolverine (2): $21.7; 3,924; $5,536; $95.0; -59% The Smurfs 2 (1): $18.2; 3,866; $4,708; $27.8; — The Conjuring (3): $13.7; 3,115; $4,385; $108.6; -38% Despicable Me 2 (5): $10.4; 3,207; $3,240; $326,7; -37% Grown Ups 2 (4): $8.1; 3,075; $2,634; $116.4; -30% Turbo (3): $6.4; 2,985; $2,144; $69.5; -53% Red 2 (3): $5.7; 2,755; $2,051; $45.2; -40% The Heat (6): $4.7; 2,074; $2,278; $149.6; -32% Pacific Rim (4): $4.6; 1,803; $2,535; $93.0; -41%
Overseas
Film (Weeks in release): 3-day gross*; Territories; Screens; Int’l cume*; Global cume*; Percentage changeThere is a vulnerability in certain CGI-based setups (Apache+mod_php and nginx+php-fpm are not affected) that has gone unnoticed for at least 8 years. Section 7 of the CGI spec states:
Some systems support a method for supplying a [sic] array of strings to the CGI script. This is only used in the case of an `indexed' query. This is identified by a "GET" or "HEAD" HTTP request with a URL search string not containing any unencoded "=" characters.
So, requests that do not have a "=" in the query string are treated differently from those who do in some CGI implementations. For PHP this means that a request containing?-s may dump the PHP source code for the page, but a request that has?-s&=1 is fine.
A large number of sites run PHP as either an Apache module through mod_php or using php-fpm under nginx. Neither of these setups are vulnerable to this. Straight shebang-style CGI also does not appear to be vulnerable.
If you are using Apache mod_cgi to run PHP you may be vulnerable. To see if you are, just add?-s to the end of any of your URLs. If you see your source code, you are vulnerable. If your site renders normally, you are not.
To fix this, update to PHP 5.3.12 or PHP 5.4.2.
We recognize that since CGI is a rather outdated way to run PHP, it may not be feasible to upgrade these sites to a modern version of PHP. An alternative is to configure your web server to not let these types of requests with query strings starting with a "-" and not containing a "=" through. Adding a rule like this should not break any sites. For Apache using mod_rewrite it would look like this:
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} ^(%2d|-)[^=]+$ [NC] RewriteRule ^(.*) $1? [L]
If you are writing your own rule, be sure to take the urlencoded?%2ds version into account.
Making a bad week worse, we had a bug in our bug system that toggled the private flag of a bug report to public on a comment to the bug report causing this issue to go public before we had time to test solutions to the level we would like. Please report any issues via bugs.php.net.
For source downloads of PHP 5.3.12 and PHP 5.4.2 please visit our downloads page, Windows binaries can be found on windows.php.net/download/. A ChangeLog exists.The Facts, as they present themselves #1
Mooseville Blocked Unblock Follow Following Nov 21, 2017
“There is no asbestos in the building.”
Now…
I’m not a fancy, big-city lawyer…
I’ve got little grasp of the law.
But I have been unable to find any part where negligence can be used as a defence.
The problems with the building the apartment I own? I was negligent, so it’s not my fault, so this has nothing to do with me. I don’t go to the building meetings. I don’t even open the post from the building board. I know nothing.
I have never heard of that as a viable legal excuse.
It’s a bit like
I was drunk and half asleep when I was behind the wheel of the…
I’ve spent a lot of time looking for something, anything that would allow wilful negligence as an excuse.
I keep stumbling across
which is the Latin for “ignorance of law excuses no one”. It is a legal principle holding that a person who is unaware of a law may not escape liability for violating that law merely because one was unaware of its content.
I mean, from what I hear, Peltonen, Ruokonen & Itäinen Attorneys at Law Ltd whilst they existed, were one of the most important and famous law firms in Finland in the last forty years.
I keep checking through various defence structures fo negligence, but I can’t seem to find one that says
Example:
Just shrug and claim no knowledge of the matter and say it has nothing to do with you because you did not manage your own property and deliberately ignored anything to do with it.
Besides that, you’d think, after near thirty years as an attorney, time as an auxiliary judge and a wife who is the ex-head of the bar association. That…just perhaps, wait now, remember, I’m not a fancy, big-city lawyer or anything of the sort. I mean…I can barely spell my own name.
But…
You’d think an attorney with that level of business and taxation experience, that Ignorantia juris non excusat would apply double or so to an attorney of such storied experience.
But that’s just a hunch…
I have to remember I am in a country where the law states the prosecutor may ignore breaches of law by advocates if its negligible or small. At the same time as never giving clear definition of what exactly counts as negligible or small with any definite clarity…at least, that is how it reads…to those of little law…
The facts are simple.
If Pekka Ruokonen, an auxiliary judge and ex-attorney with over thirty years experience is allowed his claim that negligence is a legal excuse for his breaking the law, where the law states a landlord is legally bound to inform a tenant of coming changes to the dwelling. Then the building is in breach of the law for failing to notify Pekka Ruokonen.
For starters…
The last asbestos test was ordered and never completed. According to the city and that was many years ago. Of course, IF they just decided to do the tests, then this is them doing them whilst people are living in the building and they are doing them as they tear the asbestos out. No one would do that, would they?
“Just leave”
This matter would be lovely if it were that easy…
Because if Pekka and co are not fighting my exit with my deposit tooth and nail.
Then when I try again to leave, Pekka Ruokonen will sue me. He will do this after refusing to furnish rent receipts to settle rent matters. In return, as per consumer law when goods are defective and receipts are refused, rent is halted with clear explanation as to why and the various laws in question. Pekka Ruokonen having stated he is refusing to cooperate with my being able to settle up rent and leave as punishment for my speaking up and back to him, will then sue for eviction and damages. That’s right, when I do try to leave peacefully, if he’s not blocking deposit discussion or refusing to settle up rent clearly, I am to be punished for complaining about Pekka Ruokonen’s fraud. What a lovely member of the judiciary we have here.
Rent receipts? What the jiggins do they mean? You might be thinking. There’s a couple of reasons for this. As Pekka had been previously asked what if any arrears there were and had given two differing answers and had failed to account for an overpayment elsewhere, this was felt necessary. It was also necessary as representatives of Vuokraturva had previously told me they do not look at my applications because I am “foreign” and as a previous landlady had said if the government ever asked if I had paid anything, she would tell them I had never paid. Rent receipts from the landlord had become rather essential.
I mean it sounds like a form of economic imprisonment…but you know…I’m not a fancy, big-city lawyer…
So…
The facts, as they present themselves…
I did not know the pipe renovations were coming. I did not know the flamenco school was coming. I never go to building meetings, I never open post from the building.
This is Pekka Ruokonen’s main defence, his negligence.
Here is audio of one of the owners, stating in Finnish, that the upcoming plumbing renovation was discussed back in the shareholders assembly in 2013. The same meeting where they decided to accept flamenco school as a tenant and decided that building would take care of some renovations for them. See below the clip for direct translation.
“And then there is this one thing I remember from that meeting, there must be a note or record of this in the meeting minutes, but one of you, younger folks asked of the upcoming plumbing renovation and these renovations (flamenco school) whether they could pay their own share of the renovations in one bunch? And the meeting chair said bluntly no and banged the table with the meeting gavel.”
2. Illegal construction
Sadly, this matter is ridiculous and a brief (ha) overview of the facts will show how ridiculous and toxic and bigoted it is.
2. ) The construction was and is illegal. This has been stated and proven. Even when threatened with the police, the XYZ building board did not follow the instructions as given to them by the city. See Fig1
Fig1.
Here the city states “illegal use of the space have caused daily constant noise disturbance to habitats in the building for over two years according to the information we have”
Fig2.
that whether the flamenco doesn’t stop completely after 10.06.2016 the department will issue a 5000e fine, and probably also report the matter to police
These comments from the city come long after the fact. Long after they were pleaded with to intervene. At the very end of the strange journey of the illegal flamenco school.
3. The confounding mystery of the asbestos
3.) No asbestos safety tests have been done. We have contacted the city, they say the last one ordered was years ago and that there is no record it was completed. We phoned the companies involved, they denied asbestos then angrily refused any asbestos tests.
It would seem if there was no asbestos, the simple matter to put public minds at rest would be to provide the tests.
Around the same time, work in the building kicked into over drive and they now work weekends. This has probably got nothing to do with anything though, right?
3B.) As a sidenote:
The illegal Flamenco School, you remember right? The one they could not decide who built, one moment it was, as Pekka Ruokonen liked to refer to him, the shady or crook Timo Hagner, next minute it was the school, no one knew who was responsible for the sound proofing. As there has been no asbestos tests, all that work and drilling the basement probably did not expose any of them to asbestos and no one should inform them. Especially as asbestos has not been known to cause ovarian cancer.
After Laura Rintamäki of the illegal Flamenco School decided to make a series of false accusations of very real crimes against us. Including but not limited to swapping roles in an encounter we had with her. The pressing desire to warn the members the members of the illegal Flamenco School, waned quite considerably.
No safety inspections and the mystery of the safety of things that do not exist.
4.) No safety inspections. Fire or otherwise. A requested proper safety inspection request will get this.
The technical property manager was sick, so they had a walk around anyway. The vent he’s talking about, did not exist, it was also a continued deliberate misunderstanding on Mikko Koskensyrjä’s part, as he was shown photos of the vent outside, the vent in question. Pretending not to understand is a key element in Koskensyrjä’s arsenal of ignoring people’s concerns about safety. This, I imagine, is risk assessment.
Mikko Koskensyrjä will stress his expertise in being able to decide city regulation health and safety. He is an insurance broker.
4B.) One of Mikko Koskensyrjä and Pekka Ruokonen’s classical tricks is to keep telling the tenants that don’t worry the matter will be fixed when the plumbing happens. This is an asshole move that means nothing, they delay any safety or upkeep for a time when the tenant will not be there. It is smug and bigoted negligence.
It is a cosmic joke; safety concerns? Oh we’ll deal with that in a year or so whenever we’re renovating. If you strain, you can almost hear Perkele laughing.
4C.) Mikko Koskensyrjä, who is not my landlord, but rather a man who injected himself into this process. A process that should have just been between my landlord and I, tells me to close my windows. You see, as a foreign national in Finland, I apparently, have no rights, this is a man telling me I am not allowed have my windows open. He has no legal basis in this, he has no legal right to.
4D.) The important here, is that they just had a walk around. No measuring equipment and some of the things they say are safe, they never saw and other things like the vent in my apartment, do not exist.
Here is Mikko Koskensyrjä doggedly continuing about the vent that does not exist. Here is Mikko Koskensyrjä stating the old building manager made off with the building’s emails. Here is Mikko Koskensyrjä calling another adult cheeky in response to safety concerns. The survey he mentions was a couple of people who had a walk around the building. A simple walk around being the most accurate and scientific method to test and measure for safety known to man and dolphin.
4E.) When Mikko Koskensyrjä reads this and his own email fragments, and a summary of the facts, Mikko Koskensyrjä will likely feel that publishing his correspondence and stating the facts is defamation. Whilst, ordinarily I would think defamation had to be false accusations, it would appear for Mikko Koskensyrjä it can simply mean, stating what he has said and done with emails to back it up. But more on that, and risk assessment, later. (to the Finnish Poliisi reading this, hey guys, sorry…I know we thought there wouldn’t be any more reading…but you know how it goes when you don’t do your job…don’t worry though, I have carefully annotated this so you have easy points of reference to make your paperwork easier 4A 3B etc. I hope that helps. Anyway, if we don’t talk before the holidays, I hope you and your families have a wonderful Christmas.)
It is however, worth noting that there is audio of Mikko Koskensyrjä stating that it is enough of a safe and scientific test as to whether a vent is disruptive to stand beside it and see if it makes noise or is unsafe. That’s science folks, that’s risk assessment.
The Tenants Rights Lawyer, Leena Partanen
5A.) We go to the tenants rights lawyer, after all, Pekka Ruokonen says everyone else is to blame and he is just an old man and the crook Hagner and the crooked negligent building board are too blame.
5B.) We are told basically to grovel to Pekka Ruokonen in an effort to get my deposit and the by law tenants rights % of rent back for apartment not as advertised and agreed. When we do this, Pekka Ruokonen immediately changes tact.
5C.) Pekka Ruokonen will come to us saying we said things to Leena Partanen that we did not. We can only assume Leena Partanen put words in our mouth. We can assure everybody this has nothing to do with the fact Leena Partanen, also an auxiliary judge, had a undisclosed conflict of interest with Pekka Ruokonen and was and is in fact his Facebook friend. Partanen, ever the consumate professional will not reveal this until much later. Maybe a year or so or more later.
I’m pretty sure that’s okay, nobody needs to declare their friendship with someone they’re pretending to decide and advise against, right?
Sound diaries
6.) So we have a matter where an illegal construction is causing immense suffering to a number of tenants. Rather than the sensible and obvious and humane thing being to investigate thoroughly on matters of health and safety.
The actual response was to go to war with the people making the complaint.
Here’s a snippet from the website of the business that employs Mikko Koskensyrjä.
The text roughly translates that Mikko Koskensyrjä leisure purpose is to promote comfort and security in housing-based housing. This is freely available on the Internet, if you are thinking of complaining about its use, then you should not put things on the internet.
In the kaleidoscope cornucopia of tactics Mikko Koskensyrjä will employ to try and make the matter go away or to stall it until the pipe renovation. There is the matter of the sound diaries.
As it happens, I have sound diaries that are actually to the minute and the day. However, Mikko Koskensyrjä will pretend he cannot read these and keep asking for them again and again. It is a good tactic, it is some solid gaslighting from a group of people well versed in the tactic.
Sound tests #1
7) Upon the request for deposit and % of rent back so that I, the tenant, Pekka Ruokonen let to fraudulently. Pekka Ruokonen will drop the put-upon-old-man act and say he disputes the matter and wishes for there to be sound tests, as he is disputing that there is disturbance.
7B.) The first set of sound tests will be called off by the engineer who will say something about his professional reputation. This is because Timo Hagner is caught going downstairs to tell the dancehall to dance a bit louder when they are being a little too quiet to be real.
All other requests for deposit, observance of tenants rights laws per % return (10–15% basic before dispute or detail) will be based on the provision of sound tests.
7C.) When we try and organise private sound tests, Jouko Räisänen, Saara Suojanen, Mikko Koskensyras and the rest of the building board will refuse them.
Refusal is the first tactic.
Other times they will just ignore all calls from the sound test companies.
It’s worth noting that basic sound tests cost close to €2,000.
After a while, mysteriously, sound test companies in Helsinki will stop returning our calls.
Soundtests #2
8.) Mysteriously, whenever we try and organise sound tests with the city or otherwise, somehow, as if, magically, they were informed, the school will not have session that day.
I have to give a wonderful big up to the dancer who stood before the closed door of the school, about forty minutes before a scheduled sound test loudly exclaiming in to her phone that she did not know classes had been cancelled that day.
8B.) Helsinki City health inspector Anne Hernesmaa will first refuse our chosen date saying as it’s the October holiday no one will be about. The school is insanely busy that weekend.
8C.) Helsinki City health inspector Anne Hernesmaa will state she is unable to read or work the illegal Flamenco School’s website.
8D.) Mysteriously, shortly afterwards, the school will put their calendar behind a password for users. I am sure this has nothing to do with anything.
8E.) On any dates organised for Helsinki City health inspector Anne Hernesmaa to attend, the school will not be in session during the time she is supposed to be there.
8F.) Helsinki City health inspector Anne Hernesmaa will state the city does not measure low frequency or vibration and suggest we go to a private testing company.
8G.) We’ll also be told that apparently, our requests for matters regarding health and safety in the apartment we rent does not fall under their jurisdiction because…
The only thing we could glean from this and its further explanations was that the apartment Pekka Ruokonen rented to exists outside of time and space. This supposes our first hypothesis that it is infact a prison located somewhere in the negative zone.
8H.) Mysteriously, someone, not us, will phone the Helsinki City Health department and cancel our whole complaint. We will never discover what kind and wonderful person did this. If you’re out there mysterious caller, good job, you’re a good person and you deserve nice things to happen to you.
Sound Tests #3
9) Eventually, a sound test will happen. There will be much haggling over the days and an owner-engineer who worked in ships and vibrations (though this will never be revealed) will “attempt” to get the day hidden from the board.
9B.) On the day the acoustic engineer is to arrive for the test, he will mysteriously have not been given anyone’s phone number and will apparently be locked outside the building. After a time waiting with no answer from anyone, the acoustic engineer or as I like to call him, The Sound Test Man, will leave and go home, foiled as he was, in his attempt to measure the illegal flamenco hall.
9C.) On the day eventually he does come (late) to test, there will be little to no dancing. Which is a complete mystery and no one can ever explain this, even with the top minds at CERN.The Northern Avenue bridge, built in 1908, is a historic structure. Any effort to demolish it requires layers of review.
When it comes to the Northern Avenue Bridge, nothing is ever simple.
Nine months after the Coast Guard said the shuttered bridge over Fort Point Channel should be “promptly” taken down for safety reasons, Mayor Martin J. Walsh’s plan to dismantle and stow the structure in East Boston is stalled in a bureaucratic morass, with everyone from historic preservationists to federal environmental regulators voicing concerns about the project.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is still considering the city’s request to take the bridge apart and ship it to a city-owned lot on the Chelsea River in East Boston for storage, while they determine whether parts of it could be reused in a new bridge over the Channel. City officials had hoped to begin work this summer, but officials at the Army Corps and the state historic preservation agency are still trading proposals, with no end in sight.
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In late June, the Boston City Council authorized $15 million for emergency repairs to the existing bridge, and to hire a designer for the new bridge.
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Still, city officials first have to figure out what to do with the old one, which has been closed to pedestrian traffic since late 2014. There have been multiple efforts over the years to fix or replace the bridge. Then, after the Coast Guard declared it a “hazard to navigation” last year, city officials asked the Army Corps for a permit to take it down.
But the bridge, built in 1908, is a historic structure. Any effort to demolish it requires layers of review.
David L. Ryan/Globe staff The US Army Corps of Engineers is still considering the city’s request to take the bridge apart and ship it to a city-owned lot on the Chelsea River in East Boston.
In May, the Massachusetts Historical Commission, which oversees historic sites in the state, told the Corps that its initial preservation plan for the bridge was “premature” and urged more detailed study.
So last month, the Corps circulated a new plan that would require the city to salvage what parts it can and ask designers to “propose ways the next bridge can honor the current span.”
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The Historical Commission is still studying that plan, spokesman Brian McNiff said. But local and national preservation groups panned it because the plan did not have firm rules on what might be preserved, or how.
“This draft [plan] is wholly inadequate,” the National Trust for Historic Preservation wrote in a letter to the Army Corps.
Meanwhile, the US Environmental Protection Agency has weighed in as well, noting that storing the old bridge on a waterfront lot could disrupt a project to bury a nearby sewer line and might also result in pollution leaching into the river.
An EPA spokeswoman said the agency has not received a response to its concerns.
Though in an industrial area, the storage lot borders a residential neighborhood and sits next to a park and playground.
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To Chris Marchi, a veteran environmental activist in East Boston, the issue is not so much the short-term plan as the possibility that rusting steel bridge parts will sit there for a long time, blocking other plans for the waterfront site, such as turning part of it into a long-desired soccer field.
“There’s a lot of concern that two years could turn into 20 quite easily,” Marchi said. “We could end up with this rotting hulk of iron on our waterfront for a long time.”
Neither the EPA nor the Mass. Historical Commission has the authority to block a demolition permit; both essentially advise the Army Corps. An agency spokesman said it is working through an agreement with the Historical Commission and will incorporate other concerns, but does not have a timeline for issuing a permit to take down the bridge.
Para Jayasinghe, the city’s lead engineer on the project, said city officials want a solution that works for everyone. But they also want to get moving.
“I think everyone is mindful of the condition of this bridge,” he said. “We are all hopeful that we can manage the situation before the situation manages us.”
Michael Tyrrell, of the group Friends of the Northern Avenue Bridge, suggested the city stabilize the bridge so it can remain in place safely, making it easier to reuse it as part of a new crossing over the Channel. That could even help lower costs for a new bridge, he said, which are estimated as high as $70 million.
But there are a lot of moving pieces, Tyrrell acknowledged, and, this being Boston, everybody wants to weigh in.
“There‘s no simple solution,” he said.
Shirley Leung of the Globe staff contributed to this report. Tim Logan can be reached at tim.logan@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter at @bytimlogan'One of the truck drivers who didn't know we were up there turned on the machine. I fell on top of it and it sucked me down'
I had seen the porcupine wood chipper shred some big logs in the 10 months I'd been working at Swanson Bark Wood Products in Longview, Washington. It's a powerful machine, but I'd never really worried about an accident before. I like industrial work – doing something physical helps pass the time. Plus, I needed a job.
In this part of the States it gets really cold in January, and this year was no different. I was working nights, so was wearing a couple of T-shirts, a sweatshirt, a hard hat, safety glasses, gloves, steel-capped boots, jeans and thermals.
It had been a regular shift. I was picking wood out of the shed and feeding it into a big container called the hopper. It has three chains at the bottom that move and pack logs into the porcupine. It makes wood products – mulch, sawdust, soil blends – for gardeners and landscapers. The porcupine itself has eight-inch spikes that spin quickly to divide the material and cut through the bark.
As I was coming back from a break at around 10.15pm, the supervisor told a co-worker and me that a log was jammed at the bottom of the hopper. This sort of thing happens quite a lot. He asked us to climb in and take care of it. The log was big, it didn't fit in all the way through the chains and was just moving back and forth, so we had to take it out. We turned off the hopper, climbed up a ladder and got inside. I was standing on a cross beam on top of the porcupine. We all thought the porcupine was on the same electrical circuit as the hopper and was safely turned off. But it was on a different circuit. Suddenly, one of the truck drivers who didn't know we were up there turned on the machine. The porcupine started spinning, I fell on top of it and it sort of sucked me down. I don't really remember what happened next – the 10 seconds where I went through the machine are all but gone from my memory – although I can remember flashes of it. The co-worker who was with me said I was screaming as it was tearing me up. It was pretty bad. I went all the way through. I don't remember feeling any pain.
When I hit the moving conveyer that comes out of the chipper, I had enough sense to swing myself off, so I wasn't moving. I was holding on to the conveyer when they shut down the machine. It was the first time I had looked down and I saw I was losing a lot of blood. I could tell from its angle that my ankle was broken, and I couldn't breathe; we didn't know it at the time, but I had a collapsed lung. While it was scary, I felt more shock than pain.
People called 911 straight away. Co-workers from other departments came over with rags to put pressure |
40 and the 88-mm antitank guns in the German Army, the Soviets have found it too heavy and badly balanced, and have issued what they consider superior antitank and field guns to replace it. Another foreign gun favored by the German is the famous 75-mm Schneider field gun, Model 1897. Many of these have been captured from various European countries, especially from France. The Germans have modified the 75-mm Schneider by fitting it with a large muzzle brake and by putting the gun on their own 50-mm antitank gun carriage. They call the result the 7.5-cm Pak 97/38. Since the French 75 lacks muzzle velocity, it cannot be regarded as a satisfactory modern antitank gun.
A second and highly important class of antitank weapons consists of antiaircraft guns employed in an antitank role. The high velocity of antiaircraft guns makes them suitable for antitank missions, and, since 1940, German designers have paid special attention to the possibility that any German antiaircraft gun may be used as a dual-purpose weapon. The smaller guns—the 20-mm 2-cm Flak 30 and 38, and the 37-mm 3.7-cm Flak 18 and 36—are now of little value in an antitank role because of their lack of power. They remain effective against lightly armored vehicles, and against the vision slits, ports, and optical apparatus of larger tanks. The newer 50-mm 5-cm Flak 41, which resembles the 37's, is not much more effective. The 88‑mm guns are notorious for their effectiveness against tanks of all sizes. These guns include the Flak 18 series (that is, the Flak 18, 36, and 37) and the Flak 41. Those in the Flak 18 series have mobile cruciform carriages with four outriggers, and are capable of effective fire with heavy projectiles at great ranges. They differ in minor details only. The Flak 41 is a somewhat similar weapon, but much more powerful, having a greatly increased muzzle velocity. Introduced in 1942, it is similar to the 8.8-cm Pak 43/41 in that its great weight renders it less mobile than would seem desirable. Fitted with a large shield, it was designed with greater consideration for antitank fire than were the guns in the Flak 18 series. The latter, as a matter of fact, usually are fitted with a special carriage and shield when they are to function primarily in an antitank role. This carriage permits a limited field of forward fire from the wheels without the necessity of emplacing the gun. A Soviet gun—the 85-mm Model 1939—has been fitted with an 88-mm liner, and is now in German service as the 8.5/8.8-cm Flak 30(r). This gun bears a general resemblance to those in the Flak 18 series, and gives a similar performance.
It is notable that, in the case of most of the guns mentioned, the Germans have made every effort to cut down on weight so as to gain tactical mobility. While the use of light metals and lighter carriages through employment of recoil-reducing muzzle brakes has been general, there has been a recent tendency to retain mobility but to increase muzzle velocity by reducing the gun-tube safety factor. This appears to have been done even in the case of such heavy weapons as the 88-mm Pak 43/41 and the Flak 41. The tendency has been especially noticeable in German adaptations of such captured weapons as the Soviet Model 1939 antiaircraft gun and the Soviet Model 1936 field gun, the chambers of which have been altered to take more powerful charges.
Another important class of antitank weapons is composed of the self-propelled antitank guns, or tank destroyers. These generally comprise modern antitank guns mounted on lightly armored tank chassis. Typical of the best of this class are the Rhinoceros (an 88 mounted on a modified tank chassis made of Pz.Kpfw. III and Pz.Kpfw. IV parts), the 75-mm 7.5-cm Pak 40 (Sf), and the 76.2-mm 7.62-cm Pak 36(r) (Sf) on the Panzerjäger II (or Marder II) chassis or the Panzerjäger 38, (or Marder III) chassis. (The terms Marder II and III refer to highly modified tank chassis of the Pz.Kpfw. II and Pz.Kpfw. 38(t), with engines moved forward so that gunners can stand on the floor of the hull. Panzerjäger is a general term referring to all highly modified chassis for German tank destroyers.) Such changes give the vehicles a lower silhouette. They represent an advance from the period 1941-42, when the Germans quickly mounted any sort of antitank weapon on any sort of chassis. Since many of the latter types of self-propelled guns are in use today, it may be said that there are as many types of German self-propelled antitank guns as there are possible combinations of guns and chassis.
One of the latest and most powerful tank destroyers is the Jagdpanther, or Panzerjäger Panther. This weapon is an 88-mm gun of late design on a Panther tank chassis, suitably modified. The gun is so well armored that there is actually hard to distinguish the Jagdpanther from an assault gun.
German assault guns now must be listed as a class of available antitank weapons, although their primary mission is direct infantry support. The most common type of assault gun is the long 75-mm gun with muzzle brake, mounted on a Pz.Kpfw. III chassis. This type is known as the 7.5-cm Sturmgeschütz 40. A big assault gun formerly called the "Ferdinand," but now known as the "Elephant," mounts an 88. It is thought that production of this heavy 70-ton vehicle may have been discontinued. German assault guns of the types mentioned have guns mounted in low armored boxes, instead of in turrets. Fire is only to the front, with very limited traverse. Armor is weak on the rear and top.
German development of the hollow-charge shell, which began as early as 1938, has permitted employment of all low-velocity infantry howitzers and field artillery in emergency antitank roles. The principle of the hollow charge is well known. Low-velocity weapons merely have to throw their hollow-charge projectiles against an armor surface. On striking the armor, the light streamlined cap of the shell is crushed. The explosive then exerts a concentrated force against a small area of the armor. The concentrated blast which results is intended to effect a penetration of the tank armor.
Hollow-charge shells have been furnished for standard infantry guns and artillery of German divisions of all types—in particular, the 75-mm and 150-mm infantry howitzers, the 105-mm and 150-mm field howitzers, and the 105-mm guns.
Since many antitank guns of obsolete models still are in service, the Germans have introduced the stick bomb, another development of the hollow charge, in an effort to make the most of such equipment. Stick bombs consist of very large charges mounted on a spigot. The spigot is inserted in the gun muzzle, and the whole is propelled by firing a special blank round. Stick bombs are furnished for the 3.7-cm Pak, 15-cm s. I.G. 33, and the French Model 1937 47-mm antitank gun. Such bombs have short range and limited accuracy. The French 47, for instance, fires its stick bomb at ranges of from 200 to 275 yards only.
A most important class of antitank weapons was almost completely neglected until Germany invaded the Soviets. Only then, apparently, did the German High Command become seriously interested in the effectiveness of close-combat antitank weapons and techniques. The Germans were in such a hurry to introduce this type of warfare that the first German manuals on the subject hardly bothered to change the Soviet drawings that they copied. As a result, German soldiers studying antitank close combat were treated to illustrations which showed Soviet troops successfully demolishing Pz.Kpfw. I's with all varieties of close-combat weapons.
Prior to the Russian campaign, the Germans had issued a company antitank weapon—the 7.9-mm antitank rifle. But after the Russian campaign had got under way, the Germans began to convert this weapon into a grenade launcher which could fire hollow-charge antitank grenades.
Readers of the Intelligence Bulletin already are familiar with the simpler devices used in close antitank combat—Molotov cocktails, bottles of phosphorus, sliding and hand-thrown mines, magnetic hollow charges, sticky bombs, and weapons of a similar nature. Readers also are familiar with such weapons as the antitank hollow-charge grenade which can be launched from the standard rifle, and with the signal pistol fitted to fire hollow charges. However, the non-recoil weapons of the bazooka type—a most important group—have not yet been discussed.
Of this group the first weapon to be adopted was a frank copy of the bazooka. The larger German version is called the 8.8-cm Raketenpanzerbüchse 43, or Ofenrohr (stovepipe) for short. Sometimes it is called the Panzerschreck—(tank terror). The Ofenrohr fires an 88-mm hollow-charge projectile weighing 7 pounds. The maximum range is about 165 yards. The Ofenrohr is clumsier than the bazooka, and is reputed to be less accurate.
The Püppchen ("Dolly"), a carriage-mounted rocket launcher with breechblock also fires the 88-mm rocket. Although the Püppchen has wheels, the gun can be fired from little sleighs to achieve a very low silhouette. While the Püppchen, has a range of 770 yards, is very lightly built, and is likely to smash up when towed by motor vehicles.
The great majority of the non-recoil weapons are devices known as Panzerfaust. There are three of these—the little Panzerfaust klein 30 (formerly the Faustpatrone I), the Panzerfaust 30 (formerly the Faustpatrone II), and the Panzerfaust 60. The little Panzerfaust is called Gretchen for short, while the 30 is known simply as Panzerfäuste. The tubes are similar, and have a sight and firing mechanism. They are 1 3/4 inches in diameter and 2 feet, 7 1/2 inches long. The projectiles are very large hollow charges. The charge for the Gretchen weighs 3 pounds, 4 ounces; that for the Panzerfaust weighs 6 pounds 14 ounces. Each is mounted on a wooden tail rod fitted with spring-steel vanes. These vanes wrap around the rod when the rod is inserted in the muzzle of the launching tube, and spring out to guide the projectile after firing. The tubes are expendable, and contain the propelling charge fired by percussion. The range is very limited, and is indicated by the designation (30 means 30 meters range, or 33 yards; 60, 66 yards). The operator must take cover after discharging a projectile. Also, he must wear a helmet as protection against a rain of fragments and debris, keep his eyes closed, and keep the front edge of his helmet against the ground. The jet of flame to the rear is fatal up to 10 feet; the operator must take this into account when firing, and make sure that no walls or other obstacles will block the jet. The tubes are held under the right arm. The left hand supports the front of the tube, while the right hand is free to pull out the safety pin, cock the striker, and press the release button. Sighting is effected by aligning the top of the sight and the top edge of the projectile. To date, all the Panzerfäuste have proved dangerous to the user. It is believed that every effort will be made to improve them—especially with regard to increasing the range. Armor penetration is good; the Germans claim as much as 7.9 inches for the Panzerfaust 30. It is estimated that actual penetration is around 6 inches.
Since Allied airpower has curtailed the mobility of German antitank guns, the Germans have been compelled to place great stress on the Ofenrohr and the Faustpatrone. Large quantities of these have been issued. The Ofenrohr is chiefly a regimental antitank company weapon, but the Faustpatronne is furnished on a generous scale to each rifle company. Reports from the field indicate that the Faustpatrone has been especially well liked by German soldiers.
An even more recent development is the Panzerwurfmine. This is a hand-thrown hollow charge; it is similar in size and shape to the Faustpatrone projectiles, except that its vanes are made of cloth.Future Technology
Where’s the future? If we were to judge the 2000s based on the depictions in the books and movies, we are yet to live up to our reputation as the generation of the future. Where are all those flying cars and personal robots? Where are the floating cities? Far, far away it seems.
You may call it over enthusiasm, but weren’t we told decades ago, that we could have all these things in the future? It was as far back as 1967 that a book, “Here Comes Tomorrow!” predicted several new technologies by the twenty-first century, including flying cars and manned Mars landing. In the mid-twentieth century, most of the science fiction novels and films showed flying cars by the twenty-first century. Where are they?
Remember the Jetsons? They lived in Skypad apartments and George commuted to work in a flying car that looked like a flying saucer, and all he had to do at work is press a computer button. A robot maid took care of the housekeeping. Despite having all those comforts, they still complained of hard labor.
What about us? Here we are, in 2010, still using a car or a public transport system to get to work. Forget about flying cars, the traffic on the roads makes it slower for us to get from one place to another. Our lifestyles have become so hectic that we are in desperate need of such technology to help make life easier for us.
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Well, people did make robots that do the household work. But they remain nothing but overly expensive and useless toys.
The wish list is something like this – Replicators, Flying Cars, Transporters, Self-healing objects, Invisible men, etc.
Well! What’s happening with the future technology? We can live no longer without any of these….
A dream-come-true!
Think about this: a machine with the ability to replicate an inanimate object from nothing. Our 20th century minds can think of larger implications to a replicator; from tackling world hunger to fuel problems. Make a replicator like the one in Star Trek for every home, and no one will ever be hungry! Worried about water shortage? That’s what the replicator’s here for.
The food replicator in Star Trek stored 3D scans of the molecular structure of drinks and food. Whenever needed, it assembled individual molecules into food within seconds. If only we were as lucky as Jean-Luc Picard of Starship Enterprise.
Such technology may be beyond our comprehension at the moment, but a NASA study is looking at creating a more viable option – a compact cooking machine with the capacity to create a variety of foods using just a few space-friendly ingredients. For example, our astronauts could request a chocolate trifle on the computer. That request would then be translated into a series of mathematical instructions for the food processor, which will use unconventional ingredients to mix, heat and cool, to come up with a dessert that looks and tastes exactly like a chocolate trifle. This technology is something that’s expected to be of use to us earthlings too, by evolving recipes that we could all enjoy. Perhaps the food replicators of the future will not only understand speech but will read our minds too.
A group of scientists have also invented a way for robots to self-replicate. This advanced technology may in the future allow robots to repair themselves or self-heal; especially on robot-only space missions where there are no humans to repair them. A frightening scenario of replicating robots is that of robots going out of control and taking over the world. But scientists say that these robots were programmed to stop after replication of two generations. This was done just to show that that concept of replication works, and scientists ensured there are several constraints in place to ensure things don’t go out of hand.
But what if replication technologies are used with computer viruses? Replicators suddenly sound scary, don’t they?
Highways in the air!
If only we had highways in the air! Flying cars could solve our problem of dealing with dug-up roads and heavy traffic. We will no longer have to worry about potholes. If you’re worried about parking spaces in the sky, just remember George Jetson’s car – How it used to transform into a briefcase.
But if you don’t happen to enjoy driving (flying a car, in this case), you could always use a transporter to “beam” you wherever you want to within a second.
Looks like we don’t have to wait too long to see a flying car, or at least something similar. The Department of Defense has just given the go-ahead for a flying car.
Knowledge without learning!
We gain knowledge over a period of years. Beginning with school and going to college, it takes many years to learn and store everything in our brains. How about the ability to learn whatever you wish to in a single day? One fine day, you fancy learning how to fly a plane and on another day you’d like to learn how to make chocolate truffle. Why bother with all those tension-filled flying classes and failures with chocolate truffle?
All you got to do is plug your brain to your computer and program flying and cooking classes into your brain! Kids will love this, as they no longer need to lug their heavy bags around. And the best part is – no exams! The Borg is just around the corner!
If you think all this is just fiction and limited to The Matrix, look around you. Look at all those implants being inserted into our brains to bring back eyesight or hearing. There are implants connected to your brain, to bring movement to an artificial limb. In 2009, a neurologist at the Mayo Clinic, Jerry Shih, enabled patients with implanted chips to type words by just focusing on the desired letters.
This would have been just science fiction a few years back. But this is just the beginning and we may soon have implants of tiny chips into the brain to learn. How’s that for a technological breakthrough?
Self-healing at its best!
This is a no-brainer for someone who keeps dropping their mobile phone. The screen gets cracked and you run around to get it fixed or worse still, get a new phone. If you’re honest, It hurts when your new phone bites the dust.
Imagine, if your mobile had the technology to heal itself. It’s not just about being hurt but also affordability. Imagine the amount of money that can be saved if the objects we buy have the power to self-heal and last years and years. In this economy, “getting bored” with something is acceptable.
Who’s behind the invisibility cloak?
H.G. Wells published a science fiction novel in 1897, titled The Invisible Man, and added to our growing wish-list – an invisibility cloak.
Some of the futuristic creatures on “Star Trek” could do it, and so can Harry Potter. All kids are influenced by movies like The Invisible Man, Predator and the more recent Harry Potter.
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It’s no wonder that each one of us wants to get our hands on one. Wouldn’t you want to be invisible and scare that girl you hate so much? How I always wished I could take a sneak peak at the question papers before the exams. Imagine the pranks you could pull at school or at work on your horrible boss.
Despite knowing that such technology has the potential to cause more harm than good, we still want it. A prototype of the world’s first invisibility cloak was created in 2006, using engineered materials (metamaterials), which are materials that don’t exist naturally.
Scientists across the globe are making progress with experiments on making things invisible. A recent development is that of a three dimensional invisibility cloak.
Scientists say that in principle it is not entirely impossible to make things completely invisible, but such technology remains far off and it may take years before they perfect it.
Although, these technologies may seem too far-fetched at the moment, and no one can predict the future, there are reasonable arguments that can be made, based on the advances of technology in the past. For instance, it is reasonable to predict that the invisibility cloaks and objects that heal themselves may become a possibility in the future.
As you read this, some of the technologies are actually being worked upon. Work is in progress to create materials that can fill out the cracks in objects, with the end goal of creating objects that can actually fix themselves. As we’ve seen above, scientists are busy working on the creation of invisibility cloaks.
These technological marvels may not be perfected in 2010, but the next decade might actually be the one where the future begins to live up to our expectations.
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Imagine a scenario where by the end of the century, humanity will no longer have the power it has today. The day-to-day world affairs will be carried out by ultra-intelligent machines, ultra-fast robots and other digital entities.
Here’s an interesting take by Fast Future Research on what you might be doing in the next 20 years, as a result of technological advances.
Tags: flying cars, future technology, technologyBIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- A 7-year-old girl discovered her mother's body and the body of a male shot to death Friday morning at a house in west Birmingham, and alerted her neighbors, who contacted Birmingham police, according to a witness on the scene.
Darnetta Smith said her younger sister, Sharday Ware was one of the victims. She said Sharday was 27 and "had a pure heart of gold."
[ Update 4/28/2014: The victims have been identified. The male victim, whose identify was not released Friday, is Dekova Jemille Harris. Birmingham Police Chief A.C. Roper said that investigators have received information about drug activity at the location of the murders. Investigators are still seeking information about the murders. ]
Police said a neighbor called about 10 a.m. and alerted law enforcement to the bodies. When police arrived on the scene in the 1300 block of 57th Place Ensley, they discovered a male victim and a female victim.
At this time the bodies have been removed from the house, but the cause of death is unknown. The girl who discovered the bodies has been taken downtown to police headquarters.
"She's going to be old enough to remember this, that's the sad part about it" Darnetta Smith, in tears, said of her 7-year-old niece. "I hate she's going to grow up like this."
Asked if she knew any reason that something would happen to her sister, Smith said "I have no clue."
Cindy Williams said she is the grandmother of the 7-year-old, and normally picks her up to take her to school. She called this morning to pick her up, but the calls kept going to voice-mail.
Investigators were canvassing the neighborhood this afternoon looking for information and witnesses. Anyone who knows anything about the situation should call Crimestoppers at 254-7777.
Headline updated for clarity at 2:10 p.m. and with more information at 2:25.
Updated at 5:05 p.m. to show that victims were shot to death.
Corrected Sharday Smith's name to Sharday Ware.Unfortunately, it's not clear how soon Windows in the Car might reach shipping vehicles, if at all. The crew in Redmond is testing code inside real cars and is comfortable with showing it to the public (see the source link's video at the 27-minute mark), so it's not just a pie-in-the-sky vision. However, the company also hasn't estimated availability or named car manufacturers that might be interested. While companies are working on MirrorLink-ready cars (Citroen, Honda, Toyota and VW) and head units (Alpine and Pioneer), that doesn't mean that you'll be controlling your Lumia with them as soon as they hit the streets. Given that CarPlay vehicles won't be available until later this year, it won't be surprising if any Windows in the Car implementations arrive sometime after that.Trouble brews for AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan, as woman files complaint of molestation against him at the Jamia Nagar Police Station. The woman who is Khan's brother-in-law's wife has alleged that he has been harassing her for the last four years.
The police have booked both Amanatullah and his brother-in-law in connection with the case. The complainant alleged that Amanatullah used to pressurise her to have sexual relations with him. She also alleged that she was frequently tortured by her in-laws demanding dowry.
Furthermore the woman has also alleged that her husband too forced her to have sexual relations with his brother-in-law Amanatullah. Following the compliant, the police have begun investigations into the allegations made by the woman.
It seems, more trouble is in store for the Aam Aadmi Party with Khan becoming another MLA booked for sexual harassment. The incident came to light barely few hours after Khan sent a letter to Arvind Kejriwal expressing his wish to quit from the party. He had asked the CM to relieve him from all posts in the AAP.
Also read: AAP MLA Amanatullah Khan's police custody extended
Khan cited that he was tired of giving clarifications on various allegations levelled against him. In his letter to the chief minister, Khan wrote that he served Delhi people with full dedication since the day he was elected.
KHAN OUTRAGED OVER CLARIFICATIONS
"I exposed several corruptions of the previous government after I became the chairman of Delhi Waqf Board. But some people are not liking my honesty and spirit of service as they are framing me and my family in fake cases," Khan said in the letter.
Khan was made the Chairman of Delhi Waqf Board in March. Recently Khan was said to have been involved in an alleged recruitment scam in the Waqf Board where the Anti-Corruption Branch (ACB) has launched a "preliminary inquiry" against him.
Also read: Amanatullah Khan becomes AAP's 10th legislator to be arrested
Although several reports are doing the rounds that Khan has resigned, there has been no formal declaration from the party accepting his resignation. Sources said that the opposition is likely to use the issue in its tirade against AAP.
"I am not shocked at all. We can expect the worse of the worse from Aam Aadmi Party MLAs. Party seems to be rotten to the core. These are very serious charges. AAP instead of blaming others, must take responsibility, take stock and charge, come clean,"said BJP leader Shazia Ilmi.
She added that Delhi elections focussed on safety of women, however, the present situation was deplorable.
Also read: Court rejects Amanatullah Khan's bail plea, sends him to one day police custody
Watch video here:LAHORE: Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan announced on Saturday to hold a sit-in in front of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in Islamabad if its members do not tender their resignations by October 4.
Imran Khan, who was addressing a public gathering after chairing a party meeting in Lahore, said “there was no justification for the ECP members to hold their posts after 21 political parties had claimed that rigging took place during the 2013 elections".
"We will stage a sit-in on October 4 infront of the ECP's office in Islamabad if the current members do not resign from their posts," said Imran Khan.
Imran on the occasion, invited all his party activists and supporters to join the planned sit-in.
Read: Imran Khan says will come out on streets against ECP
The high-level party meeting was held in Lahore to decide the future course of action and policies regarding the upcoming by-polls in the constituencies where elections tribunals have ruled in favour of PTI.
"For the upcoming by-polls, we will install cameras in every polling station and will train our polling staff to ensure a free and fair election," said Imran while referring to the upcoming by-polls.
“Jehangir Tareen will contest the polls from Lodhran, and from Lahore we will field Shoaib Siddiqui and Aleem Khan," added Imran.
"We do not have any faith in the current members and officials of the ECP as they are PML-N's B team," stated Imran.
Referring to the elections held in 2013, Imran said “We contested the elections as for the first time in Pakistan there was an independent judiciary."
He added that his political party would not have taken to the streets if their earlier demand of opening four constituencies had been entertained by then chief justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry.
“After the judiciary under Iftikhar Chaudhry refused to open the four constituencies, it became clear to us that everyone was involved in the rigging,” stated Imran.
Also read: ECP provincial officials have no moral standing left and should resign: Imran
“I had asked for only for four constituencies, and I knew that they would not have obliged me as they were protecting those who had rigged the elections,” added Imran.
Imran Khan speaks to his supporters in Lahore. -DawnNews screengrab
Imran Khan also said that he respects Justice Nasirul Mulk, as he constituted a free and fair Judicial Commission, and that he accepted the report issued by the commission which claimed that there were 'illegalities and malpractices' during the 2013 elections.
Earlier this week, Imran Khan had warned all members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to transparently answer the questions he raised or he will take to the streets once again.
He had criticised the reply he had earlier received from the body over a letter he had sent questioning its shortcomings in light of the Judicial Commission report, Khan said it was his right to pose questions not only as a Pakistani but also as the chairman of a major political party.
Last week, while addressing a press conference, Imran Khan had said that the ECP provincial officials have no legal or moral standing left and they should immediately resign.
He had also stated that the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) chairman should also tender his resignation as he was part of covering-up the rigging that took place in the general elections of 2013.
Further reading: Imran confident of more decisions against PML-N soon
The ECP on August 22 had de-notified National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq after receiving a copy of the decision announced by Punjab election commission's tribunal.
DawnNews report.
National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq had defeated PTI Chairman Imran Khan in the 2013 general elections from NA-122 after which PTI had challenged the results.
Imran, earlier in July had accepted the judicial commission's report, which was constituted to probe alleged rigging during the general elections of 2013.There is a chance that by 2019, pitchers Yusei Kikuchi and Shohei Otani could both be major leaguers. In 2009, MLB scouts flocked to Hanamaki Higashi High School, in Iwate Prefecture, to flirt with Kikuchi, a fire-balling lefty, before returning a few years later to put a full-court press on Otani.
Both ended up staying in Japan, Kikuchi being drafted by the Seibu Lions in 2009 and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters making a bold bid for Otani in 2012. The MLB rumblings have come back this offseason, as reports have both possibly making the move in the near future.
No one questions Otani’s credentials, which, to the chagrin of opposing batters and pitchers alike, have been readily on display.
Kikuchi, who will begin his seventh ichi-gun season in 2017, however, remains more of a mystery. Did he at long last turn the corner in 2016, or was it fool’s gold? If he harbors MLB ambitions, he might have to provide the answer very soon.
Reports last week suggested the Lions could make the pitcher available to MLB clubs after the 2018 season, provided he puts together good numbers over the next two years. He’s set a goal for himself of reaching double-digits victories in 2017 and ’18.
Just reaching double digits isn’t an incredibly ambitious goal for a pitcher of Kikuchi’s talent. Not to mention that with what might again be a potent offense supporting him, Kikuchi should be able to reach at least 10 wins by just not being awful. Then again, the reality is that last year, when he won a team-high 12, was the only season he’s reached double figures.
So is 2017 the year the real Kikuchi stands up? It will certainly be the year he has the most to prove to Lions fans, and the first step on a possible path to the majors.
Success likely won’t be just a ten-win season. That isn’t to decry the value of reaching double-digits, but his other numbers and overall performance have to be up to par. Otani can get away with a 10-win year, because he is so overpowering in other areas. Kikuchi is trying to get there.
There is no denying he has the talent. In 2016, he was 12-7 with a 2.58 ERA in 22 starts. He struck out 127 in 143 innings and ended the year with 1.29 walks plus hits per innings pitched.
He was the hardest-throwing lefty in Japan, with a fastball averaging 147.2 kph (according to numbers compiled by Baseball Times), trailing only right-handers Otani (154.7), Shintaro Fujinami (149.5) and Anthony Bass (147.4) among all pitchers. Batters with runners in scoring position hit just.202 against him, fifth best in the Pacific League.
The Lions scoring 4.97 runs per game for him (per Baseball Times), second only to 6.11 in Shinsaburo Tawata’s 18 starts, helped in the wins column. But Kikuchi, who had a 3.29 fielding independent pitching average, also simply had a good year. He mixed his pitches better, increasing his slider usage and throwing his curveball into the mix more often, in addition to the hard stuff and a changeup.
Kikuchi has come to a crossroads, and the chance to pitch in North America that he passed up years ago may be coming back around. Unlike Otani, he still has a lot to prove in Japan. Kikuchi has enough skill to stand with the elite, he just needs to produce now. The Lions will certainly need him to with former ace Takayuki Kishi now with the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles.
As for the future, a hard-throwing lefty will usually find willing suitors, but Kikuchi may need to prove, to fans and perhaps himself, that he can stay afloat in NPB before diving into MLB’s depths.WildFire is the East Coast's premier spinning and fire arts training camp. Our mission is to spread the spinning arts and build community among spinning artists.
Each of our events offers a diverse selection of classes on poi, hoop, dance, teaching, safety, business, performance, drumming... and so much more. Situated on a picturesque CT campground, you will enjoy this "camping" style retreat, where all meals and hot showers are provided. WildFire is the perfect spot for you to share, grow, discover, and learn with our spinning and fire arts community.
With a "participation-based" philosophy, this event is for both established spinners and aspiring beginners.
Each gathering begins on Friday afternoon, at 3pm and last through Monday, at 2pm. Tickets prices includes classes, your own safety blanket, access to a beautiful burn field with fuel, bathrooms & hot showers. We ask that you give us the gift of your volunteering some time to allow so that the prices stay low. Three great meals a day are also provided, with vegan/vegetarian and allergy-sensitive options available!What made you first want to explore the subject?
Growing up in Japan as a girl was a confusing experience for me. I was a very clumsy girl and whenever I wasn’t acting cute, it was taken as a sign of defiance. I left Japan at 26, and began to understand things didn’t have to be that way for me. So I decided not to return.
A few years ago, when I became aware of the phenomenon called idols during my visits back home, it felt like it had something to do with what made me uncomfortable about being a woman in Japan and I wanted to explore it.
How long did it take to get the film off the ground?
About one year
What were you most surprised to learn in the course of production?
Initially, our idea was to follow a few aspiring idol singers. I also thought that I could sympathise and identify more easily with the girls as I was once a girl in Japan. And I didn’t want to have much to do with the fans even though they are the same generation. I had all sorts of preconceptions about middle-aged men who fantasize about teenage girls.
The film ended up becoming as much about their fans - the men who have become increasingly disconnected from women of their age and shy away from real relationships. Making this film really forced me to look at our generation and what we have gone through in post-bubble Japan. While I don't condone their behavior, I now have a deeper understanding for why they act or think the way they do.
What was the most difficult part of the story to tell?
To find the balance between the inside and outside perspectives. We wanted to have a critical look without judging negatively from a western point of view. It was surprising |
Since this is the choice genre/feel for many singer/songwriters, the groove becomes secondary to the song which unfortunate because a poor groove will kill a great song. While every song presents its own unique pocket, there are general guidelines I try to start with when I'm playing a medium tempo rock song.
If its a straight feel (no triplets, not a lot of anticipated notes) I generally try to play rhythms right on top of the beat... maybe just ever so slightly behind so that I'm on the safe side. Leads or riffs tend to be on or behind in the pocket. Pushing with a solo over a medium tempo number always makes me want to get out of my chair and walk around nervously looking for something else to occupy my mind. Regardless of whether I feel the drummer pushing or pulling the groove, I tend to think a little behind the beat with my strummed acoustic guitar because I find that if I don't, I end up rushing to the point of severe discomfort to my ears.
If the song has a swing feel, I always think behind the beat as a rhythm player. A lot of the time, I'm playing clean riff-laden chord type material over this type of groove and it feels much better when played slightly behind the beat. I shoot for my leads to generally pull back but have very precise "on-the-beat" moments... hitting right with the snare and cymbal crashes. There's also some flexibility to push your solos along with an aggressive drum fill to add to the tension, but you have to be careful.
The beauty, fun and challenge of determining the pocket that is best for the overall groove of the song is that it truly is as unique as creating the song itself. These generalities are a GREAT place to start, but it’s your refined groove consciousness that's going to help you identify how you need to drive or pull back in any given situation. As both a rhythm and lead player, your role in the groove should ALWAYS be at the forefront of your mind when playing with others, just as much as any note choice, lick or lyric. More than anything else, its what separates "just okay but kinda awkward" players from, really good ones!
It should also be on your mind as you're practicing. If you can, practice to a drum machine instead of a click track because you can practice pushing or pulling back while listening to the interaction between the different drum parts, even if they are programmed. Using backing tracks for rhythm playing is often overlooked. We're used playing solos and developing melodies or partaking in gymnastics! This is great, but keep in mind that for most players, you're holding down a rhythm part for most of each song. Take some time to develop rhythm lines over backing tracks. In many cases, you can use the same tracks you use for your leads.
You can develop your groove conscience simply by listening to music as well. The next time you've got your music player on for a car ride or trip, try to feel out where each instrument is playing in the groove. Think in terms like "just ahead" or "just behind" the beat. When it comes time to play for yourself, your listening will pay off because you can compare the grooves you are playing to some of the grooves you've likely listened to recently.
You can listen to great grooves all day, and you can practice till your blue in the face with backing tracks, drum machines and click tracks, but nothing helps you develop a great sense of pocket better than regularly jamming with a drummer who understands how to groove. If he/she knows when to pull time with the snare or drive the kick, you'll get to FEEL exactly what this whole article has been talking about and it'll knock you upside the face. It's a great feeling and it will cause you to drastically step up your game as a rhythm player.
-Pick 3 songs to learn -- one from each of the three 'feels' discussed above.
-Listen to them together and discuss what you hear each part doing within the groove.
-Identify a metronome tempo and leave it on the whole time you're playing.
-Practice it up, and then record what you've created.
-Listen back to it and compare your groove to the feel of the original song. Identify differences. You may have done something even cooler than the original as you were feeling the song out together. Or maybe you're floppy! Given what's been discussed here, try to identify why. Who is pushing too much and where? Should the snare really pull back as much as it is? Are you rushing your acoustic guitar playing? Is your fast run too behind the beat? Are you leaving enough space in the slower number... Playing around with the pocket to create emotional moments?
Here's a great exercise to do with your drummer:
If you can't find a GOOD drummer to regularly play with, sequenced drums WITH groove built in to them work well - not NEARLY as cool as playing with the real thing, but better than playing to a perfectly robotic drum part or metronome. Software programs such as Toontrack's EZ Drummer are great because you can zoom in and examine the midi information to see exactly what the groove is doing. In other words, you can actually look at the midi track and see that snare is consistently slightly off the beat and if it is pushing or pulling. You can look at each part of the kit and identify what the drummer who recorded the loop was doing to create that groove. This is a great drill in and of itself if you have the option to do it.
Yes, I have spent quite of bit of your time analyzing drum playing and just told you to find a great drummer, but a good sense of groove also needs to be present when you're playing solo or with a couple of other guitarists. If you've ever sat around in a circle and played a bunch of songs together with acoustic guitars, it becomes very obvious who's got groove and who doesn't.
Grab your acoustic guitar and your click track and lay down a rhythm groove. Strum it up! Be the percussion, the bass line and the texture. Focus on how you're attacking the strings, where you're putting your accents, which strings your emphasizing, use palm muting and string muting etc... Then listen back with and without the click track. If you haven't done a lot of 'by yourself' rhythm playing, you may find that you are quite floppy. That's okay; the first step is hearing it! You can then begin the process of developing a good internal groove machine that is built in to your playing.
You won't always want to play with a click if you're performing or practicing songs and/or grooves by yourself. Starting out with it and regularly going back to it will help give you a consistent anchor point so that you make sure you're not speeding way up by constantly pushing the beat, or slowing to painful crawl on a slower, meditative number. When I'm practicing to play as a one-man act, I'll choose tempos, give the metronome a listen for a couple bars, then turn it off, play the song and then turn it on again at the end to see where I ended up. If I end up way faster, I try to think more behind the beat the next time I play the song. I use a similar process to correct for chronically slowing down a particular piece.
If you can regularly learn to tap your foot for a whole song while you play, you'll develop a better groove more consistently and in less time. Tapping your foot gives you a built in "sub-divider checker." So, if you're going to add some triplets in to your strumming over an otherwise straight groove, you've GOT to have a rhythmic anchor or you're going to sound quite silly. Also, if you've got that 'tap' going, you'll be less likely to drastically speed up or slow down with appropriate and organic changes in dynamics. Standalone performers who use their body to help them groove always seem to have a better feel to their songs.
Admittedly, I've stuck to discussing different types of Rock or Blues grooves. Once you get in to stuff like up-tempo jazz and Afro-Cuban style grooves, there's even more fun! If you're primary genre isn't Rock or Blues, take some of these tips and listen for what's happening in your primary genre, and if it hasn't already happened for you, let your quest for consistent grooves begin! Once you start its a great and never ending journey of learning and applying!Ms. Francik, 27, a Harvard graduate from the Baltimore suburb of Cockeysville, had heard from friends who had gone to law school that their most valuable experience came from handling real cases in a clinic, she said in a recent telephone interview. She signed up and soon found herself engrossed, taking the unusual step of staying on for the spring semester as well.
“I almost moved into the clinic building for Mr. Norris’s case,” Ms. Francik said. “I couldn’t wait to get to the clinic building in the morning and start working.”
Working closely with two lawyers at the clinic, Ms. Francik prepared 182 pages of legal and personal material to support Mr. Norris’s clemency application. Her enthusiasm and confidence during their one face-to-face meeting at Morgantown, in November, along with phone calls and numerous letters, so encouraged Mr. Norris that he began sewing the leather bag he hoped to carry out of prison.
His application was submitted in mid-February, joining thousands of others from inmates nationwide. They were evaluated by Department of Justice lawyers, who recommended top candidates for White House officials to cull. Mr. Obama reviewed data on each finalist, a White House spokesman said, before using his constitutional authority to commute their sentences.
In the early afternoon of March 31, a White House lawyer called the clinic to say that Mr. Norris had become one of 22 people who would be getting letters of congratulations from Mr. Obama. Ms. Francik received a text and bolted from her class — Professional Responsibility — to join the phone call alerting Mr. Norris, who naturally was in Morgantown’s law library. He burst into tears.
“I’m not going to die in prison,” he recalled saying as he cried once more. “I’m on my way home.”
Mr. Norris spent the three-month wait for his release making sure he did nothing to jeopardize his good fortune. (Although most inmates were happy for him, a few resented his special treatment and tried to provoke altercations, he said.) On the morning he left for good, he told a crowd of hundreds of inmates seeing him off: “I’m not better than you. I just had to grow up.”
Getting Started
Walking toward his family in the parking lot, Mr. Norris wore heavy gray sweatpants and heavier gray whiskers, some pounds having migrated from his barrel chest to his belly, but still with the muscular shoulders of his distant youth. (His brother-in-law remarked, “Man, he looks good.”) Mr. Norris’s younger son, Raymond, who could not travel to the reunion from New Mexico, received Mr. Norris’s first phone call and a promise: “It’ll be my last game of basketball — I’m going to show you what Daddy’s got left and then retire.”Former Vice President Al Gore’s visit to Portland today and tomorrow has prompted some Nobel Peace Prize thoughts, and in Oregon the idea of nominating a Northwesterner. The prospect shot around the Portland-area Linux circles (drawing some debate as well as approval as it did), starting with this email from Keith Lofstrom:
Since the Nobel Peace Prize is often given to politicians, some disagree with the choices. But it is often given to non-politicians who create international efforts to change the world for the better.
Look at the massive international efforts represented by SC09, and realize that much of it started from the work of a 21[-year-old] Finnish college student named after 1962 Nobel Peace Prize winner Linus Pauling. It would be fitting to honor that international effort by giving a Peace Prize to Linus Torvalds, perhaps in 2011 on the 20th anniversary of the August 1991 Linux announcement, or in 2012 on the 50th anniversary of Pauling’s award.
Linux is one of the largest cooperative international efforts ever undertaken. It inspired Ubuntu, One Laptop Per Child, and many other global projects. Linux conquered the supercomputer space, the server space, the embedded computer space – by peaceful means! Linux helped sequence the human genome, helps protect the world computer infrastructure from viral attack, and is now the pathway for millions to learn computer programming and participate in new international efforts.
The 2007 Nobel Peace Prize recipient (a politician some disagree with, please disagree in a different thread, thanks) is giving the keynote to SC09 as I write this. Meaning that we are all three handshakes away from the people that decide on future Peace Prizes. Perhaps it is time to launch some messages through our connections and see what makes it to the committee meetings in Oslo.
According to the list on Wikipedia, the five people to convince are Thorbjørn Jagland (chair), Kaci Kullmann Five (deputy chair), Sissel Rønbeck, Inger-Marie Ytterhorn, and Ågot Valle. We can start by sending them Norsk language Ubuntu disks.
While I imagine Linus Torvalds would be embarrassed by the attention, it would sure make his parents happy. And it would mean one less Peace Prize for a politician.In the hours after the 2014 Mount Polley mine disaster, authorities were already concerned laws had been broken and the premier’s office was worried fallout from the tailing pond breach would “get in the way” of other planned mines, documents provided to The Tyee reveal.
Announcements, Events & more from Tyee and select partners ‘Punch to the Gut’ Musical on Residential Schools Returns to Vancouver Children of God has been shaped by intense audience reactions, says director Corey Payette.
Almost three years after the disaster, and weeks away from a deadline to lay charges under B.C.’s environment act, no charges have been laid and no fines levied.
The government’s initial reaction to the dam’s collapse is revealed in hundreds of pages of emails and other communications obtained through a freedom of information request and provided to The Tyee by Jessica Ross, an independent researcher and member of the BC Freedom of Information and Privacy Association.
Ross said she filed the FOI request almost three years ago and only received the documents July 4.
An email exchange between Staff Sgt. Kelly Dahl of the province’s Conservation Officer Service major investigations unit and Sgt. Richard Lebeuf of the Williams Lake RCMP documents raised concerns laws had been broken.
“From the Ministry of Environment's perspective — It appears there are several possible violations of environmental legislation that may have occurred related to this event,” Dahl wrote. He also expressed concern the federal Fisheries Act may have been broken.
Meanwhile, as officials assessed the damage done, some government staff were working to manage public reaction to the spill.
Premier Christy Clark’s then deputy chief of staff Michele Cadario raised concerns other proposed mine developments could be slowed by the disaster.
“Was there anything that could have been done that wasn’t to prevent this situation — are there better standards employed elsewhere that we should look at?” she asked in an email to a host of staffers, including communications people.
“We have a few new mines coming on stream and we don’t want anything to get in the way of that,” she wrote.
Cadario and other government staffers raised the need to communicate with First Nations in the area and any impact on drinking water.
But they also made an effort to help mine owner Imperial Metals’ public relations efforts after the spill.
The FOI documents show government staff were concerned the company had not been heard from hours after the spill. One email from John Paul Fraser, head of government communications, said the company silence was “looking bad.”
Cadario offered a solution.
“I know the owner of Imperial Metals — I’ll text him and see if he can stir someone up,” Cadario wrote.
The company’s owner, Murray Edwards, has donated more than $400,000 to the BC Liberal Party since 2005 through Imperial Metals and his oil sands company. Edwards also hosted a private fundraiser in Alberta that raised $1 million for the party’s 2013 election campaign.
After speaking to Edwards, Cadario wanted to ensure the company’s statement was being noticed by the public.
“I spoke to the owner Murray Edwards and he said an NR [new release] has gone out — Twitter traffic seems to still say that they haven’t heard from IM — Has that now been rectified?”
In another brief email Clark’s then director of communications Ben Chin said he had spoken to “Jas” about impending TV news coverage of the spill. The reference, following earlier emails on Global TV’s coverage, appears to refer to Jas Johal, then a Global reporter.
“Just finished talking to Jas... it’s just a heads up, not an interview request. He tells me the pictures at 6 will be very graphic. Imperial should get out in front,” Chin wrote.
Johal left journalism weeks later to work in communications for the BC LNG alliance. He was elected as a Liberal MLA for Richmond-Queensborough in May’s provincial election.
The dam containing the tailings pond at the Mount Polley copper and gold mine failed on Aug. 4, 2014, sending more than 25 million cubic metres of waste water into nearby Quesnel Lake and surrounding streams. The mine is about 60 kilometres northeast of Williams Lake.
Investigators concluded the failure was the result of a design flaw.
Cleaning up the disaster cost the province $40 million.
A private prosecution of Imperial Metals and the B.C. government by MiningWatch was blocked in March by the federal government, which cited ongoing investigations.CLEVELAND, Ohio — Antawn Jamison said his goodbyes in the locker room late Wednesday night as teammates scattered for the All-Star break. He's not planning any more farewells, however, until the Cavaliers clean out their lockers after their final game.
The 35-year-old power forward, who's enjoying his best stretch in Cleveland, not only wants to remain with the team for the rest of the season, but he also expects to still be here after the March 15 trade deadline.
Jamison, who has an expiring contract, and point guard Ramon Sessions are the two players most rumored to be dealt from the rebuilding franchise. There's also speculation that Jamison could be bought out if a suitor isn't found. But with the Cavs in playoff contention and the veteran performing so well, management might be compelled to keep him.
"Honestly, deep down inside, I don't want to go anywhere, and I don't feel like I'm going anywhere," Jamison said. "I enjoy playing with these guys. These guys are very receptive to what I tell them and what I do on the court."
Jamison has played a central role in keeping the Cavaliers (13-18) in the hunt for one of the final Eastern Conference playoff spots, a development few imagined when the season began.
He is averaging 22 points, nine rebounds and an outrageous 36 minutes in 11 February games.
Since center Anderson Varejao fractured his right wrist Feb. 10, Jamison has registered 39 minutes or more three times.
"The way he has played the past couple of weeks has been fantastic," said coach Byron Scott. "I have played him a bunch because I'm looking down the bench and saying, 'I don't have another guy who can do what he does.' "
Some Cavaliers fans have never warmed to the 14-year veteran, acquired from Washington in a three-team deal on Feb. 17, 2010. He was supposed to be the final piece to a championship team that instead flopped in the second round of the postseason. Jamison didn't play well and neither did others, as stunned fans watched LeBron James peel off his Cavaliers' jersey for the last time in Boston.
All-Star Weekend schedule Orlando, Fla. Today Sprint NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, ESPN, 7 p.m. BBVA Rising Stars Challenge, TNT, 9 p.m. (Cavaliers rookies Kyrie Irving and Tristan Thompson will be participating). Saturday All-Star Practice, NBA TV, 11:15 a.m. NBA D-League All-Star Game, NBA TV, 2 p.m. NBA All-Star Saturday Night, TNT, 8 p.m. Shooting Stars, Skills Competition (Irving to participate), 3-Point Shooting Contest, Slam-Dunk Contest. Sunday NBA All-Star Game, TNT, 7 p.m.
While the nucleus of that flawed club was gutted, Jamison and his large contract remained. He was part of the NBA record 26-game losing streak last season and fractured his little finger a year ago this week.
"It was a whirlwind when I first got here. I couldn't get my feet on the ground," Jamison said. "Last year, I had a lot of personal things going on [but] this year, all of that stuff is behind me and I can just concentrate on playing basketball and having fun with these guys. It's as much fun as I've had in a while."
Jamison is the only Cavalier who played during the 1998-99 lockout-shortened season, and in December let his young teammates know what to expect during a condensed season. He's also taught them the value of conditioning, appearing in all 31 games, averaging a team-high 32.6 minutes and a second-best 17.4 points.
On a roster with few legitimate scoring options, he has taken pressure off rookie point guard Kyrie Irving and allowed his heir apparent, Tristan Thompson, to develop at a more gradual pace.
Some fans are perturbed by his shot total -- he averages 16.03 per game (17th most in the NBA) -- and his penchant for getting beat defensively. But few players his age are being asked to take on such a large role.
After back-to-back poor team efforts against Chicago and Atlanta in late January, Jamison spoke out about the individual play creeping into the Cavaliers' game. It hasn't been an issue during the past month.
"He is giving us everything he can on the court and off the court," Scott said. "He has been a great mentor to our young guys -- Kyrie and Tristan, especially. He has been a great role model on the floor as well -- a true professional."
But being in the playoff picture won't stop Cavaliers' management from making moves that are best for long-term growth. Whether that includes jettisoning Jamison isn't clear.
Until then, he will log his minutes, take his shots and try to get the surprising Cavaliers into the postseason. He won't be back next season, but he's not ready to leave just yet.
Starstruck: Irving and Thompson flew to Orlando to participate in All-Star Weekend. Both will play today in the Rising Stars Challenge. Irving will also compete in the skills competition Saturday.
"It is a dream come true," Irving said. "I followed it at home, watching All-Star activities. Being able to enjoy it firsthand, it will be a great experience."
Irving and Thompson will play on opposite teams in the Rising Stars Challenge.
Dribbles: The Cavaliers will return to practice Monday night.... Their first two games after the break are against Boston and New York, teams that currently occupy the final two playoff spots.
To reach this Plain Dealer reporter: treed@plaind.com, 216-999-4370The philosophy of colours in the Holy Quran by Maulana Abdul Haq Vidyarthi (The Light & Islamic Review : Vol.71; Nos. 4-6; Jul-Dec 1995; p. 6-10, 4-6, 5-7) (This article, written originally in Urdu, first appeared in the Lahore Ahmadiyya Anjuman's periodical 'Paigham Sulh' in 1946. It has been included in the first volume of the compilation of the Maulana's Urdu articles published under the title 'Muarif-ul-Haq'.) Introduction / Knowledge and beauties of the Quran and the Promised Messiah / Two caveats / Criteria of excellence of a writing / Analysis and explanation of words / Meaning of the verse / Moral aspects of these verses / Evidence of existence of God and truth of Prophet Muhammad / Misconceptions about colours in all nations / Colour-blind nations / Colour in Arabic / Wealth of terms in Arabic for colours / Mental and spiritual colour-blindness / Scientific miracle of the Quran / Great service of Quran and Holy Prophet / "Do you not see that Allah sends down from the clouds water, then brings forth with it fruits of different kinds (or colours). And in the mountains there are streaks, white and red, of different colours, and some intensely black. And of people and animals and cattle there are different colours likewise. Only those of His servants fear Allah who possess knowledge." (Holy Quran 35:27-28) Knowledge and beauties of the Quran and the Promised Messiah The learned persons of the Muslim nation agree that the truths and the knowledge contained in the Holy Quran will continue to be disclosed till the end of time. It is also obvious that according to the clear evidence of the words "none shall touch it except the purified ones" (the Quran 56:79), the man to whom knowledge of the Quran is disclosed in abundance cannot be a heretic and disbeliever. The history of Islam cannot present any example of a disbeliever who studied the Quran extensively and whose mission in life was to prove the truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad and of the Holy Quran by means of arguments and proofs whose excellence could not be matched by any of the ulama, whether of the former times or of his own time. According to the late Dr. Sir Muhammad Iqbal, in our time Mirza Ghulam Ahmad was the man who showed his love for the Holy Prophet Muhammad by means of the Holy Quran. In his first book, Barahin Ahmadiyya, the arguments and evidence on the truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad which he has given from the Quran are a shining example of knowledge of the Quran. After this too, in his other books, he has spread these pearls everywhere. Would that the Muslims, instead of reading books written by the religious leaders opposed to him, study his own works and judge him fairly. To look at something only through the eyes of its opposition obscures the real nature of that thing. However, the claim made in Barahin Ahmadiyya that 300 arguments will be adduced could not be fulfilled due to some Divine purpose. To express one's real feelings, after reading the four parts of a work of high merit like the Barahin Ahmadiyya, you wish that you could enjoy even more of the fruit of its knowledge. However, if Hazrat Mirza sahib had exhausted the knowledge of the Holy Quran and the arguments on the truth of the Holy Prophet Muhammad, he would have deprived us of the pleasure of research and investigation, and even closed the way for us to express our love for the Holy Prophet. But these people do not come in order to close down human thinking and reflection; rather, they come to make these mental faculties even sharper and more radiant. Two caveats I am asked every year to make a speech on some topic at the annual Jalsa of the Anjuman. I have never published these speeches in written form, and despite repeated requests from friends I am not inclined to do so. Hazrat Amir Maulana Muhammad Ali once urged me to write a book on the topic of modern scientific knowledge and the Holy Quran. Last summer Mirza Muzaffar Baig insisted that I should collect together my articles on this topic, and they would be published. But what prevents me from so doing is that my knowledge is inadequate. While people praise my speeches every year, what I really wish is that scholarly and knowledgeable people would point out errors in them. Secondly, the history of science itself is in fact the history of the constant errors of human thought. To interpret the Holy Quran on the basis of scientific discoveries is to invite danger. Nonetheless, it is an admitted fact that there is no error or fault in nature. Its laws are based on truth. The errors are of our thinking and the blame lies on our understanding. Similarly, the Holy Quran has the perfect quality described in the words "this Book, there is no doubt in it" (2:2). It is our reasoning, argument and deduction which can be mistaken. After these two warnings, I present an article on the knowledge of the Quran in the light of present scientific research which was delivered as a speech at the annual Jalsa but could not be completed due to lack of time. Criteria of excellence of a writing The excellence of a writing is judged from three aspects: The eloquence, beauty and arrangement of its words. Its philosophical, scientific or scholarly value. Its moral and spiritual utility. A writing may be of a high standard as regards the composition of text and use of language, but it may have no scholarly value whatsoever. Conversely, another writing may be excellent as a work of learning and knowledge, but may be totally lacking in eloquence and consist of badly joined phrases. And if, by chance, a writing possesses both qualities, but its effect upon the improvement of the morals of human beings is nothing, its moral value is nil. A writing of the highest merit and standard can only be one which combines these three qualities. There are innumerable commentaries and expositions of the Holy Quran which have been written, and which will be written in future, but it is impossible to encompass its contents and give a gist of them because the truths revealed in it are endless and its wonders shall not cease till the end of time. The best exposition of the Quran is one which creates within the human heart an appreciation of the beauty of its language, an understanding of the truths contained in it, and a light which produces good morals. Analysis and explanation of words The verse upon which I spoke at the annual Jalsa possesses all these three qualities. It is as follows: wa min al-jibali judad-un biz-un wa humr-un mukhtalif-un alwanu-ha wa gharabib sud -- "And in the mountains there are streaks, white and red, of different colours, and some intensely black." Wa: The "and", with which these words begin, is considered by the commentators of the Quran to be the kind of "and" which introduces a new subject (wa musta'nifa), so that these words are thought to have no connection with the preceding words: "Do you not see that Allah sends down from the clouds water..." But usually "and" is used to show a connection between the preceding and the following words, the kind of "and" which is called wa 'atifa. On the basis that there is a connection between the two sets of words, this turns out to be an explanation about colours which is entirely in accord with present scientific knowledge. But fourteen hundred years ago no scientist or philosopher in the world knew of these discoveries. The word wa occurs twice more: "white and red", "and (some) intensely black". The first is again the "and" of connection, but it is the kind which "refers the particular to the general", i.e. red is a particular case while white is general. This, too, discloses a discovery about colours which is now an established fact of modern knowledge. The "and" in the words "and (some) intensely black" is the kind of "and" known as wa mugha'ira, which excludes black from the category of colours. This fact is not even now known generally, but only to the learned ones. Min ("And in the mountains..."): If this particle means "from" indicating the source of something, as it can do, this sheds further light on modern discoveries about colours. Even if taken as meaning "in", it expresses the power and wisdom of God. Jibal: This is generally applied to mountains. The effect and influence of colours may be particularly seen in mountains. Sometimes the word jibal denotes something which is of great power and worthy of honour. Jibal here indicates the grandeur, power and abundance of the thing which descends from the sky bearing colours. In the Quran, the word jibal also means clouds, as in the verse: "And He sends down from the sky clouds wherein is hail" (24:43). The reaching of the rays of the sun, bearing colours, to the ground after passing through miles of extremely cold clouds, is such a magnificent phenomenon concealing within itself so much of the knowledge and wisdom of God that only modern physicists can understand it properly. Judad: Tracts, paths, streaks, that which is fast moving -- all these meanings disclose something about modern discoveries regarding colours and light. Biz: the word "white" in plural. This word is evidence of how perfectly aware of colours the Arabs were, and testifies to Arabic being the perfect language. Humr: the word "red" in plural. This is to show that there is not just one colour red, but there are many shades and degrees of it. By mentioning red as the last of colours, and by ending with it "different colours", the Quran has given a perfect description which can only be appreciated by those possessing knowledge. Mukhtalif-un alwanu-ha (lit. their different colours): the pronoun their refers to both white and red. Observing this scientific miracle of the Holy Quran, a physicist will have to concede that it is the word of God. This refers to colours occurring in pairs, a discovery made only recently. Gharabib sud: Intensely black. After mentioning "different colours", the "and" of exclusion (wa mugha'ira) is used to exclude black from the category of colours, so that the words amount to saying: there are streaks of different colours, ranging from white to red, and there are other streaks which are intensely black. These words show a deep knowledge containing a strong evidence for scientists. Not only is black not declared to be one of the colours, but its nature is fully described as well, and this is a shining proof of the Holy Quran being the word of God. Meaning of the verse The verse under discussion then means as follows: "Do you not see that Allah sends down from the clouds water, then brings forth with it fruits of different kinds (or colours). And from the sky and the clouds (He sends down) fast-moving waves, white and red, of different colours, and others intensely black." The verse begins with the address: Do you not see. This indicates that it contains something worth pondering and thinking about. The purpose of drawing attention in this way is to say that no matter how beautiful a scene there may be before the eyes, however much knowledge and truth it may hold, and however many volumes of wisdom there may be in it, but a blind eye and a dead heart cannot benefit from it. The fact is that for man there are two worlds: the external world and the internal world of his knowledge. The eyes are the doorway between these two worlds, through which the external world with the facts and the knowledge relating to it enters into us. The importance of this doorway for man is obvious, but its value can only be realized when the human mind behind it is a thinking one, and most of all when the brain contains a storehouse of knowledge. The meaning of pondering or seeing is to look at something in the light of knowledge. The benefit a human being can derive from his life is proportionate to the amount of knowledge he has saved in the bank of his brain. It is impossible to draw out more from this account than the amount deposited in it. The words a lam tara ("do you not see...?") are here used to address scientists who, by their experiments, have accumulated the treasure of knowledge in their minds. If they were to ponder over this passage of the Holy Quran with the aid of their knowledge they would see science paying respect and honour to the Holy Prophet Muhammad. But an ignorant man not given to thinking will probably not see any wisdom or beauty in the verse, just as a person who is colour blind sees everything as grey and dull. While inviting the men of knowledge to ponder and reflect over these verses, the Quran comforts the Holy Prophet Muhammad in these words: "If they reject you, then indeed those before them also rejected." (35:25) meaning that if some unwise people, due to their blindness and ignorance, reject him then it is sufficient to know that nations before them also rejected their messengers even though they brought them proofs, scriptures and illuminating books. However, neither the Holy Prophet nor any Muslim can be satisfied by merely knowing that earlier people had also rejected their messengers. Therefore, after giving some scientific arguments, it is stated: "Only those of His servants fear Allah who possess knowledge." That is, there is no need to feel despondent if the ignorant do not accept you because there will be great learned persons who, being able to see these scientific arguments of the Quran, will accept Islam and reach the stage of high spiritual knowledge and fear of God. Moral aspects of these verses I have so far only pointed to the beauty and wisdom of the words and the intellectual arguments, which shows that these verses combine fineness of language with the rational nature of the contents. After this, the ethical view or moral aspect is also worthy of note. Just as, in outward appearance, some colours are attractive and others are repugnant, and some are therapeutic while others have an adverse effect on health, similarly the three colours mentioned here have a special moral significance. White is the colour of peace, harmony, goodness and honour, red denotes danger and war, and black is the colour of evil and ignorance. These colours in this verse also refer to three types of religious leaders (ulama). In the Quran, ulama are likened to mountains (jibal, the word mentioned in this verse), from which rivers and streams of knowledge flow, and springs and fountains of truths rise up. It says: "And there are some rocks out of which streams burst forth, and there are some of them which split asunder so water flows from them, and there are some of them which fall down for the fear of Allah." (2:74) These streams and rivers may be of water which is "white, delicious to those who drink" (37:46), that is, of goodness and of refreshment to the soul. But they may be red, of blood, which turn a peaceful world into one of fiery violence. Likewise, black also refers to ulama who give rise to evil movements of darkness, and from whom come forth huge waves of vice, wickedness and false beliefs. Evidence of existence of God and truth of Prophet Muhammad According to several verses of the Holy Quran the diversity of colours is an evidence of the existence of God and His power and wisdom. The fact that this argument was given to the Holy Prophet Muhammad at a time when not even the greatest philosopher or scientist knew the nature of colours is a magnificent sign of the Holy Prophet's truth. An unlettered man, entirely unacquainted with scientific knowledge and living in a country devoid of the light of learning, puts forward a concept which is discovered by human knowledge a thousand years after him, gradually, |
directly from Monsanto itself.
Both Monsanto and the government did agree that large soybean producers must pay royalties. Interestingly enough, Monsanto’s stock rose three percent on the heels of this announcement. The stock had declined seven percent this year.
The issue surrounds the fact that Monsanto has been demanding that exporters inspect cargo to determine whether or not farmers had paid the requisite royalties to produce the company’s genetically modified soybeans. Monsanto is claiming that Argentine farmers have benefited immensely from the Intacta technology and is demanding that everyone pay to use it.
For about a year, Monsanto has been pressuring shipping companies and demanding that the companies notify it when crops produced with Intacta technology are scheduled to be exported without corresponding documentation proving that royalties had been paid to Monsanto.
The Intacta soybeans in question are genetically engineered to have a gene that protects them against worms that target the plant. Monsanto is demanding royalties for grains produced even by second generation seeds. Farmers, however, argue that Argentinian law does not require that they pay for second generation production and are asking the government to stop private companies from acting as food inspectors.
The government decision also affects the Bolsatech that Monsanto was setting up as an alternative system of payment with green exchanges.
The Argentine Rural Society (SRA) an organization that represents medium and large-scale producers said the inspections were unwarranted.
“These methods were not only not authorized, but furthermore, we saw them as an abusive power for a company to be acting like the police,” SRA president Luis Etchevehere said.
In an official bulletin that was issued on Thursday, April 14th, Argentina’s Agricultural Ministry stated that any inspection needs prior government authorization.
An official resolution was passed by the government on April 15th.
Source: http://www.activistpost.com/2016/04/monsanto-set-to-fight-argentina-over-royalties-owed-by-farmers.html
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Dec. 27, 2017, 2:09 AM GMT / Updated Dec. 27, 2017, 7:46 PM GMT By Alex Johnson
Four Ohio teenagers were charged with murder Tuesday in the death of a man who was in the passenger seat of a car when it was struck by a sandbag thrown from a bridge onto the interstate below, authorities said.
The victim, identified as Marquise Byrd, 22, of Warren, Michigan, died of his injuries on Friday, and the four suspects' charges were upgraded to murder, Toledo police Lt. Jeffrey Thieman said Tuesday.
"I don't think their family know the pain they caused," said Marcus Byrd, the victim's brother who is on leave from his Army deployment in Kuwait. "You have New Years, his birthday, all this coming up, but before the New Year you have to bury your brother? You have to bury your son? That's how you start the New Year?"
The boys, whom NBC News isn't identifying because they are 13 and 14 years old and are being prosecuted in juvenile court, were charged with vehicular vandalism last week after Toledo police said they intentionally threw the sandbag and other items from the Indiana Avenue overpass onto Interstate 75 on Dec. 19.
Local authorities said the four teens entered denials in juvenile court on Wednesday, and they noted that the suspects will remain in the juvenile court system because of their ages.
Byrd was traveling to meet friends in Toledo. He was engaged and had a 2-year-old son, according to the family.
The driver, who wasn't seriously injured, frantically called 911 when the incident occurred.
Marquise Byrd of Warren, Michigan, died last week after a sandbag thrown from a bridge in Toledo, Ohio, struck the car he was riding in. Facebook
"I just pulled underneath the bridge, and something hit my car!" she said, according to a recording released by police. "It hit my friend, and he is not moving!"
Byrd later died at the hospital surrounded by his large family, his brother said. But now they must make funeral arrangements amid holiday celebrations.
"He had good spirits, was always happy and silly. My brother was love, man," Marcus Byrd said.
"This one hurt, and it's the wrong time," he added. "It's the holidays, it was just his birthday and his son turns 3 at the end of February."
No agency maintains a comprehensive database of injuries or deaths caused by objects thrown onto roadways. But such incidents are not unheard of.
In October, five teenagers were charged with second-degree murder in the death of a man who was a passenger in a van when its windshield was smashed by rocks thrown from a bridge — also over I-75 — in Flint, Michigan. The teenagers have all pleaded not guilty.
Last year, the suicide of Randy Budd, whose wife was severely injured in a similar incident put the issue in the national spotlight.
Budd, 55, of Unionville, Ohio, had become an advocate for protective fencing on highway overpasses after his wife, Sharon, suffered massive head injuries and lost an eye in 2014 when a five-pound rock tossed from an overpass south of Williamsport, Pennsylvania, crashed through the windshield of their Nissan Rogue.
"Please get the fence issue settled," Budd texted to a Pennsylvania state senator shortly before he shot himself, the senator's spokesman told NBC News at the time.'Why not now?' biopic of Alan Watts by his son
Last Saturday, I was lucky to see a screening of Mark Watts' biographical film of his father, Alan Watts, "Why not Now?"--and it is fantastic. Alan Watts, who died in 1973, helped explain Eastern philosophy and approaches to life and being in a way that Westerners like me can understand. His work endures today and is some of the most helpful stuff I've ever read ('The Book' is a great place to start.)
Speaking to the audience before the screening, Mark Watts explained that as he was working on the film he realized that every word he added to the film's narrative meant he had to drop something he father had said more clearly. Mark discovered there was enough of his father's own voice, from his father's radio shows and other sources, to allow Alan to speak for himself. The film is available for purchase at the AlanWatts.org website.
Here are some short animations that the South Park guys did to accompany some of those recordings:
Video LinkIf ever anyone wishes to expose the bigotry of Feminism there is nothing quite like discussing the biological differences between men and women. This usually involves Feminists getting very angry at the suggestion that men and women have inherent advantages when compared to one another. When presented with scientific evidence Feminists will respond in a number of ways that indicate how hard it is to digest any information that breaks down gender neutrality.
Some responses I’ve encountered include the suggestion that evolutionary differences between men and women have now altered over the last few hundred years, as though modern innovations have changed the millions of years it requires for life to evolve. It is impossible for the 10,000 years of human civilisation to be enough time for men and women to fundamentally change biologically, let alone the 100 years of the 20th Century where women gained the opportunity to expand their roles in society.
The other typical response from a Feminist involves the line about “not all women being like that,” or how there are plenty of women that could beat up a man, obviously relating to the fact that men are the larger and stronger sex as a rule. Of course there are women that are larger than some men, but only a bigot of some shape or form would attempt to argue that statistically men don’t have an advantage over women when it comes to physicality.
Feminists will use this to their advantage when dealing with areas like domestic violence, as though a woman could never use an object or a weapon to gain the upper hand, or get a man to unwittingly ingest a substance that incapacitates or kills them. Furthermore the societal impression of a man defending himself against a woman makes it very difficult for him to so much as raise a hand against a woman in self defence if he does not want to face the consequences of innate human chivalry giving special privileges to women, especially in our female-centric Western culture.
In the last few decades there have been breakthroughs that have allowed the scientific community to conduct research highlighting the differences between men and women. One book that I have read that is excellent for anyone that wants to learn about this is “Why Men Don’t Listen and Women Can’t Read Maps," written by Alan and Barbara Pease, a married couple from Australia. They use references that bring together the likes of Dawkins and Darwin, and two of my earliest videos “Men Vs Women” and “Boys Vs Girls” specifically deal with the research cited in this book. In 2005 there was a BBC series called “Secrets of the Sexes” that also dealt specifically with the type of research that scientists have been undertaking in this area:
In the above video the effect of testosterone on the human body is discussed. Believe it or not Professor John Manning of Lancashire University carried out research showing that the size of the ring finger relative to the index finger can indicate the amount of testosterone that we have been exposed to in the womb – the larger the ring finger, the more testosterone. The explanation for this is that the genes that trigger testosterone production in the womb also trigger finger growth. The more testosterone we are exposed to the more athletic we are, and the more prone we are to higher feats of endurance and strength, though this also has a direct link to our visual/spatial abilities.
Remarkably Professor Manning staked his reputation on a 5000m race between six men, where he stated that the winning order of the participants would be relate to their ring finger size. The order he predicted corresponded with the final order thusly; first, second, fourth, third, fifth, sixth – outstandingly accurate, almost depressingly so – yes, the size of your ring finger would indicate whether you are naturally athletic or not.
Professor Manning then goes on to take a group of five women and five men, lining them up based on the size of their ring fingers. The results were that all the women were on one end of the scale, while all the men were on the other end – with one exception – a woman who worked as a flight test engineer, named Grace. The programme states that in visual/spatial tasks men on average score 40% higher than women, and in the tests given to this group of ten men and women the results mirrored this trend, with the exception of Grace.
In the final part of the programme the group are given the task of changing a nappy on a baby. All the women become excited when they see the baby, and they all do very well, with the exception of Grace, who doesn’t appear to take to the task. The men also deal with the task very clinically, completing it without bonding with the child. However, one of the men with a higher level of testosterone actively goes out of his way to compensate for his acute awareness that he struggles with bonding. This makes him very emotional when interviewed, and he talks about his gradual bonding with his own son over the years. Many use this perceived weakness of men involving children to make women primary custodians of children upon divorce. This falsehood is gradually being eroded by growing evidence showing men are amply capable caregivers, also essential in the development of children.
In every test there are exceptions to the typical rules about men and women, though this is the key – they are exceptions. Men are statistically more athletic and better at visual/spatial tasks, while women are statistically better at language and emotional skills. The fact that there is growing research that shows how hormones influence us, directly associated with sex, is removing the false perceptions of Postmodernism regarding social constructs. That is not to say that our environment doesn’t influence us, but the idea that this has a large effect when compared to biology is now being broken down in the same manner that Rationalism tore down Theology after the enlightenment.
But as human beings we are capable of developing our skillset if we apply ourselves, though naturally there are some limitations to what each of us can achieve. This is not a value statement – it simply is. This is what leftist philosophers struggle to understand. If one compiles enough data in this field there will always be men and women who break the mould, but it is the overall results that truly define the conclusions.
This type of information is not taken well by leftists, but I have stopped believing that those consumed by the likes of Marxian ideology actually care about anything objective, and this is what makes this group so ignorant. They are too caught up in their false theories they wish to perpetuate, instead of building a picture that can help us better understand life. They are dangerous people, and they wont go down without trying to destroy reason and logic.
This is RockingMrE – over and out!A rally in Dublin against the direct provision system for asylum seekers.
A rally in Dublin against the direct provision system for asylum seekers.
AN IRANIAN MAN who has been on hunger strike at a direct provision centre in Sligo for over a month will be granted access to the asylum process.
Amjad Rosstami had been denied access as he had landed in the UK before coming to Ireland and his deportation was expected to be officially ordered later this month.
EU law dictates asylum must be processed in the country a person first arrives in.
His story was highlighted by local TD Marc MacSharry who contacted Tánaiste Frances Fitzgerald about the case last week.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie, MacSharry said he visited the man last night in Sligo University Hospital where he had been admitted.
“I asked him if I could manage to get him permitted to apply for asylum and be interviewed in the normal manner, would he come off the hunger strike pending the outcome. He said he would.”
The Fianna Fáil TD again contacted the minister to relay the message. TheJournal.ie understands Rosstami will now be able to apply for asylum in Ireland, though MacSharry said the man did not appear to be aware of this at 10.30am this morning when the TD made contact with his roommate.
“It’s excellent news if that’s the case,” he said.
Ireland currently ha around 5,000 people living in direct provision centres in Ireland awaiting decisions on their asylum applications.Rams offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur has emerged as the leading candidate for the Cleveland Browns' head coaching job, according to league sources.
The sources said Cleveland hopes to hammer out a contract with Shurmur within the next 48 hours and introduce Shurmur as coach at a news conference by Friday.
The deal should not be difficult to close, since Browns president Mike Holmgren, general manager Tom Heckert, executive vice president Bryan Wiedmeier and Shurmur all have the same agent, Bob Lamonte.
LaMonte arrived at team headquarters Thursday to negotiate a contract for Shurmur with Holmgren.
If Shurmur's deal falls through, the Browns could turn to former Panthers coach John Fox, who spent Wednesday interviewing with the Broncos. Cleveland already has interviewed Falcons offensive coordinator Mike Mularkey and Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell, but Shurmur, 45, is the candidate who has commanded the most attention.
Holmgren likes Shurmur and what he can bring to the Browns, according to the sources.
Although he lacks head coaching experience, Shurmur's background running a West Coast offense and working with young quarterbacks is appealing to Holmgren, who set out on his search determined to "find exactly the right person for the job who can eventually someday lead us to the championship. That is my only goal."
Holmgren wants to expand Cleveland's offense, which languished under Mangini and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll.
Under Shurmur's guidance this season, Rams rookie quarterback Sam Bradford passed for 18 touchdowns and 3,512 yards -- second-most by a rookie behind Peyton Manning's 3,739 in 1998. Before joining St. Louis' staff, Shurmur coached Philadelphia's quarterbacks and developed Donovan McNabb into one of the game's top players at the position.
Adam Schefter is ESPN's NFL insider. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report.A gay couple waits to renew their wedding vows during a rally against California's controversial Proposition 8 in Los Angeles on March 4, 2009. The rally, organized on the eve of the opening of the case going before the California Supreme Court, was held in support of overturning the recently-passed proposition which banned gay marriage in the state. (UPI Photo/David Silpa) | License Photo
Iran Larios joins protesters donned in a wedding dress during a rally in front of the County Marriage License Office in Los Angeles on May 26, 2009, after the California Supreme Court ruling to uphold Proposition 8. Gay and lesbian activists had been seeking to overturn the results of the November referendum which redefined marriage in California as being unions between men and women only. UPI/Jim Ruymen | License Photo
A gay couple renews their marriage vows during a rally against California's controversial Proposition 8 in Los Angeles on March 4, 2009. The rally, organized on the eve of the opening of the case going before the California Supreme Court, was held in support of overturning the recently-passed proposition which banned gay marriage in the state. UPI/David Silpa | License Photo
SAN FRANCISCO, Aug. 3 (UPI) -- The judge hearing the legal challenge to California's ban on same-sex marriage said Tuesday he is ready to issue a ruling.
U.S. District Judge Vaughn Walker said in an online posting he would announce a ruling Wednesday in the lawsuit challenging Proposition 8, a 2008 ballot initiative that reversed a California Supreme Court ruling that laws against same-sex marriage violated the state constitution.
Plaintiffs in the lawsuit assert Proposition 8 violates equal protection and due process rights under the U.S. Constitution.
The trial featured extensive testimony about the history of the institution of marriage and the nature of homosexuality, as well as the political influence of gays and lesbians. Most testimony supported same-sex marriage rights, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Charles Cooper, representing supporters of Proposition 8, argued the "marital relationship is fundamental to the existence and survival of the race."
"Without the marital relationship society would come to an end," he said.
Walker's decision will most likely be appealed to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals and is widely expected to end up before the U.S. Supreme Court, the Times said Tuesday.0 Child dies after car crashes into day care on Goldenrod Road
ORLANDO, Fla. - Florida Highway Patrol troopers said Lily Quintus, 4, of Orlando died following a car crash at a day care in Orange County Wednesday afternoon.
A small memorial for Quintus was set up at the KinderCare center by Wednesday night.
Robert Corchado, 28, was named a suspect in connection with the crash that injured 15 at the day care on Goldenrod Road near University Boulevard. He may be trying to leave Orlando, authorities said.
Florida Highway Patrol troopers said they believe Corchado, the driver of a silver Dodge Durango, rear-ended a Toyota Solara, which crashed into the building.
The car wound up inside the front room and was removed around 6:45 p.m.
The driver of the Toyota wasn't injured.
Eight children were taken to Arnold Palmer Hospital.
One is in critical condition, three are in serious condition and one is in fair condition. Two children have been released.
Hospital officials said Quintus died at 6:45 p.m Wednesday.
In all, 13 people were taken to local hospitals from the scene.
Slideshow: Scene Images | SUV Damage
Raw Video: Medics help injured children | Car pulled from day care | SUV towed from house
News Conference: Update on person of interest | "We will find whoever is responsible"
Authorities located the Durango shortly after 5 p.m. in Winter Park. Witnesses said they saw someone drop it off at a house, get into another car and drive off.
Later Wednesday, authorities confirmed Corchado rented a small, black Mazda SUV from an Enterprise in Winter Park, with a Florida license plate CHR-Q41.
"It could have easily been his side of the school and he could have been one of them," said parent Yvette Santiago.
Santiago cried when she said she feared her 3-year-old son was among the injured.
"I’m glad he's fine, but it still breaks my heart knowing [that] there's a lot of other kids that got injured," she said.
One man said he saw the crash that led to the carnage inside the day care.
"I heard a crash, and I saw the black car run up over the sidewalk and into the school," said Jeezy Jenkins.
Skywitness 9 was over the scene as small children were carried out and put into stretchers and into ambulances.
An FHP trooper said there were a wide variety of injuries to the 12 children and two adults.
"The injuries on the children range from severe, critical and all the way though to minor," the trooper said.
Anyone with information is asked to contact authorities immediately.
Read the full statement
Channel 9 has multiple reporters covering this story. Follow them all on Twitter: @TBarberWFTV, @DBroomWFTV, @KBelichWFTV and @CHeathWFTV.
Related Story: FHP: Person of interest in KinderCare crash rented car, could be fleeing OrlandoJonjo Shelvey is top of the assists chart in the Sky Bet Championship
The case of Jonjo Shelvey is a curious one. Many will scratch their heads at how he's ended up in the Sky Bet Championship.
Roll the clock back 12 months and Shelvey was an England starter, taking up a central midfield role in arguably the most important Euro 2016 qualifier against Switzerland.
It came a month after he was lauded as "faultless" by then-England boss Roy Hodgson when he picked up the official man of the match award on his England debut in a 6-0 drubbing of San Marino. Another international start followed in October, against Lithuania and all was looking rosy.
Jonjo Shelvey battles for the ball with Switzerland's Xherdan Shaqiri while playing for England
With his club form for Swansea City in rude health and the future looking bright, Shelvey then appeared to implode.
His nosedive in form seemed to coincide with Garry Monk's sacking in December. Alan Curtis picked Shelvey just once in the Premier League during his tenure and the 24-year-old's frustration came to the boil in an FA Cup defeat at Oxford United, when he was involved in a unnecessary argument with a disgruntled fan.
Shelvey signed a four-year contract extension with Swansea in 2015 under Monk but was the first player to leave during that January transfer window. Newcastle forked out £12m for his services and despite relegation, he seems settled on Tyneside under Rafa Benitez.
Jonjo Shelvey celebrates with his Newcastle team-mates
In the Sky Bet Championship this season, Shelvey has been the driving force behind Newcastle's fine start of taking 25 points from their first 12 games.
His swagger has returned in the heart of Benitez's midfield. Most of Newcastle's attacking play is conducted by Shelvey; he tops the Championship assists charts with five and no other Toon player has created more chances than him this season.
Jonjo Shelvey's Championship stats (WhoScored.com) Statistic Total Newcastle rank Goals 3 3 Assists 5 1 Passes 625 1 Shots 28 2 Chances created 27 1
A stunning free-kick from Jonjo Shelvey sealed a 2-0 win for Newcastle against Brighton in the Championship A stunning free-kick from Jonjo Shelvey sealed a 2-0 win for Newcastle against Brighton in the Championship
Brentford saw first-hand his talents on Saturday, where he played a huge role in each of Newcastle's goals in a 3-1 victory.
"We analyse the characteristics of our players and here we have a player who we know has it in him to deliver the final pass," Benitez said after the victory.
"We have others like [Isaac] Hayden who can play in that position but Jonjo is a player who is technically good and, when he plays well, the team plays better."
Highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Newcastle United and Brentford Highlights from the Sky Bet Championship match between Newcastle United and Brentford
Shelvey's influence has not gone unnoticed by Sky Sports Football League analyst Ian Holloway, who knows Shelvey better than most having taken him on loan from Liverpool with Blackpool in 2011 - a spell which yielded six goals in 10 games and triggered the Reds to recall him early.
"He's probably the best player I've ever seen play in the Championship," Holloway said.
"He can get it off the centre-halves, dictate play and go beyond into the final third as shown by Newcastle's third goal against Brentford.
Big-money signings Dwight Gayle and Jonjo Shelvey are leading Newcastle's promotion bid
"He never looks to play the simple ball, he's always looking to hurt you.
"He's like a puppet - he's always moving his head. He's so aware of everything around him."
The big question now for Shelvey is whether he can sustain this form and not let his "childish" mindset, as Shelvey himself describes it, affect his current form.
His most famous bust-up involved a furious row with Sir Alex Ferguson after being sent off during an ill-tempered clash between Manchester United and Liverpool in 2012. It was an incident that summed up his frustrating three-year stint at Anfield that saw him start just 31 matches.
"I am not the same person because I have grown so much more," said Shelvey, who revealed he hired a personal trainer in the summer to shed weight.
Brighton goalkeeper David Stockdale watches Jonjo Shelvey's stunning free-kick fire into the back of the net
"I feel more confident and fearless than what I was before. I have probably always been a player who needs to feel loved, who needs an arm around me.
"As I am getting older I have felt that's a bit childish, that's not the way to be in life.
"You don't need someone to say well done and that if you have played well. You should know."
How key has Jonjo Shelvey been for Newcastle this season? Leave a comment below if you're reading on skysports.com or tweet us @SkyFootball
Follow Tuesday's Sky Bet Championship action - including Newcastle's trip to Barnsley - on Soccer Special and with our live blog on skysports.com and the Sky Sports apps, where you'll see match highlights shortly after full time.Welcome to a weekly grab bag of thoughts and observations from the past few days and/or decades of hockey.
This Week’s Three Stars of Comedy
Recognizing the three NHL personalities from around the league who produced the most comedic fodder for fans.
The third star: Mike Babcock
Via Reddit, here’s what Team Canada’s coach looked like back in the mid-’80s. ’Sup, ladies?
The second star: The Kessel siblings
With both Phil and Amanda kicking ass for Team USA, Twitter user @CapitalsHill had the creative idea of Photoshopping their faces together to create the ultimate American hockey force. I haven’t looked at the results yet but I’m sure they’re OH GOOD LORD NO. Well, that was horrifying. I really can’t imagine anything more disturbing. What’s that? There’s a second version? Well, it can’t be any worse so I’ll just go ahead and OH GOD NO IT REALLY WAS WORSE. Wow. Time to go give a nice sturdy steel wool scrub to the ol’ eyeballs.
The first star: This GIF of Team Norway
Come for the collision with the referee; stay for the helpful bum push.
Obscure Former Player of the Week
NHL history is filled with legendary players whose stories are passed down from generation to generation. This is not one of them.
Clearly we need some sort of romance-themed name for Valentine’s Day. But which one? We already used Chris Valentine last year. The NHL has never had a “Cupid” or a “Love” or a “Heart.” (There have been a few Harts, but one of them was named “Gizzy” so I think we’ll pass.)
Instead, let’s pucker up and talk about Kelly Kisio, the journeyman center who played 13 NHL seasons for the Rangers (where he was team captain), Wings, Sharks, and Flames. He retired in 1995, and since 1998 he has been the general manager of the Calgary Hitmen.
Here’s everything I remember about Kelly Kisio, in order of importance: He was the top-rated forward on the Sharks in NHL ’94; he was once traded straight-up for Sugar Shane Churla; and by the early ’90s, he was like 30 years old but for some reason always looked 70.
And yes, it is pronounced “Kissy-oh.”
Great Hockey Debates
In which we employ the Socratic method in an attempt to settle the issues that have plagued a generation of hockey fans.
This Week’s Debate: The 2014 Winter Olympics are currently taking place in Sochi. But because of the time difference, many events happen when North American viewers are sleeping or at work, and may not be broadcast until later in the day. Should we avoid discussing the results in order not to spoil them for our fellow sports fans?
In Favor: Yes. Not everyone can stay up late or get up at the crack of dawn to follow the events, and many of us would prefer to watch them later without knowing the results. Avoiding spoilers is really just common courtesy.
Opposed: But that’s a little bit presumptuous, isn’t it? Lots of fans do watch the competitions live, and we should be able to discuss them like we would any other live sports without getting “no spoiler” lectures.
In Favor: And that’s fine for events in prime time. Nobody’s saying you can’t talk about the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup. But surely we can acknowledge that it’s a little different when something is taking place at 3 a.m., can’t we?
Opposed: Even if we did, why is the onus on all of us not to discuss it? Shouldn’t people who want to avoid spoilers take responsibility by staying offline and away from media reports?
In Favor: But that’s easier said than done these days. It’s not like you can just turn off the local news. This stuff pops up everywhere. And another thing to consider is …
The Final Verdict: Opposed wins. Complaining about spoilers is stupid.
In Favor: Uh … we weren’t done.
The Final Verdict: Sure you were.
In Favor: We’d barely even started.
The Final Verdict: Actually, this whole thing was written last night. It’s just that everyone’s only reading it now.
In Favor: Oh.
The Final Verdict: And you lost. Big time.
In Favor: I really thought I was doing fine.
The Final Verdict: Oh, sure, at first you were hanging in there. But then you made a few crucial mistakes, based one of your key premises on an easily disprovable logical fallacy, and Opposed just went to town on you.
Opposed: I really did.
In Favor: Well, thanks for ruining it. Now there’s no point in even reading the rest.
The Final Verdict: Oh, don’t be a baby. You anti-spoiler zealots and your persecution complexes are the worst.
Opposed: You really are.
In Favor: Excuse me for just wanting to enjoy something without having the ending given away.
The Final Verdict: Stop it. You’re asking the majority of the world to hold off on discussing a major event they’ve just witnessed, all for the convenience of your own personal schedule. It’s completely unreasonable and you know it. Get over yourself.
In Favor: You’re kind of a jerk.
Opposed: He really is.
In Favor: Fine, I’m out of here. I’m going to scroll down and watch this week’s YouTube clip.
The Final Verdict: Canada beats the Soviets, 6-5.
In Favor: I HATE YOU.
The Final Verdict: Opposed wins. Complaining about spoilers is stupid.
Trivial NHL Olympic-Related Annoyance of the Week
In which I complain about things that matter probably only to me.
I enjoy the Winter Olympics. I really do. I’m a hockey fan, so obviously that’s the event I care about the most, but I’m always up for learning about new sports. There are some great individual stories out there, and some of this stuff is really fun and exciting, even if you don’t fully understand what’s going on.
But there’s one problem: Some of these sports have way too many events. Sorry, non-hockey athletes, but not every conceivable variation of your little niche sport needs its own medal. It’s time to start paring down the list.
Bobsled: You get two people or four, not both. Speedskating and biathlon: Settle on one or two distances, please. Crazy guys who slide down icy hills on a sled: Get together and agree on which direction you’re going to face. Snowboarders and freestyle skiers: You guys are clearly just making up events a few days before the Olympics now and hoping nobody notices.
It’s ridiculous. I’m tired of seeing some out-of-breath Dane telling an interviewer, “Well, I’m disappointed in this bronze in the 500 meter, so I guess I’ll just have to work extra hard tomorrow in the 502 meter.”
Meanwhile, hockey has two events: men’s and women’s. That’s it. It’s the biggest and most important sport at the Games, and we’re stuck with two lousy events while everyone else gets a million. Well, that’s dumb, and we need to fix it. And if the other sports won’t scale back, then we’ll just need to add more hockey.
So starting in 2018, I’m proposing that in addition to the normal 60-minute games, we also debut the 45-minute and the 90-minute ice hockey events. Each will take place on both international and NHL-size rinks, as well as whatever it was in the old Boston Garden. And needless to say, each nation will also be invited to enter teams in the four-man, five-man, and six-man events.
There you go. If it’s good for the other sports, it’s good for us, too. And when Sidney Crosby heads home with nine medals, he won’t have to take any lip from Germany.
Canadian Olympic Panic Watch
Canadians love three things: rolling up the rim, ruining American pop music, and freaking out about our Olympic hockey teams.
Man, the Americans looked great Thursday. Sweden is off to a good start, and Finland scored like a million goals. And Russia started off slow against Slovenia, but it woke up in the third period and started looking pretty scary.
Meanwhile, Canada is 2-0 but hasn’t really played anyone good yet and didn’t exactly look dominant in its first game. Did that make anyone else nervous? I got a little nervous.
You know what? Even though they beat Austria, I still think it’s time for a little confidence boost. Meet me in the next section for a little reminder of how these best-on-best tournaments usually end.
Awesome and/or Horrific Old YouTube Clip of the Week
In addition to being a great source of adorable pet videos and functionally illiterate commenters, YouTube is a gold mine for old hockey clips. In this section we find one and break it down in way too much detail.
The Canada Cup was basically the precursor to the NHL’s participation in the Olympics. It was held every few years during the offseason, and was the only time that every country sent its best players to compete in a tournament. Needless to say, Canada usually won.
In 1996, organizers changed the tournament’s name to the World Cup of Hockey, and then more or less shelved the idea once the NHL started going to the Olympics (there’s been one World Cup of Hockey since 1998). There’s now talk about bringing the concept back, which would be fun.
In the meantime, let’s look back at arguably the most famous moment in Canada Cup history. It’s September 15, 1987, and Canada and the Soviets are tied 5-5 in the third and deciding game of the final. There’s two minutes left in regulation, and things are about to get dramatic.
• Given the importance of this game, you might assume it’s coming to us from the Montreal Forum or Maple Leaf Gardens. But no, instead we’re live at Copps Coliseum in scenic Hamilton, Ontario. The arena was built in the mid-’80s to house an NHL team. You’re probably thinking Wait, does Hamilton have an NHL team? No they do not. They do have an almost 30-year-old NHL arena, though. Let’s just say it’s a bit of a sore spot.
• In addition to this game, Copps Coliseum’s other claim to fame is hosting the first WWF Royal Rumble in 1988, which is totally worth rewatching just for the agonizingly complicated attempts to explain the rules. I bet this is what it was like for whoever had to explain icing to Gary Bettman. You know, yesterday.
• So there’s a faceoff in the Canadian zone, we’re told, though we can’t tell because somebody is waving a Canadian flag directly in front of the camera. See, Hamilton, this is why you can’t have nice things.
• Canada sends out a line of Wayne Gretzky, Mario Lemieux, and Dale Hawerchuk. If that line was Destiny’s Child, Hawerchuk would totally be LaTavia Roberson. Canada loses the faceoff and immediately gets a three-on-one from its own blue line, because this is the 1980s and defense hasn’t been invented yet.
• If you watch closely, you’ll see that one Russian player almost catches up to the rush, but then decides to do a random pirouette at center ice instead. What an odd choice. I probably would have kept skating.
• The third man on the rush is defenseman Larry Murphy, by the way. He’d later describe himself as “the greatest decoy in the history of hockey” on the play. I’m not even sure that’s right. To be a decoy, doesn’t there have to be one person in the entire world who thinks you’re getting the puck? I don’t think there was.
• I love the crowd reaction to this sequence. You can actually make out four distinct levels — “Hey they have a three-on-one” … “Gretzy’s wide-open” … “Wait, now Mario is wide-open” … “AHHHHHHHH |
Thomas Ferguson comments on the quality of the paper in supernotes. “They’re not simulating the paper features by printing on the paper. They are not using somebody else’s paper or bleaching the ink off of genuine notes. Someone specifically made paper, which is a pretty big commitment.”6
Remarkably, supernote paper even incorporates colored microfibers, a thin security thread marked “USA 100” in microprint, and a multi-tone watermark. These features can only be produced through the use of sophisticated technology at substantial cost. One expert who conducted a chemical and physical analysis of supernotes discovered that the cotton originated in the southern region of the U.S. — precisely where the Bureau of Engraving and Printing gets its cotton. Southern U.S. cotton is available on the world market, but this would make it traceable to some extent. The expert conducting the analysis is said to have been warned by “interested parties” not to make the results public. The implication was that these parties worked for the U.S. government.7
One of the special features of U.S. currency is the use of optically variable ink (OVI) manufactured by the Swiss firm Société Industrielle et Commerciale de Produits Amon (SICPA). This organization is the sole source for OVI. On the U.S. $100 bill, this color shifting ink is employed on the number in the lower right hand corner. Turning the bill one way, the number appears bronze green. Turned another, it appears black. Supernotes duplicate the same color shift.8 This particular color combination is reserved for the exclusive use of the U.S. Bureau of Engraving and Printing and is manufactured at only one location in the world. A joint venture was established between SICPA and the California-based OCLI laboratory to manufacture this combination of OVI ink. Bronze-green and black OVI is mixed at the SICPA plant in Virginia, which serves only the U.S. market. The rest of the world gets its supply of OVI from SICPA’s main plant in Switzerland.9
North Korea was at one time a client of SICPA. Each nation is assigned a unique color combination. The DPRK’s combination was green and magenta, which Treasury official Daniel Glazer asserts can be manipulated to appear similar to the U.S. combination.10 Yet a forensic laboratory has found that the security ink used in supernotes is not similar. It matches U.S. currency.11 Furthermore, it is probable that North Korea has long ago exhausted its limited supply of OVI. SICPA spokeswoman Sarah Van Horn points out, “We ceased all OVI deliveries in early 2001, and later that year all security ink supplies.” Severing trade with North Korea came at the request of U.S. officials, long before the Bush Administration publicly accused North Korea of manufacturing and distributing supernotes.12
One South Korean specialist on the DPRK says that interviews with defectors convinced him of the existence of a state-run counterfeiting operation, and that the intent was to fund covert operations and wage economic warfare against the U.S.13 But the stories defectors tell do not always hold up. In some cases, defectors report hearsay — what they have heard from others. Other times, defectors appear to have first-hand knowledge, such as the two who talked to BBC News.14 Yet North Korean defectors, eager to please their new hosts, have been noted for a tendency to tell stories that turn out to be dubious. As Raphael Perle, an analyst for the Congressional Research Service, points out, “A lot of defectors or refugees give us information, but they tell us anything we want to know. You have to question the reliability of what they say.”15
A North Korean defector who claimed that he had helped design the supernote went into hiding after being accused of being paid to lie about the matter. When asked whose picture was on the $100 bill and what building was depicted on its backside, he said he did not know. A U.S.-based activist interviewed the man, intending to have him testify before Congress, but the activist came to the conclusion that his stories were implausible. “He lost credibility with me. I found him mentally unstable.” The activist said that many defectors tell stories that they think journalists and intelligence agencies want to hear. “He was expecting money.” Defectors “think the U.S. government will give them hundreds of thousands of dollars.” Another defector who initially claimed to be involved in the decision to print supernotes later admitted he had not seen the operation, nor did he learn any details of how it was being done.16
The 2004 U.S. indictment of Sean Garland, leader of the Irish Worker’s Party and Official Republican Army, on charges of distributing supernotes is considered the centerpiece of the evidence against North Korea. “In or about October 1997,” the indictment reads, Garland met North Korean officials in Poland “to arrange for the purchase of a quantity of supernotes.” Then for the next three years, Garland is said to have distributed the counterfeit currency in Ireland and Great Britain. As leader of the Irish Worker’s Party, he often travelled abroad for “ostensibly legitimate business and personal reasons.” But, the indictment reads, in his travels he met with North Koreans who were involved in the “transportation and sale of supernotes.” Garland also visited Russia, where he is alleged to have purchased more supernotes, although the transactions did not complete until a later time in Belarus. Six codefendants were indicted along with Garland, one of whom was said to have informed law enforcement officials of the location in Moscow of $70,000 in supernotes “that he had obtained from the Sean Garland supernote organization.”17
In 2002, three of Garland’s codefendants were jailed in Great Britain, as a result of an investigation into the activities of a large-scale counterfeiting ring. Garland himself was not arrested until three years later, and then only in response to the U.S. indictment. Released on bail, he eluded extradition to the U.S. by going to Ireland.
The most striking thing about the indictment is its vagueness. No North Korean is identified, and meetings with North Koreans are mentioned without any actual transaction being described. Sean Garland himself states, “I have no associate named Corcoran [one of the codefendants] nor have I any associates in jail in Britain.”18 The impression one gets is that Garland was indicted because of his political and business contacts with North Koreans, and that tying him to an actually existing counterfeiting ring would make for a persuasive sounding case against North Korea. In contrast to the lack of anything definite concerning Garland, the indictment is more detailed when describing the activities of the codefendants. Garland writes that “neither myself or my legal team have had as yet received any information from the U.S. authorities to set out the nature of the allegations against me.” As for the indictment, “No evidence is offered of any crime or wrongdoing,” and Garland “strenuously” denied the allegations.19 Having political and business contacts with North Koreans does not in itself indicate involvement in the supernote trade.
Counterfeiting allegations against North Korea provided the pretext for harsh economic measures. As the September 2005 six-party nuclear disarmament negotiations were taking place in Beijing, Stuart Levey, under secretary for terrorism and financial intelligence in the Department of the Treasury, issued a press release designating Macao-based Banco Delta Asia as a “primary money-laundering concern.” The bank, Levey reported, “has been a willing pawn for the North Korean government to engage in corrupt financial activities.” By providing financial services to the DPRK for over twenty years, it “has facilitated many of that regime’s criminal activities, including circulating counterfeit U.S. currency.” 20 In a matter of days, U.S. financial institutions were instructed to sever relations with Banco Delta Asia. By December of the same year, the Treasury Department had issued an advisory in which it warned that the DPRK “may be seeking banking services elsewhere” following the action taken against the Macao bank. U.S. financial institutions were told to “take reasonable steps to guard against the abuse of their financial services by North Korea.” Tellingly, it added, “We encourage financial institutions worldwide to take similar precautions.”21
U.S. intelligence officials knew Banco Delta Asia was one of the primary means for North Korea to conduct normal foreign commerce. The effect of the Treasury Department’s announcement was immediate. In the six-day gap between the announcement and the bank’s closing, panicked depositors had withdrawn $132 million, more than a third of the bank’s total funds.22 Banco Delta Asia was quick to deny the charge, saying that its business relations with North Korea were entirely legitimate and commercial, but the Macao Monetary Authority assumed management of the bank and froze all of North Korea’s accounts.23
The action against Banco Delta Asia deprived North Korea of a portion of its foreign trade. More importantly, it also served as a means of magnifying the effect of sanctions. By blacklisting Banco Delta Asia, the U.S. set off a chain reaction, and the campaign soon took on global significance. The U.S. Treasury Department sent warning letters to banks around the world, resulting in a wave of banks shutting down North Korean accounts. International financial institutions feared U.S. retaliation, and felt it prudent to close North Korean accounts rather than risk being blocked from access to the U.S. financial system. A blacklisting would in effect mean being driven out of business. Stuart Levey observed with satisfaction that sanctions and U.S. threats had succeeded in applying “huge pressure” on the DPRK, and that this had led to a “snowballing avalanche effect.” U.S. actions undermined the prospect of a peaceful settlement of the nuclear issue. “Squeeze them,” a senior Bush Administration official said, “but keep the negotiations going.” Talks, the official continued, would serve as nothing more than a means for accepting North Korea’s capitulation. A second U.S. official described the goal of talks as a “surrender mechanism.” Even before the signing of the September 19, 2005 nuclear disarmament agreement, the U.S. had already decided “to move toward more confrontational measures,” claimed a former Bush Administration official.24
Daedong Credit Bank, a majority foreign-owned joint venture bank operating in Pyongyang and primarily serving importers, was immediately affected by the U.S. action, as it had several million dollars in Banco Delta Asia. As general manager of Daedong Credit Bank, Nigel Cowie was in a position to witness the effect of the Treasury Department’s letters. “We have heard from foreign customers conducting legitimate business here, who have been told by their bankers overseas to stop receiving remittances from the DPRK, otherwise their accounts will be closed.” To illustrate the lengths to which U.S. officials were prepared to go, Cowie described an operation that involved his own firm, from which, he said, “you can draw your own conclusions.” An account was opened with a Mongolian bank. Arrangements were made for legal cash transactions. But when the Daedong Credit Bank’s couriers arrived in Mongolia, they were detained by Mongolian intelligence officials, and their money confiscated. Accusations were made that the couriers were transporting counterfeit currency from North Korea. A leak to the news media from an unidentified source led to reports charging that “North Korean diplomats” had been arrested for smuggling counterfeit currency. After two weeks, the Mongolian “intelligence officials in a meeting with us finally conceded that all the notes were genuine; the cash was released.” In the final meeting, Mongolian intelligence officials “appeared rather embarrassed that they had been given incorrect information.” It was the U.S. that had provided that information and set in motion what was in effect harassment by proxy.25
U.S. actions had widespread repercussions. “For our part,” Cowie explains, “we are only conducting legitimate business, but have nonetheless been seriously affected by these measures. A large amount of our and our customers’ money not just in USD, but in all currencies has effectively been seized, with no indication of when they’ll give it back to us.” The fate of Banco Delta Asia served as an object lesson, as did the freezing of Daedong Credit Bank’s $7 million deposits at Banco Delta Asia. “Banks with any kind of U.S. ties are just terrified to have anything to do with any North Korean bank,” Cowie said. After the majority interest in Daedong Credit Bank was purchased by British-owned Koryo Bank, the new owner, Colin McAskill, asked U.S. officials to examine the bank’s records in order to prove that its funds were legitimate and should be unfrozen. “They’ve had it much too much their own way without anyone questioning what they are putting out,” he said.26
Warning letters to banks were often followed by personal visits from U.S. officials. Bankers and American officials said that the messages contained a mix of implicit threats and explicit actions. Unsurprisingly, it was not long before nearly all of North Korea’s accounts in foreign banks were closed. The DPRK’s international trade was being choked. Quite often, no pretense was even being made that the actions were related to illegal transactions. U.S. officials were openly pressing financial institutions to sever all economic relations with the DPRK. “The U.S. government is urging financial institutions around the world to think carefully about the risks of doing any North Korea-related business,” Levey said. By September 2006, the U.S. had sent official dispatches to each UN member state, detailing plans for harsher economic sanctions. The planned measures were so strong that several European nations expressed concern, and it was said that the plans aimed at nothing less than a total blockade on all North Korean trade and financial transactions.27
Selig Harrison, director of the Asia Program at the Center for International Policy, visited the DPRK and reported on what he saw. “I found instances in North Korea authenticated by foreign businessmen and foreign embassies in which legitimate imports of industrial equipment for light industries making consumer goods have been blocked. The North Koreans understandably see this as a regime change policy designed to bring about the collapse of their regime through economic pressure.”28
The U.S. also imposed sanctions on several North Korean import-export firms, on the unsubstantiated charge that they were involved in the arms trade. Yet more sanctions were then announced, this time against several Indian and Russian firms doing business with the DPRK, along with several North Korean companies.29
Russian Ambassador to South Korea Gleb Ivashentsov called for the U.S. to offer proof to back its accusation of counterfeiting. “The side that raises the suspicions should present evidence,” he said. “Russia has not received any concrete evidence. There is rumor-level talk on the issue.”30 Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao was equally skeptical, saying that his nation knew nothing of North Korean counterfeit currency flowing into China.31
On December 16, 2005, U.S. officials finally briefed a number of nations on the evidence against North Korea. But South Korean officials noted afterwards that all they heard was a lot of circumstantial evidence but no concrete information.32 At the request of the Bush Administration, a conference was organized by Interpol and held in Lyon, France, in July 2006. There the U.S. Secret Service presented its case to more than sixty international bankers, police officials, and banknote producers. No evidence was offered on that occasion either, and the attitude was that the audience should accept the Secret Service’s assertions on faith alone. “I can’t remember if I was laughing or asleep,” remarked one attendee afterwards.33 A survey of the participants taken at the end of the conference showed that not one person had been fully convinced of the U.S. position.34
U.S. Treasury officials also met with a North Korean delegation in New York in March 2006, but provided no information to back the charge. DPRK delegation head Ri Gun remarked afterwards, “There was no evidence. There were neither comments nor discussion” relating to evidence. During the meeting, Ri Gun proposed creating a joint U.S.-DPRK consultative body to “exchange information on financial crimes and prepare countermeasures.” The North Koreans said they would respond to evidence of counterfeiting and arrest those who were involved and seize the equipment. “Both sides can have a dialogue at the consultative body through which they can build trust. It would have a very positive impact on addressing the nuclear issue on the Korean peninsula,” Ri said. The delegation also suggested that a North Korean settlement account be opened at a U.S. financial institution and placed under U.S. supervision, so as to allay suspicions. The North Korean offers were ignored.35 In a conciliatory move, the DPRK enacted a law nearly a year later that banned transactions based on illegal activities, including counterfeiting.36
It took a year and a half, but when the U.S. Treasury Department completed its investigation into the matter, it decided to finalize the rule prohibiting U.S. financial institutions from dealing with Banco Delta Asia. The Department determined that not only were its earlier allegations accurate, but that the bank had also engaged in “additional illicit financial conduct.”37 Stanley Au, the founder of Banco Delta Asia, responded that his bank did not knowingly do wrong. “We have sent evidence to prove our innocence to the U.S. government several times.”38 Au charged that the Treasury Department had acted unfairly in punishing his bank without offering any evidence.39 Because the bank was a small family-owned firm, it lacked the most recent advanced technology for screening cash for counterfeits. Therefore, as a matter of routine the bank sent all large deposits to HSBC in New York to be analyzed before the amounts would be credited to accounts.40
In the aftermath of the Treasury Department’s initial accusations, the Macao government hired the accounting firm Ernst & Young to investigate operations at Banco Delta Asia. In its final report, Ernst & Young indicated that there was room for improvement in some procedures. But “the procedures in place at the Bank for handling large value (wholesale) deposits of U.S. currency notes ensured that, to a material degree, the Bank did not introduce counterfeit U.S. currency notes into circulation over the relevant period.” For smaller deposits, the accounting firm found that Banco Delta Asia was using a counterfeit banknote scanning machine, as well as doing manual checking. “To this end the Bank passed most U.S. currency notes to HSBC for validation. NK entities were not given value for their deposits of currency until after HSBC had confirmed the deposit to be genuine.” Ernst & Young found that in relation to the total value of U.S. currency sent to HSBC for checking, “the value of counterfeit notes detected was minor. Once detected the counterfeit notes were withdrawn from circulation.”41
It appears that the Treasury Department’s charges against Banco Delta Asia were motivated strictly by political considerations. Certainly the charges were found to have had no connection to reality. No doubt this is why U.S. officials failed to furnish any evidence to back their accusations. Banco Delta Asia was chosen to serve as an example to other financial institutions dealing with the DPRK. As former State Department official David Asher put it, “We decided to kill the chicken to scare the monkey.”42 By targeting one of North Korea’s primary external financial partners, the Bush Administration had succeeded in shutting off much of that nation’s foreign trade. That the charge lacked substance was of no import. It had served the purpose of furthering political aims, as had the Bush Administration’s earlier claims about Iraqi chemical, biological and nuclear weapons programs. In both cases, media saturation ensured that the lies would be firmly implanted as truth in the minds of the American public.
The freezing of North Korea’s funds at Banco Delta Asia violated the recently signed nuclear disarmament agreement and halted its implementation. North Korea justifiably insisted that its funds be released before it would proceed with its obligations under the agreement. In time, the issue became enough of a political embarrassment that the Bush Administration was compelled to relent. North Korea got its money back, believing that this would enable it to regain its limited toehold in the international financial system. But the damage was done. Banco Delta Asia remained blacklisted and most banks continued to be wary of doing business with the DPRK, not wanting to risk U.S. retribution.
The Banco Delta Asia story was a fabrication. But what about the main charge — that North Korea is producing supernotes? It is true that on occasion North Korean officials have passed supernotes while abroad. But then so have citizens from dozens of other countries. Indeed, U.S. Secret Service investigations have involved more than 130 countries.43
It should be noted that much of North Korea’s trade is conducted on a cash basis. The U.S. designation of the DPRK as a “terrorist nation” mandates its exclusion from contact with the U.S. financial system, and for the most part the international system follows suit. Only a handful of banks such as Banco Delta Asia have been willing to do business with North Korea. Nigel Cowie, general manager of Daedong Bank, points out that North Korea’s currency is not convertible, “so imported goods are bought and sold for hard currency.” One of the reasons Cowie gives for North Korea’s reliance on cash transactions is “the absence of the normal system of reciprocal correspondent bank accounts that exists in other countries which enables transactions to be settled by electronic book entry.” The bottom line “is that people tend to transact largely in cash, which in itself is not illegal – in this market, it is in fact often the only way.”44
That very reliance on cash transactions ensures that supernotes inevitably make their way into the local economy. For someone looking to unload a quantity of supernotes, where better to move them than by trading with North Korea? With a population reluctant to deposit money in bank accounts and with banks lacking the kind of counterfeit detection equipment that would flag a supernote as fake, North Korea makes an inviting target. And sooner or later, those same supernotes are going to find their way outside of the North Korean economy. This does not necessarily mean that North Koreans passing the notes would be aware of it, although it is possible that there may be some corrupt individuals in North Korea who are knowingly involved in the trade.
There is much that is odd about supernotes. Banknote specialist Klaus W. Bender points out that experts regard the print quality as “simply superb.” In some ways, Bender continues, “the supernotes are even better than the authentic 100-dollar bills of the Bureau of Engraving and Printing. Under the microscope, for example, the supernote shows an especially fine execution of lines on the facing side, which cannot be found on the real note. The complicated seal of the Department of the Treasury on the facing side is copied with absolute perfection, but just below it, one finds in the banknote numbering a marking compound that should not be there. And then, missing from this excellently copied supernote, of all things, are the magnetic and infrared security features that would prevent banknote examining systems from bouncing it. Every surveillance device of an American bank or the Fed recognizes the supernote immediately as a counterfeit and spits it out. Do the counterfeiters perhaps intend that the supernote be recognized immediately in the United States?”45 A report issued by the Swiss police concurs that the makers of the supernote seem to have deliberately introduced subtle errors into the process. Extra strokes have been added. When placed under ultraviolet or infrared light, stripes can be seen or numbers vanish on supernotes.46
The most perplexing aspect of supernote production is their low quantity. By 2006, the Secret Service had seized $50 million in supernotes, an average of just $2.8 million per year since the first one was discovered. And since supernotes are usually detected the moment they enter the international banking system, the total quantity produced is probably not significantly higher. Supernotes make up a small percentage of the total counterfeit dollars in circulation. “To provide a point of reference,” said Michael Merritt of the U.S. Secret Service, “during fiscal year 2005, the Secret Service seized over $113 million in counterfeit U.S. currency.” Not only is the amount of supernotes small relative to less sophisticated counterfeits, but it is insignificant compared to the $760 billion in genuine U.S. currency in circulation.47
The Swiss police observe, “What defies logic is the limited, or even controlled, amount of ‘exclusive’ fakes that have appeared over the years. The organization could easily circulate tenfold that amount without raising suspicions.” Yet a printing press “like the one in North Korea can produce $50 million worth of bills in a few hours.”48 During the 1970s, Giori replaced its standard model printers in a phased approach with its new “Super” series. The standard model was capable of printing three thousand sheets per hour. Each sheet held 32 notes. If North Korea purchased one of the older standard models, it would have taken just over five hours to produce $50 million. And $2.8 million a year would have required running the press for less than half an hour. Production would be done for the year. The newer Orlof press can spew out 12,000 sheets per hour, each sheet containing sixty notes. Only two and a half minutes would be needed to generate $2.8 million in notes.49 Clearly, supernotes are being produced for a very specific purpose.
Also difficult to explain is the speed with which supernotes have kept pace with the numerous modifications made to U.S. engraving plates since 1989. This in itself is a prohibitively expensive process. German banknote specialist Klaus W. Bender remarks, “The counterfeiters immediately implemented each and every change to the 100-dollar bill. The pace at which they put out their revised fake notes made observers even wonder whether they had access to information concerning to the speed with which the Fed replaced its old notes.”50 The microprint in U.S. currency sometimes measures only 1/42,000 of an inch. “This microprint is considered unique in the world of banknotes. It was reproduced so perfectly by the counterfeiters that even under a microscope no difference is distinguishable. The gravure of an intaglio printing plate requires many months of hard work and eats up many tens of thousands of dollars per plate. For security reasons, the craft is always taught in-house only. So where do the counterfeiters get this specialized knowledge?”51
Just who is producing supernotes? Initially, the U.S. accused Iran and Syria, even though the latter country did not have a banknote press of its own. Then North Korea was identified as the culprit. While it cannot be ruled out that North Korea is producing supernotes, that prospect raises the question of motive. By the reckoning of the U.S. Secret Service, supernotes pose a low threat, given the small amounts in circulation and the preponderant distribution outside of U.S. borders. Furthermore, supernotes are identified the moment they hit the U.S. banking system, which would seem to rule out the motivation of “economic warfare” that has been attributed to North Korea.
Nor does the production of supernotes make sense as a profit-making venture. A single new Giori printing machine now costs more than the $50 million in supernotes found so far. To give some idea of the expense, when Nigeria opened its second printing plant in Abuja, it cost more than $135 million, and that does not take into account property costs.52 A plant to produce the type of paper used in supernotes is similarly expensive and large quantities of the proper type of paper would have to be manufactured to avoid ongoing financial loss. OVI ink is also quite expensive, even more so since most of the ink is lost when the printing plates are wiped clean just before pressing the paper. Factor in the cost of keeping up with multiple changes to the engravings, and no sane individual would undertake such a daunting operation to produce limited quantities with an eye to making a profit.
U.S. officials like to point out that they have seen no evidence that any nation other than North Korea is producing supernotes. True enough, but neither is there any evidence that North Korea is doing so. By all accounts, such an operation would require the resources of a government or governmental organization. Klaus W. Bender suggests one intriguing possibility. “One notices that the supernotes always turn up in small, well-measured quantities, as though their volume were controlled.” This is not how normal counterfeiters behave. “They want to unload their hot goods as quickly as possible. Further, experts believe they have determined that the supernotes regularly crop up in those regions in which U.S. foreign policy is just encountering problems: the Near and Middle East, central African countries, and especially East Africa. Active in these places are opposition politicians, rebelling tribes, and private armies of diverse warlords doing the bidding of the CIA. Could it be that they are being paid for their services in counterfeit dollar notes?” Bender posits that such groups might use the money to purchase arms abroad, including from North Korea, and that from North Korea the money would make its way back to Western nations. “It is not clear how much the U.S. Secret Service knows itself, or is allowed to know.” The CIA is said to have a printing plant located north of Washington, DC, in which the same Giori printing presses are installed that are used in the Bureau of Engraving and Printing.53
It has also been suggested that limited quantities of counterfeit notes are being introduced into the market in such a way as to assist law enforcement agencies in tracking the movement of funds among criminal and terrorist organizations.54 Everything is speculation at this point in time, but of all the various scenarios that have been suggested, it is this last one that is the most plausible. It is the only one where all of the pieces fit together into a coherent whole.
The U.S. still insists that it has solid evidence against North Korea, even though it won’t reveal it. But U.S. officials also claimed to have proof that Banco Delta Asia was culpable in aiding North Korea in distributing supernotes. Given the Bush Administration’s proclivity for mendacity, some measure of skepticism would seem to be called for. When looking at the facts alone, the only thing that can be said with certainty is that the source of supernotes has yet to be determined. As with all stories that the public is asked to accept on blind faith, the topic should be examined with critical thinking. At a minimum, the expectation of evidence should be the norm when unsubstantiated stories with a political point are told. Too often, credulity and misplaced trust in Western leaders have led to tragic consequences.
Gregory Elich is on the Board of Directors of the Jasenovac Research Institute and on the Advisory Board of the Korea Truth Commission. He is the author of the book Strange Liberators: Militarism, Mayhem, and the Pursuit of Profit.
NOTES
1Stephen Mihm, “No Ordinary Counterfeit,” New York Times, July 23, 2006.
2Stephen Mihm, “No Ordinary Counterfeit,” New York Times, July 23, 2006.
3Klaus W. Bender, Moneymakers: The Secret World of Banknote Printing, p. 71, Wiley, Weinheim, 2006.
Klaus W. Bender, “The Mystery of the Supernotes,” Dusseldorfer Institut fur Aussen und Sicherheitspolitik (Dusseldorf), January 11, 2007.
4Klaus W. Bender, “The Mystery of the Supernotes,” Dusseldorfer Institut fur Aussen und Sicherheitspolitik (Dusseldorf), January 11, 2007
5Klaus W. Bender, Moneymakers: The Secret World of Banknote Printing, p. 109, Wiley, Weinheim, 2006.
6Kevin G. Hall, “Fake $100 ‘Supernotes’ Have Features Just Like the Real Ones,” McClatchy Newspapers, January 9, 2008.
7Klaus W. Bender, “The Mystery of the Supernotes,” Dusseldorfer Institut fur Aussen und Sicherheitspolitik (Dusseldorf), January 11, 2007.
Kevin G. Hall, “Fake $100 ‘Supernotes’ Have Features Just Like the Real Ones,” McClatchy Newspapers, January 9, 2008.
8Klaus W. Bender, “The Mystery of the Supernotes,” Dusseldorfer Institut fur Aussen und Sicherheitspolitik (Dusseldorf), January 11, 2007.
9Klaus W. Bender, Moneymakers: The Secret World of Banknote Printing, pp. 91-93, Wiley, Weinheim, 2006.
10Stephen Mihm, “No Ordinary Counterfeit,” New York Times, July 23, 2006.
11Klaus W. Bender, “The Mystery of the Supernotes,” Dusseldorfer Institut fur Aussen und Sicherheitspolitik (Dusseldorf), January 11, 2007.
12Kevin G. Hall, “Fake $100 ‘Supernotes’ Have Features Just Like the Real Ones,” McClatchy Newspapers, January 9, 2008.
13Stephen Mihm, “No Ordinary Counterfeit,” New York Times, July 23, 2006.
14″What is a Superdollar?”, BBC News, June 19, 2004.
15Stephen Mihm, “No Ordinary Counterfeit,” New York Times, July 23, 2006.
16Tim Johnson, “Defectors Offer Stories of Fake U.S. Bills, But They Don’t Check Out,” McClatchy Newspapers, January 10, 2008.
17United States District Court for the District of Columbia, Indictment, “United States of America v. Sean Garland, also known as ‘the Man with the Hat’, Christopher John Corcoran, also known as ‘Christie’, David Levin, also known as David Batikovich Baitikian, also known as Gediminas Gotautas, also known as ‘Russian Dave’, also known as ‘Doctor’, Terence Silcock, also known as ‘Terry’, Hugh Todd, also known as F.B. Rawing, also known as Peter Keith Clark, Alan Jones, and Mark Adderley, Defendants, September 30, 2004.
18Sean Garland, Letter to the Irish Times, November 17, 2005.
19Sean Garland, Letter to the Irish Times, October 17, 2005.
20U.S. State Department, press release, “U.S. Cites Banco Delta Asia for Money Laundering, Other Crimes,” September 15, 2005.
21Department of the Treasury, Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, Advisory, “Guidance to Financial Institutions on the Provision of Banking Services to North Korean Government Agencies and Associated Front Companies Engaged in Illicit Activities,” December 13, 2005.
22Letter by James T. Barnette of Collier Shannon Scott, LLC, to William J. Fox, Director of the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, October 17, 2005.
23Jay Solomon, “How U.S. Used Finance to Pressure North Korea,” Wall Street Journal Asia, April 12, 2007.
24Christian Caryl, “Pocketbook Policing,” Newsweek, April 10-17, 2006.
Joel Brinkley, “U.S. Squeezes North Korea’s Money Flow,” New York Times, March 10, 2006.
25Nigel Cowie, “US Financial Allegations: What they Mean,” Nautilus Institute, May 4, 2006.
Jay Solomon, “How U.S. Used Finance to Pressure North Korea,” Wall Street Journal Asia, April 12, 2007.
26Nigel Cowie, “US Financial Allegations: What they Mean,” Nautilus Institute, May 4, 2006.
“North Korea’s Nuclear Push May be Stymied by U.S. Banking Rules,” Bloomberg, March 7, 2006.
Anna Fifield, “Bankers Challenge US Sanctions on North Korea,” Financial Times (London), September 5, 2006.
27Steven R. Wiseman, “U.S. Pursues Tactic of Financial Isolation,” New York Times, October 16, 2006.
“North Korean Regime Feeling Pinch from Sanctions: U.S.,” Chosun Ilbo (Seoul), April 3, 2006.
“North Funds Lose Havens in Sanctions,” JoongAng Ilbo (Seoul), August 24, 2006.
“US Targets Business with North Korea,” Associated Press, September 9, 2006.
“US Reportedly Asks for Cooperation with Sanctions on DPRK from UN Member States,” Chosun Ilbo (Seoul), September 13, 2006.
28Selig S. Harrison, “N.K. Nuclear Test Depends on U.S.,” Hankyoreh (Seoul), October 2, 2006.
29Jeannine Aversa, “White House Targets N. Korean Companies,” Associated Press, October 21, 2005.
“US Slaps Sanctions on N.Korea, Russian Firms,” Reuters, August 4, 2006.
“U.S. Slaps Sanctions on Two N.Korean Firms,” Chosun Ilbo (Seoul), August 7, 2006.
30Lee Chi-dong, “Russia Urges U.S. to Present Evidence of N. Korean Counterfeiting,” Yonhap (Seoul), March 7, 2006.
31″China Unaware of Counterfeit Dollars Linked to North Korea – Spokesman Cited,” Kyodo News Service (Tokyo), October 26, 2006.
32Kwon Tae-yol, “ROK ‘Does Not Agree 100 Percent’,” Chosun Ilbo (Seoul), December 20, 2005.
33Kevin G. Hall, “U.S. Counterfeiting Charges Against N. Korea Based on Shaky Evidence,” McClatchy Newspapers, January 10, 2008.
34Klaus W. Bender, “The Mystery of the Supernotes,” Dusseldorfer Institut fur Aussen und Sicherheitspolitik (Dusseldorf), January 11, 2007.
35″No Evidence on Counterfeiting, Says North Korean Diplomat,” Agence France-Presse, March 9, 2006.
“North Korea Urges US to Accept Proposal to Settle ‘Counterfeit Notes’ Issue,” KCNA (Pyonyang), March 28, 2006.
36″ROK Intelligence Agency Says DPRK Enacts Anti-Money Laundering Law,” Agence France-Presse, February 20, 2007.
37U.S. Department of Treasury, Prepared Remarks of Stuart Levey, “U.S. Treasury Finalizes Rule Against Banco Delta Asia,” March 14, 2007.
38Ser Myo-ja, “Not Guilty Says Macau Bank Chief,” JoongAng Ilbo (Seoul), March 17, 2007.
39″Macao Bank Says Scapegoated by U.S |
54-year-old New Jersey man called 911 to get him to a hospital and ended up threatening and assaulting one of the emergency medical technicians who responded, Bensalem police said.
When the medics arrived at the Neshaminy Motor Inn in the 2400 block of Lincoln Highway on Wednesday, Gregory Harm, of Cherry Hill, was behaving in a �very aggressive� manner and yelling, according to court documents. One of the medics said he felt threatened and used his hand to move Harm away from him, telling him to back up.
Harm allegedly continued to move aggressively at the medic, then threatened to beat him up, and assumed a fighting stance, according to court papers. The medic tried to restrain Harm and they fell onto the ground where Harm continued to struggle with the medic, the records note.
Bensalem police were then called to assist with Harm, who had called 911 for transportation to a hospital for help with his alcohol abuse, according to a probable cause affidavit.
Police said they found in Harm�s motel room a green plastic cap that had a white powder residue in it, which was placed in evidence for lab testing. Harm also admitted he had been drinking alcohol earlier in the evening and a preliminary breath test was positive for a high blood alcohol concentration, police said.
Harm was arraigned Thursday before District Judge Robert Wagner Jr. on aggravated and simple assault, disorderly conduct and use and possession of drug paraphernalia. He was sent to Bucks County prison in lieu of 10 percent of $150,000 bail.
Jo Ciavaglia: 215-949-4181;
email: jciavaglia@calkins.com;
Twitter: @jociavagliaA South African home-cleaning service, SweepSouth, which works on the Uber model, has been selected by Silicon Valley-based venture capital fund and start-up accelerator 500 Startups.
The Money Show’s Bruce Whitfield interviewed Aisha Pandor, Co-Founder of SweepSouth.
Scroll down to listen to the interview.
I got the idea when I struggled to find a domestic worker when I was on holiday in Cape Town. — Aisha Pandor, SweepSouth
We do a lot of screening. You should be getting a very standard experience. We're very data-driven, just like Uber. — Aisha Pandor, SweepSouth
We pay three times the minimum hourly wage. — Aisha Pandor, SweepSouth
We're fully insured. — Aisha Pandor, SweepSouth
We’re gunning for growth! — Aisha Pandor, SweepSouth
This article first appeared on 702 : American venture capitalist invests in local Uber-esque home cleaning servicePosted by coltsindianapolis on December 3, 2014 – 9:59 am
The NFL today announced that Indianapolis Colts inside linebacker D’Qwell Jackson has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13. This marks the second time he has earned the award in his career (2012 – Week 12).
In the Colts’ 49-27 victory over the Washington Redskins in Week 13, Jackson tied for the team lead with 12 tackles (seven solo), two tackles for loss, one pass defensed and one fumble recovery, which he returned 35 yards for a touchdown. Following an Erik Walden sack-forced fumble in the third quarter, he scooped up the ball and took it to the end zone for a score giving Indianapolis a 35-17 lead. It marked his second career touchdown (27-yard interception return against Philadelphia on Sept. 9, 2012).
Jackson has started all 12 games this year, recording a team-leading 137 tackles (81 solo) and a career-high 4.0 sacks. He has also tied his single-season career-high with three fumble recoveries. For his nine-year NFL career, Jackson has registered 1,028 tackles (647 solo), 15.5 sacks, 29 passes defensed, eight interceptions, 10 fumble recoveries and six forced fumbles in 109 games played (108 starts). He has topped 100 tackles in seven seasons, including in each of the last four.
Jackson is the third Colts player to earn AFC Player of the Week honors in 2014. The Colts are the fourth team in the NFL this season with an Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Player of the Week, joining Arizona, New England and San Diego.
2014 COLTS AFC PLAYER OF THE WEEK RECIPIENTS
Week 3: Andrew Luck – AFC Offensive Player of the Week
Week 6: Pat McAfee – AFC Special Teams Player of the Week
Week 13: D’Qwell Jackson – AFC Defensive Player of the Week
2014 COLTS AFC PLAYER OF THE MONTH RECIPIENTS
September: Pat McAfee – AFC Special Teams Player of the Month
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Posted in Colts BlogThen he was in and out of hospital as the numbness spread to his arms. By the end of August, he was in hospital to stay.
In just a few months, Webber deteriorated from a healthy, active man to someone who can't even hold his head up.
After staying in St. Mary's until October, he was transferred to the London Health Sciences Centre and cared for on a special neurology floor.
But they didn't have any more luck determining the cause. Conditions like Guillain-Barré syndrome and ALS were ruled out, while attempted treatments like a course of steroids and dialysis had no effect.
After surviving one bout of pneumonia, his worsening breathing required a tracheotomy.
He was recently sent back to St. Mary's with no more answers about the mysterious ailment seizing his body, which has withered away by 40 pounds.
"They just don't know," Webber-Blanke said.
The family wants nothing more than to know what is wrong, and then hopefully how to get Mark on the road to recovery.
Unsure about what the future holds for him and what care he may need, a fundraiser concert is planned for February and an account has been set up for donations at www.gofundme.com/loveformark. Webber worked for a production company setting up concerts, but has been away for months now.
His brother Mike is amazed by all the people he hears from who are eager to lend a hand and concerned about his condition.
"The outpouring of help is incredible."
jweidner@therecord.com, Twitter: @WeidnerRecordRemember when the Ducati 1199 Panigale hit the shores of Japan, and the Bologna Bullet got an ugly mid-pipe and exhaust can welded into place, whiled the underslung exhaust cans welded shut? It was such an affront to the senses of some of our loyal Ducatisti readers, our comments section was flooded with the word “hoax” and the cry to burn it with fire.
Unlike Santa Claus, the Japanese-spec Ducati 1199 Panigale is very real Virginia, and it features other changes beyond its monstrous exhaust to help quiet the beast that resides within its fairings.
Ducati is not alone in the list of brands that have seen the gorgeous lines of their machines ruined by the strict noise and emission standards of Nippon. Committing yet another crime against motorcycling, we have for your viewing terror official photos of the Japanese edition of the MV Agusta F3 675 — yes, the exhaust can of doom makes a return appearance.
There is no mention of other changes to the MV Agusta F3 on the company’s Japanese website, so presumably the addition of the longer exhaust and substantial exhaust pipe was sufficient enough to get the supersport machine deemed road-legal in Japan. Thanks for the tip Trane!
Source: MV Agusta JapanNoel Mazzone has accepted the position of offensive coordinator at Texas A&M, according to sources.
There are also strong indications that UCLA quarterbacks coach Taylor Mazzone, his son, will accompany him to College Station and become the Aggies’ quarterbacks coach.
Taylor Mazzone will still interview with Toledo for their open offensive coordinator position.
We’ve heard from sources, too, that UCLA running backs coach Kennedy Polamalu will be strongly considered for the UCLA offensive coordinator job.
Many people associated with the football program believe Polamalu would be a great OC, able to transform UCLA’s offense into more of a physical one, along with being highly organized and disciplined in his approach and gameplanning. Polamalu has a long history of offensive gameplanning on his resume; the question would be playcalling, but those close to the situation believe Polamalu would be dynamic in playcalling duties. You could probably expect UCLA’s offense to be more multi-dimensional under Polamalu, with a capability of moving between a spread scheme and more of a power run game and pro-style set.
If Taylor Mazzone does leave UCLA, we’ve also heard from sources close to USC’s program that USC coach Marques Tuiasosopo has given USC indications he will become UCLA’s quarterbacks coach. Tuiasosopo, the one-time UCLA and Washington assistant, would be a substantial addition to UCLA’s staff, as the mentor of UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen and an accomplished recruiter.
If both Mazzones leave UCLA, and Jim Mora adds Tuiasosopo, it leaves room for another coach on staff. A rumor circulating is that UCLA Associate Athletic Director for Football, Rip Scherer, would possibly become tight ends coach for UCLA. Scherer is an experienced coach at both the NFL and college level. Hiring Scherer as tight ends coach would represent UCLA’s commitment to expanding UCLA's offense with a pro-style, power-type dimension.Fox News host Sean Hannity on Tuesday said he’d pay for President Barack Obama to leave the country – on the condition that he “can’t come back.” Hinting at the “birther” conspiracy claims that plagued much of Obama’s first years in office, Hannity said, “I have an offer for the president. I will charter a plane for you and your family.” Speaking on his daily radio show Tuesday, Hannity was responding to a fake news article published in August that claimed Obama would move to Canada if Trump were to win the presidential election. “I will charter it to the country of your choice. You want to go to Canada? I’ll pay for you to go to Canada. You want to go to Kenya? I’ll pay for you to go to Kenya. Jakarta, where you went to school back in the day, you can go back there,” Hannity said. The controversial host stopped short of saying Obama was born in Kenya, but he has given support to the widely debunked theory in the past, having joined Donald Trump in demanding the release of Obama’s birth certificate in 2011. He even offered to ask for Trump’s help in getting Obama to leave the country, saying if he couldn’t afford a charter plane himself, “maybe I’ll ask Trump if I can charter his plane for Obama.”Bailey's injury Edit
All-Star benefit Edit
Legacy Edit
The proceeds from the game totaled $20,909, which was given to Bailey.[12][1] Additionally, he was presented with $6,000 raised by the Bruins in a separate benefit.[11] Prior to the game, Bailey presented Calder with a trophy commissioned by the Maple Leafs and bearing his name that the team hoped would go to the winner of an annual all-star game that would benefit injured players.[17] That failed to materialize, though the NHL held two additional benefit games in the following five years. Memorial games were held for the families of Howie Morenz in 1937 and Babe Siebert in 1939. It was not until 1947 that the idea became an annual event when the 1st National Hockey League All-Star Game was held in Toronto.[18] Though Bailey never played again, he remained in the Maple Leafs organization for nearly a half century, working as a penalty box official for the team.[3] He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1975.[17] Shore remained an NHL regular until 1940 then operated a minor league hockey team. He was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame in 1947.[19] The game's participants pose as a group
Rosters Edit
Box score Edit
All-Stars 3 – 7
(1-2, 2-2, 0-3) Toronto Maple Leaf Gardens
Toronto
Attendance: 14,074 First period 0–1 4:00 Cotton (Blair, Doraty) Referees: 0–2 7:11 Jackson (Kilrea, Primeau) Bobby Hewitson Stewart (Ward) 14:15 1–2 Mike Rodden Second period 1–3 1:33 Jackson (Thoms) Morenz (Joliat) 8:24 2–3 Finnigan (Stewart) 9:15 3–3 3–4 11:13 Day (unassisted) Third period 3–5 4:05 Kilrea (Jackson) 3–6 18:26 Doraty (Blair) 3–7 18:41 Blair (unassisted) none Penalties noneUpdate: A leaked Department of Homeland Security memo that discussed possible ties between Jared Lee Loughner, the alleged shooter of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, and hate group American Renaissance, contained errors and overstated the connection, an Arizona law enforcement official told Politico. The new information refutes earlier reports by Fox News on a potential link between the Tucson shooter and the group, based on a law enforcement memo that reportedly included information from DHS. A DHS official told The Washington Post on Monday the agency has not officially provided information on Loughner to any law enforcement officials, but may have done so unofficially.
The commander of the agency that originated the memo said the document "was never intended for public dissemination" and contained incorrect statements. "I do have no reason to believe in anything that we did that (Loughner) had any direct connection or was being directed by American Renaissance," David Denlinger, commander of the Arizona Counter Terrorism Information Center, told Politico.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
WASHINGTON -- Jared Lee Loughner, the alleged shooter of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and others on Saturday, may have ties to anti-Semitic, anti-immigration hate group American Renaissance, according to a "a law enforcement memo based on information provided by DHS," Fox News reported. A DHS official told the Washington Post on Monday the agency has not officially provided information on Loughner to any law enforcement officials, but may have done so unofficially.
It's unclear whether Loughner maintains a direct connection to the group, however, "strong suspicion is being directed" at American Renaissance in the wake of the group being referenced in Loughner's Myspace and YouTube videos, according to the memo, which was obtained by Fox News.
American Renaissance is a white nationalist group that operates under a pseudo think tank called the New Century Foundation. The group runs a magazine and conferences based on eugenics and the superiority of whites, according to Southern Poverty Law Center.
The group considers its members to be "racial-realists," according to an "About Us" section on the American Renaissance magazine website. "Attempts to gloss over the significance of race or even to deny its reality only make problems worse," the group writes. "Progress requires the study of all aspects of race, whether historical, cultural, or biological. This approach is known as race realism."
The pseudo-science in the magazine refers to biological superiority of whites, with titles such as "Swine Flu: Is There a Racial Link?" and "Ignoring Biological Reality Means Social and Economic Catastrophe." After President Barack Obama was elected in 2008, the magazine ran a feature called "Transition to Black Rule?"
American Renaissance is opposed to the entry of non-whites into the United States and supports Arizona's SB 1070 immigration law, which was criticized as racist and challenged by the Obama Justice Department. In an introduction to readers when the magazine was started in 1990, the publication wrote that "blacks and Hispanics are, compared to whites, far more likely to be poor, illiterate, on welfare, or in jail; they are far more likely to have illegitimate children, be addicted to drugs, or have AIDS. By no definition of international competitiveness can the presence of these populations be anything but a disadvantage."
The group's connection to anti-Semitism is slightly more complicated. Although Holocaust deniers and neo-Nazis are often present at New Century Foundation conferences, group founder Jared Taylor cracked down on anti-Semitic speech in the magazine and at events, according to Southern Poverty Law Center. But after an anti-Semitic outburst at the 2006 conference, the group lost some of its Jewish supporters.
Although the motivations behind Saturday's actions remain unclear, Jewish media organizations pointed to possibly anti-Semitism after Hitler's Mein Kampf was listed as one of Loughner's favorite books. Giffords is the first Jewish U.S. representative to be elected in Arizona. Gabe Zimmerman, a Giffords aide who was killed in the shooting, was also Jewish.
On immigration, Giffords holds Blue Dog views: She supports comprehensive immigration reform, including increased border security and a path to legal status for some of the estimated 11 million undocumented immigrants already in the United States. Giffords voted in December for the DREAM Act, a bill that would allow undocumented immigrants who entered the country as children, to exchange in return for military service or attending college.
Although she opposes Arizona law SB 1070, Giffords also opposed the Justice Department's lawsuit against the state to stop the law. "Congresswoman Giffords wants more federal agents on the Arizona border, not federal lawyers in court arguing with state lawyers about a law that will do nothing to increase public safety in the communities she represents," her spokesman told The Hill in June.SK Innovation, a battery cell maker part of the South Korea-based chemical and energy conglomerate SK, confirmed (via GreenCarCongress) that it has been selected as the supplier of battery cells for Mercedes’ upcoming line of electric vehicles.
Last month, Daimler green-lighted 4 new long-range electric vehicles, which will reportedly be two sedans and two crossover SUVs. The automaker will need an important volume of battery cells if it plans to manufacture these upcoming vehicles in significant volume.
Mercedes will build its own battery packs with the cells supplied by SK. For its only all-electric vehicle, the Mercedes B-Class EV, the automaker was outsourcing its battery pack manufacturing to Tesla, which itself was sourcing the cells from Panasonic.
It’s understandable that the company would want to start making its own packs and develop its own expertise, but it’s surprising that Daimler didn’t go with a bigger battery cell supplier like LG, Samsung or Panasonic, or even A123 or BYD. Though it’s not SK’s first electric vehicle supply contract. The South Korea-based company is the supplier of battery cells for the Kia Soul EV (its battery pack is featured in the above image).
Last year, SK more than doubled its capacity at its Seosan battery plant in Korea, where production is now running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The company expects to have to expand its manufacturing volume due to future and current projects with customers including Daimler’s Mercedes.
Hongdae Kim, Head of Battery & I/E Materials with SK Innovation, said about the announcement:
“SK Innovation is planning to strengthen its position in the global battery market with differentiated performance and technology, while reinforcing relationship with the current customers such as Daimler, to prepare for strong growth of the electric vehicle market. Winning a major project with Mercedes-Benz, SK Innovation has become a top-tier supplier, in lead of the global electric vehicle battery market, for best-in-class automotive customers in Korea, China and Europe.”
It sounds like SK hopes Daimler will drive its battery business like Tesla did with Panasonic’s.Donna Brazile’s leaking of presidential debate questions to the Clinton camp is not the first time the Democratic strategist has played CNN in pursuit of her own objectives. As a correspondent for the network, I was privy to her effort to manipulate CNN’s news coverage of the 2008 Democratic presidential primary race.
A tip had come to CNN from an extremely reliable and well-placed source. I was told by the Washington editors one morning late in 2007 that Al Gore has been seriously considering entering the race for the presidency and is close to joining the Democratic primary field, which included Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. My assignment was to check out the tip. Since losing to George W. Bush in the tightly contested election of 2000, Gore had stepped away from politics and become a very wealthy businessman. If true, this would be big news.
“Who’s the source?” I asked.
“We can’t say.”
“Come on.”
“Can’t say. Check it out.”
I started digging, reaching out to Gore, his business partners and every Democratic official, donor, and fundraiser that I could think of. It was very late in the game, and to get in, Gore would have had to connect with big money Democrats to support and fund a presidential race, especially since other candidates had already nailed down their backers.
Not surprisingly, Gore’s office issued a denial. I called Brazile, who had been Gore’s campaign manager in 2000, leaving a message when told she wasn’t available. Top Democrats and fundraisers I reached all had pretty much the same reaction: “I know nothing of that.” “He hasn’t said that to me.” “First I’ve heard of it.” “Doesn’t sound right.” There was not a hint of Gore even considering a run from people who should have known.
“I need to know your source!” I demanded of the Washington editors, “Because it looks like we don’t have a story.”
“Call Donna Brazile.”
“I have.”
“Call her again. She’s it.”
I dialed Brazile, one of CNN’s regular commentators, but again she didn’t take my call. A half hour later I called once more, telling the receptionist I simply had to speak to her immediately. Brazile got on the line, only to say, “I’ve got nothing to tell you.”
It was clear the “tip” was a hoax. The Democratic operative, who was not managing another Democrat’s bid for the presidency, was trying to use CNN to float her former candidate’s name back into the race, playing a political game at CNN’s expense. Donna Brazile did not respond to my request for comment for this article.
Manipulating the media is a big part of what political strategists do in their effort to further their party, politicians and policies. They are not journalists who are devoted to digging up the facts and reporting them accurately.
Far more troubling than Brazile’s efforts to plant a false story and tip off the Clinton camp about upcoming debate questions, is the fact that all the cable news stations, including CNN, grant a very substantial chunk of their air time to political operatives whom they pay, people like Brazile who have their own agendas, which often have little to do with the truth. Would it be shocking to learn that other political strategists have tried to gain advantage from their side jobs as television commentators?
Today, much of the “news” coverage on news stations is dedicated to paid commentators who share their biases and spin the facts to their advantage, while dozens of talented journalists at the networks sit on the sidelines, unable to get on the air to report real news. Not only does this hurt the credibility of TV news, but it’s also a disservice to Americans who rely upon journalistic organizations for reliable information. When Americans are misinformed, our democracy suffers. This is what happens when news networks turn into opinion networks.
Let the Brazile incident be a learning moment. TV news executives need to put more of their reporters back into the game, in the field and on the air. The purpose of journalism is to inform the public, not to distort the facts and certainly not to mislead the public. News networks should use commentators sparingly and allow their journalists to reclaim the airwaves.
Allan Chernoff was CNN senior correspondent for 11 years and reported for CNBC, NBC News and MSNBC. He is CEO of Chernoff Communications.Courtesy of the DC All Access video, here is the trade dress possibilities for the new DC weekly comic, Five Years Later.
Bleeding Cool has been running article after article about this project, which will see every New 52 book in September 2014 go five years into their future, before coming back to the present the next month, but leaving a weekly series written by Dan Jurgens, Brian Azzarello, Keith Giffen and Jeff Lemire. They would have been joined by Greg Rucka but he had scheduling conflicts. We also expect to see Five Years Later as the DC Free Comic Book Day title in 2014. But this is the very first actual, physical evidence we’ve had that it actually exists…
And it seems to have a certain Batman Beyond as a character…
Didio also stated that Frank Miller‘s contribution to Detective Comics #27 would be a double page splash. Here’s the video.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VVcEkJKuEzM[/youtube]
About Rich Johnston Chief writer and founder of Bleeding Cool. Father of two. Comic book clairvoyant. Political cartoonist.
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None foundTop 5 Most Rated Node.js Frameworks for End-to-End Web Testing
Adrian Lewis Blocked Unblock Follow Following Mar 13, 2017
Hello my friends, today we are going to look into the most popular solutions for functional web testing. For my review, I listed the most well-known and popular frameworks, sorted them by the number of stars in their GitHub repos and picked top 5. Here are they (the number of stars is specified for the moment when this article was written, and it can differ from the current score).
CasperJS — 6399 stars Site GitHub
stars Site GitHub Protractor — 6351 stars Site GitHub
stars Site GitHub Nightwatch.js — 5975 stars Site GitHub
stars Site GitHub TestCafe — 2106 stars Site GitHub
stars Site GitHub CodeceptJS — 1040 stars Site GitHub
CasperJS is written in Python, i.e. it is not a native Node.js solution. However, I’ve added this framework to my review because it can be installed from npm and so it fits well into the Node.js toolchain.
Further, we will have a detailed look at each of them. We will discuss their main features and try to perform a couple of basic actions with each, which will allow us to understand what each framework is worth. I’ll describe what you need to do to write your first simple test. This review does not encompass all the features — only the first impression from getting started with the framework. As a test scenario, we will use each framework to find its repository on GitHub.
CasperJS
This is the most starred framework in our rating. A special thing about this framework is that it’s tailored to be used with headless browser engines ( PhantomJS or SlimerJS ). On one hand, your tests run much faster compared to real browsers. And you don’t need to install browsers in your continuous integration system. On the other hand, the behavior of headless browsers sometimes differs from real browsers, which makes it impossible to detect browser-specific issues. Nevertheless, these considerations may not affect your choice of framework because you can run tests in PhantomJS with many other frameworks by using plugins or other simple mechanisms. Another advantage of CasperJS is support for CoffeeScript syntax in test code.
Installation
Install PhantomJS npm install phantomjs -g
Install Python 2.6 or newer
Install CasperJS: npm install -g casperjs
Create a file with the test: /casperjs/test.js
Test Code
This test code in plain JavaScript looks a little bit overburdened. It could get better if we used CoffeeScript, but after I rewrote the test in this language, I couldn’t get it to work because the version of PhantomJS should be older than 2. By looking at test code, you can also see that using arrow functions instead of nested plain functions, i.e. ES6 support, could improve code readability.
Run Test
casperjs test test.js
Report
Test Passed
Test Failed
Protractor
A very popular solution positioned as a framework for testing Angular and AngularJs applications. This allows it to attract many Angular users. Protractor has built-in means to work with Angular elements. This simplifies code significantly and allows you to write tests easily and fast. Though, it’s worth noticing that the same can be achieved in other frameworks one way or another. However, if you use Angular heavily, consider using Protractor. In contrast to the previous framework, Protractor tests against real browsers, which is an important advantage. Also, note the automatic waiting feature that, according to the authors, facilitates writing and running tests.
Installation
Install Java Development Kit
Install Protractor: npm install –g protractor
Initialize Web DriverManager: webdriver-manager update
Create a test file ( /protractor/test.js )
) Create a configuration file ( /protractor/conf.js )
Test Code
Run Test
Run Web DriverManager: webdriver-manager start
protractor conf.js
Report
Test Passed
Test Failed
Nightwatch
A very popular framework, the main competitor to Protractor. Its benefits include highly transparent and readable test code. Nevertheless, you still need to use waits in code while Protractor and TestCafe have built-in waiting mechanism. The main drawback is the most complicated environment configuration among all the reviewed frameworks. You can see for yourself how many steps it takes to run a simple test. In general, Nightwatch and Protractor have a lot in common.
Installation
Install Java Development Kit (JDK). The minimum required version is 7
Download Selenium — selenium-server-standalone-{VERSION}.jar
Put Selenium in the same directory with tests
Download the WebDriver for Google Chrome and put it in the same folder ( /nightwatch/chromedriver.exe )
) Install the framework: npm install -g nightwatch
Create a configuration file ( /nightwatch/conf.js ). In this file, you need to specify the path to the Chrome WebDriver.
Create a test file ( /nightwatch/test.js )
Test Code
Run Test
Run Selenium java -jar selenium-server-standalone-3.0.0.jar
nightwatch test.js
Report
Test Passed
Test Failed
TestCafe
A young but already popular framework. Its key feature is that it doesn’t use WebDriver to work with browsers as other solutions do. That is why it requires minimal test environment and it is installed with one command. Besides, this approach allows you to run tests on any physical device without requiring anything but the browser. Other pluses include writing tests in ES6/ES7, automatic waiting as well as the elegant and informative console reporter. The main drawback of TestCafe is that it emerged not long ago and has a much smaller community than its competitors. Nevertheless, the community grows bigger and TestCafe already has a wide range of plugins that extend its functionality. It is undoubtedly worth your attention.
Installation
npm install testcafe -g
Create a test file ( /testcafe/test.js )
Test Code
Run Test
testcafe chrome test.js
Report
Test Passed
Test Failed
CodeceptJs
This is not a plain framework but a wrapper that provides syntax to write tests that will run in one of the popular test runners. You can choose from the following options
WebDriverIO
Protractor
Selenium WebDriver JS
NightmareJS
or others…
The syntax provides a simple and comprehensible linear way to define the test scenario. You can extend commands in this syntax as you wish, though the set of built-in commands is enough to write basic tests. The support for ES6 syntax makes test code concise and readable. An advantage of such an approach is that you can run your test without substantial changes in any of the popular test runners with no additional effort.
Installation
Install framework npm install -g codeceptjs
Generate codecept.json config with a console command codeceptjs init
config with a console command Create a test by using the command codeceptjs gt
… In addition, you need to install everything required to run the helper of your choice (e.g., Protractor)
Test Code
Run test
codeceptjs run --steps
Report
Test PassedSince launching Cowgirl Creamery in 1997 in Point Reyes, Sue Conley and Peggy Smith have turned their small Bay Area dairy business into a nationally distributed artisan brand to be reckoned with. Now, just eight months shy of Cowgirl’s 20th anniversary, the two owners have told The Chronicle that the company will merge with the far larger Swiss dairy company Emmi.
Cowgirl Creamery is only the latest in a string of local artisan brands being bought out by big companies. Last fall, humane-focused meat supplier Niman Ranch was bought by Perdue. Around the same time, in early September, Petaluma’s Lagunitas Brewing Co. sold a 50 percent stake in the company to Dutch beverage behemoth Heineken.
The Cowgirl merger, which also includes its distribution arm, Tomales Bay Foods, comes six months after Emmi’s acquisition of Sebastopol goat dairy Redwood Hill Farm and Creamery. (Emmi also owns Arcata’s Cypress Grove Chevre, which it bought in 2010.) The Swiss company, founded in 1907 and operated by a cooperative of dairy farmers, is the largest Swiss milk processor and exports cheese and other dairy products to approximately 60 countries. In 2015, Emmi posted net sales of nearly $3.3 billion.The terms of the deal have not been disclosed.
When Conley and Smith launched Cowgirl in the mid-’90s, there were only six cheesemaking operations in Marin and Sonoma counties. As the local craft food scene has boomed, so has Cowgirl’s business. Today, there are over two dozen cheesemaking companies in the region, and Cowgirl has helped bring many of their products to the attention of shoppers nationwide via Tomales Bay Foods. The company now has approximately 95 employees; a product line of nearly a dozen cheeses, including its flagship triple-cream Mount Tam; two retail outposts (a third location in Washington, D.C., closed in 2013); two cheesemaking facilities, plus a third in the works; and a Ferry Building restaurant, Sidekick.
Conley and Smith will continue to operate Cowgirl Creamery and Tomales Bay Foods; Smith will take on the title of president and Conley will be vice president.
For a smaller company like Cowgirl, the benefits of a merger or acquisition with a larger corporation may include capital infusions and increased distribution capacity — while allowing it to stay focused on its craft, says George Geis, faculty director for the mergers and acquisitions executive program at the UCLA Anderson School of Management.
“When a large company buys a small company that has a loyal customer base, they have to be very careful that the loyal customers don't get scared off,” says Geis.
Conley and Smith have long been familiar with Emmi — and have carried several of its cheeses over the years. They looked closely at how it has worked with its other local acquisitions. “Mary Keehn (Cypress Grove’s former owner) took a big chance when she merged with Emmi,” said Smith. “We talked with Mary a lot about this, and she has confirmed that they run their business exactly the same way they did before they started with Emmi.”
The Cowgirl founders, both now in their 60s, said the decision to merge with the Swiss company has been a very considered one.
“For us it’s been a little bit of a journey,” Smith said. “Getting older, Sue and I are looking at the future. We want Cowgirl Creamery to remain in Sonoma and Marin. This will help provide that platform for the future.”
Conley said that partnering with Emmi will give them access to capital they need to open a facility in Petaluma that will enable them to increase production and bring back their cottage cheese, a fan favorite that has been unavailable for some time. They also envision developing other products.
“We invented the way we make cheese without the benefit of engineers and dairy scientists. These are traditions that started in Europe, and now we will actually have experts who can help us refine some of our processes and help us create new cheeses,” said Conley.
Conley and Smith said they also view Emmi as having a strong allegiance to dairy farmers, as well as respect for the value of organic production and sustainable agriculture.
“I don’t have a crystal ball, but I feel very secure,” says Smith. “They’re a different kind of company. We’re a different kind of company. This one fits our model much closer than anything we’ve seen.”
Conley agrees, “This company understands the craft and traditions of cheese making.”
Some of the sophisticated cheeses sold by Cowgirl require a final stage of care known as “affinage” as they mature. For fans of the cheesemaker, they too will have to watch the combination of Emmi and Cowgirl ripen over time.
“The whole trick is integration,” said Geis. “The worst thing that can happen is for the larger company to try to change the smaller one and take away its significance.”
Sarah Fritsche is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: sfritsche@sfchronicle.comSTATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Longtime Staten Island businessman Mel Kling Jr. and his son, Mel Kling III, were deep in conversation one night as the younger Kling's phone kept interrupting their trains of thought.
"Growing more and more impatient listening to its litany of alert noises indicating incoming text messages and calls, I finally asked him to shut it off for a few minutes," recalled the elder Kling, a Prince's Bay resident.
But as the father and son continued their conversation, dad's phone started lighting up too.
"We both laughed. My son asked, 'Wouldn't it be nice if we could just make certain people's calls and texts go directly to a mailbox that we can check when we want?'" said Kling Jr.
From that moment on, the father and son team had a mission to bring this product to the marketplace. The result is CallingVault, which provides additional lines for smart phones. The purpose of the business is to protect personal cell phone numbers, said Kling Jr.
"CallingVault is all about privacy, control and reliability," said Kling Jr. "We have created a telecommunications business that respects and protects the privacy of conversations."
Because CallingVault doesn't operate from another company's platform, Kling says it has the advantage of a quicker response time. "Our customers do not have to worry that their information is getting lost in someone else's network," he said.
CallingVault also allows cell phone users to send calls directly to voicemail. "You can selectively forward them [calls] to your phone or block nuisance calls entirely," said Kling Jr. "[You can] change your settings to 'do not disturb,' and every call to your CallingVault |
. Notwithstanding the previous entry, härg is said to be a “Baltic” loan word, with modern-day Lithuanian and Latvian being žirgas and zirgs respectively, and former Prussian being sirgis. Drop the initial letter and the result is irg-, close enough to erg and ärg, the adding an “h” to which is an Estonian evidence. Interestingly however, while the Lithuanian and Latvian meant horse, and the Prussian gelding, other neighboring Finnic languages (Finnish, Livonian, Veps, Votic, etc.) amble around ox, steer, bull, etc., which EES convincingly suggests is due to a perception of function (draft) rather than form (animal).
Härma M. (Miina Härma [Hermann], 1864-1941): Music teacher, organist, prolific composer (over 200 choral songs, 10 cavatinas, a canto, “Kalev and Linda” and more), choral and orchestral conductor. Received initial musical education from Hermanni K.A. (no relation).
Härmatise (Härmatis): Frost, hoarfrost, rime. Part of a bad-weather group. See also Külma.
Hüübi (Hüüp): Bittern. At last, we have a generic that’s also a specific: Hüüp is the Great Bittern (not to be confused with Great Britain), Botaurus stellaris and its smaller cousin is the Väikehüüp, Little Bittern (not to be confused with NW France), Ixobrychus minutus. Both breeding in Estonia. One of a bird-name group of streets. See also Kaarna.
I
Ida (Ida): East, eastern, easterly. Also oost or ost among sailors. See also Idakaare.
Idakaare (Idakaar): East, eastern quarter on the horizon. And while Idakaare tänav, formerly Ida, runs (approx.) WSW-ENE, Idakaare põik, formerly Minnika (1926-1955) after local homeowner Juhan Minnik, runs NNW-SSE. See Läänekaare. If Minnika veski, Minnika mill in Raplamaa, whose name in 1798 was Münik, apparently an Estonianization of German Mühle, mill, is anything to go by, the present gentleman’s name may have a similar ancestry too, revealing if nothing else the difficulties in detecting the foreign origin of certain Estonian words. See also Lääne.
Ilmarise (Ilmarine): Mythological gentleman: god of fire, weather (ilm = weather) and smithing (its multiple meanings also reflect its age, Ilm is a word linguists believe they can track back some 5000-6000 years in Finno-Ugric, and, almost invariably, the further back one goes, the greater the range of meaning). However, this raises an interesting point. The genitive of ilm is ilma and this is associated more with earth, the world (cf. īlma, world, cosmos, air in Livonian): ilmale tooma means to give birth, to bring into the world; ilmaelu means life, existence. Given the importance of the genitive in declining Estonian words, perhaps this tense defined the original word (sticking my neck out under a very sharp axe here, but please note that the present dictionary lays no claims to expertise – be warned). Apart from Tallinn and other conglomerations (Pelgulinn) ending in ‑linn, all towns in Estonia are named using the genitive, which makes sense. The descriptor is of something, the word is not the object itself. Of incidental interest, Estonian’s once-neighboring Old Novgorod dialect had a nominoaccusative case, in the feminine plural at least. Interestingly, too, a major lake 6 km north of Novgorod is called Ilmen (Rus. Ильмень), mentioned by that name in The Rus’ Primary Chronicle (Laurentian codex), originally written around 1113. Part of a small Estonian mythology street-name group. See Taara.
Ilo (Ilo): 1) Name of literary magazine published in the 1920s; 2) Person’s first name; 3) Alternative spelling of ilu, beauty, although the earlier meaning was joy or merriment. TAAK suggests the latter for its proximity to Õnne.
Ilvese (Ilves): Lynx, wildcat. Native to Estonia is the harilik ilves, Eurasian lynx, Lynx lynx. One of Pääskula’s woodland mammal group. See Kärbi.
Imanta (Imanta): Apparently an erroneous transcription of Ymaut (Latvian), or Himmot or Himotu (Livonian), the soldier who killed the newly appointed bishop of Ikšķile (Ükskül meaning “a/one village” [or, possibly, “village No.1”] in Livonian, [cf. German, Üxküll or Uexküll] in present-day Latvia), Cistercian Bishop Berthold of Hanover, on his bolting horse during the Livonian Crusade in 1198. Name of Estonian choral society founded in Riga, 1880.
Inseneri (Insener): Engineer. Named after the Insenerimaja, Engineers’ House, at the end of the street (Uus 10).
Invaliidi (Invaliid): Invalid, cripple, disabled serviceman. After the barracks for disabled servicemen, later converted into a dispensary for the prevention of tuberculosis.
Iru (Iru): Inn, hill and probably one-time village on the NE border of Tallinn, or the rocky pillar on Iru Hill itself into which Linda – Kalevipoeg’s mother, having been abducted and possibly raped by a Finnish sorcerer – was turned (a boulder, known variously as the Old Woman of Iru, or Iru’s Stepmother, was broken up and used in building a Russian military airfield during WWI); Also site of a pre-Bronze age (±3000 BP) Corded-ware settlement.
Irusilla (Irusild): Iru bridge.
Islandi (Island): Iceland, known for its various fishy banks. First state to recognize Estonia’s re-establishment as independent, on 22nd August 1991.
Iva (Iva): Grain, corn, morsel – Ma ei ole täna iva hamba alla saanud, one of the multitude of permutations for: I haven’t had a bite to eat all day.
J
Jaagu (Jaak): James, Jack. One of the most popular names in Estonia from 17-19th C, often used in combination: Karjajaak Cow(boy?) Jack; Mustajaak Black Jack, Gypsy Jack; etc. Name of former local farm/farming-family (although the only one of that name recorded is about 20 km due east). Farm group. See also Kotlepi.
Jaama (Jaam): Station, depot, terminus. If a train station is somewhere a train stops, what then is a workstation?
Jaaniku (Jaanik): St. John’s Eve, Midsummer Eve bonfire and festivities (23rd June).
Jaanilille (Jaanilill): Best known as one of the names for Pääsusilm, Bird’s-eye Primrose, but also an alternative name for a number of plants: harilik härghein, known as Natt och Dag (night and day) in Sweden, Melampyrum nemorosum; Keskmine ristik, Zigzag Clover, Trifolium medium (see Ristiku); Liht-naistepuna, Common St John’s Wort or Tipton’s Weed, Hypericum perforatum (see Naistepuna); Pääsusilm, Äiatar, Field Scabious (but see Tähtpea), Knautia arvensis. See Karukella.
Jahe (Jahe): Cool, chilly, parky. Close to Varju.
Jahimehe (Jahimees): Hunter, huntsman, gunner. Job-center street-name group. Jaht comes from the MLG jacht, chase or hunt, which was also a short form of jachtschip or fast pirate ship, lit. a ship for chasing, hunting, upon which hangs the cautionary following tale: A father and son were walking along a beach: “Oh look at that beautiful boat”, says sonny Jim. “That’s not a boat”, replies dad, “it’s a yacht”. “Oh, how do you spell that?” Father cleared his throat: “Y, A, erm… Y, er, um… You know, Son, I think you’re right, it is a boat”. See Kalamehe.
Jahu (Jahu): Flour, meal. After the military flour stores. Interesting anagram: mixed with yeast and water, it goes into an Ahju.
Jakobi (Jakob): Aka Jaagupi. Suggested as named (in 1882) after local house-owner/landlord and ex-serviceman Mart Jakob.
Jakobsoni C.R. (Carl Robert Jakobson, 1841-1882): Writer and teacher. One of the important persons in Estonian national awakening and founder of Sakala newspaper. Depicted on the 500-crown banknotes where, interestingly, his beard seems to improve with each printing. Prior to 1923, known as Vladimiri tn in honor of a visit to Tallinn in 1886 paid by Grand Duke Vladimir Alexandrovich of Russia, uncle of Tsar Nicholas II, replacing the previous name of (Uus-)Slobodi (19th C), derived ultimately from “Russian village”. Be this as it may, the “Pharus-Plan Reval” street map of Tallinn (see Refs) gives Jakobson S[tr]..
Jalaka (Jalakas): Elm. Harilik jalakas, Wych Elm or Scots Elm, Ulmus glabra.
Jalami (Jalam): Foot, base, pedestal. Here for its scheduled (2013) location close to Astangu.
Jalgpalli (Jalgpall): Despite one’s natural repugnance for the game, one must include it: Football. Historically (1958-1992), more of a footpath connecting Mäekalda and Vesivärava and running past the old “Dünamo”, now Kadriorg, stadium. No relation to the one once at Filmi.
Jannseni J.V. (Johann Voldemar Jannsen, 1819–1890): Father of Lydia Koidula, publisher of first Estonian newspaper, Postimees (Postman), conductor and chairman of the Vanemuine male choir, and co-organizer of the first Estonian Song Festival in Tartu, June 18-20 1869.
Jasmiini (Jasmiin): Jasmine, Jasminum spp., from Persian yasmin, “gift of God”. National flower of Pakistan. One of the Mähe flower-name group, see Jumika.
Joa (Juga): Waterfall, cascade. Referring to the 3.8-m high Hundikuristiku cascade in Kadrioru. Interesting anagram, a joa (word possibly related to jõgi, see Jõe) is the sort of thing you might find at either end of an Oja.
Joone (Joon): Line, stripe. Even geometricians get to name their streets. See also Looga.
Jugapuu (Jugapuu): Common or European Yew, Taxus baccata. The word “yew” comes from PIE *ei-wo- via proto-Germanic *iwa- or *iwo, which also gave Anglo-Saxon îw, French if, Welsh ywen, German Eibe, Latvian īve, etc. Another hint as to parentage is PIE *ei-’s possibly meaning reddish (reflected in the berries), althought it could also mean yellowish or motley (perhaps in the sense of being more visibly noticeable or outstanding), colors perhaps played less of a specifically identifying role then than now... A literal translation of the Estonian name would be “waterfall tree”, but since it doesn’t seem to need or tend to grow by waterfalls (Joa), the juga may well come from a historical word, retained in Pärnu dialect, jugaline, meaning something with dark stripes or streaks, which would match the vertically-striped appearance of the yew tree bark. The Latvian connection is interesting too: although it’s possible that both Latvian and Estonian may have lifted it from German, Latvian could also have inherited it from a Proto-Baltic language (early Lithuanian?), and Estonian acquired it from one or the other as a loan. Being Europe’s longest-living tree, 2000 years or more, and probably due to its extremely poisonous (mainly taxane, now used in chemotherapy) seeds in its “berries” or arils, the yew tree is often associated with dark forces, gothic novels, cemeteries and so on, even Voldemort’s wand is made of yew. Said, too, to be Estonia’s most beautiful tree.
Juhkentali (Juhkental): Corruption of Joachimsthal (Joachim’s valley, Estonian Joaorg), a secondary manor house on the Joala estate. Renamed (1974-1990) as Liivalaia during the Soviet Era. No relation to the Czech Joachimsthal mines whose silver was turned into coins called “Joachimsthaler” or, abbreviated, “Thaler”, later giving us “dollar”, and whose miners developed a deadly disease called “Bergkrankheit” (mountain sickness, known now to be lung cancer), with death rates of up to 80% from 1876 to 1938.
Juhtme (Juhe): Lead, wire, conductor. Part of a seven-street electrical-engineer’s fantasia. See also Kaabli.
Jumika (Jumikas): Knapweed, Centaurea spp., thistle-like plants in the Asteraceae family. Other names include Starthistles, Centaureas and, for some species, Cornflower. Sometimes used too, “Centaury” would be better reserved for the Centaurium genus (no relation). One of the Mähe flower-name group, see Kailu.
Juurdeveo (Juurdevedu): Conveyance, transport, supply. Street leads to the Tallinn-Väike station. Many of Estonia’s domestic railway lines, e.g. Tallinn to Viljandi and Pärnu, etc., used to be narrow-gauge. The idea here was that lines from Tallinn-Väike conveyed passengers or goods to the standard-gauge railway from Tallinn to St. Petersburg.
Jõe (Jõgi): River, the river in question being the Härjapea which went through the standard slippery slope of many an urban river, with names to-ing and fro-ing between river and canal according to mindset of the day: Canalstraße (1881, first record), Härjapea-jõe tn, Alam-Jõe tn (lower river), Bachstraße (stream), Kanalstraße, Канальная ул (canal). In the mid-thirties, mains were laid, the water was diverted, and the bed filled in. The Soviet Era saw a major change, switching (1974-1990), along with Pronksi and Liivalaia (1944-1972), to Kingissepa V.. Present name dates to 1990. To drink in Estonian is jooma to which the word is clearly related.
Jõekalda (Jõekallas): Riverbank, riverside.
Jõeküla (Jõeküla): River village, riverside village, to which the road seems to have once led.
Jõeoti (Jõeott): River bear. Along with Räime, street renaming a section of Tiskre in 1995.
Jõhvika (Jõhvikas): Cranberry, mossberry, probably harilik jõhvikas, Common or Northern Cranberry, Vaccinium oxycoccos or Oxycoccus palustris. Mini group of (probably calcium-rich) berry streets near the Liiva Kalmistu (Liiva cemetery). See also Karusmarja.
Järve (Järve): Lake. Järv may possibly be derived from a Baltic loan-word *jarva (Lithuanian jura, Latvian jūr and Prussian iuriay all meaning sea).
Järvekalda (Järvekallas): Lakeside.
Järveotsa (Järveots): Lake’s end.
Järvevana (Järvevana): Old man of the lake, another nickname for Ülemiste Vanake, a mythological character living in lake Ülemiste.
Jääraku (Jäärak): Ravine. Said to be for its location under the precipitous slope of Lasnamäe. If you see it, let me know. See Mäe.
Jüriöö (Jüriöö): After Jüriöö ülestõus, the St. George’s Night Uprising of Estonians against the Teutonic knight invaders starting 23rd April 1343. Soviet Era renaming (1982-1994) of Seli.
K
Kaabli (Kaabel): Cable. Second in the electrical circuit. See Korgi.
Kaali (Kaal[ikas]): Name of a field of ten craters on Saaremaa caused by a meteorite landing variously around 1690-1510 BCE (as dated by accelerator mass spectrometry) or 7500 BCE (radiocarbon and palynological analyses). As it slowed down in the atmosphere to an impact speed of some 10-20 km/s, it broke into pieces and the largest, comparable to a small atomic bomb, left a hole 110 m in diameter and 22 m deep. Understandably, even its mythology has its own mythology. In fact, the street is named after the swede, turnip, rape or rutabaga, and shouldn’t be here anyway, belonging to the Laagri (outside Tallinn) fruit an’ veg section along with Tomati, Selleri, et al.. Also of interest is that the Saaremaa name of Kaali is derived from the name of the von Gahlen family who owned an estate there from 16th C to 1729. In southern Estonia, Setumaa in particular, kaal:kaali is a headscarf.
Kaare (Kaar): Arc, also curve, bow, bend, swath, compass point. The arc in question was the semi-circular road around the once-planned town hall of Nõmme. Anagram of Kaera.
Kaarla (Kaarel): Alternative name for Rabamurakas, Cloudberry or Bakeapple in the US, Knotberry or Knoutberry in the UK, Rubus chamaemorus. Cf. Murakas. Part of a small berry group in the Mähe horticultural zone. See Mustika.
Kaarlepere (Kaarlepere): Karl (Charles) family, household, farm. Former farm with the name of Kaarli, street-name modified because already used.
Kaarli (Kaarel): [Name of both church and road] Charles, most likely Swedish king Karl XI who had its wooden ancestor built in 1670. The spot on which it stands is believed to have been a Hiis (see Hiie) since at least the middle ages. Present church consecrated in 1870. Mid-life crisis (1950-1989) as Suvorovi A. during the Soviet Era.
Kaarna (Kaaren): Aka Ronga, the Common raven, Corvus corax. Breeds in Estonia. One of a bird-name group of streets. Kaaren ei noki kaarna silma, lit. a raven doesn’t peck a raven’s eyes, i.e. there’s honor amongst thieves and if anyone could provide me with actual proof of this I’d be pleased to hear it. See also Kajaka.
Kaasani (Kaasan): After Kaasani kirik, Our Lady of Kazan church, reputedly built for the army (completion 1721). Street dismembered and interred beneath Liivalaia. Known as Kleine Sandstraße in 1850, possibly rendered in Estonian as Väike-Liiva.
Kaasiku (Kaasik): 1) Birch wood, birch forest, birch grove; 2) Singer of old folk songs at weddings (archaic).
Kabli (Kabli): Hoe, mattock. Part of a harvest street-name group. See Kubu.
Kadaka (Kadakas): More properly known as harilik kadakas, Common juniper, Juniperus communis. As any gin drinker, Swiss, Dutch (another gin-producing country, hence the drink’s other name of Hollands…) or otherwise, would know, its berries are used for flavoring: Juniper, in French is genièvre, geneva, an old term for gin. From 1940-1941, Kadaka puiestee was also known as Kommunaari puiestee, from either the Paris Communards or, the Noored Kommunaarid review written by Estonian communists in Russia from 1920-1922 or, less likely, the town of Kommunaar near St Petersburg (a “Kommunaar” footwear and leather-goods firm took up the banner from 1944). Kadaka is also a district of Tallinn and a village in Rae, close to Tallinn. Settlements date back to late Bronze Age.
Kadri (Kadri): Street in Kadrioru park. Most likely a diminutive of the honorable Tsarina, or perhaps another Catherine altogether: Kate or “Katie”. Kadriks käima (going “Katieing”) is an old tradition: on Nov. 24th, St Catherine’s day, “kadrisants” (mainly young women, but some reports say men too, although they had their similar day on the feast of St Martin’s) dressed up in masks and light-colored women’s clothing go from door to door asking gifts (of food, wool, etc.) in exchange for songs and good wishes. Cult of St Catherine (martyred on the famous wheel of later fireworks’ fame), supposedly of 4th-C Alexandria (no evidence she even existed), started in the 9th C and was banned by the Holy See in 1969.
Kadriorg (0): Being a sub-district name, but also the name of a former valley, this is in the nominative. Although it is possible that Estonians perceive it as a compound word (which it is) that already includes the relevant genitive in Kadri. See next entry.
Kadrioru (Kadriorg): Catherine’s valley, after the lady who began life as Martha Skavronskaya, 1683/84(?)-1727, daughter of a Lithuanian peasant, adopted by Glück, the Lutheran pastor who translated the Bible into Latvian, was pressed into becoming laundress to the Russian army, became mistress first to Prince Menshikov then to Peter the Great whom she later married, becoming Catherine I, Empress and Autocrat of all the Russias (no relation to Catherine the Great). Interestingly, this is one of the few sub-districts named in the nominative, Kadriorg (although locals cannot resist talking about it in the genitive), perhaps because it actually is a valley, leading from the giddy heights of Mäekalda (ca. 7 meters above sea level) to the depths of Luigetiik (Swan pond) which, having not yet plumbed, I cannot say how deep.
Kaera (Kaer): Oat. Part of what Kivi calls the kõrsviljanimeliste tänavate piirkond or hulk or rajoon (the cereal-names street zone / cohort, region). Anagram of Kaare. See also Kõrre.
Kaeravälja (Kaeraväli): Oatfield.
Kaevu (Kaev): Well – Vanasse kaevu ei või sülitada enne kui veel uut valmis ei ole: don’t spit in your old well until your new one’s dug.
Kaevuri (Kaevur): Miner, digger. One of a mini trade-name area, see also Sepa. Despite its superficial and/or coincidental resemblance to “cave” and “excavate”, word related to other close-neighbor FU terms such as Livonian kouvõ, Finnish and Votic kaivaa for to dig or dig up, and more distantly from eastern FU languages for spade: Erzya, kojme; Moksha, kajmä; Nganasan, kaibu, etc. Even so, the PIE roots *keue-, swelling, arch, cavity, and *keup-, a hollow (see Palli), are not a million miles away, and digging is obviousy a very early and widespread human activity.
Kagu (Kagu): South-east, south-eastern, south-easterly. Also süüdoost or süüdost among sailors. See also Edela.
Kaheküla (Kaheküla): Literally double-village, but name given for being between two former villages of Kakumäe and Vismeistri.
Kahlu (Kahl): Tuft, bunch, truss. Mini hay-related group. See Kuhja.
Kahu (Kahu): Son of Pakase, which perhaps makes him young and cool... Kahk:kahu means slight rustle, whisper. For those fascinated with words describing obscure sounds, try this: rahin – sound made by partially-frozen water rubbing against the side of a boat. Renamed (1979-1994), along with Lummu, as Pusta A. during the Soviet Era. Part of a magico-mythological group. See Loitsu
Kahva (Kahv): Landing-net, scoop net, net for catching fish or crayfish (see Vähi), although some say its handle or haft too. Also means pale or pallid. Part of a fishing-related street-name zone, see also Kaladi.
Kai (Kai): Quay, wharf.
Kailu (Kail): Ledum, march tea. Formerly considered the Ledum genus, now considered a Rhododendron. Used for “tea”. One of the Mähe flower-name group, see Kastevarre.
Kaisla (Kaisel): Club-rush or Bulrush, Schoenoplectus probably lacustris, a type of sedge. Anagram of Klaasi.
Kaitse (Kaitse): Protection, defense. Kaitse is also the genitive of kaits which is a weir trap for catching fish but since the street was created in 1927 along with Värava the first translation is probably the one it’s referring to.
Kaja (Kaja): Echo.
Kajaka (Kajakas): Tallinn: cold, wet and fishy coastal harbor town… that means seagulls, kittiwakes, gulls and mews. As they say in Pöide: Narri küll meest, ära narri mehe kübärät, Laugh at the man, not at his hat… Breeding in Estonia are Harksaba-kajakas, Sabine’s Gull, Larus sabini; Hõbekajakas, Herring Gull, L. argentatus; Jääkajakas, Glaucous Gull, L. hyperboreus; Kalakajakas, Mew Gull, L. canus; Kaljukajakas, Black-legged Kittiwake, Rissa tridactyla; Karbuskajakas aka Mustpea-kajakas, Mediterranean Gull, L. melanocephalus; Koldjalg-hõbekajakas, Caspian Gull, L. cachinnans; Lõuna-hõbekajakas, Yellow-legged Gull, L. michahellis (not a spelling mistake for michaellis, named after Bavarian zoologist Karl Michahelles [1807–1834]); Merikajakas, Great Black-backed Gull, L. marinus; Naerukajakas, Black-headed Gull, L. ridibundus; Polaarkajakas, Iceland Gull, L. glaucoides; Roosakajakas, Ross’s Gull, Rhodostethia rosea; Tõmmukajakas, Lesser Black-backed Gull, L. fuscus; Vandelkajakas, Ivory Gull, Pagophila eburnea; and Väikekajakas, Little Gull, L. minutus. One of a bird-name group of streets. See also Kauri.
Kakumäe (Kakumäe): Reads like loaf/bannock or owl hill, but meaning uncertain. Spelling has ranged from Kakamaye (first mentioned 1467) through Kakomiag with a village named Kaggomeggi in 1726 to Kakomäggi and Kackemaye. Named after a locality including peninsula (poolsaar), cape (neem), spit (nina), and bar (leetselg, sandbank not bottlebank) in NW Tallinn. Former location of various fishing villages.
Kaladi (Kaladi): Gauge: slat of wood or bone used to ensure regular mesh-size in net-making. Part of a fishing-related street-name zone, see also Kessi.
Kalamaja (Kalamaja): Fisherman’s hut, name of a one-time fishing village, along with the three ages of man: Uus-Kalamaja (new, but let’s say “young” for poetic license), Kesk- (Middle-aged), and Vana- (Old). Records date back to 1374.
Kalamehe (Kalamees): Fisherman, angler. One of an occupational street-name group. See Meremehe. Kala is derived from the proto Finno-Ugric *kala, fish (see also Karelian, Finnish & Veps kala, Hungarian hal, Sami guöllé, Nenets, халя, etc.) and related to Altaic (Tungusic: kul, salmon; Khalka Mongolian: xalim, whale, presumably of the biblical prophet-swallowing variety, hard to imagine them having a word for it otherwise). Clearly a very old word, although not corroborated by the last example: Christianity was first known in Mongolia in the late 13th/early 14th C. Further away again, we have Proto-Eskimo *iqałud and Sumerian kad, also fish. Stepping into very murky waters, along with other basic words such as Uralic *nime giving Estonian nimi, and maybe related to Sanskrit nā́man-, Latin nomen and English name, or Proto Uralic *päjwä, sun or warmth, giving Estonian päev (day) and päike(ne) (sun), as well as English fire, the presumed proto-Indo-European *kʷalo-, large fish (cf. Latin squalus, dogfish or “large sea fish”, and Old English hwæl, giving present-day whale suggests its origins go back at least 5000 years.
Kalaranna (Kalarand): Fishing-shore. With a fine view of the sea, until they built a prison (no longer used) in front of it.
Kalasadama (Kalasadam): Fish harbor, fish port. Name with longest sequence of monovocalic consonant+vowel pairs.
Kalavälja (Kalaväli): Fishfield anybody?… Former farm name, many -välja endings indicate this. Maybe a place where fish were laid out to dry? Maybe simply the farming-family’s name with the -välja tag tacked on. Road close to the cliffs on Aegna island. See also Karnapi.
Kalda (Kallas): Shore, bank, riverside, etc.
Kalevala (Kalevala): Finnish creation myth cum ancestor epic poem cWe may earn money from the products/companies mentioned in this post. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.
A hearty and filling casserole that is full of vegetables and cheesy goodness!
I love casseroles because they are so quick and easy. Usually I only need one bowl to mix everything together, pop it in the oven, and BAM – supper is ready! I love that! I have especially been loving these casserole dishes from my friend Taryn, over at Joy Filled Eats. She has some delicious recipes that my family loves!
The inspiration for this recipe came from having too many (?) vegetables in my fridge. I needed to use them up, so I started dumping a little of this and that into my bowl. The result was pretty amazing if I do say so myself! (My husband was even boasting about how good it was to his mother this evening. I call that a success!)
The vegetables in this casserole can be interchangeable. The first time I made it I added fresh broccoli, but I left it out the next time. If mushrooms are your thing, feel free to add them as well! If you like green beans in your casseroles, feel free to add those! Use your imagination (and whatever you have the most of in your fridge)!
This recipe makes a large 9×13 pan of casserole. That means we usually have leftovers that I use for easy lunches through the week. It so so simple to pull out some leftovers, heat them up, and pair it with a salad for lunch! I hope you enjoy this casserole as much as we do!
Print Recipe 5 from 1 vote Cheesy Chicken Vegetable Casserole {THM-S, Low Carb} Ingredients 1 8 Ounce Cream Cheese Softened
1 Cup Cottage Cheese pureed in a blender - see note below
1/2 Cup Sour Cream
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese the green can kind is fine
1 1/2 Cups Shredded Cheddar Cheese
2 Cups Frozen Spinach
1 Medium Zucchini Diced
1 Small/Medium Yellow Squash Diced
1/4 Small Onion Diced (Optional)
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1 Teaspoon Mineral Salt
3 Cups Cooked Chicken Breast Diced or Shredded Instructions Preheat oven to 350.
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients except 1/2 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese.
Pour into a 9x13 pan and top with the remaining cheese.
Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until casserole is hot and bubbly. Notes I measure the spinach when it is frozen, and I do not thaw it before mixing it. I chose to use pureed cottage cheese to ease the caloric load just a bit. Using the cottage cheese also adds an extra bump of protein. If the idea of using cottage cheese turns you off, feel free to use mayo or sour cream (or a mixture of both) in its place.I measure the spinach when it is frozen, and I do not thaw it before mixing it.
This post contains affiliate links, which provide me with a small compensation when you purchase your products through my links. Thank you for your support!
Be sure to sign up with your email address so you can receive all my new recipes delivered right to your inbox! (Look for the sign-up box on the right sidebar if you are on a desktop, or at the very bottom of this post if you are using a mobile device.) Also, be sure to follow me on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter!As we are prone to do, we have once again lured another beautiful truck into our garage. This time we managed to wrangle the keys out of the hands of Clay Croft, the chief instigator behind Expedition Overland. With their second season of filming behind them, they have seated themselves at the head of the table with regard to high quality videos aimed at the overland traveler. With their Central American leg of their travels complete, we wanted to get a better look at the trucks that made it all possible. Unlike many builds, this truck is a proven entity with 20,000 miles of genuine adventure logged on the odometer. It even looks best with a slight layer of road grime clinging to its striking graphics.
The base truck is a 2015 Toyota 4Runner Trail Premium. One of our favorite platforms even when left bone stock, the XO team needed to bolster the trail and travel performance to meet their unique requirements. To that end, the truck received a comprehensive build-out to improve off-road capabilities as well as enhance the creature comforts that make living out of a vehicle possible.
The most significant addition to the truck was the Stage 7 upgrade from the suspension mavens at Icon Vehicle Dynamics. This holistic approach to suspension modification involved the replacement of every major component including remote reservoir shocks, new springs, upper and lower control arms, and much more. The front benefited from 2 inches of lift and the rear gained 2.5 inches.
Atop the roof is a full Eezi-Awn K9 rack system with Eezi-Awn tent and awning. An LED light bar sits just below one of two full sets of Maxtrax mats. At the aft end of the 4Runner is a swing-out bumper with a full size spare, dual jerry can mounts, hi-lift jack, another full set of Maxtrax, and an LED light that illuminates the rear cargo area when the fridge and stove are deployed. Inside the vehicle is a full length drawer system that can accommodate one sleeper. Unlike many over |
political actors in all our allied western countries are also somehow on the take. They serve a master not the people. And they DO know the truth. They know more about it then any of us suspect and its NOT what they say it is.
This event demonstrated that more clearly to me than any other time in history. Because what was coming out of all their mouths was fabricated nonsense when compared to the real evidence of whats taking place.
Politician's and news agencies are in collusion and have been for a very long time so. It was all packaged up nicely for popular consumption to favor the greater system of power and control of the Political financial elite and the agenda of Israel.
It was all in keeping with the amount of brain washing the media has been up to for the last generation. And they are so used to selling it and getting away with it that they really think NO one is noticing it. They got used to the one way TV perception management system, but all that's changed to some extent by the advent of faster information getting out in the open.
Think of it like when a CON artists is setting up his mark. They will pretend to be your best friend and only there with your best interests at hart with lots of smoke to blow up your rear to prime you for the take. But as soon as you get wind of something smelling like two day old fish the CON is off and the grifters get out of town.
This Unique situation has the problem of these political people have NO place to run. They have positions and seats and plaque's and flags. They have to double down, bob and weave, weasel around change the excuses justify fain ignorance blame it on the dog eating the IRS emails. And every act of sidestepping only reveals more sidestepping and that they indeed lie.
But seriously WHY have the UN and major western allies OBVIOUSLY ignored the REALTY we all can see? We are all the good people of the earth in an abusive relationship with our Oligarchy.
Because in EVERY ABUSIVE relationship a lot of fear and denial goes on before people come to grips with the fact that yes indeed you are in an abusive relationship. How does this apply to this world wide situation? Do you want to know WHY the UN is silent and not just the fact that USA and Israel veto every decision they make that is not the agenda of their Empire building? Because they are all scared less to face the Zionist MACHINE... *gasps* he said it!
Yes the Zionist machine...It did not just spring out of some flower pot in 1948 it was around for quite some time prior..and up to all kinds of tricks back then too.. And they have built this machine into a tremendous ruthless power.
All hidden behind flowery pronouncments of a sanctuary for the downtrodden perpetual victimes. Its Brilliant if not so insideous.
It can now make or brake politicians it can now command the narrative in the major news. It can now tell you to shut up with one word (anti something or other)... It can now run roughshod over international law or trample any nations constitution at will.. And so how have they gotten all these nations to grovel at its feet one by one? Have them falling to inserted operatives in high places that have funneled boat loads of cash towards themselves,? (at the same time striping these nations of their own wealth and power till they have no will to fight back)? Bribbing the political elite with the same money they steal from them? AIPAC is the obvious most visual culprit and its counter parts world wide.. No other countries have gigantic well funded Rallies with banners and flags of the USA and Israel all so intermixed in some incestuous special relationship creepiness....No I am not sure. I have the real answer about the CORE but I'll tell you one thing, they have people Scared of them...so scared that they will abandon any sens of personal integrity or sens of honor or even a sens of Humanity to serve this machine. or in better terms this Mafia. Because the actions are of a lawless mafia style gang...
Even if I believed the three teens story as presented by "officials" the collective punishment of hundreds of Palestinian family's without one shred of Evidence for their guilt demonstrates that LAWS do not apply to ISRAEL..No international laws no Civil laws No nations laws no Nothing. Not even MORAL laws in this case seem to apply...And again the defining SILENCE on that issue alone from all corners demonstrates there is something far darker and insidious going on then just Israels existential fears and self aggrandized right to defend itself...(From situations they invent)*eye rolling*
How blatant and deep does the conspiracy have to get before people stop thinking its nutty theory? Something is wrong with this picture..We all know it, we all see it, but we all have to pretend that the emperor has this gorgeous outfit on. because the emperor is a raging psychopath and might want to eat your entrails? or is it a fact that they have so much amassed power in the inner workings of the world governments the CIA,Mossad and many other commandeered agencies that to be in any position to go up against this MOB is suicide...The rest of the minions like this Sawyer women or these political shills in our western allied countries its obvious they do it for personal wealth and benefit and to hell with the blood on her hands.... They fully known it but don't care..
When BiBi can go on TV and pronounce that the difference between him and his so called "enemy's" is they use their children as shields when its been documented the IDF actually strapped kids to jeeps you get a sens that this guy is the biggest Liar to ever come down the pike...(Now he just reminds me of one of those creepy people at a party that start to say really Inappropriate bazaar things and you have to excuse yourself to get away....)
Gaza is so heavily populated that they have no room but to be on top of each other while he is allowing targeting of Civilian structures even hospitals. All the wile Lying that they don't target civilians.? But we keep seeing them Dying..Whole families at once too. (go look up Dime explosives)
This situation is the most defining issue of our time... Its Aligning people up on one side or the other because the size of the Incongruity is so enormous. Its become the Litmus test of Who is telling the truth and who is Lying.. Who are decent human beings and who are despicable manipulators and abusers..
It's become very easy to see that we are being Lied to on every level and who sides with Liars.... and so what then when Israel has its finial solution? what then when they are rid of the Palestinians? what's next? POLAND?
When will the international community figure out that if they do not do something soon they will be next.... Silence is complicity.Today, Trump confirmed that he will pull out of the Paris Climate Accord. This is the peak of the war between the environment and the economy.
This doesn’t have to be a battle. We are more than capable of coexisting with our environment while sparking economic growth. In fact, going green actually benefits the economy. But why are we pulling out of the agreement? It all comes down to one word: greed.
Donald Trump is in an alliance with the fossil fuel industry to promote their economic agenda. Despite being elected by his “silent majority,” he doesn’t care about their prosperity. All he cares about are his buddies in the top one percent.
It’s too late to back down. Even though it feels like the final battle was lost, there are lots more coming along the way.
Get involved, start a movement, organize marches. When we speak up in massive numbers, they can’t ignore us.LORAC THE ROYAL LIP LUSTRE CRÈME SET
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beginning October 7th. Also, remember that you get everyday FREE SHIPPING on all orders placed on the LORAC website, no minimum order required, no code required.
You will also be able to purchase The Royal Collection at other retailers in the days to come. Here's a summary:
LORAC website - available NOW (Mega PRO Palette available 10/7)
ULTA - available 10/5
KOHL'S- available 10/5
BOUTIQUES/.COMS - available 10/15 All of the products featured above are now available for purchase on the LORAC website, with the exception of the Mega PRO Palette, which will be available for purchased. Also, remember that you get everydayon all orders placed on the LORAC website, no minimum order required, no code required.You will also be able to purchase The Royal Collection at other retailers in the days to come. Here's a summary:
UPDATE (10/2):
All of the items in The Royal Collection are limited edition.
Per LORAC, the Mega PRO Palette will be available online only and you will only be able to purchase it on the LORAC website and Amazon (beginning 10/7).
and you will only be able to purchase it on the LORAC website and Amazon (beginning 10/7). There are other LORAC holiday sets on the way, but I cannot share that info until the official launch dates (coming soon!).
The Royal Lip Lustre Creme Set is also available on the HSN website HERE (with free shipping).
HSN also has an exclusive LORAC The Royal Collection set now available on their website:
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The Royal Red Carpet Full Face Collection includes:.17 fl. oz. 3D Liquid Lustre Eye Shimmer - Diamond.12 oz. Alter Ego Lipstick - Duchess (rosy nude).02 oz. 3-in-1 Eyeliner Pencil - Ultra Black.25 oz. Cobra Mascara - Black.05 oz. Eye Shadow - Chateau (beige).05 oz. Eye Shadow - Manor (cocoa brown).11 oz. Lip Lustre Gloss - Rose Lustre (shimmery rose).11 oz. Blush - Rendezvous (terracotta)
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(There are of 32 shades total in the Mega PRO Palette and 28 shades are brand new and exclusive to this palette.)Introduction
A while back, I released the following video, documenting my process for practicing while playing the game “Liftoff” and I wanted to go into a little bit more detail into why I would put myself through so much trouble.
As FPV racing is on the rise, a lot of pilots finding themselves needing to practice more and more. “Stick time” (time spent with the controls) is commonly referenced as the only way for pilots to remain competitve. However, the reality of the situation is that we have jobs, darkness, and inclement weather preventing us from getting outside and spending the time that we want to be practicing.
Because of this very issue, many FPV racing simulators have been developed in the last few years as outlets for practice. These simulators attempt to re-create the real physics that we experience as pilots, and give us a medium by which to practice for the days that we can be out flying our real machines. The following simulators are available to download and play. All of them support using the transmitter that you have already invested in, so you can practice with the same hardware that you would be using out in the field.
Liftoff — one of the most recent games to the scene. While it is still early access at time of writing (November, 2015), it shows promise and has the most backing, as it’s being selected as an official “tool” of the Drone Worlds, being held in 2016.
FPV Freerider — This has been the golden standard of the simulators for the longest time. It was quietly released to all platforms (including OSX, Windows, and Mobile). It is a good simulator, but I have yet been unable to make the quad respond as snappily as my real quads.
HotProps — The final current contender. I don’t know much about it, and have never played it. I haven’t heard much good or bad about it, but it supposedly has multiplayer support, which will become a huge part of simulators in the future.
In my opinion, Liffoff currently offers the most realistic experience, has the most customizability, and is the easiest of the simulators to get running with my FrSky Taranis. While it does have few maps and settings available for customization at this time, it is in an early Alpha. Despite that, I believe that, based on interactions and quick responses to bug and feature requests from the dev team, it shows a great deal of promise by being excited and engaged with the community that it’s building.
While the “feel” of these simulators still has yet to catch up with that of real life, I believe that simulators offer great value for pilots. However, because they play like a video game would, they also can be a bit of an achilles heel. And that’s where this article comes in — we, as pilots, need to make sure that we understand and respect the difference between simulators and video games. A friend of mine (sponsored pilot for Ready Made RC) awkBOTS, despite only having flown FPV for a few months, cut his teeth using simulators. By practicing the same race course over and over again, he was able to build the skills, throttle control, and confidence required to be a top pilot. He and his team recently won the first ever ThunderDrone event, and took second place for 5″ class at F3 expo in Atlanta, Georgia, lending his credentials as credence for the fact that simulators do help you become a top pilot. I had the opportunity to catch up with him and interview him about his experiences in this video.
What is a video game?
Video games (in the context of FPV racing, anyways) serve the primary function of “entertainment.” When you sit down to play a video game, your focus and attention isn’t (by default, because there are definitely exceptions to this rule) on self-improvement, but instead on release and relaxation. Video games support a mentality of instant gratification and lack of consequence. THIS IS TOTALLY OKAY! Video games are a fantastic way to release stress, relax, and unwind after a long day of work. However, because of the default attitude that we take towards video games, our focus and attention is not on self-improvement, but instead on relaxation and fun. Once again, I want to stress that there ARE exceptions to this — it’s just a default attitude.
What is a simulator?
It’s a video game.
Wait.. what? I thought that this article was about the difference between a simulator and a video game? Well, yes. But — here’s the tricky part. There isn’t a difference. In both, you pick up a controller, set out after an objective, and suffer minimal consequences for failure. Okay? Great. No difference. I just wasted all this time reading this article. No! That’s where you’re wrong. The interesting part is that the difference between simulators and video games is your attitude. The manner in which you approach a video game makes it become a simulator — it’s all in your head. When simulating, you need to do just that: discipline your brain to know that there are consequences for your actions. If you want to improve, this is a must. If you crash, it probably cost a few props.. or worse. You have to go do the walk of shame. You can’t be in the air with just the click of a button. Simulators are video games, but they can be more if we change our attitude.
How do I change my brain?
This is the application phase. How do I convince myself that there are consequences for crashing? How can I make it easier to realize that, when I crash into that digital tree-trunk, something bad happens?
Punishment.
No, no. I’m not recommending “mortification of the flesh“. Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if it was eventually taken that far by the most serious of pilots. However, what I am recommending is that you “take a break” between crashes. Some options include:
Do 5 pushups
Run to the kitchen and do a few dishes
Take the dog outside to play fetch (awkBOTs’ solution)
Write a few sentences on a blog post
Yep. That’s exactly what I’m doing. I’m actually practicing on Liftoff right now. Every time I crash, I’m taking a break to write a few sentences on this post so as to force myself to focus harder when I’m in game, and “suffer” the consequences of crashing.
Fly. Crash. Punish. Repeat.
Update:
In a clarification on Facebook, the Liftoff team clarified that they may not be officially involved in Drone Worlds — as of yet, it remains unclear. “One quick note: as far as we know, Liftoff is not going to be used for “Drone Worlds”. No one really knows what they are going to use exactly, but I think they might have a very different focus from Liftoff, Freerider and Hotprops.”
Taken from: https://www.facebook.com/liftoffthegame/posts/10153918891529432?comment_id=10153919146704432¬if_t=share_commentHow Not to Respond to A Rewrite Request, Particularly if You Don’t Want to Look Like an Anti-Semite
This is one of the rare moments on my blog where I get serious. Dead serious.
Under the name John Skylar, I am a writer of fiction and nonfiction. Under my legal name, I do other things—science, publishing, and other behind the scenes work.
One of the things I do under my legal name (which I would appreciate if people didn’t look up, thanks, but I’ll note that it’s super Jewish) is help out with a small publishing company called Old Timey Hedgehog. As John Skylar, I write for them also. I’m writing this about an experience I had while working with them, but I’m not representing them in writing this. This is all my own.
Recently, my boss, a rather nice woman with a rather Irish name, asked me to help out with a slight communication issue we were having with a writer, Mr. Robin Wyatt Dunn, whose story we’d contracted to publish. One of my skills is writing polite-but-firm business communications.
Unfortunately, polite-but-firm didn’t work out, and the reason for it, well…is horrifying. To avoid cluttering tumblr dashboards, find the rest under the cut.
The problem with this author is that his story contained a handful of words referencing a swastika. The symbol itself is old, and we figured that the writer was trying to point that out, but we couldn’t be sure. When my boss asked him to explain, he said he didn’t have “time,” but he didn’t use it to “glorify fascism.” Note that he responded to the Irish lady with at least the barest kindness.
Now, that’s all well and good, but when we publish something controversial, we want to be able to explain that choice to our audience. I was asked to get that explanation since he’d already refused, or to ask him if we could remove the swastika references from the story.
But the moment I asked, I received a reply full of such vitriol that I was shocked. He told me to “fuck” my mother, my “stupid daddy,” and if I had a wife, “that dumb bitch too.” I was, of course, shocked. What was I supposed to think? We’d put in a simple request: either explain the use of the swastika, or let us remove it.
I wanted to give this fellow the benefit of the doubt, I really, really did. I’m a writer, and I know what it can be like to feel pressured to change your work. That’s why we offered him the opportunity to just give us an explanation to pass along. This response, though? Well, it was only the beginning of the rabbit hole.
I don’t want to belabor our later correspondence, but I got further emails from Mr. Dunn. One began with “Dear Jew,” and that was about the nicest phrase he used. I’d like to note here that referring to someone as “Jew” rather than “Jewish person” or “a Jew” is a traditionally anti-Semitic method of address. I’ve put our conversation into a separate post that you may view if you would like proof of what was said by Mr. Dunn and by me. Online, I found he has a history of writing articles that are critical of minority writers and of intimidating people he disagrees with. I found one article written by the Mad Reviewer reporting that Mr. Dunn had told her to kill herself after she refused to review his book. He’d used the same language in an email to my boss at OTH.
A post containing a full record of my correspondence with Mr. Dunn, so you can judge for yourself, lives here.
I also found that Mr. Dunn had, for some reason, decided to sue several prominent Hollywood Jews (Natalie Portman among them) for copyright infringement in 2011, though the case was ultimately dismissed in 2012 because Mr. Dunn stopped communicating with the court.
Seeing the pattern of abusive emails against people in the industry, combined with his litigious nature, made me scared. Still, the way that he acted was something I knew I couldn’t allow to intimidate me.
The fact is, if this had happened in a workplace, Mr. Dunn might have been fired. At the very least, I would have the ability to show a pattern of abusive behavior and harassment.
Except, I don’t work with Mr. Dunn. We’re both writers, and there’s no boss to complain to. The only employers that a writer has are the people who read his or her work.
Normally, I wouldn’t be interested in publicly shaming someone, but in this case, when someone has come after me so aggressively and with such abusive anger, I feel it’s necessary to do something. Particularly after the SWFA flap this past summer regarding author Theodore Beale, I feel it’s important for the writing community to speak up when people do reprehensible things. I don’t want anyone to go after Mr. Dunn vindictively, but I do want this post to become a living record of what he did to me, so that others will know he has a history of mistreating others professionally.
The fact is, there are a lot of writers who write honestly and work hard and who don’t act this way, and if we reward the ones who behave badly we send a message that being polite isn’t valued. I don’t want the professional community that I live in to be that way, and I doubt that my fellow writers, readers, and editors want it to be that way either.
Posting about things like this when they happen is my way to improve the community. I hope you can find your own way.The federal revenue minister has been called to appear before a parliamentary committee to explain a controversial deal between the Canada Revenue Agency and clients of the financial firm KPMG.
The House of Commons Finance Committee passed a motion Thursday calling on Revenue Minister Diane Lebouthillier to appear before the committee along with CRA officials sometime before May 20.
Opposition MPs on the committee want to know why the CRA offered an amnesty to KPMG clients who took part in an offshore tax scheme in the Isle of Man, which the agency itself labelled a "sham."
Details of the deal came to light through a series of investigative stories by CBC News.
The deal allows "high-net worth" clients of the firm to be free from any future civil or criminal prosecution as well as any penalties or fines if they agree to pay their back taxes and a modest interest charge on their offshore investments.
NDP Finance critic Guy Caron says the minister needs to explain what's going on.
He also wants Lebouthillier to clarify comments she made this week in the House of Commons in which she denied any amnesty had been offered.
"That flies in the face of the facts," Caron said.
"This issue of what happened is a question of transparency, it is a question of governance, of openness but also ministerial responsibility."
CRA to scrutinize Isle of Man
The chair of the finance committee, Liberal MP Wayne Easter, could not say exactly when the minister would appear.
Francois-Philippe Champagne, the parliamentary secretary to the minister of finance, said Lebouthillier will appear as soon as her schedule allows.
"The minister has expressed in the House, in question period, actually, her desire to come.
"She's going to come as soon as possible," he said.
Champagne and Lebouthillier were both part of an announcement this week in which the federal government said it would invest $444 million in helping the Canada Revenue Agency crack down on offshore tax havens.
The government's first target for increased scrutiny will be the Isle of Man, where the KPMG financial scheme was based. Champagne vowed that new enhanced enforcement would mean there would be "no safe place in the world to engage in tax evasion and tax avoidance schemes."
The opposition is still waiting to see proof.
"It's hard to know," said the NDP's Caron.
"Conservatives did that in the past. They said we invested this much money to go against tax cheats. And we haven't seen any significant results"A United Nations human rights panel has told Ireland it should revise its highly restrictive abortion laws and said that allegations of abuse of women and children at State-funded Catholic homes must be better investigated.
"The Committee reiterates its previous concern regarding the highly restrictive circumstances under which women can lawfully have an abortion in the state," it said.
It said legislation should be revised to provide for additional exceptions in cases of rape, incest, serious risks to the health of the mother, or fatal foetal abnormality.
Last week, Committee Chairman Nigel Rodley said Irish law treated women who were raped as "a vessel and nothing more".
The Government has said it would need to hold a referendum to further amend the law and Tánaiste Joan Burton last week ruled out the possibility of a vote taking place before the next general election.
The committee said it was also concerned at the lack of prompt and effective investigations into all allegations of abuse, mistreatment or neglect of women and children at State-funded Catholic homes such as the Magdalene laundries.
The committee urged a more thorough investigation into cases of symphysiotomy that were performed on around 1,500 girls and women in hospitals between 1944 and 1987 without their free and informed consent.
It also said legislation should be introduced to prohibit discrimination in access to schools on the grounds of religious beliefs and was concerned over the slow progress in increasing access to secular education.
The Irish Council for Civil Liberties welcomed the UN recommendation's and called for a full Oireachtas debate on the findings.
ICCL director Mark Kelly said the recommendations have a "root common cause: the ongoing failure in our law, policy and practice to respect the human rights, autonomy and bodily integrity of women".
Taoiseach Enda Kenny said that the Minister for Justice had spent time in Geneva dealing with issues.
Asked whether there should be a referendum on the issue, he said there are always changes required to the legal system and the Government had made some changes.
He said the Government has not considered a referendum, but added that a number of referendums are due to be held next year, including one on marriage equality next spring.A large number of clinical trials with intravenously administered RIT have been reported over more than three decades, with modest clinical results (Table 2; Supplementary information S5 (table),S6 (table),S7 (table)). The extensive experience with IgG-based RIT comprising various radionuclides leads to the conclusion that the therapeutic index for the antibody–antigen systems tested thus far is insufficient. This is because target-to-background ratios for tumour-to-normal tissue are inadequate owing to the tendency of the IgG molecule to distribute to blood and other organs, as well as normal tissues of the liver and especially bone marrow. Dose-limiting toxicity is almost exclusively haematopoietic. Observed responses include generally stable disease or a reduction in tumour biomarkers (Table 2). In a few cases, there is a suggestion of enhanced survival, but actual shrinkage of the tumour and well-documented RECIST (Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumours) responses70 are few and far between. An approach to increase radiosensitivity by combining 90Y-clivatuzumab tetraxetan (hPAM4), an antibody that recognizes pancreatic cancer, with low-dose gemcitabine has shown objective tumour responses by RECIST, with 16% partial remission78. These data have led to an ongoing Phase III double-blind, randomized trial (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01510561; see Further information).
Table 2: α-particle emitters in solid tumours Full size table Download PowerPoint slide
However, when the radioimmunoconjugate is injected directly into the body compartment in which the tumours are confined, tumour shrinkage and long-term impact on survival has been observed (further discussed below). Of course, these situations require special circumstances — the tumour must be accessible either for direct injection or within a compartment that can facilitate targeting. In preclinical studies, pre-targeted RIT (PRIT; also known as multistep targeting) enhances tumour uptake relative to normal tissues. The advantage of a multistep targeting approach is the high therapeutic ratio, even when administered intravenously. Finally, a combination of chemotherapy and RIT, along with the use of special radionuclides such as α-emitters, is favourable in certain circumstances.
Intra-compartmental therapy. Intrathecal and intraventricular administration of 131I-81C6 (a tenascin monoclonal antibody) for the treatment of leptomeningeal carcinomatosis and intra-tumoural therapy of malignant brain tumours have produced objective responses and prolonged patient survival79,80. 131I-81C6 is an example of α-particle therapy for RIT of malignant glioma and it is likely to be used more extensively if problems of radionuclide supply can be overcome81.
Intraventricular 131I-3F8 (anti-GD2; NCT00445965)36 and 131I-8H9 (anti-B7-H3; NCT00089245)37,82 are also being tested in leptomeningeal cancers in both children and adults, with highly favourable CSF-to-blood radiation dose ratios. Children with recurrent neuroblastoma with CNS metastases have achieved long-term remissions37. Intra-compartmental injections seem to be more effective than systemic injections because there is more effective targeting to the tumour, with typical radiation-absorbed doses in the 5,000–10,000 cGy range, which is approximately tenfold the dose that is typically achieved with intravenous injection. In all probability this is due to simple binding kinetics because the total RIT is distributed in no more than 150 ml of CSF within the intrathecal compartment after direct intrathecal injection.
Furthermore, the CSF is devoid of white cells or proteins that can interfere with antibody binding in comparison to a much larger dilution when the dose is distributed systemically within 5 l of blood volume. In addition, CSF flows in one direction and renews every 7–8 hours, providing a built-in washout step for unbound RIT. The apparent absence of an anatomical barrier could also facilitate the movement of antibodies between the CSF and the extracellular space of the brain83,84, especially if there is damage to the meninges either by tumour or by surgery. As there is no B7-H3 expression in normal brain tissue, 124I-8H9 (a β-emitter that targets B7-H3) is being successfully tested as a theranostic agent by convention-enhanced delivery into brainstem gliomas (NCT01502917).
Tumour targeting with intravenous injection of RIT. The slow clearance of unbound RIT from the blood circulation and the resulting high levels of background radioactivity are pharmacokinetic features that limit the tumour-to-normal organ ratios of absorbed radiation that can be achieved85,86,87. One approach to reduce the toxicity of RIT is to use smaller antibody moieties to decrease the circulating half-life of the RIT88,89,90,91. Although opinions vary on the clinical potential of antibody fragments for RIT, most experts have concluded that the smaller molecules penetrate solid tumours faster, more deeply and more homogeneously than intact antibodies, but that they achieve lower intra-tumoural concentrations, exhibit shorter tumour retention times than intact antibodies and may demonstrate undesirable renal accumulation92. Approaches to increase therapeutic efficacy have included dose fractionation with the expectation of bone marrow recovery in between doses, leading to higher administered doses. This dose fractionation approach has been shown to be feasible in lymphoma6,93 and in solid tumours78.
In particular, to enhance the therapeutic index in solid tumours relative to normal tissues, three avenues are being followed that seem to show some promise, particularly in preclinical studies: PRIT, the addition of chemotherapy to RIT and the application of radionuclides with favourable emissions, especially α-emitters.
PRIT. PRIT uses multistep pre-targeting to dissociate the slow distribution phase of the antibody molecule from the administration of the therapeutic radionuclide. These strategies administer tumour-reactive antibody in a non-radioactive form, allowing it to localize to solid tumour sites and to accumulate without subjecting the rest of the body to nonspecific irradiation from circulating RIT85,90,94,95,96,97,98,99. After maximal accumulation of antibody in the tumour, a low molecular weight radioactive moiety with a high affinity for the tumour-reactive antibody is administered. Because of its small size, this second reagent rapidly penetrates solid tumours, where the pre-targeted antibody traps it. Furthermore, unbound molecules of the second (radioactive) reagent are small enough to be rapidly cleared from the blood and excreted in the urine. In some pre-targeting approaches, a clearing agent can be injected shortly before the radiolabelled small molecule to remove the unbound antibody from the bloodstream and to prevent it from complexing with the radiolabelled small molecule in circulation95,96,100,101. Several strategies have been proposed and implemented preclinically to accomplish this binding, but one of the most promising strategies exploits the extraordinarily high affinity of avidin (or streptavidin) for biotin (Fig. 4).
Figure 4: Schemas for conventional and pre-targeted RIT. a | Conventional single-step radioimmunotherapy (RIT), with monoclonal antibody conjugated directly to radionuclide. b | Multi-step pre-targeted RIT (PRIT) using antibody-streptavidin ( |
back to her place. “It was pretty hard to not get pissed off every single time he tried to come at me with that ‘I tried so hard to support you’ garbage. I was a college student at home alone taking care of a blind twelve year-old girl, having to learn how to do things like pay bills, buy groceries, cook…” I lightly tug on her arm, trying to pull her away from the thought. “Are you at least going to try and reconnect with your family after this? I mean, now that you’re trying to move on and get those bitter thoughts out of your head.” She gives me a short huff. “That was the plan, yeah. I haven't talked to my mother since the trip to Scotland, you know that? There’s no reason not to.” Her words stop for a few moments while she thinks, chewing on each word carefully. “I never really had a falling out with anyone other than my father. Me and Mom and my grandparents and everyone else just stopped talking after that.” As soon as I open my mouth to respond, however, Akira quickly catches herself and adds on “That doesn’t mean I was trying to get away from them. It’s just that I had so much on my plate that I literally didn’t even have time to answer the phone.” “I understand, I understand, it’s fine.” I chuckle at her reaction. “One thing at a time, though. Don’t go trying to push all of this forward before you’re absolutely sure about the stuff with your father.” She nods and brushes a few locks of hair from her face, grabbing my wrist to steady the umbrella. “Yeah. All of that is in the past now - at least, that’s where I’m gonna try and leave it.” By the time she finishes, her building is already less than a block away. Akira greets the two black-suited men at the front door, one of them takes my umbrella, and soon we’re standing on the elevator. “What are you in such a hurry for, anyway? You've been jumpy like this all day.” I remark. I step out of the way while she punches the button for the top floor. “There's something I want to show you. I've been keeping it for a nice occasion, and I think this is nice enough.” She answers, seeming to calm down a bit just from letting her intentions out. “Although I'm more impatient about seeing the look on your face than anything else.” The look on my face? Oh no, I’m not sure if I like where this is going. She laughs at my reaction and pats me on the shoulder, lightly taking my hand in hers and pulling me to her penthouse door as soon as the elevator opens. The interior is left the exact same way we left it; the curtains are closed, some of the couch cushions linger on the floor, and there are still some dishes left on the table. As soon as we get inside, I kick off my wet shoes and plop down on the couch while Akira heads for the cupboard across the room. “So what's the surprise?” I ask. Just as soon as I finish the question, she's turned around with two objects in her hands. The first one is a reddish-purple bottle of wine with an uncanny label on it in a language I can't even begin to... “You've been holding onto that this entire time?” I laugh, sitting forward and receiving the container with a thin layer of dust on its tinted surface. “I gave it to you thinking that you were going to share it with Lilly or something, seeing as how it was a welcome back present.” Akira shrugs and hands me a silver corkscrew as well. “I keep plenty of wine around the house for special occasions.” She says while heading toward the kitchen to get some glasses. “That's just the way I do things. Beer is for after work, scotch is for bad days, vodka is for mixing, so on and so forth.” Nurse said that I should be avoiding alcohol at all costs, but then again, he also specifically said that a glass of wine is fine every now and then. Quickly filing that thought away, I take the bottle into one hand and try to undo the cork, although I'm unable to twist the tip of the corkscrew into the core. I'm not sure if it has more to do with age or if it's just how these things are made, but it seems to resist being unsealed. Now that it's in my hand, it feels more like tough rubber or plastic than actual cork. I have to lean forward and push all my weight into it just to get the tip in, and even then it... There! The seal comes out with a satisfying 'pop' and a mixture of different scents floats up to my nose right as Akira returns with two wine glasses. I set the cork aside - still thoroughly ruined by the corkscrew - and hold onto the bottle, ready to drink. Although, right as I begin to pour the first glass, Akira gives me a troubled stare and points to my belly. “What the hell did you do to your shirt?” “My shirt?” I set the bottle aside for a moment and inspect my shirt, noticing that I’m short a button. I can still feel the threads where it was seated as well as a tear in the cloth, making me wonder just how hard I might have snagged myself. “Ah crap, I think I caught it with the corkscrew when I was trying to get the bottle open.” She gives me a smug look and goes to finish pouring the wine while I stand up and feel around for it between the cushions. The search proves to be pointless, though, and I decide to just unbutton the rest of my shirt and be done with it. “Hey, calm down. Just leave it with me and I'll take it to Lyra's tomorrow to get it fixed up.” Akira says while also mirroring my action, unbuttoning her work shirt and revealing the white camisole underneath. “Or we can just trash that crappy shirt and get a new one altogether.” “Lyra's? That sounds familiar.” I muse, unable to keep the smirk off of my own face as one creeps up on hers. Yes, Lyra's Fine Wear. Everything about that store is burned into the back of my mind, as are the events that led me there. I can remember where I woke up that morning, how I felt sitting in class, why I talked to Mutou about the science expo, the bus ride into the city, the search for somewhere to buy a suit... “You mean the place where we first met, right?” I ask as she hands me one of the glasses. She lets out a small chuckle and we tap the two goblets together with a 'clink,' both taking a long drag. “It's always so damn weird thinking of that place now. If you went back in time and told me that we'd be dating a few months after that happened, I wouldn't have believed you.” “It really is surreal, isn't it?” I laugh, letting myself relax and sink into the mood. One would have to question whether there's a mood at all, though – the weather is awful, we're both sitting around in half of our suits, and there's no music or candlelight. Somehow the introduction of wine into our day makes everything better. “You're telling me,” She returns. “Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if I hadn't met you. I'd probably be getting settled into my desk in Scotland if you weren't here to hold me and Lilly down.” The thought alone causes a shiver to roll through my entire body. “Well, we're past that, aren't we? You're here, and you're not going anywhere. Let's just enjoy it.” She pats around beside her for the TV remote and points it across the room, letting the sound of the evening news mix with the rainfall. “Amen to that.” In less than a minute's time, the bottle is back in my hand and I'm pouring Akira another glass, having already set mine aside with a quarter of its contents left. “Is it good, at least? I'm still not really savvy with how to taste this stuff.” “It's not the best in the world, but then again everything's better with company.” She says with a warm smile, nudging me in the side. “Where did you say you got this again?” Even though it's been a fairly long time since I was handing it to her wrapped in newspaper, 'I got it from the guy down the hall whose parents send him alcoholic care packages' doesn't sound like a good answer. I still don't know if I'll ever tell her about that night I got drunk and fell asleep on the roof of the school. “It's from a friend, who… well, there are some things that are better left in the past, don't you think?” She cocks one eyebrow at me and continues drinking, finding some strange amusement in my answer. “As long as you didn't steal it. I still remember how nervous you looked when you handed it off to me.” “Isn’t that how all guys act when they're giving a gift to a girl they like?” I reply with a groan, inwardly cringing at the memory. “And then pile on the fact that the girl they like had a boyfriend and was also six years older.” This earns me a brief scoff. “Well you'd better start working on that confidence, because I sure hope that's not the last bottle of wine I get to see from you.” With that said, she takes another sip from her glass, seeming to burn through the stuff as if it were water. “Oh, I'm sure there will be more where that came from. I get the feeling that some things aren't going to change.” I give her a nudge right after she sets her empty glass aside for the second time. I try to push it as a joke, but really, it's the truth. There are some things that aren't going to change, no matter how much I’d like them to. The melancholy from earlier starts to set in again, but Akira still manages to let out another laugh. “I don't think quitting my job is going to curb that love for some things, and I already know that quitting yours isn’t going to change anything about you.” I try and shake off the thought before reaching over and finishing what's left of my own glass. “It's just a weird thing to adapt to. I haven't even told my parents about my plans yet; they still think I want to be a research chemist.” She shrugs and leans into me a little more, her face flushed and her breath ripe with the scent of fermented fruit. “Just give it time. Soon you'll be wishing that the world would stop changing.” ‘Wishing that the world would stop changing.’ All these thoughts about stagnation and moving on... Just this morning I was wondering if everyone had gone through their own trials and changes despite nothing seeming to happen on the outside. When it comes to myself, I know that I've practically turned into a teacher's pet since I moved in, but do I still give off that same bitter, anti-social aura? The new kid who was so damn depressed about being in a school for the disabled that he couldn't be approached by anyone other than the two most forward girls on campus?... What a stupid question. Even if there is an answer, it doesn’t matter. I've started living with my heart condition – not just surviving with it, but actually living. I made some close friends and became more involved with them than with anyone I knew from my 'past life.' I found what I want to pursue with my education. On top of all of that, I fell in love These are such weird thoughts to have, and I never used to wonder about stuff like this until I got to Yamaku. If all of these things have happened to me within the span of a few months, then maybe everyone else here has seen changes like that too; things that aren't totally evident on the outside. Even if it's only a little bit, everyone else is still moving on. The student council is looking for new applicants. Lilly and Hanako are both researching universities and figuring out what they want to be later in life. Tetsuo didn’t look the least bit defeated about Akira and he seems to have kept moving up the ladder, as he planned. Mr. Setou at the research lab didn't even give it a second thought when I wanted to quit, and surely he's already put out requests for a new janitor. Akira's father was dejected about her decision, but even then he was able to drive off and get on the plane back to Scotland. Nothing ever stopped changing. Looking at it that way, I almost feel embarrassed to remember a time where I thought I was totally stuck. I just need to get into step with everyone else now; to get things set in motion. I'm pulled away from my thoughts by a tug on my arm. Looking over, Akira's got that same curious glint in her eye, as if she were watching something really interesting. “What’s got you thinking so deeply all of a sudden?” “Too many things. Just trying to figure out where everything has got to go after this.” I shrug and lay one arm over her shoulder, propping my feet up on the coffee table. ”And what about you? What have you got planned?” She lays back into the sofa and glances up at the ceiling, sneaking her arm behind my back. “I’ve got two job offers on the table, but I’m not sure if I want to consider either of them, or if they’ll even still be there when they find out about all of the nonsense that’s going to come from me refusing a promotion from my own dad.” The hand squeezing my side tightens and she lies into me, a playful glint in her eye. “Besides, a week or two off doesn’t sound so bad. I’d still be set on finances if I decided to take another little vacation.” “I’m going to be signing up for entrance exams and deciding on a major soon.” I reply, letting my eyes shut in thought while I try to imagine something other than a vacation with Akira. “Mr. Setou wasn’t upset about me leaving either. He said the spot would be open if I ever wanted to come back.” We both let out a long sigh in unison, further sinking into both the couch. Akira takes a moment to sit up and stretch while eyeing her empty glass, apparently deciding that the rest should be left for later. “Just make sure you keep a backup plan; that was the lesson I learned today.” “Yeah. More plans to write down on the board.” I groan. “Don’t you ever get tired of keeping track of everything? It feels like it gets more and more impossible each passing year.” At this, she looks over her shoulder and gives me a light smile. “What’s wrong with planning? Are you saying it’s better to have everything picked and chosen for you?” I shake my head and sit up as well, watching her as she stands in front of me. “Of course not. It’s just a ton of stress getting all these things lined up and actually moving towaMore than a month after Facebook and Twitter announced they had identified hundreds of fake accounts and thousands of ads secretly run by Russian state agents, the American public is still largely in the dark as to what the ads and accounts contained, what messages they pushed, or even how they framed policy debates and viewed presidential candidates.
We know, for instance, that these fake Russian accounts offered $100,000 to Facebook for approximately 3,000 ads — and potentially thousands more — while specifically targeting swing states like Michigan and Wisconsin. When Facebook revealed the ad sales to congressional investigators (after dismissing concerns in the lead-up to the election), Virginia Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) said these accounts were but “the tip of the iceberg.” We also know that Facebook, which says 10 million users viewed these Russian ads, has uncovered evidence linking at least some of the accounts to Russia’s Internet Research Agency. That notorious troll firm kept some 400 employees busy managing assorted misleading social media accounts, budgeted at approximately $400,000 per month as of 2015. As ABC News revealed, certain employees within the Internet Research Agency would pose as Americans, working 12-hour shifts to both lead conversations and, more broadly, amplify divisions and tensions already extant.
Facebook and Twitter, however, have refused to yield to growing pressure to release the content of the ads and accounts to the public. The companies revealed the material they uncovered to Congress, but have declined to detail how these Russian actors tried to stir outrage, confusion, and misinformation on some of the world’s largest social media platforms.
But in examining what’s been revealed about the social media accounts secretly run by Russian actors, a handful of broad themes emerge. Much of the media coverage has been piecemeal, and has failed to publish the actual posts and ads involved.
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ThinkProgress, however, analyzed previous reporting to match those eyewitness stories with the specific social media accounts and pages in question, many of them available through caches, to examine the substance of the allegations — to watch the fake news in action as it crept across social media. The clearest theme to emerge from the Russian accounts exhumed so far is something many following the 2016 president election will recognize: an obvious and sustained effort to support Donald Trump. The information that’s come to light since the election — the report from the Office of the Director of National Intelligence; analysis of coverage from Russian state media sources — parallels this finding.
While the specific dates of certain material from these fake accounts remain unclear, certain posts have come to light that, for instance, praised Trump for his immigration policy and for Trump’s plans to unwind many of the previous administration’s legislative achievements. One of the accounts, “Secured Borders” posted a popular, eclipse-related meme comparing the current and former presidents: “I hope pretty soon Trump will eclipse Obama … totally! It’s time to erase the so called legacy of the most race-baiting, corrupt, communist, anti-American POTUS ever.” Another, posted after the election, called Trump’s policies “correct.”
One post, uncovered by ABC News and running after the election, featured Trump as Santa Claus, with Ted Cruz lurking as an elf in the background. Hillary Clinton appears trapped in a snow-globe on the president’s desk.
Elsewhere, the pro-secession “Heart of Texas” page, run by Russian actors, trumpeted post-election support for police officers backing Trump.
Former White House adviser Sebastian Gorka followed “Tea Party News,” another Russian account that offered a stream of Trump quotes and praise for the Republican candidate. As Talking Points Memo noted, the account not only promoted Trump’s campaign events, but further “offered to soothe the hurt feelings of conservatives[.]”
Beyond memes and online comments, it’s also come to light that Russian actors attempted to organize on-the-ground rallies in the U.S.; in some cases, those rallies actually happened. The most prominent account uncovered thus far that pushed rallies was the “Being Patriotic” page. The Daily Beast found that that account garnered more than 200,000 followers and had “the strongest activist bent of any of the suspected Russian Facebook election pages that have so far emerged.” Not only did the page, along with its related Twitter account, hawk explicitly anti-Clinton events, including one entitled “Down With Hillary!”, but it also attempted to host rallies in Pennsylvania and New York, including “Miners for Trump” demonstrations. (The attendant Twitter page, for good measure, carried a #NeverRomney hashtag.)
The most successful of these Russia-backed pro-Trump rallies, however, took place in Florida last August, in the lead-up to the election.
The “Florida Goes Trump!” rally garnered support from some of Trump’s most outspoken supporters in the state, including the recent chief of the Broward Republican Party, and it turned out dozens of supporters drawn in by the “Being Patriotic” page. As investigative website Bellingcat documented via social media, supporters gathered to chant and cheer their support for Trump, as well as “enthusiastically (but not quite in harmony) yell[ing] ‘lock her up’ about Hillary Clinton.”
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Indeed, the “Florida Goes Trump!” efforts marry one of the most prominent themes of Russia’s Facebook fakery — helping inflate the Trump campaign — with another primary goal of the false accounts and ads: attacking Clinton and her supporters, and spreading memes and messaging undermining the Democratic candidate. After all, these Facebook and Twitter accounts weren’t exclusively about propelling Trump toward the White House. They were simultaneously meant to depress Clinton’s chances — and spread vitriol about her campaign along the way, as ThinkProgress will detail in the second installation of our series.“None of us were economists, so we didn’t really know how to make sense of the data. And the data we got was pretty bad,” Mr. Altbach said.
However that first effort caught the interest of Maria Yudkevitch and Gregory Androushchak at the National Research University Higher School of Economics in Moscow. “Leaving aside social science, the Soviets had a really excellent university system — which has largely been destroyed,” Mr. Altbach said.
“We wanted to get an international perspective,” said Mr. Androushchak, one of the book’s co-editors. Although Soviet science had put the first man in space, and Russians continue to be awarded Nobel prizes — and to launch rockets — the country’s academic institutions consistently fare poorly in international rankings. “We wanted to know what developed countries paid their academics, as well as developing countries and the other BRICS,” he said, referring to the emerging economies, Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
“Paying the Professoriate” brings together government statistics from countries where the information is available with survey data from those where it is not. Private universities were excluded, since most do not publish salary data.
“One of the most surprising findings was in Ethiopia,” said Mr. Androushchak. Although an average monthly salary of $1,207 put Ethiopian academics fourth from the bottom of the countries surveyed, “the figure relative to G.D.P. is extraordinarily high” — or 23 times the country average, compared to the United States, Germany, or Australia, where academics average roughly twice the per capita G.D.P. “This shows that in Ethiopia academics are very highly valued.”
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Russia was the only country whose academics were actually paid less than the average per capita G.D.P. — only 60 percent.
“The Russian government wants to know why they can’t keep their scientists,” said Alex Usher, president of Higher Education Strategy Associates, a Canadian research group. “This research suggests it’s because they don’t pay them enough. It’s not rocket science, but you’d be amazed at how many governments don’t get this.”
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Russia is not the only country whose academics earn considerably less than other professions requiring a comparable education. In Kazakhstan, faculty members “tend to earn half the salaries of peers with similar qualifications,” while the authors warn that “Japan, Germany, Israel and the United States will find it harder to attract young talent in the future, unless salaries at the lower end of the hierarchy improve.”
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In Germany, where academics are considered civil servants, teaching has become “less attractive than working in industry — where salaries are higher — or in public administration,” said Barbara Kehm, a professor of social science at the University of Kassel and co-author of the chapter on Germany. “We are right in the middle of changing pay scales,” she said. Under the new system basic pay has been reduced by 20 percent to 30 percent, but teachers are then eligible for bonuses based on performance.
“It’s very chaotic,” said Ms. Kehm, adding that the up-or-out six-year tenure system, which forces most junior faculty members to move on after six years, and the requirement that university departments not promote from within, make the German academic career path an obstacle course.
Despite talk of a global market in education, Kris Olds, who teaches geography at the University of Wisconsin, said that “in the public sector everywhere nowadays, people realize the likelihood of getting salary increases is pretty low. So they try to ‘bargain in’ as high as they can.”
Moonlighting is another common survival strategy, he said. “I taught in China in the 1990s, and all of the professors in Shanghai were consulting on the side. It was the only way they could support their families.”
Russian academics, according to Mr. Androushchak, almost always have to supplement their university salaries by doing extra teaching at private, for-profit institutions or business schools. “The possibility of teaching in these programs is often considered to compensate somewhat for low-paying activities at the basic rate,” he writes.
Cary Nelson, president of the American Association of University Professors, said that even high average salary figures can be misleading. “The hidden truth about faculty salaries around the world is that some faculty are paid handsomely and possess relative wealth, while other faculty — in many countries — hover at the poverty line. Often enough, both groups can be found in the same country,” Mr. Nelson said.
One trend mentioned in the book, but not analyzed in depth, is the use of part-time teaching faculty. Once rare in Western Europe, contingent faculty — paid by the hour or by the course and hired without benefits — have become increasingly common. As in other areas, the United States seems to be the model.
“I have a colleague who was teaching nine courses in one semester,” said Maria Maisto of New Faculty Majority, a campaigning organization. Her members, she said, are paid an average of $2,500 for a three-credit course. “That’s without an office, and without being paid for prep time or grading time. Ultimately it’s the students who suffer,” Ms. Maisto said.
“In Latin America, 70 percent of professors are part-time,” Mr. Altbach said. “In the U.S., only half of new positions are full time. All over the world, professors are supposed to be the shock troops of the global knowledge economy. But they’re not being paid like it.”Android: Facebook just took the wraps off of a new version of its Android app today, and you'll want to download it. It's much, much faster than the previous version, mostly because Facebook has rewritten the app from the ground up, ditching HTML5 and optimizing the app for Android.
Speed is the only major change here—everything else is essentially identical to the old app. After updating, you'll notice pretty quickly that the app loads, scrolls, and just works faster than the previous version. Photos even load faster, liking and commenting on friends' posts is faster, and even scrolling feels more smooth.
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There are a few new features: Facebook has added the ability to single-tap photos to open them directly so you can like and comment, and added a "New Stories" bar so you can see more news without refreshing your feed. Grab the new app now at the link below.
Facebook (Free) | Google Play via Android Police and Facebook EngineeringThe Scottish Airshow based out of Prestwick airport featured the last flying Vulcan bomber.
As the bomber came into land it experienced a nose wheel failure. It had flown a flypast over the spectators and took a right turn so that it could come into land at Prestwick on runway 30. However as the bomber descended for its landing, its nose wheel didn’t automatically dispatch as it should and became stuck half way.
The Vulcan ascended to perform a second flypast and then took to the north of the airport.
It was at that point that another aircraft taking part in the airshow came to the rescue of the Vulcan. A Spitfire which had been part of the Battle of Britain Memorial Flight saw that the Vulcan was getting into difficulty. The pilot called in to the control tower via radio to find out if he could assist the Vulcan in any way and thought that if he could get close enough to see the underside of the Vulcan he might be able to assess what was wrong, The Aviationist reports.
The Vulcan slowed to a speed of around 170 knots as the Spitfire was able to fly right next to its right wing. The Spitfire pilot confirmed via radio that he could see that the nose wheel was only half extended.
The Vulcan pilot decided to take ascend and go round again taking some tight turns. He hoped that this would ensure the nose wheel would free itself and enable it to fully extend. It did. The Spitfire then led the way for the landing and ensured a safe path for the bomber.
The entire incident was caught on camera, here is the video!
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The parents of two-year-old Payton love their daughter but have decided to file a lawsuit as they did not receive the donated sperm they had chosen.
Midwest Sperm Bank in Ohio sent the wrong sperm to the couple’s doctor providing them with a black man’s sperm instead their actual choice.
Jennifer Cramblett and her partner say they live in a 98% white and ‘intolerant’ community and are upset that that their mixed race daughter has already experienced racial prejudice.
She told NBC reporters: ‘I am happy that I have a healthy child, but I’m not going to let them get away with not being held accountable.’
Cramblett only found out about the mistake after her partner had already become pregnant with Payton and was ordering more sperm vials for a potential sibling.
Jennifer Cramblett being interviewed at the home of her attorney, Tim Misny (PIcture: AP Photo/Mark Duncan)
After she had confronted the organisation, they sent her a refund for six vials and an apology before cutting off all contact.
With the assistance of her attorney, Tim Misny and family lawyer, Thomas Intili, she is demanding compensation which would allow her family to relocate to a more diverse community and good schools.
Intilli said of the mistake that led to this lawsuit: ‘They’ve made the one mistake a sperm bank can’t make.
‘It’s not like she was ordering pizza.’I am writing this post to evangelical Christians who want to spread the Gospel. I want to give you my best advice about how to approach evangelism.
Let me be unequivocally clear at the start: I am an atheist. More than that, I am an anti-Christian atheist. I actively argue against Christianity. I unabashedly admit that I want to convince people to accept atheism as true. I take great joy in people leaving Christianity. It makes me inexpressibly happy when people tell me that I played some role in their having become atheists. The general group of people I feel most connected to are formerly devout religious people who are now atheists. And among them, I feel the closest to the ex-Christians because I myself grew up as a fervent evangelical Christian. (And I have an especially close kinship with those I knew when we were Christians and now we’re atheists together.)
I became an atheist only after my passionate, life-consuming attempts to philosophically defend the Christian faith failed and I became convinced that justifying belief in Christianity was futile and that it was immoral to build one’s life on unjustifiable beliefs. I had gone to college with the goal of becoming a theology professor. I had studied philosophy with the goal of having powerful, comprehensive answers to skeptics’ objections. After much study and anguish, I admitted defeat at the hands of the skeptics and stopped believing in the God that I had loved with all my heart, mind, soul, and strength. I became an atheist because I felt compelled by my intellectual conscience not to believe in God.
So, why am I, an ex-Christian and anti-Christian, offering you advice on how to evangelize? And why should you even listen to it? The answer to those questions and the tips themselves can be found by using the links in this convenient table of contents for this post:
1. Some Evangelical Christians Value My Opinion.
2. You and I Are In A Similar Boat.
3. If You Could Learn How to Evangelize Someone Like Me, You Could Evangelize Almost Anyone Else.
Top Ten Tips For Evangelizing (From An Atheist).
1. Be Like Jesus: Hang With The Sinners and Judge The Judgers
2. Form Genuine Relationships With People, Don’t Treat Them As Projects.
3. Actions Speak Louder Than Words.
4. When Talking About Religious and Philosophical Matters, Ask More Questions And Do Less Preaching.
5. Don’t Give Unsolicited Advice or Judgments. Support People and Wait For Them To Ask For Your Input If They Want It.
6. Appreciate That Nominal Christians Are Still Christians.
7. Don’t Try To Force Others Into Christian Participation.
8. Understand Atheists and Embrace The Opportunity Confrontational Atheists Afford You.
9. Respect Other Religions Even As You Evangelize Their Members.
10. Love Your Enemies, Not Just Your Tribe.
1. Some Evangelical Christians Value My Opinion
I’m always very heartened when I see how many Evangelicals identify with me despite our profound differences in beliefs. Recently I have leveled some harsh critiques of Evangelical attitudes towards atheists and approaches to evangelism, as part of my multiple part criticism of the movie God’s Not Dead. And a few months ago I called out Ray Comfort for trying to exploit the mental illnesses of depressed atheists by implying that suicide was a logical conclusion of atheism. More than a few Christians seem to agree with my criticisms and a couple have asked about how to do better. So, I thought I’d be constructive and not just complain but give my thoughts on what kind of evangelism I think would be good.
2. You and I are in a similar boat.
We are both unfairly disparaged as inherently disrespectful, intolerant, and authoritarian by the same kinds of secular people–whether they are atheists or just non-evangelical religious people. They are the ones who say, “I do not care at all what other people believe so long as those people never try to share their faith with others or try to challenge the faith of others.” They often make it a supreme moral principle that “Thou Shalt Not Try To Change Another Person’s Religious Beliefs”. Both evangelizing Christians, like you, and disputatious atheists, like me, are equally sinners to them. They are proud of their tolerance and inclusiveness and yet their idea of respecting your views and my views is to tell us to keep our beliefs to ourselves at all times and to indiscriminately label us as extremists when we don’t do so. With very little nuance the simple desire to persuade others to change their minds is conflated with a bullying desire to force others to believe as we do. I don’t think that’s fair to us argumentative atheists. I don’t think it’s fair to you evangelical Christians. Granted–I think members of both our groups are terrible about how they handle disagreements over religion. But I want to be constructive about how to do it better rather than give up on discussing such ideas altogether.
I share your passionate conviction that what people believe matters and that their ethics matters. Truth is neither simply relative nor irrelevant. Morality is neither simply relative nor irrelevant. Both people’s philosophies and their faiths inform their thinking on a wide range of the most fundamental questions all humans face, ranging from what is real to how we should live. If you ask me, we need a culture in which the active pursuit of answering such questions well has a central place in our lives. We need a culture which cultivates the art of vigorous, rigorous, honest, civil, empowering, fruitful, interpersonally bonding conversations about these most crucial questions. Such a culture could create people who are intellectually, morally, and spiritually scrupulous and autonomous and charitable to an enormous degree.
So, in the spirit of spiting those who would silence both of us, I’d like to show a little solidarity with you, by discussing the best strategies for both of us to follow and the ethics I think should bind all sides of the arguments we have. I am writing these tips for you specifically as tips for evangelism so that they speak to your particular concerns, interests, goals, and perspectives on the world, but I often give comparable advice to atheists. I am not asking you to be held to standards that are any more intrinsically muzzling than I ask atheists to hold themselves to, even though the differences in our views and goals makes the particular advice that is germane for you (or its optimal framing for you) slightly different.
3. If you could learn how to evangelize someone like me, you could evangelize almost anyone else.
If you are genuinely interested in impacting non-Christians and nominal Christians, then you should pay close attention to what non-Christians and nominal Christians have to say about you.
In particular, you should listen to those of us who are most informed, most opposed to your faith, and most actively engaged with conscientiously secular people. We can tell you what turns us on to what you are saying and what turns us off. We can tell you what sends people running and screaming away from you and over to us. We can tell you what just tempts us to laugh at you. You may not like our advice, but you ignore it at the cost of increased ineffectiveness in evangelism and increased antipathy from the larger culture. If you only listen to your fellow evangelicals you will be biased by their stubbornness, their wishful thinking, and their passive reliance on Jesus to turn everything your way no matter how thoughtlessly and artlessly you present yourself.
You must think beyond evangelical ways of thinking if you are to reach people who are not Evangelicals. Your fellow Evangelical Christians are not the people you are trying to reach. To understand the people you are trying to reach, you need to understand how we feel, what we think, what we value, and how we respond to you. You also need to be reflective about basic psychology, lest you be unpersuasive, and basic ethics, lest you be harmful or unfair. As someone who has been instrumental in at least a couple conversions to Christianity and deconversions from Christianity, and as someone who has the pulse of secular people much more than the average Christian does, I offer you a perspective you probably get infrequently in church.
So, here is my advice, for what it’s worth.
Top Ten Tips For Evangelizing (From An Atheist).
1. Be Like Jesus: Hang With The Sinners and Judge The Judgers.
We all do well when we have two basic kinds of relationships. Those with people who think like us and those who think differently from us.
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shisha tobacco smells just like its name and produces monster clouds with a sweet, aromatic finish.
Candy – Squish together the refreshing flavors of pineapple and banana into a hard candy, and boom! You’ve got Candy shisha.
Cantaloupe - Starbuzz Canteloupe shisha tobacco lives up to its name. This hookah tobacco is not overly sweet and has a juicy medium to fine cut tobacco mixture.
Cappuccino - Starbuzz Cappuccino hookah tobacco is a creamy and mild coffee flavor, more latte than espresso. This shisha tobacco produces a light smoke density for a Starbuzz flavor, but still has good longevity.
Caramel Apple - Starbuzz Caramel Apple hookah tobacco hits a home run, nailing caramel apple spot on. Big, delicious clouds with an apple base and poignant caramel overtones. It is packed pretty juicy with few stems.
Caramel Macchiato – Similar to the drink, this shisha flavor is creamy, and rich, with a hint of caramel sweetness.
Cherry - Starbuzz Cherry shisha tobacco lets you return to the heartland of hookah smoking. This mixture is a medium cut that is nice and juicy. For a little variety, you may want to try mixing this shisa with a chocolate flavored hookah tobacco.
Christmas Mix – Seriously. This tastes like Christmas. It’s a wintery mix of cinnamon, nutmeg, spice, and everything nice.
Chocolate Mint - Starbuzz Chocolate Mint hookah tobacco lives up to its namesake; but be warned, the mint overtones are menthol-based and pretty strong.
Chocolate Strawberry - Starbuzz Chocolate Strawberry is a classic hookah tobacco flavor; everyone agrees that this shisha tobacco is delicious, like eating long-stem strawberries dipped in chocolate.
Citrus Mint - Citrus Mint Starbuzz hookah tobacco is a delicious blend of citrus fruits, with a minty, menthol finish. This sweet and fruity shisha tobacco draws sweet and finishes with cool, massive clouds.
Citrus Mist - Similar to the famous Blue Mist from Starbuzz, Citrus Mist Starbuzz shisha tobacco is equally pleasing. Robust citrus flavors with a refreshing, tingly menthol aftertaste makes this hookah tobacco a favorite. It smells like gummy bears, which translates well into the flavor of the smoke.
Classic Cola - Classic Cola Starbuzz hookah tobacco can't produce the fizz, but if you like gummy cola bottles, you'll like this flavor.
Classic Mojito - A delicious blend of spearmint and lime, this hookah tobacco finishes a little sweeter than most mint shishas; more of a sweet mint, without the menthol coolness you get from most mint shisha tobacco.
Coco Jumbo – Put ‘da lime in ‘da coconut and smoke it all up! (In case you didn’t catch that…it tastes like lime and coconut.)
Coconut - Coconut Starbuzz is an incredibly creamy coconut shisha tobacco. This delicious hookah tobacco is also great when mixed with Starbuzz White Peach shisha.
Code 69 – Cool fruit punch flavor mixed with thick clouds of tart citrus.
Cosmopolitan - Cosmopolitan Starbuzz hookah tobacco lives up to it's name; if you like the drink, you'll like the smoke. If you want to get a little adventurous with this shisha tobacco, try substituting the water with cranberry or grape juice.
Cotton Candy - This hookah tobacco almost exactly mimics this carnival treat, kicking up some huge, puffy clouds, even if they're not pink.
Double Apple - A sweet mix of red and green apples with hints of anise underneath.
Egyptian Pharos - Tea leaves with cream creating a unique spice smoke
Exotic Grape - A nice mix of both red and white grape flavor, resulting in a slightly more complex blend of delicious grape flavors. If you like grape, this is definitely one to try.
Flower Power – This flavor is full and intense. It mixes together an aromatic floral punch with fruity sweetness. It’s like being punched in the face by a flower dressed up as an orange. Crazy, right? Crazy good.
Fruit Sensation – “Fruity” flavor can be pretty vague, but this shisha picks one fruit, and sticks with it! You’re going to get a mouthful of pear with this Fruit Sensation.
Fuzzy Lemonade - This shisha tobacco smells similar to Lemonheads candy but has a sweeter lemon flavor, with a hint of mint mixed in.
Fuzzy Naval - This shisha tobacco is a delicious peachy tropical concoction, with just the right amount of sweetness.
Grapefruit - This flavor stays true to its name. A great citrus flavor perfect for mixing, or just on its own.
Guava - This shisha offers up a delicious blend of Guava and tropical flavors.
Hard Rush – Winter fresh mint gives an extra kick to a generous combination of fine fruity flavors.
Holiday Mix - Banana in your face with a warm blend of cinnamon cream and spices
Honey Berry – What would normally be a standard sourberry, gets an extra swirl of complexity by adding a hint of honey liqueur.
Jasmine - Jasmine Starbuzz shisha tobacco offers up a nice floral aroma and subtle taste. If you want to enjoy smoke without a lot of fruit, mint and other strong flavors, you may want to consider trying this smooth and delicate hookah tobacco.
Kiwi - Like its namesake, Kiwi Starbuzz shisha tobacco offers up the exotic aromas and flavor of the kiwi fruit.
Kiwi Strawberry - Delicious, fruity, exotic. Delicious, sweet aroma and tasty thunderclouds, this hookah tobacco lives up to its name.
Lebanese Bombshell – I’m interjecting personal opinion into this one. I’m going to be honest: it’s weird. But I love it. If you’ve ever wanted to smoke a forest, this may be the closest that you can get. Taking a long drag of Lebanese Bombshell is akin to breathing in cedar wood shavings. Like I said: it sounds weird, but is totally great.
Lemon - Lemon Starbuzz is an accurate tasting lemon shisha tobacco. Just like slicing into a sweet lemon, this hookah tobacco is a traditional style shisha with medium to thick cut tobacco and a good amount of juice.
Lemon Mint - Similar to Starbuzz Lemon, this flavor is an accurate lemon flavor, just like slicing into a sweet lemon, but with a light, cooling mint addition that combines really well into this smooth, cool flavor.
Lemon Tea - They nail the flavor of the title well: this hookah tobacco tastes like lemon, finishes with a touch of tea.
Mango - Mango Starbuzz hookah tobacco offers up the nice fruity aroma and taste of mango.
Margarita - Sporting a delicious, citrus flavor reminiscent of everyone's favorite cocktail, producing Starbuzz's famous dense, white clouds. Yum.
Marlett – This flavor is a little confusing. The Starbuzz website even says that this particular flavor is always changing depending on ‘trends’. However, the majority of reviews describe it as being similar to a rich Merlot. This includes grape, berry, and spicy flavors.
Melon Blue - Semi-sweet blueberry with a mellow green melon exhale.
Orange - Orange Starbuzz shisha tobacco offers up delicious aromas and taste. If you like citrus hookah tobacco, you should definitely add this to your cache.
Passion Kiss – This could mean a lot of different things. But today, it means tropical fruit.
Passionfruit Mojito - After firing up a bowl of this shisha, we noticed everything from citrus to spice flavors, and of course there is the passion fruit and mint flavors in there. It wouldn't be a Mojito without the mint, yes?
Peaches & Cream - Peaches and Cream Starbuzz shisha tobacco offers up a mellow, smooth take on fruity hookah tobacco. The cream dominates over the peach, which is more like an ice tea peach than a succulent peach.
Pina Colada - Pina Colada Starbuzz shisha tobacco is a great mix of pineapple and coconut. This superb Pina Colada shisha flavor will make you want to get caught in the rain.
Pineapple - Pineapple Starbuzz shisha tobacco is a super sweet and accurate flavored hookah tobacco. It's a great mixing flavor, too; Pineapple mixed with Coconut or Banana is always a crowd pleaser.
Pink – Did you know that there are over 200 different species of raspberries? Well you absolutely do not need to know that in order to enjoy the light raspberry flavor in Pink! Some say there’s even a hint of lemonade underneath it all.
Pirate’s Cave – There’s nothing hidden about this arrrrrriginal flavor! It’s a no non-sense, swashbucklin’, lemon-lime explosion! Think of Skittles or Mt. Dew, and you’re in the right direction.
Plum - Sweet and fruity, with authentic plum flavor.
Pomberry – This flavor might seem mysterious, but it’s actually exactly how it sounds. Pomegranate. Berries. Booyah.
Pomegranate - This shisha tobacco offers up very sweet aromas. While the flavor of this hookah tobacco is not nearly as strong as the smell, you can count on a nice, juicy cut and big clouds.
Pumpkin Pie - This hookah tobacco offers up a blend of spicy clove and cinnamon, which really resembles pumpkin pie.
Raspberry - This hookah tobacco tastes just like raspberry and has a good level of sweetness to it.
Royal Grape – Strong grape flavor with an underlying hint of vegetation. Sounds odd, but the flavors balance each other out.
Rose - Presenting delicious flowery aromas, this hookah tobacco delivers a slightly different smoking experience than the ubiquitous fruity flavor varieties, and it burns for a long time.
Safari Melon Dew - This shisha tobacco offers up super sweet melon flavor, with a taste that is spot on every time. This is one of Starbuzz's flagship hookah tobacco flavors; one that many customers buy again and again.
Spicy Red - Reach in your pocket and pull out a piece of cinnamon gum. Now compare it to this smoke profile, we think it’s pretty close.Carter Page, a former Trump adviser, published an op-ed in a Russian government run news agency. Ex-Trump adviser: U.S. shows 'complete disregard for Russia’s interests'
Carter Page, a businessman whom Donald Trump named as a foreign policy adviser in March but distanced himself from following reports of scrutiny into Page’s ties with Russia, published an op-ed on Thursday arguing that the U.S. shows “complete disregard for Russia’s interests” and must soften its stance toward the country.
The op-ed — published in Sputnik, a news agency backed by the Russian government — is critical of the Obama administration’s relations with Russia, suggesting that its response to the country’s annexation of Crimea was “interference in the international arena.” The U.S. ought to try to “respect,” rather than provoke, the Kremlin, he suggested, so the two countries do not end up on a “nuclear brink.”
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“President Obama has advocated for the concept of mutual respect in a domestic context, but a step back from the high-handed brink of today’s diplomacy could help to create a lasting change in the trajectory of global affairs,” Page wrote. “In contrast to the idea of mutual respect, the U.S. Government’s actions in the domestic democratic processes of Russia’s neighboring states stand as a primary example of interference in the international arena.”
He named Ukraine in particular and implied that the U.S. should not “disregard” Russia’s interests in its foreign policy decisions: “Among the national interests of Moscow and in light of continued instability, Ukraine has risen as a primary example of these same trends. While no simple answer to these problems exist, a complete disregard for Russia’s interests further increases the expected longevity of today’s downward trajectory,” he wrote.
This is not the first time Page has sounded off on the U.S.-Russian relationship or advocated a position more favorable to the Kremlin. In August, The Washington Post reported that he had praised both Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump and criticized American foreign policy before international audiences. Last month, Yahoo News reported that U.S. intelligence officials were investigating whether he was communicating with Russian officials and discussed that a President Trump might end economic sanctions against the country.
Trump said in March that Page was advising him on foreign policy issues — the real estate mogul described Page as among “a group of some of the people that we are dealing with” — but campaign aides walked that back when scrutiny into Page’s Russian ties made the news in late September.
Julie Ioffe, in POLITICO Magazine profile of Page published on Sept. 23, found that he isn't especially well-known in Russia, either. “[D]espite the tightly knit nature of the expat business community in Russia, no one I spoke to had ever heard of Carter Page,” she wrote.
A Trump campaign policy staffer told Ioffe at the time that Carter “is a red herring, not a Rasputin. He’s never met Trump, never briefed him. He has zero influence, none.”
In the Yahoo News report, Trump campaign also officials denied that Page was advising or speaking for the campaign. After Page’s op-ed was published on Thursday, campaign spokesman Jason Miller reiterated in an email that “Carter Page has no role with our campaign,” and he did not respond to a followup question about when Trump and Page had cut ties.
Trump himself has offered praise of Putin, suggesting he is a strong leader, and Democrats allege that the Kremlin is attempting to swing the election in the New York mogul’s favor. U.S. intelligence officials reportedly believe that the Russian government is behind cyberattacks on the Democratic National Committee and a hack of the email account of Hillary Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta.Buy a ticket for the Mario Balotelli opera. The best new show in Manchester motored down to London's East End and treated the West Ham audience to a repertoire of tantrums, truculence and flashes of talent as Manchester City moved joint top on points in the Premier League with Arsenal.
Sporting his Travis Bickle mohican, Balotteli wakes up angry and stays that way. His face radiates youthful fury. Maybe he came to London to join the student protests but ended up at Upton Park instead. Replaced on 60 minutes, moments after being booked for dissent, he shot straight down the tunnel without acknowledging his mentor/manager, Roberto Mancini, to chants from the home crowd of "what a waste of money".
He is not that, yet, but neither is he likely to be made shop steward in the City dressing room. He is the most extreme individualist to come to these isles for many years. When Yaya Touré struck City's first goal, a huddle of nine outfield players celebrated around the scorer. On the edge of the frame, Balotelli walked back to the centre circle alone. A late change of heart sent him over to Touré to say something, but by then his lone wolf tendencies were already apparent.
For all the wrong reasons – and occasionally the right ones – Balotelli is mesmerising: a Gareth Barry cross is intercepted by a West Ham defender and manic Mario punches a goalpost in front of the Bobby Moore Stand; Matthew Upson pulls him down and he takes a tug at the England centre‑half's leg as they both rise; a refereeing decision goes against him and he throws his arms as if trying to shake them from their sockets.
To any card-carrying defender he is just pleading to be provoked. All they need to do is take out a stick and poke the hive. Once Balotelli said: "Sometimes my head leads me astray. I once tried to correct my behaviour. I tried for two or three weeks but couldn't take it. I got bored. I am a boy, not a grown man."
An "outrageously talented Italian forward" is how the West Ham programme described him. So far he is stuck at the "outrageous" part. Against Wolves he was kicked on the knee after 10 minutes and went looking for a rumble. Against West Brom he drew his first red card in England. As for the "talent", Brian Kidd, City's assistant manager, said: "He is a great kid. He works so hard in training. You're going to be under the microscope in the Premier League."
At any other club Mancini would stand or fall by the gamble he took in buying this irascible 20-year-old from Internazionale for £24m in August. But with City now higher than Manchester United in the table, Balotelli's irritability can be hidden behind other evidence of progress.
There is plenty of that. In the past two weeks the Abu Dhabi constellation have advanced beyond merely being hard to beat to something more expressive. Mancini will probably say it was part of his master plan to open the gate around now and allow his most creative players some fun. With such rich owners to please – and a crushing wage bill to justify – many managers would have caved in before now to grandstand pressure to raise the entertainment quota.
Enough positivity has been injected to bring David Silva back to life and liberate Yaya Touré from defensive midfield duties. But the angriest 20-year-old in the north-west will remain a sideshow until he masters the volatility José Mourinho took such exception to in Milan. Students of eccentricity will flock to watch him, but Mancini runs the risk of finishing games with 10 men or alienating players such as Emmanuel Adebayor and Adam Johnson if he picks Balotelli ahead of them.
Against the worst team in the league the young Inter discard kept Johnson on the bench and started at centre-forward as Jô and David Silva worked the flanks. This 3–1 victory proved City can thrive without the suspended Carlos Tevez, who has toiled away up front alone. It also confirmed the impossibility of relying on Balotelli to be Tevez's main understudy.
From the moment Balotelli touched down he has been a cabaret. On a symbolic day of table-climbing for his club he treated every incoming tackle as a personal affront. Not until the Football Association erect a special exclusion zone around him will he be entirely happy with the concept of football as a contact sport.
Kidd claimed he was taken off because "the manager was looking for a bit more thrust down the sides". But several times Mancini had ordered Balotelli to rush across to block off West Ham counter-surges and each time he had been ignored. When referee Phil Dowd drew his yellow card in response to another spasm of thrashing arms, City raised No45 on the electronic board and Balotelli headed straight for the dressing room.
It was a good sign, City fans will feel, that the other 10 players could carry such a thespian for an hour and still win convincingly. Yaya Touré tried a couple of times to coach him but Balotelli appears to be troubled both by some sort of persecution complex and a generalised anger that attaches itself to the most innocuous events. What's eating Mario? What does he have to be so livid about? City had a ball here, but he was not joining in.Guardian editor accuses UK politicians of failing to tackle issues raised by NSA revelations, which have sparked US debate
Britain's political class has been closing its eyes and hoping the revelations from Edward Snowden go away rather than tackle important issues over mass surveillance that have provoked such heated debate in America, the editor in chief of the Guardian has said.
Alan Rusbridger accused Westminster of "complacency" about the revelations from Snowden, which have been published in the Guardian over the past six months.
Speaking to the BBC hours before the US president, Barack Obama, was due to give details about reforms to the US spy headquarters, the National Security Agency (NSA), Rusbridger said: "I think one of the problems is that both of the main political parties feel compromised about this. Labour is not keen to get involved because a lot of this stuff was done on their watch."
He added: "I think there is a degree of complacency here. There has been barely a whisper from Westminster. I think they are closing their eyes and hoping that it goes away. But it won't go away because it's impossible to reform the NSA without having a deep knock-on effect on what our own intelligence services do."
Interviewed on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Rusbridger said the oversight mechanisms that were supposed to review the work of Britain's intelligence agencies had proved to be "laughable". He said the parliamentary intelligence and security committee, even with the extra money it had received recently, was not up to the job. "I just don't think they have the technical expertise or the resources," he said.
Rusbridger added: "What is unprecedented in the last 15 years is the advance of technology. It is completely different from anything that has existed in humankind before."
Earlier in the programme, William Hague, the foreign secretary, reaffirmed his belief that Britain's eavesdropping headquarters, GCHQ, had acted within the law when it looked at the content of intercepted messages.
He refused to comment on the Guardian's latest story from the Snowden files – which shows GCHQ has access to "unwarranted" text messages collected by the NSA in a programme codenamed Dishfire.
"I am not going to comment on allegations or leaks. I can't possibly do that," said Hague.
"But I can say [we have] a very strong system of checks and balances of warrants being required from me or the home secretary to intercept the content of the communications.
"That system is not breached. I have not seen anything to suggest that system has been breached. We have probably the strongest system in the world. Not only do I and the home secretary oversee these things, but we have commissioners who oversee our work and report to the prime minister. No country has a stronger system than that."
But Rusbridger said Hague had sidestepped the main issue.
Dishfire collects so-called "metadata", which can be analysed with fewer legal restraints. Yet expert after expert had admitted metadata was as valuable as content to intelligence analysts, said Rusbridger, because it allows analysts to build up a picture of your whereabouts and your relationships.
"There is not much distinction between metadata and content," he said.
"[Hague] talked about being within the law on content. This isn't content. This is metadata, which politicians make out as very harmless. This is not just billing data. The world has moved on. What people can tell through metadata is almost everything about you.
"Contrary to what William Hague said the documents say, the NSA likes working here because of the light legal regime here."
Rusbridger also questioned the claims of Britain's security chiefs that the Guardian's revelations had undermined national security and – in the words of the head of MI6, Sir John Sawers – left al-Qaida rubbing its hands in glee.
Rusbridger said the claim was "theatrical … but there was no evidence attached".An autopsy has found that a Chicago man was mauled to death earlier this week by his pet pit bull.
Chicago police said the autopsy shows that 44-year-old Charles Hagerman was attacked and killed by at least one of his two pit bulls. Hagerman’s wife, Charlotte Williams, found him unresponsive with one of the pit bulls on top of him in their apartment around 8:15 p.m. Wednesday.
Williams ran outside and called police on her cell phone. When police arrived, Hagerman was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Hagerman reportedly suffered multiple injuries from the dog attack, including a fatal neck injury, according to the autopsy. The death was ruled accidental, officials from the Cook County medical examiner’s office said.
The family’s landlord, Muhammad Alameen, told the Chicago Sun-Times he arrived home at about 8:50 p.m. Wednesday to find police everywhere.
“They wouldn’t let me in my building,” said Alameen, adding that the dog owner's family moved in across from him a few months ago.
“His wife was just sitting there in shock, just staring off into space,” Alameen said. “She said, ‘The dog killed my husband.’”
The Chicago Animal Care and Control office removed both dogs from the home.
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The family had owned the three-and-a-half-year-old pit bull, Scrappy, since he was a puppy, Charlotte Williams’s son, Daryl Williams, told the Chicago Sun-Times. They took in a second pit bull, Scrappy’s son, Rocco, a year and a half ago.
Daryl said the dogs were familiar and friendly with all three members of the household, which is what made the attack so puzzling. He said the incident has traumatized his mother, leaving her inconsolable and unable to sleep.
“Nobody knows,” Daryl said of how and why the pit bull attacked. “The dogs slept at the foot of their bed. He played with my nieces and nephews. We can’t figure this out.”
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Follow US News from NBCNews.com on Twitter and FacebookCyclists were the only group of road users in Britain whose death rate increased sharply during the 1990s,1 yet cycling was in decline throughout the decade.2 How could this happen, when attention on casualties was the most intense in the history of the bicycle? Perhaps a vision of the near future will be instructive... Summary points Recent safety campaigns have destroyed faith in the bicycle as a safe means of transport, reducing participation, compromising public health, increasing the risks, and decreasing road skills
Deaths of cyclists have increased since the introduction of helmets
Cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles
Promote cycling for a safer road environment
Safe walking It began in America, as so many trends do, but for years no one in Europe took any notice. American tourists wearing helmets around the streets of London first drew media attention. And although public response to walking helmets was initially amusement, the appeal of extra safety drew some pioneers to the habit, especially academics and competitive walkers. The first case-control study of about 2000 injuries to pedestrians in Britain (180 of whom had worn helmets) concluded that the risk of serious head injury was reduced by 75% when a good walking helmet was worn. Safety campaigners used the slogan “walkers need helmets” to encourage parents to send their children to school in helmets. Several high profile accidents focused public attention on the dangers of walking. A well known television presenter was severely head injured by a police van answering an emergency call. Doctors concluded that her injuries would have been “substantially reduced” had she worn a helmet. Walking helmets became widely available. The entire cabinet posed in their helmets outside Number 10, the beaming prime minister urging: “Let's go forward together into a new era of walking safety.” Most children now wore a helmet walking to school, although they were otherwise not seen on the streets. They played at home, where many injured themselves stunt walking in mountain boots. Safety campaigners praised the courage of the 25% of adults who wore a walking helmet. Safety campaigner Jean Keystone read her Walkers' Helmet Bill before parliament: “As a society we are tired of the waste of lives in walking accidents. Every year, around a 1000 pedestrians are killed in walking accidents, and head injuries feature in 80% of these deaths. Since research has shown that 75% of head injuries are prevented if a good walking helmet is worn, legislation to compel wearing is justified by the saving of lives that will result.” The bill wasn't passed, but time was on the campaigners' side. The pop group Toyzone promoted walking helmets in their video Take a Walk on the Mild Side. Safety campaigners founded the Helmet Youth. Only the most antediluvian public figure would appear bareheaded in the media. Compensation for injury was reduced if the pedestrian had not worn a helmet. Pressure was mounting against those who still valued the “dubious pleasure of walking with the wind in their hair.” However, safety did have its consequences. Not only had walking declined, the aspiration to walk skilfully had disappeared. A generation was growing up incapable of crossing the road. Young walkers had become dependent on their helmets. Casualty rates were increasing. Many otherwise capable adults were afraid to walk, having been alarmed by the safety campaigns. As one chubby chap said from his car: “It's got nothing to do with helmets. Walking is dangerous—why take the risk.” A new breed of walker had appeared, stern and serious about safety. They wore £100 helmets, lighthouse jackets, eye protection, and spent £1000 on footwear. But they were a rare breed. Gym clubs were expanding their car parks, and the traffic had never been so bad.
Risks of cycling You think I am being facetious? Let us examine the facts. The inherent risks of road cycling are trivial.3 Of at least 3.5 million regular cyclists in Britain, only about 10 a year are killed in rider only accidents. This compares with about 350 people younger than 75 killed each year falling down steps or tripping.4 Six times as many pedestrians as cyclists are killed by motor traffic, yet travel surveys show annual mileage walked is only five times that cycled; a mile of walking must be more “dangerous” than a mile of cycling. In both cases, of course, the activity itself is harmless—but it's in the way. Although a mile of driving is ten times safer than a mile of cycling, a mile of urban driving is ten times more likely to kill a pedestrian than such a mile cycled.
Is driving safe? One problem with comparing the safety of driving and cycling is that the population that cycles differs from that which drives. The average driver is trained, tested, will have about two decades of experience, and is to a degree regulated. The average cyclist is young, male, untutored, unregulated, not wealthy, riding a badly equipped machine on busy urban streets, and in the minority. Nearly half of all cyclists ride only occasionally, and most regular cyclists will do so for only a few years. Clearly there are potent risk factors here that confound comparisons based on averages. Adults aged 17-20 in the United Kingdom are probably less likely to be killed per hour cycled than hour driven,5 and the danger inflicted on others will be fractional. Experienced cyclists, like experienced drivers, have far better accident rates, suggesting that a given individual should not be at greater risk of death or serious injury per hour cycled than driven. There are not enough skilful, experienced cyclists on Britain's roads, however. Notwithstanding the above, it still takes at least 8000 years of average cycling to produce one clinically severe head injury and 22 000 years for one death. A recent study in Glasgow estimated that 150 000 people are admitted to hospital annually with head injuries in the United Kingdom6; road cyclists account for only 1% of this total, yet 6% of the population are regular cyclists and a further 5% are occasional cyclists; 60% of admissions were alcohol related. Do we need revelling helmets?
Dangers of helmets The statistical wrangle over the effectiveness of helmets is actually a side issue; what we need people in authority to understand is that cycle helmets inevitably damage public health. Even for cyclists on Britain's roads, the health benefits exceed the risks by a factor of 20.7 The health benefits of cycling are so great—and the health injuries from driving so great8—that not cycling is really dangerous. By telling people that they need helmets for an activity that for a century has been regarded as “safe”—and in fact has a fine safety record—you inevitably engender the impression that cycling must have become more dangerous than driving and walking. That deters cycling. That reduces cyclists' presence on the roads. That increases the risk of death. And if wild claims about helmets saving lives are published in the media,9 helmet users are bound to feel overly secure, thus compromising their one vital safety feature—a sense of caution.10,11 In addition, over time most people— and especially parents—will come to believe that it is wearing a helmet that matters, not acquiring skilful technique.12 These effects have been noted in every country where helmets have come into general use, including the United Kingdom.13 Millions will die early because they did not cycle.
Do helmets protect the head? Experience shows helmets give only limited head protection. Studies in Australia show some prevention of superficial injuries (such as scalp lacerations) but only marginal prevention of “mild” head injuries and no effect on severe head injuries or death.14 When helmets were made compulsory in Australia, admissions from head injury fell by 15-20%, but the level of cycling fell by 35%.15,16 Ten years later, cycling levels in western Australia are still 5-20% below the level they were before the introduction of the law17 yet head injuries are only 11% lower than would be expected without helmets.18 Incidentally, 17 times more motorists than cyclists died of head injuries in Australia during 1988.19 The situation in New Zealand is poorly documented, but even sophisticated analysis reveals either no reduction in head injury with increased helmet use20 or a modest reduction (19%) when superficial injuries are included in the definition.21 Misreporting of the cause of injury among people cycling without helmets after the law made cycling compulsory must have influenced the figures. The United States and Canada have had similar experiences to Britain.1,22 Many articles have been published claiming that a helmet will prevent 60-90% of serious head injuries while neglecting to evaluate the risks of cycling versus driving.23 But in 1988 the largest survey of cycling casualties ever undertaken concluded that helmets did not prevent injury; indeed, increased use correlated with increased risk of death.24 How could real world experience diverge so enormously from the savings promised by clinical research? The trouble was, researchers did not compare like with like. If you compare a helmeted minority who fell off in parks with an unhelmeted majority injured in collisions with motor vehicles, it is no surprise that people wearing helmets have much less severe injuries. Other studies did focus on road accidents but drew conclusions from a small group of helmeted cyclists, typically 10% of the sample. In the early days, those who wore helmets were cautious, mature, educated, life long cyclists. Researchers failed to consider that this group would be more likely to attend accident and emergency after receiving a head injury or that they would have better anticipation, thereby reducing the risk of an accident or the risk of serious injury in a given accident. In fact, the case-control studies confirm what experienced cyclists already know—that skill and a sense of caution cut the risk of serious injury by 80-90%. Our tarmac world is stuck in the Dark Ages; if you get hurt, you're wrong. The assault on cycling has vandalised the appeal of the safest, cleanest, most efficient, healthy, and fun means of personal transport that exists—right at the time we most need it. Cyclists don't need helmets, they need priority.
Lesson one: cyclists get ahead when left alone Cyclists gain more from improvements in road safety than other road users; hence the risk of death per mile cycled fell by 60% between 1971 and 1994 (fig ). The number of reported accidents has not changed much in the past 40 years (see BMJ's website for details). The fall in the number of deaths is due to accidents getting less lethal rather than there being fewer accidents. The lethality of cycling accidents dropped faster than the average for all road users (fig ). By 1994, the risk of death in a cycling accident was only 75% of what it would have been had the trend followed the average. This will surprise those who see cyclists as “vulnerable” and drivers as “safe.” However, cycling accidents got more lethal in the second half of the 1990s, when helmets became generally popular. Open in a separate window Open in a separate window
Lesson two: cyclists fare best when they act and are treated as drivers of vehicles25 It is widely thought that cyclists should be segregated from the traffic for safety's sake. This appears logical, since most road cycling injuries are due to motor traffic. It is a naive conclusion. Segregation protects the cyclist from only a rare accident—being hit from behind—at the expense of increasing other risks and reducing convenience. International research shows that segregation multiplies the risks threefold to fivefold,26,27 even in countries such as the Netherlands, where it is traditional. The promotion of danger has scared many cyclists out of the traffic, merely to put them at greater risk on pavements and “safe” cycle routes. Experienced cyclists already know that the road system is by far the safest national cycle network that will ever exist. Cyclists and drivers are not enemies; each has something to offer the other in a civilised road environment. Cyclists should tackle the risks just as in a car, by acquiring a high standard of road craft.
Lesson three: promote cycling for a safer road environment Increasing the number of cyclists is a straightforward way of making cycling much safer. It is a method we can be sure of, because it has already worked. It is worth pausing here to consider the meaning of “road safety.” The roads can get more dangerous, yet total deaths still fall. Compulsion to wear a seatbelt cut deaths among drivers and front seat passengers by 25% in 1983. But in the subsequent years, the long established trend of declining deaths in car accidents reversed, and by 1989 death rates among car drivers were higher than they had been in 1983. Evidently the driving population “risk compensated” away the substantial benefits of seatbelts by taking extra risks, putting others in more danger. This period saw a jump in deaths of cyclists (fig ). Although temporary, the jump can be explained fully only by cyclists having adapted to a more dangerous road environment through extra caution, retreat, or giving up. Is it coincidence that the long decline in cycling began in 1983? Many drivers today surge about aggressively, accelerating and braking hard. They don't achieve a high average speed but touch peaks of 50-60 mph, at which pace the vehicle is a frightening menace to the most experienced cyclist. That kind of behaviour is the consequence of, among other things, compelling seatbelts, and it is a massive deterrent to cycling. Difficult though it may be, it is time that those who control road safety legislation faced the facts; reducing casualties is not the same as reducing danger. Give thought to the real cause of danger and how it can be reduced. Between 1974 and 1982 cycling mileage in Britain increased 70%, but there was no increase in fatalities until the seatbelt law was introduced in 1983 (fig ). The more cyclists there are, the more presence they have, the less individual danger there is. This truth is confirmed by experience in the Netherlands and Denmark, where cycling is far safer despite a tradition of segregation. All road users should gain. Pedestrians benefit because (skilful) cyclists are little threat to them and |
U.S. troops were nearly routed, but managed to cling to their entrenched position, thanks to the Mississippi Rifles, a volunteer regiment led by Jefferson Davis, who formed them into a defensive V formation.[137] The Mexicans had inflicted considerable losses but Santa Anna had gotten word of upheaval in Mexico City, so he withdrew that night, leaving Taylor in control of part of Northern Mexico.
Polk mistrusted Taylor, who he felt had shown incompetence in the Battle of Monterrey by agreeing to the armistice. Taylor later used the Battle of Buena Vista as the centerpiece of his successful 1848 presidential campaign.
Northwestern Mexico [ edit ]
The Bear Springs Treaty ended a large scale insurrection by the Ute, Zuni, Moquis, and Navajo tribes.[138] After the successful conquest of New Mexico, American troops moved into modern-day northwest Mexico.
On March 1, 1847, Alexander W. Doniphan occupied Chihuahua City. British consul John Potts did not want to let Doniphan search Governor Trias's mansion, and unsuccessfully asserted it was under British protection. American merchants in Chihuahua wanted the American force to stay in order to protect their business. Major William Gilpin advocated a march on Mexico City and convinced a majority of officers, but Doniphan subverted this plan. Then in late April, Taylor ordered the First Missouri Mounted Volunteers to leave Chihuahua and join him at Saltillo. The American merchants either followed or returned to Santa Fe. Along the way, the townspeople of Parras enlisted Doniphan's aid against an Indian raiding party that had taken children, horses, mules, and money.[139]
The civilian population of northern Mexico offered little resistance to the American invasion, possibly because the country had already been devastated by Comanche and Apache Indian raids. Josiah Gregg, who was with the American army in northern Mexico, said that "the whole country from New Mexico to the borders of Durango is almost entirely depopulated. The haciendas and ranchos have been mostly abandoned, and the people chiefly confined to the towns and cities."[140]
Southern Mexico [ edit ]
Southern Mexico had a large indigenous population and was geographically distant from the capital. Yucatán in particular had closer ties to Cuba and to the United States than it did to central Mexico. On a number of occasions in the early era of the Mexican Republic, Yucatán seceded from the federation. There were also rivalries between regional elites, with one faction based in Mérida and the other in Campeche. These issues factored into the Mexican–American War.[141]
The U.S. Navy contributed to the war by controlling the coast and clearing the way for U.S. troops and supplies, especially to Mexico's main port of Veracruz. Even before hostilities began in the disputed northern region, the U.S. Navy created a blockade. Given the shallow waters of that portion of the Gulf coast, the U.S. Navy needed ships with a shallow draft rather than large frigates. Since the Mexican Navy was almost non-existent, the U.S. Navy could operate unimpeded in Gulf waters.[142]
First Battle of Tabasco [ edit ]
Commodore Matthew C. Perry led a detachment of seven vessels along the northern coast of Tabasco state. Perry arrived at the Tabasco River (now known as the Grijalva River) on October 22, 1846, and seized the town Port of Frontera along with two of their ships. Leaving a small garrison, he advanced with his troops towards the town of San Juan Bautista (Villahermosa today). Perry arrived in the city of San Juan Bautista on October 25, seizing five Mexican vessels. Colonel Juan Bautista Traconis, Tabasco Departmental commander at that time, set up barricades inside the buildings. Perry realized that the bombing of the city would be the only option to drive out the Mexican Army, and to avoid damage to the merchants of the city, withdrew its forces preparing them for the next day.
On the morning of October 26, as Perry's fleet prepared to start the attack on the city, the Mexican forces began firing at the American fleet. The U.S. bombing began to yield the square, so that the fire continued until evening. Before taking the square, Perry decided to leave and return to the port of Frontera, where he established a naval blockade to prevent supplies of food and military supplies from reaching the state capital.
Second Battle of Tabasco [ edit ]
On June 13, 1847, Commodore Perry assembled the Mosquito Fleet and began moving towards the Grijalva River, towing 47 boats that carried a landing force of 1,173. On June 15, 12 miles (19 km) below San Juan Bautista, the fleet ran through an ambush with little difficulty. Again at an "S" curve in the river known as the "Devil's Bend", Perry encountered Mexican fire from a river fortification known as the Colmena redoubt, but the fleet's heavy naval guns quickly dispersed the Mexican force.
On June 16, Perry arrived at San Juan Bautista and commenced bombing the city. The attack included two ships that sailed past the fort and began shelling it from the rear. David D. Porter led 60 sailors ashore and seized the fort, raising the American flag over the works. Perry and the landing force arrived and took control of the city around 14:00.
Yucatán [ edit ]
The U.S. was concerned with the extension of British power in the Caribbean, especially Spanish Cuba, as well as the strategic Yucatán peninsula. In 1847 Maya revolted against the white elites of the peninsula in a racial war known as the Caste War of Yucatan. Jefferson Davis, then a senator from Mississippi, argued in congress that the president needed no further powers to intervene in Yucatan since the war with Mexico was underway. Davis's concern was strategic and part of his vision of Manifest Destiny, considering the Gulf of Mexico "a basin of water belonging to the United States" and continuing "the cape of Yucatan and the island of Cuba must be ours" rather than under British influence.[143] In the end, the U.S. did not intervene in Yucatán, but it had figured in congressional debates about the Mexican–American War. At one point, the government of Yucatán petitioned the U.S. for protection during the Caste War,[144] but the U.S. did not respond.
Desertion [ edit ]
Desertion was a major problem for the Mexican Army, depleting forces on the eve of battle. Most soldiers were peasants who had a loyalty to their village and family, but not to the generals who had conscripted them. Often hungry and ill, under-equipped, only partially trained, and never well paid, the soldiers were held in contempt by their officers and had little reason to fight the Americans. Looking for their opportunity, many slipped away from camp to find their way back to their home village.[145]
The desertion rate in the U.S. Army was 8.3% (9,200 out of 111,000), compared to 12.7% during the War of 1812 and usual peacetime rates of about 14.8% per year.[146] Many men deserted to join another U.S. unit and get a second enlistment bonus. Some deserted because of the miserable conditions in camp. It has been suggested that others used the army to get free transportation to California, where they deserted to join the gold rush;[147] this, however, is unlikely as gold was only discovered in California on January 24, 1848, less than two weeks before the war concluded.[original research?] By the time word reached the eastern U.S. that gold had been discovered, word also reached it that the war was over.
Several hundred U.S. deserters went over to the Mexican side. Nearly all were recent immigrants from Europe with weak ties to the U.S. The Mexicans issued broadsides and leaflets enticing U.S. soldiers with promises of money, land bounties, and officers' commissions. Mexican guerrillas shadowed the U.S. Army and captured men who took unauthorized leave or fell out of the ranks. The guerrillas coerced these men to join the Mexican ranks. The generous promises proved illusory for most deserters, who risked being executed if captured by U.S. forces.
San Patricios [ edit ]
The mass hanging of Irish Catholic soldiers who joined the Mexican side, forming the Saint Patrick's Battalion
The most famous group of deserters from the U. S. Army, was the Saint Patrick's Battalion or (San Patricios), composed primarily of several hundred immigrant soldiers, the majority Catholic Irish and German immigrants, who deserted the U.S. Army because of ill-treatment or sympathetic leanings to fellow Mexican Catholics and joined the Mexican army. The battalion also included Canadians, English, French, Italians, Poles, Scots, Spaniards, Swiss, and Mexican people, many of whom were members of the Catholic Church.[148]
Most of the battalion were killed in the Battle of Churubusco; about 100 were captured by the U.S. and roughly half of the San Patricios were tried and were hanged as deserters following their capture at Churubusco in August 1847.[147] The leader, Jon Riley, was merely branded since he had deserted before the war started.
Scott's Mexico City campaign [ edit ]
Landings and siege of Veracruz [ edit ]
Bombardment of Veracruz
Rather than reinforce Taylor's army for a continued advance, President Polk sent a second army under General Winfield Scott, which was transported to the port of Veracruz by sea, to begin an invasion of the Mexican heartland. On March 9, 1847, Scott performed the first major amphibious landing in U.S. history in preparation for the Siege of Veracruz. A group of 12,000 volunteer and regular soldiers successfully offloaded supplies, weapons, and horses near the walled city using specially designed landing crafts. Included in the invading force were Robert E. Lee, George Meade, Ulysses S. Grant, James Longstreet, and Thomas "Stonewall" Jackson.
The city was defended by Mexican General Juan Morales with 3,400 men. Mortars and naval guns under Commodore Matthew C. Perry were used to reduce the city walls and harass defenders. After a bombardment on March 24, 1847, the walls of Veracruz had a thirty-foot gap.[149] The city replied the best it could with its own artillery. The effect of the extended barrage destroyed the will of the Mexican side to fight against a numerically superior force, and they surrendered the city after 12 days under siege. U.S. troops suffered 80 casualties, while the Mexican side had around 180 killed and wounded, about half of whom were civilian. During the siege, the U.S. side began to fall victim to yellow fever.
Advance on Puebla [ edit ]
Scott's campaign
Scott then marched westward on April 2, 1847, toward Mexico City with 8,500 healthy troops, while Santa Anna set up a defensive position in a canyon around the main road about 50 miles (80 km) north-west of Veracruz, near the hamlet of Cerro Gordo. Santa Anna had entrenched with 12,000 troops, and artillery that were trained on the road, where he expected Scott to appear. However, Scott had sent 2,600 mounted dragoons ahead and they reached the pass on April 12. The Mexican artillery prematurely fired on them and therefore revealed their positions, beginning the Battle of Cerro Gordo.
Instead of taking the main road, Scott's troops trekked through the rough terrain to the north, setting up his artillery on the high ground and quietly flanking the Mexicans. Although by then aware of the positions of U.S. troops, Santa Anna and his troops were unprepared for the onslaught that followed. In the battle fought on April 18, the Mexican army was routed. The U.S. Army suffered 400 casualties, while the Mexicans suffered over 1,000 casualties and 3,000 were taken prisoner. In August 1847, Captain Kirby Smith, of Scott's 3rd Infantry, reflected on the resistance of the Mexican army:
They can do nothing and their continued defeats should convince them of it. They have lost six great battles; we have captured six hundred and eight cannon, nearly one hundred thousand stands of arms, made twenty thousand prisoners, have the greatest portion of their country and are fast advancing on their Capital which must be ours,—yet they refuse to treat [i.e., negotiate terms]![150]
Pause at Puebla [ edit ]
In May, Scott pushed on to Puebla, the second largest city in Mexico. Because of the citizens' hostility to Santa Anna, the city capitulated without resistance on May 1. During the following months, Scott gathered supplies and reinforcements at Puebla and sent back units whose enlistments had expired. Scott also made strong efforts to keep his troops disciplined and treat the Mexican people under occupation justly, so as to prevent a popular rising against his army.
Advance on Mexico City and its capture [ edit ]
With guerrillas harassing his line of communications back to Veracruz, Scott decided not to weaken his army to defend Puebla but, leaving only a garrison at Puebla to protect the sick and injured recovering there, advanced on Mexico City on August 7 with his remaining force. The capital was laid open in a series of battles around the right flank of the city defenses, the Battle of Contreras and Battle of Churubusco. After Churubusco, fighting halted for an armistice and peace negotiations, which broke down on September 6, 1847. With the subsequent battles of Molino del Rey and of Chapultepec, and the storming of the city gates, the capital was occupied. Scott became military governor of occupied Mexico City. His victories in this campaign made him an American national hero.
Battle of Chapultepec [ edit ]
Storming of Chapultepec
The Battle of Chapultepec was an encounter between the Mexican Army and the United States on the castle of Chapultepec in Mexico City. At this time, this castle was a renowned military school in Mexico City. After the battle, which ended in an American victory, the legend of "Los Niños Héroes" was born. Although not confirmed by historians, six military cadets between the ages of 13 and 17 stayed in the school instead of evacuating.[151] They decided to stay and fight for Mexico. These Niños Héroes (hero children) became icons in Mexico's pantheon of heroes. Rather than surrender to the U.S. Army, some military cadets leaped from the castle walls. A cadet named Juan Escutia wrapped himself in the Mexican flag and jumped to his death.[151][152]
Santa Anna's last campaign [ edit ]
In late September 1847, Santa Anna made one last attempt to defeat the Americans, by cutting them off from the coast. General Joaquín Rea began the Siege of Puebla, soon joined by Santa Anna, but they failed to take it before the approach of a relief column from Veracruz under Brig. Gen. Joseph Lane prompted Santa Anna to stop him. Puebla was relieved by Gen. Lane October 12, 1847, following his defeat of Santa Anna at the Battle of Huamantla on October 9, 1847. The battle was Santa Anna's last. Following the defeat, the new Mexican government led by Manuel de la Peña y Peña asked Santa Anna to turn over command of the army to General José Joaquín de Herrera.
Anti-guerrilla campaign [ edit ]
Following his capture and securing of the capital, General Scott sent about a quarter of his strength to secure his line of communications to Veracruz from the Light Corps of General Joaquín Rea and other Mexican guerrilla forces that had been harassing it since May. He strengthened the garrison of Puebla and by November had added a 1200-man garrison at Jalapa, established 750-man posts along the National Road, the main route between the port of Veracruz and the capital, at the pass between Mexico City and Puebla at Rio Frio, at Perote and San Juan on the road between Jalapa and Puebla, and at Puente Nacional between Jalapa and Veracruz.[153] He had also detailed an anti guerrilla brigade under Brig. Gen. Joseph Lane to carry the war to the Light Corps and other guerrillas. He ordered that convoys would travel with at least 1,300-man escorts. Victories by General Lane over the Light Corps at Atlixco (October 18, 1847), at Izucar de Matamoros (November 23, 1847), and at Galaxara Pass (November 24, 1847) ended the threat of General Rea.
Later a raid against the guerrillas of Padre Jarauta at Zacualtipan (February 25, 1848) further reduced guerrilla raids on the American line of communications. After the two governments concluded a truce to await ratification of the peace treaty, on March 6, 1848, formal hostilities ceased. However some bands continued in defiance of the Mexican government until the American evacuation in August.[154] Some were suppressed by the Mexican Army or, like Padre Jarauta, executed.[155][156]
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo [ edit ]
Outnumbered militarily and with many of its large cities occupied, Mexico could not defend itself; the country was also faced with many internal divisions, including the Caste War of Yucatán. The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, signed on February 2, 1848, by American diplomat Nicholas Trist and Mexican plenipotentiary representatives Luis G. Cuevas, Bernardo Couto, and Miguel Atristain, ended the war. The treaty gave the U.S. undisputed control of Texas, established the U.S.-Mexican border of the Rio Grande, and ceded to the United States the present-day states of California, Nevada, and Utah, most of New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, and parts of Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, and Wyoming. In return, Mexico received $15 million[157] ($434 million today) – less than half the amount the U.S. had attempted to offer Mexico for the land before the opening of hostilities[158] – and the U.S. agreed to assume $3.25 million ($94 million today) in debts that the Mexican government owed to U.S. citizens.[159] The treaty was ratified by the U.S. Senate by a vote of 38 to 14 on March 10, and by Mexico through a legislative vote of 51-34 and a Senate vote of 33-4, on May 19. News that New Mexico's legislative assembly had passed an act for organization of a U.S. territorial government helped ease Mexican concern about abandoning the people of New Mexico.
The acquisition was a source of controversy, especially among U.S. politicians who had opposed the war from the start. A leading antiwar U.S. newspaper, the Whig National Intelligencer, sardonically concluded that "We take nothing by conquest... Thank God."[6][7]
Jefferson Davis introduced an amendment giving the U.S. most of northeastern Mexico, which failed 44–11. This amendment was supported by both senators from Texas (Sam Houston and Thomas Jefferson Rusk), Daniel S. Dickinson of New York, Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois, Edward A. Hannegan of Indiana, and one each from Alabama, Florida, Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, and Tennessee. Most of the leaders of the Democratic party – Thomas Hart Benton, John C. Calhoun, Herschel V. Johnson, Lewis Cass, James Murray Mason of Virginia, and Ambrose Hundley Sevier – were opposed. An amendment by Whig Senator George Edmund Badger of North Carolina to exclude New Mexico and Upper California lost 35–15, with three Southern Whigs voting with the Democrats. Daniel Webster was bitter that four New England senators made deciding votes for acquiring the new territories.
The acquired lands west of the Rio Grande are traditionally called the Mexican Cession in the U.S., as opposed to the Texas Annexation two years earlier, though division of New Mexico down the middle at the Rio Grande never had any basis either in control or Mexican boundaries. Mexico never recognized the independence of Texas[162] before the war, and did not cede its claim to territory north of the Rio Grande or Gila River until this treaty.
Before ratifying the treaty, the U.S. Senate made two modifications: changing the wording of Article IX (which guaranteed Mexicans living in the purchased territories the right to become U.S. citizens) and striking out Article X (which conceded the legitimacy of land grants made by the Mexican government). On May 26, 1848, when the two countries exchanged ratifications of the treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, they further agreed to a three-article protocol (known as the Protocol of Querétaro) to explain the amendments. The first article claimed that the original Article IX of the treaty, although replaced by Article III of the Treaty of Louisiana, would still confer the rights delineated in Article IX. The second article confirmed the legitimacy of land grants under Mexican law.[163] The protocol was signed in the city of Querétaro by A. H. Sevier, Nathan Clifford, and Luis de la Rosa.[163]
Article XI offered a potential benefit to Mexico, in that the US pledged to suppress the Comanche and Apache raids that had ravaged northern Mexico and pay restitutions to the victims of raids it could not prevent.[164] However, the Indian raids did not cease for several decades after the treaty, although a cholera epidemic reduced the numbers of the Comanche in 1849.[165] Robert Letcher, U.S. Minister to Mexico in 1850, was certain "that miserable 11th article" would lead to the financial ruin of the US if it could not be released from its obligations.[166] The US was released from all obligations of Article XI five years later by Article II of the Gadsden Purchase of 1853.[167]
Results [ edit ]
Altered territories [ edit ]
The 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo ended the war and enforced the Mexican Cession of the northern territories of Alta California and Santa Fe de Nuevo México to the United States. Mexico acknowledged the loss of what became the State of Texas and accepted the Rio Grande as its northern border with the U.S. The losses amounted to one-third of its original territory from its 1821 independence.
Before the secession of Texas, Mexico comprised almost 1,700,000 sq mi (4,400,000 km2), but by 1849 it was just under 800,000 square miles (2,100,000 km2). Another 30,000 square miles (78,000 km2) were sold to the U.S. in the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, so the total reduction of Mexican territory was more than 55%, or 900,000 square miles (2,300,000 km2).[168]
Though the annexed territory was about the size of Western Europe, it was sparsely populated. The land contained about 14,000 non-indigenous people in Alta California[169] and about 60,000 in Nuevo México,[170] as well as large Indian nations, such as the Papago, Pima, Puebloan, Navajo, Apache and many others. Although some native people relocated farther south in Mexico, the great majority remained in the U.S. territory.
The American settlers surging into the newly conquered Southwest were openly contemptuous of Mexican law (a civil law system based on the law of Spain) as alien and inferior and disposed of it by enacting reception statutes at the first available opportunity. However, they recognized the value of a few aspects of Mexican law and carried them over into their new legal systems. For example, most of the southwestern states adopted community property marital property systems, as well as water law.
Mexicans and Indians in the annexed territories faced a loss of civil and political rights, even though the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo promised American citizenship to all Mexican citizens living in the territory of the Mexican Cession. The U.S. government withheld citizenship from Indians in the southwest until the 1930s, although they were citizens under Mexican law.[171]
Impact of the war in the United States [ edit ]
In much of the United States of America, victory and the acquisition of new land brought a surge of patriotism. Victory seemed to fulfill Democrats' belief in their country's Manifest Destiny. While Whig Ralph Waldo Emerson rejected war "as a means of achieving America's destiny," he accepted that "most of the great results of history are brought about by discreditable means."[172] Although the Whigs had opposed the war, they made Zachary Taylor their presidential candidate in the election of 1848, praising his military performance while muting their criticism of the war.
Has the Mexican War terminated yet, and how? Are we beaten? Do you know of any nation about to besiege South Hadley [Massachusetts]? If so, do inform me of it, for I would be glad of a chance to escape, if we are to be stormed. I suppose [our teacher] Miss [Mary] Lyon would furnish us all with daggers and order us to fight for our lives... The sixteen-year-old Emily Dickinson, writing to her older brother, Austin in the fall of 1847, shortly after the Battle of Chapultepec[173]
A month before the end of the war, Polk was criticized in a United States House of Representatives amendment to a bill praising Major General Zachary Taylor for "a war unnecessarily and unconstitutionally begun by the President of the United States." This criticism, in which Congressman Abraham Lincoln played an important role with his Spot Resolutions, followed congressional scrutiny of the war's beginnings, including factual challenges to claims made by President Polk.[174][175] The vote followed party lines, with all Whigs supporting the amendment. Lincoln's attack won lukewarm support from fellow Whigs in Illinois but was harshly counter-attacked by Democrats, who rallied pro-war sentiments in Illinois; Lincoln's Spot resolutions haunted his future campaigns in the heavily Democratic state of Illinois, and were cited by enemies well into his presidency.[176]
Effect on the American Civil War [ edit ]
Many of the military leaders on both sides of the American Civil War were trained at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and had fought as junior officers in Mexico. This list includes military men fighting for the Union: Ulysses S. Grant, George B. McClellan, William T. Sherman, George Meade, and Ambrose Burnside. Military men who joined the Southern secessionists of the Confederate States of America were Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, James Longstreet, Joseph E. Johnston, Braxton Bragg, Sterling Price, and the future Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Both sides had leaders with significant experience in active combat in strategy and tactics, likely shaping ways the Civil War conflict played out.
President Ulysses S. Grant, who as a young army lieutenant had served in Mexico under General Taylor, recalled in his Memoirs, published in 1885, that:
Generally, the officers of the army were indifferent whether the annexation was consummated or not; but not so all of them. For myself, I was bitterly opposed to the measure, and to this day regard the war, which resulted, as one of the most unjust ever waged by a stronger against a weaker nation. It was an instance of a republic following the bad example of European monarchies, in not considering justice in their desire to acquire additional territory.[177]
Grant also expressed the view that the war against Mexico had brought punishment on the United States in the form of the American Civil War:
The Southern rebellion was largely the outgrowth of the Mexican war. Nations, like individuals, are punished for their transgressions. We got our punishment in the most sanguinary and expensive war of modern times.[178]
This view was shared by the philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson, who towards the end of the war wrote that "The United States will conquer Mexico, but it will be as the man swallows the arsenic, which brings him down in turn. Mexico will poison us."[179]
Second lieutenant Ulysses S. Grant, one of the many officers in the U.S. Army in the Mexican–American War to serve in the American Civil War
Veterans of the war were often broken men. "As the sick and wounded from Taylor's and Scott's campaigns made their way back from Mexico to the United States, their condition shocked the folks at home. Husbands, sons, and brothers returned in broken health, some with missing limbs."[180] As late as 1880, the "Republican Campaign Textbook" by the Republican Congressional Committee[181] described the war as "Feculent, reeking Corruption" and "one of the darkest scenes in our history—a war forced upon our and the Mexican people by the high-handed usurpations of Pres't Polk in pursuit of territorial aggrandizement of the slave oligarchy."
General Robert E. Lee, leader of the Confederate forces through the end of the American Civil War, began building his reputation as a military officer in America's war against Mexico. At the start of the Mexican–American War, Captain Lee invaded Mexico with General Wool's engineering department from the North. By early 1847, he helped take the Mexican cities of Vera Cruz, Cerro Gordo, Contreras, Churubusco, Molino del Rey, and Chapultepec. Lee was wounded in Chapultepec. By September, Mexico City surrendered and the United States was victorious.
General Scott was the ranking officer in the army during the Mexican–American campaign. He described Robert E. Lee as "gallant and indefatigable," saying that Lee had displayed the "greatest feat of physical and moral courage performed by any individual in [his] knowledge during the campaign." [182] Robert E. Lee's humility and professionalism was apparent early on in his career when gave credit to General Scott for the victories. He said that "It was his stout heart... his bold self reliance... his indomitable courage that... ressed us forward to this capital." [182] It is important to note that although Lee is remembered for his valor during the Mexican–American War, he was only a junior officer "who had never commanded a regiment in the field".[182]
In 1861, it was General Scott who advised Abraham Lincoln to ask Lee to command the union forces. Lee declined, and later recounted "I declined the offer he made me to take command of the army that was brought into the field, stating candidly and as courteously as I could that though opposed to secession and deprecating war, I could take no part in the invasion of the southern states."[183] On April 9, 1865, it was General Robert E. Lee who had surrendered to President Lincoln's Union Forces.[184]
Despite initial objections from the Whigs and abolitionists, the war nevertheless united the U.S. in a common cause and was fought almost entirely by volunteers. The army swelled from just over 6,000 to more than 115,000. The majority of 12-month volunteers in Scott's army decided that a year's fighting was enough and returned to the U.S.[185]
Anti-slavery elements fought for the exclusion of slavery from any territory absorbed by the U.S.[186] In 1847, the House of Representatives passed the Wilmot Proviso, stipulating that none of the territory acquired should be open to slavery. The Senate avoided the issue, and a late attempt to add it to the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo was defeated.
The war was a decisive event for the U.S., marking a significant waypoint for the nation as a growing military power, and a milestone in the U.S. narrative of Manifest Destiny. The war did not resolve the issue of slavery in the U.S. but rather in many ways inflamed it, as potential westward expansion of the institution took an increasingly central and heated theme in national debates preceding the American Civil War. By extending the nation from coast to coast, the Mexican–American War was a next step in the huge migrations to the West of Americans, which culminated in transcontinental railroads and the Indian wars later in the same century.[original research?][citation needed]
Impact of the war in Mexico [ edit ]
The military defeat and loss of territory was a disastrous blow to Mexico, causing the country to enter "a period of self-examination... as its leaders sought to identify and address the reasons that had led to such a debacle."[187] In the immediate aftermath of the war, a group of prominent Mexicans compiled an assessment of the reasons for the war and Mexico's defeat, edited by Ramón Alcaraz and including contributions by Ignacio Ramírez, Guillermo Prieto, José María Iglesias, and Francisco Urquidi. They wrote that for "the true origin of the war, it is sufficient to say that the insatiable ambition of the United States, favored by our weakness, caused it."[8] The work was translated to English by Col. Albert Ramsey, a veteran of the Mexican–American War, and published in 1850.[188] The war remains a painful historical event for the country.
In Mexico City's Chapultepec Park, the Niños Héroes (Monument to the Heroic Cadets) commemorates the heroic sacrifice of six teenaged military cadets who fought to their deaths rather than surrender to American troops during the Battle of Chapultepec Castle on September 13, 1847. The monument is an important patriotic site in Mexico. On March 5, 1947, nearly one hundred years after the battle, U.S. President Harry S. Truman placed a wreath at the monument and stood for a moment of silence.
See also [ edit ]
General:
Notes [ edit ]
^ Variations include U.S.–Mexican War, the U.S.–Mexico War. ^ Spanish: Intervención americana en México, or Intervención estadounidense en México. In Mexico, it may also be called the War of United States-Mexico (Guerra de Estados Unidos-México).
Citations [ edit ]
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Corwin-Speech_%27On_the_Mexican_War%27-1847-Congressional_Globe-ed._WRE-Apr11(2015).pdf
Bibliography [ edit ]
Reference works [ edit ]
Crawford, Mark; Heidler, Jeanne; Heidler (eds.), David Stephen (1999). Encyclopedia of the Mexican War. ISBN 978-1-57607-059-8.
Frazier, Donald S. ed. The U.S. and Mexico at War, (1998), 584; an encyclopedia with 600 articles by 200 scholars
General histories [ edit ]
Military [ edit ]
Political and diplomatic [ edit ]
Memory and historiography [ edit ]
Faulk, Odie B., and Stout, Joseph A., Jr., eds. The Mexican War: Changing Interpretations (1974)
(1974) Rodriguez, Jaime Javier. The Literatures of the U.S.-Mexican War: Narrative, Time, and Identity (University of Texas Press; 2010) 306 pages. Covers works by Anglo, Mexican, and Mexican-American writers.
(University of Texas Press; 2010) 306 pages. Covers works by Anglo, Mexican, and Mexican-American writers. Benjamin, Thomas. "Recent Historiography of the Origins of the Mexican War," New Mexico Historical Review, Summer 1979, Vol. 54 Issue 3, pp 169–181
, Summer 1979, Vol. 54 Issue 3, pp 169–181 Johannsen, Robert. To the Halls of Montezuma: The Mexican War in the American Imagination. New York: Oxford University Press 1985.
. New York: Oxford University Press 1985. Van Wagenen, Michael. Remembering the Forgotten War: The Enduring Legacies of the U.S.-Mexican War. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press 2012.
. Amherst: University of Massachusetts Press 2012. Vázquez, Josefina Zoraida. "La Historiografia Sobre la Guerra entre Mexico y los Estados Unidos," ["The historiography of the war between Mexico and the United States"] Histórica (02528894), 1999, Vol. 23 Issue 2, pp 475–485
Primary sources [ edit ]
Guides, bibliographies and collections [ edit ]
Media and primary sources [ edit ]Yesterday I posted my swatches of Hello Waffle’s 1000 Likes collection. Today it’s the looks. Everything I did with this collection is sparkly and colorful and wonderful. I had so much fun with these colors. I even put them all on my face at once!
Look 1: Empty Wallets and 1000 Likes
I started by applying 1000 Likes to my primed lids. I used a tapered brush to apply Empty Wallets to the outer corners, layering it over the gold on the outer portion of the lid and up and outward past the crease. I worked it along the crease towards the inner corner and blended. Then I applied Pixie Epoxy to the center of the green area and patted some more Empty Wallets on top. I used a liner brush to extend the green from the outer corner along the lower lashes stopping before the tear duct. I put some gold in the inner corner, up to the end of the green on the lower lashline. Then I switched to a fluffy brush and used a tiny bit of gold along the top edge of the green and under the brow bone.
Look 2: Heavy Breathing Cat and IMAM
I used Darling Girl’s Superstar Serum to make an ombre gradient liner. First I mixed the serum with Heavy Breathing Cat and applied it to the inner half of my upper lashline. Then I mixed the serum with IMAM and applied it to the outer half, ending in a wing. Last, I combined the two mixtures and carefully went over the middle third of the line to blur the transition between the colors. (These two colors work perfectly for this silver and navy look as well.)
Look 3: One of Us!, Enabling and 23
I primed my lids and applied a thick line of One of Us! across my lids and around under my lower lashes. Then I added another thick line |
that projection and if I live to be a hundred I will never come to grips with what I do to you next.” It’s hard to be technobabbly and quippy and threatening at the same time, especially when it relies on a tired trope of “oh! I had the mic on the whole time you were ranting!” There’s also at least one instance of what seems to be a typo, so we’ll let it slide; just know we do notice these things.
My absolute favorite thing about this book is the art, though. The characters are so expressive, integrated so well into panel layout and environment, and it’s all topped off with some truly vibrant and purposeful colors. The space battle is better displayed than previous attempts, which again is helped by the colors and effects, although I still think there should be some uniform look to the Spartax fleet overall. I hope that Captain Marvel continues to visit some alien worlds, as David Lopez seems so well fit to realizing the variety of alien beings and environments.
The Bottom Line: While it borders on the cliché and overly-cutesey at times, this issue finally realizes the potential in the storyline so far, allowing its hero to really shine. The art is a wonderful combination of talents, which is truly the strongest selling point of this series.
Grade: B+
-Danny WallAlso see: It’s Almost Impossible to Ethically Justify the Use of Animals in Research
A French man died last month and five others in the same clinical trial were hospitalized after they took an experimental drug. The drug had been deemed safe for humans after having been tested on chimpanzees in preclinical trials.
The National Institutes of Health’s recent decision to end federally supported chimpanzee experimentation could prevent future fatalities like this by promoting more human-relevant research methods.
Twenty of those government-owned chimpanzees currently housed at a testing laboratory in San Antonio, Texas, are next in line to be transferred to a sanctuary. As the use of chimpanzees in medical experiments draws to a close, it’s important to examine the superior, nonanimal research methods that will benefit patients.
In 2011, I was invited — as a cardiologist, medical educator, and former animal researcher — to testify before the Institute of Medicine Committee panel that ultimately determined that use of chimpanzees is not essential for any area of disease research.
I told them that there was a better way. That when we were told that the use of chimpanzees had been and would be important for HIV vaccine development, we should remember that three decades of vaccine research using chimpanzees and other nonhuman primates has been startlingly unproductive. This eventually led the National Institutes of Health to cease funding for HIV-AIDS research using chimpanzees.
Scientists now recognize the critical role of humans who are naturally resistant to the effects of HIV — so-called elite controllers and long-term non-progressors. These patients, some of whom have lived with HIV, but without treatment and without illness, for as long as three decades, produce broad and potent neutralizing antibodies. These prevent HIV from entering cells and replicating, and induce HIV to mutate into less pathogenic forms.
Some naturally resistant persons have been exposed hundreds of times to HIV without becoming infected. Researcher Michel Nussenzweig from The Rockefeller University in New York described his purpose in studying these individuals
“[H]ere’s a way of copying what exists in nature and that we know can work because of the long-term survivors. Instead of inventing something that doesn’t exist, it’s trying to copy something that does exist.”
I also urged the committee that when we were told that chimpanzees were essential for the study of the hepatitis C virus (HCV) and the development of an HCV vaccine, we should consider that, just as for the hepatitis A and B viruses, there are numerous validated methods to study HCV and to develop vaccines, without using chimpanzees.
Longitudinal studies of human HCV patients, such as the Johns Hopkins long-term study of HCV-infected intravenous drug users, provide human-specific information regarding many aspects of HCV acquisition, natural history, therapeutic responses, and vaccine opportunities. In combination with the numerous human-based cell culture systems, this provides a robust research methodology that is more reliable. It makes chimpanzee experiments redundant.
Chimpanzees were also proposed to study human Alzheimer’s disease and other neurological disorders. While both humans and chimpanzees may develop brain amyloid plaques, the protein structures of those plaques are different. And though these plaques are thought to be either a cause or a consequence of Alzheimer’s in humans, they are inconsequential for chimpanzees, in whom Alzheimer’s does not occur. In fact, cross-species genetic studies have documented that gene expression in the chimpanzee cerebral cortex has “no detectable similarity” with that detected in humans.
Much of the best information regarding Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases derives from longitudinal studies of patients and post-mortem brain studies. Numerous advanced neuroimaging methods are available that can replace chimpanzee experiments with more human-specific results. These same imaging methods are used extensively in the study of many human psychiatric disorders. When combined with longitudinal studies of patients, these can replace chimpanzee experiments, again with human-specific data.
In a 2005 review of animal experimental models in neuropsychiatry, UK researchers stated clearly what others in the field have confirmed:
“[M]odelling human mental disorders in experimental animals is fraught with difficulties. Depression models generally lack both clinical and scientific credibility and have, thus far, failed to inform treatment strategies previously acquired through serendipity.”
The authors further state:
“As one enters the ‘real world’, it becomes apparent that it is almost impossible to control not only the variables manipulated in the lab, but also the variables that cannot be modelled in animals — cognition, emotion, social behaviour, relationships, etc.”
These examples of the failed paradigm of chimpanzee experiments are not only characteristic but immutable. Why? Because despite sharing all but a few percent of our genes with chimpanzees, there are still tens of millions of DNA sequence differences plus innumerable and variable differences in gene expression between our two species.
The Institute of Medicine agreed with me and other experts calling for an end to chimpanzee experiments. Its decision — and the recent NIH decision — make it clear that there is no necessity or compelling scientific justification for the use of chimpanzees to study human diseases and treatments and that turning from animal experiments to modern methods would represent genuine progress.Mr. Knight, a graduate of Stanford’s business school, gave that institution $105 million in 2006. Over the past 20 years, he has donated hundreds of millions to the University of Oregon, where he received his undergraduate degree.
Not every gift pledged by Mr. Knight has gone smoothly. In 2000, he withdrew a $30 million pledge to expand the University of Oregon’s football stadium after the school allied itself with a labor group that was critical of Nike factories overseas. The university president later reversed the decision and Mr. Knight restored the gift.
Image Stanford’s president, John L. Hennessy. Credit Steve Jennings/Getty Images
Mr. Knight is not the first billionaire to sponsor an international scholarship program. In 2000, Bill Gates, a co-founder of Microsoft, established the Gates Cambridge Scholarship for students of all nationalities to study at Cambridge University. In January, Stephen A. Schwarzman, the co-founder and chairman of the Blackstone Group, announced the first class of recipients of the Schwarzman scholarship, another Rhodes-like master’s program, at Tsinghua University in Beijing.
The Knight-Hennessy scholarship is not unique, but Mr. Knight may well be the rare billionaire benefactor who is willing to share top billing. “I think locking my name in with his for decades to come is an honor,” Mr. Knight said.
Mr. Hennessy described the fellowships as his legacy. “A few years ago I started to think about the one thing I could do at Stanford that could make a difference for the world in a bigger setting,” he said in a phone interview. “We could bring the best students from around the world to Stanford and produce a string of leaders educated in making positive change.”
Starting in 2018, the program will annually offer full tuition and board to 100 students — a third of them from the United States and two-thirds from abroad — who will gain admittance to one of Stanford’s seven graduate schools and commit to working on important issues in small, multidisciplinary teams.
One problem Mr. Hennessy said he might assign to a team is to analyze the $100 million donation that Mark Zuckerberg, the chief executive of Facebook, made to Newark public schools in 2010, and that has not been widely seen as a success. “Nobody understood the real difficulty in making significant change in the public education system,” Mr. Hennessy said. His scholars would be asked, he added, “ ‘How do you build a structure that will successfully deploy those funds for the benefit of all?’ ”Expectations might not be any lower in an NFL city than they currently are in Cleveland.
A city accustomed to 4-12 and 5-11 finishes -- since 1999, Cleveland has posted a 4-12 or 5-11 record nine times -- is now just clamoring for one win. It's the second season in which the best hope that remains is 1-15. As we all know, there's only one mark worse than that, one of infamy.
Don't tell new general manager John Dorsey this, though. He isn't taking this slowly. What's being realistic when you can instead be optimistic?
"I'm the eternal optimistic," Dorsey said Thursday during an appearance on WKNR 850-AM, via Cleveland.com's Mary Kay Cabot. "I believe we have to be competitive in the AFC North and my total objective going into the '18 season is to win the AFC North. Anything else to me is unacceptable."
The old saying about athletes having supreme confidence in themselves can apply to general managers in this instance as well, we suppose. Dorsey, just a week into his new position, has the unenviable task of turning around one of the league's most moribund franchises since the original incarnation announced it was moving to Baltimore after the 1995 season. Since the late Art Modell made that fateful decision, the team (including the 1995 squad after Nov. 6) has gone 89-219. There's nowhere to go but up (and with a treasure trove of draft capital to do so).
Dorsey has done it before. In his first season as general manager of the Kansas City Chiefs, the Andy Reid-led squad finished 11-5 and made an AFC wild-card appearance. These Browns aren't quite those Chiefs, though.
In the same interview, Dorsey wasn't shy about revealing his opinion of former personnel man Sashi Brown. He essentially gave current coach Hue Jackson, owner of a 1-28 record, a pass due to the bare cupboard with which the coach has worked. But to suddenly raise the bar for a franchise that has never in its history been further from contention -- at least record-wise -- seems a tad extreme.
Then again, we go back to that supreme confidence. If you don't believe in yourself, why would anyone else? Every executive should have a division crown as the goal, even if it isn't immediately realistic. For Cleveland, it would be an absolute stunner, but equally as welcome to a fan base that has given nearly unconditional support to a franchise that has tripped over its own feet far too often over the last two decades. We'll see how long it takes Dorsey to make good on his expectation -- or if it happens at all.Japan's Softbank previously owned the subscription streaming service for U.S. audiences of Korean dramas.
Warner Bros. has purchased streaming video service DramaFever from Japan's Softbank for an undisclosed price.
Seven-year-old DramaFever launched as a subscription streaming service for U.S. audiences of Korean dramas. The company, backed in its early days by AMC, has since expanded into international programming in a variety of languages and now offers its service in more than 20 countries. But Korean dramas such as current hit Cheese in the Trap and 2013 sensation My Love From Another Star remain a driving force on the service.
Softbank acquired DramaFever in 2014 for a reported $100 million but quietly put the streamer up for sale last year. At the time, Softbank was expected to retain a minority stake in the company, but Warner Bros. says it will wholly own the New York-based online video business.
The Warner Bros. acquisition, which is expected to close during the second quarter, comes as parent company Time Warner has been bulking up on its subscription video offerings and in August 2015 purchased iStreamPlanet, which supplies back-end live streaming technology. Over the last year, Time Warner also has ushered in the launch of HBO's stand-alone streaming service and partnered with Tencent on Chinese movie streaming service Hollywood VIP.
For its part, DramaFever has begun providing streaming technology to partners including horror-themed Shudder, which AMC launched in beta last summer.
"This is a great fit for Warner Bros.," Craig Hunegs, president of business and strategy at Warner Bros. Television Group, said Tuesday in a statement. "With Warner Bros.' resources, we will rapidly enhance and grow the DramaFever channel."
DramaFever co-founders Seung Bak and Suk Park will continue to oversee the company and will report to Hunegs, who also noted that their team "will move quickly with our own distribution and creative teams to create and build more OTT services." Among those new over-the-top opportunities could be a CW streaming service, which network owners CBS and Warner Bros. were said to be mulling in January of this year as their streaming output deals with Netflix and Hulu near their end.
DramaFever CEO Bak said that the library of titles and production expertise at Warner Bros. "will provide an unlimited number of opportunities to create the next generation of OTT services and Internet TV brands."AS IT turned out, Hal Finney was not Satoshi Nakamoto. But for a short while, at least, some people thought he might be. “Satoshi Nakamoto” is the most famous non-person on the internet. The name is a pseudonym, meant to hide the shadowy programmer (or programmers) behind Bitcoin, a computerised currency designed to liberate money from the control of any central bank. Speculating about his true identity is a popular pastime in some of the more esoteric corners of the web.
Still, Mr Finney was a good guess. As a cryptographer and a programmer he had the skills, for Bitcoin relies on cryptography to function. Having been an early adopter (he was, with the fabled Mr Nakamoto, a partner in the world’s first ever Bitcoin transaction) he certainly had the pedigree. And he had the beliefs, too. He was one of the original “cypherpunks”, a small, influential band of cryptographers, philosophers and programmers who, in the early 1990s, helped stamp the early internet with its culture of rebelliousness, distrust of government and optimistic belief in the liberating power of technology.
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Two decades before Edward Snowden put the subject on front pages the world over, the cypherpunks were discussing how the coming age of the internet would allow governments and companies to pry ever more deeply and easily into the lives of their citizens and customers. But that same computer revolution would also hand ordinary people the power to fight back against the organisations that presumed to run their lives. Until that point, good quality encryption had been something available only to spy agencies and big companies. Computers would give people the power to carve out a mathematically guaranteed refuge from the powers that be, and to have a conversation that was provably, reliably private.
For Mr Finney, who had spent his high-school years imbibing the supercharged libertarianism of Ayn Rand, and who was now earning a living writing video games, that was a heady challenge. He accepted it with gusto. “Here we are faced with the problems of loss of privacy, creeping computerisation, massive databases, more centralisation,” he wrote. “[But] the computer can be used as a tool to liberate and protect people, rather than to control them.” His aim was clear: “The work we are doing here, broadly speaking, is dedicated to this goal of making Big Brother obsolete.”
He began helping, unpaid, with a program called Pretty Good Privacy (PGP), putting in enough hours that it became a second job. It was well-named: even today, messages scrambled with it are thought to be unbreakable (Mr Snowden used PGP for his e-mail exchanges with the journalists to whom he leaked his documents). In 1991 Phil Zimmermann, PGP’s chief developer, uploaded it to the internet. America’s spies were aghast. Exporting encryption—which was classed as a weapon—was illegal. And here a group of self-proclaimed techno-liberators were proposing to just hand it over to anyone in the world—diplomat, criminal, teenager—who wanted it. When the legal kerfuffle died down, Mr Zimmermann hired Mr Finney as his new company’s second-ever employee.
Suspended animation
For a long time he ran a free “remailer”, a server designed to forward e-mail anonymously, no questions asked, to anyone in the world. Whose business was it, after all, what people wanted to send to each other, except the sender and the recipient? His interests extended beyond privacy. He was fascinated by the sorts of futures that technology might unlock, speculating about everything from how morals evolve in rich societies to when clean energy might finally displace fossil fuels. Away from the screen, he was chatty and gregarious, a keen skier and runner.
He had to stop in 2009, when he was diagnosed with motor neurone disease (MND). The illness gradually paralyses its victims, but, with characteristic logic, Mr Finney pointed out that it was not a death sentence—even when those muscles necessary for breathing gave out, life could carry on with the aid of a mechanical ventilator. He was surprised, he said, to discover that most people with the disease “chose” death instead. After all, MND robs sufferers only of their bodies, not their minds, and for him it was the mind that mattered. His interests went beyond computers and coding, to sociology, psychology and how technology might improve society. As long as there was a way to communicate with the outside world—even if it was only by having a computer interpret the twitchings of a facial muscle—he wanted to endure.
When even that became difficult, he put a final plan into action. In accordance with his wishes, he was disconnected from his ventilator. As soon as he had been declared legally dead, technicians from a firm called Alcor froze his body in liquid nitrogen. He became one of a few hundred people who have elected to have their bodies stored until medicine advances to the point where it can safely revive them and cure their original ailments. It sounds (and is) science-fictional, and Mr Finney was under no illusions about the prospects of waking up again. But placing his faith in a technology that has yet to be invented was a rational gamble for a committed techno-optimist. And besides, a slim hope is better than none at all.Awwww yeah, the summer is here, and that means for all the students out there, it is time for us to get out of the classroom and… probably sit behind our computers working on our projects more, let’s be honest here.
Whether you are a student that has a long break coming or just a curmudgeonly old man who is happy all the college students are going home for the summer so he can finally drive around town without traffic, what summer break does mean… is freedom!
And with all that freedom to work on your projects, you’re going to need more power, more graphic, more music.
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No rain-checks.I'm seriously sick of hearing of all the negative posts from people who don't work in oil patch that are putting down people that do.
A lot of the comments I've read online are "you rig pigs should have went to school," "bet your jacked up truck payment isn't so cool now," "I hope all of you fall flat on your face so I can buy your repo'd toys," etc...
A few facts for non-informed folks mocking the hurting oilfield workers:
1. It's not just "riggers" that work in the patch -- riggers provide just one of many services in the field.
2. There are many "educated" people that DID go to school to be outside working when it's -40 degrees because we love the cause, people, hours and money.
3. The patch is just one large team working together to get the oil out of the ground. From the construction crew that moved the dirt, engineers and geologists that picked the spot, surveyors that got the spot just right, seismic crews, the drilling rig that drilled the hole, pile drivers that pounded the piles for surface equipment, instrumentation and electricians so that we can remotely monitor the well, laborers that set up the lease, welders that build pipelines, commissioners that test everything to make sure it's safe, the service rig that blasts into the zone and completes the hole, the pumper that operates the well, pressure trucks, vac trucks, steamers, combos, flushbys, the production engineer that optimizes production, the managers, the trucker that hauls the fluid to a treating facility, the battery operator that makes the oil as clean as he can to send down the pipeline where we will sell it for as much money as we can get. And many more...the list never ends. Not all of us work on the rigs, and the guys that are tough enough to do rig work deserve to be as cocky as they are. (I'm allowed to say that; I've dated enough of them and was raised by one.)
4. Just like many professions, there are some people that march slower than the rest of the group, and non-oilfield people may see those few and stereotype the whole industry. There are plenty of health care practitioners that have lost their compassion, there are crooked cops, teachers that just want summers off and dentists that... just like hurting people (I swear). They're not all bad, are they? No. Neither are we.
5. We ACTUALLY work hard. Lots of us miss Christmas, lots of us miss birthdays, we haven't seen our kids for MONTHS. Seriously, sit back and think about the last time you genuinely wanted to go to something that meant a lot to you, but you were miles away. I'm not complaining -- a lot of us sign up for it or actually want it. But don't insult a lifestyle that isn't for you.
6. These "jacked up trucks" are actually used for work or recreation. (A percentage of them ARE just douchebags, but still.) The work doesn't stop when it's raining, when there's a foot of snow, whether there's a foot of mud or it's glare ice. I hate to say it but half of us NEED these trucks to get to our "office". To top it off, some of us are even contractors and that truck IS our office.
The minute we hear a heart-wrenching story about a family with cancer, a country that's starving or a state hit with another natural disaster, we can't send our warm wishes and money fast enough.
These are our own people. This is our OWN economy. We are quick to lend a helping hand to people we don't know from a hole in the ground, but the minute our neighbor is starving we say "he had it coming"?
Where is our Canadian spirit?
This is hopefully the lowest point of the recession, but what if it's not? When are we going to show some compassion for our brothers and sisters? We are all just working for the man aren't we? Does it really matter that we have a piece of paper (degree) next to our names while we do it?
We aren't seeking your sympathy, we don't want any remorse. Just have some damn respect while we pinch our pennies until things pick up again.
As for my situation, I have been fortunate this far but that could very well change. No career is safe when an entire industry takes a dive. But I have seen these times before from a family perspective, and things always bounce back.
Signed,
An Oilfield Family
ALSO ON HUFFPOST:Rust is a systems programming language with massive ambitions. It is designed for creating the most reliable software, from the tiniest embedded systems to multi-million line behemoths, and its users need to have confidence that it is fit for purpose.
In service of this ambition Rust has an extremely thorough testing regimen, and that is one of the things I am most proud of about Rust. Rust has a strict continuous integration system that runs a great number of tests on every pull request, basically guaranteeing that the Rust master branch always works; which is crucial because Rust releases nightly builds every night, and stable builds every six weeks. And Rust further tests every release against its entire open source library ecosystem.
I’ve always admired well-tested software projects, like SQLite, and aim to place Rust among the pantheon of the best. This document then, is a catalog of all the ways we test Rust. I hope it provides insight into what it takes to deliver a production-quality programming language, a hint at the wide variety of techniques employed in software validation, and that it reinforces your confidence in Rust’s reliability.
Summary (2017/07/10)
All patches built in 58 configurations before landing
All patches tested in 20 configurations before landing
126k tests per PR across all platforms
Full release artifacts published for 48 platforms every merge
Testing of all documentation
Releases every six weeks
13k Rust projects regression-tested before releases
222k tests in Rust projects tested before releases
Fuzz testing and formal verification
Contents
The promise of Rust
Rust is a systems programming language with massive ambitions. It is designed for creating the most reliable software, from the tiniest embedded systems to multi-million line behemoths, and its users need to have confidence that it is fit for purpose.
Today Rust runs on many platforms, and tomorrow it will run on many more. Rust will one day run on any machine with a microprocessor.
And Rust moves fast, with releases every 6 weeks, and a growing ecosystem of software depending on it. Rust makes strong guarantees about compatibility and stability, what will, won’t, and might break as the plattform evolves, and ensuring that we fulfill those guarantees is crucial to maintaining the trust of Rust’s users.
It’s a big challenge to keep it all from falling apart. This is how we do it.
We use strong continuous integration to catch many bugs before they are ever committed to the Rust repository, and continuous releases to enable more extensive testing of nightly and beta builds prior to the release every 6 weeks.
During CI, all patches must pass the Rust test suite in all supported configurations before landing. Nightly and beta releases are subject to further testing using a number of techniques.
Continuous integration
Rust relies on continuous integration, where the code base is tested as part of the process of reviewing and merging patches.
In Rust we do CI in a very particular way, and one which we are very proud of. Rust’s creator, Graydon, originally described it in a blog post, “The Not Rocket Science Rule”. The thing we do differently from most is that we run the full test suite against every patch, as if it were merged to master, before committing it into the master branch, whereas most CI setups test after committing, or if they do run tests against every PR, they do so before merging, leaving open the possibility of regressions introduced during the merge.
How does this work precisely? Our integration bot, bors, maintains a queue of all pull requests that have been reviewed and approved for landing. It proceeds through this queue, one at a time: for each pull request it merges the pull request branch with the master branch, but into a temporary branch (which we call “auto”); then it runs the entire test suite on that branch, in many configurations (as of 2017/07/10 there are 59 configurations built, and 20 tested). If all tests pass in all configurations only then does that commit become the master branch. Then bors moves onto the next PR.
The important things to recognize about this arrangement are: first, the head commit on Rust’s master branch is guaranteed to be fully tested at all times; but as a consequence, landing pull requests to Rust is completely serialized - only one PR can be under final testing at a time.
The benefit of this arrangement is that Rust’s developers have high confidence that the master branch works correctly, always. It isn’t perfect - bugs do slip through - but it does provide significant peace of mind.
There’s a big downside though in that landing patches to Rust is serialized on running the test suite on every patch, and it takes a particularly long time to Run the Rust test suite in all the configurations we care about. Today the longest-running configuration takes over 2 hours. Rust always has a queue of approved patches waiting to land, and so it can take days for even simple patches to get through the queue.
This can create an interesting competitive environment where authors desire high spots in the queue and complain when the queue grows.
While PR authors are waiting in bors’s queue, we also have a bot test their PR in a single configuration as a smoke test. This avoids the frustration of waiting for one’s PR to work through the queue only to be rejected by a simple mistake.
We do this style of CI not only on rust-lang/rust but also on other key projects, including cargo and rustup.
bors’s implementation has gone through several iterations, and today it is implemented by a script called homu, which is shared with Rust’s sister project, Servo. It has also inspired other ther integration bots used in the Rust ecosystem and beyond, including bors-ng.
Test-first CI is the cornerstone of Rust stability.
Today we do our CI on Travis CI for Linux and Mac OS, and AppVeyor for Windows. Notably, all of our testing hosts are running x86, and so, for the non-x86 platforms that we do test, we currently use the QEMU emulator on Linux. Many non-x86 platforms do not yet get test coverage as part of the CI process (though see the smoke project). No non-x86 platforms are automatically tested on real hardware, a major limitation of the current setup.
Continuous releases
Since we test so thoroughly, ideally all bugs are caught before entering the tree, but that is not the case. Once a patch enters the tree the clock is ticking until it hits the stable release.
Rust publishes releases on three “channels”: nightly, beta, and stable. The nightly and beta channels provide an opportunity to catch bugs missed by the official CI before they hit a release.
Rust has a 6 week beta cycle, so the minimum a patch will sit in tree before hitting a stable release is 6 weeks (if it lands on master right before the next beta), and the maximum is 12 weeks (if it lands at the beginning of a cycle).
During the 6 week release cycle, regression triage meetings are held every 2 weeks to keep ahead of breakage and ensure the release stays on track. Again, the Rust release schedule is incredibly aggressive and it takes constant vigilence to maintain.
To make releases as simple as possible we tie it directly to the CI system. Since we are already testing Rust in the same configurations that we ship releases for, it’s a natural extension to simply produce release artifacts while we’re testing. So we do that and publish them to their own S3 bucket.
From those binaries we have a bot that periodically collects them into their final form for release and deploys them to static.rust-lang.org.
So not only do we fully test every commit that lands on master, we also publish the complete release binaries at the same time.
With as many release configurations as Rust has, differences between the continuous integration configuration and the release build configuration became a huge source of problems. Making testing and releasing the same thing eliminated them.
The Rust test suite
The Rust test suite covers rustc, std, cargo, rustdoc, and the Rust documentation, and features a number of special test harnesses to cover specific classes of bugs relevant to Rust.
The tests are all ultimately run by libtest, the standard test crate, and many of them are coordinated by the compiletest tool.
As of 2017/07/10 there are a little over 6k tests in the Rust test suite. This may seem surprisingly few, but keep in mind that Rust’s strong static typing prevents many errors at compile-time, so Rust projects in general are believed to require fewer test cases than projects in other languages. All features and bug fixes are accompanied by test cases. Still, test coverage is currently unknown, and assumed to be far from complete.
Unit tests
Standard Rust unit tests, like any Rust author would write. These are tests annotated with #[test] and run with cargo test. This is the primary method for testing the standard library, and for cargo as well.
This is the most basic kind of testing in Rust, but the compiler itself is mostly tested with more specialized tools.
compiletest
compiletest is the main test harness of the Rust test suite, one of the oldest Rust codebases, and the oldest parallel Rust program. It implements a number of classes of test, each of which generally corresponds to a directory under src/test. Most of these tests involve driving the compiler to compile one or more source programs, then interpreting the results.
Most tests are represented by a Rust source file that may have annotations in comments directing compiletest in how to run the test, as in the following run-fail test, test-panic.rs, that tells compiletest that the string “thread ‘test_foo’ panicked at” must be printed to stdout, to compile with the --test flag, and to ignore the test on emscripten.
// check-stdout // error-pattern:thread 'test_foo' panicked at // compile-flags: --test // ignore-emscripten #[test] fn test_foo () { panic! () }
Most of the test types in the following sections are implemented by compiletest.
run-pass and run-fail
Two of the oldest and simplest types of test. These test cases are Rust source code that should compile successfully. run-pass tests must run successfully; run-fail tests must run and return the Rust standard error code, 101.
compile-fail
compile-fail tests are some of the most common tests for testing language features. They must fail to compile, and stderr must emit errors containing specific text:
fn main () { 1 = 2 ; //~ ERROR invalid left-hand side expression 1 += 2 ; //~ ERROR invalid left-hand side expression ( 1, 2 ) = ( 3, 4 ); //~ ERROR invalid left-hand side expression let ( a, b ) = ( 1, 2 ); ( a, b ) = ( 3, 4 ); //~ ERROR invalid left-hand side expression None = Some ( 3 ); //~ ERROR invalid left-hand side expression }
While these are the bread and butter of rustc testing, their weakness is that they only validate some of the text output to stderr - they do not guarantee that the output actually looks good. For that reason new tests, or tests of tricky error output, are often written as ‘ui’ tests.
ui
UI tests are like compile-fail tests, but the output of stdout and stderr are checked fully. In these tests, instead of annotating the source with expected output, source files are accompanied by *.stdout and *.stderr templates that capture expactly what the compiler is allowed to output.
So the test issue-39544.rs :
enum X { Y } struct Z { x : X } fn main () { let z = Z { x : X :: Y }; let _ = & mut z.x ; }
must have the output from issue-39544.stderr :
error : cannot borrow immutable field ` z.x ` as mutable - -> $ DIR / issue - 39544.rs : 21 : 18 | 21 | let _ = & mut z.x ; | ^^^ error : aborting due to previous error
Because these templates are difficult to write by hand, there are scripts to help keep them updated when the output changes.
run-make
This is the kind of test you write when none of the other tests are sufficient. compiletest simply runs a Makefile, while setting up a bunch of environment variables that might be useful. Tests import tools.mk to get access to various helpers.
These tests are usually testing the behavior of rustc, like in this test that is validating something related to target specs:
-include../tools.mk all: $(RUSTC) foo.rs --target=my-awesome-platform.json --crate-type=lib |
publication of inaccurate "anti-Russian" information supporting separatist and extremist forces.
Benyumov says he is pessimistic about the outcome of the current bout of censorship. "A dark future awaits Russian journalism," he concludes.
Follow Mariya Petkova on Twitter: @mkpetkovaActor Jackie Chan. Credit:JONATHAN ERNST
''He was just like in a movie … he had white happy pants, a salmon-coloured T-shirt and a white jacket over the top of that,'' she said.
After he left, Ms Olsen said she asked asked her supervisor if she could hang on to the order form as a souvenir of her unlikely celebrity encounter.
Now a mother of four, she said she was looking for one of her children's birth certificates when she came across the old wine order, and this week put it up for sale online.
''I love celebrities, but Jackie Chan's probably not one of my favourites, and I know there's going to be a tonne of martial arts people that will be big fans of Jackie Chan,'' she said. ''Somebody else will get something out of it, whereas I'm just a mum with four kids, it just sits around.''There are many places to find information about AT&T's war on WiscNet, a great credit to those who recognize the importance of WiscNet to schools, libraries, and local governments around the state. The best article on the subject may be from Wisconsin Tech News (WTN), with "UW faces return of $37M for broadband expansion in 11th hour bill." This post builds on that as a primer for those interested in the controversy.
Update: Read a Fact Check Memo [pdf] from the University of Wisconsin Extension Service with responses to false allegations from AT&T and its allies.
Synopsis
AT&T and its allies have long made false claims against WiscNet, setting the stage for their lobbyists to push this legislation to kill it. AT&T and some other incumbents want to provide the services WiscNet provides in order to boost their profits. WiscNet not only offers superior services, it offers services the private providers will not provide (including specialized education services). For instance, from the WTN article:
One of features that differentiates WiscNet from a private broadband provider is allowing for “bursting,” so that during isolated periods when researchers send huge data sets, they greatly exceed the average data cap. UW-Madison currently uses seven gigabits on average, and would have to procure 14 gigabits under the new legislation, even though most of the extra seven gigabits would seldom be in use, Meachen [UW CIO] said. “We'd be paying for the fact that researchers have to send these huge data sets, and not have it take hours and hours to get to where it's going,” Meachen said. “You can't afford to pay for that extra 7 gigabits from the private sector because it's too costly. They increase your charges based on that.” A private network would not have the necessary capacity for scientists on the UW-Madison campus, who are some of the leading researchers on next generation Internet. A previous recommendation to combine BadgerNet and WiscNet was deemed infeasible, as AT&T would own the network and would not be able to provide sufficient bandwidth at an affordable cost, Meachen said.
WiscNet is a buying cooperative, offering far lower prices to schools, libraries, and local governments than they would have to pay the private sector for similar services. More importantly, its costs increase much more slowly over time than similar connections from the private sector as community anchor institutions need faster and faster connections.
Killing WiscNet means more tax dollars going to AT&T rather than keeping cops on the streets, teachers in schools, and libraries open longer hours. These public institutions are all struggling to make ends meet and an end to WiscNet means radically increasing telecom budgets.
Professor Andy Lewis of the UW Extension Service, explains the cost differential:
While being very reliable BadgerNet is NOT affordable to many community institutions. For example, a 100Mbps service is $6,000 a month and a 1,000Mbps service is $49,500 a month. … The UW grant clearly shows a return on investment of 3.5 – 4.5 years. After that an institution will be able to get 1,000Mbps service for about $10,000 annually vs. $594,000 annually, which is the current BadgerNet rate.
Background
BadgerNet is a physical network comprised of leased lines connecting libraries, schools, local governments, and other public institutions throughout Wisconsin. Badgernet is almost entirely owned by AT&T and its costs are heavily subsidized via state and federal programs. WiscNet provides services over those connections, including Internet access. WiscNet has been providing Internet service since 1991 whereas BadgerNet was built in the mid 90's. For more, this pdf offers background.
Tad Pinkerton, Emeritus Professor of Computer Sciences and "Father of WiscNet" explains WiscNet (with a clarifying comment from me in []):
My colleagues and I brought the Internet to the UW System and to other higher education institutions in Wisconsin, and to public schools and libraries throughout the state through a non-profit association called WiscNet. The budget proposal that would prohibit future work of this kind is a travesty. Research depends on using the very latest communications tools and capacity to be competitive, and these tools are not provided in Wisconsin by telecommunications companies. The UW-Madison must buy its access to them wholesale, and supplement them substantially with its own networking expertise. This expertise and capacity is then made available in the rest of the state through WiscNet [WiscNet contracts for this expertise, it is not provided for free by UW]. WiscNet also provides a collaborative environment in which like public institutions can pool their expertise to maintain services at a high level in this rapidly developing technology. Neither advanced networking nor such collaboration can be provided at retail by Wisconsin's private sector, despite their protestations to the contrary.
Lying and Lobbying
AT&T and its Republicans make the same bogus claims we see across the country in situations like this. They claim that despite being one of the largest corporations in America, they are the underdog and need special legislation to protect their interests. From the WTN article:
Republican lawmakers and the Wisconsin Telecommunications Association say the university should not be in the business of providing telecommunications services, and are in favor of shifting reliance back to BadgerNet, a state-run network that consists of private telephone companies, small and large, including AT&T, that band together to offer services to the education community in the state. Bill Esbeck, executive director of the Wisconsin Telecommunications Association, says existing state law already prohibits the UW system from offering, reselling or providing telecommunications services that are available from private telecom carriers. “WiscNet as an entity can continue to operate, we just think it should operate without a taxpayer subsidy,” Esbeck said. “We firmly believe some of the other telecom ventures at the UW are contrary to the existing state statute.”
Of course, if UW is really violating the statute, AT&T can take it to court. Why don't they? Massive incumbents sue competitors all the time for the flimsiest of reasons just to harass and tie them up in court. They don't go to court because WiscNet is not violating the statute and has welcomed a state audit to put an end to these allegations.
AT&T knows it best course is not via the courts, where it will lose but rather in the Legislature, where it vast lobbying power gives it the most advantage.
The charges that WiscNet is somehow competing unfairly with public tax dollars is absurd on its face. Though WiscNet does not receive the subsidy claimed by AT&T and its allies, even if it did, that subsidy is nothing compared to the subsidies provided to AT&T and its allies from state and federal programs to expand broadband access.
Impact
Again, from the WTN article:
Meachen says the telecom provision means high stakes for both the State of Wisconsin and for the university. The provision calls for the UW System to completely disassociate with WiscNet by July 2012. “We created WiscNet, which is now a member owned and operated cooperative with an independent board,” he said. “So, we are forbidden to work with them, and they are our network provider, so we would have to start over from scratch and completely recreate our network. I can't even estimate the cost of that.” If the UW System used BadgerNet to meet its current bandwidth requirements, it would pay an estimated $8 million a year, Meachen said. It currently costs the UW System $2 million a year for WiscNet, which is provisioned so that the costs to the customers do not increase with increasing bandwidth. Instead, the fee is based on the size and type of institution. Using what he calls a conservative estimate, Meachen says the UW System would spend $27 million for BadgerNet by 2016, based on an annual growth rate of 35 percent. “I, for one, would not want to stand before the taxpayers having just spent $27 million of their money when I knew I could have done the same thing for $2 million,” Meachen said.
The language is so broad, it would preclude participation in essential networks for scientific collaboration, like Internet2. AT&T and its allies claim this is a misinterpretation, but the language is pretty clear, as we noted previously.
Another article looks at the impact on Madison schools:
The Madison Metropolitan School District has used WiscNet as a provider for all of its network services, including Internet, email and online teaching tools, for 17 years. For the last 12 years, the district has been required to bid out to private organizations to see what service was cheaper, and it said WiscNet has always been a better value. "If we were to change to an alternative Internet service provider right now, my estimate is the immediate cost to the district would be approximately 70 percent higher right now, and that doesn't count the services that WiscNet brings to the table for free," said Mark Evans, director of technology services at the Madison Metropolitan School District.
View the video accompanying that story:
Wisconsin Returns More Stimulus Money
Despite ranking 43'rd in broadband among 50 states on the National Broadband Map, the present Wisconsin state government seems determined to return all federal assistance in expanding broadband access.
This language also requires Wisconsin to return tens of millions of dollars in broadband stimulus awards to a public-private partnership. Returning these funds would be a tremendous blow to Packerland Broadband / CCI Systems, the private sector partner that has already invested millions into the project.
Yes, you read that correctly. AT&T and some other incumbents had their opportunity to work with the partners in this stimulus project and chose not to. Now they are trying to kill the project so they will remain the only remaining option to provide connections to these community anchors… charging far more for far less than the stimulus project would provide.
In order to qualify for the stimulus, those involved documented that the connections they need were not available from incumbents. It is not that incumbents cannot provide services like dark fiber, they just prefer not to because the profit margin is smaller than on the services they want to provide.
If AT&T and allies are successful, they will be proverbial dog in the manger: they will not provide the needed connections on reasonable terms and will use their lobbying clout in the capital to ensure no one else can either.
What to do
If AT&T is really so concerned about WiscNet violating the law, it should pursue the matter in court or in the normal legislative process rather than attaching this language in the 11th hour of the budget process. Just because AT&T has the clout to pass its false talking points off as truth should not make the Legislature agree to kill off an essential tool for schools, libraries, and local governments without a proper hearing.
If you are in Wisconsin, contact your elected officials and respectfully urge them to remove sections 23-26 of the UW System Budget Bill. Explain that WiscNet is essential for schools and libraries across the state and if they Legislature has concerned with how it operates, they should have proper hearings and an audit to establish some facts. Find your legislators using this tool.
Pass resolutions, as some have already started from relevant organizations. Resolutions show support and are a good organizing tool.
If you are not in Wisconsin, alert those who are and encourage them to act immediately. This could be decided as early as Tuesday
For more information or points you can make in your letter or conversation, visit Save WiscNet, this helpful post from ijohnperderson, or the ever-growing list of letters in support of WiscNet.
Pants on fire photo used under creative commons license courtesy of Flickr's Brad Gillette1) No tax rises, but spending up
Merkel stayed firm on her pledge to not raise taxes, but the coalition agreement commits to increase spending by €23 billion between now and 2017. It includes a €5 billion investment in the country’s infrastructure and an extra €5 billion on education. Changes to the state pension will also cost billions, making future tax rises more likely.
At the SPD's demand, workers who have paid pension contributions for 45 years will be able to retire from the age of 63, whereas currently the rules foresee the gradual introduction of 67 as the retirement age. Merkel's conservatives won their demand for an improvement in pensions for mothers.
2) Drive, drive, drive on the autobahn
The next government will look at charging foreigners to use Germany’s autobahn. The idea would get around European Union equality rules by charging everyone the same - but then reducing German road tax.
Foreigners would therefore pay where before it was free, while Germans would not experience an increased overall cost.
Horst Seehofer, leader of Merkel’s Bavarian allies, the CSU, made the charge a condition for the his party's involvement in any future government.
A law could be introduced next year, but the coalition agreement does not guarantee it will be introduced. Seehofer is isolated on the issue as both Merkel and the Social Democrats are against it.
3) Dual citizenship
This was a victory for the SPD whose election manifesto had included a pledge to make it easier for foreigners to gain dual citizenship.
The current law states people from outside the European Union who qualify for German citizenship have to ditch their original citizenship to qualify. It means foreigners acquiring German citizenship must give up their original passports.
People born in Germany to immigrant families have both their family and German citizenship - but must chose one or the other before they reach 23 years old. This condition will be scrapped to allow thousands of foreigners to have both German and Turkish passports, for example.
4) World of work
There was another clear win for the SPD over pay, with the agreement setting a national minimum wage at €8.50 an hour, from 2015. Certain sectors, such as farm work, will be able to continue, for a transitionary two year-period, to apply a lower hourly wage but by January 1st, 2017 at the latest, the €8.50 minimum will apply to everyone.
The level of the minimum wage will be regularly reviewed by a commission made up of employers and trade unions.
The move is expected to enable about one million working poor to no longer rely on supplementing their income through benefits. According to the DIW research institute, 5.6 million workers currently earn less than €8.50 an hour.
The parties also agreed to introduce a quota of 30 percent women recruited to sit on boards of listed companies from 2016.
5) Future of the European Union
Merkel hopes to slim down EU bureaucracy and, together with UK Prime Minister David Cameron, would like to reduce the number of European commissioners and give member states more control over who can access benefits in their respective countries.
The agreement calls for a "stringent and efficient" set of EU commissioners. According to think-tank Open Europe this is “possibly a hint towards reducing the number of commissioners and focusing them on policy areas rather than allowing one for each member.”
The deal also includes Germany's opposition to any mutualisation of eurozone countries' debt in the form of eurobonds for example and stresses the principle of solidarity and responsibility.
The political parties agreed to provide new momentum to negotiations on the introduction in Europe of a financial transactions tax.
READ MORE: Seven reasons why the elections matter to non-GermansHŪṂ In the northwest of Uddiyana Upon the anthers of a lotus You achieved the wondrous supreme siddhi And are renowned as the Lotus Born Encircled by many ḍākinis We practice following your example We ask you come and grant your blessings GURU PADMA SIDDHI HŪṂ
After receiving the empowerment of Guru Rinpoche, the sangha began an extensive four-day Lama Sangdu practice inside the Monlam Pavilion, restricted to ordained monks and nuns. In order to also include all the laypeople, the Gyalwang Karmapa arranged for a special tent to be erected alongside the Pavilion, where they could sit comfortably on chairs, facing screens displaying an image of Guru Rinpoche. He then requested that they collect as many repetitions of the Seven-Line Supplication as possible.
This short supplication is the most famous prayer to Guru Rinpoche, extremely popular throughout Tibet and the Himalayas, and an especially effective means of dispelling outer and inner obstacles.
“The Lord Dezhin Zhekpa and others have foretold that in general, supplications to Guru Rinpoche are the essential and single means to benefit Tibet, the teachings, and living beings,” the Gyalwang Karmapa had earlier said in the lead up to the event. “These supplications are particularly important during these degenerate times.”
Each lay person was given a card with a breathtaking colour image of Guru Rinpoche painted by the Gyalwang Karmapa on one side, and the Seven-Line Supplication inscribed in four languages (Tibetan, English, Chinese and Hindi) on the other side. “It doesn’t matter how many or how few each of you as an individual recites,” he told them, but nonetheless asked each person to keep a careful record of their count, to be accumulated together at the end.
The Gyalwang Karmapa has a profound connection with Guru Rinpoche, and with the Seven-Line Supplication, clearly evident since his early childhood. As a young child he spontaneously knew the Seven-Line Supplication without needing to study it. When people in the local area would come to him with problems, or would ask him to give protection for traveling, he would recite the Seven-Line Supplication for them as a blessing.
“My family, including my parents are very devoted to Guru Rinpoche and were always reciting the Seven-Line Supplication,” he told those gathered. “As we were nomads we had to move from place to place, so my father would go to the ‘lottery’ to receive his allotment of land. Before going he would say to me, ‘Now you please chant the Seven-Line Supplication as well as you can while I’m gone.’ When he came back, if he had done well in the lottery and received a good bit of land he would say, ‘Oh you chanted it well.’ And if he received a poor allotment, he would say, ‘You must not have chanted the Seven-Line Supplication very well.’”
The Gyalwang Karmapa then briefly explained the meaning of each of the seven lines in the prayer—some literal, others symbolic.
The first line sets the scene as Uddiyana, also called the land of the dakinis, which is one of those exceptionally sacred places in India regarded as the very origin of the secret mantra. In the land of Uddiyana there was a lake called Lake Danakosha and in the centre of that lake there appeared a lotus flower with many petals.
“When it says ‘you have gained wondrous, supreme siddhi’, this is a brief description or summary of Guru Rinpoche’s amazing deeds and attributes of body, speech, mind, qualities and activity, as well as his achievement of supreme siddhi,” the Gyalwang Karmapa explained. “And it is followed by saying ‘you are renowned as the lotus born’. These lines are in a sense a summary of Guru Rinpoche’s deeds or life.”
The next line says ‘encircled by many dakinis’, which means that Guru Rinpoche is surrounded by innumerable heroes and dakinis—as numerous as seeds from an open sesame pod.
Following that, the next two lines describe how to pray to Guru Rinpoche.
“In the next line you say ‘I practise following your example’ and this indicates an attitude of complete entrustment,” the Gyalwang Karmapa explained. “Because you trust in Guru Rinpoche’s infallibility, you entrust yourself to him. And therefore you say, since I have entrusted myself to you and I’m attempting to follow your example, please come to this place so that you can impart the blessings of your body, speech and mind to me and all beings without exception.”
“And then it ends with the mantra, Guru Padma Siddhi Hung. Guru means weighty or heavy with qualities or fine attributes. Padma is the first part of Guru Rinpoche’s name; siddhi or attainment is what we seek; and hung here is an exhortation supplicating him to bestow the siddhi and blessings that we seek.”
The Gyalwang Karmapa then summarised the entire explanation of the Seven-Line Supplication.
“If we summarise the supplication into the distinct meaning of each of its seven lines—first of all the person who is praying is oneself, and the object to whom one is praying is Guru Rinpoche,” he said. “The first line states the land of his origin, the second his manner of dwelling there, the third his extraordinary qualities, the fourth his actual name, and the fifth his entourage, which completes the identification of the object of supplication. The sixth line explains how we are supplicating and how we are approaching him, and the seventh is our actual request, our actual petition that he bless us and all beings, based upon our unchanging entrustment of our welfare to him.”
Gyalwang Karmapa’s melodic voice resonated throughout the hall as he bestowed the lung or reading transmission for the Seven-Line Supplication, completing his instructions on this sacred and powerful prayer.Former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen said on Sunday U.S. allies question the country's global commitment under President Trump Donald John TrumpHouse committee believes it has evidence Trump requested putting ally in charge of Cohen probe: report Vietnamese airline takes steps to open flights to US on sidelines of Trump-Kim summit Manafort's attorneys say he should get less than 10 years in prison MORE while adversaries are able to take advantage of it.
"Our enemies, those that would do us ill, seem to be able to take advantage of the uncertainty," the retired admiral said on ABC's "This Week," citing the U.S. relationships with Russia and China.
"Those who have been our friends for many years ask questions about our commitments to them, to the region, to the leadership that we've exhibited over the last 70 years and the institutions that we care about," he continued.
He cited the "incredibly disruptive" nature of the Trump administration that has led to a change in foreign perceptions of the U.S.
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The president has bucked the rest of the world on various international policies, such as the recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital, the Iran nuclear deal and the Paris climate accord.
The president has also offered friendlier rhetoric toward countries that have been viewed as U.S. adversaries in the past, such as Russia.SwiftKey has launched a new experimental version of its popular mobile keyboard app, one that could significantly improve the accuracy of predictive typing.
The SwiftKey Neural Alpha app is an Android-only affair for now and, as its name suggests, it’s still an early stage product so may be prone to bugs. But it’s for this reason that the London-based company elected to launch a separate, standalone app rather than integrate the features into its existing flagship app.
If you’re new to SwiftKey, the app developed a solid reputation on Android over a number of years, replacing the default keyboard app on phones and tablets. It learns your writing style over time to speed up typing, and even predicts the next word before you’ve started typing it — this is partly based on historical patterns, but it also scans texts from a myriad of sources to “learn” popular orders in which words are placed. SwiftKey finally launched for iOS last year.
The new SwiftKey Neural app uses artificial neural networks (ANNs) to predict and correct language. ANNs represent part of the broader field of machine learning and artificial intelligence, and is more directly based on the structure and workings of the human brain. This is in contrast to SwiftKey’s existing n-gram model, which relates to probability and computational linguistics.
While n-gram technology does give accurate predictions for common phrases, there are inherent restrictions. It doesn’t look at the actual meaning of words — it can only accurately predict words it has seen before in a set sequence. Neural networks bring more of a human element to the mix, and can look at the meaning of what you’re typing to deliver better predictions.
“It [neural networks] gives the ability for SwiftKey to predict and suggest words in a way that’s more meaningful and more like how language is actually used by people,” said SwiftKey chief marketing officer Joe Braidwood in an interview with VentureBeat.
Though it’s early days, this signals a notable step forward for mobile typing, and could lead to more meaningful, context-specific suggestions. Here’s a look at some examples of how the neural incarnation of SwiftKey can improve the app’s ability to second-guess what you want to type.
Though this represents the first time such technology has been implemented in a keyboard app, Google recently dabbled with neural networks in an update to the Google Translate app. The refresh brought in real-time visual translation (e.g., of signs) in 20 more languages, made possible by convolutional neural networks.
For SwiftKey and its millions-strong band of merry typers, neural networks promise to bring faster, more accurate typing regardless of what it has already learned from your language use and other texts. “It’ll know you so well, it will accurately predict your entire sentences, in your tone of voice, based on the situations that you’re in,” the company said.
Last year, news emerged that SwiftKey was working with esteemed physicist Stephen Hawking to help him communicate twice as fast. Indeed, SwiftKey had been working away behind the scenes for two years with Hawking to develop technology specifically for him — the system learns from Hawking and predicts the characters and words he plans to type next based on historical patterns.
With the company’s neural network technology now coming to the fore, we can get a better look at some of the artificial intelligence research that goes on behind the scenes at SwiftKey.
Check out SwiftKey’s official demo video of its new Neural keyboard app.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-vZL3e02SnE&feature=youtu.beTwo months ago, twelve dump trucks bursting with dirt and fill from a downtown Miami construction site made their way to the Everglades Outpost, an animal rescue facility in Florida City.
Barbara Tansey, the facility’s owner and overseer is slowly sifting through the remnants looking for clues. Though volunteers occasionally come to help, at some moments the elderly Tansey is entirely on her own, tirelessly sifting in hopes of revealing any artifact.
It should be mentioned that twelve truckloads is an insane amount of dirt.
Henry Flagler, one of Miami’s most ambitious early twentieth century developers, placed most of that dirt downtown to level out the natural bedrock under the city and expand the borders of his vast property. The land is being taken away from an archeological dig on Third Avenue, right off the mouth of the Miami River. The excavation is being led by South Florida archeologist Bob Carr, who undertook the well-publicized first Miami Circle site that was uncovered in 1998. As the fill is removed, you can see the lines of orange dirt, delineating the earth that Flagler deposited from Jupiter Florida via his famous railroad.
What Carr and his team have uncovered at the going Third Avenue dig site, where plans for an upscale movie theater are in motion, is of great historical significance, with artifacts and remnants spanning thousands of years of Miami history.
In 2005, on the north bank of the Miami River across from the original circle, a second Miami Circle was found. The discovery went relatively unnoticed, though there were some mentions in the press. The second circle, dubbed the “Royal Palm Circle” did not garner the vast attention that the first did. At the time, Carr and his team worked on the Royal Palm Circle site until the economy caused the developer to tighten it’s funding across the board. Both the archeological dig and the development itself were tabled until recently.
The project is called the Metropolitan Miami Complex, and includes multiple buildings in the downtown area including an entertainment complex with the aforementioned upscale movie theater. The developer is MDM Development Group in collaboration with the O’Neal group, whose executive team includes former Miami Heat star Shaquille O’Neal.
This part of the development is located in one of the last vacant lots in downtown Miami. Work has since resumed and the archeological discoveries have proven wonderfully fruitful. Of great interest is the uncovering of a third circle cut into the limestone, which allows Carr and his team to infer that the circles were living spaces for the native Tequesta. The third circle also assumes proof of a well-developed Native American civilization in ancient downtown Miami.
Carr, author of Digging Miami, states there “is another [third] circle cut into the downtown bedrock in addition to a well which appears to be from the Royal Palm Hotel and a freshwater natural spring in the middle of downtown Miami.” It is an exceptional discovery, and Carr says that, “for the first time there is a settlement pattern along the shores of the Miami River and Biscayne Bay.”
The most distinct evidence of this third circle at Third Avenue is the existence of multiple post holes bored into the limestone bedrock and arranged in a circular fashion. The team believes that holes were resting places for wooden posts that would allow the Tequesta to create shelter. They are currently digging up and running tests on the midden found in the holes. Midden is carbon archeological evidence of domestic life, which can consist of anything from wood, skin flakes, to shells, to animal bones and more.
The difference between this third circle and the first more famous Miami Circle is the lack of large stone basins. When initially discovered there was some confusion as to what the initial Miami Circle actually was. This extraordinary find seems to be able to clarify, Carr suggests.
It seems that the Miami Circle may have been a more important dwelling, possibly religious in nature, where as both the second Royal Palm Circle and now the Third Avenue Circle are potentially more standard domestic abodes.
Fascinatingly, the team also uncovered what appears to be the original shoreline of the Miami River in the limestone bedrock, mere feet away from the Third Avenue Circle. The Tequesta probably lived on the banks of the water.
Proof of a flourishing Tequesta village, and the original shoreline, are not the only thing the dig has revealed. Carr’s team has unearthed thousands of artifacts dating as far back as 500 B.C. all the way up to the Royal Palm Hotel, built by Henry Flagler in 1897 and torn down in 1930. There was also a freshwater well, pulling from a natural spring underneath Downtown.
On the far northwest end of the plot, Carr’s team found the outer foundation of the Royal Palm Hotel itself. There are steps leading out of what Carr claims is the ballroom outside to the patio. The steps walking out of what was once the Royal Palm Hotel, much like Henry Flagler once did, are amazingly intact and it is a chilling and inspiring discovery. There are also piles of brick arranged in what appears to be a patio leading out to what would have been a garden space.
The City of Miami, for its part, is aware of the dig and making sure the developer is following every protocol found in Chapter 23 of the city code, which deals with historic preservation and archeological standards. The developer has already completed the approval and permitting process.
According to Luciana Gonzalez at the Historic Preservation Office for Miami, MDM was approved for a Major Use Special Permit in 2005-2006 under the condition that "all efforts will be made to fully document and to preserve [any discoveries] when possible."
Most importantly the developer has agreed to build a private park with public access, which will include the Royal Palm Circle on display and an interpretive plaza. Though the Royal Palm Circle will need to be relocated around 40 feet, the plaza will allow visitors to learn about the lush and diverse history of the mouth of the Miami River, and how the Tequesta lived.
There has been no decision made on what will happen with the foundation of the Royal Palm Hotel or newly discovered Third Avenue Circle. Any artifacts found will go to History Miami.
On the edge of the Everglades, Tansey continues to sift through the mountains of dirt from the site on weekends in hopes of picking up anything the dig might have missed during such a massive operation.
"So far," she states, "we have found a 1909 nickel and some round musket balls that might be from the Seminole Wars. We've got a long way to go."
For More information about Bob Carr and his team, please visit their website. If you are interested in helping Barbara Tansey sift through the remains of ancient Miami, please visit the Everglades Outpost website.Share this article! 16 Pinterest 0 StumbleUpon 0 Reddit 1 Linkedin Tumblr 0 Digg
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Please pause that big-chop video on YouTube, drop those scissors and let’s snap back to reality here. So you want to go natural? You want to begin a hair journey? I hope that you understand that with any journey you need to be highly prepared for the trip. There will be many coils, curls and turns; are you down for the ride? Good, so let’s get real.
TRANSITION OR BIG-CHOP
You have a choice here. You can either wait for that relaxer to leave your hair or you can cut it off. I know it seems so simple. However, it is not. If you’ve read a past article of mine: Reversing the Mistreatment of Black Hair, you’ll understand that the process of transitioning is more than just a physical process. Cutting off that relaxed hair signifies the beginning of your transition. You have much to learn my curly-headed grasshopper. You’ll probably spend some days throwing out useless hair products and hopefully donating some to your fellow curly heads. There will single strand knots and in some cases a second big chop. In short, you’re never finished with transitioning because there is no end to this hair journey. Come on, you told me you were down for the ride, so let me help you make this ride lifelong.
NEW BEST FRIENDS
If you were anything like me before going natural, your flatiron was your homie. I didn’t let a day go by without flat ironing my hair; I would even run it through my hair multiple times a day. You can still bring your flatiron along with you on this journey. Here’s the beauty of natural hair, you can rock a multitude of styles without the addition of a relaxer. However, you will not use it in excess. Heat damage and journeying like drunk driving is illegal on this trip. Why give your hair a bad hangover with all of those limp curls? Flatiron your hair responsibly, it is your new “frenemy”.
I hope you’re grabbing that Blue Magic hair grease so you can throw it in the trash. Now I know you’re mighty proud of your colorful collection of Blue Magic hair grease, but sister you will not be doing your hair a favor. There are so many adverse ingredients in hair greases like Blue Magic; it is as though you’re reading the ingredient list of a cleaning product. You already know my rule of thumb, you can’t read the first five on the list, don’t even buy it. No worries, on this journey you’ll discover a world of new products that will be a lot less harmful, you might make your own products, who knows.
The skinny comb has to go to. Have you ever heard the expression, that hair was so rough it broke all of the teeth in comb? Let’s flip that statement. That comb was so weak it got all of its teeth knocked out. You’ve got to start using the right detangling tools, with natural hair it’s not really about “combing”. You want to focus more on detangling so you can get rid of single strand knots, shed hair, and loosen matted hair. That means that you’ll be using your fingers a lot, and you will take your time and patiently detangle your hair using a conditioner for the right amount of slip.
SHRINKAGE GALORE
Check the weather forecast because there will be plenty of rain, some from your hair and a few from your eyes. So you took out these lovely braids, your hair appears to be shoulder length. You cry sweet tears of joy, you pull out the tape measure, and you take lovely pictures showing off that length in front of a mirror. But the time has come to wash your hair. You step in the shower with shoulder length hair and step out of the shower with a TWA. You may ask yourself, what happened? Well shrinkage, that’s what happened. Depending upon your hair texture, you might experience more shrinkage than other curly heads. It’s not the end of the world, so don’t you pack your bags and say you’re going back because of shrinkage.
In my opinion, shrinkage is a sign of healthy hair. If you can pull that strand of hair and it bounces back into its place, you have a head of strong elastic curls. As briefly highlighted earlier, damaged hair tends to have an assortment of limp curls, think of overcooked spaghetti noodles. However, if you’re not a fan of your shrinkage, there are many ways you can “stretch” it or elongate it. You can try African threading, you can wear braid outs, twist outs, bantu-knot outs, you can even band your hair as a substitute for threading. So don’t let shrinkage deter you.
PEOPLE WILL JUDGE YOU
Get ready to be mocked. I’ve had mean comments made about my twist outs, and my choice of just letting my hair do its own thing. Don’t transform into a “Natural Nazi” however, just understand that people who judge your natural hair really don’t know much about natural hair care. They probably expect you to wear a perfectly sphered afro every day |
, Rwanda, on Saturday, May 23; kickoff is set for 6:30 a.m. (Pacific). The second leg will take place at Nakivubo War Memorial Stadium in Kampala, Uganda on Sunday, May 31. The winner of the home-and-away series will move on to face Egypt in the third round of CAF U-23 Championship qualifying.
A total of eight teams will qualify to play in the final CAF U-23 Championship tournament, including host-nation Senegal. The 2015 CAF U-23 Championship tournament acts as a qualifier for the 2016 Summer Olympics, with the top three teams from the tournament qualifying for the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Rubasha made his debut for the Rwanda U-23 National Team in a 2-0 victory over Somalia on April 25 in a CAF U-23 Championship qualifying first-round match. The midfielder has made nine appearances (5 starts) for the Timbers U-18s during the 2014-15 U.S. Soccer Development Academy season.Republican Costa Mesa councilman Allan Mansoor filed a federal lawsuit today alleging an unknown party hijacked his personal website and converted it into X-rated reviews of pornographic movies.
According to Mansoor, his ownership of www.AllanMansoor.com expired in Dec. 2015 without his knowledge and it was acquired by “John Doe,” who didn’t change the domain name but rather “despicably” added an online title: “Allan’s Adult Reviews: Best Porn Site.”
In 2016, the new site posted reviews of Real Wife Stories, Brazzers Vault, Backroom Facials and Ass Parade.
“Watch some of your favorite porn stars getting down and dirty with well hung guys in the movies,” the review for Brazzers Vault states. “These ladies moan and groan with pleasure and they ensure that they guys get their all when they are down to business.”
[I’ve omitted more risqué language.]
The 52-year-old Mansoor, who was elected to the council in November following a stint in the state assembly, thinks he has an idea who might be disparaging “his good name.”
“Each of plaintiff’s political campaigns was contentiously fought, and in more than 12 years’ of holding public office, as well as in his prior career as an Orange County sheriff’s deputy, he has been outspoken on many controversial public issues,” Mansoor attorney Chad D. Morgan of Corona wrote in the trademark infringement lawsuit. “While plaintiff has many supporters, he also has many detractors. There are many people, known and unknown, who would like to embarrass him as retribution for his public actions.”
The conservative politician’s detractors certainly include immigrant rights activists. During previous service on the city council, Mansoor advocated a law enforcement policy that made Costa Mesa inhospitable to undocumented foreign workers, declaring the region “a rule of law city.” His stance won praise in right-wing circles nationwide.
Because the councilman claims the altering of his website has caused him “to suffer embarrassment, humiliation, shame, mortification and other forms of mental and emotional distress,” he is seeking financial damages as well as renewed control over the domain.
Inside Orange County’s Ronald Reagan Federal Courthouse, a judge hasn’t yet been selected to preside.No one likes a tie. Canada lost to South Africa to start, then drew with the Americans but it really should have been a win.
No one likes a tie.
Canada lost to South Africa to start, then drew with the Americans but it really should have been a win.
In the opening match vs. South Africa, it wasn’t really that Canada played badly, it’s just that South Africa were so much better. They’re the series leaders, after all.
Canada controlled possession for much of the first half vs. South Africa, but two quick turnovers for the Blitzbokke led to two breakaway tries. The Canadians just could keep up.
The final score went 33-7 to for South Africa, who look hot favourites to make the upper end of the cup round. Phil Mack grabbed a late score for Canada, in his 50th tournament. (SA beat Wales as well on day one.)
“I think the boys are a bit disappointed with our performance against South Africa,” Phil Mack said at the end of day one. “But they are a dangerous team if they catch you behind the gain line that’s what happened in the first half.”
In the second game of the day, Canada and the USA played another epic. The final score was 26-26, though Canada had a chance to win late. It was a strong performance by the Canadians, who came back from a 26-7 deficit. The Canadians played to their strengths, keeping the ball well and stopping the Americans when needed in the second half.
Perry Baker had two tries for the Americans, Zack Test had opened the game’s scoring and Martin Iosefo put the Americans up two scores going into half time.
The Canadians got a solitary score from Admir Cejvanovic in the first half to keep them in the game. After the Americans went three tries ahead, a powerful fightback was started by a patented swerving try-scoring run from Conor Trainor. The big centre was used as a sub in both games and his impact was immediate both times – it was his rucking work which set up Mack’s try vs. South Africa. Nathan Hirayama scored the third try in the corner and then nailed the tough touch line conversion, setting up a dramatic final minute or so.
Canada tied the game when Mack scampered across the line again. Hirayama just missed the conversion, moments after he’d just scored a converted try to pull Canada within a score.
Hirayama’s score came minutes after Conor Trainor, fresh into his first game since December, began Canada’s comeback.
Even after Mack’s tying score, Canada had possession and looked set to pull off a big win. They had two chances: they could have taken a penalty kick attempt for the win. Instead they took a quick-tap penalty, and tried to move the ball wide. An outside defender for the Americans tried to block the pass, causing a knock-on. The referee could have called for it to be an intentional knock-on and thus a penalty, but he didn’t. The game was over.
“I don’t think either team is ever happy with a tie,” Mack said.
Captain John Moonlight said his team’s second half performance was something to build on in the vital final game vs. Wales on Saturday, though he expressed some frustration about how the final result vs. the Americans came about. “We had them on the back food,” he said.
“I thought it was an intentional knockon, but we have to leave the judgments to the officials,” he said. Moonlight was the man out on the wing, waiting for the pass from Harry Jones.
There was also an earlier chance where a rampaging Adam Zaruba got over the line but couldn’t hold on to the ball as he tried to ground it. On the other side of the ball, the Americans well and truly took their chances. Perry Baker proved again what a threat he is, scoring a pair of tries which saw him go the length – and more than the length – of the field.
Baker scored one try after starting practically on his own goal line: he made a deft chip towards the right touch line and the final bounce sat up perfectly for the speedster, just short of the halfway line. There was no catching him. His second score came early in the second half and saw him elude Canada’s rush defence, which wouldn’t be notable but for the fact he was deep inside the American end zone, practically on the dead ball line, when we was able to elude the on-rushing Zaruba.
Canada plays Wales at 2:08 p.m PT on Saturday. A big win, coupled with a big loss for the Americans vs. South Africa will see them into the cup quarters. Canada’s point differential is currently -26, while the Americans are +7.
MACK HAPPY TO MARK HIS FIFTIETH IN NORTH AMERICA
Thanks to Curtis Reed of This is American Rugby for grabbing some thoughts from Phil Mack at the end of the day.
“The 50th in North America is pretty special,” he said after the 26-26 draw.
“But I want wins more than anything, that’s why I’ve stuck around for as long as I have, I love competing, I want to win.”
pjohnston@postmedia.com
twitter.com/risingaction
facebook.com/tryandtackleDoug Starnes dissects Saturday’s draw against Ottawa Fury FC. As always, you can follow Doug and/or shake your fist at him on Twitter at @GrassInTheSky1.
If you braved the weather Saturday to support Indy Eleven at The Mike, good on you. I’m sure a win would have warmed your bones a little more than did the draw, but imagine how cold you would have felt had Nemanja Vukovic not smashed home that equalizer? Hoth cold, that’s how cold.
The match was interesting in that it forced Indy to chase a goal by changing their formation and tactics. In so doing, Hankinson may have discovered some useful alternatives to the way the team has thus far been set up to begin matches. I’m not suggesting that the 4-2-3-1 will suddenly be scrapped in favor of a more attacking formation, but their were a number of adjustments to the side in the second half Saturday – in role, personnel, and formation – that jump started the Eleven’s attack and led to the late goal.
4-2-3-1 Status Report
I imagine not a small number of Eleven supporters are unconvinced that this formation is the best way forward (pun intended). Through two-and-a-half matches, the 4-2-3-1 (with an unchanged lineup) has not produced much of substance in attack. It’s been difficult for the team to combine with Éamon Zayed and much of the team’s attacking play has centered around playing Duke Lacroix in down the flank and then trying to catch up. With Brad Ring and Nicki Paterson playing as dual pivots, the numbers getting into the attacking third in a timely manner are somewhat limited. On Saturday, Paterson seemed to have a little more license to get forward – he was even the Eleven player closest to the goal in the 18th minute when Braun’s header led to a half chance inside the Ottawa six-yard box – but that amount of box-to-box running is tough to maintain and can lead to dangerous counterattacking moments if your team is not especially adept at maintaining possession in transition.
The real problem for Indy in the current 4-2-3-1 is that they cannot bring their front four players into the match in any meaningful or consistent way. With limited options going forward, opponents can sit in their defensive shape and let Indy give them back the ball with forced passes or long balls.
Long story short, I’d expect the 4-2-3-1, or at least its current iteration, to be on a fairly short leash.
Ottawa Goal
Expanding on my previous point regarding Nicki Paterson getting forward more in Saturday’s match, it’s a bit of a double-edged sword. In the Tampa Bay match, with Paterson and Ring sitting behind the front four as dedicated numbers six, it’s much easier for the two of them to balance one another and keep the game in front of them. With Paterson playing more like a number eight on Saturday, Ring had a more complicated job with concern to balancing Paterson, especially in transition moments.
On Ottawa’s goal, as Julian de Guzman switched fields from Indy’s right to left with a square pass to Rafael Alves, Ring made a bending run through the center circle from right to left as he started to follow the next ball from Alves to Idan Vered. In the Tampa Bay match, with Ring and Paterson playing as dual sixes, one could reasonably expect Paterson to be sitting behind Ring in a more central position. On Saturday, as Ring started to make his recovery run, he realized too late that Paterson was in fact just as high as he was and well to the Indy’s left. Because of this, Vered was able to play Gerardo Bruna, who had ghosted into the space behind Ring and Paterson, with the killer pass of the move.
So far, the 4-2-3-1 has been tough to break down, but if the answer is to allow Paterson license to play box-to-box, Indy will be perhaps more prone to exposure in transition moments than they might otherwise be with a tweak of formation or the roles of the front four players.
Dylan Mares? Or Two Strikers?
It’s unfortunate that Siniša Ubiparipović picked up a hamstring injury and had to leave the match at the beginning of the second half, but Dylan Mares stepped in and arguably became the most influential player in the match. If you compare Ubiparipović’s statistics to those of Mares, the difference is interesting.
Ubiparipović :
51 minutes played
22 touches
9/11 passing
1 Chance created
Pass direction – 18.2% forward, 36.4% left, 36.4% right, 9.1% backwards
Mares :
39 minutes played
28 touches
14/18 passing
1 chance created
Pass direction – 38.9% forward, 11.1% left, 22.2% right, 27.8 backwards
I’ve bolded what I believe to be the really important statistic here, but there are others that are certainly worth noting. The fact that Mares had more touches and was on the ball more than Ubiparipović in fairly significantly fewer minutes is interesting.
Before you get all “Team Ubi” or “Team Mares” on me, let’s talk about what those statistics actually reflect. I don’t believe it’s that Mares is a more dynamic attacking player than is Ubiparipović. They’re both good, but they bring different skills and abilities to the match.
If you look closely at Mares’s statistics, he didn’t really start to catch fire until around the 70th minute. Prior to that, Mares was a straight swap for Ubiparipović in the 4-2-3-1 and he didn’t do much. In the 63rd minute, Jair Reinoso came on for Justin Braun and things started to get interesting. This, however, was not a straight swap. Indy shifted their formation to accommodate Reinoso as a second striker and moved into a 4-4-2 with Mares playing on the right side of a midfield diamond that included Brad Ring at the base, Nicki Paterson at the point, and Duke Lacroix on the left. Suddenly there were options forward and Indy started to look more dangerous.
In the 74th minute, Don Smart came on for Duke Lacroix and another formation shift followed. Vukovic and Smart became left and right wing backs, respectively, and Mares was moved to a number ten role behind Reinoso and Zayed. In this role, he staked a legitimate claim to player of the game. I think Ubiparipović would have as well.
The shift worth noting – and I think what Hankinson will be mulling over moving forward – was the addition of a second striker. Whether in a 4-4-2 or a 3-5-2, a second threat playing off of Zayed opened up many more options in advance of the midfield that simply were not there in the Tampa Bay match and much of the game versus Ottawa.
Takeaways
This is a work in progress, but I’m sure Hankinson took some valuable lessons from Saturday’s match with concern to Indy’s attacking play. It’s likely too early in the season to completely scrap some form of the 4-2-3-1, but the danger Indy presented once they shifted to a two forward system cannot be denied. If the team continues to struggle to create chances in the 4-2-3-1 with which they’ve started the first two matches of the season, the systems deployed at the end of Saturday’s match will likely inform any changes that are made.A social worker who falsely accused an innocent father of abusing his six-year-old daughter was allowed to continue working with vulnerable children, it has emerged.
Suzi Smith alleged during a custody battle that she had seen Jonathan Coupland, 53, attack his child.
The accusation – made while she was ‘really, really angry’ – led to him being handcuffed in front of neighbours, thrown into a cell and banned from seeing his daughter. The Daily Mail revealed the case in April, and since then a disciplinary hearing has found Mrs Smith guilty of misconduct and ruled that her fitness to practise is impaired.
Jonathan Coupland was falsely accused of abusing his daughter, Jessica, by a social worker Suzi Smith was allowed to continue working with vulnerable children
But she was not struck off or suspended. Instead, she was given a three-year caution order, which means she can continue to work with the most vulnerable children.
It has also emerged that she was allowed to continue working as a social worker after making the false accusation.
Last night, Mr Coupland told of his anger that Mrs Smith was permitted to carry on working with children. ‘I am shaking with rage,’ he said. ‘I feel disgusted. It is unbelievable. I was arrested for sexually assaulting the most precious thing in my life. Once you are tarred with that brush, that is it. People where I live think I am a paedophile.
‘But she was working with children again – the one place I would never want her to work again. She even got a promotion. What has she got now? Just a slap on the wrist. No parent or child should go through what my family has gone through. No sanction will ever be strong enough for her.’
Mrs Smith, 53, admitted making the ‘horrific mistake’ and was sacked early last year from her job with Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, which represents children in the family courts.
She was jobless between February and June 2013, but from July 2013 until January 2014, was employed by an agency to work with children for Southampton City Council, where she dealt with issues of child protection and adoption.
Mrs Smith, 53, admitted making the ‘horrific mistake’ and was sacked early last year from her job with Cafcass, the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service, which represents children in the family courts; but from July 2013 until January 2014, she was employed by an agency to work with children for Southampton City Council, where she dealt with issues of child protection and adoption
The disciplinary hearing at the Health and Care Professions Council, in Kennington, South London, was told she was even given a promotion and did three other stints of agency work as a social worker for local councils until January, when she had to stop working in the run-up to her disciplinary case. Mr Coupland, from Spalding, Lincolnshire, raised his daughter alone after splitting from her mother. The former painter and decorator has fought a lengthy custody battle.
In January 2012, Mrs Smith made a home visit and apparently clashed with Mr Coupland. Subsequently, she wrote the damning case note while she was ‘really, really angry’.
She claimed she had witnessed Mr Coupland stroking his daughter inappropriately – which he has always denied and she now admits did not happen.
Later, Mr Coupland was arrested at home on suspicion of sexual assault and questioned for about ten hours. He claims officers threatened to put his daughter in temporary care before he begged them to place her with his mother.
At the time of making that record Mrs Smith was in a mood Mrs Smith husband Tim said
The following day, Mr Coupland was told there would be no further action. Mrs Smith had been interviewed by officers and retracted what she had previously claimed.
Cafcass, which is funded by the Department of Justice, sacked Mrs Smith and paid Mr Coupland £86,000 in damages.
Mrs Smith’s husband Tim, who represented her at the hearing, said she was overworked when she made her initial record about Mr Coupland touching his daughter.
‘She immediately retracted that with the police,’ he said. ‘At the time of making that record Mrs Smith was in a mood. She was working 14 hours a day and had something like 40 cases on the go. There is no other explanation apart from it was just a horrific mistake.’ Mrs Smith said she had learned from what happened. ‘I have tried to establish a better work-life balance to make sure I am not overworked and that each of my cases get the attention they deserve,’ she told the hearing. She said she was ‘taking time to do less work but more accurate work’.
Mrs Smith has previously apologised to Mr Coupland and said she was put under pressure by police to stick to what she initially wrote that he had done. Panel chairman Stephen Fash said Mrs Smith had ‘overstated’ what she thought she had observed. The panel found she made the false allegation, but did not do so dishonestly.It was clear that in order to make a compressed 48 game NHL season work this year league organizers were going to be in tough. Their solution was simple: no games outside of the team’s respective conferences. For the most part, this will limit extensive travel and allow for teams to deal better with a more condensed schedule. But sadly it also means that unless a team makes to it to the Stanley Cup final they will only play half of the teams in the league. Here are some of the key match-ups that hockey fans will miss during the 2013 NHL season.
Toronto – Detroit
Two of the most historic and successful teams in hockey history. Although only the latter has the colour photographs to prove it. This game is usually preceded by some sort of historic pre game show. Usually as part of the NHL’s Hall of Fame night. This adds a beneficial aura that surrounds the game from puck drop. It is well documented that the Leafs have certain games that they step it up for. This would include games against Montreal, Ottawa, early on in the season and once they are eliminated from the playoffs. However, Detroit is also one of those teams and therefore this game is always competitive and entertaining. It is the kind of game that does the players honoured in the pre-game ceremonies proud.
Vancouver – Boston
It has been two years since these two teams faced off for hockey’s ultimate prize. But between these two teams the mantra of “forgive and forget” has certainly not been adopted by either of these team. It is rendered evident by the way that these games play out that neither of these teams want to lose, whether it is a meaningless regular season battle or not. While it is unclear whether this rivalry would have had the same lustre as it did last season with two years separating its inception. However, it is very possible that this rivalry will endure until none of few of the players on each current roster remain. This is the kind of rivalry but that not only has bark, but if you ask Alex Burrows it has a little bite as well.
New Jersey – Minnesota
To say Zach Parise has meant a lot to the New Jersey Devil’s organization would be an understatement. Last year at this time he was the Captain of a Devils team that would eventually go all the way to the Stanley Cup Final. However, when Minnesota dumped boat loads of money at him this offseason it only made sense for Parise to return to his hometown. While the game will grow in Minnesota this will be a tough pill for the Devils, and their market, to swallow. Should this game have happened this year it would be interesting to see what reaction the Devils, and their fanbase, have towards Parise.
New York Islanders – Edmonton
Two teams who have been as of late some of the worst in the entire league. Both have struggled to string together a solid season for some time now. In fact Last Word writer Russel “Big Mick” Mackenzie recently listed the Islanders and number one in teams we feel most sorry for in the NHL. So why then, might you ask, is this listed as one of the top games we will be missing out on with no cross-conference games? The future. Both teams, the Oilers especially, have a solid crop of dynamic young players. In the 1980’s these two teams were the best around and their battles for hockey’s ultimate prize established a resounding rivalry. It will not happen in the near future, but someday these two teams could once again be hockey’s elite. This game would have been a preview.
New York Rangers – Columbus
Since being drafted into the Columbus Blue Jacket’s organization, Rick Nash has been the face of the franchise. For years Nash was a shining light in the darkness that was a mismanaged Blue Jackets hockey club. Simply sticking around for as long has he did was exemplary. However, with age starting to become a factor Nash was intelligent enough to realize that he wasn’t going to get anywhere near a championship with the Jackets. The New York Rangers were the most promising option for Nash and he will soon find himself in a new shade of red white and blue. This season a return to play the only organisation he had ever known will not happen. This is a shame as it would have been intriguing to see how Brandon Dubinsky reacted when playing his former teammates.
Montreal – Minnesota
For many this will be the biggest surprise on this list. However, its addition is certainly warranted even if it isn’t the most recognizable. This game the last two seasons has become the weirdest game on the NHL schedule, hands down. Two years ago Montreal beat the Wild 8-1 in a game that included PK Subban’s only NHL hat trick. One of the goals included Subban harnessing his inner Mo Farrah as he did laps around the Wild zone before putting the puck in off the skate of a Minnesota defender. Last years game was even more bizarre, the two teams jawed and scraped like old rivals. Ryan White was at the centre of it all, the smallest contact with Price saw White fight with an unsuspecting Wild player. Furthermore, with the game on the line in the shootout Devin Setoguchi slipped on an imaginary banana peal. It would have been interesting to see how these two teams could have done to make this years game ever more obscure.
Overall, the majority of the rivalries in the NHL have are created based on proximity. However, especially among teams who have Stanley Cup familiarities there is certainly some animosity. History, especially when the league only had 6 teams, also contribute to the importance of East versus West games. While this is the correct move for the NHL scheduling staff, although the Jets will certainly argue, it will be difficult for fans. More then ever fans of the NHL will feel isolated from one half of the league. This will be most applicable among fans who are exclusive to one NHL team. One things for certain, fans won’t be forced to suffer through another Islanders- Jackets game this upcoming season. For that we can all be thankful.
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Main Photo Credit: inyung, Flickr ccWhat’s the craziest thing that happened to you in flight?
Crazy is not a word I like to associate with flight; I like to keep it all predictable and safe. However, if I had to think of some hairy moments where things might not have gone well should we have not acted decisively, I guess I can think of a few instances.
Like, while shooting over the frozen shoreline of Chicago one winter, I spotted a flock of geese up ahead; we were going to hit head on, so had to break it off that shoot for a while. On the last shoot in Colorado, the subject plane lost its engine. We had to break off for a while they dealt with the issue. So I just waited in radio silence until they had it under control. They managed to get the engine restarted after five mins or so, and I let them make the decision whether or not to continue the shoot.
These are just day to day incidents that you need to drill for, and you just get on with it. This type of photography is inherently dangerous. You simply have to limit and manage the risks as much as possible and then base your decisions to go or not go based on what you know. I have flown to the USA a couple of times filming the journey. When you do that sort of Europe to USA trip in a small single engine aircraft, there is a point in that route over the North Atlantic near Greenland where, should you have an engine failure, no-one is coming to get you. Due to the remote area, you are well out of range of any emergency helicopter. Should you have to ditch in the ocean, you are dead for sure, having around 13mins of useful consciousness in the sea and even with the survival suits on you will only have say 4-6 hours at best. It's best not to think about those things when you are doing the job.But in the politically suicidal greenhouse that Republicans have constructed for themselves, these cities are not welcome. They are disparaged as nests of latte-sipping weenies, alt-lifestyle types and “other” Americans, somehow inauthentic.
If that’s what Republicans want, they are doomed to be the party of yesterday.
Not only are we becoming more urban as a nation, but we’re headed for an ethnic muddle that could further shrink the party of small-mindedness. By 2023, more than half of all American children will be minority, the Census Bureau projects.
Photo
Ronald Reagan was lashed by liberals for running a “Morning in America” campaign, but he knew this country, at heart, was always tomorrow-looking — and he fared very well in educated cities as well as small towns. “Whatever else history may say about me when I’m gone,” said Reagan, “I hope it will record that I appealed to your best hopes, not your worst fears.” Barack Obama, who brings that music to the stage, leads by 30 points on the “hope and optimism” question in polls.
Spurning the Reagan lesson, John McCain made a fatal error in turning his campaign over to the audience of Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. In so doing, he chose the unbearable lightness of being Sarah Palin, trotted out Paris Hilton and labeled Obama a socialist who associates with terrorists.
At a recent Palin rally, the crowd started chanting, “We want Fox!” McCain has given them just that. But how isolated and out-of-touch is this audience? At the end of each debate, a sure-fire way to decide who won was to look at the Fox viewers poll — typically showing a landslide for McCain. Within a day, scientific surveys found big wins for Obama.
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Whether Americans are real or fake, they can see through Palin, a woman who couldn’t correctly answer a third grader a few days ago when asked to explain the duties of vice president. Somewhere, between the shuffling to costume and accessorize Palin with a $150,000 wardrobe, her handlers never handed her a copy of the Constitution.
Republicans blow off the smart cities with the counterargument that they win the exurbs — the frontier of new homes, young families and the fresh middle class. And it’s true, in 2004, George Bush won 97 of the 100 fastest-growing counties in America.
That will not happen this year. Polls show McCain is losing 20 percent of self-described moderate Republicans. And new registration figures and other polls indicate that Obama will likely win such iconic exurban centers as Washoe County, Nev., Loudoun County, Va., and Wake County, N.C.
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But in the kind of pattern that has held true since McCain went over to the stupid side, his brother recently referred to suburban northern Virginia as “communist country” and a top adviser, Nancy Pfotenhauer, said it was not “real Virginia.”
Here in Seattle, it’s become a one-party city, with a congressman for life and nodding-head liberals who seldom challenge a tax-loving city government. It would be nice, just to keep the philosophical debate sharp, if there were a few thoughtful Republicans around.
That won’t happen so long as Republicans continue to be the party of yesterday. They’ve written the cities off. Fake Americans don’t count, but this Election Day, for once, they will not feel left out.Roberto Gutierrez first heard about "Serial" from a friend who told him about the captivating podcast that raised questions about a 15-year-old murder case in his hometown and someone even closer to him — his late mother.
He tuned in to the series and heard the narrator describe how M. Cristina Gutierrez, once one of Baltimore's most respected criminal defense lawyers, did not focus on evidence that many now believe could have kept her client, Adnan Syed, from being sentenced to life in prison.
Roberto then saw rumors on social media that his mother was an alcoholic. Some speculated that she had thrown the case.
Gutierrez, who lives in Seattle, now says he wants to defend his mother and her legacy. In an interview with The Baltimore Sun, he said he wants people to have a fuller picture of his mother, how she was dedicated to her job and that she was suffering from health problems at the time of the Syed case, which may have affected her decision-making.
The health issues, which included multiple sclerosis and diabetes, ultimately led to her death in 2004.
Courtesy Roberto Gutierrez Roberto Gutierrez, son of Cristina Gutierrez. Roberto Gutierrez, son of Cristina Gutierrez. (Courtesy Roberto Gutierrez)
Syed has made Cristina Gutierrez the focal point of his argument for a new trial. In a filing with the Court of Special Appeals, Maryland's second-highest court, Syed contends she provided him "ineffective" legal counsel.
"If my mom didn't give him a good defense, I hope he gets a good defense," Roberto Gutierrez said. "I know that was her intention. She really loved her job."
Syed, now 34, is serving a life sentence in a Western Maryland prison after a jurors convicted him in the strangling death of his ex-girlfriend, fellow Woodlawn High School classmate Hae Min Lee, 18, on Jan. 13, 1999.
Sarah Koenig, a former Sun reporter, produced and narrated Serial, a podcast that's an offshoot of the "This American Life" public radio program. While working at The Sun, Koenig wrote about Cristina Gutierrez's disbarment and voluntary resignation from the bar in 2001, a year after she represented Syed.
Clients had complained that Gutierrez did not follow their instructions and lied to them about their cases. Investigators also found that clients' money in a trust account had gone missing. She did not fight the allegations.
In 2010, a U.S. district judge ruled that Gutierrez failed to offer John Joseph Merzbacher, a Catholic school teacher, a 10-year plea deal in a child rape case in the 1990s. The mistake formed the basis of his appeal and nearly set him free from a life sentence until an appellate court stepped in.
Syed's appeal is based on a similar claim. He said Gutierrez didn't speak to an alibi witness who could have cleared him. Instead, Syed said, she told him that she had "looked into it and nothing came out of it," according to a court filing.
Syed also asked Gutierrez to inquire about a possible plea deal. Syed wanted to consider his options in part because he knew his alibi was not going to be used, his court filing said. Syed said Gutierrez told him that prosecutors weren't offering a plea deal, but prosecutors say they never had such discussions.
"I'm not going to defend my mom if she didn't do her job," Roberto Gutierrez said. "If there is evidence in the trial that wasn't brought up, I think he definitely should get a retrial."
He said his mother's illness could have impaired her mentally. "But if she was coherent and she didn't use evidence in a case — there was probably a reason for that," he said.
Gutierrez, 29, a Loch Raven High School graduate, was in middle school during Syed's case. He said he doesn't remember any details about his mother's work.
But he does remember that she worked long hours and treated clients as if they were family. He said he often interacted with them.
And he remembers that she took losses hard.
"Toward the end, I asked her about that," Roberto Gutierrez said. "I said what was toughest about her job, and she said 'losing.'
"She used to be a public defender, and she really wanted justice to happen. She saw the dis-representation of minorities, and with her being a minority, she saw her job as providing a good defense."
Her fierceness was evident in an episode of Serial that included audio from Syed's trial. She could be heard questioning a witness in a shrill tone.
"She was one of those people who, if it looks like you are sunk in a criminal defense as a defendant, you wanted a pit bull and Cristina Gutierrez was who you wanted," said Byron L. Warnken, a University of Baltimore School of Law professor.
She successfully defended a schoolteacher accused of having sex with a student and two mothers accused of killing their children. Gutierrez was the first Hispanic female who was counsel of record in a case before the U.S. Supreme Court, Warnken said.
It was one of two cases she tried before the high court, said Warnken, who worked on one of them and also taught Gutierrez.
One case pitted the state's authority to protect children against a mother's constitutional rights not to incriminate herself. Gutierrez represented a woman who didn't fully cooperate with social workers seeking to know the whereabouts of her son.
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled in 1990 that the woman could not use her Fifth Amendment right and that she had an obligation to allow authorities to see her son because she shared custody with the state.
Then a state court again asked about the boy's whereabouts. Gutierrez told her client not to answer — a bold position to stake, which state lawyers argued defied the Supreme Court ruling.
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foundation that the Koch brothers have built has invested in the power of ideas. They’ve invested in the power of ground games. They’ve invested in the power of lifting people up.
That’s kinda hard to believe, considering that the Republicans they support were responsible for gutting the Voting Rights Act, which is the thing that Martin Luther King Jr. fought so hard for to ensure that states allowed people to vote regardless of race, by removing Section 5, which required that states have to run all their new voting laws by the federal government first, to ensure that they’re up to snuff. Chief Justice John Roberts said that “our country has changed” – meaning that we’re all past racism and so we don’t need all these blanket protections anymore. Well, clearly he was wrong, because pretty much the second the Voting Rights Act was changed, eight states instituted new voting laws that disenfranchised a bunch of people – namely, people of color who would likely vote Democrat. So, lifting people up involves taking away their voice in the political process?
What’s more, while there’s a female Republican candidate in Fiorina, and a Latino candidate in Marco Rubio, the current Republican front-runner is apparently Donald freaking Trump, which goes to show how ready Republican voters are to fight for change and the disenfranchised. I guess having a reality show and owning hotels has its privileges?
And that’s really what this is all about. Privilege. Specifically white privilege, male privilege, and good ol’ fashioned class privilege. The Koch Brothers may be working really hard to fix their public image and make themselves over into teddy bears who really care about people. But the fact of the matter is, they put their enormous funds behind candidates who take people’s rights away and actively work to keep poor people in their place.
The American people know hypocrisy when they see it. I hope.
(via Jezebel; Image via DonkeyHotey on Flickr)
—Please make note of The Mary Sue’s general comment policy.—
Do you follow The Mary Sue on Twitter, Facebook, Tumblr, Pinterest, & Google +?Are hockey and skating unrivaled when hosted outdoors?
“I think you wrapped it up right there. Just write that: ‘Hockey in its purest form,’” answered Preds forward Craig Smith after he was posed with the above question.
A Wisconsin native, Smith, like many of his teammates, is used to the cold winters of the northern United States and Canada - geographical environments conducive to the conditions which helped hockey and ice skating originate in North America hundreds of years ago. Following Nashville’s practice on Friday, to a man, the Predators asked to recall childhood memories from skating under the sky said there’s nothing better.
“Even if you’re only skating, it’s still incredible to be outside,” Smith said. “I just remember it being extremely quiet out there. You’re just moving around, and I always feel like I’m skating faster when I’m outside.
“It’s a different atmosphere, the world is going on around you. You can see it all happening, it’s just really neat. Especially when it’s at night and you can get the lights shining on you too, it’s like a baseball field covered in ice under the lights.”
For many Middle Tennessean Predators fans, however, skating outdoors is traditionally unfeasible. Whether due to Nashville’s climate or the lack of freezing temperatures for any prolonged period of time; hockey, in its purest form, remains elusive. But for fans who have always wanted to feel the open air as they glide along on a frozen sheet, the chance has arrived.
In association with the upcoming 2016 NHL® All-Star Weekend in January, the NHL and Nashville Local Organizing Committee will officially open the IntelliCentrics Ice Rink this Saturday afternoon prior to the Predators contest that evening against the Avalanche. The rink, part of Bridgestone Winter Park, will be open through All-Star Weekend, which culminates on Jan. 31 with the 2016 NHL® All-Star Game at Bridgestone Arena.
Predators Head Coach Peter Laviolette grew reminiscent when discussing the rink at Winter Park and the one several hundred miles northeast he used to frequent while growing up in Massachusetts:
“My family owned a grocery store and my grandfather lived next door and there was a pond behind the grocery store,” Laviolette said. “It looked like a rink, it was double the size of a rink, but the same shape. My grandfather put a telephone pole down there and hung some lights off of it and we would literally go out on that pond on a Saturday, we’d get there at 9 in the morning and he would start flicking the lights at 10 o’clock at night and you had five minutes to get out of there. If you weren’t out in five minutes, you had to climb that hill up to the parking lot at the grocery store in the dark and it was a treacherous climb, so everybody scrambled when the lights started to flicker. But I spent hours and hours playing outdoor hockey.
“That’s where most of the kids spent their time. There was less to do, there were less [video games] and computers and electronics and kids going a million different directions now; back then, you were looking for something to do and why not go out and play pond hockey all day? You found so many kids on the ponds just having fun, and that’s the greatest thing about pond hockey. It’s not about referees, it’s not about stress, it’s not about having to win or lose, it’s just about having fun.”
The IntelliCentrics Ice Rink at Bridgestone Winter Park carries a similar goal to the Laviolette’s pond. The desire to provide enjoyment to skaters and hockey players alike by allowing the chance to play on a pond-sized rink outdoors. That’s an experience that’s meant so much to Preds players and their head coach over the years.
“There’s nothing better than being outside, that’s basically where I learned to skate at a rink next to my house. There’s just nothing like it,” winger Eric Nystrom said.
“It’s going to be pretty cool, and I had a chance to play in the first NHL outdoor game so it’s always fun to be outside and it’s totally different,” center Mike Ribeiro said of the IntelliCentrics Ice Rink. “I’m sure there’s a lot of people who will be skating on it, and I think it’s just nice to be outside and experience it.”Understanding AOT and Dynamic Components in Angular 2
Sean Landsman Blocked Unblock Follow Following Dec 8, 2016
ag-Grid is an enterprise datagrid that works with Angular 2. As ag-Grid works with many frameworks, the internals of the grid had to allow for Angular 2 rendering inside the grid despite ag-Grid not being written in Angular itself. This was done using Angular 2 Dynamic Components and we managed to do it while still supporting AOT. This blog details what we learnt along the way.
The Setup
To explain we present a simple sample application that isolates what we are trying to do. In our example below we are going to develop two main Modules — one will be a Library (in our case this was ag-Grid) that will display an array of dynamically created Components (similar to how ag-Grid displays Angular components inside the grid’s cells), and the other will be our actual Application.
The end result will be look like this:
You can find all the code for this example over at GitHub, and the live example over at GitHub.io
One further note — when we return to “user” below, we are referring to a user (or client) of the Library we’re writing.
The Library
Our Library is going to be a simple one — all it does is display an array of dynamically created Angular 2 Components. The main component looks like this:
As you can see it’s a pretty simple component — all it does is display the current cellComponentTypes. These are the user supplied components, and they can be any Angular 2 Component.
The interesting part of the Library is in the Cell Component:
You’ll notice that we don’t have a template here — that’s deliberate as the Cell doesn't have any content of its own - all it does is serve up the user supplied Component. The important part of this Component are these two lines:
let compFactory = this.cfr.resolveComponentFactory(this.componentType);
This line asks the ComponentFactoryResolver to find the ComponentFactory for the provided Component. We'll use this factory next to create the actual component:
this.viewContainerRef.createComponent(compFactory);
And that’s all there is to it from the Library Component side of things — we find the factory for the Component, and then create a new instance of the Component. Easy!
For this to work we need to tell Angular’s AOT Compiler to create factories for the user provided Components, or ComponentFactoryResolver won't find them. We can make use of NgModule.entryComponents for this - this will ensure that the AOT compiler creates the necessary factories, but for you purposes there is an easier way, especially from a users perspective:
By making use of ANALYZE_FOR_ENTRY_COMPONENTS here, we are able to add multiple components to the NgModule.entryComponents entry dynamically, in a user friendly way.
The Application
From the application side of things, the first thing we need to do is create the components we want to use in the Library — these can be any valid Angular 2 Component. In our case we have three similar Components:
@Component({
selector: 'dynamic-component',
template: '<div class="img-rounded" style="background-color: lightskyblue;margin: 5px"> Blue Dynamic Component! </div>',
})
export class BlueDynamicComponent {
}
All these components do is display a little styled text.
To register these in both our Application, and in the Library, we need to switch to the Application Module:
We declare our Components in the usual way, but we additionally need to register them with the Library (remember, this is the part where they’ll be added to the Library’s NgModule.entryComponent entry). We do this in this part of the module:
GridModule.withComponents([
BlueDynamicComponent,
GreenDynamicComponent,
RedDynamicComponent
])
Finally, we can take a look at the main Application Component:
It may look like theres a lot going on here, but the bulk of the template is to make it look pretty. The key parts of this Component are:
<button
type="button"
class="btn btn-primary" (click)="grid.addDynamicCellComponent(selectedComponentType)"
>
Add Dynamic Grid component
</button>
This will ask the Library to add a create a new instance of the supplied Component, and in turn render it.
<grid-component #grid></grid-component>
And this line is our Library Component.
That’s it — easy to write and use (from both an Application and Library perspective), and AOT (and JIT!) friendly.
Benefits of using AOT
The speed and size of the resulting application when using AOT can be significant. In our ag-grid-angular-exampleproject, we estimate the size of the resulting application went from 3.9Mb down to 2.4Mb — a reduction of just under 40%, without optimising for size or being particularly aggressive with rollup.
Speed-wise, the loading time when using AOT is significantly more responsive on startup — this makes sense given that Angular doesn’t have to compile all the code once again. Take a look at the examples project and try both the JIT and AOT versions out for yourself!
There’s so much more you can do if you decide to combine Angular 2 Components with ag-Grid — powerful functionality, fast grid and easy configuration. What are you waiting for?!Actors Lea DeLaria, Emma Myles and Jessica Pimentel (L to R) of "Orange is the New Black" hold their awards for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series at the 22nd Screen Actors Guild Awards in Los Angeles, California January 30, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Blake/File Photo
NEW YORK (Reuters) - Shows like “Transparent,” “Doubt” and “Queen Sugar” have helped boost the number of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender characters on U.S. television to a record high, a report from the advocacy group GLAAD said on Thursday.
GLAAD said the number of transgender characters had doubled to 16 this year. There was also a record high percentage of black characters on broadcast television, thanks mostly to shows like hip hop family drama “Empire,” action-packed drama “Luke Cage,” comedy “black-ish,” and crime series “How To Get Away With Murder.”
The “Where We Are on TV” report looked at diversity on broadcast, cable and streaming services for the 2016-17 television season.
It found a total of 278 LGBTQ regular and recurring characters across all platforms, the highest since GLAAD started tracking such numbers 20 years ago.
“While it is heartening to see progress being made in LGBTQ representation on television, it’s important to remember that numbers are only part of the story, and we must continue the push for more diverse and intricate portrayals of the LGBTQ community,” GLAAD President Sarah Kate Ellis said in a statement.
GLAAD said some TV characters and storylines still portrayed the LGBT community in a negative or stereotypical way, but noted that television was far ahead of movies in terms of representation.
One area of disappointment for GLAAD was the high number of lesbian characters being killed off. The report said more than 25 lesbian and bisexual female-identifying characters have died on scripted TV and streaming series since the beginning of 2016 - most of them violently - a move it said “sends a dangerous message to audiences that LGBTQ people are secondary and disposable.”
GLAAD said it was looking forward to upcoming shows “Doubt,” starring transgender actress Laverne Cox as a lawyer, and LGBTQ inclusive series like “American Housewife,” “Designated Survivor,” “Conviction, and the miniseries “When We Rise” which will chronicle the history of the gay and lesbian movement.A ration stamp of the City of Erfurt, 1917 for two pounds of turnips a week
The Turnip Winter (German: Steckrübenwinter) of 1916 to 1917 was a period of profound civilian hardship in Germany during World War I.
Introduction [ edit ]
For the duration of World War I, Germany was constantly under threat of starvation due to the success of the British Naval blockade. Whatever meager rations remained were sent to the troops fighting the war, so the civilian population faced the brunt of the famine. The winter of 1916–1917, later known as the "Turnip Winter", marked one of the harshest years in wartime Germany. Poor autumn weather led to an equally poor potato harvest and much of the produce that was shipped to German cities rotted. Germany's massive military recruitment played a direct role in this, as all areas of the economy suffered from lack of manpower, including agriculture.[1] The loss of the potato crop forced the German population to subsist on Swedish turnip or rutabaga as an alternative.
Traditionally used as animal feed, the root vegetable was virtually the only food available throughout the winter of 1917. Malnourishment and illness claimed thousands of lives, mainly those of civilians, and wounded soldiers who had returned to the home front. A distinct example of the conditions at home in Germany was the spike in female mortality, which when compared to pre-war rates, increased by 11.5% in 1916 and 30% in 1917.[2] This rate increased due to malnutrition and disease that was commonplace amongst the German populace. The famine and hardship of the Turnip Winter severely affected the morale within Germany, revealing to the Germans just how hard-pressed the nation-state had become under the duress of the war.
Background [ edit ]
At war with France, Britain, and Russia beginning in the summer of 1914, Germany faced the strain of a two front war. To evade this compromising situation the Germans developed a strategy known as the Schlieffen Plan. The Plan proposed that if German troops could invade France through Belgium and defeat the French, quickly removing one front, they would then be able to focus solely on Russia.[3] German faith in the Schlieffen Plan proved overly optimistic and French forces commanded by General Joseph Joffre “checked the German attack at the Marne River in September,” in what would be known as the First Battle of the Marne.[4] After facing defeat at the Battle of the Marne, the actual strain of a two front became progressively more real for Germany. The Germans had assumed that the Schlieffen Plan would prove successful and that the war would not be a prolonged affair.[5] In the months after the Battle of the Marne, German troops faced a succession of battles against combined British and French armies, known as the “Race to the Sea,” where the opposing forces attempted to, “turn the other’s flank,” in a contest to reach the North Sea. From October to late November, the armies clashed in a nearly month-long battle at Ypres in Flanders, near the North Sea, which incurred a devastating loss of life for both sides. After Ypres, only months after the beginning of the Great War, the German army had already lost 241,000 men. As the end of 1914 approach fighting in Western Europe, what would be known as the “Western Front,” settled to a droning affair as the German, French and British lines, “stabilized,” and literally entrenched themselves. In response to the early land campaigns, the British responded with naval measures. In order to wear down German forces, the British navy towards the end of 1914 blockaded “the northern approaches to the North Sea in an effort to cut off supplies to the soldiers and civilians of the Central Powers.”[9] Locked into sustained fighting on the Western Front, which had already drained supplies, the Germans now faced both the Russian threat in the east and the British blockade that “cut Germany off from sources of essential commodities.”[10] The British blockade would highlight major flaws in German wartime society. Although German economy was an international juggernaut that “managed to produce most of the industrial requirements of the war,” the nation simply, “failed to secure a sufficiency of food.”[11] With continued fighting on two fronts and supplies restricted by the British blockade, German food shortages at home and for troops became increasingly troublesome issues. During the winter of 1916 and 1917, such problems reached new levels in a period known as the Turnip Winter.
The Turnip Winter [ edit ]
Rutabaga – usually used to feed pigs
The Turnip Winter occurred during the winter of 1916–1917 in Germany. Continually poor weather conditions led to a diminished harvest, most notably in cereal productions.[12] Additionally, an Allied blockade first instituted in 1914 contributed to reduced food supplies from Central Powers by 33 percent.[13] Food shortages were also attributed to a seizure of one million horses for the army, the deteriorating maintenance of agricultural machinery, and a shortage of farming fertilizers.[citation needed] Furthermore, German transport shortages compounded problems of a poor harvest.
In response, the German government initiated a food rationing campaign. The campaign began with the establishment of the War Food Office on May 22, 1916. The office was responsible for “the perception of the Chancellor to create and uphold the military and nation's food supply.”[14] In the summer of 1917, the food allocated only offered 1,560 calories daily diet.[15] However, the Imperial Health Office (renamed "Reich Health Office" in 1918) required a daily caloric intake of nearly double the calories, 3000 for a healthy adult male. The Health Office also set maximum prices to ensure the nutrition of Germany’s poor. Current historians[who?] attest that national figures regarding the event are misleading stating farmers and soldiers ate better than common folk.[citation needed] The government also worked to combat cereal shortages by making bread baked with potato. The rise of a potato famine in 1916, a German culinary staple, the government substituted the item with turnips hoping to make up the difference.[citation needed] In turn, German soldiers, “increasingly relied, for sheer survival, on one of the least appealing vegetables known to man, the humble turnip.” During this time, the black market became a prominent means of obtaining otherwise scarce foodstuffs. Historian Avner Offer suggests that approximately “one-fifth to one-third of food could only be obtained through illegal channels.”
Social unrest [ edit ]
Driven by starvation, children would break into barns and loot orchards in search of food. Such disregard for authority effectively doubled the youth crime rate in Germany. Historian G.J. Meyer noted that, according to a report from a prominent Berlin physician, “eighty thousand children had died of starvation in 1916.” Worker strikes were also common during this time as food shortages often directly led to labor unrest. The most notable strike took place in Düsseldorf in the summer of 1917 where workers complained of uneven food distribution.
Military issues [ edit ]
In 1916, a naval revolt arose from protests against inedible rations. Sailors claimed that they received rations, shorted by two ounces, for three consecutive weeks while officers ate and drank luxuriously.[20] The conservative German government believed a Socialist conspiracy was behind the mutiny. In 1926, German officials put Socialist Deputy Dittmann on trial for the uprising. Through letters from sailors to their respective homes, Dittmann illustrated that food was inedible and “did not have any political significance.”[20] The letters cleared the Socialist party from accusations that they had sought to extend the Bolshevik Revolution into Germany.[20]
Results and effects [ edit ]
In October 1918, consumption of protein decreased to less than 20 percent. The Allied blockade policy continued following the armistice in November 1918. Food shortages led to prolonged malnutrition and subsequent civilian deaths from starvation and deficiency diseases. The addition of turnips to the diets of many Germans weakened their immune systems and contributed, in many cases, to illnesses such as influenza. During World War I, food shortages contributed to approximately 750,000 deaths.[22]
Aftermath [ edit ]
The solution to replace potatoes with turnips greatly affected the diets and nutrition of the German people during and after the war. By the start of the war, Germany consumed potatoes more than any other food and the shortage greatly changed the gastronomic tastes of the Germans.[23] In addition to affecting the German’s tastes, replacing the potatoes did not allow the German people to get the necessary vitamins and minerals they were accustomed to acquiring.[23] The turnips did not just affect the potatoes, but the bread as well. Bread called Kriegsbrot ("War bread")[note 1] contained flour from potatoes. When replaced by substitutes, the bread became significantly harder to digest, making it difficult for the body to adapt to this change. The Kriegsbrot demonstrates how the Turnip Winter reached the front lines as well, as soldiers were greatly affected by the lack of food.[23] The continued search for substitutes during the blockade truly affected the ability for the Germany people to obtain food in cities. One woman recounts the experience by saying:
We are all growing thinner every day, and the rounded contours of the German nation have become a legend of the past. We are all gaunt and bony now, and have dark shadows round our eyes, and our thoughts are chiefly taken up with wondering what our next meal will be, and dreaming of the good things that once existed.[23]
However, not only were there physical symptoms, as she describes, but also social consequences, such as the pillaging of food stores after the war.[23]
Notes [ edit ]
References [ edit ]A student passes through a hallway at Pennsylvania’s Wilkinsburg High School in October 2015. The school — which was underenrolled and had one of the worst academic records in the state -- has since closed. (Bonnie Jo Mount/Washington Post)
Two years after Congress scrapped federal formulas for fixing troubled schools, states for the most part are producing only the vaguest of plans to address persistent educational failure.
So far, 16 states and the District of Columbia have submitted proposals for holding schools accountable under the 2015 law known as the Every Student Succeeds Act. With few exceptions, the blueprints offer none of the detailed prescriptions for intervention, such as mass teacher firings or charter-school conversions, that were once standard elements of school reform.
Many in the education world, from state superintendents to teachers unions, applaud this hands-off trend. Each struggling school faces unique circumstances, in their view, and deserves a tailored solution shaped by community input — not a top-down directive from faraway bureaucrats.
But others fear a lack of clear road maps from states is a sign that meaningful change remains unlikely in schools that most need it.
“We don’t know what to do about chronically low-performing schools. Nothing has worked consistently and at scale,” said Michael Petrilli, president of the conservative Thomas B. Fordham Institute. “I suspect we’ll see most states and districts just go through the motions.”
[In a disadvantaged district, a parable of American schooling]
On Aug. 1, Delaware became the first state to win federal approval for its plan, even though — according to independent experts — its school turnaround proposals are hazy and unlikely to make a significant difference. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos endorsed the plan, saying she hoped it would “give the students, families and educators in the state a strong foundation for a great education.” DeVos and President Trump are pushing for far more local control of education, a shift from the stance of their recent predecessors in both parties.
Congress thought it had answers for the problem of low-performing schools when it passed No Child Left Behind in 2001. The bipartisan law, meant to fight what President George W. Bush called “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” laid out consequences for schools that failed to meet escalating performance targets.
After a school missed targets for two years, students were allowed to transfer out. After three years, schools had to offer free tutoring. After four and five years, there was a menu of options, from replacing the curriculum to firing staff, reopening as a charter school or turning over management to state authorities.
The schools subject to sanctions were not only those with low overall performance, but also those with generally high achievement but poor outcomes among minorities, such as blacks, Latinos, students with disabilities or those from low-income families.
A decade after the law passed, nearly everyone agreed it was broken. Half of the 100,000 public schools were missing performance targets, overwhelming the capacity of states and districts to help those with the most profound need for change. In many places, schools widely acknowledged to be failing were allowed to continue plodding along.
Declaring that the nation had an obligation to do better, President Barack Obama devoted billions of dollars to a push to turn around the bottom 5 percent of schools. To get the money, schools had to agree to one of the Obama administration’s favored four strategies — closing, reopening as a charter, firing staff or transforming school culture.
Despite some bright spots and success stories, a federal analysis released this year showed that, on average, test scores, graduation rates and college enrollment were no different in schools that received the money than in those that did not.
[Obama administration spent billions to fix failing schools, and it didn’t work]
Those failures helped spur a bipartisan push for a new era of state and local control over education.
Under the 2015 law, states must continue administering standardized tests in grades three through eight and once in high school, and they must continue reporting how groups of students fare on those tests. But they have far more latitude to decide just about everything else about how they judge the success of schools and what they do about those that fail — including not just those with low overall performance, but also those where minority groups are lagging far behind.
“This is a real opportunity for states to get out of a one-size-fits-all intervention strategy,” said Chris Minnich, executive director of the Council of Chief State School Officers. “It’s still too early in the process to know if we’re going to be successful.”
Civil rights advocates have raised concerns not only about the support states plan to provide poorly performing schools, but also how they identify those schools in the first place. Liz King, an education policy expert with the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, said she worries that states are designing rating systems that will overlook the failures of schools where average student performance is high, but certain groups — such as students with disabilities or English language learners — trail far behind.
Of the 17 accountability plans submitted to the U.S. Department of Education, an independent review found only two — from Tennessee and New Mexico — adequately addressed how to help low-performing schools. The review was conducted by Bellwether Education Partners, a Washington consulting group, and the Collaborative for Student Success, an advocacy group that has championed high standards and strong accountability.
[‘Reconstituting’ troubled schools has a mixed record in D.C.]
Tennessee, building on its efforts to turn around troubled schools over the past several years, has laid out a set of options that vary depending on how long and how much the school has struggled.
The worst-off schools will be taken over by the state and managed by a charter school operator, while less-needy schools could become a part of a district’s “innovation zone,” which allows schools to extend classroom time, pay teachers more and give principals more autonomy in an effort to improve achievement.
But many other states say little more than they plan to conduct a needs assessment in troubled schools and then craft an improvement plan. It’s unclear what such improvement plans might entail, or what will happen if they don’t work.
“That doesn’t inspire confidence,” said Dale Chu, an education expert who participated in the independent review. The failure, he said, “could continue in perpetuity.”
Delaware wants to assess each school and write tailored improvement plans for each. But it’s not clear what will be in those plans. Susan Bunting, Delaware’s education chief, said officials are sensitive to the fact that schools in inner-city Wilmington face different challenges than those in impoverished rural hamlets.
“We know that our schools all have unique needs,” Bunting said.
A group of four outside experts who reviewed plans for the Education Department wrote that Delaware’s plans for struggling schools “do not appear as if they would likely be sufficient to dramatically improve student performance.”
Three of those experts concluded that Delaware’s proposal for intervening in weak schools did not meet legal requirements. DeVos — who has promised deference to states — disagreed.
She will consider the other 16 plans in coming weeks. The District’s plan calls for soliciting proposals for change in cases of chronic school failure, and parents would be asked to help choose the plan that best fits the school’s needs.
The remaining 34 states — including Maryland and Virginia — are expected to turn in plans next month.
John King Jr., who was Obama’s second education secretary and now heads the advocacy group Education Trust, said the question of what to do with troubled schools deserves more attention from states and the Trump administration.
King said he hopes states will draw on promising strategies for school improvement, such as looking for ways to boost socioeconomic diversity. And he hopes they will learn from places that have managed to succeed in the hard work of school turnaround. King cited Lawrence, Mass., where schools have made tremendous gains since they were placed in state receivership six years ago.
“I certainly worry that there may be folks who are using the rhetoric of local control as an excuse for inaction in schools that are struggling or schools that have groups of students that are struggling,” he said. “The law rightly requires action in those schools... and it will still be the responsibility of the Education Department to ensure that states follow the law.”Also see: This is why low-income housing is so costly in the Twin Cities
Lois Bystrom gets depressed just talking about it.
When the rent on her Arden Hills apartment soon jumps by a third, the 76-year-old widow will have to leave her home of the past eight years.
Bystrom, whose checkout-clerk pension already is stretched thin, says she won’t be able to afford living there anymore.
“This is just incredible. I don’t have any extra money,” she murmured as she slumped into a chair. “I never thought at this stage of my life that this would happen.”
Her next move won’t be an easy one. Low-cost housing in the metro area is drying up, to what by some measures is an all-time low.
According to a growing chorus of critics, the problem is that the suburbs — including Arden Hills — are not building housing that Bystrom and renters like her can afford.
“This is a matter of fairness,” said Sue Watlov Phillips, director of Metropolitan Interfaith Council on Affordable Housing (MICAH), a nonprofit advocacy group that recently filed complaints with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
She said government policies have piled more low-rent housing into low-income neighborhoods, concentrating poverty, crime and racial minorities in certain areas.
Suburbs have dodged these inner-city problems by foot-dragging on affordable housing — even though it’s cheaper to build it in the suburbs.
Defenders of the suburbs are fighting back. They argue that putting more low-rent housing in urban areas is necessary, because it gives low-income people access to mass transit and services.
The debate — and the blame — is intensifying as low-cost housing becomes harder to find. The construction of new, “affordable” units slid to a record low in 2013, the latest year that figures are available.
John Duffy, who has developed hundreds of metro-area affordable homes, said there is a new wave of people who can’t afford where they live. “The housing shortage,” he said, “is like a tsunami.”
WHAT IS ‘AFFORDABLE HOUSING’?
Affordable housing is defined as costing up to 30 percent of a household’s income, according to the Metropolitan Council, the Twin Cities regional planning agency.
That means a family of four earning $50,000 annually should pay less than $1,250 a month, and a single person with an income of $35,000 should pay no more than $880 a month.
Affordability is like a teeter-totter, balancing income and cost. If the rent goes down, affordability goes up. If the rent goes up, affordability goes down.
Or — here’s where it gets controversial — rents can go down when government helps pay for the homes.
It is those government-subsidized units that are drying up. About 81 percent of the area’s cities — all of them suburbs — added no tax-subsidized affordable units in 2012, according to the Met Council. In 2013, the number of new affordable units dropped to 721, the lowest number ever recorded by the Met Council.
Since then, the construction has increased slightly. But it’s still a “drop in the bucket” of the 53,000 new affordable units that the Met Council set as a goal by 2020, said Chip Halbach, director of the Minnesota Housing Partnership.
“We are slipping,” he said. “Since the Great Recession, we have really been damaged.”
‘DE FACTO SEGREGATION’
MICAH director Phillips sees housing as a civil right. She said everyone should be able to live where they want to, with access to good schools and jobs. She said affordable housing allows nurses, teachers and police officers to live where they work.
In a complaint filed in November, MICAH charged the Met Council and the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency (MHFA) with concentrating affordable housing in urban areas.
“That means de facto segregation. That is not good for the community, and it’s not good for the region,” said Curt Boganey, city manager of Brooklyn Center, which joined the complaint along with Brooklyn Park and Richfield.
In addition, 15 state legislators wrote HUD in April to support the complaint, which claims the suburbs are home to 75 percent of the metro’s population but only 41 percent of its affordable housing.
In a second complaint filed March 30, MICAH said Minneapolis and St. Paul are deliberately concentrating affordable housing in poor areas. This maintains racial segregation, the complaint says, because 85 percent of the units are in segregated areas or areas “in danger of re-segregating.”
Three Minneapolis neighborhood associations joined with MICAH in the complaint.
The allegations are supported by the work of Myron Orfield, a University of Minnesota law professor who researches housing issues.
He said most affordable housing has been built near mass transit stations, which are mostly in the core cities. One example is the $28 million, 108-unit project under construction at the Green Line’s Hamline Station in St. Paul.
The urban affordability boom is forcing minorities to live where they do now — which is one reason segregation is becoming worse, Orfield said.
A report by Orfield called “Why are the Twin Cities so Segregated?” says that since 2000, the number of “severely segregated” schools increased from 11 to 83.
The percentage of low-income black residents living in high-poverty census tracts grew from 13 percent to 19 percent — it’s currently about 4 percent in the comparable cities of Seattle and Portland.
Orfield doesn’t directly blame the suburbs but the policies of the Met Council and state agencies for funneling housing subsidies away from suburbs.
“The white suburbs never reach their goals for affordable housing,” said Orfield. “How are you going to meet your goals without subsidies?”
Other experts say suburbs sometimes do fight affordable housing. Many of them make affordable housing effectively illegal, said Tom Musil, professor of real estate at St. Thomas University.
He said the most common tactic is exclusionary zoning — which permits only homes that only the more affluent — and mostly white — buyers can afford.
Musil said it takes only one regulation — requiring large lots for new homes — to ensure that housing will never be affordable. If a suburban lot is worth $500,000, for example, the homes on that land will never be affordable for most people.
“A lot of communities are anti-growth,” he said.
AGE OF BUILDINGS
Don’t blame us, say suburban and state officials.
While segregation is a problem, public policies have not made it worse, according to the Met Council, the MFHA and city officials.
Instead, they say, suburbs don’t have their share of affordable housing because of the age of their buildings, stronger political resistance and less access to mass transit.
About one-third of the affordable housing in urban areas is affordable because the buildings are deteriorating, according to Alan Arthur, CEO of the nonprofit housing developer Aeon. When buildings age, the rent normally drops, which creates affordable housing.
Suburbs don’t have as much affordable housing because the average age of their buildings is much less than in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Arthur said. Eventually, suburban housing will age, rents will drop, and affordability will equalize, he said.
Meanwhile, the political resistance to construction of affordable housing is stronger in the suburbs.
Professor Musil said that when an affordable project is proposed in the suburbs, neighbors often object, fearing damage to their property values. It happened in February in Vad |
34 KOs), 32, of Argentina, was one of the most avoided fighters in boxing as he went on a brutal knockout binge during a four-fight stretch in 2012 and 2013 as he blew away former two-division titleholder Humberto Soto, Olusegun Ajose, Mike Dallas Jr. and reigning junior welterweight titlist Lamont Peterson in a nontitle bout.
That set Matthysse up to challenge unified world champion Danny Garcia in September 2013 on the big stage of the Floyd Mayweather Jr.--Canelo Alvarez undercard. In a highly competitive fight, Matthysse got cut and knocked down in the 11th round and lost a unanimous decision.
Matthysse has won two fights since, an 11th-round knockout of John Molina Jr. last April in a strong fight of the year candidate and a second-round knockout of Roberto Ortiz in September.
"I'm confident that I will win, and since Danny Garcia doesn't want to fight me again, this fight will prove that I am one of the best fighters in the world," said Matthysse, who recently signed a five-year contract extension with Golden Boy."
Said Vadim Kornilov, Provodnikov's manager, "I wish there were more promoters in the sport that are prepared to have their fighters take a risk and make the best fights for the sport. Usually the fights that everybody wants to see don't happen due to reasons beyond the understanding of the fans, and it should not be that way."findViewById is one of the most annoying boilerplate code in Android application development. This part of code unnecessarily requires bunch of line of codes and can easily cause an expected behavior unintentionally.
Some library was invented to reduce this part of code's size, for example, the popular Butter Knife which adopts Annotation processing to help mapping between Java's variable and ID declared inside layout XML file.
class ExampleActivity extends Activity { @BindView(R.id.title) TextView title; @BindView(R.id.subtitle) TextView subtitle; @BindView(R.id.footer) TextView footer; @Override public void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.simple_activity); ButterKnife.bind(this); // TODO Use fields... } }
Anyway, although it could help reducing a signifant number of line of codes but it still requires some effort and can still cause some mistake since you still have to declare @BindView manually one by one.
Here we go. This blog will introduce you the perfect solution to totally eliminate these annoying codes away using god-level Data Binding Library.
Tools Preparation
To use Data Binding Library, you need to use Android Studio 1.5 or higher version. Anyway I believe that most of you have already upgraded to version 2.0 already so this should not be a problem.
And then open module's build.gradle and add the following line in android block to enable Data Binding.
android {... dataBinding { enabled true } }
Sync Gradle to finish the process and done. Your project has now gained access to Data Binding Library. Easy, huh? =)
Inflate Layout in Data Binding's way
Layout is required some change to let Data Binding be usable. Here is the original one:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <RelativeLayout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools" android:id="@+id/activity_main" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" tools:context="com.inthecheesefactory.lab.databinding.MainActivity"> <TextView android:id="@+id/tvHello" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_centerInParent="true" android:text="Hello World!" /> </RelativeLayout>
<layout>...</layout> tag is required to be a Root Element and then move everything inside it. Here is the modified version:
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <layout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android" xmlns:app="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res-auto" xmlns:tools="http://schemas.android.com/tools"> <RelativeLayout android:id="@+id/activity_main" android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" tools:context="com.inthecheesefactory.lab.databinding.MainActivity"> <TextView android:id="@+id/tvHello" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_centerInParent="true" android:text="Hello World!" /> </RelativeLayout> </layout>
At this step, please build your project to let Data Binding Library auto generating neccessary files for you. You need those for the further steps.
After build is done, open your Activity's java file and change setContentView part of code from:
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity { @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); setContentView(R.layout.activity_main); } }
into:
public class MainActivity extends AppCompatActivity { ActivityMainBinding binding; @Override protected void onCreate(Bundle savedInstanceState) { super.onCreate(savedInstanceState); binding = DataBindingUtil.setContentView(this, R.layout.activity_main); } }
You may notice that ActivityMainBinding is used here although you didn't declare it anywhere. There is nothing magical here. ActivityMainBinding.java was previously auto generated by Data Binding Library when you built your app minutes ago. Its class name comes from activity_main.xml file's name which is turned into Upper CamelCase before appending with Binding, ActivityMainBinding. This is the way this library use to turn file's name into class name. You can use this logic in every single case.
And now it's time to access View inside activity_main.xml. Well... you can simply access it through binding variable using its ID like this!
binding.tvHello.setText("Hello from Data Binding");
Here is the result.
As you can see, boilerplate findViewById code are all eliminated. Moreover, you have no need to declare even a single variable to access View. The code will still be the same although you add more 100 Views to this layout. Cool, isn't it?!?
Inflating into Custom ViewGroup
The way to inflate your layout into Activity has already shown above. And how's about inflating into Custom ViewGroup or Layout to create your Custom View. Can we do it? Definitely yes! And it is as easy as above sample.
First of all, you need to modify your layout XML file by adding <layout>...</layout> as a Root Element.
item_bloglist.xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <layout xmlns:android="http://schemas.android.com/apk/res/android"> <LinearLayout android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="match_parent" android:orientation="vertical" android:padding="16dp"> <TextView android:id="@+id/tvTitle" style="@style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Title" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="Title" /> <TextView android:id="@+id/tvCaption" style="@style/TextAppearance.AppCompat.Caption" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:text="Caption" /> </LinearLayout> </layout>
And then use this line of code to inflate the layout.
ItemBloglistBinding binding = ItemBloglistBinding.inflate(layoutInflater, root, attachToRoot);
Code pattern is still be the same as the way we normally do layout inflation. The only change is you need to inflate using the auto-generated Binding class instead, which is ItemBloglistBinding in this example. Again, its name is converted from item_bloglist.xml.
Here is the full code snippet how to inflate item_bloglist.xml into FrameLayout and automatically gain access to all Views indie.
package com.inthecheesefactory.lab.databinding; import android.annotation.TargetApi; import android.content.Context; import android.os.Build; import android.util.AttributeSet; import android.view.LayoutInflater; import android.widget.FrameLayout; import com.inthecheesefactory.lab.databinding.databinding.ItemBloglistBinding; /** * Created by nuuneoi on 6/28/2016. */ public class BlogListItem extends FrameLayout { ItemBloglistBinding binding; public BlogListItem(Context context) { super(context); initInflate(); initInstances(); } public BlogListItem(Context context, AttributeSet attrs) { super(context, attrs); initInflate(); initInstances(); } public BlogListItem(Context context, AttributeSet attrs, int defStyleAttr) { super(context, attrs, defStyleAttr); initInflate(); initInstances(); } @TargetApi(Build.VERSION_CODES.LOLLIPOP) public BlogListItem(Context context, AttributeSet attrs, int defStyleAttr, int defStyleRes) { super(context, attrs, defStyleAttr, defStyleRes); initInflate(); initInstances(); } private void initInflate() { LayoutInflater inflater = (LayoutInflater) getContext().getSystemService(Context.LAYOUT_INFLATER_SERVICE); binding = ItemBloglistBinding.inflate(inflater, this, true); } private void initInstances() { } }
Yah, you now have a Custom ViewGroup containing item_bloglist.xml layout inside. To access any View inside, you could simply do the same fancy way:
private void initInstances() { binding.tvTitle.setText("I am the Title"); }
Now let's try to place it somewhere in activity_main.xml.
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8"?> <layout...> <RelativeLayout...>... <com.inthecheesefactory.lab.databinding.BlogListItem android:layout_width="match_parent" android:layout_height="wrap_content" /> </RelativeLayout> </layout>
Here is the result.
I must say that code is pretty short and really nice =)
How Data Binding Library convert ID into variable name
You can notice in the sample above that every single @+id declared in XML file are automatically turned into Java variables as XXXBinding's member variable. We should know more in details on how this library uses to convert the id to variable name to prevent the further problem.
Actually the way this library use to convert id to variable name is as simple as: "Turn every id(s) into camelCase"
for instance,
@+id/tvHello
This is already in camelCase format so the variable name in Java is simply be tvHello
@+id/tv_hello
This is in Underscores format. It will be converted into camelCase first to match the rule so it will also be tvHello as above
And what will happen if those two ids are declared into same XML files like this?:
<TextView android:id="@+id/tvHello" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_centerInParent="true" android:text="Hello World!" /> <TextView android:id="@+id/tv_hello" android:layout_width="wrap_content" android:layout_height="wrap_content" android:layout_centerInParent="true" android:text="Hello World!" />
Don't worry that there would be a problem. Data Bind Library is smart enough to seperate those two apart. But since those variable names are just the same so at the final, you will get two variables: tvHello and tvHello1 instead to access those two TextView respectively.
Anyway, although it is usable but it may cause some confusion. To prevent this, it is recommended to set id in only a single format, either camelCase or Underscores. Choose just only one and everything will be good.
Conclusion
This is only a small part of Data Binding Library's potential but I must say that it is the killer feature which could improve your code's quality quite a lot. There are still be a lot that this library is really useful for your application. If you have time, I suggest you to study more about this Data Binding Library. It's a game changer =)
Bonus: Kotlin Android Extensions
If you are developing your Android application using Kotlin. There is also the similar thing named Kotlin Android Extensions available. It is even easier since you have no need to modify the layout even bit. If you are Kotlin's fan, go for it =)Rossi's teammate Lorenzo scored a lights-to-flag victory to be crowned MotoGP champion for the third time on Sunday,
Although Lorenzo was under pressure from Repsol Honda rider Marquez for much of the race, Marquez didn’t make any clear attempts to overtake him.
Instead, Marquez blamed his teammate Dani Pedrosa for attacking his second place with a lap and a half remaining, and he repassed Pedrosa almost immediately.
Following the race, which Rossi started from the back of the grid after his controversial collision with Marquez in Malaysia, the seven-time champion launched his verbal attack to the media.
"Today everyone has seen their plan, this makes me sad and it's a very bad thing for our sport,” said Rossi. “I do not understand why a Honda rider allows Yamaha to win [the race]. I hope this behaviour in time turns against him.
“Lorenzo is a very good rider, it would be nice to battle on equal terms, but I think even he wouldn't be very happy to have won like this.
“I am sad that Marquez acted as bodyguard for Lorenzo. I had already said on Thursday, I was convinced that they would go to the end [with their plan], I was sure they would have conspired against me, as happened in football [Rossi has referred to the infamous so-called ‘Nordic fix’ match when Sweden and Denmark allegedly conspired to knock Italy out of Euro 2004].
“I don't know if Marquez protected Lorenzo because they are both Spanish, but it's sad he chose to be his bodyguard. Lorenzo has never done what Marquez did. But for his behaviour after Malaysia [when he attempted to join the court proceedings], he deserves to be treated like Marquez.
“I'm sad, a great opportunity has vanished and I did not deserve this.”Southampton boss Ronald Koeman is reportedly keen to reunite with ex-PSV midfielder Lee Nguyen, whose stellar 2014 form for the New England Revolution has fueled overseas interest.
Southampton are said to be eyeing a move for New England Revolution midfielder Lee Nguyen, following the US international’s stellar form in MLS.
Nguyen, 28, was named on the three-man shortlist for the 2014 MVP award after scoring a hugely impressive 18 goals in 28 regular-season appearances – including a league-high nine game-winners – with his performances earning him a recall to the national team last month for the first time since 2007.
While he ultimately missed out on the league’s top individual accolade to LA Galaxy captain Robbie Keane, the Revolution’s talisman did earn a spot on the Best XI team, and will have a chance to get one over the Irishman this weekend when their two teams face off in MLS Cup at the StubHub Center.
The Texas-native first began his professional career back in 2006 with PSV Eindhoven under current Southampton manager Ronald Koeman and now, according to futbolMLS.com, the Dutchman is keen to reunite with his former trainee in the Premier League.
Saints scouts reportedly attended the Eastern Conference Championship second-leg last Saturday, when Nguyen helped guide New England past a Thierry Henry-led New York Red Bulls side with a 2-2 draw to win 4-3 on aggregate, and his showing is said to have left a lasting impression.
While the versatile number 10 struggled to make an impression during his previous European stint, having earned just one appearance for PSV before leaving in 2009 for an indifference spell with Danish outfit Randers FC, his recent form has left little doubt that he possesses all the skills to succeed at the highest level.
With only four international caps to his name at present, Nguyen would have to be deemed an ‘exceptional talent’ under the work permit regulations in order to make the move across the Atlantic, but it remains to be seen whether Southampton will further their interest from here, with Fulham named as another potential suitor.Offensive lineman Anthony Davis stunned the 49ers on Saturday when he pondered retiring again, only two days before he was to start at right guard in Monday night’s season opener, multiple sources told this newspaper.
Davis has not publicly commented on his intentions and he did not return a text message seeking comment. The 49ers, including coach Chip Kelly, have tried to convince Davis to keep playing, a league source indicated.
A high-ranking team official said he “honestly” did not know what Davis would do. Comcast SportsNet Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reported that Davis was “leaning” toward resuming his playing career, and NinersNation.com’s Jennifer Chan said Davis’ “doubts” about converting to right guard had been eased after meeting with general manager Trent Baalke.
Davis did not practice Saturday “for non-injury-related” reasons, the 49ers said on their participation report, which also listed him as questionable (or 50/50) for the opener against the Los Angeles Rams at Levi’s Stadium.
A team spokesman would not confirm Davis’ status. Davis’ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, declined to go on the record regarding Davis when reached via e-mail.
Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole and ProFootballTalk.com both cited an anonymous source that Davis would not retire.
On July 30, Davis emerged from a 1 1/2-year hiatus to rejoin the 49ers in training camp, and although he wasn’t able to unseat Trent Brown and reclaim the starting right tackle job, Davis appeared willing to start at right guard. Davis also was set to be their swing tackle, or the backup to either Brown or left tackle Joe Staley.
Andrew Tiller, who broke into the starting lineup the second half of last season, is expected to start Monday night instead of Davis at right guard. Tiller was called up from the practice squad last November, starting four games at right guard before switching to left guard the final three games.
If Davis does retire, it would be a devastating blow and an ill-timed one for a 49ers franchise he mocked during his previous sabbatical.
During that hiatus — officially classified as a “retirement” by the 49ers in June 2015 — Davis occasionally took to Twitter and criticized the 49ers organization, general manager Trent Baalke and even left tackle Joe Staley. On April 1, when Davis tweeted he would be filing for reinstatement, he added: “Dealing with Trent is giving me a headache.”
Once he did report for camp, Davis said his social-media barbs toward Baalke and the 49ers were “me trying to manipulate emotions to get what I wanted, at that time.” Baalke’s response on July 31: “I’m hard to manipulate. … Everything is very positive at this point, and it’s about blending back in and going to work.”
Davis didn’t show any doubt about his ability to switch from right tackle to right guard last month when he embarked on the move, doing so in a joint practice at the Denver Broncos’ facility. He had been lining up primarily as the second-string right tackle, after debuting there on the third string once he reported to camp.
“I’m an athlete. I can play right tackle or anywhere on the line,” Davis said Aug. 18. “We want the best five (lineman) on the field and Trent (Brown) is not going to play guard. He’s a giant man. I knew I could adapt to guard. …I’ll be on the field sooner or later. I’m pretty good at football.”
Davis said he volunteered to move positions, and he eventually started at right guard in the 49ers’ third exhibition game.
When Davis left the 49ers in June 2015, he said he’d given it a “few years of thought.” He planned to step away for a “year or so” and allow his brain and body to heal from the previous five seasons as their starting right tackle.
With Davis not yet back on the roster, the 49ers traded up to draft a guard in Stanford’s Joshua Garnett with the 28th overall pick. Zane Beadles, their only free-agent acquisition on the current roster, is expected to start at left guard.
As recently as Friday, Kelly spoke on how he was counting on Davis in his starting lineup, where he’d be pitted Monday night against the Rams’ Aaron Donald, last season’s runner-up as NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
“I think Anthony is very athletic when it comes to offensive linemen,” Kelly said. “But, you know defensive linemen are usually a little bit more athletic than any offensive lineman. That’s kind of how those guys get parceled out. But Anthony’s a lot bigger and a lot more physical. So, there’s a give and take there.”
Davis earned rave reviews when he opened camp July 31 at 332 pounds, some 35 pounds lighter than his previous season in 2014, which was marred by several injuries, including a concussion.
“It’s hard work to get back to playing better than I was when I left,” Davis said Aug. 10. “It takes a lot of attention to detail, thinking about it all the time, cutting out distractions and pretty much start from the ground up. But it’s building pretty fast.”
Starting quarterback Blaine Gabbert on Thursday called the projected starting offensive line “phenomenal” and that the unit’s depth was the best he’s been around in six years as a pro. “It’s been fun to watch and there’s only going to be continued improvement throughout the year, especially with A.D. and Trent being new together on the right side,” Gabbert said. “It’s just going to keep getting better from here on out.”
The only other 49ers player who didn’t practice Saturday was nickel back and return specialist Chris Davis, who’s listed as doubtful for the opener after missing practice all week because of a hamstring strain. Cornerback Keith Reaser (ankle), linebacker Nick Bellore (knee) and defensive tackles Arik Armstead (shoulder), Quinton Dial (knee) and Glenn Dorsey (knee) are probable to play.
The Rams ruled out three backups: cornerback E.J. Gaines (thigh) and wide receivers Pharoh Cooper (shoulder) and Nelson Spruce (knee). Questionable are linebacker Bryce Hager (concussion) and offensive tackle Rob Havenstein (foot).This post is by Jeff Cook, someone well known to readers of the Jesus Creed blog. Jeff is weighing on the Francis Chan promotional video on his new book, a book responding to Rob Bell’s book. Jeff is a pastor-philosopher and has done some serious thinking on the issues of new creation and judgment.
Another well-known pastor has thrown his hat into the ring regarding hell.
Francis Chan recently posted an ad for his book Erasing Hell: What God Said about Eternity, and the Things We Made Up which is set to release in July. I have deep respect and love for Chan, his heart and his work. As one who will probably disagree with Chan’s conclusions in his upcoming book, let me affirm a handful of worthy aspects of his ad which the church collectively can continue to celebrate in one voice. I affirm the need for humility when talking about God, theology, and points of contention within the church. I affirm the need to be hyperaware of our tone when speaking about hell (as Chan said, “We are talking about real people here.”) I affirm that “everything” needs to be on the table and that it is paramount to not misrepresent God. And I affirm that for those of us who are truly invested in this conversation—“Confess, pray, fast, and study diligently, because we can’t afford to be wrong on this issue”—is an outstanding pastoral affirmation.
Now I’m not a theologian; I’m a philosopher, and in Chan’s presentation are a handful of very important philosophic claims. I am in no way critiquing Chan’s book (which again hasn’t been released yet). I am only critiquing the arguments he puts forward in this preview.
At the crux of his presentation, Chan says, “I’m a piece of clay trying to explain to other pieces of clay what the potter is like. It’s silly to think we are experts on him. Our only hope is that he would reveal to us what he is like, and then we repeat those things.” This is the starting point and it’s a claim about what can and cannot be known about God.
In this spirit Chan cites Isaiah 55 (“Your thoughts are not like my thoughts. Your ways not like my way.”) and then he begins to critique an argument which (I think it’s safe to assume) is a reason he has heard for rejecting hell as eternal conscious torment. He says,
“So when we begin an argument with, “Well, I wouldn’t believe in a God who would…” Who would what? Do something that you wouldn’t do? Or think in a way that’s different than the way you think? Do you ever even consider the possibility that maybe the creator’s sense of justice is actually more developed than yours? And that maybe his love and his mercy are perfect, and that you could be the one that is flawed? See when we make statements like, “Well God wouldn’t do this would he?” Do you understand that at that moment you are actually putting God’s actions in submission to your reasoning?”
It seems to me, the central point Chan wishes to make in the ad flows from these claims and questions and I would like to advance and defend the following three critiques outlined in bold.
(1) In contrast to Chan’s claim, we need to rationally wrestle with our views about who God is and what he does, and to fail to do so is sloth. Scripturally speaking God invites us to use our minds when engaging who he is and what he does (Isa 1:18, Rm 12:2, among many others). In fact, we put God’s actions “in submission to our reasoning” every time we say that what God does is praise-worthy, loving, good, just, wise, self-sacrificial, etc, These are all rational assessments of God’s nature, actions, and character—and they should not be avoided. I can bring into this discussion two quotations from those who have pondered Job — one from C.S. Lewis and one from Robert Gordis.
C.S. Lewis: “The point [of Job] is that the man who accepts our ordinary standard of good and by it hotly criticizes divine justice receives the divine approval: the orthodox, pious people who palter with that standard in the attempt to justify God are condemned. Apparently the way to advance from our imperfect apprehension of justice to the absolute justice is not to throw our imperfect apprehensions aside but boldly to go on applying them” (“De Futilitate,” in Christian Reflections, 70).
“Faced with the tragic dilemma of a righteous man’s suffering in an immoral world created by a righteous God, Job is nevertheless unwilling to surrender his ideal of rectitude ” (R. Gordis,, 153).
(2) There’s a real problem with criticizing all claims that begin with, “I wouldn’t believe in a God who would….” We should choose not to believe in a God who would … repeatedly torture 3 year olds for fun. We should choose not to believe in a God who would …. command cowardice, betrayal, abuse, and ignorance? “Belief in God” implies trust and devotion, and it seems to me *some* pictures of God are not worthy of either trust or devotion.
Now, if I say, “I wouldn’t believe in a God who would … create a few billion people, knowing that they will never believe in him and are irreversibly destined to suffer in unending isolation and fire,” that *can be* an appropriate move. I can make that move while acknowledging that my course of action “might be the one flawed.” I can make that move while acknowledging that God’s “sense of justice” is superior to mine, and that God thinks about things in a different way than I do. What those who defend the traditional view of hell must do is showcase why a good God *could* think unending conscious torment is the best option for the damned. Otherwise, it seems appropriate for a reasonable person (if they believe a “good” being by definition will not create conditions in which a person will experience torment for countless lifetimes) to either reject that picture of God or reject that view of hell.
(3) The idea of “justice” must be the same for God and for us, otherwise the term lacks linguistic value. Chan asks, “Do you ever even consider the possibility that maybe the creator’s sense of justice is actually more developed than yours?” Of course it is in one sense, but if God’s concept of justice is radically different than ours then it makes no sense for us to call God “just” any more. If we are to talk about “justice” at all, the definition must hold for ants as well as deities, otherwise we are talking of apples and oranges and all such language breaks down.
Regarding hell, what Chan and others must do is show how the traditional view of hell is in any way “just,” and philosophically speaking I have not seen this done well in either academic or popular Christian literature. Many who reject the traditional view of hell (or the Christian God because of it) hold to a principle — “There is no state of affairs in which it is appropriate to incarcerate a human being in a state of eternal, conscious torment.” As I suggested before, this requires a response from those who hold the traditional view of hell; they must show that it is in fact “just” to do so. The response that, “God knows things we don’t” or “God does things we wouldn’t do” is insufficient here (In philosophical jargon, this is a “phantom argument”). Some kind of story needs to be told that makes initiating eternal conscious torment morally praise-worthy and in accord with what we mean (or should mean) by “justice.”
On one hand I applaud Chan’s ad. It moves the discussion on hell forward in the church at large. However, it seems to me that those who affirm the traditional view of hell need to do more than say “this is what the Bible says and we’re just repeating it.” Everyone involved in the debate about hell right now is saying “the Bible says”. What those who affirm the traditional view must show is why that view is worthy of devotion.Whatever engineering problem you have right now, the solution is probably not to write a new programming language. But sometimes it does make sense.
JetBrains makes IDEs–the interactive development environments that many people code in, like IntelliJ and Webstorm. And all of these IDEs are written in Java. So the JetBrains team is very familiar with Java and the JVM. Since JetBrains spends so much time working on tooling for developers, they also have an intimate understanding of the problems that developers encounter.
Kotlin was developed as an alternative to JVM languages such as Java and Scala. In this episode, Hadi Hariri from JetBrains explains why the company decided to build a new JVM language. We discuss many of its features, such as safety, concision, and its ability to compile to JavaScript.
Show Notes
Why Kotlin is My Next Programming Language: Ode to the Language You’ve Never Heard Of, by Mike Hearn
YouTube: GOTO 2016 Conference, Kotlin – Ready for Production, Hadi Hariri
SponsorsKafka in Caracas
On Aug. 25 in Caracas, Judge Susana Barreiros announced the sudden and unexpected conclusion of judicial proceedings against Leopoldo López, the charismatic 44-year-old leader of the opposition party Voluntad Popular, or Popular Will, and the most highly regarded of Venezuela’s beleaguered opposition movement. Since surrendering to the authorities in February 2014, in the midst of widespread mostly peaceful protests against the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro, López has been incarcerated in the military prison of Ramo Verde outside Caracas. The charges against him — arson, public incitement, damaging public property, and conspiracy — are all related to the demonstrations López was leading at the time. If convicted, he may face as much as 12 years in prison.
His conviction is almost certain. On Monday, Venezuela’s Public Ministry announced, to no one’s surprise, that the prosecution had proved its case. A formal verdict is expected on Friday.
López, although aggressive in rhetoric, has consistently advocated a lawful, orderly transition to democratic rule, in accordance with the Venezuelan constitution. The charges against him appear spurious and concocted with one aim: to remove him from Venezuela’s political arena, for he alone has the political credibility to unseat Maduro, who came to power after contested elections in April 2013 and whose popularity has fallen ever since. According to a survey published at the end of August, Maduro’s approval rating now stands at 24.3 percent, with 70.4 percent of Venezuelans viewing him negatively. (López, in contrast, enjoys 41.5 percent popularity and is now supported by all the leading members of the country’s once-fractious opposition, including his onetime rival, former presidential candidate Henrique Capriles.) Though the next presidential polls are not scheduled until 2018, six out of ten Venezuelans now say they will vote for the opposition in December’s elections to the National Assembly. Should Maduro’s opponents prevail in those polls, they would theoretically be in a position to oust the government.
This would be a frightening prospect for the Maduro regime’s high-ranking members; they are under investigation by the U.S. Justice Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and state prosecutors on suspicion of massive drug-trafficking and money-laundering. If they lose power, they could risk extradition. Officials of the Chavista regime certainly must fear they would be shown little mercy from opposition figures they have spent a decade and a half harassing by means legal and extra-legal.
López’s international counsel, Jared Genser, has been expecting a conviction and lengthy prison sentence. In a press release last week, he described López’s trial as “Kafkaesque … from start to finish.” However, perhaps even the eponymous absurdist novelist himself would have been hard-pressed to imagine the bizarre instances of flagrant injustice that have characterized the proceedings. The state presented its case against Lopez, such as it was, during the course of 70 hearings (all closed to the public) totaling approximately 600 hours, but allowed Lopez only three hours to present his defense. The prosecution called 108 witnesses, but the judge rejected 58 of the 60 people López’s team wanted to interrogate; the two it did permit refused to take the stand. The state’s evidence consisted of videos of four protest march speeches (in which López, the prosecution alleges, called for violence), but Judge Barreiros inexplicably concluded the trial without having even examined them. The prosecution had, in any case, alleged that López had been inciting his followers to riot via “subliminal messaging,” but this accusation disintegrated when the linguistic expert who originally proposed it recanted under cross-examination by the defense. All in all, 43 people were killed during the demonstrations, almost all by government security forces or gangs of armed chavistas.
Juan Carlos Gutiérrez, López’s Venezuelan attorney, observed that not only has the prosecution founded its case “on facts that never happened in reality … a great number of witnesses have said so, [and] experts have confirmed this... and proved it.” President Barack Obama, the United Nations Human Rights Council, Amnesty International, 21 Latin American heads of state, among others, have called for López’s release. López’s wife, Lilian Tintori (who has been waging an international campaign to win her husband’s release) has decried what she says is direct interference in the proceedings from the executive branch — an entirely believable assertion, given that Maduro, before López was convicted of any crime, publicly called him a fascist, a murderer, and a monster. Given Maduro’s spectacular record of incompetence in and mismanagement of almost everything he has touched since assuming the presidency, its no surprise his regime could not even mount a decent show trial.
In the meantime, López is languishing in solitary confinement (where he has been often since his incarceration in Ramo Verde prison), probably as punishment for managing to smuggle out a video in mid-August showing him conversing through his cell bars with a fellow political prisoner, and shouting to agents from Venezuela’s Directorate of Military Intelligence that “our struggle … is for a Venezuela where all rights will be for everyone.” López has already spent six of his 18 months in Ramo Verde in solitary, which constitutes torture, according to the United Nations.
Maduro, without providing any evidence, has warned of a plot, supposedly originating among the “far right” in both Colombia and Venezuela, to murder López, and even boasted of having saved his life (by imprisoning him). Maduro has also, again without providing proof, called former Colombian President Álvaro Uribe an “assassin” guilty of “coordinating assassinations, crimes against Venezuela” in the country’s westernmost provinces. Saying he was “obligated to liberate Venezuela,” and denouncing Colombian paramilitaries, smugglers, and drug dealers, Maduro decreed a state of emergency in Táchira state to “reestablish order,” closed the border with Colombia, and began expelling Colombians (including some who had refugee status), more than 1,000 so far. Fearing reprisals, some 10,000 other Colombians have fled with them, often on foot and carrying their belongings on their backs.
By manufacturing a crisis with Colombia, Maduro seems to be trying to distract Venezuelans from the deteriorating situation in the country. Widespread shortages of food, medicines, and other basic goods compel Venezuelans to stand in lines for hours and risk violence from robbers and marauders. (Venezuela already has the one of the highest homicide rates on Earth.) If anything, though, Maduro’s closure of the border with Colombia will worsen shortages and make life more difficult for those relying on contraband goods to survive. The International Monetary Fund expects the country’s economy to shrink by 7 percent this year (after a contraction of 4 percent in 2014). Inflation is expected to hit 200 percent — the highest in the world. The currency has already plummeted in value; on the parallel (real value) market, in the late Hugo Chávez years, one U.S. dollar bought six to eight bolivars, but now fetches more than seven hundred, which effectively means the country’s monthly minimum wage equals less than the hourly minimum wage in Seattle. Hunger, looting, and chaos loom just ahead.
The causes of all this hardship? The collapse of oil prices and corruption schemes related to the government’s control of its currency are forcing the regime to reduce vital dollar-purchased imports from abroad.
Maduro, as a result, finds himself sitting atop a powder keg. He has no incentive to release Leopoldo López, the one man who, as recently as May, showed that he can bring hundreds of thousands of supporters out onto the streets and |
duration and obesity in children and adults. Sleep, 31(5), 619.
Crispim, C. A., Zimberg, I. Z., dos Reis, B. G., Diniz, R. M., Tufik, S., & de Mello, M. T. (2011). Relationship between food intake and sleep pattern in healthy individuals. Journal of clinical sleep medicine: JCSM: official publication of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, 7(6), 659.
AdvertisementsParents often wonder if their child is ready academically, emotionally and is socially mature enough for the big changes ahead of them. Kindergarten is the biggest leap your child will make academically for the next couple of years. Knowing a few steps to guide your child onto the path of a successful Kindergarten year can help ease the stress you may be feeling.
Start early, practice often: a good motto to live by, especially when it translates to parenting.There are many kindergarten readiness tips for parents online to help prepare, but it’s more than just reading a few tips and trying to apply them: it is about being ready.
Giving your child a head start in the academic arena doesn’t have to be a scene from military school. Skip the flash cards and strict learning rules, but make learning fun by fostering their curiosity for the world around them. Explore outdoors by incorporating colors, or counting trees and rocks to create a ‘lesson’ for them. Print a few fun worksheets, but don’t get overwhelmed. Learning at this age should be fun and low-key. If you stress, they will stress!
Kindergarten isn’t just about learning the ABC’s and 123’s, but it’s also gaining social maturity throughout the year. Join playgroups or other social activities that require your child to engage with their peers. Easing into social situations where they interact and having small amounts of conflict resolution will help them adjust to dealing with peers when they leave your side. It’s important to foster their social life now while you can monitor and mediate group activities.
Take away the fear. They’ve heard of kindergarten, but have yet to see it in action. Preparing for the unknown can alleviate the mystery of school. Talk about all the new experiences they’ll face at school including their teacher, lunch, where the bathroom is and friends they’ll meet. Most of all, if you’re excited, they will be too!A lot of people are concerned about their retirement accounts these days. I keep telling myself that I’m getting a great deal, and that in a few years when the stock market rebounds, I should be in really good shape. But that doesn’t help some folks, and many are even more nervous about how they should choose investments for their retirement accounts. This is understandable.
I recently read an interesting post at the Oblivious Investor that points out that the way most people choose mutual funds for their retirement accounts is by historical return. While looking at a fund’s history may give you some comfort, the fact of the matter is that — say it with me now — “Past returns are not a guarantee of future results.” Instead of staking your future on past returns, Mike, the Oblivious Investor, recommends these 4 tips for selecting mutual funds for your retirement account:
Make sure the asset allocation in the fund complements your overall portfolio. I think Mike makes a really good point here. You need to figure out what your own goals are, and create an overall financial and investing plan that meets your needs. Your retirement account should fit into that plan. Look at expense ratios. Figure out how much of what you yield every year goes to expenses. You want to keep more of your money in your pocket. Choose mutual funds with low turnover. You don’t want a fund that keeps trading out what’s in there. That means that the manager is trying to time the market. Look for funds that have long-term staying power. Plus, managers that constantly switch out stocks are accumulating costs for selling the stock and buying a new one to replace it in the fund. Avoid huge actively-managed funds. If the fund is too big, Mike points out, it is likely to be more like an index fund with a really high cost. In this case, you’re better off just investing in an index fund on your own. It’s be cheaper.
It can be a daunting task to select any investment for your retirement account. Indeed, if you are concerned about it, you might try consulting with a fee-based financial planner who can help you create an asset allocation with the right mix for your individual situation. It costs a little up front, but it could be more than worth it in the long run.PEOPLE have been given a how-to guide to survive a mass shooting on Australian soil as brand new Federal guidelines warn the threat remains real and persistent.
Active Shooter Guidelines for places likely to be targeted by a terrorist or deranged person, including shopping centres, transport hubs, sporting venues and entertainment precincts, have been drawn up for the first time.
Citing the Boston bombings, the shooting by Anders Breivik in Norway in 2011 and historic Australian massacres like Port Arthur, the document warns that even with strict gun laws, "active shooter mass casualty attacks in Australia remain a real and persistent threat to the community".
NSW Police fear bikie massacre
media_camera Port Arthur shooting massacre gunman Martin Bryant.
Developed by the Australia-New Zealand Counter-Terrorism Committee, the guidelines warn there is no one recommended response to a mass shooting due to their unpredictable nature.
But it does contain three key actions potential victims should take.
Firstly, people should leave all their belongings and evacuate if it's safe to do so, avoiding elevators and visualising their escape route before they flee.
media_camera Anders Breivik, the Norway gunman who killed 77 people, sitting handcuffed and dressed as a police officer moments after his arrest. Picture: AFP
If evacuation is not possible, people should hide somewhere where they can lock the door and block the door with heavy furniture.
Windows should be covered, lights turned off, and phones put on silent.
People should also come up with a plan for if they are discovered, with violence the best course.
"This can include using or throwing available objects or using aggressive force when confronted," it says.
"Such action should only be taken as a last resort and in order to protect the life of the individual or others in that area."
The document says managers of high-risk venues need to have plans in place and practice their responses often.
Releasing the guidelines today, Attorney-General Mark Dreyfus said the joint initiative between the Commonwealth, states and businesses would help all be better prepared for such a threat.
"Such facilities not only present potential opportunities for mass casualties, symbolic attacks and high-impact media coverage, but pose a broad range of security challenges for their owners and operators," Mr Dreyfus said.
Follow reporter Jessica Marszalek on Twitter at JessMarie_News
Originally published as How to survive a mass shootingWith Winnipeg's mild December weather comes an increased risk of danger around waterways, emergency crews in the city say.
"Areas of the river that appear calm can carry dangerous currents," Winnipeg Fire Paramedic Chief John Lane said by way of press release on Thursday, adding that ice thickness is unpredictable.
"These are preventable incidents with sometimes tragic consequences. There really is no reason to be near the water."
Lane's staff and the Winnipeg Police Service are encouraging parents and teachers to speak to children about staying away from the floodway, drainage ditches and culverts, streams, creeks, retention ponds, and rivers.
Falling into ice-cold water can be deadly, the crews say.
"Ice that is a foot deep in one location can be razor thin only a few feet away," said Sgt. Kevin Pawl.
"Only approved areas that have been tested for use should be considered safe."
The Fire Paramedic Service responds to an average of 200 water and ice safety calls each year.1 of 6 View Caption
Courtesy photo Hikers discovered the remnants of a four-mile oil slick down Little Valley Wash near Escalante on Saturday. The Bu Courtesy photo Hikers discovered the remnants of a four-mile oil slick down Little Valley Wash near Escalante on Saturday. The Bu Courtesy photo Hikers discovered the remnants of a four-mile oil slick down Little Valley Wash near Escalante on Saturday. The Bu Courtesy photo Hikers discovered the remnants of a four-mile oil slick down Little Valley Wash near Escalante on Saturday. The Bu Courtesy photo Hikers discovered the remnants of a four-mile oil slick down Little Valley Wash near Escalante on Saturday. The Bu Courtesy photo Hikers discovered the remnants of a four-mile oil slick down Little Valley Wash near Escalante on Saturday. The BuLet these microwaves bring you down from that 1980s high, nice and easy now.
1. All right, ‘Stranger Things’ fans. You watched the show’s whole season and now it’s time to stop obsessing over the past. These 1980s microwaves will gradually ease you back to the present.
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2. You have to break this cycle of reminiscing before you do something drastic, like buy a Power Glove off eBay. These microwaves may be dull, but they have just enough 80s nostalgia in them to help you resist your cravings.
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3. We would never ask you to cut your ‘Stranger Things’ world cold turkey. You’d instantly relapse, and start assembling a playlist of New Order songs while jamming your face against a Members Only jacket.
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4. What sort of life do you want for yourself? Always roaming between ‘The Goonies’ viewing parties, desperately searching for your next fix of yesteryear? You’re better than that.
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5. You can do this. Don’t let Barb addle your mind with her addictively 80s fashion. Next time you’re tempted to wear a frilly plaid shirt, just stare at this microwave until the urge passes.
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6. Eventually you won’t even need these obsolete microwaves. Look at this list of microwaves three times per day, then after a month cut back to once per day, then after another month of that you’ll be cured of your nostalgia.
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7. Ok so we know this is a far cry from a bunch of teens decked out in denim jackets and scrunchies driving around in a Ford Pinto, but let’s see if you can handle this 90’s microwave to ease you back into the present. Don’t be frightened by it, just see if you’ve made enough headway to see a thing from a different era than ’Stranger Things’ takes place in.
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8. Very good. Now here’s a little treat for really pushing yourself on that last one: a 1980’s microwave. For now you can rest, ‘Stranger Things’ fans. You’ve made excellent progress today.Editor note: Part 2 of a 4 part series on the wiring of DIY ebikes
Make no mistake about it…there is no great deal of expertise in building a drive system for an electric bike. It is not rocket science….it is not even as hard as tuning a car science. DIY ebikes have an array of wires that can quickly and often times turn into a rats-nest if the builder is not thoughtful. Wires are a messy problem. Where as the rest of the technology industry is going wireless, it seems that ebikes have just as many wires as ever. I see it I as the biggest drawbacks to DIY ebike compared to a commercially available ebike. Commercial ebikes keep getting better…DIY components have pretty much stayed the same, with only one or two exceptions.
If you are thinking about building an electric bike, you are going to have to deal with putting together some kind of wiring mess, since as of 2015, DIY components are pretty much straight out of China, and…China couldn’t care less about how cluttered or unattractive your ebike looks.
Example of how a commercial bike handles wiring:
Lets take a look at typical commercial ebike, and see the one sure way a commercial ebike can put a DIY bike to shame:
The Juiced Rider is a great example of a nicely built commercially built electric bike (one of my favorites) with only a few visible wires. Notice the lack of handlebar clutter, which you can think of as a riders feng shui.
But lets just focus on how that nitty griddy of how that ultra neat handlebar wiring is planned out and finally made. First it starts out a schematic:
According to Tora, owner of Juiced Riders who is one of the few ebike manufacturers who is open about the way he sources in China:
“It is really hard to make the cable as we have to order both sides of the cables at the exact length from the cable supplier. Check and separate them when they come in. Then send each piece to the different suppliers, motor, controller, display, throttle, brake so they can ingrate them into the component before they send them back. Then hope everything works out when it arrives! It could take several months.
To get the clean look, we have to align them first on a wiring harness board before going onto the bike. We go through great “lengths” to make the wires look nice. By far it is the slowest process of the assembly. “
So you can start to see the advantage a commercial ebike has when it comes to wiring. Because he is making hundreds or thousands of ebikes at a time, he has the opportunity to thoroughly plan the wiring set up, and then have low paid chinese workers put it all together…..this is the most difficult part of the assembly process for I suspect most electric bikes.
Through out the commercial ebike industry, quick connectors are becoming a hot item. Check out the latest generation with steel connectors:
Quick connectors make replacing the hub motor or controller or throttle as simple as disconnecting one quick connect which is way less complicated because there fewer individual wires.
Much of this is possible because most commercial bikes are low-power and can get by on thin-gauge wires. Also, because commercial ebikes are designed with 3 components selected to work with each other, it is really possible to have super tidy wiring solutions, with no extra wires protruding out of the controller.
Its a good thing that American Ebike makers are demanding china to provide them quick connects…it would be hard to sell a $3,000 commercial ebike to a common consumer it if had a controller that looks like the one below…a typical DIY ebike controller:
The Disadvantage of a home ebike builder:
Home builders of course do not have access to low price China workers to build there controllers for them. In general the products home builders have to work with tend to be too wirey (we will break it down later) Plus making a clean set up with wires hidden and shortened to just the right length is one of the most difficult tasks of installing a hub motor drive system on a bike. Most DIY ebikers are anxious to get their bike running (for good reason) and will just quickly put it together and pay not much attention to the wires or how messy their contraption can look. Duct tape, zip ties, sizzling hot soldering irons, and even bungee chords are all friends to the ebike builder.
Also home builders tend to be like a ham radio operator, dungeons and dragons players…that type of guy who does not mind sitting around in the garage with a solder iron in hand, smoking the fattest wire he can find. Most home builders i know spend more time building than they do riding.
That is why Chinese components and many DIY’s are a good match…China does not seem to mind creating ebike devices that have an exorbitant amount of wiring and mismatched cheap cheesy connectors that require the ebike geek to unravel, figure out, and solder. I am one of the few people I know who does not know how to Solder, and do not count soldering as one of the skills I want to pick up.
Fast or Tidy? Think fast…
There is a big separation in thinking between the leaders of the DIY scene, and what is actually selling in the real world. For example…the best selling ebike kits in the United States are NOT the most powerful ebike kits (so powerful that they can send you 40-50 MPH down your block on your $200 Walmart bike), nor are they the cheapest kits. The kits that seem to be selling the best are kits that are easy to connect such as the bionx kit with the motor and controller built into hub (fewer wires) and other kits which are overpriced Chinese kits with good support, clean websites, and quick connectors. These kits are easy to install, and its easier to hide the integrated wiring system. Also, when you’re done you don’t have a bunch of loose bundles of wires protruding from your controller, for features you will never use. And if you’re lucky, your ebike will look just like a bicycle.
PLEASE!!! Look at this Ebike builders Inspiring Pics for a breath of fresh air before we continue with wiring headache discussion
What Chinese Function All American Ebike Builders Should Refuse:
Cruise control! Cruise control on an ebike is ugly and wirey…and the idea that you are going to ride a powered bicyle and you dont want to get your wrist or thumb tired pushing on that throttle is pathetic. Lets ban it!!!
What component some genius Western Engineer should bring to market:
A proper throttle. All we have to choose from currently is chinese junk. (more on throttles later).
Why Wires Suck
Where the rest of the world is going wireless, the DIY ebike world is stuck in the wire age. The multitudes of wires in a home-built kit is the biggest drawback I see to building your own electric bike. Why?
Wires are ugly
Wires are very un-bicycle like
wires make an ebike less stealthy
Wires are hard to install…a typical hub motor installation takes 12 wires that need to soldered
Wires make troubleshooting an ebike extremely difficult
wires make interchanging ebike components difficult unless you enjoy soldering
Ebike Hub Motors – Spinning Magnets Wound With Wires
Most ebike motors are brushless, and require the following connections to operate.
Hall Sensor wires – 5 small wires that communicate with the controller on the timing of the motor. This enables a smoother and more efficient operation for brushless motors. The soldered connections can melt if they are too thin for power you are running (Hall wires carry a low current, but they are next to the high-current “hot” motor-phase wires).
Lead wires – 3 motor phase wires…this is how your motor gets it power…the thicker the better if you want to go high power…these can get hot if too thin, and maybe even melt.
Solutions for less wires?
One of the largest producers of ebike kits is BionX (read review), who have installed the controller inside the hub motor which greatly reduces the number of wires. Many people complain that this makes the Bionx harder to upgrade, but the BionX is a really sweet solution, given that it has half the wires of most kits:
Another kit that has a super quiet sine wave controller installed and is considerably faster than the bionx is the Golden Motor Pie4.
Numerous kit manufacturers offer their hub-motors with well-integrated quick-connects like found on commercial ebikes. It is highly recommended you buy a kit with quick-connects if you are not into soldering.
You could run without hall sensors, which would mean less wires, but the compromise is…the motor can be a bit more jittery at start up. Some DIY Ebikers run without hall wires, not only to reduce wire clutter, but also to make their ebike more dependable…hall wires are a common failure point. Running without hall wires make a lazy ebike builder forced to pedal a little bit to get his rig going.
DIY Ebike Batteries
Many DIY Ebikers want the best performance per dollar they can find. Since professionally-built ebike battery packs with Battery Management System (BMS) are expensive, DIY Ebikers often prefer to build it themselves without a BMS. This results in a rats-nest of wires they must access, so that they can do the occasional balance charging to keep this entire cluster puck from blowing up into flames. Believe it or not…the above pack was build from a very skilled builder…but to run Hobby King packs in this type of huge cluster requires a lot of wires….OMG! what a mess.
(read article on building your own 18650 battery pack)
Solutions for less wires?
Buy a commercially available ebike pack with a built-in BMS protection.
DIY Ebike Chargers – What a mess
Many DIY ebikers want high performance, but…they also want it cheap. They buy batteries with no built-in BMS and then balance-charge the mess of wires with a balance charger. To do this they need an RC charger (which was originally designed to be used out in the field, and fed with big 12-volt car battery), so when they are at home?…they have to wire their corded charger to a second corded box, known as a power supply (converts 120 volts AC into 12V DC) which results in more messy wires.
Here is a typical DIY Ebike Charging system consisting of Hyperion charger and power supply…actually this one is fairly tidy compared to most that I have seen.
Solutions for less charging wires?
Do not run a battery pack without a BMS…let the BMS deal with the cell-balancing and the balance wires.
Consider the Cycle Satiator, a powerful charger designed for ebikes.
Chinese Ebike Controller wiring nonsense
When you buy a controller it typically looks like the above pic. A bunch of unsightly wires coming out to handle all kinds of silly stuff such as cruise control, etc. The connectors are complete garbage. To start with, if you buy a controller that has connectors like this?… consider changing at least the main two red/black lead wires to a quality connector. ( read our story on ebike connectors) Another hint is that: after you have done your installation, do yourself a favor and just clip off the wires you did not use. Seems ridiculous but offering a product with this many wires is uncalled for and demands drastic action.
Possible Solutions:
Buy a controller that is not just a Chinese generic…spend the money it costs for a modern controller with less wires and more thoughtful construction. Demand innovation.
Consider an Adaptto system, the ultimate ebike solution on the market right now, containing controller, super sophisticated BMS and display screen, all in one tight, super integrated, and compact package. The Adaptto uses quick connects, has a myriad of features that makes you think these guys really understand ebikes, and is half the size of a traditional controller, with 3X the power of a typical Chinese controller, and includes features such as variable regenerative braking, traction control, motor health monitoring…etc etc. Finally, it feels like modern technology is touching ebikes.
Wire Clutter on the Handlebars
The modern-day pedal bicycle should be simple and clean… usually just a brake cable or two, and perhaps a shifter cable to the handlebars, but…elegantly tucked-in and hidden as much as possible. Bike manufacturers for years have been trying to find ways to simplify and lessen the wire clutter to the handlebars.
Enter the DIY Electric Bike…swarming with cheap Chinese tech, and you get a multitude of wires coming to your handlebars. Yeah, it is a different look…but more than just the look, upkeeping and troubleshooting all those wires can be a royal pain.
Throttle
Most throttles are on the handlebars, and I have not seen a good looking one yet from China. They are either twist grip or thumb lever and, require a set of 3 wires to run down to the controller.
Possible Solution? Consider a pedal assist system where the throttle is controlled by how hard or how fast you pedal.
ON/OFF switches should be a required safety item on all ebikes but most DIY ebikes actually don’t have them, and the ebike is turned on by connecting a plug and socket together.
Very few Chinese controller suppliers have decided to sell controllers with on/off switches on the controller, so…if you’re NOT lucky enough to have a controller with an integrated on/off switch, you have to buy a separate overpriced on/off switch and run an additional wire to the wiring harness coming out of your controller to your handle bars. These wires send a signal to the controller telling it to shut down.
.
E-brakes
Whoever invented ebike safety etiquette has decided that an E-brake is critical safety equipment on an electric bike. Basically an E-brake means when you hit one of the brake levers, the motor power is momentarily cut off…this makes it hard to accidentally hit your brakes and the throttle at the same time. This requires (of course) two more sets of wires going from your controller to your handlebars, to an inevitably cheap and low-quality brake handle…and just like on and off switches, I have yet to see a high quality E-brake handle out of China:
Ebike Lights
Popular in the ebike DIY crowd are lights that are proprietary to ebikes. Like front and rear lights with wires that lead directly to the ebikes battery pack. The idea is that you can use a nifty voltage converter built into the lights, so you don’t need a separate light battery to charge. The problem is that they require still more wires going from your handlebars to your battery.
Possible Solutions – If you’re using a Cycle Analyst, wire your lights to the Cycle Analyst wire port to minimize wiring.
Save money and complexity and buy a battery powered light…who cares if you need a separate battery.
Cycle Analyst
Here is a piece of Canadian Tech that many DIY ebikes incorporate to keep track of their battery usage on the bike. The Cycle Analyst can also display speed, and if you are doing this with a direct drive hub motor with hall sensors, it can do it wirelessly…Hallelujah!
But you still have to run a set of wires to the Cycle Analyst, either with the direct plug-in version, or stand alone version. Also the Cycle Analyst has another clump of wires coming out the back of it…which adds to the wire clutter on the dash.
Possible Solutions to reduce wiring of the CA –
Use all the functionality of the cycle analyst to reduce wiring clutter.
seek a more integrated or wirelss solution
Conclusion
I wonder…if I ripped apart one of my DIY ebikes, and took all the wires out and connected them together and stretched them down the block…would it stretch a mile?
Very rarely do I harp on the draw backs to building your own electric bike. If you are focused on good performance at a cheap price…DIY is definitely the way to go.
But…be prepared to deal with the wiring headache…which I see as by far the biggest drawback to building an electric bike.
In the next few weeks I will be writing a series of stories about ebike wiring in the DIY scene, and what a mess it has become. Wires are like pollution, and we need to eliminate as many of them as we can. We are supposed to be in the wireless age.
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Written by Eric Hicks / Editor, April 2015Surviving the World A Photocomic Education by Dante Shepherd
Guest Lecture #7 - Andrew Rees
Today's comic is from another old friend, Andy Rees, another former Boy Scout compatriot. (There's a bonus comic too - note the change in the filing.) Andy is a journalism major with an excellent blog, Making Plans for Infiniti- frankly, I think the short pieces of fiction he throws in there have a ton of potential, and really make me wish he wrote longer fiction. I think Andy files his fiction under the subject GAN, so at least be sure to check that out if you're not willing to offer him a journalist post.
Also, I especially enjoy how today's comic is just blatant product placement for Narragansett beer.
Anyway, that's Guest Lecture week! Hope you enjoyed it. If nothing else, it certainly gave me a chance to build up a pretty large backlog of comics for the first time since about Lesson #47. Regular comics return tomorrow.ICIT on Healthcare and Hacking Elections, Continuous Authentication, Cyber Wars, Government Decryption, and more.
This week’s curated digest includes ICIT on healthcare cybersecurity, hacking the election, the future of IAM, the prevalence of insider threats, and five additional Identity & Access Management and Cybersecurity articles worth your attention.
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Here are 9 Identity Management and Cybersecurity articles from September 2016.
A recent NIST design guide discussing integrating security measures into the development process could potentially affect healthcare cybersecurity. With healthcare cybersecurity issues continuing to evolve, it is especially important for covered entities and their business associates to review the guide and see how it may affect their health IT systems.
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Usernames and passwords act as a gateway. Insert another authentication step on top of these credentials and this gateway becomes harder to infiltrate. But once access is gained, how can the device or Web application be certain that the authenticated user is, in fact, the same person throughout the entire session?
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Russian hackers appear to be pushing the limits. In recent weeks, the apparent targets have included the electronic files of the Democratic National Committee, the private emails of former secretary of state Colin Powell, and personal drug-testing information about top U.S. athletes. How should the United States combat Russian cyber-meddling before it gets truly dangerous?
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Enabling decryption through so-called backdoors will have detrimental effects if cybercriminals discover those backdoors. We’d be asking U.S. companies to reverse years of enhancements and innovations in secure online transactions and data storage that power the world’s largest retail e-commerce market, valued at $238 billion. It would be like building a home with state-of-the-art alarm systems, but then cutting off the power to them.
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Banks stopped three new attempts to abuse the Swift financial transfer network this summer, its CEO Gottfried Leibbrandt said Monday, as he announced Swift’s plan to impose tighter security controls on its customers. Despite the risk to their businesses and reputations, though, banks have been slow to make the changes, so from next year, Swift is going to make many of them mandatory.
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The CVE system is faced with bottlenecks and coverage gaps, as thousands of vulnerabilities go without CVE-ID assignments. These gaps are leaving business leaders and security teams exposed to vulnerabilities their security products, which rely on CVE-IDs to function and assess risk, don’t even know exist in some cases.
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A survey recently conducted by Imperva showed that 36 percent of surveyed companies have experienced security incidents involving malicious employees in the past 12 months. The survey studied the attitudes of 250 UK-based IT professionals into insider threats. One in fifty employees is believed to be a malicious insider.
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Most threat actors fall within four main groups, each with their own favorite tactics, techniques, and procedures (TTPs). By gaining a deeper understanding of threat actors, you’ll be able to assign your cyber security budget to fund the right activities.
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Despite the fact that researchers have spent the past decade demonstrating that Direct Recording Electronic (DRE) and optical scanning systems from every manufacturer are vulnerable along numerous attack vectors, our Nation is still plagued with a lack of transparency on the part of electronic voting system manufacturers and poorly trained election officials and staff.
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Photo Credit: FlickrFREMANTLE is well placed to retain three Victorian youngsters who loom as important members of its next generation, but will almost certainly lose homesick Harley Balic at the end of the season.
Freo has a host of Victorian players due to come out of contract at the end of the season, including Hayden Crozier, 23, Ed Langdon, 21, Darcy Tucker, 20, and Balic, 20, along with Tom Sheridan, 23, and Matt Taberner, 24.
AFL.com.au understands Langdon, pick No.54 in the 2014 NAB AFL Draft, is poised to re-sign with the Dockers for two more years, with a new deal expected to be finalised soon.
Crozier, pick No.20 in the 2011 national draft, and Tucker, pick No.27 in 2015, are not as advanced in their talks with Freo but both appear likely to recommit.
Sell, buy, re-sign, retire: What your club is planning this Trade Period
Balic, however, is set to request a trade home to Victoria after a difficult 2017 season when he has twice returned home on personal leave.
The talented midfielder, pick No.38 in the 2015 national draft, spent most of his first season at Freo overcoming a persistent wrist injury. He started this year on a far brighter note when he debuted in round three against the Western Bulldogs and played four senior games in a row before taking leave in May.
Balic returned to the Dockers in mid-June after a month in Victoria but played just one WAFL game, starring with 27 possessions and five clearances, before taking another leave of absence, which remains ongoing.
The former Sandringham Dragon is now fixed on a move home in October's trade period.
Langdon's looming recommitment and the likely re-signings of Crozier and Tucker are a vote of confidence in the progress the Dockers have made in their list rebuild this season.
Langdon would only commit for one season when he re-signed at the end of last year. At the time, the midfielder, whose elder brother Tom plays for Collingwood, turned his back on approaches from clubs in his home state, but seemed to leave the door open for them to renew their interest at the end of 2017.
You're the list manager. What's your club's dream trade?
But it's believed Langdon has been buoyed by Fremantle's development in 2017 and sees a bright future for the club.
After making five finals appearances in six years from 2010-15, the Dockers hit the wall last season, losing their first 10 games on the way to a four-win season and 16th spot on the ladder.
With three rounds remaining in 2017, Freo has won eight games while blooding seven debutants and successfully introducing mature recruits Bradley Hill, Cam McCarthy, Joel Hamling and Shane Kersten.
Like most rebuilding teams, the Dockers have had their share of disappointing losses this year, but they have laid the platform for future seasons by piling games into their youngsters.
Langdon played 10 of the first 11 rounds before suffering a knee injury, while mercurial forward Crozier has played a career-high 17 games and midfielder Tucker has also played 17 games on top of the 12 he played in his debut season.
Fellow youngsters Lachie Weller, Connor Blakely and Brady Grey have also played more prominent roles this season.
The Dockers' youthful makeover has given them an on-field zest that stands in stark contrast to the air of decay that hung over 2016's proud but battle-scarred group.
The futures of Sheridan and Taberner won't be decided until the end of the season.
From round seven, 2015, until the end of last season, Sheridan missed just one game, through illness.
But the midfielder, who was Freo's first selection in the 2011 national draft at pick No.16 overall, has been in and out of the Dockers' team this season, playing just eight games. He has been sidelined since injuring a hamstring in round 16 against North Melbourne.
Former rookie Taberner played 32 games from 2015-16, but the 199cm forward had managed just five senior games this season before earning a recall for Saturday's clash against Sydney.A young woman in Rajasthan has proved in court she was illegally married off as a minor after submitting evidence from her husband’s Facebook page, a child rights activist said on Thursday.
Sushila Bishnoi, 19, appealed to a court to dissolve her underage marriage. But her husband denied the couple were ever betrothed, threatening to scuttle her case.
The teenager, aided by an activist, trawled her husband’s Facebook accounts until they found the smoking gun that proved their marriage occurred when she was underage.
“Many of his friends had posted congratulatory messages on his Facebook page,” said Kriti Bharti, an activist whose Sarathi Trust charity has annulled many child marriages in Rajasthan.
“The court accepted the evidence and declared the marriage invalid,” she said of the ruling on Monday.
The Rajasthan court’s order comes the same week as the Supreme Court ruling that sex with a minor was akin to rape even if the couple was married, a landmark verdict that closed a legal loophole around child marriage.
The couple were married at a secret ceremony in Barmer in 2010 when both were 12 years old.
Girls married off in Rajasthan often remain with their parents after the wedding ceremony until reaching 18 years of age, when they are sent to live with their husbands.
Bishnoi said her parents were forcing her to move to her husband’s house and consummate the marriage.
“I wanted to study but my family and my in-laws wanted me to live with a drunkard,” said Bishnoi. “It was about life and death, and I chose to live.”
She ran away from home to a shelter where she met Bharti, who helped her begin legal proceedings to dissolve the union.
First Published: Oct 13, 2017 12:42 ISTThe following is the 7th in a series of draft profiles for the 1st round pick for the Dallas Cowboys. These profiles are put together with the specific needs of the Cowboys in mind, and is an attempt to examine their resumes and game tape to get an idea of who might fit in best with Dallas come draft day. Surely, circumstances will dictate what actually happens on that day, but we will profile the 8-10 most likely candidates and try to kick the tires on each and every scenario an how it relates to the Cowboys in 2013 and beyond.
Kenny Vaccaro
Texas
Safety
6’1, 214
40 time: 4.61 Bench Press: 15 Reps
Born: February 15, 1991 (Age 22)
Over the months and even years, we have spent plenty of time discussing the Cowboys lack of quality safety play. In fact, the latest essay I have written on the topic is here as we looked at the revolving door at the position since Darren Woodson exited stage left after the 2003 season. It is a position of great need on a franchise that has seemingly felt the effects of not having it, and yet never try to invest heavily into it since the snake bite of |
and emotional self-improvement as a pro football player that transition from All-American to NFL player can range from difficult to impossible.
Based on my conversations with those connected to the NFL it’s very clear the players are a microcosm of society at large. Whether it’s the promising young player who breaks down crying after the game because he got chewed out by a coach in front of his teammates; the veteran struggling to play at his physical peak because he spends sleepless nights worrying how he’s going to continue to support a dysfunctional lifestyle; or the unproven, but highly talented small school star who gets cut or buried on a depth chart because he started to believe those who never gave him a chance and stopped working like the future starter he could have been, NFL players have the similar emotional challenges on sometimes a more intense scale as the rest of society.
What I have learned – as well as most of my colleagues – is that no matter how talented, how skilled, or how cool, calm, and collected these young players carry themselves – no one every really knows if they’ll succeed until they’ve spent at least a couple of years under the bright lights and harsh glare of not just the NFL, but the lifestyle frequently offered with it.
If you think I’m trying to make you feel sorry for the players then you have the wrong idea. I don’t think you should feel any more empathy for them than you do for others in our society as a whole. However, the point I hope I’ve made clear is that evaluators can be 100 percent right about a prospect’s physical and technical potential as a football player, but 100 percent wrong about his emotional makeup to make a life transition that is vastly underrated in difficulty.
Joey Harrington and David Carr seemed like excellent prospects from the perspective of maturity and emotional stability while Brandon Marshall or Michael Irvin could be perceived lacking what Harrington and Carr possessed. Clearly there is no single formula to create the right emotional makeup to make the transition to the NFL and maintain a successful career.
If you maintain the idea that the transition from college to pro is a great emotional divide that every player must travel, you’ll have greater perspective about a player’s success or failure regardless of the odds stacked in their favor or against them.When a pollster tells Stephen Harper that his policies have once again outraged Canada’s artists, I imagine the prime minister echoes what Dorothy Parker said when the famously reserved president Calvin Coolidge died: “How can they tell?”
Canada’s artists are in a perpetual state of Harper-phobia, to a point that can seem obsessive. Honestly, I’m surprised that spontaneous artist combustion is not a plague upon the land.
As an arts critic, I have many times on Facebook seen anti-Harper pile-ons that are as inflamed as they are impotent. (The Harper-philes savour every seething word of it. On a “Stephen Harper Going Away Party” page, a self-declared Harper fan wrote, “many conservatives... are on this group strictly for the entertainment value.”)
The Harper-phobes seem to blame the Conservative leader for whatever ails the arts and otherwise, from the smallest cuts in the smallest local programs, to the very existence of climate change — which Harper causes not by reneging on international agreements nor cutting funding, but merely by being alive, so toxic is his presence.
Now, I’m not enamoured with Harper, nor any of our current federal leaders, but I can’t recall ever seeing artists so frothed up about a politician — and that’s saying something, considering artists have by nature always been, and should be, an unofficial opposition to the government, whatever party it’s made of. (Woody Guthrie, “this machine kills fascists,” hurrah!)
Anyhow, the latest broadside is an open letter from a list of artists, including Margaret Atwood, Michael Ondaatje, Paul Haggis and hundreds of others, all assailing the government’s noxious security bill, C-51. Judging by the long list of names, every Canadian artist has signed it. The letter is not solely about Harper — Justin Trudeau supported the bill — but its primary target is bullseye clear.
The letter warns that C-51 was “rammed through Parliament by the Harper Conservative government,” and that it “directly attacks the creative arts and free expression in this country,” and, furthermore, “it gives the government carte blanche to suppress any voice they don’t like.”
And then, “Is it promoting terrorism if we write a spy novel about an assassination plot? Record a song questioning our government’s agenda? Paint a mural about the conflict in Syria?” And so on.
The media abounds with unusually dire exhortations from the arts community. “For the past nine years, arts and culture have undergone unprecedented cuts to funding,” warns the Canadian Conference for the Arts. “This election is crucial.”
As early as 2008, Vancouver’s Georgia Straight reported how “anger is mounting across the country... over the federal government’s axing of $45 million in arts and culture funding.”
It’s even more intense today. Two weeks ago I wrote about a few anti-Harper songs by Canadian musicians. (Read it here, and here.) The first was the most read story on ottawacitizen.com for 24 hours. Then I was deluged with emails from readers sending links to more anti-Harper songs — it’s an industry onto itself. So is complaining full-time about government cuts to the CBC, an act held as a sword to the arts belly.
Oh, I suppose there’s a pro-Harper artist out there, somewhere, like a rare creature seen in a Hinterland Who’s Who vignette (if Harper hasn’t yet cut production funding). That artist is the Canadian equivalent of American comedian Fred Armisen’s fictional British character Ian Rubbish, the only punk rocker who was pro-Thatcher — a concept so absurd that it’s a punchline.
And yet, there are examples of the Harper Conservatives publicly supporting the arts, including guaranteed funding for the Canada Council for the Arts, $110-million to renovate the National Arts Centre, and $80 million to renovate the Canadian Museum of Science and Technology.
Meanwhile, Laureen Harper has been a constant, hands-on advocate for the arts, especially music education, often giving her time to the National Arts Centre. That’s where her husband made his storied debut as a musician in 2009, with a band that performed With A Little Help From My Friends, during one of those fancy-pants arts galas.
I was there, and I remember how the surprise appearance of the PM brought a collective intake of breath, as perhaps even some of the tuxedoed and be-gowned Harper haters in the crowd briefly thought, “Huh? Really? Maybe he’s not all bad.”
Then, later, Harper posed on the doorstep of 24 Sussex with Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger, and the haters railed afresh.
Perhaps Harper was doomed with the arts crowd in 2008 when he suggested that arts funding is not “something that resonates with ordinary people.” Well, when he describes arts funding as “a gala of a bunch of people... all subsidized by taxpayers claiming their subsidies aren’t high enough,” he is undeniably right.
Except, that’s not where most arts funding goes. And, by the way, the many rich galas that I’ve sauntered about have almost always been fundraisers, financed by ticket sales, and I’ve never heard anyone complain about subsidies — the buns, perhaps, or that damnably slow wine steward, but complaints about subsidies would have put me off my profiteroles, I can assure you.
Every political party plays to its base, of course. The Liberal and NDP websites are Christmas stockings that are pleasantly a-bursting with gifts for the arts.
Meanwhile, on the Conservative website, a none-too-prominent section lumps arts with sports, provides a short list of agencies or programs that have benefited from increased funding, then concludes with a terse pledge to “continue to support Canada’s arts and cultural communities.” It’s like the local constable saying, “Oy! Nothing to see here, folks, let’s move along to the next topic.”
The Conservatives see little need to rhetorically challenge the legions of complaining artists, because they’re confident in their support of the great Canadian public, or at least enough of us to help them form the government again.
What Harper talks to voters about is jobs, about protecting (a curious word choice) the economy, and he believes that his supporters don’t necessarily see the arts as a significant base for job creation.
That misconception is the fault of the arts community, which too often defends itself on high ideals that seem esoteric to most people, especially people worried about their little parts of the economy. If the arts community wants more funding, it should spend less time decrying Harperites as the Mongol hordes, and spend more time promoting the arts as an economic engine, as a source of real jobs.
For example, in that previous paragraph I wrote the “arts community.” It should be arts industry, because industry always “resonates with ordinary people.”
– 30 –There's something inspiring about hearing far-right enthusiasts standing up in town hall meetings with tears in their eyes crying out, "I Want My Country Back." And seeing signs held high at rallies organized by the Tea Party corporations that read, "I Want My Country Back."
"I Want My Country Back." One's heart swells at this display. Wonderful! I'm ready to help. Let's go get it back!!
Okay, then, one question to start with: How far back do you want it?
Just asking. Does the radical right want us to take an easy step back, say, to the halcyon days of George W. Bush?
Good times, good times.
Although... okay, maybe not just two years back. That's too soon. Not time enough to get past the economy collapsing, two wars, the national debt doubling to $10.7 trillion, a U.S. city wiped off the map, warrantless wiretaps and ignoring the warning of an imminent terrorist attack. So, perhaps further back. Y'know, to more comfortable pre-9/11 thinking.
Back to the Good Ol' Days of Bill Clint... well, fair enough, we know that's not the country the radical right wants back. God forbid.
It's more likely that they want to return to the days of Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush. Yes. Except -- well, the problem is that this is when President Reagan's Chief of Staff Dick Cheney (yes, that Dick Cheney) infamously said, "Budget deficits don't matter" -- and we know budget deficits are The Most Important Thing to the Tea Party corporation. And so, the budget deficit tripled. And the national debt quadrupled. And Mr. Reagan sold armaments to... Saddam Hussein (yes, that Saddam Hussein), and worse, sold Saddam material for making anthrax. (You know, that "weapons of mass destruction" thingy.)
So, eesh, this can't be what the radical right is pining for. And surely, they don't want to go back to the Jimmy Carter years. Or, God forbid, Richard Nixon.
Lyndon Johnson did have The Great Society. So, that sounds promising -- though it's what created Medicare and Medicaid and the National Endowment of the Arts, and when the Civil Rights Act was established, which included affirmative action. So, that's hardly the country the radical right and Tea folks wants back.
So -- what country do they want back?? Otherwise it's just empty yammering because you lost an election.
Well, listening closely, there is such an America they are referring to. And this is what appears to be what the radical right and Tea Party corporations want when they say "I Want My Country Back."
They want to go back to an earlier time, a friendlier time, a better time in America of our youth, a time when everything was taken care of for us by our parents, and the time of our grandparents. A time of that mythical Shining City on the Hill. A warmer time that we see in old movies. A happier time.
"I Want My Country Back," they say.
Back. To that good, gracious wonderful time in America back where there were --
Picket fences.
Smiling neighbors.
Pride of country.
A handshake was your bond.
That's the country "I want back." That's the time I want back.
People went on hayrides and caroled together at Christmas and sat on the front porch drinking mint juleps, swapping yarns with grandma and grandpa.
Children respected their parents.
Common decency.
We the People.
We the People.
A time when there were horse and buggy rides.
A time when there was no loud, crazy music.
No intruding cell phones.
No computers crashing.
No computers.
No iPods.
No Internet.
No cable TV. No color TV. No TV.
No vaccination for polio. No cure for tuberculosis. No remedy for smallpox.
No chemotherapy.
No open-heart surgery.
No hearing aids, no pacemakers, no cochlear implants.
Womenfolk knew their place.
Blacks knew their place.
Mexicans knew their place was in Mexico.
Muslims were invisible.
No Social Security.
No Medicare.
No eight-hour work day. No child labor laws. No minimum wage. No rural electricity.
No blacks in baseball.
No blacks in football.
No blacks in the White House.
No taxes.
"I Want My Country Back." I want --
Street cleaning. Garbage collection. Mail service. Public schools. The food supply protected. Water supply protected. Police protection. Firemen. Road repairs. Air traffic safety. The military.
But no taxes.
And a budget surplus.
And no black president.
"I Want My Country Back." Way back. So far back it's going backwards. Get rid of Social Security. Get rid of Medicare. Get rid of unemployment insurance. Abolish the 14th amendment. Repeal health care reform. Repeal Wall Street reform. "I Want My Country Back."
That's the country the radical right wants back.
Well... you can't have it "back." America doesn't go back. America goes forward. Trying to drag a great nation backwards and stripping it of anything you don't like just because it isn't for you alone and you're scared of others, and the rest of the country be damned, is not acceptable. America exists because this entire nation built it together, and the far right must accept what exists for those people, too. You can't pick and choose. This isn't a buffet. It's America.
The thing is -- I kind of figure it's my country, too. I kind of figure I'm part of that whole "We the People" thing, too. Just like all the others. Progressives, reactionaries, gays, Christians, Buddhists, Muslims, agnostics, everyone.
Everyone.
That's not a touchy-feely bleeding heart liberal thing, by the way. It's -- We the People.
What "We the People" actually means.
The radical right wants its country back?
Me, I want my country forward.
And it will go forward, like America always does, despite selfish, mean-spirited, frightened little people who think that restoring "honor" is calling the president of the United States a socialist communist Kenyan Nazi Muslim who hates white people because he's an un-American terrorist.
Personally, unlike the radical right, which has been trying to gut America since the uber-conservative John Birch Society of the 1950s (founded by Fred Koch, whose sons fund Tea Party corporations today) and earlier, I actually like the ever-changing melting pot of America. I don't like everything about it. Some things in it infuriate me. Some make me burst with pride. But that's how America works. That's what America is.
"I Want My Country Back," the radical right cries. And that's the problem. It isn't theirs. It's ours.Leonardo Da Vinci is generally known to many as an artist above all accomplishments, however he excelled in other areas including mathematics, engineering, and oddly, astronomy. Leonardo Da Vinci’s works remain undiminished, as does his mind which was restlessly inquiring for higher knowledge. His deep understanding of nature and the world and his quest for understanding, led him down an illuminated path. He fashioned flying machines, crossbows, and cannons, using his deep interest in science to figure out any technical matter. Using his wild imagination, he turned his sights to the moon. Leonardo Da Vinci pushed forward using his ideals of shadow and light to observe the moon, thus formulating the Codex Leicester explaining earthshine and his contrasting beliefs, leading to what earthshine really is defined as.
Source
As with photography and art, light and shadow can define an object, area, or even a planet. Placing yourself in a specific location can cause an object to appear different, thus your perspective of an object that’s unchanging, becomes fluid. Leonardo Da Vinci’s perspective, although appropriately geared more towards an artistic sense, heavily relied on the Earth and the planets themselves. His works, more importantly his paintings, always reflected the correct light and shading of the background to produce the perfect outcome. Shading and light were the sources that drove Da Vinci to look to the Moon, thus prompting him to study the Moon in its crescent stage.
In the beginning, it was about observing the light in the sky when the Sun sets on the Moon. It gets dark--but not entirely dark. There's still a source of light in the sky: Earth. Our own planet lights up the lunar night 50 times brighter than a full Moon, producing the ashen glow or what some people may call "the old Moon in the new Moon's arms". Of course, Leonardo Da Vinci didn’t realize the technical aspects of his observations, although he did proceed to sketch exactly what he saw in the sky.
Already during the 16th century, Leonardo da Vinci had correctly gathered enough information and drawings to explain the nature of earthshine. In Da Vinci’s Codex Leicester, published in the early 16th century, he states his belief that the Moon possessed an atmosphere and oceans, and that it was a fine reflector of light because it was covered with so much water. He also speculated about how storms on Earth could cause the earthshine to become brighter or dimmer, which is indeed observable with modern instrumentation.
Once again, using his observations of the secondary light phenomenon, he formed these provocative words within his Codex Leicester.
He wrote:
Some have believed that the moon has some light of its own, but this opinion is false, for they have based it upon that glimmer visible in the middle between the horns of the new moon...this brightness at such a time being derived from our ocean and the other inland seas -- for they are at that time illuminated by the sun, which is then on the point of setting, in such a way that the sea then performs the same office for the dark side of the moon as the moon when at the full does for us when the sun is set.
Although Da Vinci’s assessment about the Moon is both revolutionary and in some aspects accurate, there are certain statements that have been proven to be erroneous. First of all, the moon has no oceans. This statement was clear when astronauts traveled to the Moon in 1969 on the Apollo 11 mission. They didn’t step out on a fluid foundation, although the term “Sea of Tranquility” alludes to that aspect. They stepped out onto solid rock.
Observers in space, such as the Apollo 11 astronauts, were never able to experience earthshine because they never stayed overnight to view the nightfall. They may have been able to see nearby objects illuminated by earthshine, as things on earth may be illuminated by moonlight. However, in direct sunlight, it was nearly impossible to experience the direct effects of earthshine, which would have been a ghostly glow of the moon at their feet.
If neither the Earth nor the Moon is the source of earthshine, than something in the atmosphere has to be the source of light. In fact, earthshine is actually the Moon’s night side reflected from the surface of the Earth, and to be more specific, the clouds are creating the reflection. When we observe a crescent moon, we can clearly see a type of grayish luminosity. No one could really explain what this glow was until Leonardo Da Vinci looked up at the moon and placed himself on the surface.
If an average person desires to investigate earthshine, it’s not completely impossible, although you have to know what you’re looking for. For instance, when the Moon is a thin crescent, it is visible as a pale-gray ghostly glow over the remainder of the disk. If you look between the horns of the crescent, you will see the entire shadow of the moon. This is called earthshine.
Earthshine can be difficult to see less than a day after new Moon because the Moon is lower in the sky. It is, however, most noticeable between one and four days before or after the new Moon. Astronomers and scientists believe it’s best seen at about two days, as the Moons moves away from the Sun in the darker night sky, and before the area of brightly lit Moon overpowers the Earthshine, and the lit face of the Earth toward the Moon diminishes.
The intensity of earthshine varies as the level of cloud cover changes over the Earth, and is an indicator of climate change. In fact, climatologists have studied earthshine, or rather the Earth’s albedo in conjunction with the concept of earthshine. According to Geophysical Research Letters, to derive the long term anomalies in the earthshine effective albedo, ES measurements had to take place. These measurements allow the astronomers, scientists, and researchers to examine ground based astronomical observations of the bright and dark side of the Moon, thus allowing them to take large-scale instantaneous measurements of the Earth’s effective albedo, typically over a third of the Earth’s surface at a given time.
In the case of earthshine, Leonardo believed that the surface of an object reflects the color of the light which illuminates it. Therefore, the atmosphere which lies between the eye and the object is the transparent medium. What does this all mean? It means that it is quite possible that Da Vinci might have known how the clouds and atmosphere reflected light, however he didn’t consider this a source of earthshine.
Leonardo Da Vinci recognized the fact both Earth and the Moon reflect sunlight. What he didn’t realize was that when the Sun sets anywhere on the Earth-facining side of the Moon (this happens every 29.5 Earth-days) the landscape remains lit -- illuminated by sunlight reflected from our own planet-NASA.
This perspective of the planets allows astronauts today to look upon the Moon as Leonardo Da Vinci once did over five centuries ago, with an open mind. His immense reputation and the articulation of his hands and mind left others with a lifetime of understanding.
Earthsine Sketch By Da Vinci Source
Lauren Axelrod is a full time student working towards a Ph.D. in Medieval European Archaeology and History, with an emphasis on the Templars, Free Masons, Crusades, and the time period spanning 500-1565.UK Government Refuses Four Out Of Five Wind Farms In Wales
September 8th, 2015 by Joshua S Hill
Announced by the UK’s Energy Ministre, Andrea Leadsom, on Monday, the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) refused five out of six proposed energy infrastructure projects set for Powys, in Mid-Wales. Of the six submissions, only the Llandinam onshore wind farm repowering was given consent.
“Careful consideration has been given to each application, and the planning and energy issues involved,” said an unnamed DECC spokesperson.
The other decisions are:
Llanbadarn Fynydd onshore wind farm refused;
Llaithddu onshore wind farm refused;
Llanbrynmair onshore wind farm refused;
Carnedd Wen onshore wind farm refused; and
Llandinam to Welshpool Substation Overhead Power Line connection refused.
Responding to the news, RenewableUK Cymru, the trade association which represents the renewable energy industry in Wales (and offspring of RenewableUK, which represents the renewable energy industry for the whole of the UK), was deeply disappointed in the decision.
“The news will come as a devastating blow to the many businesses in mid Wales and beyond who were set to benefit from jobs in the construction of the wind farms, plus the wider supply chain,” as expressed on its website.
“Back in 2013 I questioned whether Powys could afford to lose the £50 million investment these wind farms were set to bring to the area,” explained David Clubb, Director of RenewableUK Cymru. “It seems that with today’s decision, that investment into Mid Wales will be lost for good, and the people of Wales will be the poorer for it.”
“Given the blows the UK Government are raining down onto the renewable energy sector on both consents and subsidies, ministers will be heading to the Paris climate discussions with their credibility in tatters.”
As David Clubb alludes to, this comes in the wake of the UK Government’s existing plans to shatter the country’s renewable energy industry by sharply cutting financial governmental aid. Investors are likely to look away from the UK for a little while, much as they did in Australia, as the country settles its renewable energy goals and priorities.Gaza terrorists launched more missiles at Israel last month than in any other month since Operation Cast Lead in early 2009.
September 2010 saw more missile and mortar attacks against Israel by Gaza terrorists than any other month since the period immediately following IDF Operation Cast Lead in early 2009. The motivation for the attacks appears to be Hamas's intent to disrupt negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The IDF Website reported that a total of 30 missiles and shells were fired in September 2010. These included 14 short-range 'Kassam' rockets, 15 mortar shells and one Grad medium range missile. This was more than double the 13 launches that were recorded in the preceding month of August.
To date, there have been 163 launches of projectiles against Israel in 2010. Of these, 106 were Kassams, 50 mortar shells and seven were Grads.
Despite the September peak, the total numbers for 2010 are – for now – lower than those of any other year since routine Gazan rocket attacks on Israel began in 2002. All in all, terrorists have fired 11,293 rockets at Israel in almost nine years.
These attacks increased in 2003 and in 2004 – a year in which there were over 1,500 launches – and then decreased sharply in 2005, the year in which Israel carried out its “Disengagement” from Gaza.Louis van Gaal has risked upsetting his Spanish stars on the eve of the new Premier League season by banishing goalkeeper Victor Valdes from Manchester United’s senior squad.
Valdes, who only signed an 18-month contract at Old Trafford in January, had already been axed from the club’s pre-season tour of the America after Van Gaal accused him of refusing to play in an Under-21 game last season.
When the players returned to Carrington on Sunday, Valdes discovered that his training gear had been moved to the dressing-room designated for the Under-21s, and was then told that he would no longer be involved with the first-team.
The 33-year-old - who is keen to stay in the Barclays Premier League - trained and even ate lunch on his own on Monday.
Victor Valdes returned to Carrington and found his kit had been moved to the Under 21 dressing room
Valdes, pictured preparing to come on against Arsenal last season, is set to leave Manchester United
Valdes claimed he was working hard for the coming season despite being left out of United's pre-season tour
Van Gaal’s hard-line stance is said to have dismayed Valdes’s fellow Spaniards David de Gea, Juan Mata and Ander Herrera, as well as other Spanish speakers such as Antonio Valencia, although they have not made their feelings known to the manager.
While they accept that the popular Valdes will be sold, they believe that a senior player who has won the World Cup with Spain and Champions League three times at Barcelona deserves more respect.
Ander Herrera (L) and Juan Mata are among those who are dismayed by Valdes' treatment by Van Gaal
Van Gaal has signed Sergio Romero to replace Valdes as No 2 to De Gea, but it remains uncertain who will start in goal when United kick off the new season at home to Tottenham in four days’ time.
De Gea is the obvious choice but he continues to be pursued by Real Madrid and looked out of sorts during a 45-minute appearance in United’s final tour game against Paris Saint-Germain last week.
Romero has yet to appear for his new club but is expected to feature in a behind-closed-doors friendly this week, while young Sam Johnstone played the most minutes on tour.
Speaking about Valdes last month, Van Gaal said: 'Valdes is not selected [for the tour] because he doesn't follow my philosophy. The philosophy is how you play football and how you maintain your match rhythm,' said Van Gaal.
'He refused last year to play in the second team. There are a lot of other aspects in the philosophy how you have to play like a goalkeeper at Manchester United. When you are not willing [to apply] the principles of that philosophy there is only one way, and that is out.
'For us this is a big disappointment. We thought he would follow our philosophy. It's a pity because we have given the opportunity to rehabilitate. Then we gave a contract. Then of course he is fit to play. When you're not playing in the first selection, you have to play in the second selection.'
United boss Louis van Gaal is determined to sell Valdes after being left unimpressed with his attitude
David de Gea could still leave Manchester United this summer as Real Madrid remain keen on the keeper
Valencia did have an interest in the Spain international but said he was too expensive, while Antalyaspor and MLS side Seattle Sounders have also shown interest.
Sunderland hope to complete the signing of Yann M'Vila after a medical but face competition from West Ham for Leroy Fer. The 25-year-old M'Vila will join from Rubin Kazan. He has had trouble with Dynamo Moscow but claims to have never actually signed a contract for them despite a loan deal being in place.
Sunderland are also trying to sign Dutch midfielder Fer from QPR on a season-long loan but face late competition from Dutch side PSV Eindhoven while West Ham have also asked to take him on loan.
Yann M'Vila looks set to complete a move to Sunderland from Rubin Kazan
QPR boss Chris Ramsey confirmed interest in Fer and striker Charlie Austin, saying: 'People are very interested. We know it's a financial situation where the players, given the right offer, will probably go.'
QPR midfielder Sandro, meanwhile, is expected to train with Internacional in Brazil on Monday as he awaits clearance on his work permit application.
Leroy Fer (centre) and Charlie Austin (left) could both leave QPR before the end of the month
West Ham also have an interest in Paris Saint-Germain forward Jean-Christophe Bahebeck. The 22-year-old is available on loan and Slaven Bilic is exploring several possibilities including Charlie Austin and Raul Jimenez at Atletico Madrid following the injury to Enner Valencia. Mexico international Jimenez though may struggle to get a work permit.
Leicester are holding further talks with Napoli over their proposed deal for Gokhan Inler.
The clubs agreed a fee over the weekend but the player was reluctant to make the move. Claudio Ranieri has spoken to the Switzerland international's agent and hopes to convince him to change his mind.
Leicester are struggling to get some of their targets in despite fees being agreed with clubs. Internacional's Charles Aranguiz is holding out for a bid from Bayer Leverkusen rather than jump at a move to the King Power Stadium.
Leicester are hopeful of completing a move for Switzerland international Gokhan Inler (right)
Atalanta defender Yohan Benalouane has agreed to join however, as has N'Golo Kante from Caen.
Meanwhile, Leicester left back Paul Konchesky is discussing a possible move to Championship side Bristol City.
Cardiff City striker Adam Le Fondre is undergoing a medical at Wolves ahead of a proposed season-long loan.
Le Fondre was wanted by Blackburn but Wolves will sign him on loan with view to a permanent deal and will pay most of Le Fondre's wages of around £16,000 a week.
Wolves are also looking to sign Liverpool's Sheyi Ojo on loan. The 18-year-old scored in Liverpool's 2-1 win over Swindon on Sunday.
Adam Le Fondre looks set to move to Wolves on a season-long loan deal from Cardiff
Arsenal forward Chuba Akpom is having a medical at Hull ahead of signing on loan. Steve Bruce is also hoping to finalise the £3.5m signing of Moses Odubajo. The Brentford full back travelled to Hull for his medical with Bruce looking to add two more signings before Saturday's opener with Huddersfield Town.
Bruce has made offers for Brentford striker Andre Gray but the Griffin Park club want £8m for the player they snapped up from Luton a year ago for £500,000.
Chuba Akpom (centre) looks set to complete a season-long loan deal at Hull
The Hull boss also has an interest in Chicago Fire forward Shaun Maloney and Manchester United pair James Wilson and Paddy McNair.
Leeds United expect to complete the signing of Brentford's Stuart Dallas.
QPR have been told by Southend that goalkeeper Daniel Bentley is not for sale but they still intend to make an offer of around £1.5m.
Hull have had a £1m offer rejected already for the 22-year-old who has one year left on contract. Swansea and Nottingham Forest have also expressed interest in Bentley but QPR are understood to be frontrunners - but only if they can reach a fee with Southend.
QPR are expected to make a £1.5m bid for Southend goalkeeper Daniel Bentley
Manchester City are not pursuing a deal for West Brom's Saido Berahino despite the departure of Stevan Jovetic and the likelihood that Edin Dzeko will also go.
Berahino is valued at £20m by West Brom who expect him to stay for at least one more season and City are planning to start with Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling, Wilfried Bony and Kelechi Iheanacho.
Roma have offered £16.2m in total for Dzeko but that deal is still to be signed off. Dzeko, 29, scored 72 goals in 189 games for City but was poor last season.
Manchester City are not looking to sign West Brom striker Saido Berahino in this window
Aston Villa centre back Nathan Baker signed a new four-year contract last week but is expected to go out on loan with Burnley favourites to sign him. Manager Tim Sherwood underlined: 'We’re not ready to let him go on a permanent basis.'
Sheffield Wednesday are discussing a deal for Marseille's 30-year-old Senegal international winger Modou Sougou.Prime Minister Narendra Modi with US President Barack Obama
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had a brief interaction at Nay Pyi Taw with Barack Obama, during which the US President called him a "man of action".PM Modi and President Obama met each other for the second time in six weeks at a gala dinner in the Myanmar capital after the President played host to the Prime Minister at the White house in Washington in the last week of September."Prez Obama greets PM @narendramodi at Gala dinner - 'You are a man of action!," External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Syed Akbaruddin tweeted after the dinner.The dinner was hosted by Myanmar President Thein Sein for world leaders attending the ASEAN and the East Asian summits. On the eve of their summit talks, President Obama had hosted a rare private dinner for PM Modi at the White House on September 29. PM Modi was welcomed by Obama who greeted him in Gujarati, "Kem Chho?" (how are you?), the mother tongue of the Prime Minister.Last year, thousands of restaurants opened across America—and after visiting a surprisingly large percentage of them, the Foodist, Andrew Knowlton, has selected 50 as his favorites. (For the full slideshow glory, click here.) They range from oyster bars and diners to a Mekong-Mississippi mashup and a Texas-style brasserie, but the one thing they have in common is this: flat-out, ambitious deliciousness. Which of these 50 nominees will make the Hot 10 list of the absolute best? Check back August 19 to find out.
Acorn : Denver, CO
Alden & Harlow : Cambridge, MA
Birch : Providence, RI
Blackbrick Chinese : Miami, FL
CBD Provisions : Dallas, TX
Central Provisions : Portland, ME
Coltivare : Houston, TX
Cured : San Antonio, TX
Davenport : Portland, OR
Eat the Rich, Mockingbird Hill, Southern Efficiency : Washington, DC
Edmund’s Oast : Charleston, SC
El Camino : Louisville, KY
Estela : New York, NY
Expatriate : Portland, OR
Grand Central Market : Los Angeles, CA
Gunshow : Atlanta, GA
High Street on Market : Philadelphia, PA
Hot Joy : San Antonio, TX
Kin Khao : San Francisco, CA
London Plane : Seattle, WA
Luksus : Brooklyn, NY
Lusca : Atlanta, GA
Måurice : Portland, OR
MoPho : New Orleans, LA
Mott Street : Chicago, IL
Nico Osteria : Chicago, IL
Night Market Song : Los Angeles, CA
Novel : Kansas City, MO
Odd Duck : Austin, TX
Orsa & Winston : Los Angeles, CA
Palace Diner : Biddeford, ME
The Pig and the Lady : Honolulu, HI
Q : Los Angeles, CA
Qui : Austin, TX
Rhubarb : Asheville, NC
Ribelle : Brookline, MA
Row 34 : Boston, MA
Rose’s Luxury : Washington, DC
Rose’s Meat Market and Sweet Shop : Durham, NC
Sarma : Somerville, MA
Serpico : Philadelphia, PA
Sir and Star : Olema, CA
Sobban : Decatur, GA
Sushi Nakazawa : New York, NY
Thai-Kun : Austin, TX
Tosca : San Francisco, CA
Travail and the Rookery : Robbinsdale, MN
Trois Mec : Los Angeles, CA
Uncle Boon’s : New York, NY
Westward and Little Gull : Seattle, WA |
the Shenzhou is a later ship to the U.S.S. Discovery, whose registry is NCC-1031.
Sarek’s questionable bedside manner
Then we are back to Sarek, non-hologram version, telling what we assume is a young Terran (she has no points on her ears), “You will never learn Vulcan, your tongue is too human.” And the way this segment is cut, they are at least trying to give the impression this is a young version of Burnham, who is lying down in some kind of chamber.
Corridor
We soon get a brief glimpse of what is presumably corridor on the Shenzhou. Like the bridge, the design has hints of the NX-01 Enterprise, U.S.S. Kelvin and even the U.S.S. Enterprise refit from the TOS movie era.
Aural alert
We see what looks like some kind of attack on the Shenzhou which has everyone covering their ears, including Ensign Connor (Sam Vartholomeos).
Strange new world
Next, a quick shot of an alien world.
Screaming Klingons
We then see T’Kuvma and other Klingons performing what appears to the the Klingon death ritual.
That is one ugly alien
We see Michael speaking to her captain suggesting “we target its neck and cut off its head” interspersed with a shot of a seriously creepy alien, possibly from the same alien planet above.
Daft Punk in the house?
We all know Mr. Data is the first android to serve in Starfleet and he was created with cutting edge 24th century technology. So it isn’t entirely clear what we have here. It could be a robot, or maybe the helmet is just some kind of elaborate life-support system, possibly just a way to make cool techno beats.
To fire or not to fire
Another shot of a console shows the Shenzhou comes loaded with photon torpedoes. While a staple of Star Trek, they weren’t actually introduced into the original series until late in the first season.
We also see a heated disagreement between Burnham and Georgiou over firing first (presumably at the Klingons), with Burnham arguing that they need to do it.
Saru’s special purpose
Saru reveals, “My people were biologically determined for one purpose alone – to sense the coming of death.” And apparently his alien Spidey-sense is tingling.
Space fight!
The trailer ends with Burnham and a Klingon on what appears to be the hull of the Klingon ship engaged in EVA space combat.
Title cards tell a story
Throughout the trailer a series of title cards set up Star Trek: Discovery.
Bonus Klingon content in Netflix trailer
In our earlier article we posted the Netflix version of the trailer which is cut differently but has almost all the same footage except for a couple of quick close-up glimpses at some Klingons. You can see some kind of weapon and some nasty claws too.
Where is the Discovery?
There is a whole lot to pack into one trailer, but there is one thing missing: the U.S.S. Discovery, which will presumably be the main ship for the series. Also missing is Captain Lorca (Jason Isaacs) and some other members of his crew we’ve heard about.
Did you spot anything else?
Sound off in the comments below about our deep dive and what you have spotted in the new trailer.Image caption Tweeters showed interest in the Arab Spring
The most popular hashtags of 2011 have been revealed, illustrating how Twitter spans diverse topics from politics to celebrity gossip.
Hashtags are used to group together tweets relating to the same subject.
Top of the list was #egypt, followed by #tigerblood.
The first refers to the unrest in Egypt during the spring of 2011 while the second references a comment made by actor Charlie Sheen, following his sacking from a hit US comedy.
Sheen made the headlines in 2011 for a series of often rambling public rants which culminated with the comment to online celebrity gossip site RadarOnline: "My fangs are dripping tiger blood."
At the same time, he joined Twitter and racked up one million followers in the first 24 hours, believed to be a record for the site.
He used the site to comment on the dispute between him and the Two And A Half Men show's producers, at one point tweeting: "I'm looking to hire a #winning INTERN with #TigerBlood."
TOP TWITTER HASHTAGS #egypt
#tigerblood
#threewordstoliveby
#idontunderstandwhy
#japan
#improudtosay
#superbowl
#jan25
Twitter also released details about the hottest topics in a range of subjects, including the most talked about actors, countries and news topics.
The resignation of Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, which triggered a series of uprising across the Middle East and Africa, topped the news list, followed by the US special force's fatal raid on Osama bin Laden's home. The Japanese earthquake and tsunami ranked in third place.
In the food category the McLobster took top place after it trended on rumours that fast food chain McDonald's was to roll out the crustacean-based sandwich across the US. Previously it had only been available in Canada.
A teenager who was unknown at the start of the year topped the music list. Would-be popstar Rebecca Black was propelled into stardom when her debut single Friday was released on YouTube to widespread mockery. At the time of its release, the song ranked top in global trending topics on Twitter, surpassing the Japanese earthquake crisis.
Perhaps surprisingly teen hit Justin Bieber did not feature in the top names.
TOP 10 TECH TOPICS Mac App Store
Sony NGP
Guitar Hero
Mozilla Firefox
Duke Nukem Forever
iPad
iPhone
Nintendo 3DS
Mortal Kombat
iPod
As well as featuring in the top hashtags, Charlie Sheen's off-screen antics also moved him to the top of the most talked-about actors
British talent in the top 10 including Ricky Gervais, off the back of his controversial Golden Globes appearance, Colin Firth, who won the best actor Oscar for his performance as King George VI in The King's Speech and Pete Postelthwaite, a British character actor who died in 2011.
"Among other things, we saw history unfold in the Middle East, mourned the passing of Elizabeth Taylor, celebrated National Whipped Cream Day, and cheered for the Dallas Mavericks, Texas Rangers and Wayne Rooney,"Twitter said in its official blog.
"More than anything, these trends demonstrate how Twitter connects people with common interests. Instead of watching the news, the Super Bowl and Pretty Little Liars at home alone, we watched them together on Twitter," it added.Normally renowned for his calm, measured leadership approach a world away from the political maelstrom that has all-too often bedevilled Ferrari in decades gone-by, Stefano Domenicali nonetheless is pulling no punches as he looks to F1 2010 - arguing that Ralf Schumacher, Nelsinho Piquet and Flavio Briatore should remain figures of the past rather than of the present or future.
Schumacher departed the grand prix scene at the end of 2007 after his move to Toyota failed to yield the hoped-for results, but following two distinctly underwhelming campaigns spent in pan-European touring car series the DTM, the German has held talks with a number of F1 teams regarding a possible 2010 comeback.
Piquet and Briatore, meanwhile, both left with their tails between their legs in the wake of the explosive 'Singapore-gate' race-fixing scandal that very nearly saw Renault banned from the sport outright, with the former assuming the role of whistle-blower and the latter chief protagonist. In all three cases, Domenicali contends, the closed chapter should not be re-opened.
"I prefer to look to the future and find new talent," he told Italian newspaper La Stampa, when asked about Schumacher Jnr. "F1 should not reduce itself to a world of nostalgia. It's not right that Piquet should be allowed to return after what he did, and Briatore will not [be back] in the same capacity; people don't like re-heated soup - he will have to find another opportunity."
Revealing that Ferrari's F1 effort is now self-sufficient after decades of hefty expenditure, Domenicali added that the likelihood of further changes to the top flight's scoring system before the Bahrain Grand Prix curtain-raiser in mid-March is high, with a proposal to reward pole position and fastest lap, and the possibility of two tyre stops being permitted in a race rather than just one.
With less than a month now remaining until the group test in Valencia at the beginning of February, all of the teams are up against it, with the Italian explaining that the refuelling ban is the major complication, with cars due to run practically empty during qualifying and then fill up to the brim for the start of the grand prix. Establishing the right compromise for tyre and brake wear during Friday practice sessions will be 'crucial', he insisted.
Going on to opine that a similar situation to the double-diffuser controversy that saw some teams begin 2009 with a significant head-start over others would be 'disastrous', Domenicali acknowledged that McLaren-Mercedes, Mercedes Grand Prix (formerly Brawn GP) and Red Bull Racing are all likely to be phenomenal competitors once more in 2010 - and that the Scuderia has 'learned' its lesson from a harsh season that resulted in just a sole victory and 'will not make the same mistakes again'.
The 44-year-old also waxed lyrical about the Prancing Horse's new driver line-up of double F1 World Champion Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa, who he confirmed is now fully recovered from his terrifying, high-speed Hungaroring qualifying accident last summer - and expressed his conviction that Ferrari's fans will ultimately forgive record-breaking legend Michael Schumacher for what they have regarded as his 'betrayal' in jumping ship to Mercedes.
"My role requires me to remain rational," Domenicali reasoned. "If for just one second I had considered myself to be the cause of the problems, I would have acted accordingly. We mustn't forget that in 2005 - which isn't a century ago - Ferrari had won five consecutive world championships, and I was amongst the group that achieved that.
"Fernando was last here in mid-December, and since then he has called every day to see if the car is showing the same performance in the simulations as we had expected. That's how it should be; a world champion should have a competitive car at his disposal, otherwise he will not be able to show his full potential. His arrival has really inspired the workforce.
"Felipe's last tests a week ago were positive. At the end of January he will undergo the FIA's medical examinations, and the drama of his accident has been replaced by the joy of the birth of [his new son] Felipinho - 2009 is truly a year he will never forget.
"In Michael's head the spark had been re-lit, and he wanted to take on a new sporting challenge. Ferrari would never have stood in his way. His results prove that he is a huge champion, and his return is great news for F1 - it will increase interest in the sport, attract new fans and boost the spectacle.
"I was astonished to receive so many letters from 'disappointed' tifosi, to use a euphemism - but the Italian Grand Prix is a long time away yet, and I'm convinced that Ferrari's fans will still welcome him there, because the past cannot be erased. We're very sad - it's pointless trying to deny that - but now we are working to be ahead of him on the track!"In summer 2011, residents of Pingquan County in Northern China were surprised to stumble upon frigid ground when hiking up a gentle mountain slope. Despite a meager elevation of just 900 meters and hot air temperatures exceeding eighty degrees, the earth was frozen solid! Their bewildering discovery quickly caught the attention of researchers at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who set out to study the climate-defying soil. They just reported their assessment of the site in the journal Scientific Reports after four years worth of observations.
What they found was a tidy collection of permafrost just beneath the top soil, roughly eighty meters long, twenty meters wide, and ten meters tall (see figure below). Permafrost, ground that remains at or below zero degrees Celsius for at least two consecutive years, is quite common, underlying roughly a quarter of Earth's surface. But in Pingquan County, where summer temperatures can climb into the nineties, permafrost really shouldn't exist.
Sixteen other anomalous areas of low ground temperature have been identified on Earth, but what sets the newfound cold spot (L-15 in the figure below) apart from the rest is its location. The site is more than 600 kilometers south of the southernmost limit of permafrost on the Eurasian Continent, the researchers say. The only other anomalous cold earth in the Northern hemisphere that's farther south rests atop the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau at an elevation of 4,700 meters.
The researchers attribute the permafrost's existence to the site's unique composition. A course, blocky layer of soil is sandwiched between a layer of clay below and an insulating layer of peaty soil above.
When air temperature drops sharply in mid-November, the cold, dense air penetrates rapidly into the voids between the blocks, resulting in a near-heterogeneous temperature distribution in the blocky layer from top to bottom due to air convection within the porous material. During the early thaw period... there is no convective heat transfer between the warmer (lighter) air above and the colder (denser) air below. Such a thermal regime indicates the heat exchange between the coarse blocky layer and the ambient environment is relatively instantaneous and intense in winter, while prolonged and feeble in summer.
Source: Niu, F. et al. A naturally-occurring ‘cold earth’ spot in Northern China. Sci. Rep. 6, 34184; doi: 10.1038/srep34184 (2016)The future of computer vision and machine learning can be seen trundling at about 1 mile per hour at a lettuce field in the Salinas Valley of California. In certain fields, a tractor is pulling a highly specialized robot called the “lettuce bot.” The robot, made by Blue River Technology, contains enough smarts to differentiate the weeds from the budding lettuce plants and then kill those weeds with an injection of fertilizer.
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The result is a weed-free field without the use of expensive and harmful pesticides — making Blue River’s robot a threat to the $31-billion pesticide business and a friend of organic farmers. The startup, founded in 2011, on Monday said it has raised $3.1 million in a Series A round led by Khosla Ventures. Steve Blank, Ulu Ventures, and Stanford Angels and Entrepreneurs also joined the round. In addition, Ryan Kottenstette of Khosla Ventures has joined the company’s board of directors.
Jorge Heraud, co-founder and CEO of Blue River Technology, said the funding, which comes after a $400,000 angel round and an early grant from the National Science Foundation, will help Blue River commercialize its prototype. The goal is to speed the robot up to 3 miles per hour while maintaining its accuracy at both classifying plants and then killing them. And while today’s model uses an injection of fertilizer to kill weeds, he hopes to eventually make the process mechanical so as to save on the cost of buying fertilizer.
How does it work?
To create a robot that can replace human weed pickers is no easy task. Heraud explains that there are three different algorithms at work inside the robot. The first simply takes the readings of a camera that faces the ground and identifies whether or not it is seeing a plant. This means more than just figuring out that green is a plant. The algorithm also has to be able to tell where one plant ends or begins so it can later identify it.
The second, called the Classify algorithm, determines if the plant is a weed or not. Heraud says the algorithm is about 98 or 99 percent accurate and was trained using a wooden cart they ran along participating farmers fields. “The farmers have been very cooperative,” says Heraud. He notes that it can reduce their spending on pesticides as well as their reliance on labor.
The final algorithm is simply called the Kill algorithm and its purpose is to determine when the correct moment is to inject the deadly dose of fertilizer. Because the killing mechanism isn’t in the field of view for the robot, it must determine where to inject the fertilizer based on how fast it is a moving and where the plant was when it classified it. It’s accurate to one-quarter of an inch at 1 mile per hour and the goal is to keep it accurate to one-half of an inch while moving at 3 miles per hour.
Toward a machine learning utopia
Heraud’s lettuce bot is one example of a way we can use machine learning and computer vision to adapt machines to do more and more tasks. We have to program a computer to do something, but efforts like the lettuce bot are a way of letting computers understand their environments and then take pre-programmed actions based on the data they have. It’s not artificial intelligence, but it’s getting us closer.
While having a weed-whacking robot might seem like a step away from machines that take over the planet, in reality they are highly specialized and limited pieces of equipment. For example, the lettuce bot works on iceberg and romaine lettuces, but it wouldn’t work for corn or broccoli crops. The algorithms would have to be trained for each type of crop that Blue River wants to design an implement for.
But with the growing number of people to feed, and the threat of pesticides on the environments, as well as the growing number of pesticide-resistent weeds, figuring out a cheaper and less chemically intense method of farming is an area where the brains behind machine learning can make the world a better place using some fancy math and decent compute power. This five-person startup may be working in the Salinas Valley, but its roots are in Silicon Valley.Louis van Gaal has blamed criticism from Paul Scholes for influencing Manchester United’s fans against him but said he would not dream of asking Ryan Giggs to try and silence his Class of 92 team-mate.
The United manager said he had been used to his methods coming under fire since he first started at Ajax but he said his problem with Scholes was that, as a respected former player, he was helping create a negative atmosphere among supporters.
Football transfer rumours: John Terry to Manchester United? Read more
“In my first year at Ajax, it was not a happy year for me,” he told The Independent. “I took over from Leo Beenhakker and we lost the first three matches, so what do you think the fans were yelling? ‘Cruyff,’ for a whole year.
“I have always coped with that kind of thing. Barcelona is a very critical environment, because the result and the performance is very important. In England, it is more the result than performance, only when Paul Scholes started he influenced a certain amount of fans.”
Scholes’ friend Giggs sits next to Van Gaal on the bench at United where he has notably kept his own counsel about the manager’s methods but the Dutchman said he would never think of asking his No2 to intercede on his behalf.
“No, I don’t think that I have to give Ryan stress in his friendship with Scholes,” he said. “I have managed all of my career, so it would not be good or honest of me to ask Ryan to say something.
“What Scholes is thinking, he has to think it. Every human being can give his opinion. I don’t bother about that, I think it is good. But my problem is when you create an atmosphere, a very negative atmosphere for somebody, so maybe he should be more positive.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Paul Scholes’ standing with the fans is causing problems for Van Gaal. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
Van Gaal has wider concerns than being accused of having a team that looks bored by a disgruntled television pundit, with rumours swirling around Manchester that José Mourinho – who coached with him at Barcelona - is being lined up to replace him.
Van Gaal said the club had not said anything to him and was under the assumption that they had not been in contact with the former Chelsea manager over his job.
“I have not said that we have spoken, but he is my friend, so there you go,” Van Gaal said. “But I don’t know if Manchester United have spoken with Mourinho or not.”
Van Gaal said he had spoken with United’s executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward “and I cannot imagine that they have spoken with each other. I think that if they speak with another manager, they would tell me because our relationship is like that. But I think that, if they want to change, they have to prepare themselves. That is also a professional attitude, in my opinion.
“If they are thinking that they want to replace me, they have to prepare and they have to inquire,” Van Gaal said. “But if it is like that, they have to say it to me. And I believe they will tell me if it is like that. I not only have a strong relationship with Ed, but also with the Glazers. I have a good feeling with the Glazers also.
“And that is why I am annoyed with all the publicity. I have been ‘sacked’ three times and now it is about negotiations starting with José Mourinho. The next time, it will be another [manager].”Husky Energy has changed details about when it discovered its oil pipeline spill into the North Saskatchewan River. Earlier this week, the company filed a report that said it found the leak of up to 250,000 litres of blended crude oil at 8 p.m. on July 20 and notified the Saskatchewan government about 14 hours later.
The Husky Energy pipeline spilled between 200,000 and 250,000 litres of oil into the North Saskatchewan River. The government estimates the oil slick from the spill has travelled more than 500 kilometres down the river. ( JASON FRANSON / THE CANADIAN PRESS )
A new report that has been sent to the province amends the date the breach was discovered to 10 a.m. on July 21. Husky says it told the province of the spill about 30 minutes later. Last week, the company had said it found “pressure anomalies” in the pipeline on the evening of July 20 and shut down the line the next morning. Husky spokesman Mel Duvall said the company made the change because the first report was based on a miscommunication.
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“We wanted to clarify the report to provide the most accurate information available,” he said Thursday in an email to The Canadian Press. The provincial government declined to answer questions about the updated report. Laurie Pushor, deputy minister in the Ministry of the Economy, said the government wanted to complete a full investigation of the spill first. “We are going to reserve our thoughts and opinions on specific items in relation to the incident until such time as we have all of the facts gathered,” he said. The government estimates the oil slick from the spill has travelled more than 500 kilometres down the river. Cleanup efforts have been focused mainly along a 20-kilometre stretch from the leak near Maidstone, Sask.
Also on Thursday, a precautionary boil-water advisory for the city of Melfort and a number of outlying communities was lifted. The region normally takes its drinking water from the North Saskatchewan, but the arrival of the slick at the intake earlier this week forced a switch to a former reservoir. The advisory was issued because of concerns about the quality of the reservoir water. The province’s Water Security Agency lifted the advisory because the quality was better than anticipated.
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“It is back to water use as usual,” said Melfort Mayor Rick Lang. Intakes for the cities of North Battleford and Prince Albert, which also get their drinking water from the river, remained closed due to the oil spill. Measures to conserve drinking water were still in place. Work was ongoing to pipe in water to Prince Albert’s treatment plant from the South Saskatchewan River about 30 kilometres away. It was hoped that would be completed by Friday. Saskatchewan’s Environment Ministry said water samples from the North Saskatchewan were being analyzed, but there were no results yet. The CEO of TransCanada, the company behind the proposed Energy East Pipeline, said the Husky oil spill could increase public skepticism of such projects. Russ Girling said in an interview that oil spills shake public confidence and TransCanada will learn what it can from the Husky spill to improve pipeline safety.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
An unemployed university graduate who spent months standing in a busy railway station handing out his CV is now hiring at the very same spot.
Successful Alfred Ajani, 22, who graduated from Coventry University in 2014 with a degree in marketing, took the unconventional approach to job hunting after he struggled to find work.
After submitting hundreds of job applications with little luck, he took to the Waterloo station in London last August.
He stood inside, holding a sign with his qualifications written on them, and handed out his CV in an attempt to find a job.
His determination attracted the attention of several employers, and a few months later he started a new job.
Last week, Ajani, who is now employed as the marketing and PR projects manager at recruitment company, The Asoria Group, returned to the same spot at the station with a "Now Hiring" sign.
A photo of the act, which was uploaded to Twitter with the caption, "Same spot. Different sign," has resonated, gathering more than 2,200 retweets.
Ajani says he's moved that his success story is able to give people struggling to find work a bit of hope.
He told the Huffington Post: "I didn’t expect to be so popular, such an inspiration. If I see anyone at the station with a sign I will do my best to get in touch with them."
In his new position, Ajani is working to help his company expand and as his job search comes full circle, he says his success is due to in his willingness to take a leap of faith.
"Don’t be scared to try something new," he advises other job-seekers. "Safe is risky."Brazil, which has recently suffered serious outbreaks of Zika virus and yellow fever, now faces a new threat, according to reports from local scientists: Oropouche fever.
The Oropouche virus, named for a river in Trinidad, where it was first isolated in 1955, circulates in monkeys and sloths in the Amazon jungle. The virus has caused occasional outbreaks, short but intense, in towns in tropical areas of Brazil, Peru and Panama, and on some Caribbean islands.
But in the last few years, Oropouche cases have turned up more often in urban areas, including some in northeast Brazil, where Zika began its explosive spread in this hemisphere.
Oropouche causes symptoms resembling those of dengue: high fever, headaches and joint pain, nausea and malaise. The infection is not normally fatal, although it can cause meningitis — dangerous swelling of protective tissue around the brain — if it reaches the spinal fluid. There is no vaccine.Just received an e-mail from Department of Education Deputy Press Secretary Daren Briscoe in regards to this morning's news that a SWAT team was sent to execute a warrant on the estranged husband of a student-loan defaulter. Briscoe sends along this statement from Press Secretary Justin Hamilton:
Yesterday, the Depart of Education's office of inspector general executed a search warrant at Stockton California residence with the presence of local law enforcement authorities. While it was reported in local media that the search was related to a defaulted student loan, that is incorrect. This is related to a criminal investigation. The Inspector General's Office does not execute search warrants for late loan payments. Because this is an ongoing criminal investigation, we can't comment on the specifics of the case. We can say that the OIG's office conducts about 30-35 search warrants a year on issues such as bribery, fraud, and embezzlement of federal student aid funds. All further questions on this issue should be directed to the Department of Education's Inspector General's Office.
This will certainly come as a relief to Millenial deadbeats, but the notion that "bribery, fraud, and embezzlement of federal student aid funds" is all it takes to get a paramilitary squad to bang down your door at 6 a.m, handcuff you in your boxers, and throw your three pre-teen children into the back seat of a squad car, all in the service of a warrant aimed at someone who no longer lives in your home, is frankly every bit as terrifying.
Unless and until we hear that this "criminal investigation" involves some kind of imminent threat of violence, there will be no margin of excuse for it, only new opportunities for bureaucrats and commentators to demonstrate that they are perfectly content living in and even contributing to a police state.
UPDATE: News10 ABC reports that it was the DoE, not Stocktown SWAT, doing the heavy lifting here:Yesterday, we broke down the payrolls in the American League. This post repeats that exercise for the National League. The average Major League Baseball payroll in 2015 is roughly $122 million. With top-heavy payrolls, the median comes in lower at around $112 million. In 2014, the average payroll in the AL East on Opening Day was $135.1 million, narrowly edging the NL West’s $135 million. With sizable increases for both the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Francisco Giants, the NL West is now the highest-salaried division in the majors.
Figures from Cots with minimum salaries added to create a 25-man roster.
The NL West has a healthy monetary advantage over the NL East and the NL Central due principally to the Dodgers and Giants. Eleven of 15 NL teams have payrolls below the MLB average. Only the Dodgers, Giants, Washington Nationals, and Philadelphia Phillies have payrolls above $120 million.
National League West
In addition to having the highest average payroll, the NL West is also the least competitive financially. The Los Angeles Dodgers Opening Day payroll triples that of NL West foe Arizona Diamondbacks.
The Dodgers and San Francisco Giants tower over the rest of the division as none of the three remaining teams have payrolls above $100 million. The Giants have the fourth highest payroll in all of baseball and they have to look way up to see the Dodgers. The San Diego Padres made major moves this offseason, but with the Dodgers paying $18 million of Matt Kemp’s salary this year, they kept the payroll well below average.
Team Most Expensive Player (Amount) 2015 Payroll ($M) Money Committed to 2016 ($M) Money Committed to 2017 ($M) Los Angeles Dodgers Clayton Kershaw 268.8 166.3 166.3 San Francisco Giants Matt Cain 171.0 116.3 73.6 San Diego Padres Justin Upton 96.7 56.2 46.3 Colorado Rockies Troy Tulowitzki 94.0 63.2 40.4 Arizona Diamondbacks Trevor Cahill 88.0 32.2 18.4
Future payroll numbers do not include arbitration estimates or minimum salaries necessary to reach a 25-man roster. Only guaranteed future salaries are included.
The Dodgers guaranteed money for 2017 would rank sixth in Opening Day payroll for this season. The Giants have a lot of money coming off the books in the next few years leaving Matt Cain, Madison Bumgarner, Buster Posey, and Hunter Pence. Outside of those four, it is not clear where the Giants future production will come from. The highest salaried player on the Padres is technically Matt Kemp, but the Padres are paying the most money to Justin Upton as a result of the Dodgers paying most of Kemp’s salary in 2015. Colorado remains tied to Troy Tulowitzki and Carlos Gonzalez. The team is rebuilding regardless of whether they hold on to those two, but the process could be hastened by trading away its two cornerstones.
National League East
The NL East has one major power, one team that will not be able to compete with a bloated payroll and three teams spending well below their means.
The Mets averaged over $125 million annually in payroll from 2002-11, but have not topped $100 million since. The Washington Nationals flexed their financial muscle and are big favorites heading into 2015. Miami could compete with greater resources, but this could be Washington’s division to lose for the next few years.
Team Most Expensive Player (Amount) 2015 Payroll ($M) Money Committed to 2016 ($M) Money Committed to 2017 ($M) Washington Nationals Jayson Werth 158.5 84.1 59.2 Philadelphia Phillies Ryan Howard/Cliff Lee 137.5 76.2 34.0 New York Mets David Wright 96.3 57.6 35.5 Atlanta Braves Melvin Upton, Jr. 97.1 72.6 87.6 Miami Marlins Mat Latos 65.5 37.0 14.5
The Nationals could lose Jordan Zimmerman, Doug Fister, and Ian Desmond at the end of the year and still be favored to win the NL East in 2016. They will also have to deal with another raise for Stephen Strasburg, but they appear to have the money to take advantage of the frugality shown by the rest of the division. Martin Prado and Dan Haren will actually make more money than Mat Latos, but the Marlins are not paying full freight for Prado and Haren, making Latos’ $9.4 million the Marlins highest outlay this season. The Mets have very little money guaranteed in future years so if ownership wanted to shift its spending philosophy, they could move up the pecking order quickly. The Braves are in the rare position of having guaranteed money go up in future years as Freddie Freeman earns a hefty raise in 2016. The Phillies should have the opportunity to start over quickly with more money coming off the books after this season and half of the remaining guarantees owed to sought-after pitchers Cliff Lee and Cole Hamels.
National League Central
The NL Central has the biggest cluster of similar payrolls with every team under the MLB average. The Cubs loom as a potential big spender, but they have not reached those heights yet, despite the signing of Jon Lester.
The Pittsburgh Pirates pose the biggest threat to the St. Louis Cardinals’ defense of the division, but they lag behind their rivals monetarily. The resumption of spending by the Chicago Cubs along with fairly static payrolls from the Cardinals, Milwaukee Brewers, and Cincinnati Reds has pushed the division together.
Team Most Expensive Player (Amount) 2015 Payroll ($M) Money Committed to 2016 ($M) Money Committed to 2017 ($M) St. Louis Cardinals Adam Wainwright 119.4 90.7 65.0 Chicago Cubs Jon Lester 116.5 82.0 61.8 Cincinnati Reds Joey Votto 111.0 82.0 66.5 Milwaukee Brewers Aramis Ramirez 103.1 49.5 32.8 Pittsburgh Pirates Francisco Liriano 87.4 45.4 37.2
The Cardinals still have quite a bit of money guaranteed to players in 2016 as they hold on to the core players that have made them so successful. Keeping Jason Heyward and the development of young pitchers could be the keys to keeping their run alive. The Cubs are in a similar position to the Cardinals monetarily in terms of guarantees, but with a ton of young, cost-controlled hitters and the ability to outspend the division, their rivals should be concerned. The Reds owe Joey Votto $203 million before his contract runs in 2023. They also have Homer Bailey and Devin Mesoraco for multiple years, but without a significant youth infusion the Reds will need a lot of things to go right for them to keep in contention the next few years, especially as Johnny Cueto departs after the season. The Brewers are in excellent shape financially as Aramis Ramirez, Kyle Lohse, and Jonathan Broxton become free agents. Unfortunately, they also need to replace the production of the former two and hope that Ryan Braun can continue to hit like he has in the past. The Pirates are in a great position financially and have a lot of young talent on the roster. They should be able to compete for the division despite a lower payroll behind Andrew McCutchen and company.
The projected standings in the National League are not as tight as in the AL. The team with the highest payroll in each division is projected to win the division with the Nationals and Dodgers with a nine and eight game advantage over second place, respectively. The NL Central is very bunched up with the Cardinals, Pirates, and Cubs all within two games of each other. The National League appears to be a very top-heavy league with the contenders known before the season even begins.ITYPE2GO In 2009, the risks of text messaging went mainstream. Statistics made it clear that texting while driving was shockingly common — and incredibly dangerous.
But what about texting while walking? You’re looking down as you flail away on your keyboard; next thing you know, you’ve crashed right into a person, a tree or a fence. Trust me: It’s hard to look cool when you’ve just face-planted on a No Parking sign.
Fortunately, iType2Go (a $1 iPhone app) is a funny idea that really works. It superimposes what you’re typing over a live camera view, so you can see where you’re going even while you’re focused on the screen.
Photo
With the touch of a button, you can also direct your typing output to an e-mail message, Facebook page or Twitter update. And you can rotate the phone to get the widescreen keyboard, if you prefer. (Similar for Android phones: Droid Text’n’Walk, $4.)
MIFI. It’s not often a company invents an entire new category with one fell press release, but that’s what Novatel did. The MiFi ($100 from Verizon or Sprint ; monthly fee required) is a tiny, credit card-size, personal, portable, powerful, password-protected wireless hot spot. That’s right: you now have a Wi-Fi hot spot in your pocket, purse or laptop bag.
In many ways, it’s better than those U.S.B. cellular modems that jack into your laptop. On the MiFi, five people can connect at once. There’s nothing to connect or disconnect |
W infrequently, I really like how ArenaNet have incorporated these elements into the PvE environment. They suit the story of the Living World at this stage well since it makes you feel like your actions are vital to the Pact’s success in Tyria’s war against Mordremoth. Positions are won and lost and any progress advances the meta events on the map, just as we saw in Dry Top, but here the results feel more rewarding. You’re not just completing events to earn rewards, although that certainly does happen; your successes against the enemy matter.
Blue Oasis showing Mordrem damage
However, if you’re not used to playing WvW, or you’ve never ventured into it at all, you may be at a disadvantage at first in this map when players call out in map chat that keeps need defending, or when the updates on keep ownership come across your screen. Having said that, this map is a lot of fun. By incorporating one of the best elements of WvW into PvE, ArenaNet have given players unfamiliar with WvW a chance to experience that gameplay while also making it matter within Tyria’s story.
Some may see this, though, as a blatant attempt to promote WvW and entice more players there. This is a fair point as ArenaNet continues to work and encourage the competitive and e-sports aspects of the game. It’s a fine line between encouraging players to try different parts of the game and players feeling that they’re being forced into a style of play they might not care about. I hope ArenaNet continues to strike the right balance here because, as one player said: “Siege in PvE, delicious :p”; I couldn’t agree more.
They’ve also incorporated group events based on fund donations as we saw in last year’s Wintersday and recent Crown Pavilion events. In this case, camp services are added using the new currency, bandit crests. Since these crests are used for the new Carapace armor skins as well, it may take a while for these donation events to complete as players hold onto them for the new skins and upgrades.
As you progress through the story, you’ll need to be prepared to fight as you journey between story steps. It is very easy to get sucked into the WvW style of play here as Mordrem are prompt to respawn and renew their attacks on the keeps you’ve helped secure for the Pact. If you happen to come upon a fort that has no upgrades when attacked, you’ll quickly learn the value of keeping these flush with supplies. As the week has progressed, commanders began organizing players more confidently as people worked through the story and learned the fights.
If you haven’t fought the Mordrem in a while, though, you’ll get quick introductions to their fast, flanking, high damage, high condi attacks. Some of their mechanics seem to have evolved as well making them deadlier so death is now more of a possibility. As Kaysee mentioned in our podcast this week, another element ArenaNet have brought in from WvW is the lack of nearby waypoints, making dying more of a penalty since you’ll have further to run to come back. The map’s chaotic warfare against the Mordrem, though, is good preparation for the third chapter, Caithe’s Reconaissance Squad. If you go in solo or with a small party, you will probably find yourself dodging a lot to survive. Superior Sigils of Stamina may be your friend.
Dodging, kiting, and speed boosts may also help in the final chapter, Hidden Arcana. One of the features of this chapter is Glint’s Lair, and if you thought you remembered how that mission worked in Prophecies, you’ll be in for a treat and shock as you face the Distorted Facets here.
Malevolent Memory facet
These facets can be a pain due to their mechanics but if you remember anything from the old mission, remember that situational preparation can be an asset against the different rooms’ environmental effects. This is now combined with enemy and combat mechanics that we were primed for in LS Season 1 like the color attunements from the final battles against Scarlet’s army. Don’t be afraid to put yourself in harm’s way by becoming “fragile” in order to transfer these to Vortex Crystals and damage bosses down.
The cream of this Living Story episode, though, is the lore and the many connections the story team is making to Guild Wars. This has made many players, especially the lore lovers in the community and here at GuildMag, extremely happy. If you played GW1 and cared even a little about its story, this episode, and especially the Hidden Aracana chapter, is for you. The journey into the massive Special Collections library in the Durmand Priory can keep you occupied for hours as you poke around into the books and treasures they’ve hoarded.
Special Collections archive. I want this as my guild hall.
From Abaddon’s statue to Zhaitan’s tail to a jade encased Leviathan from the Jade Sea, the treats for players are endless. On top of which, then you get to go to Glint’s Lair and learn why the Master of Peace has Glint’s last egg and how the Brotherhood of the Dragon are connected to the Zephyrites. Storywise, this feels like the best of the LS episodes to date possibly because so many threads are converging and getting answered, and possibly because the story’s development feels much tighter and cohesive.
In the steps prior to Hidden Arcana, we also get to connect with Jory more through the artistry softening her face, expressing her grief and love for her sister, Belinda.
We also get a glimpse into the sibling dynamic between Caithe and Canach, and can explore beyond the story conversations you’re pointed to when you reunite with the Pact. In that step, you learn much more about the B-iconics, Eir, and Trahearne if you start talking to them before you start the story script and if you stick around after you complete the step, adding more layers to their own stories. Another welcome change is that you are recognized as the Commander of the Pact as you arrive and walk around Camp Resolve. As NPCs recognize you in awed, hushed whispers, they acknowledge you with salutes and cheers. Granted, these are Pact soldiers so they better know who you are (!), but this is a very nice touch.
The episode isn’t without its inconsistencies and flaws, though, such as the unconvincing explanation that the Fort Salma ghosts’ sudden and traumatic death leaves them acting like everyone around them are Mordrem, making them sound like Ascalonian Foefire ghosts. Then there’s the location of Explorer Campbell out in the Silverwastes, right next to a skill point. This is a bad location for her as players will trigger the skill point without warning others. If you’re trying to continue the story you may be caught off guard and suddenly forced to fight devourers. Another slip comes in some of the dialogue attributed to the sylvari, a race characterized by more formal sentence constructions. As in The Dragon’s Reach, Part 1, where the Pale Tree asks if you still “run with” Destiny’s Edge, this episode now has Trahearne ask “if you’re game” to take up a special mission. These slips into uncharacteristic informal speech are a bit jarring and I hope will not continue.
Overall, though, Echoes of the Past is a fantastic episode with many more positives than negatives that’s left me very happy and looking forward to the next episode.While the Spokane metropolitan area ranks fourth in the nation for car thefts, and the general public is sick and tired of being victimized by this crime, stealing a car is not a capital offense. Thus, it is hard to understand why there is apparently little public or official support for the prosecution of Gail Gerlach, who shot an unarmed car thief, Brendon Kaluza-Graham, in the back of his head as he drove away in Gerlach’s vehicle.
None of the reported circumstances indicate that Gerlach was in any imminent danger himself. It seems rather that he was both very angry and armed, a deadly combination in this case.
A society governed by laws must hold all citizens to these laws regardless of how much we may deplore the conduct of some. As far as I know, no law establishes a death sentence for car theft. This shooting smacks of vigilante justice, which I find far more frightening than a car theft.
Let’s hope that our prosecutor has the guts to hold Gerlach accountable for his action before others decide that shooting thieves is permissible in Spokane County.
Janet Yoder
SpokaneNavy Announces New Authority for COs
From From Chief of Naval Personnel Public Affairs
WASHINGTON (NNS) -- In an effort to reduce administrative distractions and further empower commanding officers (CO), the Navy announced Wednesday in NAVADMIN 200/17 that it will grant COs the authority to reinstate Sailors to E4 who were previously reduced in rank to E3.
Additionally, this NAVADMIN also announces the elimination of the E4 advancement exam for 20 accelerated advancement ratings, which receive advancement upon completion of individual training.
"These changes are part of our Sailor 2025 and Rating Modernization initiatives, which are aimed at empowering our COs and streamlining policies where it makes sense," said Chief of Naval Personnel Vice Adm. Robert Burke. "Our profession relies on trust and confidence up and down the chain of command and we expect our COs to make decisions that are ultimately aimed at developing our Sailors' character and competence. Changes like these help us do just that."
Beginning Dec. 1, 2017, when these policy changes go into effect, COs may reinstate a Sailor's rank to E4 after a minimum six-month waiting period who was reduced in rank to E3 by non-judicial punishment for minor offenses. Reinstatement to E4 is at the discretion of the individual's Commanding Officer, and does not automatically occur. COs may choose to delay re-instatement until they deem the Sailor is ready and are under no obligation to advance the individual if they do not feel it is warranted.
Also beginning Dec. 1, which marks the start of the Spring 2018 petty office advancement cycle, the following E4 exams will no longer be given for the following 20 ratings belonging to the Advanced Electronics Field, Advanced Technical Field, and Nuclear Field programs:
Naval Air Crewman (Mechanical) (AWF)
Naval Air Crewman (Operator) (AWO)
Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) (AWR)
Naval Air Crewman (Helicopter) (AWS)
Naval Air Crewman (Avionics) (AWV)
Cryptologic Technician (Interpretative) (CTI)
Cryptologic Technician (Networks) (CTN)
Electricians Mate (Nuclear) (EMN)
Explosive Ordnance Disposal Technician (EOD)
Electronics Technician (ET)
Electronics Technician (Nuclear) (ETN)
Fire Controlman (FC)
Fire Controlman (Aegis) (FCA)
Intelligence Specialist (IS)
Information System Technician (Submarine) (ITS)
Machinists Mate (Nuclear) (MMN)
Missile Technician (MT)
Navy Diver (ND)
Special Warfare Boat Operator (SB)
Special Warfare Operator (SO)
For further details of these changes, read NAVADMIN 200/17 at http://www.npc.navy.mil.September 30th of this year will mark the 58th anniversary of James Dean’s death. He was 24, neither rich nor famous, and seemed to have a death-wish as strong as his desire to grow beyond his farm roots and achieve success in Hollywood. His enduring fame owes much to a series of candid and personal photographs taken just a few months before the car crash that would take his life. His Border Collie, Tuck, features prominently in the photographs.
The photos predate the premier of his first role as a leading man in East of Eden, the penultimate and iconic Rebel Without A Cause and his final film Giant, the only three films that he would star in. The photos were taken just before he literally turned his back on his dog, which he deemed a symbol of his simple rural youth, and bought the race car that he would die in a few months later.
The series heavily features Dean with Tuck in various situations, some intimate and friendly and others seemingly distant and coincidental. He embraces the dog at what appears to be the dinner table after a meal with his uncle in the background. In one shot his attention is on the dog, and in another he’s looking away at some distraction. This is a theme that is repeated, several shots juxtapose Dean’s love for Tuck only later to show Dean turning his back and looking away.
Out in the field before a tractor, he accepts a hug and rubs Tuck behind the ears. Inside the farmhouse, Dean takes a phone call, presumably with news from his incipient stardom in Hollywood or perhaps finalizing his purchase of a Porsche Super Speedster race car. Or maybe he’s arranging a final goodbye with someone in town before he leaves forever to a new life. Tuck waits loyally behind his chair as Dean pays him no attention.
In February 1955, James Dean (1931-1955) visited his uncle Marcus in his hometown, Fairmount, Indiana; photographer Dennis Stock went along and took this picture of him with a farm dog. As a child, Dean had a dog called Tuck, and there is no doubt, looking at this photo, that he was at home with dogs. “There are a lot of things I learned from animals. One was that they couldn’t hiss or boo me,” he said. “I also became close to nature, and am now able to appreciate the beauty with which this world is endowed.” The following month, East of Eden, directed by Elia Kazan, was released. Dean was nominated for an Oscar, bought himself a Porsche in which to compete in races, and started working on Rebel Without a Cause. That same September he was killed in a car crash.
– Men & Dogs, Judith Watt, Peter Dyer
James Dean and Tuck. February 1955.
Fairmont, Indiana. Dean biographers have consistently pointed out that this is the true East of Eden. A flat piece of earth, fields as far as the eye can see – and people whose Puritanism forms virtually the opposite pole to the American ideal of happily lived materialism. Here, or more precisely in the small town of Marion, James Byron Dean was born on 8 February 1931 – ‘Byron’ being a hint from his mother who, as all mothers, had great expectations for her son, and apparently wanted to underline this by a reference to the great poet. Jimmy Dean spent his early years in Marion, and later the family moved to Fairmont where, after the early and traumatic death of his mother, he grew up with his Uncle Marcus and Aunt Ortense. The pair operated a small farm: “Winslow Farm.” It was here that Stock and Dean returned in 1955. The little cabin on Back Creek represented the country roots, so to speak, of the demi-god James Dean. His simple – extremely simple – background is significant; it offers hope, and at the same time belongs as much as his early, fateful death to the components of the myth, to the process of legend-making. Stock and Dean visited the local cemetery where an ancestor named Cal Dean lay buried. For his photographer, the rising star sat down again at his school desk. He wandered around Fairmont, hands in his pockets, Chesterfield in the corner of his mouth. He looked at himself absentmindedly in a frozen puddle – or tested out a coffin at the undertaker’s, just to try it out. Dean’s longing for death has since become the object of a great deal of speculation. In any case, Stock found a valid metaphor for his hero’s necrophilic tendencies by translating Dean’s isolation into pictorial form: James Dean in the midst of cows; with a dog; with a pig. The affinity for animals that the star took as a matter course can in fact be read as a metaphor for loneliness.
Dean and Stock remained a week in Fairmount. It was simultaneously a reunion and a farewell. Stock later wrote that James Dean knew that he would never see the farm again, and for that reason insisted that the last shots were taken of him before the farmhouse. James posed himself, looking straight ahead, while his dog Tuck turned away. It was, according to Stock, the actor’s interpretation of ‘you will never return home again’. Fairmount had formed him, New York had changed him. New York was his laboratory, in which parts of him flew apart only to form together in an arbitrary manner. In New York, he had been discovered by Elia Kazan, director of Fast of Eden, the son of the land had become a god-in-the-making. Even if it took Hollywood to form his image definitively, New York was where the career of the coming star had been launched. Blue jeans, T-shirt, closed windbreaker belong to the Dean mythos just as much as the cigarette and the only partially tamed hair. Dennis Stock wrote “James Dean haunted Times Square”, beneath his perhaps most famous portrait of the young actor. “For a novice actor in the fifties this was THE place to go. The Actors Studio, directed by Lee Strasberg, was in its heyday and just a block away.” Dean is wearing a dark coat – because of the weather, of course. But the way in which he hides himself in it may also be interpreted as a reference to his vulnerability – it is a cocoon, even if it is in fact black. One should not perhaps over-interpret the color, even though we know that Dean will not live to see the premier of Rebel Without a Cause. On 30 September 1955 at 5:45 p.m., his Porsche Speedster will crash into a Ford sedan. It cannot be claimed that he made a “good-looking corpse”; but he had succeeded in living fast, and dying young -at age twenty-four. – History of Photography
James Dean with the family Border Collie, Tuck 1955
It’s haunting that Dean and Stock would choose to feature Tuck as the poignant symbol of rejection and metamorphosis. Tuck was a shepherd and Dean was his Judas who paid for the instrument of his death with the 30 pieces of silver he was rewarded with for his betrayal.
P.S.
While no one would call him a sex symbol, another son of Fairmount rose to fame and fortune without rejecting his humble farm roots. Jim Davis, creator of “Garfield” grew up in the same Indiana town on a farm with over 20 cats. Ironically as his wife was allergic to cats, the adult Davis enjoyed the companionship of a dog named Molly.
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Like this: Like Loading...Story highlights Authorities believe the suspect is a foreign national from Germany
Harry Burkhart, 24, was charged with one count of arson of an inhabited dwelling
He will likely face more charges as the investigation continues, the mayor says
The fires caused some $3 million in damages
A 24-year-old man was charged Monday with arson in connection with a rash of car and building fires across the Los Angeles area, authorities said.
Harry Burkhart was charged with one count of arson of an inhabited dwelling and will likely face additional charges as the investigation moves forward, said Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa.
Arson investigators counted 52 fires, most starting in parked cars, since Friday morning, but none since the man was was detained at 3 a.m. Monday, according to officials.
Burkhart is currently being held without bail.
"These were serious and potentially deadly crimes that needlessly endangered thousands of innocent lives," Villaraigosa told reporters. "These crimes will not be tolerated."
Burkhart is believed to a foreign national from Germany, according to Los Angeles Police Department Chief Charlie Beck.
Authorities hope, and believe one arsonist acted alone, but will behave as though he did not until they know for sure, Beck said.
Burkhart's arrest came when a sheriff's deputy stopped a van near the intersection of Sunset Boulevard and Fairfax Avenue in Hollywood early Monday, said Los Angeles Fire Capt. Jaime Moore. The van matched the description of a vehicle believed related to some of the suspicious fires and the driver resembled a man seen in a surveillance video near the scene of one fire, he said.
The video showed a man who appears to be in his late 20s to mid-30s, with a ponytail, dark hair and a receding hairline.
No one was killed or seriously injured in the fires, though one firefighter and one civilian sustained minor injuries, said Los Angeles City Fire Chief Brian Cummings. Both he and the mayor estimated the fires caused some $3 million in damages.
Among the homes damaged was one that was once occupied by the Doors frontman Jim Morrison.
Eleven of the fires took place overnight, in the very early hours of Monday: nine within the city of Los Angeles and two in West Hollywood, fire department spokesman Cecco Secci said.
Cars were set on fire in Hollywood and Van Nuys, Moore said.
Los Angeles has not seen such a rash of fires since the city's riots in 1992.Security firm Vupen has uncovered a zero-day bug in Windows 8 and Internet Explorer 10. The discovery of such a flaw in your software of choice is usually a mixed blessing: yes, there's a bug that could lead to security issues, but the public disclosure of it will often lead to a patch within a day or two. The problem with this case is who has identified the issue. Vupen makes its money by discovering security flaws and bugs and selling the information to "vetted governments and companies." It does not disclose the weakness to the company that developed the software — in this case, Microsoft. Whoever buys the bug will then be able to protect themselves from hackers, and in some cases, according to IDG News, use it to attack others as well.
Microsoft says that it's heard of Vupen's purported discovery, "but further details have not been shared with us." For more on the zero-day bug and the morally-ambiguous world of Vupen's research, check out IDG's report at the source below.Beneath the surface of a terrifying election result sits a simple truth: More than 50 million voters proved ready to validate and legitimize the basest political pandering in modern history. Racism, xenophobia and misogyny characterized Donald Trump’s campaign, but throughout the past horrifying months, many resilient Americans vowed never to tolerate his brand of hatred and fear-mongering.
Now the future of the country seems bleak, but just because Trump’s beliefs will infiltrate the White House doesn’t mean they merit normalization.
In fact, it’s more important than ever to challenge the implicit and explicit prejudices that pervade American society.
The man to occupy the White House will have boasted on video about sexually assaulting women and will have constantly invalidated survivors. The man to occupy the White House will have suggested banning an entire religion from entering the United States. This election is surreal, in the most fucked up way.
Now the path forward is precarious but clear. The communities that Trump targets — Latinos, undocumented immigrants, disabled people, Black people, women and LGBTQ+ people — deserve unfiltered and undying support in the face of a federal government that promises to continue ostracizing them, or worse.
We all need to rally behind communities in any and every way possible. To combat Trump’s hate, we need to support survivors of sexual violence. To combat Trump’s hate, we need to rally behind undocumented immigrants. To combat Trump’s hate, we need to empower women and people of color. It means being everything he’s not.
It won’t be easy. Trump’s election marks a backward leap that invalidates years of progress fought and bled for by civil rights martyrs striving for a better future.
Our future vice president, Mike Pence, has already laid a roadmap for what the new order could look like. He used his position as Indiana governor to institutionalize anti-LGBTQ+ legislation. With the full weight of the federal government behind them, what’s to stop Trump and his cronies from going even further?
This will make fighting for social justice even harder, and activists aren’t likely to find an ally in the White House, as they often did with President Barack Obama.
People who think a Trump presidency will move the country in a positive direction kid themselves. Make America great again? Trump has cemented his commitment to ensuring our country’s position as a laughingstock.
And though Berkeley might be largely insulated from the rest of the country with its liberal state and local officials, the cultural shift that Trump promises to usher in will have further-reaching repercussions.
As marginalized communities across the country grapple with the fact that voters said “no” on a referendum of respect, everyone needs to voice unprecedented solidarity, rally in unconditional support and remember that love will always trump hate.
Editorials represent the majority opinion of the Senior Editorial Board as written by the opinion editor.Business Model
Vigilante’s 3800 square foot location will seat 148 patrons. With operating hours Monday to Sunday, 11 am to 2 am, we will be the first late night bar in our area. Located with convenient access to TX-183, IH-35, North Central Austin, The University of Texas and downtown via the Austin Light Rail, Vigilante will be able to serve local Austin neighborhood residents as well as Cedar Park and Round Rock (each are among the fastest growing small cities in the country).
Vigilante’s market differentiator is how we seamlessly combine a restaurant experience with a gaming experience through custom furniture, fixture and service solutions. We are elevating our patron’s home game nights into a complete service package out on the town. This includes:
A searchable digital menu to match you with the optimal choice from our 150+ rentable game library
Large custom tables with roll-out cupholders and food trays to separate the social gaming space from eating and drinking area
A call for service button at each seat so we address customer needs as they arise, as opposed to interrupting their gameplay with check ins
A “Join Us” signal at each table to help patrons team up and play together
Custom lighting fixtures to light play surfaces while maintaining a darker bar atmosphere
Food items designed to be cleanly eaten during play (eg. pub sliders vs. greasy burgers)
Library access will cost $5 per patron for the entire evening, and Vigilante Secret Society members will enjoy free library access as part of their membership ($14/month or $120/year). Patrons will also have the opportunity to bring their own games if they so desire.
We will offer a highly focused, simple menu featuring quality food and locally sourced beer, gourmet sodas by the bottle, a well-rounded wine list, and a food menu featuring such fare as:
Hand held bar classics and street foods for clean eating while gaming: a selection of sliders, mini sandwiches, samosas, potato wedges and skewered meats (candied bacon, spicy chicken and others)
Charcuterie boards, bar snacks and shareable plates to graze while gaming
Mason jar milkshakes, cake pops, and s'mores in a jar
The Vigilante team regularly asks our customers what they want to experience, and engaged potential customers have submitted hundreds of responses for features, events and drinks. This campaign has given us the data we need to pre-test our ideas to ensure they resonate with future regulars.
Partnering with local conventions, Austin’s largest local game retailer, and local game designers as well as hosting events is creating significant pre-opening interest. We will leverage our online presence post-opening by communicating a rotating set of weekly gaming events (based on feedback) to give patrons a reason to return week after week.Public Health England ( PHE ) and the National Travel Health Network and Centre ( NaTHNaC ) are aware of reports of ‘Schistosoma haematobium’ infection, associated with exposure to the Cavu river in Southern Corsica, France.
In total, 11 cases have been confirmed in people from France and Germany, visiting the river between 2011 and 2013. Four of the six confirmed cases in France were children.
‘Schistosoma haematobium’ is a parasitic infection which causes a disease called schistosomiasis (also known as bilharzia). It is normally associated with tropical regions of the world and this is the first report of locally acquired schistosomiasis in France.
Anyone who comes into contact with the parasite in contaminated water can be infected. Most infections do not cause any symptoms at first, but long-term, untreated schistosomiasis can cause serious liver, bladder and kidney problems. The initial symptom people may notice is an itchy rash, but more symptoms can develop a few weeks later which usually include bloody urine and diarrhoea, coughing, fever and headache, joint and muscle pain, tiredness and weight loss.
Pain can also be experienced in the upper right hand part of the abdomen, caused by the liver and spleen getting larger as the body tries to fight the parasite.
PHE and NaTHNaC urge anyone who visited, and swam or waded in the Cavu river between June and September in 2011 to 2013, to contact their GP so they can be screened for the infection and receive treatment if required.
Dr Jane Jones, head of travel-associated infections at PHE said:
We strongly advise travellers to avoid, wading, swimming or bathing in freshwater in areas where schistosomiasis is known to occur. Insect repellent and towel drying do not protect against infection. Chlorine kills the parasite, so swimming in properly maintained swimming pools should not pose a risk and swimming in the sea is also not a risk for schistosomiasis.
Dr Dipti Patel, joint director of NaTHNaC, said:
There is no vaccine or medication to protect against schistosomiasis, so avoiding activities in rivers, lakes or other freshwater contact in risk areas is the only way to prevent infection. As schistosomiasis may not cause symptoms, anyone who thinks they could have been exposed to infection should seek medical advice.
Ends
Notes to editorsAs befitted a man who spent his life in the shadows, General Ji Shengde chose to wait in the kitchen of an abalone restaurant in the Chinese coastal resort town of Zhuhai until his dining companions arrived.
The ultra-secretive chief of Chinese military intelligence was on the lookout for his protege, a well-dressed, 37-year-old businesswoman called Liu Chaoying. She was bringing her new friend, a California-based entrepreneur called Johnny Chung who had a penchant for over-the-top jewellery and a knack for getting inside Bill Clinton’s White House.
Once the pair arrived and the group was seated, they talked American politics. It was 1996 and Clinton was running for a second term.
“We really like your president. We hope he will be re-elected,” General Ji told Chung.
“I will give you $300,000. You can give it to your president and Democrat party.”
A few days after this August 11 meeting, Liu Chaoying wired $300,000 into Taiwan-born Chung’s account. Some of this money ended up in the coffers of the Democrat’s Clinton re-election campaign in breach of US laws banning foreign political donations.
This transaction later became the focus of US criminal and congressional investigations into a major political scandal dubbed Chinagate by the US media. It was part of a broad Chinese plan to influence American politics to favour Beijing’s acquisition of sensitive, advanced technology.
Today, Fairfax Media can reveal a direct Australian connection to the Chinagate scandal that raises serious questions about a series of Chinese donations to the Australian Labor Party.
A summary of banking records contained in NSW Supreme Court files show that, just 10 days after the meeting in the abalone restaurant, a Sydney-based company owned by Chinese-Australian businesswoman, Helen Liu, wired $250,025.00 from her Australian company into the account of one of Liu Chaoying’s Hong Kong companies called Marswell Investments.
Just why Helen Liu’s company Wincopy Pty Ltd sent this money to Liu Chaoying is not known. Whatever the case, the transfer effectively topped up the bank account of a company US prosecutors later claimed as a front for China’s military intelligence. A copy of Wincopy’s financial statements and reports prepared by the company's accountant - and obtained from a Federal Court file - recorded the $250,025.00 transfer as “overseas marketing expenses”.
Like the others, Helen Liu was interested in politics. But her focus was Australia. At the time of the quarter-of-a-million-dollar transfer into Liu Chaoying’s Marswell company, she had just made her first donation to the ALP and had forged links to the federal Labor front bench and the NSW Labor government.
Australia’s freewheeling donations laws meant that Liu’s donations never created a scandal like that seen in the United States, and the links have never been adequately examined by Australian authorities. But evidence uncovered by Fairfax Media and the ABC means that might be about to change.
Helen Liu with John Howard and Joel Fitzgibbon.
The networker
Helen Liu arrived in Sydney from Shandong province in northern China in the late 1980s as a seemingly modest student and worked at a firm exporting wool to China. But it did not take too long for her life to undergo a massive transformation.
“It was like the tap had been turned on and all this money suddenly started pouring out,” said a close associate at the time. “Top-line European cars were being bought with cash.”
The money came from Chinese Government-controlled entities such as the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, Beijing Hengtong Trust, the Jinan Iron and Steel Group and the Shandong Fisheries Corporation. All had entered into joint ventures with companies associated with Helen Liu and her then boyfriend, Humphrey Xu.
The pair set about amassing a Sydney property portfolio worth tens of millions of dollars. Among their tenants was a NSW government department. They exported Australian iron ore and wool to China. In their homeland, the couple embarked on huge real estate developments across several provinces in close co-operation with local officials.
They achieved Australian citizenship through sham marriages to a far younger Sydney couple then began building a network of politically powerful friends in their adopted country. Their target: Australia’s most ruthless political faction, the NSW Labor Right.
The foundation stone of this relationship was laid in 1993 when one of Helen Liu’s companies, Diamond Hill International, took a knockabout federal Labor MP, the late Eric Fitzgibbon, on a first-class trip to Liu’s home province of Shandong. Fitzgibbon’s job was to shake hands with an array of Communist Party officials and tell them just what a big deal Helen Liu and her boyfriend were back in Australia.Here's one parish that chose to build a beautiful edifice, meant to endure
We are just about to break ground for a beautiful new church in my parish in Greenville, South Carolina. Whenever Catholics plan to lay out a significant sum of money to ensure their worship is beautiful, invariably someone will complain that the money should be spent on the poor.
This is known as “Judas’ Argument” since it was Judas Iscariot who said the rich ointment used to worship Jesus should have been sold and the money given to the poor. That’s a snide put down. In fact there are very worthy and good reasons for Catholics to build beautiful churches.
First of all, the Catholic faith is incarnational faith. We believe that the Son of God took flesh of the Blessed Virgin and entered this physical realm of human history. That transaction within history registers as the expression of God’s everlasting beautiful made real and visible in the world. A beautiful Catholic Church proclaims the beauty of God made visible.
A beautiful church also represents the sacrifices of time, talent and treasure to build such a temple fit for God. “This is not just a meeting hall!” the beautiful Catholic Church proclaims. “This is a temple where God dwells in our midst as Christ his Son came to dwell in our midst.”
Our new church is dedicated to Our Lady of the Rosary. Many churches were dedicated to the Blessed Virgin because she, in a most unique way, is the temple of God on earth. She is beautiful. She is full of grace. She is transcendent and eternal because of the graces received from her Son. So too, the Catholic Church should be a silent witness to these truths.
A beautiful Catholic church says, “Here we have built a temple that is beautiful and transcendent and full of God’s presence and grace. Here the Son of God dwells in his sacramental presence, so this great Church reminds us of the Blessed Virgin, and if a reminder of her, then a reminder that her destiny is the destiny of each one of us. We too are called to be temples of the Holy Spirit. We too are called to be transformed by hard work, sacrifice and God’s grace to become everlastingly beautiful. We too are called to an eternal destiny.
Here’s another reason: a beautiful Catholic church proclaims our values. It says, “This church is going to last 1000 years. It will be so beautiful that no one will dare to tear it down. We believe in the eternal truths that are so beautiful and true and everlasting that no one can ever destroy them. Furthermore, we believe in values that are everlasting and never change. We aim to live lives that are as solid and dignified and beautiful and true and everlasting as this building. Our doctrinal truths, our moral truths, our love, our life, our joy– all of these are everlasting and this church speaks silently and eloquently that what we hold dear we are willing to invest in, and we are willing to sacrifice much to build a witness that will last long after we are gone. This will speak to believers and unbelievers a truth that is beyond words and which will lift them to prayer which is beyond words.
In every age people spend money building beautiful temples to their gods. If you want to see what gods a society worships look around for the beautiful buildings. Which buildings in our cities are built with marble, fountains, high ceilings, silver and gold fittings, oriental carpets and fine furnishings? Banks and insurance companies mostly. There you find the temples we have built to our gods.
Then look at so many modern Catholic Churches– built on the cheap with tawdry materials, cut corners, shoddy workmanship, poor design by ignorant architects who are working for their own glory trying to " |
a prominent lie in paleontology. But it’s also a great example of the ways in which science seeks to question itself. While the reputations of the men involved may have helped to push through the finding initially, it was not the final word on the matter. Calls for testing to validate the finds were made soon after the discovery and never quite went away. In this regard, Piltdown helped shape the nature of scientific inquiry. While the hoaxer may have technically gotten away, he also helped give us a legacy that does not rely on reputation and heresy and emphasizes objective reasoning.
But it also places more of a burden on the public and asks them to be critical in the information they consume. Piltdown Man gained popularity without support from online social sharing channels. News like this was limited to print and public discussions—actual physical discussions, not the online version of hangouts. People had to make an effort to consume and believe what they were told, and they did believe in this case because it was what they wanted to hear and see. We’re much quicker to question things today because we have the tools to share ideas quickly and access different sources of information, but these same tools give the public a voice to shape overall opinion. We’ve seen this recently with the rise of the anti-vax movement, as well as the consequences when these ideas take hold. How do we help moderate these spaces? Who should take the lead on these fronts? As science communication expands to these newer realms of sharing, are these the questions we should be considering?
*This phrase has fallen out of favor in recent years particularly in the scientific community because it suggests a linear evolutionary history, which we know is not the case. However, it is important to use in this context because this is precisely what scientists were searching for: a fossil that bridged the gap between apes and humans and clearly delineated the evolutionary path. The term missing link applies to any transitional fossil but it continues to ignite public imagination.
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You might also like:Labor Law: The Supreme Court heard oral arguments Tuesday in a case that will determine if a Medicaid recipient caring for her child is a state worker required to turn part of her meager resources over to union bosses.
Illinois resident Pam Harris is a 55-year-old mom earning less than the minimum wage who cares for her son Josh Harris, 25. He has Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, a muscular degenerative disease, compounded by physical disabilities and mental illness.
Josh and his family qualify for an Illinois home-based support-services program that lets disabled adults live at home. He gets $721 each month from Medicaid to cover the costs of the constant supervision he requires.
To the Service Employees International Union and Illinois' Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, the fact that Josh's mother receives a small government stipend given to home health-care workers makes her a state employee subject to forced unionization.
Under an Illinois law crafted by the incarcerated former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and enforced by his successor Quinn, home caregivers like Harris are designated state employees required to pay dues whether they join the union or not.
In January 2009, Gov. Quinn, who has taken nearly $5 million in campaign contributions from SEIU, signed an executive order stating these home caregivers — even moms and dads — are in fact public employees available to be unionized by the SEIU, which had been granted exclusive representation rights over the state's 20,475 "personal assistants," as they were designated.
The union then initiated an aggressive card-check campaign and presented the state of Illinois with 10,627 cards authorizing union representation. The problem was that 90% of these were signed by existing union members while only 10% of the nonunion at-home caregivers assented to SEIU organization attempts. To the state of Illinois and its union-backed governor, that didn't matter. Pat Harris was now a union member and had to pay dues.
"One penny, one dollar taken out of (the monthly stipend) is taken out of support or services for Josh," she said. "Being in a union is incompatible, intrusive and going to interfere with the care I provide. The union is there to protect the union worker, so I don't see how Josh benefits."
Harris and other disability program members voted the union down and sued Quinn in the class-action lawsuit that was heard at the U.S. Supreme Court this week. If the court rules that Quinn was wrong in declaring home-care providers public employees, unions could lose several hundred thousand members across the country.
This would be another body-blow to unions who have hemorrhaged members in the private sector. Private-sector membership has shriveled from about 35% of the workforce in the 1950s to 6.6% today. Unions now must rely on forced unionization aided by government to fill their coffers.
Home health care workers like Josh's mom have become cash cows for SEIU. According to documents obtained by the Illinois Policy Institute under a Freedom of Information Act request, SEIU received more than $52 million over five years from about 20,000 home health care workers, many of whom care for relatives.
"The lawsuit is about a government union taking advantage of political clout to push people into a union, so SEIU could skim dues money and a lot of that money found its way back into politicians' hands," said IPI labor expert Paul Kersey.
"These are parents and relatives taking care of disabled family members, not state employees. They shouldn't have to worry about the funds they need being redirected to unions."
We don't think think so either. Pam Harris should be free to take care of her handicapped son at home and not be forced to fill the coffers of union bosses and the politicians in thrall to them.This article is over 2 years old
Australia’s next-generation jet fighter has been labelled a “jackass of all trades and masterful of none”.
Air Power Australia, an independent military and policy thinktank, is dismissive of the plan to acquire 72 Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning Joint Strike Fighters from the US.
What are these so-called minor technical issues with this extremely cool looking F-35 jet? | First Dog on the Moon Read more
“Blue sky marketing” was overshadowing big problems with the aircraft, the group’s head, Peter Goon, told the Canberra hearing of a Senate inquiry investigating the acquisition on Tuesday.
“It has all the hallmarks of a Ponzi scheme,” he said.
“When the product fails, recruit as many clients as you can, promote the product as loudly as you can, keep the cash flowing for as long as the market remains blind to its failure.”
The aircraft was also a risk to the Anzus alliance – Australia’s security pact with the US.
Goon described the aircraft’s computer system as a “digital dog leash”.
Australia is scheduled to bring its first two planes home in 2018. Up to 26 fighters are expected to be operational in 2020, and the number is expected to reach up to 72 by 2023. The project has a $17bn price tag.
Production has been riddled with delays and budget blowouts, as well as problems related to flying during times of lightning and extreme heat.
Chris Mills, a retired wing commander, said Australia would never achieve regional air superiority with the F-35.
The Sir Richard Williams Foundation took an opposing view, saying the aircraft was unique, revolutionary and represented a generational change.
Radar glitch requires F-35 fighter jet pilots to turn it off and on again Read more
The former RAAF chief Errol J McCormack said the F-35 was the only viable candidate that would meet the full range of Australia’s air superiority needs in 2025 and beyond.
But he acknowledged that Lockheed Martin gave thousands of dollars in sponsorship to fund his organisation’s seminars.
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute director of research, Andrew Davies, said the F-35 was still the RAAF’s best choice for air combat capability.
“There is a small but vocal cadre of F-35 opponents who seize upon any bad news as a sure sign that the program is a colossal error,” he told the inquiry.
The hearing continues.Share. An HD Remake of NiGHTS Into Dreams could be in the cards. An HD Remake of NiGHTS Into Dreams could be in the cards.
SEGA has posted a mysterious image on its Facebook page. According to eagle-eyed fans, the image appears to be very similar to Stick Canyon, a level seen in SEGA’s beloved 1996 Saturn flying game NIGHTS Into Dreams.
While the image contains no caption, fans have immediately begun speculating that a NiGHTS sequel or HD remake could be on the way, possibly following in the footsteps of the HD remake of Jet Set Radio recently announced for Vita.
The NiGHTS franchise was last seen back in 2007, when sequel NiGHTS: Journey of Dreams was released for Wii. A remake of NiGHTS Into Dreams was released a year later for PlayStation 2 but only ever made it to stores in Japan.
Exit Theatre Mode
SEGA isn’t saying much for now, but keep checking back for any details about the teaser image as they’re revealed.
Andrew Goldfarb is IGN’s associate news editor. Keep up with pictures of the latest food he’s been eating by following him on Twitter or IGN.The US, which not long ago called Yemen an example of successful counter-terror strategy, underestimated the power of the Houthis in the country as they have already gained control over several cities, said Abayomi Azikiwe, Editor, Pan-African News Wire.
A coalition of Gulf nations, led by Saudi Arabia, has launched a military operation in Yemen. It’s aimed at stopping the advance of Shia Houthi militants who control the capital Sana’a, and the coastal city of Aden.
RT:Saudi Arabia and several other Gulf countries are getting involved in the situation in Yemen. Where do you see this heading?
Abayomi Azikiwe: It’s a very dangerous situation. What this represents is the total collapse of US foreign policy in Yemen. They have evacuated their special forces. Approximately 100 of them were stationed in Yemen. At the same time US diplomatic personnel have also been evacuated. The US-backed President Hadi had called for such an intervention.
RT:What reaction do you expect from Iran now?
READ MORE: Gulf coalition launches airstrikes against Houthi rebels in Yemen LIVE UPDATES
AA: The Iranians are of course backing the Houthi militia groups because they are part of the Shia alliance that exists throughout the region. Therefore, they will have some political support. But I don’t see them directly intervening militarily in Yemen in response to this escalation by Saudi Arabia. But it is clearly something that has the endorsement of the Obama administration. They have lost their capacity in a sense to intervene directly and are utilizing Saudi Arabia and the Gulf Cooperation Council [GCC] as a proxy force that will try to bolster Hadi in Yemen.
RT:Just six months ago President Obama was calling Yemen a success story. He said: “This strategy of taking out terrorists, who threaten us, while supporting partners on the front lines, is one that we have successfully pursued in Yemen and Somalia for years.” Do you think Washington has been taken by surprise by the latest developments?
AA: Washington has its hands full in Syria, in Iraq, and in other geopolitical regions. This is why they want to rely on the Gulf Cooperation Council. But there was clearly a miscalculation on a part of the Obama administration that they underestimated the power of the Houthi groups inside the country which took control in September of the capital of Sana’a. Just recently they took control of the city of Taiz; they have been moving South over the last several days towards Aden. So it’s clearly a failure of US foreign policy in Yemen.
RT:The city of Aden is home to a major oil refinery and is a major shipping hub. Could we see the Houthi rebels taking control over these supplies as well?
READ MORE: Yemen rebels gained access to secret US files – report
AA: It will be very interesting to see what happens if the Saudis and the GCC utilizes air power. It could perhaps halt their advances. But in the long-term, if the Saudis are not willing to put in massive ground forces then there could be whole struggle developing around the control of Aden. Also, we have to keep in mind that in the South there is a huge separatist movement that is resurfacing: Yemen was divided between the North and the South up until about 25 years ago. The South was a socialist-oriented republic, and the North was more allied with the US and the West. This is another fact that has to be taken into consideration. These separatist movements have been growing over the last several months.
RT:Yemen is seeing a total security collapse. Could it be the next front in the expansion of Islamic State?
AA: We’ll have to see if there is any significant IS intervention. Al-Qaeda has been operating there for a while. This is the raison d'être that the US has utilized for carrying out these drone attacks against the people in Yemen, particularly the so-called al-Qaeda bases there. But it remains to be seen what role the IS may have if they decide to enter in greater numbers in Yemen.
'Houthi behaved 'badly', like overthrowing Saleh'
Saudi Arabian military “is notoriously unreliable” and it is unlikely they would do well in Yemen, says Charles Schmitz, Middle East expert.
Charles Schmitz: “Saudi Arabia has a long involvement inside of Yemen, it has a lot of contacts, there are a lot people who support Saudi Arabia inside of Yemen. I’m not sure what their military involvement will be. Their military is notoriously unreliable and in a Yemeni context, I don’t think it’s going to do very well. So I’m not sure what their objectives are,” he told RT.
Meanwhile, Iranians are strongly supporting the Houthis, Zaidi Shia group, but it’s yet a question “whether they would support them militarily”.
“It’s not just the Houthi, but it’s the Houthi and the former president Ali Abdullah Saleh. He is the one who commands the most of the military forces, the regular military forces. I think they have the upper hand militarily, and I’m not sure how much … support they would need from the Iranians,” he said.
“[Houthi] are a class, a group of people in the far North; their ancestor ruled Yemen for a long, long time, for a thousand years. During the regime of the republic they were discriminated against, and they fought the regime of Ali Abdullah Saleh, ironically because now they are allied with him. But at the time they fought his regime because they felt that it oppressed them. Because they were attacked by the Yemeni regime in a war in 2004-2010 they very much want to guarantee their security, they very much want to guarantee an upper military hand particularly in the North. They simply have done that. We know that now they are trying to set up a national regime. That is going to be more difficult for them. They do not have experience leading the country. We’ll have to see what they are going to do. Thus far they have been behaving quite badly: they’ve imprisoned journalists, they’ve attacked their political opponents in the beginning to behave exactly like the President that they overthrew in 2011.”
The statements, views and opinions expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of RT.Image caption The time on screen matches real-life time where the movie is playing
The Clock, an extraordinary new film showing at the White Cube gallery in London, consists of thousands of old movie clips in which a clock features or where someone refers to the time, as the BBC's art correspondent Vincent Dowd reports.
Going to The Clock with a movie buff could get very aggravating very quickly if they tried to name every clip.
Everybody relates to it because we're all anxious about time going by Christian Marclay, Director of The Clock
The director, Christian Marclay, says there are at least 3,000 movies clipped in it. But there is no exact listing and the count may be closer to 5,000.
Mr Marclay is in his mid-50s. He is US-born but was raised in Switzerland and now lives mainly in London.
He makes montages of video and audio. Among the best-known is Video Quartet, which shows a strip of four panels playing simultaneous clips of music from films. Together, the videos make a single, original piece of music.
That film lasted 14 minutes.
The Clock is a very different experience and one that is raising a lot of interest.
'Synched to time'
Imagine walking into a cinema and sinking into a comfortable sofa.
The film runs for 24 hours so you can go any time of day or night.
Perhaps being there at night increases the dream-like aspect of a piece consisting of endless clips of other films - from forgotten 1930s thrillers to recent blockbusters.
Image caption Director Christian Marclay could labour an entire day to edit a single minute
A few sequences run a minute or so, but most are shorter and sometimes clips are made of a single shot. Every sequence has a clock or a watch in it or a character making a reference to the time of day.
The movie is synched to local time so if the clock on screen shows 3.38pm then that is the time where you are.
And three minutes later there is a clip on screen where it is 3.41pm (so you can leave your watch at home).
Some viewers like to detect new stories emerging while others enjoy The Clock's very lack of traditional narrative. The editing is superb, both in sound and pictures.
Mr Marclay came up with the idea in 2005 while he was working on a smaller project that also featured clocks.
"But when you're editing a piece that's 24 hours long, it's going to take several years. I kept postponing that moment when I had to sit at the computer," Mr Marclay says.
"Eventually I hired assistants to watch films. Every time they saw a clock or spotted a time reference in the narrative they brought me the footage.
'Dream sequences'
Sometimes Mr Marclay would spend all day editing just one minute of footage, he says.
Image caption Mr Marclay describes his piece as "celebratory of cinema"
"And then, of course, someone would bring me footage with that exact time but more interesting - so I'd have to re-edit.
"The hardest hour to fill was 5am to 5.30am. But people dream a lot then so I used a lot of dream sequences," he adds.
He says he tried to create the illusion of continuity, where "the action flows from one narrative to the next".
"Sometimes you get fooled because the mind just accepts the edit."
"I see the piece as a giant memento mori (reminder of mortality). Perhaps that's why I embarked on it - because I turned 50. Maybe I'm having a mid-life crisis and thinking about time and how little time is left. But everybody relates to it because we're all anxious about time going by."
Yet Marclay acknowledges a paradox.
"I was at the White Cube gallery and watched people come out after they'd spent an hour or two inside. Even though it's dark subject matter everybody had a smile on their face.
"Anyone can relate to it. You don't have to understand contemporary art. You don't have to be intimidated by it. The attraction of film is so seductive."
As for how Mr Marclay cleared the rights for up to 5,000 films, many controlled by major distributors - he didn't.
"I'm not interested in that debate so much. My work is so celebratory of cinema that you want to go and see these films. It's the best publicity for the film industry."
The Clock is at the White Cube gallery in London SW1 until 13th November, with 24-hour screenings Thursday to Saturday. It also plays as part of the British Art Show - currently in Nottingham and then touring.By BBC News Online's Damian Carrington
Global warming can lead to a dramatic fall in sea level, says a US geologist.
This suggestion is the opposite of the generally-expected effect of rising temperature. And while it is unlikely to happen in the near future, Dr John Bratton of the US Geological Survey says the process behind it could offset the sea level rises which are predicted to flood low-lying areas of the world.
It could also explain mysterious plunges in sea level in warmer periods in the Earth's geological past.
Ice cool
The sea level drops could be caused by the melting of "clathrates". These are sea-floor crystals of water ice and gases such as methane. When the crystals melt, the gas bubbles away and other gases trapped in the ocean sediments below could also be released.
In the worst circumstances, the "hole" left behind could result in a sea level drop of 25 metres but Dr Bratton told BBC News Online that his conservative estimates suggest a drop of up to 1.5m.
"Any temperature rise will start to melt clathrate," he says. "The apparent massive hydrate melting about 60 million years ago was triggered by an increase in bottom water temperatures of about four degrees centigrade.
"Therefore, it appears that the process could get going with an increase of even one or two degrees, especially in the polar regions where gas hydrate is abundant."
Balancing act
This is quite possible but any actual drop in sea level would be countered by the simultaneous melting of the Earth's polar ice caps. The rising temperatures would also cause ocean waters to expand.
Dr Bratton says the predicted drop resulting from clathrate melting "is of the same order of magnitude as those associated with thermal expansion of the oceans, melting of non-polar ice and melting of the West Antarctic ice sheet."
If correct, this is good news for threatened coastal areas but Dr Bratton warns that the release of methane, a greenhouse gas, to the atmosphere could itself have a significant effect in driving further climate warming.
Positive feedback
Asked if this is a worry, Dr Bratton says: "Yes, definitely, although not everyone agrees the effect would be that significant relative to anthropogenic forcing by carbon dioxide emissions.
"Almost everyone agrees that hydrates melt when climate warms. The debate is now about whether hydrates may actually drive natural climate warming or whether they just go along for the ride."
Dr Bratton's research is published in the journal Geology.At least four of the thousands of protesters who were attempting to occupy the Washington state Capitol were arrested on Monday as lawmakers considered $2 billion in budget cuts. The State Patrol used tasers on three other protesters.
About 3,000 people from Occupy Olympia, unions and social service groups gathered at the Capitol over the course of the day to oppose the funding reductions to education, public safety and health care that have been requested by Democratic Gov. Chris Gregoire, according to The Associated Press.
“This is not a protest, it’s an occupation,” the crowd chanted as 30-day special legislative session began.
Authorities claim that they were later forced to use tasers on at least three protesters who were trying to get into the building after it had closed.
“Basically what happened was a trooper used his taser on three subjects that were … attempting to get back into the building,” patrol spokesman Dan Coon told The Olympian. “[T]hey used it almost for their own safety to keep the crowd back. … They said it was absolutely necessary to keep the troopers at the door from being trampled … and keep more people from coming into the building.”
By 7 p.m., state troopers began forcibly removing the 100 protesters that remained in the building. Washington State Patrol Sgt. J.J. Gundermann said that 30 people received trespassing citations and three were arrested. A fourth protester had been arrested earlier in the day.
The protesters who were given trespassing citations will not be able to return to the Capitol building or the Occupy encampment at Heritage Park for 30 days.
Watch this video from KOMO, broadcast Nov. 28, 2011.Rod Carter - Brandon, FL (WFLA) - The holidays are one of the busiest times for the United Parcel Service. Keith Pickens would know. He's delivered packages for UPS for the past 16 years. He works hard to keep them from being stolen.
"You try to secure the package more, so it's not visible from the street … so nobody can see it. And so when the customer comes out it's not even blocking them from their door," Pickens said.
And it's not just about hiding the boxes. These driver's watch everything around them. Since most work the same areas all the time, they know when something's out of place.
"You know the cars that are usually parked at certain houses, the cars that are following you. You're paying attention to those cars. You're being more aware of license plate numbers," Pickens said.
The effort is to prevent so-called 'porch pirates.' These are the people who lurk outside others' homes to steal packages being delivered. That's why UPS and other delivery companies suggest people sign up for text or email alerts to let them know when packages arrive.
Here are some interesting things to keep in mind:
There are 28 shopping days and 20 UPS delivery days between Thanksgiving and Christmas this year (excluding Saturdays).
UPS is planning to deliver more than 630 million packages between Thanksgiving and Dec. 31, a more than 10 percent increase from last year.
UPS expects its busiest delivery day to be Tuesday, Dec. 22 with more than 36 million deliveries (compared with an average day's 18+ million).
UPS now has surpassed 20 million registered members for UPS My Choice, a free consumer service to provide text or email alerts for deliveries.
, a free consumer service to provide text or email alerts for deliveries. UPS has a Holiday Help Center on UPS.com or in the YouTube.com/UPS playlist with animated videos to make the holidays hassle-free.
Meanwhile, Pickens will keep dropping boxes off - and continue keeping a watchful eye for the crooks trying to grab them.LOS ANGELES — Will the next Academy Awards ceremony be street smart, like the “House Party” movies? Digitally savvy, with a BuzzFeed twist? Or as grandly mainstream as, oh, almost anything Tom Hanks has ever done?
The answer may depend on a talent search that will soon be concluded by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
After three consecutive Oscar shows from the producers Neil Meron and Craig Zadan, officers and executives of the Academy have been quietly examining an intellectually and professionally diverse group of prospects as possible overseers of the next broadcast, set for Feb. 28.
The 2015 show, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, saw its audience drop nearly 15 percent, to around 36.6 million viewers, from 43 million in 2014. That decline, along with the generally poor reviews the telecast received, added urgency to the Academy’s mission to update what has been viewed in recent years as a shopworn entertainment show.This won't be your typical interview feature because Knxwledge isn't your typical producer.
I love getting to chop it up with producers. It's rare that I'm able to talk to other human beings who are even more obsessed with samples, instrumentals and the business side of beats as I am. Getting the stories behind some of my favorite beats are what I live for and in interviews when I get that story, that quote, it's the greatest feeling in the world. I can practically see the faces of rap nerds around the world lighting up.
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As I really immersed myself in Knxwledge's work, as I discovered the layers to his music, as I stumbled on the beat where he sampled The Brave Little Toaster, I couldn't wait to get him on the phone. I couldn't wait for the quotes. He's such a enigmatic, interesting artist, surely he had some amazing stories.
50 minutes and 13 seconds later I hung up the phone.
I didn't have any real quotables.
No hot takes.
No crazy Kanye stories, no click-bait.
Still, I knew there was story in our conversation, and that story is Knxweldge himself. It should come as no surprise that his interview was different because everything about Knxwledge - his personality, his music and especiallyhis career - is unconventional.
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Producers are often only as popular as the company they keep. Of course what you produce matters, but it's who you produce for that makes or breaks you; placements, placements, placements. Rattling off the hits on their resume is often how we rank and celebrate producers. Knxwledge? He has one major placement. That first placement though? "Momma" off a little album called To Pimp a Butterfly. How many producers can say their first placement came from one the most anticipated albums in hip-hop history? To join the likes of Thundercat, Flying Lotus, Terrace Martin and more on his first placement, to land on the album with no prior relationship to K. Dot, is incredible.
Even the way his beat was developed was out of the ordinary. To Pimp a a Butterfly has been praised for its cohesive feel and emphasis on live instrumentals yet Knxwledge created the beat for Momma years before even Good Kid M.a.a.D City was released. The six-year old original first appeared on one of Knxwledge's beat tapes released four years ago, relevnt.b/sde_LP. Knxwledge didn't even submit it! To anyone! "That shit was ridiculous," he said when we spoke. "Not that it wasn't fuckin' amazing, but I wasn't trying to be on there." He added, "He got my number because he's Kendrick and texted me 'we got a keeper' and a year and some change later, I heard the song with you guys."
Though Knxwledge has just one major placement, he's by no means new to the game. He has a cult following composed of true internet music connoisseurs. Over the course of six years, he's released a staggering 64 beat tapes. That's an average of 10 and half tapes a year. His BandCamp page is his resume and man is it impressive. Knxwledge has released each and every one of his projects through the online service and has made a living off of it. "It's [done] well enough for me to take care of myself, to do the same thing next month."
It's remarkable he made a name for himself before a notable placement, but it's even more amazing that he's yet to receive one complaint considering his material is so sample heavy. Nowadays producers are getting sued for simply being inspired, but Knxwledge has literally made a living selling his sample-driven material on BandCamp. Sort of like his To Pimp A Butterfly placement, he's not quite sure how or why, it just kind of happens. When I asked him about it -- the clearances, the BandCamp system, the samples, the business side - he's seemed charmingly casual and unconcerned. "I'm just flooding it. I've never been hit up, I'm not really waiting for it either,"he said,adding, "I'm broke anyway so..." and concluding with, "Shout out to BandCamp." Knxwledge simply seems to make beats and beyond that, he just doesn't care. There's no grand scheme, no master plan.
Don't mistake his nonchalance for a lack of effort or work ethic. Rappers pride themselves on their grind, but staying in the studio until 4 AM doesn't mean much when you're up at noon. Knxwlegde? He's up at the crack of dawn. After grabbing some breakfast he heads to the Amoeba record shop to pick up materials, whether it be an old gospel record or a 50 Cent acapella, and then he heads to the lab to "record all day." He makes Kanye look like a slacker for his paltry five beats a day for three summers. Every single day he's up at the crack of dawn and spends all day honing his craft. His work rate is blistering and those 64 tapes are but a fraction of his output. When discussing how much music he has, he sounded almost bewildered. 'I'm fucking running out of space man. What am I supposed to do with all this shit? What the fuck? It's stupid." I could practically see him opening up a closet door and staring at a wall of hard drives. In actuality though, "It's a bunch of shoeboxes. Maybe like 30 or 40 hard drives."
Still, it's not the number of raw hard drives that's beginning to earn him a reputation (and a paycheck or two), it's what's on those hard drives. There is a special, distinct flavor to a Knxwledge beat. Though he samples with the best of them, his beats are anything but traditional. Thanks to some echoing, headnotic drums and a thick, shrouded, almost extraterrestrial feel Knxwledge takes a sample and morphs it to fit his own creation. His beats aren't driven by a sample like most beats; the samples are but one piece of the puzzle. Like a labyrinth, at any moment you'll pick up a sonic trail and follow it until it eventually becomes an entirely new destination. At first I wasn't quite sure what to make of it, but the more I listened, the more I appreciated the intricacies, all the samples tucked in, the way the drums echo. The beats that he's making are so multidimensional and yet, like Knxwledge himself, they have a nonchalance to them.
The more I talked to Knxwledge the more I got the sense he doesn't even know how talented he is and how unique his situation is. It's not a bad thing, if anything it makes him more intriguing and likeable. He talks about hanging with Action Bronson as if he's a fan. When we discussed his favorite producers (Alchemist, Dilla, and Madlib), when we talked about jazz music, about what he listens to (he's a big Roc Marciano fan) he seemed almost exhausted at the amount of interviews he has on his plate. At one point he got distracted because he just learned he's traveling to Russia for a few shows; it seemed to catch him off guard. The causal aloofness with which he treated everything from sample clearances to a trip halfway around the world makes me believe more than anything, he just does it for the genuine love of music. He does it because it's natural, because he loves music. He doesn't have an end game - granted he noted "It would be tight if my kids ate from BandCamp" - but other than that there's no master plan, no takeover. He just makes beats. Period.
Though he may not see it, I do. With the "Momma" placement, with his impending Stones Throw album due out May 5, and a joint venture with Anderson.Paak (Nxworries) in the works, Knxwledge is slowly but surely making the switch from mysterious internet producer to a force to be reckoned, and yet he remains unchanged.
In true Knxwledge fashion he ended the call and the discussion about what's next with, "I don't know how this happened. I'm just going with it."
[Lucas Garrison is a writer for DJBooth.net. His favorite album is “College Dropout,” but you can also tweet him your favorite Migos songs at @LucasDJBooth]Michael Moore, the liberal filmmaker and vocal opponent of President Trump, has launched an online calendar to track anti-Trump events around the world.
The “Resistance Calendar” allows anyone to add an event happening at any location to the calendar.
In a post on Facebook announcing the new calendar on Monday, Moore said he intends it to serve as a “one-stop site” and “clearinghouse of all actions” for anti-Trump events around the country.
“Our goal is his removal from office — and the defeat of any politician who isn't with us,” Moore said in his post. “WE ARE THE MAJORITY.”
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Items already listed on the calendar include the “Not My Presidents Day” rallies being held across the country on Monday. Moore said he'd like the space to also hold information on rallies in smaller cities across the U.S. as well.
Moore called the online calendar “a 24/7 clearinghouse of the already MASSIVE resistance to Trump, to the Republican Congress, and, yes, to many of the spineless Democratic politicians out there.”
Moore is a frequent critic of Trump and his administration. The night before Trump’s inauguration, Moore hosted a protest outside of Trump Tower in New York City with Alec Baldwin, who frequently impersonates Trump on “Saturday Night Live.”GRANTING PARDON TO RICHARD NIXON ------ BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA A PROCLAMATION
Richard Nixon became the thirty-seventh President of the United States on January 20, 1969 and was reelected in 1972 for a second term by the electors of forty-nine of the fifty states. His term in office continued until his resignation on August 9, 1974.
Pursuant to resolutions of the House of Representatives, its Committee on the Judiciary conducted an inquiry and investigation on the impeachment of the President extending over more than eight months. The hearings of the Committee and its deliberations, which received wide national publicity over television, radio, and in printed media, resulted in votes adverse to Richard Nixon on recommended Articles of Impeachment.
As a result of certain acts or omissions occurring before his resignation from the Office of President, Richard Nixon has become liable to possible indictment and trial for offenses against the United States. Whether or not he shall be so prosecuted depends on findings of the appropriate grand jury and on the discretion of the authorized prosecutor. Should an indictment ensue, the accused shall then be entitled to a fair trial by an impartial jury, as guaranteed to every individual by the Constitution.
It is believed that a trial of Richard Nixon, if it became necessary, could not fairly begin until a year or more has elapsed. In the meantime, the tranquility to which this nation has been restored by the events of recent weeks could be irreparably lost by the prospects of bringing to trial a former President of the United States. The prospects of such trial will cause prolonged and divisive debate over the propriety of exposing to further punishment and degradation a man who has already paid the unprecedented penalty of relinquishing the highest elective office of the United States.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, GERALD R. FORD, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES, pursuant to the pardon power conferred upon me by Article II, Section 2, of the Constitution, have granted and by these presents do grant a full, free, and absolute pardon unto Richard Nixon for all offenses against the United States which he, Richard Nixon, has committed or may have committed or taken part in |
measles is becoming more virulent."
Ms Hennessey said there had been 1,000 more cases of whooping cough this year compared to last year.
She said the matter was a community safety issue.
"It's not just in the interests of an individual child, but all of us," she said.
"Our aim is not to exclude kids from early childhood services. Our aim is to get people immunised and we're going to use this as an incentive and a prompt."
Vaccination rates plateaued
It followed moves by the Federal Government to strip social security payments from parents who do not immunise their children.
Conscientious objections would not be allowed and only those with a doctor's certificate would be exempt.
"The science on this issue is really clear. Vaccinations save lives," Ms Hennessey said.
"I pay no heed to those [who] go around putting mistruths out about vaccinations
"We know that it is absolutely essential to get your children vaccinated if you can and only if there are medical reasons as to why a child can't be vaccinated will that be acceptable."
Vaccination rates in Victoria have hovered around 92 per cent for a number of years but that number has plateaued.
"So we know we need to do more to lift it, bringing in 'no jab, no play' laws which we are hopeful will help lift those vaccination rates," she said.Someone’s spreading rumors through Novakula, and fifty bucks says it’s Rahm himself:
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is reported to be privately talking about Rep. Rahm Emanuel, the House Democratic Caucus chairman, as the next senator from Illinois if Sen. Barack Obama wins the presidential election. Emanuel told this column he is not interested in the Senate and has not talked to Pelosi about it. He also suggested that Pelosi might be saying she would regret losing him from her leadership team. However, the source quoting the speaker indicated she was enthusiastic about Emanuel’s elevation to the Senate.
It’s actually up to Blagojevich to appoint a replacement for Obama’s seat, which is up in 2010. It’s hard to imagine he wouldn’t defer to Obama on the matter, though.
Would Rahm really get the nod over Jan Schakowsky, a solid anti-war progressive and staunch Obama supporter?
I guess Rahm is looking for the edge by getting tongues wagging early.
So in his honor, let’s resurrect…yes, my favorite YouTube. Take it away, Rahm…By Lord Ashcroft
In my previous round of battleground polling, published last month, I looked at eleven constituencies where the Conservatives have majorities of up to 4.8% over Labour. I found that nine of them would change hands on the basis of my snapshots, with swings to Labour ranging from 2% to 8%, averaging 5% in the seats as a whole.
This time I have looked further down the Conservative defence list, at twelve seats with majorities of between 1,936 or 4.8% (Northampton North) and 3,744 or 7.1% (Loughborough).
Taking the seats together, on the basis of the total sample of 12,008, Labour led the Conservatives by 36% to 33%, a swing of 4.5% since the 2010 election. However, if the findings in individual constituencies were repeated at the election, three of the twelve would stay blue: Loughborough, Kingswood, and Blackpool North & Cleveleys, where the swings to Labour were 2% or below. At the other end of the scale, in Bury North I found a swing to Labour of 7% and a Labour lead of nine points.
The six-point Labour lead in Croydon Central is the smallest I have yet found in a seat the Tories are defending from Labour in London. In the North, where the Conservatives are widely expected to struggle, the picture is in fact mixed. In previous rounds we have seen results ranging from a tie in Pudsey to a 14-point Labour lead in Lancaster & Fleetwood. In the current selection, though Labour look well ahead in Bury North they would probably expect to be leading by more than one point in both Chester and Wirral West.
In these seats I found UKIP vote shares ranging between 12% in Loughborough and 30% in Cannock Chase, where they were in second place and just five points separated the three top parties.
Only one in five (20%) of those who voted Liberal Democrat in 2010 said they would vote for the party again in their own constituency at the next election; they were more likely to say they would switch to Labour (27%). Another quarter said they planned to vote Conservative (12%) or UKIP (12%), while a further 15% said they did not know what they would do. Nearly two fifths (38%) of 2010 Lib Dems said they would definitely not vote for the party at the next election.
Seventeen per cent of 2010 Conservatives and 9% of 2010 Labour voters said they would vote UKIP in their own constituency. One in ten of each party’s supporters said they did not know how they would vote.
In other questions, UKIP supporters were the least likely to expect the economy to do well over the next year either for the country as a whole (48%) or for themselves and their families (51%). Conservative voters (83% and 84%) were much more optimistic.
A majority were either satisfied with David Cameron’s performance as Prime Minister (30%) or dissatisfied but preferred him to Ed Miliband (29%). Just over a quarter (27% – including only 65% of Labour voters, 54% of Labour “joiners”, 22% of UKIP voters and only 6% of Conservative defectors to UKIP) said they would rather see Miliband in Number Ten.
Overall, people were more likely to say they had received literature, direct mail, phone calls, emails or visits from the Conservatives (22%) than from Labour (14%). There was considerable variation between constituencies, though, with Tory contact rates ranging from 11% in Cannock Chase (where UKIP are evidently the most active local party) to 50% in Wirral West.
Just under one third (32%) of voters in the twelve seats said they wanted to see a Labour government, while 29% wanted a Conservative majority. One in five preferred another coalition of one kind or another, including 15% of Labour voters and 16% of Conservatives. The remaining Liberal Democrats marginally preferred another coalition with the Tories (43%) to the idea of joining forces with Labour (38%).
One third (34%) of UKIP voters said they would like to see Labour in government, either alone or in coalition with the Lib Dems, while 45% would rather see the Conservatives in office. More than three quarters (78%) of Conservative-UKIP switchers wanted the Tories to remain in government, including 63% who said they wanted an overall majority.
Where does all this leave our analysis of the battleground? The Conservatives currently have 303 seats in the House of Commons and Labour have 257. This situation looks unlikely to change after polling day in Rochester & Strood, though it could if there are any further defections or by-elections.
As I explained in the commentary on my previous round of marginals research, this leaves the Magic Number (the combined number of net Conservative losses and net Labour gains required for the two parties to have the same number of seats after the election) at 46. If the total is less than 46, the Tories remain the largest party; if it is more than 46, the largest party will be Labour.
Since my research so far has shown the Conservatives and Labour ahead in equal numbers of seats currently held by the Lib Dems, and UKIP ahead in two seats currently held by the Tories, the Conservatives can afford to lose no more than 21 seats to Labour if they are to remain the largest party. My battleground polling has to date found them behind in 38 – albeit sometimes by very slim margins – and we have not yet reached the point at which the Tory losses end.
As I observed last month, other factors could change the equation, and I will explore them in future rounds: whether further Lib Dem seats are vulnerable, whether UKIP are making inroads in places we have not yet polled, and the effect of the post-referendum SNP surge in individual Scottish constituencies.
Finally, don’t forget that there are six months to go and these surveys are – altogether now – a snapshot not a prediction.By any means necessary
Exxon Mobil has never been shy about working with dictators, be they Hajji Muhammad Suharto of Indonesia, Idriss Déby of Chad, Nursultan Nazarbayev of Kazakhstan, Teodoro Obiang Nguema Mbasogo of Equatorial Guinea, Sani Abacha of Nigeria, José Eduardo dos Santos of Angola or Saddam Hussein of Iraq (to name but a few).
But sometimes alliances go sour. Change is often necessary.
Members of the Bush administration, many of whom had worked together for decades, made fully transparent their ambitions for American “empire” (their word) long before taking office in 2000, including the plan to invade Iraq (with Iran next in their sights).
Prior to the March 2003 invasion, Iraq’s domestic oil industry was fully nationalized and closed to Western oil companies. Within six years, it was largely privatized and utterly dominated by foreign firms, including Exxon Mobil. “Of course it’s about oil; we can’t really deny that,” said Gen. John Abizaid, former head of U.S. Central Command and Military Operations in Iraq, in 2007.
Exxon Mobil joined with other Western oil giants to have a direct hand in this long-desired outcome. The company participated in the Cheney Energy Task Force, which first met just 10 days into the new administration. Its work included reviewing “operational policies” toward Iraq and “actions regarding the capture of new and existing oil and gas fields.” In its final report in May 2001, the task force argued that Middle Eastern countries should be urged “to open up areas of their energy sectors to foreign investment.” This is precisely what was achieved in Iraq.
Exxon Mobil met with Cheney’s staff in January 2003, two months before the invasion, to discuss plans for Iraq’s postwar industry, while then-CEO Lee Raymond had many private meetings with longtime friend Dick Cheney. For the next decade, former and current executives of Western oil companies, including Exxon Mobil, acted first as administrators of Iraq’s oil ministry and then as “advisers” to the Iraqi government.
Gary Vogler, an executive and 21-year company veteran, left Exxon Mobil in 2002 to help plan and lead the U.S. government’s oil agenda in Iraq. Vogler later told MSNBC that in an October 2002 meeting in Houston, he and other members of the Energy Infrastructure Planning Group for Iraq were told by Army Corps Lt. Col. Paul Shelton, “Look, the military can get you a lot of information, but you’ve got to keep in mind the cost of that information … may be the lives of 19-year-old Marines and soldiers.”
In April 2003, Vogler joined former Shell Oil CEO Philip Carroll on the ground in Iraq. “The ministry once again has a strong man at its helm,” reported Germany’s Der Spiegel magazine upon Vogler’s arrival at the Iraqi Oil Ministry. By that summer, Exxon Mobil had joined with several other Western oil companies to articulate their own goals for post-war Iraq through the International Tax and Investment Center’s (ITIC) Iraq project. The ITIC’s report, “Petroleum in Iraq’s Future,” released in the fall of 2004, made the case for opening Iraq’s oil industry to foreign oil companies using Production Sharing Agreements (PSAs) that grant companies control over production decisions, the right to book reserves as their own and contract lengths 10 times longer than is typical.
As I detailed on CNN.com in 2013, as the war continued, so too did the administration and industry efforts to open Iraq’s oil sector under their preferred terms. Western oil companies met with the Iraqi government and ultimately signed contracts to gain not all they had hoped for, but enough. In 2009, Exxon Mobil emerged as one of the war’s biggest winners, joining with PetroChina to sign a PSA for the super-giant West Qurna oil field, one of the largest oil fields in the world, and later acquiring exploration contracts in Iraq’s Kurdistan region.
While the war did have its victors, it was of course disastrous not only for Iraqis, but for the entire region, contributing to the formation of the Islamic State, the Syrian War and today’s refugee crisis.
We know very little of Trump’s actual foreign policy agenda other than an intention to put “America First” while turning toward Russia and against Iran. But perhaps we can gain some guidance from Trump’s words to Anderson Cooper in 2015 on taking on the Islamic State: “I’d bomb the hell out of the oil fields.... I’d then get Exxon, I’d then get these great oil companies to go in—they would rebuild them so fast your head will spin.” A “ring” of U.S. troops would then surround the wells, Trump said, protecting the oil companies.
Climate “risk” or climate change?
January will be a busy month for Rex Tillerson. On January 19, he has been called to testify in a federal lawsuit brought by 21 young people alleging that the oil and gas industry has sought to both prevent the U.S. government from taking action to protect the environment from climate change and lock in a fossil-fuel-based national energy system with full knowledge of the extreme dangers it poses. Kelsey Cascadia Rose Juliana, et al. v. United States of America, et al. is before the U.S. District Court of Oregon and will be set for trial this year.
The suit stems from a 2016 investigation by InsideClimate News, as do the state and federal investigations into potential fraud perpetrated by Exxon Mobil against the public and its shareholders regarding what the company knew about climate change and when, and what it did with that information. A finalist for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize, the investigation uncovered that Exxon’s own scientists confirmed in the 1970s that the burning of fossil fuels harms the climate. The company then chose to publicly deny the reality of climate change and finance the climate denialist movement (findings Exxon Mobil disputes).
As secretary of state, Rex Tillerson would lead U.S. negotiations tackling climate change. Tillerson’s rhetoric has led some to conclude that this may not be such a bad thing. The facts, however, reveal that it would be disastrous.
On the one hand, Tillerson acknowledges the reality of climate change and has publicly stated his support for carbon taxation and the Paris Climate Agreement. Exxon Mobil’s lobbying disclosures under Tillerson, however, expose a very different picture. In 2008 and 2009, the company nearly doubled its already top-tier federal lobbying expenditures (spending $29 million and $27.4 million, respectively), outspending every other corporation, to successfully thwart congressional and White House efforts to pass meaningful climate change legislation, dashing the 2009 U.N. Copenhagen Climate Change Conference in the process. Exxon Mobil continues to fund climate denialist organizations and those that are leading the attacks on the Paris Agreement and Obama’s Clean Power Plan, including the American Legislative Exchange Council, the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
As for the company’s actual operations, a 2014 study published in Climatic Change journal found that Exxon Mobil has contributed more global greenhouse gas emissions to the atmosphere over the last 150 years than all but one company (Chevron). Under Tillerson, Exxon Mobil has fought climate-related initiatives launched by shareholders and rejected any meaningful commitment to renewable or alternative energy. As I reported for Rolling Stone in 2013, “Since 2002, Exxon Mobil, which took in $45 billion in profit last year alone, put a grand total of $188 million into its alternative [energy] investments, compared to the $250 million it dedicated to U.S. advertising in the last two years alone.”
A close read of Tillerson and the company’s words on the topic, moreover, reveal a very careful focus on “risks” posed by climate change (or by those responding to it). Exxon Mobil’s annual report to the SEC in 2016 stated, for example, “Due to concern over the risk of climate change, a number of countries have adopted … frameworks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.” Tillerson’s line is one of scientific uncertainty about what those risks may be, blind faith in the ability of technology to address any such risks should they emerge, and a zealous commitment to the necessity and dominance of oil and natural gas.
The language of “risk” implies that all climate effects are yet to come—such as when Tillerson said at the company’s annual shareholder meeting in 2013 that climate change “does present serious risk” yet “our ability to project with any degree of certainty the future is continuing to be very limited.” But, as of 2012, nearly 1,000 children a day were already dying because of climate change, and the estimated annual death toll was 400,000 people worldwide.
In 2008, Exxon Mobil Senior Vice President J.S. Simon told Congress: “The pursuit of alternative fuels must not detract from the development of oil and gas.” To grasp the threat posed by Exxon Mobil and Rex Tillerson, one could replace “alternative fuels” with just about any phrase, word or concept expected of a just U.S. secretary of state—be it “diplomacy,” “equality,” “peace,” “climate justice” or “human rights.”
US Exxon Mobil refinery workers in Port-Jerome, western France, joined a strike in support of workers at the French multinational integrated oil and gas company Total S.A. on February 23, 2010. (Photo: Kenzo Tribouillard/AFP/Getty Images)
Choosing sides
“This is the purest test you can imagine: Either you’re pro-science or anti-science; either you stand with the people, or you stand with the polluters. It’s that simple,” said Jamie Henn of 350.org. He was speaking in advance of a protest in Cheyenne, Wyo., planned for January 9, to urge Republican Sen. John Barrasso to use his seat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to reject Tillerson’s nomination. The protest is part of a month-long series of protests which include “flooding Capitol Hill” with events targeting key senators who play a big role in cabinet picks.
Tillerson is scheduled to appear in January for hearings before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, where Democrats have promised a bruising fight. They would need just one Republican to join them to block the nomination and Marco Rubio (Fla.) may be that Republican, having voiced concerns about Tillerson’s Russian ties. If the vote goes to the full Senate and Democrats stand united there, just three Republicans would be needed to block Tillerson. John McCain (Ariz.) and Lindsey Graham (S.C.) have expressed deep reservations.
With leading international human rights organizations, including Global Witness and Amnesty International, condemning Tillerson’s nomination in no uncertain terms, and with Greenpeace coordinating petitions and actions with numerous other groups to block it, the fight is far from over. Tillerson’s nomination comes at a time of heightened unity and strength within the movement to keep fossil fuels in the ground, brought to national attention with the years-long battle led by Native Americans to halt the Dakota Access Pipeline.
Terrence Collingsworth, the human-rights lawyer who has fought Exxon Mobil for more than 15 years in defense of the people of Aceh, worries about the damage done simply through the nomination of Rex Tillerson—which, he believes, makes it clear which side the United States government is now on under the presidency of Donald Trump.
“Imagine what will happen in the future,” he says. “[People around the world] will not feel that the U.S. will back them up in trying to hold these companies accountable.” Instead, he argues, we will have—even more than today—“a sweetheart arrangement between foreign governments and the U.S. government to promote the exploitation of natural resources at all costs.”
This article has been updated to include the 2007 amended complaint in John Doe I, et al., v. Exxon Mobil Corporation, et al.The world is heading for an average temperature rise of nearly 4C (7F), according to analysis of national pledges from around the globe. Such a rise would bring a high risk of major extinctions, threats to food supplies and the near-total collapse of the huge Greenland ice sheet.
More than 100 heads of state agreed in Copenhagen last December to limit the rise in global temperatures to 1.5C-2C (2.7-3.6F) above the long-term average before the industrial revolution, which kickstarted a massive global increase in the greenhouse gases blamed for warming the planet and triggering climate change.
But six months on, a major international effort to monitor the emissions reductions targets of more than 60 countries, including all the major economies, the Climate Interactive Scoreboard, calculates that the world is on course for a rise of nearly double the stated goal by 2100.
Another study by Climate Analytics, at the Potsdam Institute in Germany, suggests there is "virtually no chance" world governments will keep the temperature rise to below 2C, and the rise is likely to be 3.5C (6.3F) by the end of the century.
In both analyses the current commitments suggest a much better outcome than the estimated business-as-usual temperature rise of 4.8C (8.6F), but are well above the 2C maximum the UN hoped would be agreed at the next major meeting this December in Cancún, Mexico – and even further from the 1.5C target many developing nations argue is needed to stop the worst impacts of climate change in their countries.
In its last assessment of the problem in 2007, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) forecasts that a rise of more than 2C would lead to potential increases in food production, but an increasingly high risk of extinction for 20-30% of species, more severe droughts and floods, and a unstoppable "widespread to near total" loss of the Greenland ice sheet over very long time periods. However, at 4C it predicted global food production was "very likely" to decrease, "major extinctions around the globe", and near-total loss of Greenland's ice, precipitating 2-7m of sea-level rise in the long term. As temperatures rose, the severity of floods, erosion, water pollution, heatwaves, droughts and health problems such as malnutrition and diarrhoea diseases would also increase, said the IPCC.
"We're looking at a level which is much more extreme and profoundly dangerous," said Ruth Davis, chief policy adviser for Greenpeace. "It's arguable the UN process has become dangerously cut adrift from the science of climate change."
The Department of Energy and Climate Change said that, based on national offers of emissions reductions made in Copenhagen, the United Nations Environment Programme (Unep) and other bodies had calculated that it was possible to meet the 2C target, although this would depend on the targets set beyond 2020.
"There's more work to do if we're going to avoid a 2C temperature rise which is why we're pushing the EU to cut its emissions by 30%," said a DECC spokesman. "Keeping below 2C is still possible from the high end Copenhagen accord offers, but will require steeper action after 2020."
However, many experts said the much higher temperature-rise estimates were a cause for serious concern that emissions cuts proposed for Cancún were too low and not enough was being done to prepare for further cuts beyond 2020, even though there are still nearly six months of negotiations before the talks.
"We've made progress but we're clearly not headed where we need to be," said Andrew Jones, co-director of Climate Interactive, which is backed by several universities including MIT. "No one is talking about changing any of the 2020 proposals, so we should be worried." Climate Interactive's model is also backed by a panel of experts including Prof Bob Watson, chief scientific advisor to the UK's Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), and a former head of the IPCC.
The Climate Interactive Scoreboard, for which researchers check daily for updates in emissions or other targets which would reduce pollution such as reductions in energy intensity or increases in renewable energy, makes a medium-range prediction of a 3.9C increase in temperatures, with a range of 2.3-6.2C (4.2-11.1F), based on committed targets, and a more encouraging 2.9C (5.2F) average, with a range of 1.7-4.6C (3.1-8.5F) based on "potential" commitments suggested but not enacted by many nations.
One of the major barriers to setting higher emissions cuts was a great many countries, including Canada and the EU, have said they do not want to increase their targets until the US sets significant reductions, which is proving hard for President Obama to achieve, said Davis.
Climate Analytics and Ecofys, under the banner of Climate Action Tracker, estimate a range of 2.8-4.3C.
The principal differences between the two calculations are that they use different models, and made different assumptions about what countries will do after their current targets expire, said Jones.
In both cases, there has been no improvement to the forecast outcome since the experts assessed the prospects immediately after the Copenhagen conference.
The predictions will be particularly worrying for many watchers because the 2C target was based on research which suggested that at that level there was only a low to medium risk of key changes to the conditions in which humans survive; however an update of the "burning embers diagram" by the authors, published last year by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in the US, suggested that at 2C there greater risk in all categories, including a significant to high risk to unique and threatened ecosystems, of extreme weather events and a global distribution of the worst threats.
Climate Interactive ScoreboardIf there’s one core quality that preppers value above all else, it’s trust. They need to trust in the items and supplies that they purchase in order to guarantee the safety of both themselves and their loved ones in the event of the unthinkable. They need to trust in themselves, knowing beyond the shadow of a doubt that they’re ready should a severe weather storm, or if some other unfortunate incident should finally arrive.
With that in mind, it makes perfect sense that “trust” is also one of the core techniques that you will use to attract the attention of this community through online marketing channels. If you can establish yourself as a true authority in terms of products prized by the prepping community like generators, survival gear and more, you will find a bold new market just waiting to be tapped for years to come. You’ll have access to a dedicated, passionate community of like-minded individuals who are all ready to engage, share and purchase at a moment’s notice.
Why Online Marketing is So Effective for Selling Emergency Preparedness Supplies
One of the major reasons why online marketing is so effective for selling emergency supplies has to do with the immediacy of the information that is available. Think about things from the perspective of the prepper: they’re looking for constant, accurate and up-to-date information about everything they need to be ready for something like a winter storm. This includes car supplies, food supplies, fire-starters, water purification products and beyond. If a new water purification system hits the market that is better than the one they currently have, they actively want to know about it. After all – the safety of both themselves and their loved ones is potentially at stake.
Because of this natural level of engagement built into the community by its very nature, the relationship between marketer and customer is actually significantly stronger than it is in just about every other type of target audience. If someone buys a new stereo system, they’ve likely made a purchase that will last quite awhile. They may stop researching new speakers, receivers and other components for years as their current setup is more than enough to “get the job done.”
When it comes to the prepper community, however, you’re talking about a completely different situation. If their home town suddenly gets hit with a severe winter storm and they don’t have the right fire-starter, the consequences are a lot more severe than just not being able to hear their favorite television show in crystal clear HD audio. They may not be able to stay warm during the storm, or they may run out of clean drinking water while “bugging out,” or if they’re stuck inside for an extended period of time.
Because of these concerns, this community is actively and constantly engaged with various Internet resources, combing over websites, newsletters and more in an effort to make sure that they have access to every last item they need when they need it the most. This organic requirement is one of the core tenants of the relationship between a marketer and his customer in this marketplace.
E-Mail: The Key to Reaching Preppers Online
One of the single most important weapons in the marketers arsenal in terms of reaching their target audience of preppers online comes by way of e-mail. Even if you take preppers out of the equation for a moment, e-mail marketing has STILL proven to be one of the most effective channels of communication in terms of sheer ROI alone – beating out things like SEO, Internet display ads and more.
The reason why e-mail marketing is so effective in the prepper community in particular feeds back into that larger idea of trust. These days, e-mail is more personal and more intimate than nearly any other type of avenue you may experiment with. People carry their smartphones with them everywhere they go and studies have shown that most people check for new messages multiple times a day, if their phones don’t automatically alert them when one arrives. According to Business Insider, 90% of people between the ages of 18 and 29 even sleep with their smartphones beside their beds all night long. In those terms, even the word “intimate” may be something of an understatement.
So people are already naturally invested in e-mail marketing materials. When you add back in the larger idea of trust that preppers thrive on, the results are even more staggering. Because most e-mail service providers automatically filter out SPAM messages, any targeted message that arrives in a customer’s inbox is naturally seen as more trustworthy than others. Personalizing these messages to the user deepens that connection even further.
Think about e-mail in comparison to something like social media. Social media may be great for giving everyone a voice, but it also goes a long way towards proving that no two voices are created equally. Social media can be a constant information overload, making it difficult for a prepper to weed through spam messages and irrelevant tweets to get at the heart of the data they’re really after. E-mail, on the other hand, is sleek, clean, and effective – the information they want automatically appears in their inbox at the moment they are the most receptive to it.
Planning Effective Online Campaigns
Because planning and strategies are so important to the preppers themselves, it should come as no surprise that a detailed strategy will also be required on behalf of the marketer to succeed with this community online.
The first step to planning an effective online campaign involves learning as much about what your preppers are actually preparing for as possible. Consider as much local data as you can to create niche campaigns targeted at specific areas of the country. A prepper in Cleveland, Ohio isn’t necessarily going to be concerned with a hurricane, but he WILL likely be worried about a devastating winter storm. This allows you to take your marketing one step further by not just offering general survivalist items, but items that will actually serve them well in the situation they’re trying to get ready for.
Think of it like this: your customer has a problem and you need to communicate why only your business can provide an adequate solution. If you don’t know precisely what that problem is, you can’t make that statement in good faith – or at least in any type of credible, effective way. By building a customized online campaign from the ground up to target individual buyer personas based on things like “getting ready for winter weather” versus “hurricane preparedness” versus other key times of the year, you’ll instantly establish yourself as a trustworthy source of valuable information in their eyes. Once that connection is made, you’ll have dedicated access to a passionate customer base that is ready to return to you to help them accomplish their goals on a regular basis.
The Tools Needed to Succeed with the General Prepper Audience Online
Some of the most important tools that you’ll need to succeed with the prepper audience online are targeted e-mail lists. Prepper e-mail lists and survivalist e-mail lists will allow you to segment your target audience even further, separating them into categories like “people who just want to be prepared for an unexpected winter storm” and “people who are focused on a potential hurricane or other natural disaster and beyond.” This will allow you to go much deeper in terms of the level of personalization that you can offer, strengthening your connection even further.
Tools like programmatic advertising can also be a way to accurately target preppers with new products and services based on items they’ve either already purchased or shown interest in. If someone buys a survivalist flashlight, you can automatically target them with ads for items such as batteries, generators, water purification systems, bunkers, educational materials and more.
If you make it as easy as possible for them to get the information they’re actively looking for, then everyone wins.
Marketers get to properly leverage one of the most powerful and actively engaged audiences on the nationwide by providing the preppers what they value the most: the peace of mind that only comes with knowing they are prepared for the unexpected at all times.
Preppers are also a skeptical bunch, so make sure you can back up any claims and offer the best, most truthful information. Preppers are seeking to survive and protect their families with your products and services. They are not a forgiving bunch if they learn claims made in your marketing are not true, so be prepared when you market to such a sophisticated audience.HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — A prominent Canadian LGBT activist and journalist was found beaten to death outside a popular gay bar in Halifax early Tuesday morning.
Raymond Taavel, 49, the former editor of the LGBT magazine “Wayves” and former co-chair of PrideWeek Halifax, was found bleeding and unconscious outside the Menz & Mollyz bar in Halifax at about 2:30 a.m. by a passerby who called authorities.
via Facebook
Constable Brian Palmeter, a spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Mounted Police in Halifax, told LGBTQ Nation that according to witnesses, Taavel and another man were accosted by an individual outside the bar.
One witness told police that he saw a large man attack two smaller men, one of whom fled as the attacker slammed the other man’s head into the street. Two other witnesses told police the attacker used homophobic slurs during the beating.
Palmeter said Taavel died at the scene as a result of his injuries.
A police K-9 unit was used to track the assailant to a nearby alley where he was hiding behind some trash cans. Andre Noel Denny, 32, is scheduled to appear in Halifax Provincial Court Wednesday on a charge of murder according to Palmeter.
Denny is a psychiatric patient from the nearby East Coast Forensic Hospital who failed to return to the facility after a one-hour leave. He is one of three patients who did not return to the hospital Monday. One of those patients is still at large.
Capital Health, the private organization that runs the hospital, told LGBTQ Nation that it has launched an internal review into the matter and will not make further comment pending the outcome of that inquiry.
The CBC reported that Denny was sent to the facility after being found not criminally responsible on a charge of assault causing bodily harm in Sydney.
In court documents, the man is described as suffering from paranoid schizophrenia. He is also described as being grossly psychotic with a history of aggressive impulsivity and unpredictability.
Tributes to Taavel have been expressed by scores of Halifax citizens and fellow activists shocked by his murder. “I think I have the same sense of shock as everyone else who is connected to the community,” says Kevin Kindred, of the Nova Scotia Rainbow Action Project.
“It’s incalculable, he was such a beautiful spirit,” says Halifax activist Hugo Dann.
“Anyone who got involved in gay rights in Halifax, knew Raymond. Raymond took his knocks, but he never stopped smiling and he never failed in kindness. That’s the loss that will stick with me because he was unfailingly kind … I think people will want to go out, to be together. I don’t think our community ever hides,” Dann said.
This Story Filed UnderPaul Stanley says that he has no idea why Gene Simmons attempted to trademark the so-called "devil's horns" hand gesture.
The KISS bassist/vocalist withdrew his application to trademark the symbol late last month — less than two weeks after filing with the federal copyright office.
Most music fans slammed Simmons for the trademark request, saying the symbol has become ubiquitous and means different things to different people.
Asked by the Loudwire Podcast for his thoughts on Simmons's trademark attempt, Stanley said: "Well, you know, Gene elicits some very strong reactions from people. And what he does he does for the reasons that only he knows. So I can't really say that I have really any thought about it. It was really something that he wanted to pursue, and the reaction was how people felt about it. So I don't know why he pulled it, and I don't know why he started it. I really have no… I haven't asked him."
In his original request, which was filed on June 9, Simmons described the sign as consisting "of a hand gesture with the index and small fingers extended upward and the thumb extended perpendicular." He paid $275, seeking to use the hand signal symbol for "Entertainment, namely, live performances by a musical artist; personal appearances by a musical artist."
Gene claimed the gesture was first used in commerce on November 14, 1974, which corresponded to KISS's "Hotter Than Hell" tour. He wrote in his signed declaration that he believed "no other person, firm, corporation or association has the right to use said mark in commerce, either in the identical form or in such near resemblance."
During a recent edition of her show "The Talk", Sharon Osbourne slammed Simmons for the trademark request, accusing the rocker of "trying to make money from posters and t-shirts." She said: "He's crazy. He's trying to get money from the merch where you see this [gesture] on merch, but actually this [symbol], in Italian, which has been going for hundreds of years, means 'the devil.' That's what it means. And so kids at concerts have been doing it for years and years and years. And in '74? Where were you in the '60s when they were doing it, kid, because they've been doing it forever."
It's unclear why Simmons suddenly withdrew his application to trademark the gesture but it's |
, who sacrificed to save Dumbledore's life at the Battle of the Department of Mysteries, didn't come to his aid at the Battle of the Astronomy Tower hints to the true nature of the headmaster's death, meaning he was killed by his own orders.
Appearances
Fawkes. The Harry Potter Wiki has 74 images related toCASCADE LOCKS, Ore. (KATU) – Fireworks may have sparked the 3,000-acre Eagle Creek Wildfire on Saturday that has evacuated dozens of homes near the town of Cascade Locks in Oregon, Oregon State Police said.
Troopers said they have a suspect in the case - a "juvenile male." He could face several charges, including arson and reckless endangerment.
READ MORE: New evacuation orders around Eagle Creek Fire as wind shifts in the Columbia River Gorge
The fire was first reported about 4 p.m. Saturday along the Eagle Creek Trail. KATU News talked with witnesses who said they heard a loud bang before the fire broke out.
More than 150 hikers were stranded overnight by the fast-growing wildfire. They sheltered overnight near Tunnel Falls before search & rescue crews hiked with them to Wahtum Lake. There are no hikers unaccounted for, officials said Sunday.
The fire is burning about a half-mile from Cascade Locks. Those living south of Interstate 84 are Level 3 (leave immediately) and those living north of the interstate are at Level 2 (prepare to leave at a moment's notice).
More than 130 homes were evacuated; Red Cross volunteers have set up a shelter at the Skamania County Fairgrounds across the Columbia River in Stevenson, Wash.
A Type 2 incident team is heading to the fire to start work on containing the blaze.
This is a developing story; updates will be posted.Immigration from non-Western countries causes the most problems in Denmark, so there should be a difference in how the country welcomes “a Christian American or Swede and a Muslim Somali or Pakistani,” according to Inger Støjberg, political spokesperson for the liberal Venstre party, Denmark’s largest opposition party.
Støjberg wrote an article for Berlingske, a national newspaper based in Copenhagen, in which she calls for Denmark to adopt an immigration policy that makes it easier for Westerners and harder for Muslims. Her comments have put immigration back at the top of political debate.
She wrote: “It is primarily Muslim immigrants who do not value democracy and freedom. In certain environments, they directly oppose it. Too many non-Western immigrants with Muslim backgrounds do not want our freedom-orientated society model.”
She said this was seen this recently at the Grimhøjvej Mosque in Aarhus, where fighters were solicited to join the jihad in the Middle East, and in the sermon in Berlin last Friday by Imam Abu Bilal, a preacher at Aarhus, who called for the help of Allah to kill Jews.
This showed that “too many Muslims in Denmark practise a medieval interpretation of the Koran and it prohibits them from being a part of normal Danish life.”
There should be a requirement that Muslims are either getting an education or have a job before they can stay in the country: “There is a danger that the cohesion of our society can be threatened in the future if we do not dare put right and reasonable requirements for those coming to Denmark.”
Her remarks created a stir amongst the other political parties, according to The Local.
The anti-immigration Danish People’s Party welcomed Støjberg’s remarks: “If Venstre has now finally understood the need to differentiate between immigrants and limit non-Western immigration, then we are getting closer to each other,” a spokesman said.
However, a spokesman for the Conservative Party which is, like Venstre, in opposition, said: “For me as a conservative it is important to set requirements [for immigrants] but it is also important that the requirements are equal regardless of what country one comes from.”
The governing Social Democrats and Social Liberals (Radikale Venstre) also dismissed the idea of two sets of immigration rules.Portland is poised to rename a downtown park to honor a former city manager known for his ability to get Urban Renewal projects done in the 1960s and ’70s – including some of the same projects the city is now moving to undo.
On Monday, the City Council will consider renaming the plaza known locally as Lobsterman Park, at the corner of Temple and Middle streets, “the John E. Menario Plaza.” The statue depicting a Maine lobsterman would remain.
Related Headlines Flashback: Lincoln Park before urban renewal
In addition to the reconstruction and widening of Spring and Franklin streets, and selecting the site of what is now the Cross Insurance Arena, Menario oversaw the city’s removal of more than 100 homes deemed to be urban blight in the 1960s, including a section of town known as “Little Italy.”
City Manager Jon Jennings said he wanted to find a way to honor Menario, whom he met while exploring the possibility of becoming Portland city manager last year.
“John has been a role model for me,” Jennings said. “He’s an example of a strong city manager who wasn’t shy to give his opinions during his time and certainly worked with the council to make great changes in the city.”
Jennings said renaming the park after Menario is a way to acknowledge the impact he had on the city, rather than endorsing any specific policy or philosophy.
“In his time, I think he made very wise decisions,” Jennings said. “It’s always easy to look at the past with 20/20 hindsight, but that doesn’t mean things don’t change. Twenty or 30 years from now a city manager will look back and question some of my decisions.”
If approved, it would be the fourth tribute to a former Portland city manager. Lyman S. Moore has a middle school named after him, Bob Ganley has the City Hall plaza, and Joseph Gray has a portion of the Eastern Promenade Trail leading to the Ocean Gateway Terminal.
‘EXTRAORDINARY HONOR’
Menario, 80, said it was an “extraordinary honor” to have a park named after him.
“Portland is my hometown. I grew up in Portland,” he said. “I worked with strong council members with a lot of political courage. In the nine years I was there, they adopted so many projects and policies and programs that basically transformed the city from a city of blight and deterioration into one of the most livable and economically positive communities in New England.”
Menario was Portland’s city manager from 1967 to 1976. Those years capped a 14-year career at City Hall that began with a six-month internship. After leaving City Hall, Menario worked for the Greater Portland Chamber of Commerce, before running his own consulting firm. He ran unsuccessfully for governor in 1986 as an independent candidate. From 1988 to 2003, he worked as a banking executive.
An editorial in the Evening Express on Nov. 20, 1975, described Menario’s control over the elected council.
“Almost without exception, the Portland City Council has been a mirror of his philosophy, his views and his beliefs. … So completely has the council become an instrument of Menario that his unexpected resignation will, to a major degree, leave the council leaderless,” it said.
Many of Menario’s initiatives involved the redevelopment of the city and were guided by a planning philosophy and federal program known as Urban Renewal, which is dismissed by many today because it was so heavily automobile-centric and lacked regard for historic buildings.
During Menario’s tenure, about 150 homes were razed to make way for public housing projects and traffic arterials, including Franklin and Spring streets, designed to move heavy volumes of traffic. Public parking garages, including the Temple Street garage that abuts Lobsterman Park, were built.
A plot of city-owned land at Spring, Center and Temple streets was sold, allowing for the construction of the former Cumberland County Civic Center, which is now called the Cross Insurance Arena.
Menario said one of his proudest achievements was “running the slumlords out of the city of Portland. It was a growth industry at the time.”
Over the last decade or so, the city has made efforts to undo a few of those legacies. Much of that effort has focused on Spring and Franklin streets, which the city now wants to scale back and make more friendly to cyclists and pedestrians, as well as neighborhood residents. The city formalized this shift in transportation planning in 2012 when it adopted its Complete Street policy, which planners and politicians tout as being vital for attracting people to live, work and visit a city.
Concrete barriers that once separated traffic lanes on Spring Street have since been removed and bike lanes have been added. Curb extensions – or bump-outs – have been added at some heavily traveled intersections as a way to slow down cars and increase pedestrian safety.
State and High streets were converted from two-way streets to one-way in 1972, during Menario’s tenure. Now, more than 40 years later, the city is considering restoring two-way traffic flow to improve safety for pedestrians and the quality of life for residents.
In January 2015, when the City Council was considering a plan to narrow Franklin Street and make it more bike-pedestrian friendly, Menario penned a five-page letter to councilors and former Mayor Michael Brennan defending the street’s high-capacity design.
“The Franklin Street Arterial’s contribution to the economic health of Portland in the past, now, and into the foreseeable future, is equivalent to a successful quadruple bypass on a patient dying of blocked arteries,” Menario wrote. “Study it all you want but don’t clog it up!!”
Menario even called on the city to move forward with the final, never-completed phase of the Franklin Arterial project – building a tunnel underneath Cumberland, Congress and Middle streets.
Portland’s City Council voted last year to approve a redesign and narrowing of the Franklin Street corridors, although the project has not been funded.
NOT QUITE UNANIMOUS
The order to rename Lobsterman Park comes after the city’s Park Commission voted 5-1 in support of the proposal, with one abstention. It’s co-sponsored by the entire council, except Jon Hinck.
Hinck said he is concerned that Menario’s post-municipal career included advocacy for keeping the Maine Yankee nuclear power plant open, as well as his embrace of Urban Renewal policies that included the Franklin Arterial, which cut off the India Street neighborhood from the downtown, beginning a period of decline from which it is only now beginning to recover.
“With all respect to Mr. Menario, some of those things we refer to as the big mistakes in Portland were done under his watch,” said Hinck, although he also said he holds no personal grudges against the man and could end up supporting the recommendation.
ShareA 2012 survey of patients with diabetes found that many regarded self-monitoring as an enemy, one that undermined their self-esteem and elevated their anxiety and depression (indeed, depression is twice as likely in people with diabetes as in the population at large). These effects are highly correlated with socioeconomic status and race, a worrisome fact as diabetes disproportionately affects African Americans and the poor.
And despite the fact that the American Diabetes Association recommends self-monitoring as part of the standard treatment for nearly all people with diabetes, a 2001 study found that only 5 percent actually monitored their status daily, and 65 percent of those on drug therapies admitted they'd done so less than once a month. (these results were consistent among patients with both Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes who were not taking insulin. Though there are important distinctions between the two conditions; I'll otherwise discuss them collectively here).
These statistics would seem simply to illustrate the sad lot of people with diabetes, except for one thing: Self-monitoring is increasingly being recommended as a panacea for all sorts of health conditions, from obesity and heart disease to sleep and mood disorders. The boom in mobile devices has created an ecosystem of sensors, apps, and other self-tracking instruments, all of which are being hailed as a boon to changing people's behavior and improving their health. I've done my share to advance this new age of empowered and gadget-centric medicine. I still believe that, on balance, self-tracking can indeed motivate patients and turn them into a powerful force for better individual and public health. The growing Quantified Self movement has helped thousands become agents of their own improvement, and a host of new companies are hoping to ride self-tracking to better health and startup wealth.
But it's easy to let the futuristic allure of technology obscure the fact that people with diabetes have been tracking their own health for 30 years now. They are the real early adopters here, and their jaded experience challenges those -- like myself -- who would argue that self-tracking tools are the salve for so many conditions. In short, the paradox is this: If self-tracking is so great, why do diabetics hate it so much?
The fact that diabetics have been doing this for years, and that they largely loathe the experience, not only serves as a caution to the vogue of self-tracking. It also offers an opportunity, serving as an object lesson in what works, and what doesn't work, when people track their health.
In the case of diabetes, the distaste falls into three categories: Self monitoring for diabetes is an unremitting and unforgiving labor; the tools themselves are awkward and sterile; and the combination of these creates a constant sense of anxiety and failure.We’ve explored the “Kinnock Factor” previously on this site, but some numbers from the latest YouGov weekly polling surprised even us today. Labour’s lead over the midterm Conservative-led government is still falling – to just 6% this time – and Ed Miliband’s personal ratings are even worse than David Cameron’s, but that wasn’t it.
You’ll probably want to click on that image to enlarge it.
The headline figures aren’t exactly an earth-shattering shock:
David Cameron net approval rating (UK): -20
Ed Miliband net approval rating (UK): -34
But the Scottish sub-sample is startling:
David Cameron net approval rating (Scotland): -39
Ed Miliband net approval rating (Scotland): -34
Now, as we’ve noted on a few occasions, sub-sample results (144 people on this occasion) are next to worthless for measuring anything with any precision or nuance. But even the crudest broad brush ought to reflect the fact that Scotland is a vastly more Labour-friendly region than the UK as a whole, and for Miliband to be rated no higher north of the border than he is in the national numbers is close to astonishing.
(Just 18% of Scottish respondents thought he’d “provided an effective opposition”, and only 20% thought he “would be up to the job of Prime Minister”, although 39% identified themselves as Labour voters. Even if we allow an enormous 50% margin of error for the small sample size those are terrible stats, maxing out at fewer than a third of voters.)
Cameron’s rating among Scots is twice as bad as in the whole of Britain, as you’d expect. But even factoring in SNP voters, for Scotland to have such a low opinion of a Labour leader makes a mockery of the notion that Miliband can lead his party to victory in 2015. Get ready for a Tory government until at least 2020, folks.Just shy of the fifth anniversary of his abduction from a military base in Afghanistan, Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl, the only American P.O.W. still in captivity, was released by his Taliban captors and is back in American custody Saturday. The news came via a statement released Saturday by the White House, in which U.S. President Barack Obama expressed gratitude to the Emir of Qatar for his efforts in securing Bergdahl’s freedom.
“On behalf of the American people I was honored to call his parents to express our joy that they can expect his safe return,” said Obama in the statement.
A separate statement from Secretary of Defense Chuck Hagel said that he told Congress earlier in the day that the U.S. would be transferring five detainees from Guantanamo Bay to Qatar. Though the names of the detainees were not mentioned, it is most likely that their transfer is linked to Bergdahl’s release: in March of 2012, a similar exchange, negotiated between the U.S., representatives of the Taliban, the Qataris and the Afghan government, collapsed. That deal fell apart likely due to Congressional foot dragging and a schism between the Taliban faction that wanted to negotiate and the group that held him captive.
How Bergdahl, 28, fell into the hands of the Taliban remains unclear. Within days of his disappearance on June 30, 2009, a Taliban commander crowed to the media that his group had captured a drunken American soldier outside his base. Two and a half weeks later, they released a video in which Bergdahl, dressed in local garb and showing the beginnings of a wispy beard, said he had been captured after falling behind on a routine foot patrol. Unnamed soldiers from his base, however, told international media outlets that he had wandered into the scrub-covered mountains on his own with his journal and a supply of water, leaving his weapons and armor behind. An unidentified U.S. official told the Associated Press at the time that he had “just walked off” after his guard shift was over.
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As the months passed his captors released videos — proof of life, perhaps, but also propaganda. In one video, dating to April 2010, Bergdahl sports a thick beard and wears an army sweatshirt that looks fresh out of the package. Bergdahl says he is being treated well and is allowed to exercise. One of his captors, a commander with the Haqqani network that was holding him, told TIME in 2012 that at that point, Bergdahl, who was raised a devout Presbyterian, started talking about converting to Islam. Suspicious at first, his captors asked if it was out of fear or frustration that he wanted to convert.
“He told us, ‘Your way of life has impressed me, and I want to live like you,’” said the commander.
Bergdahl escaped a few months later, only to be recaptured several days afterwards and severely beaten.
In November of 2011, the U.S. government initiated talks with the Taliban in Qatar in the hope of bringing an end to the war. In the course of the discussions, the Taliban told the Americans that they wanted five senior Taliban officials released from Guantanamo, according to a senior Administration official. The U.S. then raised the possibility of including Bergdahl in the process. The two sides soon had a tentative agreement.
However, the talks fell apart on March 15, 2012. Discussions of an exchange then faded into the background as the U. S. started considering other ways to bring the war in Afghanistan to a close. The White House and the Pentagon, however, insist that Bergdahl had never been forgotten, and that efforts to secure his release continued non-stop. Today’s statements from Washington indicate that after a two-year delay, they finally met success — Bergdahl is on his way home.
For Bergdahl’s family in Hailey, Idaho, it will be the end of an agonizing journey.
“We were so joyful and relieved when President Obama called us today to give us the news that Bowe is finally coming home! We cannot wait to wrap our arms around our only son,” Bob and Jani Bergdahl said in a statement Saturday.
But for Bergdahl, who has been criticized by many for the circumstances surrounding his capture and his appearance in propaganda videos, it will be just the start.
“He will always be separate from everyone else–not an outcast, but isolated,” Jere Van Dyk, a CBS news consultant who was captured and held for 45 days in 2008 by the same group, told TIME in 2012. “And it won’t be right, but he will be called a traitor. He has a long road ahead.”
Contact us at editors@time.com.Founded in 1988, The Onion is a parody news organization that publishes fake articles like “Busch Gardens Unveils New 9,600-Mile-Long Endurance Coaster” and “LensCrafters, Pearle Vision Agree To Prisoner Exchange.” The Onion’s websites hit around 11 million total unique visitors per month and a lot of the traffic is driven by Facebook. Many gullible Facebook users believe that the headlines for these articles are true so the social network company is testing out a ‘[Satire]’ tag in front of links to satirical content.
Facebook said that it is adding the [Satire] tags because of feedback that it received from users wanting a way to “distinguish satirical articles from others.” Here is what the the tag looks like:
You will notice that the [Satire] tag only appears in the “related articles” box under the posted link. The related articles box shows up in the Facebook News Feed if you actually click the link to visit the article, according to Ars Technica. I tested this feature by posting a link to an article by The Onion several times and at least one [Satire] tag showed up during every test.
If the [Satire] tag helps people realize that The Onion articles are satire, then it will give the blog LiterallyUnbelievable.org less to write about. LiterallyUnbelievable takes screenshots of an article from The Onion posted to Facebook along with angry comments from people that were fooled by the headline. Here is an example:
The “related articles” selected for each story are based on an algorithm. The Boston Globe recently criticized the algorithm for displaying inappropriate related articles about First Lady Michelle Obama after content was posted related to her encounter with a 10-year-old girl whose father lost his job. The three related articles were either mostly false or filled with inappropriate commentary. “If you are spreading false information, you have a serious problem on your hands. They shouldn’t be recommending stories until they have got it figured out,” said Emily Bell, director of Columbia Journalism School’s Tow Center for Digital Journalism, in an interview with the Boston Globe.
Facebook spokesman Jessie Baker said that the news feed units were designed to surface popular links that are shared on Facebook, but the company does not make any judgment about whether the links are true or false “just as we don’t make any judgment about whether the content of your status updates are true or false.”
Average Joe Facebook users are not the only ones fooled by The Onion’s content. In 2012, Chinese newspaper The People’s Daily was duped into reporting that North Korean supreme leader Kim Jong-un was considered the sexiest man alive. "With his devastatingly handsome, round face, his boyish charm, and his strong, sturdy frame, this Pyongyang-born heart-throb is every woman's dream come true," reported the People's Daily when accidentally citing The Onion as a trustworthy source.
Facebook’s [Satire] test has been happening for over a month. As of right now, The Onion’s BuzzFeed parody “Clickhole” does not have the [Satire] tag. The [Satire] feature will likely roll out to other parody news websites in the coming weeks.
What are your thoughts about Facebook adding a [Satire] tag? Do you think it is helpful or unnecessary? We want to hear from you! Let us know in the comments below!Update (14:01): Earlier today, Google announced during its Android Go unveiling that the consumer-ready version of Android 8.1 would roll out today. Now, Google’s David Burke has released a blog post officially announcing the new version of Android.
The blog post didn’t include much new information. Google says developers can get started with Android 8.1 Oreo (API level 27) starting today, and that the update is being pushed out to AOSP now. The update should make its way to the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, and Nexus 5X over the next week or so.
Original article (02:28): As part of the Android Go Edition announcement, Google revealed that the final, stable release of Android 8.1 Oreo will be rolling out to users starting today, December 5. Google is keeping its promise to release Android 8.1 to the public by the end of the year.
Android 8.1 was first launched as a developer preview on October 25, bringing improvements to the way Android handles multiple notification alerts and a bevy of under-the-hood features aimed at developers.
The second developer preview landed just a week ago, and was mostly a stability update containing bug fixes and optimizations. However, this “near-final” release included one long-awaited (and delayed) feature – developer access to the Visual Core image processing chip inside the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Thanks to this, camera app developers will be able to improve their apps to take full advantage of the unique hardware found on Google’s smartphones.
Starting today, Android 8.1 will roll out to the Pixel 2, Pixel 2 XL, Pixel, Pixel XL, Pixel C, Nexus 6P, and Nexus 5X, no side-loading or beta access required.
We will update our coverage with links to the official Android 8.1 Oreo factory images and OTA update files, once they go live later today. Stay tuned!
Officially launching with Android 8.1, Google also introduced today the Android Go edition of Oreo. Designed for devices with less than 1GB of RAM, Android Go comprises an optimized and lean version of Android, a set of pared-down Google apps, and a special version of the Play Store that highlights Android Go-optimized apps. The new Android experience will be coming to devices in the coming months. Google introduced the new Android version at its Google For India event.
This post was originally published on Dgit.com.by Center for Biological Diversity
SAN FRANCISCO— Conservationists sued the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Wildlife Services program today over its outdated wildlife-killing plan for Northern California.
The lawsuit, filed in San Francisco federal court, seeks an updated environmental analysis of the program’s killing of native wildlife including coyotes, bobcats and foxes.
“Wildlife Services’ cruel killing practices are ineffective, environmentally harmful and totally out of touch with science,” said Collette Adkins, a Center for Biological Diversity attorney representing the conservation groups involved in the lawsuit. “It’s long past time that Wildlife Services joined the 21st century and updated its practices to stop the mass extermination of animals. Nonlethal methods for dealing with human-wildlife conflicts have been shown to work. We have no choice but to sue the agency and force a closer look at those alternatives.”
Wildlife Services is a multimillion-dollar federal program that uses painful leghold traps, strangulation snares, poisons and aerial gunning to kill wolves, coyotes, cougars, birds and other wild animals — primarily to benefit the agriculture industry.
Last year the program reported that it killed 1.6 million native animals nationwide, including 3,893 coyotes,142 foxes, 83 black bears, 18 bobcats and thousands of other creatures in California. Nontarget animals — including protected wildlife like wolves, Pacific fisher and eagles — are also at risk from Wildlife Services’ indiscriminate methods.
“Killing native wildlife at the behest of the ranching industry is morally unconscionable and scientifically unsound,” said Erik Molvar of Western Watersheds Project. “Carnivores play an important ecological role, and exterminating them upsets the balance of nature. We should leave the wildlife alone and change ranching practices instead.”
“Wildlife Services is acting in clear violation of the law,” said Tara Zuardo, Animal Welfare Institute wildlife attorney. “The agency cannot be allowed to continue haphazardly and cruelly kill thousands of wild animals in Northern California each year without weighing more humane alternatives.”
The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) requires Wildlife Services to rigorously examine the environmental effects of killing wildlife and to consider alternatives that rely on proven nonlethal methods to avoid wildlife conflicts. But the wildlife-killing program’s environmental analysis for Northern California is more than 20 years old. According to the complaint filed today, Wildlife Services must use recent information to analyze the impacts of its wildlife-killing program on the environment and California’s unique wild places.
“NEPA requires that federal agencies use the best available science in analyzing the impacts of their programs, and we believe Wildlife Services has failed to do this and has in fact cherry-picked their science to meet their goals,” stated Camilla Fox, founder and executive director of Project Coyote. “Moreover, they must consider alternatives to indiscriminate killing and analyze the site-specific and cumulative impacts that killing large numbers of wild animals has on the diversity and integrity of healthy ecosystems.”
Today’s lawsuit is brought by the Center for Biological Diversity, Western Watersheds Project, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, Project Coyote, the Animal Welfare Institute and WildEarth Guardians. It targets Wildlife Services’ program in California’s North District, which includes Butte, Humboldt, Lassen, Mendocino, Modoc, Nevada, Plumas, Sierra, Shasta, Siskiyou, Sutter, Trinity and Yuba counties.Senate Foreign Relations Committee head Bob Corker (R-TN) has announced that the committee will be holding hearings next week discussing the question of presidential authority to unilaterally use nuclear weapons.
Though a lot of the reporting in painting this as Sen. Corker having problems with President Trump, the senator says that the hearings, the first since 1976 on the issue, are “long overdue.”
There isn’t a settled legal structure for how the US would use nuclear weapons as an aggressive act, which mostly rests on the historical assumption they’d be used purely in a retaliatory way. US officials, however, have long resisted ruling out a nuclear first-strike as an option.
This is becoming a growing issue because of the growing number of wars the US is finding itself involved in, and because of growing talk of a possible US attack on North Korea, a war which almost certainly would have a nuclear component.
This has already spawned legislation in both the House and Senate trying to bar the president from preemptive nuclear strikes without Congressional authorization. These bills, however, have struggled to get an airing from the leadership.
The Senate hearings could solve that, allowing many in the Foreign Relations Committee to air their thoughts on the possibility of any US president just deciding to nuke somebody some day. If there’s at least some consensus that this would be undesirable, it may force the leadership to allow specific bills to advance.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzDetails Last Updated: Sunday, 18 November 2018
This online tool can estimate the difference an individual might pay in federal income tax using the current Internal Revenue Service tax code and the final tax bill President Trump fist announced on April 26, 2017. This calculator reflects the final plan as of December 21, 2017, the fifth version we've published.
Trump Tax Savings Calculator Single Married Filing Jointly Married Filing Separately Head of Household Wages, Salaries, Income ($) Adjustments to Income ($) Deductions from Income ($) Trump Allowed Deductions ($) Number of Exemptions Existing 2017 Tax Code: Adjusted Gross Income ($) Deductions ($) Exemptions ($) Total Taxable Income ($) Federal Income Tax ($) Trump Tax Code: Adjusted Gross Income ($) Deductions ($) Exemptions ($) Total Taxable Income ($) Federal Income Tax ($) Trump Bill Savings ($) Trump Bill Savings (%)
The browser does not support JavaScript. The calculations created will not work. Please access the web page using another browser.
Calculator Definitions
The variables used in our online calculator are defined in detail below, including how to interpret the results.
Filing Status
In this drop down box, select the federal income tax rate schedule that applies: single, married filing separate returns, married filing joint returns, or head of household.
Trump Tax Impact
While it was initially made public Trump's tax proposal would have only three tax brackets (10%, 25% and 35%), the income thresholds for each bracket were only recently released. This calculator allows the user to see the potential impact on federal income taxes in 2018 under the new law. The final bill contained brackets of 10%, 12%, 22%, 24%, 32%, 35% and 37%.
Wages, Salaries, Income ($)
This is the total of all wages, salaries, and income, as typically reported on the tax Form W-2.
Adjustments to Income ($)
The most common adjustments to income include dividends, taxable interest, capital gains or losses, IRA distributions, tax refunds, pensions, and Social Security benefits. The net adjustment can be either a positive number, which adds to taxable income, or a negative value, which lowers taxable income.
Standard Deductions from Income ($)
This can be an estimate of the total itemized deductions derived from Schedule A or the standard deduction, which can be found in the table below.
Trump Allowed Deductions ($)
In this section of the calculator, the user should provide an estimate of the allowed deductions under Trump's proposal, which indicates a significant increase (near doubling) of the standard deduction. Both the existing and estimated proposed values are shown below.
Single Head of Household Married Filing Separately Married Filing Joint Returns Current Tax Code $6,350 $9,350 $6,350 $12,700 Trump Bill $12,000 $12,000 $12,000 $24,000
Note: Deductions from income should be entered as a positive value.
Number of Exemptions
The number of exemptions is typically equal to the number of dependents claimed on Form 1040. Exemptions usually include the taxpayer, their spouse, children, and qualifying relatives. In 2017, each exemption lowers an individual's taxable income by $4,050.
Adjusted Gross Income ($)
The sum of all wages, salaries, and income, plus adjustments to income, equals the taxpayer's adjusted gross income.
Exemptions ($)
The value of each exemption taken in 2017 is equal to $4,050. Taxpayers with adjusted gross income levels over $150,000 may lose part of this exemption, as determined in the instructions to Form 1040. Under the new law, personal exemptions are eliminated and state and local income taxes (such as property taxes) are limited to $10,000.
Total Taxable Income ($)
The sum of adjusted gross income plus deductions and exemptions is equal to the total taxable income. If this value is less than zero, then no federal income taxes are due.
Federal Income Tax ($)
Based on the total taxable income found in the previous step, as well as the filing status and year, this is an estimate of the federal income tax due based on the current federal income tax rate tables or an estimate of the taxes owed under the Trump bill.
Trump Bill Savings ($)
This is an estimate of the dollars saved or (owed) under the draft bill.
Trump Bill Savings (%)
This is an estimate of the percentage decline or increase the individual would pay under the newly introduced tax bill.
Trump Tax Plan Calculator (Final GOP Bill) - Money-Zine.com
Disclaimer: These calculators are made available and meant to be used as a screening tool for the investor. The accuracy of these calculator results is not guaranteed nor is its applicability to your individual circumstances. You should always obtain personal advice from qualified professionals.Among the many things we all might be wondering post-election-day is the question of what the outcome means for clean energy companies and sustainable building efforts.
In what many saw as a surprising turn of events, Donald Trump has been elected President of the United States. While Trump taking office does show positive potential outcomes for the residential and commercial construction industry as a whole, with past remarks about climate change being a hoax invented by the Chinese, Trump has left a large concern for those working to combine clean energy and sustainable building. And, although political candidates are well-known for their lack of follow-through on promises made during their campaign, Trump has also said that he would rip up the Paris Climate Agreement - which went into effect just 5 days ago and has been backed by 96 countries.
After Trump's victory, shares in Vestas ( VWS.CO ), the world's biggest wind turbine maker, were down 8.6 percent, while Germany's Nordex ( NDXG.DE ) traded 7.9 percent lower, according to Reuters. Stocks for Tesla and Solar City have already been rocky because of what many saw as a questionable potential merger of the two companies, as well as the aggressive spending taking place in order to get ambitious plans underway. And, the recent election results haven't given shareholders any extra doses of hope. Though, what many do hold strong to is the full-fledged confidence that Tesla CEO Elon Musk still holds in his steps forward with the growing use of clean solar energy, with or without any type of government aide. In a CNBC interview last week, Musk said that he doesn't think the outcome of the election will have much of an affect on Tesla as a whole.
Recently, Tesla Energy released the Powerwall 2.0 and their new, sleek solar roof tiles — the impressive and innovative follow-up to the Powerwall Home Battery, which stores energy gathered from solar panels to reduce electricity costs and reliance on the commercial power grid during peak hours. The end goal of both products would be to eventually remove homes from the commercial power grid completely. The Powerwall 2 stores double the amount of energy than the first edition did.
In the unveiling of the Powerwall 2 Solar Roof on October 28 this year, Musk said that he expected to sell more Powerwall home battery packs than cars, and we all know Tesla is not having much of a problem in that department. As we explained in a previous article on the subject, Tesla spends a grand total of $0 on marketing and they can't make cars fast enough for demand. The release of the $35,000 Model S was one of the most successful product launches in history. So, the question remains, can Tesla have the same success in the housing industry with the unpredictability of the next term?
Presidents and policies aside, at the very first Housing, Innovation, Vision & Economics (HIVE) event in Los Angeles back in September, Tesla CTO JB Straubel did a Q&A with the audience after his keynote speech in which an attendee brought up a valid point... Tesla made the electric vehicle popular in large part because they made it luxuriously sexy. She asked: "how do you make solar panels sexy?"
Laughter from the audience signaled that it was partly true, traditional solar panels aren't the easiest on the eyes, nor the best for upping the outside curb appeal of a home. But, while Straubel didn't say anything at the time, it turns out they were already working on a solution to that exact problem. The homes that surrounded the stage of the Powerwall 2 and Solar Roof announcement just one month later were all covered in Tesla solar tiles made of glass, and yes, they were very sexy. You can see examples of the what tiles pictured below look like on a house in the video above.
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and Weiss with an alpha beowolf lying next to her, both of them unmoving. She pressed an emergency button pinned to her waist that was connected to her scroll, sending an immediate signal to Beacon, telling them something went wrong.
Her scroll spoke. "ETA for emergency evacuation at your location: Fifteen minutes.
"Blake! We're not waiting around for them to find our bodies! We're leaving now! Grab Weiss!"
The screen in Ozpin's office cut to static. It seemed that Blake and Yang shared the same feelings of shock and confusion at what they had just witnessed as they had wide eyes, mouths slightly opened. Both of them had not been expecting what they had just seen.SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Marco Rubio landed in South Carolina on Wednesday aiming to engineer a reboot for his once high-flying campaign, but so far his camp is mostly blaming the media for exaggerating his glitchy performances.
Eager to dispel the charge that he’s unable or afraid to speak off the cuff, Rubio answered questions for 45 minutes on his campaign plane, a rare occurrence for the Florida senator and one designed to establish a better relationship with an increasingly critical press corps.
Story Continued Below
“Guys, I’ve been attacked before plenty of times in my life,” Rubio said, explaining why he didn’t counter New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie’s onslaught during Saturday night’s debate. “I literally just wanted to avoid a fight among Republicans.”
But even as Rubio takes responsibility for an awkward moment at Saturday’s debate that fed the critique of him as an over-rehearsed amateur, his surrogates dismissed Rubio’s troubles as simply some media creation.
“I think the media made it what it was,” South Carolina Sen. Tim Scott, who has endorsed Rubio, told POLITICO.
“I think it was overblown by the media,” Colorado Sen. Cory Gardner said.
Though he did it cheerfully and with a smile, Rubio also complained that the reporters who follow him are too quick to pounce on his repetition of canned lines in stump speeches. “You guys have heard it 50 times... but the voter — that may be the first time they’ve ever seen me,” he said. “Sometimes you do have to repeat things, because these [voters] aren’t sitting in front of C-SPAN all day watching ‘Road to the White House.’”
As the comment suggested, the freewheeling Rubio who appeared for reporters on his campaign plane was gone once he disembarked and walked in front of voters in South Carolina. Rubio stuck to his standard script at two events. (He skipped a third event to return to Washington for a Senate vote on North Korea sanctions and, he said, to catch up on classified briefings.)
Even as he addressed questions about his speaking style, Rubio sought to focus on national security, arguing that his expertise gives him an upper hand in a state that welcomes hawks.
“I feel real good about South Carolina,” Rubio said. “I like the issue set. It’s a big national security state.”
“We’ll have a debate on Saturday,” he added. “Who on that stage has more experience, or has shown better judgment or better understanding of the foreign policy or national security issues than I have on that stage?” He called Texas Sen. Ted Cruz’s national security voting record “inconsistent” and said Jeb Bush has no experience at all in that realm.
As for Trump, “I don’t think you can keep saying, ‘Trust me, I’ve got a plan for it,’” Rubio said.
Rubio argues that his positions on the Senate Foreign Relations and Intelligence committees give him special expertise on those issues, and he has demonstrated more fluency in global affairs than his rivals.
But Rubio’s rivals counter that he offers little more than flash-card memorization of facts and argue he’s never made the kind of executive decisions that would give him bragging rights in those areas.
Introducing Rubio at his first stop in Spartanburg was South Carolina Rep. Trey Gowdy, who chairs the House Select Committee on Benghazi and suggested that Rubio’s debate answers on foreign policy were more important than his tussle with Christie. “I am proud of the answer that you gave on Sunni coalitions on Saturday night,” Gowdy said. “I am proud of the answer that you gave on North Korea.”
But Gowdy couldn’t avoid noting the elephant in the room: Rubio's poor showing in the New Hampshires primary.
“We are a state of fresh starts and new beginnings,” Gowdy told Rubio onstage. “I am proud of you, I am proud of the campaign that you have run.”
“I was disappointed in the way it went” in New Hampshire, Rubio told the crowd of several hundred a few minutes later, adding that “this election for me is not about the nightly news.”
Speaking to reporters, Rubio would not say where he needs to place in South Carolina or whether he needs to finish ahead of Jeb Bush.
Asked to name Rubio’s biggest challenge, Scott replied: “Rubio. All we’ve got to do is get back to where he was and let himself shine. He is the best candidate in our field. There is no question about it. He’s just got to be himself.”
It was unclear whether the charge that Rubio is robotic would dog him here (although two young men in cardboard “Marco Roboto” costumes posed for photos outside his first event).
But the question was on the minds of at least one voter. “Did he ever change his speech?” one man, who did not give his name, asked a reporter on his way out of Rubio’s event in Columbia.
Rachael Bade and Seung Min Kim contributed to this report.Buffy the Vampire Slayer has long been known as one of television's greatest bildungsromans, and has had entire college courses dedicated to it. But that doesn't mean it skimped on the sex appeal. While some relationships on the show were handled with delicacy (Willow/Tara being the best example), some became outright sexual for the sake of simple titillation, and Buffy used that steaminess to draw in viewers week after week. The series frequently tackled taboos (teacher/student pairings, teen sex, age gap relationships - you can't get much more of a gap then several hundred years, after all), and definitely went out of its way to spice things up. It even tackled a little bit of BDSM long before 50 Shades Of Grey brought it out of the shadows and directly into public consciousness. Was it appropriate for a "teen" show? Well, by today's standards, it's probably pretty tame, yet just fifteen years ago, Buffy was sneaking a dirty deed or two past network censors, and doing a fantastic job of it - not to mention shocking fans in the process. With all that in mind let's now take a look at ten times Buffy the Vampire Slayer's sexuality shocked its fans. That won't include Willow and Tara - though they were one of the first lesbian couples on TV, and one of the first to kiss on-screen, they weren't actually all that shocking compared to some of the racier moments...A rebel lorry with a rocket launcher is seen through a the Libyan rebellion's flag. (Photo: ODD ANDERSEN AFP/Getty Images) Story Highlights About 1,200 inmates escaped
Only 18 have been caught
The inmates escaped during a riot
More than a thousand prisoners escaped during a riot at Kuayfia Prison near Benghazi Saturday and remain on the run, according to Libyan security officials.
A total of 1,200 convicted criminals escaped from the government facility, about 10 miles east of Benghazi Saturday morning, reported the Libya Herald. They escaped while a group of the prison's 4,000 inmates were engaged in "civil disobedience," a spokesman for the Benghazi Joint Security Room, Mohamed Hejaz told the newspaper.
"Libyan Army Special Forces surrounded and secured the prison and other teams then started to search for the escapees," Hejazi said, adding that only 18 had been caught.
The escapees are serving sentences for a range of crimes, including murder, drug dealing and crimes of morality, Hejazi said.
Although the riot gave the inmates the opportunity to escape, Hejazi admitted that security at the facility was substandard.
"They were able to escape because the prison did not have enough security equipment to secure either the staff or the facility," he said.
The prison is now under the control of the Special Forces of the Libyan Army.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1e2vDxaPALMETTO, Fla. — And another one bites the flesh.
A Florida man ripped off his clothes, bit a chunk out of a another man's arm and needed to be tased four times by police in the latest act of zombie-like behavior, ABC News reported.
Charles Baker, 26, arrived at this girlfriend's house Wednesday night to see his children. Authorities say that he was under the influence when he arrived and began to strip off his clothes and throw furniture, ABC reported.
When a man who lived in the home tried to restrain Baker, he bit the man, tearing off a piece of flesh from his bicep, ABC reported.
When police arrived, Baker needed to be tased four times — three times he pulled out the electric probes stuck in him — before he could be completely subdued and handcuffed, ABC reported.
This incidence occurs nearly a month after a Florida man who was naked and chewing a man's face was shot and killed by police on a Miami causeway.
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• Naked man chewing another man's face off killed by Miami policeXF50mm F2 have definitely draw quite a bit of attention.
Its small, light, fast AF and well built. Just like its other
2 siblings XF23mm F2 and XF35MM F2; its also a WR
lens. This makes the XF50mm a very good all rounder
lens.
Will XF 50mm F2 stack up against the XF60mm Macro F2.4
lens or even the creamy XF 56mm F1.2 APD? Its definitely
an unfair comparison but there are also surprises in my
unscientific shoot out.
Before we start here are some basic specification and prices
from B&H.
__________
XF50mm F2 WR (USD$449)
9 rounded diaphragm opening
200g
Minimum Focus Distance; 39cm
__________
XF56mm F1.2 APD (USD$1499)
7 rounded diaphragm opening
405g
Minimum Focus Distance; 70cm
__________
XF60mmF2.4 (USD$649)
9 rounded diaphragm opening
215g
Minimum Focus Distance; 27.7cm
There are no winner in the simple shoot out. Rather each lens
have its own strength and weakness. Be it how it renders the
bokeh, auto focus speed and even cost. For all the bokeh
hungry photograhers; the 56mm F1.2 APD is the clear choice
wide open. Bokehlicious!. But as you could see at F2 the
bokeh for XF50mm and XF 60mm renders a nicer round balls
effects of the fairy lights. Its is where the 9 rounded blades from
XF50mm and XF60mm comes into play.
Here is a day time shot with XF50mm and XF56mm APD. Both
shot at F2 and F2.8. In this sets it shows another different story.
The XF56mm F1.2 APD is the clear winner as it renders a creamier
bokeh.
Finally; if you are looking for a all rounder lens at this focal lenght,
XF50mm F2 WR truly shines the brightest. Its sharp. Auto focus
is the fastest among the 3 lenses here. Very well price and lovely
bokeh. It’s a WR lens; paired with any WR X-Series cameras you
can have the most fun shooting in the rain. Here are 2 pictures of
my daughter having fun in the rain. Now its time for you go and
have some fun with the XF50mm too.
Do follow me on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ivanjoshualoh/
X-Pro2 + XF50mm F2 WR X-Pro2 + XF50mm F2 WR
AdvertisementsBy Sean Mulroy
I recently got back from New York City. During my time there I was lucky enough to mull over a cocktail with the winner of "RuPaul’s Drag Race," Miss Sharon Needles. After a Maker's Mark and Red Bull we got on the topic of the Sharon Needles Swimsuit that I had custom-made in her honor, seeing as I am a huge fan.
The Sharon suit has a large picture of her face on both the front and back along with the text "Sharon Needles: Welcome to Party City." I was planning on debuting it at this year's Pacific-12 swimming championships, but the suit caused quite the controversy. Swim parents were appalled that I was "promoting drug use" and "perpetuating an inappropriate message in a public setting." My interpretation of the controversy was that most people didn’t know exactly who Sharon was and that they thought I was hinting at explicit drug use, which wasn’t the case. I was promoting the fabulousity of drag queens, if anything.
Sharon was so upset about the criticism for her suit, she almost called my coach as well as the Pacific-12 conference for halting the Sharon Needles show. Although I make a new custom suit before all my important swim meets, this suit in particular really made people a bit uneasy. But in the end, all was well. I changed from the Sharon suit into a pink glittery Mean Girls-inspired suit and got on with my event. Also, I got to meet an idol of mine and hopefully she was flattered that a collegiate athlete would go to all this trouble to walk around a pool deck with her face on his crotch. This shows how my role at USC is a little different than my straight teammates. Instead of wearing plain black Speedos, I chose to add a little flair and a lot of glitter to my warm-up and cool-down attire.
Being an openly gay athlete at USC has been nothing short of fabulous. I’ve been out since I stepped on the pool deck three years ago and have thoroughly enjoyed my time as a student athlete. Heading into my senior year, and last year of NCAA eligibility, I’m content with my place on the team and am able to recognize and celebrate the differences with my straight teammates.
My role is different, but not for the worse. For example, I live in a house with seven straight guys, all of whom are my teammates or were at some point. I’m always the one having to explain what arugula is and why it will be the only thing I eat for the following week or the importance of matching your belt with your shoes. Even though I’m playing the stereotypical gay friend and teammate, I love and accept that role.
Although I am gay, my teammates as well as other athletes at SC don’t care. Because winning national championships is what drives USC Athletics, most athletes look at each other based on how skilled of an athlete they are. Most coaches and athletes don’t care that I kiss frat boys on Saturday nights, but are much more concerned about how much I hang-clean (95kg), how fast I run a 300-yard shuttle and how many points I scored in my 200 individual medley.
Although the majority of athletes here are extremely supportive regardless of anyone’s sexual orientation, I find myself walking a line between being fem and butch. Because I can, at times, portray the image of a stereotypical gay male -– wearing pink sparkly swimsuits, loving drag queens, and religiously watch The Real Housewives of Wherever -- my masculinity can often be challenged or questioned.
There is a preconceived notion in athletics that gay men aren’t as strong, fast or masculine as our straight counterparts or that we don’t want to work up a sweat and lift heavy weight because we would mess up our hair. It’s not that I go out and compete to fight that perception. I go out and train to be the best swimmer I can be, and I happened to be pretty damn good at what I do. I work hard, I swim fast, I lift heavy shit above my head and I love it. Having to fight this stigma is one of the reasons I think there are so many closeted athletes.
Many athletes in the closet are afraid that by coming out, their abilities, skills and athleticism are devalued because of their sexual orientation. Here at USC I know of a handful of gay athletes. There are LGBT athletes on the football, basketball, swimming, track and field, soccer and volleyball teams, to name a few. These athletes range across a spectrum of being completely out and open to those more in the closet.
Being out in varying degrees is normal for all athletes, especially when trying to find what is most comfortable for them. I know some athletes who are out to their teams but not their families, and vice-versa. It’s all about what works for you at the time. Being completely out at USC has enhanced my college experience in all aspects. I am able to be my self around my coaches, teammates and friends and don’t have to worry about walking around with this huge secret following me around.
Like many gay men here in Los Angeles, I love brunch. Brunch is what I look forward to at the end of the week; I’ve actually gotten my straight teammates hooked on West Hollywood Sunday brunches as well. I always say that life isn’t an endless bottomless mimosa brunch and neither is my college career. Soon I will be a retired swimmer but I will be able to look back on my college experience content knowing that I lived it up to the fullest as a student and as an athlete.
Being out has allowed me to focus solely on my sport without having to worry about judgments from teammates and coaches. I work extremely hard and am very dedicated to my sport, but I have been more than just an athlete over the past years. I have excelled in my education and been able to gain so much knowledge as well as meet so many intelligent and resourceful people at USC. I have a great social life with other athletes, the Greek community and NARPs (Non-Athletic Regular Persons). I have also been able to continue to grow as a gay man in the Los Angeles community. The LGBT community in Los Angeles is nothing short of fabulous -- from the WeHo Queens to the Silver Queers, I’ve had a blast.
I understand that I might come across as an entitled homo who is lucky enough to live in Los Angeles, one of the most accepting cities in the U.S. In a sense I am. But that didn’t happen by accident and by no means do I not recognize the struggles of other gay athlete elsewhere.
I think one of the things that made my recruiting process very easy was that I was out in high school and was able to recognize that I wanted to have a gay life as well as an athletic life. At the time, I was dating a freshman college athlete who had been through the recruiting process and struggles that come along with being gay on a college team, so I had him as a resource. Also, I grew up in Chicago most of my life with quick stints in London and Tokyo, so I have always been living in a liberal and accepting urban environment. When being recruited, I looked at a bunch of schools. Auburn was just too Southern for me, Northwestern was too close to home, Wisconsin was too damn cold, and USC ended up having everything I wanted.
I decided that it was important to be open about my sexuality with regards to the recruiting process as well as my freshman year on the team. I remember on my USC recruiting trip my host, who is now one of my best friends and roommates, asked me straight up, "So do you like girls, or what?" I awkwardly shrugged off the question with a "not really," and that was that.
It was important to be open to know how different teams would react to having a gay teammate. I remember telling a coach at one school I was gay and asking if this would be a problem on the team. We talked on the phone for about an hour about how his team is open and accepting and how awesome it would be to have an openly gay swimmer on the team. I still feel really bad that I didn’t go swim for that coach, but USC was where I was meant to be. But we still keep in contact and he is a great guy. I consider him my pseudo-coach and go to him when my coaches are mad at me for being a diva bitch after a bad race.
Even here at USC, my coaches have been super accepting. Before the 2012 Summer Olympics, I was training with the Trojan Swim Club for Olympic Trials and Great Britain had just launched their "Team GB" campaign. My head coach pointed out that they had stolen my team name, that being "Team Gay Boy." The nickname stuck and now I’m a GB.
I understand that most LGBT athletes are not where I am at on their respective teams. Which I think spurs from how comfortable you are and where you’re at with your sexuality. For me, I know that there is somewhat of a slow coming out process. I don’t think many people this day and age walk out the door one sunny morning and proclaim "I’m GAY!" In high school I started coming out to just my close friends and then later on it evolved into the whole school and then coming out to my parents.
Personally, I found coming out to the people I cared about most to be the most difficult. Which in turn comes back to one's team and coaches in college athletics. College athletes spend 20 hours a week training with the same people and coaches, and if you are living, eating and going to school with your teammates, they end up becoming your family, and their opinions matters to you. This makes coming out to your team carry a greater weight. Being gay doesn’t define you as a person or as an athlete. You athletic abilities and qualities that contribute to being a good teammate and friend define you much more.
I realize I am preaching, which I was trying to avoid, but this is important stuff, so listen up. Matt, one of my roommates, just came into my room while I am writing this, asking what I was writing about. I gave him a long passionate and drawn-out explanation of my message, and his reply was: "The GB’s know better than I do." Thank you Matt for that great timing and inspiration! And that brings up an even better point:
Athletes who are struggling with their sexuality need someone that they can relate to. Shoot me an e-mail. Talk to your coaches. Talk to your gay uncle Bob. Find your favorite sorority girl and talk about things over some FroYo. Anyone will do. But your college years aren’t the years to be hiding a part of who you are; that was what middle school was for. Come join Team GB … it’s sunny under the rainbow.
Sean Mulroy, 21, is finishing his junior year at USC. He is majoring in economics and is on the swim team, specializing in the freestyle and individual medley. He can be reached via email at sean.f.mulroy@gmail.com. You can also follow him on Twitter.
Here is Sean Mulroy in his Sharon Needles swimsuit that was banned from the Pacific-12 championships:20-year-old Metro Boomin moved to the hip-hop capital of Atlanta to attend college. Now he’s producing some of the genre’s most dynamic music. (Michael A. Schwarz/for The Washington Post.)
If you’re searching for rap’s nucleus, you go to Atlanta.
And if you’re searching for the nucleus inside that nucleus, you try to find a place insiders call DARP, a gated recording studio hidden on one of the city’s countless leafy residential side streets.
On a Friday afternoon in August, Metro Boomin trundles into the studio’s driveway around 4:30 p.m., ready for another workday. Inside, other producers have already clocked in – there’s Southside, a member of the top-flight production team 808 Mafia, and Travis Scott, an audacious protege of Kanye West. Everyone’s gossiping, laughing, talking light trash, swapping horror stories about stolen hard drives. But not for long, because everyone is here to make hits.
Just as country music is made in Nashville, hip-hop is made in Atlanta. This is the town where the agenda is set, where the competition is cutthroat, where young rappers are discovering new ways to make English sound cool, and where their even-younger beat-makers are grinding away behind the curtains, discreetly running the show.
“We’re the foundation of this stuff,” says Sonny Digital, a 23-year-old producer currently churning out some of the most bonzo music in town. “We know what needs to be heard. And everybody’s listening.”
Producer Sonny Digital at his home studio in Midtown Atlanta, where he’s produced tracks for Que, Migos, Makonnen and others. (Michael A. Schwarz/for The Washington Post)
That breezy poise is common among Atlanta’s rising network of young hip-hop producers. This is a scene that rewards collaboration, rivalry and risk – echoing the teamwork, gamesmanship and freaky acts of aesthetic courage that birthed American jazz. The futuristic sound that these producers are pushing in 2014 is intoxicatingly aggressive, seductively sleek and difficult to ignore.
And while Atlanta has been a nationally recognized hot spot since superstar producer Jermaine Dupri built his empire here in the early ’90s, the city has been consistently rejuvenating itself as hip-hop’s capital and Shangri-La – through the cosmic slop of OutKast and Goodie Mob, through the strip club anthems of Lil Jon and Ludacris, through the street rap of T.I. and Jeezy, through the influential eccentricity of Gucci Mane, through the cyborg balladry of Future. Rap stars from New York, Los Angeles and Miami quietly keep second homes in the Atlanta area, too, trying to keep close to hip-hop’s pulse.
This summer, the city’s dominance has been felt through a rising class of innovators and weirdos, including Young Thug, Migos, Rich Homie Quan and Makonnen – rappers eager to jump on strange beats and try precarious things with their throats.
“Atlanta is a place to try things out,” says Alex Tumay, the in-house engineer at DARP, which recently rebranded itself as Urban Angels Studios. “You don’t want to be the guy who sounds like somebody else.”
Accordingly, Tumay describes the music being crafted at the studio this summer as “totally f—ing surreal” – primarily because a lot of it is being funneled to Young Thug, the studio’s steadiest client and the most astonishing new rapper to crash land on America since Lil Wayne.
There are three big hip-hop radio stations here in Atlanta, and on a balmy weekend in August, barely 10 minutes go by without any of them broadcasting Thug’s brilliant, blurry, occasionally postverbal babblings.
But the producers hunkering down at the studio say they don’t listen to the radio all that much. Radio is too slow. The record industry? Way too slow. The rap blogosphere is faster, but barely fast enough. They know they’re living in the torrid epicenter of this music.
Everyone else is racing to keep up.
Metro Boomin on his in-studio perfectionism: “We polish, and polish, and polish.” (Michael A. Schwarz/for The Washington Post)
Like so many rising Atlanta trailblazers, Metro Boomin is incredibly young (20) and grew up somewhere else (St. Louis).
He started making beats on the laptop he got for Christmas in seventh grade. In high school, back when he was knocking out nearly five beats every day, his mom would drive him eight hours to Atlanta so he could spend his weekends collaborating with rappers he met online.
He got his start working with a rapper named Tay Don, which led to a meeting with OJ Da Juiceman, then Alley Boy, then Gucci Mane, then Future. He graduated high school and enrolled Morehouse College – “I always knew the music was here,” he says – but he bagged his studies after a semester, leaving the dorms to crash at Sonny Digital’s apartment. Now they’re neighbors. “That’s my big brother, too,” Metro says.
Spinning in a swivel chair, his hair shoots out of his bandana toward the ceiling like an anime character’s. He seems at home, but also happy to be here, happy that he’s no longer working with rappers through a DSL connection.
“If they want to do something, we gotta get in the session,” Metro says. “That’s how the best songs get made. Sometimes you’ll get a hit off the e-mail, but I’d rather do it here in person.”
These days, a majority of hip-hop gets made anonymously, with producers and rappers collaborating remotely over computers. But Metro says quality work requires real-time interaction (something that also requires that he live in Atlanta). Being here has allowed him to forge creative relationships with artists that go far beyond supplying sonic wallpaper.
“I know their hops,” he says, referring to a rapper’s vocal cadences. “I know their tones – and they know I know. So we polish, and polish, and polish.”
He also knows how to coach and capture spontaneity. On Future’s “Karate Chop,” Young Thug’s “The Blanguage,” and the rappers’recent duet, “Chanel Vintage,” Metro pushes the vocalists toward the margins of their voices. “That’s the difference between a producer and a beat-maker,” Metro says. “You need someone to walk in there and turn a beat into a damn hit.”
[Warning: The music embedded in this story contains explicit lyrics.]
“Chanel Vintage” hasn’t caught on as a hit yet, but its walloping beat is illustrative of Metro’s ability to pummel listeners into delirium. It also offers a glimpse into the chaotic handshake economics of the scene, where producers frequently give artists free tracks in hopes of building long-term creative partnerships. Metro declines to go into the financial details of “Chanel Vintage,” but the song is being sold on iTunes under Metro’s name, suggesting that Future’s and Young Thug’s verses were repayment for beats Metro had previously gifted them.
But like rap’s anarchic star system and the mutating aesthetics that guide it, the economics of this music are in a perpetual state of unrest. “Some people will produce for a shout-out and a chain,” Metro says. “And I’ve been there. But nah, bro. You gotta pay me now.”
Southside, who has been tapping away at his laptop, chimes in. “Oh, I want some of that SoundExchange [performance royalties], too,” he says. “I want some of everything! I’ll go in there with a gun and get it!”
Everyone in the studio busts out laughing because this may or may not be true.
“Once you catch a hit, people expect another one,” says 23-year-old producer Sonny Digital. (Michael A. Schwarz/for The Washington Post)
On Tuesday, Aug. 12, everything changed for Makonnen Sheran.
Drake – a global pop star with good taste and tremendous influence – dropped a surprise remix of Makonnen’s creamy and obscure mixtape cut “Club Goin Up (On A Tuesday),” instantly making the 25-year-old outsider the talk of the Atlanta rap bubble and beyond.
Soon after, a video surfaced of Makonnen listening to the remix for the first time. “There’s no way this is real right now!” he says in the clip.
A week later, Makonnen was in New York, answering phone calls with far more composure, rattling off the traits that must have grabbed Drake’s ear: “The creativity, the fearlessness, the confidence to be different and embrace yourself.” A few weeks later, he announced that he signed with Drake’s OVO Sound label.
“These major artists can make a difference,” says Sonny Digital, who co-produced “Club Goin Up” with Metro Boomin. “Drake hopping on that song changed Makonnen’s career from Monday to Tuesday.”
But Drake isn’t the only one listening for the sounds wafting from Sonny’s home studio. “These labels, they’re watching,” the producer says, pointing out his window. “They got telescopes on Atlanta, trying to see what’s going on.”
Sonny holds his Midtown apartment so dear that he recently had the address tattooed onto his stomach. He calls the place “legendary,” but it definitely looks like the former party spot he says it used to be. Go up the creaky stairs, past the stripper pole and hanging above his workstation you’ll find a gold record plaque for YC’s “Racks,” the song that officially catapulted Sonny into the industry system in 2011.
“And once you catch a hit, people expect another one,” Sonny says. “Then another one, then another one. You’re constantly proving yourself. You don’t want to change? You have to change.”
He’s describing his short career, but the wild metabolism of contemporary hip-hop, too. This is a genre where, generally speaking, young producers are expected to build their reputations from scratch through mixtapes, album-sized collections of songs that rappers give away for free online. The practice has been going on for more than a decade.
Even more generally speaking: A generous rapper might float a few thousand dollars up front to a reputable producer for a mixtape track, but many rising beat-makers will work with a buzzy artist pro bono, hoping fans will begin to associate the artist with their sound. Then, when the artist records a proper album for a proper label, the producer hopes to get a phone call and later, a sizable check.
Or maybe a song migrates from a mixtape to an album, as in the case of Future’s “Same Damn Time,” produced by Sonny Digital for a mixtape in 2011, and released as a single from Future’s major label debut album in 2012. Different songs follow different, totally haphazard paths. Along the way, there can be lots of back-scratching, finger-crossing, bridge-burning and tongue-wagging.
But Sonny, whose cool Georgia drawl disguises how fast he’s actually talking, sees the entire mixtape system evaporating sooner than later. “It’s more about the songs,” he says. “With [streaming sites such as] SoundCloud, people can hear you right away. I can put a track out right now if I want to. That’s the beauty of it.”
And the pressure of it, too. This is culture-steering art being made at very high speeds.
“But that’s what drives you, you know?” he says. “It’s all a big gamble. We just roll the dice every day. Every. Day. We’re all playing off hope. We’re all depending on each other for making something happen.”
Mike Will Made It is the producer every rookie in Atlanta wants to be. He’s 25. (Max Hliva)
It’s Saturday afternoon at Tree Sound Studios, a labyrinthine recording complex 30 minutes north of the city.
Inside, Rae Sremmurd – a teenage duo who moved to Atlanta from Tupelo, Miss., two years back – are listening to their new single “No Type,” punching the air as if they’re hearing it on the radio for the first time.
The stoic in the Dodgers jersey presiding over the control board is their patron and producer, Mike Will Made It. His convoluted stage name originally meant that he was the guy who made the beat you were listening to. Now it means that every producer in Atlanta wishes they were him. He’s 25 years old.
His story starts like everyone else’s. “I have a 200-song catalogue in the streets,” the Atlanta native says of his early mixtape output, “and I never got any money off that.”
But the cash started flowing once he began elbowing his way onto the radio, producing hit singles for Future, Juicy J, Rihanna and others. He quickly caught the attention of record-biz uber-mogul Jimmy Iovine, who helped Will launch his own label, Ear Drummers. And in 2013, Will took a bold step into popland as the executive producer of Miley Cyrus’s controversial career re-boot “Bangerz.” It wasn’t his best work, but it was easily his biggest success, a fact that surprised everyone but him.
“If you know the girl, you know she’s swagged up,” Will says of Cyrus, who he nudged toward hip-hop and then toward urban radio. “I told the label, ‘What we gon’ do? Barbeque or mildew?’ And it was a trend-setting move.”
A lot of Will’s alchemical skill has to do with tempo and his ability to make something too fast or too slow feel just right. Cyrus’s “We Can’t Stop” might seem sluggish, while Future’s recent single, “Move that Dope,” feels hurried. But both were produced by Will and both ended up being hits.
More importantly, he knows how to get artists to bend toward pop, a talent he began to hone as a teenager, producing beats for Gucci Mane, the rapper who looms largest over this electric moment in Atlanta hip-hop.
“I told people Gucci was gonna take over the game. They thought I was trippin’,” Will says. “Now I’m seeing all these talents going from nothing and taking over the game.”
As for his young signees, Rae Sremmurd, the idea is to start at the top. The duo’s ecstatic summer hit, “No Flex Zone,” circumvented the channels that most artists use to ascend: it never appeared on a mixtape. If you wanted to own it, you had to buy it.
“With my artists, we aren’t dropping s— for free,” Will says. “If if it’s on [the free mixtape site] LiveMixtapes, fans are gonna get it for free on LiveMixtapes. If you put it on iTunes, they’re gonna pay for it on iTunes.”
That business savvy has gone a long way in the board rooms and recording studios of Los Angeles, where Will is doing a lot of his work these days. But the night before, Will was on his native coast, up on a nightclub stage behind Rae Sremmurd, reigning over the epicenter of hip-hop, making sure the teenagers of Atlanta saw his jewelry sparkling in the bright lights.
“I got to this point quicker than I expected, but I still love making this music with these new artists,” he says. “I love Atlanta. This is all I know.”
Note: This story has been updated to reflect the re-brand |
ended to prior to delivery. I looked at all of his pitches from July 25 and froze them in the exact same way. Rodney was doing this against every single batter, every single pitch, with no exceptions.
And I use the word "was" because Rodney made the adjustment prior to Monday night’s game against Arizona. In the past, before he began tipping his pitches, Rodney aimed his elbow at the batter "fastball style" whether he was throwing a fastball or change. Against Arizona last night, Rodney had his chicken wing tucked close to his body "changeup style" for all changeups and fastballs. Hooray! Fernando Rodney, who is getting paid $7M and has been worth approximately -$7M, might be fixed.
But the very serious questions fans and writers will begin asking are as follows: Why did the Mariners, with their own eyes, fail to notice Rodney was tipping his pitches? How could they have not grown suspicious when, night after night going all the way back to May*, hitters were consistently – too consistently – timing their stride and squaring up the pitches Rodney offered, regardless of count, location or movement? Didn’t it seem odd that hitters weren’t getting fooled? Whiffing out front of a change? Missing late on a fastball? After all, it’s not like Rodney’s stuff has diminished since his excellent 2014 season. His fastball velocity is identical with slightly more movement on both the x and y axis. The same is true for his changeup. Rodney’s stuff was not the issue.
So why didn’t somebody in the Mariners front office get curious enough to check the video? And if they did check the video, how could they have missed something that an average baseball enthusiast was able to spot in 30 seconds? And what about the Mariners coaches and players, with their combined years of experience and their exclusive perspective perched along the dugout rail, in the bullpen and on the field? Was even one eyebrow raised?
Perhaps this is why I am struggling to blame Rodney. Players get out of whack from time to time. It is the job of coaches, scouts and certain members of the front office to diagnose those problems and help bring them back. Nobody with the Mariners helped Fernando Rodney. The Blue Jays helped Fernando Rodney, and only when the timing was strategic to their own personal gain.
As an organization, it often seems the Mariners are the last to know things, to adapt and change. If they did in fact allow their All-Star closer to implode repeatedly for nearly three months without noticing what we observed with rudimentary access to streaming video, that is yet another and particularly damming piece of evidence that this front office is not the group to pull the Mariners from the ocean floor.
Go M’s.
* The Oakland A’s may have been the first team to take advantage of Rodney’s telegraphic flap, going all the way back to May 10. It was their fourth time facing Rodney this season, and it was the first time I was able to spot the differences between deliveries for every pitch, although they were less pronounced. Rodney’s mechanical disintegration progressed, reaching peak level vs the Blue Jays on July 25.The Haskell standard library comes with a small but competent parser generator library: Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP. Whenever you need to write your own parser to consume some kind of data, this is what you should reach for first. Forget splitting strings. Forget regexes. ReadP is where it is at from now on.2 There are a bunch of parser combinator libraries for Haskell, including but not limited to Attoparsec, Parsec, Megaparsec, Turtle.Pattern and Earley. These are all good for different things. The reason I recommend ReadP is that it’s good, of course, but also that if you have ghc installed, you already have ReadP on your computer! Oh, but you’d rather want to learn Parsec or some other more “batteries included” parser combinator library? No problem, the things you learn in this tutorial are things you can use in other parser combinator libraries too. In fact, I’ve decided to try to teach only functions and operators which have the same name across multiple parser combinator libraries. So you can totally read this tutorial and then use the things you learned with Parser or Attoparsec or something along those lines.
To get acquianted with parser combinators, let’s start with the simplest parser I can think of: we’ll parse a single vowel.
Enter:
import Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP isVowel :: Char -> Bool isVowel char = any (char ==) "aouei" vowel :: ReadP Char vowel = satisfy isVowel
We make the helper function isVowel which simply returns True for any character that is a vowel. It does this by checking if the argument character is equal to any character in the string "aouei".
isVowel is then used in the parser we name vowel, through the satisfy function from the ReadP library, one of our staples. This function is important, so lets look at its type signature.
Enter:
satisfy :: ( Char -> Bool ) -> ReadP Char
It takes any function Char -> Bool and returns a parser that parses any character that passes the test function we give it. In this case, we give it isVowel, so it will return a parser that parses a single vowel. You could just as well imagine the satisfy isDigit parser that parses a single digit. Or a satisfy (=='') parser that parses only a single space character and will fail on anything else.
Oh, and in case it is not evident yet, a value of type ReadP Char is a parser that parses characters and returns a Char value. A parser of type ReadP Float also parses characters (all parsers do) but returns a Float type value. Any time you see the type ReadP something, you can internally read it as “parser of something ”.
However, a parser is not itself a function that takes input. It needs to be “run” on some input by another function. In the case of ReadP, this is done by the confusingly named readP_to_S function, which takes a parser and an input and runs the parser on the input. We can test our vowel parser with that. This is its type signature, when it has been “demystified”:
Enter:
readP_to_S :: ReadP a -> String -> [(a, String )]
The output of readP_to_S might look a little odd at first, but by looking at several examples of it you will get a sense of what it means. In essence, readP_to_S returns a list of successful parses, where “a parse” loosely means the two-tuple (parsedValue, unparsedRemainderOfString). If the parser fails (i.e. could not parse anything at the beginning of the input) it will return the empty list. In action:
Enter:
λ> readP_to_S vowel "e" [( 'e', "" )] λ> readP_to_S vowel "k" [] λ> readP_to_S vowel "another one bites the dust" [( 'a', "nother one bites the dust" )] λ> readP_to_S vowel "did you see that" []
The first element of the tuple is the successful parse, the second element of the tuple is the unparsed remainder of the string.
If the string does not start with a vowel, the parser fails entirely. The parser will not automatically skip irrelevant characters, but leaves that decision up to the one who writes the parser. This greater control, while sometimes inconvenient, is normally useful.
However, reading just one vowel is not as interesting as reading several of them. Since readP_to_S returns the unparsed remainder of the input, we can imagine writing a function to chain together parsers.
Enter: atLeastOne :: ReadP Char -> String -> [( String, String )] atLeastOne parser input = case readP_to_S parser input of -- Empty list means failed parse, so this parser -- should fail too [] -> [] -- Successfully parsed at least one character, so -- try parsing a few more by recursively calling -- atLeastOne [(char, remainder)] -> case atLeastOne parser remainder of -- After a successful parse, it failed when -- trying to do it again. Return the single -- successful parse [] -> [(char : "", remainder)] -- The recursive call was successful. Append -- our results to the rest of them, and return -- whatever is left of the input [(str, finalRemainder)] -> [(char : str, finalRemainder)]
While this works, as demonstrated below, it is a very bad idea.
Enter:
λ> atLeastOne vowel "aouibcdef" [( "aoui", "bcdef" )] λ> atLeastOne vowel "gjshifu" []
Why is atLeastOne not good? For one, it is brittle and not quite following the expectations we have of parser combinators, but moreover it is hugely inconvenient to write, and not very clear at all when trying to read it later.
This is where the combinator part of parser combinators come in. Our atLeastOne function dealt with parsed results, while the combinator functions we want to use work with parsers.
For instance, there is the many1 combinator function in Text.ParserCombinators.ReadP which does exactly what we want. The type signature of it looks like
Enter:
many1 :: ReadP a -> ReadP [a]
In other words, it takes a parser that parses a single a (which in our case is Char ) and returns a parser that parses several a s. By “several”, I mean at least one, but potentially infinitely many.
With this, we can create
Enter:
atLeastOneVowel :: ReadP [ Char ] atLeastOneVowel = many1 vowel
and behold! This might not be what you expected.
Enter:
λ> readP_to_S atLeastOneVowel "aouibcdef" [( "a", "ouibcdef" ),( "ao", "uibcdef" ),( "aou", "ibcdef" ),( "aoui", "bcdef" )]
Now we see why readP_to_S returns a list. “At least one vowel” can mean just one vowel. It can also mean two, or three, or four of them. So many1 accounts for these possibilities by simply giving back all possible parses, and lets you pick whichever one you wanted.
This may look problematic, but it turns out that often it does not matter, because most of the time there is only one possible parse anyway.TEHRAN(ISNA)- Iran’s President hassan Rouhnai commanded the foreign minister and the Atomic Energy Organization Head to legally pursu the breach of nucler agreement by the US.
In response to the U.S. renewal of the Iran Sanctions Act, Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani commanded the foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif to take legal measures against the anti-Iran bill which breaches the terms of an international nuclear deal Iran reached with world powers last year. He called on the minister to inform him of the result in a month.
In a separate letter to the head of Atomic Energy Organization Ali Akbar Salehi, President commanded him to pave the ground for designing and building nuclear propulsion used for Marine transportation.
He also commanded him to cooperate with the research center to study and design production of fuel used for nuclear propulsion.
Salehi is supposed to report back in three months.
President’s messages are as follows:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Dear Dr Zarif,
The honourable Minister of Foreign Affairs,
Regarding U.S government’s negligence and delay in living up to its commitments made in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and with regard to the latest extension of Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), which Iran had already declared it was considered violation of JCPOA, and in implementing of the decisions made by the Supreme National Security Council and the Committee of Monitoring JCOPA’s Implementation, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is required to seriously implement the anticipated steps in the JCPOA for addressing violations and required legal and international proceeding.
Please submit the report of the taken measures to me within a month.
Hassan Rouhani
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
--------------------------------------------------------------
In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful
Dear Dr Salehi,
The honourable Vice-President and Head of Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran,
Regarding U.S government’s negligence and delay in living up to its commitments made in the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action, and with regard to the latest extension of Iran Sanctions Act (ISA), which Iran had already declared it was considered violation of JCPOA, and in implementing of the decisions made by the Supreme National Security Council and the Committee of Monitoring JCOPA’s Implementation, the Atomic Energy Organisation of Iran is required to further develop Iran’s peaceful nuclear program within the framework of the international commitments of the Islamic Republic of Iran and carry out the following missions:
1. Plan for designing and manufacturing nuclear engine to be used in marine transportation with the help of scientific and research centres.
2. Study and design production of fuel to be used by the nuclear engine with the help of scientific and research centres.
Please report the plans and schedules to me within three months.
Hassan Rouhani
President of the Islamic Republic of Iran
End Item
101+Hiking tips
I was asked to present a talk titled 101 Plus Hiking Tips and am sharing these tips here. Credit for these should go to many sources as I have followed the advice of many fellow hikers. Special mention should be made, however, of the experienced hikers that have contributed their knowledge to the BackpackingLight Mailing List and to two books; Ray Jardine's Beyond Backpacking and A Hiker's Companion by Cindy Ross & Todd Gladfelter.
Tips Index
Packing and Unpacking
Putting on your pack: Grab the pack by its haul loop and one shoulder strap, and lift it to one bent knee. Turn your back into the pack while inserting one arm into its shoulder strap. The pack is now hanging from that shoulder. Continue to swing the pack around and insert the the other arm, elbow first, into its shoulder strap. Your waist belt should rest above and on your hip bones. Fitting your pack: don't over tighten shoulder straps. Tighten just enough to keep your pack close to your body and stable. For most packs, place heaviest items close to your back near the middle of the pack. The sleeping bag goes in first, followed by the food bag (perhaps the heaviest item). Have a place for each item and always return the item to that place. If possible, store stove gas and water outside the pack so everything doesn't get wet if the containers leak. Better yet, use a wood stove. Items that you expect will get wet go outside if possible: rain gear, pack cover etc. Often needed items go in a top pocket. Attach a thermometer for a zipper pull. Attach an "office" to a shoulder strap or your waist belt or carry a fanny pack. Items to carry in it may include: camera, compass, whistle, maps, pen and paper. Extend your packs life: after the trip shake it out, clean inside with mild soap and water, dry out of the sun. Store it in a cool, dry place. Dry your sleeping bag flat, not hung. Carry your sleeping bag inside a silnylon stow sack. These are very lightweight and waterproof. Always shake the water off your wet tent or tarp before packing it. Always stuff bags, tents, tarps etc. into their sacks, don't fold them. Folding in the same place repeatedly creates weak spots in the fabric. When stuffing a tent into its stuff sack, the door of the tent should go in last. That way the air that always collects inside will be easier to get rid of as you push it toward the door. Between trips, do not store a sleeping bag in its stuff sack. Buy a large burlap bag for sleeping bag storage. Some people like to keep their backpack packed and ready to go. This is okay for most everything except your sleeping bag. I have a large plastic storage box where I keep everything ready to pack (except the sleeping bag). Home Depot sells mesh bags in 1 gallon and 5 gallon sizes for about $1.00. They are intended for straining paint but hikers can cut them up and sew them into ditty bags. I made a little one for stakes that weighs just 0.1 oz. Transfer portions of liquids like insect repellents, sun screen, etc. into smaller containers. I like to use small eye drop bottles. To carry tiny amounts of jells or pastes like toothpaste, vasaline, etc. use a large diameter straw. Cut 3/4" off both ends. Jam the center section into the jell or paste until it is within an inch of filling. Close the ends by folding the last 1/2" back on itself, then fold this again lengthwise, and insert into the 3/4" pieces that you previously cut.
Index
Clothing
No cotton please, it dries very slowly and holds moisture next to your skin. Go to the bathing suit dept. for hiking shorts. Columbia makes water shorts with a built in liner (no underwear needed), which are very water repellent and dry very quickly. If you have problems with thigh chafing, you may want to choose Lykra shorts which are tight around the thigh thus preventing the problem. In winter, the tried and true layering system applies here. I like a thin smartwool base, a middle insulating layer, and an outer water repellent, breathable shell. Your clothing should always be in a waterproof bag such as a 10 X 21 Silnylon stow sack. Wash your clothing as often as possible, clean clothes feel better and wear better. They are also warmer as the accumulated oils in dirty clothing reduce their loft and conduct heat away from the body. While hiking keep a bandana wrapped around one of your front straps where it is immediately available. Summer Hat: wear a broad rimmed hat with a strap like the Tilly, or Ultimate Hat. Gives us glasses wearers better protection from blowing rain and sun protection all the way around for everyone. For a clothes line twist a double rope before tying between trees. The twists will hold your clothes like clothes pins. Here is a choice for you to make. One argument goes; wear dark clothing because it dries faster, another says wear light clothing because it is less attractive to bugs. For me, the argument for light colors has won this argument. If hiking in tick country, definitely go with light colored clothing because it is easier to spot these critters. Dry it quickly by laying on dark colored rocks in the sun. Be sure to tighten the tiny connecting screws on your glasses before leaving home. You can also apply Locktite Threadlocker to prevent the screws from working loose. See Clothing on the notes page for more specific information about what I take for three season hiking.
Index
Staying Warm or Cool
Eat foods with lots of fat content, like a handful of nuts, just before going to bed to keep you warm during the night. Some say put on rain gear in bed if your are really cold. It will act as a vapor barrier. Others argue that it will also keep in moisture and your clothing will chill you in the morning as the moisture evaporates. If you do use a vapor barrier, it should be worn between a base and outer layer.. Stop hiking before you are completely exhausted, especially when it is cold and wet. In your sleeping bag, put on a balaclava hat and/or pull the sleeping bag hood up and around your head. You will tend to hunker down into your bag when it is cold. Just don't bury your head in the bag as breathing into the bag will cause it to become wet and loose insulating qualities. If your back is hot and sweaty from your pack, but your front is cold from the wind, wear your jacket in reverse with the back unzipped. Put the jacket on before your pack and the pack will hold it in place. After a day of hiking in cold wet weather, set up camp and change into your dry clothing. Hang the wet clothing up to dry. In the morning put the dry clothing in your pack and change back into yesterday's clothes, even if they are still wet. Rather than take off clothing to keep cool in your sleeping bag, unzip the bag and use it like a quilt. If still warm slide it off part of your body. Air out your sleeping bag daily, especially if on a long hike. Your lunch break is a good time to do this. Drape it over rocks rather than vegetation for best results. Even wrapping it around you as you walk will help if you can't take the time to air it during a break. Carry strike anywhere matches or a metal match, and some tinder, all in a waterproof container, for starting a fire in an emergency. I carry a few feet of jute, that can be cut into smaller lengths, then torn apart, for this purpose. The first week of winter spray your feet three times with an aluminum chlorohydrate antiperspirant. After that, once a week. This will stop 50 to 75 percent of foot wetness which leads to foot coldness. In winter, rub your hands with Hand Sense. This cream was developed by the military to block bad things from penetrating the skin. It will keep your hands dry and consequently warm inside your mittens. Hand Sense: North American Safety Products. 800-589-6536 Clothing should be your main protection from the sun. Suntan lotion can interfere with the body's ability to cool itself by blocking perspiration and its subsequent evaporation. In hot weather, walk in the morning and evening and take a long break in the middle of the day. Eat dinner during this break and lunch food in the evening. Soak your head, hat, shirt, or your towel placed under your hat, in lakes and streams to keep cool. In hot weather don't skimp on the salt. Ray Jardine uses an umbrella both for rain and sun. In the desert this is a must.
Index
Your Campsite
A tent for a single person should not weigh more than 3 lbs. Consider also, a tarp or hammock. You will find excellent information on tarp camping in Ray Jardine's book, Beyond Backpacking. Setting up in wind: Stake down the side of the tent facing the wind first. The entrance to the tent should face away from the wind. Wind not a problem: Face the front of the tent toward the ENE in summer, E in fall and spring, and ESE in winter (where the sun will rise). Setting up in rain: Get out the fly first. Spread it out on the ground. Set up the tent beneath the fly. Most modern tents don't need a ground cloth. If you use one it should be 2" smaller than your tent all the way around. This will prevent rain from channeling under your tent via overhanging ground cloth. You can also place the ground cloth inside your tent. Make the ground cloth for your tent out of an emergency space blanket.You wil have a very light ground cloth and it is available to serve its other purpose. Place it inside your tent. For tarp camping, I have made a Tyvek ground cloth measuring 84" long with varying width's; 32" at the head, 38" at the chest and 24" at the feet. Some hikers add a fold at the bottom to make a pouch for their feet. The pouch protects the bottom of the sleeping bag from splashing raindrops that may enter at the rear of the tarp. Tyvek is that white house wrap you see at construction sites. It is light, waterproof/breathable, and can be sewn. After cutting a new piece, run it through a cycle in the washing machine. It will come out feeling soft and pliable. Try to find a level camping site. If not possible go for a slight incline with your head uphill. Ray Jardine does just the opposite, placing his head downhill so that blood does not collect in the feet and lower legs. Better try each and see which suits you. Lay down on the spot you have selected for your tent. While you are there find roots, rocks, pine cones etc. that need to be moved or adjusted for. Do not remove the soft forest litter. Place your ground cloth in position. Lie down on it and mark where your hips and shoulders contact the cloth. Now get off, lift the cloth and dig small depressions for your hips and shoulders. Fill these in when you depart. Use a sleeping bag liner to keep your bag cleaner longer. Don't like liners, then sleep with your clothing on to keep dirt off your bag. Put clothing in your sleeping bag stow sack and use it for your pillow. Don't forget to fluff up your sleeping bag after laying it in your tent. Don't use a compression stuff sack for your sleeping bag and never sit on the bag while it is in its sack. You don't want it to lose any of its loft. If it is cool outside your glasses will fog up when you leave your tent. To prevent this, lay them on your chest for a few minutes before getting up and out. Cut a small square of Tyvek to use as a mat just outside your tent door and to sit on during rest breaks. In winter replace this with a square of closed cell foam. Fire follows you because it follows the vaccuum you create. If you build a short wall of rocks on one side of the fire ring it will go there instead of to you.
Index
HomeSaudi Arabia is executing people at a "frightening" rate, campaigners have warned, after it emerged the kingdom had killed its 70th prisoner of the year bringing the total number to almost half that of 2015.
Alaa al-Zahrani, who was put to death in the Red Sea city of Jeddah, was found guilty of killing fellow Saudi Abdullah al-Sumairi with a rock to the head, the interior ministry revealed in a statement published by the Saudi’s official state news agency SPA.
Several advocacy groups that monitor the death penalty worldwide placed the figure at 157 last year, with beheadings reaching their highest level in two decades.
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Saudi Arabia does not release annual tallies, though it does announce individual executions in state media throughout the year. Most people beheaded in the oil-rich kingdom are beheaded by sword.
Speaking to The Independent, Amnesty International UK’s Head of Policy and Government Affairs Allan Hogarth said: “The death penalty is always cruel and unnecessary, but the Saudi justice system lacks evens the basics of a fair trial system and it’s truly frightening that its courts are sentencing so many people to death.
"For too long Downing Street has bent over backwards to avoid ‘offending’ the Saudi royals,"
“With death sentences imposed after deeply unfair - and sometimes secret - proceedings, with defendants often denied a lawyer, and with courts regularly convicting people on the basis of ‘confessions’ extracted under torture, Saudi Arabia is making a mockery of justice and dozens of people are paying with their lives.
“It’s time that ‘strategic allies’ like the UK started speaking out about this shocking state of affairs. For too long Downing Street has bent over backwards to avoid ‘offending’ the Saudi royals. Saudi Arabia’s human rights record is utterly appalling and the UK government should say so.”
The kingdom came under intense criticism at the beginning of the year when it executed 47 people for “terrorism offences” in one day, including the prominent Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr.
Shape Created with Sketch. Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia Show all 8 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. Juveniles on death row in Saudi Arabia 1/8 Abdullah al-Zaher Abdullah al-Zaher was arrested at the age of 15 for attending a protest and he is was the youngest in a group of juvenile offenders put on death row 2/8 Abdullah al-Zaher Previously held alongside fellow juvenile offender Ali al-Nimr, whose case sparked outrage around the world, Abdullah has now been moved to solitary confinement at a new facility and could be beheaded at any moment 3/8 Abdullah al-Zaher His family and lawyers believe he was forced to sign a document without knowing its contents, and which later was used as a “confession” in the closed trial against him 4/8 Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Ali Mohammed al-Nimr faces imminent beheading and crucifixion for crimes he reportedly committed as a child 5/8 Ali Mohammed al-Nimr The UN has issued an urgent call for Saudi Arabia to halt his execution but a Saudi court has upheld the sentence of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of a prominent government dissident, despite growing and high-level international condemnation 6/8 Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Mr al-Nimr, who was arrested in 2012 for his participation in Arab Spring protests when he was just 16 or 17 years old, could now be put to death at any time 7/8 Dawood al-Marhoon Dawood al-Marhoon was 17 year old when he was arrested for participating in an anti-government protest 8/8 Dawood al-Marhoon After refusing to spy on his fellow protesters, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer 1/8 Abdullah al-Zaher Abdullah al-Zaher was arrested at the age of 15 for attending a protest and he is was the youngest in a group of juvenile offenders put on death row 2/8 Abdullah al-Zaher Previously held alongside fellow juvenile offender Ali al-Nimr, whose case sparked outrage around the world, Abdullah has now been moved to solitary confinement at a new facility and could be beheaded at any moment 3/8 Abdullah al-Zaher His family and lawyers believe he was forced to sign a document without knowing its contents, and which later was used as a “confession” in the closed trial against him 4/8 Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Ali Mohammed al-Nimr faces imminent beheading and crucifixion for crimes he reportedly committed as a child 5/8 Ali Mohammed al-Nimr The UN has issued an urgent call for Saudi Arabia to halt his execution but a Saudi court has upheld the sentence of Ali Mohammed al-Nimr, the son of a prominent government dissident, despite growing and high-level international condemnation 6/8 Ali Mohammed al-Nimr Mr al-Nimr, who was arrested in 2012 for his participation in Arab Spring protests when he was just 16 or 17 years old, could now be put to death at any time 7/8 Dawood al-Marhoon Dawood al-Marhoon was 17 year old when he was arrested for participating in an anti-government protest 8/8 Dawood al-Marhoon After refusing to spy on his fellow protesters, he was tortured and forced to sign a blank document that would later contain his ‘confession’. At Dawood’s trial, the prosecution requested death by crucifixion while refusing him a lawyer
Mr al-Nimr was a vocal supporter of the mass anti-government protests that flared up in the Saudi’s oil-rich Eastern Province in 2011, where a Shia majority have long complained of marginalisation. His execution led Yemen’s Houthi movement to mourn him as a “holy warrior”.
Despite condemning the executions earlier this year as “deeply deplorable” President François Hollande awarded his nation’s most prestigious award to the heir to the Saudi throne, Prince Mohammed bin Naif on Friday.
The Crown Prince’s visit to the Elysee Palace actually took place on Friday 4 March, the same day as Mr Hollande held talks with Angela Merkel about how to cope with the refugee crisis.
But while Ms Merkel’s trip featured in a number of videos and photos posted online by the Elysee social media team, any reference or evidence of the Saudi delegation was conspicuously absent.
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Subscribe nowSHANGHAI - Major Japanese firms have shuttered factories in China and urged expatriate workers on Monday to stay indoors after angry protests flared over a territorial dispute that threatened to hurt trade ties between Asia's two biggest economies.
China's worst outbreak of anti-Japan sentiment in decades led to weekend protests and violent attacks on well-known Japanese businesses such as car-makers Toyota and Honda, forcing frightened expatriates into hiding and prompting Chinese state media to warn that trade relations could now be in jeopardy.
"I'm not going out today and I've asked my Chinese boyfriend to be with me all day tomorrow," said Sayo Morimoto, a 29-year-old Japanese graduate student at a university in Shenzhen.
Japanese housewife and mother Kayo Kubo, who lives in the eastern Chinese city of Suzhou, said her young family and other Japanese expats were also staying home after being terrified by the scale and mood of the weekend protests in dozens of cities.
"There were so many people and I've never seen anything like it. It was very scary," she said.
China and Japan, which generated two-way trade of US$345 billion (S$421 billion) last year, are arguing over a group of uninhabited islets in the East China Sea, a long-standing dispute that erupted last week when the Japanese government decided to buy some of them from a private Japanese owner.
The move, which infuriated Beijing, was intended by Japan's government to fend off what it feared would be seen as an even more provocative plan by the nationalist governor of Tokyo to buy and build facilities on the islands.
In response, China sent six surveillance ships to the area, which contains potentially large gas reserves. On Monday, a flotilla of around 1,000 Chinese fishing boats were sailing for the islands and was due to reach them later in the day, the state-owned People's Daily said on its microblog.
Last weekend's protests mainly targeted Japanese diplomatic missions but also shops, restaurants and car dealerships in at least five cities. Toyota and Honda said arsonists had badly damaged their stores in the eastern port city of Qingdao at the weekend.
However, Toyota said its factories and offices were operating as normal on Monday and that it had not ordered home its Japanese employees in China.
Japanese electronics group Panasonic said one of its plants had been sabotaged by Chinese workers and would remain closed through Tuesday - the anniversary of Japan's 1931 occupation of parts of mainland China, a date that Tokyo fears could cause another dangerous outbreak of anti-Japan sentiment.
Japan has warned its citizens about large-scale protests in China on Tuesday. Many Japanese schools across China, including in Beijing and Shanghai, have cancelled classes this week.Electronic music boundary-smasher Richard D. James, otherwise known as Aphex Twin, isn't exactly cranking out new material at Lil Wayne speeds these days. His last proper album, Drukqs, came out in 2001, though he's released music under various names in dribs and drabs since then. But according to an interview with James in the British magazine AnOther Man (via Fact), Aphex currently has six albums in the can.
James told AnOther Man, "I've got six completed. Two are very non-commercial, abstract, modular-synthesis, field recordings-- those I finished four years ago. Another one is Melodies From Mars, which I redid about three years ago. There's one of stuff I won't go into, a comp of old tracks which is never really finished and always changing, and then one I'm working on now. There are also loads of tracks which don't belong anywhere."
Since James likes to remain mysterious, it's anyone's guess whether we'll actually hear any of these new albums. Still, the very existence of a whole pile of Aphex Twin albums is welcome news indeed.Select a topic Codes and promotions Game information Manage my account Missing content Orders Report a bug Report concerns or harassment Technical support Warranty
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Battlefield 3 and Origin Helpful info about using Origin with Battlefield 3.
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Information about persona transfers If you have multiple EA Accounts and games on all of them, we can sometimes help you with the incredibly risky process we call a persona transfer. Find out more about them here.
Report players for cheating, abuse, and harassment Abuse, harassment, and cheating are against our rules. We’ll show you how to report this stuff, so you and other players stay safe.Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and his wife Cheryl, leave the Capitol on Tuesday after he announced he will not be running for re-election in 2018. (Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
Republican Sen. Jeff Flake again attacked President Donald Trump after announcing Tuesday he will not seek re-election.
Asked why he isn’t running for re-election the Arizona lawmaker said, “stay tuned,” and walked into the Senate Chambers. Flake is one of Trump’s most vocal critics.
“The flagrant disregard for truth and decency,” should never be regarded as normal, Flake said on the Senate floor minutes after his announcement. His voice shook. “Anger and resentment are not a governing philosophy.”
Flake said he plans to serve out the remainder of his term but will not contend in 2018.
Fellow Arizona Senator John McCain tweeted following Flake’s announcement: “Thank you to my dear friend @JeffFlake for your honorable service to the state of #Arizona the nation.”
Thank you to my dear friend @JeffFlake for your honorable service to the state of #Arizona & the nation. — John McCain (@SenJohnMcCain) October 24, 2017
Flake called his continued criticism of the president a matter of obligation. He said a failure to do so was profoundly misguided and that his fellow Republicans would never allow Democrats to behave like Trump.
“He’s always open-hearted, is respectful, is willing to work across the aisle, is a terrific partner and has just been great company,” Delaware Sen. Christopher Coons said.
Coons |
new American reality, I am on the frontlines observing how theoretical, political and social contexts can affect the expression or the occurrence of a symptom, its recognition and what we choose to do (or not do) about it. With BPD patients in particular, the fact that there is no pill to treat them encourages some ER staff members to discharge them swiftly without really addressing their issues. Verbal complaints and “scratches” that may lead to necessary treatment in my previous home of Belgium will generally bring disdain in a US emergency room, where much deeper self-mutilations is required in order to hold the patient long enough to initiate therapeutic engagement. So, the self-inflicted wounds of Otto Kernberg’s and Marsha Linehan’s patients in the US somehow appear more threatening and bloodier than the ones I observed in my small European country. It seems necessary to shout louder in the US in order to have our healthcare system decide finally to take care of you.
Social and political contexts also influence the writing of a prescription. An antipsychotic medication identified as “very safe” in Belgium, might suddenly bring a lawsuit in the United States, due to the fact that a rare side-effect is emphasized in a ‘Black Book’, a tome sold primarily to lawyers.
During my second residency, I was lucky enough to be trained in cognitive and behavioral therapies (CBT). Contrary to the naïve and/or arrogant belief of the psychoanalytical circles in which I did my original training, I realized how well these techniques can work and how easily teachable they are. I have been impressed by the willingness of practitioners of cognitive therapy to prove the effectiveness of their methods, thus gaining ‘scientific’ legitimacy and resulting financial reimbursement.
Forced to question my theories and techniques, I discovered research that suggests that, for a majority of conditions treated in psychotherapy, all the major modes of psychological treatment produce similar outcomes. In fact, this research suggests that only 8% of the variance is due to the type of therapeutic technique, while 70% is due to the overall effect of treatment itself, such as the factors of empathy, a good working relationship between the therapist and his or her client etc. The residual 22% of the variance remains unexplained.
Fascinated by these oddly un-‘modern’ results, I felt reassured in my belief that the individual caregiver’s role is central to the therapeutic process. After all, isn’t modern psychiatry but a new iteration of the age-old combination of witches and wardens?
While the paths of neuroscience and psychology may seem to diverge, an expert interested in both disciplines, Eric Kandel, is trying to force a dialogue between them. In the early 2000s, armed with his recent Nobel Prize for research in neuroplasticity, he proposed a “biological” legitimacy to psychotherapeutic techniques. He has helped us to understand how environment affects the development of our brains as much or more than a chemical molecule does.
If only something biological gives legitimacy to a ‘modern’ treatment, then we must recognize that the interaction between two human beings is also a biological treatment, because it affects our brain’s function and development. For example, the environment may affect the way our genome is translated into proteins, building blocks of cellular receptors essential to our learning mechanisms.
Along this line, researchers have started studying the interactions between the modalities of attachment and molecular genetics, and a new Society of Neuro-psychoanalysis has been created. In borderline patients, neuro-imaging studies have discovered abnormalities specific to their struggles. This is apparently what is needed for science to finally recognize them as real patients.
Marketization
In November 2004, given the disastrous build-up in the streets and prisons of patients with serious psychiatric problems and the financial and human cost that accompanied it, California voters approved a new tax for millionaires. The money is to develop ambulatory programs for these ‘consumers’ left out of the American dream. As a newly appointed UCLA professor, I was hired to be part of one of these multidisciplinary teams, whose motto is "Whatever it takes”.
Far from plush psychiatric couches and magical pill factories, I abruptly dive into the belly of a modern city. Not far from the dazzle of the Walt Disney Concert Hall, I discover a world of misery where drugs and violence reverberate with the hallucinations and melancholy of over 50,000 wandering homeless souls – a barbaric world in the midst of the country of the Aristocats, so celebrated for its technological miracles and neuroscientific research.
The first goal of our team (four social workers, two nurses and one psychiatrist per 100 patients) is to “engage” people identified as suffering from, among other ailments and social problems, major psychiatric disorders for which to date, “nothing had worked”. These are people who had been what we call “frequent fliers”, who cycle in and out of emergency rooms, jails and homeless shelters. Our fundamental rule is to meet them "wherever they are”, literally and figuratively. For example, we try to provide shelter and clothing before trying to sell the benefits of an intramuscular injection that they might have been refusing for years. The program’s goals were defined through scores of meetings with patients, their families and the many political and social groups that reflected the diversity of citizens of Los Angeles.
Our objective is to give to these individuals not only a proper treatment but a dignity as well. We aimed to give them an active role in society and perhaps even a job within a couple of years, which seemed extravagant to me at first. We don’t force the patient in these directions; he or she has to agree to all the aspects of his or her treatment. They are in control. One of our huge advantages is the relative lack of time constraints for our work, and a budget that can cover the costs of housing, clothes, a meal at a fast food restaurant or dental expenses. The undertaking is complex and the results have been sometimes successful, sometimes not.
One memorable example is that of Leonora, 45 and originally from Kenya. She is strong, intelligent and most often in a good mood. During the seven years since her immigration to the United States, she has worked as a nurse attendant. Six months ago, she walked off her job, confiding to a colleague that she had been contacted by an important man for an extraordinary mission. Without an income she soon ended up homeless and eventually in prison for having assaulted a police officer who tried to dislodge her from a street corner where she had been living. When she told the sergeant that for five years, she’d been carrying the six children of a “healer” in her womb, he wanted to take her to the psychiatric emergency room, but she fought back, denying she had a mental illness and demanded to be treated like any other American citizen. She was remanded in custody where a psychologist classified her as schizophrenic and a judge referred her to our service.
When I meet with Leonora for the first time, it is behind bars. After a long negotiation, Leonora accepts our team’s help, which is also her ‘get-out-of-jail-free’ ticket, but she makes the demand that she not be forced to take medications. Of necessity, we agree, and rapidly find her a board and care facility. Before long, she gets back her dignity, femininity and creativity. She sews an African tunic from a discarded piece of fabric, and her colorful pieces of jewelry become the pride of the occupational therapy department of the board and care. In order not to endanger her pregnancy, she refuses heavy work and all medications. The gynecological examination doesn’t detect any fetuses, but Leonora does not believe in American science. She is clearly engaged with us, always greets me with a smile and we have long chats about her family, about Africa, and about the difficulties of immigration. When I gently confront her with the fact that her husband, the healer, doesn’t seem to be showing us any signs of life, she either bursts out laughing or gets angry at my ignorance of sacred things. At times, her anger is so threatening the board and care sends her to the emergency room, where she is confined to the hospital.
Usually, her charm and negotiating skills quickly convince the representative of the court of the unfairness of her internment and she is released to her board and care. But a problem arises unexpectedly. In order to continue to benefit from her therapeutic housing, Leonora must agree to take a psychotropic medication. Leonora, by her own logic, refuses to swallow a molecule that could hurt her babies and she is eventually kicked out of the board and care. Without work or money, she soon goes back to the sidewalks. For several months we meet her in the street at places that she determines. One day she is not there.
Decline
Fifty years after Michel Foucault, we are far away from the era of "the great confinement." US capacity for inpatient psychiatric services has declined dramatically since 1965, from approximately 500,000 to less than 50,000. Since 1995, California alone has lost 40 psychiatric wards or hospitals, representing nearly a 22% drop. Experts estimate a need for a minimum of 50 public psychiatric hospital beds for every 100,000 people. In 2010, California had 17 psychiatric inpatient beds for every 100,000 residents.
Private inpatient psychiatric capacity held relatively stable during the early 1990s but has declined sharply as insurance reimbursement levels have shrunk. Although some would argue that psychiatric services are still profitable for hospitals, they are usually less profitable than other inpatient services such as general medicine and surgery. One of the consequences of the lack of resources and poor reimbursement is that in the last few decades the average length of stay has gone from 421 days to just four or five. In this context, “hospital treatment" can be considered an oxymoron. Whereas an “acute day” (defined as a patient presenting behavior either self-destructive or aggressive to others) is reimbursed at approximately $900 per day for a hospital stay, an “administrative day” pulls in more like $200. Therefore, as soon as a patient is “calmed down” through the use of “meds”, psychiatrists are pressured to discharge them as quickly as possible because the reimbursement level has plummeted. Note that the label of “acute day” is justified typically by “behaviors” either self-destructive or aggressive to others, whereas intense internal suffering without outrageous “acting out” does not justify adequate reimbursement for inpatient care.
The situation is even worse in emergency rooms where psychiatrists are caught between law enforcement officers who pour a steady stream of social despair and agitation into the ER, and management, who are concerned mostly about cost and liability linked to emergency room overcrowding. Under constant pressure, psychiatrists are given the mandate of kicking out sub-acute ‘consumers’ as swiftly as possible without really being given the time or means to provide proper treatment. A drugged-into-submission patient is still sick, but he must be discharged. The catch-22 for the psychiatrist is that if a patient kills him or herself, or hurts somebody else after being released too quickly, it is the physician signing the chart who will be the one held accountable. Being responsible with neither the authority nor the means (time, space, personnel) to function properly, is a recipe for disaster and burnout. From “agents of confinement”, psychiatrists have now been given the thankless and dehumanizing role of hospital bouncer.
Compassion and finesse are no longer necessary; actually they are contraindicated for the job. For staff to feel better about their new inhumanity, it is the patients who are blamed – called malingers, drug addicts, or “a bunch of bums who need to grow up!” "After all, it's their choice!” is a classic line of the overwhelmed emergency room staffer, be it nurse, nurse attendant, social worker or psychiatrist. Shifting from the frame of mind of triage (the process of determining the priority of patients' treatments) to one of moral judgment may be one of the only ways for the caregiver-bouncer to avoid the crushing feelings of guilt and helplessness experienced from kicking out these patients. How else can we feel when, without resources and treatment facilities to which to refer these patients, our only ways of helping, besides providing mostly unwelcomed medications, are to dole out bus tokens and a list of shelter and outpatient clinic phone numbers to patients who have no home and no phone?
In California, it is the court, not the psychiatrist who has the authority to impose an involuntary hospitalization or a pharmacological treatment without the patient’s consent. This has changed due to growing patients’ rights advocacy. A decision to keep a patient longer than three days against his or her will is made by a representative of the court who comes to the hospital to meet with the patient, his or her advocate, and the psychiatrist. It is justified only in the case of imminent danger to the patient themselves, society and/or a total inability of the patient to “take care of him or herself”.
In this context, modern-day psychiatrists are left without the original framework of their profession, which was developed in the structure of an asylum or hospital. By removing both the ability and responsibility related to involuntary treatment, society has transformed the doctor’s working conditions without necessarily preparing him or her for the change. Psychiatric residents are trained in the hyper-technical compartmentalization of symptoms and their correlative pharmacological solutions, but the practitioner is no longer taught tools (therapy, ethics, etc.) to confront the complexities of the human condition in a more sophisticated way. Today, in most medical schools, residents are still fed theories relating to chemical imbalances of the brain long after this model has been demonstrated as incorrect. Psychiatric residents are generally taught that schizophrenia, for example, is an incurable disease for which medication will be required until the patient’s last breath, even though multiple studies have shown that at least 30% of patients labeled schizophrenic will eventually have a pill-free, ‘normal’ life. Another matter not addressed in medical school is the myth that patients do what physicians ask and will tell us honestly what they have done. In fact less than 25% of patients take their medications as prescribed.
Once in the field, if a young psychiatrist has the courage to keep his or her eyes open, he or she realizes that the world of mental illness is, for the most part, unclassifiable, unpredictable and much more difficult to treat than it is in an article in The New England Journal of Medicine.
Fall?
September 2007, South Central Los Angeles, a place where gangs are the law. A social worker and I, both of us Caucasian and somewhat nervous, park our car near the fence of a gloomy looking two-story building. In the common area of a filthy rooming house lounge a dozen predominantly African-American men, in transition from the streets, prison, drug rehabilitation facilities and hospitals. The place does not meet the legal criteria for a licensed halfway house, hence the palpable chaos, but it accepts people who no one else accepts: arsonists, sex offenders and patients rejected by licensed board and cares. On the ground floor, a surly giant of a man is preparing a huge pot of potatoes. He constitutes the staff. On the second floor, curled up in a half-empty room, our new patient, Daniel, looks at us with suspicion. We know from the referral papers that he had worked for five years as a mailman until, in 2003, a bout of paranoid psychosis cost him his job, housing, and after using methamphetamine, his freedom. When he sees us, he shouts with a threatening voice that he is not sick and that he does not want social services. From a safe distance, we offer our help. Better housing? Clean clothes? After a few minutes, he asks us to leave, but agrees to a future visit.
It takes many months, but gradually we get to know one another and Daniel finally accepts housing, a parka, therapy and, later, four milligrams of risperidone. Gradually, he is “himself” again, gets off of hard drugs and, after two years is able and willing to go back to school. In October 2011, he received a degree as a pharmacy technician and he is now looking for work. He is not really convinced of his diagnosis of schizophrenia. Recently, negotiating a decrease of his antipsychotic medication, Daniel told me that his "paranoia" was probably due to his use of methamphetamines. He added that the day we first met him, he, a member of the Bloods gang, had been housed in the middle of Crips territory, the enemy gang. With good reason he feared for his life, and was furious at the decision of social workers from the unit where he was briefly hospitalized, to “dump him there”. He added with a smile that at that time, he thought that we were just plain stupid. As to his urgent request to decrease his medication, which certainly has some basis (was his paranoia solely drug- and circumstance-induced?), I am hesitant. We decide to lower the risperidone. How far shall we lower it? What will be the outcome? We will have to wait and see. As Daniel says on leaving my office, "after all Doc, this is MY life".
During my six years in the trenches, I discovered the incredible resilience of some patients previously branded as difficult, and their surprising outcomes due to (but sometimes in spite of) our treatment. I have worked side by side with other mental health workers, who have shared their enthusiasm, compassion, time, and often some their own money. I have been moved by the kindness of several sheriffs and by the genuine love that some board and care owners have given to these lost strangers. But I have also observed all too often the bleak mantle of indifference under which it seems so easy to hide those for whom we assume there is nothing we can do.
Daniel, Leonora and many other patients have forced me to question and sometimes to set aside some of the knowledge upon which I built my identity as a therapist and psychiatrist. Working 24/7 to help patients stay in the community (and not in institutions) when some of them are often on the verge of an act of violence against themselves or others, is exhausting – especially when done without the support provided by the structure and staff of an inpatient unit. In moments of powerlessness and fear, and at times against a background of absurdity, I read Viktor Frankl and Donald Winnicott. I am looking for comfort in the Consolation of Philosophy and in the idea of "radical acceptance" so important in dialectical behavior therapy. I am dismayed by the lies, excesses and costs of the unhealthy collusion between the world of academic medicine and the pharmaceuticals lobbies. I worry just as much about the resulting loss of credibility that risks eroding trust in our profession and the fact that patients may no longer be willing to use medications that could change, or even save their lives17. The possible swing of the pendulum against medication may not necessarily bring a better balance.
In the media recently, two healthcare professionals have added an inspiring perspective to the field by coming out of the closet of shameful psychiatric labels and sharing the lessons of their own descent into the hell of mental illness. Elyn Saks, Professor of Law and Psychiatry at the University of Southern California (USC) outlines, in a remarkable book, the story of her daily struggle with schizophrenia. She stresses the importance of a judicious combination, at least for her, of psychoanalysis and drug therapy. She describes the horror of psychiatric detention, the torment of the side-effects of drugs that were given against her will, the black hole of psychosis, and the despair. But she also reminds us that “we who struggle with these disorders can lead full, happy, productive lives, if we have the right resources”. Similarly, in June 2011, in order to give hope to patients who have lost it, Marsha Linehan shared her own story in a moving New York Times interview. She describes her own struggle with mental illness and psychiatry, and the vagaries of the long road traveled between an erroneous diagnosis of schizophrenia and becoming the originator of dialectical behavioral therapy, one of the most effective treatment methods for borderline personality disorders.
To add to my internal wonder, a close friend has described to me recently how switching to gluten-free diet has interrupted a cycle of psychosis for which he could have been lobotomized fifty years ago. Clearly we do not have to listen very hard to realize the limits of our knowledge.
Faced with the blinders-off reality of daily fieldwork, I have to give up the belief that'scientific' theories are all-powerful. They are, after all, no more than science’s translations of current social beliefs – sometimes very useful, but never really comprehensive or exact.
That said, getting rid of psychiatry, and closing psychiatric hospitals, will not eliminate mental illness. The steady increase of the mentally ill homeless and incarcerated is a daily reminder of the limits of the anti-psychiatry discourse. The recovery model has given hope to many in the mental health field, so we do not like to be reminded of those who suffer in places we cannot see them or help them. What about the many patients suffering from the devastating consequences of brain damage from head injuries, or chronic drug and alcohol use, or early dementia, who are warehoused in the few remaining state hospitals because they are too sick to live independently or stay with their families? Many of these facilities are unprepared, unequipped and underfunded for such care.
A colleague of mine has described these extremely sick patients as “at times so severely disturbed that they lick the walls and floor, or compulsively flip light switches up and down to the point that they develop blisters or the like”. How will our society provide real asylum to these people who have been sacrificed upon the altar of patients’ rights and budget cuts, and who have no real hope for a better future or miraculous treatment. How can we re-think psychiatry?
A Postmodern Psychiatry
Philosophically, I struggle to make sense of the challenges that my profession confronts me with every day – by witnessing the almost unbearable moral and physical misery of our fellow human beings, and our inability to change a non-working system. But, I am also confronted with the miracle of daily acts of kindness. Turning to a phenomenological approach, I try to find sense and strength in the thoughts offered by Emmanuel Levinas (1906-1995), a Lithuanian-born philosopher who was influenced by the work of Heidegger as well as by his own experience in Nazi concentration camps. At the core of Levinas's philosophy are his descriptions of the encounter with another person: the face-to-face relationship. The fundamental intuition of Levinas's philosophy is the non-reciprocal relation of responsibility. We do not choose to be responsible. Responsibility arises before we begin to think about it, by the approach of the other person. For Levinas, the irreducible relation of the face-to-face, the encounter with another, is a privileged phenomenon in which the other person's proximity and distance are both strongly felt. Looking at the other’s face is to be confronted with the idea of infinity, that is to say having the thought of what we cannot think of, having the idea of the limitation of what we can know. Staring at someone (“devisager” in French, literally "de-facing" someone, or staring) is, for Levinas, to annihilate a person’s face by reducing it to a set of material qualities (a shape, a color etc). This reductionist way of viewing the other can be found for instance in some well-intentioned charitable/paternalistic ways of reducing the other to a caricature and taking away from them the depth of their reality as full human being. This reductionist approach gives the other the identity we label him/her with (“homeless”, “schizophrenic”, “gay”). By distancing us from the other – by reducing others to what we imagine about them – such "charity" makes us feel better. But on the other hand, “the ethical relationship – the encounter with the abyss of what we cannot know or do – overwhelms us”.
It may be to avoid being overwhelmed that society, through psychiatry among other systems, catalogs fellow human beings into rigid categories, leading to our limited number of “evidence-based treatments”. If these treatments do not work, the patient, more often than the treatment, is questioned. The patient is consequently described as “resistant”, “non-adherent”, “difficult” or “not engaged in his or her recovery process”.
Humility is not a core attribute of western science, which sometimes has the tendency to blame whatever it cannot control or understand, rather than questioning its own limitations. The current need to attach a scientifically-correct (in the sense of politically-correct) account to every emotional/psychiatric suffering dehumanizes the discipline itself. An illustration of this danger is what has happened as the narrative of the cause of mental illness has changed from something psycho-social in origin to its becoming a “brain disease”. The original idea was that a scientific explanation would lower the stigma of a psychiatric disorder. Research suggests, however, that this charitable attitude (think again of Levinas) causes the opposite of the expected effect. We tend, in fact, to treat the sufferer more harshly when his or her problem is described in the new terminology of "disease", almost as if these biological abnormalities make the sufferer belong to another species.
Two British colleagues offer an alternative to this Enlightenment belief in the omnipotence of science, which modern psychiatry and some psycho-social schools of thought have pushed to the extreme. They present a "Postmodern Psychiatry" – not as a rejection of theoretical approaches, but as a way to question the claim of total and universally valid knowledge. They are inspired by the proposal of Gilles Deleuze who defines a theory as one element in a toolbox. In this box, it is urgent to re-introduce the tools of ethical, philosophical and relational thinking; concepts that have been prematurely removed from medical school coursework.
Rethinking psychiatry must entail a greater understanding of the character of the “healer” as well as identifying the human qualities that make a good therapist (shaman, healer or psychiatrist) regardless of the theories he or she is using. What qualities can best transform the person seeking help? Let us recall Wampold’s research: 70% of the overall effect of psychotherapy seems related to factors such as the degree of collaboration and trust between patient and therapist (therapeutic alliance), empathy, etc. rather than to the technique or theory employed. We must therefore identify and preserve these qualities that are so necessary for the effective exercise of our mental health professions, such as the effort to be fully present with the other without memory or desire (as explored by Wilfred Bion ) and the possibility of an encounter à la Levinas. Psychoanalysis, perhaps more than any other western technique, has ventured into the observation of the inter-relational process, both conscious and non-conscious. But how to quantify the alpha function defined by Bion? How can we measure love or hatred in counter-transference?
We cannot “guideline” our imagination or the free associations which are at work behind an interpretation that we share with a patient. How can we predetermine the exact moment to say something? We cannot write a manual for the creativity required to come up with an enlightening metaphor or for when and how to change the intensity of our glance. Without enough time to get to know the other, to hear the melody of our communications or to understand the expression of the elements unique to a human-to-human encounter such as inspiration and generosity, we risk losing the essential ingredients of our profession which foster new emotional learning.
Polarization
Unfortunately, mental healthcare is evolving quickly in the opposite direction. It gets more and more defined by guidelines and manuals, evidence-based techniques and computerization. The risk is the transformation from a supportive structure into evidence-based straightjacket.
The challenge is to embrace progress without becoming its brainless and heartless devotee. One of the new directions is the development of tele-psychiatry, a term that at first seemed paradoxical to me because of my humanistic approach to psychiatry. How to convey the warmth and intimacy necessary to build a trustful environment through a webcam and computer screen? But our human species has amazing ways of adapting, and if not everybody is convinced by this computerized relationship, this fast growing practice is welcomed by geographically isolated populations and by patients who would otherwise never seek help in a clinic for crazy people.
But the advances and challenges of our 21st century do not stop at tele-psychiatry. In 2011, researchers at USC’s Institute for Creative Technologies (ICT), New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center and the Emory University School of Medicine were awarded an $11 million, four-year grant from the US Department of Defense to test different ways to treat post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), including the use of “virtual-reality exposure therapy”. “Virtual-reality exposure therapy” uses three-dimensional graphics (with the support of goggles and earphones) to gradually immerse the patient into digital scenes simulating the traumatic or phobia-inducing event. Similar technology is also developing avatars or virtual mentalhealth agents, so that a soldier, for example, who is reluctant to share his or her vulnerability to a real human therapist, instead is offered a computer-generated counselor who can receive confidences and provide basic advice anonymously.
Don’t get me wrong. Despite my humanistic tendencies, I heartily embrace certain appropriate tools of science. I imagine that the vision of goggles and earphones in a therapist’s office may raise eyebrows, but in an attempt to integrate modernism and tradition, let’s try to put this idea in a 21st century context. For certain types of phobias or traumatic memories, the idea of "re-programming” our brain through virtual simulation makes sense. Neuroscientific research recently provided us with ways to understand how some therapeutic practices may be successful in changing the way we are thinking or remembering. Each time we bring to consciousness the memory of a particular situation, we activate a complex network of neuronal connections. Within this new context (determined by where we are, who we are talking to and our new physiological state, etc.) we can re-record the old memories that are now associated with a new array of neuronal connections created by this new context (and which importantly are lacking other, perhaps more traumatic ones). The brain now has a new updated recording of the initial event, changed by the new symbolic and emotional associations, conscious and non-conscious, that we just experienced. Researchers suggest that it is possible that this process creates not an additional memory, but a singular brand new one whose biological trace has replaced the old one. An obvious limitation of the technological exploitation of this hypothesis is that, even with extremely advanced machinery, there is an infinite gap between the way we can recreate a virtual representation of an “event” and a human-to-human experience.
In any case, we can imagine how this type of technology might be offered sooner than later by our health organisations for legitimate reasons (easy access) or to save money on salaries.
Our society has to be cautious and thoughtful about the direction of the future of mental healthcare. Those who – in the name or under cover of science – decide to embrace indiscriminately every new mental health technique with the same enthusiasm they clung to a belief in chemical imbalances need to be aware that doing so may risk losing the essential human component in psychiatry. Even if Deep Blue has finally prevailed over Kasparov, it is not tomorrow that an avatar with a tender heart will linger after its shift is over to hold the hand of a dying man.
Technology has taken over our lives to the extent that it has to make me wonder: are we really irreplaceable? How can I control my anxiety? Take a pill? Identify and alter dysfunctional cognitions? Undertake a virtual reality assessment? Or simply check my new smart phone app?
I need to talk to someone! And I’m probably not the only one. ≈©
This article is available as a Wild Culture Press Kindle ebook, Rethinking Psychiatry: From Locked in to Locked Out. The ebook edition includes responses to Bernadette's original piece (first published in The Journal of Wild Culture on January 3, 2014, from a range of professional experts, kickstarting a timely debate about the very nature of psychiatry.
DR. BERNADETTE GROSJEAN is a native of Belgium, where she received her M.D. and her first psychiatric training (1992). After a visiting fellowship at Cornell in 1997 with Professor Otto Kernberg, world expert in the field of borderline personality disorder (BDP), she made the decision to re-train in psychiatry in the United States (2001-2005). She is now Associate professor of Psychiatry at Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. www.bgrosjean.com
All images by Alex Widdowson. alexwiddowson.tumblr.comMAKOTO AIDA’S first retrospective is 250 metres above ground in the Mori Art Museum, on top of one of Tokyo’s swankiest skyscrapers. But there is nothing rarefied about the collection itself. Part of its charm is that it appears to have poured out of what the artist calls his “skewed” mind in a cascade of impish disorder.
There are doe-eyed girls in various states of undress, smiling and languishingly carefree. It takes a moment to realise that the one winking mischievously in “Harakiri School Girls” is disembowelling herself with a samurai sword. Or that the frolicking nudes in his latest (unfinished) work—spread over a large wall—are being blown to bits by a gun, their insides spilling out in a puff of flowers, strawberries and diamonds.
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It is hard to tell whether “War Picture Returns”—a homage to the disgraced second world war artists who did their jobs of glorifying Japan’s war machine all too well—is pro- or anti-war. Mr Aida insists there is nothing political about works such as “A Picture of an Air Raid on New York City”, which shows Japanese “Zero” fighters in an infinity formation flying over a flaming Manhattan. It came, he says, from a mind overcrowded with images after watching too many war films.
Some work, which gently parodies Japanese masterpieces, reveals what a deft and meticulous painter he is. To some, his video impersonation of a drunken Osama bin Laden claiming to have found peace at last in a Japanese izakaya, or pub, is just plain funny.
But perhaps most intriguing is that the 47-year-old’s exhibition is taking place at all. His contemporary, Takashi Murakami, has recommended that any Japanese contemporary artist who wants to become rich and famous should make it outside Japan first, in order to be accepted at home. Mr Aida has not followed Mr Murakami’s advice. He has only rarely lived abroad; some of his drollest work mocks the difficulty of speaking English (“Stop Speaking with Trilled Rs”, he complains). He makes paintings that he admits are often too erotic for public museums, too grotesque for people’s living rooms and too laced with a Lolita complex for non-Japanese tastes.
He says he never thinks of collectors. One piece, “How to Become the World’s Greatest Artist”, could be a sly dig at Mr Murakami’s celebrated commercialism. The work recommends greeting art-world big shots with “Eh? What’s your name again?” Even better, it says, “go ahead and punch them for no reason whatsoever.”
Yet recognition is starting to creep up on Mr Aida—in Japan at least, if not in the West. He, too, seems to be adapting in middle age to the sensitivities of the market. A room in the exhibition containing his most risqué manga, paintings and video is sealed off, like a peep show, from under 18-year-olds. He admits he is toning down the eroticism in some of his larger works so that they can hang in public museums. He will, however, continue to portray “pretty young girls”, he insists. Not only does he find them the most fun to paint; they also represent what he calls the emasculation of Japan’s male society after its wartime defeat.
But Mr Aida will face an uphill struggle for public approval. One of his admiring critics, Akira Tatehata, president of the Kyoto City University of Art, says the artist is still too “dangerous” for the general public—though his brand of eccentricity should be encouraged. Some in Japan wonder why Mori, a company with annual sales of $2 billion and that builds skyscrapers for the uptown elite, should promote such a downtown hellraiser as Mr Aida or indeed those other iconoclastic Asian artists, China’s Ai Weiwei and South Korea’s Lee Bul. That it does is just another of the incongruities of this exhibition.Police say an officer had to shoot a dog at All Aboard Grooming and Kennels in Dagsboro June 6 after it attacked a state Office of Animal Welfare officer.
Officers from Delaware State Police, Dagsboro, Frankford and Selbyville were called to the shelter at 32978 DuPont Blvd. shortly before 4 p.m. for a dangerous dog actively attacking an animal-control officer.
Dagsboro Police Department Chief Floyd Toomey said a Dagsboro officer was the first on scene, and saw a white-and-brown dog, described by police as a pit bull breed, viciously attacking the 28-year-old female officer.
The Dagsboro officer immediately engaged the dog, which only increased the ferocity of the attack, Toomey said. Fearing for the victim's safety, the Dagsboro officer shot and killed the dog as other police units and emergency personnel arrived on scene.
The woman was treated on-scene by Frankford Fire Department EMS and Sussex County paramedic units before she was taken to Beebe Medical Center in Lewes, where she was treated and released.
“The Dagsboro officer's actions were decisive, crucial and heroic in bringing a close to the brutal attack on the victim officer, potentially saving life and limb,” Toomey said in a press release.
All Aboard Kennels includes a facility leased by Brandywine Valley SPCA, which is contracted by the state for shelter services. The leased Dagsboro facility serves as a satellite location to Brandywine’s main shelter in New Castle, said Office of Animal Welfare spokeswoman Andrea Wojcik. The attacking dog was a stray in the Office of Animal Welfare’s care, All Aboard Kennels said in a statement.
“This is the location that OAW officers take dogs that are found in Sussex County for the stray hold period of 72 hours to facilitate owner reunification,” Wojcik explained.
Wojcik said the department is grateful for the assistance of all the police agencies and the officer is recovering from the injuries sustained during the attack.
“Working with animals can be unpredictable and while OAW trains its officers to be ready for any situation possible, there are times when circumstances out of officers’ control occurs, and part of our post incident protocols are to analyze what happened and determine, what if anything can be done to prevent a similar situation from occurring in the future,” she said in an email.
Woj |
.M.” came out in March 1995 — which means they’ll be giving crowds the usual dose of great songs from all of the band’s eight studio albums.
Other big shows: Ben Harper and the Innocent Criminals, June 5; Flogging Molly, June 9; Lucinda Williams, June 11; Gogol Bordello, July 3; the Psychedelic Furs with the Church, Aug. 27.
The Midland
D’Angelo and the Vanguard, June 11: In December, he released “Black Messiah,” his first album in 14 years. The critical response has been effusively positive: It received seven perfect 100 scores at Metacritic, which aggregates reviews. This show will be his first in Kansas City, and he’s bringing with him the Vanguard, the all-star heavyweight band that supported him in the studio. “Black Messiah” is provocative lyrically and musically, fusing soul, jazz, funk and R&B. The album of the year could be the soundtrack to the show of the year.
Other big shows: Spoon, May 18; Smashing Pumpkins, June 22
Uptown Theater
Belle & Sebastian with Courtney Barnett, June 18: This will be Belle & Sebastian’s first-ever Kansas City show and their first in the area since they performed at Liberty Hall in November 2003. They’re touring off “Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance,” the most diverse of their nine studio albums. At a recent show in Madison, Wis., the set list focused heavily on the new album, but it included old favorites like “The Boy With the Arab Strap.” Don’t miss the opener. Courtney Barnett writes great songs and puts on a lively show.
Other big shows: Tame Impala, May 31; Tears for Fears, June 15; Graham Nash, July 25.
Knuckleheads
The Hillbenders, Friday: If you didn’t catch their bluegrass version of the Who’s “Tommy,” now is your chance. If you’re a Who fan, it’s not to be misssed.
Other big shows: Alejandro Escovedo, Saturday; the Devon Allman Band, July 30.
Festivals
Westport Roots Festival, May 23: This second-annual festival celebrates all music roots: rockabilly, country, country-punk, folk, bluegrass. This year it will feature nearly four dozen bands in several Westport venues.
Rockfest, May 30: It’s an annual rite of spring. On a Saturday in May, tens of thousands of hard-rock fans descend upon downtown Kansas City and fill the park around the Liberty Memorial into the all-day music orgy that is Rockfest. Attendance approaches 50,000 — about as many as will attend each Arrowhead show. Fifteen bands will perform on two stages. This year’s headliners: Rob Zombie, Anthrax, Vol Beat and hometown hip-hop hero Tech N9ne.
PorchFest KC, June 13: This festival was launched in 2014 in a 20-block radius of the West Plaza area, where 34 homes hosted 70 bands. Admission is free. The bands play for tips.
Center of the City Fest, June 18-20: The punk fest is moving to Harling’s, 3941 Main St., where dozens of punk bands will perform. Visit Center of the City Fest on Facebook for more information.
Boulevardia, June 19-21: The inaugural Boulevardia was one of the musical highlights of 2014. Set in the West Bottoms underneath the 12th Street viaduct, it’s a celebration of food, beer, music and visual art. The headliners for this year’s festival include the Mowgli’s, Mayer Hawthorne, J. Roddy Watson & the Business and Big Head Todd & the Monsters. More than a dozen local bands also will perform, most on the second stage.Seems like every State and Authoritarian on the planet is virulently against Catalans complaining about 500 years of macho Spanish colonialism. Of course, because their very own ‘cash cow’ populations could go copy-cat. Rebellion is brewing everywhere as wealth is funneled ever more to the tiny hierarchical elite.
The Spanish Right, unreformed, rabid and clerical have wallowed in repressive robbery and mass murder for centuries. But recently some of the tens of thousands of politicians have been caught with their greedy fat fingers in the public cash box.
No prison, no punishment, of course, but the far right PP almost got voted out. And one way they could keep power was by BLAMING THE CATALANS. For 5 years we have suffered an incessant racist campaign against these hospitable and long suffering people. And now provoking a tidal wave of racist and sexist male violence against them.
Until finally… We want back the democratic Republic your military took from us by murder and massacre. We don’t want your King, appointed by a fascist dictator, or your Constitution, agreed only under the threat of 40 more years of total repression.
Hopefully the blind authoritarianism of the stomping PP nationalists will be the death throes of the imperial mentality,. If not the Catalans will resist, the debts won’t be paid, and the entire economic House of Cards could tumble down.
Then maybe we can build something better in Iberia.
New Joint Declaration from Anarchist Trade Unions
viahe government of Catalonia declares its independence from Spain; the Spanish government in response dismisses the Catalan government, assumes direct control of the region and declares regional elections for the 21st of December. What happens from hereon in is unknown. Below is a statement from the country’s principal anarchist labour unions before the unfolding of events …
The undersigned organisations, national labour unions, share our preoccupation with the situation in Catalonia, because of the State repression unleashed, because of the decrease in rights and freedoms that this presupposes and will presuppose, and because of the growth of a rancid nationalism that again shows its face in a great part of the country.
We defend the emancipation of all of the workers of Catalonia and of the rest of the world. In this context, it is perhaps necessary to recall that we don’t understand the right to self-determination in statist terms, as proclaimed by nationalist political parties and organisations, but as the right to self-management of our class in a specific territory.
Thus understood, self-determination has more to do with the control of production and consumption by workers, and with a bottom up democracy, organised according to federalist principles, rather than the creation of a new border or the creation of a new State.
As internationalists, we believe that the solidarity between workers should not be limited by state borders, and therefore our little concern for where these are drawn.
What does appear to us as quite worrying is the reaction that is being lived in many parts of the country, with the exaltation of a putrid españolismo [spanish-ism], that is far too reminiscent of past ages, goaded on by the media and in harmony with the authoritarian drift of the government, obvious in the imprisonment of people for calling for acts of disobedience or the application of article 155 of the constitution.
It does not escape us that this outbreak of nationalism lays the bases for future cuts in rights and freedoms, against which we must prepare. The oppressive unity of the so called “democratic forces” in the justification of the repression augurs a dark horizon for all future dissidence. It would seem the the post-franco regime that has governed us for 40 years will close ranks to guarantee its continuity.
The said regime, which has existed and exists in Catalonia, as in the rest of Spain, understands that its very existence is at stake. Broadly questioned and immersed in a profound crisis of legitimacy, it looks on with alarm at all the fronts opened up against it.
The threat to the territorial integrity of the State joins the scandals of corruption, the loss of prestige of the monarchy, the questioning of the public bailouts of private institutions and the cuts suffered by the population, discontent at a growing slavery in the work place due to the last labour reforms, the increase in the years of work and cuts in pensions, etc. …
The constant appeals to defend the constitution must be understood as alarm bells to stem the very real existential crisis that besieges them. The danger is that in the process the repressive behaviour recently witnessed in Catalan cities is sanctioned and become the norm. Or worse …
We obviously don’t know what way events will go. We will remain attentive to what happens, ready to defend the interests of working class people throughout the country. With all of our strength, we oppose the repression and the normalisation of extreme-right attitudes that are already evident.
We will obviously also not allow ourselves to be used by the strategies of political parties whose goals are foreign to ours. In turn, we will not stop encouraging mobilizations of the working class when it decides that the time has come to shake off the dictates of political and economic elites who for too long have managed the control of the territory to serve exclusively their own interests.
As working class, libertarian and combative labour unions, we are in the streets, in the demonstrations, as we have already demonstrated on many occasions, against the repression, against the cuts in rights and freedoms, and against corruption.
It may be that the crisis in Catalonia is the tip of a state model that is dying. That this change moves in one direction or another will depend on our capacity, as a class, to carry the process in a direction opposed to repression and the growth of nationalisms. We hope that the final result will be more freedoms and rights and not the other way around. A great deal is at stake.
For rights and freedoms!
Against the repression of the working class!
Solidaridad ObreraWriters on the Range We’re letting another predator go down
National Park Service
In New Mexico, some wildlife outranks others, with mountain lions landing near the bottom of the pack. It’s not much of an exaggeration to say that the solitary Puma concolor enjoys the status of rats or “trash fish” -- which is how New Mexico’s wildlife department characterizes carp.
Late last month, the New Mexico Game and Fish Department unveiled its latest proposal to benefit hunters who think lions are taking too many deer and elk: leg-hold traps. Though they would only be permitted on private land, these traps are known to cause terrible suffering; some unfortunate animals are so desperate that they even bite off their own legs in order to escape.
But lions seem to be considered expendable, and this bias against the big cats is sadly common in most states, including Montana, Colorado, Arizona and South Dakota. Though each state claims to study lions, none can tell us with any clarity how many there are, and each has set goals to dramatically reduce their numbers, with little or no science to guide this politically driven destruction.
South Dakota’s anti-lion policy is clearly working. The state is said to be home to an estimated 225 lions, but that number may be too high. The game commission significantly upped the number of available deer and elk tags in the Black Hills in a state that already sells over 55,000 deer tags annually. Yet state officials and hunters continue to blame lions for depleting the deer, even though deer are now so numerous that most residents of small mountain towns can’t even have gardens. Deer replaced yard gnomes years ago.
Lions keep ecosystems healthy by taking out some deer, elk and bighorn sheep, and keeping grazing animals away from fragile riparian areas. So why wildlife managers remain so prejudiced against them is hard to explain, especially in this age of increasing awareness of the need for conservation of all species. Three groups influence lion policy out of all proportion to the actual damage that lions do. The first is hunters, who don’t like to compete with other predators; the second is ranchers, who don’t like the bother of practicing lion-friendly animal husbandry. (Lions have been known to kill a few head of livestock.) Finally, there are the always-underfunded wildlife agencies.
South Dakota’s West River wildlife manager, Mike Kintigh, agrees that lions are killed for fun and profit — not for the benefit of the species — and to make life safer for a handful of favorite hunted species, such as Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, as well as deer and elk. Yet 90 percent of South Dakotans say they would prefer using “non-lethal means” to deal with conflicts between lions and people, and more than half of South Dakotans say they support lions continuing to live in the wild.
Nonprofit lion supporters such as Arizona’s Southwest Jaguars: a Voice for the Jaguars, Wyoming’s Biodiversity Conservation Alliance and California’s Mountain Lion Foundation are waging an increasingly hopeless war to turn the tide and save the species. But the opposition appears to favor keeping mountain lions penned up in zoos or as exhibits in museums. Even those who are somewhat supportive of maintaining lion populations, such as John Clemons of the Arizona Desert Bighorn Sheep Society, seem content to sacrifice lions for other species.
Though few in number, lion opponents are dictating what game animals roam the wild and under what conditions. That is why lion numbers are declining in most Western states, including California, even though lion hunting has been illegal there since 1996. But state lion policies are coming home to roost. In Arizona, for instance, where lion hunting with dog packs is an important business, hunters say they are alarmed that only 188 lions were taken in 2014, down from the average of 220.
While all but dewy-eyed neophytes understand that big cat biology in the West is two parts politics and one part science, we are on course to eradicate catamounts, including jaguars, much as we did grizzly bears. Only one lonely jaguar roams the American side of the Mexican border now. What’s worse, we’re not even pausing to wonder if it’s too late to do the right thing and protect these creatures.
In the end, it’s really about political power and influence rather than the need for a balanced ecosystem. The bottom line is that some people like to kill lions, and they bring in a lot of money by doing so.
Frank Carroll is a contributor to Writers on the Range, a column service of High Country News. Now retired from the U. S. Forest Service, he lives in Custer, South Dakota.
Note: the opinions expressed in this column are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of High Country News, its board or staff. If you'd like to share an opinion piece of your own, please write Betsy Marston at [email protected].SO formidable are Liverpool’s front three in how they attack together with the vibrancy and verve shown this season that it could be regarded as unfair to highlight the importance of an individual, rather than eulogising over the trio as a collective.
At the weekend we watched in awe as Watford quickly wilted like many have before them under the pressure of an uncontainable attacking troupe that continues to illuminate this league.
The combination of Sadio Mane, Philippe Coutinho and his compatriot Roberto Firmino seem dead set on dispelling the accusation levelled at Jürgen Klopp’s side last season that it is devoid of a genuine world class talent.
While the team’s transformation should not be attributed to any one individual on the pitch – rather the man on the touchline – Firmino continues to flourish as the fulcrum of the most exciting attacking partnership in the Premier League right now.
One year ago, Klopp took the decision to deploy the Brazilian as the focal point of his attack away to champions Chelsea, ostensibly as a ‘striker’ for the very first time.
Firmino had yet to score for Liverpool, having arrived from Hoffenheim as a Brazilian international with a reputation of goal getting.
His progression to this point has been an interesting one. At times under Brendan Rodgers he looked lost, often shipped out wide and only rarely offering glimpses of what you should expect of a £29million player during a stop-start first few months in the Premier League.
Uncertainty surrounded him as to what exactly he offered, where he was best placed or whether he was suited to the pace and rigour of English football at all.
With the turn of the year came numbers but still question marks over his consistency. Firmino would flit in and out of games, decorating with a goal without influencing for a full 90 – not unlike Luis Garcia a decade ago.
Fast-forward fifteen months into his career on Merseyside, the only question now asked of Roberto Firmino is how high his ceiling might be as it continually elevates with each dazzling display.
This season his performances are the reason Daniel Sturridge has been demoted to the bench and despite scoring 16 goals and registering nine assists this calendar year, his influence and increased importance within this Liverpool side is immeasurable.
The allure of the signing was primarily his ability to score and create but we’ve been seduced by how much else he offers that goalscoring stats won’t illustrate.
He epitomises what is great about the new Liverpool he belongs to – regimented industry, in game intelligence in abundance and a ruthlessness in front of goal that is unrivalled in this division.
It’s often said that Firmino is not a nine, nor a 10 and while he is as unorthodox a forward as you’re likely to see, it could be argued that he is the league’s most complete player in his position.
An ongoing trend this season has seen opposition managers label Liverpool as their toughest opponent to date.
Whether this is genuine or said to deflect from the performance of their own team can be debated, but I’m unsure our opponents realise just how good this group of players are until it’s too late.
Almost shellshocked, Alan Pardew lauded Firmino’s performance against Palace as if he expected him to be busy, albeit surprised at just how effective he actually was.
“Firmino plays that striker’s role really clever, you don’t really know where he is and it’s unnatural for centre-halves. He pulls you around, pops up in midfield, then someone else replaces him. It’s like a piston in an engine working there,” said Pardew following the defeat.
He’ll selflessly drag and stretch defenses, weaving to create space for the others behind him and what he lacks in pace, he makes up for in guile. There’s an intelligence in everything he does and an instinctive ability to be in the right place at the right time.
The Brazilian has illustrated a diligence in how he presses, not unlike Thomas Muller in the Bundesliga, while maintaining all of the skill and finesse expected of a Samba star.
Against Watford, he showed great strength in his hold up play guarding the ball from the opposing defenders and allowing Coutinho and Lallana to run beyond him. His ability in the air should not be understated either, another attribute you’d associate with a number nine but not necessarily a 10.
What’s most intriguing about Roberto Firmino is that he cannot be pinned down nor worked out as teams struggle to find a resolution for both him and his team. While this continues, it feels like we can continue to expect at least one goal or assist from the Brazilian each game.
At least one more dance routine with Coutinho and Mane, one more shirt off celebration before the ball has crossed the line – all accompanied by a smile that says he’s enjoying his football. In my mind, he might well be the most underrated player in the Premier League and as fans we may only just have realised how good he might become.
While now no longer reliant upon one single player, the limelight will be shared. It’s often said that the star is Jürgen’s team as a group but when do we revise this idea?
At what stage do we assess the possibility that this could well be a team of stars, led by the boys from Brazil.
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The following are questions that are going to be featured in the ThinkUp DrinkUp app, and new game I'm working on. They need some fine-tuning, so I'd like your feedback!
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Thanks for your participation!Despite a campaign-style push this week by President Barack Obama, the Senate on Thursday scuttled pared-back jobs legislation aimed at helping state and local governments avoid layoffs of teachers and firefighters.
Obama's three-day bus tour through North Carolina and Virginia - states crucial to his re-election race next year - didn't change any minds among Senate Republicans, who filibustered Obama's latest jobs measure to death just as they killed his broader $447 billion jobs plan last week.
The xx-xx vote came in relation to a motion to simply take up the bill. Some Democrats who voted with the president, like Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia and Jon Tester of Montana, however, said they couldn't support the underlying Obama plan unless it's changed.
Thursday's $35 billion measure combined $30 billion for state and local governments to hire teachers and other school workers with $5 billion to help pay the salaries of police officers, firefighters and other first responders. The White House says the measure would "support" almost 400,000 education jobs for one year. Republicans call that a temporary "sugar high" for the economy.
Despite the negative vote, Obama and his Democratic allies are acting like they've found a winning issue in repeatedly pressing popular ideas such as infrastructure spending and boosting hiring of police officers and firefighters. The sluggish economy and lower tax revenues have caused many teachers' jobs to be cut over the past several years.
"In the coming school year, many school districts will have to make another round of difficult decisions that will cost jobs and put the education of the nation's children at risk," a White House policy statement said.
After the failure of the jobs measure last week, Democrats vowed to try to resurrect it on a piece by piece basis, even though the strategy doesn't seem to have any better chance of success. But Democrats are trying to win a political advantage through repeated votes.
They're also pressing for passage of a poll-tested financing mechanism - a surcharge on income exceeding $1 million.
An AP-GfK poll taken Oct. 13-17 found 62 percent of respondents favoring the surcharge as a way to pay for jobs initiatives. Just 26 percent opposed the idea.
Republicans say the president is more interested in picking political fights with them than seeking compromise. Still, they don't seem to be afraid of a politically weakened Obama. Not a single Republican backed the president in last week's vote.
"The fact is we're not going to get this economy going again by growing the government. It's the private sector that's ultimately going to drive this recovery," Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., said. "Look, if big government were the key to economic growth, then countries like Greece would be booming right now."
At the same time, several Democrats opposed the underlying measure, even though they voted in favor of at least allowing debate to begin.
"This bill fails to give taxpayers any guarantee that this money would actually be used to hire teachers and invest in our schools," Tester said. "States would get loads of money with little guidance that they spend the money on teachers."
And Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., said the stimulus-style jobs bill spends money the country doesn't have and takes revenues away from a special "supercommittee" charged with cutting the deficit by at least $1.2 trillion over the coming decade.
According to the AP-GfK poll, Obama's party has lost the faith of the public on handling the economy. In the new poll, only 38 percent said they trust Democrats to do a better job than Republicans in handling the economy, the first time Democrats have fallen below 40 percent in the poll. Some 43 percent trust the Republicans more.
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney, speaking the day after Obama returned from bus tour, said the president's plan has the advantage of providing an immediate kick to the economy.
"The Republicans don't have proposals that would help the economy grow or help it create jobs now," Carney said. "That's the comparison."
Republicans want to roll back government regulations that they say choke job growth. They backed free-trade pacts with South Korea, Colombia and Panama that were ratified this month. They also back extending tax breaks for businesses that buy new equipment and favor offering a $4,800 tax credit to companies that hire veterans.
Democrats and the White House, meanwhile, are confident that other elements of Obama's larger jobs bill, including extending cuts in Social Security payroll taxes, will pass. A 2 percentage point payroll tax cut enacted last year expires at the end of the year. Obama has proposed cutting it by an additional percentage point and extending the cut to the first $5 million of a company's payroll.Big changes are coming to the bike lanes on Market Street in San Francisco to make the lanes safer for bicyclists. Construction crews will raise the lanes a few inches off the ground, starting Monday on eastbound Market Street between Gough and 12th Street.Bicyclists say it's already a bit tense navigating their way on Market Street alongside cars. Some have trouble imagining how they would do it in a lane raised up a little higher than the cars."I think more people will probably bike off the curb, so I am not sure that's very safe," San Francisco resident Robert Harvey said.Construction on a new raised lane started Tuesday. The idea is based on similar lanes in Amsterdam.But with any new idea comes questions about how it will work."I feel like maybe people could fall off of that. I don't know. Is there going to be like something vertical?" asked San Francisco resident Siena Aguaio.There won't be vertical barriers, but plastic pillars will be there and lanes will still be green.Transportation officials aren't worried about people falling off of the raised lane "At this point, we think this is going to be a beneficial and positive thing for people riding bikes, people who are walking and people who are driving as well because it organizes the streets. What we're seeing here is just how high is comfortable and how low makes a difference," Muni spokesperson Paul Rose said.One driver already feels like the two lanes are already plenty separated. "I think it's not necessary. Why? I don't know," driver Michelle Hsu said.Transportation officials say since the number of people on bikes has grown 200 percent since 2006, they think something new is necessary."We are just trying something new to improve safety, improve comfortability and just to try new things because we have to be innovative about ways we improve our transportation network," Rose said.Bicyclists and drivers are asked to be even more aware of each other now more so than usual because of the construction.When these lanes are completed in a month, officials want feedback before they move forward.This year March 8 in Italy will not be the same as other years. We live in a system that is no longer able even to pretend to guarantee decent living conditions for the majority of the people and this is reflected in particular in the terrible situation facing women. In the past few months, however, in dozens of countries around the world we have seen hundreds of thousands of women expressing their anger against the system, and taking to the streets to in defence of their rights.
Last October, tens of thousands of Polish women surprised the world with their strike against further restrictions on the right to abortion that the government was proposing to introduce. [See Poland abortion strike: Thousands of women in over 60 cities refuse to work in protest over restrictive laws for report and video].
Abortion is illegal in Poland, and is granted only in cases of rape, serious defects to the embryo or in life-threatening situations for the woman. The Nationalist government had decided that even these limited concessions were too liberal. But the government paid dearly for its arrogance: women broke the 25-year social peace and the bill had to be withdrawn.
In Brazil, abortion is guaranteed in the same manner as in Poland. Last year the women's movement blocked further restrictions put forward by Cunha, the President of the Lower House of Parliament, aimed at further criminalising women who have been victims of sexual violence.
Last October there were also mass mobilisations against violence against women in Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, Bolivia and Mexico, following an atrociously violent murder of Lucia Perez, a 16-year-old girl in Mar de la Plata, who was kidnapped, raped, tortured and impaled. [See Women in Argentina protest after murder of 16-year-old girl and Latin America rallies to condemn violence against women]
In Turkey, huge women’s mobilisations forced the government to withdraw its proposed law on so-called shotgun weddings, in which child victims of rape would not only have to accept rape in silence, but also to marry the rapist! [See article and video]. The same arrogant Turkish government that since last August has jailed thousands of left activists, teachers, intellectuals, civil servants, was forced to retreat by the movement.
Everyone can see what is happening in the United States with the movement of millions of women against Trump, bringing out workers and youth in a more general movement against his reactionary policies. [See Women's March against Donald Trump is the largest day of protests in US history, say political scientists]
There is no doubt that the escalation of violence against women has fuelled this movement, but it is also part of a more widespread mass protest against declining living conditions in general and against the new government.
Italy also saw at least 200,000 people coming out onto the streets in Rome last November in the demonstration against violence against women. [See video] At least seven million women have been victims of some form of violence in Italy. In Europe 33% of the female population has suffered some form of violence. Last year in Italy 116 women were killed, three quarters of which by a family member and 67% by their partners. Despite the media campaign of always highlighting any case that involves immigrants in order to foment racism and to justify increasing measures of state repression, the figures show that the problem is not one of “law and order”.
Violence against women is closely related to the economic system in which we live and therefore the fight against violence against women involves a struggle against capitalism.
Capitalism is violence
The tragic cases that we see, often involving extreme violence, are connected directly to the pressures of everyday life on ordinary families. And there is no doubt that this pressure has increased with the deepening economic crisis. In Italy, most of the killings have taken place in Lombardy, one of the most economically developed areas. We cannot treat the phenomenon simplistically as the result of cultural backwardness. In Italy less than 46% of women are in employment, one of the lowest percentages in Europe. However, even when women have jobs, their economic independence is not guaranteed. The lack of a welfare state means that for women even having a job can become an intolerable burden, especially for women with children or elderly relatives to look after. This means that it is not enough to demand jobs for women. One has to look at living conditions in general, taking into account the limited welfare facilities, the education system, healthcare and pensions.
To this we must also add that because of the social role assigned to women in this economic system, there is an ideological struggle of the ruling class to heavily limit sexual freedom for women and relegate them to the role of rearing and caring for children.
It is within the family, in all its many manifestations, that society places the ultimate responsibility for the care of human beings and within it the woman plays a key role, because it is women who give birth and this biological aspect conditions their role in the family. This is the reason why so many hard and bitter struggles were necessary to win the right to abortion, which exists in Italy, but which has been limited by the so-called right to “conscientious objection” of the medical staff. As many as 70% of the medical staff in fact exercise this option, refusing to carry out abortions, which means that this important right in many hospitals is not at all guaranteed. And even those women who manage to get an abortion find themselves the victims of obscurantist campaigns of criminalisation by the Catholic Church and the Movement for Life.
Women's bodies are not fully their own
And this fact, in the given social and economic context, further conditions the relations between the sexes, promoting the idea of a property relation of men over women.
Studies and statistics show that violence against women tends to occur in those cases where women feel psychologically more fragile, victims of the bitterness of life and often forced to depend, both economically and emotionally, on their partners. Forced relationships and the general exploitative situation women find themselves in, are the typical conditions in which the pathological character of the sense of ownership of the woman matures in men. This kind of relationship historically was also expressed in Italian Criminal and Family law. It suffices to recall that in Italy crimes of sexual violence were considered "crimes against morality and decency" and only in 1996 did they become crimes "against the person".
In the late 1980s, thanks to the development of the women's movement, there was a mushrooming of “anti-violence” centres for women. These were mainly private associations self-managed by women, which grew also thanks to occasional funding provided by the local authorities. But, over time, the funding decreased, and many of those centres have had to close down. They are certainly important, but they are no way near to being enough to deal with the problem. It is not enough to fight violence simply by working on the self-esteem and independence of women.
Freedom and Capitalism
Last year we saw the movement for the right to same-sex marriage which revealed the indignation of large layers of the youth against all the bigots inside and outside the government. [See Napoli in marcia per le unioni civili]. Eventually the Renzi government approved a compromise version of the law (there is no mention of marriage, but only of civil unions and same-sex couples have no right to adoption nor do the partners have the right to custody of each other’s children). All the various interest groups were applauding the “courage of the government”, conveniently ignoring not only what had been left out of the law, but also the fact that this was the same government that had introduced the Jobs Act [very similar to the labour law adopted by the Hollande government in France], and had cut pensions and healthcare. All these measures have led to an increase in layoffs and growing unemployment. This was a major attack not only on the working class movement as a whole, but also, and in particular, on the weaker and more discriminated layers of the working class (such as immigrants, women and gays).
Civil rights are not abstract and general, freely available to anyone. They are closely connected to the material living conditions of those who exercise them. How can people exercise their right to express their personal relations and to live their lives freely, under a regime of constant job insecurity, lack of social services, exorbitant rents, etc.?
We must fight to remove the social basis that fuels violence and discrimination
We believe that the difficulties the movement – at least here in Italy – is finding in establishing a clear fighting strategy to actually change the state of things, is related to the class nature of those who lead the movement. They accept the present government, and limit themselves to simply criticising this or that law approved by the Renzi government. They do not address the problem of how to fight against those who are pursuing interests that are diametrically opposed to those of the workers. These people living a comfortable life, these high-flying women intellectuals, etc., can spend their time in fancy talk about rights and so on, while they have idyllic families, beautiful homes with all the mod cons and also, of course, the domestic staff to look after them.
However, the present international women's movement has the possibility of challenging the ruling class and its governments. We must seize this opportunity to develop a winning strategy and declare war on those who are really responsible for the ongoing deterioration in the living conditions of the working class.
In recent years both “centre-left” and “centre-right” governments have attacked our interests. In less than three years, the Renzi government managed to introduce the right to fire without a just cause, and significant cuts to education, healthcare, pensions and local authority spending. It also deregulated the use of public land, and allowed for the so-called big works to commence, in reality gifts to speculators at the expense of genuinely useful services. All of this has been seasoned with arrogant and grotesque campaigns, such as “the Joy to Live and Procreate”, or the famous “Fertility Day”. The final insult was the bank-saving decree when €20 billion of public money was handed over to the bankers and the bosses. In recent years we have seen the transfer of immense resources from the pockets of the workers to those of the bosses.
The anger of the working people was expressed in the December 4 referendum, which led to the resignation of Renzi, but it is clear to everyone that the current government is just a “Renzi government without Renzi”.
A platform of struggle
The more than two thousand women attending the “Non una di meno” assembly held in Bologna on 4-5 February adopted an eight-point programme and issued an appeal to the trade unions to call a women's strike. The eight points demand greater safeguards for women, the right to abortion, investment in women's culture, opposition to sexism, racism and misogyny, but also the end of casualisation of jobs, a guaranteed minimum wage, residence permits for all [immigrants], and opposition to Renzi’s school reform.
What is surprising, however, is the fact that in relation to the right to abortion, immediately following on from the demand to end conscientious objection, the demand is raised for the decriminalisation of backstreet abortions which are themselves the result of “conscientious objection”, "so that everyone may exercise their right to self-determination "
We consider this a defensive demand, but also a dangerous one, because it opens even wider the door to backstreet abortions. One must not run away from the need to fight for the application of full abortion rights, protected and tailored to the needs of women in public health facilities. And the only way of guaranteeing this right is to abolish the right to conscientious objection for medical staff, which would imply immediate dismissal of anyone who does not abide by the obligation to provide this service.
What is also missing from the list of demands is a call to re-establish the state-run network of family planning clinics, as set down in Law 194 (the current law on abortion rights) which would also include the anti-violence centres |
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At 4.24pm he speaks to the police for the second time.
My name Anders Behring Breivik. I am a commander of the Norweigain resistance movement. Please could you give me the head of Delta...Yes, I am at Utoya, I am a person who wishes to surrender. Knights Templar...is the name of the organisation but we are part of the anti-communist movement...I have just carried out an operation on behalf of Knights Templar Europe and Norway
In the call, he claimed that he was combatting Islamic colonisation. Breivik said he wanted to surrender as he had completed his mission.
Breivik was arrested at approximately 6.34pm on 22 July 2011. A picture is shown of him shortly after his arrest.
The court is now taking a break.
The trial has resumed.
Breivik has had 31 police interviews, spanning 223 hours and 47 minutes with more than a thousand pages of notes taken, says the prosecutor.
The prosecutor is currently running through the list of witnesses from the trial.
You can read my colleague Helen Pidd's account of this morning's proceedings here.
Here is a Guardian video containing footage from the day's proceedings so far. It also contains an interview with Christin Bjelland, the mother of a survivor of the Utøya massacre and vice chair of the 22 July support group, in which she expresses her hope that the trial will be dignified for the victims and their families.
The prosecutor has just concluded outlining how the prosecution case will proceed.
The defence lawyer Geir Lippestad is now presenting his opening statement, which he says will take about 20 minutes.
The defendant "does not dispute the facts but he does not plead guilty".
He will elaborate on his claim of "legitimate self-defecne" says Breivik's lawyer.
Breivik has a "basic right" to give a statement under Norwegian law, "perhaps a human right".
Lippestad says he is concious of the concerns surrounding Breivik using the trial as a platform for his views but says the defendant's statement is "perhaps the most important piece of evidence" in the trial and will help establish whether Breivik is sane.
Breveik wants to use a "supporting document" as part of his opening statement which will take approximately 30 minutes to read out loud, says Lippestad.
"It is difficult to understand Breveik's perception of the world," says defence lawyer Lippestad, explaining that experts will help explain his views.
He is listing the witnesses that the defence will call and why they are being called.
Breivik's lawyer complains that an "excessive amount of material has been received late".
Lippestad says he wants to reserve the right to call for a postponement when the defence has been through these documents.
Court is adjourned for today after a brief statement by the counsel for the aggrieved parties.
It will resume tomorrow with the defendant's statement, says judge Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen.
I will post a summary of today's developments shortly.
Here's a recap of what happened in court today.
• Anders Behring Breivik pleaded not guilty to the charges against him, including killing 77 people, pleading self-defence on the first day of his trial. He said:
I acknowledge the acts but I do not plead guilty and I claim that I was doing it in self defence. [See footnote.]
• Breivik rejected the authority of the court "because you get your mandate from the Norwegian political parties who support multiculturalism". He also said he doesn't recognize the authority of Judge Wenche Elisabeth Arntzen, because he said she is friends with the sister of former Norwegian prime minister and Labour party leader Gro Harlem Brundtland. He made a far-right salute as he entered the court this morning.
• The names of the 77 people Breveik killed were read out at the outset of the trial. Prosecutor Svein Holden later outlined where and at what time each of the accused's victims were killed.
• The prosecution said that the Knights Templar network that Breivik claims to be part of "does not exist".
• Breivik wiped away tears as he watched a trailer for a propaganda film he had made to justify the one-man war which reached its awful conclusion on 22 July. He was subsequently comforted by his lawyers. According to a lip-reader for the Norwegian broadcaster TV2, Breivik is to have said that watching the film made him "emotional". However, he was mostly impassive, occassionally grinning, including when a photograph was displayed of a character he adopted while playing the World of Warcraft computer game.
• Breivik's defence lawyer Geir Lippestad said the accused wants to use a "supporting document" as part of his opening statement which will take approximately 30 minutes to read out loud. He acknowleged concerns about Breivik using the trial as a platform for his views but said his testimony was crucial to help establish his sanity. Lippestad said Breivik wants to be tried as criminally sane.
The prosecution is expected to give a press conference reviewing the day's events this afternoon. We hope to bring you live coverage of this when it happens.
The prosecution's press conference is starting now. People are asked to put questions to the two prosecutors.
Q: Is there a particular desire for revenge in this case?
A: No. They are trying to treat it like any ordinary proceedings.
Q: What is the reaction to Anders Behring Breivik?
A: The prosecution will not comment on his reactions.
Q: What is the response to the defence possibly asking for a postponement and why did documents arrive with the defence so late?
A: We do not believe they will request a postponement but will deal with such a request as it happens. Documents arriving late is not unusual.
Q: Why did you play the telephone call made by a distressed girl?
A: It gives important information.
The calls were not broadcasted but my colleague Helen Pidd, who was in court, observed:
"He's coming" - girl hiding in the toilet from Breivik calls police. Call being played to court. Breivik listens eyes downcast, bites lip. — Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) April 16, 2012
Norwegian TVwas not allowed to play that call. Some survivors/relatives left the courtroom before it was played. Horrific. — Helen Pidd (@helenpidd) April 16, 2012
Q There are a number of questions about Breveik's sanity.
A: The prosecution denies it has decided that he is criminally insane. It will not give a running commentary on his sanity.
Q: How does the prosecution feel on the defence lawyer's request for Breivik to read aloud from a document for approximately 30 minutes.
A: We have no strong feelings on it.
Q: What's it like to work with an indictment containing such atrocities.
A: It's demanding but we are trained to undertake this role. You wouldn't believe us if it didn't affect us but we have professional responsibility. We are struck by the large number of people affected.
There is now a Q&A with the defence.
Q: What was said between the defence lawyers and the defendant after he cried?
A: The defence will not reveal that.
Q: What was behind Breivik's rejection of the competency of the court? Could it be presented as a formal objection?
A: It is not a formal objection, it is a "point of information" he wanted to make.
His point of departure is that he is at war and in his opinion it would be more appropriate to be before a military tribunal.
Q: Are there any restrictions placed on your client as to what he can say?
A: The defence will not divulge any discussions. Breveik will say things that will be hard for some people to hear.
Q: When he smiles does that mean he is content with what he has achieved?
A: We are not the right people to judge his demeanour.
Q: What does the 30-page document contain (that Breveik wants to read out in court tomorrow)?
A: It is a brief summary of what he wants to communicate in his case but we cannot go into further details.
Q: What is the aim of Breveik pleading that he is criminally sane? Is he aware of the different punishments?
He is fully aware of the difference. He initially said he was not concerned about whether he was judged sane or insane but since the pyschiatrist's reports and the debate surrounding his sanity he said that he wishes to be judged criminally sane.
Q: What is your aim in this trial?
A: It is two-fold. One is to present evidence that he is criminally sane and the other that his "legal safety" is preserved. We have considered his wish to be considered criminally sane as a "rational wish".
Q: Is he pleased and satisfied with today's proceedings?
A: He was pleased when a new statement was issued concluding that he was sane so that there were two reports with opposite conclusions. He was pleased that he would be given the chance to testify, that he would be heard.
The counsels for the aggrieved parties are now taking questions.
Q: Why do they want Breivik to be considered sane if that's what he wants?
A: There are different, quite personal views, from different opinions. It's not normal that we share the views with him.
He wants to go to jail. We want him to go to jail.
Some of the victims think he's insane but everyone wants it to be a just and fair decision.
Q: Is it right for him to testify in court about his political agenda? How should the media report it?
A: It is important that he explain his views and many other people share those views. It also impacts on whether he is sane or insane. We don't want his testimony to be directly broadcast because it needs to be digested after being put in context by media organisations.
The press conference is over. That brings this blog to an end. We will have coverage of day two of the trial tomorrow.
• This footnote was added on 17 April 2012. On Tuesday the court-appointed interpreters issued a correction to their translation of Breivik's not guilty plea on Monday. He said he was acting out of "necessity", rather than self defence.(CNN) The US Marine Corps' top general vowed Tuesday to prosecute those found responsible for posting photos of naked female service members on social media.
But he admitted that investigators are having trouble identifying individual users, stopping the spread of spinoff websites linking to the images and determining the proper recourse under the law to punish those responsible.
Testifying before the Senate Armed Services Committee, Gen. Robert Neller strongly condemned those who posted the photos to private Facebook groups like Marines United and other image-sharing message boards without the consent of the subjects.
"We all have to commit to getting rid of this perversion of our culture," Neller said. "We will take action to remove this stain on our Marine Corps."
Neller called on Marines with information about the lewd photos posted to the 30,000-member Marines United to come forward and help investigators identify specific individuals.
But the Marines commandant was unable to offer many specifics when it came to questions from lawmakers about the details of the investigation, and he acknowledged several roadblocks that could make it difficult to bring criminal military charges against those involved.
New York Democratic Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand tore into the Neller, calling his testimony "unsatisfactory" and demanded to know why nothing had been done to hold individuals accountable for the cyberharassment of women even though reports date back to 2013.
JUST WATCHED General grilled over Marine nude photo scandal Replay More Videos... MUST WATCH General grilled over Marine nude photo scandal 02:39
"Have you actually investigated and found guilty anybody?" Gillibrand asked in reference to past and current cyber harassment cases. "If we can't crack Facebook, how are we supposed to be able to confront Russian aggression and cyberhacking throughout our military?"
Ahead of Tuesday's hearing, Defense officials told CNN that many are privately saying it may be very difficult to bring criminal military charges against those involved, even if they can be found.
Officials declined to speak on the record until the Marine Corps makes it initial findings public. But in internal Defense Department meetings, at least some of the discussion has centered on the difficulty of assembling enough investigative evidence for criminal charges.
However, officials emphasized that this is a very early assessment and it is possible that they could still find cases that warrant charges.
These officials said there are up to a dozen websites investigators are looking at.
In many of the photos being reviewed, the pictures might have been taken in consensual circumstances. In that case, criminal cyber activity charges would potentially center on whether the person being photographed had a right of absolute privacy.
Officials said it could still be possible to take non-criminal disciplinary action against some who were participating in posting photos to the websites and making derogatory online comments if they can be found.
Officials said the entire episode has raised questions about whether the Uniform Code of Military Justice is sufficient to deal with cyber issues, a point that was echoed on several occasions during Tuesday's hearing.
Neller said last week that a task force would examine the "subculture" that led to the posting of nude photos of female service members on various websites.
"They're going to look at what's going on, while developing plans for corrective actions and recommendations to policies, procedures, education and training of Marines that will prevent this in the future and the culture -- I'd say subculture -- that may have given rise to this," he said.
During the hearing, Neller also reiterated the call to identify issues in military culture to determine why this happened and whether new service members understand that such cyber behavior is not acceptable.SALT LAKE CITY — President Donald Trump "absolutely" wants to take action to change the Bears Ears National Monument designation made by his predecessor, said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah.
"I hope it is rescinded. The second option would be to reduce it to a very, very small size. That has more precedent," Chaffetz told the Deseret News and KSL editorial boards Tuesday. "But I want to go back and do it the right way."
Before that can happen, the congressman said the president's pick for secretary of the interior, Montana Rep. Ryan Zinke, needs to be confirmed by the U.S. Senate. Chaffetz said Zinke would have visited Utah on Monday if he were secretary.
Chaffetz said his preference would be for the monument designation to be repealed by the president rather than merely reduced in size. He described Trump as "very supportive, very sympathetic."
Whether Trump can do that is being reviewed by "legal eagles," Chaffetz said, because while a monument has been shrunk in the past, this would be the first time a president's designation was rescinded.
Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, told KSL Newsradio's Doug Wright on Tuesday that he, too, believes the Bears Ears monument designation will be reversed under the new president.
"I believe we’ll get it changed," Hatch said. "It's not over. I’ll put it that way. And neither is Grand Staircase," a reference to the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument set aside by then-President Bill Clinton.
That national monument designation 20 years ago cut off access to what the senator described as one of the "greatest coal deposits" in the world, a "tremendous economic resource for Utah. That's going to change."
Hatch said Trump is "very susceptible" to taking action.
"Watch what happens in the next few months," the senator advised. "I think you're going to see that this man will respect our state, and he should."
Zinke will be sent to Utah by the new president, Hatch said.
"I think he is going to be on our side," he said of the nominee.
Later Tuesday, a letter surfaced from Chaffetz, the chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee, asking the superintendent of Bryce Canyon National Park to explain the timing of a post on Twitter about Bears Ears and another monument designated in Nevada.
"Welcome to the family Bears Ears (& Gold Butte) NM! A hopeful slot in our front desk maps has long been held for you," read the tweet posted from the park's account the day after the monument designations on Dec. 28.
Chaffetz said in the letter that the "message created the appearance that officials at Bryce Canyon coordinated with the White House prior to this most recent designation," calling into question a claim made to Gov. Gary Herbert that no decision had been made as of mid-December.
Bryce Canyon Superintendent Susan Fritzke told Chaffetz that "no employees were consulted with, or coordinated with, any entities regarding the designation of Bears Ears National Monument."
Fritzke said the slot for Bears Ears was created late last summer by a park volunteer assigned to reorganize materials available at the visitor center's front desk and that she became aware of the new national monument after it was publicly announced.
Matthew Burbank, a University of Utah political science professor, said the letter from Chaffetz appears to be an attempt to send a warning to federal employees that they should be cautious.
"It's a way of saying, 'Don't do things that get out ahead of what the political position is,'" Burbank said, especially at a time when some National Park Service and other government employees have "rogue" Twitter accounts critical of the administration.
Burbank questioned why there would be interest in the tweet otherwise.
"The reality is this looks like pretty small potatoes," he said. "I can't see what the harm would have been."
There has been no shortage of politics surrounding Bears Ears, including the announcement last week by the Outdoor Retailer group that the trade show was leaving the state after 20 years because of opposition to the monument.
The group said it would not let Salt Lake City compete to host once the current contract expires next year, after Gov. Gary Herbert signed a legislative resolution calling for the monument to be rescinded.
The resolution is a key part of the push by state officials to undo of the designation of 1.3 million acres in San Juan County made by then-President Barack Obama in his final days in the White House.
It was at the top of the list of items Chaffetz said he brought up during his recent meeting with Trump, who not only was "well-versed" about the designation but even knew about the similar concerns surrounding Grand Staircase.
Chaffetz said he wished the Outdoor Retailer show wasn't going but said the effort against the monument designation wasn't to blame.
"It's a convenient excuse for them to say our policy on Bears Ears is driving them out," the congressman said, labeling it "hogwash" to suggest the effort to undo the monument designation was their reason for departing.
"Nobody needs to grovel with these folks," Chaffetz said. "They had made up their mind some time ago."
Utah Democratic Party Chairman Peter Corroon said the talk from members of the state's all-Republican congressional delegation about Trump's willingness to roll back the national monument designation hurts the state.
"It's more of the same right-wing rhetoric that made us lose the Outdoor Retailer show," Corroon said. "What's next, future Olympic possibilities, Sundance, etc., etc.?"Last Monday, T-Mobile announced its 3rd of three plans to change the mobile industry for the better. And – although the phases weren’t officially given any Uncarrier phase numbers, they were still pretty industry-altering in nature. The last of which was not only the announcement that it would abolish overages for its customers, but also a petition for other wireless carriers to do the same. John Legere laid down the gauntlet for his competitors with a petition over at Change.org, which has already received over 100,000 signatures in just over a week.
Last year alone around $1 billion in overages was charged to U.S. subscribers:
“In 2013, more than 20 million Americans were hit with punitive overage charges by U.S. wireless companies, and all Americans have known the fear of wireless bill shock. Overage penalties from AT&T, Verizon and Sprint take more than an incredible $1 billion out of consumers’ pockets every year. It’s time to show these companies that we’re not going to take these outrageous fees lying down anymore.”
Legere announced the milestone himself on Twitter a little earlier today, and is right to be impressed by the figure.
More than 100k people have signed the petition to #AbolishOverages. That’s how many people fit in @ATT Stadium. Coincidence? #IThinkNot — John Legere (@JohnLegere) April 22, 2014
It’s worth considering that the other carriers might just follow T-Mobile’s example here. Throughout the Uncarrier movement, in its various stages, the competitors have altered their plans to compete with T-Mo. Whether it’s through announcing a EIP payment system, allowing early upgrades, or trying to pay off customers to switch networks, Magenta is having an influence. Overages are a profitable sideline for carriers historically, so it’ll be interesting to see if Big Blue, Big Red or Old Yeller decide to respond to the challenge. Fingers crossed.
If you’re yet to sign the petition, you can do so here.Ten days ago Michael Carter-Williams was the starting point guard for the Milwaukee Bucks.
Circumstances can change quickly in the NBA, as the 2013 Rookie of the Year found out when he was traded two weeks ago for the second time in his four-year NBA career. But Carter-Williams also realized just as quickly the value in carving out a role, and he made a great first impression on his coaches and teammates Thursday night in the Bulls’ 105-99 win over the Celtics.
The 6-foot-6 guard played a crucial role in the second half in slowing down a potent Celtics offense, and he provided an offensive jolt midway through the fourth quarter that helped push the Bulls to their first win of the season.
His numbers in 17 minutes won’t jump off the score sheet – he tallied five points, six rebounds and three assists – but his impact on the game was felt on both ends, and in his three stints he cemented himself as a key part of the Bulls’ rotation moving forward.
Carter-Williamas was thrown into unfamiliar territory late in the second quarter. Isaiah Canaan was the first guard off the bench for Fred Hoiberg, but after he missed all three of his 3-point attempts and the Celtics reeled off a 14-4 run to pull within three, 43-40, Hoiberg deployed Carter-Williams alongside starting point guard Rajon Rondo.
In the 10 days since Carter-Williams had joined the Bulls, his time in practice had been spent learning the point guard position. But with Rajon Rondo playing well in the first half, Hoiberg kept his starter in and substituted in Carter-Williams, a natural point guard, into a three-guard lineup with Rondo and Jimmy Butler.
Having Rondo next to him, Carter-Williams said, helped him ease into the Bulls’ offensive sets that wound up making a difference in the fourth quarter.
“He definitely helps me out a lot,” he said of Rondo. “He’s one of the smartest guys I’ve ever talked to about basketball, he knows everybody’s position, he’s a great point guard and I’m glad I get to learn from someone like him.”
Carter-Williams’ impact was felt immediately. The Celtics missed their next four shots, with their only points coming off free throws after Nikola Mirotic fouled Jae Crowder on a 3-point attempt. The Bulls pushed their second-quarter lead back to nine by the end of the half as Carter-Williams defended both Avery Bradley and Gerald Green.
That same substitution pattern followed late in the third quarter after the Celtics used a 14-5 run to pull within a possession of the Bulls. The Celtics took their first and only lead of the night on an Isaiah Thomas 3-pointer, but with Carter-Williams again playing next to Rondo the Bulls reeled off seven straight points to push the lead back to six, 75-69.
Carter-Williams opened the fourth quarter on the floor without Rondo, though Wade initiated most of the offense. Playing off the ball, Carter-Williams continued to press defensively while waiting for his opportunity to contribute on the other end.
And when he got his chance, he made the most of it. After missing his first four attempts, Carter-Williams was left alone on the left wing for a 3-pointer that he connected on. Butler then stole an Avery Bradley pass in transition and found Carter-Williams, whose floater in the lane pushed the Bulls’ lead back 12, 93-81, with less than 8 minutes to play.
[SHOP: Gear up, Bulls fans!]
When Thomas reeled off five quick points to pull the Celtics within five Hoiberg pulled Carter-Williams for Wade, who assisted on two consecutive Taj Gibson baskets before connecting on a 3-pointer with 26 seconds left to seal the Bulls’ home opener victory.
It was as successful a debut as a reserve point guard could have, with Carter-Williams logging the only positive rating (+3) among the five players who came off the bench for the Bulls. A 30-point first quarter allowed Hoiberg to play Carter-Williams alongside Rondo in the second and third quarters, and the results were evident, even with Carter-Williams playing a “new” position.
“I think it was tough for me because when I was first in there I was with Rondo, and so when he’s in there he runs the 1 and I play the 2,” he said after the game. “So a lot of times in practice I was learning the 1, and it’s pretty hard to learn everybody’s position in one week. So I was just looking for anybody to tell me where to go, what to do, and just try to make the best of it.”
Despite the unfamiliar spot on the floor, Carter-Williams did make the best of it. In nine minutes alongside Rondo, the Bulls’ defensive rating (points per 100 possessions allowed) was 99.1, an improvement from the 103.6 rating the team logged on the night. Carter-Williams’ individual defensive rating was 95.1, the second best number among guards behind Wade (89.8).
The numbers weren’t as solid on the offensive end, with Rondo and Carter-Williams together managing just 93.5 points per 100 possessions. But the Bulls’ surprisingly hot night from beyond the arc – 11-for-25 – allowed Hoiberg to focus more on the defensive end, where the Bulls wound up holding the Celtics to 99 points a night after they tallied 122 against the Nets.
And Carter-Williams still came up with two key passes late in the third quarter as the Celtics threatened. First he found Mirotic open for an 18-foot jumper on the left baseline. Then he grabbed a missed Wade layup and kicked it back out to Mirotic, who buried a 3-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter to push the Bulls’ lead to six heading into the fourth quarter.
“I love Michael’s game. He had a couple times where he had no idea what he was doing when I called the play, but that’s going to happen. He’s only been around the team a few days. But he played with a lot of poise,” Hoiberg said. “I like how he can get into the paint. He can get downhill. That’s something that every team wants.”
It’s an important year for Carter-Williams. In addition to him learning a new system on the fly, he’s in a contract year and said it’s a personal goal of his to cement himself as the backup behind Rondo.
With Jerian Grant inactive and Canaan sitting the final three quarters, Thursday night may have done just that. And whatever his playing time looks like going forward, or who he’s playing with, Carter-Williams is hoping to make the same impact he did Thursday night.
“I think I can really lead us no matter who’s on the court,” he said. “Whatever Fred thinks is best he’s going to do, and of course it’s a personal goal of mine to just be on the floor as much as I can.
“I was able to find my rhythm a little bit (in the second half) and just try to help the team. Defensively, whether it’s rebounding, getting steals; offensively, scoring or making the right pass or the right play.”(Ed. Note: It’s an Olympic year in the NHL. So, naturally, we decided to use the trappings of the Winter Games to preview all 30 teams for the 2013-14 NHL season. Who takes the gold? Who falls on their triple-axel? Read on and find out!)
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The San Jose Sharks had a weird year.
For much of the 2013 campaign, they were inconsistent, and amazingly so. They swept the first month, winning all seven games they played in January, and looking like one of the league's elite teams. But seven games later they were back to.500, following the seven-game winning streak with a seven-game losing streak. After that, they settled into a routine of being completely unpredictable. Some nights they looked like one of hockey's best. Other nights they did not.
All that in mind, it was no surprise when Doug Wilson looked to be selling the team off at the trading deadline and admitting they weren't contenders. But as it turned out, that's not what they were doing. They were simply regrouping, speeding the team up, both in terms of personnel and system. The moves paid off big-time in the playoffs, as the Sharks completed their first sweep in franchise history.
They wouldn't escape the second round, but Sharks fans still have reason to be optimistic this season. They seem like a new team, and with Logan Couture and Marc-Edouard Vlasic growing into elite NHLers, the Sharks look like they're going to remain a contender for some time. What does this year have in store?
Patrick Marleau completes the sweep for San Jose.
Not a lot of changes for the Sharks this offseason. Most of their big moves happened late last year, like when they moved Brent Burns up front, getting a power forward as a result. Those are tough to find.
Story continues
Suffice it to say, the Sharks didn't look as in need of a makeover after the postseason, and Doug Wilson made just one noteworthy change this summer as a result, acquiring Tyler Kennedy for a second-round pick, in effect to replace T.J. Galiardi, whom the Sharks moved to the Flames.
Forward: San Jose's greatest strength is up the middle. Few teams have the horses to hang with a depth chart of Joe Thornton, Logan Couture, and Joe Pavelski.
Thornton remains the leader of the bunch, both in spirit and in letter. He wears the "C", and he was the top scorer last season with 40 points in 48 games. He'll skate on line 1 with giant mountain man Brent Burns. The two are huge, and nigh impossible to contain.
What's more, they may not even be San Jose's best line. Couture leads the next wave in more ways than one -- the second centre over the boards, but also seemingly ready to take over as San Jose's top guy. His 21 goals last season were tops on the club and he finished just three points back of Thornton's team scoring title. This could be the year he surpasses Big Joe, especially if he continues to skate with the speedy Patrick Marleau. The two can fly.
That's a great formula for the Sharks. Their first line is massive. Their second line is slick. And their third line is no slouch either, led by two-way terror Joe Pavelski, who isn't quite as offensively gifted but may be the hardest of the three to win a shift against. When McLellan shortens his bench to three lines, there's no respite from San Jose's attack. And when he shortens it to two, that's no picnic either.
With Marty Havlat injured, as usual, Tyler Kennedy and Tomas Hertl are likely to be the other two wingers on the top two lines to start the season -- Kennedy looks to be getting slotted on Couture's other side -- and you can expect Pavelski to skate most regularly with Tommy Wingels. When he returns from his ACL tear, Raffi Torres will slot somewhere into the top nine as well, perhaps back on the Thornton line, bumping Kennedy and Hertl down a notch each.
Defense: Yet another reason the Sharks didn't need to do much this offseason: they saw some major improvements from within last year, especially on the blueline, where Justin Braun and Matt Irwin both came into their own as defenders.
Braun flourished last season on a shutdown pairing with Marc-Edouard Vlasic, who has quietly become the best defenceman in San Jose. Take it away, Fear the Fin:
Vlasic seems to think the game at a higher level than almost everyone else on the ice, making him a terrific positional player who excels at dismantling odd-man rushes, is lethal with the poke check and routinely stands up opposing teams at his own blueline. The result of that skillset is things like the fact that, last season, only all-world veterans Nicklas Lidstrom and Kimmo Timonen faced a greater quality of competition than Vlasic did while also posting a higher on-ice shot differential. Year after year, Vlasic consistently plays some of the toughest minutes on the Sharks' blueline while posting the best defensive results.
Pairing two is a little more offence-oriented, with speedsters Dan Boyle and Matt Irwin kickstarting the breakout as few duos can. Jason Demers, Brad Stuart and Scott Hannan are all in the mix for the reliable third pair.
Goalies: Antti Niemi is coming off arguably his best season as an NHL goaltender. He finished tied for the league-lead in wins, seventh in save percentage at.924 and 11th in goals against at 2.16, but those numbers are secondary to his biggest feat, which was, for several stretches of the year, singlehandedly keeping the Sharks in contention. More of that, please and thank you.
Doug Wilson has proven himself to be one of hockey's savviest General Managers, making little moves that often don't reveal their cleverness until later. His Douglas Murray and Ryane Clowe trades at the deadline had me and many others in the hockey world thinking he was admitting his Sharks' fallibility, but that was the point. He got maximum return looking like a seller, only to turn around and show how truly replaceable both players were while getting better in the process. The Sharks are in good hands up top.
Same goes for on the bench, where Todd McLellan's system tweaks made the Sharks look like a completely different team. It's amazing to think a first-round exit might have cost him his job the same way it cost Alain Vigneault's. He's as shrewed and smart a coach as there is.
How can you not be moved by this video tribute to some of the players that have worn the teal over the years? Jonathan Cheechoo! The greatest player who ever lived!
Thornton, Couture, Pavelski. In a league where centre depth is key, the Sharks are one of the best around.
Faceoffs. The Sharks prioritize winning draws and they have some of the league's best faceoff men taking theirs. As a result, they start with the puck more often than not.
It's a tie between SJ Sharkie, the only mascot who rides a segway to work, and Antti Niemi, one of hockey's most acrobatic and entertaining goalies.
The Sharks are strong pretty much everywhere, and I suspect they'll be one of the league's most formidable teams this season. But as for the postseason, you pretty much never know who they'll become, and that's the most troubling thing.
The Sharks are going to be excellent. They've got a great top four, a great top three centres, and plenty of size and speed on the wings. Their division is going to be tough and we all know that, but that's in large part because they're in it. Expect them to challenge for first in the Pacific.Model Number: ZX-35066
Yellow and purple forever with the NBA Licensed World Tech Toys Los Angeles Lakers 3.5CH RTF RC Helicopter! This is a fun way to celebrate your favorite NBA team at your next tailgate party! Officially licensed by the NBA, these awesome RC helicopters are decked out in official team colors and are a great way to show your team spirit! Good for people of all skill levels, this features a coaxial rotor a single rear rotor for precise movement and an internal gyroscope for increased stability whether flying or hovering. This RC helicopter has a metal body making it strong yet light weight, so don't worry about breaking anything if you have a rough landing. It can go forward, backward, up, down, left, right and hover. This product is ready to fly, there is no assembly required. Just put in 6 AA batteries into the transmitter, charge the helicopter and you are ready to get airborn! Show the world that you're a true fan, and get a NBA Licensed World Tech Toys Los Angeles Lakers 3.5CH RTF RC Helicopter before the season ends!
Features:
3.5 Channel Radio Control
Built In Gyroscope For Maximum Stability
Officially Licensed By The NBA
Metal Body
Coaxial Rotor
Single Rear Rotor
Detailed Paint Job
Charges Off Transmitter
Led Lights
Easy To Fly
Ready To Fly
Includes:
NBA Licensed World Tech Toys Los Angeles Lakers 3.5CH RTF RC Helicopter
IR Transmitter
USB Charging Cable
Specifications:
Main Rotor Diameter: 7 Inches
Length: 8 Inches
Width: 1.5 Inches
Height: 4 Inches
Charges with Included USB Charger Cord
Battery Requirements:
Vehicle: 3.7V 130mAh LiPo Rechargeable Battery (Included)
Transmitter: 6 AA Alkaline Batteries (Not Included)
Product Manual:Amid concerns from advocates, a U.S. senator is calling on federal education officials to make information about disability services at the nation’s colleges more readily available.
In a letter this week, U.S. Sen. Bob Casey, D-Pa., asked the U.S. Department of Education to offer better guidance for those with disabilities and their families as they investigate postsecondary education options.
“As colleges admit greater numbers of students with disabilities … it is vital these students have transparent disability services information,” Casey wrote in the letter addressed to Secretary of Education Arne Duncan and John King, who is slated |
2010 Caribbean Cup and was crucial during the 2014 FIFA World Cup CONCACAF qualifiers.
At the club level, Palmer spent his first 11 senior seasons with Harbour View of the National Premier League in Jamaica. Palmer scored 41 goals in 143 appearances for the team and won the championship on three separate occasions.
Since the turn of the last decade, Palmer has spent every season of his professional career in the United States. He has featured for the Houston Dynamo, Portland Timbers, Real Salt Lake, Chicago Fire and most recently, Indy Eleven.
Capable of playing in the midfield or at right back, Palmer brings versatility and depth at several positions for the Orange and Blue.
Palmer will be available for the match against North Carolina FC tomorrow night.HERCEGSZANTO, Hungary (AP) — Hungary’s defense minister inaugurated a small military base on Monday on the country’s southern border for soldiers patrolling to prevent the entry of migrants.
Defense Minister Istvan Simicsko said that base built with the assistance of Austrian soldiers would provide “worthy” conditions for the 150 troops to be stationed there.
“The defense of the border … so hundreds of thousands won’t march across the country, deserves total respect,” Simicsko told the soldiers. “Our most important common interest is the protection of the Hungarian citizens, our family members and civilians.”
The Hercegszanto complex, about 220 kilometers (140 miles) south of Budapest, was constructed from 90 containers and is that last of four bases built since January for soldiers patrolling the Serbian border in Bacs-Kiskun county.
The bases will significantly cut soldiers’ commute to the border zone for the patrols carried out jointly with police “border hunters,” Simicsko said.
Prime Minister Viktor Orban said last week that a new fence being built on the Serbian border equipped with surveillance tools would withstand even a major surge of migrants, which Hungary is anticipating this year partly because of the deteriorating deal between the European Union and Turkey to prevent migrants from reaching Greece.
“This will be a fence that will be able to block the path of even the largest crowds arriving from Turkey,” Orban said on Hungarian state radio. “So in Austria and Germany people can sleep soundly, because Hungarians will be protecting Europe’s external borders.”
Hungary first built fences on the borders with Serbian and Croatia in late 2015, when nearly 400,000 people traveled through the country on their way to Germany and other destinations in Western Europe.
Simicsko said that he had no information about any abuses of migrants who are caught in Hungary and summarily deported across the fence to Serbia. Several aid groups, including Doctors Without Borders, have denounced numerous cases of migrants returning to Serbia from Hungary with dog bites and injuries from reported beatings by border patrols.
Recent changes to Hungary’s asylum policy, allowing the detention of all migrants, including children over 14, in border container camps, have also been the target of sturdy criticism by U.N. agencies and human rights advocates.
Simicsko said Hungary’s 2017 defense budget was 350 billion forints ($1.2 billion), or 1 percent of gross domestic product. Hungary plans to increase its defense spending by 0.1 percent of GDP a year until reaching 2 percent.A Mont Belvieu man was arrested Sunday after police said they found materials necessary to build a pipe bomb in his car.
Richard Allen Macyko was charged with possessing components of explosives.
Deer Park police pulled Macyko over on a traffic stop Sunday. They ran a computer check and learned he had been arrested with a pipe bomb in March.
Deer Park officers say they found gun powder, blasting caps, bullets, a fuse, a 36” metal pipe, ball bearings and marbles in a suspect's vehicle.
Macyko gave the officers consent to search his vehicle and that’s when, officers say, they found gun powder, blasting caps, bullets, a fuse, a 36” metal pipe, ball bearings and marbles.
Macyko is being held without bond in the Harris County Jail.
He was given deferred adjudication, a form of probation, on the March charge.
Deer Park officers say they found gun powder, blasting caps, bullets, a fuse, a 36” metal pipe, ball bearings and marbles in a suspect's vehicle.Like spiders, these creatures eat (or rather drink) their victims by sting them and wait until the highly potent poison completely dissolved the innards.
When in danger or to hunt down unsuspecting preys, the Trilobite Squid can use its tentacles to swing to another branch over quite long distances. The frontal "wings" on their head are used as a stabilizer in the air - they are usually folded when they rest.
Like chameleons they can change the color of their wings and skin. Red is usually used to warn or scare others, also for scaring away rivals. When hunting, they usually try to blend with their surrounding.
Mating rituals are usually not violent, including a dance for the favorite female. Only in very rare occasions it leads to the death of the rival through their poison, since, once used, the poison needs a certain recovery time until it is ready to be used again.Removed the Clockwork Style Master achievement as the Clockwork Style Motif is not yet available.
Made improvements to the issue where you could use a charge ability, such as Critical Charge, straight into a loading screen. Note: We’ve added some logging on the back end to identify other similar issues when using these types of abilities.
Veiled Strike: Fixed an issue where using this ability or its morphs from stealth wouldn’t cause the enemy to be stunned and go off-balance.
Concentrated Force: Fixed an issue where this item set (including the Perfect version) would not proc the Burning, Concussed, and Chilled effects on the enemy if you were using Force Shock at a long range.
Rain will no longer display in rainbow colors on the Mac game client.
Made some improvements to the issue where you could occasionally lose audio while playing the game. We are still investigating and working on fixes for other cases where this still occurs.
All Spider Daedra have renounced their vows of non-violence and once again fight back against their enemies.
Books found in the Lion's Den and Halls of the Dead will now be easier to interact with and read. Note: This fixes the issue where you would see “Giant Warning” in place of books you were attempting to read.
The spirit summoned by Nanwen’s Sword no longer has collision.
Guildmaster Sees-All-Colors will now respawn properly if your character dies in Mzeneldt.
The Dangerous Past: Sees-All-Colors will once again appear at the beginning of the quest if you were sent there by Bera Moorsmith.
The Elder Scrolls Online v3.2.10 is an incremental patch that includes fixes for the Veiled Strike ability and Concentrated Force item set, plus some improvements to charge abilities. We’ve also fixed the issue where you would see “Giant Warning” in place of books you were attempting to read, colored rain on the Mac game client, occasional audio loss, and more. The size of this patch is approximately 227MB.Join as we discuss the low-budget Canadian indie film from 2015 called Turbo Kid. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland of 1997, which obviously means the film is chock-full of 80s
Join as we discuss the low-budget Canadian indie film from 2015 called Turbo Kid. The film is set in a post-apocalyptic wasteland of 1997, which obviously means the film is chock-full of 80s references and homages especially the synthesizer heavy soundtrack and the costumes. We discuss our thoughts on the nostalgia as well as our thoughts on the setting and characters. We also discuss the paper thin plot and what we think of the film's ridiculous gore. We discuss why we think the film works, even though it may not be an objectively good film.
Listen to our thoughts, and leave your own in the comments. Thanks guys, and happy listening.Get the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Top Gear is heading to Kerry this weekend and they're looking to make the local experience as authentic as possible - by organising a Gaelic football match for the show.
The BBC car show's host Chris Evans revealed earlier this week that the show would be heading to Kerry over the weekend to film scenes for the series.
In a bid to make the visit as memorable as possible, the GAA club in the area posted a plea for all able players to take part in the exhibition match.
They wrote: "Hi all, Top Gear are filming in the Dingle Area on this Saturday.
"They wish to include a Gaelic Football match in the programme so we in Dingle GAA, have been asked to help out.
"A game between A Dingle Selection and An Ghaeltacht Selection will be played in Gallarus at 10am. (All ages between 18 & 50 ish are welcome to participate in the match)
"Spectators are also required to attend for the filming of The Game. All are welcome.
"Those who are available to tog out bring Boots & Togs we will have Jerseys
"This will promote The Dingle Peninsula so your attendance is very important.
"Míle buíochas. Thanks & please respond if you will be available to attend as either a Player or Spectator. Fáilte roimh chách."
The Top Gear reboot, starring Chris Evans and Matt LeBlanc, is due to return to the small screen at the end of May.
What do you think? Have your say in the comments section belowBreaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
April 16, 2017, 10:43 AM GMT / Updated April 19, 2017, 9:40 AM GMT By Pete Williams
A plan to make a playground safer for preschoolers is at the center of one of the most important legal battles in decades over the separation of church and state, to be heard Wednesday by the U.S. Supreme Court.
But an 11th hour change in policy by the state at the heart of the dispute could blunt the impact of the case.
At stake are bans in well over half the nation that prohibit spending tax dollars to support churches.
The states say they're necessary to keep the government from meddling in religious affairs.
But to the challengers, they're nothing more than a form of discrimination.
The court's newest justice, Neil Gorsuch, will take part in hearing and voting on the case. As an appeals court judge, he was receptive to arguments that government programs can violate religious freedom.
Five years ago Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, Missouri applied for money from a state program that helps non-profits cover their gravel playgrounds with a rubber surface made from recycled tires. The church wanted to improve the playground at its preschool and daycare center.
Though Trinity Lutheran qualified under the program's terms, the state rejected the application, citing a provision in the Missouri constitution that says "no money shall ever be taken from the treasury, directly or indirectly, in any of any church, sect, or denomination of religion."
The church sued but lost in the lower courts. Now it's asking the Supreme Court to rule that it cannot be excluded from a program that benefits other schools except those run by churches.
But late Thursday, Missouri's newly elected Republican governor, Eric Greitens, said religious organizations must be permitted to apply for and be eligible for state grants.
Their request for state money will be "judged on the merits like any other applicant," a statement from his office said.
Related: Sikh Americans Launch Ad Campaign That Looks to Push Back on Hate
It was a clear reversal of the policy under his predecessor, Jay Nixon, a Democrat. In response, the Supreme Court directed lawyers for both sides to submit letters by Tuesday on how the policy change affects the case.
A group that sided with the state's earlier position, Americans United For Separation of Church and State, said the court should now dismiss it.
"The governor made Trinity eligible to receive this grant," said Richard Katskee, the group's legal director. "The church no longer has anything to ask of the Supreme Court."
In legal briefs filed earlier with the court, lawyers for the church said the state's denial of funds for the playground project was unconstitutional.
"This religious exclusion wrongfully sends a message that some children are less worthy of protection simply because they enjoy recreation on a playground owned by a church," said David Cortman of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), a conservative organization representing Trinity Lutheran.
He argues that government should be neutral toward religion and that blocking the church from a widely available public program "imposes special burdens on non-profit organizations with a religious identity."
That amounts to "an undeniable hostility to religion," Cortman said.
Missouri responds that the constitutional provision does nothing to interfere with a church's religious activities.
Related: Texas Bill Allows Recusals for Issuing Same-Sex Marriage Licenses
"Trinity Lutheran remains free, without any public subsidy, to worship, teach, pray, and practice any other aspect of its faith however it wishes. The state merely declines to offer financial support," said James Layton, Missouri's solicitor general.
The US Constitution prevents the government from prohibiting the free exercise of religion, Layton said. "It does not guarantee churches opportunities for public financing."
Both sides will say that a 2004 Supreme Court decision helps them. The court ruled that Washington state did not violate the Constitution's free exercise clause when it declined to provide financial aid for students studying theology.
Trinity Lutheran says there's no such religious obstacle in its case, because the state grant would be used for an entirely secular purpose. "The surface that children play on as they enjoy recess is about as far as one can get from the devotional training of clergy," ADF's David Cortman said.
Not so, the state counters. "Money is fungible, and a dollar saved on capital improvements is an extra dollar that can be spend for religious teaching, salaries for church staff, or other religious purposes," said Missouri's James Layton.
The case has attracted widespread attention among groups defending religious liberties. Some claim that state bans like Missouri's are rooted in anti-Catholic bigotry and modeled after an effort by Rep. James G. Blaine, who unsuccessfully proposed a federal constitutional amendment in 1875 to ban government aid to churches.
A group representing Christian schools says a victory for Missouri could jeopardize government-funded loans to students who attend religiously affiliated colleges, including BYU, Georgetown, and Yeshiva University.
A total of 39 states have restrictions that either, like the Missouri provision at issue, ban state support for churches or forbid taxing their citizens in order to aid churches.
A decision is expected by late June.This is a guest post by Eric Portis – a proud member of (and newsletter-writer for) the Responsive Issues Community Group. The RICG formulated, championed, and standardized the new HTML features presented in the article.
Previously, we saw how to mark up performant, adaptable <img> s using srcset and sizes in conjunction with Cloudinary’s image transformations.
How far can we push that notion of “adaptability"? Last time, we learned how to offer up an image at a range of different resolutions. This allowed us to send large resources to large screens and small resources to small ones. We used srcset and sizes to adapt for performance. But visually, our images remained fixed.
What if we could go a step further and adapt our image’s visual characteristics at breakpoints, just like we adapt our pages’ layouts? The term for this sort of adaptation is art direction. In this article, we’ll create an art-directed front page for our example site:
https://ericportis.com/etc/cloudinary/
The lead article’s preview image on this front page is huge, spanning the entire width of the page. On wide screens, in order to keep it from pushing the rest of the content “below the fold”, we need to crop it. Like this:
Hero image cropping and shortening at breakpoints
The rest of the image previews? They have the opposite problem. Left to simply shrink along with a narrowing viewport, they’d become too small to really make out. So on small screens, we want to “zoom in” on their subjects.
Thumbnails cropping and zooming at a breakpoint
How can we achieve these things in markup? With a new element:
The <picture> element was added to the HTML specification last year and has been implemented in every major desktop browser except for Safari (Safari support is right around the corner). <picture> gives us a way to supply alternate, visually distinct versions of an image, and switch them out at breakpoints.
The first thing to know about <picture> is that it’s a wrapper for <img> ; think of <picture> as a kind of invisible, magical <span> which can feed its <img> alternate sources.
The second thing to know about it is that its markup pattern was adapted from <audio> and <video>. So alongside our <img>, we’ll pack our <picture> full of <source> elements.
Each <source> represents a visually distinct version of the image. We tell the browser which <source> to use and when, using media attributes.
<picture> <source media = " (min-width: 800px) " sizes = " 100vw " srcset = " cropped-for-wide-screens--large.jpg 1600w, cropped-for-wide-screens--small.jpg 800w " /> <source media = " (min-width: 600px) " sizes = " 100vw " srcset = " full-image-for-standard-screens--large.jpg 1200w, full-image-for-standard-screens--small.jpg 600w " /> <img src = " zoomed-in-for-small-screens--small.jpg " srcset = " zoomed-in-for-small-screens--large.jpg 800w, zoomed-in-for-small-screens--small.jpg 400w " alt /> </picture>
The first <source> element whose media attribute matches the current environment wins. The browser picks a resource out of that <source> ’s srcset / sizes pair and feeds the picked resource to the <img>.
Et voila! An image that can change its appearance at breakpoints, as you can see in the examples above.
But dog-gone-it, we’ve done it again — by adding a new dimension of adaptability, we’ve multiplied the number of image resources we need to create and manage, making something that was once simple and static, dynamic and complex.
Cloudinary provides us with tools to manage that complexity.
A few months ago, I sat on on a stage at SmashingConf Freiburg, and Christian Heilmann asked me how, or if, one could automate the process of cropping in on the most important parts of an image. Stumped, I replied, “I don’t know, uh, something something neural networks?”
Right after my talk, Guy Podjarmy whisked me aside and showed me a few of Cloudinary’s auto-cropping features. I was amazed; now I get to show them to you!
First things first: in order to crop using Cloudinary, you need to specify a “crop mode”. We’ll start out by using the fill crop mode ( c_fill in URLs), which works like background-fit: cover in CSS. The original image will be stretched or shrunk to cover the entirety of its new box, with any extra bits lopped off.
Let’s say we want to create a 100×100 square crop of our example image. Here’s how we’d do it:
URL: https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/ image/upload/ c_fill,w_100,h_100/ on_the_phone.jpg Ruby: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", :width => 100, :height => 100, :crop => " fill " ) PHP: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", array ( " width " => 100, " height " => 100, " crop " => " fill " )) Python: CloudinaryImage( " on_the_phone.jpg " ).image(width= 100, height= 100, crop= " fill " ) Node.js: cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { width : 100, height : 100, crop : " fill " }) Java: cloudinary.url().transformation( new Transformation().width( 100 ).height( 100 ).crop( " fill " )).imageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); JS: cloudinary.imageTag('on_the_phone.jpg ', { width : 100, height : 100, crop : " fill " }).toHtml(); jQuery: $.cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { width : 100, height : 100, crop : " fill " }) React: <Image publicId = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <Transformation width = " 100 " height = " 100 " crop = " fill " /> </Image> Angular: <cl-image public-id = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <cl-transformation width = " 100 " height = " 100 " crop = " fill " > </cl-transformation> </cl-image>.Net: cloudinary.Api.UrlImgUp.Transform( new Transformation().Width( 100 ).Height( 100 ).Crop( " fill " )).BuildImageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ) Android: MediaManager.get().url().transformation( new Transformation().width( 100 ).height( 100 ).crop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); iOS: imageView.cldSetImage(cloudinary.createUrl().setTransformation(CLDTransformation().setWidth( 100 ).setHeight( 100 ).setCrop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " )!, cloudinary: cloudinary)
How about a 640×360 version?
URL: https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/ image/upload/ c_fill,w_640,h_360/ on_the_phone.jpg Ruby: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", :width => 640, :height => 360, :crop => " fill " ) PHP: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", array ( " width " => 640, " height " => 360, " crop " => " fill " )) Python: CloudinaryImage( " on_the_phone.jpg " ).image(width= 640, height= 360, crop= " fill " ) Node.js: cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { width : 640, height : 360, crop : " fill " }) Java: cloudinary.url().transformation( new Transformation().width( 640 ).height( 360 ).crop( " fill " )).imageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); JS: cloudinary.imageTag('on_the_phone.jpg ', { width : 640, height : 360, crop : " fill " }).toHtml(); jQuery: $.cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { width : 640, height : 360, crop : " fill " }) React: <Image publicId = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <Transformation width = " 640 " height = " 360 " crop = " fill " /> </Image> Angular: <cl-image public-id = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <cl-transformation width = " 640 " height = " 360 " crop = " fill " > </cl-transformation> </cl-image>.Net: cloudinary.Api.UrlImgUp.Transform( new Transformation().Width( 640 ).Height( 360 ).Crop( " fill " )).BuildImageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ) Android: MediaManager.get().url().transformation( new Transformation().width( 640 ).height( 360 ).crop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); iOS: imageView.cldSetImage(cloudinary.createUrl().setTransformation(CLDTransformation().setWidth( 640 ).setHeight( 360 ).setCrop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " )!, cloudinary: cloudinary)
In addition to providing heights and widths, Cloudinary lets us supply aspect ratios, which can make our URLs a bit easier to read. This URL returns an image identical to the previous one:
URL: https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/ image/upload/ c_fill,ar_16:9,w_640/ on_the_phone.jpg Ruby: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", :aspect_ratio => " 16:9 ", :width => 640, :crop => " fill " ) PHP: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", array ( " aspect_ratio " => " 16:9 ", " width " => 640, " crop " => " fill " )) Python: CloudinaryImage( " on_the_phone.jpg " ).image(aspect_ratio= " 16:9 ", width= 640, crop= " fill " ) Node.js: cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 16:9 ", width : 640, crop : " fill " }) Java: cloudinary.url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 16:9 " ).width( 640 ).crop( " fill " )).imageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); JS: cloudinary.imageTag('on_the_phone.jpg ', { aspectRatio : " 16:9 ", width : 640, crop : " fill " }).toHtml(); jQuery: $.cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 16:9 ", width : 640, crop : " fill " }) React: <Image publicId = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <Transformation aspectRatio = " 16:9 " width = " 640 " crop = " fill " /> </Image> Angular: <cl-image public-id = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <cl-transformation aspect-ratio = " 16:9 " width = " 640 " crop = " fill " > </cl-transformation> </cl-image>.Net: cloudinary.Api.UrlImgUp.Transform( new Transformation().AspectRatio( " 16:9 " ).Width( 640 ).Crop( " fill " )).BuildImageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ) Android: MediaManager.get().url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 16:9 " ).width( 640 ).crop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); iOS: imageView.cldSetImage(cloudinary.createUrl().setTransformation(CLDTransformation().setAspectRatio( " 16:9 " ).setWidth( 640 ).setCrop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " )!, cloudinary: cloudinary)
Ok, let’s try something really wide:
URL: https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/ image/upload/ c_fill,ar_4:1,w_640/ on_the_phone.jpg Ruby: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", :aspect_ratio => " 4:1 ", :width => 640, :crop => " fill " ) PHP: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", array ( " aspect_ratio " => " 4:1 ", " width " => 640, " crop " => " fill " )) Python: CloudinaryImage( " on_the_phone.jpg " ).image(aspect_ratio= " 4:1 ", width= 640, crop= " fill " ) Node.js: cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, crop : " fill " }) Java: cloudinary.url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).width( 640 ).crop( " fill " )).imageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); JS: cloudinary.imageTag('on_the_phone.jpg ', { aspectRatio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, crop : " fill " }).toHtml(); jQuery: $.cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, crop : " fill " }) React: <Image publicId = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <Transformation aspectRatio = " 4:1 " width = " 640 " crop = " fill " /> </Image> Angular: <cl-image public-id = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <cl-transformation aspect-ratio = " 4:1 " width = " 640 " crop = " fill " > </cl-transformation> </cl-image>.Net: cloudinary.Api.UrlImgUp.Transform( new Transformation().AspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).Width( 640 ).Crop( " fill " )).BuildImageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ) Android: MediaManager.get().url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).width( 640 ).crop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); iOS: imageView.cldSetImage(cloudinary.createUrl().setTransformation(CLDTransformation().setAspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).setWidth( 640 ).setCrop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " )!, cloudinary: cloudinary)
This crop is… awkward. The president’s head is popping up from the bottom of the frame like a turnip.
By default, Cloudinary crops in on an image’s center. But what if we want to crop in on a different focal point? For that, we need to use Cloudinary’s “gravity” parameter. Our last crop chopped off the president’s body. Let’s aim lower, anchoring our crop to the bottom of the image:
URL: https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/ image/upload/ c_fill,ar_4:1,w_640,g_south/ on_the_phone.jpg Ruby: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", :aspect_ratio => " 4:1 ", :width => 640, :gravity => " south ", :crop => " fill " ) PHP: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", array ( " aspect_ratio " => " 4:1 ", " width " => 640, " gravity " => " south ", " crop " => " fill " )) Python: CloudinaryImage( " on_the_phone.jpg " ).image(aspect_ratio= " 4:1 ", width= 640, gravity= " south ", crop= " fill " ) Node.js: cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, gravity : " south ", crop : " fill " }) Java: cloudinary.url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).width( 640 ).gravity( " south " ).crop( " fill " )).imageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); JS: cloudinary.imageTag('on_the_phone.jpg ', { aspectRatio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, gravity : " south ", crop : " fill " }).toHtml(); jQuery: $.cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, gravity : " south ", crop : " fill " }) React: <Image publicId = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <Transformation aspectRatio = " 4:1 " width = " 640 " gravity = " south " crop = " fill " /> </Image> Angular: <cl-image public-id = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <cl-transformation aspect-ratio = " 4:1 " width = " 640 " gravity = " south " crop = " fill " > </cl-transformation> </cl-image>.Net: cloudinary.Api.UrlImgUp.Transform( new Transformation().AspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).Width( 640 ).Gravity( " south " ).Crop( " fill " )).BuildImageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ) Android: MediaManager.get().url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).width( 640 ).gravity( " south " ).crop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); iOS: imageView.cldSetImage(cloudinary.createUrl().setTransformation(CLDTransformation().setAspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).setWidth( 640 ).setGravity( " south " ).setCrop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " )!, cloudinary: cloudinary)
Oops! Now we’ve chopped off his head! If only we could center the new, cropped image right on his face…
URL: https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/ image/upload/ c_fill,ar_4:1,w_640,g_face/ on_the_phone.jpg Ruby: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", :aspect_ratio => " 4:1 ", :width => 640, :gravity => " face ", :crop => " fill " ) PHP: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", array ( " aspect_ratio " => " 4:1 ", " width " => 640, " gravity " => " face ", " crop " => " fill " )) Python: CloudinaryImage( " on_the_phone.jpg " ).image(aspect_ratio= " 4:1 ", width= 640, gravity= " face ", crop= " fill " ) Node.js: cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, gravity : " face ", crop : " fill " }) Java: cloudinary.url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).width( 640 ).gravity( " face " ).crop( " fill " )).imageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); JS: cloudinary.imageTag('on_the_phone.jpg ', { aspectRatio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, gravity : " face ", crop : " fill " }).toHtml(); jQuery: $.cloudinary.image( " on_the_phone.jpg ", { aspect_ratio : " 4:1 ", width : 640, gravity : " face ", crop : " fill " }) React: <Image publicId = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <Transformation aspectRatio = " 4:1 " width = " 640 " gravity = " face " crop = " fill " /> </Image> Angular: <cl-image public-id = " on_the_phone.jpg " > <cl-transformation aspect-ratio = " 4:1 " width = " 640 " gravity = " face " crop = " fill " > </cl-transformation> </cl-image>.Net: cloudinary.Api.UrlImgUp.Transform( new Transformation().AspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).Width( 640 ).Gravity( " face " ).Crop( " fill " )).BuildImageTag( " on_the_phone.jpg " ) Android: MediaManager.get().url().transformation( new Transformation().aspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).width( 640 ).gravity( " face " ).crop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " ); iOS: imageView.cldSetImage(cloudinary.createUrl().setTransformation(CLDTransformation().setAspectRatio( " 4:1 " ).setWidth( 640 ).setGravity( " face " ).setCrop( " fill " )).generate( " on_the_phone.jpg " )!, cloudinary: cloudinary)
g_face finds a face in the image and centers the crop on it, ensuring that if there is a person in our photo, they’ll remain front and center.
So! Now we’ve seen how to mark up visually adaptable images using <picture> and generate alternate crops automatically using Cloudinary. We have everything we need to art direct our example’s giant header image:
<picture> <source media = " (min-width: 600px) " srcset = " https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/image/upload/c_fill,ar_2:1,g_face,f_auto,q_70,w_600/on_the_phone.jpg 600w, https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/image/upload/c_fill,ar_2:1,g_face,f_auto,q_70,w_1200/on_the_phone.jpg 1200w " sizes = " 100vw " /> <img srcset = " https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/image/upload/f_auto,q_70,w_400/on_the_phone.jpg 400w, https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/image/upload/f_auto,q_70,w_800/on_the_phone.jpg 800w " src = " https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/image/upload/f_auto,q_70,w_400/on_the_phone.jpg " alt = " President Obama on the phone in the Oval Office " sizes = " 100vw " /> </picture>
This complex-looking example should now make some sense. We start with an un-cropped <img> (which includes a srcset and sizes so that it’ll look good across resolutions), wrap it in a <picture>, and give it a <source> sibling. This <source> represents the cropped version of our image, and will only send a resource to the <img> when its media attribute (min-width: 600px) matches the current environment.
That chunk of code gets us this:
Hero image with a single breakpoint at `600px`
The hero image in our example is a bit more complex than this, with more breakpoints, more srcset resources, and a couple of additional Cloudinary tricks which we’ll cover in our next section. View-source-ing it upon completion of the article is left as an exercise to the reader.
Let’s proceed to the thumbnails further down the page. Remember, they have the opposite problem — on small screens, they become too small. On small screens, we want to “zoom in” on their subjects.
In order to do so, we’ll use a new crop mode: c_thumb. When used with g_faces, c_thumb zooms all the way in on a face. Like this:
URL: https://res.cloudinary.com/eeeps/ image/upload/ c_thumb,g_face,ar_1:1,w_256/ on_the_phone.jpg Ruby: cl_image_tag( " on_the_phone.jpg ", :gravity => " face ", :aspect_ratio => " 1:1 ", :width => 256, :crop => " thumb " ) PHP: cl_image |
: Pull set fastest lap as he reeled in Norris, muscling past the Brands Hatch double winner for second place through McLeans on the final lap. Perhaps caught out by the manoeuvre, Norris found himself pushed back to fourth at the next turn as Myasava bagged himself third place to celebrate his 19th birthday.
Winner (and £500 Rookie prizewinner) Dan Ticktum: “That was more or less exactly what I planned, apart from a small error at the end of lap four through Goddards when I was trying to find the limits of the track. After that I pegged it back to about 95 per cent and kept putting in consistent laps. When I saw I had a big lead I backed off a little bit more just to make sure I didn’t make any mistakes. That was pretty much the ideal race off the pole to be honest and a good way to win my first one.”
Second, James Pull: “I took a deep breath and made a brave manoeuvre on Gustavo through turn one; I really wasn’t sure that I’d be able to pull it off but I did, and then I managed to catch Lando and on the final lap just managed to get my nose in at McLeans and pass him. Fantastic, my best race yet.”
Third, Gustavo Myasava: “I made a good start, got the revs just right, but I had problems in the race because my car wasn’t so good when it was running behind another in the slipstream. We had some troubles with this and the tyres were becoming rough. After James passed Lando on the last lap, at the next corner his exit was a little slower than mine and I managed to pass him also down the straight.”
Hampered by gearchange issues in qualifying, Sennan Fielding (JHR Developments) battled through from ninth on the grid to fifth at the flag, staying ahead of Ricky Collard (TRS Arden) for the duration of the race. After a qualifying off left him languishing 18th on the grid, Double R’s other Brazilian, Matheus Leist, put in an even more impressive charge to secure seventh at the line.
Jack Barlow drove around his MBM car’s wayward handling to take eighth (and pole for tomorrow morning’s reverse-grid race), with Dan Baybutt (JTR) and Petru Florescu (Carlin) securing the final Rookie class podium slots with ninth and 10th respectively. Florescu’s climb from the back earned him £500 from Ford as the best improver. Sandy Mitchell (Arden) endured a miserable race, losing several positions on the opening lap and slipping to 13th by the end with a deranged front wing, finishing behind his team-mate Enaam Ahmed and also Louise Richardson (Richardson Racing).
Rafael Martins (SWB) ran seventh early on but spun off, joining Darius Karbaley (Falcon), Tarun Reddy (Double R) and Josh Smith (Fortec) in retirement. The finishing order was completed by Jack Butel in 14th, ahead of Colton Herta and championship debutants Ollie Pidgley and Ameya Vaidyanathan.
Falcon Motorsport was reduced to single-car strength this weekend after the squad’s Romanian racer, Alexandra Marinescu, was recommended a further week of rest following her Brands Hatch testing accident on the eve of the new season. “The recovery went normally until now,” said Alexandra, “but the doctors considered that I might be subjected to too much stress too soon after the accident so, in accordance with their recommendations, we’ve decided not to compete this weekend. I would have liked to start in this round, but my safety is a priority. I’ll continue the training and I cannot wait to start again in the third round, at Thruxton.”
Provisional results Round 4, Donington Park 18 April 2015
18 laps / 35.62 miles
1 Daniel TICKTUM / GBR / Fortec 20m 40.072s / 103.30mph
2 James PULL / GBR / JTR +7.094s
3 Gustavo MYASAVA / BRA / Double R +7.861s
4 Lando NORRIS / GBR / Carlin +8.026s
5 Sennan FIELDING / GBR / JHR +14.721s
6 Ricky COLLARD / GBR / TRS Arden +14.888s
7 Matheus LEIST / BRA / Double R +18.226s
8 Jack BARLOW / GBR / MBM +19.029s
9 Daniel BAYBUTT / GBR / JTR +19.478s
10 Petru FLORESCU / ROU / Carlin +24.428s etc
Fastest lap Pull 1m 07.880s / 104.95mph Est Rec
Rookie class 1 Ticktum, 2 Baybutt, 3 Florescu, 4 Enaam AHMED / GBR / TRS Arden, 5 Sandy MITCHELL / GBR / TRS Arden, 6 Ameya VAIDYANATHAN / IND / JTR
Full results
Provisional championship standings
1 Ticktum 78 points; 2 Norris 65; 3 Pull 56; 4 Collard 51; 5 Leist 40; 6 Fielding 23 etc
Rookie class 1 Ticktum 108; 2 Baybutt 61, 3 Florescu 45 etcCurrent job: Stanford Head Coach
Head coaching record: 49-13
Age: 43
Overview
After graduating from Stanford in 1995, Shaw immediately began his coaching career. He landed in the NFL just two years removed from college, serving as an assistant coach for the Eagles, Raiders and Ravens over the next decade. Shaw made the jump to college in 2006 with Jim Harbaugh. He served as Harbaugh's passing game coordinator at the University of San Diego. It was a risky move, but it has paid off in a big way.
Harbaugh took the Stanford job in 2007 and Shaw followed. Shaw was the offensive coordinator and also coached the running backs and receivers. Harbaugh and Shaw built an offensive juggernaut with an Andrew Luck-led attack. Harbaugh left for San Fransisco in 2011, leaving Shaw as the obvious heir.
Since then, David Shaw has maintained Stanford's success. They haven't gotten over the hump nationally, but the Cardinal has won 11 games in three of the last four seasons. Shaw is sitting at 8-1 this season, well on his way to another double digit win season.
Why Shaw?
His pro-style concepts and power run schemes are something that the NFL covets. Shaw's history as a quarterback coach and track record with names like Rich Gannon and Andrew Luck have to be enticing to Titans' brass with Marcus Mariota already in place. He has experience coaching running backs and receivers, two huge weaknesses of the Titans' roster.
NFL Network's Charlie Casserly spoke about Shaw nearly two years ago. "I think if he’s been a pro assistant and understands the pro game, and therefore has connections within the league to hire a staff -- which is crucial -- and understands how to build an organization in the NFL to include the draft, salary cap, dealing with ownership, those are all things you want."
Would he leave Stanford?
This is a question that has been constantly answered with a resounding "no." He seems thrilled to be the head guy at his alma mater and hasn't really even flirted with the NFL, but his phone continues to ring. Eventually, you would think he would have to consider the jump.
A wrinkle in all of this could be the status of Vanderbilt's Derek Mason. If Shaw makes the jump, he may want Mason to come run his defense. Mason's Commodore teams haven't lived up to expectations so far, so a change could be made there, opening up the door for Shaw and Mason to reunite. While his win/loss record is ugly, his defense has been as good as it could possibly be, keeping them in many games.
The selling point -- as it usually does -- would come down to the quarterback, Marcus Mariota. He's been nothing short of spectacular during his rookie campaign. Shaw knows all about Mariota. He actually went 2-1 against Oregon during Mariota's time there. But Mariota got him last season, leading a 45-16 thrashing of the Cardinal.
Ultimately, I think Shaw will elect to stay in Stanford. He's turned down the NFL every time they have sniffed around him. Shaw is a California guy and most likely wouldn't want to uproot across the country. It would take the perfect situation to allow him to make the jump and I'm not sure the current ownership situation is ideal, although the roster is very attractive. We'll see if he's willing to listen this year.Credit: DC Comics
Credit: DC Comics
Launched back into the spotlight by the success of Midnighter as part of DC You, Midnighter returned again last fall for a six issue miniseries that followed the Authority mainstay and his longtime romantic and crime-fighting partner Apollo straight to Hell. Midnighter and Apollo paired gripping writing with gorgeous visuals for a fresh new take on the World’s Finest Couple that updated their romance for a brand new audience.
Just in time for Pride Month, Newsarama spoke with Midnighter and Apollo writer Steve Orlando about Midnighter’s history, his evolution since his return, and the importance of exploring established narratives from new perspectives ahead of next month’s release of the collected edition of Midnighter and Apollo.
Newsarama: In terms of character creation, Midnighter is really only coming up on his 20th birthday next year, making him one of the youngest characters to stick around in the modern DC universe, especially compared to characters like Batman. What made you want to bring Midnighter back into the fold in DC You, and what do you think has really made him resonate with readers and stick around despite his kind of relative lack of history?
Steve Orlando: I wanted to bring him back because he’s the character that sort of most affected me in comics when I was younger. And so what seems like so long ago in 2014, when DC reached out to me, when Mark Doyle reached out to me and said what would you do, if you could do a DC book, it was the first thing that popped into my head. Almost, almost as a bullsh-- take right? There’s no way they could possibly let me do this, this would be a dream book. And then who am I, a guy who wrote about centaurs doing drugs and going through puberty as my only other real story at DC Comics - but it was the right time and the right take on the character, and we got a chance to move forward.
Why do I always hope that he can endure and come back? Because of what he did for me, and showing that there’s no specific one way to express who you are.
Credit: DC Comics
In the case of Midnighter, that speaks to his sexuality, but that can speak to anything about someone. Your race, religion, your creed, your ability, your gender, your need to aggressively, disruptively and proudly be yourself, and that’s what he does. And that was important to me when I was younger, and wrapping that in an exciting, sort of relatable action movie medium to a greater audience, that’s what reached me, and so I consider it an honor, and a huge responsibility, but a huge honor, to be able to do that for a new generation of readers.
Nrama: I think that was something that always really resonated with me as well, as a fan of the original run of The Authority, and of your run on Midnighter: this idea of a character that I really had never seen before in modern comics - just a regular adult male superhero, an out gay superhero. I love some of the younger characters that are out there, Billy and Teddy from Young Avengers, but I’d never seen a character before like Midnighter as you presented him in that run.
And one of the things I thought was really interesting in that run - you’ve mentioned this in previous interviews, Midnighter performed much better in trade paperback sales than was expected of a book that was doing the sales it did in singles. Do you think that there’s an audience out there that may not be connecting with single comics sales right now that really is hungry to see more characters like that available on the bookshelves? People picking up books like Midnighter, in a Books-A-Million or a Barnes and Nobles, who haven’t quite found a safer space for them in comics yet.
Orlando: Unquestionably. You know, I think that reaching those people is going to take a holistic change from top to bottom in comics. Unfortunately, there is not a simple solution. But it is one that we need, because you know, people want these stories. People want to consume them on their terms, which is fair.
I mean the first books I bought were not from a direct market comic store, I bought my first book at a flea market, but that doesn’t count, I bought that right off the rack, but I bought my first books in a rack at a Waldenbooks. I don’t know if Waldenbooks even exists anymore. I’m sorry about shading you, Waldenbooks. But I wouldn’t be here if comics weren’t for sale outside of the direct market. So yeah, those audiences are out there. Everybody wants to know that they can be great, so that’s like, of course, you know?
But there needs to be a lot of change and a lot of active engagement across the board, in all of the structures of the comics industry to reach them, and to serve them. I don’t think it’s ever as simple as saying “Oh, more people need to buy the books. Oh, the books just need to be given more time.”
The change is multifaceted. We need to rethink how we market, rethink how we publish, rethink how we sell, who we sell to and where we sell it. And we need to be ready to take some risks and make some bold choices. So those audiences are unquestionably out there, and I hope as an entire industry speaking as creators, readers, publishers, retailers, marketers, everything, that we can get there and we can find ways to reach them. It’s going to take us looking at ourselves and realizing we can do better and finding a way to get there.
Nrama: Going back to your remark about bold choices, one of the things I loved about Midnighter, and one of the things I think you’ve talked about previously with Ray Sonne over at Comics Bulletin last year, was how you explored gender roles in the series.
Credit: DC Comics
Midnighter as a character is often reduced down to this idea of a Batman parody or a Batman pastiche - he’s the street fighter, and one of the things I really enjoyed about Midnighter and Midnighter and Apollo was how you took him from that reductive archetype to a fully realized, generally emotionally well-adjusted person, relatively speaking. How much of that was a deliberate choice for both series, not just as a story element like “well I want to explore who he was before being Midnighter,” or “I want to explore his relationship with Apollo,” but an active decision in using the books to explore and dismantle those gender stereotypes that existed about both characters?
Orlando: Well I think the goal with something - Midnighter and Apollo is a receipt to Midnighter in many ways, in relation to his character, you know. The journey he goes on is one, in many ways he’s on the journey a reader is, getting to know him. He is, at the beginning of the book, the initial thing that separates him and Apollo is, he is essentially thinking he’s not worthy of the things he gets in Midnighter and Apollo, because he is just everything you said. He is just made for fighting - not even a real person, just cut open and redesigned for killing, and how could anyone want that? And of course the answer is, you’re not just that.
But him getting to that place where he understands that, that’s the journey he takes in Midnighter, that’s the journey that’s completed, that they both complete in Midnighter and Apollo. And I think that both characters are extremely strong in different ways. As we wrote Apollo in Midnighter and Apollo, he, his upbringing relatively speaking, is more traditional. He had parents, and he struggled with needing acceptance, or realizing he does not need the acceptance of his family in relation to who he is and things like that. And he sort of took a reasonably more traditional path than Midnighter, who has not had very common struggles, much like I’m writing Lobo in Justice League of America.
Midnighter really has no question about who he is and what he does on a daily basis, at least in relation to his sexuality. And it’s everything else around that, that we sort of take for granted, that he struggles with. Like “do I like latkes?” But not “do I like men?” because he’s never done these normal things. So his own sort of lack of self-confidence and lack of believe that what he is, even if he knows that it’s something that could be loved, is what kicked off Midnighter and Apollo, and sort of sank him down to the lowest points of his emotional life until he’s ready to finally come back out, and as Apollo says, be pulled back from the dark and not allowed to be destroyed at the end of Midnighter and Apollo.
I think the characters that save each other on a daily basis that are important to me, like in any relationship, is for them to have self-concept. They want to be together, they don’t need to be together. And I don’t mean that in an unromantic way. They need to be together because they’re in love. They’re whole people that are together, instead of just being defined by their relationship to each other. And I think that’s stronger. And having them both take that journey and realize what they do really mean to each other puts them in a place that is stronger than - hopefully, I think, than they were before.
And yeah, in the relationship - gender norms and things like that, it is important across the work, any of my work, to sort of show that there are many definitions of heroism, many definitions of strength, and that’s something that comes up in Supergirl, something that comes up in Justice League of America, and something that comes up in this book, where you have Apollo who’s traditionally a slightly more feminine type character, who is often, I think, stronger than Midnighter, even though I think Midnighter’s the one that’s punching the brains.
Because it doesn’t always mean punching the brains. It means fortitude. It means personal strength. It means self-concept. And so, I think having a book where people expect punching the brains, in the end we explored these other things in addition to that, sort of gives us a great medium to make that comment. Because when you have the expectation of one type of strength and you present a different one, perhaps an even bolder one, in the case of how Apollo lives and what he does, I think it’s an important moment.
Nrama: In opening pages of Midnighter and Apollo - the scene where they’re having a dinner party and Marina’s come over, they’re cooking and there’s pierogi - I think this really domestic scene kind of brought home a lot of the changes that Midnighter had to deal with in the first series. He’s kind of come to this place where he knows who he is, and had this opportunity to explore who he is both outside Apollo and not necessarily outside the identity of Midnighter, but outside of this idea that the only thing that I am is not a fighting machine, I am a person who likes to date, I am a person who likes to go on dates in specific places, here’s what I like to eat, here are my hobbies.
Credit: DC Comics
You come into Midnighter and Apollo with Midnighter as this fully realized person who is comfortable with having real meaningful friendships, and one of the ways that I thought was interestingly explored in Midnighter and Apollo was through the addition of Fernando Blanco to the artistic team. His style and his layouts were really similar to ACO but he had kind of a softer touch with the art a lot of times that really brought home this sort of emotional, domestic closeness between the two of them and elevated the emotional element when Apollo is brought to Hell and when they’re separated again. What was it like to go from working with ACO on a very, not necessarily exclusively action packed book because Midnighter and Apollo is certainly action-packed as well, but to start with Fernando Blanco fresh in a way on a book that was more openly emotional and more openly romantic from the outset?
Orlando: I mean it was great, but a lot of the things that Fernando brought to the front I’m happy to say you know come from Fernando, and don’t come from me.
He has an incredible intuition for the characters and for how they move and how they act and what is required from each script, and with Midnighter with ACO, in Midnighter and Apollo with Fernando. ACO and Fernando are friends and ACO personally recommended Fernando for the book when it came to light he couldn’t work on the follow up. I couldn’t be happier with it. But it’s important to say a lot of that comes from what I consider to be the heart of inspiration, which is knowing as a writer when to say something and when to not say something. Knowing when to lean in, and knowing when to lean out.
Credit: DC Comics
On these books, I try to show respect for my co-creators and respect for their craft, and a lot of these things that people have loved about Fernando’s work I happily admit I have nothing to do with. He would always - same with ACO - he was always free to do layouts, to rework pages however he wants, to get the most out of it, and I push him to improvise, to innovate, and to not listen to what I say in many cases because it’s risky, but collaboration is risky. Trusting and respecting other people - well, trusting other people. Respecting other people is a given. But trusting other people is risky.
But at the same time, that’s how these moments that you’re talking about in Midnighter and Apollo get made. And I think that’s how any truly collaborative and innovative work in any medium gets made. So, what is it like working with Fernando - working with Fernando is great, but that’s because Fernando is great, and a lot of it comes from knowing that I can trust him to bring it home month in and month out.
Nrama: To clarify - I didn’t want to sound like I was suggesting that a lot of that work had come from you and not from him, no slight to you! But, I knew that that was all Fernando and I think it was - it was a really interesting visual change and one of the things I think I enjoyed the most about Midnighter and Apollo. Softer, but not totally softer? Just different.
Orlando: Yeah, there’s a lot more - Apollo has very defined back muscles, I promise, so it’s not totally soft.
Nrama: He did fantastic work. I think one of the most interesting themes throughout the book artistically was his use of panel layouts, particularly issue two, the Dante’s Inferno motif as Midnighter is going through the layers of Bendix’ hideout to find him, and issue three with the board game, Virtues and Vices -
Orlando: The Mansion of Happiness! My favorite board game.
Credit: DC Comics
Nrama: That’s an interesting choice. I’m partial to Clue, but at the same time I don’t know that that’s any happier. I think one of the reasons those are so visually compelling is because they caught on to this idea of Midnighter and Apollo as a journey. Either from first level of Hell to last, or to the Mansion of Happiness, kind of paralleling this mythological journey of Orpheus and Eurydice with a happier ending. From the outset was that something you were looking for, trying to carry through this idea of a journey from start to finish from the opening pages?
Orlando: Not to mention the ultimate sign-off, with an allusion to perhaps the greatest moment of domestic bliss in the history of comics as the original Superman signs off to live happily with Lois Lane, which was a very conscious decision that we - you know, I hope we see them again, but if we never do, they’ve gotten the same fairy tale ending that the character we’re all here for, the Silver Age, the original Superman got.
Credit: DC Comics
So the last page is very important to me, the very end, that you mentioned, that’s very important to me. I’m sure they will show up again, but if this was all that anyone ever read, it’s totemic to me that the last time that you see them is the same way that you see for the final time one of the original couples in comics and they get the same white picket fence ending. Of course it’s an antique Opal City ending for them because they’re who they are, but you know what I mean.
And the journey is important to me because that’s - it’s kind of what you’re asking about. Because that’s the journey we all go on in relationships, and it’s something I said in interviews for Midnighter. Real relationships are worth a lot, and they’re hard work. Every day. So we often don’t get the wink at the end that they do, but that’s why it’s in the comic.
So it’s important to me in this journey to Hell, you had mentioned Orpheus and Eurydice and all of these things, a lot of this book is about reclaiming those narratives and queering them, and allowing those moments of heroism, of romanticism, of epic love to be owned by a queer couple. And that’s a lot of what this book is about.
A big inspiration for me in this as well is when Swamp Thing goes into Hell to save Abby, in Swamp Thing, and again, giving that to a gay couple. The big difference being that once Midnighter is down there he could never have gotten out without Apollo. We want to make sure there is agency for the person who’s in Hell as well, and so things have changed, so we’re taking those narratives and we’re also updating them in that once you’re at the lowest point, once Midnighter’s at his lowest point, he kind of says, "Well, you know, you were my plan to get out. This isn’t just me doing this."
Credit: DC Comics
The visual motif as I said is something Fernando, or as you might imagine, based on what I said, is something Fernando suggested based on things like Dante and a lot of the classic Gustave Dore illustrations, but the thematic motif, in my opinion, is all about owning these stories and reclaiming these stories for the queer community and for these two characters, and updating them for the current mindset, for the current understanding of what these stories mean, where everyone gets a moment of agency, where everyone gets a moment of heroism, where everyone gets control of their own motion through the story.
Nrama: To kind of wrap up, I think what you said - this idea of reframing these narratives for the queer community, is something that was really important to me in both books. You’ve mentioned in interviews before, and I think this is kind of universally true for queer books, you can’t have a book with queer leads that’s able to be all things to all people at all times.
But with Midnighter and Apollo, to provide an archetypal look at a queer relationship, fully fleshed out with their own social circle, two fully realized characters, is something that’s been hugely meaningful to a lot of people, I know. If you were able to bring them back, do you think that we would be able to see both of them together again, having adventures, do you think we might be able to round out the trilogy with an Apollo solo title, something like that? Or are you 100% satisfied with this sort of, fully closed off world that you’ve provided - this happy ending, this really rare moment of peace for queer characters in comics that we don’t usually get?
Orlando: Well … all of the above?
I would write more - Midnighter and Apollo are the people that got me into comics, as a reader. They’re the people that got me into comics as a professional. I feel like I owe them a huge amount. I would work on Apollo, I would work on Midnighter and Apollo in a second without a second’s hesitation. Taking about six months off between Midnighter and Midnighter and Apollo and coming back to write them again is like meeting two old friends, you know? That enjoy punching in the brains, but old friends.
So yes, I would gladly come back when the opportunity arises. But that said, if somehow it doesn’t, I am very satisfied with what we have in these three volumes.
Credit: DC Comics
Again, there’s more I would love to say, but we have something… Midnighter and Apollo is a book, if you read my interviews before it came out, it was right after the Pulse shootings. I wasn’t even sure if we should do the book because we knew that Apollo was ultimately going to not be killed but you know, be shot by the Mawzir, and I really didn’t know if we should do it.
I spoke to Chris Conroy, who’s the editor, and to his credit, he said "No, now we need to do this more than ever. We have to be tasteful, but we need to do this more than ever." And I thought about it more and I realized he was right.
These characters do inspire people, and they do speak to people, and I needed to write the book to deal with last year, and how could I not be satisfied? We have a gay man holding the root of all evil down at the very bottom of the world and saying, “You answer to me.” That’s so important to me that that’s published, that we can see that, that as things continue, things are not always going to be easy. They’re probably gonna be hard again, if they aren't already.
But the fact that we were able to do this, to have this couple that stares totemic evil in the eye and just says “F--- you, my friend,” I couldn’t be more proud of that. I couldn’t be more satisfied with that because I was like viscerally angry in these interviews talking about how important it was now to just give a middle finger to evil, which was something that’s very real last year.
Yeah, I couldn’t be more satisfied and proud of it. I would always come back to talk to them and be with them and work with them again, and I hope I can, but this is out there, and it’s probably the proudest thing I’ve ever done. So I couldn’t be more satisfied.
Both Midnighter Vol. 1: Out and Midnighter Vol 2: Hard are available now from DC Comics. Midnighter and Apollo will be available on July 25, and is currently available for preorder.Published: November 23, 2016
Communication is key, they say, and the two heroes in this clip certainly did a good job at that!
We see the car slowly approaching a railway. The cars are waiting for the train to pass. As the train approaches, it honks the cars as it passes them, to signal its approach.
The dude in the red sports car decided to honk back and this is when the hilarity ensues. As the train gives a short honk, the car reciprocates. The train sends two short honks, so does the car. They keep at it for quite some time, back and forth with their signals, like they are the bestest pals in the whole world, long time no see.
The guy recording this is having a meltdown. He laughs like a hyena in his car, thinking it won't catch it. But the camera did catch his laugh, just like it did the radio show he was listening inside and the priceless conversation going on between Lightning McQueen and Thomas the Tank Engine! We wonder what Mr. Tow Mater thinks about this coded convo. He might be heartbroken.
We thank the dude who recorded this hilarious conversation for providing us with a good laugh, part from the honking and beeping and in good part for his priceless laughter! We bet the machinist had a good laugh as well, sitting in his big machine that only goes where the tracks take him...Atlanta Falcons pass-catchers continue to dream of new frontiers.
After Roddy White promised that he and Julio Jones would regain the title as the NFL's top wideout duo, Jones this week went a step farther.
"There ain't no telling," Jones told FOXSports.com's Alex Marvez. "Me and Rod -- 1,500, 2,000 (yards)... You never know what we can do out there."
It's far from an outrageous notion in Atlanta's pass-happy offense, especially with Jones all the way back from last year's season-ending foot surgery.
Besides, there's historical precedent: Detroit's duo of Herman Moore (1,686) and Brett Perriman (1,488) came within a hair of twin 1,500-yard campaigns with the 1995 Lions. "Greatest Show on Turf" studs Torry Holt (1,635) and Isaac Bruce (1,471) nearly did the deed themselves with the St. Louis Rams back in 2000.
Jones reportedly has been "spectacular" in camp, while a healthy White proved he still had it down the stretch last year by averaging 8.6 receptions and 100.4 yards over Atlanta's final five games.
With Tony Gonzalez's enormously productive "F" tight end role all but eliminated from the offense, the Falcons are a candidate to lead the NFL in three-receiver sets. We wouldn't be stunned to see Jones and White do exactly what they plan to do.
The latest Around The League Podcast talks about the good and bad out of Cowboys camp, then plays the "What's More Likely?" game.Gabriella Duncan plays the piano at the Hillman City Collaboratory on a recent Tuesday. Duncan is part of Seattle Catholic Worker, a group of people who serve meals to homeless people at the community center five days a week.<br/> <br/> Photo by Ngoc Tran
Five days a week, members of Seattle Catholic Worker staff the Hillman City Collaboratory, a new community center about half a mile south of Columbia City on Rainier Avenue South.
They serve meals at the storefront on the northwest corner of Rainier Avenue South and South Orcas Street. Sometimes they pack up food and drive around South Seattle, serving it to homeless people and day laborers.
The group of seven people, from their 20s to 50s, is the newest incarnation of Seattle Catholic Worker, a Christian activist movement that focuses on serving homeless and poor people. They live together in an eight-bedroom house in Skyway and base their organization on the values of devout Catholic and activist Dorothy Day, who started the Catholic Worker Movement more than 80 years ago.
The group comprises Episcopalians, Lutherans, Catholics and others, all valuing service to poor and homeless people, based on the biblical passage found in Matthew 25, when Jesus told his disciples, “I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink.”
This year, the group published its first newspaper, The Inbreaking, and distributed it to coffee shops in the area.
The group started in 2012, when Occupy Seattle activists Peter Gallagher and Eli Burnham met.
“We both wanted to live in a gospel-based community that served the poor, the marginalized and oppressed,” said Gallagher, 24.
Seattle has a long history with Dorothy Day’s Catholic Worker Movement. Day formed the first Seattle Catholic Worker group in the 1930s, which operated around Seattle until the end of World War II.
John Williams and Kathleen O’Hanlon formed another in 1974, establishing two “houses of hospitality,” in which members of Seattle Catholic Worker lived with homeless people. They also ran The Family Kitchen, a hot meal program at St. James Cathedral on First Hill.
That group dissolved around 2005, as the members got older.
“We’re all in our 60s now,” Williams, 64, said. “If we had younger people to take over the Family Kitchen, we would have kept that going.”
Gallagher and Burnham have taken on the work now, continuing the tradition of living together and engaging in political protests. They bought a house in Skyway, and homeless people moved in to live with them.
They also participate in Occupy-style protests, most recently holding a service on the banks of the Duwamish River to rally about climate change.
Like the larger Catholic Worker movement, Seattle Catholic Worker has loose ties to the church hierarchy. The group is leaderless; anyone can start a Catholic Worker group, Gallagher said.
“At its roots, it’s an anarchist movement,” he said.
According to Dorothy Day, the Catholic Church, despite its flaws, is the movement’s mother.
The Catholic Worker movement draws from “the saints and the prophets and the peace teaching of the church,” Williams said.
To learn more about Seattle Catholic Worker or read The Inbreaking, visit seattlecatholicworker.wordpress.com.A second study informing new surveillance laws is set to recommend ministers keep warrant signing powers, but will suggest judges immediately review those warrants once they are signed.
"That's where the US got it wrong," said Sir David Omand, director of the UK's signals intelligence agency GCHQ from 1996-97. He currently sits on the board of 12 experts compiling the report.
The State Department, he said, "likely didn't know," that German Chancellor Angela Merkel's phones were tapped by the NSA. That's why warrants still "need political sign off" and be put in the hands of ministers, Omand insisted, to avoid political embarrassment.
But each case signed by a minister, he said, needs to be immediately scrutinised by a judge to rule whether it's lawful. As it stands now, in the UK ministers sign off on warrants and a watchdog reviews just 10% of all passing through the system.
The recommendations from the Royal United Services Institute for Defence and Security Studies panel will be handed to Prime Minister David Cameron between 14 July and the end of the month. The panel was set up in 2014 at the insistence of then deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.
Omand, also a professor in the Department of War Studies at King's College, told a group of security experts gathered at the Royal Institute of International Affairs that he believed 89% of |
burned a second time if Denmark’s National Bank (DNB) takes similar steps.
Is there any evidence that markets are nervous?
Hedge funds certainly seem aware of the risks. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken - the Nordic region's largest currency trader - has been fielding calls by concerned parties, according to Bloomberg.
“DNB appears under similar pressure to the Swiss National Bank,” said Capital Economics. As with the franc, investors have piled into the Danish krone in the belief that it is a safe asset, especially as a eurozone quantitative easing programme has grown more likely.
This has put "upward pressure on its peg to the euro", Capital Economics added. The DNB targets a krone value of 7.46038 to the euro.
Morten Oestergaard, Denmark's economy minister, told Bloomberg that the peg remains "secure", but this has not been enough to calm investors.
Given that Thomas Jordan, the SNB’s chief, declared “you can only end a policy like this by surprise. It is not something you can debate for weeks”, traders are likely to be more wary of the DNB.
What are investors worried about?
Traders were caught off guard by the SNB. The franc was viewed as incredibly stable until the moment of the announcement.
Investors who had not anticipated the shift in the SNB’s stance, many of whom had “short” positions in francs, were left vulnerable as they assumed the the ceiling had become a permanent feature of the central bank’s toolkit.
Traders incurred vast losses as the currency soared against the euro, unable to cover their positions as investors all rushed to close their bets at once. Victims have included banks and brokers.
David Woo, of Bank of America Merrill Lynch, suggested that the DNB would now seek to defend the peg more strongly than before, “as markets potentially question the central bank’s commitment to maintaining it”.
Will we see the peg go this week?
The DNB does not hold regular meetings, but tends to convene at around the same time as the European Central Bank (ECB). The ECB meets this week, and is expected to announce a full-blown QE scheme.
That is likely to put further pressure on the DNB's peg, hence the mounting speculation. However, those who monitor Denmark closely are not convinced that the peg's time is up just yet.
“The Danish currency framework is much longer standing than the Swiss and the DNB has not had the reserve accumulation that the SNB had,” said Tina Mortensen, an analyst at Citi.
In contrast, the SNB’s cap on the franc was implemented far more recently - at the height of 2011’s eurozone crisis as investors piled into safe Swiss assets and gold. Since 1982, the DNB has maintained a tightly governed peg, which has received political support.
This does not mean that the SNB's actions won't have an impact. The DNB peg may not disappear this week. But the debate about its role in Danish monetary policy, which has become a dull issue domestically, could be enlivened.
What will happen if the peg gets pulled?
If the DNB does abandon the peg, it is unlikely to hit the markets as hard as the Swiss move. In 2013, the last year in which the Bank of International Settlements (BIS) published its last triennial central bank survey, krone trades represented just 0.4pc of global currency market turnover.
In the same year, the franc was involved in 2.6pc of trades. There is a risk that the Danish krone becomes as popular as Switzerland’s franc.
Imposing a currency cap is easy, as central banks merely have to issue more currency. But this can have adverse side effects and that's what appears to have panicked the SNB seems to have become panicked by.
Commentators believe that maintaining the Swiss franc ceiling had become too burdensome, as the central bank had rapidly increased the size of the economy’s monetary base.
So what will the Danes do?
A more likely step would be for the central bank to cuts its interest rate further below zero, after taking its key policy rate into negative territory in September.
Nordic central banks have been forced to move their interest rates lower in tandem with the ECB, a step that may have unintended consequences - potentially distorting the incentives faced by borrowers and lenders alike.
Supporters of the policy hope that negative rates will support economies and stimulate inflation, before monetary policy makers have to turn to more unconventional tools.
Update: The DNB elected to reduce its key interest rate from -0.05pc to -0.2pc in January.Telangana minister for transport Mahender Reddy and minister for IT K.T. Rama Rao at the launch of RTA m-Wallet in Hyderabad on Wednesday. (Photo: DC)
Hyderabad: Information Technology and municipal and urban development minister KT Rama Rao on Wednesday launched the much-awaited m-Wallet, a mobile application developed by the Telangana Transport department. The mobile app allows motorists to download one’s driving licence and registration certificate (RC) of a vehicle on a smart phone. This will facilitate motorists to carry e-versions of the two documents instead of physical copies.
Though presently only driving licence and RC can be downloaded, KT Rama Rao said soon motorists would be able to download and store the Pollution Under Check certificate and insurance papers of their vehicles.
The m-Wallet app will be a one stop digital shop for all documents issued by the Transport department. Salient features of the app lets one auto-fetch and share documents, have all the documents on one screen and add multiple vehicles owned by a single person. Documents once downloaded will be saved for future use on the application. The minister directed officials of the Transport department to bring all documents of the department under the ambit of the app so that motorists can store them in electronic form that can be shown to enforcement authorities on demand.
The traffic police on the other hand has been given another app that allows them to cross-check whether the e-documents being shown by a motorist are genuine or not.
Click on Deccan Chronicle Technology and Science for the latest news and reviews. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter.Inspired by the low-cost computing power of the Raspberry Pi, a team at the University of Southampton has used the ARM-based Linux computer-on-a-board as a building block for a low-cost supercomputer—racked and stacked using Lego blocks. And they’ve published a step-by-step guide for anyone interested in creating their own Raspberry Pi high-performance computing “bramble."
Led by Professor Simon Cox, with Lego expertise lent by Cox’s 6-year old son James (who spent the summer learning to program on the Raspberry Pi using Python and MIT's Scratch), the team used 64 Raspberry Pi computers, each equipped with a 16-gigabyte SD card to construct a functioning computing cluster for under £2,500 (a bit over $4,000)—not including the Ethernet swtiches used to connect the nodes.
“As soon as we were able to source sufficient Raspberry Pi computers,” Professor Cox said, “we wanted to see if it was possible to link them together into a supercomputer. We installed and built all of the necessary software on the Pi starting from a standard Debian Wheezy system image and we have published a guide so you can build your own supercomputer.”
The software for “Iridis-Pi”—named after Southampton’s Iridis supercomputer—uses a free implementation of the Message Passing Interface and code written in Python to distribute parallel computing tasks. The first test run on the cluster: calculating the value of Pi.With 24 hours underneath our belts since the announcement of the T-Mobile, MetroPCS merger it’s time to take a step back and understand how this deal will affect you, the T-Mobile customer. The truth is that for now, you won’t see any changes other than the continuation of T-Mobile’s challenger strategy as they refarm their network and begin to rollout LTE.
The deal with MetroPCS isn’t expected to go through until sometime next year, so T-Mobile and MetroPCS will continue with a “business as usual” approach, just like AT&T and T-Mobile. If you recall, T-Mobile continued to run attack ads against AT&T while the deal was awaiting regulatory approval, because they took a “business as usual approach,” that’s the same case here. By the end of this year, T-Mobile expects to have the majority of their top 50 markets refarmed allowing for 3G/4G coverage on their 1900MHz band. As we move into next year, T-Mobile will continue to expand that footprint beyond the top markets. The middle of 2013 should also see the start of T-Mobile’s LTE rollout, though we don’t have an exact date for when that will begin.
Once T-Mobile and MetroPCS join in 2013, they will remain two separate entities, both the T-Mobile name and MetroPCS name will still exist. As Sascha Segan from PCMag suggests, they make take a Sprint/Virgin Mobile approach with T-Mobile becoming the contract and B2B focused branch, with no-contract subscribers under the MetroPCS brand.
Once the deal closes in 2013, T-Mobile can start selling the same devices to both T-Mobile and MetroPCS customers. As I repeatedly said on social media yesterday, my biggest hope for this deal is that with a bigger customer count, T-Mobile can try and leverage more handset exclusives. This is particularly frustrating as word comes down that AT&T has locked up exclusivity deals for both the HTC One X+ and Lumia 920. Regardless of your handset preference, these are two flagship devices that T-Mobile will miss out on when all the momentum is with their launches. It’s particularly frustrating and my hope is that with more size, comes more leverage and bargaining power.
Once we move into 2014 and 2015, the deal becomes a little more fruitful as the combined company begins to join networks. T-Mobile can use MetroPCS spectrum to expand their LTE footprint as both companies have set up or are set to release an LTE network on the AWS 1700MHz band. T-Mobile is Release 10 LTE, which is already set to show speeds as fast if not slightly faster than Verizon or AT&T. With MetroPCS spectrum in various cities, T-Mobile can expand their LTE capacity allowing for more speed and better coverage by building on Metro’s existing LTE network.
It’s when we get to 2015 that we see the really great spectrum play with T-Mobile and MetroPCS as both companies highlighted some 20×20 LTE spectrum coverage in some major markets around the country. In these markets, which include New York, Los Angeles, Dallas, Boston, San Francisco, Tampa, Las Vegas, Orlando, Sacramento, and Detroit, LTE speeds will be twice as fast as Verizon’s LTE and 4x as fast as MetroPCS’s current network configuration.
To recap, for now, the two companies will continue with a “business as usual” approach until the deal is approved by regulators, hopefully sometime in 2013. At that point, the plan will be to migrate MetroPCS’ 1900MHz spectrum over to HSPA+, just as T-Mobile is doing with their own PCS spectrum. Metro’s current AWS spectrum will be used to expand and enhance T-Mobile’s own future AWS LTE network. As for how handsets, rate plans and the rest of those details will work, it’ll probably be some time before we get any sort of concrete detail.
If you’re a Metro customer, go about your business and continue as though nothing as changed, just as T-Mobile customers should do. At the very least, it won’t be until sometime later next year until there is likely to be an opportunity for MetroPCS customers to grab T-Mobile devices anyway, so — as you were.Robert Scoble via Flickr The prominent Silicon Valley venture capitalist Michael Arrington was accused of "physical abuse" and "rape" by a former girlfriend last week.
The former girlfriend made the accusations in a late-night Facebook post and a few blog comments on the media site Gawker.
Earlier this week, Arrington categorically denied the claims, saying that they were completely untrue.
He also promised to publish a more detailed response.
And now he has.
The full response paints the accuser, an entrepreneur named Jennifer Allen, as someone who wanted to continue her relationship with Arrington and was bitterly disappointed that he did not want to.
The response, which takes the form of a letter from Arrington's attorneys to Ms. Allen, also says that some of Allen's claims are "factually impossible." In one case, for example, the letter says that Allen claimed to have been "raped" on a day in which Arrington was in Washington and Allen was in California. The response includes intimate photos of Allen that Allen sent Arrington the day after the alleged rape that suggest she was feeling quite warmly towards him. The response also suggests that Allen has recently tried to remove evidence that she was in California at the time of this alleged rape by removing a picture from Facebook that showed her in a San Francisco bar.
Damningly, the letter suggests that Ms. Allen once faked a pregnancy in order to try to get Arrington's attention. The story about the fake pregnancy, the letter says, came in the following email from Allen to Arrington, which was sent on May 18, 2011:
Uncrunched
The letter says that Allen "subsequently told Michael that [she] feigned the pregnancy and abortion in order to get him to communicate with [her]." The letter does not offer proof that the pregnancy was faked, but if this case proceeds to litigation, that will presumably be relatively easy to ascertain.
In short, the letter paints a picture of Allen as "a person who is distraught at a break-up, and angered that her ex-boyfriend entered into a new relationship." And it includes many texts and emails that support this picture and suggest that other assertions in Allen's public postings are false.
The letter demands that Ms. Allen retract her "false and defamatory statements." It also references many attachments, including the email above, which are also posted on Arrington's blog, Uncrunched.
Here is the letter:
The following letter from my attorneys was delivered to Jennifer Allen this afternoon, in response to her previous claims. I believe the letter speaks for itself.
Eric M. George Browne George Ross
Via E-Mail and U.S. Mail
Jennifer Allen [Address Removed] [Email Removed]
Re: Michael Arrington
Dear Ms. Allen :
I am counsel for Michael Arrington, and write you now on his behalf.
You have posted statements about Michael that are false and defamatory, and that have caused significant harm to his good name. It is my hope that you immediately will take corrective action, by retracting those statements.
I have examined your posted statements, and compared them with provable facts. This comparison shows without any doubt whatsoever that, among others, the following of your statements about Michael are false:
(1) You stated that "he was physically abusive [on] March 5th [of] last year" (April 1, 2013, 2d posting, Gawker.) "[H]e did rape me, on March 5 last year, when he invited me over to make amends from a major catastrophe a couple months prior." (April 1, 2013, 3d posting, Gawker.)
Your twice-repeated allegation of rape/physical abuse by Michael is not only false, but factually impossible. On March 5, 2012, Michael was in Washington and you were in California. Michael's whereabouts are confirmed by travel records and credit card statements in my possession, and your whereabouts are proven by a photo of you at a San Francisco party at 1:05 a.m. on March 6, 2012. This photo was posted online but has been removed in the past several days. (The photo, together with screenshots of your Facebook page in March 2012 before and after it was deleted, are appended hereto as Attachment A.)
(2) You stated that "March 5 last year... that was the last time I saw him. I reached out once to him in the past year to get my paintings back..." (April 1, 2013, 3d posting, Gawker.)
In fact, you attempted repeatedly to communicate with Michael - by telephone, text message and tweets comprising some 292 lines worth of data - after March 5, 2012, the date on which you have accused him of rape. (Notably, some of these items have been deleted. Given the strict privacy controls governing access to data on social networks, our access to Facebook data was consequently limited; we are confident that a complete forensic audit of your social network accounts, and those of relevant third parties, will yield further information that corroborates our timeline of events.) Just a few such communications are as follows:
• On March 6, 2012, the day following the alleged rape, you sent Michael three photographs of yourself, one with the subject line "For only you." (See Attachment B.)
• On March 7, 2012, two days following the alleged rape, you emailed Michael proffering extensive advice about how he ought to landscape his property. (See Attachment C.)
• On March 22, 2012, seventeen days after the alleged rape, you asked Michael to invest in your start-up: "SO MUCH to do on this freaking site and app. I need to raise 3-5 Million to get this done right. Mother Fucker. You should invest, because I figured out I do have a strong business model but need the correct amount to advertise, PR, build, and make it work. Don't even think about investing in another art startup without talking to me. I already did this better on my own than some 10 Princeton VC backed graduates... imagine what I could do investing the money the right way."(See Attachment D.)
• On May 2, 2012, you asked Michael "do you want to go to a wedding with me on May 19 in Chicago? It's also my birthday May 19." (See Attachment E.)
• On October 3, 2012, you sent three successive SMS messages to Michael: (i) "How are you"; (ii) "o_O" (iii) "Hi". (See Attachment F.)
(3) You stated that he engaged in "physical abuse" and "emotional abuse" of you, and "threaten[ed] to murder you if you told anyone about the physical abuse." (May 29, 2013 posting, Facebook.)
The foregoing statements of yours, as well as those set forth below, paint a starkly different picture; they do not portray you as a victim of abuse or murder threats, but rather as a person who is distraught at a break-up, and angered that her ex-boyfriend entered into a new relationship:
• On April 21, 2012, you wrote to Michael that you "feel betrayed and slighted by you, and wish I wasn't alone since you decided to be with someone else so quickly. Not sure how I'm going to teach myself how to love and trust again." (See Attachment G.)
• On July 21, 2012, you wrote: "Thanks for the nebulous msg. I'll be the change I want to see in those communications skills. You, Mike seem happy with the most boring arrogant fake personalitied person on the planet, who you treat the way I should have been treated. If you can't treat me with respect publicly, still, then you fall into the selfish whorish male prostitute category that will always hurt me during and in the end. Hope you're enjoying the weather." (See Attachment H.)
• In August 2012, you tweeted: "Mike @arrington last chance to reconcile. I[sic] you're not feeling what I'm feeling, with the same heart, than [sic] fuck you." (See Attachment I.)
(4) You stated that "[h]e raped... a friend of mine 5 months ago" (April 1, 2013, 2d posting, Gawker.) "The other rape victim... came to me, and Mike knows exactly who she is because he called her a month after a New York conference last year conference [sic] to proudly confirm he did it." (April 1, 2013, 3d posting, Gawker.)
Your allegation that Michael raped another woman is also false. In addition to categorically denying that Michael has ever been physically abusive (let alone that he committed a rape), there is no such rape victim. Indeed, we cannot even hazard a guess as to the supposed rape victim who you twice reference, but whom you do not identify.
(5) You stated that "he already went to court for sexual harassment and/or rape while at his first law firm.... Mike told me stories in person about how he had a Stanford connection with the judge in his rape trial....and he said he [sic] 'I got out of my reputation being ruined thanks to a Stanford connection with the judge.'" (April 6, 2013, 4th posting, Gawker.)
Your allegation that Michael raped yet a third woman is also false. Again, and in addition to categorically denying that Michael has ever been physically abusive, there is no such rape victim. Nor is there any truth whatsoever to any element of this fantastical story involving a rape, a trial, connections with a judge, or anything else you have suggested in your posting.
The falsity of the foregoing (among many other statements) is confirmed by four people who lived or worked at Michael's house during the time period that you and he were dating. Heather Harde has publicly stated: "I would have detected patterns of abusive physical behavior if they had been present.... I simply do not believe any of the allegations to be true.... It's important we set the record straight." Nik Cubrilovic has publicly stated: "I lived in the same house as Arrington for the entire time he dated Jenn. I never once saw even a hint of physical abuse." Gabe Rivera has publicly stated that he had "[n]ever seen physical threats or harm." Nick Gonzalez has publicly stated: "Mike was never physically abusive to anyone." (See Attachment J.)
Nor can there be any question as to your foregoing statements' defamatory nature. Each such statement purports to describe facts that, if accepted by a reader as true, injure Michael's reputation so "as to lower him in the estimation of the community or to deter third persons from associating or dealing with him." Right-Price Recreation, LLC v. Connells Prairie Community Council, 146 Wash. 2d 370, 382 (2002).
Very regrettably, your actions here appear all too similar to your actions on May 18, 2011, when you emailed Michael that you were pregnant and were planning on having an abortion the following day (which was your birthday). You subsequently told Michael that you feigned the pregnancy and abortion in order to get him to communicate with you. (See Attachment K.)
Sadly, while making false allegations of rape, your response to statements made by disinterested third parties in Michael's defense include an irrational attack on an actual rape victim who you accuse of "hurt[ing] women and victims of violence." (See Attachment L.)
Please consider this letter to constitute a demand for an immediate retraction by you of each of the previous statements. I would appreciate the courtesy of your written response to this demand no later than close of business Monday, April 15, 2013. Indeed, failing a response by you that unconditionally retracts your false and defamatory statements, you will have left us with no choice but to proceed with legal action against you. Litigation is an absolute last resort for Michael, but we will pursue all options to undo the reputational injury caused by your misconduct. As that is our sole objective, to the extent any legal proceedings become necessary, Michael has pledged to donate to charity all amounts recovered.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Eric M. GeorgeBarcelona have paid £11.2m (13.5m euros) to the Spanish authorities after being charged with tax fraud over the signing of Neymar.
However the Spanish champions insisted they had not committed any offence.
"The aim is to cover eventual interpretations that could be given to the contracts drawn up in the operation to sign Neymar," a club statement read.
Barca paid £48.6m for Santos striker Neymar, 22, in the summer with his parents receiving £34m of the fee.
Costly signing Between the initial fee paid in the summer, signing-on fee, wages during his five-year deal, agents fees and this latest tax payment, Neymar will have cost the club £106.8m
Last month, Sandro Rosell resigned as Barcelona president following accusations he misappropriated money.
He is also being investigated but denies any wrongdoing.
At the time of the move, Barcelona said they had paid 57m euros (£48.6m) for Neymar but it has been alleged that, if other contracts are taken into account, the actual cost of the player was far greater.
And last week a judge in Spain ruled there was sufficient evidence against Barcelona to continue investigations into the transfer.
The club added: "The board denies the existence of any tax-related crime in relation to the fiscal obligations arising from the signing of the player.
"Given the existence of a possible divergent interpretation of the exact amount of tax responsibility arising from the signing and to defend the club's reputation and good name, FC Barcelona has this morning made a complimentary tax declaration of a total of 13,550,830.56 euros [...] although we remain convinced that the original tax payment was in line with our fiscal obligations."
There has not yet been any confirmation whether the case will be dropped after Barcelona's payment.
Neymar has scored seven goals in 18 league appearances for Barcelona this season, as well as netting three in seven Champions League matches.Ted Stryk/Galileo Project/JPL/NASA
If you have got an idea for how to study Europa, then NASA wants to hear from you.
The agency has no official plans for a mission to the Jovian moon, whose icy crust covers a watery ocean in which life could theoretically exist. But spurred by intense congressional interest and several recent discoveries, NASA is seeking ideas for instruments that could fly on a mission to Europa. The possibilities range from a stripped-down probe that would zip past the moon, to a carefully designed Jupiter orbiter that would explore Europa over many years.
The groundswell of enthusiasm is likely to be bolstered by the latest big news, reported on 7 September, that there may be giant plates of ice shuffling around on Europa — much as plates of rock do on Earth (S. A. Kattenhorn and L. M. Prockter Nature Geosci. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/ngeo2245; 2014). Such active geology suggests that Europa’s icy surface is connected to its buried ocean — creating a possible pathway for salts, minerals and maybe even microbes to get from the ocean to the surface and back again.
Simon Kattenhorn, a geologist previously at the University of Idaho in Moscow, and Louise Prockter, a planetary scientist at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, made the finding after combing through pictures from NASA’s Galileo spacecraft, which orbited Jupiter from 1995 to 2003. Most of its pictures of Europa are fairly blurry, but Kattenhorn and Prockter scrutinized one of the few regions of the moon for which high-resolution images exist.
They treated the images as though they were parts of a giant geological jigsaw puzzle, with ridges and bands and other features that have been split and separated by crustal movements, and tried to trace how the surface of Europa had transformed over time. “When we moved all the pieces back together, there was a big hole in the reconstruction, a sort of blank space,” says Kattenhorn. The missing portion, the scientists concluded, must have been somehow sucked down into the moon’s interior.
Kattenhorn and Prockter propose a system of plate tectonics that involves a shell of ice a few kilometres thick sliding around on warmer, more fluid ice. When one plate hits another and begins to dive downwards — or subduct — it melts and becomes incorporated in the underlying ice, the duo proposes.
Places have already been spotted on Europa where fresh ice crust is being born, but the latest research is the first to pinpoint where it might be going to die.
But without high-resolution images from more areas, researchers cannot tell whether subduction might also be happening in other locations. If it turns out to be common, it might mean that the moon could be cycling life-friendly compounds between the surface and the deep, and that substantially increases the chance that its ocean is habitable, says Michael Bland, a planetary scientist at the US Geological Survey in Flagstaff, Arizona.
The discovery adds to excitement set off in December, when scientists reported plumes of water vapour spurting out at Europa’s south pole (L. Roth et al. Science 343, 171–174; 2014). The plumes have not been seen since, and they may or may not be related to Europa’s newly appreciated system of plate tectonics. NASA now needs to figure out what kind of mission might best to explore these discoveries.
For the past several years, engineers at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, California, have been refining a mission concept known as the Europa Clipper. After repeated streamlining, they have come up with a US$2-billion spacecraft design that could carry a range of instruments to the moon (see ‘Eye on Europa’).
But spooked by the cost, NASA has called for ideas that would run at just $1 billion. The agency is now reportedly evaluating a handful of suggestions.
The strategic down-shift has disappointed some scientists. “It’s really frustrating to talk about $1-billion concepts” as if researchers hadn’t already considered that, says Britney Schmidt, a planetary scientist at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta who worked on the Clipper idea. “If you want to do the best science out there, totally committed to by the community, this is the mission you send.” Because the Clipper would carry a range of instruments, it could investigate subduction zones, explore plumes and respond to a variety of other research questions, says Prockter.
And in July, NASA asked planetary scientists to submit ideas for instruments they would like to see fly onboard a craft such as the Clipper, whatever the cost. Proposals are due by 17 October, and the agency plans to choose around 20 of them next April for further development.
Although NASA is worried about the overall cost of a Europa mission, it has money to spend in the short term. For each of the past couple of years, Congress has given the agency’s planetary-sciences division tens of millions of dollars more than it asked for, and directed it to spend the money on Europa mission concepts. The drive is led by Congressman John Culberson (Republican, Texas), a Star Trek-quoting space enthusiast who sits on a powerful spending committee.
Europa researchers are happy to take advantage. “I’m frothing at the mouth in excitement,” says Kattenhorn. “There is clearly so much more that we still need to learn about Europa.”Story highlights Skype Translator offers near-real time language translation during video calls
A beta version will be launched as a Windows 8 app later this year
The new technology promises improved speech recognition compared to previous methods
Skype users will soon be able to conduct voice and video calls supported by a near-real time translation technology.
And while it can't yet guarantee that no fine detail will be lost in translation, Microsoft's new idea for its video chat platform surely feels like something straight out of science fiction.
No longer will our hopes for such a marvel be tagged to imaginary aquatic creatures -- the Babel fish from "The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy" -- or improbable "telepathic fields", such as the one cast by Doctor Who's TARDIS to relay any alien language to its pilot in plain English.
It all sounds, in fact, quite similar to what Klingons in Star Trek use to make their generally belligerent intentions quite clear: an unseen, but ever-present, "universal translator".
"The idea that people don't understand each other, it's going to be a thing of the past," Gurdeep Pall, Corporate VP of Skype, told CNN's Richard Quest.
"In the same way it's hard to imagine a world before you were able to travel to different places and quickly, whether it be in a car or a plane, we'll never think about, wow, those were the dark ages where people couldn't understand each other. That's where we're headed."
Called Skype Translator, the add-on builds on the research done for Microsoft Translator, and uses a technology called Deep Neural Networks, which yields significantly better speech recognition results than previous methods.
It will be available as a Windows 8 beta app before the end of the year, but Microsoft is already showing off its English to German functionality, as you can see in the video above.
It is still unclear whether the service will be free for the 300 million Skype users, or will be extended to other platforms.
Microsoft is not alone in its quest for a universal translator. Google already offers translation by voice in its Google Translation service and is also working on integrating real-time translation into Android. And Sigmo, a Bluetooth device that promises real time speech translation in 25 languages, went through a successful crowdfunding campaign last year.
Read more from Tomorrow Transformed:A Chrome extension from serial dev Juraj Ivan has just gone live on Product Hunt with the goal of getting rid of any unwanted Facebook posts by filtering to only show posts by your friends and updates from pages you follow.
It means you won’t see any other posts, including ads, unless you follow a particular brand. The Facebook Friends Feed is essentially what most people want Facebook to be – except of course Facebook.
“I realized, that I visit Facebook too often because there is always something new, but mostly it’s stories from people and pages I don’t follow. But these stories appear on my news feed because my friends liked them. Having [my ] news feed cluttered like that, I often miss stories from friends themselves.”
The Slovakian developer, who’s also behind the author publishing app for Mac and the Rich Kids premium photo-sharing app, which is ‘coming soon’, said it took him just 24 hours to create the extension.
Just one day to undo Mark Zuckerberg’s life work, it would seem.
You can also opt to simply gray out the posts you don’t want to see, handy if the recommended posts you see are sometimes useful.
He has also offered to develop one for Safari if enough people show interest, although it’s likely Ivan will be hearing from Facebook with a cease and desist, meaning the hack might not stay live for long.
➤ Facebook friends feed [Product Hunt]
Read next: TNW's Apps of the Year: Amazon Video's offline playback puts it ahead of Netflix on mobileAn artist's impression of the extrasolar planet HD 189733b, seen here with its parent star looming behind--astronomers said its sunset looks similar to a hazy red sunset on Earth. The planet is slightly larger than our own solar System's Jupiter, and its atmosphere is a scorching eight hundred degrees Celsius.
Traces of a distant extrasolar planet's hazyred sunset have been detected for the firsttime.
Astronomerspointed the Hubble Space Telescope HD 189733b, a gaseous Jupiter-like world about63 light-years from Earth, as it passed in front of its parent star to catch aglimpse of the planet's atmosphere. Previous observations have notrevealed much about the planet's atmosphere, other than that ithas clouds.
"Oneof the long-term goals of studying extrasolar planets is to measure theatmosphere of an Earth-like planet [and] this present result is a step in thisdirection," said Frederic Pont, an astronomer at the Geneva UniversityObservatory in Switzerland. Pont led the team of astronomers who made the newHubble observations.
"HD189733b is the first extrasolar planet for which we are piecing together acomplete idea of what it really looks like," Pont said.
Starlightpassing through a planet's outer atmosphere can take on different colors as itpasses through different gases. In the case of HD 189733b, scientists said thelight traveling through the planet's hazy atmosphere appeared red in front ofits yellow star, which is about 76 percent of the diameter of the sun.
Theyexpected to see the fingerprints of sodium, potassium and water in the redhaze, but instead discovered iron, silicate and aluminum oxide (which sapphiregems are made of). The composition is similar to Venus and Saturn's moon Titan—bothworlds with chokingly thick air.
So far, HD189733b isn't thought to harbor any Earth-sized moons or Saturn-like rings, butmore powerful telescopesof the future might detect them.New Delhi, Sep 19 India, with over 65 per cent of population below the age of 35, will supply more than half of potential workforce over the coming decade in Asia, which is grappling with ageing population, according to a report.
India will however have to first equip its workforce with necessary skills to contribute to the national economy in order for the country to reap dividends of its demographic potential, said the report by Deloitte - 'Demographics fuelling Asia's shifting balance of power'.
"India is among a handful of South Asian countries that sits on a demographic gold mine," the report said, adding that the country has a median population age of 27.3 years compared to 35 years for China and around 47 years for Japan.
Deloitte India Lead Economist Anis Chakravarty said: "India will account for more than half of the increase in Asia's workforce in the coming decade, but this isn't just a story of more workers..."
These new workers will be much better trained and educated than the existing Indian workforce, he added.
"There will be rising economic potential coming alongside that, thanks to an increased share of women in the workforce, as well as an increased ability and interest in working for longer. The consequences for businesses are huge," Chakravarty said.
The report, however, said, "in order for India to reap the dividends of its demographic potential, it has to first equip its workforce with the necessary skills to contribute to the national economy."
The country needs to pay special attention to skilling and reskilling its workforce with a focus on the changing nature of today's jobs with the invasion of machines and improvement in robotics.
"With more than 65 per cent of the population below the age of 35, India will rise as an economic superpower, supplying more than half of Asia's potential workforce over the coming decade," it added.
According to the report, Asia's elderly population will rise from 365 million in 2017 to more than 520 million in 2027.
By 2042, there will be more over- |
work is nothing new to me. I’ll go work to get better, listen to what the coaches tell me [in Boston], and implement it [in Maine]."
Mickey, understandably, is likewise curious how his play will translate at the NBA level.
"I have curiosity," said Mickey. "Waiting for my time, looking forward to my chance, being patient. The team is playing great right now and I just want to see it succeed."
Mickey has played only six totals minutes in three appearances for Boston (though his Player Efficiency Rating for that tiny sample is off the charts at 67.9; for comparison, even Thomas is only at 21.7 and the league average is 15). While rehabbing his injury, Mickey has been around the Celtics lately but hopes to resume basketball activities soon.
"I’m not allowed to get into any contact right now -- just spot shooting, dribbling, very limited cutting and going back and forth with the ankle right now," said Mickey. "They monitor day to day to see how it’s doing."
Mickey will have at least one noteworthy fan in the crowd when he plays in the D-League All-Star game. Thomas said he planned to check out Mickey play as part of the weekend festivities.
Said Thomas: "Got to keep it in the family."NewsAbortion
Under the “You CAN’T make this stuff up” category, I’d like to talk about a post this week found on the webpage of “The Abortioneers.” It’s a gathering place for abortion practitioners to compare notes, in this case pondering the importance of “first impressions” and what happens if the word gets round that your clinic is subpar. That’s, of course, in code.
I’m not sure where the symbol/ad found at the top of the page is from but it talks about “Star Ratings Matter!” We learn from the script that on a 5-star rating, supposedly one half of all shoppers agree 3 stars is as low a star rating as they will accept. And that “83% of consumers base their decision to purchase an item on BOTH star ratings and written review comments.”
Of course the “item” that is “purchased” here is a dead baby. Put that (to them) totally irrelevant consideration aside for a moment.
The opening paragraph reads, “Can someone please come up with a ‘Tripadvisor’ for abortion clinics? Who wouldn’t want to rate their clinic experience? It would be cool, in an ideal world, if women felt safe enough to ‘rate’ their experience.“
The Abortioneers have an initial seven-point check list—kind of reminds you of Jiffy Lube–which they then elaborate on. For example, it’s not cool “If your clinic is in a bad neighborhood, needs a paint job, and your staff aren’t warm and professional (maybe they answer their phone too quickly and sound apathetic)” because “it just adds to the nasty abortion stigma.”
(Click “like” if you want to end abortion! )
But “On the other hand, if you have a modern, clean facility out-of-reach from hassling protesters, affordable prices, and kind staff, you’re rockin’ it. Right?”
And so forth and so on.
Bottom line: the writer concludes that if she uses an online referral to “help me determine whether I want to go to a certain restaurant or not,” surely it would “make a difference” if women would “share their abortion experiences” (which they currently don’t).”Do I want someone’s opinion on the abortion clinic they went to?” she asks. “Yes, please.“
Okay. How about asking for an evaluation from the family of Tonya Reaves who died after having a second-trimester abortion in a Chicago Planned Parenthood clinic? According to documents Ms. Reaves suffered from bleeding, an incomplete abortion, and perforation.
Surely in order to produce the best “Tripadvisor,” The Abortioneers would want a more detailed evaluation of what happened during and immediately after the July 20 abortion.
According to WBBM’s Newsradio’s Steve Miller, Reaves underwent a second-trimester dilation and evacuation (D&E) abortion at 11:00am.
After the abortion Reaves suffered bleeding. But a Fire Department ambulance did not take her to Northwestern Memorial Hospital until 4:30 p.m., according to Miller’s report.
An hour later, at 5:30, doctors “performed an ultrasound, and another dilation and evacuation procedure – basically, another abortion – this time at Northwestern,” according to Miller. This could only mean that Reaves had undergone an incomplete abortion.
Miller goes on:
Then pain and more tests, and one of those tests revealed a perforation, documents say. Then surgery at 12 minutes past 10 pm. An uncontrollable bleed was found. Reaves did not regain consciousness and was pronounced dead at 11:20 in the operating room.
No doubt The Abortioneers would give at least a couple of stars to the clinic. After all, Reaves’s death has been ruled an accident.
But they might want to hold off. The family of this 24-year-old mother of one has retained a lawyer, Corey Meyer, the family’s lawyer, told ABC News, “We’re just trying to get all the facts from the incident and determine what the best course of action is.”
Tip of the hat to Jill Stanek.
Reprinted with permission from NationalRighttoLifeNews.orgFor Today is one of the fastest rising bands in metalcore for a reason. They churn (chug?) out records like no other. This is their 4th LP in just about as many years. Immortal is their first release on Razor and Tie records, following a trio of releases on California’s Facedown Records. After landing spots on several high profile tours (including a well publicized stint with We Came As Romans last year) they moved from the very, very Christian Facedown to the more mainstream Razor and Tie, which seems to serve as a hub for artists on their way up (or down). So, how does Immortal reflect this change?
One thing that doesn’t change about For Today is the bold lyrics. These guys are unabashedly Christian. Mattie Montgomery has made a name for himself beyond rock stardom as a charismatic speaker and voice of a generation wanting to embrace their faith in a radical way. This transfers to shows, and is undoubtedly the strongest force in the record. Chants of “WE WILL NOT! WE WILL NOT! WE WILL NOT BE AFRAID!” in lead single “Fearless” exemplify this ideology.
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xk_b0VweDx8]
How does the music stack up? Take every metalcore cliche, chuck them in a blender, and this is the smoothie that results. But, it is a very tasty smoothie. It’s like buying your favorite flavor of smoothie – you’ve had it a thousand times before, but you love it just the same and are pretty much just as excited to be getting it again as you were the second (or first) time. In short, these guys don’t bring a whole lot of new stuff to the table, but they milk what they got to their utmost. There are breakdowns. A lot of them. Perhaps leaning a bit too much on the liberal side but they are fun! They don’t have quite the mastery of buildup leading up to them that say, August Burns Red does but they are fun nonetheless. Haste the Day would probably be the closest comparison in this category. Clean vocals are used sparingly – notably in “Fearless” in gang style and in “The Only Name” which feature Sonny Sandoval of P.O.D.
Probably the most notable thing about the record other than the lyrical content are the well-picked guest appearances. They include the aforementioned Sonny Sandoval, along with Jake Luhrs (August Burns Red) and Tommy Green (Sleeping Giant). The Jake Luhrs track “Set Apart” probably has the most ABR-like riff on the record, while Tommy Green appears on one of the more call-to-arms-ish songs on the record (“Under God”). Neither of these are surprises but they are enjoyable and done well. In short, if you’re looking for innovation avoid this record, but if you enjoy some good ol’ American metalcore every now and then this record is a must buy.
Score: 3.5/5
For Today
Facebook | OfficialBackground: In spite of a growing interest in research on hypersexuality, consensus about its etiology and best treatment strategy has not been achieved. Aim: To further the empirical and clinical understanding of hypersexuality by exploring the structure of its symptoms using a network analytic approach. Methods: In 2014, an online survey advertised as focusing on Internet pornography, sexual health, and relationships was carried out among Croatian men and women aged 18-60 years (Mage = 31.1 years, SD = 9.67). In a sample of 3,028 participants, we applied a network analytic approach to explore the structure of hypersexuality symptoms. In the network, nodes represented hypersexuality symptoms and associated sexual behaviors, while their connections were operationalized as partial correlations. 4 Research questions were addressed: (1) does the hypersexuality network differ between genders; (2) which symptoms are centrally positioned; (3) what is the topological location of pornography use; and (4) are there distinct clusters ("communities") of symptoms in the network? Outcomes: We estimated and plotted hypersexuality networks by gender using items from the Hypersexual Disorder Screening Inventory and the Hypersexual Behavioral Consequences Scale, as well as indicators of sexual desire, pornography use, sexual intercourse, and masturbation frequency. Results: The structure of the hypersexuality network was surprisingly similar in women and men, both in terms of symptom centrality and the clustering of symptoms. Psychological distress and negative emotions triggered by sexual fantasies and/or behaviors, together with a loss of control over sexual feelings, occupied central positions in the networks. Pornography use was located peripherally in both the men's and women's hypersexuality networks. Clinical translation: Psychological distress and negative emotions triggered by sexual fantasies and/or behaviors constituted the core of the hypersexuality network, which makes them potential prime targets for clinical intervention and calls for normalization of (presumably self-stigmatized) sexual expression through affirmative therapy and interventions that enhance self-care, self-compassion, and adaptive coping mechanisms. Strengths & limitations: This is the first network analytic approach to hypersexuality. Apart from its novel insights about the structure of hypersexuality, the study employed several methods to assure reliability and robustness of findings. Considering that networks were estimated in a convenience-based community sample, the findings might not generalize to clinically distressed individuals. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate the usefulness of network analytics to hypersexuality in a non-clinical sample and we encourage future clinical and longitudinal explorations of hypersexuality using this novel approach. Werner M, Štulhofer A, Waldorp L, et al. A Network Approach to Hypersexuality: Insights and Clinical Implications. J Sex Med 2018;15:373-386.When I was about 10 years old, I used to spend a fair amount of time staring at a Tetris arcade game in the local video game parlor. Unlike Tetris on hand-held consoles of the time, which consisted solely of differently shaped blocks falling from the sky, the arcade variant of the game had a short reward animation after each level, in which a little guy would appear and dance kazachok to a Russian tune.
Calling that a "plot" would be very generous indeed, but honestly, I was mostly concerned with beating some older kid's high score, so that was all the plot I needed.
Now, some 30 years after Tetris initially appeared, the franchise is being turned into a movie, which may or may not actually be real (see our in-depth analysis here). And according to Empire, which spoke to the movie's co-producer Larry Kasanoff, that movie has just turned into a trilogy.
This, Kasanoff says, is because the story is "so big" it doesn't fit into one movie. That's bold talk for a story based on an extremely simple puzzle game, and we're not entirely surprised that details about the story are still absent.
“I came up with the idea as I was thinking about Tetris and the theme of creating order out of chaos," Kasanoff told Empire. "No-one has come remotely close to figuring out what we’re doing."
The movie, which is a Chinese co-production, will have a global feel, Kasanoff claims, and casting is underway.
If you aren't familiar with Tetris, check out a video from the arcade version I've played so many years ago, below. The little Russian dancer appears somewhere around the 4:30-minute mark. Now tell me you can't imagine, say, Channing Tatum starring as that guy.
Have something to add to this story? Share it in the comments.Update: 3:00pm EST: Fox News issued a correction or update — however you want to look at it — to describe Nelson calling the forgery “notes”. Fox also failed to mention that she said she changed the date and location. She appears to have added the last name but that is unclear. The fact that she misrepresented it is what many of us would call fraudulent.
The Roy Moore accuser who waved a yearbook around with Gloria Allred by her side admits she FORGED part of the inscription allegedly written by the senatorial candidate from Alabama.
Beverly Young Nelson, who said she was molested by Roy Moore when she was a teen, presented a yearbook with a sketchy notation she said Moore made. Allred refused to submit the yearbook for analysis by an independent expert. Instead, she insisted on impossible conditions to include a Senate hearing for the candidate not even in the Senate.
Beverly Nelson told ABC News she wrote part of the disputed note in her high school yearbook that she and famed attorney Gloria Allred presented as proof the then-30-something Moore sought an inappropriate relationship with her in the late 1970s. Nelson still insisted that Moore wrote most of the message and signed the inscription, but said she made “notes” to it.
“Notes?” Seriously Beverly?
Part of the inscription was written by her, according to Fox News. ABC News reports it’s the date and location.
“He did sign it,” Nelson told ABC’s Tom Llamas.
Moore, 70, denied signing it.
No matter how you look at it, it’s a disaster for the Allred team and ABC News.
At least two of Nelson’s family members, one her stepson, said she was lying about the entire incident.
Her testimony was key because she said she’d testify under oath, she claimed he tried to assault her, and she bolstered all the other accusations, bringing them to a whole new level.
People already suspected it was a forgery.
It would be nice to know if Allred and CNN and ABC News were in on the lie. Why didn’t they have this checked by an expert before reporting?
Notice that the first report from CNN showed two different ink colors.
Beverly Young Nelson said Alabama GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore wrote a message in her yearbook in December 1977 that said, “To a sweeter more beautiful girl, I could not say, ‘Merry Christmas.'” She said he signed it, “Roy Moore, D.A.” https://t.co/aluJzQsv15 pic.twitter.com/esjGd1ssd9 — CNN (@CNN) November 13, 2017
The second showed only black. That seemed odd.
Roy Moore’s lawyer denies one woman’s sexual assault allegation and demands that a handwriting expert examine a note she says the Alabama Senate candidate wrote https://t.co/AkVt9K4iBU pic.twitter.com/UTa7SejwsZ — CNN (@CNN) November 16, 2017
Say, Hillary, tells us again how we have to believe all the women.
Listen to how convincing this liar is.
Problems were noted prior to this.
Roy Moore said he wouldn’t sign the image as D.A., standing for District Attorney, in 1970 because he was Assistant District Attorney at that time.
He also said, “Those initials as well as the date under the signature block and the printed name of the restaurant are written in a style inconsistent with the rest of the yearbook inscription. The ‘7’s’ in ‘Christmas 1977’ are in a noticeably different script than the ‘7’s’ in the date ’12-22-77.’ I believe tampering has occurred.”
For all we know, it could have been signed by Roy Smith.Being Syrian these days only ever elicits one response: "Oh, I'm sorry … it must be terrible for you … Have you got family there?" This reaction is understandable, given the nature of the information that emerges from the country, with coverage of death, destruction and displacement of people. While it is vital that the world is made aware of the suffering of the Syrian people, however, the complexity of the conflict can sometimes be forgotten.
What we tend to hear less about is the nonviolent movement (NVM), which has been playing a significant role since the start of the uprising, and which started in early 2011 with peaceful protests. At this stage the NVM had a much wider support base both domestically and internationally, with audiences sympathetic to its struggle. The number of army defections was also relatively high. However, as the government began to take violent action against the protestors, armed resistance inevitably emerged. This was followed by the development of the Free Syrian Army (FSA). The FSA's lack of real organisation and an established central command made it easier for foreign extremist groups to enter Syria and hijack the uprising. They began to subvert it from a movement about freedom and justice into something very different.
Regardless of the fact that the NVM was never allowed to move beyond demonstrations into a fully engaged civil resistance, its members have continued their work in the face of hostility, kidnappings, detainment and death, perpetrated both by the regime and extremists attached to rebel groups. It should be noted that the NVM is by no means homogeneous. There are in fact hundreds of groups that emerged from it across Syria that vary in their activities and their means of organisation. There is diversity among the members of these groups, which incorporate Syrians from all classes, sects and religions. The activist Omar Aseel and members of the Syrian Nonviolence Movement have created a comprehensive directory of all these groups.
While the NVM organisations have been vital in providing humanitarian relief to besieged areas, their role goes far beyond this. Civilian-led local coordination committees (LCC) and local councils in many of the areas not controlled by the government have become key in the dissemination of information within Syria and internationally. Four prominent activists who worked on documenting human rights violations were kidnapped in December 2013 from the offices of the Violations Documentation Centre in Douma, which collaborated with the LCC Douma. A campaign is under way, Free #Douma4, for their release.
A large proportion of the work undertaken by the NVM is primarily concerned with rebuilding the economic, legal, civic, social, cultural and moral foundations of the country, promoting reconciliation and attempting to counter pressure from extremist groups. This has involved such things as the publication and distribution of pamphlets and magazines, and the production of art, the running of radio stations and workshops that attempt to remind people of the original aims and values of the uprising. Among the most internationally visible of these attempts is the satirical English language banners from the town of Kafranbel instigated by the activist Raed Fares. Then there are events such as the Festival of Spring: Between Colours and Cultures, organised by a number of groups in Qamishli. They seek to use the arts as a reminder of the rich diversity of its population.
The NVM, over the course of the conflict, has had to adapt and reinvent itself. At this point, its supporters are all too aware of the fact that they are unable to stop the armed conflict, with many of its own members having turned to armed rebellion. However, for those who remain, it is understood that there is a need to focus on the post-conflict situation. It is here that the international community also needs to refocus its attention, establishing an understanding of Syria's oppositional movements that extends beyond the armed and political opposition and beyond actors that fit within the limits of their own strategic interests. It is among NVM groups that an alternative to the violent, dominant players in this conflict lies.Maersk Line is now reducing capacity in its network while also postponing investments in new capacity, and the carrier will also accelerate already announced cost reduction measures, according to a press release issued Wednesday.
The moves comes in the wake of the strong decline in demand, and Maersk Line notes that the carrier is taking these measures in an effort to protect its ambition of growing with the market and thus maintaining its position as the world's largest container carrier.
"We are on a journey to transform Maersk Line. We will make the organization leaner and simpler. We want to improve our customer experience digitally and at the same time work as efficiently as possible," says CEO Søren Skou in the statement.
The carrier's annual Sales, General & Administration budget, SG&A, will be reduced by USD 250 million over a two-year period, of which the first USD 150 million will be cut in 2016. The savings will be achieved through previously announced cost reduction measures as well as through automation, standardization and process digitalization, informs Maersk Line.
Ahead of 2017, the carrier expects to be able to save around 4,000 of its total 23,000 land-based jobs as digitalization and organizational changes become fully implemented.
"We are fewer people today than a year ago. We will be fewer next year and the following year. These decisions are not taken lightly, but they are necessary steps to transform our industry," says Søren Skou.
Reducing network capacity
Capacity on Maersk Line's services will be reduced in the fourth quarter 2015 and during 2016. This means that the carrier, as heralded, will shut down routes ME5, AE9, AE3 and TA4, a process which the carrier has been working on for two months. 35 sailings will be canceled in the fourth quarter, according to the statement.
As previously announced, Maersk Line does not plan to exercise its options for six 19,630 teu and two 3,600 feeder vessels, while the carrier is postponing the final decision of whether to use its option for eight 14,000 teu vessels. All due to the prospects of a continuing slide in demand.
ShippingWatch has previously reported how the carrier for the first time has pulled one of its prestigious Triple-E vessels from rotation for a six-week period in an effort to deal with the low demand on Asia-Europe.
Two weeks ago, Maersk Line had to reduce its full-year forecast by USD 600 million, illustrating the miserable conditions for container carriers these days in which far too many of the biggest container ships are entering the market. And Maersk Line's competitors will also be hit, according to analysts. This week ShippingWatch reported that one of the most expansive container carriers right now, United Arab Shipping Company (UASC), expects to book a deficit this year.
Maersk Line still projects a positive underlying result of USD 1.6 billion for the full-year 2015.
Smedegaard: Low rates collide with 2016 contracts
Maersk Line downgrade heralds industry downturn
Container braces for three-year downturn
Alphaliner: Maersk Line anchors mega ship for six weeks
UASC projects full-year deficit for 2015Petr Cech to remain Chelsea's first-choice keeper next season, but Thibaut Courtois set to be the No 1 from 2015
Petr Cech is expected to remain Chelsea’s first-choice goalkeeper next season, with Thibaut Courtois due to be installed as his successor from next summer.
According to club insiders, Cech will be given the nod for one more year but 22-year-old Courtois, who has developed into one of the world’s best keepers while on loan at Atletico Madrid, will be offered a lucrative long-term contract over the summer — and the promise of the No 1 shirt from 2015-16.
VIDEO Scroll down for Watch Thibaut Courtois in action for former club Genk
Staying: Petr Cech has been assured that he will still be Chelsea's number one next season
In line: But Thibaut Courtois will take the number one job from the following campaign
It had been suggested Chelsea manager Jose Mourinho would install the Belgian immediately but some sources insist the move may be delayed for a year even though Cech requires shoulder surgery that may force him to miss the start of the season.
It is possible Courtois will remain with Atletico for another year.
The future of back-up keeper Mark Schwarzer, 41, is also unclear. His one-year deal at Chelsea has ended and an extension has yet to be agreed.Detectives focused on the site almost 300 miles from the woman's Farmers Branch home after primary suspect William Reece told authorities in March he had buried Cox and another missing woman, 17-year-old Jessica Cain of Galveston, about 30 miles south of Houston.
Remains found in March at a dig site in West Orem, 10 miles southwest of Houston, are still being tested to see whether they are Cain’s.
Reece, 56, who was a truck driver when Cox disappeared, is serving a 60-year sentence for kidnapping a young woman in Harris County two months before the UNT student vanished. Last year, he was charged with first-degree murder and kidnapping in the 1997 death of 19-year-old Tiffany Johnston, near Oklahoma City.
Cox, who was a psychology major at the University of North Texas, had toured the Denton jail on July 15, 1997. She called her boyfriend from a nearby pay phone afterward to say that she was locked out of her car, which was parked near the jail.
When he arrived about an hour later, there was no sign of Cox.
Her parents were left to raise her 19-month-old daughter, Alexis.
Kelli’s mother, Jan Bynum, said she and her husband have been sustained through the years by their granddaughter, who is now 20.
“If Kelli were to walk through that door,” she said, “I want her to walk in, look at Alexis and say, ‘Oh gosh, Mom, you did a great job.’ ”
For years, Bynum experienced a mix of hope and fear from not knowing her daughter’s fate, but now she has answers.
“If she is gone, then I want to know. It brings the answers and it brings the comfort that at least she’s not out there hurting.”"We're improving the workplace by measuring it."
That's the idea behind InHerSight, a platform where women can evaluate their employers and rate how female-friendly workplace environments are. The idea is that providing women a space to communicate with other women about workplace issues they care about most could have an effect on this issues themselves.
"We believe that scoring employers on their support for women and making those scores public will hold companies accountable for their hard and soft policies," InHerSight founder Ursula Mead told The Huffington Post. "And that providing women with a safe and anonymous way to share their insights is how we get there.
With many work environments proving to be unsafe or unwelcoming to women, websites like InHerSight could be very useful for women looking to move jobs.
Launched in January 2014, the organization provides a platform for women to anonymously rate past or present employers from any field on multiple topics including flexible hours, maternity leave, management opportunities for women and salary satisfaction.
InHerSight allows women to "rate the companies they work for on the metrics that matter to them," their Facebook page reads. Some of these metrics include paid time off, family support and how many women are in top leadership positions in the company.
Users can search for a specific employer on InHerSight or browse through recently reviewed workplaces including large corporations and government agencies. Women can also add their current or past employers by creating a new rating.
"You have unique insights into how well your employer supports your needs and goals, where it excels and where it can do better," InHerSight's Facebook page reads. "And by sharing these insights, you can bring powerful transparency to the working world for women -- and in turn make it possible for more women to find what they're looking for."
In the past year women have rated companies ranging from Google to Coca-Cola. While there aren't very many evaluations on the site right now, the feedback is helpful and covers a range of topics including social activities and equal opportunities for men and women. Users can also add comments expanding on what their employers are getting right -- and wrong.
Here's an example of written feedback:Them That Has, Gets Them That Has, Gets There is no starker measure of inequality in the United States than net wealth—and over the last four years, the divide has only grown.
There is no starker measure of the United States’ growing inequality than net wealth—a metric that captures not just the accumulation of income inequality over time, but the deep sedimentary advantages of inherited wealth as well. Since 1962, the top 10 percent’s share of income has grown from 36 percent to 47 percent; over that same span, the top 10 percent’s share of wealth has hovered around 70 percent. In 2016, according to the latest Survey of Consumer Finances (SCF), the top 10 percent claims 77 percent of U.S. wealth. And about half of that, 38.5 percent in 2016, is claimed by the top 1 percent alone.
The new SCF documents substantial gains since the 2013 survey, driven largely by post-recession recovery of housing equity and stock values. But those gains, unsurprisingly, are hoarded at the top. The median net worth of the poorest 25 percent grew from less than $50 in 2013 (many of the poorest 25 percent have no or negative net worth) to about $200 in 2016. The median net worth of richest 10 percent grew from $1.93 million in 2013 to $2.4 million in 2016.
The graphic below charts the dizzying trajectory of wealth inequality, from 1962 to 2016. (The triennial SCF starts in 1983; this series, maintained by the Urban Institute, uses two one-off surveys—1962 and 1963—to extend coverage back another two decades).
In 1963, the bottom 1 percent was about $6500 in debt, the bottom 10 percent were barely breaking even, and the median household claimed a net worth of just over $41,000. By 2016, the debt burden for the bottom 1 percent was over $80,000, the bottom 10 percent were under water by about $1000, and wealth at the median had doubled to just over $97,000. At the top, that half-century was considerably kinder. The wealth of top 10 percent grew fivefold, from about $239,000 to over $1.18 million; the wealth of the top 1 percent ballooned more than sevenfold—to over $10 million in 2016.
These numbers are especially sobering, of course, because the tax plan winding its way through Congress would make things much worse. As currently drafted, the GOP tax bill would cuts rates on higher brackets, broaden exemptions from the estate tax, and further subsidize and encourage financialization. Rather than slowing down these mechanisms of wealth inequality, we are poised to grease their wheels.
Colin Gordon is a professor of history at the University of Iowa. He writes widely on the history of American public policy and is the author, most recently, of Growing Apart: A Political History of American Inequality.Nick Ring (13-2 MMA, 3-2 UFC) has been forced out of the UFC’s return to Boston in August, and Josh Samman (10-2 MMA, 1-0 UFC) has stepped in to meet Uriah Hall (7-3 MMA, 0-1 UFC) on the card.
Sources with knowledge of the lineup change confirmed the news to MMAjunkie.com (www.mmajunkie.com), and UFC officials are expected to make the booking official for UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 soon.
UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 takes place Aug. 17 at TD Garden in Boston. The show will be the UFC’s debut on the new FOX Sports 1 cable network, which launches the same day.
Samman and Hall were castmates on Season 17 of “The Ultimate Fighter” this past spring. And while each made it to the semifinals and were expected to meet at the TUF 17 Finale, only Hall reached the the finals.
Despite being upset in the semifinals by eventual winner Kelvin Gastelum, Samman was given a fight on the TUF 17 Finale and stopped Kevin Casey with a second-round TKO for a win in his official UFC debut. That ran the Florida-based 25-year-old’s streak to two, with seven wins in his past eight official fights – with just a Bellator loss to Dan Cramer keeping him from perfection over that stretch. Nine of his 10 wins have come by stoppage.
Hall was a heavy favorite on “TUF 17,” but in the tournament finals against Gastelum, he appeared off his game compared to some of the destructive finishes he had in the “TUF” house and Gastelum won a split decision. The former Ring of Combat fighter will be looking for his first official UFC victory.
Ring, who fought on “TUF 11,” was looking to get back in the win column after a March split-decision loss to Chris Camozzi at UFC 158 in Montreal. That was his second setback in three fights.
With the change to the lineup, the latest UFC on FOX Sports 1 1 card now includes: MAIN CARD (FOX Sports 1, 8 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (FOX Sports 1, 6 p.m. ET)
PRELIMINARY CARD (Facebook, 4:30 p.m. ET)
* Not officially announced
For the latest on UFC on FOX Sports 1 1, stay tuned to the UFC Rumors section of the site.
(Pictured: Josh Samman)First Look: Sacha Baron Cohen as 'The Dictator' Official Promo Photo
The newest cinematic creation from the genius comedy mind of Sacha Baron Cohen is a film called The Dictator. Instead of bringing back another one of his Ali G characters, this latest creation is mocking the dictatorships of the world as it features Cohen in the "heroic story of a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy would never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed." Word is this "goat herder" comes and gets lost in America, which makes sense as another Borat-like kind of plot. Earlier this week, a terrible set photo hit the web, but now The Huffington Post has revealed the first official photo and… damn!
That's a hell of a beard! The Dictator is again being helmed Larry Charles, director of Borat and Bruno, as well as Religulous and episodes of "Curb Your Enthusiasm". Paramount has this comedy set for release on May 11th, 2012 next summer, so we've got a while, but this is a rather unforgettable first tease. The cast for The Dictator also includes Anna Faris and Ben Kingsley, but we have no idea how they're going to fit in this. Apparently, Saddam Hussein's best-selling novel Zabibah and the King inspired this story about a dictator who risks his life to ensure that democracy will never come to the country he so lovingly oppressed.
1 Anonymous on Jun 9, 2011
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3 guest on Aug 22, 2011
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Sorry, no commenting is allowed at this time.The number thing. I’ll be honest, the number thing gets to me a little bit.
This month during the World Cup, you’ll hear it again and again — from analysts, commentators, fans.
First my name, then my age.
Christie Rampone, who is turning 40 years old soon.
Every time I get interviewed, the first questions are “How are you feeling?” and “How’s your body holding up?” and “It’s your fifth World Cup, how are you staying in shape?” Or some variation of those.
It’s like clockwork.
And look, I’m not saying it’s the end of the world — I know most people mean well. On one level, it’s awesome to hear a fan say, “It’s amazing that you’re 39 and still playing on the national team!” After two kids and almost two decades of playing elite soccer around the world, I’m so grateful to still be at it. It’s not a fluke that I’m still in national team shape after nearly twenty years at this level.
But sometimes, there is just something about the way people say it. It’s like, “Should she really still be out there?” As though the team’s doing me a favor by having me around.
I get it — soccer is an opinion sport, so everyone’s got one. I just happen to think it’s a lazy opinion. Yes, I’m 39 going on 40. Yes, I’m the mother of two kids. Yes, I’ve torn my ACL and come back from it. I’ve also won three gold medals and now been to five World Cups.
The fact is, those people are not with me training every day, they’re not traveling 200 days a year with me, they’re not staring down Brazil’s Marta, one of the world’s top goal scorers, on the left wing in a World Cup match. They’re not seeing the whole picture, they’re just looking at my age. And I think that, because my personality is mellow and the way I play is very calm, people might not think I’m as fast or as intense as I am.
Society is still wrestling with the image of women in elite sports — to say nothing of the stigma of |
, with the manufacturer admitting the decision to use the Navara platform was one based on cost. At this month's Detroit motor show, Daimler board member Thomas Weber told CarAdvice, “Yes, to come to an attractive price we are using a common platform, but all the rest is done by Mercedes - to design, to develop the vehicle specifically to meet Mercedes criteria,” Weber said, building on previous statements from the brand.
The ute, which was announced in July 2015, will be sold in key markets for the brand, which include Latin America, South Africa, Australia, New Zealand and Europe. It will be built at Nissan’s plant in Barcelona, Spain, for global export. The Mercedes-Benz ute will also share its platform with the Nissan Navara NP300 and Renault Alaskan. What we have learned Based on a top secret design forum held in Australia late last year, we have discovered that the new Mercedes-Benz ute will be called either the Mercedes-Benz X-Class or Mercedes-Benz Z-Class. According to an attendee, the brand was leaning toward X-Class due to its off-road and rugged connotation. In an attempt to distance itself from the Navara NP300 donor vehicle, organisers said that there would only be a dual-cab variant. The single variant would eliminate the need to engineer a single-cab or extra-cab variant. The Mercedes-Benz ute range will be available in three specification levels: a trades-focused base model, a better-equipped mid-level option and a more lifestyle-oriented top specification.
The range will also be powered exclusively by diesel engines, one four-cylinder and one six-cylinder engine. Powering the base and mid-specification models will be the same engine as the Navara — a 2.3-litre four-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that produces 140kW (188hp) of power and 450Nm (332ft.lb) of torque. It will have a towing capacity limited to 3000kg. The top-specification model will be available with both the four-cylinder diesel and a six-cylinder turbocharged diesel engine that produces 190kW (255hp) of power and 550Nm (406ft.lb) of torque. Towing capacity would be an increased 3500kg. Both the base model and mid-specification will come with selectable four-wheel drive, with the vehicle operating in rear-wheel drive regularly. The top-specification will be a full-time four-wheel-drive. In terms of design, the base model is likely to be built as a tradesman's utility with basic wheels, plastic-clad bumpers and little in the way of visual enhancements.
According to an attendee, the top-specification model had an interior similar to the B-Class, with an iPad-esque screen attached to the dashboard. The top-specification model also had integrated satellite navigation and a 360-degree surround-view camera. In terms of pricing for Australia, attendees were told that pricing would start from around $55,000 for the base model, over $60,000 for the mid-specification and close to $80,000 for the top-specification guise. Australia to have engineering input When quizzed about the new Mercedes-Benz ute, David McCarthy, Mercedes-Benz Australia's senior manager of public relations, product and corporate communications said, "Into the design...none. Into the spec, quite a bit. We will still do some local work on it — we did actually have a styling workshop here, which we wanted [in order] to do some potential customer research. Bear in mind it's still two years away and is a bit of a moveable feast. We feel quite good about it."
"It's a bit early. There will be three specs, basically. There'll be a 'tradie' spec (close to a tradie spec), a mid-range and a high-range. It's not going to be priced in the market against Rangers and stuff like that — I suspect Amarok or higher. It's such a new area for us." "Certainly feedback from our existing customers is great. They're really interested in the vehicle. How many are we going to sell? No idea. We are an important component of the vehicle's worldwide sales, but it's still a long way away," he said. "Our driving conditions are not totally unique. They are pretty unique and there will be an expectation that the vehicle be very competent off road. Certainly for us that's important. There will be local development done — to what level, we're not sure yet, but there will be local work done." No AMG version of Mercedes-Benz ute The concept of a 'go-fast' version of the ute was all but quashed, with McCarthy suggesting that the notion was ruled out.
"Tobias [Moers — chief executive of Mercedes-AMG] was asked about this at Detroit [motor show]. He laughed and said he had just been having a discussion about the very same thing with Volka from AMG and a V8 AMG ute...I don't think that's going to happen," McCarthy said. "Certainly an AMG styling kit, as such, that's entirely possible. Anything beyond that, it would mean that our development engineers at AMG are used to developing cars and SUVs. A ute is an entirely different thing." "If it happened — you'd end up with something like a Maloo, which can carry three bags of baguettes, then it's use as a ute is reduced. Then again — how many people that are buying utes are using them as they were properly designed." "Like Hyundai's upcoming thing (Santa Cruz) — I'd be surprised if that has any load-carrying capacity. For us, we definitely want a tools-of-the-trade version, as it's called. Our vans, they're built to work, so it's got a lot of lifestyle attractions to it, but a lot of these vehicles are going to have to earn their living. An AMG version is highly unlikely, especially for the first version."The Washington Post Co. reported a fourth-quarter 2012 loss of $45.4 million, or $6.57 a share, as it took $113 million of after-tax charges for goodwill write-downs and restructuring, mostly in its Kaplan education subsidiary. A year earlier, the company earned $61.7 million, or $8.03 a share
But The Post Co. said that, after excluding those and other special items, net income from continuing operations rose to $78.8 million, up 15 percent from the fourth quarter of 2011. It also stressed that its cash flow and cash positions were strong.
For all of 2012, The Post Co. earned $131.2 million, or $17.39 a share, up 13 percent from $116.2 million, or $14.70 a share, in 2011.
Results at the company’s four main subsidiaries were mixed. The Kaplan education unit and the newspaper division continued to struggle; revenue at each dropped about 6 percent, and operating income fell sharply. But revenue and profits at The Post Co.’s regional TV broadcast stations surged thanks to a flood of political advertising. The company’s cable subsidiary also reported solid earnings.
Advertising and circulation trends at the company’s news division remained on a downward course, though, as a result of cost cutting. The division earned $2.6 million in the fourth quarter, down from $6.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2011. Cost cutting is expected to continue; in the past week, two media Web sites have reported cutbacks on the paper’s business and mobile-technology areas.
Print advertising at The Washington Post slid 12 percent in the fourth quarter, to $67.5 million. A 5 percent increase in ad revenue, to $33.1 million, from the company’s online operations — primarily washingtonpost.com and Slate — made up about half the print ad decline in the fourth quarter.
Daily circulation at The Washington Post declined 8.6 percent, to an average of 471,800 for all of 2012, and Sunday circulation dropped 6.2 percent, to an average of 687,200.
One benefit of the paper’s woes: lower newsprint costs. Those expenses were down 10 percent in 2012 and in the fourth quarter. The company also announced that it had sold its 49 percent interest in troubled Bowater Mersey Paper Co., a forestry and paper mill business based in Nova Scotia, for a nominal amount. No gain or loss was recorded; the investment had already been written down to zero.
The company said accounting charges for pension plans depressed the newspaper’s earnings, even though the company has made no cash contributions to the overfunded plans for many years. For all of 2012, the newspaper lost $53.7 million, compared with $21.2 million in 2011. But the non-cash pension charges amounted to $42.4 million in 2012 and $25.3 million in 2011.
The company’s big Kaplan education division, which accounted for 55 percent of The Post Co.’s revenue in 2012, continued to struggle, as well. Revenue fell 6 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the previous year and fell 9 percent for the year.
Restructuring costs and goodwill charges weighed heavily on Kaplan’s operating income as it continued to close campuses and reduce its online program’s workforce. The company took $111.6 million of charges in the fourth quarter for the impairment of goodwill and other assets at Kaplan Test Prep, as well as $35.9 million in restructuring charges as it closes facilities, mostly at Kaplan Higher Education. Overall, the entire Kaplan division lost $111.9 million in the fourth quarter.
Even without those charges, the once-high-flying division — which had operating income of $359.6 million in 2010 — earned a more modest $65.5 million in all of 2012, down 55 percent from the year before. And the company said it expects to incur about $25 million in additional restructuring costs in 2013.
The Kaplan Higher Education unit faces growing competition as well as pressure from federal Education Department requirements. New student enrollments at Kaplan University and Kaplan Higher Education campuses were down 1 percent in 2012, and the total number of students at the two programs was down 12 percent at the end of 2012, compared with the end of 2011.
Kaplan Test Prep trimmed its losses and produced a positive cash flow in 2012. Its enrollments grew 5 percent in the fourth quarter compared with the last three months of 2011 and 11 percent for the year. But it, too, faces competitive pricing pressures as more test preparation moves online, and the rate of growth slowed in the fourth quarter.
Kaplan International reported strong results in Singapore, offset in large part by troubles in Australia.
The bright spots for the company continued to be cable and broadcast television. TV broadcasting revenue jumped 32 percent in the fourth quarter and 25 percent for the year. Operating income vaulted 54 percent to $62.8 million in the fourth quarter and 64 percent to $191.6 million for all of 2012.
The television stations continued to benefit from political advertising.
Cable television remained steady, with revenue edging up 6 percent in the fourth quarter and 4 percent of the year. The division, facing competitive markets, still eked out $43.4 million in operating income, up about 4 percent, in the fourth quarter of 2012. For the year, operating income fell 1 percent to $154.6 million.
The company slowed its share buyback program, spending about $5.7 million buying its own stock in the fourth quarter. It finished 2012 with 7.4 million shares outstanding. The average shares outstanding dropped 6 percent because of company purchases.
The company also said it had an $18 million write-down of a marketable equity security. The Post Co. did not say which company, but a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission in November said The Post Co. had a $14 million unrealized loss in Strayer Education, a publicly traded company.Kurdish rebels of the PKK should move out of Iraqi Kurdistan to prevent Turkish air strikes against them from causing civilian casualties, the region's leadership said on Saturday.
"The PKK (Kurdistan Workers' Party) must keep the battlefield away from the Kurdistan region in order for civilians not to become victims of this war," the office of the region's president Massud Barzani said in a statement.
Turkey has carried out hundreds of raids against the Kurdish rebel group's mountain bases on either side of the Iraqi border.
The PKK itself has admitted to only a handful of deaths in its ranks but the official Turkish news agency Anatolia on Saturday put the figure at around 260, although it gave no source.
PKK sources on Saturday claimed that at least 10 civilians had been killed by Turkish airstrikes in the Qandil mountains. “Two people lost their lives in the airstrikes,” Firat News Agency quoted one local as saying. “The villagers and their relatives that went to the scene for them were also bombed by Turkish jets, which left seven people dead. The Turkish state is targeting Kurds. All the people living here, and all those killed in the strikes, are civilians and villagers.”
Barzani's Kurdistan Democratic Party has often been at odds with the PKK but has long allowed its fighters to take shelter from the Turkish army in mountain regions on the Iraqi side of the border.
In the same statement, Barzani also urged the PKK and the Turkish government to resume a peace process which the recent violence has all but shattered.
"The Kurdistan presidency is clear in demanding that the PKK keep its military bases away from the region in order not to give the Turkish government any justification when it bombs civilians," Kifah Mahmud, a Barzani adviser, told AFP.
"If the PKK did not have bases inside the region, Turkey would not be bombing civilians," he said.
"The region's presidency has asked the PKK to take its forces out, especially since there is an agreement between the Iraqi and Turkish governments allowing Turkish forces to enter the Iraqi side."
Ankara and Baghdad signed a "hot pursuit" agreement in the era of now executed dictator Saddam Hussein, allowing both sides to hunt down Kurdish rebels 15 kilometres (10 miles) into each other's territory.
Mahmud said the agreement was still valid.
Barzani's party has enjoyed good relations with Turkey, a major investor and trading partner for the autonomous region.SALT LAKE CITY — A former Utah family featured on the reality TV show "Sister Wives" took its fight over the state's polygamy law to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday.
Kody Brown and his four wives asked the nation's highest court to hear its appeal of a lower court ruling that went against them in April. The Denver-based 10th Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a federal judge's decision striking down the cohabitation provision in Utah's polygamy law.
"The underlying rights of religious freedom and free speech are certainly too great to abandon after prevailing below in this case," the Browns' attorney Jonathan Turley wrote on his blog. "Equally important is the right for plural families to be heard in federal court, a right sharply curtailed by the 10th Circuit decision."
U.S. District Judge Clark Waddoups struck down key portions of Utah's polygamy laws as unconstitutional. He found the state's ban on polygamous cohabitation violated the Browns' religious freedom rights. Bigamy — obtaining multiple marriage licenses — remains a felony in Utah.
Utah appealed the ruling, arguing that the U.S. Constitution does not recognize the practice of polygamy as a fundamental right, and the state's law protects women and children from abuse.
The Browns sued Utah over its polygamy laws in 2011 and fled their home in Lehi for Las Vegas after Utah County Attorney Jeff Buhman threatened to prosecute them. In most polygamous families, the man is legally married to one woman and "spiritually married" to the others.
In May 2012, Buhman announced a policy that his office would only prosecute polygamists who induce a partner to marry through misrepresentation or are suspected of committing crimes such as fraud or abuse.
The 10th Circuit found the Brown lawsuit moot because there was no credible threat that they would be prosecuted under the law. It ordered Waddoups to vacate his decision and dismiss the suit.
Turley said the appeals court did not address the alleged constitutional violations of religious freedom, equal protection, due process or free speech in its ruling. Instead, it ruled that Waddoups should have dismissed the case after Buhman announced that he no longer intended to prosecute the Browns, he said.
The court acknowledged a future county attorney could change the policy, but that wasn't enough to overcome the mootness issue.
The Utah Attorney General's Office, which represented Buhman in the appeal, had no comment Monday.
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— Both the state House and Senate voted Wednesday to override Gov. Pat McCrory's veto of House Bill 405, a law that proponents say protects private property rights but opponents say muzzles whistleblowers.
Dubbed an "ag-gag" measure by its critics, the bill gives businesses the right to sue employees who expose trade secrets or take pictures of their workplaces. Animal rights groups say the measure is aimed at curbing the kind of undercover investigations that have exposed abusive practices in factory farms and slaughterhouses.
"Whistleblowers are protected in this bill," Sen. Brent Jackson, R-Sampson, said on the floor of the Senate during a brief debate Wednesday afternoon.
Senators voted 33-15 to override the veto less than hour after members of the House voted 79-36 to pass the measure not withstanding the governor's objections. The bill will become law Jan. 1.
When McCrory vetoed the bill, he said he agreed with the goal of curbing the practice of people who get hired merely so they can film undercover or gather corporate documents.
"While I support the purpose of this bill, I believe it does not adequately protect or give clear guidance to honest employees who uncover criminal activity," McCrory wrote in his veto message.
Journalism groups and the AARP made similar arguments, saying that the bill would apply to all employers, not just the agriculture industry. Industry workers, they say, could be discourage from coming forward with evidence of elder abuse.
"To give one relevant example, allegations surfaced last year that employees at Veterans Affairs facilities in North Carolina had been retaliated against for whistleblowing," wrote Steven Nardizzi, chief executive of the Wounded Warrior Project. "As an organization dedicated to honoring and empowering injured service members, we are concerned that this legislation might cause wrongdoing at hospitals and institutions to go unchecked."
House sponsors said that critics of the bill were wrongly characterizing it.
"It doesn’t stop good employees from reporting illegal activities to other authorities," Rep. John Szoka, R-Cumberland, said on the House floor.
Those "authorities" would include law enforcement and regulatory agencies. It's unclear what might happen if a worker were to expose a practice to a journalist and whether that journalist would be liable. That's among the technical flaws opponents have said they wold like to fix.
"Some tweaking of this may well be in order," said Rep. John Blust, R-Guilford. "I hope we can find a vehicle for it this session, but I’m not willing to along with what I believe is misinformation."
It's not uncommon, Blust and Szoka pointed out, for lawmakers to pass separate "technical corrections" bill to fix legislation that has already passed.
But Rep. Becky Carney, D-Mecklenburg, said that the governor's veto had given lawmakers the chance to start over and get the bill right to begin with.
"If there is a major doubt, we have a chance to slow it down," Carney said. "Let's take it back. Let’s get it right. Fix those corrections in a real bill that we can all wrap our hands around."
In the end, Republican backers of the measure said it was important to protect businesses from bad actors and voted to pass the bill over McCrory's objections.
"We need to vote for this because it has gotten out of control what some so-called employees have done to businesses," said Rep. Pat McElraft, R-Carteret.
The move drew a quick rebuke from animal rights groups.
"Not only will this ag-gag law perpetuate animal abuse, it endangers workers’ rights, consumer health and safety, and the freedom of journalists, employees, and the public at large to share information about something as fundamental as our food supply. This law is bad for consumers, who want more, not less, transparency in food production," said Nathan Runkle, president of Mercy For Animals.On the instruction of his doctors, Groundhog Day star Andy Karl will not perform in the matinee performances on Wednesday, April 26 and Saturday, April 29 to further recuperate from a knee injury he sustained during the April 14 performance. Andrew Call will play the role of Phil Connors at these matinee performances. Karl had missed some performances the week after the April 17 opening night to begin recovery from his injury.
Karl recently won an Olivier Award for his performance in Groundhog Day, the Olivier Award-winning new musical featuring music and lyrics by Tim Minchin, a book by Danny Rubin and direction by Matthew Warchus. The musical began performances on March 16 at the August Wilson Theatre.
Get a sneak peek at Groundhog Day in the show clips below.— A 10-year-old girl once held captive by excruciating headaches caused by sickle cell anemia has a new life that’s healthy and active thanks to a bone marrow transplant from her little sister.
It’s been a long, at times painful, journey for Marley Franklin and her family, but they her happy outcome will inspire others to sign up for the National Bone Marrow Registry.
Doctors said Marley is fortunate her sister, 4-year-old Maya, was a perfect match.
Even with the most sophisticated testing, the sisters’ blood appears to be exactly the same.
Marley’s doctor, Neena Kapoor, at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, said “We cannot tell the different and that’s the way we want it to be.”
That proved crucial for the blood and bone marrow transplants to take hold.
“I used to have headaches that wouldn’t be like normal headaches. They would be like headaches where it wouldn’t be good for me,” Marley said.
The girl’s mother, Tirzah Franklin, said “she would just scream that it would hurt so bad.”
Marley’s headaches were caused by the sickle cell disease, a condition where the body makes blood cells that are irregularly shaped like a crescent moon, which prevents them from delivering enough oxygen to the body.
“It can cause damage to the brain,” Kapoor said. “It can cause stroke in a child, because there’s no blood flowing to that area. And, unfortunately in Marley’s case, that is what was happening.”
The only way to manage sickle cell plain is with blood transfusions. By the time Marley was six, she needed new blood every few weeks.
Then Maya was born and their blood proved a 98 percent match.
Maya donated bone marrow, which is responsible for creating red blood cells in the body, to her sister. She bounced back in a matter of hours.
But Marley’s recovery proved much more difficult. For the transplant to take hold, Marley’s own immune system had to be destroyed through chemotherapy, and all the brutal side effects that come with it.
“It was scary,” Marley’s dad, Jamar Franklin, said. “It was almost unbearable for me.”
On Marley’s worst days in the bone marrow transplant unit, Jamar said he was “second-guessing myself, maybe we shouldn’t have went through with the bone marrow transplant.”
But Marley grew stronger, little by little.
“I was tough enough to get through it,” she said.
The young girl also said, “I’m really, really happy to have a family like this.”
Maya replied, “I helped my sissy feel better.”
The sisters have a special connection that extends beyond shared blood.
They both share a passion for golf.
Marley’s parents had her play golf during her recovery and she’s proven a natural talent.
“She plays like Phi Mickelson,” her dad said.
Marley has entered quite a few tournaments, collecting plenty of medals along the way.
Earlier this year, Marley played at Torrey Pines, the same tournament Tiger Woods entered when he was a boy. She didn’t win, but Marley now has an international ranking among 10-year-old girls: “I’m 55th in the world.”
Could these sisters be to golf what the Williams sisters are to tennis?
That would be a dream come true, but if she continues to play, get an education, go to college, I’ll be satisfied with that,” Jamar Franklin said. “And I think Maya will be right behind her.”
As Marley continues to beat out the competition on the course, her greatest victory has been overcoming sickle cell anemia.
“She is cured,” said Dr. Kapoor, crediting her successful bone marrow transplant.
For more information about the bone marrow transplant program at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles click here.
Resources on sickle cell disease can be found at sicklecelldisease.org.
To get information or to join the National Bone Marrow Registry go to marrow.org.
For more on the Callaway Junior World Golf Tournament go to juniorworldgolf.com.
*Story produced by Gerri Shaftel Constant.Liverpool have rejected another bid from Arsenal for Luis Suarez to the value of 40m and one pound.
The news of the bid is reported by all major media outlets on Wednesday morning.
The Liverpool Echo report:
The Londoners were under the belief that any offer in excess of £40million – hence the extra £1 – would trigger a release clause in the contract Suarez signed last August.
Perhaps what is most concerning are claims that Arsenal‘s interest and renewed bid has been encouraged by Suarez’s agent, write The Times:
The eye-catching figure was formulated by Suárez’s agent, Pere Guardiola, who believed that Liverpool would have to allow his client to leave in the event of any interested party offering in excess of £40 million.
The Mirror claim Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger is:
prepared to shatter the Emirates wage structure with a five-year, £150,000-a-week contract.
The Guardian write:
Arsenal have reinforced their determination to sign Luis Suárez with a club-record bid of £40m plus £1 for the Liverpool striker. The offer was rejected out of hand by Liverpool but Suárez could push for talks over a sensational move to the Emirates Stadium, if he so desires.
BBC Sport explain:
Under the terms of Suarez’s deal, the club are duty bound to consider any offer for him in excess of £40m and then inform the 26-year-old of it. But they do not have to sell and have now rejected two bids from Arsenal.
All reports say the bid was placed by Arsenal chief executive Ivan Gazidis, despite Liverpool managing director Ian Ayre having told Gazidis a fortnight ago that £40m would be rejected.
The Daily Mail report:
The fact that Arsenal have come back with £1 over £40m has left Liverpool bemused, and strengthened their resolve to hang on to Suarez. Even though he has been a hugely controversial figure, Fenway Sports Group are desperate to keep Suarez at the club.
Liverpool are remaining insistent that they do not wish to sell Suarez, but if they were to do so it would take nearer £50m. The Echo write:
The Reds value the striker in excess of £50million and unless they receive that kind of bid – coupled with a written transfer request – they won’t even consider a deal.
Would Arsenal bid that high? Why would Suarez even want to join Arsenal after his initial claims of wanting away from the British media?
Suarez is due to appear for Liverpool for the first time since the biting incident in April, against Melbourne Victory on Wednesday (11am UK kick off).
Meanwhile, Philippe Coutinho is quoted in The Telegraph saying:
“All of the players want him [Suarez] to stay and we have been trying to persuade him to stay.”
It isn’t clear if the extra pound is the same pound Carra threw back to Arsenal fans at Highbury back in 2002.China’s influence on Hollywood in the past few years is palpable, with major blockbusters inserting storylines and characters to specifically cater to Chinese audiences and studios depending on overseas audiences to save critically slammed blockbusters. But Hollywood may soon find that all that pandering hasn’t paid off.
Chinese theaters have been reportedly skimming millions of dollars in ticket revenue from Hollywood studios, with as much as 9% of ticket sales going underreported in 2016. With 2017’s summer box office haul recording as one of the worst Hollywood has seen in decades, what does this mean for the overall box office numbers?
According to a report by the Wall Street Journal, auditors at PricewaterhouseCoopers have discovered that Chinese theaters have cheated Hollywood for at least $40 million in missing revenue for the six major U.S. studios. The audit found a horde of issues that resulted in this missing revenue: sales were often listed concessions rather than tickets, audience size numbers were incorrect, or screenings were unreported altogether.
PricewaterhouseCoopers has been investigating the issue on behalf of the MPAA, whose members have long been concerned about revenue skimming in China. The investigation finally went underway last summer, according to The Hollywood Reporter, with auditors examining the 29 biggest movies released in China in 2016 in 125 screens run by 27 different cinema chains.
The skimming not a new phenomenon. Chinese cinemas have been infamous for manipulating box office numbers for years, with new Chinese industry laws cracking down on box office fraud, resulting in increased suspensions, fines and warnings, according to Deadline. However, this is a major blow to Hollywood, which has already been struggling with steadily dropping box office numbers domestically.
Hollywood Loves China
The China box office has rapidly grown in influence in recent years, threatening to overtake the U.S. as the world’s largest theatrical market. In fact, the China market is even expected to surpass the U.S. in five years. Because of this, Chinese audiences have been heavily influencing the type of output from Hollywood studios. Effects-heavy blockbusters like Warcraft and Resident Evil: The Final Chapter were huge hits in China despite flopping domestically, which resulted in executives looking to the East Asian nation for solace when expensive tentpoles like The Mummy failed domestically. However, there have been reports that Chinese audiences curiously avoided the blockbusters this summer, though this reports of ticket skimming may explain why.
Hollywood currently receives 25% of profits from Chinese box office revenue. With U.S. studios films officially grossing $1.87 billion in China last year, Hollywood studios took home about $470 million. Because of this sizable portion of Chinese audiences fueling their box office intake, we’ve seen blockbusters like Kong: Skull Island or X-Men: Days of Future Past cast Chinese stars in an attempt to cater to the Chinese market, and even give these stars greater storylines in international versions.
Now the U.S. film industry is undergoing a renegotiation of business with China — the original five-year agreement ended in February — with Hollywood pushing for more market access, and the Chinese hoping to boost their growing domestic industry.
What Does This Mean For Falling Box Office Numbers?
We’ve seen Hollywood-Chinese blockbuster collaborations rise and fall (The Great Wall), but Chinese audiences have started to show a preference for domestic productions with Chinese action thriller Wolf Warriors 2 beating out Hollywood productions at the Chinese box office. With Hollywood reeling at their decreasing influence in China, it would be easy to point fingers at the rampant ticket skimming for domestic Chinese movies beating out Hollywood tentpoles. But that may not be the case.
It’s no secret that 2017 had the worst summer box office in decades. No definitive culprit has been found — first it was Rotten Tomatoes, then it wasn’t. Perhaps underreported Chinese ticket sales are partially to blame — I can guarantee you some Hollywood executives are pointing the finger at it at this very moment — but like I proposed in an earlier article, Chinese audiences may genuinely be losing interest in bombastic Hollywood blockbusters.
Will this report change the pitiful 2017 box office numbers? Who knows. The investigation is ongoing and is still an estimate for China’s 43,000-plus screens — the largest number of screens in the world. But perhaps it may push Hollywood to pander less to Chinese audiences and focus more on authentic stories.Senators coach Guy Boucher said it would be good for Clarke MacArthur to be around teammates as he fights through yet another concussion.
Clarke MacArthur’s career isn’t over, but it is on hold after he suffered a concussion during Senators’ training camp, his fourth in less than two years.
MacArthur met with media Friday and, according to the Ottawa Sun’s Bruce Garrioch, the 31-year-old said his career is going to continue and that he’s working to get back into the lineup as soon as he can.
The news that MacArthur won’t be hanging up his skates comes little more than a week after Senators GM Pierre Dorion announced that MacArthur would be meeting with a concussion specialist to talk about his future.
The hit that concussed MacArthur came during a Senators scrimmage during training camp when defenseman Patrick Sieloff crunched MacArthur into the boards from behind. MacArthur needed to be helped off the ice after the hit and was sent home by the team. After the scrimmage, Dorion announced MacArthur, who had missed all but four games of the 2015-16 campaign due to a concussion, was again dealing with a concussion and that the team was “heartbroken” about the situation.
That MacArthur is continuing his career is a relief, and comes a day after the veteran winger got back on the ice for what appeared to be the first time since he suffered the concussion. Coach Guy Boucher was hesitant to talk about MacArthur’s progress, but admitted that MacArthur has been back on the ice.
“The news is positive, but it’s extremely early in a long-term process,” Boucher said, according to the Ottawa Citizen’s Ken Warren. “Right now, we’re just happy for him that he feels good.”
And it sounds as though MacArthur is actually feeling well enough that he could be hitting the road with the Senators when they make the trip to Western Canada for a three-game set against the Vancouver Canucks, Calgary Flames and Edmonton Oilers.
Boucher wouldn’t confirm that MacArthur would indeed make the trip — the Senators bench boss said it wasn’t “100 percent decided” — but it would be a way to keep him with the team and around the game during his latest concussion battle. Boucher did say for certain that MacArthur would not be suiting up on the trip, though.
MacArthur is currently in the second season of a five-year, $23.25-million contract that he signed with the Senators in August 2014. The four games he played to start the 2015-16 season are the only games he has played under his current deal, but he has registered 40 goals and 91 points in 145 games with the Senators.
Want more in-depth features and expert analysis on the game you love? Subscribe to The Hockey News magazine.Amid rumors that Metta World Peace will be released by the Los Angeles Lakers via the amnesty clause, a longtime friend and confidante of World Peace's claims the forward "hopes to land with the Knicks."
The Lakers can't make an official amnesty move until Wednesday, and sources told ESPN Tuesday that the team hasn't made a decision. World Peace's camp told ESPN that the team also told them that no decision has been made.
Jose Morales said World Peace would be "upset" if the Lakers amnesty him, and that he would even consider retirement if any team with room to fit him under the salary cap claimed him off waivers. Those teams would have the first opportunity to claim him.
"If the Lakers do amnesty him, he might want to retire," Morales said. "If one of these small-market teams picks him up, he won't be happy with that. He doesn't want to play there."
Morales said World Peace would be open to playing for the Clippers, but if he can't stay in Los Angeles, he would want to play only in New York, his hometown.
"If the Lakers amnesty him, he's going to have a point to prove that he can still be that player in New York," Morales said.
ESPN.com reported that Morales said he was the head of Artest's foundation. However, he is not currently listed on the websites of either World Peace's or his father's foundations. A spokesman for World Peace said that he currently does not work for World Peace's Xcel University. Artest's father, Ron Sr., said that Morales does work for his foundation, The Artest Foundation.
If World Peace ended up in New York, he would be an ideal candidate to start at small forward and play alongside Carmelo Anthony. The Knicks are in the market for a wing player who can defend and stretch the floor with 3-point shooting. World Peace, if available, arguably would be the best candidate to fill that role.
Morales also said money is not a factor in World Peace's next destination, as he'll still get paid $7.7 million from the Lakers through the 2013-14 season if he's amnestied.
"Whatever he makes next is an added bonus," Morales said. "Playing with a team that has a chance with the championship would be even better. He loves the Knicks."Connecticut Gov. Dannel P. Malloy at the state Capitol in Hartford, Feb. 8. Photo: Associated Press.
June 2, 2017 6:52 p.m. ET 33 COMMENTS
The Aetna insurance company has been based in Hartford, Conn., since 1853, but this week it said it is looking to move to another state. Governor Dannel Malloy has pledged to match other states’ financial incentives, but taxpayer money can’t buy fiscal certainty and a less destructive business climate. That’s the real problem in Connecticut, which saw GE vamoose to Boston last year and which even Mr. Malloy now seems to recognize.
“As a huge Connecticut employer and a pillar of the insurance industry, it must be infuriating to feel like you must fight your home state policymakers who seem blind to the future,” Mr. Malloy wrote in a May 15 letter to Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini. “The lack of respect afforded Aetna as an important and innovative economic engine of Connecticut bewilders me.”
Now he tells us. Gov. Malloy has spent two terms treating business as a bottomless well of cash to redistribute to public unions. Now that his state is losing millionaires and businesses, he has seen the light. But the price of his dereliction |
areas on the planet, designing a device capable of withstanding the conditions has proved a challenging task.
“We have to develop both the devices and implement some gateways to enable our sailors to circumvent the existing firewalls onboard, but only for this one purpose, in order to share directly from a handheld device,” explained Turner.
The communication is one-way, meaning that sailors using the ‘crew communicator’ won’t be able to receive replies whilst at sea, but they will be sent an email digest featuring engagement stats at the end of each day.
Three-time Volvo Ocean Race sailor, Gerd-Jan Poortman, commented: “This is fantastic news. All athletes have their own network, so it is a good way of making the race more personal. Fans will be able to read what the sailors want to say – and not just what they are asked about in an interview. It's going to be great."
“The stories that go on in this race are amazing, and so far, we haven’t been able to get much of it off the boats" - Richard Mason
“The stories that go on in this race are amazing, and so far, we haven’t been able to get much of it off the boats,” explained Volvo Ocean Race Operations Director, Richard Mason, who competed in the Race four times between 2001 to 2012.
“The ‘crew communicator’ will be a fantastic way for fans to follow individuals, and learn more about the characters in the race – not just the skipper, but the bowman, trimmer and each of the crew.”
Richard Mason on crew communicator
And Mason, who was also Shore Manager for Team SCA during the 2014-15 edition, believes that the public will be captivated by the daily life onboard the Volvo Ocean 65s.
“Look at shows like ‘The Deadliest Catch’ – people are mesmerised by a bunch of guys fishing in the Barents Sea, hauling out crab pots,” he continued. “Everyone watches it, including myself, and I know that the stories that go on in the Volvo Ocean Race are at least as compelling.”
"It’s a fine balance to protect sporting integrity, with making sure that everyone can join the adventure" - Phil Lawrence
Race Director, Phil Lawrence, commented on the need to innovate and tell the story of the teams, whilst also ensuring that the racing isn’t compromised.
“We’re keen to get raw content off the boats and into the public domain as fast as possible, and this technology allows us to manage that process in the right way,” he explained.
“It’s important not to just throw it open – the crew are racing their boat around the planet, and the last thing we would want is to make it possible for a group of meteorologists sat in an office in central Europe somewhere making decisions which should be made on board.”
He added: “It’s a fine balance to protect that sporting integrity, whilst making sure that everyone can join us on what promises to be an amazing adventure in 2017-18. I believe that the ‘crew communicator’ concept is a big step towards finding that balance.”Bilingual Nursery – Preparation for a more Active China…
In a world that is increasingly moving towards a future in which China plays a more active role, how best can we prepare our children to engage with both the challenge and the opportunity such a change represents? We believe our bilingual nursery is part of the answer – helping children develop oral fluency in Chinese by five….
It seems slightly odd to us all at Hatching Dragons that this year’s World Economic Forum at Davos may see President Xi Jinping, the leader of the Communist party of China, defend globalisation and free trade – two pretty fundamental pillars of liberal, free market based capitalism – against an incoming US President elect, who wants to move the largest liberal democracy – the country that has benefitted most from capitalism – towards protectionism and isolationism. Not that we’re one to argue the case for either side but isn’t that quite astonishing? That Communist China has assumed this role in global affairs?
Today’s news is filled with commentary on the implications of such a shift. Reuters had a pretty decent review of the various opinions out there but it did remind us here at our bilingual nursery of why we are doing what we’re doing.
Why China’s integration will probably continue…
In my view, the sheer weight of numbers in China’s population lends credence to the argument that China’s integration with the wider global economy and population will continue to increase. We think this is a cause for celebration – the movement of people has made the world a better place, for the most part (in my view) – but it also should give us all good cause to pause for thought about what that kind of a future might look like for our children. A more globally mobile, better integrated Chinese people will mean that our own children will be faced with the challenge (and the opportunity) of needing to engage with them. And what better way to do that than by learning fluency in their language.
How we’re preparing children…
At Hatching Dragons, we foster fluency in Mandarin Chinese by immersing our children (aged 6 months to 5) in a spoken Chinese environment from the outset, helping to nurture both their understanding of the language and the culture of the country. So that if China does continue to integrate and be a more active player in global affairs, they might be able to adapt to it, rather than close themselves off from it.SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korea’s parliament on Thursday approved a bill to appoint a special prosecutor to investigate a favors scandal engulfing President Park Geun-hye, sharply raising political pressure on her amid calls for her to step down.
South Korean President Park Geun-hye delivers her speech during the inaugural session of the 20th National Assembly in Seoul, South Korea, June 13, 2016. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji
Park’s administration has been rocked by allegations that a friend, Choi Soon-sil, used her ties to the president to meddle in state affairs and wield improper influence, triggering calls for the president to be impeached or step down.
Legal scholars and political analysts believe Park is unlikely to resign and that impeachment by parliament is more likely. The special prosecutor will have up to 120 days to investigate the case and can bring charges.
The motion for a special prosecutor proposed by the main opposition Democratic Party passed by a vote of 196 in the 300-seat assembly, indicating some members of Park’s ruling Saenuri Party backed the bill.
“We would like to propose this bill to resolve the public suspicion by appointing and allowing a special prosecutor to thoroughly find the truth through a strict investigation into allegations that civilians including Choi Soon-sil meddled in state affairs,” the bill said.
Park is under intense pressure from an angry public to step down with hundreds of thousands marching in the capital on Saturday.
Prosecutors are separately investigating Choi, who is alleged to have used her ties to the president to interfere in state affairs and wield influence in the cultural and sports communities, a prosecutor has previously said.
Park’s lawyer, Yoo Yeong-ha, told reporters on Thursday that he would cooperate with prosecutors for her to be questioned next week, Yonhap news agency reported, which would make her the first sitting leader to be questioned in a criminal case.
Reuters could not immediately reach Yoo for comment.
Park came under criticism from opposition parties that she was trying to stall the probe. The prosecutors had said they would try to question Park this week.
Park said in her nationally televised apology earlier this month that she would be open to a special prosecutor’s investigation.DENVER (Reuters) - Three more people in Colorado have been diagnosed with the plague after coming in contact with an infected dog whose owner contracted a life-threatening form of the disease, state health officials said on Friday.
In all, four people were infected with the disease from the same source, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment said in a statement.
Last week the department said a man in an eastern Colorado county whose dog died of the plague had been diagnosed with pneumonic plague, a rare and serious form of the disease.
The man remains hospitalized, but authorities have not released his condition.
The three people in the latest reported cases had “mild symptoms” and have fully recovered after being treated with antibiotics, the department said, adding that they are no longer contagious.
Two of the patients in the new cases contracted pneumonic plague, the department said.
Pneumonic plague is the only form of the disease that can be transmitted person-to-person, usually through infectious droplets from coughing.
The bacteria that causes plague occurs naturally in the western United States, primarily in California, New Mexico, Arizona and Colorado, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The infected canine in Colorado likely contracted the disease from prairie dogs or rabbits, which are the primary hosts for fleas that carry the bacteria.
When an infected animal dies, the fleas spread the disease when they find another host.
Colorado has seen a total of 12 cases of humans infected with the plague over the last decade, said Jennifer House, the department’s public health veterinarian.
“We usually don’t see an outbreak like this related to the same source,” House said.
Colorado had not had a confirmed human case of pneumonic plague since 2004, she said.The market for UCFF (ultra-compact form factor) PCs has seen tremendous growth since the introduction of the Intel NUCs in early 2013. Various motherboard and system vendors have their own offerings in this space. ECS started selling their own UCFF PCs under the LIVA brand in 2014. The initial focus was on the low end, with units based on the Intel Bay Trail and Braswell platforms. The lineup evolved to accommodate Core M-based units as well as systems in the mini-STX form factor. Today, we are taking a look at the ECS LIVA Z. This fanless Apollo Lake system targets the low-end market segment, and aims to differentiate itself by supporting two LAN ports.
Introduction and Product Impressions
Traditional UCFF PCs (such as the BRIX from GIGABYTE and the Beebox from ASRock) have stayed close to the Intel NUC form factor. ECS had experimented with a smaller form factor (Mini-Lake) in the first-generation LIVA, as well as the LIVA X, and LIVA X2. The LIVA Z, however, adopts a board form-factor similar to that of the Intel NUCs.
The feature set and pricing of the LIVA units make it target the developing and cost-sensitive markets. The LIVA Z is no different. Intel's Apollo Lake SoCs improve upon Bay Trail and Braswell by adopting a newer microarchitecture (Goldmont) for the CPU cores and also getting fabricated in a more power-efficient / mature 14nm process. In the consumer market, the Goldmont cores are exclusive to the Apollo Lake family. The SoCs target the netbook and nettop markets, and it is no surprise that ECS has adopted the netbook variants for the fanless LIVA Z models.
The LIVA Z comes in three variants,corresponding to the three members of the Apollo Lake mobile SoC family (6W TDP) - the Pentium N4200, or the Celeron N3450, or the Celeron N3350. Our review sample, the LIVA-ZN33 is based on the Intel Celeron N3350. The unit ships with 32GB of eMMC on the board, but, it was insufficient to enable the installation of all our benchmark programs. Therefore, we evaluated the PC in two different configurations - the base one with Windows 10 installed on the eMMC and used for typical workloads such as media playback, and a configuration with a M.2 SATA SSD for office workloads. The full specifications of our review configurations are summarized in the table below.
ECS LIVA-ZN33 Specifications Processor Intel Celeron N3350
Apollo Lake (Goldmont), 2C/2T, 1.1 GHz (Turbo to 2.4 GHz), 14nm, 2 MB L2, 6W TDP Memory Kingston CBD16D3LS1KBG/4G DDR3 4GB
11-11-11-28 @ 1600 MHz Graphics Intel HD Graphics 500 Disk Drive(s) SanDisk eMMC DF4032
(32 GB; eMMC v5.0-compatible)
ADATA Premier SP600 SP600NS34
(128 GB; M.2 Type 2242 SATA III; MLC) Networking Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165
(1x1 802.11ac - 433 Mbps)
2x Realtek RTL8168/8111 Gigabit LAN Audio 3.5mm Audio Jack, 1x Digital Microphone
Capable of 5.1/7.1 digital output with HD audio bitstreaming (HDMI) Display 1x HDMI 1.4a
1x mini-DisplayPort 1.2 Miscellaneous I/O Ports 3x USB 3.0 Type-A
1x USB 3.0 Type-C Operating System Retail units come barebones, or with OS depending on SKU. Our unit was the non-OS version, but we installed Windows 10 Pro x64 Pricing (As configured) $180 (eMMC / No OS)
$220 (eMMC / Win 10 Home x64)
$250 (with M.2 SATA SSD, as configured / No OS) Full Specifications ECS LIVA Z Specifications
The ECS LIVA-ZN33 package comes with a 65W (19V @ 3.42A) AC adapter and a VESA mount / screws in addition to the main unit. Windows 10 is the only officially supported OS, and all the drivers were downloaded on our review unit from the ECS website.
One of the interesting hardware components in the LIVA-ZN33 is the integrated digital microphone. This allows the end user to configure it as an always-listening machine (if needed), without the need to connect an external microphone. The other selling point is the availability of two GbE RJ-45 ports. Intel Ethernet controllers would have sweetened the deal, but, ECS has taken the cost factor into consideration and opted for Realtek controllers.
The industrial design is attractive and the unit feels solid. The chassis is made of plastic (not uncommon at the targeted price point). The internal heat sink which faces the bottom lid, however, is solid metal, and possesses good characteristics for effective heat transfer from the SoC. It would have been nice if the design allowed for the generated heat to dissipate via convection. In any case, we will take a look at the effectiveness of the thermal design in a later section.
Platform Analysis
The specifications of the Intel Celeron N3350 indicate that the SoC can support up to 6 PCIe 2.0 lanes, 2 SATA ports, and 8 USB ports. The break-up of the high-speed I/O lanes is interesting in the context of the availability of four USB 3.0 ports (3x Type-A + 1x Type-C) as well as two GbE LAN ports in the LIVA Z
Intel Celeron N3350 HSIO Block Diagram [ Courtesy : Intel Pentium and Celeron Processor N- and J- Series Datasheet - Volume 1 of 3 (PDF) ]
The distribution of PCIe lanes in the LIVA Z is as below.
PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #3 In Use @ x1 (Realtek RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Adapter)
PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #4 In Use @ x1 (Intel Dual Band Wireless-AC 3165 AC HMC WiFi Adapter)
PCI-E 2.0 x1 port #5 In Use @ x1 (Realtek RTL8168/8111 PCI-E Gigabit Ethernet Adapter)
Since the used PCIe lanes are muxed with the USB 3.0 lanes, and, there are four USB 3.0 ports in the system, it stands to reason that at least one USB 3.0 port has its bandwidth shared with the PCIe lanes / networking interfaces. At the price point targeted by the LIVA Z, this is hardly an issue.
In the table below, we have an overview of the various systems that we are comparing the ECS LIVA-ZN33 against. Note that they may not belong to the same market segment. The relevant configuration details of the machines are provided so that readers have an understanding of why some benchmark numbers are skewed for or against the ECS LIVA-ZN33 when we come to those sections.Dr. Charles A. Leale, a 23-year-old assistant surgeon, U.S. Volunteers, reached the patient within minutes of the shooting and was accosted immediately by a distraught First Lady crying: “Oh, physician! Is he dead? Can he recover?” The President was not yet dead. However, after a cursory examination, Leale announced: “His wound is mortal; it is impossible for him to recover.” At 7:20 a.m., Abraham Lincoln, 16th president of the United States of America, breathed his last, and his spirit fled to God who gave it.
Why Lincoln died is no mystery. His wound, as Dr. Leale predicted, was mortal, because in 1865 little could be done for patients with such wounds. Today modern advances in trauma care have greatly expanded our capacity to manage traumatic brain injuries and have radically altered the prognosis of patients with injuries like Lincoln’s. Could these techniques have saved Lincoln if they had been available in 1865, and if so, what would he have been capable of in the aftermath of such care? These questions were addressed in 2007 by Dr. Thomas M. Scalea, director of the R. Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center, the world’s oldest such center, at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, during the school’s bicentennial celebration. Dr. Scalea believes that recent advancements in trauma care discussed below would not only have saved Lincoln’s life, but would also have restored much of the President’s neurological function.
Lincoln was shot in the left occiput at close range with a relatively low-velocity bullet. Two young physicians, Dr. Charles Leale, who had graduated from medical school only days before the shooting, and Dr. Charles Taft, just 30 years old, cared for Lincoln. In accordance with the medical practice of the day, they repeatedly probed the President’s wound to prevent blood from accumulating within the skull and compressing his brain. For a time, this maneuver relieved Lincoln’s respiratory distress.
Lincoln’s initial symptoms and his dilated left pupil were caused by cerebral herniation—displacement and compression of vital areas of the brain by blood and edema fluid accumulating within his skull. His physicians remarked that “as long as bleeding continued, the President’s condition remained stable. When the flow stopped, the vital signs weakened … It would produce signs of increased compression. The breathing became stertorous and intermittent, and the pulse became more feeble and irregular.” The most likely path of the bullet that killed Lincoln was through the left lateral sinus. As it traveled through the brain, it created pressure waves that damaged the brain stem (the upper spinal cord). It also produced intraventricular hemorrhage (bleeding into the inner cavities of the brain), a deep laceration of the left cerebral hemisphere, and bilateral subdural hematomas (pools of blood collected on the surface of the brain). In time, these primary injuries (i.e., those occurring at the time of impact) were likely magnified by inadequate delivery of oxygen to the brain resulting from repeated episodes of hypotension and the president’s irregular breathing. This, in turn, caused pressure within the skull (the intracranial pressure [ICP]) to rise, producing additional (secondary) damage to the brain.
Lincoln’s intracerebral hemorrhaging would have caused his ICP to soar. Whereas repeated probing of his wound allowed blood to escape from his skull and for a time relieved his elevated ICP, it also contributed to substantial blood loss. The brain is an extremely vascular organ and when injured bleeds profusely. In fact, Lincoln’s attendants commented that his sheets were crimson and his bed surrounded by a pool of blood. Thus, it is likely that he died because of both cerebral herniation and massive hemorrhaging.Dan Neville/The New York Times
The Chemex coffee maker has hardly changed since first introduced by Peter Schlumbohm in 1941. It still has that familiar hourglass figure, that bentwood collar tied in place with a rawhide strap threaded through a wood bead. The Chemex you can buy today is essentially the same object that was added to the collection of the Museum of Modern Art almost 70 years ago.
It could get by on looks alone. The Chemex feels timeless and a little unfamiliar, as if it’s from a slightly more rational and groovier future not so far away.
Often, a pedigree like this speaks to form more than function – plenty of gorgeous, impractical things are found at MoMA. But the Chemex really works, a cult object within the world of coffee. I know a few professionals who will start the day by flipping on an espresso machine that costs about the same as a BMW 5-Series just off the lease and, while it warms up, make coffee for themselves on a Chemex that retails for less than $40.
The appeal is simple. It’s for purists.
You’re in control: the water temperature, the flow, the pacing are up to you. It means the extraction is up to you. It’s as straightforward as a drip cone (except for the filters; more on that below), only it’s more elegant and feels better in the hand. Once you invest the six minutes it takes to learn how to use a Chemex, you’ll run circles around that plug-in machine you have cluttering up your counter.
But first you have to choose which model you want. There are three, though they’re basically the same.
That is, the classic, glass handle and handblown all have similar forms and make coffee the same way. The difference is in the glass.
The handblown (pictured above) is for fetishists. The glass is from the German company Schott, and it has a satisfying heft. (It’s available from Chemex and at the MoMA Store.) It also has the clean hourglass shape of the original; the classic and glass handle both have a slight roundness to the bottom. And if the handblown is more expensive, expense is relative. The six-cup coffee maker, which serves one or two coffee drinkers (according to Chemex’s math, one cup equals five ounces, so the six-cup has a 30-ounce capacity), costs around $78.
Dan Neville/The New York Times
The glass in the classic and glass handle is manufactured in Taiwan. (The glass handle is favored by coffee bars – there’s no wood or leather, so it can go in the dishwasher.) Both cost the same, around $36 for the six-cup. Both are easy to find.
Originally, the glass for Chemex coffee makers was manufactured by Pyrex for Schlumbohm, who worked out of an office on Murray Street, in New York City. Schlumbohm, who immigrated to the United States in 1935, lived a vivid New York City life. According to the article “Dr. Chemex,” which was published in Gourmet in 2008 (the slide show is worth it), he drove a late-model Cadillac with a gold Chemex bolted to the driver’s door and only hired women. He had a penthouse on lower Fifth Avenue, where he kept German beer on ice and several pairs of binoculars handy so he could spy on his neighbors. By my count, 21 Schlumbohm creations are in the collection of MoMA. Most have to do with coffee or cocktails.
Schlumbohm died in 1962. Chemex moved to Pittsfield, Mass., shortly after, and was bought by Patrick and Liz Grassy in 1981. Though the coffee maker never fell completely out of fashion, Liz Grassy, the company president since Patrick passed away in 1998, told me that business began picking up in 2007.
“When sales started spiking, I couldn’t really trace it to any one thing,” she said over the phone. “It crept up on us. The spring was always a very slow time, and now we’re busy all year long.”
Everything about Chemex feels family-owned, from the ’80s packaging on the filters to the AOL e-mail address on the Web site. Each Chemex coffee maker is polished and tied by hand in Pittsfield. Today the small company exports to a handful of countries that might seem anomalous to the casual reader but that others will recognize as a roll call of obsessive coffee cultures. “Now we’re in England,” Grassy said. “And recently the Czech Repubic. Denmark, Finland, Germany, Norway, Sweden, New Zealand, Australia. Russia, too. We have a very large market in Japan. And it’s growing in Korea.” (France and Italy? They barely register.)
Which means exporting more filters to Japan and Korea. Because a Chemex coffee maker calls for an unusually bulky, thick filter made with 36-pound-weight paper.
According to many in the business, the filter can impart an unpleasant, almost cardboardy taste. Most instruct you to rinse the filter thoroughly. What that means is up to debate. Some say 32 ounces of hot water are necessary, but I feel that’s excessive. Especially if you’re using the oxidized white filters instead of the natural, unbleached filter squares introduced by Chemex in 1990.
You’d think the natural squares would be popular among the coffeescenti, a group that seems to like their produce organic and their transportation people-powered. But almost every coffee figure I contacted fervently endorses oxidized filters.
Are they that different? I decided to test one against the other. I picked up two coffees from Counter Culture Coffee — Michicha Natural Sundried from Sidama, Ethiopa, and Kiryama from Kayanza, Burundi, both five days out of the roaster — then grabbed some croissants at Patisserie Claude for ballast and cleared my morning.
I tested the filters against themselves, rinsing each with a different volume of water; I tested the filters against each other; I switched coffees, going from the fruity and faintly funky Michicha Natural Sundried to the cleaner and more citric Kiryama; I switched back. I made coffee in my French press as a control. I ate croissants. It was a full morning.
And I came to the conclusion that everybody else is right. Kind of.
The oxidized filter is superior, though I think both can make beautiful coffee. The unbleached squares had a distinct papery-ness that was more pronounced on the nose than on the palate, though it dissipated the more I rinsed the filter. At 16 ounces of water, I give a slim advantage to the oxidized paper. But at eight ounces of water, I feel the oxidized is clearly better. And eight ounces of water is about right for rinsing. Any less and the coffee suffers; any more and it feels wasteful. Besides, eight ounces of just-boiling water does a nice job of warming up the flask.
There are further Chemex discussions one might have: the asymmetrical triple-ply filter, the shape of the cone, the effect of ambient temperature. I leave them to the comments, below.
If you want some Chemex coffee without the commitment, it’s offered at a handful of New York coffee spots, including Ground Support in SoHo and Third Rail in the West Village. It’s also an off-menu item at Ninth Street Espresso, Alphabet City location only.
But first, do two minutes and 17 seconds’ worth of homework and play the video below from Intelligentsia Coffee and Tea. It’s a smart, breezy introduction to a way of making coffee that’s been at the cutting edge for almost 70 years.For generations, commentators have worried about the impact of technology on people’s stress. Trains and industrial machinery were seen as noisy disruptors of pastoral village life that put people on edge. Telephones interrupted quiet times in homes. Watches and clocks added to the de-humanizing time pressures on factory workers to be productive. Radio and television were organized around the advertising that enabled modern consumer culture and heightened people’s status anxieties.
Inevitably, the critics have shifted their focus onto digital technology. There has been considerable commentary about whether internet use in general and social media use in particular are related to higher levels of stress. Such analysts often suggest that it is the heaviest users of these technologies that are most at risk. Critics fear that these technologies take over people’s lives, creating time pressures that put people at risk for the negative physical and psychological health effects that can result from stress.
This research explores whether the use of social media, mobile phones and the internet is associated with higher levels of stress. In a Pew Research Center survey of 1,801 adults, we asked participants about the extent to which they felt their lives were stressful, using an established scale of stress called the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). This scale is based on people’s answers to 10 questions that assess whether they feel that their life is overloaded, unpredictable and uncontrollable. Perceived stress, as measured through the PSS, can be viewed as an assessment of the risk that people face for psychological disorders related to stress, such as anxiety and depression, as well as physical illnesses, such as cardiovascular disease and susceptibility to infectious diseases.
There are a number of well-known factors that tend to make people feel more stress, including things like the economic uncertainty of unemployment, and the absence of a spouse or a partner with whom to confide. Previous studies have even found that awareness of stressful events in others’ lives is a major contributor to people’s appraisal of their own stress levels. The relationship of frequent use of digital technologies to stress has been an unknown. We also explored the possibility that the social component of some digital technologies makes people more aware of stressful events in the lives of their close friends and family, as well as in the lives of more socially distant acquaintances, and that this in turn is related to higher levels of stress.
The survey analysis produced two major findings that illustrate the complex interplay of digital technology and stress:
Overall, frequent internet and social media users do not have higher levels of stress. In fact, for women, the opposite is true for at least some digital technologies. Holding other factors constant, women who use Twitter, email and cellphone picture sharing report lower levels of stress.
In fact, for women, the opposite is true for at least some digital technologies. Holding other factors constant, women who use Twitter, email and cellphone picture sharing report lower levels of stress. At the same time, the data show there are circumstances under which the social use of digital technology increases awareness of stressful events in the lives of others. Especially for women, this greater awareness is tied to higher levels of stress and it has been called “the cost of caring.” Stress is not associated with the frequency of people’s technology use, or even how many friends users have on social media platforms. But there is one way that people’s use of digital technology can be linked to stress: Those users who feel more stress are those whose use of digital tech is tied to higher levels of awareness of stressful events in others’ lives. This finding about “the cost of caring” adds to the evidence that stress is contagious.
How can it be that social media use is not directly associated with stress, but for some, social media use can still lead to higher levels of stress?
The answer: The relationship between stress and social media use is indirect. It is the social uses of digital technologies, and the way they increase awareness of distressing events in others’ lives, that explains how the use of social media can result in users feeling more stress.
Imagine a typical Facebook user. He or she is also likely to use other digital technologies, such as email and text messaging. All these technologies allow him or her to share information with friends and family in the form of photos, short textual messages and other contacts. As a result of this communication, he or she is aware and reminded of more activities in the lives of friends and family.
On the one hand, there are benefits from this contact. According to previous research by the Pew Research Center, compared with non-social media users and those who are not as active on Facebook, this person likely: has more close friends; has more trust in people; feels more supported; and is more politically involved. While some might assume that this typical user of Facebook and other digital technologies experiences peer pressure to participate or keep up, and a fear of missing out, if such pressures exist, our typical user does not feel more stress than what he or she would otherwise have experienced, or the social benefit of using these technologies cancels out those additional costs. He or she is unlikely to feel more stress than those who are not using or are less active on social media.
On the other hand, there is the common exception to this relatively positive situation. Sometimes, a social media user’s awareness of events in others’ lives includes knowledge about undesirable events, a friend or family member getting fired or losing someone close to them. Learning of such events in the life of a friend or family member can result in higher feelings of stress.
In sum, social media users are not any more likely to feel stress than others, but there is a subgroup of social media users who are more aware of stressful events in their friends’ lives and this subgroup of social media users does feel more stress.
Gender differences are a major part of this story. Women and men have different levels of stress; their use of digital technologies varies; and the impact of their technology use is different.
The broad patterns are:
Overall, women tend to report more stress than men. But, those women who use a number of digital technologies to communicate with others tend to report less stress than women who do not use these technologies.
Women are more aware of stressful events in the lives of their closest friends and family.
Social media use is related to even higher levels of awareness of the stressful events that unfold in the lives of people they know.
Awareness of stressful events in others’ lives is a significant contributor to people’s own stress. It is the only factor that we found that is common to both social media use and psychological stress. The number of undesirable events associated with stress is greater for women than for men.
Elaborating on the Major Findings
Overall, women tend to report more stress than men. But, women who use a number of digital technologies to communicate with others report less stress than women who are non-users.
In this survey, women report an average score of 10.5 out of 30 on the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). Men reported an average score of 9.8 — a figure that is 7% lower than women.
Because men and women tend to experience stress differently, we ran each of our analyses separately for men and for women. We did statistical modeling allowing us to more fully understand the relationship between stress and the use of different technologies. The use of regression analysis allowed us to control for such things as age, unemployment, education levels and marital status — all of which are related to how much stress people tend to report in their lives independent of whether they use technologies or not.
When it comes to stress, there was no statistical difference in stress levels between men who use social media, cellphones, or the internet and men who do not use these technologies. However, some tech activities were linked to less stress among women — Twitter use, email use and photo sharing via cellphones. Compared with a woman who does not use these technologies, a women who uses Twitter several times per day, sends or receives 25 emails per day, and shares two digital pictures through her mobile phone per day, scores 21% lower on our stress measure than a woman who does not use these technologies at all.
We do not know what it is about these specific technology uses that are associated with lower stress. However, existing studies have found that social sharing of both positive and negative events can be associated with emotional well-being and that women tend to share their emotional experiences with a wider range of people than do men. Sharing through email, sending text messages of pictures of events shortly after they happen and expressing oneself through the small snippets of activity allowed by Twitter may provide women with a low-demand and easily accessible coping mechanism that is not experienced or taken advantage of by men. It is also possible that the use of these media replaces activities or allows women to reorganize activities that would otherwise be more stressful.
Women are more aware of stressful events in the lives of their closest friends and family.
In the survey we asked people if they were aware of whether any of a list of 12 stressful events had happened to someone close to them, an acquaintance, or both in the past year. The events were selected from a list of major life events that are known social stressors. Our list ranged from relatively common to less common events: hospitalization, death in the family, divorce or marriage, being fired/laid off, being accused of a crime, starting a job, demotion/pay cut, being a victim of a crime, having a child move away or return home, pregnancy or child birth, and moving to a new house.
Of the 12 stressful events that we studied, on average, women were aware of a larger number of events that had occurred among people they knew. On average, men were aware of 7% fewer stressful events among their closest social ties.
Social media users tend to be more aware of stressful events in the lives of people they know.
Different technologies are associated with varying levels of awareness of stressful events that have occurred to others — and there is also variation depending on whether the events have occurred to those who are close ties, compared with more-distant acquaintances.
Facebook was the one technology that for both men and women provides higher levels of awareness of stressful events taking place in the lives of both close and more distant acquaintances. Other technologies are more specialized: some provide awareness of major events in the lives of close relationships, while others provide an awareness of activities in the lives of acquaintances who are less socially close. It is not a new finding that people tend to use different technologies to communicate with social ties of different strengths. For example, other studies have found that cellphones and instant messaging are more likely to be used with family and close friends. To add to this complexity, we found that men and women used digital technologies differently, and this is important for understanding how people are exposed to information about stressful events in others’ lives.
Among Facebook users:
A woman with an average size network of Facebook friends is aware of 13% more stressful events in the lives of her closest social ties, compared with an equivalent woman who does not use Facebook. And that average woman user is aware of 14% more stressful events in the lives of her more-distant acquaintances.
A typical male Facebook user who comments regularly on others’ posts is aware of 8% more stressful events amongst his closest social ties. A man with an average size network of Facebook friends is aware of 6% more major events in the lives of his acquaint |
( filename. text == "" ) {
status. text = qsTr ( '<font color="red">Enter a filename.</font>' )
generate. enabled = false
} else {
status. text = ""
generate. enabled = true
}
}
Component. onCompleted : updateStatusBar ( )
}
The preceding code is a little long, however, much of the work is laying out the GUI components. The code should be straightforward to follow.
Note that we import com.ics.demo version 1.0. We'll see where this module name comes from shortly. This makes a new QML type KeyGenerator available and so we declare one. We have access to it's C++ properties as QML properties, can call it's methods and act on signals like we do with onKeyGenerated.
A more complete program should probably do a little more error checking and report meaningful error messages if key generation fails (we could easily add a new method or property for this). The UI layout could also be improved to make it properly resizable.
Our main program is essentially a wrapper like qmlscene. All we need to do to register our type with the QML engine is to call:
qmlRegisterType & lt ; KeyGenerator & gt ; ( "com.ics.demo", 1, 0, "KeyGenerator" ) ;
This makes the C++ type KeyGenerator available as the QML type KeyGenerator in the module com.ics.demo version 1.0 when it is imported.
Typically, to run QML code from an executable, in the main program you would create a QGuiApplication and a QQuickView. Currently, to use the Qt Quick Components there is some additional work needed if the top level element is an ApplicationWindow or Window. You can look at the source code to see how I implemented this. I basically stripped down the code from qmlscene to the minimum of what was needed for this example.
Here is the full listing for the main program, main.cpp:
#include <QApplication>
#include <QObject>
#include <QQmlComponent>
#include <QQmlEngine>
#include <QQuickWindow>
#include <QSurfaceFormat>
#include "KeyGenerator.h"
// Main wrapper program.
// Special handling is needed when using Qt Quick Controls for the top window.
// The code here is based on what qmlscene does.
int main ( int argc, char ** argv )
{
QApplication app ( argc, argv ) ;
// Register our component type with QML.
qmlRegisterType & lt ; KeyGenerator & gt ; ( "com.ics.demo", 1, 0, "KeyGenerator" ) ;
int rc = 0 ;
QQmlEngine engine ;
QQmlComponent * component = new QQmlComponent ( & amp ; engine ) ;
QObject :: connect ( & amp ; engine, SIGNAL ( quit ( ) ), QCoreApplication :: instance ( ), SLOT ( quit ( ) ) ) ;
component - & gt ; loadUrl ( QUrl ( "main.qml" ) ) ;
if (! component - & gt ; isReady ( ) ) {
qWarning ( "%s", qPrintable ( component - & gt ; errorString ( ) ) ) ;
return - 1 ;
}
QObject * topLevel = component - & gt ; create ( ) ;
QQuickWindow * window = qobject_cast & lt ; QQuickWindow * & gt ; ( topLevel ) ;
QSurfaceFormat surfaceFormat = window - & gt ; requestedFormat ( ) ;
window - & gt ; setFormat ( surfaceFormat ) ;
window - & gt ; show ( ) ;
rc = app. exec ( ) ;
delete component ;
return rc ;
}
In case it is not obvious, when using a module written in C++ with QML you cannot use the qmlscene program to execute your QML code because the C++ code for the module will not be linked in. If you try to do this you will get an error message that the module is not installed.
Conclusions
The preceding simple example shows how easy it is to create a new QML component in C++ and expose properties, signals and slots. While much can be done with QML, C++ is still useful and typically, it will be used in conjunction with QML in any non-trivial application.
You can download the full source code for the example from here.If you're in a prominent New Brunswick retail district, chances are a CannabisNB store won't be far away.
The provincial Liberal government has announced the addresses for 11 cannabis stores in eight communities.
All 11 will be in high-traffic commercial centres when they open in July 2018.
In total, 20 sites will be open in 15 communities across the province next year. Tenders for the remaining nine sites will be re-issued and the government expects those stores to open in September, according to a news release from the Department of Finance.
"We are pleased to have been able to secure locations for 11 stores in eight communities," Brian Harriman, president and CEO of NB Liquor, said in the release.
"The remaining locations have been re-tendered for the nine areas, allowing for those who did not get a chance to submit the first time around to do so at this time."
The locations
The approved locations include:
Greater Moncton
Choice Properties – 165 Main St.
Mapleton Holdings Inc. – 40 Wyse St.
Perfection Realty – 780 Dieppe Blvd.
Fredericton
Dalin Investments Inc. – 435 Brookside Dr.
Oromocto
Heron Enterprises Inc. – 16 Commerce Dr.
Greater Saint John
Loblaw Properties Ltd. – 168 Rothesay Ave.
·Plazacorp Property Holdings – 944 Fairville Blvd.
Bathurst
Choice Properties – 640 St. Peter Ave.
Miramichi
Plazacorp Properties Inc. – 2540 King George Hwy.
Sussex
Plazacorp Properties Inc. – 138 Main St.
St. Stephen
Cordova Realty, intersection of Route 3 Old Ridge Road and Route 1
The sites are in retail districts, next to grocery stores, malls and big box outlets.
Online sales
Tenders were re-issued for these communities: Fredericton south, the Kennebecasis Valley, Edmundston, Sackville, Shediac, Richibucto, Tracadie, Perth-Andover and Campbellton.
Finance Minister Cathy Rogers said in the release that online sales will be also be available to ensure provincewide distribution and accessibility.
The 20 communities were announced in October. The locations were chosen because of their demographics, income data from the 2016 census, liquor sales transactions and traffic patterns.
The New Brunswick government said it will have NB Liquor set up the network of cannabis stores, which will be tightly controlled, in stand-alone buildings and not near schools.Most vitamins such as antioxidants don't help to prevent cancer, heart disease and dementia, and some supplements could be harmful, say doctors who advise people to stop wasting their money on the pills.
Tuesday's issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine includes three articles on vitamin and mineral supplements and an editorial concluding that despite sales of more than $20 billion US a year, most supplements provide no benefit.
The use of vitamin and mineral supplements should be avoided, Dr. Lawrence Appel says. (David Gray/Reuters)
"Most supplements do not prevent chronic disease or death, their use is not justified, and they should be avoided," Dr. Lawrence Appel of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine in Baltimore and his co-authors concluded in the editorial, titled "Enough is Enough: Stop Wasting Money on Vitamin and Mineral Supplements."
The message holds especially true for most supplement users in Canada, the U.S. and other developed countries who show no evidence of vitamin deficiencies, Appel said.
About 40 per cent of adult Canadians take supplements, according to a 2009 study based on Statistics Canada's community health survey.
The editorial authors point to vitamin E, where research suggests large doses can be harmful. When beta carotene was tested in clinical trials in smokers at high risk of lung cancer, high doses of the vitamin increased the cancer risk, Appel noted.
For the antioxidants folic acid and B vitamins, they said the supplements are harmful or ineffective for preventing chronic diseases and large prevention trials aren't justified.
Although they said more studies are needed to clarify the value of vitamin D supplements, particularly in those who are deficient, the current widespread use isn't based on solid evidence.
"They should focus on other aspects of their diet that do need changing," Appel said.
Appel suggested that rather than spending money on vitamin supplements, people should:
Eat more fruits and vegetables.
Reduce how much trans fat, saturated fat and sodium they eat.
Cut back on calories.
Increase physical activity.
Gary Leong, chief scientific officer for Jamieson Laboratories, a vitamin manufacturer, said the researchers didn't look at optimizing physical and mental well-being in the short term.
"People should take vitamins because it keeps you healthy," Leong countered. "Yes, we have seen a lot of people who suggest you should get all the vitamins and minerals and nutritional needs from foods. But based on our lifestyle today, the quality of the foods that's out there, it is impossible to get all of your essential nutrients from your diet."
The three latest vitamin studies looked at:
Consumption of a daily multivitamin to prevent cardiovascular disease and cancer in more than 450,000 participants.
Taking a daily multivitamin after a heart attack in about 1,700 men and women.
Use of a multivitamin to prevent dementia in nearly 6,000 men aged 65 or older.
In a statement, the Canadian Health Food Association said that multivitamins and other natural health products can help to bridge nutritional shortfalls.To celebrate the end of the NHL’s latest lockout, here are some nifty scraps of trivia from the weird and wonderful history of the beloved hockey puck that are guaranteed to impress your friends as you watch your favorite team finally take the ice. (Of course, we all know my beloved Philadelphia Flyers are gonna win it all this year—but I digress).
1. The Earliest Hockey Games Were Played With Chunks of Frozen Cow Dung.
This dates back to the game’s outdoor roots. For understandable reasons, modern athletes prefer the vulcanized rubber disc we all know today … although the game might be a bit more interesting if they brought back the old method.
2. NASA Uses “Two-Ton Hockey Pucks” to Train Astronauts.
In space travel, the threat of free-floating equipment drifting off is a very serious one. Houston’s Johnson Space Center prepares astronauts for this problem at the Precision Air Bearing Facility (PABF), which works like a gigantic air-hockey table and includes what the Center officially describes as a set of “two-ton hockey pucks” hovering over the floor. These are pushed around by aspiring astronauts. You can read NASA’s official report on these here.
3. The First Rubber Hockey Pucks Were Made From Sliced-Up Lacrosse Balls.
When the sport moved indoors, whole balls were originally used, but rink owners soon found it preferable to cut them into thirds and keep the middle section. This basic design was the standard by 1885.
4. You Can Celebrate the Hockey Puck’s “Birthday” on February 7th.
The word “puck” was first recorded in the February 7th, 1876 edition of the Montreal Gazette, so the NHL regards this date as the hockey puck’s birthday—even though they’d already been used for decades by then.
5. A Swedish Player Once Scored By Dropping the Puck Out of His Pants.
When the puck got inadvertently lodged in Alexander Wennberg’s trousers, he skated behind the goalie and squatted until it plopped out. Amazingly, the goal actually counted, as seen in the video above at the 18-second mark.
6. Angry Voters Once Took to Mailing Hockey Pucks.
In 2000, the Canadian Taxpayers’ Federation urged the country’s citizens to protest their government’s $12 million bailout of domestic NHL franchises. How? By mailing oodles of hockey pucks to then-Prime Minister Jean Chretien. According to group president Walter Robinson, “When the rubber hits the Prime Minister’s office in a shower of hockey pucks, Mr. Chretien might have some sense knocked into him and respond.” The Prime Minister never revealed how many pucks he’d actually received.
7. The Fastest Puck Shot on Record Reached 114 Miles Per Hour.
The fastest slap shot was launched by KHL player Alexander Ryazantsev. The second-fastest shot was launched by fellow KHL-er Denis Kulyash and was recorded at 110.43 Mph. Zdeno Chara holds the record for fastest slapshot in an NHL game, when he fired one off at 105.9 Mph.
8. Fox Television Once Used a “High-Tech” Hockey Puck.
“Smart pucks” were released by Fox television in 1996. Also known as the “FoxTrax,” these high-tech gizmos sported a hidden microchip that transmitted an infrared signal to a series of computers which superimposed blue and red halos around the puck on television screens during play, making them easier to see. To see one in action, check out this clip from the 1996 All-Star Game.
Fans were outraged and players argued that the FoxTrax weren’t moving properly. Furthermore, each one cost $50,000—a hefty price for something built to get slapped around by a team of hockey players. Ultimately, the network retired these ill-fated contraptions for good the following year.
9. Pucks Can Actually Be Split During Games.
It’s certainly a rare occurrence, but forwards Shane Doan and Andrew Procho have each managed to break a puck in half against a goal post during the past 5 years in their respective leagues (as has center Patrick Kane). Check out Procho’s shot for yourself in the video above (jump to 0:22 for the clip in question).
10. “Ya Hockey Puck!” was Don Rickles’ Favorite Insult.
Though he claims he can’t remember where exactly it came from, “Don’t be a hockey puck!” has long been legendary insult comic Don Rickles’ catchphrase. This was cleverly referenced during the original Toy Story (1995) in which Mister Potato Head (voiced by Rickles) yells at an actual hockey puck.
11. The Average NHL Game Uses a Dozen Pucks.
Players are required to use frozen pucks which are easier to control than unaltered pucks, but these tend to thaw quickly. Thus, they’re constantly replaced by officials and an average of 12 come into play per game, though as many as 22 have been recorded. (The last NHL game to use only a single puck—which is currently on display in the Hockey Hall of Fame—was in 1979.)
BONUS! Has anyone ever eaten a hockey puck?
Last year, an Arizona restaurant held a “Hockey Puck Eating Contest” in which contestants chowed down on frozen Ding-Dongs for a pair of playoff tickets. But has anybody ever ingested a real one? Though it’s never been confirmed, at least one goalie allegedly munched on an actual puck. Just when you thought Reddit couldn’t get any weirder, a goaltender using the site recently claimed to be devouring a puck in “small sliver[s]." Included was arguably the most unforgettable line in the history of sports writing: “I have found a high correlation between puck consumption and terrible, terrible diarrhea and stomach pains.”Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Boxing chief denies cash for 2012 Olympic medals deal
BBC Newsnight has uncovered evidence of secret payments of millions of dollars from Azerbaijan to international boxing organisation World Series Boxing (WSB).
Whistleblowers say that WSB's chief claimed the money was in return for a guarantee that Azerbaijani fighters would win two boxing gold medals at the London 2012 Olympics.
The boxing organiser at the Olympics, AIBA, admits an Azeri national paid $9m (£5.9m) to one of their competitions.
But they deny any deal to fix medals.
Lawyers for the International Amateur Boxing Association (AIBA) told the BBC that any such allegation was "preposterous and utterly untrue".
That view was backed by AIBA President Dr Ching-Kuo Wu, who told Newsnight that the claims were "totally untrue and ludicrous", adding that "WSB is conducted in a totally transparent way".
However, he said that AIBA had a zero tolerance policy on corruption and that he would conduct an immediate investigation into the allegations.
Image caption Whistleblowers say a senior WSB member said gold medals had been promised
The AIBA is the international governing body for the sport of boxing recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC). World Series Boxing, a franchised league of professional boxing, is one of its initiatives.
Whistleblowers from inside boxing approached Newsnight with allegations about the Chief Operating Officer of the AIBA's World Series Boxing (WSB), Ivan Khodabakhsh.
WSB had run into financial difficulties in America and was in need of funding.
'Medals being sold'
The insiders said Mr Khodabakhsh told them that a secret deal had been done to secure funding from Azerbaijan in return for manipulation of the Olympic boxing tournament to guarantee gold medals for Azerbaijani fighters.
I deny that I have offered anyone two gold medals or have any understanding that anybody else has offered two gold medals to Azerbaijan Ivan Khodabakhsh, Chief Operating Officer of the AIBA's World Series Boxing (WSB) AIBA and WSB response
One insider told Newsnight: "Ivan boasted to a few of us that there was no need to worry about World Series Boxing having the coin to pay its bills. As long as the Azeris got their medals, WSB would have the cash."
Another said that Mr Khodabakhsh came in and said: "We are safe now - Azerbaijan came in - we have to give them medals for that."
"He was talking about gold medals in London in return for millions of dollars of secret payments," the insider added. "Medals are being sold so blatantly it's amazing."
But Mr Khodabakhsh told Newsnight that claims that there was any deal with Azerbaijan were "an absolute lie".
"I deny that I have offered anyone two gold medals or have any understanding that anybody else has offered two gold medals to Azerbaijan," he added.
AIBA has previously claimed that the money for WSB America came from a private Swiss company, but documents obtained by Newsnight show communications between Mr Khodabakhsh, AIBA executive director Ho Kim and Azerbaijan's Minister for Emergency Situations Kamaladdin Heydarov about an investment agreement for a $10m loan.
These include an e-mail from Mr Khodabakhsh to the ministry in Azerbaijan with the following request: "Please transfer the investment money soonest possible to the WSB America account."
'Go-between'
Newsnight interviewed Mr Khodabakhsh earlier this month in Switzerland, where WSB have offices, and asked him about the source of the money.
"The money for WSB America came from an investment company here based in Switzerland," he said.
However, lawyers for AIBA and WSB, have now confirmed that although the money was paid through a Swiss company it actually came from Azerbaijan. But they deny that it was from the government there.
They say that the government minister, Mr Heydarov, introduced a private Azerbaijani investor to WSB and that the minister and his assistant acted as the interface between the two since the investor did not speak good English.
Newsnight tried to contact Mr Heydarov via his office, but has received no response.
To date the anonymous investor has contributed $9m to WSB America.
Sporting events promoter Barry Hearn was asked to look at the economics of WSB when it was first mooted in 2009 and came to the conclusion that it could not make money.
He told Newsnight he was surprised that any investor would think that it offered the opportunity for high returns:
"If an investor comes into this scheme with $10m I can only think he's arrived from another planet".
There have been repeated allegations of corruption in Olympic boxing competitions.
The legendary boxing commentator Jim Neilly told Newsnight "There have been enough incidences down the years to suggest there has been collusion".
Speaking to Newsnight, AIBA President Dr Wu said his organisation had spent the last four years "cleaning the house of boxing" and that any corruption or manipulation within the sport was not tolerated.
Watch Newsnight's full report on Thursday 22 September 2011 at 22:30 BST on BBC Two, then afterwards on the BBC iPlayer and Newsnight website.Well: here's a start. From the perspective of intent, there does seem to me to be moral clarity between Israel and Hamas. Hamas refuses to recognize Israel's right to exist in peace; Israel refuses to recognize Hamas' right to exist as a legitimate polity in Gaza because Hamas does not recognize Israel's right to exist. Hamas also was the first to break a barely-held ceasefire recently. There seems to me to be no question that Israel has the higher moral ground from the perspective of recent events.
At the same time, Israel's actual resources of military and economic power far exceed Hamas's; and its pulverization of Gaza has led to a huge imbalance between the victims of Hamas's war on Israel and Israel's war on Hamas. The Palestinians are suffering something like ten times the trauma and deaths of Israelis. What they have endured in Gaza for the past couple of years must also be taken into account. It is not a function of appeasement or wimpiness or fondness for Jihadism that makes this conclusion inescapable. It is simply being human.
And so you have an excruciating confluence of the questions of proportionality in a just war and asymmetry in the war against terrorism. What renders the current awfulness particularly wrenching is that the immoral means Hamas uses are logical from the point of view of an entity that is committed to Israel's destruction but not powerful enough to achieve it. And the response of Israel is logical from the point of view of a Western country enduring constant terrorist bombardment. Hence the never-ending argument in which both extremes reinforce themselves. This is not, one remembers, a Likud government. This is what the center left needs to do in Israel to stay in power at this point. And it has the backing of Egypt.Show full PR text
Nikon filed a lawsuit in the U.S. for design patent and trade dress infringement
October 15, 2013
On October 11, 2013 (US Eastern Time), Nikon Corporation (having its principal place of business in Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, President: Makoto Kimura) and Nikon Inc. (having its principal place of business in New York, President & CEO: Nobuyoshi Gokyu) (collectively, hereafter referred to as "Nikon") filed a lawsuit with the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York against Sakar International, Inc. (having its principal place of business in New Jersey) (hereafter referred to as "Sakar") for the alleged infringement of the design patent and trade dress right owned by Nikon. Nikon seeks injunctive relief against Sakar in the lawsuit to prevent them from manufacturing and selling their Polaroid brand digital still camera, "Polaroid iM1836".
Nikon makes a great effort to create designs that can be differentiated from other companies' products, as well as to strongly deter the imitation of its designs. Although Nikon has negotiated with Sakar to amicably solve this problem, we could not reach an agreement. Consequently, Nikon decided to initiate the lawsuit by necessity.
The abovementioned design patent and trade dress right are related to the Advanced Camera with Interchangeable Lenses "Nikon 1".A fake news post falsely said former first daughter Malia Obama was arrested with a group of seven men after a day of drinking, drugs and dog-fighting.
The headline on a May 6, 2017, post on ConservativeFlashNews.com read, "Malia Obama arrested with a gang of thugs in Chicago." The post was flagged by Facebook users as part of the social media site’s efforts to cut down on fake news in users’ feeds.
The post said Obama and the men were at an unnamed park in Chicago, and were charged with wanton endangerment of animals, public intoxication and possession of a controlled substance. Obama had been forbidden by her famous parents from going to any such party, the story said, but disappeared before turning up at the police station.
This didn’t happen, of course, because the story is fake. It turned up on a few other websites around May 6.
But it actually originated on May 5 at TheLastLineOfDefense.org, a parody website that has been the source of several fake news stories that we’ve previously checked.
TheLastLineOfDefense.org publishes bogus posts keyed to topics designed to troll conservatives. The site’s creator, a man who said his name is Zeke Wilekenmeyer, has told PolitiFact he deliberately tried to get gullible readers to share his stories to prove those readers don’t rely on facts.
The articles quite often end up being passed around on multiple websites, often without an indication that they are fake -- this Malia Obama post is just the latest example.
A previous story from TheLastLineOfDefense.org said Malia Obama had been expelled from Harvard University for smoking marijuana in Boston, despite the fact that she hadn’t even been enrolled at the school.
As for the fake accomplices pictured in the story, the image is taken from a series of mugshots showing a group of eight men arrested in Florence County, S.C., in 2013 for running a dogfighting ring. Malia’s image was inserted to suggest she’d been partying with the other seven.
But that’s not the case. As far as we know, the 18-year-old is still enjoying her gap year before enrolling at Harvard this fall.
We rate this statement Pants On Fire!Major Applewhite, then new head coach of Houston, reveals what he pitched to the school during his interview for the job and adds what his approach is going to be with the team in the Las Vegas Bowl. (2:00)
HOUSTON -- New Houston coach Major Applewhite's contract will pay him $7.5 million over a five-year period, athletic director Hunter Yurachek said on Monday.
Applewhite's contract calls for a $1.5 million annual base salary and includes six-figure performance incentives if he leads the Cougars to nine regular-season wins or more. Applewhite, who was named Houston's head coach on Friday, gets an additional $100,000 for his ninth win in a season and an additional $100,000 for each regular-season victory up to 12, meaning a 12-0 regular season would net Applewhite a minimum of $1.9 million.
Major Applewhite's contract will pay him $7.5 million over a five-year period. AP Photos/Phelan M. Ebenhack
If Applewhite leaves before the contract expires, he'll owe Houston the full remaining value of the contract, Yurachek said. That buyout increases by 50 percent if Applewhite were to leave for another program in the state of Texas.
A significant buyout clause was critical for Houston in its search for a new coach after Tom Herman left for Texas following only two seasons at the school. Herman owes Houston a $2.5 million buyout, and Yurachek and Houston board of regents chairman Tilman Fertitta made it clear that they want to make it difficult for coaches to leave so soon.
"If a school in the state of Texas wants to come and take another one of [our] coaches, it's going to cost them a little to do that," Yurachek said.
In the last 10 years, Houston lost Art Briles to Baylor, Kevin Sumlin to Texas A&M and Herman to Texas.
Yurachek said he gave Texas the option to mitigate Herman's buyout in exchange for a home-and-home series in football and men's basketball. Yurachek said Texas athletic director Mike Perrin called him and told him, "That is not an option that's on the table any longer," and that Texas will pay Houston the $2.5 million for Herman's buyout.
The Cougars promoted Applewhite from offensive coordinator -- the position he held the last two seasons -- to head coach last week after a nearly two-week-long search. Houston has averaged 39.3 points per game -- the ninth-best scoring average in the country -- in the two seasons that Applewhite served as offensive coordinator.Our latest installment in our Then & Now series takes us to the intersection of 8th & Vermont in Los Angeles. The top photo was taken Sept. 2, 1950. I took the bottom photo last month, so roughly 63 years later.
What’s changed? The Bank of America building is there still — sans the bank and now under a coating of stucco or stucco-like substance. The church is still there, too — now with solar panels.
The old Los Angeles Transit Lines streetcar is, of course, gone to the mists of time. Matching the photos was a bit difficult as the Vermont bus no longer turns west onto 8th Street. But you get the idea.
Again we find that a lot of Los Angeles’ past has survived into the 21st century. I think in some ways that’s a good thing — but it sure would be nice to see a lot less stucco and newer buildings a little more architecturally inspired than the apartment building in the bottom photo between the old bank building and the church.
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Like this: Like Loading...Written by Meggie Royer, author of 'Healing Old Wounds With New Stitches' and 'The No You Never Listened To'. Author's website: Writings for Winter.
The morning after I killed myself, I woke up.
I made myself breakfast in bed. I added salt and pepper to my eggs and used my toast for a cheese and bacon sandwich. I squeezed a grapefruit into a juice glass. I scraped the ashes from the frying pan and rinsed the butter off the counter. I washed the dishes and folded the towels.
The morning after I killed myself, I fell in love. Not with the boy down the street or the middle school principal. Not with the everyday jogger or the grocer who always left the avocados out of the bag. I fell in love with my mother and the way she sat on the floor of my room holding each rock from my collection in her palms until they grew dark with sweat. I fell in love with my father down at the river as he placed my note into a bottle and sent it into the current. With my brother who once believed in unicorns but who now sat in his desk at school trying desperately to believe I still existed.
The morning after I killed myself, I walked the dog. I watched the way her tail twitched when a bird flew by or how her pace quickened at the sight of a cat. I saw the empty space in her eyes when she reached a stick and turned around to greet me so we could play catch but saw nothing but sky in my place. I stood by as strangers stroked her muzzle and she wilted beneath their touch like she did once for mine.
The morning after I killed myself, I went back to the neighbors yard where I left my footprints in concrete as a two year old and examined how they were already fading. I picked a few daylilies and pulled a few weeds and watched the elderly woman through her window as she read the paper with the news of my death. I saw her husband spit tobacco into the kitchen sink and bring her her daily medication.
The morning after I killed myself, I watched the sun come up. Each orange tree opened like a hand and the kid down the street pointed out a single red cloud to his mother.
The morning after I killed myself, I went back to that body in the morgue and tried to talk some sense into her. I told her about the avocados and the stepping stones, the river and her parents. I told her about the sunsets and the dog and the beach.
The morning after I killed myself, I tried to unkill myself, but couldnt finish what I started.
Consider this: According to The New England Journal of Medicine, between one-third to 80% of all suicide attempts are impulsive acts. And 90% of people who survive suicide attempts don't end up killing themselves later...
Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem. SHARE this with friends and family members.Update: The Air Force school announced in November that one of the victims of the racial slurs had written them as a hoax.
The superintendent of the U.S. Air Force Academy demanded tolerance Thursday in a passionate speech to his cadets — days after black students at the academy’s preparatory school found racial slurs written on message boards outside their rooms.
Lt. Gen. Jay Silveria, who runs the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., told his cadets that they “should be outraged, not only as an airman, but as a human being.”
Earlier in the week, “Go home” with a racial epithet was written outside the dormitory rooms of five black cadet candidates at the U.S. Air Force Academy Preparatory School, the Air Force Times reported.
While the incident didn’t occur on his campus, Silveria nonetheless acknowledged, “I would be naive, and we would all be naive, to think that everything is perfect here.”
“We would also be tone-deaf not to think about the backdrop of what’s going on in our country — things like Charlottesville and Ferguson, the protests in the NFL,” he added, noting the productive “civil discourse” that resulted from an organized discussion on campus about the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Va., in August.
Silveria also extolled “the power that we come from all walks of life, that we come from all parts of this country, that we come from all races, we come from all backgrounds, gender, all makeups, all upbringing.”
“The power of that diversity comes together and makes us that much more powerful,” he said.
As he wound down the speech, Silveria had straightforward advice for his audience, offering for his cadets to use their phones to record his closing message.
“If you need it and you need my words, then you keep these words,” he said. “And you use them and you remember them and you share them and you talk about them: If you can’t treat someone with dignity and respect, then get out.”
Read more from Yahoo News:Danielle Cantor, the only woman certified by the National Basketball Players Association to represent an active player (Bucks guard Malcolm Brogdon), is “fierce,” according to Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
Danielle Cantor selects a unique ringtone for every client. Whenever Milwaukee Bucks center Greg Monroe calls, a hybrid hip-hop and jazz song plays. If she hears a kick drum cut through a loud beat, it must be Monroe’s teammate Malcolm Brogdon. At this moment, in a ninth floor Northwest Washington corner office designed as a monument to success, the sound of rapper 21 Savage, Otto Porter Jr.’s favorite artist, signals that the Washington Wizards forward is on the line.
Soon, Porter shows up to debrief before the start of the NBA season with Cantor and David Falk, the super agent who once represented Michael Jordan and Patrick Ewing. Cantor is Falk’s lone partner in his sports agency, F.A.M.E., but in the NBA she holds an even rarer distinction: the only woman, among approximately 30 certified by the National Basketball Players Association, to solely represent an active player.
While Falk serves as the primary agent for F.A.M.E. clients such as Porter and Monroe, Brogdon elected to sign directly with Cantor.
“As a minority in this country, I think it’s important that you give other people that are overlooked or not given similar opportunities — you give them a chance, as well,” said Brogdon, who in June became the first player in NBA history selected in the second round to win the rookie of the year award. “I know what it feels like to be overlooked in the business or not be given credit or just not to be given an opportunity.
“I thought it would be breaking the glass ceiling and we’d be doing something special together.”
[Malcolm Brodgon, and why the modern NBA draft devalues more experienced college players]
Cantor tailors a brand that best fits the personality of Brogdon, a four-year college player and Virginia graduate who holds a master’s degree. For his first sponsorship deal, she chose a bank. The week before training camp, she flew to Milwaukee to sit in on his five-hour commercial shoot and, after Brogdon weighed in a little less than the Bucks expected, Cantor smoothed things over with the team. While there, she also put in face-time with Monroe, dining out and holding his last contract discussion before he hits free agency in 10 months. By that weekend, Cantor was overseeing Porter’s move into his new home in Arlington, which comes after F.A.M.E. helped him negotiate a four-year, $106 million maximum contract to remain with the Wizards this summer.
This ability, to passionately advocate on behalf of her clients to NBA general managers or even moving companies, helped convince Porter to sign with F.A.M.E. in 2013.
Cantor and David Falk, founder and CEO of F.A.M.E., ensure they meet face-to-face with every client, including Wizards forward Otto Porter Jr., before the season gets underway. (Salwan Georges/The Washington Post)
“First impression was, ‘God dang, who is this woman?’ ” Porter said. “She’s fierce. She gets stuff done.”
The mother of two young girls, the Potomac-based Cantor was recognized this month by the SportsBusiness Journal as a “Game Changer,” an honor given to 35 women in leadership positions across sports. While Cantor didn’t even realize she was the only current female NBA agent with a client until she was informed by the publication, NBPA Executive Director Michele Roberts said the fact that there aren’t more is disheartening.
“It is an incredibly, incredibly competitive field |
performance out of the gate is stunning, but not necessarily a huge surprise in this market where advance ticket sales were through the roof. The game has a long history in China where fantasy is big — even the local title for World of Warcraft translates to World of Magical Beasts — and the move to get it on screens during a key holiday was a prescient play. It’s also got a lot of local muscle behind it in the form of Legendary owner Wanda (which also owns 18% of PROC screens) and the film’s Chinese equity and brand partners. Weekend projections are steadily rising from the mooted high-end of $150M…
PREVIOUS, WEDNESDAY 9:16 AM PT: Warcraft blasted out of the gate today in China with $46M (302M rmb) at the box office as of 10 PM local time. The Legendary Pictures/Universal Pictures adaptation of the popular video game franchise set a record for the best first-day box office for a non-weekend release in the Middle Kingdom. The previous title holder was Avengers: Age Of Ultron with $28.3M (185.86 rmb).
The midnight screenings, which began Tuesday, posted $7.6M (49.78M rmb), falling just shy of Furious 7‘s record which was set last year with $7.9M (52.47M rmb). In Imax, however, the Orcs bit down on a record for midnights with $1.38M (9.03M rmb). Including Imax midnights, Warcraft posted $5.33M (35M rmb) for the full opening day, hitting a new milestone for the format. That tops F7‘s $4.7M (31M rmb) from last April. Overall advance Imax ticket sales also bested all previous comers with $8.2M (53.8M rmb).
Opening estimates on Warcraft’s five-day launch, which comes during a holiday period, have been hovering between 800M rmb and 1B rmb which would put the range at $122M-$152M. It now looks more than likely that the citizens of Azeroth blow past the high end of those industry projections — kids are off and the Dragon Boat Festival begins tomorrow.
The Duncan Jones-helmed feature also sets a new milestone for the widest release ever in the Middle Kingdom, playing on an unprecedented 67.5% of all screens. The previous record holder for widest release was Universal’s own F7 last year. It bowed on 62.8% of screens and went on to final at $391M, becoming the biggest Hollywood title ever in China.
Wanda now owns Legendary, and its exhibition circuit has 18% of the 39K Middle Kingdom screens. That relationship clearly is helping here, while others booked Warcraft with gusto in the market which has a long history and love for the games.
Legendary’s local release partners are China Film Group and Huaxia. Warcraft has four Chinese equity partners: Tencent, CFG, Huayi and Taihe. Universal is understood to be in for about 25%-30% of the full reported $160M budget and will reap the benefits of all releases as part of the overall pie. After beginning international rollout on May 25, and with strong plays in Russia and Germany, the current estimated overseas cume is $121M.
The film is set for domestic release Friday with projections of about $25M for the weekend. If Warcraft continues its magical ride as expected in China, it kicks off the Legendary/Wanda relationship in a big way. It also potentially sends a signal that films which have great uptake internationally — and especially in China — may not need rely on North America quite so much.now in alpha
I'm hopeful that we'll start to see better data journalism because the tools are moving along Matt McAlister, the Guardian
during the Scottish Independence referendum.
Red – yes, green - no; Screenshot from alpha.swarmize.com
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Collaborative data journalism platform Swarmize has launched today to offer editors and journalists better tools for the use of data, including real-time visualisation.Swarmize, won funding through the Knight News Challenge in June, and has been built at the Guardian over the last four months."The Guardian and lots of other news organisations like to use Google Docs for collecting data," said Matt McAlister, the Guardian's general manager of new digital businesses."It's free, it's pretty easy to use, however it does have a lot of shortfalls," McAlister told Journalism.co.uk. "Data journalism has moved a lot in the last couple of years, and it [Google Docs] is just too limited for some of the sophisticated stuff that people want to do."Swarmize was launched internally to all Guardian journalists, but the code is freely available on GitHub if anyone else wants to "write their [own] internal version", said McAlister.Users can create surveys, or swarms, to collect large data sets and the tool then ensures all data is gathered in the right format, without anomalies that might prevent journalists from taking advantage of the full data.Developer Tom Armitage told Journalism.co.uk: "We get a lot of feedback that actually [journalists] spend most of their time cleaning the data, dealing with invalid post codes [for example], dealing with people answering ridiculous things when they should put in a number and so forth."Swarmize aims to solve that problem, promote collaboration on projects, and provide journalists with graphs generated in real time from the data.The platform is also "centralised", said Armitage, meaning the data can be reused and enabling journalists to recycle survey formats or ask the same questions of respondents in the future for "longitudinal" research.The Swarmize team has also tested the platform's real-time data collection options in other ways, gathering tweets posted with the hashtag #indyref, Swarmize counted the number of times 'yes' and 'no' were mentioned, indicating how people could potentially vote, and visualised the data.The tool could also be used as a real time feedback clicker during a TV debate. Viewers could tap images on their smartphone to indicate their agreement with a certain speaker, and Swarmize would collect that data and visualise it.Armitage said this could be used during live blogs on the website for example, or for in-depth analysis once the full transcripts of speeches becomes available.He said he hoped Swarmize would not just provide an alternative to existing tools, but would inspire journalists to "tell new types of stories" by making data gathering more accessible.It could also simplify the process of creating interactives, said McAlister, as journalists would no longer have to build specific databases to store data for each project.McAlister said: "The kind of journalism that happens is affected by the tool that's being used to do it."And in this case, I think Google forms and Google spreadsheets as a combination has created a certain type of data journalism, and I think we've hit the upper limit of what's possible with that."What I'm hopeful is that we'll start to see better data journalism because the tools are moving along."
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OWNER ADDRESS CHANGE/CHANGEMENT D'ADRESSE DU PROPRIÉTAIRE:
DATE REGISTERED/DATE DE L'ENREGISTREMENT: 22 sept/Sep 1999
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DATE REGISTERED/DATE DE L'ENREGISTREMENT: 21 mars/Mar 2000
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nunc pro tunc June 30, 1996
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THE WARES:"clothing namely toques; publications namely, game
programmes, magazines, media guides, emblems, pennants, decals,
crests, pictures, pens, colouring books, charm bracelets, bottle
openers, key fobs, licence plate holders, ashtrays, mugs, steins,
hockey sticks, coffee mugs, drinking glasses, flat glass, lamp
shades, rod hockey games, towels, bubble gum, bubble gum cards,
buttons, gloves, mitts, scarves, sleepwear, stickers, vests,
dolls, cardboard collectors board, opera glasses (binoculars),
paper weights, sport bags, wallets, adhesive bandages, first aid
kits, bulletin boards, calculators, calendars, collectors albums,
cookbooks, cigarette lighters, toy flying discs, hockey stick
racks, embroidered framed pictures, magnets, neckwarmers, oil dip
stick cleaners, playing cards, stained glass window ornaments,
sun visor radios, sweatbands, vinyl stickers, wood plaques,
wristbands, t-shirts, infant's and children's short sets, leisure
suits, shorts, turtlenecks, belts, buckles, coasters, ear muffs,
flags, inexpensive jewellery, namely, lapel pins, stick pins,
pendants charms, earrings, rings, tie tacks, cuff links, key
fobs/key chains, knapsacks, license plate frames, miniature
bells, money clips, spoons, sun visors, pyjamas, ties, license
plates, drink wrappers, suspenders, wallpaper, curtains and
drapery, bed spreads, sheets, pillow slips, skate wipes, plush
toys, miniature goalie sticks, golf balls, ping pong balls, fish
lures, coin banks, clocks, watches, pencils, erasers, rulers,
noise makers, posters, framed logos/emblems.
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Voir Preuve au dossier/See evidence on File No. 322079Comic Con. That magical place where one gets to meet people who share their passions and see their idols up close.
For the 2015 summer edition, the London Film and Comic Con has grown bigger. Earl’s Court wasn’t enough, so they have moved the party to the Olympia, with three different levels to cover the grandiosity of such an event.
Now, I was only able to go to LFCC on Friday, but I got to catch a glimpse of everything and I can give a succinct review of what I saw. For starters, the location. As I have mentioned above, the new location has given way to a greater variety of people, booths and artists to showcase what they have to offer, which has its good and its bad things. Good because I was on a quest to find the Funko Pop Vinyl special editions of the Tenth, Eleventh and Twelfth Doctors (and I succeeded!) and bad because the venue is so huge that the organisation should have distributed guides or leaflets with a map to keep track of everything –and they didn’t.
Of course, one of the biggest attractions of LFCC was the cast of Back to the Future, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the classic. Showmasters created a fundraising campaign called “Up to 88!” to collaborate with The Michael J. Fox Foundation. They sold some lovely BttF toys and, if you donated money, you were given a special LFFC poster of the movie.
Between booths, I got the chance to see some interesting panels. Zach Galligan and Frances Lee McCain talked about another classic from the eighties, Gremlins, and discussed the possibilities of remakes or reboots and shared some memories from the set.
Afterwards, it was time for the horror panel with Ken Kirzinger, Tom Savini, J. LaRose and Darren Lynn Bousman. They discussed the horror movies that influenced them as kids and talked about their many roles over the years, but I want to choose two anecdotes Bousman told: the first one is his bold journey across the States to pay cinemas to show Repo! when Lionsgate wouldn’t spend money to distribute it, and the second one was the moment when he acknowledged that it had come to the point where he couldn’t tell from which Saw movie a scene or another was.
But let’s forget about all of this, because for me, one of the biggest and most pleasant surprises was the YALC area on the second floor. Now, YALC stands for Young Adult Lit Con, and the atmosphere surrounding it was one of such peace and calmness and happiness that at one point it made me not want to come back to the lower floors. Everything seemed so organised and chill compared to the craziness of the other part of the Comic Con that I just wanted to live there forever. Plenty of book stands to get lost in (I quite like YA books, and I currently sort of work for a place that deals with them and where I basically get to read them all). There was even one with chocolate cake! Heaven.
My only regret is this: I applied for a press pass for me and my Comic Con writing colleague back all the way back in April, as we always attend this events and write about them and we have always been given passes. Unfortunately, we were informed that we had been denied a press pass due to the high volume of applications less than a week before LFCC began (instead of at least a few weeks earlier), so by the time we were in the position of having to buy tickets, the Saturday ones were obviously sold out. This means I am not able to attend the Doctor Who, Game of Thrones and Marvel panels, three of the main topics I write about in this blog… I just hope that next time we are told in advance, because I love Comic Cons and writing about them. But I also managed to find my Tenth Doctor with 3D glasses, so I had the bitter with the sweet!The era of millennials has arrived. For years, experts discussed how to adapt to the impending influx of young workers who are the most educated, culturally diverse and tech savvy in U.S. history. Millennials in general, are people in their 20’s to mid 30’s. Today, millennials are the largest generation in the American workforce and they are in positions ranging from entry level to leadership roles. The U.S. Bureau of Labor and Statistics has predicted that by 2030, millennials will comprise of 75% of the U.S. workforce. As you can imagine, the influence of the millennial generation in the workforce will only continue to increase over time and organizations that can leverage the talents of Gen Y will be the ones who will continue to succeed and thrive.
There has been exhaustive amounts of polarizing debate across the web about millennials. Some claim that millennials are difficult to manage because they are entitled, coddled, and narcissistic. Others have championed millennials as employees who are natural innovators, hyper-efficient, ambassadors of diversity, and driven by impact. Many employers have tried to leverage these unique characteristics to work with their millennial employees more effectively. This approach has worked to varying degrees of effectiveness. A survey by Gallup reported that 50% of millennial employees, compared to 40% of non-millennials, do not plan to be working with their current employer in a year. What this means is that half of millennials in the workforce do not see a future with their current company.
Interestingly, although there are certain characteristics, positive or negative, that are strikingly “millennial”, when it comes to what matters most when making career related decisions, they are actually quite similar to the generations that came before them. Many independent studies including those discussed by the Harvard Business Review and TalentSpace have demonstrated that millennials, along with previous generations, have very analogous career goals. Our own study on millennial professionals across the U.S. and Canada also support these ideas. The top factors that influence a millennial to start at a new job are: opportunity for growth, ability to maintain good work-life balance, and fair compensation. Further details about this research study is elaborated in our post on "How to Attract and Retain Millennial Talent".
Although career goals, at a first glance, may appear to be trans-generational, we have found that millennials understand and define these apparent timeless career values slightly differently than previous generations. This overall is good news for employers. Instead of needing to completely reinvent how they attract and retain their top young talent, they simply need to adjust their current strategies to encompass the nuances of what makes millennials unique. To do this, focus on understanding the core experiences that drive their characteristics and behaviors.
Our head of product discusses the core millennial experiences that have influenced their nature in the workplace in her recent guest appearance on TalentCulture’s #Worktrends podcast. She discusses how experiences such as growing up in a world with rapid technological change, in an education system that reinforced frequent reward and feedback opportunities, and in a society that has increasingly merged work into self identities have influenced the way millennials think about career advancement, meaningful work, and work-life balance. Listen to the full conversation at TalentCulture.Keywords Human Microbiome Project
Quantitative Insight Into Microbial Ecology
John Templeton Foundation
Freshwater Lake Sediment
Earth Microbiome Project
The Earth Microbiome Project (EMP) was launched in August 2010, with the ambitious aim of constructing a global catalogue of the uncultured microbial diversity of this planet. The primary vision of the Earth Microbiome Project, to process the microbial diversity and functional potential from approximately 200,000 environmental samples, marks it as an undertaking so massive that it was at first considered to be pure folly (as late as 2012, Jonathan Eisen was quoted in Nature as saying ‘Knight and Gilbert literally talk about sampling the entire planet. It is ludicrous and not feasible - yet they are doing it’ [1]).
The initial concept arose out of a Department of the Environment (DOE) sponsored workshop on the promise of terabase-scale sequencing in Snowbird, Utah, designed to inspire research ideas using new technology to revolutionize microbial ecology and our understanding of the microbial world [2]. Many other exciting projects also evolved from that meeting, including efforts to extend the sequencing of type strains of cultured bacterial taxa, which in itself has become the Microbial Earth Project [3]. In October 2010, EMP pioneers held a small workshop at Argonne National Laboratories to determine the most effective way to jumpstart such an initiative. At this meeting, we agreed that the only feasible route to acquire and process 200,000 samples was through crowdsourcing, soliciting donations of samples from researchers around the world. This was identified as a key flaw in the design, on the grounds that it would not be possible to convince researchers to part with samples that had been painstakingly collected for inclusion in a single effort [4]. Fortunately, the participants’ generosity has greatly exceeded what we could have hoped for, and the crowdsourcing approach has been a success.
We floated this strategy initially as a potentially viable approach based on the precedent of existing programs that followed broadly similar designs, especially the International Census of Marine Microbes [5] and the Human Microbiome Project [6]. The basic design was founded on the principle of coordinated sample collection, and standardization of contextual metadata acquisition, DNA extraction, PCR and amplicon and shotgun sequencing approaches, and an open-source analytical platform with free, unrestricted access to both the amplicon and metadata immediately following completion of the analysis. Initially the effort was funded primarily by unrestricted funds available to the principle investigators through Argonne National Laboratory, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, and donations from corporate sponsors. Under this effort, the Earth Microbiome Project committee developed the standard protocols [7], contacted and collaborated with researchers from numerous different microbial ecology disciplines, from human, animal, plant, terrestrial, marine, freshwater, sediment, air, built environment and every intersection of these ecosystems. By August 2012, less than 2 years since its initiation, the Earth Microbiome Project had processed approximately 7,000 environmental samples, generating 16S rRNA amplicon data and releasing these data using an open portal through the Quantitative Insights into Microbial Ecology (QIIME) database. In June 2013, the EMP received awards from the WM Keck Foundation and the John Templeton Foundation to support activities to bring the catalogue up to 50,000 samples processed, and as of July 2014 we have reached over 30,000 (compared with the phase 1 Human Microbiome Project amplicon analysis of 5,771 samples [8]). In its planning phase, the EMP proposed the co-analysis of samples using metagenomics and metabolic modeling of ecosystems, and these aims are still viable, but such efforts have to date been more targeted to specific environments and studies. As it stands, the EMP represents the largest effort to characterize the diversity, distribution, and structure of microbial ecosystems across the earth, achievable only through coordinated collaboration of all of the independent research projects (166) that comprise the EMP. Although each hypothesis-driven study provided by our collaborators can tell its own story, the real power of the EMP is through meta-analysis of these data, empowering researchers to develop and use samples acquired from myriad ecosystems to test hypotheses in microbial ecology. Importantly, this pooled data resource also provides an unparalleled opportunity to contextualize individual studies by defining the patterns they see in a global context. These large-scale meta-analyses can enable researchers to ask unique questions regarding the biogeography, dynamic dispersal, and ecology of the microbial planet.
Current studies, ecosystem coverage, and immediate observations In the currently available EMP database (as of July 2014) [9] there are samples acquired from >200 collaborators, comprising more than 40 different biomes, defined for broad categories including marine pelagic water, freshwater lake sediment, human-associated, and so on. At a ‘30,000 feet’ perspective the EMP is identifying the environmental characteristics that correlate with microbial community structure within and between these different biomes. However, as the EMP is a collection of individual projects, each with a core hypothesis, it is also possible to discuss the immediate observations associated with individual studies. For example, exploration of human saliva from obese versus normal-weight individuals showed that while saliva was able to alter the aromatic properties of wine, only a few microbial taxa were likely to be responsible for this [10]. This preliminary study shows that oral microbes may influence the aromatic properties of food and drink, altering our satiation response. In soil systems, microbial communities from prairie soils across the Midwest of the United States of America were sequenced by the EMP. This ecosystem has been mostly replaced through agricultural land-use, and this study showed that the major shifts in their composition are driven almost exclusively by the changing relative abundance of Verrucomicrobia and its influence on carbon dynamics [11]. These analyses could be useful in helping improve prairie restoration efforts. In deep soil samples from the Russian permafrost, the EMP characterized microbial communities associated with buried organic matter, helping to identify the bacteria that were degrading the soil organic matter in these systems [12]. In deep-sea sediments from the Gulf of Mexico, the EMP data have provided understanding of how the microbial communities responded to the oil pollution from the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill [13],[14]. Another example of investigating human impact is the analysis of freshwater river sediments along a gradient of human influence, whereby the EMP data on the microbial communities demonstrate impact-specific signals [15]. The diversity of study sites and research questions embedded in these first 30,000 samples is extraordinary, yet this is just the tip of the iceberg. Initial analysis of 10,000 of the samples identified approximately 6 million bacterial taxonomic units (genus or species level taxa), only a small fraction of which could be mapped to known phylogenies using 16S rRNA databases such as GreenGenes [16]. The frequency and distribution of these species can enable us to address interesting questions, for example, regarding the distribution of taxa across different soil ecosystems; the EMP datasets suggest that there is considerable overlap in taxa between sites, with organisms that are abundant at one location being extremely rare in another location, as previously demonstrated from marine sites [17]. A small number of concerns regarding the existing data have been raised by communities focusing on specific systems or taxa. For example, as with all studies using PCR, there are biases associated with the EMP PCR primers: they are not efficient at amplifying marine Pelagibacter ubique targets. As a result, new primers have been designed that should be more efficient in amplifying Pelagibacter, an important taxon in marine systems; however, we need to determine how efficient these new primers will be at amplifying all the other bacteria from other environments. As such, a study is underway to investigate whether rescuing Pelagibacter has deleterious consequences for other taxa or systems. However, because DNA extraction protocols themselves can have different biases depending on the environmental matrix from which the DNA is extracted [18], and PCR reagents can have contaminants that may influence amplification [19], the number of potential biases that could influence analysis is large and the key for cross-system analyses is consistent protocols. We are taking all sensible precautions to catalogue and determine potential biases: by recording all procedural and analytical variables it will be possible to determine which specific protocol elements may influence interpretation and whether the effects of these technical sources of variation limit our ability to identify important factors structuring microbial diversity.
Creating an EMP operation taxonomic unit table One major challenge has been creating a master table delineating the abundance of each type of organism in each environment. With 7,000 samples for the Shenzhen meeting in 2011 [20], existing tools could barely handle the data load. In particular, the operation taxonomic unit (OTU) table, which converts the raw sequence data into a sample-by-OTU table giving the taxon abundances, strained the limits of what could be done in the traditional ‘dense’ format in which there is a slot for the abundance of each possible taxon in each environment, even if that slot has a zero count. Simply loading the table into memory and accessing specific taxa or samples became impossible as the dataset grew. Accordingly, we developed the Biological Observation Matrix (BIOM) file format [21], which reduced an early version of the EMP OTU table (6,164 samples by 7,082 OTUs) from 175 MB to 12 MB. Further improvement has been achieved by the recent move in BIOM 2.1 to HDF5, a file format used widely by physicists, climate scientists, and others needing random access to subsets of vast files. With these improvements, which are being developed fully open-source on the github repository [22], we expect that interested parties will be able to manipulate the full EMP OTU table on their laptops rather than requiring large-scale compute resources. There are many different methods for analyzing the sequence data to obtain clusters of related sequences, each with advantages and drawbacks. For example, clustering sequences de novo produces a gold standard sequence cluster (a robust classification of a taxonomically similar group of sequences), but is very slow, while a reference-based protocol, where sequences are matched in a phylogenetic tree, is very fast but throws out sequences that fail to hit a reference. Another important challenge is visualization. QIIME [23] is the analysis architecture primarily used by the EMP, and it has long relied on KiNG [24], a molecular graphics package, for producing three-dimensional principal coordinates plots, essentially treating the community locations as atoms in a very curious molecule. However, as the size of the EMP dataset continued to grow, and the environmental contextual data became richer, the strategy of creating different views of the dataset colored by each field of contextual data (for example pH, dissolved organic carbon, and each of the hundreds of other variables captured by samples in the EMP) became unwieldy. To overcome these challenges, and to provide a three-dimensional graphics component that is directly embeddable in current web technologies, we developed EMPeror [25], software that uses current web standards such as HTML5 and OpenGL, to display even vast datasets and to explore and to recolor them dynamically.
The future The EMP will continue to grow and adapt as new collaborators and new technologies are added. Generating the taxon matrix in BIOM format for the existing 30,000 samples will help us to provide advice on the biomes and questions that should be targeted for the next 20,000 samples. We are also exploring metagenomic analyses for studies where the data can be used to test hypotheses regarding the ecology of microbial metabolic function (for example, [11],[13],[15]). At present, metagenomic data associated with individual studies have been made available through traditional routes (EBI, NCBI submissions), but we are working towards explicit submission and analysis pipelines for these data, including downstream analyses such as genome assemblies and metabolic pathway reconstruction. The success of the EMP has been in generating a coordinated exploration of the microbial world, and in providing the facility for data generation to collaborators who previously did not have such capacity. Primarily this has been achieved through the generation of open access data and analysis platforms that facilitate interpretation. As we move forward, we will continue to explore new avenues for collaboration, including potentially going beyond the Earth to explore extra-terrestrial locations.Earlier in the day, Iran's Defense Minister Hossein Dehghan said that Tehran could allow Russia to use Hamadan for Moscow's aerial operation against terrorists in Syria.
"The necessity to use the airfield of the airbase in Hamadan could emerge if Admiral Kuznetsov carries out another operation and [Russia] will not be able to use it for airstrikes against terrorists in Syria," Viktor Ozerov told RIA Novosti.
The Russian Aerospace Forces began their operation against terrorists in Syria on September 30, 2015, at the request of Syrian President Bashar Assad supported by Moscow and Tehran.
Iran allowed the Russian strike force to operate from the base in the Hamadan province in mid-August. The jets returned to Russia a week later, after completing their anti-terror mission, which targeted terrorists in Syria.
SPUTNIK/MNAAs India inched closer towards implementing a country-wide goods and services tax (GST), the spotlight has moved towards its impact on prices.
Experts expect most services to become costlier in the short-term.
The GST rate will be a key determinant on which way prices move after the introduction of new system that will alter tax administration by replacing layers of local levies with a single tax and stitch together a common national market.
An 18% GST rate can potentially push up phone and electricity bills immediately after GST’s rollout as these services are currently taxed at 15%.
“The financial impact of GST on the common man largely depends on the final GST rate. The services ubiquitously used by the common man are likely to prove expensive under the GST regime owing to escalation of GST on supply of services from the current effective rate of fifteen percent to the expected 18%,” Mahesh Jaisingh, Partner, BMR & Associates LLP, told HT.
“It is hoped that current exempt essential services like healthcare, education, should continue to be exempt under GST, eg, etc. Also, services such as telecom and insurance should be at a lower band rate of GST, as expected for goods (around 12%),” Jaisingh.
The impact of GST on prices is unknown, although in some countries such as Australia the first few years after rolling out a uniform GST had led to higher inflation.
Read| GST bill almost a reality, to be tabled in Rajya Sabha today
In India, the 13th finance commission estimates prices of agricultural goods will increase by 0.61 % to 1.18% while prices of manufactured items would fall by 1.22-2.53 %.
“Our economics team believes that contrary to common perception, the short-term impact of the GST is likely to be mixed as it could temporarily raise retail inflation by 0.20-0.70 percentage points in the year of implementation,” Nomura, a brokerage and research firm, said in a research report.
Assuming that most goods and services in the economy are taxed at the standard GST rate of 17-18%, as recommended by the GST committee, the GST would result in a reduction in taxes paid for goods (currently taxed at 24-26%) but an increase in taxes paid for services (currently taxed at 15%).
“Consequently, services are likely to become costlier, while goods become cheaper on implementation of the GST,” Nomura said.
“As far as products are concerned, given the seamless flow of credits and with traders specifically being able to avail credit and the expected standard GST rate of 18%, the prices of usual products should get cheaper,” Jaisingh said.
Read| How behind-the-scenes managers helped pave the way for GST deal
The telecom industry has asked the government to clarify its position of taxes on value added services (VAS).
“Given the broad framework of GST, it is expected that even under the proposed GST regime, the telecom service providers may face significant challenges,” a recent paper by ASSOCHAM-KPMG said.
“For the first time, both the centre and state governments will have powers to tax services... The proposed GST law should support the government’s overall initiative of ease of doing business and offer a simplified tax regime to telecom service providers,” the paper said.
Certain VAS such as ringtones are regarded as entertainment under certain states ‘entertainment tax laws’ and are therefore subject to taxation. “Since the service tax is also liable on the revenue generated from rendering such services, there is a dual levy in the form of service tax and entertainment tax.”
Read| Can the Congress claim credit for passage of the GST bill?
First Published: Aug 03, 2016 12:40 ISTThe State of Pennsylvania could face a potential lawsuit if Philadelphia Schools don't open on time due to the budget crisis. NBC10's Rosemary Connors tells us why. (Published Thursday, Aug. 15, 2013)
With two days until funding judgment day in the School District of Philadelphia, officials are asking a state-controlled board to remove a rule that forces them to rehire staff based on seniority. This request comes as the district awaits $50 million in additional cash to open school on-time.
The School Reform Commission, a state board that controls the Philadelphia school district, is holding a special hearing at 3 p.m. Thursday to consider suspending part of the district code requiring staff let go during a layoff, be rehired based on seniority.
Schools spokesman Fernando Gallard says the district would like to hire back employees based on the skills that they had at a particular school and to ensure that employees are hired back at the facility where they used to work.
The district's petition comes as officials negotiate a new labor contract with its teachers. Philadelphia Federation of Teachers President Jerry Jordan blasted repealing the seniority rule.
Parents Rally as School District Deadline Approaches
About 100 teachers and parents are rallying outside of Harding Middle School in Northeast Philadelphia as the city is still unable to find the $50 million that will open schools on time and hire laid off teachers. NBC10's Daralene Jones talks |
sentence in English. But of course there are others. For example there is always:
Aah!
... which looks like this: /a:/!With the help of the Penn State Small Business Development Center (SBDC) brothers Dan and Ryan Yosua have launched their own company and a pair of smartphone apps.
Dan, a 2013 Penn State graduate, and Ryan, a rising senior in the College of IST, first entered the world of mobile gaming when they launched YosuaTreeGames in 2013 and produced their first app — eVubble Lite — that same year. Ryan primarily handles the programming and development side of things, while Dan deals with the visual design and business aspects, along with the company’s social media presence.
On June 27, the duo released their second app, eVubble, with the help of the SBDC. The new app was designed to be a more advanced, comprehensive version of the first. eVubble is described as “an action-packed, arcade-style game in which you try bubble popping without stopping.”
The Penn State SBDC is a no-cost resource for small businesses or those looking to start their own business in Centre or Mifflin County. With the launch of their latest app, the Yosua brothers looked to the SBDC for marketing and other advice, and have found the resource to be a valuable one.
“The SBDC has been a huge help to us with our business development. [The] staff has provided us with free consulting, answered questions about taxes, legal concerns, and adding another member to our team,” Ryan said. “We are working with them to get the word out about eVubble to the local market as well as websites, blogs, and YouTube channels that focus on mobile games.”
Though it seems they’ve cornered the market when it comes to chasing one bubble around on your phone with another bubble, the Yosua brothers are determined to keep working and to take their company to the next level. Aiding the Yousa brothers’ mission is the David Rusenko Entrepreneur-in-Residence Scholarship Ryan was recently awarded. The prestigious award is granted to a junior or senior in the College of IST who has experience in entrepreneurship and includes $10,000, six credits, and a faculty adviser to offer help and guidance. Ryan hopes to use the scholarship to create a game that is even more ambitious than eVubble.
eVubble and eVubble Lite are available for both iPhone and Android users, if you’re in the market for the next addicting smartphone game that enjoyably frustrates you to no end — but you can’t seem to put it down.
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About the Author
Lexi Shimkonis Lexi is an editor-turned-staff writer who can often be found at either Irving's or the Phyrst (with the chances she'll have her backpack being the same). Lexi is a senior hailing from Spring City, PA (kind of) and studying Civil Engineering. Please email questions and/or pleas for an Instagram caption to [email protected], or for a more intimate bond, follow her on Twitter @lexshimko.
East Renovation Continues With Approval For Sproul, Geary Halls Penn State’s Board of Trustees approved the next phase of East Halls renovations at its meeting Friday, setting the stage for construction to begin on Sproul and Geary Halls.The incoming Trump administration wants to boot reporters from the White House — potentially invoking a nuclear option in its escalating war against members of the Fourth Estate.
Esquire magazine, citing three senior officials on Trump’s transition team, first reported the possible eviction plan, which would move the media from 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. to either the Eisenhower Executive Office Building across the street or to the White House Conference Center at Lafayette Square.
“They are the opposition party,” one senior official told the magazine. “I want ’em out of the building. We are taking back the press room.”
Incoming White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said Sunday that any moves will be made because of space considerations. He cited Trump’s press conference last week that drew 500 reporters — far more than the 49-seat Brady room could hold.
The outgoing RNC chief also stuck to talking points that broadly define the “White House,” going well beyond the West Wing and including the Eisenhower conference room.
“So no one is moving out of the White House,” Priebus told ABC’s “This Week.”
“That is the White House, where you can fit four times the amount of people in the press conference, allowing more press, more press coverage from all over the country to have those press conferences. That’s what we’re talking about.”
But when asked specifically whether reporters would be allowed to work in the White House — aside from larger press conferences — Priebus was noncommittal.
“That hasn’t been determined,” he told NBC’s “Meet The Press.”ATF Chicago Field Div special agents are on scene of reported explosion at post office in East Chicago, IN to provide assistance, expertise pic.twitter.com/09fWPfeXvO — ATF HQ (@ATFHQ) September 7, 2017
A postal employee was injured in an explosion in an East Chicago, Ind., post office Wednesday night, fire officials said.East Chicago Acting Fire Chief Francisco Mendez said at least one explosive device went off at the post office in the 900-block of East Chicago Avenue around 6 p.m. While the investigation is ongoing, Mendez believes the explosion came from a possible pipe bomb in a package."A bomb? That's really scary. It makes you wonder if it was like, a terrorist attack," said Akeyla Myers, a resident.The newly-hired female employee, who a coworker said is pregnant, suffered minor injuries and was taken to St. Catherine's Hospital as a precaution. The post office is closed to the public. The woman and another worker were the only ones in the post office at the time, officials said."It's scary, 'cuz we're already going through it with lead and now we hear about the bomb," said Patricia Sims, another resident.Authorities are searching the rest of the post office. Law enforcement on the scene include agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the FBII and the United States Postal Service, as well as East Chicago police and fire officials. K-9 units are also on scene to assist in the investigation, sniffing for any other bombs.Police and fire crews have blocked off the roads surrounding the post office on Chicago Avenue.Our Story
Tell me more about Hoagie Haven. There's no better place to get a hoagie. Spices? SaltPeppaKetchup?…Next, next in line. Where good friends meet to eat…mmmm, this is good. I think I'm in Haven. Haven, I'm in Haven...Haven for a hoagie? Okie dokie. Hoagie Haven. Good choice. Going back to the early 1970's (when the current sign on the outside was new), Hoagie Haven was the first to serve up large hoagies in the Princeton area. With help from Italian People's Bakery, Uncle Haven demanded a larger and larger roll to fill with delicious foods. Finally, when the roll couldn't fit on the counter, they knew it was big enough. By keeping it in the family, Uncle Haven's nephews, Mike, Niko and Costa Maltabes are now running the business.She said the former Melbourne Demons president, who has battled an aggressive form of cancer, "continued to defy the odds" in his last week of life, attending a Melbourne vs Hawthorn match, son Tiernan's seventh birthday party and enjoying dinner on Friday night at Topolino's Italian restaurant "in his much-loved suburb of St Kilda". Difficult time... Jim Stynes with wife Sam. Credit:Angela Wylie "In his final days Jim was immersed with insurmountable love and tenderness surrounded by his family and some close friends in the comfort of his own home. "On behalf of Jim my heartfelt thanks to all those who have so generously cared for, guided and supported Jim throughout his challenging cancer battle. "It is an incredibly sad time, however Jim in his passing, has made us see that in our grief that we can smile in our hearts for a beautiful man who will forever hold a special place in the hearts of many. Jim’s lesson is that life was to be challenged and treasured."
Premier Ted Baillieu, who participated in a moments' silence and a small tribute ceremony in the middle of the MCG this morning, said he had spoken to Sam Stynes to offer a state funeral for Jim, whom he described as "an exceptional Victorian." Family man... Jim Stynes leaves behind wife Sam, son Tiernan and daughter Matisse. Credit:Joseph Feil "This is something we can do for the family...they are pleased," Mr Baillieu said. "In many respects (Jim) is the classic Victorian. He embraced the culture here, he charmed people, he reached out to people. He became a legend." He said details of the funeral were yet to be finalised.
In a statement, Melbourne FC president Don McLardy said: ‘‘There are few places in Australia that have not heard or been touched by the legend of Jim Stynes - the affable Irishman who left his homeland to chase a dream, and succeeded beyond anyone's expectations. Jim was pain free, dignified and peaceful. (His children) Matisse and Tiernan were present. ‘‘In the next few weeks, you will hear from many who will tell you about his magnificent playing record, and why Kevin Sheedy says he is the greatest story in the history of the AFL. ‘‘You will also hear from many whose lives have been changed by Jim, mainly through contact with his incredible youth organisation Reach. Not just great achievers such as Jules Lund, Trisha Silvers and the like, but hundreds of young kids who openly say Jim Stynes 'changed my life'. Can there be a greater accolade than that?’’ McLardy said he spoke to Stynes for the last time on Friday and said he seemed calm.
"In the end he'd fought his fight and he was very peaceful at the end," McLardy told 3AW. "He'd had a tremendous battle." McLardy said he was stunned to see the ailing champion at the Demons' commencement dinner last week, when the club had presented him with a blazer. "It was a pretty massive shock because he was pretty ill. It was that iron will (that got him there)." Melbourne Football Club held a press conference this afternoon. Stynes stepped down from his role as president of the club last month.
Oncologist Grant McArthur from Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre described Stynes as a remarkable and inspiring man. ‘‘(He was) a very insightful, intelligent man,’’ he told radio station 3AW this morning. ‘‘He knew about his illness and what the ultimate outcome was ultimately going to be. He didn’t want to give up.’’ Professor McArthur said Stynes went public with his battle with cancer to help others.
‘‘He was an inspiring guy. He gave hope to others.’’ The sentiment was echoed by Prime Minister Julia Gillard, who paid tribute to an "absolute legend''. "He showed such bravery in the face of his devastating illness, he’s shown courage to the Australian people. He will be very sorely missed," Ms Gillard said. ‘‘He’s come into the hearts of Australians for so much more than his footballing career.’’ AFL chief executive Andrew Demetriou said Stynes had made a significant contribution to the game and the community.
He said the AFL planned to honour Stynes, possibly in conjunction with Stynes’ youth organisation Reach. Demetriou last spoke to Stynes just before Christmas and visited him a short time before that. ‘‘I think it is important that people, when the are alive and quite ill, are told about their significant contribution,’’ Demetriou told 3AW this morning. ‘‘We should all have been proud to know Jim Stynes and we are all the better for it.’’ Melbourne Lord Mayor Robert Doyle said Stynes, the 2010 Melburnian of the Year, had been an outstanding ambassador for the city.
"It was an absolute honour to know Jim and a privilege to name him 2010 Melburnian of the Year in recognition of his work with Reach Foundation," Cr Doyle said. The mayor said Stynes work with Reach had helped more than half-a-million young Victorians. "His loss is a great one for the football community, Melbourne and the many thousands of young people whose lives he touched throughout his career," he said. The 45-year-old underwent brain surgery six times and had more than 20 tumours removed in the past three years. He stepped down from his role as president of Melbourne Football Club last month.
Social media erupted with an outpouring of tributes for Stynes, whose name began trending worldwide on Twitter within minutes of his death becoming public. ‘‘Jim Stynes’’ also became the number one trending topic among Australian Twitter users as fans and celebrities expressed their sadness. Cricketer Shane Warne, model Megan Gale and seven time Tour de France winner Lance Armstrong were among those to tweet condolences. Acting Premier Peter Ryan, a Melbourne supporter, spoke emotionally about his memories of Stynes. "Jimmy Stynes made a contribution which I think has become part of the folklore of this state, and it goes well beyond football."
Loading The MCC and MCG flags will be flown at half mast today in tribute to Stynes. Melbourne Football Club has tweeted links to Reach - www.reach.org.au - and the Peter Mac Cancer Foundation - www.petermac.org - for people wanting to donate money in tribute to Stynes.Communist Party wants “tighter controls” in university ahead of its congress
Xi Jinping, the current vice president and heir apparent to Hu Jintao, calls on universities to “adopt firmer and stronger measures to maintain harmony and stability in universities” ahead of the 18th party congress, which should sanction his rise to power. Beijing is afraid of a repeat of the Arab spring.
eijing (AsiaNews) – A few months before the Chinese Communist Party 18th congress, set for next October and expected to sanction the succession to the current leadership, Vice President Xi Jinping ordered university to intensify ideological control over students and young professors.
"University party organs must adopt firmer and stronger measures to maintain harmony and stability in universities. Daily management of the institutions should be stepped up to create a good atmosphere for the success of the party's 18th congress," Xi said yesterday in Beijing at a gathering of university officials.
Plans have been made to ensure the smooth opening of the congress, said Liu Yandong, the highest-ranking woman in the party who is in charge of education.
In his address, Xi emphasised the importance of keeping an eye on lecturers, especially young ones. The latter “have many interactions with students and cast significant influence on them” and “play a very important role in the spread of ideas".
The Chinese regime, which remains tightly controlled by the party, is increasingly showing signs of nervousness ahead of next fall’s congress. For years, the country has been racked by social unrest, ranging from armed confrontations to peaceful demonstrations. All this is caused by many factors, including illegal land grabs, labour disputes and pollution.
In order to avoid more unrest at a sensitive time like the congress, the Communist Party is stepping up its propaganda efforts and tightening its controls over mass media and the country as whole.
Beijing is afraid that a period of transition and changing of the guard might spark protests similar to those that led to fall of many regimes in the Middle East.Image copyright AP Image caption Mr Comey said Mrs Clinton and her staff were "extremely careless" with classified materials
House Republicans have called FBI Director James Comey to testify about Hillary Clinton's use of private email as secretary of state.
Mr Comey will have to explain to a House committee why he recommended the likely Democratic presidential nominee should not be prosecuted.
Over 100 classified messages were found on her email servers, the FBI said.
On Wednesday, US Attorney General Loretta Lynch confirmed that no charges would be brought.
Mrs Lynch was accused by Republican Donald Trump, who is likely to do battle with Mrs Clinton for the White House, of being bribed by the former first lady.
He said she agreed to let Mrs Clinton off the hook in return for the promise that she would keep her job if the Democrat won the election and became president.
The news that the attorney general met former President Bill Clinton, Mrs Clinton's husband, last week on the tarmac of an airport in Arizona prompted accusations by Republicans of a stitch-up.
Image copyright AP Image caption Lynch's announcement brings the investigation to an end
On Tuesday, the FBI said Mrs Clinton and her staff were "extremely careless" in handling classified materials but there was no evidence of intentional wrongdoing.
Mr Comey's statement contradicted Mrs Clinton who previously said she had not knowingly sent or received classified material from her private email account.
He will testify on Thursday before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, led by Republican Jason Chaffetz.
"The FBI's recommendation is surprising and confusing," Mr Chaffetz said.
"The fact pattern presented by Director Comey makes clear Secretary Clinton violated the law," he said. "Individuals who intentionally skirt the law must be held accountable."
A statement from Mrs Clinton's campaign team called it "yet another taxpayer-funded sham of an inquiry to try to hurt Hillary Clinton politically".
Will this hurt Clinton? - Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington
It has been a common theme in the presidential campaigns of Mr Trump on the right and Bernie Sanders on the left that establishment insiders live under their own set of rules.
While average Americans are left to their fate, big bankers get bailouts, big businesses get handouts, and the elite are insulated from the consequences of their actions.
For those with this outlook, the failure to indict Hillary Clinton - or even hold her accountable in a non-criminal manner - is yet another example of the benefits that come along with high positions of power.
While Comey insisted that there was little precedent for a prosecution given that Mrs Clinton did not intentionally mishandle classified information or do so in a "grossly negligent" way, such explanations may not fly with the swath of voters currently alienated from the political process.
Did the FBI just sink Clinton?
The email scandal has become a key political talking point, with Republicans saying Mrs Clinton thinks she is above the law.
Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump called the decision "very unfair" and said it was proof that the system was rigged.
Mrs Clinton said she had set up the email address for reasons of convenience, because it had been easier to do everything from one device than to have several phones or tablets.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Clinton, her emails and the FBI
She later apologised for using the private email system, calling it "a mistake".
House Speaker Paul Ryan said it appears that Mrs Clinton was given preferential treatment by the FBI, and the purpose of the hearing is to try to answer a number of questions about the inquiry.
He questioned whether Mrs Clinton could receive classified briefings as a presidential candidate following the release of the FBI's findings.
House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi told USA TODAY that Mr Ryan's comments are "irresponsible" and "strange".
"She's going to be president of the United States and she's going to be a great president of the United States."The planned University Club will provide fine dining and a formal bar reception for staff, alumni, and visiting guests, although students will not be given access.
Other priorities include a large scale re-development of the Newman Building and James Joyce library, and a new three story extension of the Quinn school of Business building between Quinn and Sutherland.
Michael Monaghan, UCD vice-President for campus development it is believed has outlined that university President Andrew Deeks’ “number one priority” for UCD is to build the University Club.
The University Club is a planned extension onto O’Reilly Hall, it is believed Deeks has prioritised the ‘Club’, (which will not be open to students) as a reception area for guests, visiting dignitaries, and a bar and lounge for UCD staff.
The University Club will take the place of the current staff bar/lounge in the first floor of the Newman building, documents obtained by the Tribune outline.
In an email to the local county council a representative from Scott Tallon Walker Architects outlined the project. The architect revealed the building is an extension of O’Reilly Hall to “accommodate the relocation of the existing UCD Club and staff lounge facility in the Newman building”. The pre-planning phase for the Club started in August 2016.
The university’s planning permission application for the extension outlines the building will include “social and dining facilities [and] meetings rooms”, and “designated visitor parking”. The Club will have a capacity of 250 guests. It will be accessible “to all faculty, staff, and alumni on campus” a UCD report describing the project goals of the Club details.
The Club will also be used for “high quality social and dining facilities, designed to cater for small and large scale University and corporate member events” documents outline. The Club will also have a restaurant area that offers “fine dining” to staff and guests.
President Deeks it is believed was concerned there was nowhere appropriate to bring guest speakers, visiting dignitaries, or distinguished alumni to eat on campus.
Newman & James Joyce Redevelopment President Deeks’ “Second Priority”
Deeks has prioritised the construction of the University Club over plans to renovate the Newman building and James Joyce Library. The comprehensive redevelopment of both the Newman ‘Arts’ building and the James Joyce Library is believed to be President Deeks “second priority”.
The administration’s development priorities were outlined by VP for campus development Michael Monoghan at a recent meeting a source detailed.
Documents obtained under the Freedom of Information act revealed UCD has put aside €3 million for immediate renovation works on several first floor departments in the Newman building. To date floors G,F and D have been refurbished.
The university’s overall plans for the Library and the Newman building include developing a a glass exterior in place of the current concrete finish.
Image: Proposed glass-finish redevelopment of the James Joyce Library.
Quinn Business Three-Story Extension
President Deeks’ “third priority” for development is a large three-story extension of the Quinn School of Business planned to be constructed in between the existing Quinn School of Business and Sutherland School of Law.
The university have put in planning permission with Dun Laoghaire County Council for this three-story development, but as planning permission rolls over for a number of years it is unclear whether UCD will commit to start building the new business development before they begin works on the Newman building and James Joyce library.
RKD Architects were commissioned to draw up plans for the new building. The building would be connected to the Quinn School of Business by a walkway.
Image: Proposed three-story extension of Quinn Business School
The funding for capital developments is believed to be tight, given the decline in state funding of third-level education institutions since 2008.
The university has been criticised for drawing up ambitious and aspirational development plans without following through and realising them.
But you can read more on that angle in the Tribune’s latest investigative lead piece in our first issue of Semester 2, around campus on Tuesday.
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Jack Power | EditorRepublican presidential candidate Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., speaks during the first Republican presidential debate at the Quicken Loans Arena Thursday, Aug. 6, 2015, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)
Deep into the prime-time Republican presidential debate on Thursday night, Florida Sen. Marco Rubio fielded one of the night's precious few questions about the economy. It came from a voter on Facebook, who wondered what Rubio would do to help small businesses.
"It begins by having leaders that recognize that the economy we live in today is dramatically different from the one we had five years ago" the senator replied, before rattling off a quick and focus set of policy proposals: reducing corporate taxes, improving higher education to boost worker skills, imposing a "regulatory budget" on government and repealing Obamacare and the Dodd-Frank financial reforms.
It was a rare exchange for a debate that consigned economic policy to a backseat at best.
Polls continue to show that Americans care more about the economy than any other election issue. Fox News moderators noted that they had received more than 3,000 economy-themed questions on Facebook before the debate. Which is why it's so baffling that neither the questioners nor most candidates seemed eager to talk about growth, jobs and - as Republicans have been promising to do all election cycle - America's beleaguered working class.
In two hours of prime-time debating in Cleveland, the word "economy" came up 10 times. "Jobs" came up 20 times. Candidates said the words "middle class" exactly twice - and one of those was when New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie was talking about his childhood.
The earlier debate, featuring seven candidates running low in the polls, was no better. The consensus winner of that debate, former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, never mentioned jobs or the economy at all.
"Way too little discussion" of economic growth, the conservative commentator Larry Kudlow tweeted after the prime-time debate ended. "If you're one of the 65 percent of Americans who think the U.S. is on the wrong track," said James Pethokoukis, a conservative writer for the American Enterprise Institute who has pushed Republican candidates to address worker angst, "what have these debates offered?"
The answer: a bit of bragging about various governors' economic records - and only a few details to help differentiate the candidates' plans to boost the economy going forward. Christie emphasized cuts in safety-net programs such as Social Security, to reduce government spending. Ohio Gov. John Kasich talked up the pro-growth power of balancing the federal budget.
Several candidates pushed tax cuts, including Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee. Former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush touted energy policy, regulatory reform and "fixing our immigration system and turning it into an economic driver."
In the early debate, the most specifics came from former Virginia Gov. Jim Gilmore and from former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum, who promised to add manufacturing jobs to help struggling workers without college degrees.
In prime time, Rubio made the most direct pitch to workers: "The jobs that once sustained our middle class," he said, "they either don't pay enough or they are gone, and we need someone that understands that as our nominee."
That's a pitch tailor-made for Cleveland, which Republicans have also chosen to host their national convention next year. It also raises a very Ohio question: If you're going to debate in a swing state, shouldn't you focus on the issue that almost always dominates its elections?Australia's Steve Smith is the only man standing in the way of Indian rival Virat Kohli becoming the No.1 ranked batsman in all three forms of the game.
Kohli, ranked No.1 in T20 and ODI cricket, has moved up to No.2 in the latest Test batting rankings behind Smith after his double of 243 and 50 against Sri Lanka this week.
Aussie legend Ricky Ponting is the only man in history to have held top spot in all three forms of the game at the same time.
The best highlights from Adelaide Test
Kohli's task, though, is a big one; while Smith dropped three rankings points after his double of 40 and 6 in the second Magellan Ashes Test against England, he still holds a massive 45-point lead over Kohli.
Kohli leapfrogged Cheteshwar Pujara, Kane Williamson and Joe Root in the latest rankings and only 28 points separate that quartet in positions second, third, fourth and fifth.
Sri Lanka's Dinesh Chandimal, who moved up eight spots to ninth after his double of 164 and 36 in Delhi, is the only other change to the top 10 batting rankings.
Australia's Ashes hero in Adelaide, Shaun Marsh, has moved up sixth places to a career high of 27th spot.
Marsh silences critics with super 126no
On the bowling front, Aussie paceman Mitchell Starc (up two places to eighth) and Pat Cummins (up two places to 43rd) gained ground. Starc, fellow quick Josh Hazlewood (sixth) and spinner Nathan Lyon (ninth) make it a trio of Australian bowlers in the top 10.
ICC Test Batting Rankings
1) Steve Smith (Australia) - 938 points 2) Virat Kohli (India) - 893 3) Joe Root (England) - 879 4) Cheteshwar Pujara (India) - 873 5) Kane Williamson (New Zealand) - 865 6) David Warner (Australia) - 815 7) Hashim Amla (South Africa) - 795 8) Azhar Ali (Pakistan) - 755 9) Dinesh Chandimal (Sri Lanka) - 743 10) Dean Elgar (South Africa) - 732
ICC Test Bowling Rankings
1) James Anderson (England) - 894 2) Kagiso Rabada (South Africa) - 876 3) Ravindra Jadeja (India) - 870 4) Ravichandran Ashwin (India) - 829 5) Rangana Herath (Sri Lanka) - 799 6) Josh Hazlewood (Australia) - 786 7) Neil Wagner (New Zealand) - 785 8) Mitchell Starc (Australia) - 775 9) Nathan Lyon (Australia) - 774 10) Dale Steyn (South Africa) - 748Big ISPs Lobby To Kill Attempts At More Accurate Broadband Mapping
from the it's-not-a-problem-if-you-can't-see-it dept
For years, the FCC's "Form 477" data collection program has required that ISPs provide data on where they provide broadband service. Said data then helps determine the pace of broadband deployment and level of competition in key markets, informing FCC policy and broadband subsidy application. Unfortunately, this data collection process relies heavily on census block data, which doesn't always clarify which specific addresses in these large segments can actually get service. This has proven handy for ISPs looking to obfuscate their refusal to upgrade broadband networks in many areas.
This inaccurate data collection is a major reason for the Kafka-esque experience many new homeonwers have when they're told their new home will have broadband service, only to discover it doesn't. Last August, the then-Tom-Wheeler-run FCC issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (pdf), seeking public input on changing the Form 477 program so it tracked individual addresses, providing a far more accurate picture of U.S. broadband deployment. At the time, the FCC admitted that it historically hasn't done a good job ensuring this data matches reality, aka the "consumer experience":
The Commission to date has not systematically examined the precise underlying methodologies that are used by service providers in generating their data nor has it investigated whether actual consumer experience has diverged substantially from the Form 477 filings. Moreover, providers’ minimum advertised or expected speeds have, to date, been treated as confidential, limiting the ability of policymakers and consumers to compare offerings among service providers from this data collection.
In other words, the FCC was acknowledging that our broadband maps aren't very accurate, and the FCC hasn't done a very good job holding ISPs accountable for dubious availability data or flawed methodology.
Not too surprisingly, large ISPs have come out swinging against the previous FCC's attempts to improve things. In a filing with the FCC (pdf), Verizon tried to argue that more accurate data collection would be an undue burden on the company:
The Commission should reject any proposals that would require fixed broadband providers to report deployment data below the census-block level. Such proposals would impose enormous costs on fixed broadband providers without providing any real benefit to the Commission or the public.
Verizon fails to document the "enormity" of having to do a modestly better job telling the FCC where it provides broadband, or the fact that a painful lack of competition in the sector -- and the inability to determine how extensive the problem is -- helps pad duopolist revenues. Similarly, the NCTA -- the cable industry's biggest lobbying group -- cites ambiguous additional costs in opposing the improved mapping in its own filing (pdf):
...the Commission must ensure that the costs of any new broadband data collection requirements do not outweigh the benefits. With respect to the Form 477, the Commission should avoid collecting data that is so detailed or voluminous that it is expensive for providers to produce, difficult for the Commission to process, or unhelpful to the public.
Of course it's not really the added costs that are worrying these providers. Better mapping means a more accurate picture of where these industry giants have refused to provide service or upgrade last-generation connections. That would be of considerable concern to Verizon, which has been under fire for years for taking taxpayer subsidies in exchange for fiber that never gets delivered, and for outright refusing to upgrade or repair millions of aging DSL lines it clearly no longer wants to service. Less accurate census-block data also makes it easier to obfuscate the overall lack of competition in the U.S. broadband industry.
Given the current FCC's tendency to rubber stamp every whim of incumbent broadband providers, it seems more than likely that Ajit Pai and friends will scuttle this improved mapping effort proposed by the previous FCC. If you have a better understanding of the scope of a problem, you might then ponder actually doing something about it -- and we certainly wouldn't want that.
Filed Under: broadband, fcc, mapping
Companies: ncta, verizonArsenal looked to have blown their chance to move within one point of bitter rivals Tottenham after wasting a number of opportunities to seal victory following after Robin van Persie's equaliser.
However, Thomas Vermaelen saved the home side's blushes by turning home Walcott's cross in the 95th minute to clinch a vital three points.
Wenger said of the 22 year-old: "He was outstanding from the first to the last minute. It's one of the best, best games I've seen of Theo because I felt he had absolutely everything in his game - combined well, crossed well, was always in the game.
"He's making good progress; he's an intelligent boy. People forget he is very young - 22 year's old.
" Newcastle gave the impression of a strong team and to come back quickly was important.
"The equaliser was provided by Walcott. We speak many times of many other players and he deserves great credit this time because he was exceptional."
It was the fourth Premier League game that Arsenal have come from behind to win, and the third time in the last few weeks that the Gunners have snatched victory in injury time.
Meanwhile, Walcott claims Tottenham will now be nervously looking over their shoulders after Arsenal reduced the gap between the two north London rivals.
"Tottenham have got to be watching over their shoulders now," Walcott said.
"With the squad of players we've got - and we've got a lot of players coming back to fitness now - we believe that we can go much further.
"It's been an up-and-down season, but it's the way you finish, and that's the most important thing."SAN FRANCISCO (Reuters) - As the clock winds down on the first year of California’s carbon trading market for reducing greenhouse gas emissions, state officials say they have a lot to celebrate.
The state’s cap-and-trade program, which could become a model for other U.S. states, sets a limit on the amount of heat-trapping gases businesses can emit and allows them to trade excess permits.
Regulators this year held a series of permit auctions, with strong demand from buyers. The program poured $533 million into state coffers and is expected to raise $1.5 billion next year.
“California has achieved a strong, transparent carbon price, and we have created a model for the world to follow,” said state Sen. Fran Pavley, the author of the state’s landmark 2006 law designed to combat global warming. “We have shown that sending a strong signal to the marketplace can reduce pollution and spur better investment planning and economic growth.”
The success of California’s cap-and-trade program could revitalize the policy as a preferred tool for curbing emissions at a low cost, encouraging its expansion across state and international lines.
Still, analysts say the hardest part is yet to come.
The program is supposed to more than double in size in 2015, encompassing the burning of fuels by automobiles as well as home heating fuels like natural gas, meaning that consumers will feel the effects directly and could see gasoline price hikes of 15 cents a gallon or more.
California has also failed to get any other states to join up, raising questions about the political viability of a program that cannot, by itself, claim to have a meaningful impact on global carbon emissions.
Indeed, skeptics had pointed to Congress’s rejection of a national cap-and-trade program, as well as ongoing problems with fraud and low prices in the nine-year-old European carbon market, to question the viability of the concept as a means of addressing climate change.
Should California’s program unravel, it could sound a death knell for the concept across the United States.
The state has so far sidestepped Europe’s biggest mistakes by tracking the output of greenhouse gases from facilities in the state for years prior to the market’s launch and by setting a steadily increasing floor price for allowances sold at auction.
From a market standpoint, California’s program has worked surprisingly well so far. Carbon prices have hovered in the $11-$16 a ton range throughout the year - high enough to keep traders interested and low enough to keep companies covered by the program from panicking. That’s an ideal situation from the point of view of regulators.
Meanwhile trading of allowances on the secondary market has been healthy, with an average of nearly 2 million carbon allowances changing hands every week among environmental credit brokers, power traders and businesses covered by the program.
“The first year of the California market has gone fairly smoothly,” said Tony D’Agostino, director of commodity markets for the Royal Bank of Canada. “Trading volumes continue to increase and the auctions have gone off without a hitch for the most part.”
Things will get tougher in 2015. Thus far the state has given free allowances to businesses like cement manufacturers and food processors to reduce the program’s burden on them, but it’s not planning to give any free allowances to fuel distributors to cover the emissions that come from California tailpipes.
Carbon analysts believe a $15 a ton carbon price will translate into an additional 15 cents per gallon of gas in a state that already has some of the nation’s highest gasoline prices.
“The very small number of companies that manufacture the fuels we need are going to have to purchase what we roughly calculate to be about $5 billion a year in carbon allowances to meet the requirements that go into effect |
terra, has held its forecast milk price to farmers at $4.70 per kilo of milk solids for the current season.
When Fonterra last reviewed the payout in December, the price dropped from $5.30 to $4.70, due to weaker dairy prices.
Photo: RNZ / Diego Opatowski
Since then, the dairy co-operative's key price, whole-milk powder, has risen 45 percent.
But Fonterra chair John Wilson said the increase in dairy prices is not sufficient to raise the payout at this point.
He said there continues to be significant volatility in international commodity prices.
"Today's forecast reflects the board and management's best estimates at this time. We are advising farmers to continue to be cautious with budgeting and we will update them as the season progresses," he said.
Federated Farmers dairy spokesman, Andrew Hoggard, said farmers would have liked an increase, especially with many in the South Island also battling drought, but Fonterra's decision would not come as any great surprise.Update December 22: Our donors came together during the fundraiser to get us most of the way to our $750,000 goal. In all, 251 donors contributed $589,248, making this our second-biggest fundraiser to date. Although we fell short of our target by $160,000, we have since made up this shortfall thanks to November/December donors. I'm extremely grateful for this support, and will plan accordingly for more staff growth over the coming year.
As described in our post-fundraiser update, we are still fairly funding-constrained. December/January donations will have an especially large effect on our 2017–2018 hiring plans and strategy, as we try to assess our future prospects. For some external endorsements of MIRI as a good place to give this winter, see recent evaluations by Daniel Dewey, Nick Beckstead, Owen Cotton-Barratt, and Ben Hoskin.
The Machine Intelligence Research Institute is running its annual fundraiser, and we're using the opportunity to explain why we think MIRI's work is useful from an EA perspective. To that end, we'll be answering questions on a new "Ask MIRI Anything" EA Forum thread on Wednesday, October 12th.
MIRI is a nonprofit research group based in Berkeley, California. We do technical research that’s aimed at ensuring that smarter-than-human AI systems have a positive impact on the world. Some big recent developments:
We have a new paper out, "Logical Induction," introducing a method for assigning reasonable probabilities to conjectures in mathematics and computer science that outpaces deduction. See Shtetl-Optimized and n-Category Café for recent discussion on math blogs.
We started work on a new research agenda with a stronger focus on machine learning, “Alignment for Advanced Machine Learning Systems.” This agenda will be occupying about half of our time going forward, with the other half focusing on our agent foundations agenda.
The Open Philanthropy Project awarded MIRI a one-year $500,000 grant to scale up our research program, with a strong chance of renewal next year. This grant is not a full endorsement of MIRI, and in fact Open Phil has outlined a number of points of disagreement with MIRI's current research approach. I discuss some of the points of divergence below.
Our recent technical progress and our new set of research directions put us in a better position in this fundraiser to capitalize on donors' help and scale up our research activities further.
Our fundraiser, running from September 16 to October 31, has a $750,000 "basic" funding target, along with higher growth and stretch targets if we hit target 1. Our current progress:
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Employer matching and pledges to give later this year also count towards the total. Click here to learn more.
These are ambitious goals. We feel reasonably good about our chance of hitting target 1, but it isn't a sure thing; we'll probably need to see support from new donors in order to hit our target, to offset the fact that a few of our regular donors are giving less than usual this year. To that end, we've written up an introduction to MIRI below, along with updates on what's new at MIRI and what we have planned next:
Why AI? · Why MIRI's approach? · What's new? · Goals for the field · Organizational goals
Why AI?
A number of EA organizations have said that they consider AI to be an important cause area. Here are what I see as the basic reasons for prioritizing research in this area.
Humanity's social and technological dominance stems primarily from our proficiency at reasoning, planning, and doing science (Armstrong). This relatively general problem-solving capacity is roughly what I have in mind when I talk about "intelligence" (Muehlhauser), including artificial intelligence.1
The case for focusing on AI risk mitigation doesn't assume much about how future AI systems will be implemented or used. Here are the claims that I think are key:
1. Whatever problems/tasks/objectives we assign to advanced AI systems probably won't exactly match our real-world objectives. Unless we put in an (enormous, multi-generational) effort to teach AI systems every detail of our collective values (to the extent there is overlap), realistic systems will need to rely on imperfect approximations and proxies for what we want (Soares, Yudkowsky).
2. If the system’s assigned problems/tasks/objectives don’t fully capture our real objectives, it will likely end up with incentives that catastrophically conflict with what we actually want (Bostrom, Russell, Benson-Tilsen & Soares).
3. AI systems can become much more intelligent than humans (Bostrom), to a degree that would likely give AI systems a decisive advantage in arbitrary conflicts (Soares, Branwen).
4. It's hard to predict when smarter-than-human AI will be developed: it could be 15 years away, or 150 years (Open Philanthropy Project). Additionally, progress is likely to accelerate as AI approaches human capability levels, giving us little time to shift research directions once the finish line is in sight (Bensinger).
Stuart Russell's Cambridge talk is an excellent introduction to long-term AI risk.2 Other leading AI researchers who have expressed these kinds of concerns about general AI include Francesca Rossi (IBM), Shane Legg (Google DeepMind), Eric Horvitz (Microsoft), Bart Selman (Cornell), Ilya Sutskever (OpenAI), Andrew Davison (Imperial College London), David McAllester (TTIC), Jürgen Schmidhuber (IDSIA), and Geoffrey Hinton (Google Brain).
Our take-away from this is that we should prioritize early research into aligning future AI systems with our interests, if we can find relevant research problems to study. AI alignment could easily turn out to be many times harder than AI itself, in which case research efforts are currently being wildly misallocated.
Alignment research can involve developing formal and theoretical tools for building and understanding AI systems that are stable and robust ("high reliability"), finding ways to get better approximations of our values in AI systems ("value specification"), and reducing the risks from systems that aren't perfectly reliable or value-specified ("error tolerance").
Why MIRI's approach?
Our recent back-and-forth with the Open Philanthropy Project provides a good jumping-off point for articulating how MIRI's approach differs from other perspectives in AI safety. Open Phil's scientific advisers (along with external reviewers) commented on some of our recent papers here, and I replied here.
One source of disagreement (though certainly not the only one, and not one that everyone at Open Phil considers crucial) is that MIRI is relatively pessimistic about the prospects of aligning advanced AI systems if we don't develop new paradigms that are more theoretically principled than present-day machine learning techniques.
Loosely speaking, we can imagine the space of all smarter-than-human AI systems as an extremely wide and heterogeneous space, in which "alignable AI designs" is a small and narrow target (and "aligned AI designs" smaller and narrower still). I think that the most important thing a marginal alignment researcher can do today is help ensure that the first generally intelligent systems humans design are in the “alignable” region.3 I think that this is unlikely to happen unless researchers have a fairly principled understanding of how the systems they're developing reason, and how that reasoning connects to the intended objectives.
Most of our work is therefore aimed at seeding the field with ideas that may inspire more AI research in the vicinity of (what we expect to be) alignable AI designs. When the first general reasoning machines are developed, we want the developers to be sampling from a space of designs and techniques that are more understandable and reliable than what’s possible in AI today.
Concretely, these three points are often what set apart our research priorities from other candidate approaches:
We prioritize research that we think could help inspire new AI techniques that are more theoretically principled than current techniques. In practice, this usually involves focusing on the biggest gaps in our current theories, in the hope of developing better and more general theories to undergird subsequent engineering work (Soares).
We focus more on AI systems' reasoning and planning, rather than on systems' goals, their input and output channels, or features of their environments.4
We avoid problems we think academic and industry researchers are well-positioned to address (Bensinger).
Unlike the ideas in the previous section, most of the ideas here (especially the second bullet point) haven't been written up yet, and they're only recently seeing much discussion. One of my priorities for the remainder of 2016 is to provide a fuller summary of my and other MIRI researchers' views on these topics.
What's new?
Since my last post to the EA Forum (for our July/August 2015 fundraiser), our main new results with associated write-ups have been:
MIRI research fellows and associates co-authored two publications this year in a top AI venue, the 32nd Conference on Uncertainty in Artificial Intelligence: the grain of truth paper, and "Safely Interruptible Agents."
Since August 2015, we've hired two research fellows (Andrew Critch and Scott Garrabrant) and one assistant research fellow (Ryan Carey), and two of our associates (Abram Demski and Mihály Bárász) have signed on to become full-time researchers. We've expanded our associate program, run a seminar series (with a second one ongoing), run seven research workshops (including four during our first Colloquium Series on Robust and Beneficial AI), and sponsored MIRI Summer Fellows and MIRIx programs. We also expanded our operations team and moved into a larger office space.
For more details, see our 2015 in Review and 2016 Strategy Update posts.
Goals for the field
Researchers at MIRI are generally highly uncertain about how the field of AI will develop over the coming years, and there are many different scenarios that strike me as plausible. Conditional on a good outcome, though, I put a fair amount of probability on scenarios that more or less follow the following sketch:
In the short term, a research community coalesces, develops a good in-principle understanding of what the relevant problems are, and produces formal tools for tackling these problems. AI researchers move toward a minimal consensus about best practices, more open discussions of AI’s long-term social impact, a risk-conscious security mindset (Muehlhauser), and work on error tolerance and value specification.
In the medium term, researchers build on these foundations and develop a more mature understanding. As we move toward a clearer sense of what smarter-than-human AI systems are likely to look like — something closer to a credible roadmap — we imagine the research community moving toward increased coordination and cooperation in order to discourage race dynamics (Soares).
In the long term, we would like to see AI-empowered projects used to avert major AI mishaps while humanity works towards the requisite scientific and institutional maturity for making lasting decisions about the far future (Dewey). For this purpose, we’d want to solve a weak version of the alignment problem for limited AI systems — systems just capable enough to serve as useful levers for preventing AI accidents and misuse.
In the very long term, my hope is that researchers will eventually solve the “full” alignment problem for highly capable, highly autonomous AI systems. Ideally, we want to reach a position where engineers and operators can afford to take their time to dot every i and cross every t before we risk “locking in” any choices that have a large and irreversible effect on the future.
The above is a vague sketch, and we prioritize research we think would be useful in less optimistic scenarios as well. Additionally, “short term” and “long term” here are relative, and different timeline forecasts can have very different policy implications. Still, the sketch may help clarify the directions we’d like to see the research community move in.
Organizational goals
MIRI's current objective is to formalize and solve the problems outlined in our technical agendas. To make this more concrete, one (very ambitious) benchmark I set for us last year was to develop a fully naturalized AIXI by 2020. Logical induction looks like a promising step in that direction, though there are still a number of outstanding questions about how far this formalism (and reflective oracles, optimal predictors, and other frameworks we've developed) can get us towards a general-purpose theory of ideal bounded reasoning.
We currently employ seven technical research staff (six research fellows and one assistant research fellow) and seven research contractors (five associates and two interns).5 Our budget this year is about $1.75M, up from $1.65M in 2015 and $950k in 2014.6 Our eventual goal (subject to revision) is to grow until we have 13–17 technical research staff, at which point our budget would likely be in the $3–4M range. If we reach that point successfully while maintaining a two-year runway, we’re likely to shift out of growth mode.
Our budget estimate for 2017 is roughly $2–2.2M, which means that we’re entering this fundraiser with about 14 months’ runway. We’re uncertain about how many donations we’ll receive between November and next September,7 but projecting from current trends, we expect about 4/5ths of our total donations to come from the fundraiser and 1/5th to come in off-fundraiser.8 Based on this, we have the following fundraiser goals:
Basic target – $750,000. We feel good about our ability to execute our growth plans at this funding level. We’ll be able to move forward comfortably, albeit with somewhat more caution than at the higher targets.
Growth target – $1,000,000. This would amount to about half a year’s runway. At this level, we can afford to make more uncertain but high-expected-value bets in our growth plans. There’s a risk that we’ll dip below a year’s runway in 2017 if we make more hires than expected, but the growing support of our donor base would make us feel comfortable about taking such risks.
Stretch target – $1,250,000. At this level, even if we exceed my growth expectations, we’d be able to grow without real risk of dipping below a year’s runway. Past $1.25M we would not expect additional donations to affect our 2017 plans much, assuming moderate off-fundraiser support.9
If we hit our growth and stretch targets, we’ll be able to execute several additional programs we’re considering with more confidence. These include contracting a larger pool of researchers to do early work with us on logical induction and on our machine learning agenda, and generally spending more time on academic outreach, field-growing, and training or trialing potential collaborators and hires.
As always, you’re invited to get in touch if you have questions about our upcoming plans and recent activities. I’m very much looking forward to seeing what new milestones the growing alignment research community will hit in the coming year, and I’m very grateful for the thoughtful engagement and support that’s helped us get to this point.10
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Notes
1 Note that we don't assume that "human-level" artificial intelligence implies artificial consciousness, artificial emotions, or other human-like characteristics. When it comes to artificial intelligence, the only assumption is that if a carbon brain can solve a practical problem, a silicon brain can too (Chalmers). ↩
2 For other good overviews of the problem, see Yudkowsky's So Far: Unfriendly AI Edition and Open Phil's cause report. ↩
3 Ensuring that highly advanced AI systems are in the “alignable” region isn’t necessarily a more important or difficult task than getting from “alignable” to “sufficiently aligned.” However, I expect the wider research community to be better-suited to the latter task. ↩
4 This is partly because of the first bullet point, and partly because we expect reasoning and planning to be a key part of what makes highly capable systems highly capable. To make use of these capabilities (and do so safely), I expect we need a good model of how the system does its cognitive labor, and how this labor ties in to the intended objective.
I haven’t provided any argument for this view here; for people who don’t find it intuitive, I plan to write more on this topic in the near future. ↩
5 This excludes Katja Grace, who heads the AI Impacts project using a separate pool of funds earmarked for strategy/forecasting research. It also excludes me: I contribute to our technical research, but my primary role is administrative. ↩
6 We expect to be slightly under the $1.825M budget we previously projected for 2016, due to taking on fewer new researchers than planned this year. ↩
7 We’re imagining continuing to run one fundraiser per year in future years, possibly in September. ↩
8 Separately, the Open Philanthropy Project is likely to renew our $500,000 grant next year, and we expect to receive the final ($80,000) installment from the Future of Life Institute’s three-year grants.
For comparison, our revenue was about $1.6 million in 2015: $167k in grants, $960k in fundraiser contributions, and $467k in off-fundraiser (non-grant) contributions. Our situation in 2015 was somewhat different, however: we ran two 2015 fundraisers, whereas we’re skipping our winter fundraiser this year and advising December donors to pledge early or give off-fundraiser. ↩
9 At significantly higher funding levels, we’d consider running other useful programs, such as a prize fund. Shoot me an e-mail if you’d like to talk about the details. ↩
10 Thanks to Rob Bensinger for helping draft this post. ↩As I was finishing up my post about Sweet Tomatoes specifically, buffet restaurants in general and my not-so-fond memories about how I used to live, I realized something. It explains a lot about why I feel so strongly that we’re eating ourselves into despair.
Toward the end of that post, I wrote this sentence: “I won’t be visiting Sweet Tomatoes again, and I unsubscribed for the company’s email list and unliked its Facebook page.”
Actually, I first wrote that I “unsubscribed from their email list and unliked their Facebook page”. Then I remembered that according to most writing style manuals used in the United States, companies should be referred to in the singular rather than the plural.
I always want companies to be plural, perhaps, because I watch too much British television. Or perhaps I want companies to be plural because I like the idea that there are real people running them.
When you refer to a company in the singular (“its Facebook page”, for example), you suggest that the company is an entity of its own. Referring to a company in the plural (“their Facebook page”), suggests to readers that the company is made up of a collection of real people. Don’t all companies have real people behind them somewhere?
This could explain my dissatisfaction with the way many of us eat. When every item we consume comes from a faceless corporation with no one apparently representing it, how can we feel any real connection to the source, quality or healthfulness of the product? There are people involved in our food production at every level — even if machines are doing much of the work.
If I were running a food company, I’d rather be mistaken for a “they” than considered an “it”, I think. I’d like people to understand that a collection of real people are really responsible for what my company puts out. Wouldn’t you?
In fact, the world might be better than it already is if we would recognized the people behind and within every company, organization or process in which we become involved. We might feel more connection, more empathy and more respect.
We might even all get along. But perhaps that’s too grand a point to make in a simple post about an interesting little grammar rule that few people follow.
Share and Enjoy:A young Indian girl living in Qatar, Doha who wanted to join the Islamic State group in Turkey has returned to her parents' house in Hyderabad, Police Commissioner M Mahender Reddy told NDTV.
The girl, around 18-years-old, was reportedly influenced by the Islamic State literature available online and also by a neighbour in Doha who wanted to accompany her, but the girl changed her mind and returned to India.
The police clarified that they had no participation in bringing the girl back and that she refuted the idea on her own.
"The incident happened around two months ago. We have not brought her (back to India) she came back on her own," said the city police commissioner.
The girl was not placed under arrest as she had not joined the Islamic State - also known as IS or ISIS - or any other extremist training said the police.
The police did however reach out to the girl and her parents to offer counseling after they came to know that she had been influenced by the content provided by the Islamic State group online. This, they said, was a part of a police strategy to deal with people, especially the youth, who access such sites.
"Here in Hyderabad, we are actually scanning all the social networking sites. For whoever accesses this kind of literature (ISIS propaganda) on the social networking sites, we are getting in touch with them and talking to them and their parents," said Mr Reddy.The Police Commissioner also warned that strict action could be taken against those who are unfazed by counselling and other methods of persuasion and get in touch with the organisation."As a law enforcing agency we want to involve the community, parents and the youth. So far, we have been successful. If anybody is trying to cross the 'laxman-rekha' then law will definitely take its own course," Mr Reddy said.Another senior police officer attached to Intelligence alleged that there was a deliberate attempt to create an impression that many young people from Hyderabad are being influenced by the Islamic State. ''Union Home Ministry has said that there is such a propaganda war to malign Hyderabad and Telangana,'' he said.Image copyright PA Image caption Mr Cameron says the UK's employment "miracle' would be put at risk by Labour
David Cameron has hailed new figures which show unemployment is at a seven-year low - but Labour says too many jobs are part-time.
The prime minister said the coalition had overseen a "jobs miracle" and the UK had created more jobs since 2010 than the rest of the EU put together.
Unemployment fell by 76,000 to 1.84 million in the three months to February, official statistics show.
Labour welcomed the fall, but accused the Tories of ignoring low pay growth.
The economy moved centre stage again after Thursday's TV election debate, in which Labour leader Ed Miliband and four other party leaders clashed over the deficit, immigration, health and defence. Mr Cameron and Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg did not take part.
In other election news:
'Full employment'
The number of people claiming Jobseeker's Allowance in March fell by 20,700 to 772,400, the Office for National Statistics said. Separate figures showed average earnings rose 1.7% over the same period, down from 1.9% over the previous three months.
Mr Cameron said the UK had created two million jobs since the Conservative-Liberal Democrat coalition came to power in May 2010 and was the "jobs factory of Europe".
"We are living through a jobs miracle brought to you by a Conservative government," he said.
Analysis by economic editor Robert Peston
David Cameron may look at today's stats on unemployment and wonder why on earth his party is only neck-and-neck with Labour in the opinion polls, and not benefiting from record employment levels and a significant rise in inflation-adjusted pay.
Probably the most interesting stat for me was that regular pay - excluding bonuses - saw a 2.2% increase in February and a 1.8% rise in the three months to Feb. And for the first time since serious records began, that headline rise is the real rise - because CPI inflation is 0%.
It is striking that fears of employers significantly shrinking pay rises with the disappearance of inflation have not materialised: there is no sign in the UK of so-called bad deflation.
Read Robert's full blog
Every new job, he said, was "giving families security, putting food on tables and helping people out of poverty".
"We are on the cusp of something special in our country: full employment, a job for everyone who wants one, if we stick to the plan, we can reach it," he said, claiming that Labour would put that at risk.
The PM has also been buoyed by remarks by International Monetary Fund head Christine Lagarde praising the strength of the UK recovery compared with the rest of the European Union.
Speaking in Washington at the organisation's spring conference, Ms Lagarde said the UK's strategy was "delivering results" and compared to the growth rates of other EU countries "it's obvious what's happening in the UK has worked".
The Tories' coalition partners are also claiming credit.
Liberal Democrat and Chief Secretary to the Treasury Danny Alexander said: "With record numbers of people in work and the highest employment rate ever, people can see the difference Lib Dems have made in government.
"The balance, common sense, fairness and financial discipline praised by the IMF today are the things we have brought to government."
Shadow business secretary Chuka Umunna welcomed the fall in unemployment, saying it was a "huge issue".
But he accused the Conservatives of ignoring "the fact that 1.3 million people are working part-time at the moment who would like to be working full-time".
"They ignore things like the fact that on average people are earning £1,600 less now than they were in May 2010," he added.
'Momentum'
And launching his party's youth manifesto - which would ban unpaid internships or work experience after more than four weeks - Mr Miliband said "too often jobs in our country are low-paid, low-skilled and insecure".
"It is not just about zero-hours contracts. It is about the way our economy works generally.
Image copyright Reuters Image caption The Labour leader has been campaigning in Lincoln
"Young people have done badly, with growing debt, an insecure job and owning a home a distant dream."
Mr Miliband said the Tories did not represent working people and that their policies benefited the richest in society.
Labour also seized on comments by Conservative minister Iain Duncan Smith that zero-hours contracts should be renamed as "flexible contracts", saying it showed "how completely out of touch David Cameron's Tories are with the lives of working people".
Debate fallout
As the dust settles on last night's TV debate, both the Conservatives and Labour are under pressure to explain what they would do if they failed to win enough seats to govern on their own.
Policy guide: Economy This issue includes the wider economy and deficit reduction but also employment and the role of business.
Both insist they can win outright but neither have ruled out coalitions of some kind or a looser arrangement, where they could rely on the backing of other parties to get their legislation through Parliament.
During Thursday's debate, Mr Miliband rejected an offer from SNP leader Nicola Sturgeon to "work together" to keep the Conservatives out of power, insisting again that he would not make a formal coalition with them.
Opinion polls have suggested the SNP is on course to win a swathe of seats in Scotland and to be in a powerful position in the event of an inconclusive result, but the Conservatives have said any arrangement involving them would be a "calamity" for the UK.
Subscribe to the BBC Election 2015 newsletter to get a round-up of the day's campaign news sent to your inbox every weekday afternoon.Bornstellar said: Would you like to start by justifying this crap? Click to expand...
great
I can certainly explain my position, yes.Let me start by saying that I don't think Halo 4 is a bad game by any stretch of the imagination.It's think it looks, I loved the multiplayer, and it's a very polished experience overall.That being said, the campaign was essentially:1.) OMGZ!! We're under attack/have to escape/have to stop so and so.2.) Go blow up that shield generator/push that button/ kill a bunch of dudes!3.) Now run back through the level and kill even more of the same 8 dudes!Some of the indoor segments were really solid, but when playing the game in outdoor maps going through the scenarios mentioned above, it gold REALLY old REALLY quick.If you played Rage, imagine the last level of that game, on repeat, for. That is essentially the structure of Halo 4. It forces you to use way too many bullets to kill the same enemies over and over and over again for hours with little variation on how that is accomplished.I understand some people enjoy arena shooters of that ilk, but frankly, it was a real chore for me.The funny thing is, the first 15 minutes was another story entirely. The intro was awesome. I honestly felt playing it that if the game kept this up for the entire run, it would have been a primary contender for GOTY and 10 on our scale.But after that, the game quickly degenerated into the sequences outlined above, and I was left wishing it would get better, or mix it up a bit, or deliver some moments like the early stages of the game. But it didn't really manage to do so in my opinion.Mind you, they tried to mix it up with some vehicle sequences, most of which were satisfying enough because, well, blowing shit up is fun - but on the whole, there's a lot of back-tracking, a lot of rubber-stamp environment design, and very little going on despite the size of the levels.They do manage to pack their environment with a ton of objects, and they all look fantastic, but they never did anything spectacular with them in-game outside of the first mission, and that left the game feeling very flat and very repetitive from where I was sitting.And since folks are so bent out of shape about my comment on iron sights, I'll elaborate a bit here, too.The thought came to me when I noticed that there is in fact a controller option called "Fishstick" in Halo 4 that gives you the same layout and functionality as most FPS titles on the market by allowing you to swap your zoom function to the left trigger.However, several of the key guns don't offer sight-focused views, meaning that you use your binoculars and immediately jump out to the standard viewing angle upon firing. It's very jarring, and smacks as a half-assed concession to folks who want that feature in-game.And yeah, I know Halo fans like what they know, just like most fans of most games. A lot of people argue that a fully-implemented iron sight option would somehow pervert the purity of the game, but frankly, I think they're just afraid of change, and here's why:At it's core, Halo is about massive, arena-style environments. Ranged combat plays a big role, and when facing key enemies, well-placed shots are critical. As such, aim is pretty fucking important. That being said, a good 50% (and I'm estimating here) of the guns have scope-based aiming components.This means that the idea of zooming in and shooting isn't foreign to the series, and in fact, is a large part of your tactical arsenal as a player.With that in mind, and the importance of head shots to combat, it seems like a very logical enhancement to me to offer the OPTION to make use of them. That way, you'd respect legacy folks who like they way their cake is baked, and also allow people who appreciate a higher degree of ease and realism alongside what I and many others feel is a more precise aiming to enjoy the feature.The funny part is, the developer seems to at least acknowledge that there are some people out there who feel the same way, or the "Fishstick" option wouldn't even exist, so seeing so many call me a CoD fan boy because I believe a "proper" (or more to the point - complete) implementation of this scheme would actually be appreciated and enhance gameplay without impacting the overall design and difficulty of the game -- it just feels like fanboy knee-jerking to me.And again, I get it. I'd be pissed if, say, Dark Souls suddenly became easy or SOCOM stopped trying to be a tactical shooter and became a Call of Du...err..ok, so that kind of happened with S4 - but anyways, I'm not suggesting that 343i get away from the roots of the series at all.I'm suggesting that they actually build on them instead of rehashing them over and over again.To me, Halo is about three core things:1.) Story - People love the art, characters, and drama of this series, and understandably so. I don't think anything I've mentioned would change that one bit.2.) Advanced AI Behaviors - The AI in Halo is amazing, and does some really crazy shit. I don't think that needs to stop, either.3.) MP - The multiplayer in Halo is a well-respected crowd favorite, and it got a lot better with this iteration. I didn't say word one about them adopting anything from other games, though they already made that decision on their own. It didn't "kill" MP at all, and my guess is most will feel this is the best Halo MP experience yet.Anyways, all that laid out on the table, my point is just that Halo's basic principals are still very true to the ones laid out in Combat Evolved. And sure, that's great for folks who are more in love with other areas of the game, but ultimately, if this were a sports game, we'd be calling Halo 4 a roster update with better graphics, and I think fans deserve more, even if they are afraid of it.Based on the number of slams I've taken from people who haven't even played the game yet, it's pretty evident that people don't like anyone to talk shit about their baby. But frankly, I'm in the business I am in to make people feel like their preconceived opinion is right just because they want it to be.I love the fiction and they clearly have a talented, passionate staff behind the wheel, but having played a good 10 campaigns this year that offered more entertainment, strategy and playability than Halo 4, I felt the way the impression I came away with was worth expressing, regardless of the anger it may incur.I think it's important to speak with conviction. I think Halo has room to grow, and I also think if no one actually has the nuts to say it, the team is much less likely to even think it's a need.Just my two cents.A high-ranking member of the Canadian Forces based in Edmonton faces a number of sex-related charges for offences alleged to have occurred between 1998 and 2007 while the member was a mentor with a local army cadet group.
Lt.-Col. Mason Stalker, 40, a commanding officer of the 1st Battalion, Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry has been charged with:
Three counts of sexual assault.
Four counts of sexual exploitation.
One count of sexual interference.
One count of invitation to sexual touching.
One count of breach of trust by a public officer.
The charges were laid after an investigation by the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service (CFNIS.) The complainant was a minor at the time of the alleged incidents. He came forward earlier this year.
Stalker appeared in an Edmonton courtroom this morning and was released on bail. He must adhere to a number of conditions, including staying away from places where children gather such as at pools, parks and daycares and cannot have any contact with cadets 18 years of age or younger.
"These are serious and significant charges under the Criminal Code of Canada," said Lt.-Col. Francis Bolduc, commanding officer of CFNIS.
"Regardless of a member's rank and role in the Canadian Armed Forces, the Canadian Forces National Investigation Service works diligently and independently from the Canadian Armed Forces chain of command to protect individuals from those who violate the law."
In an emailed statement to CBC News, the press secretary for Minister of Defence Jason Kenney called the allegations "very disturbing."
"Sexual assault and harassment of any kind have no place anywhere in the Canadian Armed Forces. This is now a matter for the courts, so further comment would be inappropriate," Lauren Armstrong said in an email.
Gen. Jonathan Vance, chief of the defence staff, also declined comment.
"We must allow the judicial process to unfold," he said in a written statement.
"In the meantime, Lieutenant-Colonel Stalker has been suspended from his command assignment until the judicial process is complete."
In November 2012, Stalker received a Meritorious Service Medal from Canada's Gov. Gen. David Johnston for his leadership and tactical skills as the commanding officer in a volatile and violent region of Afghanistan.Learning new language is so easy when you have these apps to aid you at each step. These apps not only develop your vocabulary and grammar, but also improve your accent and listening skills through various lessons and quizzes. Most of the apps also feature text to speech feature that can pronounce the phrases and words correctly so that you learn the right accent and pronunciation. These free apps also feature online translator to convert phrases between different languages and some apps also feature ability to ask native language speaking people about the word or phrase.
Here are 10 language learning android apps that can improve your command on any foreign language.
1. 50 languages
This app is available in over 40 languages with 1600 languages combinations. The app includes over 100 lessons to learn different languages with audio and text support to enhance your learning experience. You can also download the audio from 50languages.com and listen offline anywhere.
Availability: Free on Google Play
2. Babbel – learn languages
The app allows you to learn 13 languages with the variety of courses offered within the app. The app supports listening, writing and speaking exercises and vocabulary builder to build your command over the language. The app also has grammar exercises, pronunciation trainer, review manager to review your progress, synchronization and paid monthly and yearly subscription.
Availability: Free on Google Play
3. iLingQ Language |
debates in 2016 if those networks continue with their plans to produce films about Hillary Clinton. Priebus has said he will have the RNC formally vote on the cut-off next week.
Yet Priebus’s warning was reminiscent of the Mel Brooks gag in which a character tries to hold off attackers by pointing a gun at himself and warning, “Don’t move, or I’ll shoot.” There are many reasons the GOP primary debates need the networks a lot more than the other way around.
Unlike general election debates, which are produced by a nonpartisan commission and receive ubiquitous coverage on all major networks, primary debates usually are a joint production of a party affiliate group (e.g., the Republican Party of Iowa) and a media sponsor (e.g., CNBC), and are carried live nationally only by the sponsoring media organization. Under this system, the GOP held 20 debates that got national television coverage in 2012. Exactly half of these debates were broadcast solely by CNN or NBC (or one of NBC’s subsidiaries, like CNBC). Of the other half, seven were carried nationally by a Fox network; only three of the GOP’s 20 debates in 2012 were broadcast nationally by a network other than CNN, NBC, or Fox.
Hence, removing NBC and CNN from the mix for 2016 means either essentially going to an all-Fox debate series for that election cycle or vastly cutting down on the number of primary debates, or both. All these outcomes would be disastrous for the Republicans.
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An all-Fox debate series in 2016 would be an unmistakable signal to the country that the Republican debates are an internal conversion only: made by Republicans, talking to Republicans, for the benefit of Republicans. At a time when Republicans desperately need to reach a broader audience, making the debates an intramural affair sends the wrong message.
Moreover, the GOP move would drastically curtail the size of the audience for its debates. While the Republican debates in 2012 set records for viewership for primary debates, those records were in the 6 million to 8 million viewer range — a trivial number compared with the 50 million to 80 million viewers who watch the fall general election debates. Cutting off CNN and NBC would be removing two platforms that provided about 60 percent of the debate viewership for Republican primary debates in 2012 — and in the case of NBC, the outlet that provided some of the largest individual debate audiences.
Without NBC or CNN, more of the debates would wind up being carried live on local TV only. This would be counterproductive for the GOP because virtually no voters (outside of that local market) would wind up seeing the entire debate; they would be left with only debate “highlights,” which tend to be gaffes, unpleasant exchanges and off-message comments. In addition, in a year when the Republicans are likely to be introducing a new, little-known candidate to the American people, cutting back on the national exposure of that candidate to voters is a mistake, to say the least.
Perhaps what Priebus has in mind, then, is the second choice: Hold fewer debates. Indeed, Republican candidates complained bitterly in 2012 about having “too many” debates in the primaries. And Priebus has generally been positive about GOP strategist Mark McKinnon’s debate “reform” plan, which has as its cornerstone having fewer primary debates in 2016.
Again, this is incredibly wrongheaded for the Republicans. Indeed, the two things that gave the GOP its biggest boost in the drive to win the White House in 2012 came from the sheer number of the Republican primary debates that year.
First, the multiple debates exposed Rick Perry’s weakness as a candidate and spared the GOP from nominating someone who would have been destroyed in the fall campaign. When Perry entered the GOP race in August 2011, he became an immediate front-runner and a dominating force in the Republican field. What undid Perry was not just one his infamous “oops” gaffe, — which took place in an NBC-sponsored debate — but instead, a series of mistakes, debate after debate. With fewer debates, Perry might have survived one or two bad performances and won the primaries. Take away NBC and CNN as debate sponsors, and hold fewer debates, and the GOP could have nominated a candidate vulnerable to unraveling in the fall.
Second, it was the trials and tribulations of almost two dozen primary debates that made Mitt Romney into a much better debater in 2012. This is a common pattern, and one reason the challenger almost always bests the incumbent president in the fall debates: The challenger has had a season of live debate practice in the primaries; the incumbent arrives at debate night in October with four years of rust. If Mitt Romney had debated only five or six times in the primary (instead of 20-plus), would he have been as sharp or skilled as he was against President Obama in the first general election debate? Romney’s win that night was the high-water mark for his candidacy — a success that owed much to Romney’s improvement over the course of the lengthy primary debate season. If that “pre-season” had been shorter, easier and lighter — as Republicans now want to make it — who knows how Romney would have done in the fall?
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In the end, Priebus’s threat to remove the debates from the networks that gave the Republicans the most visibility in 2012 and shift to a 2016 primary season that has fewer debates, seen by fewer people, on fewer outlets, would hurt not only the Republican candidates but also the American voters, who benefit from seeing the candidates more often and earlier. We will soon see if Priebus’s threat winds up being a clumsy bluff or a ham-handed political blunder.Share. Horror on the horizon. Horror on the horizon.
It's been a surprisingly good year for horror games, with big-name hits like Resident Evil 7 and Outlast 2 sharing the spotlight with smaller-scale gems like Little Nightmares and Observer. But the year isn't over yet! There are tons of awesome horror games on the horizon for later this year, and plenty to look forward to in 2018 and beyond.
Below you'll find our list spotlighting 29 of the scariest looking upcoming horror games, from quiet, side-scrolling adventures with major Silent Hill vibes to spooky sci-fi ghost stories to some of the most violent and demonic hellscapes we've ever seen in a game before.
Note: Since so many of these games are still in development, the platforms and release dates listed below are subject to change.
Ad Infinitum (PC)
Exit Theatre Mode
As if World War I and the brutality of trench warfare weren't scary enough, Ad Infinitum adds in some Lovecraftian horror to the mix. We don't know much about this game outside of its terrifying reveal trailer, but based on what little we've seen, we're definitely on board.
Release date: TBA
Agony (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Exit Theatre Mode
When it comes to depictions of hell in pop culture, Agony makes everything else look like a family-friendly amusement park. This is probably one of the most gruesome horror games in the making right now.
Release date: 2017
Allison Road (PC)
Exit Theatre Mode
The history of Allison Road has been rocky. It was announced, put on Kickstarter, taken off Kickstarter, cancelled, and then revived, but development has been pretty quiet since. Still, this P.T.-inspired first-person horror is one of the prettiest and spookiest games we've ever seen.
Release date: TBA
Bendy and the Ink Machine: Chapter Three (PC)
If the smudged black-and-white and dead-eyed stare of old-timey cartoon characters have ever given you the creeps, Bendy and the Ink Machine is probably for you. The third chapter of this stylish, puzzle-heavy survival horror is due soon.
Release date: September 2017
Blasphemous (PC)
Blasphemous looks like a 2D, side-scrolling Bloodborne, and who doesn't want that? This chilling action-platformer has some of the most brutal violence and haunting boss fights we've seen rendered with such gorgeous pixel art. A lot of games have tried to capture the spirit of Dark Souls in 2D, but based on looks alone, Blasphemous is shaping up to be one of the best.
Release date: 2019
Call of Cthulhu: The Official video Game (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Exit Theatre Mode
The full title of this one is kind of funny considering the existence of another very good Cthulhu game, Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth, but instead of simply adapting HP Lovecraft's most iconic story, Call of Cthulhu: The Official Video Game is also an adaptation of the tabletop board game.
Release date: 2017
Close to the Sun (PC)
The techno-nautical art deco of Close to the Sun's steampunk-inspired setting feels a lot like Rapture from BioShock, if BioShock went even harder on the survival horror than the first-person shooting.
Release date: TBA
Days Gone (PS4)
Exit Theatre Mode
Unlike most zombie apocalypse stories, Days Gone is told from the perspective of a character who prefers the danger of a rogue lifestyle than the relative safety and security of a survivor's camp. It should be interesting to see what Days Gone can do with a genre that's been done to death (sorry) at this point, especially in a gorgeous open-world setting.
Release date: TBA
Dead Matter (PC)
Another open-world zombie game, Dead Matter promises a deep survival experience involving crafting, hunting, farming, and even electrical engineering to keep your undead-proof base powered up against the apocalypse.
Detention (PC, PS4)
Set in Taiwan during the turbulent 1960s, Detention is a 2D side-scrolling horror game that feels closest in tone, atmosphere, and puzzle-solving to Silent Hill than most horror games that aspire to it. It's already out on Steam, but will be headed to PlayStation 4 sometime this year.
Release date: 2017
The Evil Within 2 (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Exit Theatre Mode
The highly-anticipated sequel to Shinji Mikami's ultraviolent 2014 survival horror, The Evil Within 2 looks even weirder and scarier than the original. Players take on the role of detective Sebastian Castellanos once again, as he ventures off to save his daughter and battle past traumas and new horrors along the way.
Release date: October 13, 2017
Ghost Theory (PC, PS4, Xbox One)
Good old-fashioned ghosts are pretty overlooked in a lot of modern horror. Ghost Theory, on the other hand, is all about paranormal investigation, with several settings based on real-world "haunted" places. The player will use ghost hunting tools like voice recorders, UV lamps, electromagnetic field meters, and other gadgets to collect data on the spirits that roam there.
Release date: 2017
Hello Neighbor (PC, Xbox One)
Exit Theatre Mode
Hello Neighbor is definitely one of the strangest games on this list – an unconventional stealth horror that's all about sneaking into your creepy neighbor's basement. The AI-controller neighbor is smart and will adapt his behavior to your own strategies each time you fail, making it harder to rely on the same patterns to succeed.
Release date: December 8, 2017
Hollow (PC, Switch)
It seems like there's no shortage of sci-fi horror lately. Hollow drops players into the role of an amnesiac pilot on a space mining ship, who wakes up to find that the entire vessel is missing its crew... but it isn't completely empty.
Release date: 2017The unemployment rate may have cracked the 6 percent mark, but it is set to rise even further as the economy loses steam, resulting in fewer jobs.
Official figures show the unemployment rate increased to 6 percent in the September 2015 quarter, from 5.9 percent three months earlier.
Statistics New Zealand said the number of people unemployed was the highest in two years, and more significantly the economy lost 11,000 jobs for the first time in three years, with the annual job growth rate halving to 1.5 percent.
Westpac senior economist Satish Ranchhod said the unemployment rate would have been higher but for the fact that people appeared to have stopped looking for work, resulting in a fall in the participation rate.
"The softening in economic activity has passed through to softer confidence for households and businesses and it does seem to have passed through the number looking for work, particularly older workers."
The construction and retail sectors remained strong job creators, but there were losses in the financial, transport and business services sectors.
"Over the coming year, the economy is going to face some pretty significant headwinds and it's likely we'll see the unemployment push up," Mr Ranchhod said.
Forecasts for unemployment range as high as 6.5 percent over the coming year, especially if immigration holds around record levels seen over the past year.
Labour cost data released at the same time showed wages growth below expectations at 0.4 percent for the quarter with the annual rate steady at 1.6 percent.
The labour market data can be volatile and prone to some wild swings and ANZ Bank senior economist Philip Borkin said the weakness should not be over exaggerated.
"Nevertheless, today's data will accentuate the bias towards the RBNZ (Reserve Bank of New Zealand) cutting (interest rates) again, and sooner - that is December - as opposed to later."
The latest Reuters poll has 13 of 14 respondents picking a quarter percentage point cut to the official cash rate to 2.5 percent in December.Construction worker and home remodeler David Gonzalez was in the middle of fixing up a home that he bought in Elbow Lake, Minnesota when, out of the blue, he found an issue of Action Comics #1 in a random wall. The specific comic that he found features the very first appearance of Superman. He bought the home for $10,100 and the comic is worth well over $100,000. In fact, after finding the comic, David put it up for auction on ComicConnect, a New York City-based online auction house. With 37 bids, it is currently up to $137,000 with a little over a day left to bid. It would have been worth a lot more, but a heated argument between David and his Aunt in-law left the comic with a nice little tear on the back cover (as seen below). It took the comic from a 3.0 quality rating down to a 1.5. “That was a $75,000 tear,” said co-owner of ComicConnect, Stephen Fishler.
According to a report from Star Tribune, here is how David and his family feel about the tear:
“I am a humble working guy, so I didn’t get too excited when I found it with old newspapers stuffed in the walls,” said Gonzalez, a father of four. “Money won’t buy you happiness.” His in-laws didn’t have the same reaction. “They got all excited and tried to take it,” he said. “I understand it’s something cool, but told them: ‘You don’t have to act so rude. I brought you in to show you, don’t grab it.’?”
images via ComicConnect
via Star Tribune, Fark, United Press International, GawkerHeadOn is the brand name of a topical product claimed to relieve headaches. It achieved widespread notoriety in 2006 as a result of a repetitive commercial, consisting only of the tagline "HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead", stated three times in succession. Originally sold as a homeopathic preparation, the brand was transferred in 2008 to Sirvision, Inc., who re-introduced the product with a new formulation.
Commercial [ edit ]
HeadOn's notoriety came in part because of its advertisements on cable and daytime programming on broadcast television which consisted of using only the tagline "HeadOn. Apply directly to the forehead",[1] stated three times in succession, accompanied by a video of a model using the product without ever directly stating the product's purpose.
Manufacturer Miralus Healthcare decided not to include any factual claims about the product in the spots after the National Advertising Division of the Better Business Bureau objected to the claim that HeadOn provided "fast, safe, effective" headache relief made in an earlier spot.[2] A previous campaign included the phrase "Should I know about HeadOn?"[2]
Miralus Healthcare used focus groups to try a number of potential commercials, with one focused solely on repetition; the focus groups recalled the ads much more than with any other method,[3] although many people considered them irritating.[4][5][6] Dan Charron, vice president of sales and marketing at Miralus, told the Los Angeles Times that nobody in the focus groups had told him that the ads were irritating.[7]
Reception [ edit ]
The commercial led to a number of parodies appearing on Web sites such as YouTube, USA Today reports,[8] including extended versions of the ad which loop the repetitive tagline for durations upwards of ten hours, eventually making it an internet meme. The technophile magazine Make describes how to turn it into a ringtone. The commercial is parodied in the 2008 spoof film, Disaster Movie.
Ownership transfer [ edit ]
On September 26, 2008, ownership of the HeadOn brand and its manufacture were transferred to Sirvision, Inc. of North America. Sirvision re-introduced HeadOn with a new formulation, claiming it now contains "a clinically proven active ingredient for topical headache relief."[9] There were no peer-reviewed studies showing that the original HeadOn formula worked, and the scientific consensus is that homeopathic preparations do not help beyond the placebo effect.[10] The new formulation has not yet been investigated.
Sirvision Inc, which bought the product line, have stated that they intend to refocus the infamous advertisements in a "more scientific direction".[9][clarification needed]
Other products [ edit ]
Three related products are currently produced by former manufacturer of HeadOn Miralus Healthcare:
ActivOn – described on the company's website as a topical analgesic for arthritis-like joint pains, in multiple formulations. Additionally, the product originally named FirstOn, a topical anti-itch product, is now called ActivOn Maximum Strength Anti-Itch.
– described on the company's website as a topical analgesic for arthritis-like joint pains, in multiple formulations. Additionally, the product originally named FirstOn, a topical anti-itch product, is now called ActivOn Maximum Strength Anti-Itch. PreferOn – A topical product containing Vitamin E, claimed to improve the appearance of scars
– A topical product containing Vitamin E, claimed to improve the appearance of scars RenewIn – A pill claimed to improve joint comfort, flexibility and mobility, in multiple formulations
A homeopathic hemorrhoid cream, FREEdHem, was withdrawn from the market. Like HeadOn, FREEdHem featured repetition in its ads, which said "Freedom from hemorrhoids, FREEdHem hemorrhoid cream" or "FREEdHem, the only one-application hemorrhoidal cream" three times.
Ingredients [ edit ]
The original homeopathic formula was purportedly developed at the Herpolscheimer clinic in Graz, Austria.[3] It was originally distributed by Miralus Healthcare.
As of September 2000, there were two versions of HeadOn available in markets/stores: "ExtraStrength and Migraine". Chemical analysis of the Migraine formulation has shown that the product consists almost entirely of wax. The three "active ingredients" are iris versicolor 12X, white bryony 12X), and potassium dichromate 6X. The "X" notation indicates that the three chemicals have been diluted to 1 part per trillion, 1 part per trillion, and 1 part per million respectively.[11] This amount of dilution is so great that the product has been described as a placebo;[12] with skeptic James Randi calling it a "major medical swindle".[11] The formula for the Extra Strength version of the product is the same as the Migraine except that it excludes the iris versicolor.
Seymour Diamond, director of the Diamond Headache Clinic in Chicago and the inpatient headache unit at St. Joseph Hospital, was quoted as saying "I see nothing in this product that has any validity whatsoever."[13] Consumer Reports states that no clinical-trial data involving HeadOn have been presented, and that "any apparent efficacy may be the result of the placebo effect."[12]
Correspondence was published with a statement from HeadOn Customer Service that "It works through the nerves."[14]
Criticisms [ edit ]
Unlike traditional headache medicines, the efficacy of HeadOn has yet to be systematically studied in any controlled scientific experimental study.[15] In line with other homeopathic medicines, Miralus Healthcare claims that the medicinal properties of HeadOn's ingredients are released via its dilution technique.[16] However, the dilution technique leaves virtually none of the active ingredient in the product,[17][18] and nowhere in scientific literature has the claim been supported that dilutions are effective in releasing the medicinal properties of any ingredients.[17][19]
Moreover, none of HeadOn's ingredients have any scientifically supported effectiveness in treatment of a headache. One of the ingredients, white bryony, is a highly toxic berry that is lethal if 40 such berries are ingested;[20] however, dilution leaves virtually none of this ingredient in the product, which is why its makers can claim the treatment has no side effects[16] (or any effects at all[17]). Another ingredient, goldenseal (hydrastis canadensis), has no known effectiveness in the treatment of any condition.[21][22]
The efficacy of the HeadOn product is supported by a few questionable testimonials found on the Miralus Healthcare website.[16] Miralus also markets many other questionable healthcare products containing low, if any, levels of any active ingredients.[16][17]Truffles was a little over a year old when he and three other young sloth bears were rescued from a group of poachers in Jharkhand. All four bears were fated to be sold into a life of misery as dancing bears across the Indo-Nepal border, where this cruel practice still persists. When we rescued him in 2013, we were met with the sight of a scrawny, weak bear covered in dry and matted fur. His tender muzzle had been pierced with a red hot iron poker and his canines were broken.
All four bears were transferred to the Agra Bear Rescue Facility where they were given proper medical treatment and care and have since, been living a happy and healthy life in their new home.
When he first arrived at the center, Truffles displayed stereotypical behavior which had manifested due to the trauma faced during his time with the poachers. This is usually characterized by bobbing, swaying or weaving of the head and pacing. He was aggressive and moody due to the throbbing pain on his muzzle and was scared of human interaction.
When it comes to rehabilitating animals, it is important to focus not just on their physiological recovery but also their psychological recovery, which is an essential accompaniment to the regular veterinary care we provide them to ensure their good physical health and welfare.
Under the tireless efforts and patience on the part of our veterinarians and bear keepers, Truffles learnt to gradually adapt to a life of kindness and camaraderie.
Truffles shares a very special bond with fellow bear Kandi as the two were rescued together and have been each other’s strength ever since. Today, this five year old bear is quite energetic and is always on the lookout for mischief with his best friend. The duo is always keeping their keepers Dharmendra and Sunil on their toes as they often end up breaking the structural enrichment’s, when in a slightly destructive mood. Truffles loves climbing trees, playing with honey logs and is quite curious to try out new enrichments that are designed to keep our bears physically and mentally stimulated. He has recently developed a fondness for suspended enrichments and spends hours trying to get them off the trees. Truffles is also very fond of playing with hammocks. With the weather becoming more pleasant this time of the year, he enjoys taking long afternoon naps on his favorite hammock. According to Sunil, “Truffles has a funny and peculiar way of reacting to strangers where he spits on the unsuspecting person’s face!”
Truffles’ rescue and rehabilitation was a task that seemed almost impossible to accomplish but with your love, kindness and unwavering support, we have been able to make this happen. For this and for everything else that you do for these beloved bears, we will forever be grateful to you.A federal aid agency President Donald Trump proposed cutting is being investigated for giving out nearly $1 billion in loans to several nearly bankrupt solar companies, according to a Reuters report published Tuesday.
The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Agency for International Development is auditing $890 million of loans approved by the Overseas Private Investment Corp., an agency that advances loans to overseas business ventures.
Critics say such business ventures should receive funding from private banks, not from federal agencies.
The USAID Office of Inspector General initially began its audit in 2016 but kept it under wraps. The probe is centered on the agency’s decision to fund five Chilean solar farms and a hydroelectric project in 2013 and 2014—many of the loans are unlikely to be repaid, according to the report.
Trump proposed cutting funding for new Overseas Private Investment Corp. projects in his 2018 budget outline released on May 23. Congress will not take up the president’s budget proposal until later this year.
The White House’s budget calls for a 31 percent cut to the Environmental Protection Agency’s 2018 budget, and slashes funding to the State Department by 29 percent, while the Department of Agriculture would see a 20 percent cut. In total, Trump’s budget proposes cutting federal spending by $3.6 trillion over the next decade, including $1.7 trillion in cuts to entitlement programs.
Three of the five solar projects are working to restructure their debt, sources familiar with the projects told reporters. They said the Overseas Private Investment Corp. would likely need to forgive 40 to 60 percent of the loans given to the solar projects. Losses on the solar deals could blow past $160 million.
Audits of the agency’s investments are rare and usually stem from considerations such as “the level of U.S. funding involved” and “reported concerns over the management or performance of a program.”
The Chile audit, the Office of Inspector General noted, will examine “the factors OPIC used to assess and approve its energy projects in Chile.” It is expected to conclude later this year.
“Development banks get the ball rolling in the industry,” Carlos St. James, an adviser for renewable energy group Wood Group, said of the investments. “Unfortunately, they bet on the wrong kind of projects.”
The Overseas Private Investment Corp. thrust through $449 million in loans to the projects despite its reliance on a makeshift financial structure that projects to inject at least half their power directly into the public grid at the going market rate, which is constantly fluctuating. Most solar providers provide power to independent agency at fixed prices.
Several commercial banks examined financing the beleaguered projects, sources told reporters, but they ultimately determined the unusual schemes are too risky. The Overseas Private Investment Corp. considered the market scheme a manageable risk, according to three internal reports from 2013 and 2014.
The solar companies, meanwhile, appeared optimistic about their ability to repay the agency’s loans.
Etrion Chief Executive Officer Marco Northland did not respond to questions from reporters about the audit, but suggested he expects the market to turnaround.
Javier Contreras, the CEO of Ameris Capital, also declined to comment on the audit, but said the company would pay the loans back in full. First Solar declined to comment.
The other agency projects being audited in Chile are the Maria Elena solar park, constructed by now-bankrupt SunEdison, and the Amanecer solar park owned by TerraForm Power, neither of which replied to reporters’ request for comment.
Content created by The Daily Caller News Foundation is available without charge to any eligible news publisher that can provide a large audience. For licensing opportunities for this original content, email [email protected].Join this free family event that will allow children of all ages to explore STEM topics with a focus on technology and engineering. Families can experience hands-on, engaging activities that promote creativity and problem solving, all while having a great time!
The event will feature sessions by Bloxels and Lego Education, including LEGO’s WeDo 2.0 kits, which will allow families to build with LEGO and program their creations. The Bloxels platform allows families to design and build a digital game and the KC Coder Dojo will lead sessions about Scratch.
Along with the structured sessions, families can complete activities of their choosing in a makerspace of sorts that includes fun STEM toys such as Ozobot and Makey Makey, as well as circuit projects and other hands on fun!mYiKane Profile Blog Joined March 2011 Canada 1772 Posts Last Edited: 2015-07-26 23:23:39 #1
Foreigner's Union for the Courteous Treatment of Unhappy Players, or FUCTUP for short, is an initiative by the foreign community of amateur and pro players alike to reduce the number of poorly run and poorly scheduled tournaments as well as to reduce the number of issues and conflicts between players and organizers pre- and post- tournament.
Numerous players have suffered from issues such as tournament organizers rescheduling tournaments on short notice, shifting players between groups as well as redrawing groups altogether, and failing to pay their prize pool in a timely manner. These issues as well as many others result in sacrificing players' sleep schedules, physical health, and, in many cases, mental health in order to provide entertainment to the viewers and appease our beloved tournament organizers.
Thus, as a response to these issues and in an attempt to minimize their occurrences, I have created this union.
Players, orfor short, is an initiative by the foreign community of amateur and pro players alike to reduce the number of poorly run and poorly scheduled tournaments as well as to reduce the number of issues and conflicts between players and organizers pre- and post- tournament.Numerous players have suffered from issues such as tournament organizers rescheduling tournaments on short notice, shifting players between groups as well as redrawing groups altogether, and failing to pay their prize pool in a timely manner. These issues as well as many others result in sacrificing players' sleep schedules, physical health, and, in many cases, mental health in order to provide entertainment to the viewers and appease our beloved tournament organizers.Thus, as a response to these issues and in an attempt to minimize their occurrences, I have created this union. Kane
Huk
Lilbow
TLStuchiu
NinjaBLT
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Foreigner’s Union for the Courteous Treatment of Unhappy Players
Not only is FUCTUP a union of players, I have also created a system to create consequences for organizers that consistently disappoint us.
-Organizer receives a strike when they start a tournament 10 minutes late. For every 5 minutes thereafter that the tournament is delayed, the organizer shall receive an additional strike.
-Organizer receives a single strike if they reschedule a tournament altogether only if it is done prior to 24 hours when the tournament was scheduled to begin. If the organizer does not provide at least 24 hours notice, they shall receive 2 strikes.
-If any issues arise during the tournament, the organizer shall receive a strike depending on the severity of the issue (This involves redrawing of groups, failing to disqualify any maphackers, and failing to adequately communicate with the player).
-After 5 strikes, the organizer shall be removed from the "Nice" list and instead placed into the "Naughty" list.
-Strikes never expire, but they can be removed from the organizer's record with good behavior and performing good deeds in the community (see Ensuring Equality and Fairness).
Naughty/Nice List
The Why
The purpose of this union is to create a system in which organizers are punished for their repeated incompetence. While I and the other players that are part of this union are saddened that we have had to create such a system, we believe that it is fair and necessary at this point in our somewhat fragile careers.
There have been numerous cases of players sacrificing their well being in order to compensate for an organizer’s incompetency (i.e. Idra). The amount of sleep we have lost and the amount of stress organizers have caused the foreign community is no laughing matter. Some players are unable to buy groceries to last the month because of late payouts from tournament organizers and this is absolutely unacceptable.
Ensuring Equality and Fairness
FUCTUP realizes that the system we are putting in place is a harsh one at times. Therefore, we have created a strike council from neutral members of the community in order to judge whether or not the strikes placed upon organizers are fairly delivered. The council will consist of the following members:
-Aldaris
-Simon Boudreault
-WinterStarcraft
In addition, the members of the council will also decide whether strikes will be removed from an organizer's record depending on the good deeds they have performed in recent times.
Q/A
How do I join FUCTUP?
Retweet this tweet and I will add you to the group: Not only is FUCTUP a union of players, I have also created a system to create consequences for organizers that consistently disappoint us.-Organizer receives a strike when they start a tournament 10 minutes late. For every 5 minutes thereafter that the tournament is delayed, the organizer shall receive an additional strike.-Organizer receives a single strike if they reschedule a tournament altogether only if it is done prior to 24 hours when the tournament was scheduled to begin. If the organizer does not provide at least 24 hours notice, they shall receive 2 strikes.-If any issues arise during the tournament, the organizer shall receive a strike depending on the severity of the issue (This involves redrawing of groups, failing to disqualify any maphackers, and failing to adequately communicate with the player).-After 5 strikes, the organizer shall be removed from the "Nice" list and instead placed into the "Naughty" list.-Strikes never expire, but they can be removed from the organizer's record with good behavior and performing good deeds in the community (see Ensuring Equality and Fairness).The purpose of this union is to create a system in which organizers are punished for their repeated incompetence. While I and the other players that are part of this union are saddened that we have had to create such a system, we believe that it is fair and necessary at this point in our somewhat fragile careers.There have been numerous cases of players sacrificing their well being in order to compensate for an organizer’s incompetency (i.e. Idra). The amount of sleep we have lost and the amount of stress organizers have caused the foreign community is no laughing matter. Some players are unable to buy groceries to last the month because of late payouts from tournament organizers and this is absolutely unacceptable.FUCTUP realizes that the system we are putting in place is a harsh one at times. Therefore, we have created a strike council from neutral members of the community in order to judge whether or not the strikes placed upon organizers are fairly delivered. The council will consist of the following members:-Aldaris-Simon Boudreault-WinterStarcraftIn addition, the members of the council will also decide whether strikes will be removed from an organizer's record depending on the good deeds they have performed in recent times.Retweet this tweet and I will add you to the group:
What if the organizer has a valid reason for his/her incompetency?
That’s what the strike council is in place for, and we believe that they will do a great job of enforcing a strict moral code.
That’s what the strike council is in place for, and we believe that they will do a great job of enforcing a strict moral code.These Banana Nut Caramel Muffins are so good and I love them and I know you will love them too!
I made these ages ago and because they were so delicious and barely lasted 2 days in my house I never got around to writing a post for these. Then last week I had some overly ripe bananas at home and some more of my salted caramel sauce in the fridge and decided to make them again and actually share the recipe this time.
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If you are a banana muffin fan and love salted caramel sauce then seriously you must give these a go, they are simply amazing. There is no other word for it.
Everything from the moist banana sponge, the salted caramel soft centre, the warming flavour of cinnamon and the crunchy nut topping is perfect in these muffins. They would make a wonderful indulgent breakfast or a lovely teatime treat.
The caramel centre in these just melts into the muffin wonderfully, as you can see from the images the caramel has even worked its way up to the top, giving you a caramel flavour in every bite. I achieved this by putting a teaspoon of salted caramel sauce in the centre of the mixture. Mine was homemade but you could easily use shop bought caramel sauce.
Since first making this delightful salted caramel sauce I now almost always keep a jar of it in the fridge. It’s easy to make and tastes so good.
Its only recently that I have come to appreciate muffins, I always shunned them in favour of cupcakes, thinking muffins were just unattractive lazy cupcakes, but I was so wrong. Muffins can be healthy or indulgent and have a multitude of flavour combinations.
The nuts in these and the ones sprinkled on top prior to baking are just chopped mixed nuts, so if you have or know someone who has a nut allergy you can always leave them out. I like the chopped nuts as they added texture and they did give a lovely crunchy finish.
The banana in these make them really sweet and moist, and would make a lovely muffin without the added caramel or nuts, but I wanted to make them a little more than just another banana muffin and seriously recommend you trying them, they are just so good 🙂 you wont regret making these banana, nut and caramel muffins |
from Soviet sources is deliberately ignored. The state archives of the Russian Federation have numerous reports on the subject passed to Beria and Stalin, to say nothing of the diaries and accounts by Soviet officers and journalists in other archives. On the other hand, perhaps the files themselves are now being weeded to remove the evidence.
Even though a quarter of a century has passed since the collapse of the Soviet Union, Russian sensibilities have hardly changed. If anything, they are again paranoid about the idea that the world is ganging up against its barely concealed intervention in Ukraine. As the May 9 celebrations of the victory in 1945 over “the Fascist Beast” demonstrate each year, the defeat of Germany is regarded as sacred. Nothing must be allowed to tarnish the legend, which is why the truth about the rapes has proved so uncomfortable.
But it remains a mystery why the books of the masterly John Keegan, who was long the Telegraph defence editor, have also been targeted. Apart from the panoramic view in his general history of the Second World War, he hardly wrote about the Red Army. I owed John a great deal, having studied under him at Sandhurst and been encouraged by him later. And every one of us acknowledges the importance of the book which made his name, The Face of Battle, a work which led to the revolution in the writing of military history. John believed that historians should not shy away from controversial aspects of the past. But that also means governments should not try to control history, whether in fostering nationalist myths or in attempting to ban discussion.
If there were any logic in this Russian purge, then Robert Conquest’s books would have been the first to be burned. He was a very courageous man. He published his most famous work, The Great Terror, in 1968, producing howls of outrage from the Left and vicious personal attacks. Those Lenin called “the useful idiots” – the fellow-travellers in the Cold War who tried to justify everything the Soviet Union had ever done – treated him as a liar and a fanatical anti-Communist propagandist. But Conquest never lost his nerve, and continued his research and writing, which included The Harvest of Sorrow in 1986, the most detailed account so far of the Ukraine famine unleashed by Stalin.
Photo: Charles Hopkinson
Nobody can agree on the figures of those who died being worked to death in the Gulag, or who died from famine and disease as a result of forced collectivisation, but when the Russian archives finally opened in 1992, Conquest’s account was triumphantly vindicated. His friend Kingsley Amis suggested that when The Great Terror came out in a new edition he should change the title to: I Told You So You F---ing Fools.
No doubt the Russian authorities removed Conquest’s books on Stalin’s crimes a long time ago, but perhaps they should also look at Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn’s epic poem Prussian Nights, which he translated so well. It included the following lines about the rapes which Solzhenitsyn himself witnessed in East Prussia as a lieutenant of Red Army artillery:
“A moaning, by the walls half muffled:
The mother’s wounded, still alive.
The little daughter’s on the mattress,
Dead. How many have been on it?
A platoon, a company perhaps?
A girl’s been turned into a woman,
A woman turned into a corpse.”
That, I repeat, was Solzhenitsyn, not Goebbels.Hillary Clinton is reportedly set to announce a constitutional amendment designed to overturn the "Citizens United" Supreme Court decision that removed many barriers to political spending.
Throughout the Democratic primary, Clinton echoed calls from her progressive rival Bernie Sanders to implement strict campaign finance reform measures that would cut down on corporate donations to political action committees. Her announcement Saturday at the annual Netroots Nation conference will cement her support for proposals she first floated during her race against Sanders.
Although outside spending groups have raised more than $84 million for her this cycle, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, Clinton has become a vocal critic of the Citizens United decision and the so-called "dark money" it allowed into the political system. By comparison, outside groups working on behalf of her Republican rival, Donald Trump, have raised a little more than $3 million.Suicides in the Canadian military rose last year as thousands of soldiers returned home from Afghanistan, according to the Department of National Defence.
The department said 19 men and one woman died by suicide in the Canadian Forces in 2011, up from 12 in 2010.
It cautions against reading too much into the statistics, though, adding there is no proof they signal an upward trend.
In a statement on its website, the department said suicide rates among serving military personnel are lower than those of the Canadian population.
The Canadian Forces have increased mental health screening and awareness programs since 2009 and returning soldiers must attend post-deployment sessions with mental health staff.
Chief of Defence Staff Walter Natyncyzk told a Senate committee Monday even with the gold standard of recruitment and all of the screening techniques available, it is impossible to identify every vulnerable soldier.As the 100th anniversary of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire approaches, the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights urged the United States to pass legislation to prevent multi-national corporations from violating internationally recognized worker rights standards, such as no child or forced labor, decent working conditions, freedom of association and the right to organize a union.
The Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire resulted in the death of 146 female workers, who were locked inside the factory by their managers, on March 25, 1911. The women worked 6 days a week, often 14 hours shifts, and earned the meager wage of 14 cents an hour. (The equivalent of $3.18 an hour in 2011, adjusted for inflation.)
After the death of workers in a Bangladesh sweatshop, the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights said now was the time to hold corporations accountable to respect labor laws and pass the Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act.
The Decent Working Conditions and Fair Competition Act was introduced by a bipartisan group of senators in 2007, but never made it out of House and Senate committees. The bill would have prohibited the import, export, and sale of goods made with sweatshop labor.
In December 2010, a incident similar to the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire occurred when a fire broke out at the Hameem factory in Savar, Bangladesh, which was sewing garments for Gap. Twenty-nine workers died and over 100 were injured. The workers at the clothing factory told the institute that security guards locked the exits during the fire to prevent garments from being stolen.
Most workers at the factory worked 80 hours per week and made only 28 cents an hour, just one tenth as much as the Triangle workers did in 1911. Additionally, workers at the Hameem factory were not allowed to form a union.
“A hundred years ago, the tragedy of the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire struck a deep nerve in the American people, and they demanded reforms which would remake our industrial landscape and guarantee the rights of workers,” Charles Kernaghan, Director of the the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights, said in a report titled Triangle Returns. “Now, 97 percent of all garments are made off shore, the vast majority under harsh sweatshop conditions. It is the same with auto parts, computers, cell phones and Barbie dolls. We are racing backward in the global economy, trapped in a Race to the Bottom, competing over who will accept the lowest wages and the most miserable living and working conditions.”
He noted that corporations have acquired numerous intellectual property and copyright laws to protect their products, but that laws to protect those making these products have been rebuffed as a barricade to free trade.
“Something is wrong when the corporate product is legally protected, but not the human being who made it,” Kernaghan said. “We are at a cross roads. We can stand back and allow the corporations to drive this Race to the Bottom. Or, we can fight back.”
Below is video from the Institute for Global Labor and Human Rights on their report Triangle Returns:
[Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons]What is it about the Republican Party that appeals to you so much that you are willing to disregard their stance on church-state separation and other concerns common to atheists?
I received an email from a reader who is struggling to understand how an atheist can also be a Republican. Isn't this something of an oxymoron, he asks? How can an atheist possibly support a political party that has been so hostile to secularism over the decades?I realize I'm not the best one to answer this question. I know I have some Republican readers, so maybe they'll chime in. But I'll try to offer some suggestions at least to get the discussion going. I suspect one will find a minority within almost any population that will appear to vote against their self-interest. The reader who raised the question of atheist Republicans compared an atheist voting Republican with a Black person voting for David Duke (former Klan leader). I understand the comparison, but I suspect there were at least a handful of Blacks who did in fact support Duke. From what I've seen of atheists, the vast majority tend to be on the liberal side of the political spectrum. But there will inevitably be some who do not.I would guess that most atheists who support Republican candidates do so because of their fiscal policy and not their social conservatism. I realize that it is increasingly difficult today to find a Republican who is not rapidly anti-secular, but this hasn't always been the case. Perhaps some Republican atheists simply try to work around the worst offenders among their candidate pool because they agree with the economic side of the platform.I suspect that other atheists vote Republican because they agree with the Republicans stance on defense, gun rights, and other policy issues. Perhaps they view these issues as being so important that they are willing to overlook the fundamentalist Christianity embraced by much of the Republican Party.Consider members of the LGBT community who vote Republican. Perhaps they have no interest in marriage, are fine with civil unions, and agree with most of the rest of what Republicans stand for. I know, I have a hard time wrapping my head around it too. But I can at least imagine how it might work.I suppose the question for any atheist Republicans reading this would be something like this:But you know what, I think the same question could fairly be posed to those who support today's Democratic Party. Could that not be part of what we are seeing here? People support anti-atheist candidates because that is almost all we have.Welcome to The City of San Marcos’ application process!
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The City is also a Drug Free and Smoke Free Employer.Sen. Elizabeth Warren Elizabeth Ann WarrenSanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' House to push back at Trump on border GOP Sen. Tillis to vote for resolution blocking Trump's emergency declaration MORE (D-Mass.) on Sunday slammed Republicans for offering their condolences in the wake of the Texas church shooting while failing to take concrete steps to curb gun violence.
"Thoughts & prayers are not enough, GOP. We must end this violence. We must stop these tragedies. People are dying while you wait," Warren wrote in one tweet.
Thoughts & prayers are not enough, GOP. We must end this violence. We must stop these tragedies. People are dying while you wait. — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 5, 2017
Warren took to Twitter to express her anger and heartbreak after a gunman opened fire at a church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, killing at least 26 people and injuring about 20 others.
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She took aim at the National Rifle Association (NRA), asking when her congressional colleagues will finally take a stand against their gun policies.
How many more people must die at churches or concerts or schools before we stop letting the @NRA control this country's gun policies? — Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) November 5, 2017
"How many kids must die of gun violence on playgrounds & streets every day with no attention at all before we wake up to what’s happening?" she wrote in a another tweet.
Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) called the church massacre the state's "deadliest mass shooting."
Authorities have not yet announced the identity of the shooter, who also died.
The Massachusetts lawmaker joins a growing group of Democratic lawmakers who are renewing their calls for gun reform in the wake of the latest mass shooting including Sens. Chris Murphy Christopher (Chris) Scott MurphyPush to end U.S. support for Saudi war hits Senate setback Feehery: Defining what socialism is (and isn’t) Avoiding the tragedy of Brexit MORE (Conn.) and Kamala Harris Kamala Devi HarrisSanders: 'Damn right' I'll make the large corporations pay 'fair share of taxes' Warren Buffett: I would support Bloomberg if he ran for president Kamala Harris hits Trump on Fourth of July tweet: 'It’s America’s birthday, not his birthday' MORE (Calif.).Ready to fight back? Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week. You will receive occasional promotional offers for programs that support The Nation’s journalism. You can read our Privacy Policy here. Sign up for Take Action Now and get three actions in your inbox every week.
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The campaigns of former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders are engaged in another tiresome argument over what will happen months from now, after primaries and caucuses identify a clear winner of the race for elected delegates to the Democratic National Convention. Ad Policy
In the meantime, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren is busy shredding the candidacy of Ted Cruz and inviting everyone to recognize the absurdity of a Republican race in which conservative elites keep trying to position the hapless Texan as an alternative to the noxious prospect of Donald Trump.
Anticipating his overwhelming defeat in Tuesday’s New York Republican primary, Cruz started the week by offering his supporters a fine whine.
Pleading with “Team Cruz” to recognize the “significant sacrifice” he was making on their behalf, the senator from Texas complained in an e-mail, “There is almost no personal time when you run for president,” and griped that “Fighting morning and night for the future of our country ensures long nights and early mornings resulting in little to no sleep.”
The Texan suggested that his health might be impacted by a busy campaign schedule. And, not surprisingly, he whined that “I face a constant barrage of political and personal attacks daily.”
Cruz has always been the most self-important presidential contender—on either side of the partisan divide—and so it was only a matter of time before he got taken down a few notches.
What’s striking is the way in which Warren did the job. Democrats should seriously consider Warren as a convention keynote speaker, and a vice presidential prospect.
She did not just note the Republican contender’s bellyaching. She put it in perspective.
“Are you kidding me? We’re supposed to pity him because trying to be the leader of the free world is hard?!” Warren wrote on Facebook and Twitter. “I’ve got two words for you, Ted: Boo hoo.”
Then she let rip:
Know whose health is limited? Workers with no paid leave who can’t stay at home when they fall ill or have to care for sick kids. Know whose sleep is limited? Working parents who do everything they can to save money but stay up at night worrying about how do get their kids through college without getting crushed by debt. Know who gets no personal time? People who work two minimum wage jobs to support their families. Know who gets no family time? Moms with unfair schedules who drop their kids off at daycare and drive halfway across town only to find their work hours have been cancelled. And Ted Cruz? He opposes mandatory paid family and medical leave and calls it “free stuff.” He voted against student loan refinancing. He’s says the minimum wage is “bad policy” and he’s done nothing to try and help workers struggling with unfair work schedules.”
As for the “constant attacks” of a campaign season, Warren wrote: “And know who’s facing constant attacks, Ted? Hardworking American immigrants, Muslims, LGBT folks, women. They’re facing the GOP’s constant attacks. They’re facing YOUR constant attacks.”
Warren concluded by referencing Cruz’s attempt to shut down the federal government:
Working people are working more and getting paid less. They can’t save. Some face mistreatment and discrimination. They can’t take time off work for illnesses or to spend time with family. But they don’t whine. They don’t throw tantrums or try to shut down their workplace because they don’t get their way—and then turn around and demand promotions. Senator Cruz—you chose to run for President. Working people don’t get a choice. Maybe you should spend less time complaining about your “significant sacrifices”—and more time trying to do something about theirs. LIKE THIS? GET MORE OF OUR BEST ANALYSIS AND REPORTING
It was a perfect takedown of a candidate whom the right-wing establishment of the GOP has been trying to position as a credible contender against Trump—or, at the least, as a vehicle to force an open convention.
And it was not the first such takedown by Warren.
She savaged Trump several weeks ago with a Facebook post that began: “Let’s be honest—Donald Trump is a loser. Count all his failed businesses. See how he kept his father’s empire afloat by cheating people with scams like Trump University and by using strategic corporate bankruptcy (excuse me, bankruptcies) to skip out on debt. Listen to the experts who’ve concluded he’s so bad at business that he might have more money today if he’d put his entire inheritance into an index fund and just left it alone.”
Warren continued: “Trump seems to know he’s a loser. His embarrassing insecurities are on parade: petty bullying, attacks on women, cheap racism, and flagrant narcissism. But just because Trump is a loser everywhere else doesn’t mean he’ll lose this election. People have been underestimating his campaign for nearly a year—and it’s time to wake up.”
Of all the Democrats in positions to make their voices heard at this point, Warren is the most awake.
Wide awake.
And she is saying what needs to be said about the conservatives who would be president.
What’s important is that, while she notes their whining and their failures, Warren attacks the Republicans with a focus on the issues and the ideals that are the most effective tools for countering right-wing extremism.
The Democratic Party is in the midst of an ongoing race for its presidential nomination. That’s healthy for any party, and especially beneficial for the Democrats in a year where so much media attention is being lavished on the Republican competition. To their credit, Clinton and Sanders are both taking on Trump and, to a lesser extent, Cruz. Their critiques are sound, although they need to develop them as part of continued campaigning for their party’s nod.
Hyper-partisans can and will suggest that the Democratic race should be concluded in order to get the party focused on challenging the eventual Republican nominee. But that challenging work is already being done: by Elizabeth Warren.
Warren stands apart from the nomination fight on her side of the aisle, choosing not to endorse either contender. As such, she is perfectly positioned to take Republican rivals apart. And she is using that position.
Warren has indicated—repeatedly—that she is not running for any new job this year. But savvy Democrats, whether they are Sanders or Clinton backers, should recognize that Warren deserves serious consideration both as a potential keynote speaker at this summer’s Democratic National Convention and, yes, as a vice-presidential prospect. No prominent Democrat will arrive at the convention with so well-developed and so stinging a critique of the Republicans.WASHINGTON, DC—A small company from Utah has developed a composite material that combines carbon fibers with a nickel coating. The result is an extremely lightweight electric-conducting material with the properties of plastic. And now that material is being used to create cases and computer enclosures that are essentially lightweight Faraday cages—containing electromagnetic radiation from digital devices and shielding them from electronic eavesdropping or electromagnetic pulse attacks. Ars got a brief hands-on with some of the materials at the Association of the United States Army expo this week.
The company, Conductive Composites, is now selling cases built with the Nickel Chemical Vapor Deposition (NiCVD) composite material through its Faraday Cases division. The cases range in size from suitcase-sized units for carrying smaller digital devices to wheeled portable enclosures that can house servers—providing what is essentially an EMP-shielded portable data center. The cases and enclosures are being marketed not just to the military but to consumers, corporations, and first responders as well.
The materials used in Faraday Cases can also be used to create ultra-lightweight antennas, satellite communications reflector dishes, and hundreds of other things that currently need to be made with conductive metal. And they could be a boon to anyone trying to prevent electronic eavesdropping—be it through active wireless bugs, radio retroreflectors used by nation-state intelligence agencies, or passive surveillance through anything from Wi-FI hacking to electromagnetic signals leaking from computer cables and monitors. And in some cases, they could make it possible to create the kind of secure spaces used by government agencies to prevent eavesdropping nearly anywhere.
Loose waves sink ships
The "Faraday cage" is named for the English scientist Michael Faraday, who discovered the principles behind electromagnetic shielding. When electromagnetic radiation or static electricity is applied to a hollow conductor, it is transmitted over the surface of the conductor—preventing it from passing through the conductor's interior. A Faraday cage prevents electromagnetic radiation from penetrating its exterior, protecting whatever is inside from static, electromagnetic pulses, radio waves, and other electromagnetic phenomenon
I've had some fairly practical experience with the Faraday cage concept. In 1992, I was working for a defense contractor on a networking project for a military customer, and we were trying to figure out how to run CAT5 Ethernet cables through a conduit shared with electrical cables without electromagnetic interference. In a stroke of genius, my colleague Steve Lewis came up with the perfect solution: running the Ethernet cables through PVC pipes covered externally with anti-static spray, a conductive polymer.
Faraday cages also work the other way: radio signals and other electromagnetic waves can't escape from inside the cage. That's why the Sensitive Compartmented Information Facilities (SCIFs) used by intelligence agencies and the military are constructed within carefully configured Faraday cages—to keep adversaries from eavesdropping and to keep any data within emanations from computers and communications devices inside the SCIF from leaking out.
SCIFs are still extremely expensive to build. But the materials used in the Faraday Cases products essentially create small, inexpensive mobile SCIFs. The nickel-coated carbon fibers created by Conductive Composites can be combined with plastic resins and be injection-molded into just about any shape standard plastic can take, at similar weight. As a result, a rolling Faraday Cases computer enclosure weighs about as much by itself as a rolling suitcase.
Conductive Composites' materials can also be integrated into paints, wallpaper, and concrete; they could be used to create SCIF-like rooms and buildings without the cost of metal mesh Faraday cages. They could even conceivably be used to set up temporary secure electronic facilities just about anywhere, as well as providing protection from lightning and other sources of electromagnetic pulses (EMPs).
EMP can ruin your whole day
Lightning strikes and other large electromagnetic pulse events—such as, say, a high-altitude nuclear explosion or geomagnetic storms caused by solar winds on a larger scale—can destroy electrical and electronic systems, inducing currents in conductors within them and overloading them. Just as generators create electricity by passing a wire through a magnetic field, a strong electromagnetic wave can create current within anything conductive it passes through.
Again, I can speak from experience. A lightning strike outside my house a few years ago didn't get past my surge suppressors, but it still killed everything connected to my hard-wired Ethernet because of the voltage induced in my cable runs. While more heavily shielded wires like monitor cables protected some ports on my computers, some of the USB ports plugged into longer cables got fried.
Shielded cables typically use a tight mesh of conductors to protect from the majority of interference from electromagnetic waves—such as those created by alternating current in power wires and some EMP events. As a result, they're usually a lot heavier (and more expensive) than normal cables. But the same NiCVD materials used in the Faraday Cases can be used as wire shielding, or as conduit material to enclose unshielded cables.
Conductive Composites hasn't quite launched the Faraday Cases line yet, at least through its Web store. Ars is looking forward to conducting some lab tests on the company's gear when it's fully available. Perhaps it will help us prevent unintentional Wi-Fi attacks on the mobile phones and computers of people walking or driving past the Ars Technology Lab cyber-range.In A Nutshell
The idea of an alpha male leading wolf packs through superior strength or force is ingrained in our culture. Popular werewolf fiction usually involves the trope. The idea dates from the 1970s, a time when we knew a lot less about wolves than we do now. Research since has found that wolves don’t fight for control of a pack—males simply breed, and then look after their family. Wolf experts today simply refer to the “male parent” or “breeding male” when describing that position in a pack.
The Whole Bushel
One of the people responsible for the popular idea of the alpha wolf is L. David Mech. In 1970 he released a book (The Wolf: Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species) which promoted the concept. Yet science corrects itself in light of new evidence, and Mech was wrong. In fact, on his own website he says that the idea of the alpha wolf is outdated, as we have learned more about the animals in the last 40 years than in all of history before that. Mech has asked his publisher to stop printing the book for years, without success.
The idea of alphas and betas came about during a study of captive wolves in the 1940s. When animal behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel put random groups of wolves together the males and females did compete to form a dominant pair. Schenkel coined the alpha and beta terms. Unfortunately, that behavior doesn’t reflect the reality of how wolves live in the wild.
When a male breeds, its offspring become its pack. It is typically the sole male, apart from its sons. It doesn’t need to fight other wolves for charge. When the sons are old enough to have their own packs, they simply leave to find a female with which to breed. The status of offspring in the pack is based on age, rather than strength or anything else.
It’s not just supernatural fiction that has been impacted by this idea. It’s become a key idea behind the teachings of some dog training experts, including National Geographic’s “dog whisperer” Cesar Millan. He teaches that humans should use physical force to teach their dogs to be submissive, and to show that the owner is the “alpha.” This has been called outdated and cruel by organizations including the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and the American Veterinary Medical Association.
Trying to assert your dominance over a dog can backfire. It can cause the animal to lash out and attack. Even if the dog doesn’t, then it is likely to be scared and stressed rather than simply resigned to a lesser position. As with humans, being constantly stressed out can cause a dog all sorts of health problems.
Show Me The Proof
TIME: Dog Training and the Myth of Alpha-Male Dominance
L. David Mech Official Website: Outmoded notion of the alpha wolfAGH Jaguar CD Review: IRON SOLDIER 2 by Telegames When Iron Soldier was first released on Atari's 64-bit platform, gamers were wowed by the myriad of missions and the wide-open 3-D world. It was especially groundbreaking in a time when Playstation, Saturn and Nintendo 64 were still on the drawing boards. While the gameplay in its sequel is more evolutionary rather than revolutionary, Iron Soldier 2 is a no-brainer purchase for owners of Jaguar CD systems and should satisfy even those who are not fans of the genre. As with the first Iron Soldier the game is broken into four groups of missions. This time, however, there are twenty missions rather than sixteen since each group contains five missions instead of the original's four. In addition, the same formula of weapons selection and control options are available. The game ends when your mech sustains too much damage, but thankfully powerups and repair objects can be found during each mission. And you'll need it too, because IS2 is markedly more difficult than its predecessor. In fact, even those who managed to conquer the original will initially find it to be rough even in easy mode. The missions themselves are mostly seek and destroy operations, but occassionally there are escort missions where Iron Soldier must protect a convoy or a vehicle from enemies ranging from helicopters, tanks and enemy mechs. Those who are familiar with the original Iron Soldier will almost immediately be comfortable with the controls. The B button fires the currently selected weapon, A controls velocity and turning of the mech while C calls for a complete halt. It is possible (and necessary for success) to turn your mech's torso to shoot at targets to the left and right while still walking in the same direction. The graphics are hardly up to the levels set by the standard-bearers such as Battlemorph or Zero 5, but they are nonetheless pleasing and get the job done. While the debris from explosions is still just a bunch of cubes you will find subtle texture maps on the buildings, helicopters and other vehicles. But more importantly, the frame rate remains as silky smooth as the original. The music has taken a big jump, thanks to the liberties made possible from CD storage space. The techno tunes are of the run-of-the-mill variety, only this time it's encoded in redbook audio format. Sound effects are still sparse, and a little more variety could have been a welcome addition given the extra storage made available by being on CD format. All in all, Iron Soldier 2 is solid and fun, and the missions are as challenging and complex as ever. While it doesn't break any new ground, perhaps that's a good thing given the substandard quality found in a great majority of offerings on the Jaguar CD (can you say Blue Lightning? I thought you could).
Title Iron Soldier II Publisher Telegames System Atari Jaguar CD Graphics 8 Sound 9 Gameplay 9 Overall 9 Reviewer Keita IidaBreaking the Silence, an NGO that has recently been in the news for its criticism of Israel’s actions during last summer’s Operation Protective Edge, was explicitly directed by European charities to prove that Israel acted improperly, the watchdog group NGO Monitor showed in a report released Monday.
NGO Monitor’s staff translated the terms of Breaking the Silence’s agreement with Oxfam and other organizations. In the case of Oxfam, the agreement called for:
[Breaking the Silence] signed an agreement with Oxfam, a British organization, to conduct interviews with “as many” soldiers as possible who will testify regarding [Israeli] “immoral actions” that violate human rights. In 2009, the British organization donated 74,595 NIS to the organization.
Breaking the Silence’s report, according to The Washington Post, alleged that the IDF had “permissive rules of engagement” that “led to massive damage and high numbers of civilian deaths.”
In its initial analysis of the report, NGO Monitor wrote:
BtS makes sweeping accusations based on anecdotal, anonymous and unverifiable testimonies of low level soldiers. These “testimonies” lack context, ignoring the fact that during the 2014 Gaza War heavy fighting took place between Israel and terror groups in Gaza, and that soldiers faced grave danger throughout the conflict from rockets, mortar shells, and terrorists emerging from tunnels dug beneath private homes. These distortions and erasures dovetail BtS’ ideological agenda and fuel delegitmization campaigns against Israel.
Former Associated Press reporter Matti Friedman added on his Facebook page:
War is awful and people come back feeling upset about things they’ve seen and done. Some observers are reliable, and others aren’t. Some of the things described in the report no doubt happened as they were described. Others didn’t. Infantrymen at the bottom of the hierarchy often don’t understand what they’re seeing, or the reasons for what they’re doing, and I’m speaking from experience. Things that make no sense to a private, sergeant, or lieutenant sometimes (but by no means always) make more sense if you go a few notches up the command chain. Young soldiers tend not to understand this, certainly not at the time and not immediately afterward. For example, open-fire regulations at a particular time could seem too aggressive given your limited understanding of where you are. If you have all of the information at your disposal – and no soldier does – you might understand why. A target shelled for reasons unknown to you might have been shelled for good reason after all. Or not. You don’t know, and in many cases (but not all) it’s a mistake to think you do. Drawing broad conclusions about Israeli military practice from “testimonies” of this kind is irresponsible.
Friedman also questioned the principles of Breaking the Silence, asking if the group’s goal is to change Israeli society, “[h]ow is speaking to the international press supposed to swing Israelis in your direction?” The fact that Breaking the Silence is largely funded by European governments and organizations raises further questions about its alleged goals.
A task force commissioned by the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA), headed by five retired American generals, concluded:
Contrary to accusations of widespread unlawful military conduct, we observed that Israel systemically applied established rules of conduct that adhered to or exceeded the Law of Armed Conflict (LOAC) in a virtually unprecedented effort to avoid inflicting civilian casualties, even when doing so would have been lawfully permitted, and to satisfy the concerns of critics. However, it is the conclusion of this Task Force that Israel’s military restraint unintentionally empowered Hamas to distort both the law and facts for their own purposes to the ultimate detriment of civilians’ safety, for which Hamas bears sole responsibility.
In Everything You Need to Know About International Law and The Gaza War, which was published in the September 2014 issue of The Tower Magazine, David Daoud explained the concept of proportionality in war.
All of that legalese essentially means that when a country goes to war, it is allowed to use as much force as is necessary to stop the threat that caused it to go to war to begin with, and does not have to limit itself to the same means or level of intensity used by the enemy. While necessity determines the situations allowing a state to use some form of armed force, proportionality determines the breadth of that permissible force. The intensity of a state’s response is governed by the magnitude of the threat posed to it by the enemy that attacked it, and not of the individual attacks it suffered. So, the measuring stick of proportionality can’t be the tit-for-tat analysis of death tolls popularly presented in the media. Israel is not obligated to employ only the lightest means at its disposal against Hamas, whose military might pales in comparison. Israel is also not obligated to ensure that the death count on both sides is close to equal. That would be absurd. This popular interpretation of proportionality would essentially forbid a nation from winning a war, allowing the aggressor to set the parameters of the subsequent hostilities. This would then obligate Israel to resort to the most comparatively primitive methods of warfare, since those are the means with which Hamas initiated hostilities, and to end its war with Hamas in a tie. As a result, the threat posed by Hamas would be no less than what it was at the outset of Protective Edge. What would then be the point of going to war at all? Nations go to war to end the armed threat posed by another side—to win—and not to simply revert to the status quo ante where they were still under the other side’s threat. This absurd result is not demanded by international law, which allows states to win their wars, and by definition, wars are only won by applying more force than the enemy can muster. Professor Yoram Dinstein of Tel Aviv University says that a defensive war “need not be terminated at the point when the aggressor is driven back: rather it may be carried on by the defending State until final victory.…The defending State…may pursue the retreating enemy forces, hammering at them up to the time of their total defeat.” He adds that proportionality allows a war of self-defense to continue “until it brings about the complete collapse of the enemy…and can be fought in an offensive mode to the last bunker of the enemy dictator.”
[Photo: Israel Defense Forces / Flickr]Image copyright Conrad Mullineaux Image caption The idea first dawned when researchers looked down a microscope at bacteria lit from the side
Biologists say they have solved the riddle of how a tiny bacterium senses light and moves |
game, he mocked either Salazar or the assistant referee by pointing his arms back and forth in different directions, clearly suggesting that the calls were arbitrary.
Needless to say, MLS refereeing is an acquired taste, and it takes foreigners time to adjust.
“It’s massively different (than England),” said Edgar. “I’m going to have to, sort of, keep my temper in check. But you’re just going to have to get on with the decisions because they’re going to be made, good or bad. As I’ve grown older I’ve learned to deal with it better, but when some of them are bad you don’t know what to do.”
Edgar did keep his cool late as he battled with Sounders’ veteran Brad Evans. It was Evans who lost the plot and was sent off for a fake head butt.
But the damage was done by then. Morales was long gone from the game and Evans had put the Sounders ahead from the penalty spot (related: don’t count on Blas Perez for PK prognostication)
Blas Perez, legend. But not a precog. pic.twitter.com/sbWjbe4jfG — Matthew Doyle (@MattDoyle76) October 3, 2016
Edgar, like Robinson, was perplexed by the red to Morales.
“I saw absolutely nothing,” he said. “I didn’t see a reaction from their team, I didn’t see a reaction from our team, I didn’t even see the boy (Roldan) on the ground – if he was on the ground. I haven’t seen it back, I’ll have to look at it and see from there.”
The sending off, Edgar said, was “massively” deflating.
“I mean, it’s 22 men out there, in a derby, let the game play,” he said. “That’s what I think. There was tackles going in, there was headers. Then to see a straight red, from what I saw was out of nowhere. But again, I haven’t seen it back.”
The Caps lead MLS in both red cards and Disciplinary Committee bans this year.
Just posted this to @Southsiders. They have a right to be miffed. pic.twitter.com/uUiMRSyZJX — Mike Perzel (@mikeperzel) October 3, 2016
No one, though, was denying the obvious after the loss to Seattle: the Caps haven’t been good enough this season. No amount of bad luck or bad calls — perceived or otherwise — can mask that.
“We haven’t been good enough, generally, across the board,” said Robinson. “We have to accept that and take responsibility for that, and I will. But I’ll get back to work and I’ll work even harder to try and find out the solutions to the problems that I faced this year. Whether it’s scoring goals, conceding goals, too many red cards, curb down on that, that’s my job to do. I’ll do it.”
Evans wants red card rescinded
Sounders veteran Brad Evans didn’t think he should have been sent off for his head butt gesture toward Caps’ David Edgar. Here was Evans’ take on the play:
“Corner kick comes in, Edgar’s pulling me back, it’s definitely a PK. So I get up, he says it’s not, he leans in and puts his head on mine. If you look at the replay and my mouth I said “you can’t do that”, I give him a head gesture, never made contact with him – if I had made contact with him, I think the whole stadium would have absolutely freaked out, he would have gone down in heaps. But he doesn’t, he barely even turns around and asks for a red card, and sure enough Salazar brings a card out of his pocket.”
Asked if he thinks the card should be rescinded, Evans replied:
“Of course. There’s no blood, there’s no foul. The replay that I saw was exactly what I thought, so it is what it is at this point.”
Robinson praises Davies
Caps’ teenager Alphonso Davies put in another impressive performance Sunday. He was electric in the first half before some second-half struggles. Carl Robinson had given him the start over Cristian Techera on left wing.
“He was good to watch, wasn’t he, he really was. He played very free. I think he got tired after an hour and then he started making some wrong decisions and things like that, but he was very enjoyable to watch. He caused all sorts of problems for a really good Seattle team.”
It was the second straight MLS start for the Edmonton-raised Davies, and with the playoffs officially gone, you’d expect him to start the remaining two games.
Ousted gutted for fans
Caps’ goalkeeper David Ousted was still clinging to the belief that anything was possible before Sunday’s game. By the final whistle, he had to accept that the playoffs were out of the picture.
“I was devastated for this team, for this club, but especially for the fans. It’s been a lot of heartbreak for all of us this year, especially for the fans. They’ve turned out every time and supported us, and I’m gutted for them that we weren’t able to perform to our levels this year and give them what they deserve.”
The Caps close out the regular season in San Jose and then at home to Portland, where they can still claim the Cascadia Cup with a three-goal win.
“In my world we go in and try to give these fans what they want – wins,” said Ousted. “We need to approach it in the same sense that we would if we were right on the cusp. I want to go win. I want to go and give the fans what they deserve in these last two games, and that’s victories.”
mweber@postmedia.com
twitter.com/ProvinceWeberThe chicken farmer who took the brave and unusual step of speaking out against poultry giant Perdue Farms is filing for federal whistleblower protection for the retaliation he says he experienced for coming forward.
Craig Watts, of North Carolina, had been raising chickens for Perdue, the country's third-largest poultry producer, since 1992. His growing disillusionment with the way the company treated both its chickens and its contract workers drove him, last December, to open his doors to the animal welfare group Compassion in World Farming. The resulting video was an explosive look at the reality of modern meat production, which, as Watts put it, is "not as advertised" -- to say the least.
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The complaint, filed on Watts' behalf by the nonprofit Food Integrity Campaign, asserts that Watts was engaging in activity protected under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) when he invited the cameras to observe the poor conditions in his chicken house. His decision to come forward, it further insists, was entirely in the public interest: Watts "believed that these conditions were the result of practices and conduct by [Perdue] that increased the chickens’ risk of contamination or infection with salmonella, e-coli, and other bacteria," the cover letter reads, "thereby rendering them a threat to consumers who purchase and eat them."
Beyond reiterating the allegations Watts made against Perdue's practices, the complaint details the "intimidation tactics" he says he was treated to after he came forward: almost immediately after the video was released, representatives of Perdue arrived to audit Watts' farm. According to the complaint, those visits continued, on a nearly daily basis, until his current flock of chickens was fully raised and ready to be returned to Perdue for slaughter.
A week later, it claims, Watts received a letter informing him that he was being put under a "Performance Improvement Plan," which involved audits of his chicken houses, "frequent, unannounced checks" of his next flock, and mandatory "retraining on biosecurity and poultry welfare." In the letter, according to the complaint, Perdue didn't indicate that it found any problematic conditions at Watts' farm; the conditions depicted in the video, it says, "were neither unusual nor inconsistent" with what Perdue's inspectors found during their frequent visits -- belying the company's insistence that they were an aberration, and a result of wrongdoing on the part of Watts instead of systemic problems.
Watts, at this point, is all in. As he acknowledged to Salon during our conversation last December, he knew that, in speaking, he was risking his contract with Perdue. It was a risk, he added, that he could afford to make -- most farmers, indebted to the contract system, literally cannot afford to pay the price of speaking out. His decision to file for whistleblower protection, according to the Food Integrity Campaign, is the first of its kind, and will hopefully be a "first step in an effort for contract farmers to have the right to speak out against unfair and inhumane conditions on large-scale farms."
Watts isn't asking for much more than that: the complaint demands compensation for $4,500 in lost earnings, for "reasonable costs and attorney’s fees" and for an order forbidding Perdue to continue with its "retaliatory increased inspections" -- in other words, for the ability to keep farming, unharassed.
Update 2/20/2015: In a statement, Perdue said it has not yet been served with a complaint, but that it reviewed the online version and considers it to be a "publicity ploy."
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"We have been more than professional and accommodating to Mr. Watts," the company said. "Our actions are consistent with our standard procedures for handling contract grower issues and what we feel is necessary to ensure that our chickens are receiving appropriate care. As we told Mr. Watts in writing, 'Perdue’s increased attention to your poultry farm during the weeks ahead is not for purposes of retribution, but to ensure that Perdue’s poultry are being properly cared for in an environment that ensures both adequate animal husbandry and animal welfare practices.'"Virtual reality has clearly become a focus for Valve. Even before it announced the HTC Vive, it was running developer camps at its studio where developers from around the world were invited to come and try out virtual reality technology and learn about Valve's research in the field. Oculus has been open in the past about how helpful Valve was in sharing its research into VR and Michael Abrash, formerly of Valve, is now Oculus' chief scientist. Still, it may come as a surprise to learn just how much of the company is focused on the technology: according to one Valve employee, it's about a third.
In a Reddit thread discussing the potential of using Valve's Lighthouse motion-tracking sensors with other VR headsets, one of Valve's motion-tracking specialists, Alan Yates, began replying. His responses encouraged anyone with a keen interest in VR to consider applying for a job at Valve. Yates revealed that he "was super fortunate to start at Valve right around the time Michael Abrash had begun the AR/VR research team. It was a much smaller team then than it is now, it has since grown to encompass about a third of the company, but the key individuals that solved most of the really hard technological problems and facilitated this generation of consumer headsets are still here working on the next generation."
Yates doesn't make clear whether that means people within the company have moved to the VR team or that Valve has hired in so many VR specialists that it has grown to a third of the company. Nor does he say whether game developers making VR games count towards the third of the company working on VR.
Whatever the case, though, it looks like we may need to start perceiving Valve differently. It's still running Dota 2 and Team Fortress 2 and those games aren't going anywhere, but the focus of the company may now be shifting to hardware.
When Yates describes VR like this, it's hard not to see why the change has happened: "Digitally mediated reality is one of those incredibly impactful technologies. Short of human space flight or life sciences, I can't imagine working on something of more significance right now."Domonique Foxworth grew up in Randallstown. Ed Reed spent the first 11 years of his NFL career in Baltimore. They were Ravens teammates for three seasons, Foxworth a cornerback and Reed a safety, but their grasp of life in the city made them distinctive in an itinerant profession.
Though they've moved on to different professions, they reunited recently to talk about police, violence and politics broadly and Baltimore specifically. Foxworth, who retired in 2012, interviewed Reed, who is entering his first season as a Buffalo Bills assistant defensive backs coach, for The Undefeated, where Foxworth serves as a writer.
Foxworth: What about the police being ambushed and killed, how does that make you feel?
Reed: I never want to see any person die, regardless of their occupation. When police or civilians are killed, you have to look at the whole situation. What’s going on? What’s surrounding us? What’s been surrounding us? That stuff makes a difference.
Foxworth: What about Baltimore and the Freddie Gray situation?
Reed: Something happened. Somebody did something wrong. Justice has to be served somewhere, somehow. There are different laws for some people. I have worked in Baltimore, so I know it’s tough when you don’t have the resources and you are given the short end of the stick. And when something happens with a regular person, the city is quick to lock them up for a long time, but it feels like the laws aren’t the same for everyone. Something ain’t right.
Reed's words might be controversial, but they are not hollow. As he became a Ravens legend, he also took up a role in the community. After being picked in the 2002 draft, Reed purchased tickets for kids at West Baltimore's Booker T. Washington Middle School for every home game and raised funds for other city schools. His charitable foundation also donated the money to jump-start a football program at SEED, a public boarding school for at-risk youths on the former campus of Southwestern High.
When Baltimore was being roiled by unrest in the wake of Freddie Gray's death last year — prosecutors have so far failed to convict four of the six police officers charged in the case — Reed told The Baltimore Sun's Mike Preston that he was disturbed by the city's rioting. His heart has "always been in Baltimore," he said, and it was breaking.
"We all are one community," Reed said before he officially retired last year. "We all work together. We all need to be back in the community. Even if you're not an athlete, you need to be in the community. Go back into the community and help somebody. Talk to somebody, talk to those kids, because it's the kids that are the ones that are our future."Anthony Weiner has, finally, come clean. In an emotional press conference just now in which he choked up at various times he’s surely not enjoying the spotlight anymore Weiner admitted that last Friday night, he accidentally tweeted that infamous boner photo to a girl in Seattle instead of direct-messaging it as “a joke,” he claimed. “I panicked, I took it down, and said I had been hacked,” he explained. But, as became increasingly clear throughout the day, this wasn’t Weiner’s first foray into internet flirting, and he also admitted to having “inappropriate conversations conducted over Twitter, Facebook, e-mail, and occasionally on the phone” with about six women over the past three years, both before and after he was married, although he maintains that he never met the women in person nor “had physical relationships at any time.” Responding to questions from reporters after reading his statement, Weiner struggled to explain why the hell he did this. “This was a very dumb thing to do,” he acknowledged. “If you’re looking for some deep explanation for what I did, I don’t have one.” Though apologizing to his constituents, to Andrew Breitbart, to the girl in Seattle, and to his wife Huma (who found out the truth this morning), Weiner said he wouldn’t resign.
Why not resign? Weiner says that while what he did was wrong, he didn’t break any laws, violate his oath of office, or breach the House’s rules of conduct. (Maybe they should amend them to include “No Tweeting your junk to college girls”?) “My Blackberry is not a government Blackberry,” he added. “My home computer is usually where I did these things.” He’ll now “try to go back to work and be a better person, a better man and a better husband as well.”
Speaking of being a better husband Weiner said, with certain understatement, that his wife was “not happy” and “thought that what I did was very dumb.” However, he added, “I love my wife very much and we have no intention of splitting over up this. I love her very much and she loves me.”
Earlier: Before Weiner’s Press Conference, Breitbart Holds CourtWhen the temperature plummets and the snows start to fall which do you turn to – a traditional steam train or its multi-million pound modern replacement?
Yesterday the steam locomotive, No: 45212, built in 1934, barrelled through the North Yorkshire countryside between Grosmont and Pickering, while hundreds of services on the country's modern electric network fell victim to the weather.
Some train operating companies last night admitted that the computer software on their modern electric trains was not able to cope with the snowy and icy conditions.
After a week of problems the rail network was still struggling to operate anything like a full service yesterday, with delays and cancellations in many areas.
East Coast, Southern, First Great Western, South West Trains, Southeastern, First TransPennine Express and ScotRail experienced disruption, while Eurostar said it would be operating a reduced timetable until tomorrow (Mon) at least.
The Sunday Telegraph can reveal that a safety feature found in some modern computerised trains causes them to shut down in freezing conditions.
Network Rail has admitted that the software contributed to the chaos which left thousands stranded in freezing conditions last week.
Experts said the problem affects a number of trains, including the Bombardier Electrostar, which operates on the "third rail" electric railway lines common in the south east.
The Electrostar, which comprises the bulk of southern and Southeastern's rolling stock, includes a safety system which can shut down the train when there is ice on the third rail to protect the train against surges.
Last week, hundreds of commuters had to sleep on trains overnight as drivers made several attempts to reboot the trains' systems.
A spokesman for Network Rail said that the computer program on the trains had "certainly contributed" to the travel chaos. He also acknowledged that older rolling stock did not have the same problem.
He added: "When there is a lot of ice on the third rail then it is extremely difficult to ensure that there are no gaps in the connection. While the safety software didn't help it was very unlikely to be the sole cause. We are looking at a number of initiatives to improve the situation for passengers." He said train software would be one of things to be looked at.
Roger Ford, the technology editor of Modern Railways magazine, said: "Some people will find it a little ironic that over the past week older trains seem to have coped better with the extreme conditions.
"The fact that older trains are less clever and complicated than these modern sophisticated trains has definitely worked in their favour as it makes them less sensitive."
A spokesman for Aslef, the train drivers' union, said: "The sophistication of modern trains, with all kinds of different computer software, makes them very susceptible to variations in voltage,".
"A lot of passengers will find it hard to swallow that the old trains were a lot less sensitive and didn't have the same flaw."
Southern Railway and Southeastern were two of the worst affected companies in the south east, where up to half of all services were cancelled.
In the worst incident, 300 passengers were trapped near Gatwick, on Wednesday night, when three southbound southern trains got stuck.
Over 100 people were forced to spend a night on the train, while others had to get home on buses or in taxis and some slept in hotels.
Yet ironically, the company was handed a National Rail Award earlier this year for innovation for "finding the solution to an age old problem", namely the icing of the third rail in very cold weather conditions.
A Southern spokeswoman said: "This ice on the rail is the root cause of problems with trains unable to gain power on the third rail network in extreme weather conditions."
A spokesman for Southeastern Trains denied that the safety feature on board the Electrostar trains had contributed to the travel chaos.
He said: "Unfortunately if there is a lot of ice on the third rail it doesn't matter what train you've got you're going to have problems. We are the only country in the world to have a third rail system outside an urban area."
Meteorologists warned last night that there will be no let up in the cold weather, with Britain expected to suffer icy weather for at least another week.
While temperatures are expected to hover above freezing today, ice will continue to cover many of the UK's roads. Rain is set to make frozen roads and pavements even more dangerous.
Aisling Creevey, a forecaster with MeteoGroup, said: "The ground temperature is lower than the air temperature so makes thawing difficult. It's going to be really cold into the next 10 days."
Severe warnings of icy roads remain in London and the South East, the South West, the East and West Midlands and the North West, where there are also warnings of heavy snow.
Ice and snow warnings have also been issued in Wales and Northern Ireland and in the North and North West of Scotland.
Yesterday's warmer weather provided the first opportunity in many days for many shoppers to reach the shops, leading to a surge in demand for cold weather clothing, such as thermals and hats.
Cash machines were running out of money during one of the busiest shopping weekends of the year, as security vans struggled with the icy conditions.
Supermarkets said they were managing to get most deliveries through, despite the difficult conditions.
The Independent Petrol Retailers Association says up to 500 garages are worried they could run out of fuel by the end of the weekend.
Royal Mail said delivery problems on Friday could have affected as many as two million households, and it has suspended the next-day guarantee on its special delivery service.
The Government has urged shoppers not to stockpile food in the face of rumours over empty shelves and shortages.
In a bid to ensure supplies of fuel, food and gritting salt get through Philip Hammond, the Transport Secretary, ordered a temporary relaxation of EU drivers' hours and working-time rules for all HGV drivers, allowing them to drive a maximum of 10 hours a day rather than nine.
However, Downing Street refused to offer a guarantee that Britain would not run out of salt and grit.
On the roads, black ice caused a spate of crashes yesterday. In Devon a gritter overturned in the poor road conditions; in Ivybridge a lorry overturned, shedding its load of honey.
However, all major airports were operating yesterday, although many were experiencing flight delays.
The death toll from the cold weather stood at seven last night.
Police confirmed that a lorry driver had been arrested on suspicion of causing death by dangerous driving after a collision which killed two men and closed a motorway for hours.
The incident happened in freezing conditions on the eastbound M62 between junctions 35 and 36, near Goole, Humberside, on Friday when a silver pickup on the hard shoulder was involved in a collision with the lorry.
A 30-year-old Nottinghamshire man in the pickup was pronounced dead at the scene, while a 56-year-old man, died at Leeds General Hospital.
Two pensioners found dead in their gardens in Cumbria on Friday were named yesterday.
Lillian Jenkinson, 80, appeared to have frozen to death after collapsing in her back garden in Workington. William Wilson, 84, died after falling over while collecting coal at his farmhouse in Waitby.
The weekend's sporting schedule was heavily affected, with all Premier League football cancelled in Scotland and only one lower league game – at Alloa – was played.
In England, Manchester United's Premier League match at Blackpool was postponed while many Football League fixtures also fell victim to the weather.
Three Premiership rugby union matches were called off, as were a number of race meetings. Races due to be held today at Kelso and Punchestown have also been cancelled.Introduction
If you are a regular reader of this site, you will probably know that I (foolishly) decided to take on the Maximuscle Blogger Challenge these past three months. For those who aren’t aware, I recommend you read the previous articles detailing my journey before you scroll down to see the end results:
Caught up? OK. Let’s see whether I managed to hit my personal goal of achieving a ‘cover model’ body in less than twelve weeks…
The Past 6 Weeks
After I made some changes to my diet and training plan, I started feeling much more comfortable with the whole lifestyle during the second half of the project. The diet was easier to stick with, I had more energy and, best of all, I was seeing noticeable results each and every week.
My body was transforming before my very eyes; muscles, definition and veins I never even knew existed before started to develop, and friends and family even began to comment on how lean or ‘ripped’ I looked. (That sounds so vain, but it’s true.)
And that really is one of the true benefits of undertaking a program such as this – the boost in confidence is unreal. As I progressed through the project, I began to sub-consciously notice the same guys I had known all my life down the gym looking over more than usual, I was getting comments on the transformation I had made and from a personal viewpoint, I just looked and felt so much better. It really was all the motivation I needed in order to stick to the plan for such an extended period of time.
As this project began to wind down in the lead up to Christmas, I decided to cut it short by a week, and finished on the 14th December 2012. This was for many reasons, but mainly due to the fact that I had a lot of events and parties coming up in the following weeks and I wanted to be able to truly enjoy myself, without feeling guilty about compromising my diet.
Overall, the project lasted just under eleven weeks. Here are my final results and measurements…
Final Girth Measurements
If you want to see my starting measurements for all the below, check out my introduction to the challenge here.
* All measurements/photos below are correct as of Friday 14th December 2012.
Height, Weight & Girth Measurements
Height: 6″ 0
Weight: 79.5kg (Down 4.5 kg)
Girth Measurements (In Inches)
Neck: 14.5 (Same)
Chest – Across Sternum: 44.5 (Same)
Waist – Narrowest circumference: 31 (Down 1.5)
Hip – Around The Buttocks: 34 (Down 0.5)
Upper Arm – Mid point, Untensed: 13.5 (Down 0.5)
Thigh – Mid Point, Untensed: 22 (Same)
Calf – Largest Point: 15 (Same)
Body Fat
This particular measurement technique was detailed in my introduction to the challenge.
Caliper Measurements:
1) Biceps: 4mm
2) Triceps: 4mm
3) Subscapular: 6mm
4) Supra Iliac 4mm
Total: 18mm
Approx Body Fat: 7.1% (Down from 10.7%)
Again, this is very approximate and has been done personally by myself and a volunteer. However, although the accuracy is probably off, it at least shows that my body fat percentage has come down significantly, due to us using exactly the same sites, techniques and measuring tools.
Original Photos
Here are my initial photo sets from the beginning of the challenge and a follow up at week 6:
Final Photos: Week 11
And now here are my final photos at week 11:
From a personal view, I couldn’t be happier. Although the front facing images perhaps don’t show quite as dramatic change from week 6 to 12, my bottom abs were definitely tighter, and my waist had come down another three quarters of an inch (even more noticeable on the lone back photo I took).
From the side on view and me doing my best impression of a bodybuilder (bottom left), you can see the striations and definition through my chest, shoulders and arms. This only developed over the last 6 weeks.
What I learnt & Recommendations
When I look back on the project as a whole, would I encourage you to do it? Of course! I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who is looking to take their training or body type to the next level. It has been one of the most worthwhile experiences of my life, and completing the project and seeing the results filled me with a real sense of pride.
Saying that, it is not for the fainthearted. It takes a lot of hard work and dedication to stick to a plan such as this. In order to help you along your way, here are a few things I learnt along the way:
Diet is everything: You hear people in the fitness industry preach about diet all the time. And until I took on this project, I never understood just how much of a difference it makes. Literally NOTHING changed in my training throughout this project – I did my usual splits, the same exercises and the same reps I would normally do, along with ZERO cardio. Changes to my diet alone brought about the dramatic alteration in my physique, and now I realise just how important getting control over what you put in your body is to achieving your goals.
You hear people in the fitness industry preach about diet all the time. And until I took on this project, I never understood just how much of a difference it makes. Literally NOTHING changed in my training throughout this project – I did my usual splits, the same exercises and the same reps I would normally do, along with ZERO cardio. Changes to my diet alone brought about the dramatic alteration in my physique, and now I realise just how important getting control over what you put in your body is to achieving your goals. It’s not how much you eat: Speaking of diet, I have also come to the realisation that it’s not how much your eat but WHAT you eat. I have never eaten so much food in my life. At the start of the project I couldn’t get my head around how I could possibly eat so much yet still lose weight and get ripped. You can find yourself holding back sub-consciously at first because your traditional beliefs get in the way.
Speaking of diet, I have also come to the realisation that it’s not how much your eat but WHAT you eat. I have never eaten so much food in my life. At the start of the project I couldn’t get my head around how I could possibly eat so much yet still lose weight and get ripped. You can find yourself holding back sub-consciously at first because your traditional beliefs get in the way. Trust in the system: This is where you need to trust the system. My Maxi-nutritionist, Gareth, taught me to fully trust the carb cycling plan and stick to my targets religiously. There will be moments when you think you shouldn’t eat any more and days where you wake up feeling slightly bloated and question where your gains have gone. But you need to look at the long term picture, rather than judge yourself day to day.
This is where you need to trust the system. My Maxi-nutritionist, Gareth, taught me to fully trust the carb cycling plan and stick to my targets religiously. There will be moments when you think you shouldn’t eat any more and days where you wake up feeling slightly bloated and question where your gains have gone. But you need to look at the long term picture, rather than judge yourself day to day. Keep yourself motivated: Bearing in mind the long term picture, help keep yourself motivated by taking measurements, photos and body fat percentages at the end of each month. The dramatic difference you see in photos in particular helped me to stick to the diet plan. I can’t explain the feeling of satisfaction that comes with putting in hard work and seeing yourself change before your very eyes. At the same time, don’t be one of those guys who weighs themselves every day – it can bring about the opposite effect.
Bearing in mind the long term picture, help keep yourself motivated by taking measurements, photos and body fat percentages at the end of each month. The dramatic difference you see in photos in particular helped me to stick to the diet plan. I can’t explain the feeling of satisfaction that comes with putting in hard work and seeing yourself change before your very eyes. At the same time, don’t be one of those guys who weighs themselves every day – it can bring about the opposite effect. You need to be committed: If you are going to undertake a program like this, you need to realise that it is hard work. There is no getting away from it. Even if you think you already eat pretty well, it takes it to a whole other level. You can’t get halfway through a no carb day and suddenly decide you need that portion of rice or a piece of bread. The same goes for holding back on a high carb re-feed day. You need to be committed to the system in order for it to work.
If you are going to undertake a program like this, you need to realise that it is hard work. There is no getting away from it. Even if you think you already eat pretty well, it takes it to a whole other level. You can’t get halfway through a no carb day and suddenly decide you need that portion of rice or a piece of bread. The same goes for holding back on a high carb re-feed day. You need to be committed to the system in order for it to work. The importance of planning and organisation: Planning my meals, making a spreadsheet of the macro-nutrients of each food I regularly eat and keeping a detailed food diary was one of the best things I did. It is time consuming at first, but you will reap the rewards and after a few weeks it becomes second nature. If you have a typical nine to five job, you need to plan your meals the night before and prepare them in advance. If you get caught short, it’s going to be hartd to find a low GI/no carb/high protein snack that hits the exact macro nutrients you need in your local supermarket or newsagent.
Planning my meals, making a spreadsheet of the macro-nutrients of each food I regularly eat and keeping a detailed food diary was one of the best things I did. It is time consuming at first, but you will reap the rewards and after a few weeks it becomes second nature. If you have a typical nine to five job, you need to plan your meals the night before and prepare them in advance. If you get caught short, it’s going to be hartd to find a low GI/no carb/high protein snack that hits the exact macro nutrients you need in your local supermarket or newsagent. It’s a lifestyle choice: This is possibly one of the biggest considerations you need to make before embarking on this journey. This diet and training plan WILL impact on your current lifestyle. Realistically, you should not be drinking as it limits your gains and interferes with your metabolism, you have to be selfish with your food choices (which can impact your family/partner), it takes time to prepare, organise and buy the food you need to eat each day, etc. etc. However, for those willing to stick at it, the end result is worth the sacrifice.
This is possibly one of the biggest considerations you need to make before embarking on this journey. This diet and training plan WILL impact on your current lifestyle. Realistically, you should not be drinking as it limits your gains and interferes with your metabolism, you have to be selfish with your food choices (which can impact your family/partner), it takes time to prepare, organise and buy the food you need to eat each day, etc. etc. However, for those willing to stick at it, the end result is worth the sacrifice. Treat yourself: Treating yourself is important. After 6 weeks of sticking to the plan religiously, I introduced one ‘cheat meal’ a week. This is where I could eat anything I wanted for that single meal – takeaway, pizza, a meal out with my girlfriend. This helps reward you for sticking to the diet and has even been hypothesised to prevent your metabolism from becoming stale (for those down into the single digit body fat percentages). However, this does not mean a ‘cheat day’, it does not mean you can eat every single thing you have been craving all week in one meal and if you are the type that cannot control yourself, then you are probably best off not introducing this concept at all.
Treating yourself is important. After 6 weeks of sticking to the plan religiously, I introduced one ‘cheat meal’ a week. This is where I could eat anything I wanted for that single meal – takeaway, pizza, a meal out with my girlfriend. This helps reward you for sticking to the diet and has even been hypothesised to prevent your metabolism from becoming stale (for those down into the single digit body fat percentages). However, this does not mean a ‘cheat day’, it does not mean you can eat every single thing you have been craving all week in one meal and if you are the type that cannot control yourself, then you are probably best off not introducing this concept at all. Supplements are a saviour: A good supplementation program will help make your life SO much easier. The amount of time, preparation and cost involved in cooking food for 6-7 meals a day cannot be underestimated. Being able to reach for a protein shake and take on 40 grams of protein whenever you need to is so convenient, whilst weight gain supplements like Progain also helped me achieve my high carb day targets when I thought I couldn’t possible eat any more.
Maximuscle & Supplementation
Finally, I have to say thank you to Maximuscle, and in particularly Gareth, for helping me achieve my goals. Without their help and encouragement, I would never of made the transformation I did, and I truly believe their supplements helped push me to the next level.
In an industry that is becoming more saturated by the minute, Maximuscle now stand head and shoulders above the rest for me. I had never tried their products before this project, but I am a convert. You may think I am just saying this because they kindly provided me with free products throughout – but I would argue that I have never been in better shape, and that must count for something.
In terms of quality/advantages you can relate to as a consumer, each product I received tasted superb, had a well balanced macro-nutrient composition and utilised the very best ingredients. Even if you still stick with your favourite brand’s form of protein, I cannot recommend Maximuscle’s Progain range highly enough. Although Progain is described as “a high protein weight-gain shake, providing additional calories to support gains in muscle mass”, it can be used on a cutting diet (as I |
of charities Together for Short Lives and Bluebell Wood.
Pictured - Faye Nickels, 15. See Ross Parry copy RPYKIDNEY. The family of a tragic teenager have spoken of their heartache after she died from an undiagnosed genetic disorder just weeks after her doting grandfather donated his kidney in the hope of transforming her life.Faye Nickels, 15, had battled through two years of kidney dialysis before devoted grandfather Paul Stein came forward.
Bluebell Wood was instrumental in supporting the Nickels family after 15-year-old Faye died from a rare disease in April.
Medical experts told Faye’s mum Carol they had never seen anyone else in the world with the specific mutation of the incurable mitochondrial disease that was attacking every cell in her body.
Carol, who is continuing to fundraise for Bluebell Wood and the Children’s Mitochondrial Disease Network, said: “Bluebell Wood were so amazing that we wanted to help promote them as much as possible.
“When I got the call saying Bluebell Wood had chosen to send us to Disneyland I didn’t believe it at first.
(L to R) Frozen characters Anna, Mark, Olivia and Maxine Strong, Carol and Mollie Nickels
“I had to keep it a secret from Mollie and then we went to London and Peter Andre told her the news she was in complete shock.
“The trip was amazing we got to meet the cast of Frozen so Mollie was in her element.
“Mollie helped turn the Disney Christmas lights on in front of thousands of people which was fabulous and we went out on a boat to watch the fireworks, the whole trip was amazing and very surreal.”
The holiday was bittersweet however as mum Carol said Faye was never far from her mind. Carol of Suton Road, Suton said: “There wasn’t a minute that went by that I didn’t think about Faye, every time we did something I thought Faye would have loved this
“But Mollie really deserved this trip and it was lovely to have some real bonding time because for two years while Faye was ill she never really had my full attention.”
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Bluebell Wood visit www.bluebellwood.org or contact 01909 517360.When World War II ended in Europe in May 1945, most Western military leaders and analysts regarded Erwin Rommel as the war’s greatest German general. But that was not how most German military leaders felt. Instead, in their memoirs they argued that Rommel was at best an adequate tactician and not a bad leader of small units, that he had been an adequate division commander, but his command of corps, army and army groups was often flawed. Rommel, they asserted, had involved himself too much in the day-to-day details of the tactical fight and not enough in the operational and strategic issues that must concern those at the highest levels of command, and he paid too little attention to matters of intelligence and the enemy’s order of battle. Thus, his German critics allege, as the commander of the Afrika Korps, ‘the Desert Fox’ had won some spectacular victories but willfully ignored problems of logistics.
Of course, Rommel was no longer present to defend himself. His peripheral involvement in the July 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler had led the Gestapo to compel the field marshal to take his own life that October. The debate on Rommel’s ability was, therefore, left to be fought out among his contemporaries and was picked up by historians who continue this debate to the present day. Much of the criticism of Rommel’s suitability for high command is focused around his performance as the commander of Heeresgruppe (Army Group) B and its defense of northwestern Europe against the Anglo-American invasion in June and July 1944.
Rommel’s actions in that assignment can perhaps give the best indication of the validity of the charges that the field marshal was not up to positions of great responsibility. They can also provide insights into how German military leaders as a whole approached the strategic and operational problems of World War II and how well they understood the larger issues involved in the war.
Rommel’s Glory Years
For Rommel, the first three years of the war were spectacular. He had risen from the obscurity of a mere division command (one among approximately 140) to an army command with the rank of field marshal. His leadership of the 7th Panzer Division during the blitzkrieg in France had contributed considerably to his rapid promotion through the command hierarchy. One recent German account of the invasion of France asserts that Rommel played an even more important role in the breakthrough on the Meuse — which led to the Allied collapse — than Heinz Guderian did.
Fresh from the victory in France, in early 1941 the Oberkommando des Heeres (OKH — Army High Command) selected Rommel to command a small corps of German mobile and mechanized troops that was being sent to North Africa to prevent the collapse of the Italian position in Libya. Under strict orders to remain on the defensive once he arrived, Rommel instead hit the ground running and began attacking the British even before his entire force had reached the desert. In a series of spectacular advances, he consistently disobeyed the instructions of not only his titular bosses in Rome, the Italian Comando Supremo, but also his superiors in Berlin, the OKH. Unimpressed by the Afrika Korps‘ early victories, the chief of the German General Staff, the schoolmasterly Colonel-General Franz Halder, was instead soon moaning that Rommel had gone ‘mad’ in North Africa.
Whatever the criticisms issuing from the OKH, Rommel’s performance was brilliant. His mission was to keep the British out of Libya and to restore the Italian position in North Africa. He more than accomplished this. His masterstroke came in June 1942 when his outnumbered Afrika Korps wrecked the British Eighth Army on the Gazala Line immediately to the east of Benghazi. He then pursued his beaten foe all the way back to El Alamein, the Eighth Army’s last defensive position in Egypt before the Nile.
Along the way, he also took the fortress port of Tobruk. Some historians have criticized Rommel for not halting after his victory at Gazala so that German and Italian airborne and amphibious forces could assault Malta. However, given the performance of Italian forces up to that point in the war, Rommel had reason to be dubious about the success of such an operation — and he was probably correct. Certainly Hitler agreed with him. Rommel sensed that he had the enemy on the run, and that this was the moment of opportunity that could lead to the fall of Egypt. Impressed with what he had accomplished thus far, Hitler promoted Rommel — who had been only a major general at the start of the war — to field marshal on June 22, 1942. But things were about to change.
In August 1942 the British finally discovered a field commander, Lt. Gen. Bernard Law Montgomery, who would fight the Eighth Army in accordance with its actual abilities. More important for the men of this badly battered force, he would provide its units leadership with a capital ‘L.’ As he told the British and Commonwealth soldiers defending the Alma Halfa Ridge in September 1942, ‘they would stay there alive, or they would stay there dead.’ They stayed. The Afrika Korps was brought to a halt, and by the end of September, Rommel was suffering from exhaustion and a bout of jaundice that finally forced him to return to Germany for treatment.
Thus, Rommel was not even in North Africa when Montgomery’s opening blows in the second Battle of El Alamein fell on Axis positions in October. Not yet fully recovered, the Afrika Korps commander rushed back to the front, but by the time he arrived those in charge had already lost the battle. For the first time in North Africa, the Germans were up against a commander willing and able to take advantage of the overwhelming ground and air superiority the British possessed.
Rommel recognized that the Axis now faced a much different situation in North Africa, and he attempted to make the situation clear to Hitler and military leaders in Rome and Berlin. All he received in return were obdurate orders to hold fast. That he did, and as a result he came close to losing what was left of the Afrika Korps. At the last, he ordered his forces to pull out, a move that marked the point when his relations with the Führer began their rapid decline. When Anglo-American forces landed in Morocco and Algeria — Operation Torch — in November, Rommel urged the OKH to pull Axis forces out of North Africa entirely. Allied air and naval superiority, he told them, was such that German and Italian forces would inevitably go down to defeat. By this point, he had a very clear idea of what the Anglo-American naval, air and logistical superiority meant for German military power.
Interregnum
Upon his return to Tunisia, Rommel discovered that the German commander on the scene, Colonel-General Jürgen von Arnim, basically held an independent command — a mark of how low his own fortunes had fallen since the previous summer. He believed — quite rightly in retrospect — that there existed a window of opportunity to strike a significant blow at the Americans in central Tunisia before Montgomery’s forces arrived in the south. But Arnim was loath to lend his armor to support Rommel’s conception — after all the field marshal was not a general staff officer like himself. The result was a limited offensive in February 1943 that inflicted a significant, but not lasting, defeat on the Americans at Kasserine Pass.
In a perverse sort of way, the drubbing the Americans received at Kasserine Pass may have been beneficial. Recovering much more quickly than the Eighth Army had from its setbacks, the Americans learned from the defeat. Much of the transformation was driven by Maj. Gen. George S. Patton’s tough-minded leadership. Many senior British commanders, particularly Field Marshal Alan Brooke and Lt. Gen. Harold Alexander, regarded Kasserine Pass as proof that the U.S. Army was not a competent military force. They would hold to that judgment throughout the war. Rommel, on the other hand, did not make the same mistake. Instead, unlike Hitler and other German generals, he recognized how quickly the Americans had recovered from defeat and learned from it. He also did not underestimate their capabilities.
Rommel had not fully recovered from his exhaustion and jaundice when he returned to fight the second Battle of El Alamein. By now, four months of intense fighting as well as the pressures of the nonsensical orders issuing from the OKW (Oberkommando der Wehrmacht — the Armed Forces High Command) and Hitler had completely exhausted him. After a last, unsuccessful strike against Montgomery at Medenine on March 10, Rommel was evacuated and spent the next three months recuperating in Germany and Austria. In spite of his disobedience at El Alamein, he was too valuable a figure for Hitler to put on the shelf. In the summer of 1943 he found himself in charge of a planning headquarters, Heeresgruppe B, tasked with preparing to defend the Mediterranean. With Tunisia’s fall in early May, the obvious target for the Allies was Italy, but Anglo-American deception efforts strongly suggested a descent on Greece, and late July found the field marshal in that country because of the perceived Allied threat. At that point, a coup in Rome overthrew Benito Mussolini, and Hitler immediately recalled Rommel to Germany.
Italy was now the focus of both German and Allied attention, as the government of incompetents in Rome attempted to bail out of the war at the earliest opportunity while still clinging to power. The Germans, including Rommel, had no illusion that the new Italian government under the leadership of the decrepit Marshal Pietro Badoglio would remain in the war. Rommel’s new task was to feed units into Italy as smoothly as possible while planning to disarm the Italian armed forces the moment the Badoglio government tried to switch sides. In terms of the overall strategy for the defense of Italy, Rommel and Field Marshal Albert Kesselring, perhaps the most overrated German field commander of the war, were almost immediately at odds.
Rommel urged the abandonment of all southern and central Italy and the defense of a line in the north — similar to where the Gothic Line would hold the Allies in the last half of 1944. His arguments reflected his recognition of the overwhelming superiority the Allies would enjoy in sea and air power. Kesselring, always the optimist, believed the German army could defend south of Rome, and that the threat of Allied amphibious landings behind the lines was worth accepting. With the advantage of hindsight, Kesselring seems to have been right. Nevertheless, one should not forget that the Germans came close to losing their Tenth Army to the Allied ground offensive of May 1944. Only the egregious incompetence of Lt. Gen. Mark Clark, in his desire to lead American troops in liberating Rome, allowed the Germans to escape.
For Rommel the autumn of 1943 was frustrating indeed. Kesselring’s success in defending southern Italy against Anglo-American forces gradually returned’smiling Albert’ to the Führer’s favor, at Rommel’s expense.
In November 1943, Hitler made the momentous decision that the Reich could no longer place the defense of northwestern Europe at the bottom of its priorities — a theater where the lowest-grade Wehrmacht formations served, and where badly battered units from the Eastern Front rested and refitted before returning to the east. Even the densest German military leader could now see that the Anglo-American powers would soon make a major attempt to return to the European continent, from which the British had been expelled in such humiliating fashion in June 1940.
The Defense of France
In Directive No. 51, Hitler ordered that the Western Front would now receive priority in the allocation of resources. To facilitate this renewed effort, Rommel received a special commission to inspect the defenses of ‘Fortress Europe’ from Denmark to the Bay of Biscay. What he found was depressing indeed — a real Potemkin village. His inspection quickly revealed that Josef Goebbels’ impregnable fortress existed only in the overactive imagination of the propaganda minister. The Germans had constructed a few fortifications along the Pas de Calais, where most German military leaders believed the Allies would land — a calculation that the Anglo-Americans delightedly confirmed through the means of a massive deception plan.
Rommel began his inspection on November 30, 1943, in Denmark. He was to report his findings to Hitler, while keeping the overall commander in the West, Field Marshal Gerd von Rundstedt, informed of his progress. Meanwhile, the staff of Army Group B now based itself at Fontainebleau in preparation for Rommel’s assumption of command of a northern army group that would extend from Belgium to Brittany. Army Group B’s responsibilities would include the presumed main threat areas of Pas de Calais and Normandy.
The weaknesses that Rommel found along the coast appalled him — especially the lack of preparedness in the immediate coastal areas. In effect, German troops in the West had been on vacation — certainly in comparison to what was happening on the Eastern Front.
Now that it was clear that he would assume command of the defense of northwestern Europe, Rommel had already developed his conception of how the Wehrmacht must conduct that defense. The German general best known for his lightning-quick armored advances across the desert now concluded that he would have to prepare the strongest possible positional defense. The most immediate need was to energize the forces along the English Channel and quickly marshal the resources necessary to build an effective system of fortifications along the coastal regions. For the next six months, he spent much of his time and energy pushing everyone within his area of responsibility to build field fortifications and bunkers, lay barbed wire, dig trenches and emplace beach obstacles between the low and high tide limits. Under his direction, the Germans also embarked on a massive program of mine laying. The field marshal’s aim was to have 12 to 15 million mines in place before the Allies landed — a goal that, fortunately for the Allies, the Germans fell well short of.
As late as it was, Rommel’s program of emplacing beach obstacles between high and low tide so alarmed Allied planners that they changed the timing of the landings from high to low tide, which considerably increased the vulnerability of those making the initial landing — especially on Omaha Beach. In dealing with the airborne threat, Rommel ordered telephone poles and concrete posts — nicknamed ‘Rommel asparagus’ — emplaced throughout the fields and meadows of the areas immediately behind the most obvious landing areas. Not surprisingly, all this activity caught the attention of senior Allied commanders, further complicating the already difficult task of planning for and then making a successful amphibious landing on the coast of France.
Unlike other senior army leaders, Rommel had had experience with the air power the Anglo-American powers would bring to the battlefield, as well as with their immense logistical capabilities. For other German leaders, especially Hitler, American and British military capabilities simply did not appear nearly as threatening as they did to Rommel. To a considerable extent, the memories of British defeats in the desert in 1941 and 1942 and the American defeat at Kasserine Pass clouded German judgment. Nor had the Allied campaign in Sicily and southern Italy looked particularly impressive. Yet Rommel understood that both the British and especially the American armies possessed steadily improving military capabilities.
Rommel’s experiences in North Africa as well as his recognition of Germany’s overall strategic situation had led him to very different conclusions as to how the Wehrmacht should defend northwestern Europe. From early 1944, Rommel argued that the Germans must defend against the coming invasion on the beaches. If the Wehrmacht failed to defeat the Allies at the water’s edge, the superiority of Anglo-American air power and logistics would inevitably enable them to build up their forces on the Continent more quickly than the Germans could. The result would be an inevitable defeat that would end whatever chance the Reich had to achieve a compromise peace.
But Rommel’s was an overwhelmingly minority viewpoint. His immediate superior, the venerable Gerd von Rundstedt, supported a completely different approach to the defense of northwestern France. The Wehrmacht‘s senior active-duty field marshal found his position strongly supported by the commander of German armored forces in the West, General Leo Geyr von Schweppenburg. The Rundstedt-Geyr von Schweppenburg operational solution basically posited that there was nothing they could do to prevent a successful Allied landing. Instead, they championed tactics much in consonance with German operational and tactical doctrine, as expressed in Die Truppenführung (Troop Leadership), the Wehrmacht‘s basic doctrinal manual. The two generals argued that German forces in the West should concentrate available armored forces for a massive counterattack against the Allies once they were ashore. From their perspective, the panzer forces should be held back from the coast; then once the Allies had landed, the panzers would concentrate and move forward to counterattack. German armor would also then be available to execute a mobile defense that would utilize superior Wehrmacht training, tactics and equipment.
In retrospect, Rommel had a far better understanding of the military situation than either Rundstedt or Schweppenburg, who failed to give sufficient weight to the power that the Allies’ air forces could bring to their attack. With the Luftwaffe deeply engaged in opposing the strategic bomber offensive over occupied Europe and in the East, it could do little to prevent swarms of Allied aircraft from destroying any large concentration of panzers the Germans were able to assemble. It would also prevent any sort of mobile defense. The inevitable result would be a huge Allied army advancing across Europe and the Reich’s final defeat. Moreover, Rommel believed imposing heavier losses on the Allies would only serve to make them eager to impose a harsher peace on a defeated Germany.
In the end, the Germans instituted neither defensive concept. They did not deploy their armored reserves close to the beaches — as Rommel had wished — or in a concentrated reserve as Rundstedt and Schweppenburg had advised. Instead, Hitler placed the panzer and Panzergrenadier divisions under the OKW; thus, only he could authorize their movement forward to meet the Allied invasion forces. And if the Führer was not available to make that decision, nothing was going to happen. Because neither Rommel nor Rundstedt was in command of the reserve divisions, the chance of rapid intervention against Allied landings by the available reserves had evaporated even before the first Allied troops waded ashore.
Two relatively small incidents, one in which Rommel’s superiors overruled him and the second where a subordinate deliberately disobeyed his direct orders, played a major role in the successful American landings on D-Day. In the first case, Rommel requested permission to move the fanatical Hitler Youth volunteers of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend to Carentan, which unknown to the field marshal was to lie equidistant between the American landing beaches of Omaha and Utah. In that position, the SS division would have been ideally placed to intervene against either of the American landing areas. Even if they had failed to stop the landings, the Germans would have made the linkup between the American beaches extraordinarily difficult. This request was not granted.
The second incident had to do with the commander of the 352nd Infantry Division, which had responsibility for the sector where the American 1st and 29th Infantry divisions and other supporting units would land on D-Day. One of the great myths of World War II has been that the 352nd Division’s presence in the area of Omaha Beach was a surprise to Allied intelligence. It was not. In fact, while the 352nd was responsible for defending the area to the north and northwest of Bayeux, the division commander, Maj. Gen. Dietrich Kraiss, held most of his infantry battalions back from the beaches as a counterattack force — an approach again in accordance with basic German doctrine.
When Rommel arrived in the area in early May, he was upset at the division’s dispositions and immediately ordered Kraiss to move more of his force up to defend the beaches. Supported by his corps commander, Lt. Gen. Erich Marcks, who had been one of the early planners for Operation Barbarossa, Kraiss ignored Rommel’s order. Of the 10 infantry and five artillery battalions that Kraiss had available, he placed only one artillery battalion and two infantry battalions along the Omaha Beach sector. This decision makes even less sense when one realizes that he deployed two-thirds of his force in reserve or in position to defend the western sector of his area of responsibility — where no amphibious landing could possibly take place.
Although the bloodshed on Omaha was appalling, the Americans there were indeed lucky that they only had to face two battalions of enemy infantry on June 6. Had Kraiss obeyed Rommel’s instructions, it is likely that the Omaha Beach landing would have failed — with considerable consequences for the Allies’ ability to link together the British and American beaches.
There was one matter that all the senior German commanders, including Hitler, did agree on, and that was a belief that the invasion would come at the Pas de Calais. For a short period, the Führer did consider that Normandy might be the landing area, but he soon lost that instinctive feel. It is here that one of the greatest weaknesses in the German military system came into play. The Reich’s intelligence services were among the most inept of any possessed by the major powers in World War II. Not only did the German intelligence services fail to give their operational commanders a feel for where the landings might occur, but they completely fell for Allied deception efforts that seemingly confirmed the Pas de Calais as the target site.
So effective was Fortitude — the code name for the Allied deception effort — that even after the landings had occurred, many senior German leaders, Hitler included, continued to believe the Normandy landings were a diversion and that the main blow would come at the Pas de Calais. Rommel was no more perceptive than his colleagues in this regard, although he did put considerably greater effort into preparing defenses in the areas outside Pas de Calais than had been the case before his arrival in command of Army Group B.
Rommel’s Longest Day
The early morning hours of June 6, 1944, found Rommel at home celebrating his wife’s birthday. He had returned to Germany also hoping for a persuasive visit with Hitler at his lair in Berchtesgaden to get greater direct control over the reserve divisions. The field marshal’s decision to go on leave at the very moment the invasion was about to begin resulted from the fact that the Germans did not possess weather-forecasting capabilities comparable to those of their opponents. While Allied forecasters discerned that weather conditions would improve sufficiently on June 6 to allow a landing, their German counterparts failed to recognize the possibility of a break in the weather. Predictions of bad weather caught others besides Rommel off guard. The Seventh Army, in charge of the defense of Normandy, had ordered all its senior commanders to a war game in Rennes, a southern Norman town far from where the airborne and seaborne landings were about to occur, on the day of the invasion.
Rommel was surprised, therefore, when he received a phone call from his chief of staff early on the morning of June 6. Major General Hans Spiedel told his chief that a major Allied landing was underway along the Norman coast. Rommel immediately started back to France, but it took until the early evening hours for him to reach his headquarters. By then the Allies had established themselves successfully on all five major landing areas. Moreover, British paratroopers of the 6th Airborne Division had seized the high ground east of the Orne River, while American paratroopers held much of the base of the Cotentin Peninsula.
Although it probably did not seem so to the GIs wading ashore on Omaha Beach, the German reaction to the landings had been lackadaisical at best, or simply inept. The two battalions holding on Omaha Beach inflicted heavy casualties on the attacking Americans and for a short period of time it even seemed they might defeat the landing there. Rather than ensuring that the Americans were stopped, however, Kraiss sent his reserves to meet the more successful British landings to the east. American pressure finally drove the Germans back and cleared the draws leading off Omaha.
At the higher levels of command, the performance was even worse. The OKW’s operations officer, General Alfred Jodl, refused to awaken the Führer or to release the panzer divisions being held in reserve. Not until early in the afternoon were the two nearest panzer divisions, the 12th SS and the Panzer Lehr, released to Army Group B so that they could begin their move toward the beachhead. Panzer Lehr had been ready to move at 0600 hours, but did not receive the move order until late in the afternoon. Neither would arrive on the scene until June 7.
The one tank unit in the area, the 21st Panzer Division, did not start moving toward the British and Canadian beaches until the afternoon. It managed to get a battle group between the Juno and Sword beaches, but British-crewed Sherman Firefly tanks equipped with high-velocity 17-pounder guns stopped the Germans cold, destroying more than a dozen tanks in a matter of minutes. By the end of the day, the Tommies had accounted for 70 of the 21st’s 124 tanks.
Stemming the Tide
Rommel now fought the Battle of Normandy with a number of disadvantages that made the results inevitable. To begin with, he had virtually no intelligence on Allied intentions, while Ultra and pervasive air reconnaissance had provided Allied Supreme Commander Dwight D. Eisenhower and his ground forces commander Montgomery with a clear picture of German intentions. Second, as Rommel had foreseen, the air interdiction campaign conducted by Anglo-American air forces imposed enormous logistical constraints on the conduct of operations by his forces. Only by way of barges down the Seine River were the Germans able to avoid a complete logistical collapse.
Third, the French Resistance was able to cause considerable delays to the German units trying to redeploy to the Normandy battlefield. As a result, the Allies easily won the battle of the buildup. Only the nature of the bocage country with its almost impenetrable hedgerows, the ferocious and tactically effective performance of German infantry and armored forces, and Allied tactical weaknesses provided Rommel with the means to knit together defenses that confined the Allies to their Normandy bridgehead for nearly two months.
As Rommel had warned before the invasion, the movement of German forces toward Normandy proved much more difficult than Rundstedt, Schweppenburg and their adherents had argued. First, there was the problem of the French Resistance. It took two weeks for the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich to arrive in Normandy from its billets in the Limoges area of southern France. It was normally a journey that could have been made in two days. Driven to distraction by the Resistance, the troopers of Das Reich committed a number of atrocities along the way. The worst of these was the murder of 600 civilians at the village of Oradour-sur-Glâne.
But it was Allied air power that gave the Germans the greatest headaches. On June 7 Panzer Lehr began its move from Chartres to Normandy in daylight. Its commander, Fritz Bayerlein, who had also seen service in North Africa, objected but was overruled. As soon as the armored column was spotted it was savaged by Allied fighter-bombers. Bayerlein described the roads as being ‘a fighter-bomber race course.’ His division lost 150 trucks and fuel tankers, five tanks and self-propelled guns, as well as a number of halftracks and prime movers in a matter of a few hours.
Several days later, the location of General Schweppenburg’s headquarters for Panzer Group West, which was to direct the armored counterattack favored by Rundstedt, was discovered through Ultra intelligence. Schweppenburg had located his headquarters out in the open — a clear indication of how little he understood the danger of Allied air power. The predictable result was a devastating attack by fighter-bombers that killed 17 staff officers and wounded a number of others. More important, it took Panzer Group West out of the fight and robbed the Germans of their only command capable of directing a major mechanized offensive at the very moment it was most needed. Rundstedt himself was forced to acknowledge the overall impact of Anglo-American air superiority. The commander in chief of German forces in the West reported in a message that was intercepted by the British and passed along to Allied commanders: ‘In large-scale operations by thousands of bombers and fighter bombers, Allied air forces stifled German tank attacks and had harassing effect on movements. High losses in wireless equipment by fighter bomber attacks [I SS Corps had, for example, only four wireless troops, and Panzer Group West had lost 75 percent of it wireless equipment] were noticeable in making reporting difficulties.’
With the battle for the beaches already lost, Rommel’s immediate concern was to confine the growing Allied forces to the bocage country, which would maximize the potential of German tactical expertise. The arrival of the 12th SS Panzer Division Hitlerjugend at Caen prevented the Canadians and the British from gaining that key road center and ensured that the Allies would not be able to reach the more open country to the east.
While Hitler’s boy soldiers bought time with their lives, Rommel tried to patch together a coherent defense with whatever he could grab. Here, British ineptitude was a considerable help. On June 12 elements of the British 7th Armored Division swung east of Caen and drove deep behind the German lines to the village of Villers-Bocage. Advancing as if in a peacetime parade, the unsuspecting British ran into SS Captain Michael Wittmann, one of the great tank aces from the Eastern Front, and the Tiger tanks under his command. Almost single-handed, Wittman destroyed much of the British force and plugged the hole in German lines that threatened the defense of Caen. The British lost 25 tanks and 28 other armored vehicles, and the division commander, much to the disgust of his superiors, entirely abandoned the area around Villers-Bocage. General Miles Dempsey, commander of the British Second Army, quite rightly described the action as a disgrace.
Rommel’s efforts to hold back the British threat allowed the Americans to close off the Cotentin Peninsula and then capture the port of Cherbourg. But the Germans had so thoroughly damaged the port’s facilities that Eisenhower gained little in terms of the logistical infrastructure he so desperately needed to maintain the advance into the French interior. The Americans then ran up against their own lack of combat experience — exacerbated by Lt. Gen. Omar N. Bradley’s inept generalship — in battling south through the bocage country. The vicious fighting that took place as the Americans slowly advanced on St. L suggested that the western portions of the Normandy front represented less of a threat. Overall, the defense of Normandy was immensely frustrating to Rommel since it offered little chance for maneuver and was under the constant attacks of Allied fighter-bombers. But as the operational commander on the scene, he dealt with the situation as it existed, not as he would have wished it to be.
Despite the seeming success of the Wehrmacht in fencing the Allies into the coastal areas of Normandy, German commanders at all levels were increasingly pessimistic about their chances for holding out. At the end of June, Rundstedt and Rommel infuriated the Führer by submitting reports to the OKW that underlined the desperate nature of the situation in the West. They urged that Caen be abandoned. On June 29 Rommel met Hitler for the last time at Berchtesgaden. Hoping to make the Führer see reality, the field marshal attempted to raise the strategic question — that Germany was confronting the whole world and that perhaps political solutions should be considered. As was to be expected, Hitler would not countenance any discussion on such matters. For his part, Rundstedt soon got himself relieved of duty by bluntly replying to Field Marshal Wilhelm Keitel’s question of what was to be done: ‘Make peace, you idiots! What else can you do?’
The German defense now seemed to be adrift. Rundstedt’s replacement was Field Marshal Günther von Kluge, another senior general whose only experience had been on the Eastern Front. For two years he had commanded Army Group Center, but had been severely injured in an automobile accident and replaced in early 1944. He was now recovered, and he returned to active duty after a short period at Hitler’s headquarters. There, he had received a thorough dose of the Führer’s optimism as well as warnings about Rommel’s pessimistic assessments of the operational and tactical situation. On July 3 the two field marshals met and Kluge warned his new subordinate that he had better get used to obeying orders — a rebuke that not surprisingly infuriated Rommel.
It did not take long for Kluge, who was a competent officer, to draw the same conclusions that Rommel had arrived at long ago. On July 16 Rommel sent an especially gloomy report on the situation on the Western Front. Kluge was now of the same mind. But the field marshals were not to act together. On July 17 British fighter-bombers caught Rommel’s staff car on the open road and severely wounded him. As a result, he was in the hospital during the crucial days when the July 20 attempt on Hitler’s life occurred and when the situation on the Western Front began to irrevocably unravel in early August. One might suppose that Rommel, who seemed at his best when commanding fast-moving, hard-hitting mobile forces, was the only senior commander who might have obeyed Hitler’s orders in August and led what remained of Germany’s armored forces during their all-or-nothing counterattack into the Mortain pocket, but the Desert Fox never got the chance.
In The End
Rommel’s performance in Normandy, even though it eventually led to the defeat of German forces in that theater, underlines the validity of his being one of the outstanding commanders in World War II. Despite extraordinary obstacles, he maximized the potential of the defenders. He reacted to Allied moves with flexibility and imagination. He inspired his immediate subordinates as well as the troops on the sharp end. And he warned of the consequences that would occur should the Allies gain a successful lodgment on the Continent.
Viewed with suspicion and even scorn by his contemporaries, Rommel’s performance at every level of command from company to army clearly demonstrates that he is worthy of the praise heaped upon him by historians and professional soldiers in the years since his death. Having experienced the resolve, tenacity and might of the Western Allies firsthand, as the hour for the start of Operation Overlord approached, it was the Desert Fox more than any other German field marshal who understood what the Führer and his generals had to do if they were to have any hope of defeating Dwight D. Eisenhower’s mighty host. It is to his credit that unlike so many of those who criticized his strategic ideas, Rommel was unafraid to confront Hitler with the awful truth that Germany was now at the edge of the abyss. It was this independence of mind that made his death a certainty but also ensured that his legacy as one of Germany’s most outstanding commanders would stand the test of time.
This article was written by Williamson Murray and originally appeared in the June 2006 issue of World War II magazine. For more great articles subscribe to World War II magazine today!
Sponsored Content:Collecting The Precious – Interview with Sculptor Tim Miller
at 8:56 am by February 20, 20128:56 am by elessar
Time for another artist interview! This is one of my favorite sculptors creating items that I personally collect. The sculptor is none other than the massively talented Tim Miller of T.K. Miller Sculpting. This talent is one who folks most likely have an item or two within their The Lord of the Rings collections and for sure if they collect items from the MARVEL Universe. I wanted to take the time for you all to get to know a little more about this great talent, especially since he truly knows how to bring Middle-Earth to life.
As I said, you probably have items from sculpted by Mr. Miller within your collection of The Lord of the Rings. Tim has been responsible for bringing to life characters such as Gandalf the Grey, Frodo Baggins, Samwise Gamgee, and my personal favorite, dwarf Gimli, son of Gloin. These items range from Sideshow Collectibles 1:6th action figure line to the new statue line. The latest item from Mr. Miller is the Gimli, son of Gloin statue which we just reviewed recently and is a great example of Mr. Miller’s skill.
1. Tim, Can you tell us how you got |
random rather than crafted by an actual level designer.
All these elements combined would be enough to make Sonic 2006 handily the worst entry in the series, but its status as a shining beacon of awfulness is owed to something more fundamental. Even if the game had been programmed competently, had its time-wasting fat trimmed, and its levels redesigned with the focus of the Genesis classics, Sonic 2006 would still be a bad game because the ideas at its core were unsalvageable. A grittier Sonic set in a realistic world populated by lifelike humans, telling a melodramatic tale of apocalypse and time-travel—it’s a premise too insurmountably terrible to generate a good result. Sega, to its credit, at least learned from the game’s thermonuclear failure. The next main entry in the series, Sonic Unleashed, went for a more cartoonish look, and with its follow-up Sonic Colors, the series rediscovered its strength for whimsical tales with light tones. Sega would only take one more crack at Sonic 2006-style long-form storytelling and world building, and it would smartly bury it in a handheld spin-off.
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Weirdest: Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood (2008)
In 2006, just as Sonic The Hedgehog was in the middle of crashing and burning, Sega teamed up with BioWare, the legendary role-playing juggernaut, to create a Sonic RPG. The intention—perhaps inspired by Square and Nintendo’s fruitful collaboration on Super Mario RPG a decade earlier—was to combine two great, dissimilar game styles into something both familiar and unique. At this point in time, BioWare was most famous for its adaptations of Dungeons & Dragons and Star Wars, and strange though it may sound, the Sonic series, like those two, had a large cast of colorful characters, an interesting setting, and an established fan base. It could have been just crazy enough to work. Instead, the result was 2008’s Sonic Chronicles: The Dark Brotherhood for the Nintendo DS, a game that was less “chocolate and peanut butter” and more “toothpaste and orange juice.”
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Sonic Chronicles was produced between the public bed-wetting of Sonic 2006 and the minor course correction of Sonic Unleashed, when it wasn’t yet totally clear that a narrative-heavy Sonic was an inherently crummy idea. Falling into that trap, Chronicles started by taking Sonic’s 15 years worth of stand-alone adventures and recasted them as chapters of a single epic story. This meant that the destruction of a major city by a vengeful god in Sonic Adventure, a giant space-faring lizard nearly destroying the Earth in Sonic Adventure 2, and 4,000-year-old combat droids being dug up in the instantly forgotten Sonic Battle were all expected to carry equal weight in the game’s mythology. The people at BioWare, to their credit, poured their hearts into building one of their signature RPGs on top of this nonsense—the focus on a core group of characters, the branching dialogue trees, and even a codex for catching up on the game’s lore are all present here—but the foundation just isn’t strong enough to support it.
Sonic Chronicles is also an aesthetic fiasco. BioWare had the good sense to drop the hyper-realistic look that helped sink Sonic 2006, but walked it too far back. The world of Chronicles looks like a cheaply made Saturday morning cartoon, lacking the vitality and specificity of the Genesis and post-Unleashed games. Sonic and pals themselves almost always look vaguely off-model, like something from an amateur’s DeviantArt profile, which is distracting at first but becomes increasingly hilarious as the game goes on. Most confusing of all is how the game’s music ended up so pitifully generic. BioWare’s in-house composers had worked magic with Mass Effect’s score just a year earlier, and even Sonic’s worst games tend to bring the jams—Sonic 2006 itself has some genuine rippers on its soundtrack—but the personality-free bleeps and bloops of the Chronicles score is some of the saddest stuff to ever come out of a Nintendo DS’ speakers.
Perhaps the wildest thing about Sonic Chronicles is how close it comes to succeeding before it fails. Unlike Sonic 2006, which was doomed from day one, there was actual potential for a Sonic RPG that the game almost taps into. When it sidelines its needlessly convoluted story of inter-dimensional invaders to just hang out with Sonic and the gang, the potential strengths of a character-driven Sonic game shine through. Amusingly enough, that focus on characters is where the Sonic series finds itself today, with the cast-focused Sonic Boom spin-off. The Sonic Boom cartoon is a treat, demonstrating that, by now, the series’ cast is strong enough to support a low-stakes hangout show. Unfortunately, the first game in that series was another one of Sonic’s many flops. The hedgehog is back in one of the series’ many valleys right now, but given how wildly the quality of these games can change from entry to entry, he’ll be back on a mountain before long—or at least exploring an interesting off-the-beaten-path loop-the-loop.June 1963
Intro to Exoplanets
“A planet-sized ‘dark companion’ has been discovered revolving around a dim star some six light-years distant in the direction of the constellation of Ophiuchus. The ‘sun’ of this solar system is Barnard's star, otherwise known chiefly for having the largest motion across the sky of any star. The planet is 50 percent more massive than Jupiter; it has been named Barnard's star B by its discoverer, Peter van de Kamp of Swarthmore College. Van de Kamp pointed out that although Barnard's star and its companion are the third known ‘solar system’ outside our own, they constitute the first such pair in which the companion is small enough to be classified confidently as a planet.”
Post-Babel
“Machine translation of Chinese would seem to offer the only realistic hope of giving the West ready access to the manners, achievements and aspirations of a fourth of the human race. The Indo-Chinese group of nations, with a population of about 750 million, is currently publishing in newspapers, journals and books about three billion words a year. Less than 1 per cent of this vast output is now being translated and republished in English, French or German (undoubtedly a larger percentage is being translated into Russian). Automatic translation is needed because human translators cannot handle the volume or hope to acquire the special technical vocabulary needed.”
June 1913
Submarine Communication
“The Navy Department has adopted a ‘submarine violin’ for the transmission of messages between submarine torpedo boats and shore stations or other vessels. The mechanism is an adaptation of the violin. From one side of the submarine project two steel stays. From the ends of these is stretched taut a piano wire. Touching the wire is the roughened rim of a wheel which, when it revolves, sets up vibrations in the wire. An ordinary Morse key is used, and dots and dashes are hummed on the wire. The experiments at Hampton Roads, Va., showed that the vibrations may be heard clearly at a distance of five miles.”
For a slide show on submarines and ships, see www.ScientificAmerican.com/jun2013/ships
Parachute Flaw
“That parachutes are not an absolute provision against accidents which may prove fatal, is shown by the harrowing experience of Arthur Lapham at the Aeronautical Society's flying carnival on Staten Island. With the Stevens pack [after A. Leo Stevens, a parachute pioneer] upon his back, Lapham was to drop a mile from a Wright biplane. At a height of a few hundred feet—three hundred, according to some spectators—Lapham slid from his seat and shot down. The parachute did not open, probably because the drop was too short. Fortunately for Lapham, he landed without injury on the marshy salt meadow flats near Prince's Bay. He was buried up to his armpits in mud and had to be dug out.”
June 1863
Camera before Film
“A very valuable aid to artistic culture of the hand and eye is found in the ‘camera obscura.’ The object to be depicted is reflected through the lens onto the mirrors and then onto the white paper or canvas below [where it can be traced or drawn]. The artist's hand is introduced through the side opening covered by the curtain. The newly patented model combines desirable qualities with an elegant exterior. Our illustration shows a perspective view of the device and a student depicting the City Hall of New York.”
Horsepower
“The experiments with steam-powered navigation on the Erie Canal are said to have proved unsatisfactory. One firm has taken the engines out of its boats and is having the vessels converted into horse-towing boats.”
Manpower
“Laborers are so scarce in Michigan that in some localities women have been obliged to labor in the fields. Wages are high.”Australia continues to fall in technology-ready global rankings because it is too risk-averse and conservative with IT spending.
The 2013 Global Information Technology rankings, produced by the World Economic Forum and released Thursday, put Australia at 18th, out of 144 nations, for business and government readiness to benefit from technology. It is down from 9th in 2004 and from 17th last year.
"Lifting productivity is front and centre of the economic agenda":?Innes Willox.
The nation’s ranking for individual technology use rose one spot to 15th, but dropped three places to 25th for business use and down 11 positions to 19th for government.
"This reinforces both the need for high-speed ubiquitous broadband but importantly, the critical need to invest in lifting the skills needed to gain the greatest benefit from this infrastructure," Australian Industry (Ai) Group chief executive Innes Willox said of Australia's ranking.You're going to skip over whatever clever intro I write anyway so I'll just tell you that we're going to talk about three things today: the updated banned list and format philosophy document the changes to the banned list and the Rules Committee's process for deciding on banned cards. First what you tuned in for:
Banned
Unbanned
Banned As Commander
From the official release:
This banning was largely expected. While the card itself isn't overpowered it does have unfortunate interactions with the format namely that the commander is available to be cast even after the spell has resolved and our philosophy is to avoid cards like that. Since outside of this one quirk there aren't a lot of interesting applications to the card we don't anticipate it'll be missed much. Unlike...
One of the concerns that we've had recently is the overrepresentation of heavy ramp strategies to the point where it makes up a large proportion of the aggregate decks out there. While we think ramp should be good—this is battlecruiser Magic after all—it's probably a little too prevalent and needs reining in a bit. With that in mind we're banning the most egregious offender.
This decision won't be universally popular. is dripping with awesomeness and we ourselves are big fans of the card. But its ubiquity and effect on games couldn't be ignored and sad though we are to see it go we think it will make for a more interesting and diverse format.
Kokusho
It's appropriate that Kokusho comes off at the same time as Prime Time goes on as Kokusho was originally banned along the same lines. Its presence had a similar warping effect on the format in the early days with too many decks reusing the Dragon over and over (even if it didn't start in their deck!). However in the intervening time graveyard hate has become stronger and the overall level of creature power has risen to the point where we're comfortable—more so after some testing—that it won't have the same impact.
It remains banned as a commander because the mechanics of being a commander allow it to circumvent the best method of dealing with it—the aforementioned graveyard hate. Getting it into exile as a creature is the end of it. As a commander it's license to start again.
Commander Official Banned List and Philosophy
The banned list for Commander is designed not to balance competitive play but to help shape in the minds of its fans the vision held by its founders and Rules Committee. That vision is to create variable interactive and epic multiplayer games where memories are made to foster the social nature of the format and to underscore that competition is not the format's primary goal. It sets out to define the parameters of official Commander while recognizing that local groups may wish to modify things to suit their own needs.
The official banned list is as follows with further discussion of the ideals and philosophies below.
Ruby Pearl Emerald and Jet
(NEW)
(NEW)
Additionally the following legendary creatures are banned as commanders:
The Rules Committee's goal for Commander is for it to be different than other Magic games. Where competitive formats seek to balance the playing field for all styles and strategies we want to encourage a style of game that is more open and directed towards all players having a good time regardless of who wins. This is summarized as: "Create games that you'd love to remember not the ones others would like to forget."
While the banned list helps to define what can be played Commander is unique to Magic formats in that it seeks to shape the mindset of the game before players ever start building decks pointing them in the direction of thinking socially before they choose their first card. It recognizes that due to the Eternal nature of the format there are too many cards to try to shape it via only the banned list but that infusing the decklist construction approach with these philosophies is important; it is easier to build decks designed to maximize fun than it is to pull punches while playing the game
This is the direction of the format with full understanding that it's not for everyone. We recognize that without drastic measures (like a 200-card banned list) we can't actually prevent an individual from breaking the format. What we can do is create a social environment where that individual doesn't want to or at the very least is discouraged from doing so.
The banned list contains the worst of the offenders for games being played in the spirit described above those that to us are obvious choices in steering the format towards the general style of games we'd like to promote. While we've tried to make it fairly objective there will always be a measure of subjectivity since different people evaluate cards and their impacts differently. We'd like the banned list to be as small as possible to make it easily understandable for the players and manageable for us meaning we're not going to ban every card that someone finds unpleasant to play against. It is not a problem that some cards are strong.
In creating the banned list there are several factors that are only taken into small consideration if at all:
Competitive. There are Commander tournaments but this philosophy simply doesn't take them into account. We feel that to do so violates the ideal of the social format.
One on One Play. A 1v1 community exists (and the French community has created a banned list for it) but Commander is designed as a multiplayer format.
While we'd like to maintain a measure of consistency (we wouldn't for example ban and not ) we want to avoid the minefield of "cascading" bans ("if this is banned then that should be banned") because it inevitably leads to an unmanageable list.
There are several criteria that carry weight in Rules Committee discussions on individual cards. It is sometimes the intersection of these criteria that lead a card to be banned not a single unified rule. Common criteria include:
Creates Undesirable Games / Game Situations. Some cards produce the kinds of games we'd like to avoid and we see them as creating a negative experience for a majority of the player base. They tend to be anticlimactic wins out of nowhere unexpected combos that end an otherwise enjoyable game or creating situations which completely take play of the game away from the other players. This includes some cards that have a casting cost far too low for their effect or whose abilities simply break the format at any cost.
Warps the Format Strategically. Commander decks are about variety and if a strategy becomes sufficiently omnipresent that the games become very similar even across different playgroups we may need to try to rein in the presence of that deck.
Produces Too Much Mana Too Quickly. Commander is a format about epic plays but the turn 10 epic play happening on turn 3 is deflating. Limited acceleration is good but we don't want the format to turn into "who can go off earliest" so we rein in large quantities of early mana.
Interacts Badly with the Structure of Commander. Magic is not designed with Commander in mind and the different rules especially the presence of the commander in the command zone can create degenerate or unfortunate situations. This is also why some cards are acceptable as one of the 99 but not as commanders.
Creates a Perceived High Barrier to Entry. Because it's a non-competitive format we don't want players to feel as though they need to spend a great deal of money to be able to play. It is not sufficient for a card to simply be expensive—expected ubiquity and the availability of suitable replacements are also considered. This rule is mostly invoked for cards fifteen or more years out of print and is unlikely to impact the list further.
Local Groups
We believe that both official Commander and local variants can successfully coexist. What works in the broader audience may not resonate around your local game shop or kitchen table. We encourage you to modify both philosophy and banned list locally to suit your own needs while being aware that when you travel outside your local area perhaps even on the other side of town you'll need to be ready to play with the official rules including the appropriate spirit. Likewise when new players enter your playgroup they may have expectations closer to this official philosophy and it will usually help the transition to discuss why they/you do things a particular way.
How We Got There
If you'll notice there's not actually anything new or previously unsaid in the philosophy. The document is an effort to coalesce everything we've thought about and preached for a long time into something cohesive and coherent. It's an effort to help more folks understand the direction we're heading with the format. We all had input into it although I want to specifically thank Toby (who has some experience writing policy documents) for structuring my somewhat stream-of-consciousness thoughts into something with far better structure.
The point I want to focus most on is that we operate with guidance from this philosophy but an intentional lack of specific objectivity in banned list decisions. The primary reason is that we don't want to back ourselves into corners ("OMG meets the criteria! It must be banned!"). The second is managing this format's list is as much art as it is science. Some things simply can't be reasonably broken down mathematically and objectively. That's why we use the phrase "intersection of criteria." We'd much rather use a deft and delicate hand to guide things than a hammer to shape them.
The Process
We had a great three-hour meeting over IRC to discuss not just what we were going to do for September 20th but how we were going to do it now and for the future. We came up with a slightly more formalized methodology with which we're all quite happy. To make a long story short we use a weighted voting method that lets people express their opinion and how strongly they feel about individual cards. Weighted means per person per vote. No one member's vote is worth more than another.
We start by making a list of the cards on our radar. Then for each individual card there's a discussion where everyone expresses their opinions on the card—upsides downsides whatever anyone wants to talk about. When discussion is exhausted we vote. We use a –X to +X system minus meaning "ban" and plus meaning "unban/don't ban." We then tally the votes and if the result is far enough away from zero we take the appropriate action. If cards are in the near zero range we table them for the next meeting and further investigation in the interim.
I hope this is a sufficient amount of transparency into the process. We're not going to discuss individual votes only results and only in the abstract. Four of the six of us have Hall of Fame votes and although I'm personally fine with facing the scrutiny that being public about them brings I appreciate that some folks aren't and don't want or need the added baggage of that publicity. In a small group like ours even one member being public with their individual votes creates an easily assembled picture of the others so we'll avoid that as well.
We also don't feel as though publicizing the spread of values is of any particular merit. The voting methodology is there to provide us with an internal understanding of our collective positions not to create a formula by which we shackle ourselves. We use numbers that we're comfortable with that we feel give our group the right insight. I will tell you that actually scored slightly more on the negative side than did although both were clear mandates. That's despite the fact that I love playing with the card and that I had one in every green deck.
I believe that's a clear signal that we don't ban cards because we hate them (or because we've lost to them); we ban them because we think they're unhealthy for the format. Personally my major concern was that while Magic is at its heart a resource management game the format had become a resource acquisition game and as we mention in the official release Prime Time is the worst offender.
We're also not going to talk about all the cards that we discussed but took no action on. For one we don't want to create any panic for players or fodder for speculators. We found in the past that a watch list created more administrative work and headache than benefit which is why it was dropped it. I hope that you trust we talk about all the cards that are getting talked about by fans everywhere. Just like most of you we want the best experience for folks who play our favorite format.
I expect that we're going to get a great deal of discussion on the various forums about both the banned list updates and the philosophy section. We look forward to engaging in reasoned and polite discussion wherever it's to be had.In order to hypothesize about the evolutionary origins of grammar, it is essential to rely on some theory or model of human grammars. Interestingly, scholars engaged in the theoretical study of grammar (syntacticians), particularly those working within the influential framework associated with linguist Noam Chomsky, have been reluctant to consider a gradualist, selection-based approach to grammar. Nonetheless, these scholars have come up with an elaborate and precise theory of human grammars. It has recently been shown that this syntactic theory can in fact be used, precise as it is, to reconstruct the stages of the earliest grammars, and to even point to the constructions in present-day languages which resemble/approximate these early proto-grammars (Ljiljana Progovac, 2015, Evolutionary Syntax). These constructions can be considered “living fossils” of early grammars, as they have continued to live alongside more recently evolved structures (Ray Jackendoff, 2002, Foundations of Language: Brain, Meaning, Grammar, Evolution).
While some say that we can never figure out language origins because “language leaves no fossils,” my recent engagement with this topic leads me to the conclusion that language, and better yet, the thousands of human languages spoken today, reveal a multitude of living fossils and other clues to language origins. But it is only by using a coherent linguistic theory as a tool that one can access such fossils and clues. Moreover, due to recent advances in neuroscience and genetics, it is now possible to test hypotheses of this kind.
Following a reconstruction method mentioned above, one arrives at the initial stage of grammar which was an intransitive two-slot mold, and in which the subject/object distinction could not be expressed grammatically. In syntactic theory sentences and phrases are considered to be hierarchical constructs, consisting of several layers of structure, built in a binary fashion. Thus, to derive a sentence such as Deer will eat fish, we first put together the inner layer, the small clause (eat fish). The tense layer (will), and the transitivity layer (deer), are added only later on top of this small clause foundation. The transitivity layer enables the grammatical differentiation between subjects and objects (e.g. Deer eat fish; Eat fish by deer).
Importantly, the layer upon which the whole sentence rests is the inner, foundational (eat fish) layer, which can therefore be reconstructed as the initial stage of grammar. The unspecified role of the noun in this layer can be characterized as the absolutive role, as such roles are not directly sensitive to the subject/object distinction. Absolutive-like roles are found not only in languages that are classified as ergative-absolutive, but probably in all languages, in some guise or another. Human languages in fact differ widely with respect to how they express transitivity, and this reconstructed absolutive-like basis provides the common denominator, the foundation from which all the variation can arise. Given this approach, variation in the expression of transitivity can shed light on the hominin timeline, as well as the timing of the emergence of different stages of grammar.
One absolutive-like living fossil is found among verb-noun compounds, such as English: cry-baby, kill-joy, tattle-tale, turn-coat, scatter-brain, tumble-dung (insect); Serbian cepi-dlaka (split-hair; hair-splitter), ispi-čutura (drink-up flask; drunkard), vrti-guz (spin-but; fidget), jebi-vetar (screw-wind; charlatan); and Twi (spoken in Ghana) kukru-bin (roll-feces; beetle). If we compare compounds such as turn-table and turn-coat, we observe that the first describes a table that turns (table is subject-like), and the second describes somebody who turns his/her coat, metaphorically speaking (coat is object-like). But these two compounds are assembled by exactly the same grammar: the two-slot verb-noun mold, unable to make subject/object distinctions.
It is important that this kind of two-slot grammar, combining a verb-like and a noun-like element, is not completely out of reach for non-humans. The bonobo Kanzi has been reported to have mastered such syntax in his use of lexigrams and gestures (Patricia Greenfield and Sue Savage-Rumbaugh, 1990, “Language and intelligence in monkeys and apes”). If Kanzi is in principle capable of (sporadic) two-sign combinations, then it is conceivable that at least some individuals of our common ancestor with bonobos were, too. Researchers sometimes assume that seeking continuity of grammar with animal capabilities entails finding identical abilities. But that cannot be right, for, after all, humans had millions of years to undergo selection for language abilities since the time of our common ancestor with bonobos. Continuity should thus be sought in the most rudimentary precursors to language abilities.
In addition to being illustrative of a most basic grammar, it is intriguing that verb-noun compounds in many languages specialize for derogatory reference and insult when referring to humans. There have existed many crude, obscene representatives of such compounds in various languages, the vast majority of which, however, have been lost and forgotten. In medieval times alone, thousands of such compounds were used, certainly many more than nature needs. Such abundance, indeed extravagance, is usually associated with display and sexual selection, the force that has also created the peacock’s tail. Just like with the peacock’s tail, what a species selects for is not necessarily good or superior in some lofty sense, or for long-term purposes. It may just be what is found interesting and novel at some particular juncture, in some particular location. As Charles Darwin noted, primates suffer from neophilia (love of novelty), and the human species is certainly guilty of that (Darwin, 1872, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals).
Featured image credit: ‘2100 year old human footprints preserved in volcanic mud near the lake in Managua, Nicaragua’ by Dr d12. CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia CommonsImage copyright EPA Image caption Policeman guard the Supreme Electoral Court, where a hearing could end Brazilian Michel Temer's term in office
Brazil's Superior Electoral Court has deliberated but delayed voting on a case which could topple the country's President, Michel Temer.
The court, tasked with overseeing the electoral process, is looking at whether the 2014 elections were won using illegal campaign donations.
These were the elections that Dilma Rousseff won, with Mr Temer as her running mate.
Ms Rousseff has since been impeached and replaced by Mr Temer.
She was accused of illegally moving funds between government budgets.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Brazil's President Michel Temer's time in office could come to a premature end
As a result, Mr Temer took over as Brazil's president in August 2016.
However, this case - which was paused in April - could render the entire result from 2014 invalid, meaning he too could be removed from office.
Which way will the judges rule?
Seven judges are overseeing the case.
Their hearing on Wednesday was marked by clashes between the rapporteur of the case and the president of the court, but no vote was held.
Instead, more sessions have been scheduled to take place over the next three days.
If the judges rule that the election campaign was indeed illegally financed, then the elections could be annulled and Mr Temer will be out of a job.
But that is the most straightforward scenario, BBC South America correspondent Katy Watson writes. Experts warn it probably will not be so simple.
They could implicate the entire Rousseff-Temer ticket or implicate just Ms Rousseff. And even if Mr Temer is implicated and out of a job, he could appeal or the judges could ask for more time to consider the case.
It seems the only thing that is certain is that there is unlikely to be much more clarity by the end of the week.
What happened in Tuesday's proceedings?
In the first of the four court sessions, the prosecution set out its case and defence lawyers responded.
Mr Temer did not appear and local media report that he cancelled an official event to watch the court session on TV in the presidential palace.
His lawyer said Mr Temer should not have to pay the price for the history of corruption in Brazil but the prosecution argued that there had been a clear abuse of economic power.
The judges did not cast any votes.
Riot police lined up outside the Superior Electoral Court but only a small number of protesters were there.
How is this being received in Brazil?
The case comes at an especially difficult time for Brazilian politics, which has been in a state of crisis for a while now.
Since March 2014, the country's largest-ever corruption investigation, known as Operation Car Wash, has implicated some of Brazil's biggest names. A third of the cabinet are under investigation for corruption.
Then last month, leaked audio recordings surfaced that seemed to show the president encouraging the payment of hush money to Eduardo Cunha, the former lower house speaker who led the impeachment process against Ms Rousseff.
At first sight, this case taking place in Brasilia seems unconnected to the latest uproar because it started before the audio recordings surfaced. But it is all dirty politics, say experts.
"I think they're part of the same phenomenon," says Ivar Hartmann, a professor at the Getulio Vargas Foundation Law school in Rio de Janeiro.
Referring to Michel Temer trying to keep Eduardo Cunha quiet, he says: "That's part of the same type of corruption that was used in the 2014 campaign so they're all related."
And the allegations against Mr Temer are so serious that they are expected to play a part in any ruling.
Image copyright EPA Image caption Mr Temer's predecessor, Dilma Rousseff, has already been removed
"There's a big political element to it, a political calculus to it," says Joao Augusto de Castro Neves, the Latin America director at the Eurasia Group.
"Even though the case does not specifically deal with the recording of two weeks ago, that recording does provide a backdrop, a context in which judges will make a decision."
Will Temer stay or will he go?
Even before the recordings surfaced, Mr Temer had approval ratings in the single digits. But among the political and business elite he was tolerated, partly because he was trying to push through pension reforms aimed at reshaping and improving Brazil's ailing economy.
But despite the country exiting its longest-ever recession last week, his future still hangs in the balance.
"We thought before that as long as Temer was being seen as the answer to the political crisis, and by keeping the reform momentum going in Congress, things were starting to improve," says Mr de Castro Neves.
"We thought that that would make judges at the Electoral Court a little bit more risk-averse, meaning if they take Temer out, the cost of removing Temer is too high, basically plunging the country back into instability."
Image copyright AFP Image caption Riot police guarded the Superior Electoral Court (TSE) building in Brasilia on Tuesday
But that calculation is shifting day by day with the drip-drip of new leaks, allegations and arrests.
Whether or not the judges come to a decision at the end of this week, Mr Temer's role may be untenable if uncertainty continues and he loses political support.
But if Mr Temer is pushed out of office, there will be the added complication of who replaces him and how.
According to the Brazilian constitution, if there are fewer than two years left in a term, Congress will choose a caretaker president to govern until the 2018 elections.
But nobody really knows the rules of this kind of election because it has never happened before.
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Brazil could be without an elected president until 2018
People here are fed up. They say they did not elect Mr Temer in the 2014 election.
They want direct elections so they can choose a new leader rather than have it chosen by a Congress that is seen as part of the problem.
Brazil's politics have gone from the sublime to the ridiculous. Brazil is now in uncharted territory, experts say.This is a rush transcript. Copy may not be in its final form.
AMY GOODMAN: We turn now to the Bahraini human rights activist Zainab Alkhawaja. We spoke with her just after she was released from prison by the Bahraini government after nearly a year behind bars. At the time, she faced a return to prison pending her court appearance on charges of damaging police property, defacing a picture of the king, insulting a police officer. The following day, her case was postponed until March 3rd, next week. Zainab Alkhawaja joined us last Tuesday via Democracy Now! video stream. I spoke with her along with Nermeen Shaikh and began by asking her to talk about how she felt to be free.
ZAINAB ALKHAWAJA: Wow! It feels like a dream. I keep expecting to wake up and see myself inside my cell.
AMY GOODMAN: Talk about your time in prison. You’ve been in prison for almost a year.
ZAINAB ALKHAWAJA: Mm-hmm. Well, what I feel about prison is that it’s a place where they try to break a person. It’s a place where you feel like you can be humiliated at any minute and on any given day. So, it can be a very stressful situation if you don’t look at the bigger picture and the cause that you’re sacrificing for.
My time in prison was a little bit difficult. The prison in Bahrain is a very, very dirty, filthy place. Seeing cockroaches and bed bugs and all kinds of insects is a daily thing. The number of prisoners inside the prison is way too many. We have people sleeping on the ground. There’s not enough beds. The rooms are very small. We cannot move in and out of our cells a lot. And also, we had a very difficult time convincing them to let us go out and get some air and get some sunlight. So, actually, for the first six months in prison, I was not let out of the prison. So sometimes it does feel like a grave.
But when I came out, the first thing I did say was, one year in prison is nothing. And I say that because it’s nothing compared to what we’re willing to sacrifice for our goals, for democracy in our country. And we’re going to continue on this path. We started on a path, and we’re determined to continue on it until we reach our goal.
AMY GOODMAN: What is your goal? What are you calling for?
ZAINAB ALKHAWAJA: We’re calling for a country where every Bahraini is respected, every Bahraini is treated equally. We’re calling for a country where we feel we have rights, where we feel we have dignity, where people can’t step all over us, can’t torture and kill and get away with these things. We’re living in a country, basically, where the criminals are the most powerful people in the country, and where a lot of us actually feel proud when we’re in jail, because we know that in Bahrain, when you go to jail, it means you did something right and not wrong. It should be the other way around. It should be that people who are activists, people who are calling for rights, they should be the ones who are on the outside and working, and criminals, people who are killing, people who are torturing, they’re the ones who should be in jail. But it’s all the other way around. But at the same time, I say that in Bahrain I do not feel pity for all those people who are in prison, all the injured protesters. I feel proud when I see them. I feel pity for our oppressors, because what they do is breaking them inside. We’re not broken. We sacrifice, but we feel proud, and we hold our heads up high.
NERMEEN SHAIKH: Zainab, how do you respond to criticism of the anti-government movement that claims that it’s being funded exclusively by Iran in an attempt to make the region more Shia-sympathetic?
ZAINAB ALKHAWAJA: I mean, in Bahrain, Sunnis and Shias have lived side by side for generations. There’s intermarriage. We have—like, all friends are Sunnis and Shia, and we usually can’t even tell each other apart. The people who are trying to make it into a sectarian thing is the government. They’re the ones who are really trying, putting all their effort into making it a sectarian thing. Another thing is that Bahrainis are very proud Arabs. We have nothing to do with Iran. We started this revolution calling for our rights. I mean, we’ve lived under the same monarchy for more than 200 years. It’s actually—it’s really strange that nothing has happened before. This revolution is long overdue. People are supposed to stand up and call for their rights. It’s the 21st century. Everywhere we go, we see democracy, we see freedom, in other countries. We see civil liberties. And over here, we’re supposed to keep quiet just so that nobody accuses us of doing something just because we’re Shia. I think it makes a whole lot of sense what’s happening in Bahrain. We |
point it makes more sense to list the enormous number of bands that they have influenced, rather than which ones they sound like ― but live, there's only one Deerhoof.
Japandroids ― Japandroids landed a knockout punch with their sweaty, adrenaline-fueled set at Pygmalion '09. That show came on the heels of the massive success of Post Nothing, while this set comes as they work on a follow-up. They may have even more to prove this time.
Xiu Xiu ― Xiu Xiu has spent most of its (Jamie Stewart's) career just outside the big time, mostly because of the band's refusal to ease into expected norms. They're definitely a "love them or hate them" type of band, and their fans tend to love them A LOT. Though describing the band's "sound" would be pointless, it's clear their influences run the gamut, including everything from the Smiths to Tom Waits.
Starfucker ― Most people's main exposure to this band is probably that time they tried to change their name to the almost-funnier Pyramidd. However, those who saw them last time they came through town know that they're far more serious (and fun!) than their name implies.
The Hood Internet ― Though the excitement surrounding recorded mashups has kind of run its course, mashups in the live setting remain a big draw because bands like The Hood Internet keep you guessing ― and keep you moving.
Viva Voce ― This husband/wife duo was tipped to be the next big thing a few years back ― recall that they headlined a show in 2006 over Headlights and a pre-"Lazy Eye" Silversun Pickups ― but never really seemed to break through. That doesn't mean they haven't stopped making music, and their distinctly northwestern take on blues-rock leads the band to some interesting spaces. Plus, the woman in this band plays a fucking double neck.
Owen ― Again. And always.
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin ― They come through town really often, but that's only because they have a huge local fanbase, and are rock-solid live. Sing along, kids.
Asobi Seksu ― This band does not put on any pretense. On the front page of their website they spell it out for you: dream pop. And it is good.
Jessica Lea Mayfield ― The Ohio singer/songwriter is a recent NPR favorite, and plays a downtempo style that calls to mind a country leaning Sharon Van Etten. She's toured with Jay Farrar and Band of Horses, and just released her second full-length this February, entitled Tell Me.
Unknown Mortal Orchestra ― The appearance of this band was more or less tipped off by the Pygmalion Facebook page a couple of weeks ago where they were called "dope." Fat Possum is releasing their debut album in June and the song on the website sounds pretty good ― kind of like a mix between Midnite Vultures Beck and those Sesame Street disco counting segments of the early eighties. That should translate well to the live setting.
Brass Bed ― The Louisiana five-piece play the exuberant indie pop that's been all over the blogosphere as of late. They do it well, too.
Ivan and Alyosha ― This Seattle band seems to owe a debt to the same late-sixties lush folk pop that the Fleet Foxes adhere to. That's a pretty good formula.
Ava Luna ― There's no getting around that this New York group sounds a lot like the Dirty Projectors ― that's a good thing in our book. Their electronic/soul flourishes add an interesting dimension that push them past imitation into flattery.
Adam Arcuragi ― Arcuragi is a singer/songwriter who has been making the rounds for a couple of years. Nothing earth-shattering, but he seems to do that heady lyrics and soulful singing thing very well.
Grave Babies ― You can't not love a band whose most popular song is called "Eating Babies." Oh, and they're a lo-fi/goth band from Seattle.
The Parson Red Head ― Another band that is a throwback to an earlier era, the Parsons part of their name is probably not an accident. This is the kind of feel-good Americana that goes down very nice.
(Alphabetical order for the locals)
An Evening With Your Mother ― A band that may or may not contain high school students. They play folk music and are earnest.
Common Loon ― While they haven't been playing out too often recently, aside from that ultra left-field opening slot for Girl Talk, these guys are most certainly still kicking. They're one of the most reliably great live bands in town, and something tells me they aren't looking to lose that reputation anytime soon.
The Dirty Feathers ― Now that they've released the Pistol Hills single you can't call them one of the great unrecorded bands in town. They're no less awesome, though.
Elsinore ― Back with a vengeance after a forced injury hiatus, Elsinore are looking to get back on top of our corner of the world. If the new material they played at Record Store Day is any indication, they've dialed up the experimentalism and power.
The Fresh Kills ― Look for them to be playing songs from their as of yet untitled second album, including the excellent "I'm From the Midwest, I'm Softspoken."
Grandkids ― Still playing behind the excellent Sister Walls EP, the Urbana four-piece have gone from awkward Freshmen to a confident, cohesive unit, and their live performances reflect that. Plus, they might do that awesome Joanna Newsom cover.
Iron Tigers ― Charleston, Illinois folk/country representing.
The Leadership ― Even if you've heard Frontiers, you're missing out if you don't see them live, where things are apt to turn into a rock and roll raveup.
Roberta Sparrow ― These guys have been around as long as anybody in town, and their live shows are an exercise in practice. Even on the most off of days, they never fail to get a pit going.
Take Care ― They're local stalwarts at this point, and for good reason ― mainly their ferocious live shows. Plus, that long-rumored second EP might actually show up by the time September rolls around.
That's No Moon ― Former JigGsaw members, well worth a listen if you liked that band's dancier material.
Withershins ― These guys have some seriously great new material, and have morphed into an extremely tight live unit in the last few months. Recommended.Over a month ago, on August 5, 2010, the roof of the San Jose copper and gold mine collapsed, trapping 33 miners inside, 700 meters (2,300 ft) below ground near Copiapo, Chile. The fate of the miners was not immediately known - it took 17 days before a drill reached their refuge, discovering them alive and well. Rescue work began immediately, but even with several concurrent plans underway, the quickest likely rescue will still take two to three months. Until then, the 33 men will have to endure high temperatures and humidity in isolated conditions. A video link has been established, many relatives have set up camp nearby, and food, air, messages and supplies are delivered by several narrow boreholes. Fluorescent lights with timers are to be sent down to attempt to keep the men on a normal schedule by imitating day and night as they care for each other and assist in their own rescue. Once it reaches them, the diameter of the rescue borehole will be very narrow. so each miner will have to ensure they have a waistline of no more than 90 cm (35 in) to escape. ( 42 photos totalby RT
As a US military judge decides the fate of former army intelligence analyst Bradley Manning, activists in dozens of cities across the world are calling for the Convening Authority on the case to free the whistleblower.
Protests are taking place in dozens of cities throughout the US and the world, in what has been dubbed the “International Day of Action.”
London protesters held banners proclaiming “Free Bradley Manning” in Trafalgar Square, although the number of demonstrators was not large. Protests took place in a number of other international cities, including Brussels and Perth, Australia.
The demonstrations are designed to coincide with the anticipated sentencing phase of Bradley Manning’s trial. The whistleblower could find himself faced with life in prison.
Protests in support of Bradley Manning were also organized in at least 40 German cities, including Hamburg, Munich, and Berlin, with the largest rally taking place in Frankfurt.
Initial protests began on Friday, as the prosecution and defense wrapped up their arguments. Demonstrators blocked the gates of Ft. McNair in Washington D.C., where the office of Jeffrey S. Buchanan – the Convening Authority overseeing the trial – is located. They held banners which read,“Buchanan, the choice is yours” and “truth not treason.”
“It’s time we reclaim the word ‘patriot.’ The kind of patriot we need today is not someone who defends all of our country’s history and actions, it’s someone willing to stand up for our country’s future, taking risks to ensure it’s a just one,” campaign organizer Emma Cape from the Bradley Manning Support Network said in a speech at Ft. McNair.
Veterans who served in Vietnam and Iraq, as well as activists from Yemen and Iraq, also spoke at the event. A representative from the US Peace Memorial Foundation, which awarded Manning their 2013 Peace Prize, was also present.
Twenty-five-year-old Manning faces a potential life sentence for leaking hundreds of military and diplomatic cables and documents to WikiLeaks. He has pleaded guilty to mishandling classified information, which carries a maximum 20 year sentence. He faces life in prison for charges of aiding the enemy, espionage, computer fraud, and federal theft.
The prosecution has called Manning a “glory-seeking traitor,” while his defense team says he is a naïve whistleblower who was horrified by atrocities of the Iraq war. The lawyers added that Manning had no idea that the material he leaked would end up in the hands of al-Qaeda and Osama bin Laden.
Defense attorney David Coombs said that although Manning was negligent in releasing classified material, he lacked the “evil intent” which must be proven in order to be convicted of aiding the enemy. Coombs also said that giving the material to Wikileaks was no different than giving it to a newspaper.
After his arrest in May 2010, Manning was detained alone in a cell for up to 23 hours a day, sometimes with no clothing. His jailers at the Marine Corps base in Quantico, Virginia admit he was a suicide risk.
The military judge who is deciding Manning’s fate, Col. Denise Lind, has ruled that he has been illegally punished and should get up to 112 days off any prison sentence he receives. Lind has said she will give one day’s notice before reconvening the court in August to announce the verdict.
Wikileaks founder Julian Assange said in a telephone press conference on Friday that if Manning is convicted, it will be “the end of national security journalism in the United States.”
Image Reference
Twitter/John ZangasWestern hemisphere's poorest country has struggled to build stable democracy ever since overthrow of dictatorship of Duvalier family
(Updates after polls close)
By Peter Granitz
PORT-AU-PRINCE, Oct 25 (Reuters) - Voting in Haiti on Sunday went relatively smoothly in landmark elections for president and parliament, with officials hoping clean results will cement democracy in the Western hemisphere's poorest country.
Apart from long lines and a late start at a few polling stations there were no reports of major problems, a sharp contrast to a first round of legislative elections in August, according to officials and reports from independent observers.
"This is much better," said Pierre Esperance, director of the National Human Rights Defense Network. "The police are taking their responsibilities more seriously," he added, alluding to criticism of lax policing of polling stations in August.
If all goes well, it will be first time in Haiti's rocky political history that three democratic elections have been held in succession without interruption by fraud or armed rebellion.
More than 5 million registered voters are choosing from 54 presidential candidates, with results not due for a week.
The successor to President Michel Martelly next February is expected to be one of two candidates: Jovenel Moïse, owner of a banana-exporting business in the north of the country, and Jude Célestin, a Swiss-educated mechanical engineer who previously headed a government construction agency.
Moïse, 37, represents the ruling Parti Haitien Tet Kale (Haitian Party of Bald Heads) named after Martelly's famously smooth scalp.
He is running neck and neck in polls with Célestin, 53, who heads the LAPEH Party (Alternative League for Progress and Emancipation of Haiti).
A run-off for the presidential race between the top two candidates is scheduled for Dec. 27.
Martelly, a popular singer, shook up the political order with his election victory in 2011 as the country was still reeling from a devastating earthquake. But critics say he failed to halt corruption and political infighting.
The Caribbean nation of about 10 million people has struggled to build a stable democracy ever since the overthrow of the dictatorship of the Duvalier family, which led Haiti from 1957 to 1986, and ensuing military coups and election fraud.
The legislative vote is crucial to fill a vacuum after Haiti's parliament dissolved in January when terms ran out on sitting members due to elections being long delayed.
Security was tightened after violence by gangs of rival political activists disrupted voting in August's first round. (Writing by David Adams; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Eric Walsh)
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.In 2011, in the German province of Saxony-Anhalt, archaeologists were surveying a battlefield from a long-ago war when they detected the edge of a pit. As they probed the area further, they found that they had discovered a mass grave.
They began to excavate a pit about 11.5 feet by 15 feet in size, but from the moment news of the discovery began to spread, the archaeologists, who worked for government agencies, worried that treasure hunters would start to raid the site. They had already found evidence of illegal excavations.
Usually, a find like this might be carefully dissected in the place where it was found. But in this case, in part because of their worries about theft, the archaeologists decided to “block lift” the bones from the site—to cut the entire mass grave out of the ground and transport it somewhere safe.
There were other reasons to keep the grave intact, too, as the archaeologists write in “The Face of War,” their recent PLOS One report. “By coincidence, or perhaps intentionally, the last body placed in the grave was lying in a different position to the other individuals, in a cruciform pose on top of the other deceased. This crucial aspect of the overall impression would have been lost if the usual method of ‘dissecting’ the block had been applied,” they write.
But perhaps most importantly, keeping the grave intact conserved the powerful image, seen above, of these 47 individuals who died in the war. To the archaeologists, it was “a representation of war in all its cruelty.”
A 19th century painting of the Battle of Lützen and the death of the Swedish king. Carl Wahlbom/Public domain
The people in this grave died during the Thirty Years’ War, the 17th-century conflict that reshaped the Holy Roman Empire, and they died in a battle known as one of the more pivotal and grisly conflicts of the war. Thousands of soldiers—perhaps as many as 9,000—died during the Battle of Lützen. The casualties included the King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, who had been fighting to extend Sweden’s territory and power.
How do archaeologists approach the analysis of a mass grave? In this case, after deciding to block-lift the grave out of the ground, they had to cut it in half, to keep pieces of the brittle block from “breaking off during recovery.” They used a wire saw to split the block in two; even then, each section weighed about 25 tons.
Once the grave was secured, the archaeologists began working in one corner of the burial feature, removing the soil until the skeletal remains emerged. In a mass grave, says Nicole Nicklisch, the lead author of the PLOS One paper, “It is important to recognize the position and orientation of the body, which may be very difficult in a mass grave; it can change from body to body.” Using small wooden tools and brushes, the archaeologist cleared the area around the bones.
A diagram showing each individual in the grave. Nicklisch et al./PLOS One
Until this point, they proceeded as they would have if the bones were still in the ground. But since they’d decided to preserve the grave as a whole, they did not remove the bones, which meant they could not observe some of the features in detail. Since there were only two layers of bodies, though, they were able to turn the block over, to examine the grave from the “back” and gather more information.
In the PLOS One report, the archaeologists describe the details of what they were able to learn about the people buried in this grave. There were 47 of them, most likely all men, although because they were not able to examine all the bones individually, there were 11 cases where they could not conclusively determine the person’s sex. They also tried to document how these people died, in order to better understand the realities of warfare at the time.
“I’m an anthropologist and osteoarchaeologist, so I’m always interested in analyzing skeletal remains to get information about cause of death,” says Nicklisch. “From the scientific perspective they tell us a lot about their fatal injuries and what happened on the battlefield, or at least in one area.” The Thirty Years’ War was fought in the period when guns were becoming more common on battlefields, and the evidence of it showed in the grave. “I’ve never seen so many gunshot wounds,” Nicklisch says. The team found that more than half of the men had gunshot wounds; others showed no obvious injuries and have may have died from gun wounds to their soft tissue.
Beyond the scientific reasons for excavating the grave and keeping it whole, the team also thought there was a powerful reason to preserve and display the grave, which was exhibited publicly for a period. “From an ethical point of view I have to emphasize that the exhibition of this grave was a statement against war,” says Nicklisch. “When we look at this mass grave, then we look in the face of war.”TORONTO — An international alert accusing a man living north of Toronto of being a mob boss went ignored by Canadian police because Canada does not recognize the crime of Mafia association, the tool used by the Italian government to tackle powerful organized crime groups, an immigration hearing heard Wednesday.
A warrant was issued in Italy for the arrest of Carmelo Bruzzese and registered with Interpol, the international police agency, on April 30, 2012, but he was not arrested even though local police agencies knew where he was living in Canada with his Canadian wife. He had even had interaction with police.
Instead, 16 months later, he was finally arrested in his home in Vaughan, Ont., on Aug. 23, 2013, by an immigration task force — but he is not charged with any crime, nor is he facing extradition to his homeland.
Rather, he faces an admissibility hearing before Canada’s Immigration and Refugee Board to determine if he should be deported from Canada as a foreign national engaged in organized crime.
On Wednesday, Major Giuseppe De Felice, a commanding officer with Rome’s anti-Mafia police, testified that an international alert for Mr. Bruzzese’s arrest had been sent to the world’s police forces.
“Were Mr. Bruzzese stopped in any part of the world, an official document would attest to the fact that he is a fugitive,” said Maj. De Felice, through a translator.
Asked by Mr. Bruzzese’s lawyer, Barbara Jackman, why such a so-called “Red Notice” from Interpol would not be acted on by Canadian police, Maj. De Felice said it is likely because Canada does not consider Mafia association to be an extraditable offense.
Under Canada’s criminal code, people are extradited from Canada to another country to stand trial only if they are accused of something that is also considered a crime in Canada. While Canada has gangsterism charges, they are only laid when there is also evidence of other, overt criminal acts linked to organized crime. Mere membership or association is not a crime here.
It is not that the Red Notice was not known by Canadian authorities, Maj. De Felice said, but rather, “it’s a question of what can be done when they see it.”
Mr. Bruzzese, who turned 65 in prison last week, is accused by authorities of being the head of a clan of the ’Ndrangheta, the proper name of the Mafia formed in the Italian region of Calabria. Maj. De Felice said Mr. Bruzzese’s clan is based in Grotteria, just inland from the Ionic coast.
Wednesday’s hearing also heard arguments over whether an article in the National Post should be entered as evidence. The June 26 front-page article quoted Mr. Bruzzese disputing Maj. De Felice’s testimony during a break in the hearing.
“This man from Italy is a big liar, eh?” Mr. Bruzzese said. “This is a big lie. I don’t know how much they pay him.”
Andrej Rustja, acting on behalf of the Canada Border Services Agency, said Maj. DeFelice was outraged by the implication he was paid to give untruthful testimony.
Mr. Rustja said he intends to ask the Major to clarify whether he is being paid for his testimony.
Ms. Jackman objected to the article being entered as evidence, saying she was dismayed the major would be “so petty” and incapable of handling Mr. Bruzzese’s expression of frustration over his continued detention.
The IRB decision maker, Ama Beecham, determined the article would become part of the case’s records.
“Mr. Bruzzese may have lashed out because of his ill health or his frustration,” Ms. Beecham ruled. “You can ask him if he wants to clarify his statement.”
Mr. Bruzzese, however, did not seem prepared to recant. During a break in proceedings he told the Post he stood by the statement that Maj. De Felice lied.
“It’s true,” he said with a grin and a shrug.
The hearing continues.
National Post
• Email: ahumphreys@nationalpost.com | Twitter: AD_Humphreysbom-arc.txt 10907
A Series of Messages by Ted Lapoint about Archaeology and the Book of Mormon jsmith.txt 6308
The Truth of Mormonism: The False Prophesy of Joseph Smith lds-1.txt 11012
The Jesus of Christianity vs. The Jesus of Mormonism lds-10.txt 6290
Ten Reasons Why I Can't Be a Mormon by Rev. John Hornok lds-11.txt 8074
Divine Truths in the Book of Mormon lds-12.txt 5323
A Letter to the National Museum of Natural History regarding The Book of Mormon lds-13.txt 2774
Mormons Own up to Joseph Smith's Occultism lds-14.txt 12658
The Nature of God lds-15.txt 14316
Latter-Day Saints and Hell lds-16.txt 3928
The Real Holy Spirit lds-17.txt 12177
The Jesus We Know Contrasted to the Jesus of Mormonism lds-18.txt 12945
LDS Statements Concerning the Negro lds-19.txt 8697
Salvation Through Christ vs. The Exaltation of Man lds-2.txt 12159
The Nature of God lds-20.txt 18840
Mormonism's Salvation by Works or Salvation by Grace Through Christ? lds-21.txt 2023
"Mormon Mafia" Cited in FBI Discrimination Case lds-22.txt 14502
Correctly Translated lds-23.txt 20504
Unmasking the Myths of Mormonism lds-24.txt 45778
God: Morminism vs. Christianity lds-3.txt 3891
The Real Holy Spirit lds-4.txt 17038
Mormonism's "Salvation by Works" vs. Salvation by Grace Through Christ lds-5.txt 10920
Do the Nag Hammadi Writing and Dead Sea Scrolls Confirm Mormonism or Is Einar Erickson Confused? lds-6.txt 9453
Do Mormons "Really" Believe in the Bible? lds-7.txt 76474
Was Joseph Smith a Prophet of God? lds-8.txt 8400
Salvation Through Christ vs. The Exaltation of Man lds-9.txt 10771
Joseph Smith's First Vision: Fact or Fable? By W. P. Walters lds.txt 163587
What's Going On In There? (Mormonism Rant) lds25.txt 6554
Contradictions Between the Book of Mormon and the Bible (February 22, 1987) lds26.txt 4519
Plagarisms in the Book of Mormon from the King James Version by Dr. Walter Martin lds27.txt 21608
Points of the True Church by James White lds28.txt 4034
The Mountain Meadows Massacre by Walter Martin (From "The Kingdom of the Cults"_ lds29.txt 2178
Testimonials to Joseph Smith's Heresies by Walter Martin ldsoccul.txt 26545
A Short Study of Mormonism and the Occult by Jeff Keith morm-07.txt 12736
How Mormons Begin a Conversation With You morm001.txt 10923
The Jesus of Christianity vs. The Jesus of Mormonism morm002.txt 12153
The Nature of God to Mormons morm005.txt 10690
Do the Nag Hammadi Writing and Dead Sea Scrolls Confirm Mormonism or is Einar Etickson COnfused? morm01.txt 12453
The Jesus of Christianity vs. The Jesus of Mormonism morm02.txt 13384
The Nature of God in Mormonism morm03.txt 4836
The Real Holy Spirit in Mormonism morm04.txt 18146
Mormonism's Salvation by Works vs. Salvation by Grace Through Christ morm05.txt 11968
Do the Nag Hammadi Writing and Dead Sea Scrolls Confirm Mormonism or is Einar Erickson Confused? morm06.txt 10461
Do Mormons "Really" Believe in the Bible? morm09.txt 7482
Ten Reasons Why I Cannot Be A Mormon morm10.txt 9329
Divine Truths in the Book of Mormon morm11.txt 6147
A Statement from the National Museum of Natural History Regarding the Accuracy of the Mormon Bible mormast.txt 4558
Mormon Instructions on Masturbation From a Guide to Mormon Youth mormonri.txt 116627
Temple Ritual Altered: Mormon Leaders Delete Some of the 'Most Sacred' Parts of the Ceremony (July, 1990)Added links to malware removal tools.
The Conficker worm is scheduled to activate on April 1, and the unanswered question is: Will it prove to be the world’s biggest April Fool’s joke or is it the information age equivalent of Herman Kahn’s legendary 1962 treatise about nuclear war, “Thinking About the Unthinkable”?
Conficker is a program that is spread by exploiting several weaknesses in Microsoft’s Windows operating system. Various versions of the software have spread widely around the globe since October, mostly outside the United States because there are more computers overseas running unpatched, pirated Windows. (The program does not infect Macintosh or Linux-based computers.)
An estimated 12 million or more machines have been infected. However, many have also been disinfected, so a precise census is difficult to obtain.
It is possible to detect and remove Conficker using commercial antivirus tools offered by many companies. However, the most recent version of the program has a significantly improved capacity to remove commercial antivirus software and to turn off Microsoft’s security update service. It can also block communications with Web services provided by security companies to update their products. It even systematically opens holes in firewalls in an effort to improve its communication with other infected computers.
Given the sophisticated nature of the worm, the question remains: What is the purpose of Conficker, which could possibly become the world’s most powerful parallel computer on April 1? That is when the worm will generate 50,000 domain names and systematically try to communicate with each one. The authors then only need to register one of the domain names in order to take control of the millions of zombie computers that have been created.
Speculation about Conficker’s purpose ranges from the benign — an April Fool’s Day prank — to far darker notions. One likely possibility is that the program will be used in the “rent-a-computer-crook” business, something that has been tried previously by the computer underground. Just like Amazon.com offers computing time on its network for rent, the Conficker team might rent access to its “network” for nefarious purposes like spamming.
The most intriguing clue about the purpose of Conficker lies in the intricate design of the peer-to-peer logic of the latest version of the program, which security researchers are still trying to completely decode.
According to a research addendum to be added Thursday to an earlier paper by researchers at SRI International, in the Conficker C version of the program, the infected computers can act both as clients and servers and share files in both directions. The peer-to-peer design is also highly distributed, making it more difficult for security teams to defeat the system by disabling so-called super-nodes.
Conficker’s authors could be planning to create a scheme like Freenet, the peer-to-peer system that was intended to make Internet censorship of documents impossible.
Or perhaps the Conficker botnet’s masters have something more Machiavellian in mind. One researcher, Stefan Savage, a computer scientist at the University of California at San Diego, has suggested the idea of a “Dark Google.” What if Conficker is intended to give the computer underworld the ability to search for data on all the infected computers around the globe and then sell the answers? Malware already does this on a focused basis using a variety of schemes that are referred to as “spear phishing,” in a reference to the widespread use of social engineering tricks on the Net.
But to do something like that on a huge scale? That would be a dragnet — and a genuine horror story.Former policeman set to return to the force as a WOMAN after undergoing sex change
Karen Gale, 53, formerly known as Keith, says she was forced out of the Met Police because she wanted to change gender
But 27 years after she left Karen has applied to be a special constable
'I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. It’s difficult to explain - I just finally feel like me. I feel complete,' she said
The Met would not comment on the case but told MailOnline that they employ people regardless of whether they've had a sex change
A former police officer forced out of the job 27 years ago because he wanted a sex change is set to return to frontline duties as a woman.
Karen Gale, whose two-a-half-hour operation was controversially broadcast on television last year, has applied to be a special constable and return to the Metropolitan Police.
The 53-year-old, previously known as Keith, worked as a PC with the Met between 1981 and 1985 before being forced to resign when he told his inspector he wanted to start treatment for gender change.
Life-changing: Karen Gale, left, formerly known as Keith, pictured as a PC, right, is set to return to the Met 27 years after being forced out for wanting a sex change
Karen, from Purfleet, Essex, said: 'Back then things were different. My inspector told me there was no way I could stay in the job.
'I was absolutely gutted. I loved my job and I had spent two years passing all my exams to become a constable.'
But now Karen, who underwent the sex-change operation at Charing Cross Hospital in London in August 2011, is hopeful her application to become a special constable will be successful.
She said: 'I can’t wait to get back on the street doing the job I love. It’s been a long time and I know the force will have changed, but I’m looking forward to it.
'It’s not like it was in the ‘80s anymore. The police are actively trying to recruit more transgender and openly gay officers.'
Wish: 'I couldn't go on any longer living as a bloke,' Karen says, adding she can't wait to get back to the job she loved
Karen, who found work as an HGV driver after being forced out of the police, said her life had been transformed since becoming a woman.
She said: 'I’m the happiest I’ve ever been. It’s difficult to explain - I just finally feel like me. I feel complete.
'It’s such a relief that I no longer have to put on this act, pretending to be someone I’m not.'
Karen, then Keith, first knew he was 'different' to other boys when aged nine, he used to lock himself in the bathroom and try on his sister’s dresses.
His cross-dressing continued in secret even after he married his first-ever girlfriend, Meryl, at the age of 21, and fathered their daughter, Laura, now 27.
But then Meryl returned home unexpectedly one day and found Keith in full make-up, stockings, skirt and a top.
Karen said: “I couldn’t go on any longer living as a bloke and made the decision to start living openly as a woman.
'I lost everything - the job I loved, my wife, my daughter, my house. I haven’t seen Laura now for 22 years - it breaks my heart.
'I managed to find her through Facebook back in March and we’ve exchanged a few messages.
'She doesn’t know yet whether she wants to see me. She says she doesn’t know whether she could cope with it. I’m just praying that she will come to terms with it.'
Today the Met would not discuss the case.
But told MailOnline: 'The Metropolitan Police Service is an equal opportunities employer, regardless of a person's age, race, sexual orientation, religion or belief, disability, sex or gender reassignment.
'We are continually looking to improve and are seen as employers of choice for many under represented groups and we have robust policies around work life balance and diversity.'
Karen appeared on Channel 4 last year because she wanted her life-changing operation to 'inspire' other men with a desire to become a woman.
The series, called Girls Will Be Boys And Boys Will Be Girls, followed seven sex change patients aged between 22 and 55.
'It has been a long journey since I began hormone replacement therapy and I hope my story will inspire others,' she said.
'They are going to show some parts of the operation after the watershed, some will be edited out.'
But campaign group Mediawatch warned that many viewers might find the footage upsetting.~
“We are sending you light, to heal you, to hold you,
We are sending you light, to hold you in love”
~
The words from a beautiful and comforting song, written by Melanie DeMore.
Click on the links to hear clips from the lovely, gentle, comforting and soothing song, “We are Sending You Light, To Heal You, To Hold You”, sung by Betsy Rose, written by Melanie DeMore. Longer clip: Sending You Light from the Betsy Rose album, Welcome to the Circle, Sending You Light. Download for mp3 file of song.
~
Sending You Light
Melanie deMore
I am sending you light
to heal you to hold you.
I am sending you light
to hold you in love.
No matter where you go
No matter what you do
You’ll never walk along
My love will be with you
so….
I am sending you light
to heal you to hold you.
I am sending you light
to hold you in love.
No matter what you feel
or what you choose to show
I’m always there for you
And want you always to know…
That I am sending you light
to heal you to hold you.
I am sending you light
to hold you in love.
~
~ANY day now, Hillary Clinton is expected to declare that she is running for president. For most Americans this will be as surprising as the news that Cinco de Mayo will once again be on May 5th. Mrs Clinton has had her eye on the top job for a long time. She nearly won it in 2008 and is in many ways a stronger candidate now. She and her husband have built a vast campaign machine. The moment Mrs Clinton turns the key, it will begin openly to suck up contributions, spit out sound bites and roll over her rivals. Some think her unstoppable.
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Steady on. The last time she seemed inevitable, she turned out not to be. The month before the Iowa caucuses in 2008, she was 20 points ahead of other Democrats in national polls, yet she still lost to a young senator from Illinois. She is an unsparkling campaigner, albeit disciplined and diligent. This time, no plausible candidate has yet emerged to compete with her for the Democratic nomination, but there is still time. Primary voters want a choice, not a coronation (see article). And it is hard to say how she would fare against the eventual Republican nominee, not least since nobody has any idea who that will be. The field promises to be varied, ranging from the hyperventilating Ted Cruz to the staid Jeb Bush. Rand Paul, a critic of foreign wars and Barack Obama’s surveillance state, joined the fray on April 7th (see article). Still, Mrs Clinton starts as the favourite, so it is worth asking: what does she stand for?
Air miles and briefing books
Competence and experience, say her supporters. As secretary of state, she flew nearly a million miles and visited 112 countries. If a foreign crisis occurs on her watch, there is a good chance she will already have been there, read the briefing book and had tea with the local power brokers. No other candidate of either party can boast as much.
She also understands Washington, DC, as well as anyone. For eight years she was a close adviser to a president (her husband) who balanced the budget and secured bipartisan agreements to reform welfare and open up trade in North America. Afterwards, as a senator, |
, making it impossible to treat them for what they really are. They’re off limits now because they wear the mask of holiness. Even if it occurs to you that something is wrong you can’t speak out against it now because that would be critiquing their religion and everybody knows you’re not supposed to do that, for some reason. And if you try, rather than meeting with a shrug of self-awareness, you will encounter vehement and passionate opposition because unlike the OCD person (and on occasion the OCPD person as well), the “spiritually” obsessive-compulsive person is convinced that he is precisely as he is supposed to be, and anyone who tries to change that is seen as an enemy, not a friend. You may even be working for the devil. Good luck talking them down out of their obsession if that’s how they see it.
3) Bigotry. Bigotry has many masks, none so brilliant and crafty as religion. As much as I hate to admit it (for I am a humanist, and humanists hope and work toward seeing and bringing out the best in people), bigotry is rooted in our natural tribalism, affecting all of us whether we realize it or not. Perhaps it comes to us from our evolutionary past. Perhaps natural selection taught us to look out for “our own kind,” privileging them over “the other” as a mechanism of self-preservation. But now that we have stepped out of our primal past into civilization building, it behooves us to overcome our instincts toward favoring our own “in order to build a more perfect union.” In a modern democratic society we must learn to recognize the validity and value of people who are different from ourselves, and this doesn’t always come easily. It’s a constant fight for a growing awareness of the differences between different types of people, learning to accept them for who they are, treating them as whole people worthy of all the same things as ourselves.
But religion often impedes this process, especially those religions based on the notion of divine revelation. For example, if you believe that God once dictated that same-sex relations are an abomination, it would take an equally authoritative divine revelation to counter that pronouncement. Absent a direct declaration to the contrary, adherents to the Bible must set themselves against same-sex relationships because their religion has now codified and immortalized that cultural bias for all time. For them, letting up on the gays would be forsaking their faith. Thus a form of bigotry (for that’s what this is) becomes validated and fused into their worldview from this point forward, disabling their ability to empathize with a whole class of people who are simply different from them.
The same holds true for other forms of bigotry like misogyny and chauvinism. Women began as property in the early parts of the Bible and by the close of the book they had been upgraded to second-class citizens. Modern Christians make much of the fact that women are presented as the first witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus, and yet none of them ever reach the importance of “The Twelve.” The early church remained a predominantly male-run outfit imposing all kinds of rules on the women which they never imposed on the men (e.g. they should keep silent in church and ask their husbands their questions when they get home). One verse in Titus even spells out that the woman’s place is in the home, not out in the work force. And so we find that two thousand years later in a largely egalitarian society we have high-profile ministers and politicians (but I repeat myself) subtly working with a rhetoric which asserts that women shouldn’t be given the same roles and responsibilities as men. Two thousand years later! How can that be? It’s because religion can take a prejudice and etch it in stone for all time, making a people unable to grow and learn and evolve out of the tribalistic urge to denigrate “the other.”
A century and a half ago my country had to decide if slavery was a legitimate industry, and when the voice of progress spoke in favor of the enslaved people the religious voices which chimed in predominantly argued for slavery’s legitimacy. It was never spoken against in the Bible (no, not even in Philemon); in fact, it seemed a normal social stratification in the mind of the biblical writers. In the end it took a bloody war waged by a superior army to force the South to give up its slave industry, and Southerners today still seem sore about it. Old bigotries die hard, and religion can keep them on life support indefinitely.
4) Codependency. This is the one I struggle with personally. Codependency can mean a lot of things, but in my case it means that I like to feel needed. No, I need to feel needed. It’s a fundamental psychological hunger for me, and I will perform superhuman feats to ensure that my worth is established and felt by those whom I love. At 40 I’m just now beginning to see how this condition results from deep insecurities and low self-esteem. I’ve written before about how I believe my Evangelical background primed me for self-esteem issues, and it clearly struck a nerve with a lot of people. A low sense of self-worth creates an ideal environment for codependency to develop because what better way to alleviate a low sense of personal value than to make yourself supremely valuable to others?
On the surface that may sound like a healthy coping mechanism but in practice it leads to interpersonal and intrapersonal problems. For some, it makes them controlling types who compulsively dictate what others do in order to ensure that everyone behaves as the controller feels they should. But in others like myself, it leads to a negligence of my own needs in the interest of taking care of the needs of others until I’m totally depleted. At that point, I’ve accustomed those around me to look to me instead of to themselves to meet their own emotional, physical, and psychological needs. I like being a savior to people because it makes me feel valuable in the world. If I stop being a savior, what will be left to make me feel valuable as a person?
[Side note: This is where my Christian friends, sensing a moment of vulnerability, will jump in and patronize me, telling me that God values me and that I have intrinsic worth because I am created in his image. Let me just stop you right there. That’s a beautiful spin to put on the biblical view of humanity, but underneath that rosy varnish there lies a horrifying counter-message which says I am fit for the furnace and that any worth I have as a person derives from a source other than myself. Christianity teaches that our worth is derivative, not intrinsic. Saying we are valuable either because we are made in someone else’s image or because of something someone else did for us are flimsy attempts at hard-selling the backloaded condemnation that soon follows. Even the Christian message about personal growth and maturity revolves around dependence on God because “apart from me you can do nothing.” That sentence right there will trigger strong feelings from anyone who has ever been in an abusive relationship. So give me some credit for having already considered what the Christian faith does with the concept of self-worth. Except of course yours is uniquely free from all the errors of those lesser forms of the faith, right?]
When you think about it, the Christian faith is ideal for creating and reinforcing codependent personalities. In the first place it creates the right environment for those traits to form by teaching you that you deserve to be punished forever just because of who you are, and it teaches you that your worth is derived from something other than yourself (e.g. “what Jesus did for you”). Then it proceeds to teach you that you can be a blessing to others by putting the needs of others above your own, even to the negligence of your own needs (Jesus called it “hating even your own life” for his sake). “Take up your own cross,” it tells you, and die to yourself. Whaaaaaat? I learned to see this talk as normal. It was deep. It was true. It was counterintuitive and I was cool with that because I liked how against the grain of human nature it sounded. But it’s very unhealthy. At its core, the Evangelical Christian faith is anti-humanistic, and it produced in me a need to be needed, a need to know that I am loving people so well that I can ignore my own needs in the interest of taking care of others. Perfect environment for codependency to develop.
One more side note before I’m done. Invariably someone will hear all this dysfunctional talk and say that it’s not fair to accuse their faith of making any of these things happen. “If only you had done it right, or believed the right things,” they will say. “If only you had grown up in the right version of the Christian faith, this wouldn’t have happened. Not all Christians are this way.”
I know that. But I think we’ve learned over the last few weeks that #notallwhatevers is often a way of dismissing something with which you can’t identify as if it’s not worthy of your attention (or anyone else’s) because it wasn’t your experience. But that’s a careless response which, as Deanna points out in the responses to her posts, lacks empathy. Beyond that, however, I am arguing that while personality disorders and character flaws don’t need religion in order to exist, they remain unremedied—in fact they become untouchable—under the borrowed capital of religion. Narcissism, bigotry, codependency, and obsessive-compulsion gain unwarranted respectability through stowing away inside religious tradition until they become normalized, which is the worst thing that could ever happen. Religion is the Great Enabler which validates our personality flaws, amplifying and reinforcing them, making them respectable so that you look like the bad guy for calling them out. “Shame on you, who do you think you are?”
I’m not buying that tactic anymore. Once the thin varnish of religious authority is removed, these dysfunctions can be seen for what they are. They never should have gotten a free pass, but we know better now.
____________
*Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder typically indicate different things, although they both illustrate aspects of what I’m trying to describe. The former usually stems from neurological peculiarities and is typically a result of nature, not nurture. The opposite is true for OCPD. For the sake of precision, I should probably clarify that the kind of impairments I am indicating here correspond to the personality disorder more than the neurologically based OCD. But again, they both help illustrate what I’m discussing.If you're in the market for a TV right now, we'd recommend you pick up one of Samsung's last plasmas while there's still time. But LG knows that plasma is on the way out, so it's already making an aggressive move to inherit the "best TV" mantle with its new $3,499 55-inch, curved OLED HDTV. It's available for pre-order from Best Buy now and will arrive at stores on August 24th. Other retailers will also be stocking the TV after Best Buy's brief period of exclusivity. Yes, this TV is "only" 1080p — not on par with the 4K norm that the industry has been sprinting towards — but resolution isn't the story with OLED. Once you've seen the deep blacks (which often outclass even the best plasma sets) and eye-popping contrast that these panels give off, any reservations about the lack of 4K are likely to subside.
LG's latest OLED is also its first to run webOS, though the company's other TVs have been running the repurposed OS for months now. LG claims this is the first curved OLED TV that can be wall mounted, which is definitely the way we'd go considering it's edge-to-edge picture. Other manufacturers have stumbled in bringing OLED to market, but the 55EC9300 marks LG's third such TV released over the last 13 months. The $3,499.99 cost is definitely on the high end for a 55-inch set, but nowhere near as bad as previous OLED TVs.
And make no mistake: the company is absolutely trying to lure in disenchanted plasma enthusiasts, who in a few months will have no place to turn. "In the wake of plasma's decline, it's more important than ever to bring OLED to consumers who are looking for the highest level of contrast and color performance," Dave Vanderwaal, LG Electronics USA's head of marketing, said in a statement. That's probably a good strategy, since many TV buyers focus on price above all else; it's nearly impossible to beat Vizio there. Still, some questions about OLED TVs (i.e. longevity) remain, so if you're buying in at this early stage, just keep that in mind.After hitting a high of $4.85, Litecoin price dropped earlier today to print a low of $4.20 on Bitfinex. As we predicted during yesterday’s analysis, price correction is attempting to pull down the price, yet it is well supported above the $3.62 level which corresponds to the 0.618 retracement level according to the Fibonacci retracement we plotted. (Read yesterday’s Litecoin analysis here).
A Head and Shoulders Pattern on the 1 Hour Charts:
By studying the 1 hour (LTC/USD) charts from Bitfinex (look at the below chart) and plotting the 20, 50 and 100 EMAs, we can observe the following:
The price is still above the 20, 50 and 100 EMAs during most of the trading sessions and has only fallen below the 20 EMA during only 2 sessions since yesterday.
Since the bullish wave started on the 29th of October, we can see a “head and 2 shoulders” pattern forming; so according to the below chart, the left shoulder and head have already been formed, yet we still expect to see the right shoulder form another price surge followed by a downwards price correction attempt.
Overbought Market:
By examining the 1 day (LTC/USD) charts from Bitfinex (look at the below chart); plotting the 20, 50 and EMAs; and executing the Relative Strength Index (RSI), we can conclude the following.
Litecoin is now overbought as shown by an RSI value of 80 (> 70) and an upwards sloping RSI curve. The overbought market is the reason why the price started dropping after yesterday’s highs.
Litecoin price is trading at a level that is higher than the 20,50 and 100 EMAs, so we can see another price surge after the price correction stage is over.
Conclusion:
Litecoin price is now dropping as the price correction wave is attempting to bring balance to the current overbought market; however, we are still expecting another bullish wave that will be notable after the price correction attempt is over.
Charts from Bitfinex; hosted by Tradingview.comA picture published in last Saturday's The Daily Star speaks volumes about our heavy-handed treatment to tender aged children. In particular it shows crowd's total insensitivity to a couple of poor and hungry urchin girls alleged to have stolen food. Whereas they should have been shown passion and the crowd feeling a sense of guilt that the society failed to provide two morsels of food to them, they behaved as if devoid of humanity.
Piya and Shumi shouldn't be more than eight years old, or even less, and their frailty is evident of the poverty that they are caught up in with teeming millions of children. They couldn't be habitual thieves; even if they were they hardly deserved to be treated so brutally. It seems to be a simple case of food-lifting by direly famished children.
In any case, the matter calls for some serious introspection at the societal level. Impoverished children in our country may be forced to resort to petty thefts for survival so that the problem is struck at its root.
There's huge wastage of food everyday from the households and the hotels. Leftovers are either taken away by people who don't need them or thrown into the bins for urchins to pick up. It's an affront to humanity.
We have our government, social welfare ministry, ministry for women and children affairs, children rights groups, human rights organizations and scores of voluntary bodies who work for distressed children. Sadly, whereas urchins should have been taken under the wings of shelter homes, they are falling prey to trafficking, sexual exploitation and petty crimes.
Instead of ensuring food and schooling for them we beat them up for nibbling food. Piyas and Shumis should be taken care of because we have a collective responsibility towards them.There are obvious straightforward cricketing reasons why we lost The Ashes in Australia but when assessing this defeat you have to look deeper.
On one level Australia played brilliantly. They bowled with accuracy and pace, we lost wickets in clusters and our batsmen did not cash in when set. You generally lose when that happens.
But you have to look at other reasons why we could not turn the tide. It all goes back to the dressing room and making sure that environment is right and on this tour I think we let it slip a bit.
We talk about one per centers, the little things that can make a big difference when added up.
It is always those that go first and we were not quick enough to realise that.
We let a few things slide. They appear trivial issues to those on the outside but they are important when building a team environment.
Little things like wearing the right kit, turning up to meetings on time, not five minutes late.
It is about the respect you have for your team-mates, coach and captain.
In any team you have to have strong values and beliefs, and we need to start again and rediscover those before we can move forward.
And to clarify, I am not talking about particular individuals, I am talking about us letting a few things slide as a whole group.
Sometimes it can slip without you noticing and only become clear in hindsight when it has all gone wrong.
Were we honest enough? Did we address the problems?
It has got to the stage now where we have sunk to rock bottom and you say the brutal honesty has to come back.
This tour has been the worst period I have experienced with England but actually it is quite exciting that we can start again.
We can say: “Right this is a clean slate, where do we want to go?”
And it is great that Alastair Cook and Andy Flower want to lead that process.
Cook has taken a lot of criticism and that will always be the case when you lose 5-0. He knows that.
But he was let down by his players and we have to take that on the chin.
I believe he is the right man for the job and to take this team forward.
He is hugely motivated to do that. He is a proud man and he was hurting after each defeat.
I can see there is a steely determination inside him and that is exciting for English cricket.
Flower has been outstanding. Look at what he has achieved since taking over at a tough time. He has been integral to that success.
I have not seen two harder working guys on this trip than Flower and Graham Gooch.
The amount of hours Gooch has put in and the passion he shows for English cricket is an example to everyone.
It has hurt me to see the criticism he has received because that has been caused by our failures.
We are the ones who messed up, not the batting coach.
It is very easy to blame coaches but ultimately they are there as support staff; they help you get in the best position to be successful, but it is down to you score runs or take wickets.
That is why it is so important players stand up and take responsibility, not only for performances but the way forward for the team. Players have to set the tone.
It is always dangerous when players rely too heavily on the coaches to tell them what to do.
The best teams I have played in do it themselves.
You sit down with your team-mates when you need help with a certain aspect of your game and back yourself as a team.
The coaches are there to guide and influence you and we have had outstanding help on this tour, but the team run themselves.
We have departed from that ethos a little, which is a shame because we played our best cricket when we had that kind of environment.
At the start of these back-to-back Ashes series everyone thought the physical demands would be the toughest to handle, but in fact the mental challenge has been the hardest part.
Playing an Ashes series is 10 times more mentally challenging than any other form of the game, and to play two of them in six months takes its toll, especially when a team are not playing well.
If you can get on a roll like the Australians did it is very hard to turn momentum around.
Likewise, if we had gone on a roll at the start of the series it would have been hard for Australia to turn the tide.
Playing the second series away from home was always going to pose a challenge for us.
It is not an excuse. We deserved to lose. But it is just one of the reasons that may have added to the problem.
I do not agree that we were caught by surprise in the first Test by the hostility towards us from the Australia team, crowds and press.
We knew that it was coming. Darren Lehmann had stated they wanted to make Broady cry, and we knew we were stepping in to a hostile environment.
Well done to Broady because he knew he would be the main target but handled it by bowling brilliantly.
It was a lesson to us all and one we can use as we look to bounce back.
I arrived in Australia knowing it would be a tough trip but confident we would cope and succeed.
I prepared as well as I ever have for a tour until I pulled a calf muscle and that threw everything up in the air.
I was fit to play the first Test but for 10 days leading into it all I did was focus on my calf rather than my usual preparation for keeping and batting.
As a professional sportsman you have to adapt if things do not go 100 per cent to plan.
Going into that Test I felt fine, but Australia hit us hard and did not let go for the whole series.
Mitchell Johnson bowled brilliantly with aggression, pace and accuracy.
It was the accuracy that really took us by surprise.
Everyone talks about a “new brand of cricket” Australia played, but actually they just did to us what we did to them three years ago.
There was nothing new.
There are certain principles that have remained the same throughout cricket history and one is that if you concede runs at fewer than 2.5 per over then you will take wickets.
If you bowl tightly and build pressure it brings opportunities. It is what we did so well here in 2010-11.
We were unable to repeat it this time and on the batting front we did not score big hundreds. The basics still apply.
I hated sitting on the sidelines watching the last two Tests and there is an incredible hunger to get back in the team as I do not want my career to finish on this note.
I have worked too hard for that to happen.
I have huge ambition to turn it around, to get back to playing at the level I have done for a number of years and to help this team build again, move forward and win Tests.
But since being left out I have recognised that I was walking around in a fog.
I was going around in circles. Everything I tried did not work, but the minute I stepped out I had clarity.
I looked back and said to myself: “Why was I doing that, worrying about silly things?”
It suddenly became very clear. I had been hitting the ball brilliantly in the nets.
There was nothing technical. I was just not performing in the middle.
I felt really good going into the Perth Test. I had time in the middle in Adelaide and I was catching the ball as well as ever when training with Bruce French. I was confident.
But the biggest shock was missing the stumping off David Warner.
My keeping had been outstanding until that terrible moment. It was as bad a moment as I have ever experienced on a cricket pitch.
I stood there knowing that Swanny was struggling a little bit and I had let him down.
When you make a mistake as a keeper it is the worst position in the world. You want the ground to swallow you up.
You hope he nicks off next ball and you take the catch. Then everyone forgets your error.
But he kept slogging it further and further until he reached a hundred, and I felt gradually worse.
Now I will have a bit of a break at home. I will catch up with friends, play golf, weather permitting, and do the normal things in life.
In March I will cycle the Cape Rouleur, a four-stage race in South Africa.
It will be good for building fitness and helping my Achilles before I return for pre-season and concentrate on cricket and scoring runs again.
Gooch has devised a programme for me and I intend to find form with Sussex and get back to scoring runs again.SANTA CLARA
Here’s what stood out to me during practice Sunday morning.
THE GOOD
1. DT DeForest Buckner. Today was the first day the 49ers wore pads, so I focused mainly on the players who hit each other, particularly the linemen – both on offense and defense. And the best lineman on the team clearly is second-year defensive tackle DeForest Buckner. None of the interior offensive linemen could block him during the one-on-one pass-rushing drills, and they consistently had to double-team him during 11-on-11s. With Buckner drawing double teams, the rest of the defensive linemen could take advantage of one-on-one matchups.
2. DE Arik Armstead. Armstead recorded three sacks during team drills – two while playing defensive end and rushing against Trent Brown (more on him below), and one while playing defensive tackle and rushing against Brandon Fusco. Armstead always has been a powerful player, but he seems more flexible and explosive this offseason than in the past. He says he currently weighs 275 pounds – down 15 pounds from last year.
3. DE Elvis Dumervil. Every time Dumervil and Trent Brown faced each other, Dumervil dominated. He drew one holding penalty, recorded one sack and came close to recording a second. Dumervil has the advantage in this matchup because he’s nine inches shorter than Brown and Brown struggles to get his hands on him.
4. DE Aaron Lynch. Lynch couldn’t beat Brown during one-on-one pass-rushing drills, but Lynch beat him twice for sacks during team drills. Brown had a tough day.
5. LB Reuben Foster. Foster struggled during the play-action portion of practice. Twice he fell for run fakes and sprinted toward the line of scrimmage while the quarterback threw the ball over his head and completed long passes over the middle of the field. But Foster redeemed himself later, when he intercepted fourth-string quarterback Nick Mullens and returned the interception for a touchdown.
6. QB Brian Hoyer. Hoyer completed 14-of-17 pass attempts (82 percent), and at one point completed nine in a row. He has gotten better every day of training camp and he hasn’t thrown an interception yet, as opposed to Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles who reportedly threw five interceptions during practice on Saturday. I’m guessing the Jaguars would take Hoyer over Bortles at this point.
7. RB Tim Hightower. So far during training camp, all of the Niners running backs except Hightower have struggled running the outside zone plays, which are the basis of Kyle Shanahan’s offense. Hightower is extremely confident running these plays – he runs them hard and never hesitates. After practice, I asked him what are the keys to running the outside zone plays successfully? Here’s what he said: “First of all, understanding the big picture. A lot of people think you can just put anybody in this system. I remember my first experience with it in Washington, I didn’t really know what I was doing. I was just going on instinct. But the more you understand his system and what other guys are doing, you start to understand how to set things up. You can be a lot more confident because you know what’s going on. You’re more in control of what’s going on as opposed to just reacting. So, I think it’s understanding what you’re doing and not just running. And then secondly, it sounds cliché, but being tough. It’s not a finesse system. You’ve got to be able to take a couple zero, zero, one-yard gains to set up some other things, and not be bouncing runs back, not cutting outside. You’ve got to be true to the scheme. The first half (of games) may be messy, but if I stay true to it, eventually we’ll wear them down and eventually some things will pop in the fourth quarter.”
8. RB Joe Williams. Williams had a nice run between the tackles when he ran through Rueben Foster and knocked the rookie linebacker on his back. Williams also performed well in pass protection. He spotted Ray Ray Armstrong blitzing up the middle and then slid over to block him.
9. WR Kendrick Bourne. The rookie undrafted free agent made a leaping catch over the middle after beating Keith Reaser’s man-to-man coverage. Every day, Bourne beats at least one defensive back who probably will make the final roster. He has outperformed former 49ers draft picks such as DeAndre Smelter and Aaron Burbridge.
THE NOT SO GOOD
1. OG Joshua Garnett. Garnett morally offended Charles Haley during one-on-ones. I was standing next to Haley. We both watched Garnett face Buckner. When the ball was snapped, Garnett immediately started back pedaling. He never set his feet, never braced for impact. This disturbed Haley. When Buckner and Garnett collided, Garnett offered no resistance and Buckner easily pushed him backward into the quarterback. After the play, Haley yelled to a scout and pulled him aside to discuss Garnett in private.
2. OT Trent Brown. The starting right tackle played well during one-on-ones, but gave up at least five sacks and committed one holding penalty during 11-on-11s. I’ve never seen him, or any offensive lineman, give up five sacks in one practice. Brown usually plays much better. Maybe he just had a bad day.
3. TE Logan Paulsen. Paulsen is an excellent blocker, but he’s not much of a receiver, and today he made one of the least athletic plays I’ve seen from an NFL tight end. Here’s what happened: Hoyer floated a short pass to Paulsen that was a little high, but catchable. Paulsen simply had to raise both arms and he would have made the catch. Instead, he raised one arm, jumped a couple inches in the air and watched the ball fly by his head. He seemed like he wanted to appear as if he was trying hard to catch a pass he already had given up on.
4. RB Matt Breida. The undrafted rookie running back was impressive earlier during the offseason when the team practiced without pads, running for a long gains almost every day. Not today, though. During his first padded practice in the NFL, he struggled getting past the line of scrimmage. The Niners roughed him up. Breida seems like what Elvis Dumervil calls a “T-shirt player,” which is someone who plays well in shorts and a t-shirt when other players can’t hit him.
5. CB Keith Reaser. The starting cornerback gave up a long catch to undrafted wide receiver Kendrick Bourne, who probably will be practice-squad player. After this catch, I thought, “Gee, Reaser is terrible. He probably shouldn’t be starting.” Until a few minutes later, when I saw…
6. CB Dontae Johnson. The cornerback who would replace Reaser gave up back-back-to-back catches to Marquise Goodwin. Both times, Goodwin beat Johnson easily. After the second time Johnson got beat, I thought, “Gee, Johnson might be even worse than Reaser.” Which is rough, because one of those two will have to start this season.
7. SS Eric Reid. Reid twisted his right ankle on the second play of practice. Shanahan said he doesn’t know the severity of the injury or whether it’s a regular ankle sprain or a high ankle sprain. We’ll find out more tomorrow.The spot rates on Asia-Europe trade routes fell to historic lows, dropping with 32% during the last week, reported Shanghai Container Index (SCFI). The index rates on Asia-Europe routes fell by 214 USD, reaching 444 USD per TEU, which is the lowest level in the history of the maritime transport. For comparison during the crisis in 2008-2009, the average cost of freight from Shanghai to Hamburg, fell to 900 USD per TEU, which is adjusted for inflation is almost 2 times higher than today’s levels. The big decrease in the rates in due to the overcapacity of the market. The routes between Asia and Mediterranean Sea index value also decreased, losing 195 USD and reaching 581 USD per TEU. The imbalance of supply and demand continues to grow, as carriers derive more container ships with a capacity of over 18 thousand TEU. Meanwhile, projected traffic growth will not be able to provide additional tonnage increase, even taking into account the benefits that low EUR, which supports the European importers. Also should have in mind that on routes Asia-North America still operate only container ships with a capacity of no more than 8 thousand TEU, since the ports of North America has not yet been modernized for the larger vessels.
So, according to forecasts the total capacity of Asia-Northern Europe trade during the year will grow by 9.1%. At the same time, according to Container Trade Statistics, the total volume of container traffic on routes from Asia to North Europe and the Mediterranean declined with 1% in Q1 2015 for the first time over the past two years. According to the forecasts the imports in Northern Europe in the first half of this year will remain at the level of the previous year, and export growth will not exceed 1.8%.The incident took place at the pop singer's show in Nashville last night
Jack White attended a Madonna concert in Nashville on Monday night (January 18) and was spotted by the star herself, who prompted White to blow a kiss at her.
During the show, part of Madonna’s ‘Rebel Heart’ tour, the pop singer noticed the former White Stripes frontman in the crowd and said to him: “Don’t be laid back, just cause you’re famous. I’m famous too, you know.”
“And I get excited when I see people I like. But maybe you don’t like me?” she continued, before White eventually blew her a kiss in response.
“Thank you,” she said after the air-kiss. “Some kind of acknowledgement.”
Watch that incident in full below.
Repost @josephllanes #Madonna calling out #JackWhite tonight in Nashville. A video posted by kirsten (@madonna_rebel_heart15) on Jan 19, 2016 at 2:08am PST
Meanwhile, Madonna has denied that she was drunk at a recent gig, describing the speculation as “sexist”.
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Madonna also recently paid tribute to the late David Bowie by covering ‘Rebel Rebel’ at her gig in Houston on January 12.
“I want to pay tribute to a man who inspired my career,” Madonna told the crowd. “If you haven’t heard about David Bowie then look him up, motherfuckers. He was one of the geniuses in the music industry. One of the greatest singer-songwriters of the 20th century and he changed my life when I went to see him in concert in Detroit. He showed me that it was alright to be different. And he’s the first rebel heart that I laid eyes on.”While some people aren’t raging for dinner rolls, tantalized by Tofurky, or cuckoo for cranberry sauce, it’s hard to find a Thanksgiving plate without a generous mound of mashed potatoes. Traditionally loaded with cream and butter, cruelty-free versions of this popular dish skip the dairy and amp up the creativity, healthfulness, and flavor, with delicious results. While the classic incarnation of mashed potatoes is a fluffy, white heap of starchy goodness, remixes abound in a variety of shades, tastes, and forms.
Stress-Free Sides
Part of the appeal of mashed potatoes is the simple, no-fuss preparation. All you’ll need is a pile of taters (Yukon Gold, Russet, and purple potatoes are just a few of our faves), salt, and a non-dairy agent for making your mash rich and smooth. Creamy Quick Mashed Potatoes require only a few ingredients—potatoes, cashews, salt, and spices—and only a few cooking steps from start to finish. Not big on nuts? Try food.com’s Creamy Vegan Mashed Potatoes, which achieve velvety perfection with the addition of vegan mayo and soymilk. Ga-ga for garlic? Serious Eats is here to help with Lani’s Vegan Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes—just don’t forget to chew some parsley afterwards. Or, conjure the fragrant essence of rosemary in Garlic Rosemary Mashed Potatoes—just like grandma used to make, but minus the butter and heavy cream.
Flavorful Fluff
It’s time to amp your mashed potato mojo by experimenting with less-expected editions. Think of potatoes as the blank canvas for your own work of art, with herbs, spices, and veggies serving as your palette. Try out different proportions of flavor to seek as subtle or as stratospheric a level of flavor as you desire. For example, a little dill goes a long way, but Simple Garlic and Dill Mashed Potatoes partners it with aromatic garlic for a savory symphony. Looking to bring international flair to all-American fare? Southeast Asian-Flavored Spicy Mashed Potatoes lead hot peppers, ginger, and cilantro to your holiday table in the vehicle of the favorite side. Or, go Southwestern with Cheesy Chipotle Potatoes, like your favorite chips—but mashed! Our leafy friend kale even makes a worthy addendum—eat more (mashed potatoes with) kale. Smash or purée your potatoes with your favorite greens or fresh herbs for an extra boost of tang, color, and texture.
Beyond the Skin
Mashed potatoes are a great stand-alone dish, but they also make a worthy filling and topping for a medley of other recipes. For example, Onion Soup Gratinéed with Cream-Truffle Mashed Potatoes offers the best of both worlds—the flavorful classic, French Onion Soup, with decadent, truffle-laced mashed potatoes. Missing shepherd’s pie, the traditional meat-and dairy-heavy dish, after going veg? Vegan Spicy Shepherd’s Pie revamps it for the perfect family dinner, loaded with carrots, peas, and corn and topped with a lush layer of taters. FatFree Vegan Kitchen’s Portab |
107 */ } /* 108 */ } /* 109 */ } 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 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 Found 1 WholeStageCodegen subtrees. == Subtree 1 / 1 == * Filter <function1>. apply + - InMemoryTableScan [ age # 0L, name # 1 ] + - InMemoryRelation [ age # 0L, name # 1 ], true, 10000, StorageLevel ( disk, memory, deserialized, 1 replicas ) + - * FileScan json [ age # 0L, name # 1 ] Batched : false, Format : JSON, Location : InMemoryFileIndex [ file : / home / mkromka / dev / blog / sparksql_hive / spark_sql_internals / src / main / resource..., PartitionFilters : [ ], PushedFilters : [ ], ReadSchema : struct < age : bigint, name : string > Generated code : /* 001 */ public Object generate ( Object [ ] references ) { /* 002 */ return new GeneratedIterator ( references ) ; /* 003 */ } /* 004 */ /* 005 */ final class GeneratedIterator extends org. apache. spark. sql. execution. BufferedRowIterator { /* 006 */ private Object [ ] references ; /* 007 */ private scala. collection. Iterator [ ] inputs ; /* 008 */ private scala. collection. Iterator inputadapter_input ; /* 009 */ private org. apache. spark. sql. execution. metric. SQLMetric filter_numOutputRows ; /* 010 */ private $ line20. $ read $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ Person filter_argValue ; /* 011 */ private java. lang. String filter_argValue1 ; /* 012 */ private scala. Option filter_argValue2 ; /* 013 */ private UnsafeRow filter_result ; /* 014 */ private org. apache. spark. sql. catalyst. expressions. codegen. BufferHolder filter_holder ; /* 015 */ private org. apache. spark. sql. catalyst. expressions. codegen. UnsafeRowWriter filter_rowWriter ; /* 016 */ /* 017 */ public GeneratedIterator ( Object [ ] references ) { /* 018 */ this. references = references ; /* 019 */ } /* 020 */ /* 021 */ public void init ( int index, scala. collection. Iterator [ ] inputs ) { /* 022 */ partitionIndex = index ; /* 023 */ this. inputs = inputs ; /* 024 */ inputadapter_input = inputs [ 0 ] ; /* 025 */ this. filter_numOutputRows = ( org. apache. spark. sql. execution. metric. SQLMetric ) references [ 0 ] ; /* 026 */ /* 027 */ filter_result = new UnsafeRow ( 2 ) ; /* 028 */ this. filter_holder = new org. apache. spark. sql. catalyst. expressions. codegen. BufferHolder ( filter_result, 32 ) ; /* 029 */ this. filter_rowWriter = new org. apache. spark. sql. catalyst. expressions. codegen. UnsafeRowWriter ( filter_holder, 2 ) ; /* 030 */ /* 031 */ } /* 032 */ /* 033 */ protected void processNext ( ) throws java. io. IOException { /* 034 */ while ( inputadapter_input. hasNext ( ) &&! stopEarly ( ) ) { /* 035 */ InternalRow inputadapter_row = ( InternalRow ) inputadapter_input. next ( ) ; /* 036 */ boolean inputadapter_isNull = inputadapter_row. isNullAt ( 0 ) ; /* 037 */ long inputadapter_value = inputadapter _ isNull? - 1L : ( inputadapter_row. getLong ( 0 ) ) ; /* 038 */ boolean inputadapter_isNull1 = inputadapter_row. isNullAt ( 1 ) ; /* 039 */ UTF8String inputadapter_value1 = inputadapter _ isNull1? null : ( inputadapter_row. getUTF8String ( 1 ) ) ; /* 040 */ /* 041 */ Object filter_obj = ( ( Expression ) references [ 1 ] ). eval ( null ) ; /* 042 */ scala. Function1 filter_value1 = ( scala. Function1 ) filter_obj ; /* 043 */ boolean filter_isNull = true ; /* 044 */ boolean filter_value = false ; /* 045 */ if (! false ) { /* 046 */ boolean filter_isNull3 = true ; /* 047 */ java. lang. String filter_value3 = null ; /* 048 */ if (! inputadapter_isNull1 ) { /* 049 */ filter_isNull3 = false ; /* 050 */ if (! filter_isNull3 ) { /* 051 */ Object filter_funcResult = null ; /* 052 */ filter_funcResult = inputadapter_value1. toString ( ) ; /* 053 */ if ( filter_funcResult == null ) { /* 054 */ filter_isNull3 = true ; /* 055 */ } else { /* 056 */ filter_value3 = ( java. lang. String ) filter_funcResult ; /* 057 */ } /* 058 */ /* 059 */ } /* 060 */ filter_isNull3 = filter_value3 == null ; /* 061 */ } /* 062 */ filter_argValue1 = filter_value3 ; /* 063 */ /* 064 */ scala. Option filter_value5 = /* 065 */ inputadapter _ isNull? /* 066 */ scala. Option $. MODULE $. apply ( null ) : new scala. Some ( inputadapter_value ) ; /* 067 */ filter_argValue2 = filter_value5 ; /* 068 */ /* 069 */ final $ line20. $ read $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ Person filter_value2 = false? null : new $ line20. $ read $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ $ iw $ Person ( filter_argValue1, filter_argValue2 ) ; /* 070 */ filter_argValue = filter_value2 ; /* 071 */ /* 072 */ filter_isNull = false ; /* 073 */ if (! filter_isNull ) { /* 074 */ Object filter_funcResult1 = null ; /* 075 */ filter_funcResult1 = filter_value1. apply ( filter_argValue ) ; /* 076 */ if ( filter_funcResult1 == null ) { /* 077 */ filter_isNull = true ; /* 078 */ } else { /* 079 */ filter_value = ( Boolean ) filter_funcResult1 ; /* 080 */ } /* 081 */ /* 082 */ } /* 083 */ /* 084 */ } /* 085 */ if ( filter_isNull ||! filter_value ) continue ; /* 086 */ /* 087 */ filter_numOutputRows. add ( 1 ) ; /* 088 */ /* 089 */ filter_holder. reset ( ) ; /* 090 */ /* 091 */ filter_rowWriter. zeroOutNullBytes ( ) ; /* 092 */ /* 093 */ if ( inputadapter_isNull ) { /* 094 */ filter_rowWriter. setNullAt ( 0 ) ; /* 095 */ } else { /* 096 */ filter_rowWriter. write ( 0, inputadapter_value ) ; /* 097 */ } /* 098 */ /* 099 */ if ( inputadapter_isNull1 ) { /* 100 */ filter_rowWriter. setNullAt ( 1 ) ; /* 101 */ } else { /* 102 */ filter_rowWriter. write ( 1, inputadapter_value1 ) ; /* 103 */ } /* 104 */ filter_result. setTotalSize ( filter_holder. totalSize ( ) ) ; /* 105 */ append ( filter_result ) ; /* 106 */ if ( shouldStop ( ) ) return ; /* 107 */ } /* 108 */ } /* 109 */ }
It is barely readable (not only because it is in Java), but some important elements are clearly visible. GeneratedIterator class was created and it extends BufferedRowIterator. The interesting bits are in the processNext() method: it is executed for every InternalRow (so for every element in our dataset) and this is where all of the filtering and mapping takes place.
If our query was more complex, there would be multiple classes generated. You can see that at the top of the result
Found 1 WholeStageCodegen subtrees.
was printed out so only one of them was generated.
Looking for RDDs in Spark UI
We still have not touched anything that would connect us to the old Spark world with RDDs and stuff. But we still have some tools in our debugging toolbox, especially the Spark UI available on port 4040 by default.
We see that Spark executed two jobs, each of which had one stage. Based on the line numbers we can see that the first job was related to reading the file with data and mapping it to a Person type; the second was related to filtering and saving results as a file.
Let us check what each stage consisted of:
So Stage 0 consisted of reading a file ( HadoopRDD ) and mapping the values in parallel ( MapPartitionsRDD ). We got two tasks, which means we had two partitions (this is seen also in the Tasks table, where number of records for one task was set to 2 and for the second one to 1 and our input file has 3 rows).
Stage 1 is much more complex. It consists of WholeStageCodegen step based on cached values; next we do the mapPartitionsInternal (most probably to perform filtering by age). Then we do the InMemoryTableScan to get the results and finally we have another WholeStageCodegen to save the results in a file.
If you expected that there would only be one WholeStageCodegen and nothing else, then you must feel a little bit confused. In the next blog post in this series we will go through Spark SQL's code to see how those RDDs were generated.
Summary
Summing-up, we recalled what RDDs and Datasets are, we created and analysed a simple application using the Datasets API, we went through the most important steps of the Catalyst optimizer and learned different ways to debug it and verify the relation between RDDs and Datasets at the lowest level by experimenting with different API functions and Spark UI.
In the next blog post we will use a more scientific approach to see how and when RDDs are produced for Dataset-based jobs by analysing the Spark SQL code.
Spark schema inference side note
Why does the age attribute in our Person case class need to be an Option[Long] instead of Option[Int], even though we could easily fit it in Int? It is because of the schema inference for JSON sources: by default it uses Long for both Ints and Longs (there is a similar problem with Float/Double values). We can see that in the InferSchema.inferField function:
parser.getNumberType match { // For Integer values, use LongType by default. case INT | LONG => LongType [...] } 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 parser. getNumberType match { // For Integer values, use LongType by default. case INT | LONG = > LongType [... ] }
For the sake of this post, Long is enough; however, if you need the narrowest type possible then you need to define column’s type manually. This problem will not occur when reading a CSV file and setting inferSchema option to true (please take a look at CSVInferSchema object)
Links
* Great explanation of difference between RDDs, DataFrames and Datasets
* Another good explanation
* Spark’s key terms
* Deep dive into Spark SQL’s Catalyst Optimizer
* Another presentation on the same topic
* Tungsten overview
* Tungesten more in-depth overview
* Great presentation about optimizing Spark SQL joins
* Shuffle architecture
* Great presentation about Spark internals by Aaron Davidson
* A look under the hood at Apache Spark’s API and engine evolutions
* Spark SQL programming guide
* Trends for BigData and Apache Spark in 2017Though this isn’t the first continuation Daytona (Superformance already offers a licensed replica), Shelby’s is arguably the most authentic to date. The 50th anniversary Daytona Coupe is actually more than just a replica, sporting modern disc brakes and a stronger frame, and including an aluminum body option, a first for continuation cars.
Not only did the Daytona Coupe become the first car to beat Ferrari since 1959, but it also made Shelby the first American constructor to win an international title. Additionally, the Coupe set no fewer than 25 land- speed records at Bonneville in 1965. It’s been half a decade since those tremendous achievements, and Shelby American is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its FIA World Championship with a limited series of continuation Cobra Daytona Coupes.
After winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1959 (in the Aston Martin DBR1), Carroll Shelby wanted to return to Europe to beat Ferrari with a car of his own design. In 1964, he began work on the 1964-1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe, a car that would solve the 1963 Shelby Cobra’s issues with aerodynamic drag, which limited its top speed on the 3-mile long Mulsanne straight. Only six were built before Shelby was reassigned to the 1964-1969 Ford GT40 project, but the Daytona Coupe went on to win 10 races during 1964 and 1965, as well as the 1965 FIA World Sportscar Championship.
Exterior
As with all continuation cars from Shelby, the Daytona Coupe is identical to one of the original cars. I say that because each original competition car was slightly different, and Shelby American chose one of them for this limited series. The company doesn’t say which of the six Coupes was used for this modern version, but did mention it selected a car "that best represents all of the Coupes."
As with all continuation cars from Shelby, the Daytona Coupe is identical to one of the original cars.
Based on the official photos released as of now, I’m tempted to believe Shelby used chassis CSX2601, the No. 26 car that won at Reims with Bob Bondurant and Jo Schlesser behind the wheel to secure the 1965 World Sportscar Championship. Also known as "The Championship Coupe," the No. 26 is the most popular Cobra Daytona, which would explain Shelby’s choice to use it as a base for this continuation series.
Shelby didn’t say whether customers can have the cars finished in one of the historical liveries, but the cars can be finished in "a variety of exterior colors," which most likely also includes the iconic Guardsman Blue.
Speaking of which, the paint will be applied to either an aluminum or fiberglass body. This also means a buyer who opts for the aluminum shell can also have the car in a polished aluminum finish, a look that would mimic the original 1964 prototype as tested by Carroll Shelby.
Interior
Shelby says each Daytona Coupe will feature "a premium black leather interior" regardless of the exterior colors. The cockpit will also come with "special badging," which probably means "50th Anniversary" logos and badges, as well as a numbered plaque and Carroll Shelby’s signature on the dashboard.
No other details are mentioned, but it’s safe to assume the new interior will be identical to the original, down to the numerous analog gauges and switches on the dashboard, the tall center console with the ball-shaped shift knob, the vintage sports seats, and the lightweight door panels. Of course, Shelby also replicated the three-spoke, wood-rimmed steering wheel and the AC-branded pedals so a buyer will feel like he’s driving an original Daytona Coupe.
Drivetrain
The original Daytona Coupe had a 4.7-liter V-8 engine under its long hood, paired to a Borg Warner four-speed manual transmission. The Ford unit was good for 385 horsepower and 340 pound-feet of torque, which was enough for 0-to-60 mph sprints of around four seconds and a top speed of 190 mph.
There's no word on output figures, but they should be at least as powerful as the initial engines.
For 1964, those were tremendous performance figures; the top speed was slightly higher than the 1962-1964 Ferrari 250 GTO’s 186-mph benchmark.
The continuation series also features a 4.7-liter V-8, but Shelby is now offering a newer unit with an aluminum block. The original engines had cast-iron blocks. There’s no word on output figures, but they should be at least as powerful as the initial engines. If so, the continuation Daytona Coupe should perform better than its ancestor, as it’s lighter and packs plenty of modern technology under its body.
However, you should know that the engine isn’t included with the rolling chassis. It has to be ordered separately from the Shelby Engine Company and you need to check with them for pricing. All I know is the engine can include the car’s serial number (from CSX9950 to CSX9999).
Prices
Pricing for the 50th Anniversary Daytona Coupe is set at $179,995 for the fiberglass version and at $349,995 for the aluminum car. The sticker doesn’t include the drivetrain. Every continuation Coupe is delivered as a rolling chassis and the "component vehicle" can be finished either by the customer or an authorized dealer. Only 50 units will be built, with Shelby accepting orders on a first-come, first-served basis.
While it may not be cheap compared to modern-day sports cars, the continuation Daytona Coupe is actually a bargain next to the original cars. With only six Daytona Coupes built, the race car became one of the most coveted vehicles in the world, changing hands for millions of dollars. For instance, "The Championship Coupe" was auctioned for $7.25 million in 2009. Another major issue for car collectors and Daytona Coupe enthusiasts is that ownership is almost impossible, as these cars don’t go under the hammer too often.
Competition
Even though the Shelby Daytona Coupe raced against many famous cars of the mid-1960s, including the Chevrolet Corvette Stingray, it’s main purpose was to take on the Ferrari 250 GTO in the GT class for the World Sportscar Championship.
The 250 GTO was launched in 1962 and produced in 39 units until 1964. By the time the Daytona Coupe arrived, the Ferrari had already won the FIA Championship for two years in a row on top of scoring two class wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 250 GTO went on to win the World Sportscar Championship for the third time in 1964, but its GT dominance ended in 1965, when the Shelby’s V-8-powered Coupe brought the trophy to the U.S.
Along with its 1964-1966 Ferrari 275 GTB successor, the 250 GTO was one of the last front-engined cars to remain competitive at the top level of sports car racing. The former would continue to win GT races through 1967.
Nowadays, the 250 GTO is not just the most coveted Ferrari, but also the most coveted and one of the most expensive classic cars in the world. Initial priced at $18,500 in 1962, the 250 GTO became a million-dollar car as early as the 1980s. By 1990, two examples were sold for more than $10 million. More recently, certain models changed hands for more than $30 million, while chassis number 5111GT set a world record in 2013 after it was auctioned off for whopping $52 million.
While this incredible hike in value is great news to those who already own one, it pretty much leaves those wanting a 250 GTO of their own hopeless. The bad news here is that unlike Shelby, Ferrari won’t build continuation cars.
Read our full review here.
Conclusion
The 1960s was a great era for racing and a successful period for Shelby American. Not only did Carroll help Ford crush Ferrari in GT racing with the Daytona Coupe, he also worked on the GT40, which turned out pretty well, as it defeated the Italians in prototype racing as well. Many of Shelby’s iconic cars, including the Cobra 427 and the Mustangs, were born in the 1960s. This continuation series Daytona Coupe brings back one of America’s most legendary cars and the first vehicle to become a National Historic Vehicle Register inductee.
It’s great news for gearheads who can’t afford one of the original Daytona Coupes and a good way to celebrate the car’s success from half a century ago. Some might argue that Shelby has been using its heritage more than it should with so many continuation cars in recent years, but I don’t care. There’s no such thing as too many U.S.-built "Ferrari killers" on the street and the track.Within the political mess of a country that is Ukraine, there appears to be a genuine attempt of the people to regain control of their nation and develop a democracy that will help move towards Europe and the West in general.
Personally, I believe that tensions will arise regardless of whether Ukraine turns its back on Russia or not, due to the split nature of Ukraine’s society (Polish origins in the West gained from Austria-Hungary after its downfall and Russian speakers of the East, formerly of the USSR).
However, among the several candidates vying to become the figurehead that will attempt to drag Ukraine out of this mess, Vitali Klitschko, a recently retired former heavyweight champion, stands toe to toe with hardened politicians of the Ukrainian political scene. Many see him exactly as a figurehead, solely a man to inspire the people and oversee a transition with the help of more experienced and wiser politicians. However, Klitschko does display an ardent love for politics and has made his political stance clear on several occasions.
Last November, he openly displayed his opposition to Yanukovych when he refused to sign a trade deal with the EU to maintain connections with Russia. Klitschko goes on to preach the European Union as a model for the future economic and political development of Ukraine. Despite his stature and boxing prowess, Klitschko is also a renowned academic with a doctorate degree in sports sciences from the University of Kiev and proficiency in four languages.
In spite of Klitschko’s political inexperience, his popularity, willingness and above all commitment to pave the way for his people is clear. Perhaps, this crucial moment in Ukraine’s existence is not the exact time at which he should assume the Presidential helm, but an influential political role in which he makes a significant impact is plausible. There is always a strong possibility that Klitschko will rise to prominence in Ukrainian politics, but perhaps now is too risky a time.
AdvertisementsIt would be the only college in Vermont with a beach, Jane Sanders said.
It was the beginning of 2011, and Sanders was telling local press about Burlington College’s newly closed $10 million purchase of 32 acres of land nestled along a bay on Lake Champlain. Sanders, the college’s president since 2004, said the process of signing off on the deal had stretched out for six hours on New Year’s Eve. But now the paperwork was done, and she president laid out an ambitious vision for the future.
Burlington College’, a small institution started less than four decades earlier with a group of students meeting in its founder’s living room, would be able to grow from 200 students to 400 over five years, Sanders said. Inquiries from students interested in attending were already up sharply, she reported.
Sanders went on to praise a towering 77,000-square-foot, four-story building on the campus. Much of the structure was over a century old, but Sanders told The Burlington Free Press it was in good condition.
“The building was incredibly well made in 1881. The bricks were fired in Winooski. We were surprised they have kept it up. Very little has to be done,” she told the newspaper.
Sanders and Burlington College never managed to make those sunny predictions come true. She did not last as president through the end of 2011, and Burlington College did not survive as an operating higher education institution through the end of 2016. Many of the college’s former leaders blame its closure on what appears in retrospect to be an overly risky and ill-fated campus acquisition.
Even today, the purchase remains a cloud hanging over Sanders, who is married to U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders. The deal has come under new and intense scrutiny after word surfaced that it is the center of a federal investigation. Questions are swirling over whether Jane Sanders falsified loan documents, overstating pledges donors made in order to secure a bank loan needed to buy the campus. An allegation has been added that Bernie Sanders’s Senate office pressured the bank to approve the loan.
According to the Sanders side of the story, the issue is a politically driven tempest in a teapot. It is an assault on the reputation of an independent U.S. senator who mounted a surprisingly strong push for the Democratic presidential nomination last year -- and has since surfaced as a leading liberal voice speaking out in President Trump’s America. Bernie Sanders has called allegations against his office nonsense. And the political element of the story can’t be denied, as one of those urging scrutiny of the Burlington College land deal is a prominent Vermont Republican whose family has for years sparred with left-leaning politicians.
Still, the land acquisition was unusual in many ways. So it’s time to take another look back at the college's decision to bet its future on a large chunk of waterfront property. It is the story of a piece of land whose full value has repeatedly dangled just out of its owners' reach. It is the story of unrestrained institutional ambition at a tiny college grasping for a future. It is the story of big personalities and harsh realities, the story of small-state politics blowing up into a national proxy war for the presidential campaign that could have been.
It is a still-unfolding story punctuated by a seemingly never-ending series of bizarre events.
The Purchase
About seven months before it closed the campus purchase, Burlington College announced the deal. Burlington was a 174-student college on its way to posting revenue of $4.1 million in the fiscal year ending in June 2010. It would eke out a surplus of $317,181 for the year.
The college listed total assets of $4.6 million, more than half of which were land, buildings and equipment. Most of its classrooms were located in a modest wood-framed building (at left) from the turn of the century that once housed a grocer.
Meanwhile, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington needed to sell land to pay for a $17.65 million settlement covering 26 sexual abuse lawsuits involving priests, as well as settlements covering three other cases before the Vermont Supreme Court. It was selling the complex holding its central administration, made up of a 130-year-old four-story Victorian with a boxy wing grafted on in the 20th century (pictured below). The building sat on a large piece of land sloping down to Lake Champlain. The Adirondack Mountains across the lake were visible from the back of the building.
The facility had once housed an orphanage, although it hadn’t served that purpose since 1986. Much of it was unused. It was part of diocesan property assessed at nearly $20 million, but appraisals came in much lower. The diocese first listed the property at nearly $13 million before settling on Burlington College’s offer of about $10 million.
Burlington College financed the deal with loans from several sources. The diocese kicked in $3.5 million in seller financing. Local real estate developer and Bernie Sanders supporter Tony Pomerleau, who helped broker the deal, provided a $500,000 bridge loan. The bulk of the financing was roughly $6.5 million in tax-free revenue bonds issued by the Vermont Educational and Health Buildings Finance Authority and subsequently purchased by People’s United Bank.
That loan is the center of the controversy today. Jane Sanders told the bank in 2010 that Burlington College had secured pledges of $2.6 million to support its real estate purchase, according to reporting by the nonprofit news website VTDigger. Such a windfall represented a major jump from the college’s previous fund-raising levels. On federal tax forms, college leaders reported just $123,013 in nongovernment contributions, gifts and grants for the year ending in June 2010. They recorded another $127,503 in net pledges and grants receivable.
The deal caught attention around Burlington. Jane Knodell, who was provost at the University of Vermont at the time, remembers seeing the news.
“Everyone was very interested to see who was going to buy this property,” Knodell said. “And I think everyone was very surprised when it turned out to be Burlington College. It was like, ‘Oh, wow. How are they doing that?’”
Knodell would later become a member of the Burlington College Board of Trustees, and she would be brought in as the college's interim provost during some of its difficult times. She has had a front-row seat as the college struggled under the weight of the acquisition and closed.
“It was all very heartbreaking at the end, honestly,” said Knodell, who today is president of the Burlington City Council. “There was lots of finger-pointing, which is inevitable in something like that, but it ultimately doesn’t change the outcome.”
A Deteriorating Situation
Pressure mounted quickly on Sanders. As the new academic year started in the fall of 2011, local media reported members of Burlington College's Board of Trustees were trying to force the president out because they were unhappy with her fund-raising record. She resigned in September, less than a year after closing the land deal.
Sanders did not personally respond to interview requests for this story. She has said that she left Burlington College because of differences with the college’s Board of Trustees.
"Unfortunately, there was a kind of a quick change in leadership and we just didn't -- we had different visions for the future of the college," Vermont Public Radio quoted her as saying later. "I mean, I envisioned it to be a very community-based college, a college that became home to Burlington … [and] when you don't see things in the same way, you should part ways. It’s the Board of Trustees who run the college, as it should be."
Sanders left with a buyout package totaling a reported $200,000 and was succeeded in the presidency by her chief financial officer, Christine Plunkett.
Plunkett, who had been CFO since 2007, oversaw a worsening situation as the weight of the land purchase bore down on the college. The highly anticipated student body growth never materialized, despite significant efforts to boost enrollment. In 2012, college officials took a trip to China, where they met with several high schools to try to recruit students. They netted one.
Federal statistics show total enrollment declined from 243 in the fall of 2013 to 224 a year later. That was above the college’s enrollment in the fall of 2010 -- an enrollment of 193 -- but it was still not the sharp growth trajectory that had been projected.
College leaders found their financial practices under scrutiny. The college used $50,000 from a restricted scholarship fund to pay operating costs, VTDigger reported. Plunkett said donation terms did not declare the money an endowment. The college used the funding to pay for student scholarships and met the donor's wishes, she said. Nonetheless, she pledged to replenish the funds and proceed to treat the money as an endowment.
The alternative weekly newspaper Seven Days reported that Burlington College failed to meet key terms of loan agreements made when it purchased the campus. The college hadn’t kept up $1.5 million in cash reserves as spelled out in an agreement with the diocese. It also hadn’t maintained a $400,000 account required for its bank loan -- the account had just $8 in it, according to a 2013 audit.
The diocese declared the college in default. College leaders disagreed, saying the bank hadn't authorized them to make payments to the diocese. The college's debt piled up.
New costs mounted from the large campus and its dated buildings. Burlington College had to pay about $250,000 per year in property taxes, because Vermont tax exemptions did not apply to properties not under use. The facilities also turned out not to be in the reported good shape. In 2014, Plunkett told Inside Higher Ed that the college needed $2 million in repairs. In their state at the time, facilities could only accommodate about 300 students.
“In hindsight one could say, ‘Wow, should we have done this?’” Plunkett said at the time. “Was this more than we could chew? The reality is we have it now, it’s a stunning property, and there is no doubt that with success in enrollment it’s a transformational opportunity.”
She also said officials could not hope to raise major gifts given Burlington College's state. Plunkett did not respond to requests for comment for this story.
The college received donations totaling only $676,000 from 2010 to 2014.
College leaders turned to other options to raise money and attempt to chart a path forward. They unveiled a plan in 2013 to sell 16 acres of land for a housing development. Plunkett said the sale would allow the college to pay off half of its debt. The plan also called for privately developed residence halls and other buildings on campus land it retained.
But the sale never materialized, and students, faculty and accreditors soured for various reasons. In the summer of 2014, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges placed the college on probation because of its financial situation, giving it two years to improve. Then that July, 16 of 28 voters on the college’s Faculty/Staff Council voted no confidence in Plunkett. Shortly afterward, the college’s student union voted no confidence as well. VTDigger reported at least 25 staff members left over a three-year span.
The situation came to a head at the end of August. Plunkett left a Board of Trustees meeting in downtown Burlington and found herself confronted by a group of students demanding her resignation. The students followed Plunkett to her car and stood around it. She could not drive away. After some back-and-forth, she told the students she was done.
"OK, I resign. Happy?" she said, according to The Burlington Free Press.
Shortly afterward, she emailed her resignation to the board. Stunned board members did not accept it at first but eventually put in place an interim leadership team headed by a former deputy state treasurer, Mike Smith.
Smith broke down the college’s books and found $300,000 in past-due bills, along with $11.4 million in long-term debt. He determined a larger land sale was necessary, starting the process of selling to a developer, Eric Farrell. Farrell was also the developer named in the college’s 2013 plans.
“The idea was to get out from under as much of the debt as we could while still retaining enough real estate to build a future for the college,” said Knodell, who started at the college to advise Smith on academic issues. “Then use the savings from the debt write-down to rebuild our essential staff functions.”
Smith did not see the end of the sale process, as trustees named former Lyndon State College President Carol Moore Burlington College’s new president in December. About two months later, in February 2015, a deal closed. Burlington College sold 27.5 acres of land. The college kept six acres, including the old orphanage building and its boxy addition.
Farrell paid a reported $7.65 million in the deal. College leaders at the time said it put them on better financial footing.
But the college planned to sell the former orphanage to Farrell the following year for $2 million. He wanted to renovate the building and convert it to student housing. The college would keep the addition.
“We were on the verge of having on-site housing that was going to be owned and operated by a third party,” Knodell said. “We had some hope that we could make it happen.”
But the institution could not survive. NEASC determined it would not renew Burlington College's accreditation. People's United Bank pulled a roughly $1 million line of credit. With nowhere else to go, college officials announced in May 2016 they would be shutting down operations at the end of the month.
About 70 students were in academic programs, college officials said at the time. Another 30 students had submitted deposits for the upcoming academic year. About 30 faculty and staff members worked at the college.
When they announced the college’s closure, leaders cited a “crushing weight of debt” from purchasing the campus from the diocese. Farrell, the developer, would purchase the college’s remaining property from the bank.
“No one is making money off that deal,” Trustee Tom Torti said, according to VTDigger.
To this day, some of those who were running the college still believe success was just around the corner. Knodell acknowledges the challenges. The college had lost many of its employees, she said. Young staff members were stepping into significant roles like registrar.
Still, she remembers those staff and faculty members working hard to keep the college running. Burlington College was founded to teach Vietnam veterans, Knodell said. Its leaders at the end had been planning to find a way to continue serving students who would not thrive at other institutions. The plan was to marry some sort of professional training with liberal arts. Students would know they would have job opportunities when they graduated. The market placement would help both the students and the college in the New England region, where many liberal arts college fight over a shrinking pool of students.
“We still thought we could make it work if we could survive that last summer,” Knodell said. “But that requires |
has tapped him to chair a commission to battle the opioid addiction epidemic in America.
Christie confirms he will lead Trump drug commission
That falls under the purview of a new office Trump has put Kushner, a special White House adviser, in charge of to overhaul the federal bureaucracy and deliver on campaign promises.
"Jared and I have worked incredibly well on this issue and, by the way, on a whole bunch of other issues during the campaign," Christie said on ABC. "We are working hard because we know our job is to try to make sure that this White House is as successful as it can be for the people of this country who elected Donald Trump to bring change to our country and bring change to this town. And anything I can do to help I will."
"And Jared and I get along just great," he added.
.@ChrisChristie denies rift with Jared Kushner, says the pair "get along just great." https://t.co/6zBMnpctOW pic.twitter.com/PLrmERWjPR -- This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 29, 2017
Christie was New Jersey's U.S. attorney when he prosecuted Kushner's father, real estate developer Charles Kushner, for tax evasion, witness tampering and illegal campaign donations in the mid-2000s. Charles Kushner spent two years in federal prison.
There have been reports over the past year of lingering animosity between Christie and Jared Kushner -- who, like the governor, grew up in Livingston. Some reports citing anonymous sources said Kushner, 36, was instrumental in keeping Christie from becoming vice president and U.S. attorney general.
But Kushner has also downplayed those stories.
"Six months ago, Gov. Christie and I decided this election was much bigger than any differences we may have had in the past, and we worked very well together," Kushner told Forbes in November. "The media has speculated on a lot of different things, and since I don't talk to the press, they go as they go, but I was not behind pushing out him or his people."
The Washington Post reported this weekend that Christie and Kushner have met for several weeks to discuss the opioid commission. It was also reported they had lunch in Washington, D.C., on Tuesday.
To be a fly on the wall: Jared Kushner is planning to have lunch with Chris Christie tomorrow, per an administration official. -- Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 27, 2017
Christie will join Trump at the White House later Wednesday for a roundtable discussion on the opioid crisis.
Brent Johnson may be reached at bjohnson@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @johnsb01. Find NJ.com Politics on Facebook.Paul Meek, New South Wales Department of Primary Industries
It’s a dog-eat-dog world. Dingoes are one of the only species to have been filmed eating each other, despite having other sources of food.
The finding challenges the long-held assumption that animals only resort to cannibalism during famine.
Dingoes are introduced dogs that are subject to control measures in Australia because they kill livestock and native animals such as wallabies and koalas. As a result, farmers often lay traps for them around their properties.
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Paul Meek at the New South Wales Department of Primary Industries first came across dingo cannibalism last year while trialling a new, more humane trap fitted with a chewable toxin to euthanise the dogs in the Strzelecki desert in South Australia.
“I had trapped a dog late in the evening and couldn’t face doing another autopsy, so I pushed it under a bush and decided to come back first thing in the morning,” he says. “When I returned, it was absolutely decimated – there was just a trail of intestines.”
Meek was perplexed. Dingoes are the only known nocturnal predators in that area, but have no shortage of food thanks to a local industrial kitchen that throws out scraps twice a day.
Caught on camera
To probe deeper, Meek set up cameras near the traps. Over a night of recording in each of 2015 and 2016, he captured multiple cases of dingoes feasting on dead, trapped ones (see video, below).
Even more shockingly, he observed dingo packs aggressively circling still-living dogs that had only just been trapped, as if deciding whether to have them for dinner.
“I can’t categorically say that that is what their intention was, but it certainly appeared as though these animals were summing up whether it was worth taking the risk of taking a dog down,” Meek says.
A deadly trap
Benjamin Allen at the University of Southern Queensland in Toowoomba has personally witnessed one episode of dingo cannibalism during a drought in central Australia in 2009. He attributed this cannibalism to food shortages.
“There was a pack of seven dingoes eating two dead dingoes – I was about 10 feet away,” he says.
The idea that dingoes may choose to eat other members of their own species when food is not hard to find is surprising, but fits with their opportunistic nature, Allen says. “I wouldn’t put it past them: they’re known to scavenge and they don’t give up a free meal easily.”
Meek agrees, noting that trapped dingoes provide an easy source of nutrition and energy in a competitive environment.
The discovery suggests that the subject of animal cannibalism needs to be reconsidered, he says.
Octopuses have also been found to engage in cannibalism when they have other food options, but there are few other documented examples in the wild. “There’s not a lot of information on cannibalism in the animal kingdom, and it is mainly thought to be driven by food scarcity,” says Meek. “This is why this is so unique and interesting.”
Journal reference: Australian Mammalogy, DOI: 10.1071/AM16018
Read more: The island paradise overrun by giant cannibals;
First video footage of seal drowning and eating a pupPursuing a career as a personal injury solicitor in England and Wales can be an incredibly rewarding decision. Personal injury solicitors help to maintain an equality, whereby anyone can seek legal aid when they have been the victim of an accident. It is one role of a personal injury solicitor to help people obtain compensation, so they can maintain a good quality of living.
The path to becoming a qualified personal injury solicitor is very difficult, more so than the majority of professions. Obtaining the required qualifications to become a personal injury solicitor takes years of hard work, a strong passion for the profession, and a dedication to the subject.
Law is ever-changing and developing, making it a diverse and unique sector to work in, giving qualified personal injury solicitors the opportunity to specialise in various areas of personal injury law.
Thankfully, there are a number of routes that you can follow in order to become a fully qualified personal injury solicitor, with a license to operate in England and Wales. Justice.Gov.UK provides various resources for legal professionals and would be an ideal place to start.
Degree Route
One of the main ways to start on the path to becoming a personal injury solicitor is to attend university. This process starts with obtaining the required qualifications to be accepted at the university of your choice.
Qualifications
Primarily, universities look at A-level qualifications, or the equivalent, to determine which candidates to accept into their degree courses. However, some universities also require candidates to have achieved certain results at G.C.S.E level, and high results across the board are always favourable.
Choosing to take a law degree at university is the quickest path to becoming a personal injury solicitor. However, other full-time degrees also provide a stepping stone to becoming a solicitor. Law degree graduates will be able to immediately move onto the next step, while other degree holders will be required to take an intensive year-long legal course, either the graduate diploma in law or the common professional examination.
Legal Practice Course
The next step is to take the legal practice course, which is undertaken in two stages; core practice areas of litigation and vocational electives. The vocational electives stage of the course is where specialist legal areas can be studied. Those wishing to pursue personal injury law, can select to do so at this stage.
Personal injury solicitors cover virtually every aspect of daily life where negligence has been the cause of injury, but specialising in just one area and not just the whole spectrum provides the opportunity to excel as a specialist. For instance a solicitor might choose to specialise in no win, no fee claims like Legal Expert No Win No Fee compensation. This provides the opportunity to excel in this area, and in turn provides a specialist service catered to no win, no fee claimants.
Professional Skills Course and Training
After the legal practice course has been completed, the period of recognised training can begin. This is where trainee solicitors are able to gain experience in a professional environment, starting to put their knowledge to the test. Recognised training can last for two years, with possible exceptions if you have already had experience.
During the training period, the professional skills course can also be taken. This involves additional study of the law for a period of 48 hours, and a further 24 hours spent gaining additional tuition in the elective area. For personal injury, this again would be personal injury law.
Admission
Once all stages of training are complete, the final step is to apply to become a solicitor. This is submitted to the roll of solicitors in England and Wales (SDA). If your application is accepted, you will be entitled to work as a fully qualified solicitor.
Many trainees choose to pursue a career as a medical negligence solicitor and specialise in that area. Many times it is because they want to help those that have been affected in a negative way due to negligence in the medical profession and try to make sure medical practices are corrected and improved. Specialising as a medical negligence solicitor such as JCP Medical Negligence Solicitors and only working in this area of personal injury law provides the opportunity to excel.
A Guide To How To Become a Personal Injury Solicitor?
CILEx Route
The alternative option to going to university and obtaining a degree in law, or another subject, is to go down the Chartered Institute of Legal Executives (CILEx) route. This holds some similarities to the degree route in terms of later qualifications, but normally takes much longer.
There are two slightly different routes to becoming a personal injury solicitor through CILEx; the membership route and the fellowship route. The main difference is that members of the CILEx must undergo the same recognised training period as those that follow the degree route. The fellowship route starts the process by gaining two years of experience after becoming a member.
Qualifications
Like the degree route, the first step is to obtain the right qualifications in order to proceed. Unlike the degree route, to become a personal injury solicitor through CILEx, it is only required to have qualifications at G.C.S.E level. Four pass grades at G.C.S.E are required, with the additional requirement that one of the G.C.S.E subjects be either English literature or English language.
Professional Diploma in Law and Higher Law
The next step is to take the level 3 professional diploma in law. If you are working within the legal sector at the time, this can be taken immediately. If you are yet to start a legal job, it can be taken before. Once the first examination has been taken, the level 6 professional diploma in higher law must then be completed.
There are numerous opportunities for training places within the legal sector. A quick search for personal injury solicitors brings up a myriad of results. Not all will offer “on the job” training but if you contact enough personal injury related websites such as The Accident Claims Guide you should see some positive replies.
Further Courses
The professional diplomas allow individuals to reach such a point where they are on a similar level to those graduates who have finished their degrees. Due to this, the next steps fall in line with what non-law graduates would have to do.
The common professional examination or graduate diploma in law needs to be taken, followed by the legal practice course, recognised training (with fellows being exempt), and the professional skills course. During this time, the same vocational subjects will also be available, so those wishing to specialise in personal injury can do so.
Once all qualifications have been achieved, individuals who followed the CILEx route can then apply to the SDA to become fully qualified.
Health and Safety at work is also an area of personal injury law that interests many trainee solicitors aim to work in. With ever stricter legislation in place covering the health and safety of employees it can be a minefield that some employers don’t want to cross leading to cutting corners and employees facing injury from unsafe working practices. Specialising as a work accident solicitor who only takes on claims from those injured at work like Macks Solicitors can be very rewarding and help to improve employer health and safety practices in general.
Transfer Route
For trained and fully qualified barristers, or international solicitors, the route to becoming a fully qualified solicitor in England and Wales is much simpler. All applicants must follow the Qualified Lawyers Transfer Scheme (QLTS). Normally this involves taking two examinations from the QLTS, with some exceptions made in certain circumstances.
The path to becoming a personal injury solicitor can be very long and difficult, but it is an exceptionally worthwhile career to pursue. Qualifying as a personal injury solicitor can be done at any age, and many of the courses are available part-time to make the process more accessible. The lucrative career, for many, is well worth the years of training, which are there to ensure that every solicitor has the experience and knowledge to provide the highest quality of advice and legal support.
Going to university is equally as exciting as it is terrifying. Moving on from compulsory education to study a subject that you are passionate about is a big adjustment. University culture is a world away from college or sixth form, and it is very understandable to be nervous or worried at first.
Adjusting to the changes can take some time, but as many past university students will be quick to say, your time at university can be the most enjoyable and rewarding of your life. To help you adjust quickly, and get over those initial nerves, our top 10 tips for students going to university is on hand to help.
Learn Your Way Around
Number one on our list is the one of the first challenges you’ll face at university. Universities are not known for being compact, and the likelihood is, the buildings you’ll need on a regular basis are going to be a fair distance away from each other. Spending time exploring the campus before you start, or when you arrive, can make the experience less terrifying when you need to find your lectures first thing in the morning.
Plan a Budget and Stick to It
For many students, the first time that they will really have to manage a budget is when they attend university. Student finance is notorious for not stretching as far as most students would like, which means a carefully planned budget is essential. Running out of money a few weeks after your student loan gets paid is certainly not ideal!
Only Look for a Job If You Can Manage It
It can be very tempting to apply for a job as soon as you start university, especially if your first attempt at budgeting hasn’t gone to plan. However, with the workload that university piles on, it can really be worth waiting until after the first semester. That way, you can get a feel for whether you’re going to have time for a full or part time job, and not stretch yourself too thin trying to do everything at once.
Learn How to Cook
Essential for saving money and eating well, learning to cook at university is a must. Learning some basic recipes that you can change and adapt to fit your budget can help you to decrease the cost of living. Not only does learning to cook save money, but it ensures that you get those essential nutrients required to stay focused on your studies.
Start Looking for Accommodation Early
Where you’re going to live after the first year at university is a topic that needs considering a lot earlier than many students expect. Just a few months into the first year, many students will already be organising where they are going to live and who they are going to live with.
In the long run, it pays to be a little selective about which property you pick, but with so many students looking, time is going to be of the essence. When viewing houses, consider the state of the property, location in relation to amenities and the university, and whether your potential house-mates will be a good fit.
Sign up to University Clubs and Societies
Making friends at university really enhances the experience and gives you a support system of other students who are going through the same thing as you are. Clubs and societies are the best way to meet people that share similar interests to you, and even head-hunt future house-mates. With some universities having tens of thousands of students, you should have no trouble meeting like-minded people.
Make Full Use of the University Facilities
Depending on which university you attend, there will be a wealth of facilities open to students. During your time at the university you will have free access to the majority of facilities, so it is definitely worth making full use of them. If in doubt, the library is always the best place to start!
Focus on Your Career Path
It can be easy to get swept up in the university experience and forget why you’re there in the first place. Along with the course you’re studying, there is likely to be additional support available to help you with your chosen career and job prospects.
Stay on Top of Your Workload
A common mistake that many university students make is thinking that they have plenty of free time. However, when assignments start becoming harder, and deadlines stricter, that extra night out or lazy day can quickly catch up on you. Staying on top of your workload can prevent all-nighters from being a regular occurrence.
Don’t Let the Experience Go to Waste
At the end of the day, university is a unique experience that should be enjoyed. While there may be lots of work and a strict budget to follow, you shouldn’t let the experience go to waste. With so many opportunities open to university students, making the most of your time will ensure you create lasting memories.Havana (CNN) A new report says Donald Trump sought to invest in Cuba in the late 1990s, raising the possibility that the GOP presidential nominee violated US law.
The company spent over $68,000 on the trip and does not appear to have obtained the necessary US treasury license to spend money in Cuba, Newsweek reported.
"They clearly knew what the rules were and flouted them," the article's author, Kurt Eichenwald, said on CNN's "New Day."
The Trump campaign did not respond to CNN requests for comment. But on ABC's "The View," Trump campaign manager Kellyanne Conway denied he had broken the law.
"He's very critical of Cuba. He's very critical of (Fidel) Castro," Conway said. "We're talking about did his hotel invest money in 1998 in Cuba? No."
She later tweeted, "For those getting hard news fr. @TheView, biz officials tell me Trump: 1) did no biz in Cuba 2) respected embargo 3) was critical of Castro."
Under the five-decades-old trade embargo -- which can only be lifted by Congress -- US citizens are banned from spending any funds on the island.
The US and Cuba restored relations last year and President Barack Obama has eased some sanctions to allow more US travel and commerce with Cuba. At a rally in Miami earlier this month, Trump blasted the Cuba policy changes, an apparent shift from past statements in which he supported the reopening of diplomatic relations after more than 50 years.
"All of the concessions that Barack Obama has granted the Castro regime were done through executive order, which means the next president can reverse them and that's what I will do if the Castro regime does not meet our demands," Trump said.
The Republican candidate said he could close down the newly reopened US embassy in Havana if Cuba didn't allow greater political and religious rights for Cubans.
But a Cuban Foreign Ministry official on Wednesday said the island's government would not respond to Trump's demands.
"Cuba has always made clear that Cuba's internal matters aren't on the negotiating table," Gustavo Machín, the Foreign Ministry's subdirector for US affairs, said at a press conference here. "They're a function of internal decisions by Cuba and the Cuban people."
For decades, the Cuban-American community has been reliably in the GOP camp and often swung Florida elections to Republican candidates. But in recent years, observers say a generational shift is taking place, and a Florida International University poll of Cuban Americans in Miami-Dade County earlier this month found a majority now support lifting the embargo.
The same survey found 35.5% of Cuban-Americans favor Trump to 31.4% for his Democratic challenger, Hillary Clinton.KnCMiner has revealed a few interesting details about its upcoming Titan Scrypt miner, which is expected to ship this summer.
The company updated the Titan spec in March, revising performance figures and pledging to deliver upwards of 250MH/s – it originally promised 100MH/s.
KnC now says that the Titan ASICs will hit 300MH/s. Each miner will include four ASICs featuring a “record-breaking” 2,284 cores each. Each chip will be capable of running 18,727 threads, so each Titan will end up with 9,136 cores running 73,088 threads, the company claimed.
KnC says the chips feature 300MB of onboard memory. It is unclear whether this refers to on-die memory or not, as 300MB is a lot to put on a single die and it would take up a lot of silicon acreage. Bear in mind that this is not the equivalent of 300MB of memory on a PC motherboard or graphics card, as ASICs operate in a completely different way.
Some details remain sketchy
KnCMiner has already made it clear that the Titan ASICs feature a 55mm x 55mm package, but it has not revealed the actual die size or the transistor count. The package size does not tell us much about either metric. For comparison, the KnC Neptune ASIC features 1,440 cores in a 55mm x 55mm package.
KnC says the Titan miner will be able to extract over 300W of thermal energy from each chip. It comes in a relatively compact 60 x 50 x 20cm chassis and it can be powered by a standard ATX power supply.
Comparing the Titan to GPU miners does not make much sense, since the Titan is projected to end up much faster than a Radeon R9 290X (Hawaii XT) graphics card, the fastest single-GPU card used by miners today. Like the Titan ASIC, AMD’s Hawaii GPU can consume up to 300W, but it maxes out at about 1MH/s.
Tape out, shipping dates
KnCMiner says it is planning to announce the final tape-out of Titan ASICs “within the next few weeks”. The miner can be pre-ordered today at $9,995 and shipments are expected in the second or third quarter of the year.
Going from tape-out to full-scale production usually takes a couple of months, so at this rate we are looking at the end of Q2 or early Q3 at best.
However, this is anything but a smooth process. Even big chipmakers and chip designers are prone to delays and a host of technical issues. Designing and manufacturing immensely complex chips such as high-end GPUs or mining ASICs is a daunting task.
Delays are all too common in the world of ASIC miners and there is always a chance something could go wrong, although the news coming out of KnCMiner is encouraging.
In addition to the Titan, the company has also revealed plans to launch a hosted cloud mining service. KnC Cloud is expected to go live soon and the company says it will be releasing details of its “very competitive” mining plans promptly. The news is sure to interest Vault of Satoshi who announced a beta cloud mining service of its own this week.A MINI-ROLLERCOASTER, hydropark and alpine garden are all set to be built in the Pentland Hills under plans aimed at turning the area into a year-round mountain-biking mecca.
Ambitious proposals would see around 12 kilometres of dedicated mountain bike trails created next to Swanston Farm on the edge of the Pentlands in south Edinburgh.
Developers say income from attractions such as a 600-metre long “roller luge” – featuring buggies designed to speed down a specially designed track – will support public access to the bike trails.
They estimate no more than 500 bikers regularly make use of the hills but have identified a potential market of around 310,000 users across Edinburgh and the Lothians.
Additional income at the Swanston events centre would be generated by a new cafe and shops, developers said.
Costings have not been provided but it is understood the total investment needed to build new bike tracks and other attractions is likely to run to hundreds of thousands of pounds.
Mike Jardine, of Rare Management, which is overseeing a feasibility study into the plans, said: “This is very much low level, easily accessible and perfect for getting people into cycling.
“It’s about providing a learning environment which allows people to be brought on and coached properly, without any traffic issues.”
Owners said 30 years of steady growth at Swanston Farm had led to the emergence of a wide range of agricultural and business activities.
In addition to cattle and sheep farming, there is a horse livery yard and golf course, while a number of farmhouse buildings have been converted into offices and holiday homes.
The plans come after planning permission was granted for a Travelodge hotel opposite the nearby Hillend ski centre.
Mr Jardine denied the Pentland Hills were at risk of development creep, stressing none of the new activities would be motor-powered.
“The area is already used for intensive recreation,” he said. “This is not drastically different from what’s going on there already. It’s not even in the main region of the Pentlands. It’s a couple of hundred metres from the bypass. There’s also the golf course and the Hillend ski centre. This adds to what’s there at the moment.”
Local leaders said new outdoor activity and education opportunities were welcome and that they would comment on the proposed centre when detailed blueprints are available.
Dennis Williams, chair at Fairmilehead Community Council, said: “It’s got to be the right development for the right reasons – they are beautiful parks.
“Once we have seen the plans, we’ll have a better idea. The developers need to work in partnership with the local residents.”
BLAZING SADDLES
BLUEPRINTS for a new urban mountain bike and BMX trail in the Capital will be unveiled today.
Shona Robison, cabinet secretary for Commonwealth Games and sport, will reveal plans for a track on the outskirts of Holyrood Park – one of 47 across Scotland benefitting from the Scottish Government’s £10 million Legacy 2014 Active Places Fund. She will be accompanied by Angus Calder of Braidwood bikepark group, Simon Turner of Crags Community Sport Centre and Stewart Harris, chief executive of Sportscotland.On Friday we reported that in the latest Guardian/ICM poll, Labour had surged to a 10 point lead in London. Now a poll done by ComRes for ITV News has put Labour even further ahead in London, on 46% to the Tories’ 32%.
This 14 point lead is the product of a 6 point swing from the Conservatives to Labour since 2010. It could mean that Labour will win some key marginal seats off the Tories, such as Ealing Central and Acton, Harrow East, Enfield North and Hendon.
The pollsters also predict the Lib Dems would be set for a total wipeout in London, leaving only MP for Twickenham Vince Cable left standing. This would see the likes of Simon Hughes in Bermondsey and Old Southwark and Lynne Featherstone, in Hornsey and Wood Green lose their seats.
The full set of results read as follows:
Lab 46%, Con 32%, UKIP 9%, Lib Dems 8%, Green 4%Not to be confused with the sociolinguistic term sprechbund
A sprachbund ( German: [ˈʃpʁaːxbʊnt], "federation of languages") – also known as a linguistic area, area of linguistic convergence, diffusion area or language crossroads – is a group of languages that have common features resulting from geographical proximity and language contact. They may be genetically unrelated, or only distantly related. Where genetic affiliations are unclear, the sprachbund characteristics might give a false appearance of relatedness. Areal features are common features of a group of languages in a sprachbund.
History [ edit ]
In a 1904 paper, Jan Baudouin de Courtenay emphasised the need to distinguish between language similarities arising from a genetic relationship (rodstvo) and those arising from convergence due to language contact (srodstvo).[1][2] Nikolai Trubetzkoy introduced the Russian term языковой союз (yazykovoy soyuz; "language union") in a 1923 article.[3] In a paper presented to the first International Congress of Linguists in 1928, he used a German calque of this term, Sprachbund, defining it as a group of languages with similarities in syntax, morphological structure, cultural vocabulary and sound systems, but without systematic sound correspondences, shared basic morphology or shared basic vocabulary.[4][2] Later workers, starting with Trubetzkoy's colleague Roman Jakobson,[5][6] have relaxed the requirement of similarities in all four of the areas stipulated by Trubetzkoy.[7][8][9]
In contrast, a sprachraum (from German, "language area"), also known as a dialect continuum, describes a group of genetically related dialects spoken across a geographical area, differing in their genetic relationship only slightly between areas that are geographically close, and gradually decreasing in mutual intelligibility as distances increase.[citation needed]
Examples [ edit ]
The Balkans [ edit ]
The idea of areal convergence is commonly attributed to Jernej Kopitar's description in 1830 of Albanian, Bulgarian and Romanian as giving the impression of "nur eine Sprachform... mit dreierlei Sprachmaterie",[10] which has been rendered by Victor Friedman as "one grammar with the three lexicons".[11][12] The Balkan sprachbund comprises Albanian, Romanian, the South Slavic languages of the southern Balkans (Bulgarian, Macedonian and to a lesser degree Serbo-Croatian), Greek, Balkan Turkish, and Romani. All but one of these are Indo-European languages but from very divergent branches, and Turkish is a Turkic language. Yet they have exhibited several signs of grammatical convergence, such as avoidance of the infinitive, future tense formation, and others. The same features are not found in other languages that are otherwise closely related, such as the other Romance languages in relation to Romanian, and the other Slavic languages such as Polish in relation to Bulgaro-Macedonian.[8][12]
Indian subcontinent [ edit ]
In a classic 1956 paper titled "India as a Linguistic Area", Murray Emeneau laid the groundwork for the general acceptance of the concept of a sprachbund. In the paper, Emeneau observed that the subcontinent's Dravidian and Indo-Aryan languages shared a number of features that were not inherited from a common source, but were areal features, the result of diffusion during sustained contact.[13]
Emeneau specified the tools to establish that language and culture had fused for centuries on the Indian soil to produce an integrated mosaic of structural convergence of four distinct language families: Indo-Aryan, Dravidian, Munda and Tibeto-Burman. This concept provided scholarly substance for explaining the underlying Indian-ness of apparently divergent cultural and linguistic patterns. With his further contributions, this area has now become a major field of research in language contact and convergence.[8][14][15]
Mainland Southeast Asia [ edit ]
The Mainland Southeast Asia linguistic area is one of the most dramatic of linguistic areas in terms of the surface similarity of the languages involved, to the extent that early linguists tended to group them all into a single family, although the modern consensus places them into numerous unrelated families. The area stretches from Thailand to China and is home to speakers of languages of the Sino-Tibetan, Hmong–Mien (or Miao–Yao), Tai-Kadai, Austronesian (represented by Chamic) and Mon–Khmer families.[16]
Neighbouring languages across these families, though presumed unrelated, often have similar features, which are believed to have spread by diffusion. A well-known example is the similar tone systems in Sinitic languages (Sino-Tibetan), Hmong–Mien, Tai languages (Kadai) and Vietnamese (Mon–Khmer). Most of these languages passed through an earlier stage with three tones on most syllables (but no tonal distinctions on checked syllables ending in a stop consonant), which was followed by a tone split where the distinction between voiced and voiceless consonants disappeared but in compensation the number of tones doubled. These parallels led to confusion over the classification of these languages, until André-Georges Haudricourt showed in 1954 that tone was not an invariant feature, by demonstrating that Vietnamese tones corresponded to certain final consonants in other languages of the Mon–Khmer family, and proposed that tone in the other languages had a similar origin.[16]
Similarly, the unrelated Khmer (Mon–Khmer), Cham (Austronesian) and Lao (Kadai) languages have almost identical vowel systems. Many languages in the region are of the isolating (or analytic) type, with mostly monosyllabic morphemes and little use of inflection or affixes, though a number of Mon–Khmer languages have derivational morphology. Shared syntactic features include classifiers, object–verb order and topic–comment structure, though in each case there are exceptions in branches of one or more families.[16]
Northeast Asia [ edit ]
Some linguists, such as Matthias Castrén, G. J. Ramstedt, Nicholas Poppe and Pentti Aalto supported the idea that the Mongolic, Turkic, and Tungusic families of Asia (and some small parts of Europe) are genetically related, in a controversial group they call Altaic. Koreanic and Japonic languages, which are also hypothetically related according to some scholars like William George Aston, Shōsaburō Kanazawa, Samuel Martin and Sergei Starostin, are sometimes included as part of the purported Altaic family. This latter hypothesis was supported by people including Roy Andrew Miller, John C. Street and Karl Heinrich Menges. Gerard Clauson, Gerhard Doerfer, Juha Janhunen, Stefan Georg and others dispute or reject this. A common alternative explanation for similarities between said-Altaic languages such as vowel harmony and agglutination is that they are due to areal diffusion.[17]
Others [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]Amanda Liberty gives her favourite chandelier – and fiance – Lumiere a kiss (Picture: Caters)
A woman who is sexually attracted to objects has just got engaged to a chandelier.
Congratulations!
Amanda Liberty, a 33-year-old ‘Objectum Sexual’ from Leeds, claims she fell in love at first sight after seeing the chandelier listed on eBay last year.
She bought the light fitting – now affectionately called Lumiere – from the seller in Germany for £400, and it arrived six days later.
Now, she regularly showers Lumiere with cuddles and kisses, even proposing on Valentine’s Day and presenting the light with an engagement ring.
‘Last Valentine’s Day I proposed to her, to signify our long-lasting love,’ Amanda said. ‘I hope at some point we will have a commitment ceremony. I haven’t been engaged before, so it’s very new and exciting!’
She’s even given the chandelier an engagement ring (Picture: Caters)
However, rather scandalously, Amanda goes to bed with a completely different chandelier – a smaller and thinner one called Jewel.
Woman who killed husband 'had suffered 40 years of control and humiliation'
But she insists that she is in an open relationship with all 25 (!) of her chandeliers, and that they’re all genuinely happy with the arrangement.
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‘None of my chandeliers are jealous of each other,’ Amanda said. ‘They understand that I love them all for their different personalities.
‘For example, I love kissing and cuddling Lumiere, but I sleep with Jewel every night as she is portable and very nice to cuddle.’
Amanda in bed with a chandelier that is not her fiance (Picture: Caters)
Amanda first realised she was sexually attracted to objects when she fell in love with a drum kit at the age of 14.
Victims confront grooming gang as they're jailed for 116 years for raping them
Then, on a trip to the US years later, she fell in love with the Statue of Liberty – whom she affectionately calls ‘Libby’. After this whirlwind romance, she changed her own last name to ‘Liberty’ in 2010 by Deed Poll.
‘I’ve always loved the look of chandeliers and when I saw my first chandelier, Luna, it was love at first sight,’ she said.
‘You can’t control who you fall in love with and things just went from there.’
Amanda is in an ‘open relationship’ with 25 different chandeliers (Picture: Caters)
Amanda claims her feelings are totally natural, and that she can ‘sense the energy’ coming from the chandeliers and other inanimate objects.
She said: ‘I want others to see how happy the chandeliers make me, and how much they’ve enriched my life.
‘I’m not hurting anyone by entering into a relationship with them. I am simply just following my heart.’On Saturday, two city councilors in Albuquerque, New Mexico, announced that the city would begin work on $25 million in solar installations on city buildings later this year, which will be completed by the end of 2019.
The announcement did not carry a capacity figure, however the latest estimates from Lawrence Berkeley National Lab put commercial and industrial (C&I) solar at $2.50-$3.50 per watt, meaning that somewhere in the ballpark of 7-8 MW could be deployed if done at standard prices.
Albuquerque has also secured federal Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs), which could allow it to double its funding. The projects will be financed through energy savings and federal bond credits, which means that it will be built at no cost to taxpayers.
The city states that this will be the first step in fulfilling a goal set by the City Council last December for Albuquerque to get 25% of its energy from solar. It currently gets |
2016 PinkDot festival have already responded to the government’s statement by reaffirming their commitment to LGBT inclusion and nondiscrimination.
In the wake of the violent attack on a gay nightclub in Orlando in the United States on June 12, in which 49 people died and over 50 were injured, a group of Singaporeans held a vigil at the place where PinkDot was held the week before. One of the organizers told the crowd: “In Singapore we have absolutely no protection from any form of discrimination or even possible hate crimes committed in the future. But you know what … we are still here …We won’t be cast aside.”
On June 15, in response to the Orlando attack, Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam told reporters: “The government’s duty… is to protect everyone. Their race, their religion, their sexual orientation, they are not relevant in terms of the government’s duty to protect.” The deputy prime minister and coordinating minister for national security, Teo Chee Hean, also said on June 13: “Let us treasure the peace and harmony we enjoy in Singapore, and focus on the common humanity we share.”
“The government’s June 7 statement to companies not only encourages discrimination against LGBT people, it threatens the fundamental rights of all Singaporeans,” Adams said. “Such incitement to discrimination is a stain on the country’s reputation as a welcome home for international business.”Within a five-mile radius of London’s Oxford Circus underground station there are 161 Starbucks outlets. Talk about convenience, right?
While living in New York’s west village, I could stand on a certain corner and see four Starbucks at once—one in a Barnes & Noble, another across the street by a Staples, another up ahead in an NYU building and one more that’s in a museum. After a little angry investigation I found out this remarkable fact: they were all busy. Somehow, people needed all four.
If you’re ever in Seattle you can visit the original coffee shop near the city’s famed Pike Place market. Like many of the eclectic shops around there it’s a really hip, cozy, bustling place—with its big bright glass windows, outdoor tables, and green-copper trim and worn, old school sign. I can see why people like it. In 1987 Howard Schultz took over the struggling 11-store chain with the aim of spreading the brand to places not used to premium coffee. Before he became CEO he called himself “global strategist.”
One of the original Starbucks founders, Gordon Bowker (who also co-owns Pete’s Coffee and Tea and Redhook Brewery) said in a recent interview that as an avid reader he is more obsessed with the histories of the Roman Republic and Empire than business development.
As of 2006 Starbucks had spread their little coffee house to 13,168 locations across the world. Like a seed taking root everywhere, Schultz and Co. took their tiny piece of old-time Seattle and put it in Kansas, Kuala Lumpur and Timbuktu and saw that people responded, big time. Their goal—until the recent worldwide financial crisis—is to supplant McDonalds as earth’s most ubiquitous brand in the next five years, opening eight stores a day till they have over 40,000 stores in every corner of the globe.
But what does that mean for us? What is happening to the soul of our towns? Do we care about what makes them unique? What makes New York New York and not Chicago or Tokyo or Buenos Aires? Is it the smell of roasted peanuts in Union Square? The boutiques in Soho, the hippies and the rats in Washington Square Park, the ferry fumes in Staten Island? What will keep New York from becoming what most of Main Street America has already coalesced into—a convenient but soulless series of interconnected malls?
Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez wrote a clever little piece on Sarah Palin’s “small town” paradise of Wasilla that hits it on the head.
The scenery on the drive to Wasilla is stunning, with jagged snow-capped peaks and dense birch forests. But if you travel this way, do not make the mistake of thinking you're about to enter a quaint mountain village. Some towns have character. Some have a sense of place.
And then there is Wasilla, which greets visitors with Wal-Mart, Target, Lowe's, Kentucky Fried Chicken, Carl's Jr., McDonald's and Taco Bell.
They paved paradise, and all they've got to show for it is chalupas and discount tube socks.
He goes on:
I pulled into a strip mall parking lot, with a giant “Congratulations Sarah” sign on a storefront and asked a woman for help.
“Ma'am, can you direct me to Main Street?”
“This is Main Street,” she said.
“Well, where is the center of town?”
“This is downtown Wasilla,” she said.
I like pestering my grandparents about what their parents and grandparents did when they came to the U.S. Like many Americans, I come from a line of skilled foreigners who opened their own small businesses once they arrived: we had a Hungarian Kosher butcher shop, a haberdashery, a house painting business, a cigar shop, an Italian bar and restaurant, you name it. It makes me wonder if they would have made it in these times when people can get meat, underwear, paint and beer at Wal-Mart in one fell swoop.
British think tank The New Economics Foundation (NEF) gave a name to the concerning chain phenomenon that’s taking over our urban environments. Its called The Clone Town. As Jessica Williams describes in her book 50 Facts That Should Change The World, The Clone Town emerges when “smaller commercial centers, among them many ancient market towns, have started to lose many of the features that made them representative of the areas they served.”
The NEF documents that in Britain, between 1997-2002, specialist stores like butchers, bakers and fishmongers were shutting up shop at a rate of 50 a week and 20 traditional pubs closed their doors. In their place came mega supermarkets, and chain retail and franchise bars. Williams writes, “[F]or every 7 pounds of retail spending in the UK, 1 pound is spent in Tesco supermarkets.” That’s enormous power. With a workforce of over 1.2 million and annual profits in excess of $300 billion, Wal-Mart could have a standing army and a gross domestic product to rival many nations.
In many ways a city or a town is like a person—it has a history, a sound, a personality and look and feel all its own. While New York retains some of Europe’s vibrant cramped, crooked streets, sizzling street food and bohemian spontaneity in its many parks and squares, Chicago has a cleaner, open, and definitively more modern layout. The wide grass prairie is still in its bones – the great lakes and the Mississippi river flows in its blood. Thanks to the devastating fire of 1871 which leveled most of the wood-tenement downtown, local architects, community leaders and developers came together as the ashes were still smoldering to create a new kind of metropolis—a city of grids and steel, of glass and stone, of light and technology—with structures that stretched to the sky undaunted by wind and weather; a glorious place that could withstand the claws of time.
With industrialization, immigration, migration and modernization came a renaissance in arts and sciences—atom bombs were conceived, dances created, and as the town went from farm backwater to meat-packing boomtown, Chicago got all those things that make a town itself: train systems, theaters, bowling alleys, colleges, libraries, prisons, diners, saloons, cafes, hotels, ghettos, castles, ballparks, roller rinks, factories, Vienna Beef, Morton Salt, Boeing Airplane, Wrigley Gum, the bikini-clad girls at North Ave Beach, the steaming corn vendors on Clark St., everything that makes Chicago Chicago and nowhere else.
Having recently studied in Prague, I was disheartened to see the 16th century splendor of the royal castle and the cobbled Charles Bridge give way to a neon façade of Subways, Long John Silver’s and Pizza Huts/Dunkin’ Donuts/Baskin Robbins’ three-headed monsters. When I asked local Czechs about this development they just laughed it off: “The iron curtain has indeed lifted with a vengeance, eh?”
I went to college in Ann Arbor, Michigan, a town that lives and grows around its young college population and has done an impressive job preserving its originality by instituting city ordinances against over-development and fast-food construction, saving various historic landmarks from the wrecking ball. While places like the grungy and majestic Fleetwood Diner or Krazy Jim’s Blimpy Burger stand out, the crown jewel of A2 is the Michigan Theater, a magnificent restored 1920s movie palace and concert hall with one of the last remaining Barton Pipe Organs still working in the country. It’s common knowledge that several times the theater was planned to be converted into a food court or a parking structure and if it weren’t for group of concerned Ann Arborites in 1979, who started the Michigan Theater Foundation, it would no longer be there.
Unlike Ann Arbor, other towns with similar original historic landmarks aren’t as lucky. When I return to my hometown of Evanston, IL, another college town, I am amazed to see how quickly it has changed just in my lifetime. It was once a relatively sleepy and artsy suburb of Chicago, but walking up Sherman Ave., one of the main drags, I am amazed to see 30-floor condos rising up into the air—glittering Whole Foods Markets and Border’s Books and Jamba Juices ensconced at their feet. Traffic snarls. A skyscraper is being planned for Fountain Square. During one stretch on Sherman I didn’t see one store that wasn’t a chain or a franchise.
Within the last few decades all the small theaters, including movie palaces The Varsity, art deco masterpieces like the Coronet, and vaudeville-era treasures like The Valencia have been removed or replaced by mixed retail. A massive multiplex is Evanston’s heart. Classic venues that my father used to attend like The Amazing Grace Coffee House/Collective, which featured artists as diverse as the Grateful Dead, Charles Mingus and Muddy Waters, have been leveled and replaced with strangely faceless Soviet-era-looking apartment complexes. While I have fond memories of the place, I feel little affection for the town now when I visit.
Why not embrace and preserve our history instead of decimating it and putting in one more food court with a Panda Express, Sbarro’s or Wendy’s?
Think about it. Is this the bland world we want to leave to our children?David Busst (born 30 June 1967) is an English former professional footballer and current Football Community manager at Football League One side Coventry City.
As a player, he was a defender from 1991 until 1996. Having started his career with non-league Moor Green, he moved to FA Premier League side Coventry City in August 1992.[A] Having made over 50 appearances for the Sky Blues, he suffered a broken leg during a match with Manchester United in 1996 which ended his career. His injury is often considered as the most horrific in the history of the Premier League to date.[1] He moved into management following his retirement with Solihull Borough in 2001, and later took charge of Evesham United. He came out of retirement in 2008 as defensive cover for Highgate United.
Club career [ edit ]
Busst played as a defender, and started his career at non-league side Moor Green in Birmingham, before moving to FA Premier League side Coventry City in August 1992.[2][A] He made his professional debut in an FA Cup match against Norwich City on 13 January 1993, and his Premier League debut three days later against the same side.[3] Busst made ten league appearances in his first professional season,[2] and went on to make 50 league appearances in total for the club, scoring 4 goals.[2]
Injury [ edit ]
His professional playing career came to an end on 8 April 1996, whilst playing for Coventry against Manchester United. Two minutes into the match, having ventured forward after his team won a corner, Busst collided with United players Denis Irwin and Brian McClair, resulting in extensive compound fractures to both the tibia and fibula of his right leg.[4] The match had to be delayed for nine minutes, due to Busst needing to be removed from the field on a stretcher, and blood was cleaned off the grass with water and sand.[4] It is reputed that Manchester United's goalkeeper Peter Schmeichel vomited on the pitch upon seeing the injury.[5] It was rumoured that Schmeichel had counselling for the effect of seeing the injury, but he said that this was not so.[6] The injury is often cited as one of the worst in the history of football.[1][7][8] The subsequent injuries suffered by Eduardo da Silva, Luc Nilis and Preston Burpo[9] have been compared to Busst's injury by many observers,[10] though Busst's is generally considered as by far the worst.
Busst's injuries were so bad that at one point he ran the risk of having his leg amputated.[5] While in hospital, Busst contracted MRSA, which caused further damage to the tissue and muscle in the injured part of his leg.[11] Despite having 26 operations, Busst remained a member of the official Coventry squad for a further seven months, but never played professionally again, and he retired from the game on 6 November 1996 on medical advice, as his doctors had warned him that he would never regain full fitness to play professional football. It was not the break itself that ended his career, but the following infections.[12] A specialist who treated Busst had warned him that had the injury been suffered 20 years earlier, it would probably have required amputation.[13] However, just weeks before his retirement, Busst had been hoping to return to training the following spring and be ready for first team action by the start of the 1997–98 season.[13]
His testimonial match, played on 16 May 1997 against Manchester United, was a sell-out.[14] England internationals Paul Gascoigne and Les Ferdinand guested for Coventry in the game, which was also notable for being the last game that United captain Eric Cantona played before he announced his retirement as a player two days later.[15]
Coaching career [ edit ]
Since his retirement, he has worked for Coventry's backroom staff, working for their Football in the Community programme, of which he became director.[16] A year after the testimonial match, Scmeichel bumped into Busst at Old Trafford and they had a long chat; Busst said that he was happy, working with kids in Coventry.[6]
Busst also trained as a coach, earning UEFA coaching badges.[17] Busst went on to manage the non-league sides Solihull Borough (from 2000[18] until 2003) and Evesham United (from 2003[19] to 2006.[20]) He briefly acted as defensive cover in 2008 for Midland Combination Premier Division side Highgate United, where his brother Paul was the club's assistant manager.[17]
Notes [ edit ]
A. a b : Some sources, such as 11v11,[3] and Soccerbase,[21] give his transfer date as being January 1992, not August, which would mean he joined Coventry whilst they were still in the Football League First Division.A graduate of the U.S. Military Academy and the only American known to have fought alongside Ukrainian forces against pro-Russian separatists has been killed in eastern Ukraine.
Mark Gregory Paslawsky, 55, died while fighting with the volunteer Donbas Battalion.
Paslawsky, who fought under the nom de guerre “Franko,” was killed on August 19 during fighting in the town of Ilovaysk, near the Ukrainian city of Donetsk, according to a Facebook post by Ukrainian Interior Ministry adviser Anton Herashchenko.
Paslawsky was born in 1959 in New York and grew up in a tight-knit Ukrainian-American family in New Jersey. He moved to Ukraine around two decades ago and informed his family earlier this year that he planned to volunteer for the Ukrainian Army, according to his brother, Nestor Paslawsky.
"We were concerned about the situation he was going into, understanding what the theater of operations look like, of course,” Nestor Paslawsky says. "We were concerned about this, but I think we were also proud of his decision."
He said his family learned of Paslawsky’s death from the Internet. "We grieve for him but we are proud of him as well,” he said. “He was a true American and Ukrainian patriot who supported both countries.”
Paslawsky was recruited to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point because of his volleyball prowess.
“He was probably, at that point, as a freshman, one of the most talented kids we had on the team,” Bob Bertucci, the men’s volleyball coach who recruited Paslawsky to play at West Point, recalls.
The nephew of Taras Hunczak, a Ukrainian-American historian and a professor emeritus at Rutgers University, Paslawsky was a history and military buff, says Bertucci, now the head women’s volleyball coach at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania.
Paslawsky was not the only volleyball star in his family. Nestor, his older brother, was a standout at Rutgers University-Newark who later played for the U.S. national team. He currently serves as general manager of Soyuzivka, a Ukrainian cultural center in Kerhonkson, New York.
'American As Apple Pie'
After graduating from West Point in 1981, Paslawsky served in the U.S. Army Rangers until he was 32 and then worked as an investment banker and adviser in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Moscow, according to VICE News, which interviewed Paslawsky in the Luhansk region in early August.
He said that he took Ukrainian citizenship shortly before he joined the battalion fighting the pro-Russian rebels so that he could “fight as a Ukrainian.”
“I’m of Ukrainian descent, and because of my parents’ background I’m entitled to immediate Ukrainian citizenship,” he told VICE.
Paslawsky added that as far as he knew, he was the only American fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
He said that he originally wanted the nom de guerre “Taras” in honor of Taras Shevchenko, the Ukrainian poet and national hero.
“I couldn’t have that name because there’s a more senior guy here that had it first. So I had to choose another one. I just said, you know, give me ‘Franko,’” he said.
Paslawsky’s death has elicited a predictably charged response, with some Russian media outlets calling him an American “terrorist” or “mercenary” and supporters of the Ukrainian government praising his decision to join the conflict.
Paslawsky “decided to sacrifice his life to help defend Ukraine’s unity and independence, while American senators, congressmen, and diplomats pay lip service to support for Ukraine, refusing to supply us with modern weapons and reconnaissance equipment,” Herashchenko wrote on Facebook.
Paslawsky’s friends and former volleyball teammates expressed shock and sadness at his death. “He was a super positive guy,” Jim Bannantine, who played with Paslawsky at West Point, said, adding hat he had not been in contact with him since he moved to Ukraine.
Bertucci called Paslawsky “American as apple pie.” "But he still was Ukrainian, and that was a big part of his life," he said.Nationwide HVDC Grid: Cheapest Way to Radically Cut CO2 Emissions?
According to a peer-reviewed paper just published at Nature Climate Change; “Future cost-competitive electricity systems and their impact on U.S. CO2 emissions” – the cheapest way to radically cut greenhouse gas emissions from generating electricity by 2030, would be a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) grid connecting America’s prime renewable resources to 256 electricity markets.
The study concludes that electricity prices could remain flat if the US could site projects for maximum generation – unconstrained by the current lack of a national HVDC grid – connecting the best carbon-free resources to load centers.
A National Electricity and Weather Systems (NEWS) modelling tool was employed to find a way to reduce, by the maximum amount possible, the CO2 that drives climate change, but while also not increasing the price of electricity.
The new modeling tool was built by top scientific researchers at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and their resulting hypothesis is generating new discussion about the advantages of investing in a nationwide HVDC system, long thought too expensive and difficult, given the multiple “Balkanized” bureaucracies that new transmission lines must go through.
Credit: “Future cost-competitive electricity systems and their impact on U.S. CO2 emissions”
The NEWS tool combined high spatial (13-km) and temporal (60-minute) resolution over the US, and combined it with comprehensive cost and price information from the Energy Information Administration (EIA) database.
The scientists found that combining weather data and maximum solar and wind resource maps, and then siting wind and solar farms in the regions of maximum potential, and connecting these – often far-flung – sites to energy demand regions using HVDC transmission, achieved the most significant carbon reductions at the lowest cost.
“We can place the generators in better areas when we are thinking about the highest value energy to meet the grid’s hourly demand, as this model does,” said Chris Clack, a research scientist with Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences at NOAA told Utility Dive.
The study concluded that even using only existing technologies, and without adding storage, it would be possible to greatly reduce CO2 emissions; by up to 80% relative to 1990 levels, by enabling the best resource siting for utility-scale solar, wind, hydro and nuclear with the addition of an HVDC grid.
Why the scientists did not include rooftop solar
While rooftop solar is an important market, the researchers did not investigate it as they were looking for the cheapest options with the fastest and deepest emissions cuts.
The higher installed cost of rooftop-by-rooftop distributed solar does have other benefits, like creating more jobs per watt, and other advantages to individuals, like not having to wait for slow-moving utilities to act on climate, or having a set price guarantee over a long period. But these potential system benefits were not in the brief.
The scientists were tasked with finding the optimal solution that kept prices down. This meant they could not rely on private decisions by individuals to decide to go – or not to go – solar
Even though in many jurisdictions, rooftop solar is cheaper than what utilities charge to “rent” electricity, compared to the mass-production efficiencies gained in building utility-scale solar, rooftop is more expensive.
Rooftop solar is limited by the available real estate. Some estimates suggest that as much as half the households in the nation can not go solar because they live in apartment buildings with a low roof-to-demand ratio, or that they only rent, have low credit, or are only temporarily living there.
Costs are 50% to 100% higher for distributed solar, according to the paper. The goal was for the model to show how to supply electric demand “for every hour to every market” without costing more than current electricity.
Credit: “Future cost-competitive electricity systems and their impact on U.S. CO2 emissions”
Permitting difficulties have long been the obstacle to HVDC. So the idea of under-grounding the HVDC lines next to highways and railroads is a real breakthrough solution.
Getting transmission permitting through the regulatory process is nearly impossible. Transmission lines must cross county lines and state lines, and must get approved by new bureaucracies within each county and state line crossed.
But there is one exception. The Federal highway system. (And the railroad right-of-way)
So NEWS didn’t consider the challenges of normal above-ground transmission development across open land. Even though it is more expensive to bury the transmission lines, ultimately the costs pencil out in achieving the buildout on time, because there is virtually no opposition to undergrounding transmission – nor to siting it next to Federal highways.
Clack explained that if the cable was buried under ground alongside railroad tracks and interstate highways, the permitting nightmare would be eliminated because the Federal government the federal government would have jurisdiction to grant undergrounded ROWs.
Laying cables underground alongside the highway system only would require one OK – from the Feds -because this would be a national undertaking.
There is a precedent for such massive public works. In the nineteenth and early 20th century, the telegraph lines were built along railroad right-of-ways. Even much of today’s fiber optic network was laid along Federal highways.
Since the rail lines are owned by private companies, the railroads were paid for their cooperation in fiber optic cable.
Both railroad lines and highways already do go wherever these lines would need to go. “I am confident the railroad companies could see the economic opportunity,” Clack said. “In addition, having trains lay these cables would be easier than doing it with trucks.”
A climate-changed future of storm outages also supports the rationale for under-grounding transmission lines.
“There’s a new normal out there,” electric utility expert Gregg Edelson of PA Consulting told me after Hurricane Sandy. “These repeated storms that are supposedly hundred year storms are happening every year. The intensity is different. Higher intensity ones are happening more often.”
Compared even just to the cost of U.S. weather-related grid outages, under-grounding transmission makes sense, according to Edelson. The U.S. has far higher losses than European nations, he said.
One estimate of the cost of storm-related electrical outages came to $150 billion a year, the equivalent of 4 cents a kilowatt hour or about 1/3 of the retail average price.
For example, Germany already buried its transmission grid and had only 15 minutes of power outages in 2011. The US clocked in at 240 minutes, more than 12 times as much.
Of course, in those nations, the distances are smaller. But already, in the US, transmission is under-grounded when the lines have to cross rivers that are too wide, or an airport runway, and the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI) is on board.
“It is something that society should look at,” Steve Eckroad, a recognised technical expert in under-grounding and superconductivity at EPRI told me at that time.
“Different societies do come up with different answers. Some small countries in Europe are mandating that all new high voltage lines, in the Netherlands and Denmark, must be under-grounded.”
NEWS estimated the cost of transmission at about 4% of the total cost, and that doubling that cost by under-grounding would still only raise average retail electricity prices a fraction of a cent per kilowatt hour. Retail rates currently average 12 cents but vary greatly across the US.
However, Ekroad estimated that the cost difference of under-grounding transmission is from 5 to 20 times more, (not doubled as this research says) while cautioning that it’s impossible to determine the actual difference until you know the specific route. In small densely populated areas like NYC, for example, it is cost effective and lines are already under-grounded.
But the researchers are optimistic. And even if EPRI is correct; because the transmission would be only 4% of the total – even if it costs 20 times more to under-ground transmission across some regions – that still wouldn’t impact the total cost by much.
By Susan Kraemer
Image credits: via FlickR (1,2) under CC licenseI recently read an account of John McElborough’s talk at Brighton SEO 2011, wherein he advocated some ethically questionable SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) tactics involving creating a private network of fake blogs.
I don’t know John or his work, but this entire side of internet marketing and promotion makes me sad - and a bit angry. I fully acknowledge the value of, and need for, actual SEO; I just think that in many cases, the tactics employed under that title would better be described as Search Engine Manipulation or even Abuse.
I periodically check my blog’s referrers, and there are a huge number of sites out there containing duplicate content and links, some of them extremely convincing when viewed in isolation. It’s sleazy, it’s pathetic, and it damages the internet for everyone.
I’m asked sometimes for advice on building an internet presence, and I usually have to fumble for an answer - because I haven’t pursued any particular strategy beyond the glaringly obvious: create original, relevant content repeatedly.
The key thing to understand is that the rules of SEO aren’t magic or arbitrary. They’re based on the goals of a search engine, which is to find relevant results. Relevance implies genuineness, and genuineness implies trust. So, shockingly, you should try to make your site’s content trustworthy, genuine and relevant. All of the rules have come about due to their utility in detecting those three positive metrics. Good SEO is a by-product of not being a dick on the internet.
Consider a few examples of tried-and-tested “SEO tactics”, and why they actually came about.
Use descriptive URLs, ideally containing the page’s title. Those URLs are easier to remember, easier to search for locally in your browser’s history, and provide a preview of the page’s topic. They’re desirable for the same reason that a well-crafted email subject increases the chance of your message being read.
Make sure the page title matches the first heading. Why wouldn’t you do this? I mean… what else would it be? It’s the title. It’s what the page is about. It’s about trusting that you have any concept whatsoever of what a “title” even is.
Incoming links are good. If people are linking to your stuff, it’s because they think it’s relevant or interesting. It’s the ultimate natural, organic process on the web. Real people, really thinking your stuff is worth showing to others. The message isn’t “create incoming links yourself”, you cretin, it’s “write something fucking interesting”.
Use titles that are relevant to the content. The reason this happens is because you actually went to high school, and don’t have either a crippling brain-injury or a Monty Python-esque penchant for the surreal. The title should describe what you’re writing about, in a way that’s either immediately meaningful or will rapidly become so upon starting to read the piece.
Use descriptive anchor-text for links. When you read an article online and the author references another page, you hate it when the link is simply “this” or similar. The reason that’s dickish is because you’re forced to choose right now whether to read it. You can leave it until later, but you do so entirely without the context it might have provided. If, instead, the anchor-text summarises the article, you can at least make an educated decision regarding if and when you want to follow the link. Is that difficult to understand, or unexpected? No.
Keep writing. Relevance is a democratic process, and it also naturally declines if not actively maintained. That’s what relevance means. If you’re not willing to keep updating your site because you actually have something new to say, you don’t deserve to be thought of as relevant. Just accept it, and move on. Do something else. Be relevant elsewhere. You don’t strive for relevance; you just are or aren’t, to whatever current degree the rest of the internet feels appropriate. Some topics retain relevance more than others, but ultimately it quite rightly declines.
And so forth. This site doesn’t get massive traffic by any means (around 8,500 feed-pulls per day, and about 125,000 page-views over the past month), but this “strategy” scales. It’s how to do SEO the right way; honestly. The value of your content will never entirely go away, but much more importantly your trustworthiness will only increase over time.
Anything else is trickery, and an attempt to cheat the system. It may work for a while, but eventually you’ll be found out and rightly penalised. By going for search engine abuse instead of actual optimisation, you’re dooming yourself to eternally be finding new ways to deceive people and reduce the effectiveness of the very technologies you’re relying on. That seems sleazy, depressing, ignoble, tiring and unsustainable. It’s also why any job title including “SEO” is seen as slimy at best, and often not a real job at all.
Stop wilfully conflating optimisation with being a slimy liar. Stop being a dick on the internet. Write something interesting, and keep doing it for months and years. SEO will then follow naturally.
(Footnote: You might also be interested in Google’s SEO Starter Guide, and if you liked the tone of this article, I sound like that on Twitter too. Oh, and to prove I know what I’m talking about, this post was number 1 on Google for SEO dicks within 5 hours of publication.)Danilo Gallinari is in his native Italy, talking in a press conference about a partnership between the NBA and UBI (Union of Italian Banks) called NBA-Evolution. What would normally be a ho-hum presser about corporate sponsorship and partnerships was very notable for Denver Nuggets fans. In particular a revelation that no one had heard about before now.
In regards to a question about playing in Italy once again (not for the national team)
On the market and the opportunity to return to Europe < In Denver I am very well, there was a chance last year to go to some other team before the deadline in February, but I refused. If I return to Italy would be back to Olympia but with the intention of winning, I don't like the idea of nostalgic revisiting
(Translation courtesy of Bing Translation, and confirmed by individuals who were at the press conference)
This is something that, in the very least, no one had reported on prior to now, and it’s a bit of a shocking revelation, similar to Darrell Arthur declining to be traded at last year’s deadline as well. Gallo seems to be saying the Nuggets asked if he wanted to go somewhere else, and he refused.
Gallo seems exceedingly confident about the Nuggets prospects next season. Next segment in reporting of the press conference by our friend Laura Cristaldi from the Spanish site Somosbasket:
(Translated from Spanish)
"I've been in the United States for eight years, this will be my ninth season in NBA, I consider myself fortunate to have realized the dream of all children who play basketball. Now my goal is to win something in Denver, I’ve played there for five years now and I love it. I am very well and I hope to win with the Nuggets. Although “Super Teams” are now fashionable such as Golden State and Cleveland, to win in Denver this season will be very difficult for everyone."
Interesting stuff from Danilo Gallinari. He seems to clearly love being in Denver, which is a rarity in the NBA. Hopefully plays such as Gallo and DA can influence other players to have such dedication to stay in the city.
Update:
Our Friend Laura Cristaldi referred us to this quote from Gallo in May
So Gallo was opposed to a possible move in February, when Clippers and Celtics showed a strong interest in acquiring his services. " It made no sense to go at that time”
Very interesting.
*Stiffs commenter John Kobbeman identified the initial article that contained Gallo’s quote on the Rooster’s facebook page. Thank you John45 Shares 0
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Claims that Assad is using chemical weapons are like a barometer: when the Syrian army is doing well, they surface, notably in 2013, 2015 and now, just as the Syria government looks close to some kind of 'victory'. Both times in the past the intelligence came from Mossad and the claims fizzled out, though the propaganda that it was 'likely' by the Syrian Army stuck in western perception. The current chemical 'attack', instantly hailed by Israel, occurred just as peace talks were beginning in Geneva. The source of the claim is, again, most likely Israel, though that's not part of the media fireworks. Tillerson might have checked with the Russians, as Russian military were stationed at the airport.
That is the background to the bombing of the air base April 6, in retaliation for a suspected chemical weapons attack on civilians in rebel-held Idlib province two days before. National security adviser General Herbert McMaster solemnly declared, “We could trace this murderous attack back to that facility.” Secretary of State Rex Tillerson accused Russia of being either complicit or incompetent in failing to keep its 2013 promise of completely destroying Syria’s chemical weapons supply.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called it "an act of aggression against a sovereign country violating the norms of international law, and under a trumped-up pretext at that. Washington’s move substantially impairs Russian-US relations, which are in a deplorable state as it is.” Russia said it had suspended deconfliction channels with Washington, set up to avoid air collisions over Syria, though the Pentagon said it continued to use the channel.
Why would Assad launch chemical weapons when he was winning? The most plausible explanation was that the Syria air force hit a supply depot in rebel-held territory. That Assad would have ordered the use of chemical weapons was dismissed by Russian deputy UN ambassador, Vladimir Safonov, who vetoed the usual US-sponsored Security Council resolution condemning Assad, suggesting it was altnews. "We have not yet any official or reliable confirmation" of what took place or who was responsible, said the UN special envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, at a press conference after the incident. The EU echoed this, though European countries either supported the US strike or kept mum.
Safronkov warned the US, “If military action occurred, it will be on shoulders of those who initiated such doubtful and tragic enterprise. Look at Iraq, look at Libya.” Olof Skoog, Sweden’s ambassador to the United Nations, sounded a similar note. “I remember Hans Blix. Of course I’m concerned” about the possibility of a US attack in Syria." Bolivia, a current member of the Security Council, requested an emergency session to address, and perhaps condemn, the US missile attack in Syria.
What makes the accusation doubly doubtful is the fact that Syria joined the international chemical weapons treaty in 2013, agreeing to renounce all use of chemical weapons, and through the mediation of Russia, to dispose of all that were in their hands. The deadline for destruction was 2014. Syria gave the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons an inventory of its chemical weapons arsenal and started its destruction in October 2013, 2 weeks before its formal entry into force. Idlib, the site of the current 'attack', has moved back and force, and has been in rebel hands since 2015, and all the weapons were not yet removed.
As if scripted, ISIS stormed the Syrian army checkpoints in the nearby |
God, not his existence.
Plantinga’s Tiger
Which gets me to Plantinga’s tiger.
Keller relies a lot on Alvin Platinga for his illogical arguments on this. But Plantinga has no expertise in evolutionary science; and his arguments are illogical and unscientific, indeed hilariously stupid. He thinks, for instance, that it would be more likely for evolution to program us with a zillion random commands (like “always run from tigers”) than a single general intelligence algorithm that would be able to figure out what things kill us (instead of having to have been genetically programmed to know that in advance); and would be able to figure out when we should run from a tiger or stand our ground and kill it for food or to save our village.
Not only is Planting’s idea impossible—his model would require billions of trillions of years to even get to any point of being useful; whereas the correct model, of what actually happened, is vastly more probable—but it’s also illogical: a vast system of fixed commands to always run from tigers et al. would hugely reduce our ability to survive, relative to a peer who got a simple general intelligence instead; so evolution will always select the latter over the former.
This is why:
General intelligence is far simpler (it does not consist of a zillion one-line “if, then” commands) and scaleable (you can start with a crude general intelligence and leverage it smarter and smarter with successive adaptations). So it’s far easier to stumble on by accident; it’s therefore inherently vastly more probable as an outcome of natural selection. But it also has two huge advantages over Plantingian programming: it can save us from new and unanticipated dangers, and as such can save us from potentially infinitely many dangers, whereas Plantingian evolution is totally incapable of that (instead it requires killing a lot of people just to get a single “if, then” advantage); and a general intelligence can diversify our response to dangers in ways that greatly increase our differential reproductive success over versions of us that can’t.
For example, general intelligence can give us an array of behavioral options (run, fight, hide, shout, fart, trap it, tame it, play dead, throw a stick, distract it with a slab of meat), and can also learn to figure out which is needed or likely to be effective. Unlike the Plantingian tiger-phobe, someone who is merely just smart can encounter a tiger and not only not die, but end up with several days’ worth of food and a new cool cloak for winter. Which is, again, a huge advantage to survival. Plantinga’s guy, would inevitably get selected out of the gene pool, replaced by his far more capable peers.
So as an argument, Plantinga’s tiger is fantastically stupid.
That’s not the only idiocy in Plantinga’s garbage philosophy. Throughout all his work on this (which he calls the Evolutionary Argument Against Naturalism):
Plantinga ignores the difference between the biology and the technology of reason. The former is what our brain does; the latter is all the tools we developed to improve on what the brain does, such as mathematics, logic, and science. Those things have to be installed culturally. Because they aren’t in us biologically. They were not selected by evolution. They were selected by the rudimentary human intelligence that evolution gave us. Just as eyeglasses, telescopes, microscopes, and IR cameras allow us to improve on our biologically innate vision, so also logic and science do the same for our otherwise unaided reasoning. Hence we did not “evolve” telescopes. We evolved the ability to make tools. Then we made telescopes. Plantinga conflates different kinds of faculties. My eyesight and visual processing is one faculty (e.g. my ability to see you and gauge your distance and size); my ability to process diverse information and thereby conclude that you cannot hide inside a lunch box is another faculty altogether. Plantinga makes no distinction, and thus is incapable of ever having a scientifically credible account of our cognitive faculties. Which is why he has never published a single paper on the evolution of cognition in any science journal dedicated to actually scientifically studying the evolution of cognition. By making novel scientific assertions about cognition, he’s pretending to be an expert in cognitive science. With exactly no degrees or publications in cognitive science. I’m relying on actual experts. If Plantinga were quoting actual expert conclusions in that field, and then identifying fallacies or defects in their evidence, that would have merit. But he doesn’t. His model of evolution doesn’t come from anywhere in science; it even contradicts all the science there is, without interacting with any of the actual science. Philosophy that is that science illiterate, is garbage. Plantinga leans his entire argument on a single bifurcation fallacy: that naturally evolved faculties are either reliable or not. When in fact they have degrees of reliability; our faculties are neither 100% reliable, nor 100% unreliable. Plantinga never accounts for this. Anywhere in the whole of his case. Plantinga also conflates different kinds of knowledge. Knowing how far away you are from me and how large you are relative to a lunch box, is different from knowing that you therefore can’t hide inside a lunch box; which is different from knowing how to calculate the geometric volume of a lunch box; which is different from knowing how to predict what Newtonian stress the lunch box can withstand from internal pressure as I try to squeeze myself into it to hide there, before it bursts apart; which is different from knowing the laws of pressure and temperature and volume; which is different from knowing why those laws actually govern the material the lunch box is made of; and so on. Each of those kinds of knowledge took a different sequence of biological adaptations (binocular vision; language processing; world-model building) and a different sequence of skill discoveries and observational achievements (it took many different people centuries of fiddling to go from “I can’t fit into a lunch box” to “the reason I can’t fit into a lunch box is the electromagnetic force”). Plantinga ignores all that. Which means his apologetic ignores reality. Like all apologetics does.
For an example of another inept apologist deploying ridiculous Plantinga-style arguments against the natural evolution of our faculties, consider an example I thrashed years ago:
Another absurdism comes when, following Plantinga pretty closely, [Victor] Reppert offers a single imaginary “example” of how we could evolve a “useful false belief.” I already refuted the concept of such arguments earlier (cf. e.g. AfRF). But here I want to focus on how Reppert dooms himself from his own Lack of Imagination—in other words, a failure to think his own scenario through. His example goes like this (please resist laughing): “If the chief enemy of a creature is a foot-long snake, perhaps some inner programming to attack everything a foot long would be more effective from the point of view of survival than the complicated ability to distinguish reptiles from mammals or amphibians.” That’s right. That’s exactly what he says. … [The] example is absurd. Follow me here. I have “some inner programming to attack everything a foot long.” Okay. Stay with me. What sorts of things are a foot long? Hmmm. Well, sections of my arms and legs. So I’ll be busy hacking off my own limbs the moment I have the strength to act on my insane “inner programming” proposed by Reppert. Good grief, don’t let that man design robots! And what about snakes that are only six inches long—or two feet long? I guess they get to kill us. Okay, suppose for some zany reason all snakes are only exactly one foot long, and we also evolved the ability to discriminate our own limbs from all those other foot-long objects we are supposed to attack. How would we ever get out of the house? Or pass a tree? It is a cliched horror to break rocks at Leavenworth all your life, but Reppert apparently thinks it would be a greater survival advantage than human reason to actually like breaking foot-long rocks at Leavenworth all our lives—indeed, to do nothing else but! I hardly need go on. The absurdity of his scenario is palpable. There is no way evolution could ever produce (especially in a population) such fatal “inner programming.” Therefore, Reppert’s example is defunct. His “perhaps” is really a “definitely no.” Can we give Reppert a hand here and maybe come up with some example that isn’t ridiculous? I doubt it. It will always be a more efficient use of resources (energy, time, risk, and tools) to avoid attacking all non-threats and to attack all actual threats—including entirely new and unanticipated threats. And the only means by which an organism can maximize efficiency in this respect is to optimize its ability to categorize and discriminate objects and events. There is literally no other way. So how can Reppert advance any argument to the contrary? I’ll tell him how he could do it. For it is true that there is a threshold beyond which discriminatory abilities become detrimental or needless (i.e. the gain in efficiency is negligible or even reverses, into a loss in efficiency). That is why when we look at a leaf we see a patch of green and not a trillion-billion individual photon-cell reactions. That is why our eyes can’t see bacteria and why our brains always devote most of their limited attentional resources to a relatively confined region of our visual field (otherwise we would never need eyes that move in their sockets). So there is a sense in which the basic idea behind Reppert’s argument is true: at some point the efficiency-gains of discriminatory ability diminish, and then cease to overcome the concomitant increase in physiological detriment (from an ever-larger and more-energy-consuming brain, for example). The question to ask then is: When? At what point does this happen? At what threshold between discrimination and efficiency does reason become impossible? These are scientific questions, and can only be given scientific answers. I await Reppert’s peer-reviewed scientific research paper on the subject. Until then, this is just special pleading. Indeed, when Reppert concludes that “it is far from clear that a general ability to learn what is true will be helpful from an evolutionary standpoint” … I can only suppose he has some kind of mental cataracts obscuring his view. Learning isn’t useful? Of course it is. Far from being “far from clear,” this is not only clear to the rest of us, but blindingly obvious.
And that’s what’s wrong with all arguments like this. Evolution simply does not work the way Plantinga thinks or says. It never could. Evolution also did not give us logic or science. We gave ourselves those things. All evolution gave us was a rudimentary set of skills that made it possible for us to give ourselves those things. And evolution did not give us those rudimentary skills so that we could discover the better ones. It gave us those rudimentary skills because they were useful to survival. That they could then also be used for finding better skills is simply an inevitable and unavoidable byproduct of having them. And all the evidence we observe, confirms exactly that. Just as we did not evolve to play complex music on violins; we evolved hands, which necessarily entails the ability to play complex music on violins. Plantinga doesn’t understand this. Because he’s an ignorant hack who doesn’t know jack about how evolution works.
So Keller needs to get off that wagon.
-:-
For more on all this, see Why Plantinga’s Tiger Is Pseudoscience.
-:-Former 49ers lineman Ray McDonald arrested; Bears let him go
Ray McDonald Ray McDonald Photo: Santa Clara Police Photo: Santa Clara Police Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Former 49ers lineman Ray McDonald arrested; Bears let him go 1 / 8 Back to Gallery
Former San Francisco 49ers lineman Ray McDonald was arrested in Santa Clara Monday on suspicion of domestic violence and child endangerment in the attack of a woman holding a baby, prompting the Chicago Bears to release him after less than three months on the team, officials said.
In a statement only hours after McDonald’s arrest, the Bears’ general manager, Ryan Pace said, “We believe in second chances, but when we signed Ray we were very clear what our expectations were if he was to remain a Bear. He was not able to meet the standard, and the decision was made to release him.”
Kyle Long, McDonald’s now-former teammate in Chicago, posted this Tweet minutes after the team’s announcement: “Good riddance.”
The Bears’ decision to drop McDonald so quickly came in stark contrast to the 49ers’ decision to wait for months before dropping him after a series of run-ins off the field.
It was a stunning denouement for McDonald, who has been the subject of legal scrutiny for months.
The latest incident happened in the early hours of Memorial Day, police said. McDonald allegedly attacked the woman at his Santa Clara home about 3:45 a.m., said Santa Clara police Lt. Kurt Clarke.
Police did not release details, but scanner recordings reviewed by The Chronicle indicate that officers were sent to an apartment on Carlyle Court by the alleged victim’s mother. Dispatchers said the mother told them that McDonald, her daughter’s boyfriend, “was being violent” and had been drinking.
The caller told the dispatchers that the victim, who has an infant daughter, had locked herself in her bedroom but that McDonald had broken the door down. It’s not clear if the infant is also McDonald’s daughter.
An officer responded on the radio that he believed the suspect “might be the (ex-) 49ers player.”
“Officers tried to locate Mr. McDonald, but he wasn’t there,” Clarke said. “He had fled after the incident, so we were able to locate him in the 2200 block of Terra Nova Lane” in San Jose, Clarke said.
McDonald was arrested about 7:30 a.m. at the San Jose home, which is owned by Justin Smith, the 49ers defensive tackle who retired last week. McDonald was booked at Santa Clara County Jail on suspicion of misdemeanor domestic violence and child endangerment. He posted $15,000 bail Monday afternoon and declined to speak to reporters.
The arrest is the latest in a spate of incidents that have led to law-enforcement scrutiny of McDonald.
In August, he was arrested on suspicion of felony domestic violence against his then-fiancee, but charges were never filed. It is unclear if that woman is the same person involved in the current incident. The incident took place during a 30th birthday party that McDonald had thrown for himself.
In December, San Jose police said they were investigating McDonald for an alleged sexual assault. The alleged victim was drinking at a San Jose bar with McDonald and other friends before going to his house, police said. The woman said she was near the pool when she fell, hit her head and then woke up the next morning naked in bed with McDonald, authorities said. McDonald has sued the woman for defamation.
In December, the 49ers cited a “pattern of poor decision-making” in releasing McDonald, who listed his home on Bentley Ridge Drive in San Jose for sale in January.
In March, he signed with the Chicago Bears.
Henry K. Lee is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: hlee@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @henrykleeCAMBRIDGE, ONT.—The unusual mission statement for the fledging Canadian-Made Apparel company is written on a board overlooking sewing machines and computerized fabric cutters. It’s nothing more than a date and time — Feb. 21, 2013, 1 p.m.
(Stephane Champagne / La Presse)
It’s the reminder of an event not to be repeated.
At precisely that moment, in this very same factory, the owners of John Forsyth Shirt Co. Ltd. told 110 employees that a century of shirt-making would come to an end. The company, established in 1903, was closing its factory — the latest victim of a Canadian-made garment industry decimated by globalization and, in Forsyth’s case, government decisions.
The catastrophic collapse of the Rana Plaza in Bangladesh, which killed 1,127 garment workers in April, renewed public attention on an economic theory that has transformed societies for three decades.
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At its most idealistic, globalization is a business model for a world where market forces put everyone on the same development path to affluence and democracy. At its worst, it’s a model for exploitation and corporate conquistadors. In between is a large area where public policy, corporate decisions and consumer attitudes shape a theory often marketed as a force of nature.
“Globalization is about making choices,” says Suzanne Berger, a leading researcher of the business model at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The former employees of John Forsyth know that only too well.
The Cambridge factory had been struggling for years. Competition was fierce. The retail price of a Forsyth dress shirt runs from $70 to $125. Shirts made in places like Bangladesh sell for as little as $10 at huge retailers like Walmart. And demand wasn’t going Forsyth’s way.
“People want cheap shirts,” says Forsyth’s co-owner, Oliver Morante.
A decade ago the factory had 500 employees making 1.3 million shirts. That dwindled to 110 people working reduced hours to make 500,000.
“From a strict financial view, we probably should have closed that facility many years ago,” Morante says. “But we said, ‘It’s part of our heritage. We like the idea of being a domestic manufacturer.’”
The death blow came when the federal government cancelled “duty remission programs.” In place since 1988, they allowed apparel companies that manufacture in Canada to import some clothing from abroad duty free.
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For Forsyth, a Mississauga-based company that imports 75 per cent of its shirts from China and Bangladesh — those sell for $25 — it meant the loss of almost $2 million annually. It was money used to partly offset the higher labour costs, compared to offshore rivals, of its Cambridge factory.
“Those are the types of programs the government needs to keep in place if it wants to have any semblance of domestic manufacturing,” Morante says.
Seventy Canadian companies benefitted from the $15-million remission programs. The finance ministry says some of them no longer manufactured in Canada while others were selling their remission allocation to companies that don’t produce here.
Morante says he warned the government that ending the program would force the closure of his Cambridge factory. He urged it to audit companies and kick out abusers. Last December, the government made its choice.
“They threw out the baby with the bathwater,” Morante says.
The finance ministry points to other initiatives to help the apparel industry, including removing tariffs on imported equipment. They didn’t benefit Forsyth.
The demise of the duty programs shocked Forsyth’s employees. In April 2005, with an election looming, Conservative Leader Stephen Harper visited the Cambridge factory and stitched “Made in Canada” labels on shirts. Employees who witnessed the event say Harper was calling on then-Prime Minister Paul Martin to renew the remission schemes.
In February, Forsyth applied for court protection from creditors under the federal Companies’ Creditors Arrangement Act, a legal way to restructure a company and avoid bankruptcy. The Cambridge plant closed March 8.
“It was a very sad day,” says Sandra Lima, 39, who spent 18 years at Forsyth. “You’re left with, ‘What am I going to do now?’ To start all over again was scary.”
Rick Droppo, the factory’s manager, also lost his job, adding to a bloody 40 years in the business. The nine Levis factories he worked at out west are part of a long list he’s watched disappear.
“I thought, ‘Hey man, I really failed,’” says Droppo, 61, noting Forsyth had given him a free hand at running things. “It’s up to me to make sure these people have jobs.”
He embarked on what his friends considered a quixotic adventure — to buy and reopen the factory. It was nerve-wracking.
“I had to go and get sleeping pills,” he says.
He asked the federal government for financial help but they turned him down. Banks set unacceptable conditions for loans. So he turned to private investors, people he knew in the trade. They struck a deal.
Old customers stayed on, including Tim Hortons and Sobeys, who have uniforms made for their employees. Forsyth sold Droppo the factory, with its modern equipment, dirt cheap. And Forsyth committed to ordering about 300,000 dress shirts a year.
Droppo rented less floor space and hired back 40 former employees at $11 an hour, $2 less than they had been making, on average, with Forsyth. In early May, the factory reopened under a new name — Canadian-Made Apparel.
“It’s not like a factory, it’s like a family,” says Ina Stagl, 52, who spent 29 years with Forsyth. “Rick Droppo is, in my eyes, a hero. He was not thinking of himself, he was thinking about us.”
“I’m really angry with the government,” she adds. “They gave millions to the car companies and nothing to us.”
Only three shirt-making factories remain in Canada, Droppo’s and two in Quebec. Droppo is convinced he can make a go of it. And the workers are fully behind him.
On the mission board, the fateful date looms like a warning of a monster outside.
In theory, globalization is the process toward a single world economy — a time when the price of labour, capital and goods and services will be the same everywhere. We, of course, are far from that.
The world’s economy was more globalized between 1870 and 1914, notes Berger, an MIT political science professor. The price of commodities and labour converged as people moved freely across borders and new technology — from steamships to trans-Atlantic communication cables — fuelled trade.
The First World War brought it to an end. Immigration controls and tariffs went up.
“Globalization is somewhat reversible because governments still have the power to block things at their borders,” says Berger, author of How We Compete: What Companies Around the World Are Doing to Make It in Today’s Global Economy.
In Canada’s apparel industry, quotas limited the amount of goods imported from individual countries. When the quota of Chinese imports was filled, Canadian importers shifted to goods from Korea, then Mauritius and so on.
“The structure of the industry was built on the backs of these quota arrangements, which forced you into very mobile sourcing scenarios,” says Bob Kirke, executive director of the Canadian Apparel Federation, which represents 300 manufacturers, importers and retailers.
“Canadian companies became experts at moving goods all over the world.”
It was training for the next round of globalization, which kicked off in the early 1980s. The corporate model until then was vertical integration — research and development, design, manufacturing and after-sales service were all done under the same corporate roof.
The 1980s saw what Berger describes as a “tectonic shift.” Wall Street pushed a leaner, “asset-light” model. Labour-intensive manufacturing arms were often the first to be severed. The reward was higher stock prices.
“The factory is always the low-hanging fruit,” says Droppo, recalling his two decades at Forsyth’s Cambridge plant. “Every financial consultant we ever had in here said the factory’s got to go.”
As Wall Street preached outsourcing, new technology made it more possible. Digitization allowed product design to be separated from manufacturing, Berger notes. A silicone microchip could be designed in the U.S., for example, and digitized instructions to make it sent directly to a cutting machine in Taiwan. The U.S. company no longer needed an expensive semiconductor foundry as part of its operations.
Unionized jobs largely responsible for expanding a postwar middle class began to disappear. In Canada since the late 1990s, the result is rising income inequality, challenging governments with a series of social policy choices, including how to redistribute wealth.
In the garment industry, clout shifted from manufacturers to big retailers like Walmart. They developed their own brands. Consumers got hooked on “fast fashion,” discarding clothes with every new style. Accessing cheaply manufactured garments became a priority.
Government policies obliged. The NAFTA free trade deal between Canada, the U.S. and Mexico happened in 1984. In 2003, Canada removed all tariffs and quotas from 49 “least developed countries,” including Bangladesh. Two years later, as part of its commitment to the World Trade Organization, Canada removed all quotas on textiles and apparel imports — a move that had been signalled for a decade.
To no one’s surprise, manufacturing jobs moved to low-wage countries, first Korea and China, and when wages began climbing there, increasingly to places like Bangladesh. Montreal-based Gildan Activewear Inc., with $1.95 billion in 2012 sales, has most of its manufacturing in Latin America and the Caribbean.
The number of Canadians making clothes declined from 94,260 in 2001 to 19,340 in 2010, according to Statistics Canada. (When administrative jobs are included, the total number declined from 106,226 to 25,670.) About half of the industry is based in Quebec; less than 30 per cent is in Ontario.
GDP in the clothing manufacturing sector declined from $3.6 billion in 2002 to $1.4 billion in 2011. The domestic market share of clothes made in Canada dropped from 40 per cent in 2004 to 23 per cent in 2008.
“It’s fashionable to say, ‘Buy Canadian,’ as long as someone else buys it and not me,” Droppo says, giving his take on the attitude of consumers who make low price a priority.
The Apparel Human Resources Council, an industry-led group, complained of “price deflation” in a 2011 report.
The Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh focused attention, however briefly, on the working conditions behind the low-cost market. It pushed companies like Loblaw Cos. Ltd., which had some of its Joe Fresh line made at the plaza, to adopt a plan for safe factories.
Prof. Marsha Dickson, co-director of the Sustainable Apparel Initiative at the University of Delaware, is skeptical. Western companies have been auditing their overseas contractors for the past 15 years and it hasn’t made a difference, she says. Better safety and working conditions mean higher production costs. Which buyer will be the first to accept that?
“The pressure on prices has not made it feasible for the manufacturers to truly change what they’re doing,” says Dickson, also a director of the Fair Labor Association, an NGO formed by former U.S. president Bill Clinton to improve working conditions for apparel workers.
Purchase orders found in the Rana Plaza rubble indicate the Spanish chain Mango was paying $4.45 (U.S.) for the making of a shirt that it sold at its branded stores in Britain for $40 to $46. (The minimum wage for the lowest skilled in Bangladesh’s clothing industry is $38 a month. The average salary, according to business owners interviewed by Reuters, is $64 a month.)
Western retailers and importers are also reluctant to commit to more than one purchase order at a time. Why would a manufacturer in Bangladesh upgrade his factory and improve working conditions, Dickson asks, if the buyer might go elsewhere for the next order?
Besides, Forsyth’s Morante claims some western importers use so many manufacturers, “I’m not sure they even know where their product is being produced. It’s just so big. The volumes are huge.” Two years ago, he visited a factory in Bangladesh making 500,000 shorts for Swedish retail giant H&M.
In Canada, it has become fashionable to bid good riddance to low-skilled, low-paying jobs, even as they grow in the non-unionized service sector. The future, some economists insist, is in highly skilled work and, in the Canadian-made garment industry, niche products at a higher price point — Canada Goose jackets is the often cited example.
But Berger warns of a tipping point. She co-chaired an MIT project that examined the difficulties 246 mostly American companies faced in bringing a product they invented to market.
Her team published a preliminary report in February that warned years of outsourcing and corporate downsizing had created “holes in the (U.S.) industrial ecosystem.”
“We saw reasons to fear that the loss of companies that can make things will end up in the loss of research that can invent them,” the report says.
Lost is the learning that happens when engineers who design a product interact with factory technicians trying to mass produce it. The problem solving at that point is the source for future innovations and higher profits.
With fewer big manufacturers, cutting-edge research is more likely to happen in small startups and university labs. But they lack the resources to scale up and bring their innovations to market. It also means fewer workers being trained and a smaller skilled labour pool for startups to tap.
Governments should fill the gaps, but as local manufacturing decreases there are fewer players with the clout to pressure them. Berger’s team visited local manufacturers with “little beyond their own internal resources to draw on when they seek to develop new projects. They’re ‘home alone,’” her report says.
In Canada’s apparel factories, the tipping point is most obvious in the large number of workers nearing retirement.
“The industry will require 6,200 to 7,600 production workers over the next several years, for which there is virtually no supply,” the Apparel Human Resources Council says in its 2011 report.
“Furthermore, most companies currently do not have the resources or processes in place to properly train personnel... This could make it difficult for companies to simply maintain their current levels of domestic production.”
Even Canada’s successful garment-making companies, in other words, face a tough future.
Montreal-basedSecond Denim Co., which does all of its manufacturing in Canada, is a fast-growing company.
“Fashion changes faster and faster and our biggest edge is being able to react very quickly compared to clothes being made anywhere else in the world,” says Second Denim’s 40-year-old co-owner, Eric Wazana.
The company designs and manufactures stylish denim slacks, jackets and dresses, including the popular yoga jean — cotton, polyester and spandex blends that “feel like a Second skin,” according to the company website. The clothes retail from $120 to $189.
In 2011, brightly coloured jeans “became a phenomenon overnight.” Wazana quickly shifted production and stocked the 1,000 retailers who buy his clothes with colours like icy blue, peppermint, tangerine and watermelon.
“I had coloured jeans in all of my retailer stores almost nine months before the big boys could start getting some stuff,” Wazana says, referring to big-name retailers that import from Southeast Asia or China. “A lot of people missed out on that big wave. We caught it, and the retailers who work with us got the full benefit.”
The same happened when ankle-length jeans took off. If retailers detect a trend and want to change an order to ride it — flare jeans to skinny ones, for example — Second Denim obliges. If one wants to test the waters with a small order, that’s fine, too.
Retailers that exclusively rely on huge orders made overseas can’t be that flexible. When they miss a trend, big stocks get discounted and expected profit margins drop.
Growing up, Wazana watched his mother, a seamstress, repeatedly lose her job as factories closed down. He graduated as an accountant and worked in clothing stores, where he saw customers frustrated by the limited choice in denim wear. In 2000, he co-founded Second Denim.
For years, it had 20 employees and subcontracted manufacturing to a company in Quebec. One day, the factory shut down, after giving Wazana six months’ notice.
He travelled to China to check out what outsourcing had to offer. “There was so much more profit to be made, so much more,” Wazana says, noting the lower labour costs. But there was a catch.
“What you see is supposed to be the best and even the best there wasn’t good enough for me,” he says. “The conditions, the way people are treated — there’s no respect for workers in some of these places.”
He went back to Quebec and, two years ago, bought a recently shut garment factory in Saint-Côme-Linière, a town of 3,000 people east of Montreal.
“People in the town thought we were completely crazy,” Wazana says in a phone interview. “They were like, ‘The other guys had 30 years’ experience in the business and they failed. What makes you, little punk from Montreal, think you’re going to succeed?’”
Second Denim now has 120 full-time employees, 80 of them hired last year. Finding enough skilled people to do the work was difficult and most had to be trained. The lowest salary is $11 an hour, with benefits.
“If I wanted to start importing, we could make a lot of money very quickly,” Wazana says. “But that’s not what we’re about. We’re about keeping the jobs here and making things happen. In 10 years the rewards are going to be huge.”
Wazana won’t divulge sales volume but says his company has grown by “double digits” annually for the last seven years. He’s now focused on making Second an international brand — the kind of success he acknowledges might force him to outsource some production. Canada doesn’t have the trained workers or facilities to make that happen.
“Unfortunately, the governments have left the (garment) infrastructure of Canada completely dismantled,” he says.
Wazana made his choice, just like governments, consumers and other companies must make theirs.
Read more about: chinaMike Pinay, Qu'Appelle Indian Residential School, 1953 to 1963. “It was the worst ten years of my life,” he says. “I was away from my family from the age of six to sixteen. How do you learn about relationships, how do you learn about family? I didn’t know what love was. We weren’t even known by names back then. I was a number.”
Throughout most of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Canada sought to forcibly assimilate aboriginal youngsters by removing them from their homes and placing them in federally funded boarding schools that prohibited the expression of native traditions or languages. Known as Indian Residential Schools, the institutions, which were often administered by churches, provided neither proper education nor adequate nutrition, health care, or clothing, and many of the students who passed through the system—an estimated hundred and fifty thousand children from the First Nation, Inuit, and Métis peoples—suffered abuse. The country has in recent years begun to reckon with the consequences of its policy. A report released earlier this year by a Canadian Truth and Reconciliation Commission described what happened in the schools as “cultural genocide.”
The American photographer Daniella Zalcman’s project “Signs of Your Identity” explores the traumatic legacy of the forced-assimilation schools. For two weeks this past summer, travelling on a Pulitzer Center on Crisis Reporting grant through the prairie province of Saskatchewan, where the last academy closed in 1996, Zalcman photographed forty-five survivors and recorded their stories, then created haunting double-exposure portraits overlaid with images of objects or places relevant to their experiences. The features of Rick Pelletier, who was severely beaten at a boarding school when he was seven years old, are almost completely erased by the writing on a tombstone. Valerie Ewenin, who lost her native language at boarding school, appears with her eyes and mouth covered by a broken window. “I was brought up believing in the nature ways, burning sweetgrass, speaking Cree,” she says. “And then I went to residential school and all that was taken away from me. And then later on I forgot it, too, and that was even worse.”Newark - USA - Intimate body searches at airports across the United States could mean that TSA agents contract the deadly Ebola virus first.As the cocky TSA agent tells the man to bend over from West Africa and pats his crotch down, a bead of sweat falls onto his gloved hand. With a gestation period of 21 days little does the TSA agent know that when he has an itch in his eye three minutes later, he's rubbing Ebola virus into his eye.TSA agents are on the front line, fondling, stroking people's private parts during invasive searches daily."It's not just the TSA agents who are at risk, they don't change their gloves after each invasive search, they use the same pair of gloves all day, therefore any viral pathogens present on a gloved hand stay there and are spread from person to person. One person can therefore infect thousands in a day," Dr. Lucius Trimble, from the Washington Virus Research Institute told MSNBC.I know a lot of you don’t understand my love / fascination / obsession with Babymetal, but I am completely serious about it. Later this week I’ll be publishing a longer-form think piece on why Babymetal are the best thing to happen to metal in a decade: brace yourselves!
In the meantime I’m too busy enjoying the pro-shot footage of Babymetal’s London performance earlier this week — part of their WORLD TOUR — from this Japanese news report on the show. Also included: Japanese news anchors presumably saying funny things, and footage of actual babies dancing to Babymetal. Also, holy shit: dat mosh pit!!!
There was a pro-shot full song from the London show posted yesterday but it seems to’ve been pulled down, so here are a bunch of fan-filmed clips instead. The best is how the very white people up front seem to know all the words despite the fact that they’re clearly not Japanese and probably don’t speak the language at all. This is the kind of fandom Babymetal inspire.
Here are the remaining dates of Babymetal’s world tour:
Jul. 27 – Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theater
Jul. 30 – Phoenix, AZ @ US Airways Arena (w/ Lady Gaga)
Aug. 01 – Las Vegas, NV @ MGM Grand Garden Arena (w/ Lady Gaga)
Aug. 02 – Stateline, NV @ Harveys Lake Tahoe (w/ Lady Gaga)
Aug. 04 – Salt Lake City, UT @ Energy Solutions Arena (w/ Lady Gaga)
Aug. 06 – Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center (w/ Lady Gaga)
Aug. 09 – Montreal, QC @ Heavy MontrealDuring a discussion today about potential iPad sales, a friend and I got distracted by reflecting on the tremendous value delivered by a vanilla PC. Over on the Dell Web site right now, a basic 15″ laptop costs $499 and includes 320 GB of hard drive and 3 GB of RAM. So for the same price as an iPad, you’ve got a machine that can do the following:
give each family member his or her own private and personalized set of files, programs, and bookmarks
support the creation of almost any kind of document, plan |
in our index.html file before our app.js
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Next add 'pascalprecht.translate' to your app dependencies.
angular.module('starter', ['ionic','ngCordova','pascalprecht.translate','starter.controllers'])
In run() method inject both $cordovaGlobalization and $translate
angular.module('starter', ['ionic','ngCordova','pascalprecht.translate','starter.controllers']).run(function($ionicPlatform,$cordovaGlobalization,$translate) { $cordovaGlobalization.getPreferredLanguage().then( function(result) { console.log("the language " + angular.toJson(result)); var parts = result.value.split('-'); if(parts.length > 0) { var lang = parts[0]; $translate.use(lang); }else { $translate.use('en'); } }, function(error) { }); })
So what we have done?
We have used $cordovaGlobalization.getPreferredLanguage() to get the language of the device running the app then we set $translate.use() to set the language that angular-translate will use.In this way our app will be translated in the device language if there are translations for that language otherwise will use English.
Next in app.config() method we inject $translateProvider and set our app strings in different languages
var entranslations = { apptitle : "EasyLight", appdesc : "EasyLight lets you use your mobile as a flashlight", appauthor : "Built by Ahmed Bouchefra", lighton : "Switch the light on", lightoff : "Switch the light off", enableaccelo : "Enable/Disable the accelometer", menuhome: "Home", menu_about: "About", rate: "Rate"
}; var frtranslations = { apptitle : "TorcheSimple", appdesc : "TorcheSimple vous permets d'utiliser votre phone comme une torche ", appauthor : "Crée par Ahmed Bouchefra",
lighton : "Activer/Désactiver l'éclairage", lightoff : "Éteindre l'éclairage ", enableaccelo : "Activer l'accéléromètre", menuhome: "Principal", menuabout: "A Propos", rate: "Rate" }; var artranslations = { apptitle : "شعلة", appdesc : "شعلة تطبيق يسمح لك باستعمال المحمول كمصباح يدوي بكل سهولة", appauthor : "المبرمج : احمد بوشفرة",
lighton : "أشعل النور", lightoff : "أطفئ النور", enableaccelo : "تمكين التسارع", menuhome: "الصفحة الرئيسية", menuabout: "حول", rate: "Rate"
};
$translateProvider.translations('en', en_translations) // we provide English translations.translations('fr',fr_translations) // Frensh translations.translations('ar',ar_translations) // Arabic translations.preferredLanguage('en'); // we set the default language
Now on our templates we should use translate filter to display any string.For example :
app_title
How to access device camera flashlight?
Since we are buidling a flashlight app we need to access the device Camera flashlight so we need to install the cordova camera plugin
Under your Ionic project folder run
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-camera angular.module('starter', ['ionic','ngCordova','pascalprecht.translate','starter.controllers']).run(function($ionicPlatform,$cordovaFlashlight,$cordovaGlobalization,$translate) { /*.... Omitted some code parts...... */ $cordovaFlashlight.available().then(function(availability) { $cordovaFlashlight.switchOn().then( function (success) { console.log("Flashlight is on!"); }, function (error) { console.log('Error while switching Flashlight on') } ); }, function () { alert('Flashlight is not available'); }); });
This code will check if flashligh is available then switch the flash light on when the app starts.
Next we need to add some a bunch of controller methods to be able to switch it off and on again.
angular.module('starter.controllers', []).controller('HomeCtrl', function($scope,$cordovaFlashlight) {
$scope.isOn = true; $scope.turnOn = function(){ //nativeclick.trigger(); $scope.isOn = true; $cordovaFlashlight.switchOn().then( function (success) { console.log("Flashlight is on!"); }, function (error) { console.log('Error while switching Flashlight on') } );
} $scope.turnOff = function(){ //nativeclick.trigger(); $scope.isOn = false; $cordovaFlashlight.switchOff().then( function (success) { console.log("Flashlight is off!"); }, function (error) { console.log('Error while switching Flashlight off') } );
}});
So you can see that we have added two methods turnOn() and turnOff() to $scope now we need to bind them to home template
home.html
<ion-view view-title="app_title" style="background: #0d455f"> <ion-content style="overflow-y: auto;"> <h1> <img style="width: 100%;height: 100%;padding:5px; " src="img/title.png"> </h1> <div class="item item-body" style="background: #0d455f"> <button class="button button-full button-energized" ng-click="turnOn()"> light_on </button> <button class="button button-full button-assertive" ng-click="turnOff()"> light_off </button> </div> </div> </ion-content> </ion-view>
Monetizing our app with AdMob
In this part we will add AdMob monetization support to our app.Since AdMob uses native ads we need to install a Cordova plugin so in your terminal/prompt execute :
cordova plugin add cordova-plugin-admob
Or cordova plugin add https://github.com/floatinghotpot/cordova-plugin-admob
Next we need to add some settings
So in your app.run() method add the following code
window.plugins.AdMob.setOptions( { publisherId: 'ca-app-pub-9293763250492023/8573028797', interstitialAdId: '', bannerAtTop: false, // set to true, to put banner at top overlap: false, // set to true, to allow banner overlap webview offsetTopBar: false, // set to true to avoid ios7 status bar overlap isTesting: true, // receiving test ad autoShow: true // auto show interstitial ad when loaded }); window.plugins.AdMob.createBannerView();
Of course you need to change the publiser id to reflect your own AdMobe publiser id unless you want me to make some money from your app.
Also make sure to make isTesting:false when you want to release you app to the app store.But when developing it's recommended to assign true to isTesting so you won't accidently click on your Ads when testing your app which's against the terms of Google AdMob.
Preparing the app for publishing to app stores
The last step is to prepare our mobile app for app store release.I'm going to publish it to the Google app store since i'm targetting only Android devices.
First we need to generate app resources such as icons and splash screen.Go inside resources folder in the root of your project you should find two images icon.png and splash.png and two folders android and ios which contains resources for both android and ios with different resolutions and aspect ratios.
You don't have to modify the resources inside android and ios folder all you need to do is to provide your source images icon.png and splash.png (you can also use Photoshop and illustrator images) and then enter
ionic resources
Then wait for some time while Ionic generates platform specific resources with different sizes for different resolutions and aspect ratios.
You need to create resources for the largest size needed.The Ionic cli will take care of resizing and cropping them for specific for specific device resolutions
The minimum size of icon should be 192×192 px.
The minimum size of splash image should be 2208x2208 px and all artwork should be centered inside a square of size 1200x1200 px.
Next to prepare the project for release build remove the cordova-plugin-console which's not needed any more
cordova plugin rm cordova-plugin-console
Then use the following command to build the app for release with cordova
cordova build --release android
Next you should sign your app before you can upload it to the store.So first use the keytool to generate a key based on a key phrase and some other info that tool will ask you after executing
keytool -genkey -v -keystore my-release-key.keystore -alias alias_name -keyalg RSA -keysize 2048 -validity 10000
Then use the jarsigner utility to actually sign your apk with the generated key
jarsigner -verbose -sigalg SHA1withRSA -digestalg SHA1 -keystore my-release-key.keystore my-apk-unsigned.apk alias_name
Next you should align the signed apk with
zipalign -v 4 myapk-unsigned.apk myapk.apk
No if everything went without any errors you should get your myapk.apk file which's ready for publishing on the Android app store
You can get the app from the Android app store
And you can also clone the GitHub repo
Conclusion
So in this tutorial we have covered how to use Ionic 1,Cordova and angular-translate to build a multilingual Android app that you can also build for iOS.We have seen how to build the release version of our app using Cordova and how to add multiple Cordova plugins to access native functionality of mobile devices such as Camera and native Ads.It is probably not something Moses specifically had in mind when he descended from Mount Sinai bearing the tablets of stone inscribed with the 10 Commandments.
Yet according to the Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, the ancient Jewish principle of observing a Sabbath or day of rest is taking on a new meaning as a potential “antidote” to the decidedly 21st century problem of smartphone addiction.
“There was recently a study which came out with the result that more and more people are becoming psychologically addicted through smartphones; smartphones are encouraging people to become more narcissistic and they should carry a health warning"
Modern Britain is in danger of falling prey to a “narcissistic” addiction to social media, he warned, with many people now more interested in counting “likes” and virtual friends on sites such as Facebook than interacting with real friends face-to-face.
The Orthodox Jewish interpretation of Biblical strictures of Sabbath observance, which includes a ban on using electrical devices such as computers and telephones, could, he said, offer an unexpected means of weaning people off one of the most intrusive aspects of modern life.
He urged people, irrespective of their religious background, to consider setting aside time to switch off their devices to help them “connect” to natural human relationships again.
Photo: Sean Dempsey/PA
“It’s fascinating actually because we are finding that society is coming around to appreciate such a day at a time when everybody naturally wants to be connected,” he explained.
“They don’t realise that sometimes the more connected one is the more disconnected one is from everything that is important.”
Chief Rabbi Mirvis was speaking to the Daily Telegraph ahead of “Shabbat UK” an initiative to encourage Jewish people to re-engage with their faith by observing the full Sabbath laws for one day from the evening of Friday October 23 to Saturday October 24.
This year’s event, the second time the initiative has run, will include an attempt to set a new world record for the largest ever mass bake-off to make traditional Challah bread for the Sabbath meal.
He also spoke out about the Government’s plans to relax Sunday trading laws, offering his support to a campaign by church leaders to limit shop opening hours to preserve the principle of a day which is set aside.
Although the Jewish Sabbath falls a day earlier than the Christian day of rest, the principles are largely the same, he said.
“Those church groups who are advocating against fresh moves certainly have my sympathy because we are the first to recognise how important it is to have a day in which we prioritise all that which is of real importance to us,” he said.
• Facebook 'addiction' sees mobile phone use at wheel soar
• Should we all go to technology addiction therapy?
Speaking about the benefits of a Sabbath, he said: “We are finding that now in our internet era there are particular advantages to the Sabbath and it is the Jewish Sabbath on which we have our ‘digital detox day’ – well that’s what everybody calls it, we just call it Shabbat.
“So ‘how many likes have I got?’; ‘has it gone up in the last hour?’; ‘what’s going on?’; ‘how many people thought whatever it is of this latest photo of mine?’
“On the Shabbat you are dealing with real friends, real people, real challenges … it is the way it used to be.”
Are addicted to your smart phone? Take our quiz to find out more:
If you answered yes to 5 or fewer, you do not have a problem
6-10: try to cut back on your usage
10-15: you have a bit of a problem
16-20: your addiction to your phone is out of control
He added: “What I want to stress is that commercial activity is good, the internet is good, social media is good, smartphones are good, they are a power for the advancement of mankind in a most spectacular fashion but I think we need to have an element of self-discipline and that’s certainly what Shabbat is about and we can see a tendency towards addiction.
“There was recently a study which came out with the result that more and more people are becoming psychologically addicted through smartphones; smartphones are encouraging people to become more narcissistic and they should carry a health warning.
“That’s a serious statement and I think that should send alarm bells for us.
“We need that element of self-discipline and that applies across the board.”German Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel addresses the 72nd United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters in New York, U.S., September 21, 2017. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany welcomed U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson’s announcement that he was “probing” opportunities for dialogue with North Korea about its nuclear weapons program and called for Washington to take a similar step with Iran.
German foreign minister Sigmar Gabriel also warned in a statement that going back on a nuclear deal with Iran signed by former U.S. President Barack Obama would risk undermining Washington’s credibility in negotiating with North Korea.
In 2015, Tehran agreed to restrict its nuclear program in return for the loosening of economic sanctions that had crippled its economy. But U.S. President Donald Trump has called the deal “an embarrassment” and Washington said last month it was weighing whether to pull out of it.
Germany, one of the few Western countries with a permanent embassy in Pyongyang, has advocated peaceful approaches to de-escalating tensions on the Korean peninsula and criticized some of Trump’s more bellicose rhetoric regarding the potential nuclear flashpoint.
“This is exactly the right direction. North Korea would be well advised to take this offer of talks seriously.” Gabriel said on Sunday of Tillerson’s announcement.
He added: “I would like to see a similar offer for Iran. If the U.S. canceled its nuclear deal with Iran, that would undermine the credibility of its offer to North Korea.”An apologist of the President and a public official who gets paid by taxpayers’ money, Andanar is embarking on a dangerous path of propaganda and media control
Published 5:36 PM, January 26, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – Ever heard of Martin’s Mancave Lifecast? It’s a podcast on Facebook that features no less than the Secretary of the Presidential Communications Office (PCO), Martin Andanar.
The former commentator of Aksyon TV and anchor of TV5’s Aksyon sa Umaga, Andanar hosted his first podcast under the Duterte administration on a Saturday evening, January 7, and titled it, “Leni Leaks: Truth or Lies?”
The maiden podcast of the Cabinet secretary under the new government amplified a supposedly explosive discovery by bloggers about an alleged plan to oust President Rodrigo Duterte.
As of the afternoon of Thursday, January 26, the episode had garnered over 774,000 views and shared over 13,000 times. The numbers are quite impressive for a first episode that ran for over 50 minutes and featured interviews with two bloggers who are avid supporters of Duterte – Sass Rogando Sasot and Rey Joseph (RJ) Nieto, who, until only a few weeks ago, was known as the anonymous “Thinking Pinoy.” Andanar ended that episode with a short interview with National Security Adviser Hermogenes Esperon Jr.
Early on, after Duterte won as president, the first thing that Andanar asked the Malacañang Press Corps (MPC) officers was if bloggers like "Thinking Pinoy" could be accredited as members of the press corps. Clear about the distinction between the role of the press and that of pro-Duterte bloggers, the officers said no.
An apologist of the President and a public official who gets paid by taxpayers’ money, Andanar is embarking on a dangerous path of propaganda and media control.
As articulated by media theorist Manuel Castells, propaganda and media control refers to the “fabrication and diffusion of messages that distort facts and induce misinformation for the purpose of advancing government interests,” and involves “the censorship of any message deemed to undermine these interests, if necessary by criminalizing unhindered communication and prosecuting the messenger.”
Palace insiders said that, starting September 2016, money was released to “groups” that had maintained an online presence in support of the President. The same insiders said some of these groups are identified with Andanar.
Platform of legitimacy
Through his resurrected Martin’s Mancave – with “Lifecast” attached to the brand to give the podcast a new name on Facebook – the Cabinet secretary provides the two bloggers with a platform and grants them legitimacy, both as attack dogs out to intimidate journalists and as sources of alarmist information.
This shrewd artificial online boost spread like wild fire the message about the supposed plot to oust Duterte. It rattled the social media sphere of Duterte followers and generated a lot of anger about the supposed grand conspiracy.
Andanar justified his decision to discuss #LeniLeaks in his podcast, saying that the administration does not welcome any destabilization attempts and is against methods to advance such destabilization interests “kung totoo man (if they are true).”
It was Sasot who first posted about #LeniLeaks on Twitter in the evening of January 5. She followed up with a Facebook post afternoon of January 6, detailing the message of United States-based Loida Nicolas Lewis in a Yahoogroup about how to defend the Vice President from criticism and defeated vice presidential candidate Bongbong Marcos: “The only way to fight this evil plot to unseat Vice President Leni Robredo is to ask Duterte to Resign.”
It was also Sasot who recently equated the punishment of fake news with the punishment of people who write fiction, generating a wave of criticism and negative reactions. Faraway in The Netherlands, she openly cursed Rappler’s Palace reporter Pia Ranada for her story on #LeniLeaks. Sasot’s post has since been taken down.
Nieto, on the other hand, also recently repeatedly cursed from Singapore the MPC for their statement calling out Andanar.
The MPC – accredited journalists assigned to cover the Palace – said in their statement that they were “disturbed by the propensity of the officials of this administration to blame the media whenever the inflammatory statements of the President stir controversy or draw flak.” Andanar had accused the MPC of “misreporting” Duterte’s statements on martial law.
Not content with his curses, Nieto flashed the dirty finger repeatedly during his 13-minute rant. “Nasaan ang Malacañang Press Corps? Nakatambay kayo sa hotel o nagsa-shopping kayo sa Orchard Road…. Puro kayo inutil, mga putang ina ’nyo. ’Wag kayo umarte na kay-iinam. Wala naman kayong ginawa sa Singapore kundi mamasyal. O, ’yan ba loyal sa Filipino people?”
(Where’s the Malacañang Press Corps? Standing by the hotel or shopping on Orchard Road…. You’re all useless, sons of bitches. Don’t act as if you’re all good. You didn’t do anything in Singapore but to shop. Is that what you call loyal to the Filipino people?)
He reported that only he and a handful of others were at a hotel lobby in Singapore waiting to ambush-interview officials. However, this is not how the media works and gathers news. Journalists do not base their stories solely on officialdom but countless other sources, depending on issues they are pursuing and monitoring. Ambush-interviews likewise do not yield the best of stories because officials tend to give answers on the fly.
Nieto threatened the press corps that when he sees them in Russia during a presidential visit, he would be reporting on what they will be doing.
It is these types of disseminators of information whom Andanar, the President’s communications secretary, has chosen to promote.
Boosts and failure
During his podcast, Andanar built up Sasot and Nieto, then known as the anonymous Thinking Pinoy, and referred to them as “internet superstar bloggers.”
Donning headphones and doing the interviews, Andanar made it easy for viewers on Facebook to forget he is an official of the Palace and no longer a broadcaster.
Instead of using government resources at his disposal to establish the veracity of #LeniLeaks through solid intelligence information from other agencies of government, Andanar chose the two partisan bloggers as his sources.
After Sasot and Nieto failed to create enough splash the first time around, Andanar got them as interviewees on January 7 to shed light on “#LeniLeaks” which, he said, had gone “viral.”
Yet our data analysis of posts related to #LeniLeaks from January 5-15, 2017, showed that before January 7, the issue had not created enough buzz. The podcast on January 7, a Saturday, however, boosted the message and prompted a lot of shares as seen by the spike on that day (see chart below).
Perhaps because it was a weekend or because not enough traction was created, the number of posts dropped not long after.
The next attempt to sustain interest came the following day on January 8, a Sunday, via a second episode of the podcast, leading up to the January 9 Cabinet meeting, where Andanar said the #LeniLeaks issue would be brought up.
The second episode, however, got much lesser viewership. As of afternoon of January 26, it had 98,000 views and over 1,100 shares. The numbers were much lower compared to the over 774,000 views and over 13,000 shares of the first episode.
Evidently, the posts got their first stimulus on January 7 and hit an apex close to the day of the Cabinet meeting itself. When the issue was ignored by the Cabinet because of more compelling issues they had to discuss, the number of posts dropped dramatically, more visibly by January 10.
Despite occasional spurts, interest in #LeniLeaks subsided not long after, more clearly by January 11 onwards. The posts, however, prompted a lot of comments that peaked on January 8, then started tapering by January 11 (see chart below).
In the comments section, some of those who posted were impatient about updates on the issue. Unfortunately, the revelations of Andanar’s sources were found to be inadequate to merit a probe by the justice department.
Propaganda
In his January 24 Facebook Live interview with Duterte supporter "Maharlika" in Los Angeles, Andanar said the possibility of bloggers being accredited to cover the Palace is "very bright." The unspoken rule is that they should support the Duterte presidency and dish out only "constructive information."
In that interview, Andanar said a certain Carlos Munda, who runs the pro-Duterte MindaVote page, has already been given access by the PCO to its newsfeed. He said it's really a matter of creating a "new system" to include bloggers in the news feed of the Palace.
For Andanar, whether in Malacañang or in his man cave, the distinction between journalists and bloggers, as well as news and propaganda, are all a blur. – with Paige Occeñola and Pia Ranada/Rappler.comiOS users may no longer have to hide stock apps that they don’t want or use inside unnamed folders on their home screens. Apple quietly added new keys to iTunes’ metadata recently that suggest some apps might soon be hideable. The keys say "isFirstParty" and "isFirstPartyHideableApp," according to AppAdvice, and are showing up on every app in the App Store. These API adjustments could suggest that some default apps, like Compass, Voice Memos, and Stocks, will soon be able to be completely hidden. The keys are currently set to "false," but AppAdvice speculates they could be turned on to coincide with Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in June when it announces the release of iOS 10.
While this is just one way to interpret the new keys, Apple CEO Tim Cook suggested this feature would be added in a previous interview with Buzzfeed News. "This is a more complex issue than it first appears," Cook said in September. "There are some apps that are linked to something else on the iPhone. If they were to be removed they might cause issues elsewhere on the phone. There are other apps that aren’t like that. So over time, I think with the ones that aren’t like that, we’ll figure out a way [for you to remove them]."
Devices used across businesses and schools can already hide stock apps through Apple Configurator 2.2, and apps can also be hidden on the Apple TV.
The iPhone SE ReviewMeet The King Of NY Con Men
November 25, 2007
New York Post
New York City has been home to some of the cleverest con men in history – but no flimflam artist was a greater scoundrel than George C. Parker.
In his upcoming book, The Modern Con Man: How to Get Something for Nothing, Todd Robbins recounts the astounding chutzpah of Parker as he merrily ripped off countless numbers of residents and tourists – “selling” them city landmarks over and over again.
“He was one of the ballsiest grifters ever,” Robbins writes. “He sold the Brooklyn Bridge on an average of twice a week for years and it was not unusual for buyers to begin construction of their own tollbooths before police broke the news to them.”
Following this great tradition, Joey Skaggs once sold the Brooklyn Bridge too (see The Brooklyn Bridge Lottery hoax). In 1992, he faked an inter-office memo from then Mayor David Dinkins, purporting that the City was planning a lottery to sell the Brooklyn Bridge. In addition to a million dollar prize, the winner would have the bridge named after him or her for five years. The proceeds would help to pay for the restoration of the decaying bridge.
To continue the Post story about George C. Parker:
Parker also made a fortune from suckers by selling the old Madison Square Garden over and over again. “He prepared like hell for these sales, going so far as to set up phony offices and fake documents to prove his ‘legal ownership,’ ” according to Robbins.
Continuing his successful scamming, Parker then “sold” both the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Statue of Liberty. But perhaps his most outlandish transaction involved Grant’s Tomb, for which he posed as the legendary general and president’s grandson to seal the deal.
Alas, Parker’s con games eventually caught up to him and he was convicted of fraud three times, the third of which landed him an eight-year sentence at Sing Sing.
He died behind bars in 1936. But his legacy lives on in the famous American slogan, “If you believe that, then I have a bridge to sell you,” which is based on his cons.
Parker was actually not the first huckster to sell the Brooklyn Bridge, which opened in 1883. That distinction goes to a schemer named Peaches O’Day, who in 1899 collected $200 from one gullible citizen who received for his cash a bill of sale reading, “One bridge in good condition.”
Robbins notes the city’s nickname of “Gotham,” bestowed on the Big Apple by Washington Irving, has its roots in flimflammery. He writes that Gotham was originally the name of a small community in England that was regarded as a village of idiots in the Middle Ages. However, many believed that residents only pretended to be fools in order to con others and avoid paying taxes to the king.
image: Brooklyn Bridge, New York, Currier & Ives print of 1877. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division, reproduction number: LC-USZC2-3409Thanks to recent growth in the number of online forums devoted to translating Web novels into English, China's online literature has seen major growth in overseas popularity. Photo: IC
The first Chinese Web novel that Indonesian university student Yohanna ever read was Zhan Long (Cutting Dragon, published in hard copy in 2013), which was one of the first of its kind translated into English. The novel, which is based on a video game, tracks the adventures of young characters as they traverse different lands, complete with elements of action, fantasy, romance and the supernatural.
That's all it took - Yohanna was immediately hooked.
"When I was reading, I felt so happy, desperate to read more," she said. Yohanna, an information systems major, is in her senior year of university in Singapore, where she learned to speak both English and Chinese.
For Yohanna, part of the appeal of online novels is that there are no limits placed on the imagination. "I prefer reading books in the fantasy or virtual reality game genres," she said, adding that "English-language readers seem to prefer fantasy in the Chinese context."
In the past decade, online literature has seen explosive development in China, leading to the rapid growth of several Web novel sites and dozens of writers whose online works have earned them fame and millions of yuan a year. More recently, overseas readers have also begun joining this "big book club," which has led to a new phenomenon - flourishing forums dedicated to translations of Chinese Web novels.
Many foreign readers say they have become hooked on Chinese Web novels thanks to their strong, imaginative plots and vast range of genres. Photo: IC
Exploring a range of genres
Emphasizing the fun plots, Yohanna pointed out that there are a range of Chinese Web novel genres that cater to every taste. "There are a lot, fantasy, wuxia (martial arts), xianxia (martial arts blended with Taoist magic), xuanhuan (fantasy featuring adventures and wars) and so on."
Yohanna is especially into "light novels," a genre of serialized short fiction for young adults that emerged in Japan as an extension of pulp magazines. According to Yohanna, they are particularly well-suited to foreign readers like herself. "[Novels of other types] often use complicated language, but light novels are quite simple, as they are written by amateurs."
Yohanna started out reading Japanese light novels translated into English, which in turn led her to discover Chinese light novels. To her surprise, there were scores of them, many of which had already been translated into English.
Already an avid fan, Yohanna began visiting different translation sites, anxiously awaiting updates. Later, she decided to take the matter into her own hands and start her own website, shiroyukitranslations.com, where she uploads light novels that she has translated, chapter by chapter. Each chapter, she said, often receives tens of thousands of hits.
Popularity isn't a given though; Yohanna says, there are several standards your work must meet. "First of all, you have to release it frequently, at least four to five times a week. Secondly, the work should have fresh ideas; it should be something different."
The most popular novel she's translated to date was Zhaohuan Wansui (Long Live Summons). "This is different from the rest of the novels out there, because you can only read so many virtual reality novels about some guy training to become stronger," she says. "Summoning is a new category."
The unique charms of 'pop' fiction
Though snobs may dismiss Web novels as mere pulp fiction, Yohanna believes they have their own unique charms that are no less than that of the classics.
One reason is that they are free and easy to access.
She also believes the Chinese elements in many of these novels have proved attractive to many overseas readers, including the frequent use of online memes and jokes or passing remarks related to Chinese culture. For example, the main character in one novel she is working on likes to impress the ladies by saying that he wrote all the classic Chinese poems himself - and since he's a time traveler, he is able to get away with it.
Felicia Yan, a high school student from Seattle, is one of a growing number of American readers of Chinese Web novels.
So far, Yan, who is Chinese-American, has read the original versions of Lang Ya Bang (Nirvana in Fire), The Legend of Zhenhuan, The Disguiser and several other novels. All of these have been made into popular Chinese TV series that have even made it overseas, which is one way foreign readers learn about these novels.
However, she considers these books more than simple pop culture fodder, citing Lang Ya Bang as an example.
"It is not just about personal power or benefits, but friendship, loyalty, as well as the greater good of the people," she said. "I really enjoyed reading the novel, as it brought forth many emotions that I think are common for all of us today."
As an example, she cites Prince Jing, who is loyal toward another character, Mei Changsu, despite his bias against him. "It continues to inspire me to become someone who holds friendship, teamwork, loyalty, and all the other virtues we see in Lang Ya Bang highly."
The community of a subculture
Chinese-Canadian student Stanley Zhang, 20, first started reading Chinese Web novels in 2010, starting with the classic The Adventures of Three Tomb Raiders (Gui Chui Deng).
Zhang, who studies psychology and Japanese in Tokyo, has a special area of interest: "BL" (or "Boys' Love") literature, which is a genre that originated in Japan and is dedicated to romantic or sexual relationships between male characters.
Though it's usually written by and for women, Zhang, who is bisexual, is a big fan, and since 2013, estimates he has translated 638,038 Chinese characters of BL fiction into 429,585 English words.
He posts primarily on a forum called "Chinese BL Translations," for which he is an administrator.
According to Zhang, a majority of the readers of his website are from the US, and many come from Malaysia and Indonesia as well.
"I was very surprised and proud when I realized that many people [from overseas] love to read these novels."
Sometimes, readers make requests, asking Zhang to translate certain novels that they hear are good, or from a well-known writer of the community, or to finish translating a project that was dropped halfway through.
According to Zhang, people start reading Chinese Web novels for different reasons. Some are very interested in Chinese culture, while others get interested because they are familiar with certain subcultures, such as the BL fiction community.
Cultural ambassadors
On top of his personal interest in the genre, Zhang has another ambition behind his translation work - to show that Chinese culture has advanced beyond the outdated picture that most of the world has of a traditional, conservative people.
"I want to let people know that Asian youth have their own interpretations of diversity. I want people to learn more about our Chinese culture."
Another major forum, wuxiaworld.com, shares a similar motivation.
"[I want to] serve as a bridge to bring aspects of Chinese culture, legends and stories to the Western world," said the Chinese-American owner of the website, who goes by the penname "Ren Woxing," after a character from a wuxia classic The Smiling, Proud Wanderer.
Ren, 30, is a former diplomat and certified translator who resigned from his job working for the US government about six months ago to focus on the website.
Founded in December 2014, wuxiaworld.com is the largest Chinese Web novel translation forum in the world, boasting nearly 3 million page views each day. Its more-than-200,000 users hail from over 150 countries across the world, and it boasts 14 translation teams, each working on a project of their own. The teams are a mixture of Chinese, Singaporeans, Chinese-Americans and foreigners who have been studying Chinese for years.
Ren began the work over a decade ago by translating traditionally published wuxia novels. Foreign readership, however, was small. "These novels are very quintessentially Chinese, and comparatively harder for foreign readers to get into," he said.
Fortunately, along with the development of online literature over the past few years, international translators have also become exposed to modern Chinese Web novels, especially those of the xianxia and xuanhuan genres, which, Ren said, have served as a turning point for Chinese Web novels' overseas popularity.
These genres contain many magical elements, a number of which are borrowed from Western fantasy, making them more accessible to Western readers, Ren said.
For example, Coiling Dragon, which spans more than 800 chapters, all translated by Ren, features a continent of saints, immortal beings of unimaginable power, spells, swords and magical beasts.
"I'm not sure if this is a 'golden age' for Chinese Web novels [overseas] yet, but I would describe this as the start of a huge surge in interest in them," Ren said. He added that the size of Chinese Web novel readership is still much smaller than that of Japanese novels and non-Asian novel readership too, so there's still a long way to go.Is Rob Ford in rehab, or was that him with the coffee and sandwich at a Toronto Tim Hortons on Tuesday morning? In the tale of the never-ending Ford sightings, it depends on whom you believe.
Tongue-in-cheek Rob Ford missing posters have appeared around downtown Toronto. ( John Hanley )
Cayla Clarkson, a 16-year-old high school student, is adamant that she spotted Ford outside the Tim Hortons at Dundas St. W. and Clendenan Ave. Tuesday around 9 a.m. Ford is supposed to be in a |
Anton Newcombe, an American singer-songwriter, producer, and founder of the music group, The Brian Jonestown Massacre.
Q: You’re from California originally, so I assume you still keep an eye on American politics. But as a resident of Berlin, you’re also exposed to the EU (European Union) and Angela Merkel. How do you find the two governments parallel and what are your thoughts on the geopolitics of how these two countries’ governments operate?
Anton Newcombe: Ok, first lets deal with the German government and how it was created. After WW2 the Americans with help from the English set out to build a system that combined the best of the UK and USA, in fact it was the Americans calling all the shots and I have to be honest, they treated it from the perspective like the founding fathers and improved on the American system.
In my passport it says”Let us raise a banner that wise men can improve.” Basically it doesn’t say, “Ok, we’re number one.” Fuck it. Anyway, the post war boffins did a great job, because it’s more or less a parliament type government. You have an election and if you don’t win out right, you form a coalition, and if you mess up, the other people can say we are leaving. Then it’s time to have another election, etc. (to) address that.
Now this would be a problem in America right now, because we have this insane ‘shoot yourself in the foot’ politics over every subject and in Germany people are more rational even over very unpopular topics like letting 1.5 million refugees in your country.
Now, Merkel is a very interesting person. She’s dealt with unification politics and economics…and she has to deal with Russia…and that’s one 500 pound gorilla.
She has to deal with the legacy and relations with Israel (for instance Germany designed and built 6 attack subs for Israel.) She has to deal with America, and Germany is the defacto power house engine on many levels for Europe and 500 million people…it’s a tightrope.
On the one hand we all know Germany’s past. On the other hand it takes a certain type to see clearly the geopolitics of this century.
Geopolitics – gosh, I will really have to qualify so many topics I touch on for this.
In a nut shell. Sit back, this will take some time.
There is an economic side, to what end, it’s debatable a new world system? How can every country owe money to who? There is the grand chess game? (here he’s referring to Zbigniew Brzezinski ‘s 1997 novel The Grand Chessboard ) Ever hear of that term? You should google it.
There is the Caspian Sea and the honey pot of oil. There is Israel and safety and the truth about the Leviathan field …that the gas goes from Egypt to Turkey. There is Russia, China, Iran, The Shia Isma ‘ilisim … proxy wars, India and generating power from a natural gas line that never gets finished. South China sea..Brexit…
where should we start?
All of this leads to an awareness that USA politics and geo-politics are not left to the whimsy of the mob.
Q: You touched on the new world order. Do you see Germany’s place in that sort of position as a figurehead or more of a tag along party along with another superpower like the United States or Britain?
AN: Well New World Order means one thing to an Alex jones fan and another to George Bush…or maybe not but the truth is nationalism as we know it is on it’s way out from a Neo-Conservative perspective and the goal is economic unions and federalism etc. The political landscape changed because I truly believe one of the weapons America uses quiet effectively is economic and there was a crash in 2008 at the very same time the US dollar was sinking and China, quite aggressively positioning its own currency among a basket. At that point several things happened one of them iceland… but also Western QE ( Quantitive easing ) i.e., printing fake money on a large scale. The migrant issue only affects me specifically in that it became a hot button issue in Europe and the UK, now Brexit. But people are in fear and rightly so. They should fear what will happen if there are no plans to deal with the fact that a billion people’s brightest idea is to move to Switzerland. The other part, the displaced by war? That’s another subject and it’s two fold because refugees are a tool of war. Q: You’ve always been outspoken on issues you believe in. Living in Europe since 2007, how has the political landscape changed, and how does the recent migrant situation affect your day to day life (if at all) in Germany?
AN: The world is leaning more to the right. I don’t find Hillary Clinton to be all that different than George Bush to be honest… it’s only the tone that people take, and a few small gestures that come and go. However the tolerance levels in society for many things are changing quite fast… If you are asking about Germany or Europe, it’s polarized between people that want to be forward thinking and people that are saying hold on, letting a million people from another culture just roll on in when they are completely against our way of life is a bad idea and I fear what is happening along with terrorism. Merkel took an interesting stand, but it sets in play an interesting thing because the borders are now not as free and we are on the edge of a real war. Believe it or not they are pushing Putin to the limit knowing that he will have to react or get removed from power and they believe they can win quick and he will be removed from power. At the same time the ngo’s ( N on-governmental organization ) with the colour revolutions, whip up internal dissent in the countries like Russia and China in hopes that an internal change happens…but we are looking at a conflit in the South China sea and one over here on multi-fronts and one in the Persian gulf and smaller ones in Africa all at once…pushing…pushing towards a goal. But my day to day, I am a hermit…I ride the trains…go to my studio..do my thing. The news is like an alarm clock for me. I keep waking up in the night, I see the time, I go back to sleep because I know I have an hour, 30 minutes whatever.
Q: How have Berliners reacted to the flow of refugees, and where do you see the country’s politics/laws changing (if at all) as a result of that influx? AN: There are right wing marches, and Gegen Nazi marches to protest them. Merkel’s party got 12 percent. The ultra right (Alternative for Germany, or AfD party for short) 14 percent in the city election so that shows you something, it’s a coalition government but thats a big change and its vocal – this is the most Liberal and progressive.
Q: During your recent tour, you were offering tickets/vinyl records to people who donated to Oxfam and Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders). What sort of voice/platform have social media sites like twitter and Facebook given you to inform people of causes you believe in?
AN: Nothing specifically that isn’t out there for anyone else to use, but it occurred to me that I could raffle off tickets and things by asking people to show proof of donation – it takes nothing for me to give away two tickets to a sold out show and all of our shows are sold out – I must have raised £50k ($82,428) or more and I gave people a choice. But my goal was to get other people to do it – no money touched my hands – it would take Beyoncé nothing and she would raise millions. Museums, sports, theatre any event / people could do this and it was my idea that sadly never caught on. Q: You recently played a string of shows in Canada (including a show I attended in Montréal this past May), after being banned for comments made on stage. How do you feel about government regulations/red tape or work permits required to perform in this country?
AN: I love the people of Canada and I have great hope as many do for the new leader and a fresh perspective in hard times. I see no reason for any government to make it hard for artists to share culture. For someone to assume that I am a negative instead of a positive is a serious mistake. I am a very creative person and I do a lot to create and foster Canadian content internationally including Tess Parks, (a) Toronto native and an extremely talented woman. I reacted when someone threw a glass bottle at my face and it shattered glass into my eyes and without seeing, without having any way of knowing gender affiliation I spit out a racial and a homosexual slur at once. Now, it was a set up because no cameras were allowed and that person should have been arrested for gbh (Grevious bodily harm) – furthermore I’m not ashamed that I said those words at that second because I wasn’t using them correctly or directly. In my mind, (I) basically spit out the most offensive thing, be it conscious or unconscious as a reaction. In hindsight could I have reacted different? Yes. I could have attacked the person with a mic stand. Or said nothing, but here we are and I have that to think about it. (It) says less about me, or a word, than a person that would go to a concert with a friend to specifically wound someone for a reaction to film. Basically mother fuck them. Judge me as you wish, I can live with it. I’m fine with Canada. I even like Stompin’ Tom (Connors), haha. Q: What sort of voice do ordinary citizens have compared to mainstream media, who are allegedly complicit in picking sides within this current US and other past election? And do you think sites like wikileaks have a future in providing a polarizing information for those who seek it?
AN: You have to remember that we cannot want for other people what they do not want for themselves. I honestly think that most people no longer have any need for the truth and that slumber is self preservation. It’s not like anyone has to go to any great amount of effort to hypnotize anyone because people need the rest. Wikileaks? I have mixed feelings about. The big drop. We should talk about that. But really, most people have a computer more powerful than these ones that put a man on the moon…in their pocket and what are they doing on it? Nothing. Satanic reverses…. they call it a smart phone but it’s not really being used to its full potiential – equals dumb phone.
Q: Finally, you recently released a new Brian Jonestown Massacre album called ‘Third World Pyramid.’ How would you describe this albums sound compared to previous albums? And do you have plans to tour North America (more specifically Canada) in 2017?
AN: I recorded 45 songs at once, wrote them one after another…but I knew immediately that there were at least two different things happening with me, one was that I solidified the old and the constant in me… Sun Ship is as fine of a song as I will ever write but it is in now way even the tip of who I am or what I can express in the full spectrum of awareness – the other grouping explores what I can be,what I might be, what could happen and there are some excellent things happening in this exploration – some of my best work again – so this second record coming in December is the punchline to Third World Pyramid – I really hope I tour again. – I love playing music. – I could give a fuck about being a rock star. I love creating this thing together with people – this music, these ideas. This conversation – being real.
Advertisements$185000 Vancouver Watch Collection FS
Something that’s been all over the watch world this week is this Omega Speedmaster Mission 23 Watch set which is going for $185,000 CDN. The seller is here in Vancouver and while a lot of watch nerds are saying it’s quite overpriced, I know a lot of serious collectors who love this series even though they’re all quite similar. Collectors and even museums have picked these up over the years as they don’t often come up for sale.
This set is one of 40 and was made in 1997 to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Speedmaster and NASA moon missions. The ultra-cool suitcase that comes with the watches is made from the same material as the NASA astronaut suits, as well the hinges are shaped like alien heads. The watches in this collection have never been worn or used and really never should be.German police have shot a man wielding a gun at a Berlin hospital after he refused to surrender, it has emerged.
Armed officers were called in amid reports of a 'threat situation' at the medical centre in the German capital's neighbourhood of Kreuzberg.
After repeated warnings from police, a marksman opened fire shooting the suspect in the thigh in the car park of the Urbankrankenhaus.
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German police have shot a man wielding a gun at a Berlin hospital after he refused to surrender, it has emerged. Police are pictured at the scene this afternoon
A large area has been cordoned off around the hospital as investigations get underway.
Reports suggest officers acted out of'self-defence' after the man threatened police with a gun.
The man's injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
A large area has been cordoned off around the hospital as investigations get underway
After repeated warnings from police, a marksman opened fire shooting the suspect in the thigh in the car park of the Urbankrankenhaus
Further details of the incident have yet to be released by police.
Germany remains on high alert following a string of terror attacks on the country.
In December, an ISIS fanatic drove a lorry through crowds of revellers killing 12 at a Christmas market in Berlin.Less than a third of the $16 million gathered in 2010 by hip-hop star Wyclef Jean for earthquake relief in Haiti actually made it to emergency efforts in the country, the New York Post reported Sunday.
According to the exclusive report, Jean’s charity, Yele Haiti, doled out millions in questionable contracts — in fact, $1 million was paid to a Florida firm that doesn’t seem to exist.
The Post also reported that a company called P&A Construction – which is run by Warnel Pierre, Jean’s brother-in-law — received $353,983 from the group.
Founded in 2005 with his cousin Jerry Duplessis, Jean’s charity was troubled before Haiti’s disastrous January 2010 earthquake struck. In 2008, it was revealed that the organization had never filed required tax forms detailing its spending to the IRS.
Also read: Wyclef Jean Treated for Gunshot Wound to the Hand
The charity lost $244,000 in 2009. But almost immediately after the Jan. 12, 2010 quake, Jean took to Twitter asking for $5 donations, which quickly rolled in.
Soon after, it was reported that Yele Haiti had given $250,000 to a Haitian TV station controlled by Jean and Duplessis.
Also read: Sean Penn 'Suspicious' of Wyclef Jean's Haiti Bid
“Have we made mistakes before? Yes,” said a tearful Jean, a former Haitian presidential candidate, holding a January 2010 press conference to defend his charity against that charge. “Did I ever use Yele money for personal benefits? Absolutely not. Yele’s books are open and transparent.”
Yele Haiti has not yet issued a statement to respond to the new charges. Related Articles: Wyclef Jean Treated for Gunshot Wound to the Hand Sean Penn 'Suspicious' of Wyclef Jean's Haiti BidTickets: now on sale $29.00-$65.00
For Box Office and Group Sales information, please click here.
The Price is Right Live is the hit interactive stage show that gives eligible individuals the chance to 'Come On Down' and play classic games from televisions's longest running and most popular game show. Contestants can win cash, appliances, vacations and possibly even a new car by playing favorites like Plinko, Cliffhangers, The Big Wheel, and the fabulous Showcase.
The Price is Right is the longest running game show in television history and loved by generations of viewers. This on-stage travelling version gives fans the chance to experience the same fun and winning excitement up close and in-person.
WANT TO PLAY? NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open to legal residents of 50
United States and Canada (excluding Puerto Rico & Quebec), 18 years or older. Ticket purchase will not increase your chances of being selected to play. To register for chance to be a contestant, visit registration area at or near the
venue box office 3 hours prior to show time. For complete rules & regulati ons, including eligibility
requirements, visit or call the box office. To enter theater to watch sho w, a ticket purchase is required.
Sponsored by Good Games Live, Inc. Void where prohibited. Price is Right L ive ™ /© 2016Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption The BBC's Lyse Doucet was there to witness thousands of Syrians fleeing their home after nine months under siege
Thousands of Syrian civilians have finally been allowed to leave the besieged Damascus suburb of Moadamiya.
The BBC's Lyse Doucet, who was at the scene, describes a tide of desperate people leaving the area, which has been closed off since March.
Supplies in Moadamiya had been running desperately short, and residents had pleaded to be saved from starvation.
The exodus of civilians has been made possible by an apparent relaxation of a blockade by government forces.
The Syrian army had previously said that rebel-held areas of Damascus such as Moadamiya could surrender or starve.
At least three of Damascus's suburbs - Yarmouk, Eastern Ghouta and Moadamiya - have been besieged by government forces for several months.
Analysis A tide of people fled Moadamiya today - some on stretchers, some crying, all showing the severe strain of a life under siege. "We didn't see a piece of bread for nine months," one woman told me. "We were eating leaves and grass." A little girl in a pink dress showed me her trembling hands. "We are all sick," she said, as she and her little sister clutched pieces of bread distributed by the Syrian Arab Red Crescent Society. Some 20 buses were waiting at the entrance to Moadamiya to take residents to a government shelter. But men, young and old, were kept in a separate queue. They will now be questioned about what side they are on, and what was their involvement in the fight.
The situation has become so desperate that earlier this month Muslim clerics issued a religious ruling allowing people to eat cats, dogs and donkeys just to survive.
Those animals are usually considered unfit for human consumption in Islam.
Eating grass
For months, the UN and other aid agencies have been calling for urgent help, fearing the worst for the people of Moadamiya.
"We didn't see a piece of bread for nine months," one woman told the BBC. "We were eating leaves and grass."
The Minister for Social Affairs, Kinda Al Shamamat, who was overseeing the evacuation, has accused rebel gunmen - whom she describes as terrorists - of infiltrating Moadamiya.
But rebel fighters - who have stayed behind in the suburb - accuse the government of trying to starve them into submission.
Now that most civilians have fled, the battle will intensify, our correspondent says.
Image caption The people of Moadamiya were running short of food and water
Image caption Moadamiya has been under siege and heavy bombardment since March - with no one able to get in or out
Image caption Some were too ill to walk, and had to be assisted by Red Crescent workers
Image caption Most of those trapped were women and children
Image caption The men were taken to a separate area, to be searched by the military
Image caption The army wants to check if any of these men were fighting on the rebels' side
Polio outbreak
The World Health Organization has confirmed 10 cases of polio in Syria - the first outbreak in the country in 14 years.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Save the Children's Brie O'Keefe: Syria polio is "a deterioration in global progress"
The UN body says a further 12 cases are still being investigated.
Before Syria's civil war began in 2011, some 95% of children in the country were vaccinated against the disease, but now an estimated 500,000 children have not been immunised.
There has been speculation that foreign groups fighting in Syria may have imported polio into the country.
The disease has been largely eradicated in developed countries but remains endemic in Nigeria, Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Meanwhile Syria's Deputy Prime Minister, Qadri Jamil, was dismissed on Tuesday for leaving the country and acting without government permission, state media said.
Mr Jamil met US officials in Geneva over the weekend to discuss peace negotiations, according to UN and Middle East officials.
But the state news agency Sana said Mr Jamil had been dismissed by President Bashar al-Assad "because he left his centre of work without prior permission and did not follow up on his duties".
"Additionally, he undertook activities outside the nation without co-ordinating with the government," Sana said.Is Carlo Ancelotti being replaced at the end of the season as Bayern Munich boss? According to German football writer Rapahel Honigstein, Ancelotti will make way for Hoffenheim coach Julian Nagelsmann.
"There is the assumption right now that Ancelotti is probably not going to see out his contract beyond the summer," says Honigstein.
He believes the club will move for Nagelsmann this summer to avoid missing out on another opportunity to bring in a young German coach, adding: "I think it’s happening for 2018 and I think they see him as a once-in-a-generation talent of management. To not take him would be the sort of mistake they made when they took Klinsmann instead of Jurgen Klopp in 2008."
This clip was taken from 5 live Euro Leagues Podcast on Tuesday, 12 September.Guest Post » Consummate Character Actor: Saul Rubinek
Greetings all and sundry!
Having taken a brief while experiencing weather change from arctic to damp, drizzly wet and cold to the first hints of spring. I’ve allowed my mind to roam and wander through myriad topics, opinions and ideas. I’ve fallen back on what is slowly becoming a favorite of mine, and hopefully others… The Character Actor.
Which, by its definition comes in all shapes, sizes and dispositions, The bookish nerd who finds the clue to the mystery at the end of the second reel. The hapless, everyday company man. The schemer. The wide eyed sap. Pre packaged and ready to be taken off by schemers and con men. The harried business agent. The fastidious curmudgeon.
Ripe low hanging roles to be given best efforts. And one would be satisfied to master just a few, Though there’s a distinct and near anonymous few who can make these parts their own. And often amplify upon them.
Please allow me to introduce one of that very rarified number.
Consummate Character Actor: Saul Rubinek.
I’ll wait for the surprised laughs and “Who?”s to settle down before continuing.
Here is an actor who caught my eye back in 1980. In a forgotten little conspiracy gem, titled Agency. With Lee Majors and Robert Mitchum. Wrapped around a less than prosperous ad agency headed by Mitchum to bring in black ink and profits. The company handles vast clients covering liquor to sports wear to high-end camping and recreational gear. With Mr. Rubinek playing a kind of dumpy nebbish with a spoiled pet cat. His Sam Goldstein is just a bit too OCD, curious and clever. Notices inconsistencies and reports them to Lee Majors’. Philip Morgan. Who decided to handle his own investigation. Which slowly enters the realm of subliminal messaging right before a gubernatorial political campaign.Rather heady stuff for 1980!
T hough not long in the film, Mr. Rubinek was able to sell the “McGuffin” and set the stage with suspense and tension As other friends and co-workers disappear and the clues lead upward toward Mr. Mitchum’s CEO, Ted Quinn.
Which opened to doors to a role in Young Doctors in Love and rich, degenerate gambler, Steve Kirsch in Against All Odds. To iconic for fifteen minutes, perhaps drug dealing and money laundering screenwriter and director. Lee Donowitz in the over the top shoot ’em up finale of True Romance.
While honing his craft on television with characters in Hill Street Blues, Men and The Equalizer. To then make his mark as antiquities collector, Kivas Fajo. Who takes a fancy to Data in ST:TNG’s The Most Toys.
Then on to lawyer, Jed Kramer in Tom Wolfe’s ridiculous, The Bonfires of The Vanities. And bespectacled journalist, W.W. Beauchamp in Clint Eastwood’s The Unforgiven. Then returning to television for two memorable characters in the updated, The Outer Limits and as layman investigator Saul Panzer and later, gossip reporter, Lon Cohen in the superb period series, A Nero Wolf Mystery.
Bouncing back and forth for the role of the manager and agent, George “Bullets” Durghom. For a young, up and coming Jackie Gleason (Brad Garrett) in Gleason. A surprisingly good bio-pic that pays attention to the beginnings of this new medium. Its countless details and what is and isn’t “funny”! Then off to be a recurring character, Donny Douglas on Frasier.
Before finding and defining distinctly memorable characters in the science fiction arenas. As perpetually frightened scientist, Dr. Carl Carlson during the first seasons of of Sy-Fy’s under rated, Eureka. Then finding a long-term home as the very set in his ways, earth tone friendly, long time agent, Artie Nielsen. Lord and master and curator of Warehouse 13. Who’s old enough and wise enough to plunge deep into comedic repartee (“Devil Child!”) with young upstart, Claudia (Allison Scagliotti) at arm’s length. While trying to keep older agents Pete (Eddie McClintock) and Myka (Joanne Kelly) in line and securing “artifacts” from around the world.
Then taking time to create a rather slimy, fast taking bad guy, Victor Dubenich on TNT’s Leverage through several seasons. Then flipping the coin to give life to a paranoid and perhaps, rattled, Arthur Claypool. Who may have helped Finch (Michael Emerson) create the all-seeing, all-knowing computer on CBS’s Person of Interest.
Overall Consensus:
There was something about Mr. Rubinek that struck and stuck the first time I saw him. An ordinary looking guy. Not tall. Not muscular. Though endearing in his delivery. With a whiff of self-deprecation. Though, by no means a victim. Though, that is a story in itself. Not really taking himself too seriously, Yet, taking his tasks and roles very seriously. No matter long, front and center. Or in the background.
Hitching up the reins and pulling the plow and moving the story along for however long his character was required. And occasionally beyond. Creating memorable characters for more than thirty years. And making the mediums of film and television much better for his inclusion!
AdvertisementsMichael and Debi Pearl believe God wants them to hit their children.
So, one could argue, do the thousands of others who’ve picked up the evangelical Christian couple’s self-published title, To Train Up a Child, a sliver of a book that has sold a remarkable 670,000 copies and been translated into at least 11 languages since it was published in 1994.
It’s a quick, simple read, full of the kind of prescriptions distraught parents might crave as they try to instill good behaviour in their children.
But for all the good the Pearls say To Train Up a Child has created — obedient, God-fearing youngsters with strong ties of loving fellowship — American authorities say three children are dead, thanks in part to their teachings. In all three cases, police found evidence the children’s parents owned the book or received the ministry’s training resources online.
[np-related]
The controversy has sparked a backlash against the couple — not only from secular society, but from Christians who fear their espousal of spanking is painting all religious parents with the same brush. Some have built websites such as WhyNotTrainAChild.com, which campaigns against the book’s teachings. A petition to get Amazon to stop selling it online had more than 6,500 signatures Friday.
At the same time, the controversy is reinvigorating a long-running debate among Christians about how to interpret what the Bible says about corporal punishment. The Pearls’ case is raising the discussion in churches in the United States and in Canada.
In an email interview with the National Post, Mr. Pearl said his approach to child rearing has been horribly miscast in the media.
“The false image they paint of our book and our ministry is indeed ugly and repulsive,” he said.
“But there are 3,000,000 satisfied adherents ready to bear witness to the sweet fruit To Train Up a Child has produced in their families.”
He denies police have connected the couple to any of the child killings and condemns the highly publicized child deaths. He says he spends much of the book warning parents not to use the rod in anger or for extended periods of time — especially if the punishment doesn’t seem to be working.
The most recent of the three child killings captured headlines this fall. On Sept. 29, Larry and Carri Williams of Sedro-Woolley, Wash., were charged with homicide by abuse after their adopted and home-schooled daughter, Hana, was found dead. Her naked and skeletal body was discovered face down in the family’s backyard.
Investigators say the 13-year-old from Ethiopia died of hypothermia and malnutrition after being forced to sleep out in the barn, deprived of food and whipped across her legs.
The girl had been beaten with a 15-inch plastic tube on the day she died, the sheriff’s report said — the very instrument the Pearls recommend for spankings. Ms. Williams was a big fan of their book and gave a copy to a friend, the report also said.
Last year, Lydia Schatz, seven, also home schooled and adopted from Liberia, died after her parents beat her for hours, with frequent breaks for prayer.
Her father, Kevin, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and torture and Elizabeth, her mother, to voluntary manslaughter and unlawful corporal punishment. They are serving prison sentences.
A copy of To Train Up a Child was found in the family’s home, as was a piece of the Pearl-endorsed plumbing pipe.
When asked by CNN what may have influenced the Schatzes to beat their daughter to death, Mike Ramsey, district attorney for Butte County, Ca., said, “The book by Mr. Pearl, there’s no doubt about that.”
The Pearls teachings have also been linked to the death of Sean Paddock, four. The couple’s teachings were discussed during the trial of his adoptive mother, Lynn.
She was convicted of first-degree murder in 2006 after the boy, who had been wrapped tightly in a blanket, died of suffocation. His siblings testified they were beaten every day with a plumbing tube.
The tube is just one version of the “rod” the Pearls advocate in their literal interpretation of Proverbs 13: “He that spareth his rod hateth his son: but he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.”
They also suggest using a 10- to 12-inch-long willow branch on a child as young as one. Or a one-foot ruler, belt or three-foot cutting of a shrub. Something flexible that inflicts pain but doesn’t bruise the skin or leave marks.
Sales of their book have helped the Pearls build No Greater Joy, a not-for-profit ministry run out of the Church on Cane Creek in Pleasantville, Tenn. They have also launched a mini-empire of Christian books and videos that promote a Bible-believing Christian lifestyle.
The Pearl training method begins in infancy, teaching children not to engage in undesirable behaviour by placing something appealing before them and striking them with a switch when they reach for it.
It’s an act the Pearls liken in their book to how the Amish train their “stubborn mules.” And it’s a strategy Mr. Pearl says parents must carry out with love, not anger. It will prevent them from greater harm down the road, they say, and perhaps even the fiery pits of hell.
But their caveat to keep a cool head strikes Joan Durrant, a corporal punishment researcher, as unrealistic.
“Everybody thinks they’re emotionally stable, everybody thinks they’re not angry” when they discipline a child, said the child clinical psychologist and professor of family social sciences at the University of Manitoba.
“For a parent to hit a child when they’re not angry, that flies in the face of any kind of reality. If you’ve got a cool mind, why can’t you think of something better to do?”
The Pearls’ advice is the polar opposite of what decades of child development research recommends, she said, a point echoed by George Holden, a professor of psychology at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, who has researched corporal punishment in the religious context.
“I just recently bought a copy of that book. [Pearl is] scary,” said Prof. Holden, who co-authored a study in 1999 that found conservative Protestant parents are more likely to use corporal punishment than parents from other religious groups.
“He’s very much into breaking the will, which was a concept back in the early part of the 20th century that is totally outmoded and it’s totally out of touch with what developmental psychologists know about how children develop. There’s a lot of dangerous things here that would likely result in abusive behaviour.”
Christians have risen up to condemn the Pearls’ teachings not only as misguided, but as a faulty interpretation of what the Bible teaches.
William Webb, a Toronto-based religious scholar, calls it “gutter theology.”
“They are literalists who haven’t figured out how we ought to move from Scripture to ethic,” said Dr. Webb, adjunct professor of New Testament/Biblical Studies at Tyndale Seminary, a private religious college.
“Can the Pearls’ position be derived from scripture? Yes, absolutely. But is it reflective of the [Bible’s] redemptive spirit? No.”
Many Bible-believing Christians interpret the rod as a guiding mechanism, not a physical stick, said pastors and Christian parents interviewed for this piece. They also believe God does want them to discipline their children, but that non-physical punishment is preferred. Some still do spank their children, but would not train them through a series of smacks as the Pearls prescribe.
Samuel Martin, a self-described religious activist and researcher based in Jerusalem, has joined a chorus of voices trying to pull the book out of circulation.
“The Pearls are the most visible people right now in the last four to five years concerning this issue,” he said. “But they’re just the tip of the iceberg,” he added, saying he doesn’t doubt Mr. Pearl’s assertion that more than three million people follow his lead and spank their children in the name of God.
National Post
• Email: sboesveld@nationalpost.com | Twitter: sarahboesveldWashington, DC - The Presidents of 57 liberal arts colleges in the U.S., representing 22 states, have declared their support for the Federal Research Public Access Act (S. 1373) in an Open Letter released today. The letter is the first from higher education administrators to be issued in support of the 2009 bill, and further reinforcement that support for the Act exists at the highest levels of the higher education community. The presidents' letter notes, "Adoption of the Federal Research Public Access Act will democratize access to research information funded by tax dollars. It will benefit of education, research, and the general public."
The Federal Research Public Access Act (FRPAA), introduced in June by Senators Lieberman (I-CT) and Cornyn (R-TX), is a bi-partisan measure to ensure online public access to the published results of research funded through eleven U.S. agencies. The bill would require that journal articles stemming from publicly funded research be made available in an online repository no later than six months after publication.
The full text of the letter reads:
Open letter from liberal arts college presidents supporting the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2009
As liberal arts college presidents, we are writing to express our strong support for S. 1373, the Federal Research Public Access Act of 2009, which has been introduced into the U.S. Senate by Senators Joseph Lieberman (I-CT) and John Cornyn (R-TX). This bill would require federal agencies whose external research budgets exceed $100 million to develop policies that would ensure public access via the Internet to their funded research.
Liberal arts colleges are important components of our nationʼs scientific and scholarly productivity. Studies have shown that our institutions are highly effective in producing graduates who go on to obtain Ph.D. degrees and become productive researchers. Our faculty actively pursue research, much of it with government funding, and often working in partnership with talented undergraduates. Unfortunately, access to research information paid for with tax dollars is severely limited at our institutions - and indeed at most universities. Academic libraries simply cannot afford ready access to most of the research literature that their faculty and students need.
The Federal Research Public Access Act would be a major step forward in ensuring equitable online access to research literature that is paid for by taxpayers. The federal government funds over $60 billion in research annually. Research supported by the National Institutes of Health, which accounts for approximately one-third of federally funded research, produces an estimated 80,000 peer-reviewed journal articles each year.
Given the scope of research literature that would become available online, it is clear that adoption of the bill would have significant benefits for the progress of science and the advancement of knowledge.
S. 1373 would build on a number of established public access policies that have been adopted by government agencies in both the U.S. and abroad.
The National Institutes of Health has implemented a very successful comprehensive public access policy, as required by the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2007. All seven of the Research Councils in the United Kingdom have public access policies as do the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. The bill is also consistent with the growing number of institutional open access policies that have been adopted at universities such as Harvard, MIT, and the University of Kansas.
We are supportive of the Federal Research Public Access Act because it has been crafted in a way that provides ample protection for the system of peer review. It allows for a window of up to six months before final peer-reviewed manuscripts resulting from |
. I invite you to reread his Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae and to put into practice its directions on the personal, family and community levels.[17]
In the Eastern Orthodox Church [ edit ]
Among the most prominent Marian feast days in the Eastern Orthodox and Greek-Catholic liturgical calendars are:
Note: Feasts ranked among the twelve Great Feasts are in bold face. Minor feasts are in regular face.
In the Oriental Orthodox Church [ edit ]
In the Coptic Orthodox rite St. Mary is commemorated on the 21st of each coptic month (Generally the 30th/31st of each Gregorian month).
In the Anglican Communion [ edit ]
In calendars throughout the Anglican Communion and Continuing Anglican churches, the following Marian feasts may be observed, although the practice of different provinces / churches varies wildly:[18]
In Lutheranism [ edit ]
The following are Marian festivals celebrated within the Lutheran liturgical calendar:
When Johann Sebastian Bach worked as Thomaskantor in Leipzig, three Marian feasts were observed for which he composed church cantatas:
February 2 Purification
March 25 Annunciation
July 2 Visitation
See also [ edit ]
References [ edit ]
Comprehensive List of Marian FeastsIn case you haven’t heard, Operation Hydra came out on Tuesday and Valve added a lot of new content. New maps, modes, skins, and ways to get drops have all been released and will be around until September. This article will explain everything about the Operation, including the new (and very complicated) way to earn drops. Without it, players will not be able to play Guardian missions, receive Operation Hydra Cases, Weapon Drops, or Challenge Coin.
Maps
As with every Operation, new maps have been added to CS:GO that offer unique ways to play the game. These maps are free to play, and they can be accessed from the main menu. There are two Hostage Rescue maps: Agency and Insertion. Agency was previously featured in Operation Bloodhound, Phoenix, and Bravo. Insertion was featured in Operation Breakout, and each team can pick their spawn location. There are also five new Bomb Defusal maps: Black Gold, Austria, Lite, Shipped, and Thrill. Black Gold is returning from Operation Breakout, and all of the other maps are brand new. Valve also added a special map specific to the new Flying Scoutsman mode called Dizzy. This map was clearly designed for this mode, as the buildings are very tall and the map size is quite small.
Modes
Valve added a bunch of new modes to CS:GO, and most of them are free to play. The new modes completely change the mechanics of the game, and new ones are featured each week. The War Games mode is a collection of minigame-style modes that each take place on one or two specific maps and is free to play. Heavy Assault Suit plays like Casual, except players can buy a super durable suit of armor for $6,000. The armor makes players very slow and they can’t buy any rifles. Those who can afford it can take a ton of damage and walk around the map like tanks. Trigger Discipline is also like Casual, but players lose health for every missed shot until they go all the way down to 1 HP. Headshots Only is the traditional Deathmatch mode except body shots do no damage. Hunters-Gatherers is also like Deathmatch, except kills only count if players pick up the dog tags dropped by dead players. Picking up enemy tags scores a point for your team, and picking up friendly tags prevents the enemies from stealing them. This mode is similar to Kill Confirmed in other video games like Call of Duty.
Stab Stab Zap restricts players to a knife and a Zeus that recharges after 30 seconds. Players can only buy grenades, and THEY CAN DROP AND PICK UP OTHER ZEUSES OFF OF THE GROUND. This can be extremely useful because many players often forget this since Zeuses can no longer be dropped outside of this mode. 30 seconds is a very long time, so it is usually a good idea to drop your Zeus right after you use it to pick up one that has been sitting for awhile. Stab Stab Zap takes place on Bomb Defusal maps, so it might be a good idea to put pressure on the Counter Terrorists by planting early, and buying a Smoke Grenade and ninja defusing because people can’t just spam shots through the smoke.
The Flying Scoutsman mode is Valve’s interpretation of the popular community mode, Scouts/Knives. As the name suggests, players are only allowed to use the SSG08 and their Knife. However, this mode has a couple major twists: there is almost no movement inaccuracy, and the gravity is very low. This means that players can run and jump while maintaining sharp accuracy with their Scouts. The new map Dizzy feels like it was scaled upwards so players can jump from the ground to on top of the buildings, and players who know how to “surf” will enjoy the small sections of slanted walls on the edge of the buildings. I’ve played this map more than any other, and I’ve learned some tips that are quite helpful. Firstly, this map doesn’t have a lot of cover which makes it very easy to be shot from anywhere. The underground section of the map isn’t commonly used, so sometimes you can sneak through and jump out into the middle of the map or run all the way to the other team’s spawn.
Two new competitive-style modes were added and are also free to play. The first one is Wingman, and is a two-versus-two mode. (The description says the mode is played on “CS:GO’s single-bombsite maps” but at the time of me writing this it hasn’t been available in the rotation.) The other mode is called Weapons Expert, and it is a five-versus-five mode that makes survival extremely important. Players can only buy each weapon once, so it’ll take coordination (and probably a lot of save rounds) to preserve weapons. A new ranking system was added like in traditional Competitive Matchmaking to match up evenly-matched players (at the time of me making this article, details about the rank system haven’t been released). If duos don’t like Wingman, there is another way to enjoy a special mode with a friend.
As with many previous Operations, the two-player Guardian campaign makes a prominent appearance. In these modes, the two players are pitted against waves of bots and need to defend a bomb site while doing certain challenges. These challenges are usually getting kills with specific weapons. Sometimes, players might not be able to buy weapons, or they need to get kills with Terrorist-specific weapons like the AK-47. This mode is exclusive to Operation pass members.
For information on how levelling up your coin and how the new drop system works, there’s a great guide by /u/NotMoovin here. A new case of weapon skins was added and it features Gloves as the rare special items.Jeannie Rhee, another lawyer hand-picked by Special Counsel Robert Mueller to serve on the Russia probe, is coming under scrutiny for her pro-Hillary Clinton bias, after two others were forced to leave the team for the same reason.
Rhee represented Obama Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes during Congress’s investigation of the 2012 Benghazi terrorist attack, while she was an associate at Mueller’s law firm, Wilmer Hale, according to congressional records.
This affiliation, pointed out by Fox News host Laura Ingraham on her show Ingraham Angle Tuesday night, is yet another data point of evidence that Mueller’s team — whose members have donated overwhelmingly to Democrats and Clinton herself — is heavily biased.
“What Mueller did was hire a pedigree team of obvious partisans,” Ingraham said. “They should all step aside … including Bob Mueller.”
Rhee also represented the Clinton Foundation against a racketeering lawsuit brought by a conservative legal activist in June 2015, and donated $5,400 to Clinton’s political action committee in 2015 and 2016. She also represented Clinton herself, in a lawsuit seeking access to her private emails, according to CNN.
Prior to joining Wilmer Hale, Rhee was a deputy assistant attorney general in the Office of Legal Counsel, and an assistant U.S. attorney for D.C.
Scrutiny on Rhee comes after the New York Times reported on Saturday that FBI agent Peter Strzok was removed from the Russia probe over the summer for sending anti-Trump and pro-Clinton texts to another lawyer on the team, Lisa Page, with whom he was having an extramarital affair.
Strzok had also helped lead the investigation into Clinton’s private server, recommended clearing her, and also played a major role in the FBI’s investigation into links between the Trump campaign and Russia, according to the Times.
Strzok is still at the FBI, although he is reassigned to its human resources department. Page had left the special counsel team and returned to work at the FBI’s general counsel office about a month after Strzok was removed and weeks before the texts were discovered.
Before her assignment on the Russia probe, she worked for FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, whose wife received donations from Clinton allies while running for the Virginia state senate.
On Tuesday, Fox News reported that Mueller’s deputy on the Russia probe, Andrew Weissman, had praised former Deputy U.S. Attorney General Sally Yates for defying President Trump’s travel ban.
Rhee and Weissmann worked together at Wilmer Hale.In We’re No. 1, The A.V. Club examines an album that went to No. 1 on the Billboard charts to get to the heart of what it means to be popular in pop music, and how that concept has changed over the years. In this installment, we cover Coldplay’s X&Y, which went to No. 1 on June 25, 2005, where it stayed for three weeks.
Fact: Everyone loves Coldplay. Another fact: Everyone hates Coldplay.
It’s not Coldplay itself that is so confounding—it’s everyone. While the band has a casual reputation that openly derides the music and really everything about it, Coldplay is nearly inescapable. Coldplay is on at Starbucks. Coldplay is in iTunes commercials. Coldplay is winning Grammy awards. Coldplay is on the radio, shoehorned into both alternative-rock playlists and easy-listening rotations, uncomfortably lodged between acts like the Stone Temple Pilots and Taylor Swift. And on Sunday, Coldplay occupied primetime space on NBC, where it offered a pre-taped, hour-long concert special to promote its new album, Ghost Stories. The record was officially released on Tuesday, though presales made it available already in the U.S. Still, its fate on the Billboard charts seems highly predictable. Like the previous three albums by Coldplay, Ghost Stories will likely rocket to No. 1.
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Coldplay is the closest thing to a musical monoculture that exists anymore—a global, soft-rock phenomenon providing a score for the world, from coffee shops to HBO shows. It is loved, despised, ubiquitous, and tolerated—much like the status quo it caters to. The band’s sound reflects its normalcy. Coldplay’s music is not about esoteric struggles or marginalized concerns; it always points toward universality. It can be quite moving—and is always highly consumable. At some point, everyone who has ever listened to a Coldplay song got a hook lodged into their head—whether it’s the opening strings of “Viva La Vida” or the guitar solo in “Fix You” or the plaintive crooning of “In My Place.” It happened, and it will continue to happen. Hitting No. 1 is just what Coldplay does at this point.
It’s difficult to discuss X&Y, the band’s first album to hit No. 1, without discussing the album immediately before—2002’s A Rush Of Blood To The Head, which succeeded Coldplay’s debut album, Parachutes. It’s an open debate as to whether Parachutes or Rush Of Blood is the better album, but the fact remains that Rush Of Blood is what got Coldplay heard. That album produced some of the band’s most enduring and recognizable hits—the radio-friendly “Clocks,” the ballad “The Scientist,” as well as the edgier “Politik” and “God Put A Smile Upon Your Face.” A Rush Of Blood To The Head was released amid rumors that the album would be the band’s last—which helps explain the delay between it and Parachutes, and the further delay of three years before the band’s next album, X&Y. (Since then, almost every Coldplay album has been dogged by rumors it will be the band’s last. Ghost Stories is also coming at a time when the band is reportedly stepping back from touring.)
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But here’s what’s interesting: A Rush Of Blood To The Head didn’t hit No. 1 in the U.S.—yet it’s sold more albums than X&Y, which did hit the top of the charts. The RIAA declared A Rush Of Blood To The Head quadruple-platinum, and X&Y only triple-platinum.
There are plenty of good theories as to why this may be—the most obvious of which is that the band was still gaining momentum in the States, and ended up selling albums more slowly over the course of three years. But there’s something to be said for the years between Coldplay’s first appearance on the music scene, in 1998, and its first No. 1, in 2006—years that were tumultuous for both the music industry and the world.
Much of the explanation has to do with the confusing nature of Coldplay itself. The band doesn’t have the manufactured pop appeal of Taylor Swift, the smooth and soulful sound of Adele, or the critical approval of Kanye West. Coldplay instead arose with a semi-alternative soft-rock sound in the United Kingdom, then accidentally made it big with the enduring hit “Yellow.” “Accidental” is the right adjective for this band’s ascent; nothing it’s accomplished seems intentional. The sound is remarkably unaesthetic—“aggressively banal,” according to a Pitchfork review. And the career trajectory is a bit wandering, too, seemingly a happy accident. Coldplay came up in the mold of Radiohead, R.E.M, and U2, but without those bands’ respective artistic edge, lyricism, or political leanings, it has made a fortune off of non-intention. Coldplay, especially after X&Y, became a sound more than a band; an adjective, more than a noun. Coldplay is in fact a group of men in the business of making Coldplay continue to sound like Coldplay.
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It’s possible to make that case for most bands and celebrities, but the difference with Coldplay is that the band members seem just as flummoxed by their popularity as anyone else. There is no swaggering bravado behind the scenes, no rock-star sensibilities. Chris Martin has been forthcoming about his abstention from alcohol and meat and the relatively late age at which he lost his virginity—his marriage to Gwyneth Paltrow was his first serious relationship. Drummer Will Champion plays his Playstation 3 backstage, and guitarist Jonny Buckland purposely kept his guitar-playing a secret from his peers—Martin only discovered it because they were both awake late one night in college. There is a strong sense that Coldplay’s members go to bed at a reasonable hour, presumably after brushing their teeth, and then wake up to a sensible breakfast of tea, yogurt, and oatmeal.
Despite the band’s anti-rock rock, perhaps the oddest contradiction at the core of Coldplay’s success is that it can be, every now and again, quite good. Critical consensus of the band—reviews that aren’t just throwaway lines in films—is mixed, but largely positive, partly because the band came up in the alt-rock scene and offered a radio-friendly version of what better bands were doing, and partly because Coldplay speaks to a universal contradiction—that tussle between feeling and knowing. Coldplay’s sound reaches people precisely because it is so stripped of artifice and defense. It is purely vulnerable, and at times that veers right into cheesy. (Martin’s lyrics are the best example of this maudlin sensibility, which are so full of striving to be poignant but are instead just vague and pompous.)
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Yet Coldplay’s sound is also atmospheric, modern, and haunting; it brought an electronic sound to radio that felt fresh. (It has its obvious rock ancestors, Radiohead, to thank for that.) It’s a touch more edgy than the music that otherwise populates pop music—there’s some synth, some piano, and some complicated guitar. It’s not blurring itself by running the sound through a machine. It is the machine—a very empathetic machine—but one that produces a reliable, big sound that thrums and vibrates and pounds with earnest sensitivity to one thudding bass line, drawing up to a crescendo or fading out poignantly. The band has worked with a number of producers, but there is some obvious, solid talent in its members. The band may be mediocre in certain areas of musical production, but it is skilled (or, at this point, can afford others who are skilled) in knowing just how long to draw out an instrumental hook for maximum emotional effect. The sense of rhythm is unparalleled; so much of Coldplay’s success is attributable to its ability to discern when the drums ought to kick in.
But more than anything, what sets this band apart from other adult contemporary acts is how goddamn sad the music is. It’s hard to forget how sad the whole country was in 2002; the despair of a post-9/11 world was still reverberating through the States, which had otherwise been enjoying unprecedented prosperity and peace. Maybe in Britain everyone got sadder sooner. But Coldplay’s music, and in particular, Martin’s mumbling, meandering voice, spoke to a lot of grief and pain. (Every one of Coldplay’s songs on A Rush Of Blood To The Head is about heartache, alienation, or despair. Some, like “The Scientist,” are about all three.)
And built under that modern sound was a deep-seated fear of the selfsame modern—an anxiety about the technology that makes up the world. It creates a perhaps unintended tension out of the music. “Clocks,” in particular, which was a breakout hit for the band, is nothing more than a piano fugue lament about the mechanization of time—built with technology that wouldn’t work without the precise mechanization of time.
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So here’s this sad, pessimistic music, that is in part pessimistic about the very things that make it possible. It’s beautiful, and it hates itself. The contradiction is at the core of the band’s success—it’s something the band members themselves seem to feel. Martin often sounds insecure, striving, and self-deprecating in interviews—when he’s not striking notes of false humility, as evidenced by the following quote from his 2008 interview with Rolling Stone:
“The first time I ever sang in public was in a school concert when I was 11. I sang a song I had written about newspapers. Some people really dug it. And others didn’t. I remember these two girls came up to me afterward and said, ‘We heard you singing,’ and then they both giggled and ran off, as if to say, ‘It was shit.’ And my whole life has been that day repeating ever since.”
Whatever this self-hatred is, it worked. X&Y didn’t hit No. 1 because people liked the album so much; it hit No. 1 because people liked A Rush Of Blood To The Head and anticipated the next installment. Coldplay sits uneasily with their contradiction—but as they occasionally hate themselves, so, apparently, does the generation of adult-contemporary music listeners who dig the band’s music. Coldplay accurately determined that contemporary adults were miserable. By the time its next album rolled around, all those contemporary adults were ready to buy.
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X&Y debuted amid personal celebrity for Martin; the singer started dating actress Gwyneth Paltrow in between A Rush Of Blood To The Head and X&Y, and they had their daughter around the time the album debuted. The intimation was that Coldplay had arrived—that they’d arrived years ago, in fact.
And so X&Y shot to the top of the charts, hitting No. 1 shortly after release. It had the immediate effect of diluting Coldplay’s brand—the songs already sounded similar, of course, but X&Y feels like an undifferentiated mass of guitar riffs and Martin’s wailing harmonies, both funneled through synthesizers where appropriate. Martin’s high-pitched, light tenor crooned through each song, anchored by acoustic chords, riffed with an electric solo, coming to a crescendo in a jangle of piano keys when the drums kick in, and then fading out with an unfinished, haunting trail-off. Before X&Y, this structure felt like something Coldplay used for its most radio-friendly tracks. After X&Y, this became the template that seemingly describes every song.
In the face of an increasingly homogenized sound, Martin’s lyrics—which were admittedly never brilliant—began to sound more and more sentimental and treacly. “Part of a system / I am,” he sings on “White Shadows,” X&Y’s third track. And in one of the album’s most famous tracks, he nonsensically affirms to “fix you,” without explaining what that would entail, or how that is even possible. Instead he chooses to describe how someone else is suffering in great detail, which is disturbing enough that it paints “Yellow” in a far less flattering light.
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Yet, even “Fix You” is preferable to “Speed Of Sound,” which is a clear attempt to replicate the success of “Clocks” without exactly cloning “Clocks.” At least “Fix You” is undeniably catchy, with a defiant guitar solo in the back half that makes up for the sentimentality of the first half. “Speed Of Sound” would more accurately be titled “Wall Of Sound”; the ringtone-ready riffs never coalesce into something beyond noise and into music.
Critical response to the album demonstrates some confusion, in part, because it wasn’t just that X&Y was a disappointing album, but rather that it felt like Coldplay was changing the rules. At first, critics from hip publications derided the band for what they were trying to do; when it became clear that Coldplay was intentionally doing less and less, criticism sort of petered out. A lens that started out comparing Coldplay to Radiohead zoomed out to start comparing Coldplay to other pop acts of 2005—acts like Audioslave, Dave Matthews Band, and Faith Hill, which all joined Coldplay on the Billboard charts. Critics who had supported the band’s music before withdrew their support—Rolling Stone dropped its rating down to three stars, The New York Times was compelled to write a manifesto against the band, and even the positive reviews have some derision built in. Martin himself owned up to the album’s deficiencies, in both Spin and Rolling Stone.
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It didn’t matter anymore, though. The transformation was complete; the music was secondary to the brand. It was Coldplay, and so it would be bought, and it would shoot to No. 1.
In that same aforementioned Rolling Stone interview—aptly titled “The Jesus Of Uncool”—Martin also explains:
“One of our big conversations that we always have in this band is, we don’t see rock & roll as being about coke-taking, leather-trouser-wearing rebellion, because that to us is not rebellion anymore. The spirit of rock & roll is freedom. It’s about following what you believe in and not caring what anyone else says. And if that means writing something on your hand, then you’ve got to write something on your hand. It doesn’t matter if you don’t look as cool as the Ramones—you’re never going to, anyway. So I know that we’ll be ridiculed for this and look stupid for that. But as long as we believe in what we’re doing, we can’t apologize for it.
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“I know that we’ll be ridiculed for this,” says Martin, one of the most successful musicians of the present day, who has scored this era’s transition from analog to digital, from rock to pop. It is that self-hatred again—and it’s the self-hatred of an entire generation, a self-hatred that went right to No. 1.AT&T’s proposed $39 billion acquisition of T-Mobile USA ran into a significant roadblock on Wednesday when the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said the deal would harm the competitiveness of the wireless industry. The agency filed a suit in a D.C.-based U.S. District Court that seeks to prevent AT&T from acquiring T-Mobile because of U.S. antitrust laws.
The deal has been under study by both the Justice Department and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) since its March announcement. It requires regulatory approval to go through.
AT&T appeared caught off guard by the DOJ's actions. The company released a statement Wednesday that said it was “surprised and disappointed” by the move. In a research note, Stifel Nicolaus analysts Rebecca Arbogast and David Kaut said the filing appears to be a serious antitrust claim, not simply a way for the DOJ to negotiate conditions and concessions with AT&T.
Prior to the antitrust complaint, the deal was on track for approval by early 2012, based on a typical review period of 12 months.
The DOJ suit will likely be viewed as a victory (though perhaps only a temporary one) for opponents of the deal. Led by No. 3 U.S. carrier Sprint Nextel, opponents have been lobbying hard to stifle the transaction for months, arguing that the merger of the country's No. 2 and No. 4 carriers will harm consumers through increased prices, decreased mobile device choice and poorer service, among other issues.
Sprint asked the government to block the deal in March and filed a formal petition with the FCC protesting the deal on May 31. In reaction to Wednesday's news, the telco called the suit a “decisive victory for consumers, competition and our country” that will “preserve American jobs, strengthen the American economy, and encourage innovation.”
While most industry observers believed the transaction would go through, in part because other large telecom acquisitions won approval in the past, some analysts predicted early on that AT&T would have trouble. Back in March, Credit Suisse’s Jonathan Chaplin wrote that he had “never seen a deal with more regulatory risk be attempted in the U.S.”
To minimize that risk, AT&T has carefully positioned the T-Mobile acquisition as one that will benefit U.S. consumers by spreading 4G (LTE) coverage across the country faster than if it and T-Mobile operated independently. AT&T has also courted support from a number of interest groups, including the Communications Workers of America (CWA), which represents laborers in the telecom industry.
The FCC, which has been quiet about the transaction so far, noted Wednesday that is still working on its analysis of the deal. A statement released by FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski basically sided with the Justice Department, however. “Competition is an essential component of the FCC’s statutory public interest analysis,” said Genachowski. The AT&T/T-Mobile deal, he added, has raised “serious concerns about the impact of the proposed transaction on competition.”
The Justice Department’s action will not permanently halt the AT&T/T-Mobile deal, which can be renegotiated and re-submitted for approval. According to the Stifel Nicolaus analysts, the likely next step will be a discovery process and a trial. The timing of the trial will depend on the district court’s schedule.
In its statement, AT&T said it would ask for an expedited hearing and called itself still "confident...that the facts will prevail in court." Independent telecom analyst Jeff Kagan says the deal is "not dead, but it will be different," adding, “The question is what will AT&T have to give up."
AT&T has previously said it is willing to make concessions in exchange for T-Mobile. The most commonly cited concession is the divestiture of wireless spectrum in certain markets. That spectrum could then be bought by competitors to strengthen and expand their own networks. More recently, AT&T has said it intends to bring 5,000 call center jobs back to the U.S. if the deal is approved. Those jobs had been previously outsourced abroad.
If the deal gets squelched, AT&T is believed to be on the hook for a $3 billion break-up fee to T-Mobile, which is owned by Germany's Deutsche Telekom AG. The Stifel Nicolaus analysts say that payment will go into effect if the deal does not win approval by September 2012.
Consumer groups that have been fighting AT&T/T-Mobile alongside Sprint were quick to praise the Justice Department on Wednesday. D.C.-based Media Access Project, which describes itself as a nonprofit, public interest law firm said, “It is heartening that the Department of Justice has withstood withering political pressure from AT&T to do the right thing for the American public." Public Knowledge, a D.C.- based public interest group, called the move “the best Labor Day present anyone can give the American people.”
Other interest groups, such as CWA, expressed disappointment with the DOJ’s actions. Noting the U.S. unemployment rate, the workers' organization released a statement that called the suit the “wrong decision for jobs, workers’ rights [and the country’s] broadband buildout.” CWA contends that the merger could create as many as 96,000 “quality jobs”. The group also said rural Americans would suffer if AT&T’s plan to bring 4G/LTE to 97% of the country gets scrapped.With less than one week before the Paris climate talks, known officially as the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21), the campaign group Corporate Accountability International has released a report exposing the “filthy” track record of some of the corporations sponsoring the talks.
The report, entitled “Fueling the Fire: The corporate sponsors bankrolling COP21,” uncovers “the green veil of four of the meeting’s dirtiest sponsors” including fossil fuel conglomerates Engie (formerly GDF Suez); Suez Environnement, as well as global banking giant BNP Paribas and French utility Électricité de France (EDF).
The organisation argues that there is an inherent conflict of interest between the stated aims of the UN climate process and many of COP21’s corporate sponsors, given their role as global carbon polluters.
It is easy to see why: Together, the four corporate sponsors outlined in the report represent direct ownership of and/or investments in more than 46 coal-fired power plants; exploration of oil sands in Canada, hydraulic fracturing in the UK, and the Tata Mundra coal-fired power plant in Gujarat, India; more than €30 billion invested in the French coal industry; and more than 200 megatons of CO2 equivalent emissions.
Corporate Accountability International (CAI) argues that “by detailing the corporations’ abuses to the environment and aggressive lobbying to undermine environmental policy, the report lays bare the conflict of interest inherent in allowing such sponsorship to exist.”
Patti Lynn, executive director of CAI contends that “Inviting some of the world’s biggest polluters to pay for the COP is akin to hiring a fox to guard a hen house.” She adds: “We must eliminate this conflict of interest before COPs become corporate tradeshows for false market-based solutions.”
The report details how the four sponsors have long track records of “policy interference that contradict the green public relations” they advance. Whilst energy giant EDF claims to be “committed to a decarbonized world,” it is an active member—alongside ExxonMobil and Shell—of the European business lobby group, BusinessEurope.
Indeed, BusinessEurope has a long history of being opposed to climate action. In 2010, it came second in the EU’s Worst Lobby Awards. It was nominated “for its aggressive lobbying to block effective climate action in the EU while claiming to support action to protect the climate”. On behalf of its members, BusinessEurope, also openly opposes the “market deployment of energy produced from renewable sources.”
The report also outlines the greenwashing going on over pollution. CAI reveals that Engie “is a polluter with few rivals”, being responsible for over 131 megatons of greenhouse gas emissions. This is the equivalent to pollution emitted from driving around the globe 12 million times.
“Despite recent announcements to stop new coal projects, Engie still owns 30 dirty coal power plants worldwide,” argues Célia Gautier, policy advisor at Climate Action Network France, “The French state is directly responsible for Engie’s greenwashing activities as it owns 33% of its shares and accepted to put them in their list of COP21 sponsors.”
In addition, BNP Paribas is one of the largest coal financiers in France. Between 2005 and 2014, the corporation provided half of the total financial support (€15.5 billion) from French banks to the coal industry.
The momentum is growing to have large polluting companies excluded from the talks. In May, more than 60 organizations launched a global campaign to kick big polluters out of climate policy.
Using the UN legal precedent, Article 5.3 of the WHO’s Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, they say the same should happen with Big Oil and the COP talks.
So far over 400,000 people have joined the call. To sign up go here.Get to know the 10 amateur bakers who whipped, whisked, iced and kneaded their way into our hearts during season one.
Julian D'Entremont (Halifax, N.S.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
Julian is a contractor from Halifax who has been baking since he was a child. He learned how to bake from his grandmothers, and now loves baking for his twins. Since he's an avid fan of the outdoors, Julian loves foraging in the wild for ingredients. His favourite thing to bake? Pie!
More about Julian »
Sabrina Degni (Montreal, Que.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
Sabrina loves nothing more than baking for her big Italian family. She was raised making refined Italian pastries, cakes and breads alongside her mother and grandmother, with her specialty being Italian donuts and tiramisu.
More about Sabrina »
James Hoyland (Richmond, B.C.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
Born in the UK, James discovered baking at the age of 36 while he was living in New Brunswick, trying to get through the long tough east coast winters. He learned to bake from his wife, and was largely tutored by the Internet.
More about James »
Vandana Jain (Regina, Sask.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
A proud Prairie girl, inspired by her East Indian roots, Vandana brings international flair to her baking. She loves fusing East Indian flavours with prairie classics.
More about Vandana »
Linda Longson (High River, Alta.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
Linda is a devoted grandmother to eight grandkids; she has lovingly baked every cake for each of their birthdays for the last 20 years — that's 160 cakes if you're counting! An everyday baker, she goes through at least four pounds of butter a week and is constantly pushing herself in the kitchen.
More about Linda »
Pierre Morin (Cantley, Que.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
Pierre is a self-taught baker who learned to bake by working his way through recipe books and mastering the trickiest French pastries. Now retired, Pierre continues to pursue his love of baking, travel and music.
More about Pierre »
Corey Shefman (Toronto)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
Corey started baking at a very early age, and learned while watching his mom. He continues to draw inspiration from the traditional Jewish baking his family has passed down.
More about Corey »
Sinclair Shuit (London, Ont.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
A super-nerd at heart, Sinclair is a meticulous self-taught baker who likes to study, measure, and embrace precision. He loves listening to hip-hop and mash-ups while in the kitchen, and is always keen to improve his baking skills.
More about Sinclair »
Jude Somers (Victoria, B.C.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
As an animator, Jude injects whimsy and fun into her baking, especially in the decorating. Being retired allows her lots of time to bake for her husband and 86-year-old mum.
More about Jude »
Terri Thompson (Sherwood Park, Alta.)
(The Great Canadian Baking Show)
Terri discovered baking in university. When her fiancé was injured five months before their wedding, her passion grew as she baked for him every day to comfort him and help him through his recovery.
More about Terri »A Guide to South Korean CENSORSHIP
Whether it's tattoos, alcohol, cigarettes, weapons and of course nudity, most of us drama addicts have at some point run into a blurred square on our screen that made us go "What is that? It's so obvious what is it, so why have it?"
It is, of course, the very sinner himself, the censorship. *Cue dramatic music*
So what's the deal with the blurry items in the dramas? Why are they in front of us and how is it not applied when they're using tools in, say, a kitchen? Those big bad boys are just as capable of slicing up your worst enemy as the next murder weapon.
I'll be dealing with this topic in this article - Please enjoy.
*Disclaimer*
Of course, Asia is a mixture of different countries with different rules regarding Censorship, hence the same rules/laws do not always apply to all Asian countries - Please take this into consideration. Also, I've chosen to limit this article to South Korea alone. Whether these laws/regulations apply to other countries is not documented and will not be discussed in this article. I am in no way an expert on this subject but merely an individual who has access to a computer with internet. All I've done is collect information on the subject.
So, without further ado, let's start this guide!
In South Korea, there are specific rules to what can be broadcast and what cannot. The KCSC, or the Korea Communications Standards Commission, is the body of the South Korean internet censorship. They have made a list of what cannot show up on Korean television without our loveable blurred blobs.
According to rule number 81, Art 37 of KCSC Rules states: "The following items, which may convey excessive shock, anxiety or disgust to viewers, may not be broadcast. There may be limited exceptions if such depiction is unavoidable in discussing the content; even in such cases, expression of these items must be approached cautiously." - meaning they can't air without being censored. So, let's take a look at the disclosed criteria.
1. Graphic depiction of beheading, strangulation or dismemberment. |
's transparency and accountability, found that 78 percent of companies studied improved their score this year. New companies receiving high marks include United Parcel Service, Noble Energy, CSX, and JP Morgan Chase; they join the likes of Merck, Microsoft, and Time Warner at the top of the ranking. And the CPA ranking isn't the only sign of a trend toward greater disclosure; 90 percent of business leaders support disclosing all individual, corporate, and labor contributions to political committees and organizations that spend money in elections.
Shareholder resolutions concerning political spending become more common every year. This year, disclosure resolutions on campaign spending averaged a vote of almost 32 percent. Shareholder resolutions have resulted in 118 companies agreeing to adopt better policies concerning disclosure and accountability.
Despite the trend, there are some in the business community who oppose disclosure, arguing it might harm companies' interests. But even setting aside the mounting evidence that political spending actually correlates to lower shareholder value, companies that use political spending to benefit their bottom lines shouldn't oppose disclosure of that spending. If the activity is beneficial to corporate value, publicizing it should attract investors who agree with the strategy. Plus, disclosure can help companies avoid situations like the one Target found itself in three years ago, when the retailer faced boycotts after donating money that benefited a gubernatorial candidate opposing same-sex marriage -- unbeknownst to unpleasantly surprised shareholders.
The Securities and Exchange Commission is poised to consider a petition for rulemaking submitted by 10 experts in corporate and securities law, asking the agency to require publicly traded companies to disclose their political spending. On Wednesday, Sens. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) and Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) are holding a briefing to explain why shareholders need a uniform rule allowing access to information about all publicly traded corporations' political spending. Voices supporting this measure include a group of 40 mutual fund and institutional asset managers that together manage more than $690 billion, as well as several state treasurers and pension funds. Transparency on political expenditures furthers the SEC's mission to protect investors and ensure well-functioning markets. The SEC should step in to ensure that investors have the information they need about their companies' political spending.Remember the nineties? Remember Project Star? This program, and others like it, were put in place to cut class sizes and hire more educators to better educate California students. Now, it seems that the more education-oriented people of the nineties who put Project Star and others like it in place are long gone. Maybe they never existed.
Last year, our school – Torrance High – let go 21 teachers out of a total staff of about 130 teachers and administrative staff. At the end of this year, we’re told our school will drop from 111 teachers and administrators to 66 for next school year. Several of our favorite teachers – in math, science, and English – have told us privately that they will be among the cuts.
Because our school makes these cuts strictly on seniority, it’s always the newer teachers who go, the ones who connect so much better with us students. Although we like and respect our older, more experienced teachers, these younger ones are more flexible in their teaching plans and are closer to us in age. They understand us so much better. So we’re terribly sad to see their teaching careers end, at least for now.
Isn’t it just great that today’s students will be left with a massive debt and without the proper mathematical skills to solve tomorrow’s problems? You of the older generation, don’t you think you’re being a little selfish? You on the Left will say it’s the Right’s fault and the Right will say it’s the Left’s fault. But you would both be wrong—and pointing fingers won’t fix anything anyway. With the massive war expenses headed by the Right and the ever-expanding social programs of the Left, you are giving us difficult challenges and inadequate tools to fix them.
As you throw all of this money at unnecessary things, you also take our voices away. You are setting us up to fail. First, you’re giving us impossible problems to solve—the war, the debt, and so forth. Then you tie our hands by taking away the tools that would enable us to solve those problems, namely our best and most favorite teachers. And finally you give us no say in the cuts. Dude! Really?
We’re not saying that students should have the right to fire teachers, but when there are mandatory layoffs, students should help in the decision-making. As high school students, we have direct insight into this situation.
Last year, our high school lost so many teachers that one of us did not even have an English teacher for over a month. Next school year, to accommodate these drastic staff cuts, the school plans to take class sizes from an average of 30 all the way to 43. Many of our classrooms are cut in half by dividers with a class taught on each side of the divider. Now, with so many fewer teachers, they will have to take down those dividers to accommodate the larger number of students in each class.
We would much rather that teacher layoffs not be made solely on seniority. We would much rather have teachers who have earned the student body’s respect and who make campus life and our educations better. Better yet, we would like you to find a way to keep these teachers, both for us and for the kids who will follow us.
Give us a voice.
Nea Friberg-Price and Jedidiah Von Dielingen
Nea and Jed are finishing their junior year at Torrance High.UPDATED – November 23, 2016 – 1535 CST – Health Canada is proposing to ban a Bayer neonicotinoid because the insecticide is a threat to aquatic insects in wetlands and other water bodies.
In a teleconference with media early this afternoon, Health Canada said levels of imidacloprid in water bodies near agricultural land are unacceptably high, which is putting insects and animals that feed on those insects at risk.
Consequently, the department is proposing a three year phase out of agricultural uses of imidacloprid or a five year phase out in cases where producers have no alternatives for pest control.
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The proposed ban is not final because there will be a 90 day comment period, and Health Canada is planning a forum with industry stakeholders.
In addition to the proposed ban, Health Canada announced a special review of two other neonicotinoid insecticides: thiamethoxam, a Syngenta product, and clothianidin, a Bayer product.
Neonicotinoids are applied as seed treatment to almost all of the corn and canola planted in North America and a portion of soybean acres. Imidacloprid is also used as a foliar insecticide on many crops in Canada.
Related story: Horticultural producers reject proposed neonic ban
The class of insecticides has been highly controversial over the last four years because they are linked to bee deaths and bee colony losses in North America and Europe.
The Europeans banned the use of neonicotinoid seed treatments in 2013 in an effort to protect bees and other pollinators.
However, a Health Canada review released in 2016 concluded that imidacloprid is not a substantial risk to bees.
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The proposed ban on imidacloprid came out of a Health Canada re-evaluation of the insecticide, looking at human health and environmental risk.
“It’s through that process where we identified risks to aquatic organisms,” said Scott Kirby, director general for the environmental assessment with the Pest Management Regulatory Agency.
Kirby, during the teleconference with media, said repeatedly that today’s decision is not about bees but the risk to aquatic invertebrates.
The Health Canada decision validates research done by Christy Morrissey, a University of Saskatchewan biologist. Morrissey has published studies on neonicotinoids and how the insecticides are contaminating water bodies in Western Canada.
Morrissey’s research found that many wetlands within or near agricultural land in Saskatchewan have troubling concentrations of neonics.
“It’s staying in the soil and then as soon as the snow melts or it rains … it’s just running off the fields and into these ponds,” Morrissey said in 2014.
As a result, neonics are killing aquatic insects, and reducing the food supply for birds and other animals, Morrissey said.
Health Canada considered Morrissey’s work and other research to reach its decision.
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“(It) is based on a weight of evidence,” Kirby said. “It’s a volume information including information from academics.”
Kirby said Health Canada relied on “pivotal” data from provincial and federal agencies, which monitored wetlands and other water bodies throughout Canada.
“Those studies have measured levels of imidacloprid in aquatic systems adjacent to agricultural areas that are well above the benchmarks that we consider protective to aquatic life.”
John Gavloski, Manitoba Agriculture entomologist, wasn’t surprised by the Health Canada announcement.
For more than a year Gavloski has been warning producers about overusing neonicotinoids.
Last January, at Ag Days in Brandon, Gavloski said neonicotinoids are flowing into ponds and larger water bodies adjacent to agricultural land. Gavloski predicted that the government could crack down with regulations.
“They (neonics) are being overused. They are being used to the point where we’ve got these levels showing up in surface water that we don’t want to be seeing,” he said last January.
“I personally see the surface water residue as probably the issue … that’s probably the thing that’s going to push it (regulations).”
Kirby said Health Canada would listen to comments about the proposed ban and consult with the ag industry, meaning it will consider other methods to mitigate the risk to aquatic insects.
“(But) any proposals for continued registration would need to clearly demonstrate concrete action that would ensure that imidacloprid levels in water would be reduced below the (threshold) levels.”
Contact robert.arnason@producer.comThe half-brother of slain UNT student Amanda Clairmont is asking the local community to help share her story.
Clairmont, a 21-year-old UNT business major, was found shot to death in a vehicle in a vacant parking lot along the Interstate 35E service road in Corinth on Sunday, Nov. 19, according to a release from the Corinth Police Department.
As of Wednesday, Corinth police had not given any updates on the investigation. No arrests have been made.
Mike Gawlik, Clairmont’s half-brother, said she was with several friends on Fry Street the night of her death. The last time Gawlik spoke with Clairmont was the week before her death when she told him she was preparing for a Latin quiz.
“I’m pretty numb to death, but this has taken me to a whole new level,” Gawlik said. “I just have a lot of vengeance in my heart … I want this piece of s–t busted. We all do.”
Gawlik first learned of Clairmont’s death from her father and said he thought someone was playing a joke on him.
“I was in complete disbelief,” Gawlik said. “I didn’t even know she had been shot until the day after.”
Corinth police are treating this case as a homicide and are working with assistance from the Texas Rangers and Denton County Sheriff’s Department. Jimmie Gregg, lieutenant criminal investigations commander for the Corinth Police Department, told The Dallas Morning News it is the first murder investigation in Corinth in 17 years.
Although police have not made any arrests, Gawlik believes law enforcement is doing all they can to bring her killer to justice.
“I do feel like the state itself is using a tremendous amount of resources for this case,” Gawlik said.
Kayla Ast, a friend of Clairmont’s, started a fundraiser on Nov. 21 for Clairmont’s funeral service. She has raised $2,680 since starting it and has a goal to reach $10,000. According to the fundraiser, 51 people have contributed at the time of print.
Ast said she started the fundraiser because Clairmont was like family to her.
“I met Amanda as a sophomore in high school,” Ast said. “She was a very genuine person who was very artsy and beautiful inside and out. She taught me what it would be like to have an older sister who could also be a best friend.”
UNT spokesperson Leigh Anne Gullet confirmed Clairmont attended Liberty High School in Frisco and enrolled at UNT in fall 2014 to major in business.
Clairmont was also interested in makeup and recently created an Instagram account to gain a following as a freelance makeup artist in the Dallas-Fort Worth area.
“Our deepest, heartfelt sympathies go out to the family and friends of UNT student Amanda Clairmont,” UNT President Neal Smatresk said in a statement. “Our hearts are heavy with the news of the tragic loss of her life.”
Members of The Vocal Majority, an all-male chorus, also posted a video on YouTube dedicating “The Lord Bless You and Keep You” for Clairmont. One of their members and his family are close friends with Clairmont’s family.
Anyone with information is asked to call Corinth Criminal Investigations at 940-498-2017.
Gawlik is asking people of the community to continue sharing her story and spreading the word, saying the sharing of Clairmont’s story has helped her family.
“I think if enough people start looking into it and start getting involved, somebody might come forward,” Gawlik said. “Maybe somebody might know something.”
Amanda Clairmont | FacebookI'm sure these women are well versed in the talking points for Namco Bandai's upcoming fighting game.
There’s been no shortage of discussion about women and video games this past week.
The conversation’s been driven by the gross response to Anita Sarkeesian’s nearly finished Kickstarter about the unfortunate and exclusionary tropes of female video game characters, and the quickly scrutinized comments from a producer on Tomb Raider about a potential rape scene (a description the studio has walked back) in the new game.
These are all good, uncomfortable conversations to have, but if we're talking about the depiction of women in games at such a serious level, how do we still have E3 booth babes? Other than for easy hits in web galleries, anyway.
The commonly referred to booth babe (also known as a "woman") is hired solely to wear skimpy clothing with a game or company’s logo and take photographs with attendees (who does that, by the way?). Typically, they are not well versed in the product they are hired to represent.
It seemed like a good time to check in with the Entertainment Software Association, who manages E3.
Despite some of the recent heated conversation, there are no plans to shift E3 policies.
"Exhibitors determine for themselves what is the best representation for their companies. Models are welcome if companies would like to have them, but that's an individual exhibitor decision,” said ESA VP of media relations and event management Dan Hewitt in an emailed statement to me yesterday.
Ghost Recon Commander designer Brenda Brathwaite sparked a vocal debate on Twitter over booth babes before she headed to the E3 show floor last Thursday.
“I dread heading off to work at E3 today,” she said. “The show is a constant assault on the female self esteem no matter which direction I look. I am in good shape, yet it is impossible not to compare. I feel uncomfortable. It is as if I walked into a strip club w/o intending to. These are the policies of @e3expo and @RichatESA. I feel uncomfortable in an industry I helped found.”
Her comments found plenty of support, such as Inside Network managing editor AJ Glasser.
@br The worst is when I get so good at seeing right through it that I forget they're actually women underneath the barely-there clothes. — AJ Glasser (@Joygirl007) June 7, 2012
It’s not a new critique, but it was louder this year, and there seems to be a growing desire for change.
There was also the usual “what’s the big deal?” responses, including 3D Realms co-founder George Broussard.
@br I think you/others take it too seriously. It's not some academic event. It's a glitz show full of spectacle. #serious_business — George Broussard (@georgeb3dr) June 7, 2012
It’s been a few years, but the ESA policy on booth babes has changed from E3's inception. The last major shift came in 2006, as new penalties, fines and policies were introduced regarding women featured in E3 exhibits.
"What's new in 2006 is an update and clarification of the enforcement policies; as we do from time to time, we have taken steps to ensure that exhibitors are familiar with the policy and how it will be enforced," said E3 show director Mary Dolaher to Reuters at the time.
A violation of the clothing policy would result in, at first, a warning, and then a $5,000 fine. Here’s what the handbook from 2006 said to exhibitors considering booth babes--er, sorry, live models:
"Material, including live models, conduct that is sexually explicit and/or sexually provocative, including but not limited to nudity, partial nudity and bathing suit bottoms, are prohibited on the show floor, all common areas, and at any access points to the show."
Hewitt told me there have been no changes to ESA policy since 2006.
Maybe there should be. Consider this anecdote that didn’t even take place on the show floor itself.
This was one of the first results the search term "Devil May Cry strippers" gave me, sorry.
We arrived to our Capcom appointment, I plunked down with Lost Planet 3, and Alex Navarro was ushered over to play Devil May Cry. In a room of kiosks, there were pole dancers. It’s unclear what that has to do with Devil May Cry. The girl hired to skimpily waltz around was sitting on the floor, looking bored. Everyone in the room is focused on playing the game, and Alex wasn't playing Devil May Cry in a see-through bubble. No one on the show floor could see this room. Can someone explain how this helps anyone do their job?
Elsewhere, I refused to play any 3DS games at Nintendo’s booth because the company didn’t have a table with machines, and instead tethered its lineup to attractive women. I let that gimmick slide when Nintendo pulled the same trick at the original 3DS unveiling, but I’ll just wait until those games are out now, thanks.
Nintendo probably thought it was a cute idea. I doubt (and this is my sincere hope) Nintendo meant to undermine the credibility of women at gaming’s biggest show. It's still ignorance. Many of the issues regarding women and E3 aren’t overtly offensive, and can be easily rationalized by those who don’t see a problem.
That’s okay--we should have a debate about it.
And this is all hardly an issue that’s exclusive to games. The same week as E3, the Computex Summit was happening in Taipei, and computer manufacturer ASUS sent out the following tweet:
That tweet has since been deleted and ASUS released an apology, obviously.
I can gripe all I want, but the most effective solution has to come from the ESA itself. Only the ESA can enforce regulations on exhibitors, and let them know this archaic marketing tool needs to go away. If games are growing up, so does the way we go about advertising them in front of, ostensibly, a bunch of professional. This isn’t 1994.
PAX figured this out years ago, even if there have been incidents along the way (i.e. Lollipop Chainsaw at PAX East).
“Our definition of a ‘booth babe’ has been a model (male or female) that has been hired to stand/sit in skimpy clothing to market the product,” said Penny Arcade president of business development in 2010. “If that person knows the product inside and out then it’s less of an issue. A company representative that can interact with attendees in a way that provides value as opposed to ‘hey stare at my body’ is something that we encourage whether or not that representative is physically attractive or not.”
If E3 is supposed to represent the industry’s best, why can’t it figure out how to respect its own attendees?Russia and China are effectively using tools as old as propaganda and as current as viral social media messaging to sow distrust abroad and split alliances to gain their way, three expert witnesses in a new age of conflict told the House Armed Services Committee.
Frank Hoffman of National Defense University said Wednesday these “gray zone measures” and also called hybrid warfare, would include aircraft buzzing warships and turning reefs into militarized islands was in a way “a return to Cold War tactics.”
Other autocratic regimes employing these measures include Iran and North Korea.
“We’re prepared for the violence” of conventional and nuclear warfare, but “not ready for the indirect” attacks that can undermine alliances and partnerships. Russia’s efforts to split Sweden and Finland from working with NATO and cyber attacks on NATO members such as Estonia and Latvia would be examples of that.
Another would be the hybrid use of special forces, light armor and artillery fires across a border; backing separatists with equipment and trainers; increasing economic coercion and information operations to destabilize Ukraine’s government. A third would be Moscow’s meddling in the upcoming German and French national elections that both countries’ intelligence services have publicly disclosed.
“Moscow has deployed its whole of government approach … to weaken NATO,” Christopher Chivvis of the RAND Corporation added. The approach, s linked to Moscow’s military modernization, is population-centric, persistent and works from a premise of not getting into outright conflict the United States and NATO.
“Putin’s got a lot of checkers games going on simultaneously,” Hoffman said in answer to a question.
China also is not seeking outright conflict with the United States in this struggle, but under President Xi Jin-ping, it uses a “salami-slicing approach” aimed at what it believes are weak spots to get its way in the Asia-Pacific, Andrew Shearer of the Center for International and Strategic Studies said.
An example of that would be China’s sending unarmed fishing boats but escorted by its Coast Guard into disputed waters. If there was a response by another nation sending out its Coast Guard to block the fishing fleet, China would send in its largest Coast Guard vessels, about the size of United States’ cruisers, occasionally bumping other vessels. It also would have its navy positioned just over the horizon to meet any further escalation.
Yet compared to Russia’s actions in Georgia, Crimea and Ukraine, “China has been a little more restrained.” It prefers to use “lawfare,” he said by creating air identification zones, cutting off major trade flows with South Korea in response to the deployment of a missile defense system and trying to influence Australia’s political parties.
“Secrecy and deniability is part of China’s strategy.”
North Korea, with its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programs and “very advanced cyber capability,” posses “the most acute threat facing us in the Asia-Pacific,” Shearer said. He also cited Pyongyang’s use of a nerve agent to assassinate the half-brother of its leader Kim Jung-un to illustrate how far North Korea is willing to go in non-traditional warfare.
Hoffman said Iran in its maritime operations has adopted this hybrid approach. Instead of buying large capital ships, it has invested in fast attack boats that can swarm on larger vessels, shore-based anti-ship cruise missiles, submarines and mines from China.
On the apparent shift of Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte away from Washington diplomatically and militarily, Hoffman said, “I do believe China is trying to abet that change.”
Shearer added that it was important that the United States state clearly that it views Scarborough Shoals, about 200 miles from Manila, as strategically important to its interests and how it views territorial claims there.
Speaking clearly to allies and partners in Europe and the Asia-Pacific and reassuring them that the United States remains engaged as a global power economically and militarily was mentioned by all three in meet these “measures short of war” steps taken by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran. They also said this means building allies’ and partners’ capacities to counter these move and strengthen their political institutions.
“I don’t believe we are imposing costs” on Beijing for its deliberate strategy of militarizing the South China Sea, Hoffman said.
How Russia and China view American moves such as the European Reassurance Initiative and the deployment of a missile defense system on the Korean peninsula is very different from the American view of these steps.
Chivvis said, “Russia sees many things the U.S. does as hybrid warfare.” Shearer said the Chinese “feel they are encircled” by American alliances and want to return to the 19th century “sphere of influence” view of the world.
Hoffman added, “We think we’re stabilizing” a nation or region by taking those steps.
“Ultimately this is a normative contest” of setting rules of international behavior, Shearer said.Australia's Wedge Tailed Eagle Silver Dollar
This new series minted in Perth, Australia, marks its second year of issue with these 2015 dated coins. The coin has a number of parallels with the comparable American coin, the Silver Eagle. Its weight, size, and fineness are all identical to the American coin, as is the designer of the 'Eagle side' of the coin. Renowned sculptor and 12th chief Engraver of the United States Mint, John M. Mercanti, designed the eagle side of both coins. This is the first coin ever minted by a world mint that was designed by a U.S. Chief Engraver, past or present!
Because this coin is only in its second year of issue with the 2015 dated coins, this is a great opportunity to get in on collecting them while they are a young set. They contain one full troy ounce of.999 fine silver, and have the guarantee of the Australian government that the weight and fineness are accurate minted right into the surface of the coin!
The Wedge Tailed Eagle
Scientifically known as Aquila audax, the Wedge Tailed Eagle is the largest bird of prey in Australia with a wing span that can reach outward to more than 7.5 feet in width, which also makes it one of the largest birds of prey in the entire world! They are a part of a family of birds that contain 12 different species around the world.
Wedge Tailed Eagles and Bald Eagles are related only as far as their general family, in that they are both raptors and apex predators. They are otherwise unrelated to one another, as the Wedge Tailed Eagle is considered more of a land dwelling bird feeding mainly on land animals, preferably mammals. Bald Eagles are known to stay close to water and feed mainly on fish.
The Wedge Tailed Eagle is so named because of the shape of its tail, which is actually a misnomer, because their large tails are more diamond shaped than wedge shaped, but either way they have a very distinctive shape that is not shared exactly with any other species. They are generally dark brown in color. Young Wedge Tailed Eagles start out light in color and darken to a blackish brown color after about ten years of life.
Wedge Tailed Eagles are known to fly very high in the sky - up to 5,900 feet - without beating their wings or exerting any apparent effort. The reason why they fly so high is not known, but they are truly majestic birds to watch.Jack Shafer. | CNN Jack Shafer on losing his job, and the state of things
I called up the legendary media critic Jack Shafer after word got out he'd been laid off at Reuters. There was some idea of putting it all together into an article but he speaks too well for himself for us to publish it any other way than as a Q and A. So here you go.
Shafer: I thought I was lucky at Slate, where they treated me like a prince. But at Reuters, they treated me like a king, and I had a great run. I don’t fit their game anymore, and I’m completely understanding of that. They’re treating me well on the way out. So there’s no reason for tears. It’s our business, right?
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Capital: What are your future plans?
Shafer: Right now, my immediate plan is to go to work as a lay therapist at The Intercept to bring the healing there so John Cook and Matt Taibbi can return. I have great interpersonal skills.
This was news to me in the early part of this week, and I don’t really have any plans. I got a book review assignment today, but that was from somebody who didn’t even know that I’d been laid off from Reuters, so my next plans, I think, are to read a book and write a review.
Capital: Are you looking for another full-time position?
Shafer: Of course. It’s the job of kings. Ours is a great business. I’d take your job. In fact, I’m going to call Tom [McGeveran, the co-editor of Capital] and tell him, I want Peter Sterne’s job.
Capital: We would love to have you on staff, I’ll tell you that.
Shafer: Oh, that’s very sweet of you to say. In fact, I see in my inbox I have an email from Tom, so maybe he is contacting me to offer me your job.
Capital: This is the second time in three years that you’ve been laid off, not maliciously but unceremoniously.
Shafer: No! It’s wrong to say it’s “unceremoniously.” The job is theirs. The job belongs to Slate or the job belongs to Reuters, not to me. The day that they decide that job doesn’t exist or they don’t want me in that job, there’s nothing unceremonious about it. We know this going in. We’re mercenaries.
If, tomorrow, you don’t like the editing or the headlines or the paper stock at Capital, and you want to do something else, it’s not unceremonious to give Tom your two weeks’ notice and walk across the street, so it probably shouldn’t be unceremonious for Tom to tell you, “Peter, we’ve had a great run here, but you know, I’m going to bring in Shafer to do your job.”
No one ever cries any tears for a publication when somebody leaves it for another publication. It’s inconvenient as hell to lose your job. I’m not trying to cast any aspersions about people who go through real trouble and real pain when they get sacked. But we know that going into this business, and it’s the way this business has always been. I would reject the idea that it’s “unceremonious.”
I mean, the way that I was treated at Slate for so long and the nice package I got going out, likewise with Reuters. There was never a better place that I’ve worked in my career than Reuters. If they decide that they want to do something else with their space and their money, god bless ‘em. They’ve been very good to me.
Capital: Do you think that fewer publications have press critics and media critics these days?
Shafer: If I did a head count, I would say no, we probably have more people writing about the press than ever. I started writing about the press when I was the editor of an alternative weekly in Washington in the mid-80s because no one else would write about the press because they were afraid they wouldn’t get a job if they wrote unkind things. I figured, it was a fluke I had a job anyway, I was never going to get another one, I might as well write about the press because it interested me and I had something to say.
With the rise of the alt-weeklies—and practically every alt-weekly took it upon itself to criticize and critique and examine that major institution in the city which was the daily newspaper—and then the advent of the web, the culture is mobbed up with press critics. I think there are plenty of press critics, and it’s a good thing.
Capital: So you’re not concerned that Slate no longer has a press box columnist and Reuters no longer has a media critic on staff? You think that there’s enough press criticism out there?
Shafer: There’s not enough until I’m employed again. Then there is the perfect number. The perfect math. I think that ours is a fluid business. I don’t think that there’s a magic number of how many press critics there should be. I think that if you ask anybody, if you ask some of the old veterans of journalism, if they’ve ever seen so much press criticism and so much watchdogging in their careers, they’d say, no, this is the high-water mark.
I think that’s one of the reasons that ombudsmen are sort of dying off because the publication said, well this is really the hand that gums us. The real criticism that’s biting and telling and completely independent tends to come from outside. But then there are even guys who are press critics inside, such as Erik Wemple, who do a very good job. He talks about his own institution sometimes. I think it’s a bronze age of press criticism, and all we’ve got to do is work hard and make it golden.
Capital: You’ll be at Reuters until the 22nd?
Shafer: No, no, my last day in the office, with my phone ringing, is December 2nd.
Capital: How many more columns will that be?
Shafer: I don’t have any column ideas right now. I don’t know if I’ll write another column. I don’t know if I’ll write four. If I had not been busy today with a colonoscopy, I would have written a column about: “Yeah, why shouldn’t Uber investigate unscrupulous, rotten journalists? Just be upfront about it.” That’s the column I would have written today if I hadn’t been busy on the doctor’s gurney. I don’t think anybody wrote that, did they?
Capital: No. Dylan Byers wrote a thing attacking the criticism of the Uber executive, saying that he was being stoned by a digital lynch mob. But no one really defended his position.
Shafer: I like Dylan, but I think he’s misrepresenting what a lynch mob is. Yelling and screaming at somebody? If that’s what a lynch mob is, then when I edited City Paper, I was lynched weekly. You’re going to be criticized. This guy seems to be ready for rough and tumble. You don’t use fighting words and then become really surprised that it’s caused a fight. If I said, “Fuck you and your mother with a stick,” you’d say, “Whoa, Jack!” And then I couldn’t say, “I’ve just been lynched by Peter Sterne.” Anyway, I think Dylan got it wrong, but I’m a great believer in the right to get it wrong, because if we wait until we get it right every time, we’ll never get it right.
Capital: After the 2nd, where can we expect to see your writing, or can we not see it until you get snapped up by someone else?
Shafer: Your guess is as good as mine. I don’t have any outstanding job offers. I believe that when possible, never turn down an assignment.
Capital: Well, call me back or email me and let me know when you do get snapped up by another publication, and I look forward to reading what you have to write for many years to come.
Shafer: So do I, Peter, so do I. Thanks so much for the call.It is not hard to imagine how this marked decrease in federal spending might ripple through the regional economy. Scant job growth will mean lower wages, meaning slower consumer spending, meaning less demand for new bars and clubs and stores and luxury apartments. But just how deeply this will affect the economy is unclear. It’s possible that federal budgets might never get cut outright, with Congress instead slowing the path of spending growth. That might mean slower growth for Washington, but hardly a contraction or a regional recession of the kind that plagued Detroit after the auto industry shrank. And even if the sequester cuts are more drastic, it might take years before the local economy feels them. “People are saying, ‘We’re going to lose a million jobs here,’ ” says Gordon Adams, a professor of international relations at American University. “That’s not going to happen, and it’s not going to happen because contractors are working on existing contracts financed with prior-year dollars. We’re going to be working through this for some time, and there’s going to be a very slow roll to actual projects. The implications aren’t for current work, but the next round of work.”
For some economists, though, this course correction — while miserable in the short term — could provide a long-term benefit. There’s something unsavory about having a capital city doing outrageously well while the rest of the country is limping along — especially when its economy is premised in part on capturing wealth rather than creating it. The enormous profusion of military spending drew money from other priorities, and those dollars might find better uses elsewhere, says Robert Pollin, an economist at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. “If you look at military spending, it creates about 11 jobs per $1 million of expenditure,” says Pollin, who grew up in the region. “Infrastructure investment, in things like the green economy, it’s 17 jobs per $1 million in spending — that’s 50 percent more. And education? Education is 27 [jobs] per $1 million.”
David Boaz, executive vice president of the Cato Institute, told me: “Washington’s economy is based on the confiscation and transfer of wealth produced elsewhere. Out in the country they’re growing food, building cars and designing software — all these things that raise our standard of living. Here in Washington, everyone is writing memos to each other about how to take some of that money and which special interest should get it.” I asked him if he liked living in the city, which has become undeniably nicer. Boaz sputtered a bit. “I can’t walk to lunch from my office without having to avoid the construction projects!” he said. “For Washington, it does mean better restaurants and better entertainment, and the potholes get filled faster. But for the country as a whole? I don’t think it’s a good thing for America.”
If there is a broad sense that peak Washington is already past, it’s hardly perceptible in the city itself. Dozens of cranes dot the skyline, and construction projects snarl major intersections downtown. This past summer, if you had swung by Capitol Hill on a particular Saturday evening, you might have found yourself among scores of 20-somethings in black tie and flapper gear for a ball given by the city’s craft bartenders’ guild that costs $100 for a two-hour open bar. Or you could have recently wandered through the Ritz-Carlton, which is currently setting up for Obama’s second inauguration. For $100, |
enthused about his 16 penalties (14 accepted), meaning Colon may be looking for a new home next season.
Center: Evan Dietrich-Smith, Buccaneers
Second team: Dominic Raiola, Lions
Lovie Smith tabbed Dietrich-Smith as a key member up front moving forward into 2015, which may not be the worst thing for a Buccaneers team that was disjointed all season. But Green Bay rookie Corey Linsley has been a better player in 2014. So has ex-Buc Jeremy Zuttah, now with Baltimore.
Raiola gets the nod over a few replacement-level players (Scott Wells, J.D. Walton and Jonathan Goodwin) because the Lions brought him back in large part due to a standout 2013 performance. He’s been far worse in what should be his final Detroit go-round, a slide capped by his idiotic stomp of Ego Ferguson.
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Defense
Defensive end: Lamarr Houston, Bears and LaMarr Woodley, Raiders
Second team: Cam Thomas, Steelers
Capitalize that “M,” don’t capitalize that “M” … Lamarr and LaMarr both tanked after being relatively high-profile pickups. Woodley actually was supposed to help replace Houston on the Raiders’ roster. He recorded three tackles and zero sacks in six games before landing on injured reserve.
Houston finished out the season on IR, as well, the victim of his own post-sack celebration during a blowout loss. That sack, of New England’s Jimmy Garoppolo, was the only one Houston managed in 2014.
Thomas has seen time at DE and nose tackle, struggling equally at both spots. He recently lost his end gig to rookie Stephon Tuitt.
Defensive tackle: Tyson Jackson and Paul Soliai, Falcons; Star Lotulelei, Panthers
Second team: Da’Quan Bowers, Buccaneers
“They spent $25 million on defensive tackles. I haven’t seen any improvement tonight.”
Such was Jon Gruden’s assessment of the Atlanta D-line during a Monday Night Football loss to the Packers, a game in which James Starks and Eddie Lacy combined for 148 yards rushing and two TDs. And it actually was $25 million guaranteed for Jackson and Soliai, nearly $60 million total. That’s a hefty chunk of change for two guys that, while better of late as Atlanta pushes for the playoffs, have struggled to hold the point of attack.
Lotulelei may have been done in by his own rookie-year success. Under any microscope, however, his failure to register a sack and a meager total of 18 tackles would leave him in the disappointment category.
As for Bowers, well, it’s hard to see a light at the end of the tunnel. A multi-year bust ahead of becoming a free agent, Bowers barely held his roster spot out of camp and has been a ghost for much of the season.
Linebacker: Akeem Ayers and Shaun Phillips, Titans; Donald Butler, Chargers
Second team: Arthur Brown, Ravens
Clarification on this one: Ayers’ (and to a far lesser extent Phillips’) inclusion relates specifically to his time with Tennessee. Since the frustrated Titans unloaded him to New England for a sixth-round pick, Ayers has found his footing yet again. Phillips has not had near the same impact since joining Indianapolis, but don’t be surprised if he makes a few plays in the postseason.
Butler warrants extra scrutiny because he played the worst football of his career immediately after signing a seven-year, $51 million extension. He’s on IR now as San Diego pushes for the postseason.
Brown was a favorite of many draft analysts in 2013. He’s played in all of three games this season, often simply left off the active roster in favor of other players. Any hope of a second-year improvement vanished when rookie C.J. Mosley claimed an important role early.
Cornerback: Bradley Fletcher, Eagles and Ike Taylor, Steelers
Second team: Justin Gilbert, Browns
Circumstances have not necessarily been kind to Fletcher, often forced into No. 1 cornerback duties in spite of his obvious shortcomings. The result has been nights like Dez Bryant’s torch job of him last Sunday.
Taylor has played in five games this season (he missed the majority of the year with a broken arm). He’s been responsible for four touchdown passes against the Steelers in that limited action. At 34 and with his contract expiring after this season, Taylor’s days in Pittsburgh ought to be numbered.
Rough debut season for Gilbert, the No. 8 overall pick last May. He was lapped on the depth chart by fourth-rounder Pierre Desir and UDFA Robert Nelson.
Safety: Matt Elam, Ravens and Kenny Vaccaro, Saints
Second team: Chris Conte, Bears and Ryan Clark, Redskins
While Elam’s stock has not taken an Arthur Brown-like hit, he did deservedly see his playing time decrease over 2014. The Ravens slid him to a slot cornerback spot after injuries hammered them in the secondary.
He was still better than Vaccaro. Expected to be half of a potentially dominant 1-2 punch with free-agent signee Jairus Byrd, Vaccaro was scapegoated by the coaching staff a couple weeks back and benched. (Byrd long ago landed on injured reserve.)
The second-teamers should be, well, second-teamers at best in real life. Conte has been exposed time and again in the Bears’ secondary; Clark not only has lost a couple steps, but also has compounded his issues with horrendous angles. Chicago and Washington will waste little time looking for safety help this offseason.Destruction in Sofia in 1944 after the bombing as photographed by Tsanko Lavrenov
The Bulgarian capital of Sofia suffered a series of Allied bombing raids during World War II, from late 1943 to early 1944. United Kingdom and the United States declared a token[clarification needed] war on Bulgaria on 13 December 1941. The Southern Italy-based Allied air forces extended the range of their strategic operations to include Bulgaria and other Axis allies in 1943.
Raids [ edit ]
April 1941 [ edit ]
During the invasions of Yugoslavia and of Greece, the Yugoslav and British air forces targeted strategic points in Bulgaria, from which German troops had staged the invasions.
On 6 April, Yugoslav Dornier Do 17 aircraft bombed the industrial section of Sofia and Kyustendil. In Sofia, eight people were killed. In the bombing of Kyustendil 58 civilians, two Bulgarian and eight German soldiers were killed and 59 civilians, five Bulgarian and 31 German soldiers were wounded.
Between 20:05 and 21:40 on 6 April, the Royal Air Force (RAF) carried out bombing raids over Bulgaria. Bristol Blenheim aircraft bombed Petrich and Haskovo and six Vickers Wellington bombers dropped bombs over Sofia and nearby villages. During the bombing of the capital, 18 people were killed and 28 were wounded; 14 building were destroyed and three fires were started.[1] Sofia was bombed a second time on 13 April, provoking a large exodus.
14 November 1943 [ edit ]
The air raid was carried out on 14 November 1943 by 91 B-25 Mitchell bombers.[2] Forty-seven buildings and structures were destroyed, 59 civilians and military personnel were killed and over 128 were injured.
24 November 1943 [ edit ]
A new bombing followed on 24 November, this time executed by 60 B-24 Liberator aircraft. 87 buildings in the vicinity of the Central Railway Station were destroyed with 5 people dying and 29 being wounded. Bulgarian fighters shot down two bombers for the loss of one aircraft to escorting American fighters. [3]
10 December 1943 [ edit ]
The 10 December raid was carried out by 120 aircraft. About 90 bombs were released over the Hadzhi Dimitar, Industrialen, Malashevtsi and Voenna rampa quarters, another 90 hit Vrazhdebna Airport and the nearby villages. Eleven people were killed during the bombing.
20 December 1943 [ edit ]
One of the most destructive raids followed on 20 December the same year, with over 113 buildings being razed to the ground, the belt line being cut off, over 64 people being killed and another 93 injured. Bulgarian fighter aircraft downed three bombers and seven fighters for the loss of two aircraft, including one destroyed in a suicidal ramming attack which brought down a bomber. [3]
30 December 1943 [ edit ]
A day bombing in the Sofia railway junction area was executed on 30 December 1943, claiming 70 victims and injuring 96.
10 January 1944 [ edit ]
Sofia suffered another bombing on 10 January 1944, carried out consecutively by 143 American B-17s during the day and 44 RAF Wellingtons (during the night).[2] 448 buildings were destroyed. 947 people were killed and 611 were wounded. During the daylight raid by the B-17s, Bulgarian fighters shot down six of the bombers and three escorting P-38 fighters for the loss of one aircraft.[3]
16 March 1944 [ edit ]
During the night 50 British bombers attacked Sofia. 43 people were killed, 58 wounded and 72 buildings were destroyed.
24 March 1944 [ edit ]
During the night about 40 British bombers attacked Sofia. There were no casualties.
30 March 1944 [ edit ]
The most severe bombing of Sofia ever occurred on March 30, 1944. Some 450 American and British heavy bombers escorted by 150 fighters attacked the city center of Sofia, destroying 3575 buildings. Over 3000 high explosive bombs and 30000 incendiary bombs were used. There were 139 people killed. Bulgarian fighter aircraft intercepted the attackers, shooting down eight bombers and two fighters for no losses in return.[3] The casualty figures were relatively modest due to preliminary evacuation of the civilians. The targets of the bombing were neither military installations, nor armed forces, but historical downtown Sofia.
17 April 1944 [ edit ]
This bombing is known as "the black Easter" (the second day of Easter) for the citizens of Sofia. The raid was carried out by 350 bombers (B-17 and B-24) with an escort of 100 fighter planes –Mustangs and Lightnings. About 2500 bombs were dropped over the target – railroad marshaling yards. 749 buildings were totally destroyed. Casualties were 128 people killed and 69 wounded.
Consequences [ edit ]
Gerhard Wengel memorial in Sofia, Bulgaria
The bombing raids in 1943–1944 resulted in the death of 1,374, with an additional 1,743 being injured. The number of buildings damaged were 12,564 (of which 2,670 completely destroyed). Sixty motor cars and 55 trailers were also destroyed.[4] The Allies lost a total of 117 aircraft.[5]
Among the historic buildings destroyed were several schools and hotels, as well as the State Printing House, the Regional Court, the Small Baths and the National Library. These were not restored to their original appearance. The Bulgarian National Theatre, the Bulgarian Agricultural Bank, the Theological Faculty of Sofia University, the Museum of Natural History, the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences and other buildings were damaged but subsequently reconstructed.[4]
Captain Gerhard Wengel (1915–1944) was a German Luftwaffe pilot (kommandeur I/JG 5) who was killed in the sky over Radomir, while defending Sofia.[6] He was the only foreign pilot killed in battle while defending Bulgarian airspace during World War II.[7] He was part of the Jagdgeschwader 5 "Eismeer" fighter wing.
See also [ edit ]1 Liverpool's Andre Wisdom
Liverpool full-back Andre Wisdom is on the lookout for a loan move in a bid to further his career.
The 20-year-old broke into the first team last season and made 12 league starts but he has found opportunities limited this time around.
Despite Glen Johnson missing through injury Reds boss Brendan Rodgers has preferred to try Kolo Toure and Martin Kelly at right-back.
Wisdom is still highly rated at Anfield but admits he may look elsewhere for the time being with Championship side Wigan rumoured to be interested.
He told the club’s official website: “We’ve signed a few more defenders and it’s obviously going to be harder to get a spot in the team.
“But I’ve been given some time to play – it’s appreciated and it has been good.
“Obviously I need experience – I need more games because I’m still learning.
“Maybe if I am to go on loan and get that experience I need, I can try to be a key player in the team.”In fact not just suicides, the entire non-combat losses of Kiev's army in the war are staggering
Since the start of the war in east Ukraine up to 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers, veterans and draftees have killed themselves. This is a staggering number considering that by official figures in the entire war 2,275 Ukrainian soldiers were killed in action.
For every two or three soldiers killed by enemy action another soldier, veteran or conscript has taken his own life.
As cited by Interior Minister Avakov in a recent article the Ukrainian Military Prosecutor's office has documented 500 suicides of veterans who had returned from the war in Donbass on Kiev's side.
In addition to that, according to official data 259 soldiers committed suicide on active duty from the start of the war through 2016.
Also there have been many cases of draftees killing themselves rather than be conscripted:
In June 2015, a 43-year-old conscript jumped from a fifth-floor window of Lviv hospital. He was set to undergo a medical evaluation the next day, but, knowing he would be drafted into the army regardless of the results, he preferred to die. The same year, in the town of Zolochiv, a conscript of the National Guard jumped from the top of a military hospital to his death. A 31-year-old conscript from the city of Dnipro jumped off a Kiev-Uzhgorod high-speed train that was delivering him to the front lines.
Not just the suicide rate, but the entire non-combat losses of the Ukrainian army since the start of the war are mind boggling.
According to Kiev's own data since the beginning of the war 121 of its soldiers were murdered (presumably mainly by fellow soldiers), 96 died of drugs and alcohol, 111 due to reckless handling of weapons, 40 due to violation of safety procedures (wandering onto mine fields or being shot by sentries—possibly when drunk), 112 in road accidents (how many were drunk driving?), 148 in other accidents, and 405 due to illnesses.
These numbers give a picture of a force that is completely demoralized and out of control. Murder, suicide, alcohol abuse, depression, aggression, recklessness...
Perhaps the most shocking number is the 405 deaths due to illnesses. What are the sanitary conditions in Ukrainian army barracks? Is this a pre-modern army?
Actually the number is so high that some Ukrainians suspect the military is over reporting deaths due to disease to conceal the extent of suicides and other causes of deaths:
On his Facebook page, Ukrainian journalist Oliksii Bratushchak expressed the anger of his fellow Ukrainians when comparing official figures for combat and non-combat casualties in the Ukrainian army in 2016. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s official response to Bratushchak, the combat losses of the Ukrainian army last year were 211 people, while non-combat ones comprised a shocking 256 cases: 63 suicides, 30 murders, 18 deaths due to road accidents, 10 due to drug and alcohol poisoning, 39 due to careless handling of weapons, four due to violations of security procedures, 58 due to illnesses, 29 due to accidents, and five died of other causes. The real number of suicides in 2016 is most likely higher, since, as Bratushchak pointed out, how could it have happened that 58 people with fatal diseases were sent to the war zone.
In sum, with 1,294 non-combat deaths through 2016, an additional 500 veteran suicides, and many by draftees, it seems the Ukrainian army is as great a menace to its soldiers as the Donbass rebels.Bimal Patel, the Austin man whose wife allegedly doused him in gasoline and set him on fire after promising him a romantic massage back in April, has died. Ever since the April 17 incident, Patel, 29, had been in a burns unit at San Antonio Military Medical Center. Doctors there confirmed that he passed away Saturday.
Patel's wife, Shriya Biman Patel, remains in Travis County Jail, where she is being held in lieu of $1,000,000 bail. Her current charges -- arson and aggravated assault with a deadly weapon -- are expected to be upgraded to murder soon.
According to earlier reports, Shriya came to America from Dubai only one week before the incident. Her husband had been in Austin for some time before. Police said at the time that Shriya lured him into a bathtub, promising a candlelit, hot oil massage. Instead she allegedly poured gasoline on him and set him on fire with the candles.Doublethink FAIL: “Google Manifesto” Rattles Diversity-Über-Alles Silicon Valley
“Doublethink,” a term popularized in George Orwell’s 1984, is defined by Wikipedia as “the act of simultaneously accepting two mutually contradictory beliefs as correct, often in distinct social contexts.” (Two longer explanations of “doublespeak” from within 1984 can be found at the bottom of this article.)
Which brings us to the storm involving Google and freedom of thought that developed over the weekend.
First reported on by Motherboard Friday night, a male software engineer at Google wrote a a ten-page document which challenged the company’s ongoing “diversity” initiatives. The document, which was said to have gone “internally viral,” was titled “Google’s Ideological Echo Chamber,” but it soon came to be referred to as “the Google Manifesto.” Gizmodo made the document available Saturday afternoon.
As reported by Gizmodo:
In the memo, which is the personal opinion of a male Google employee … the author argues that women are underrepresented in tech not because they face bias and discrimination in the workplace, but because of inherent psychological differences between men and women. “We need to stop assuming that gender gaps imply sexism,” he writes, going on to argue that Google’s educational programs for young women may be misguided. The post comes as Google battles a wage discrimination investigation by the US Department of Labor, which has found that Google routinely pays women less than men in comparable roles.
Saturday evening, Google’s new Vice President of Diversity, Integrity & Governance, Danielle Brown (pictured immediately below), provided an official response to the document, which (inevitably) soon became publicly available via a Google worker passing it on to Motherboard.
That official response reads, in full:
Googlers, I’m Danielle, Google’s brand new VP of Diversity, Integrity & Governance. I started just a couple of weeks ago, and I had hoped to take another week or so to get the lay of the land before introducing myself to you all. But given the heated debate we’ve seen over the past few days, I feel compelled to say a few words. Many of you have read an internal document shared by someone in our engineering organization, expressing views on the natural abilities and characteristics of different genders, as well as whether one can speak freely of these things at Google. And like many of you, I found that it advanced incorrect assumptions about gender. I’m not going to link to it here as it’s not a viewpoint that I or this company endorses, promotes or encourages. Diversity and inclusion are a fundamental part of our values and the culture we continue to cultivate. We are unequivocal in our belief that diversity and inclusion are critical to our success as a company, and we’ll continue to stand for that and be committed to it for the long haul. As Ari Balogh said in his internal G+ post, “Building an open, inclusive environment is core to who we are, and the right thing to do. ‘Nuff said. “ Google has taken a strong stand on this issue, by releasing its demographic data and creating a company wide OKR on diversity and inclusion. Strong stands elicit strong reactions. Changing a culture is hard, and it’s often uncomfortable. But I firmly believe Google is doing the right thing, and that’s why I took this job. Part of building an open, inclusive environment means fostering a culture in which those with alternative views, including different political views, feel safe sharing their opinions. But that discourse needs to work alongside the principles of equal employment found in our Code of Conduct, policies, and anti-discrimination laws. I’ve been in the industry for a long time, and I can tell you that I’ve never worked at a company that has so many platforms for employees to express themselves—TGIF, Memegen, internal G+, thousands of discussion groups. I know this conversation doesn’t end with my email today. I look forward to continuing to hear your thoughts as I settle in and meet with Googlers across the company. Thanks, Danielle
According to someone gainfully employed who prefers to be described here as “an anonymous source speaking off the record based on the demands of liberals all across the country that everyone who agrees with certain propositions should be fired”: “It’s an important story because diversity is the official ideology of Corporate America. Liberals like to act as though big corporations are bastions of right-wing and Establishment thinking, but the fact of the matter is that every major corporation in America is practicing the Left’s thinking when it comes to affirmative action policies to promote diversity, effectively to discriminate against white males. “
He continued: “And what we’re seeing now is a challenge to that, and it’s a subversive challenge to that because thousands of people across the country are calling for this person to lose his job for expressing his opinion. What’s happened is that, beginning with boycotts like they were doing with Chick-fil-A or whatever, the Left has been trying to force this omerta across the country that effectively criminalizes ideological disagreement… And we don’t do this to them.”
He additionally added: “I don’t know the identity of the person yet, but, from what I’ve seen that’s come out on the internet, the person has a Ph.D. in biology. So what we have here is a bunch of angry people with degrees in women’s studies screeching that this person doesn’t understand science when the person has a Ph.D. in biology.”
Predictably enough, this particular topic was fertile for right-of-center commentary on Twitter:
Only true hard-core Leftists would find that #GoogleManifesto disturbing. It’s perfectly reasonable. https://t.co/OC5q68oXYj — Ben Shapiro (@benshapiro) August 7, 2017
If someone’s job title is VP of Diversity, don’t expect that person to be open to dropping quota programs, which keep the VP employed. — Lee Doren (@LDoren) August 7, 2017
“Diversity” and “Inclusion” are the subjective means to a rousseauean collective authoritarianism end. — cindy wity (@WityCindy) August 7, 2017
Asked her to cite passage in #GoogleManifesto where it says this. She blocked me. pic.twitter.com/D0iQDAIC8w — Christina Sommers (@CHSommers) August 7, 2017
“I intend to silence these views” The internal emails at Google 100% vindicate every point in that memo.#GoogleManifesto pic.twitter.com/TaYup5NwQe — S͞c͢rum҉p̨mo̡nk̢ey͏ (@SpicyScrump) August 7, 2017
Googler Adam Fletcher doesn’t care how excellent you are. If you’re not an SJW, you’re internally blacklisted. #GoogleManifesto pic.twitter.com/qjki2q0rgj — Supreme Dark Lord (@voxday) August 7, 2017
A Google manager brags about how he keeps an internal blacklist based on his spying on employee emails. #GoogleManifesto pic.twitter.com/VqllkE6Jhc — Supreme Dark Lord (@voxday) August 7, 2017
Female share of 2015 bachelor’s degrees in Computer Science (18% ) is about same as the female share of Google’s tech jobs (20% ) @chsommers pic.twitter.com/iXNARPQKa1 — Mark J. Perry (@Mark_J_Perry) August 7, 2017
Maybe making people unemployable forever because you don’t like some of their opinions is not actually a progressive position to take — Rockileaks (@notwokieleaks) August 7, 2017
Comment of the day:
Statistics and “facts” don’t determine oppression. It’s something you can choose to self-identify with 😂 pic.twitter.com/ywSGoQ2jDG — Roaming Millennial (@RoamingMil) August 7, 2017
I’m looking to enter my postgraduate education in biology, and yet I have to fear for my professional career because I understand my field. — M_Methuselah (@M_Methuselah) August 7, 2017
People are actually drawing comparisons between the Google memo & mass murder. pic.twitter.com/AwH6kyVPrT — Claire Lehmann (@clairlemon) August 7, 2017
One guy has a centrist opinion at google and writes a manifesto. SHUT IT DOWN!#googleManifesto pic.twitter.com/mUwLISh9kL — Taewon Yoon (@TaewonYoon1) August 6, 2017
Google memo in the 1500s pic.twitter.com/m8RdHxKfIm — Claire Lehmann (@clairlemon) August 7, 2017
In the regressive mind, free speech from right wingers is violence while violence from left-wingers is free speech — (((Blaise))) (@blaiserbeam) August 5, 2017
Mighty ‘Stalin’ of Google.
Technology + Progressivism = 1984. — Vincent The Patriot (@vrc5223) August 7, 2017
And on that last tweet’s 1984 note, here, as promised, are two places where Orwell describes “doublethink” at length:
In Part 1, Chapter 3:
To know and not to know, to be conscious of complete truthfulness while telling carefully constructed lies, to hold simultaneously two opinions which cancelled out, knowing them to be contradictory and believing in both of them, to use logic against logic, to repudiate morality while laying claim to it, to believe that democracy was impossible and that the Party was the guardian of democracy, to forget whatever it was necessary to forget, then to draw it back into memory again at the moment when it was needed, and then promptly to forget it again, and above all, to apply the same process to the process itself—that was the ultimate subtlety: consciously to induce unconsciousness, and then, once again, to become unconscious of the act of hypnosis you had just performed. Even to understand the word—doublethink—involved the use of doublethink.
And in Part 2, Chapter 9:
The power of holding two contradictory beliefs in one’s mind simultaneously, and accepting both of them… To tell deliberate lies while genuinely believing in them, to forget any fact that has become inconvenient, and then, when it becomes necessary again, to draw it back from oblivion for just as long as it is needed, to deny the existence of objective reality and all the while to take account of the reality which one denies—all this is indispensably necessary. Even in using the word doublethink it is necessary to exercise doublethink. For by using the word one admits that one is tampering with reality; by a fresh act of doublethink one erases this knowledge; and so on indefinitely, with the lie always one leap ahead of the truth.British humor and storytelling are quite fascinating – that is…everything except for Doctor Who. We speak relatively the same language, and yet the frame and method of getting the plot across is always something that piques my interest. Maybe it’s the different vernacular, maybe it’s the difference in cadence and inflection, maybe it’s the level of history that is associated with British Isles that allows writers such as Grant Morrison, Alan Moore, and Neil Gaiman to fabricate some of the greatest stories ever told. Maybe it’s that history or inherent love of all things foppishly British that drew me to Wild’s End #1 in the first place. It looks like Wind in the Willows and reads like something out of Fawlty Towers or Red Dwarf. Written by Dan Abnett and illustrated by I.N.J. Culbard, Wild’s End is like Mr. Toad in the middle of an alien invasion.
The story begins with two drunkards on an outing just outside of Lower Crowchurch, a small village in the English countryside. These two drunks are romping about and slurring all their words when a falling star crashes just over the horizon. Like any good drunks, the two rush off to see what it’s all on about. Then we cut to a pompous rabbit (Gilbert Arrant) and his rodential friend as they interrupt an old terrier minding his own business – literally. Cilve Slipaway is a veteran from some ominous foreign war and seemingly wants only to mind his little shop in this little town. Well the rabbit will have none of it. Nosy by his own admission, the rabbit basically forces the old seadog to attend a town hall meeting to plan the annual festival….awkward doesn’t begin to describe the situation. It’s at this meeting that Fawksie (one of the two drunks that saw the falling star) barges in and announces that the falling star was much more than that. But none of the townsfolk believe him, none except for Clive Slipaway.
This is only my second time getting to read a Dan Abnett story, and from what I’ve gained from this new series is the man has a singular talent for character driven storylines. At first glance I pinned this book as another kids story attempting to use the nostalgic popularity of an outdated Disney cartoon. But that couldn’t have been further from the truth. This is a story with its own culture, its own history, and something that I completely didn’t see coming. For like 80% of the story it’s tame, but then you reach the last four pages of the comic and you realize that Abnett knows exactly what he’s doing. Sure he used some of those similar tropes from Wind in the Willows, but Wild’s End is entirely his own and I really need to look into the dude’s other work.
I.N.J. Culbard is the man responsible for the visual nature of the story. And not only did he do the penciling on this series but he did inks, colors, and letters as well – a task that is
daunting for anyone trying to release a publication on a deadline. With that workload, I’d be more than willing to cut the guy some slack. But there’s really no need. Culbard has anthropomorphized these woodland creatures, but more than that, he gave them specific visual traits and gimmicks. For instance, Gilbert Arrant looks much like Winston Churchill or Stephen Fry, with a neck paunch to rival George Lucas. Fawksie, the town drunkard, has dark circles beneath his eyes – something that details the fox has had little sleep and what sleep he’s gotten is troubled. It’s little details like this that make the comic that much better. And then, just when you think there’s too much Mr. Toad…the artist introduces a little War of The Worlds into the comic book. The last thing I want to bring up about the art is the last page of the book, which is a full-fledged map of Lower Crowchurch and the surrounding area. There’s so much! Which can only mean there’s even more of this comic to come!
Wild’s End is something that you can read to your kids, but it’s also something that any adult can enjoy. This is Boom! Studios comic, so Dan Abnett has more control over this story than he does with his DC Crisis on Infinite Earths or his work on Guardians of The Galaxy. I recommend picking up this story, if only to get a feel for how those strange people across the Atlantic speak…
Josh
hickory
Not ashamed to go back and watch Red Dwarf now
4 0 8Cardiff City manager Gunnar Solskjaer is disappointed with an FA decision to suspend striker Craig Bellamy.
The player has accepted a three-match ban for striking Swansea's Jonathan de Guzman in Saturday's south Wales derby.
Bellamy missed Tuesday night's 0-0 draw with Aston Villa and will also have to sit out games against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup and Hull City in the league.
"We're very disappointed Craig is suspended because we don't think there's any violence," said Solskjaer.
The Football Association charged Bellamy with violent conduct over the incident, which was not seen by the officials but was captured by television cameras.
Bellamy decided not to appeal against the decision.
The incident occurred during the second half of the Premier League game at the Liberty Stadium.
Solskjaer admitted the players collided, but feels it did not merit a suspension.
"He [Bellamy] runs into him, yes there's a collision there and his arm is up, but there's no violence," added Solskjaer
"It's just a little bit of a nudge - I don't see any violence in it."
Cardiff remain in 19th place in the Premier League after the draw with Aston Villa, and Solskjaer believes the decision to suspend Bellamy at a crucial time of the season could work in his side's favour.
"It galvanises us," he said.
"We're not going to get any help from anyone - no suspensions overturned - we're going to have to do this ourselves."More Stoic Dreams
This is the second week of my stoic project. My vision continues to evolve:
I look into the future with calm preparedness and wise judgment. I accept the present joyfully and aim to be worthy of love, respect and honor. My emotions, choices and rational faculties are aligned. I live as a full and honorable man.
This week I’ve been doing a lot of stoic contemplation of calamity and my goals, every morning either as I drive or with my eyes closed at home. I envision failing at gaining my desires and how I can act honorably regardless. I also have emphasized the “reserve clause” in my thinking about my longterm desires. My fears about the future and possible failures have drastically diminished after engaging in these exercises. The reserve clause especially helps with feelings of frustration, disappointment and envy when I look at other people’s “successes” that I desire.
Maybe because of this, I have been having a lot fewer “emotional flashbacks” of anger at perceived insults, disappointments or could-have-beens then I had the last week. I’ve been able to look back at previously painful memories and analyze them with greater rationality and fewer painful emotions.
The week began with some irritation with my lack of a stoic outlook on things, this had persisted from last week, but waned as the week progressed. Engaging in small pieces of self-denial, such as turning off my phone for an entire day, helped with this.
I initially felt confused on what to do next to help my development, but that turned into growing confidence as I engaged in trial and error and repetition of stoic techniques.
I have also spent quite a bit of time discussing stoicism with other members of the online community and my friends. I’ve found this helpful as way to clarify my thoughts of what practices to engage in and what attitudes to take.
I have also cultivated a better habit to deal with irritations in my life. As Epictetus recommends, when my tranquility is disturbed or my virtue is threatened, I contemplate taking this very moment as my last moment alive. For me, this brings great clarity of what is truly important. Through this, I have realized that it is my duty to love others unconditionally, and that fulfilling this duty fills me with great contentment. This is very different than the emphasis some people seem to put on “limiting attachments” or “thinking logically”, as different as fire is from ice.WASHINGTON - MAY 12: Activists protest outside the government offices of BP Amoco Corporation May 12, 2010 in Washington, DC. The group gathered to protest BP's role in the Gulf of Mexico oil spill caused by an explosion on, and subsequent sinking of the Deepwater Horizon Oil platform whose wellhead is still leaking oil at an estimated rate of 1,000-5,000 barrels a day. (Photo by Brendan Smialowski/Getty Images)
A 20-city protest was staged Wednesday to condemn BP Oil and the growing environmental disaster caused by that massive oil spill.
The so-called "Seize BP National Day of Action" was at the "eco-friendly" BP gas station on Olympic Boulevard.in West Los Angeles.
The demonstrators are calling on the government to seize BP assets to pay for all the damages and losses caused by the spill.
"We're calling for a federal government seizure of BP's assests to pay for all the environmental damge, personal losses and untold consequences of their oil spill," said Ian Thompson, a spokesman for the group Answer Coaliton.
More than 200,000 gallons of oil a day continues to spew into the Gulf of Mexico.The Kentucky Tourism, Arts, and Heritage Cabinet notified the operators of the Ark Encounter that it is in breach of its Tourism Development Agreement with the state. That agreement provides up to $18 million in state subsidies for the Ark project in the form of annual sales tax rebates. FFRF obtained records from the Cabinet today that include a July 18 notice sent to the operators of the Ark saying that Ark Encounter, LLC has breached the agreement following the sale of the property. The letter says that no further tax rebates may accrue as of June 28.
The letter is similar to a letter sent by FFRF this week to the Cabinet Secretary, which pointed out that the Cabinet is prohibited from paying out further sales tax rebates without new authorization.Film producer Isona Passola is happy. Happy and surprised. As her self-imposed 40-day deadline to collect 300,000 euros to finance her new documentary via crowdfunding looms, she already has close to 350,000.
Budgeted at a total of 600,000 euros, L’endemà ( |
It’s very important for us to remember all this and come to some kind of understanding of how it could have possibly happened,” Morris told me by way of a signoff. But he admits to being stumped by the mystery of his subject’s opaque surface. “You could say that the smile is a tell, but it’s not clear—a tell of what?” Morris asked. “I do not like medicalizing Rumsfeld. It lets everybody off the hook. But I did suggest one disorder that should be introduced into the DSM: irony deficit disorder. Rumsfeld has that. That does fascinate me.”Kathmandu, April 29 (IANS) The much-talked about pact on the Kathmandu-Kerung rail project, a cross-border rail network between Nepal and China, is in the final stage of signature, said Nepal's Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Krishna Bahadur Mahara.
Speaking at a programme organised by the China Study Centre and the Nepal Institute for Strategic Centre on "One Belt One Road Initiative and South Asia" in the capital on Friday, Mahara said Nepal would sign the pact with China.
Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal 'Prachanda' had assured the Chinese side that Nepal would sign an agreement to extend the rail network from Kerung to Kathmandu, Pokhara and Lumbni, he said.
"As per the PM's proposal, we are making preparations to sign the agreement with China soon," Mahara said.
While it is uncertain whether Nepal would be part of "One Belt One Road" (OBOR), Mahara, who is set to lead Nepal at the OBOR conference in Beijing next month, said that Nepal wanted to take advantage of the plan, reported the Kathmandu Post.
"We have taken it as an opportunity to expand economic cooperation," he said, adding, "Nepal is at a final stage to sign the initiative to which the government has accorded the highest priority."
"We are sure a country like Nepal will be helped by this initiative which is expected to bring together many countries, including those in South Asia," Mahara said.
Though top Nepali officials, including Prachanda, have been insisting on Nepal's participation at the OBOR conference, sources privy to the development said negotiations and consultations with the Chinese side are underway and no concrete decision has been made yet, the daily reported.
During his recent visit to China, the Prime Minister had assured the Chinese leaders that Nepal would be the signatory of the initiative by April 20.
But Nepal could not meet the deadline because a text for the agreement was not ready, said an official.
--IANS
soni/bgTo understand a lifelong genetic condition, I took part in an NIH study. At times I felt isolated and objectified, but I also met others like me and got answers to mysteries that had haunted me for years, of which the biggest was this: Could I accept and love myself as I was?
The minister’s sermon was about love.
I hadn’t yet packed my bag for the hospital, and I was scared
and a bit hung over from the mojitos I’d consumed the night before. Church
has always been a hopeful and welcoming place for me, and that morning I
needed to be held in grace. I looked at the bulletin, and the sermon title
made me grit my teeth—“The Unspeakable Gift.” In a few hours I’d be
checking into the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda to participate
in a weeklong medical study. My mind was too preoccupied to worry about
love.
The sermon started with a poem by Raymond Carver, “Late
Fragment”:
And did you get what
you wanted from this life, even so?
I did.
And what did you want?
To call myself beloved, to feel myself
beloved on the earth.
The minister, Mark, continued with a reading from St. Paul’s
letter to the Corinthians: “Thanks be to God for his unspeakable
gift.”
The message focused on our ability to give and receive love.
Mark explained that our capacity to love is one of our most precious. He
related the story of a friend who would end a conversation by saying, “I
love you. Do you know how much I love you?” (Who says those
words? I thought.) Mark spoke about the fact that the words made him
feel weird and that it wasn’t until his friend’s death that he really
grappled with their meaning.
Not feeling particularly lovable or loving that morning, I
tried to allow the message to wash over me, seep into my sadness, and
change my heart a bit. I sat there numb and weepy. The service ended, and
I headed home to pack.
I had known about the study for years and ignored the quiet
voice that said the road forward leads through NIH. Then a few years ago,
I was in a class at the Writer’s Center in Bethesda and did a short
assignment about being 15. In the process of researching it, I learned
about the study. I turned the story in and thought that was
that.
I lived five miles from where some of the most renowned
scientists in the world were studying people like me, but I chose denial
and fear—until something clicked and I knew I had to live
differently.
• • •
The journey had started when I was 15. My first menstrual cycle
had been excruciating, and that had set in motion a series of doctors’
appointments. Finding answers meant that my parents and I became private
investigators in a search to make me well. My blood was sent to lab after
lab. At 15, I learned the languages of endocrinology, genetics, and
high-risk gynecology.
The author—shown at age 14, a year before her diagnosis—says that at NIH, “the doctors weren’t concerned with what I’d learned or experienced. That wasn’t their job.”
Sleuthing and vials of blood led to a diagnosis of Turner
syndrome, a genetic condition in which a female is missing all or part of
her X chromosomes. (Females generally have two X chromosomes, males an X
and a Y.) The syndrome occurs in one of every 2,500 live female births.
Ninety-eight percent of fetuses with Turner syndrome are miscarried. The
syndrome usually manifests itself in extremely short stature and
infertility. It can also mean heart and kidney problems, cognitive
difficulty, spatial-reasoning issues, hearing loss, dry eyes, diabetes,
and osteoporosis. My case was a bit more complicated in that I was missing
only part of an X chromosome, which meant I had a “mosaic” form of the
disorder.
I’m not sure if my endocrinologist had ever made a
Turner-syndrome diagnosis before. His reaction was one of both concern and
curiosity. I remember him saying, “By the time this is an issue for you,
who knows what technology will be able to do?”
After we left his office, my mother and father took me to a
Mexican restaurant. Maybe they were as scared as I was, but we didn’t
discuss what the doctor had said. I ordered a burrito and soldiered
on.
A mosaic form of a genetic disorder allows doctors to hedge
their bets. They’re never really sure how the condition will express
itself until they poke around inside. My endocrinologist wanted to find
out exactly what Turner syndrome looked like in me, so he sent me to a
gynecologist who was known to handle unusual cases.
A laparoscopic procedure, which required general anesthesia and
a small incision below my belly button, confirmed that I had “streak
ovaries” (scar tissue that doesn’t produce eggs). A bone-density scan
revealed that at age 15 I was already on the road to osteoporosis. I
wanted to be thinking about guys and driver’s ed, not bone degeneration
and ovulation.
The years that followed were filled with treatment typically
prescribed to postmenopausal women—hormone-replacement therapy,
bone-density scans, bone-strengthening drugs. As my doctor tried different
hormones, I endured the same emotional shifts, night sweats, and weight
gain familiar to many grown women. I never looked any deeper into Turner
syndrome than the initial investigation. I even kept the same gynecologist
until I was 33, scheduling appointments months in advance and making
special trips home to Louisville from Washington so I wouldn’t have to
explain my situation to anyone.
I grew weary of educating doctors about Turner syndrome when I
was being treated for everything from strep throat to pinched nerves. The
question about medications always required that I disclose
hormone-replacement therapy, which meant I had to explain why someone of
my age was taking hormones.
Disclosure became more complicated once I became an adult and
health insurance entered the picture. When asking about preexisting
conditions, an insurance investigator once said, “When did the condition
start?” and I replied, “Mitosis.”
A pause, then the follow-up: “When do you expect treatment to
end?”
“When I die.”
Again and again, I cringed at the thought of coming out as a
person with Turner syndrome. I tried to retreat into a kind of normality
that deflected reality as much as possible.
The decision to participate in an NIH study was an attempt to
confront the silence. I was 35 years old. It was time.
• • •
I arrived at the NIH Clinical Center alone, early, and
unprepared. The nurse responsible for checking me in wasn’t even on duty
yet. I had packed my suitcase as if for a four-day business conference,
not a hospital stay—slacks, blouses, and pumps rather than T-shirts,
sweats, and tennis shoes. That was probably a function of my denial as
well as my “don’t leave home without lipstick” impulse. I’d never spent a
night in a hospital, never had an MRI or CT scan.
People generally don’t go to NIH when they have a
garden-variety illness. NIH takes the sickest of the sick and offers hope.
Old and young gather there. The common denominator is illness—the kind so
serious that it generates platitudes and whispers. To be a patient at NIH
feels like being a contestant on a reality show in which all the cameras
are turned on you—or being a lottery winner when the prize is assuming a
large debt at a huge interest rate.
My mom arrived from Louisville that evening to hold my hand.
She had gathered some hospital-friendly clothes from my apartment in
response to my SOS call and set up my closet while I tried to make sense
of my hospital schedule.
A nurse came by and pointed out the container into which I’d
need to pee. She told me they’d be taking my heart rate and blood pressure
every few hours. She noted the times I’d need to fast and the times they’d
be drawing blood. She said the study director would arrive in the morning
to make sure my paperwork was complete. She revealed very little, other
than time and location, about the alphabet soup of tests on my schedule:
“The specifics will be explained by the doctors.”
All my meals would be in my room. I shared the first one with
my mom. The food looked like it was supposed to taste good. I had been
assigned the least restrictive diet and could eat as much as I wanted when
I wasn’t fasting. I ordered enough for two, and my mother and I sat there
talking about her trip and what the nurse had described. After dinner, she
headed to my apartment.
While we were eating, my roommate, Annie, arrived. Roughly my
age, she was the first person with Turner syndrome I’d ever
met.
Annie was from Texas, where I’d gone to grad school, so we
talked about barbecue and line dancing. At five feet, she was a shade
taller than I was, with wavy red hair hanging down her back. Her disarming
drawl and openness stood in opposition to the short sentences and hard
edges that would characterize my time at NIH. Before I met her, my image
of Turner syndrome was based on pictures in 1950s textbooks of people who
looked like a cross between Dawn of the Dead zombies and
Frankenstein. She was beautiful.
I had someone to talk to during the nights that would prove
difficult. Annie was in love, and we spent hours talking about the
wonderful man with whom she planned to spend her life and who was
supporting her through the Turner-syndrome journey. I wasn’t in a
relationship, so her story was a hopeful example of love and connection.
The study occurred in September and I was planning a trip to New Zealand
in November, so she listened to me talk about my plans as I thumbed
through my Let’s Go and Lonely Planet guides.
Annie had participated in the study three years before and was
now doing the follow-up longitudinal component. Doctors had found problems
with her heart during her earlier stay, so a great deal was at stake. She
knew the ropes and could sometimes assuage, sometimes confirm, my
fears.
Most of all, we shared a bond that widened my circle of what it
meant to be normal. She knew what it was like to have the “So... let me
explain about my having children” discussion with a boyfriend. She knew
about hormone-replacement therapy and what it was like to hear a doctor
say, “Well, your aorta could be malformed and your kidneys could cease
functioning.” She had osteoporosis, and clothes didn’t really fit her,
either.
I met the principal investigator (PI) of the study on Monday.
Her salt-and-pepper hair and wire-rimmed glasses projected deep knowledge.
Very scientific, she discussed the history of the study and explained how
it fit with other Turner-syndrome work around the world. She had a
perpetual-motion air that didn’t seem to allow her to sit down and hear my
story.
I quickly learned that my experience wasn’t the point of the
study. Doctors were primarily interested in the clinical and genetic
factors related to Turner syndrome. The PI talked about an additional
study on blood glucose in which I’d be asked to participate. Our eyes
never really met. My mom took notes. The PI was politely interested and
left after ten minutes. Her assistant provided copies of articles
published by the NIH research team.
A writing class led Katie Steedly to confront the emotions—and facts—of life with Turner syndrome. Photograph by Colin McGuire.
The first major procedure during my first full day at NIH was
the insertion of a PICC (peripherally inserted central catheter) line—a
thin tube that runs under the skin from the arm to the heart. I chose to
have the PICC line so as not to be stuck with a needle every time someone
needed to draw blood or administer a substance during a test. (Quite a
choice.) PICC lines are generally used for the long-term administration of
chemotherapy or antibiotics.
I went to the PICC area and signed more papers while someone
talked very quickly about what the papers said. Then I was escorted to the
sterile room where the line would be inserted. The Today show was
on a TV in the corner. I watched a segment about Paris Hilton as they
administered a local anesthetic and began to search for a
vein.
The nurse, an athletic thirtysomething guy, said, “I’m glad
you’re nice. This is the first time I’m doing this, so you might have to
be a little patient.” He laughed, and my heart sank, unsure if he was
joking.
Inserting the line involved inching a small tube toward my
heart. It slithered through the muscles of my upper arm, pointing toward
my chest, where blood flowed freely. Centimeter by centimeter, the
technician charmed the snake toward its destination. (I felt nothing.) He
checked the placement, made sure I was “responding correctly,” explained
cleaning procedures, and sent me on my way. The line would remain in for
the duration of my stay.
I wandered through corridors and elevators—around silk ferns
and muted sofas positioned for comfort and community—trying to find my
room. I thought of the direct line to my heart that now existed. If only
it were that easy to make way for emotions to move and dance, for the
substance of grief and pain to flow in and out, for memories to live and
transition to some higher place.
In elevators and waiting rooms, I witnessed the frailty of the
human body—bald children with defeated eyes, families speaking in somber
codes. I saw a man gently holding his wife’s hand as she rested her head
on his shoulder. A child of no more than eight walked up to the reception
desk and relayed information with the swagger of a surgeon. He shouldn’t
have had to be that smart. I saw old people present file folders the size
of encyclopedias to nurses. I saw infants staring at mortality. We were
all on the same road, traveling at different speeds.
• • •
On my third day, I had a 3-D cardiac MRI. Like the entrance to
a dragon ride at a carnival, the rolling, bed-like platform takes you into
the mouth of the beast. I walked into the room, and the nurse—who looked
as if she could run a marathon in two hours—asked about buckles or other
metal on my clothes. She handed me a headset-like contraption to mitigate
the loud noise. I’d be inside the machine for an hour while the doctor
administered the test, which would produce a three-dimensional movie of my
heart’s activity. The doctor arrived and the procedure began. The sound of
the machine was deafening, and I seemed to lie there forever.
The movie my heart produced—part video game, part Discovery
Channel—was brief. I saw my heart beating on a small screen. Muscles moved
with the fluidity of a ballet dancer. Blood flowed like a river. Valves
opened and closed as elegantly as a bird’s wings. The components of my
heart worked together in such a way that I left convinced of a God. The
experience of seeing a 3-D film of my heart was intimate and distant,
natural and artificial.
The cardiac MRI was one of many tests focused on my heart. The
heart is one of the primary organs affected by Turner syndrome, so it
received a thorough evaluation. The knowledge that this organ would get a
tremendous amount of attention was one of the primary reasons I’d been
scared to participate in the study, but I knew I needed to do it. Every
inch of the grand muscle was checked for shape, strength, and
function.
I had lived my entire life not knowing my heart. Finishing a
marathon seven years earlier hadn’t convinced me it was healthy. My family
history of cardiac disease surrounded my heart in a shroud. I can’t
describe the relief on the face of the technician who broke the rules
(only doctors are supposed to reveal test results) and told me my aorta
had fully functioning valves or the affirming nod by another one who read
my EKG. I can only say a weight in me was lifted with each revelation.
Textbook pictures of malformed hearts no longer matched mine. The
premature deaths of family members were countered with each piece of
positive evidence.
• • •
On my third afternoon, I reported to radiology for a pelvic
ultrasound. Pregnant friends had described this test and shared
black-and-white images of life as it grew inside them, so I went in
knowing a little about what to expect. The technician, a stern woman,
instructed me to take off my shirt and pants and put on the gown. I sat on
a bed and watched her prepare the jelly that had been warming in a
toaster-oven-like appliance. I was truly excited. She asked me to lie down
and moved my gown to the side.
The technician rubbed the warm substance across my belly and
moved a small implement firmly over me from left to right. I watched her
slow, steady hands and thought about the fact that I now shared something
with friends who were mothers. For a moment, I felt as if I were joining
the sorority of women who could have babies.
She gently pushed the instrument, and I prayed that things
could be different. On the screen, I saw a large, empty space that I think
was my uterus. The technician said, “The doctors will provide analysis of
the images later.”
Happiness turned to grief as I contemplated the truth this test
would likely confirm: the scar-tissue ovaries that had been revealed years
earlier. The test ended, and the technician left. I wiped off my stomach
and dried my eyes. I lay on the table for a few minutes, thinking about
how different this experience was for most others.
How do I negotiate being fully female but somehow not? I felt
as though a fundamental choice—the decision whether to have children—had
been taken from me. I never got to weigh the pros and cons, dream about
baby names, or anticipate pointy elbows and knees protruding from beneath
exhausted ribs.
My diagnosis had forced me to approach the question of children
not as an easy assumption but as a challenge I’d confront later—when
technology would make pregnancy possible or adoption would bring children
into my life.
As I sat in that room, the issue no longer swirled in my head
as an abstract concept to contemplate in the future. A visceral grief
settled in my bones. I lay there breathing and crying, hearing the
deafening silence. I was cold and lonely. Emotionally bare, I prayed to
understand how I could love myself if I was never a mother. I prayed to be
whole, to feel the grief that I had buried for so long.
Somehow I gathered myself enough to put my clothes on and move
on to the next test. To say I found resolution would be a lie. I still
struggle with the feelings that surfaced in that room every time I
consider motherhood.
Photograph of NIH Clinical Center courtesy of NIH.
The study required that photographs be taken of me. I don’t
like having my picture taken in the best of circumstances, and I was angry
at being subjected to a camera’s eye.
The experience reminded me of the pictures of women and girls
with Turner syndrome I had seen over the years. I couldn’t help but think
about the grotesque pictures of females with the condition that appeared
in textbooks, depicting abnormal bodies, webbed necks, malformed hearts,
horseshoe-shaped kidneys. The subjects were never smiling; they were
simply ugly. I was now being forced into an experience similar to what I
imagined they had endured.
I couldn’t look at the photographer when I entered the small
room. He seemed nice enough, but my mood was such that I resented the very
oxygen he demanded. He asked me to remove my shirt but let me leave on my
bra, camisole, and jeans. (I was relieved beyond belief.) The fluorescent
lights made my skin appear corpse-like.
I was to stand in front of a screen and let my arms hang, not
allowing my shoulders to tense up and curl forward. The photographer said
he was particularly interested in the way my elbows extended. He didn’t
give me instructions for my face, so I’m not sure it was included in the
picture. He asked me to turn to the left and remain relaxed. (It’s really
hard to relax when someone requests it.) I turned to the right. He came
closer for what I assume were close-ups of my face and neck from various
angles. I wish I’d been clever enough to think of an expression that
passive-aggressively said “F— you” or that subliminally said “Really see
me” to everyone who would look at these pictures in the
future.
The photo session put me in touch with an anger I hadn’t been
able to articulate. I was angry that I just had to stand and have pictures
taken of me. I was angry that I was hungry and hadn’t been able to eat
because I’d had a blood test that afternoon. I was angry because a nurse
had tried to stick me with a needle at 5:30 in the morning. I was angry
that I had Turner syndrome. I was angry that I was different. I was angry
that there was no cure.
• • •
One of the final tests on my last day was a comprehensive
hearing exam. The audiologist looked as if he’d stepped out of a J. Crew
catalog, and he had an empathetic demeanor. We had a long discussion about
the connection between Turner syndrome and hearing loss. He asked me a
battery of questions, then handed me a buzzer and stood in front of what
looked like a rock-music soundboard.
The test was easy at first. I was told to press the buzzer when
I heard a sound. I detected a variety of sounds at a variety of pitches
and volumes. As the test progressed, there were centuries of silence. I
got a sick feeling and began randomly pressing the button—like choosing C
on a multiple-choice test when you have no idea of the answer. Every once
in a while, I actually heard a sound. I couldn’t tell what pitches or
volumes were more audible. I knew in my gut I was failing.
After the test, the audiologist printed the results and told me
I had significant hearing loss within the pitch range of the human voice
and explained this was common for Turner patients. He suggested I consider
hearing aids.
A wave of fear washed over me, and tears welled. I had been
through so much, and now this information pushed me over an edge I didn’t
even know I was near. Somehow I heard the news as more evidence that I was
less than whole. I thought about all the ways in which I was imperfect or
broken, about every time I’d asked for clarification when someone spoke or
nodded in agreement when I hadn’t heard something, about my need over the
last few years to see people’s mouths when they talked—all the
subconscious coping mechanisms I’d developed. Being flawed had now been
scientifically verified. I knew hearing aids wouldn’t make that feel any
better.
• • •
The study culminated in a conference in which the research team
would come to my hospital room and share my results with me. I had my PICC
line removed that morning and would be released after the
meeting.
My mother and I were waiting, a mixture of fatigue and fear
churning in my stomach, when a chaplain came to the door. She had been
ordained in the same denomination in which I’d grown up, the United Church
of Christ, so our theological waters converged immediately. The chaplain
asked about my story and shared her own—she had a social-justice
background that had taken her around the world, and she was new to NIH.
She asked if my mother and I wanted her to pray with us. We said yes. (We
were both exhausted from the week—my mom had spent every day with me,
leaving only to sleep at my apartment—and scared about the final
conference.) After about 15 minutes, the chaplain held our hands and asked
that the God of health and safety watch over us. She affirmed the fullness
of God’s grace and asked that it be present in our comings and
goings.
Her visit brought a measure of peace and warmth to the clinical
experience I’d lived at NIH. She was a reminder of my faith. She was God
made real in that moment.
After the chaplain left, the research team began to assemble.
One by one, a sea of spectacled anonymity filled my room and a buzz akin
to that of an AM radio in the desert descended. The group of about a dozen
circled as I sat on my bed and listened. My mother took notes. The
principal investigator led the discussion, with analysis by one of the
chief scientists. Their students listened as they explained the results of
my 20 or so tests. They talked about my heart, hormones, bones, kidneys,
blood glucose, blood pressure, eyes, skin, and liver. They concluded that
I was pre-diabetic, had a fatty liver, needed to lose 20 to 25 pounds, had
osteoporosis, and had significant hearing loss.
They wrote no prescriptions. They made no referrals to
specialists. They didn’t seem alarmed by the findings. The atmosphere
seemed strangely relaxed given what my body had endured—they seemed to
have told this story a million times.
I tried to not interpret their lack of interest as cavalier
indifference. I was both relieved and angry. Somehow this meeting didn’t
provide the closure that I craved. I’m not sure what would have—short of
someone saying, “We’d like to enroll you in a genetic-therapy experiment
in which we’ll correct your chromosomes. You’ll grow six inches, and your
ovaries, ears, and bones will be fixed.”
I know that wouldn’t have satisfied me, either. I think I
yearned for acknowledgement of who I was and for the knowledge that
emerges when the body is examined to the degree that physical truths are
revealed and our understanding of ourselves is changed. The NIH doctors
weren’t concerned with what I’d learned or experienced. That wasn’t their
job.
I left bruised and a bit lighter. Years of silence had been
shattered: I’d met my heart and confronted the grief I felt about my
fertility issues. Somehow normal grew to include me.
• • •
I’d never again wonder if my aorta allowed blood to flow in the
right direction (it does) or if my bones were as thin as lace (not quite,
but I have to take calcium and vitamin D supplements). I learned that my
eyes produced enough tears. I received answers to long-held questions
about my physical state. I learned I was strong enough to ask questions. I
learned that being whole is a complicated journey that starts with
breaking our silences and learning to love the parts of ourselves we fear.
I wanted to start more conversations, continuing and expanding the
spiritual and psychic excavation that began within those stark
halls.
I’d have a conversation with my minister in the courtyard of my
church, on the stone benches where I’d passed hours. I wanted to ask him
about the relationship between loving oneself and being loving in the
world.
He might say, “Being loving in the world starts with loving
oneself.” Or he might talk about Martin Luther King Jr. and invoke the
idea that real love takes courage—the kind of which peace, compassion, and
reconciliation are born—and that loving oneself is a profound act of
courage. He might invoke poet Mary Oliver and remind me to “let the soft
animal of [my] body love what it loves.” I would then ask him why St. Paul
called love the “unspeakable gift.”
I’m not sure how he would answer. I think he would talk about
how hard it is to love sometimes, and that the ability to love, even when
it’s hard, is a gift.
I would have a conversation with myself at age 15. I hear this
conversation as clearly as the sea knows the tide and the sky knows the
sunrise. We would meet by the tallest tree in the back yard of the house
where I grew up. My 15-year-old self would be wearing her Rocky’s Sub Pub
uniform and pounds of blue eye shadow. I would tell her everything was
going to be okay. I would show her the NIH results and explain how they
describe her but don’t define her. I would tell her it’s all right to be
mad as hell. I would stroke her hair and tell her she’s beautiful and
whole. I would hold her and explain that she could be a world traveler,
fearless warrior, and loving spirit.
Then I’d have a conversation with myself at 80. We would sit on
the porch of her mountainside home. She would offer me something to drink
and I’d ask for sweet tea. Her long, wavy gray hair would be gathered in a
bun. I would ask why it took me 20 years to find out about Turner
syndrome’s effects on my body. I’d say, “Why was I so scared?”
“We come to things when we are ready,” she’d say.
I’d ask, “How would I live my life differently if I really knew
I was whole?”
She would respond with questions: “Don’t you love completely?
Aren’t you guided by your passions even when that path is difficult? Do
you frame each day in gratitude? Don’t you act generously with loved ones
and strangers?”
Then she would say, “Being whole looks like that.”
She might even hold my hands in hers and add, “I love you. Do
you know how much I love you?”
Katie Steedly (author@katiesteedly.com) lived in Washington
for seven years. She currently lives and writes in
Cincinnati.
This article appears in the August 2013 issue of The Washingtonian.Over Richmond, California
photo by Kevin Mathieu
On the afternoon of September 12, 2012, artist ISHKY, with Stamen Design, launched Pi in the Sky, a project that used skywriting to create quarter-mile tall digits at 10,000 feet over the San Francisco Bay Area. It took a team of five synchronized skywriters “equipped with dot-matrix technology” to create the first one-thousand numbers of the infinite order of pi (3.14159, etc.). The airplanes made a 100-mile loop around the Bay Area, which created a temporary piece that was 150 miles long. It was created as part of the 2012 ZERO1 Biennial.
Pi In The Sky explores the boundaries of scale, public space, impermanence, and the relationship between Earth and the physical universe.
…Within moments of execution (3.14159265…), the specific meaning of the numbers in the sky will be lost. The piece will dissolve into an unprecedented visual anomaly that prompts curiosity, providing rich opportunity for social interaction as well as basic math education. The Bay Area’s seven million inhabitants will be able to witness the arc of the event in real-time, from its creation to its gradual disappearance…
Over San Francisco
photo by Carla McCasland
Above Moffett Field
photo by Eddie Codel
image via Pi in the Sky
video by Steph ThirionFor Christine Mott and her husband, Matt Hilla, the road from Wisconsin to Hood River and a startup hot sauce business ran straight through lots of tacos.
“My favorite food is tacos, and I’ve always experimented with hot sauces,” Hilla says.
From a time shortly before their marriage eight years ago, Hilla would concoct new styles of sauce. The research and development continued after they moved to Portland, fed up with Madison winters and enchanted with the rainy climes of cities up and down the west coast of Cascade (Vancouver, B.C., Seattle, Portland and San Francisco).
Matt was wearing a couple of hats, working in I.T., running his own record store, and deejaying dance events. A film major at the University of Wisconsin, Christine was also working in I.T. when they headed west.
One night, Matt popped awake with the answer to a vexing recipe challenge.
“My sauce needed a sugar base, and I realized that maple syrup the answer,” he says.
And the birth of a brand — Hotmaple Smokey Habanero hot sauce. A short while later, Hilla took a prototype batch with them to meet friends at Sam’s Billiards in northeast Portland.
“We ordered some tater tots and our friends were using a lot of the hot sauce,” Hilla recalls.
Christine says other customers started borrowing the bottle. Then a jocular fight broke out over who should possess the sauce.
“The chef comes over, says ‘What’s the commotion?’, tries the sauce, and says, ‘I’ll buy this from you right now,'” Hilla recalls.
That was June of 2013. “He comes home and decides to start a hot sauce business,” Mott says. By July, they were up and running.
They kept their day jobs, but when she wasn’t working in video production, Mott would demo their product in stores.
“There was this 7-year-old girl who kept coming back and she was drinking it from the sample cups,” Mott recalls.
“She bartered with her mom, said she would babysit her little sister if her mom would buy the hot sauce.”
Hilla says customer response tilted them to scale the whole thing up. They decided Mott would quit her job to focus on building the business.
Hilla says he never intended to get into the food business (he still telecommutes with Cisco Systems), but credits his wife with the energy to take their enterprise to the next level.
“I’m married to the best person for this,” he says. “She’s the company now. I just show up and cause problems.”
Their Hot Maple sauce is intentionally crafted from Northwest ingredients like Walla Walla sweet onions, tomatoes, garlic, habanero peppers and vinegar. Future iterations are likely to include peaches and cherries.
They build their sauce thick, so it will coat popular Northwest ingredients such as salmon and ling cod.
“Hot sauce can be an ingredient, not just a condiment,” Hilla says.
For now, they’ve just got the one sauce, but Mott says, “We’ve got plans (for more sauces).”
Clearly, they’re having fun with this, as evidenced by the video from their web site that offers another use for large quantities of their hot sauce. Check it out.
With growth plans in mind, they decided to move to Hood River this summer. Next step, find space to migrate their production closer to the fields and orchards that supply their ingredients.
“We want to create jobs and hire people,” Hilla says.
Yes, they know that retail shelves are groaning under hot sauce product releases. It’s not a problem, just a sign of consumer appetite.
“We’ve got 30 different hot sauces in our house,” Mott says. “Every hot sauce has a |
deaths as much as anyone.
And we are responsible for putting money into his Whole Food bank account so that he can continue his campaign without resistance.
I know that this boycott of Whole Foods will upset many liberal Democrats.
Where will they buy their organic wines?
And cheeses?
And tofu?
There are options.
Your local health food co-op.
Farmers’ markets.
Community supported agriculture.
Other corporate chains like Trader Joe’s.
So, please, join the Single Payer Action Boycott of Whole Foods.
Don’t cross the picket lines.
Don’t spend another penny at Whole Foods until John Mackey and his right wing friends are defeated.
And single payer is enacted.
Onward to single payer.Editor's Note: The following is reprinted with the permission of World Politics Review. For more from WPR, sign up for a free trial of their subscription service, get their weekly e-mail, or follow them on Twitter.
By Elizabeth Economy, World Politics Review
What is the biggest challenge that China faces?
Corruption, the gap between the rich and poor, and the rapidly aging population often top the list of answers to this question.
Yet a closer look suggests that the greatest threat may well be lack of access to clean water. From "cancer villages" to violent protests to rising food prices, diminishing water supplies are exerting a profound and harmful effect on the Chinese people as well as on the country's capacity to continue to prosper economically.
While much of the challenge remains within China, spillover effects - such as the rerouting of transnational rivers and a push to acquire arable land abroad - are also being felt well outside the country's borders.
China's leaders have acknowledged the severity of the challenge and have adopted a number of policies to address their growing crisis. However, their efforts have fallen woefully short, as they fail to include the fundamental reforms necessary to turn the situation around. Meanwhile domestic pressures, as well as international concerns, continue to mount.
Development Run Amok
China's water story begins with a challenging reality: The country's per capita water resources just exceeded more than one-quarter that of the world average, and the distribution of those resources throughout the country is highly uneven.
Northern China is home to approximately 40 percent of the country's total population and almost half its agricultural land, and produces more than 50 percent of GDP. But it receives only 12 percent of total precipitation. Southern China, in contrast, receives 80 percent of China's total precipitation, yet skyrocketing levels of water pollution dramatically reduce the south's natural advantage.
The spectacular economic growth that has made China the envy of the world has only exacerbated the challenge. Resources, particularly water, are consumed without consideration for future demand. Industry and agriculture are notoriously profligate water consumers: Industry, which accounts for about one-quarter of China's total water consumption, uses anywhere from four to 10 times more water per unit of GDP as other competitive economies.
Water used for energy is a singularly important drain on China's scarce resources. By far, the largest portion of China's industrial water use is devoted to energy: The process of mining, processing and consuming coal alone accounts for almost 20 percent of all water consumed nationally.
Hydropower raises the bar even further. Already the largest producer of hydropower in the world, China plans to triple hydropower capacity by 2020. According to Ma Jun, the director of the Chinese NGO Institute of Public and Environmental Affairs, many Chinese rivers simply won't be running in 2020 if China meets its hydropower capacity goals.
Read: In China, poor management is the biggest threat to the Communist Party's domestic credibility.
Agriculture, which accounts for 62 percent of China's total water consumption, also takes a serious toll on China's water supply. Almost two-thirds of China's arable land lies in the perennially dry north, and irrigation practices in China continue to be inefficient, with less than half of the water used for irrigation actually reaching crops.
Even municipalities suffer from serious water wastage: About 20 percent of urban water consumption is lost through leaky pipes. China's goal of urbanizing 400 million people by 2030 means that the water challenge will likely only increase. Urban, middle class residents - with water-consuming appliances, homes with lawns to water and a fondness for golf courses - use 300 percent more water than their rural counterparts.
China's widespread pollution adds another dimension to the country's water crisis. More than 90 percent of southern China's water withdrawal comes from surface water, but in the first half of 2010, almost a quarter of China's surface water was so polluted that it was not even usable for industry, and less than half of the total supplies of water were found to be drinkable. For decades, factories and municipalities have dumped untreated waste directly into streams, rivers and coastal waters.
Read: China's local debt problem needs politics, not economic solutions.
The Shifting Landscape
China's economic growth, inefficiencies and wastage in water usage are transforming the geography and resource base of the country. First, the sheer amount of available water is declining. During the period from 2000 to 2009, the amount of accessible water in China decreased by 13 percent. By 2030, the Ministry of Water Resources anticipates that per capita water resources will decline below the World Bank's scarcity levels. Northern China reports some of the highest rates of water loss in the world.
Moreover, according to China's Minister of Water Resources Chen Lei, two-thirds of Chinese cities face increased scarcity of water, and overall the country confronts a water shortage of 40 billion cubic meters annually. In rural China, 320 million people - one-quarter of China's total population - don't have access to safe drinking water.
Second, the country is sinking. The extensive contamination of surface water has forced the Chinese to increase their exploitation of groundwater, leading to groundwater depletion and a dramatic drop in the ground water tables: 100 to 300 meters in Beijing, and up to 90 meters in other parts of China.
In Beijing, land subsidence resulting from this groundwater depletion has destroyed factories, buildings and underground pipelines. Saltwater intrusion as well as pollution is further compromising the diminishing groundwater supplies: Of the 182 cities with monitored groundwater in 2010, more than half registered "poor" to "extremely poor" in water quality. Even China's Ministry of Environmental Protection was forced to acknowledge, "It is not easy to be optimistic about the quality" of the groundwater.
Read: China, Taiwan warming to military cooperation in the South China Sea?
Finally, desertification is advancing. While the south is often faced with catastrophic floods, desertification of the north has become widespread: One Chinese official estimated that it would take 300 years to reverse the desertification of lands that has already taken place - the majority in areas bordering the North's Gobi Desert - due to overexploitation of environmental resources. Even as local officials fight to reverse the trend, the desert continues to expand at a rate of more than 1,060 square miles per year.
The Hidden Costs
What really concerns China's leaders, however, are the social, economic and political impacts of this growing scarcity. As China's Minister for the Environment Zhou Shengxian suggested on his agency's website, "The depletion, deterioration and exhaustion of resources and the worsening ecological environment have become bottlenecks and grave impediments to the nation's economic and social development."
For the Chinese people, the failure of local officials and factory managers to enforce environmental regulations translates into serious public health concerns, crop loss, poisoned fish and livestock, and a lack of water to run factories. For Chinese officials, the failure to protect the environment and provide adequate and safe water to their people is one of the chief causes of social unrest in the country and perhaps their greatest policy concern.
Read more at World Politics Review.Reprinted from "American Duels and Hostile Encounters," Chilton Books, 1963.
The Code Duello, covering the practice of dueling and points of honor, was drawn up and settled at Clonmel Summer Assizes, 1777, by gentlemen-delegates of Tipperary, Galway, Sligo, Mayo and Roscommon, and prescribed for general adoption throughout Ireland. The Code was generally also followed in England and on the Continent with some slight variations. In America, the principal rules were followed, although occasionally there were some glaring deviations.
Rule 1. The first offense requires the first apology, though the retort may have been more offensive than the insult. Example: A tells B he is impertinent, etc. B retorts that he lies; yet A must make the first apology because he gave the first offense, and then (after one fire) B may explain away the retort by a subsequent apology.
Rule 2. But if the parties would rather fight on, then after two shots each (but in no case before), B may explain first, and A apologize afterward.
N.B. The above rules apply to all cases of offenses in retort not of stronger class than the example.
Rule 3. If a doubt exist who gave the first offense, the decision rests with the seconds; if they won't decide, or can't agree, the matter must proceed to two shots, or to a hit, if the challenger require it.
Rule 4. When the lie direct is the first offense, the aggressor must either beg pardon in express terms; exchange two shots previous to apology; or three shots followed up by explanation; or fire on till a severe hit be received by one party or the other.
Rule 5. As a blow is strictly prohibited under any circumstances among gentlemen, no verbal apology can be received for such an insult. The alternatives, therefore -- the offender handing a cane to the injured party, to be used on his own back, at the same time begging pardon; firing on until one or both are disabled; or exchanging three shots, and then asking pardon without proffer of the cane.
If swords are used, the parties engage until one is well blooded, disabled, or disarmed; or until, after receiving a wound, and blood being drawn, the aggressor begs pardon.
N.B. A disarm is considered the same as a disable. The disarmer may (strictly) break his adversary's sword; but if it be the challenger who is disarmed, it is considered as ungenerous to do so.
In the case the challenged be disarmed and refuses to ask pardon or atone, he must not be killed, as formerly; but the challenger may lay his own sword on the aggressor's shoulder, then break the aggressor's sword and say, "I spare your life!" The challenged can never revive the quarrel -- the challenger may.
Rule 6. If A gives B the lie, and B retorts by a blow (being the two greatest offenses), no reconciliation can take place till after two discharges each, or a severe hit; after which B may beg A's pardon humbly for the blow and then A may explain simply for the lie; because a blow is never allowable, and the offense of the lie, therefore, merges in it. (See preceding rules.)
N.B. Challenges for undivulged causes may be reconciled on the ground, after one shot. An explanation or the slightest hit should be sufficient in such cases, because no personal offense transpired.
Rule 7. But no apology can be received, in any case, after the parties have actually taken ground, without exchange of fires.
Rule 8. In the above case, no challenger is obliged to divulge his cause of challenge (if private) unless required by the challenged so to do before their meeting.
Rule 9. All imputations of cheating at play, races, etc., to be considered equivalent to a blow; but may be reconciled after one shot, on admitting their falsehood and begging pardon publicly.
Rule 10. Any insult to a lady under a gentleman's care or protection to be considered as, by one degree, a greater offense than if given to the gentleman personally, and to be regulated accordingly.
Rule 11. Offenses originating or accruing from the support of ladies' reputations, to be considered as less unjustifiable than any others of the same class, and as admitting of slighter apologies by the aggressor: this to be determined by the circumstances of the case, but always favorable to the lady.
Rule 12. In simple, unpremeditated recontres with the smallsword, or couteau de chasse, the rule is -- first draw, first sheath, unless blood is drawn; then both sheath, and proceed to investigation.
Rule 13. No dumb shooting or firing in the air is admissible in any case. The challenger ought not to have challenged without receiving offense; and the challenged ought, if he gave offense, to have made an apology before he came on the ground; therefore, children's play must be dishonorable on one side or the other, and is accordingly prohibited.
Rule 14. Seconds to be of equal rank in society with the principals they attend, inasmuch as a second may either choose or chance to become a principal, and equality is indispensible.
Rule 15. Challenges are never to be delivered at night, unless the party to be challenged intend leaving the place of offense before morning; for it is desirable to avoid all hot-headed proceedings.
Rule 16. The challenged has the right to choose his own weapon, unless the challenger gives his honor he is no swordsman; after which, however, he can decline any second species of weapon proposed by the challenged.
Rule 17. The challenged chooses his ground; the challenger chooses his distance; the seconds fix the time and terms of firing.
Rule 18. The seconds load in presence of each other, unless they give their mutual honors they have charged smooth and single, which should be held sufficient.
Rule 19. Firing may be regulated -- first by signal; secondly, by word of command; or thirdly, at pleasure -- as may be agreeable to the parties. In the latter case, the parties may fire at their reasonable leisure, but second presents and rests are strictly prohibited.
Rule 20. In all cases a miss-fire is equivalent to a shot, and a snap or non-cock is to be considered as a miss-fire.
Rule 21. Seconds are bound to attempt a reconciliation before the meeting takes place, or after sufficient firing or hits, as specified.
Rule 22. Any wound sufficient to agitate the nerves and necessarily make the hand shake, must end the business for that day.
Rule 23. If the cause of the meeting be of such a nature that no apology or explanation can or will be received, the challenged takes his ground, and calls on the challenger to proceed as he chooses; in such cases, firing at pleasure is the usual practice, but may be varied by agreement.
Rule 24. In slight cases, the second hands his principal but one pistol; but in gross cases, two, holding another case ready charged in reserve.
Rule 25. Where seconds disagree, and resolve to exchange shots themselves, it must be at the same time and at right angles with their principals, thus:
If with swords, side by side, with five paces interval.
N.B. All matters and doubts not herein mentioned will be explained and cleared up by application to the committee, who meet alternately at Clonmel and Galway, at the quarter sessions, for that purpose.Low-level arrests for marijuana possession in New York City increased for the seventh straight year in 2011, according to a study released Wednesday — despite a September memorandum from the police commissioner that reminded officers to follow the letter of the law and not arrest people with the drug unless they have it in plain view.
Though arrests dropped significantly after Commissioner Raymond W. Kelly’s memorandum, an increase of over 6 percent during the first eight months of the year more than offset the decline, according to the analysis, conducted by a Queens College sociology professor and released by the Drug Policy Alliance, an advocacy group critical of police marijuana-arrest policies.
The year-end arrest total was 50,684, up 0.6 percent from 2010, the study found, constituting more arrests than in the entire 19-year period 1978 to 1996 combined. Marijuana possession was once again the largest arrest category in the city last year, and the arrests cost the city about $75 million, said Harry G. Levine, the sociologist who did the analysis.
The high numbers of marijuana arrests under the Bloomberg administration have been linked by critics to the police’s stop-and-frisk practices and disproportionate enforcement against blacks and Hispanics.
While state law makes possession of less than 25 grams of marijuana an arrestable misdemeanor offense only when someone has it in public view, critics say that officers routinely make people they “stop and frisk” empty their pockets, then arrest them for having marijuana in public view.
The vast majority of those stopped and frisked are black or Hispanic. And under Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, from 2002 to 2010, about 87 percent of those arrested for marijuana were black or Hispanic, while only 10 percent were white, according to a breakdown on Dr. Levine’s Web site based on data from the state Division of Criminal Justice Services.
“It is worth remembering and pointing out that U.S. government studies consistently find that young whites use marijuana at higher rates than young blacks and Latinos,” Dr. Levine said in a statement. “But the police patrols, stop and frisks, and arrest quotas are highest in black and Latino neighborhoods, and that is where the N.Y.P.D. makes most marijuana possession arrests. Mayor Bloomberg is like the Energizer bunny of marijuana arrests – he just keeps going and going and going.”
Commissioner Kelly said Wednesday that the decline in arrests after the directive was issued did not necessarily mean that the officers had been misapplying the law earlier.
“There was an allegation at a City Council hearing that I attended, that officers were telling individuals who were stopped to empty their pockets, and when they showed they had marijuana, that they were being arrested for a misdemeanor, and that’s not the intent of the law,” he told reporters. “If you have it in plain sight then it is a misdemeanor. If you’re directed by an officer to take it out of your pocket, that’s not the intent of the law. That’s what that directive was meant to address. It’s very difficult to quantify whether or not that was happening. So, the numbers are what the numbers are.”
The study tabulated arrests in which the top charge was fifth-degree marijuana possession, defined as having any amount of marijuana in public view or having 25 grams to 2 ounces. Possession of less than 25 grams of marijuana not in public view is a violation, punishable by a fine.
A bill introduced in the State Legislature last year would make having a small amount of marijuana in public view a violation, but there has been no vote on it.At least half of the questions readers send me go something like this…
“I’ve been struggling to find a product for weeks now. Can you help me? How do you find products that make you money? Why can’t I find any profitable products!?”
And MY GOD! It’s getting old…
There’s nothing I hate more than seeing a recurring question come up. That means I’ve failed to answer something.
Luckily, I finally nailed the common thread in all the frustration.
This blog post will answer “Why can’t I find a good product to import” once and for all.
The Common Problem
After answering several hundred emails along those lines, I think I’ve discovered the common problem would-be importers are having.
They’re all looking for a silver-bullet product that does the work for them.
Let me explain…
Many people are still in the “get-rich-quick” phase of their entrepreneurial careers.
Apply that mentality to importing, and you get people that try to play the arbitrage game.
Arbitrage is simply buying something for less than you are selling it for.
Arbitrage products are goldmines; they have great margins and basically sell themselves…
And you can make money with arbitrage products.
For a while…
Your margin is my opportunity. – Jeff Bezos
It’s only a matter of (increasingly spare) time before a big player uncovers your goldmine, and eats it up for themselves.
This is the sad state of importing today, years after the “wild-west-ecommerce” days of 1995-2005.
Any Hope?
This is surely bad news to anybody in that mindset.
Is there any hope left for small time importers? The kind that are just getting started, with little capital to invest…
Spoiler alert – There is!
But it’s going to require a shift in your mindset and how you think about importing.
What Makes a Product Good?
Sure, you want your product to have healthy margins. Great margins even.
And yea, it would be good if it was easy to ship, reliable, had a factory warranty. Sure, all of that is a plus for any product.
But none of that is going to make your product sell over a competitor who will take slimmer margins.
The Right Questions
Most people waste weeks (if not months) of their time looking for a miracle product that will build their business for them.
They are asking themselves the wrong questions, and looking at things from the wrong angle.
What you need to be thinking about is the other side of the transaction…
How are you going to sell your products?
Why would somebody buy your product over the competitors?
How will you acquire and retain customers in a cost-effective way?
These are the questions you should be thinking about while doing product research.
Bubble-Burster: This Is Business…
Many people seem to have the impression that importing is a quick road to easy riches…
It’s not.
It’s a business, like any other.
There’s a lot of things to worry about when starting a business. But when thinking about what you’re going to sell and how you’re going to sell it, you need to think about competitive advantage.
Competitive Advantage Cheat-sheet
You need some sort of competitive advantage that nobody can steal from you.
This means new importers have to focus on a few things.
Advantage 1 – Your Brand
Building a brand that your target customer loves is a sure-fire way to keep an edge on the competition.
In fact, building a good enough brand will even allow you to charge a premium price.
The examples here are endless…
Practically every “counterfeit” you can buy from China is a company that can charge a premium because their brand is so valuable.
Another example I often use is my friend Kevin Schlenker, who built the Skar Audio brand around his importing activities.
The only thing to make sure of if you take this route is to register your trademark.
Advantage 2 – Your Product
Another place you can provide value in ways nobody else can is the product itself.
I’d encourage any importer to really get to know his target customer, and then try to build in new product features that will make the target customer’s life better.
Small things can go a long way here. For some products, something as small as a color change can make a world of difference.
Sometimes, you’ll have to negotiate with your supplier directly and see what’s possible. You’ll be limited by his capabilities, your budget, and your imagination.
And of course, you could always go all out and create your own product. But I’ll save that for another blog post 🙂
Advantage 3 – Your Marketing
Simply put, if you can build an audience and a sales funnel; you can pretty much sell whatever you want.
Example – I was just talking the other day with somebody who built a lead-machine for the baby niche.
Before he had anything to sell, or any desire to make money off of it, he just decided to build a few websites and try to get “hot baby leads” (as he calls them).
Now he is out shopping for baby products, knowing that he can sell anything he chooses.
He hasn’t decided if he will start his own brand, begin drop shipping, or get into affiliate marketing. But no matter what he chooses, I’m confident he’ll make money 🙂
Advantage 4 – Your Capital
This won’t apply for many people reading this article.
It actually applies more to the guys you want to avoid in importing. Or beat!
It’s definitely possible to spend your way to the top in importing.
Somebody with deep pockets can quickly negotiate the best prices with the best suppliers. They can also afford to set up a more efficient distribution system.
Luckily, they’re easily defeated with the other competitive advantages (usually).
Advantage 5 – Your Contacts
Your network of contacts can also be a big competitive advantage.
This applies everywhere in business, but perhaps even more in importing. Personal relationships play a huge role in Asian (especially Chinese) culture.
If a Chinese factory owner likes you, you get the friend discount and best quality.
If they don’t like you, you get scammed.
It’s just the way it is…
The relationships you don’t think of are often the ones with the most potential.
Do you have a friend who was put in charge of buying 250 pool chairs? I’d look into pool chairs…
Does your Dad work at a company that uses a limitless supply of zip-ties and box cutters? Try to find out what they’re paying and pitch them otherwise.
Relationships like this can be solid gold.
It’s Tough Work
Any way you spin it, importing is a tough gig.
It’s a lot of fun, and has tons of potential.
But it’s far from a “get-rich-quick” solution.
I hope this guide helps to clarify what really makes a product profitable.
If you have any questions or want to be an awesome person, leave a comment below.
I’ll be sure to respond!
Additional Resources:
The Ultimate Guide to Learn How to Sell on AmazonI’ve always enjoyed Heroku but there are plenty of reasons both monetary and practical not to use it. I always liked the deployment method through Git though.
So this weekend at LeedsHack I started to look into Dokku, an open source mini-Heroku powered by Docker, Buildstep and some other bits that share infrastructure elements with Heroku.
I found the installation rather tedious and as this was a hackathon I decided to create something simpler.
Introducing Dokkufy
Dokkufy is a Ruby gem that makes it super simple to set up your own mini-Heroku on your own server.
Simply install with a swift gem install dokkufy and you’re ready to “dokkufy” both your server and your app.
Part 1: Dokkufying your server
Dokku only works with Ubuntu 12.04 and 14.04 server, so go get one of those images and boot up a server.
Then on your local machine run:
1 2 3 4 5 dokkufy server > Server hostname or IP: ppd.io > Username on server: cbetta > Desired root domain (e.g. example.com): ppd.io >...
As you can see this will ask you for a few details: server name or IP, username, and the eventual server domain to run all apps under. After a few minutes, depending on your broadband speeds, you will have a Dokku server ready do go.
Open up your server’s domain or IP in a browser and voila!
Part 2a: Dokkufying your app
Now that we have a Dokku server ready to go it’s time to prepare your app.
I used the Heroku Node JS sample app for my example.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 cd node-js-sample dokkufy app > Server hostname or IP: ppd.io > Dokku username on server [dokku]: > Using dokku@ppd.io:node-js-sample > Setting git remote > Writing.dokkurc > You can now push your app using `git push dokku master`
As you can see this simply asks for the details of your server and then adds a Git remote and writes a.dokkurc file to your app.
Now do a git push dokku master and you will see your app deployed.
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 git push dokku master > Counting objects: 4, done. > Delta compression using up to 8 threads. > Compressing objects: 100% (2/2), done. > Writing objects: 100% (3/3), 307 bytes | 0 bytes/s, done. > Total 3 (delta 1), reused 0 (delta 0) > -----> Cleaning up... > remote: Cloning into '/tmp/tmp.mTjJcRME5f'... > -----> Building node-js-sample... > remote: done. > remote: HEAD is now at 961aa4a... Adds dokkurc file > Node.js app detected > -----> Requested node range: 0.10.x > -----> Resolved node version: 0.10.30 > -----> Downloading and installing node > -----> Restoring node_modules directory from cache > -----> Pruning cached dependencies not specified in package.json > -----> Writing a custom.npmrc to circumvent npm bugs > -----> Installing dependencies > -----> Caching node_modules directory for future builds > -----> Cleaning up node-gyp and npm artifacts > -----> No Procfile found; Adding npm start to new Procfile > -----> Building runtime environment > -----> Discovering process types > Procfile declares types -> web > -----> Releasing node-js-sample... > -----> Deploying node-js-sample... > =====> Application deployed: > http://node-js-sample.ppd.io > > To dokku@ppd.io:node-js-sample > 97a7c5c..961aa4a master -> master
Dokku will automatically create your project for you on first push and deploy your app to a subdomain of your chosen domain. In this case we deployed our app to http://node-js-sample.ppd.io.
Part 2b: Controlling Dokku
When you install Dokku on your server it gives you some handy commands. Sadly to run those from your local machine you need to perform some ssh-fu.
So to make this easier Dokkufy also comes with a local dokku command. You can use this command in any dokkufied app that has a.dokkurc file. It will automatically use that file to infer the remote server details and your app name.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 dokku help > backup:export [ file] Export dokku configuration files > backup:import [ file] Import dokku configuration files > config display the config vars for an app > config:get KEY display a config value for an app > config:set KEY1 = VALUE1 [ KEY2 = VALUE2...] set one or more config vars > config:unset KEY1 [ KEY2...] unset one or more config vars > delete Delete an application > help Print the list of commands > logs [ -t ] Show the last logs for an application ( -t follows ) > plugins-install Install active plugins > plugins Print active plugins > run <cmd> Run a command in the environment of an application > url Show the URL for an application > version Print dokku's version
Some final notes
That’s it for Dokkufy. I recommend running dokkufy help to see how you can explore and install plugins to install things like Postgres, Redis, and other features on your machine.
I also want to thank the awesome Jeff Lindsay for his work on Dokku and I want to highlight what seems to be the next iteration of Dokku: Flynn.On Wednesday, the average rate for 30-year fixed rate mortgages was 6.75 percent, up from 6.06 percent last week. While banks are moving aggressively to sell foreclosed properties, the number of empty homes is hovering near its highest level in more than half a century.
As of June, 2.8 percent of homes previously occupied by an owner were vacant. Nearly 1 in 10 rentals was without a tenant. Both numbers are near their highest levels since 1956, the earliest year for which the Census Bureau has such data.
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At the same time, the number of people who are losing jobs or seeing their incomes decline is rising. The unemployment rate has climbed to 6.1 percent, from 4.4 percent at the end of 2007, and wages for those who still have a job have barely kept up with inflation.
In New York and other cities that rely heavily on the financial sector, economists expect that job losses will increase and that pay heavily tied to year-end bonuses will decline significantly.
One reliable proxy of housing values — the ratio of home prices to rents — indicates that in many cities prices are still too high relative to historical norms.
In Miami, for instance, home prices are about 22 times annual rents, according to analysis by Moody’s Economy.com. The average figure for the last 20 years is just 15 times annual rents. The difference between those two numbers suggests that a home valued at $500,000 today might be worth only $341,000 based on the long-term relationship between prices and rents.
The price-to-rent ratio, which provides one measure of how much of a premium home buyers place on owning rather than renting, spiked across the country earlier this decade.
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It increased the most on the coasts and somewhat less in the middle of the country. Economy.com’s calculations show that while it remains elevated in many places, the ratio has fallen sharply to more normal levels in places like Sacramento, Dallas and Riverside, Calif.
The current housing downturn is much more national in scope and severe than any other in the postwar period, partly because of the proliferation of risky lending practices. Today, foreclosures are running ahead of the downturn in the economy, a reversal of previous housing slumps.
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“We are in uncharted waters,” said Brian A. Bethune, an economist at Global Insight, a research firm.
Colleen Pestana, a real estate agent in Orange County in California, said many people losing their homes in Southern California used to work at mortgage and real estate companies. Many of them bet heavily on real estate by upgrading to bigger houses every few years. Now, many are losing their homes.
At the same time, Ms. Pestana said, her clients who are looking to buy are having a harder time lining up financing. One of her clients recently had to give up on a home after the lender that had offered a pre-approved loan changed its mind — a frequent occurrence, according to real estate agents and mortgage brokers.
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 am working harder than I have ever had to work to get a deal together and keep it together,” said Ms. Pestana, who has been a real estate agent for seven years.
To cushion themselves from potential losses if homes lose value, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the mortgage finance companies that the government took over in September, have increased fees on loans made to borrowers who have good but not excellent credit records, even those who are making down payments as big as 30 percent.
Those higher fees are generally invisible to borrowers because banks factor them into mortgage interest rates. While the national average rate for a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage is now 6.75 percent, according to HSH Associates, mortgage brokers say the rates for many borrowers in the Southwest or Florida can be as high as 8 percent, especially for so-called jumbo loans that are too big to be sold to Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. (Those loan limits vary by area from $417,000 to roughly $650,000.)
Higher interest rates result in bigger monthly payments, pricing some potential buyers out of the market. For example, monthly payments are $2,700 on a 6 percent 30-year, fixed-rate loan of $450,000. If the interest rate rises to 7 percent, those monthly payments jump to $3,000. All things being equal, when rates rise prices generally fall.
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This month, Fannie and Freddie canceled a fee increase that would have applied to markets where home prices are falling, but the companies still have many other fees in place. In an effort to help drive down rates, the Treasury Department has announced plans to buy mortgage-backed securities issued by Fannie and Freddie. The government also recently increased the amount of loans the companies can buy and hold.
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Still, those efforts will take time to have an impact and it is not clear whether they will be sufficient to get banks to lend more freely, especially in areas where jumbo loans make up a bigger percentage of lending, like New York and parts of California and Florida. Economists say that prices in those places will probably fall further.
In some of those places, price declines are being driven by a sharp increase in sales of foreclosed homes.
Hudson & Marshall, a Dallas-based auctioneer that holds sales for lenders, reports that banks are accepting prices that they refused to consider just 12 months earlier. In a recent auction of 110 foreclosed homes in the Las Vegas area, for instance, the auctioneer’s clients accepted 90 percent of the bids submitted by buyers, up from 60 percent a year earlier, said David T. Webb, a co-owner of the company.
Single-family home prices in Las Vegas have already fallen 34 percent from their peak in the summer of 2006, according to the Standard & Poor’s Case-Shiller home price index. Prices in San Diego have fallen 31 percent since late 2005.
While those declines have been painful to homeowners in those cities, economists said the quick decline might help the markets reach bottom faster than in previous housing cycles, said Edward E. Leamer, an economist at the University of California, Los Angeles. In a previous boom, home prices peaked in the Los Angeles area in 1990 but did not hit bottom until 1996. Prices remained near that low for more than a year before starting to climb again.
“In some areas of California, we are really at appropriate levels,” Mr. Leamer said of current home prices. But he added: “The risk is that we are going to get some overshooting, meaning that prices will be lower than they ought to be.”
In Florida, Jack McCabe, a real estate consultant, said that while some cities, like Fort Myers, are showing tentative signs of a rebound, others like Miami and Fort Lauderdale are |
Many small firms will soon go out of business. The government has destroyed trade just to punish a few people whom the government sees as criminals. Much of the Indian economy is informal because complying with rules doesn’t usually make sense. So, most of the unaccounted money is not in the hands of criminals, but in the hands of decent fellows. I never had any trust in the government, but now I am even more suspicious.Like many celebrities on Thursday, Uma Thurman wished her fans a happy Thanksgiving on social media. But the Kill Bill star also used the post to send a strong message to Harvey Weinstein and his “wicked conspirators.”
The Oscar-nominated actress, who starred in the Weinstein-produced films Pulp Fiction and Kill Bill, had previously said she needed to wait to “feel less angry” before commenting on the ever-growing list of sexual misconduct accusations leveled at the disgraced mogul. And now, she has sent a very Bride-like message his way.
“I am grateful today, to be alive, for all those I love, and for all those who have the courage to stand up for others,” she wrote Thursday on Instagram alongside a picture of herself in Kill Bill. “I said I was angry recently, and I have a few reasons, #metoo, in case you couldn’t tell by the look on my face. I feel it’s important to take your time, be fair, be exact, so… Happy Thanksgiving Everyone! (Except you Harvey, and all your wicked conspirators – I’m glad it’s going slowly – You don’t deserve a bullet) -stay tuned Uma Thurman.”
In an October interview with Access Hollywood that would later go viral, Thurman said of the allegations, “I don’t have a tidy soundbite for you because I’ve learned I am not a child and I have learned that when I’ve spoken in anger, I usually regret the way I express myself. So I’ve been waiting to feel less angry and when I’m ready, I’ll say what I have to say.”
Thurman’s Kill Bill costar Daryl Hannah is one of the women to accuse Weinstein of sexual misconduct. On one occasion, Hannah said she had been forced to barricade herself in her hotel room to keep him out. She also shared that among the people she made aware of Weinstein’s actions was Quentin Tarantino, who directed Kill Bill, as well as Thurman in Pulp Fiction. Tarantino has since admitted that he “knew enough to do more than I did.”
Weinstein is under investigation by police in New York, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and the U.K. for sexual assault accusations made against him. He has denied claims of non-consensual sex.For the Kula Shaker album, see Pilgrims Progress (album)
The Pilgrim's Progress from This World, to That Which Is to Come is a 1678 Christian allegory written by John Bunyan. It is regarded as one of the most significant works of religious English literature,[1][2][3][4] has been translated into more than 200 languages, and has never been out of print.[5][6] It has also been cited as the first novel written in English.[7]
Bunyan began his work while in the Bedfordshire county prison for violations of the Conventicle Act of 1664, which prohibited the holding of religious services outside the auspices of the established Church of England. Early Bunyan scholars such as John Brown believed The Pilgrim's Progress was begun in Bunyan's second, shorter imprisonment for six months in 1675,[8] but more recent scholars such as Roger Sharrock believe that it was begun during Bunyan's initial, more lengthy imprisonment from 1660 to 1672 right after he had written his spiritual autobiography Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.[9]
The English text comprises 108,260 words and is divided into two parts, each reading as a continuous narrative with no chapter divisions. The first part was completed in 1677 and entered into the Stationers' Register on 22 December 1677. It was licensed and entered in the "Term Catalogue" on 18 February 1678, which is looked upon as the date of first publication.[10] After the first edition of the first part in 1678, an expanded edition, with additions written after Bunyan was freed, appeared in 1679. The Second Part appeared in 1684. There were eleven editions of the first part in John Bunyan's lifetime, published in successive years from 1678 to 1685 and in 1688, and there were two editions of the second part, published in 1684 and 1686.
Plot summary [ edit ]
First Part [ edit ]
The entire book is presented as a dream sequence narrated by an omniscient narrator. The allegory's protagonist, Christian, is an everyman character, and the plot centres on his journey from his hometown, the "City of Destruction" ("this world"), to the "Celestial City" ("that which is to come": Heaven) atop Mount Zion. Christian is weighed down by a great burden—the knowledge of his sin—which he believed came from his reading "the book in his hand" (the Bible). This burden, which would cause him to sink into Hell, is so unbearable that Christian must seek deliverance. He meets Evangelist as he is walking out in the fields, who directs him to the "Wicket Gate" for deliverance. Since Christian cannot see the "Wicket Gate" in the distance, Evangelist directs him to go to a "shining light," which Christian thinks he sees.[11] Christian leaves his home, his wife, and children to save himself: he cannot persuade them to accompany him. Obstinate and Pliable go after Christian to bring him back, but Christian refuses. Obstinate returns disgusted, but Pliable is persuaded to go with Christian, hoping to take advantage of the Paradise that Christian claims lies at the end of his journey. Pliable's journey with Christian is cut short when the two of them fall into the Slough of Despond, a boggy mire-like swamp where pilgrims' doubts, fears, temptations, lusts, shames, guilts, and sins of their present condition of being a sinner are used to sink them into the mud of the swamp. It is there in that bog where Pliable abandons Christian after getting himself out. After struggling to the other side of the slough, Christian is pulled out by Help, who has heard his cries and tells him the swamp is made out of the decadence, scum, and filth of sin, but the ground is good at the narrow Wicket Gate.
Burdened Christian flees from home
On his way to the Wicket Gate, Christian is diverted by the secular ethics of Mr. Worldly Wiseman into seeking deliverance from his burden through the Law, supposedly with the help of a Mr. Legality and his son Civility in the village of Morality, rather than through Christ, allegorically by way of the Wicket Gate. Evangelist meets the wayward Christian as he stops before Mount Sinai on the way to Mr. Legality's home. It hangs over the road and threatens to crush any who would pass it; also the mountain flashed with fire. Evangelist shows Christian that he had sinned by turning out of his way and tells him that Mr. Legality and his son Civility are descendants of slaves and Mr. Worldly Wiseman is a false guide, but he assures him that he will be welcomed at the Wicket Gate if he should turn around and go there, which Christian does.
At the Wicket Gate begins the "straight and narrow" King's Highway, and Christian is directed onto it by the gatekeeper Goodwill who saves him from Beelzebub's archers at Beelzebub's castle near the Wicket Gate and shows him the heavenly way he must go. In the Second Part, Goodwill is shown to be Jesus himself.[12] To Christian's query about relief from his burden, Goodwill directs him forward to "the place of deliverance."[9][13]
Christian makes his way from there to the House of the Interpreter, where he is shown pictures and tableaux that portray or dramatize aspects of the Christian faith and life. Roger Sharrock denotes them "emblems".[9][14]
From the House of the Interpreter, Christian finally reaches the "place of deliverance" (allegorically, the cross of Calvary and the open sepulchre of Christ), where the "straps" that bound Christian's burden to him break, and it rolls away into the open sepulcher. This event happens relatively early in the narrative: the immediate need of Christian at the beginning of the story is quickly remedied. After Christian is relieved of his burden, he is greeted by three angels, who give him the greeting of peace, new garments, and a scroll as a passport into the Celestial City. Encouraged by all this, Christian happily continues his journey until he comes upon three men named Simple, Sloth, and Presumption. Christian tries to help them, but they disregard his advice. Before coming to the Hill of Difficulty, Christian meets two well-dressed men named Formality and Hypocrisy who prove to be false Christians that perish in the two dangerous bypasses near the hill, named Danger and Destruction. Christian falls asleep at the arbor above the hill and loses his scroll, forcing him to go back and get it. Near the top of the Hill of Difficulty, he meets two weak pilgrims named Mistrust and Timorous who tell him of the great lions of the Palace Beautiful. Christian frightfully avoids the lions through Watchful the porter who tells them that they are chained and put there to test the faith of pilgrims.
Atop the Hill of Difficulty, Christian makes his first stop for the night at the House of the Palace Beautiful, which is a place built by God for the refresh of pilgrims and godly travelers. Christian spends three days here, and leaves clothed with the Armor of God (Eph. 6:11–18),[15] which stands him in good stead in his battle against the demonic dragon-like Apollyon (the lord and god of the City of Destruction) in the Valley of Humiliation. This battle lasts "over half a day" until Christian manages to wound and stab Apollyon with his two-edged sword (a reference to the Bible, Heb. 4:12).[16] "And with that Apollyon spread his dragon wings and sped away."
As night falls, Christian enters the fearful Valley of the Shadow of Death. When he is in the middle of the Valley amidst the gloom, terror, and demons, he hears the words of the Twenty-third Psalm, spoken possibly by his friend Faithful:
Yea, though I walk through the Valley of the Shadow of Death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4.)
As he leaves this valley the sun rises on a new day.
Just outside the Valley of the Shadow of Death he meets Faithful, also a former resident of the City of Destruction, who accompanies him to Vanity Fair, a place built by Beelzebub where every thing is to a human's tastes, delights, and lusts are sold daily, where both are arrested and detained because of their disdain for the wares and business of the Fair. Faithful is put on trial and executed by burning at the stake as a martyr. A celestial chariot then takes Faithful to the Celestial City, martyrdom being a shortcut there. Hopeful, a resident of Vanity Fair, takes Faithful's place to be Christian's companion for the rest of the way.
Christian and Hopeful then come to a mining hill called Lucre. Its owner named Demas offers them all the silver of the mine but Christian sees through Demas's trickery and they avoid the mine. Afterward, a false pilgrim named By-Ends and his friends, who followed Christian and Hopeful only to take advantage of them, perish at the Hill Lucre, never to be seen or heard from again. On a rough, stony stretch of road, Christian and Hopeful leave the highway to travel on the easier By-Path Meadow, where a rainstorm forces them to spend the night. In the morning they are captured by Giant Despair, who is known for his savage cruelty, and his wife Diffidence; the pilgrims are taken to the Giant's Doubting Castle, where they are imprisoned, beaten and starved. The Giant and the Giantess want them to commit suicide, but they endure the ordeal until Christian realizes that a key he has, called Promise, will open all the doors and gates of Doubting Castle. Using the key and the Giant's weakness to sunlight, they escape.
The Delectable Mountains form the next stage of Christian and Hopeful's journey, where the shepherds show them some of the wonders of the place also known as "Immanuel's Land". The pilgrims are shown sights that strengthen their faith and warn them against sinning, like the Hill Error or the Mountain Caution. On Mount Clear, they are able to see the Celestial City through the shepherd's "perspective glass", which serves as a telescope. (This device is given to Mercy in the Second Part at her request.) The shepherds tell the pilgrims to beware of the Flatterer and to avoid the Enchanted Ground. Soon they come to a crossroad and a man dressed in white comes to help them. Thinking he is a "shining one" (angel), the pilgrims follow the man, but soon get stuck in a net and realize their so-called angelic guide was the Flatterer. A true shining one comes and frees them from the net. The Angel punishes them for following the Flatterer and then puts them back on the right path. The pilgrims meet an Atheist, who tells them Heaven and God do not exist, but Christian and Hopeful remember the shepherds and pay no attention to the man. Christian and Hopeful come to a place where a man named Little-Faith is chained by the ropes of seven demons who take him to a shortcut to the Lake of Fire (Hell).
On the way, Christian and Hopeful meet a lad named Ignorance, who believes that he will be allowed into the Celestial City through his own good deeds rather than as a gift of God's grace. Christian and Hopeful meet up with him twice and try to persuade him to journey to the Celestial City in the right way. Ignorance persists in his own way that he thinks will lead him into Heaven. After getting over the River of Death on the ferry boat of Vain Hope without overcoming the hazards of wading across it, Ignorance appears before the gates of Celestial City without a passport, which he would have acquired had he gone into the King's Highway through the Wicket Gate. The Lord of the Celestial City orders the shining ones (angels) to take Ignorance to one of the byways of Hell and throw him in.
Christian and Hopeful make it through the dangerous Enchanted Ground (a place where the air makes them sleepy and if they fall asleep, they never wake up) into the Land of Beulah, where they ready themselves to cross the dreaded River of Death on foot to Mount Zion and the Celestial City. Christian has a rough time of it because of his past sins wearing him down, but Hopeful helps him over, and they are welcomed into the Celestial City.
Second Part [ edit ]
A Plan of the Road From the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, Adapted to The Pilgrim's Progress, by John Bunyan, 1821.
The Second Part of The Pilgrim's Progress presents the pilgrimage of Christian's wife, Christiana; their sons; and the maiden, Mercy. They visit the same stopping places that Christian visited, with the addition of Gaius' Inn between the Valley of the Shadow of Death and Vanity Fair, but they take a longer time in order to accommodate marriage and childbirth for the four sons and their wives. The hero of the story is Greatheart, a servant of the Interpreter, who is the pilgrims' guide to the Celestial City. He kills four giants called Giant Grim, Giant Maul, Giant Slay-Good, and Giant Despair and participates in the slaying of a monster called Legion that terrorizes the city of Vanity Fair.
The passage of years in this second pilgrimage better allegorizes the journey of the Christian life. By using heroines, Bunyan, in the Second Part, illustrates the idea that women, as well as men, can be brave pilgrims.
Alexander M. Witherspoon, professor of English at Yale University, writes in a prefatory essay:
Part II, which appeared in 1684, is much more than a mere sequel to or repetition of the earlier volume. It clarifies and reinforces and justifies the story of Part I. The beam of Bunyan's spotlight is broadened to include Christian's family and other men, women, and children; the incidents and accidents of everyday life are more numerous, the joys of the pilgrimage tend to outweigh the hardships; and to the faith and hope of Part I is added in abundant measure that greatest of virtues, charity. The two parts of The Pilgrim's Progress, in reality, constitute a whole, and the whole is, without doubt, the most influential religious book ever written in the English language.[17]
This is exemplified by the frailness of the pilgrims of the Second Part — women, children, and physically and mentally challenged individuals — in contrast to the stronger pilgrims of the First Part. When Christiana's party leaves Gaius's Inn and Mr. Feeble-Mind lingers in order to be left behind, he is encouraged to accompany the party by Greatheart:
But brother... I have it in commission, to comfort the feeble-minded, and to support the weak. You must needs go along with us; we will wait for you, we will lend you our help, we will deny ourselves of some things, both opinionated and practical, for your sake; we will not enter into doubtful disputations before you, we will be made all things to you, rather than you shall be left behind.[9]
The pilgrims learn of Madame Bubble who created the Enchanted Ground and Forgetful Green, a place in the Valley of Humiliation where the flowers make other pilgrims forget about God's love. Christiana, Matthew, Joseph, Samuel, James, Mercy, Greatheart, Mr. Feeble-Mind, and Mr. Ready-To-Halt come to Bypath-Meadow and, after much fight and difficulty, slay the cruel Giant Despair and the wicked Giantess Diffidence, and demolish Doubting Castle for Christian and Hopeful who were oppressed there. They free a pale man named Mr. Despondency and his daughter named Much-Afraid from the castle's dungeons.
When the pilgrims end up in the Land of Beulah, they cross over the River of Death by appointment. As a matter of importance to Christians of Bunyan's persuasion reflected in the narrative of The Pilgrim's Progress, the last words of the pilgrims as they cross over the River of Death are recorded. The four sons of Christian and their families do not cross but remain for the support of the church in that place.
Characters [ edit ]
First Part [ edit ]
Christian enters the Wicket Gate, opened by Goodwill. Engraving from a 1778 edition printed in England.
Beelzebub and them that are with him shoot arrows"
Christian, who was born with the name Graceless, the protagonist in the First Part, whose journey to the Celestial City is the plot of the story.
who was born with the name Graceless, the protagonist in the First Part, whose journey to the Celestial City is the plot of the story. Evangelist, the religious man who puts Christian on the path to the Celestial City. He also shows Christian a book, which readers assume to be the Bible.
the religious man who puts Christian on the path to the Celestial City. He also shows Christian a book, which readers assume to be the Bible. Obstinate, one of the two residents of the City of Destruction, who run after Christian when he first sets out, in order to bring him back. Like his name, he is stubborn and is disgusted with Christian and with Pliable for making a journey that he thinks is nonsense.
one of the two residents of the City of Destruction, who run after Christian when he first sets out, in order to bring him back. Like his name, he is stubborn and is disgusted with Christian and with Pliable for making a journey that he thinks is nonsense. Pliable, the other of the two, who goes with Christian until both of them fall into the Slough of Despond, a boggy mire composed of the decadence and filthiness of sin and a swamp that makes the fears and doubts of a present and past sinner real. Pliable escapes from the slough and returns home. Like his name, he is insecure and goes along with some things for a little while but quickly gives up on them.
the other of the two, who goes with Christian until both of them fall into the Slough of Despond, a boggy mire composed of the decadence and filthiness of sin and a swamp that makes the fears and doubts of a present and past sinner real. Pliable escapes from the slough and returns home. Like his name, he is insecure and goes along with some things for a little while but quickly gives up on them. Help, Christian's rescuer from the Slough of Despond.
, Christian's rescuer from the Slough of Despond. Mr. Worldly Wiseman, a resident of a place called Carnal Policy, who persuades Christian to go out of his way to being helped by a friend named Mr. Legality and then move to the City of Morality (which focuses salvation on the Law and good deeds instead of faith and love in Jesus Christ). His real advice is from the world and not from God, meaning his advice is flawed and consists of three objectives: getting Christian off the right path, making the cross of Jesus Christ offensive to him, and binding him to the Law so he would die with his sins. Worldly Wiseman has brought down many innocent pilgrims and there will be many more to come.
a resident of a place called Carnal Policy, who persuades Christian to go out of his way to being helped by a friend named Mr. Legality and then move to the City of Morality (which focuses salvation on the Law and good deeds instead of faith and love in Jesus Christ). His real advice is from the world and not from God, meaning his advice is flawed and consists of three objectives: getting Christian off the right path, making the cross of Jesus Christ offensive to him, and binding him to the Law so he would die with his sins. Worldly Wiseman has brought down many innocent pilgrims and there will be many more to come. Goodwill, the keeper of the Wicket Gate through which one enters the "straight and narrow way" (also referred to as "the King's Highway") to the Celestial City. In the Second Part, we find that this character is none other than Jesus Christ Himself.
the keeper of the Wicket Gate through which one enters the "straight and narrow way" (also referred to as "the King's Highway") to the Celestial City. In the Second Part, we find that this character is none other than Jesus Christ Himself. Beelzebub, literally "Lord of the Flies," is one of Satan's companion archdemons, who has erected a fort near the Wicket Gate from which he and his soldiers can shoot arrows of fire at those about to enter the Wicket Gate so they will never enter it. He is also the Lord, God, King, Master, and Prince of Vanity Fair. Christian calls him "captain" of the Foul Fiend Apollyon, who he later met in the Valley of Humiliation. [9]
literally "Lord of the Flies," is one of Satan's companion archdemons, who has erected a fort near the Wicket Gate from which he and his soldiers can shoot arrows of fire at those about to enter the Wicket Gate so they will never enter it. He is also the Lord, God, King, Master, and Prince of Vanity Fair. Christian calls him "captain" of the Foul Fiend Apollyon, who he later met in the Valley of Humiliation. The Interpreter, the one who has his House along the way as a rest stop for travelers to check in to see pictures and dioramas to teach them the right way to live the Christian life. He has been identified in the Second Part as the Holy Spirit.
the one who has his House along the way as a rest stop for travelers to check in to see pictures and dioramas to teach them the right way to live the Christian life. He has been identified in the Second Part as the Holy Spirit. Shining Ones, the messengers and servants of "the Lord of the Hill," God. They are obviously the holy angels.
the messengers and servants of "the Lord of the Hill," God. They are obviously the holy angels. Formalist, one of two travelers and false pilgrims on the King's Highway, who do not come in by the Wicket Gate, but climb over the wall that encloses it, at least from the hill and sepulchers up to the Hill Difficulty. He and his companion Hypocrisy come from the land of Vainglory. He takes one of the two bypaths that avoid the Hill Difficulty but is lost.
one of two travelers and false pilgrims on the King's Highway, who do not come in by the Wicket Gate, but climb over the wall that encloses it, at least from the hill and sepulchers up to the Hill Difficulty. He and his companion Hypocrisy come from the land of Vainglory. He takes one of the two bypaths that avoid the Hill Difficulty but is lost. Hypocrisy, the companion of Formalist and the other false pilgrim. He takes the other of the two bypaths and is also lost.
the companion of Formalist and the other false pilgrim. He takes the other of the two bypaths and is also lost. Timorous, one of two men who try to persuade Christian to go back for fear of the chained lions near the House Beautiful. He is a relative of Mrs. Timorous of the Second Part. His companion is Mistrust.
one of two men who try to persuade Christian to go back for fear of the chained lions near the House Beautiful. He is a relative of Mrs. Timorous of the Second Part. His companion is Mistrust. Watchful, the porter of the House Beautiful. He also appears in the Second Part and receives "a gold angel" coin from Christiana for his kindness and service to her and her companions. "Watchful" is also the name of one of the Delectable Mountains' shepherds.
the porter of the House Beautiful. He also appears in the Second Part and receives "a gold angel" coin from Christiana for his kindness and service to her and her companions. "Watchful" is also the name of one of the Delectable Mountains' shepherds. Discretion, one of the beautiful maids of the house, who decides to allow Christian to stay there.
one of the beautiful maids of the house, who decides to allow Christian to stay there. Prudence, another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part. Piety, another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part. Charity, another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part.
another of the House Beautiful maidens. She appears in the Second Part. Apollyon, literally "Destroyer;" the King, Lord, God, Master, Prince, Owner, Landlord, Ruler, Governor, and Leader of the City of Destruction where Christian was born. He is one of Satan's companion archdemons, who tries to force Christian to return to his domain and service. His battle with Christian takes place in the Valley of Humiliation, just below the House Beautiful. He appears as a huge demonic creature with fish's scales, the mouth of a lion, feet of a bear, second mouth on his belly, and dragon's wings. He takes fiery darts from his body to throw at his opponents. Apollyon is finally defeated when Christian uses the Sword of the Spirit to wound him two times.
literally "Destroyer;" the King, Lord, God, Master, Prince, Owner, Landlord, Ruler, Governor, and Leader of the City of Destruction where Christian was born. He is one of Satan's companion archdemons, who tries to force Christian to return to his domain and service. His battle with Christian takes place in the Valley of Humiliation, just below the House Beautiful. He appears as a huge demonic creature with fish's scales, the mouth of a lion, feet of a bear, second mouth on his belly, and dragon's wings. He takes fiery darts from his body to throw at his opponents. Apollyon is finally defeated when Christian uses the Sword of the Spirit to wound him two times. "Pope" and "Pagan," giants living in a cave at the end of the fearsome Valley of the Shadow of Death. They are allegories of Roman Catholicism and paganism as persecutors of Protestant Christians. "Pagan" is dead, indicating the end of pagan persecution with Antiquity, and "Pope" is alive but decrepit, indicating the then-diminished power and influence of the Roman Catholic pope. In the Second Part, Pagan is resurrected by a demon from the bottomless pit of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, representing the new age of pagan persecution, and Pope is revived of his deadly wounds and is no longer stiff and unable to move, representing the beginning of the Christian's troubles with Roman Catholic popes.
giants living in a cave at the end of the fearsome Valley of the Shadow of Death. They are allegories of Roman Catholicism and paganism as persecutors of Protestant Christians. "Pagan" is dead, indicating the end of pagan persecution with Antiquity, and "Pope" is alive but decrepit, indicating the then-diminished power and influence of the Roman Catholic pope. In the Second Part, Pagan is resurrected by a demon from the bottomless pit of the Valley of the Shadow of Death, representing the new age of pagan persecution, and Pope is revived of his deadly wounds and is no longer stiff and unable to move, representing the beginning of the Christian's troubles with Roman Catholic popes. Faithful, Christian's friend from the City of Destruction, who is also going on pilgrimage. Christian meets Faithful just after getting through the Valley of The Shadow of Death. He dies later in Vanity Fair for his strong faith and first reaches the Celestial City.
Christian's friend from the City of Destruction, who is also going on pilgrimage. Christian meets Faithful just after getting through the Valley of The Shadow of Death. He dies later in Vanity Fair for his strong faith and first reaches the Celestial City. Wanton, a temptress who tries to get Faithful to leave his journey to the Celestial City. She may be the popular resident of the City of Destruction, Madam Wanton, who hosted a house party for friends of Mrs. Timorous.
a temptress who tries to get Faithful to leave his journey to the Celestial City. She may be the popular resident of the City of Destruction, Madam Wanton, who hosted a house party for friends of Mrs. Timorous. Adam the First, "the old man" (representing carnality and deceit) who tries to persuade Faithful to leave his journey and come live with his three daughters: the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life.
"the old man" (representing carnality and deceit) who tries to persuade Faithful to leave his journey and come live with his three daughters: the Lust of the Flesh, the Lust of the Eyes, and the Pride of Life. Moses, the severe, violent avenger (representing the Law, which knows no mercy) who tries to kill Faithful for his momentary weakness in wanting to go with Adam the First out of the way. Moses is sent away by Jesus Christ.
the severe, violent avenger (representing the Law, which knows no mercy) who tries to kill Faithful for his momentary weakness in wanting to go with Adam the First out of the way. Moses is sent away by Jesus Christ. Talkative, a pilgrim that Faithful and Christian meet after going through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He is known to Christian as a fellow resident of the City of Destruction, living on Prating Row. He is the son of Say-Well and Mrs. Talk-About-The-Right Things. He is said to be better-looking from a distance than close up. His enthusiasm for talking about his faith to Faithful deceives him into thinking that he is a sincere man. Christian lets Faithful know about his unsavory past, and in a conversation that Faithful strikes up with him, he is exposed as shallow and hypocritical in his Christianity.
a pilgrim that Faithful and Christian meet after going through the Valley of the Shadow of Death. He is known to Christian as a fellow resident of the City of Destruction, living on Prating Row. He is the son of Say-Well and Mrs. Talk-About-The-Right Things. He is said to be better-looking from a distance than close up. His enthusiasm for talking about his faith to Faithful deceives him into thinking that he is a sincere man. Christian lets Faithful know about his unsavory past, and in a conversation that Faithful strikes up with him, he is exposed as shallow and hypocritical in his Christianity. Lord Hate-Good, the evil judge who tries Faithful in Vanity Fair. Lord Hate-Good is the opposite of a judge, he hates right and loves wrong because he does wrong himself. His jury is twelve vicious rogue men.
the evil judge who tries Faithful in Vanity Fair. Lord Hate-Good is the opposite of a judge, he hates right and loves wrong because he does wrong himself. His jury is twelve vicious rogue men. Envy, the first witness against Faithful who falsely accuses that Faithful shows no respect for their prince, Lord Beelzebub.
the first witness against Faithful who falsely accuses that Faithful shows no respect for their prince, Lord Beelzebub. Superstition, the second witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of saying that their religion is vain.
the second witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of saying that their religion is vain. Pick-Thank, the third witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of going against their prince, their people, their laws, their "honorable" friends, and the judge himself.
the third witness against Faithful who falsely accuses Faithful of going against their prince, their people, their laws, their "honorable" friends, and the judge himself. Hopeful, the resident of Vanity Fair, who takes Faithful's place as Christian's fellow traveler. The character Hopeful poses an inconsistency in that there is a necessity imposed on the pilgrims that they enter the "King's Highway" by the Wicket Gate. Hopeful, did not; however, of him, we read "... one died to bear testimony to the truth, and another rises out of his ashes to be a companion with Christian in his pilgrimage." Hopeful assumes Faithful's place by God's design. Theologically and allegorically it would follow in that "faith" is trust in God as far as things present are concerned, and "hope," biblically the same as "faith," is trust in God as far as things of the future are concerned. Hopeful would follow Faithful. The other factor is that Vanity Fair is right on the straight and narrow way. Ignorance, in contrast to Hopeful, was unconcerned about the end times of God, unconcerned with true faith in Jesus Christ, and gave false hope about the future. Ignorance was told by Christian and Hopeful that he should have entered the highway through the Wicket Gate.
the resident of Vanity Fair, who takes Faithful's place as Christian's fellow traveler. The character Hopeful poses an inconsistency in that there is a necessity imposed on the pilgrims that they enter the "King's Highway" by the Wicket Gate. Hopeful, did not; however, of him, we read "... one died to bear testimony to the truth, and another rises out of his ashes to be a companion with Christian in his pilgrimage." Hopeful assumes Faithful's place by God's design. Theologically and allegorically it would follow in that "faith" is trust in God as far as things present are concerned, and "hope," biblically the same as "faith," is trust in God as far as things of the future are concerned. Hopeful would follow Faithful. The other factor is that Vanity Fair is right on the straight and narrow way. Ignorance, in contrast to Hopeful, was unconcerned about the end times of God, unconcerned with true faith in Jesus Christ, and gave false hope about the future. Ignorance was told by Christian and Hopeful that he should have entered the highway through the Wicket Gate. Mr. By-Ends, a false pilgrim met by Christian and Hopeful after they leave Vanity Fair. He makes it his aim to avoid any hardship or persecution that Christians may have to undergo. He supposedly perishes in the Hill Lucre (a dangerous silver mine) with three of his friends, Hold-the-World, Money-Love, and Save-All, at the behest of Demas, who invites passersby to come and see the mine. A "by-end" is a pursuit that is achieved indirectly. For By-Ends and his companions, it is the by-end of financial gain through religion.
a false pilgrim met by Christian and Hopeful after they leave Vanity Fair. He makes it his aim to avoid any hardship or persecution that Christians may have to undergo. He supposedly perishes in the Hill Lucre (a dangerous silver mine) with three of his friends, Hold-the-World, Money-Love, and Save-All, at the behest of Demas, who invites passersby to come and see the mine. A "by-end" is a pursuit that is achieved indirectly. For By-Ends and his companions, it is the by-end of financial gain through religion. Demas, a deceiver, who beckons to pilgrims at the Hill Lucre to come and join in the supposed silver mining going on in it. He is first mentioned in the Book of Second Timothy by the |
, and he's going to take it away from them.
Unfortunately, it happens exactly as described by the blog, right after Trump's election: “ Trump purely represents the ruthless and direct cynicism of the elites: Yes, we are the one percent who have exploited you and impoverished you, and we want to govern so that to make sure that you will never rise up. Neoliberalism officially passes the torch to a ruthless, modern Feudalism... ”on Apr 27, 2012 @ 3:00 PM | 9 comments
Busy times — Anthony and I missed this episode, so you’ll have to settle for returning guest Jack DeVries. It’s a relationship-themed episode where we finally answer all your stupid questions! Alright!
Discuss this episode on our forums!
The Comedy Button — Episode 27 (2012-04-27)
It’s the all-relationship episode, where we answer your letters and discuss how to get your lady to kiss you after she’s been down there, guest-host Jack DeVries’ sex bucket list, butt secks, what to do with a stack of money when you’re single, why you shouldn’t marry young, how Brian Altano lost his virginity, how Scott Bromley managed to masturbate to Hocus Pocus, growing up (and growing a pair), and relationship advice for cavemen. Starring Scott Bromley, Brian Altano, and Max Scoville, with special guest Jack DeVries.
Running Time: 1h 9m 11s
Direct Download — iTunes — Stitcher — Zune Marketplace — RSSSo, my shipping address is my parents home address, and I live in a different city because I'm going to Uni. So I always have to wait a few extra days/week after my exchange gift arrive before I get to see it! Anyway, my R/books exchange arrived last tuesday, and I finally got my hands on it yesterday! SUPER STOKED!!!!! I got two books: Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Haruki Murakami (collection of 24 short stories) Urawaza: Do Everything Better. Secret everyday tips and tricks from Japan by Lisa Katayama, Illustration by Joel Holland.
I'm so excited to read these books! Short stories are awesome, being in Uni I'm hard pressed to find time to read a full length book, so I don't get to do a lot of fun reading during the school year, this will be awesome :) Also I'm a self-professed Anthropology nerd, so I'm excited to read stories by a Japanese author and see what I can learn about Japanese culture traits that might come through in the writing :)
Urawaza: OMG, this books is so cool! I love the idea of it in general, tips to do everything better, I love learning stuff like that. Secondly, I LOOOOOOOOOOVE the design of this book. So this book satiates my obsession with design books, even though its not specifically a book about design. either way, I'm super excited to read this as well!
Thank you so much R/books exchange person from Vancouver! You rock! I'm thrilled! :)Originally Posted by Deidre Originally Posted by
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2.) Try removing your saved payment method and adding it again. Make sure if you are adding a credit card that you enter the correct card verification code (CVV)Adam Henry struck again Thursday afternoon, securing the commitment of composite 4-star WR Darius "Dee" Anderson. Anderson tripped to Baton Rouge for LSU Elite Camp and was offered on July 24th. The Mesquite, Texas native made his way home, thought and prayed on the offer, and today decided to jump on it.
Anderson is a big WR target, standing at 6'4" with a wingspan that exceeds that, according to reports. Though he's a bit light, currently, at only 177 pounds, he still has two years of HS ball remaining to fill out his frame. Anderson will join Stephen Sullivan, another tall, lanky WR and Feleipe Franks as 2016 commitments. Each commit in the 2016 stands at or above 6'4" tall.
His size immediately stands out on film. He's certainly all of 6'3"-6'4" with considerably long arms. He uses that length to extend his catch radius and really flashes a nice, big set of mitts. He does a really nice job of catching the ball away from his body, and shows the ability to adjust to poorly thrown balls and still pluck the ball from the air.
I'm especially impressed with how fluid and smooth he looks, especially for being a long athlete. Many times, taller players look clumsy, or stumble over their own length while they learn how to grow into their bodies. Anderson is exceptionally smooth in and out of breaks, and looks good running routes. He can go up and challenge for the ball in the air, which should make him a RZ/jump ball nightmare in the future.
I'm not sure about his overall top end speed, but he's not a plodder. He should be fine in that area.
The biggest thing here is that he still has two years to grow as a prospect. The Dee Anderson that arrives to Baton Rouge in 2016 could be a 6'4", 200+ beast, ready to play right away.
The commitment also bumped Adam Henry up to the no. 4 recruiter in 247's 2016 National Recruiter Rankings. He's now earned the commitments of Trey Quinn, D.J. Chark, Malachi Dupre, Stephen Sullivan, Jazz Ferguson and Dee Anderson. That's quite a coup at the WR position.
The 2016 is early yet, but already has the foundation of a group that could rival the 2014 haul.It’s pretty clear the NHLPA has been on a mission to defend their position by using Twitter to promote their fight against the NHL owners and have won over the majority of fans as a result of their effort. The evidence of fan support for the NHLPA is prominent in the recent YouTube hit: Together We Can, a fan-made video supporting the players which has received almost 1 million views in just over a 2 week time span.
In response, the NHLPA has released their own video only hours after the lockout came in session to reach out to fans once again. In the video we see interviews from David Backes, Sidney Crosby, Gabriel Landeskog, James Reimer and Blackhawks captain Jonathan Toews as they try to justify their position and, once again, point out that the owners are locking out the players and that they are prepared to play.
Their tactics are cute, but are they really as innocent as they claim to be? I don’t think so.
According to Gary Bettman, the NHLPA refused to start negotiations until the Stanley Cup Finals and did not submit their first proposal until nearly one month after negotiations began. Why would they wait so long to start talking? Fehr claimed that he was unprepared to enter negotiations but the fact is, he isn’t on the ice and it’s his job to represent the players. The fact that they delayed negotiations is proof to me that they were prepared to enter a lockout situation and use that to promote bad PR towards the NHL. In short, the NHL lost the PR battle before they could even begin due to Fehr’s tactics. Smart move, sure… but also dirty.
The NHLPA’s demands also seem to be unrealistic, despite the fact that they claim that their proposal is at 52%, because they are asking for a fixed number and calculate the percentage based on their projections.
“It’s not anything close to 52 percent, their proposal is not on percentage” Bettman stated last Friday, “it’s a guaranteed dollar proposal.”
It’s clear both sides are very far apart due to the fact that the NHL owners want to change the definition of HRR as well as reducing the players share to 46% along with an increase in escrow. On the other side of the table, the NHLPA not only wants a larger cut but they want that fixed percentage based on their projections which is never going to happen. Of course, their projected HRR shows that the players share would be 52%, but in reality they are not proposing a percentage so the NHL has no interest in going that route.
In the video above, the NHLPA claims that both sides need to compromise in order to get a deal done, but at this point they are crying wolf as they have proposed too much change in the current CBA and have provided a situation where the NHL must gamble if they took their proposal. Simply put, the NHLPA has complicated matters even further while the owners have clearly tried to keep it simple. Some may call their ideas innovative but I call them greedy, unrealistic, and
purposely provided fans with a finger to point in the NHL’s direction. It’s all smoke and mirrors for the PA.
Gary Bettman has entered his 3rd lockout during his tenure as NHL commissioner. He is booed in every building he steps into and he already knows that he has zero fan support. If there’s anything to take out of that, he is far removed from getting involved in the media circus and he is simply there to do his job and negotiate a new deal. You can’t say the same about Donald Fehr and the NHLPA.
There is still hope out there that the season may be delayed until November or December, but that isn’t an opinion that I share and can see this dragging out for another full season if things continue on this trend. The NHLPA has played dirty. They’ve won fan support and the only reason they have been so active in that area is to put pressure on the NHL to agree to their proposal. At this point it hasn’t worked and until they decide to negotiate without a media distraction they won’t be taken seriously by the NHL owners.
Try not to mistake my apathy towards the NHLPA as enthusiasm for the NHL. Neither deserve your support or attention until a deal can be resolved.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Bees depositing honey in a beehive
At an upmarket cafe in Nairobi, trendy millennials swipe through their smart phones while sipping glasses of "dawa", a hot drink made from locally sourced honey, ginger and lemon.
"I drink this every evening before I go to bed," Immanuel, 26, explains. "It prevents me from getting sick and it calms me down at the end of the day. Honey is like a medicine - it has a lot of healing properties."
Here in the heart of Kenya's "Silicon Savannah", tech-savvy entrepreneurs are beginning to tap into a market that, until recently, was the preserve of smallholder farmers known locally as honey hunters.
Image caption The modern technology being introduced is expected to sanitise the honey extraction method
For them, the introduction of new hives and modern harvesting methods mark an unwelcome shift away from the traditions passed down through the generations.
But entrepreneur Ernest Simeoni says the honey hunters will need to adapt their practices if they are to make the most of the honey industry, now worth more than $12bn (£10bn) globally.
"Honey has become fashionable in Kenya - it's like a craze sweeping across the country. Many young people here are starting to realise there's a lot of money to be made from food."
Technology meets agriculture
Mr Simeoni believes the rise of the middle class in Kenya, coupled with advances in digital technology, have made honey production accessible to a wider pool of people.
"Farming with apps - this is the future," he says, pointing to more than 20 icons on his phone.
One of the most popular is the "Swarm Database", an app that provides real-time information and alerts farmers when their honey is ready to harvest. WhatsApp groups are also helping young Kenyan farmers to share ideas and experiment with new methods of honey production.
Image caption Modern honey hunter Ernest Simeoni fetches honey from a barrel in his factory
But, Mr Simeoni explains, there are still a number of obstacles to overcome. He says that methods of honey production in Kenya need to be modernised.
"Crude methods of extracting the honey from cavities in the trees, keeping it in dirty containers and over-heating it in refinery rooms - this has a damaging effect on the quality, driving down our profits."
Grace Asiko from the National Beekeeping Institute, an affiliate of the Ministry of Livestock and Agriculture, agrees that more can be done to tap the honey market.
"It's a goldmine, ready to exploit. What we need are new innovations to capitalise on the different bee species and variety of plants and herbs we have in Kenya."
Adding value
Diversifying the ways in which the honey can be used is also an area of potential growth, she says.
"We need people from the pharmaceutical and nutrition sectors to come over and see what we have. Collective effort with innovators will help us to ascertain how the honey can be used to make more products like the face creams, massage bars we have developed recently."
High up in the Taita Hills of south-east Kenya, nestled among macadamia and pineapple plantations, the picture is very different for Hagai Mwaisaka, a traditional honey hunter.
Hagai is one of nearly two million honey producers in this part of the country.
Image caption Traditional honey hunter Hagai Mwaisaka points to the log he uses as a beehive
Image caption Honey is big business in this part of Kenya
He points proudly at the log hive - a debarked, hollow tree stump - swaying gently in the breeze in the acacia tree outside his hut.
"This hive was handed down to me by my father and, like him, the honey I produce is a large part of my income. I can say that the bees help me to feed my family."
Honey hunting is the traditional method of climbing trees, tipping the log hive at an angle and allowing the honey to drip through the combs. It is typically done at night without clothes to ensure that bees do not stick to the fabric and sting the skin beneath.
"At night, the bees are cool. They are not so active, so I can harvest the honey without disrupting them," Mr Mwaisaka explains.
From this one log hive, 40,000 busy bees will produce 60kg of honey each year. Mr Mwaisaka will be able to sell this honey for $10/kg - enough to sustain his family.
Modernising honey extraction
But this may all be about to change. The new hives being introduced by businessmen in Nairobi mean that honey hunters will soon be required to change their methods, "smoking out" the bees rather than extracting and combing the honey by hand.
For traditional honey hunters like Mr Mwaisaka, the new methods will have a detrimental effect on the quality of the honey.
"The bees travel very far from our log hives to find the best flowers, so the honey is sweet and golden. But with the new methods, the bees get lazy. They produce a lot less and the taste is bitter."
Image caption Honey production is the latest money-making venture for businessmen
Unfortunately for Mr Mwaisaka and other farmers in this part of Kenya, there is little that can dampen the spirits of traders and innovators in Nairobi.
Businessman Ernest Simeoni believes the honey industry is the next big money-making venture.
"There is huge potential for the honey industry to grow in Kenya and internationally. We just need to focus on modernising our methods to open up the market. From there, the future looks bright."Loading...
STOCKHOLM: In the middle of the day five cars were put on fire in the southern Stockholm suburb of Alby. Several fire trucks, police cars, and even a police helicopter were deployed during the drama.- There are witness statements that two ran from the scene, says Sven-Erik Olsson at Stockholm police command center, to the Swedish newspaper Nyheter Idag New unrest has hit the southern Stockholm suburb of Alby, after five cars were set on fire in a parking lot in broad daylight on Sunday. Criminal youths become braver due to the discovery that the police are way too few, and thus the chances of getting caught are very slim.The cars that were burned were apart from each other but in the same parking lot. When reporters from the newspaper arrived at the scene, a large group of residents in the area had gathered to look at the devastation.- Five cars are burnt out and then some have heat damages, a couple or three at least.The police thought of using a dog patrol to look for suspects, but there were too many people at the scene that it would make sense, says Olsson.Also last night a car burned in Alby.During the night a car burned in a parking lot in a residential area, not far from the place where today's drama unfolded. Sven-Erik Olsson can not say whether it has any connection, but he hopes that there might come more witness statements to the police.There are no reports of social unrest associated with the fires. The Swedes are patient people, hopefully not till the end.Comment below.I love heavy metal. I listen to other kinds of music too but METAL is my first musical love and that will never change. There are many kinds of metal I enjoy, Thrash Metal, Power Metal, Black Metal, Speed Metal, Progressive Metal, Metal Metal, even Metal Metal Metal. There is however one very small and very specific sub-sub-sub-genre of metal that I truly love with the firey passion of a thousand suns. Metal Songs About Being Metal.
I want to share some of these elite songs with you and where better to start than with Primal Fear’s “Metal Is Forever”? After failing to become the replacement vocalist for Judas Priest after Rob Halford left, Ralf Scheepers formed the band with the awesomely named Matt Sinner. They proceeded to be a better Judas Priest than The Priest themselves were for a while. “Metal Is Forever” is one of their crowning achievements in metaldom and is a rousing anthem for us all.
Before forming Primal Fear, Ralf Scheepers sang in the band Gamma Ray who are led by Kai Hansen. Kai Hansen is a European metal legend having formed Gamma Ray in 1988 after leaving the iconic power metal band he co-founded, Helloween. Mr. Hansen is unbelievably metal, as told to us very succinctly in “Heavy Metal (Is the Law)” from Helloween’s debut album The Walls of Jericho.
However, for Kai Hansen being in just one massively influential metal band was not enough, nor was recording just one song about the majesty of heavy metal music. Gamma Ray released Power Plant in 1999 and on that album is this little ditty known as “Heavy Metal Universe”
Not to be outdone, Kai Hansen’s former bandmates would years later record another song about the greatness of being metal. Helloween’s awesome 7 Sinners album from 2010 challenges us with the mighty “Are You Metal?” Well? Are you?
Perhaps the definitive Metal Song About Being Metal comes from a slightly lesser-known band, Dream Evil. “The Book of Heavy Metal” communicates the majesty and glory of metal like few others could. Come, bask in its magnificence!
Before we go, one must also give credit to the mighty Manowar who all those years ago urged you to “Blow Your Speakers” and even though they use the term “rock and roll” in the song, we know they were truly paying tribute to the Metal Gods.Reports coming out of Nelson are troubling, but some school officials are denying anything happened at all.
Depending on who is doing the explaining, there is either a troubling story coming out of Nelson County High School this week, or no story at all. Parents, students and a school employee are on one side; the superintendent on the other.
The concern is over a series of alleged incidents last week inside Nelson County High School. The stories include a noose, threatening notes, and homophobic remarks aimed at kids trying to promote tolerance.
Fiona Harper is a 10th-grader and worried about, what she says, is an escalating intolerance inside her high school. Harper says the tension came to a head last week when some students involved in a recently formed gay-straight alliance wore purple to school. They were met by others who had been told by a text message gone viral, how to make them feel uncomfortable.
"It said wear cammo tomorrow if you don't like gay people and you want to show that we don't support f****s in our school," said Harper.
The next day Harper says things got worse.
"There was a lot of name calling and there were actually nooses in the bathroom with a sign that said, ‘Go hang yourself f****s,'" said the sophomore. "So people are pretty upset about that."
Nelson County High School Principal Emma Wardlaw refused to speak about the issue. The superintendent of the entire school division, Roger Collins, says the events did not happen. School Board Chairman Jane Mays, however, says they are aware of the situation but have no comment.
"I'm completely outraged," said Fiona's mother, Rose Harper.
Rose Harper says she is happy that her daughter is speaking out in hopes that those who walk the halls of Nelson County High will become more tolerant and respect each other.
"There's a difference between a show of respect and you go over board," she said. "It's no longer freedom of speech; it's harassment."
UPDATE: Wednesday afternoon school Superintendent Roger Collins asked that additional information be included as a part of our coverage of this story. His written statement says that "A noose was not hanging in any restroom at NCHS that I am aware of." Collins adds that "inappropriate graffiti is often an issue in high schools and is found randomly on bathroom walls at times."
Collins says "The Nelson County Public School Division administration and staff have high expectations for student behavior. Each member of our team works diligently to provide an accepting and nurturing environment for all students."
Collins' letter to NBC29 concluded by saying "As an educational leader, community member and parent I do not condone nor do I accept harassment, bullying or intolerance in any form. My entire career has been focused on improving the lives of the students I have served. I am deeply saddened by the recent events at NCHS and I will work tirelessly and collaboratively to address this issue."
Reported by Henry Graff
See Bio / Email / TwitterAnother massive outpouring of Microsoft patches yesterday — more than 1,100 separate patches — brought a few surprises and shouts of indignation from a forced but unannounced upgrade. Some bugs are already evident, and there’s a storm brewing over one Office patch. But by and large, if you don’t use Internet Explorer or Edge, it’s a non-event.
Every version of Windows got patched yesterday (Win10 1709, Win10 1703, Win10 1607, Win10 1511 Enterprise, Win10 1507 LTSC, Win 8.1, Win RT 8.1, Win 7, plus Server 2016, 2012 R2, 2012, 2008 R2, 2008). Almost every version of Office (2016, 2013, 2010, 2007, plus 2013 and 2010 Click-to-Run). Plenty of miscellaneous, too: IE 11, 10, 9 and Edge, Flash for all, SharePoint Server, the ChakraCore package, and various.Nets including ASP.NET. The good news? Unless you use IE or Edge, there’s nothing pressing — you can sit back and watch the bugs crawling out of the woodwork.
Martin Brinkman at ghacks has a spreadsheet you can download if you’re curious. He shows more than 1,100 separately identified patches.
All of that’s in addition to the 43 non-security Office patches released last week, the Win7 and 8.1 Security-only patches, and the Monthly Patch previews.
Behind the curtain
For most of you, the key patches are these:
There’s a handful of fully disclosed bugs in the patches. You can see them in the KB articles associated with the individual patches. For the Win10 patches:
Internet Explorer 11 users who use SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS) may not be able to scroll through a dropdown menu using the scroll bar. (Fix: Change the document mode.)
Universal Windows Platform (UWP) applications that use JavaScript and asm.js may stop working. (Fix: Uninstall, then reinstall the application.)
May change Czech and Arabic languages to English for Microsoft Edge and other applications. (Fix: We’re working on it.)
But of course the disclosed bugs are never as interesting — or as problematic — as the unexpected ones.
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According to Microsoft, four of the fixed holes have been publicly disclosed, but none of them are being exploited in the wild at this point (which is to say, they’re not zero-days):
CVE-2017-8700 — ASP.NET Core Information Disclosure Vulnerability
CVE-2017-11827 — Microsoft Browser Memory Corruption Vulnerability
CVE-2017-11848 — Internet Explorer Information Disclosure Vulnerability
CVE-2017-11883 — ASP.NET Core Denial of Service Vulnerability
Once again, you can see security holes in IE 11 inherited by Edge.
Adobe released 9 security bulletins and advisories, which fixed 86 individually recognized security holes in Flash, Acrobat, Reader and other Adobe products. As usual, Microsoft incorporated the Flash fixes into its Win 8.1, 8.1 RT, Win 10 and Server 2012, 2012 R2 and 2016 patches.
My long-standing advice still rings true: If at all possible, get rid of Flash and Reader and use any browser other than IE or Edge.
Forced upgrade to 1709
The most vexing issue to crop up so far: Win10 Pro users who have their Group Policy set to block upgrades from 1703 (Creators Update) to 1709 (Fall Creators Update) are getting pushed onto 1709. Win10 1703 Pro users set to hold off for "Current Branch for Business" got bushwhacked, too. Poster NetDef on AskWoody says:
All (and I mean ALL) 1703 systems today, even with correct Group Policy settings enforced, that were NOT under a WSUS system have picked up and installed (or attempted to install) the 1709 feature update. Test systems that had CBB set, but also had the defer updates set for 60 or more days, did NOT update today. Test systems where we used WUShowHide to hide/defer the 1709 update have ALSO attempted to upgrade to 1709 today. MS has apparently greatly shorted the wait time for (formerly known as CBB) from 4 months to 1 month. I do not yet know if this was an accident, or intentional.
Given all of the recent complaints about bugs in the Fall Creators Update, being forced onto 1709 even with the “Current Branch for Business” set in the Security & Updates Advanced Options (screenshot) is unconscionable.
Woody Leonhard/IDG
Microsoft has retroactively redefined “Current Branch for Business” — which is to say, it has eliminated it — without warning, and without allowing customers to change their settings to something that says, in effect, back off.
Poster @MrBrian echoes the damnation of many:
My educated guess is that this was not an accident. The “Microsoft recommends” tag on the official Win10 release information site now points to 1709. Microsoft is now purposely blurring the distinction between what was formerly Current Branch and Current Branch for Business. I’m not surprised that Microsoft did this, but I would have thought that Microsoft would have given prominent notice beforehand (or did they?)
The only solution at this point is to make sure you have the feature update deferral setting ratcheted all the way up to 365 days. See my recommendation from October. If you got upgraded and don’t want to join Microsoft’s unpaid beta-testing club for 1709, you can roll back using Start > Settings > Update & security > Recovery and under “Go back to the previous version of Windows 10” click Get Started. Provided you roll back within 10 days, you should end up with your old system.
Problems on the Office front
Catalin Cimpanu at BleepingComputer calls out a worrying Excel patch, CVE-2017-11877 - Microsoft Excel Security Feature Bypass Vulnerability — previously undisclosed, that may allow jimmied Excel worksheets to bypass the usual auto-execution restrictions. No known exploits, as yet, but it’s unnerving.
There’s a new security advisory, ADV170020 - Microsoft Office Defense in Depth Update, that has exactly no description. Dustin Childs at Zero Day Initiative offers this possible explanation:
If one were to guess, it’s likely this advisory is related to the recent spate of malware abusing the Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) protocol. DDE provides data exchanges between Office and other Windows applications, however attackers leverage DDE fields to create documents that load malicious resources from an external server. Microsoft claims attackers may be abusing the feature, but it’s not a vulnerability per se. Hopefully, the update provided by this advisory restricts the abuse of this “feature” in some manner.
I talked about the suddenly popular {DDEAUTO} field on AskWoody last week in response to Microsoft’s Security Advisory 4053440. It looks like the mysterious ADV170020 somehow automates a subset of the manual tweaks provided in SA 4053440 but, of course, Microsoft has provided zero documentation. Security by obscurity, eh?
It also appears as if the new fixes for the “Unexpected error from external database driver” bugs are working. You may recall that those buggy patches for the buggy patches — KB 4052233, 4052234, and 4052235 — were pulled and completely obliterated from the record late last month. This month, we’re seeing fixes for all versions of Windows, including 1709 with this reassuring note:
Addressed issue where applications based on the Microsoft JET Database Engine (Microsoft Access 2007 and older or non-Microsoft applications) fail when creating or opening Microsoft Excel.xls files. The error message is: “Unexpected error from external database driver (1). (Microsoft JET Database Engine)".
More of a mixed bag
There’s some good news. @abbodi86 confirms that Microsoft fixed the retrograde bug I reported last month in the 2017-11 Win7 Monthly Rollup Preview, the SFC scanning bug that originated long ago in KB 3125574.
And there are some odd glitches:
Equation Editor phunnies
Finally, the most contentious patch of all. The Embedi malware folks found a severe security bug in the old — 17 years old — Office Equation Editor. You may remember the Word Equation Editor, which about 10 people once used to make equations look nice inside their Word docs. Almost everybody has the Equation Editor installed and enabled. Almost everybody with Office is vulnerable. But there’s no hue and cry as yet because working exploit code isn’t available. Yet.
Microsoft has a writeup for the security hole CVE-2017-11882 - Microsoft Office Memory Corruption Vulnerability. Microsoft lists it as “Important - Exploitation less likely” with no known exploit code.
Embedi insists that the problem can be triggered with no user prompt. Microsoft, by virtue of its “Important” designation, claims that some user intervention is required. Embedi says it has exploit code, which it delivered to Microsoft on March 8. Microsoft says it has no functioning exploit code.
Who’s right? Who knows? You can manually circumvent the problem by making two registry changes listed in the Embedi article.
It’s a messy month. With no “critical” Windows updates, as long as you don’t use IE or Edge, there’s no huge pressure to apply the updates just yet.
Thanks to @GossiTheDog, @teralhonen, @barbbowman, @abbodi86, @PKCano, @MrBrian, and the many intrepid testers on AskWoody.
Hit a bug? We’re all ears on the AskWoody Lounge.Gluten-free is hot — diets, cookbooks and even bread. We’ll look at the logic and dollar signs behind the boom.
In this Thursday, July 14, 2012 photo, Bertha Domimguez prepares gluten-free dough at Pure Knead bakery sandwich bread in Decatur, Ga. Scientists suggest that there may be more Celiac disease today because people eat more processed wheat products than in decades past, which use types of wheat that have a higher gluten content. (AP)
“Gluten-free” is everywhere now. On banners and signs and food labels all over. As if we are all gluten intolerant, or could all be saved by a gluten-free diet. The claims are huge. Save your weight, your heart, your mind, your life. They put a lot off-limits. Wheat and rye and barley and couscous. Most beer and hot dogs, bouillon, soy sauce, baked beans, ice cream, ketchup, vodka. Is it worth it? For some, definitely. For most – that’s another question. This hour On Point: we’re talking about the “gluten-free” boom – the science, the hope, the hype, and what it’s all about.
-- Tom Ashbrook
Guests
James Hamblin, senior editor at The Atlantic. (@jameshamblin)
Dr. Peter Green, director of the Celiac Disease Center at Columbia University. Author of "Celiac Disease: A Hidden Epidemic."
Dr. David Perlmutter, neurologist and author of "Grain Brain: The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar — Your Brain's Silent Killers." (@davidperlmutter)
Mieke Johnson, co-owner and baker at Tula Gluten Free Bakery Cafe. (@WheatFreeTweet)
From Tom's Reading List
The Atlantic: This Is Your Brain On Gluten — "I hope people don’t give up on nutrition science, because there is a sense that no one agrees on anything. An outlier comes shouting along every year with a new diet bent on changing our entire perspective, and it’s all the talk. That can leave us with a sense that no one is to be believed. The scientific community on the whole is not as capricious as the bestseller list might make it seem."
New York Times: A Big Bet on Gluten-Free — "Makers of products that have always been gluten-free, including popcorn, potato chips, nuts and rice crackers, are busy hawking that quality in ads and on their packaging. And consumers are responding with gusto. The portion of households reporting purchases of gluten-free food products to Nielsen hit 11 percent last year, rising from 5 percent in 2010."
Scientific American: Most People Shouldn't Eat Gluten-Free — "Many Americans are considering cutting back on the amount of gluten in their diets or avoiding it altogether. However, nutritionists say that if this is not done carefully, the diet can be unhealthy. In a recent poll, 30 percent of adults said they wanted to 'cut down or be free of gluten,' according to The NDP Group, the market-research company that conducted the poll. That's the highest percentage of people to report having this goal since the poll began asking the question in 2009, NDP says."The 2017 NFL team schedules were released on Thursday, and the Rams gave fans a live look inside the room as head coach Sean McVay, general manager Les Snead and COO Kevin Demoff learned their regular season fate.
It’s actually pretty fascinating to watch their honest reactions in real time – particularly because this is McVay’s first year as a head coach and the team is looking to bounce back from one of their most controversial seasons ever.
Related This is the full schedule for the Los Angeles Rams in the 2017 season
The crew is predictably pleased that they get to open up at home against the Indianapolis Colts, but keep watching as they learn that they’ll host Washington in Week 2:
Inside the Call 📞: How the #Rams found out about the 2017 @NFL schedule pic.twitter.com/JQSwixE36I — Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) April 21, 2017
In the midst of a joke about Tony Romo, McVay went from jovial to stone-faced as soon as he heard that it will be extremely early in the season when he runs up against the offense that he helped build as the OC for three seasons under Jay Gruden.
“Oh now that’s exciting,” McVay said calmly, albeit with a distinct edginess.
Related Rams and Chargers simultaneous home games already causing traffic concerns
Demoff then piped in to dub it “Coach McVay Bowl” – after which Snead followed up with a teasing “can’t get beat by big brother!”
Their comments were obviously made all in good fun, however, it was clear that McVay has already determined that game to be a must-win.
“It’ll be a good game,” he said. “Looking forward to it.”
The guys went on to nickname a few more of their matchups, calling their Week 10 game against the Texans the “Wade Phillips Bowl” and their Week 14 game hosting the Eagles as the “Goff Versus Wentz Bowl” – a nod to the fact that it will be the first time that the first and second overall picks in the 2016 NFL Draft get to face off.The 48 year-old, head of the South Asia desk of the British Foreign Office, was watching a television report about the death of a farmer killed by Israeli bombs when he exclaimed: ''******* Israelis, ******* Jews''.
Fellow gym members Gideon Falter and William Lemaine, who were on a lower floor using weights, overheard Laxton, who was on an |
Apple remove from its online store a smart-phone app that he says distorts his research on homosexuality to support the argument that homosexuality is a behavior that can be changed.
Dr. Gary Remafedi, director of the Youth and AIDS Projects and a professor of pediatrics at the University of Minnesota, sent a letter Monday to Apple founder Steven Jobs and its interim CEO, Tim Cook, about the Exodus International app.
Remafedi wrote that the app "erroneously cites my research in support of claims that homosexuality can be changed.... Associating my work with that of the ex-gay ministry and other unfounded treatments is professionally injurious and grievous."
In an interview Monday, he said Exodus' app falsely cites his research as saying the young people are "confused" about their sexual orientation.
Florida-based Exodus International, which describes itself as "the world's largest worldwide ministry to those struggling with unwanted same-sex attraction," says its app is "a useful resource for men, women, parents, students and ministry leaders."
A rival national organization, Truth Wins Out, said the app directs users to a Web page that answers various questions about homosexuality, among them: "If people are same-sex attracted but don't ever act on it, does that make them homosexual?" In the answers, Exodus "twists the findings of Dr. Remafedi" from 1992 to make it appear homosexuality is "just a transitory phase in youth," Truth Wins Out said in a statement.
Remafedi said he has challenged many misrepresentations of his work over the years and has had "100 percent" success in doing so.
He said an Apple administrator sent him an e-mail in response to his letter. "They said they are on it," Remafedi said. "I am simply pointing out a problem. I'm sure they will do the right thing."
Calls to Apple for comment were not returned Monday.
Paul Walsh • 612-673-4482One morning this session, at the start of parliamentary business, Elizabeth May and Liberal MP Frank Valeriote ran into each other in the House of Commons. They had both been there late the night before for a debate. Valeriote apparently assumed that May had had the misfortune to be assigned a morning shift in the House. “He looked at me and he was so tired he forgot that I didn’t have somebody ordering me around,” May recalls. “He said, ‘Oh jeez, did you get House duty again?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, my leader’s such a bitch.’ ”
The joke, of course, is that Elizabeth May is her own leader. And the truth is that Elizabeth May doesn’t have House duty. Because, rather than putting in periodic shifts in the House of Commons, May is rarely anywhere else. The House of Commons is her office. “By the time you look at all the things that it’s possible to do as a right as an individual MP, I think the question isn’t why do I spend so much time in the House,” she says, “it’s why don’t other MPs spend time in the House?”
***
A week after the American presidential election—a massive undertaking of money and technology that Barack Obama won with the assistance of behavioural scientists—Elizabeth May has just finished standing on a street corner in Victoria, waving at motorists as they drive to work. “It’s a nice, friendly thing to do,” she says. Plus there’s not much else a campaign can do between 7 and 9am.
She is being driven to another street corner, where she will wave at more cars, while she tries to explain why she is otherwise almost always found in her seat in the far left corner of the House of Commons. “Well, it’s the logical thing to do,” she says. “Everybody else calls it House duty and I just call it work.”
She had assumed that last year’s election would result in another minority parliament and had been thinking about what influence she could have in that circumstance as a lone Green MP. She was hoping she could advance the discussion of a coalition government. But then election night came and the television networks heralded the arrival of a majority government. “At that point I began rethinking everything. And that’s when I read O’Brien and Bosc cover to cover and began to consider what will be the pivot points from which one seat can create a lot of leverage,” she says. “And that means being in the House. Because your opportunity, for instance, to be heard, to speak on issues, to ensure that no bill goes by where the Green party view is not expressed in Hansard. I get one question a week in Question Period, but essentially there’s no limit on the numbers of time I can stand to speak in debates on legislation.”
Her officially allotted office, located in the Confederation Building at the foot of Parliament Hill, has been turned over to four staff members and 20 interns. She periodically steps out of the office to take a meeting or conduct an interview, but her seat near the translators is her base of operations. And that there is now a near-constant presence in Seat 309—like a human mace when the House is in session—compels her colleagues to take her into account, even if just in the smallest of ways: House leaders, she says, now make sure to run upcoming requests for unanimous consent by her before presenting them to the Speaker. “It was reinforced for me that I have to be in there as much as possible when there were some unanimous consent efforts that nearly slipped past me, where I really didn’t want to give consent,” she says. “And if I’m going to get the other parties to take seriously that they need to consult the Green party before they assume they have unanimous consent it has to be a plausible threat: that I’m actually there all the time and you’re not likely to slip by a unanimous consent motion.”
If, when she stands to speak, she is heckled, she returns to her seat and waits for the noise to stop. This fall she has risen to contribute to debates about free trade with Panana, a foreign investment deal with China, the Family Homes on Reserves and Matrimonial Interests or Rights Act, oil spill prevention in the Arctic, the Navigable Waters Protection Act, the military justice system, immigration law and food inspection, while also introducing C-454, An Act respecting an All Buffleheads Day and beseeching the Speaker to rule on the parameters around the 15 minutes before Question Period reserved for one-minute statements by MPs. “I have had colleagues in civil society say, ‘If I were you I wouldn’t spend anytime in the House, it’s useless for you to be there, you should be criss-crossing the country building support for the Green party.’ But, again, that’s what I would do if I thought my primary responsibility was to the Green party. But I don’t. My primary responsibility is to the voters of Saanich-Gulf Islands who sent me to the House of Commons. And they do not want to find that they’ve elected someone who has used and, I think, abused the trust they’ve placed in me to be the best possible member of parliament for them and be a voice in the House of Commons to restore civility and respect and to push back on the heckling. I think it’s a big part of why I was elected and it’s a big part of what I want to do, that can’t be done while criss-crossing the country talking about partisan politics.”
Two weeks after the House convened last year for the 41st Parliament, May stood as the only vote against extending the country’s military mission in Libya. A year later she helped lead the fight against C-38, the omnibus budget bill. In the all-night vote marathon that followed, she was one of five MPs to be present for all 157 votes. As she cast the last opposition vote against the bill, she received a standing ovation from the MPs around her and she cried. (For the record, she did not require diapers to remain in the House for 23 consecutive hours without a break. “I drank very little water. I was judicious,” she says. “I figured I needed to have enough liquids to keep me from dying.” She had some experience in this regard: A decade earlier she’d been outside Centre Block, staging a 17-day hunger strike to protest the Sydney Tar Ponds.)
On the phone, May is like your cheerful, eccentric aunt. She is enthusiastic and effusive on almost all points. Her sentences are regularly footnoted as they’re spoken. “Put me down with Stanley Knowles,” she says of the former NDP MP who was given a seat at the clerk’s table when he retired after 16 years as the MP for Winnipeg Centre. “I think that if they let me sit there into my 80s, I’d sit there. I love parliamentary democracy. I am fascinated by procedure. I’m beside myself with the way things are slipping.” What follows then is a 524-word dissertation—stretching from the slightest breach of decorum to the profound questions of power at the heart of our system—on the state of parliamentary democracy in Ottawa.
“I know it sounds small, but you’re not supposed to have members of Parliament standing and waiting their turn because they know when they’re going to be called and they have their speech ready and they’ve got the little podium and they’ve got a written speech in front of them and they’re standing while someone else is speaking. No one is supposed to stand except the person that’s been recognized by the Speaker and until you’re recognized by the Speaker you’re not supposed to stand. I know these may seem like small points, but it’s indicative of a failure to recognize that the respect for traditions in the House of Commons may start with things like one person stands at a time and only when recognized by the Speaker. And as soon as the Speaker stands, the person who’s in full oratory flight is supposed to sit down. Those are things that when you ignore that you also can get away with having a prime minister who ignores all parliamentary tradition and prorogues—well, not all, because Sir John A. Macdonald did it once and then paid for it by losing power—but you’re not supposed to prorogue the House of Commons to avoid a political difficulty. So a failure to respect our traditions of Stephen Harper proroguing twice then launched into Dalton McGuinty proroguing. This is very unhealthy for democracy. Because we are a Westminster parliamentary democracy and tradition and if we don’t pay attention and respect Parliament, then we are allowing the Prime Minister’s Office, which doesn’t exist as an entity in our constitution, it’s not like the executive branch and the White House in the U.S. constitution—the notion of a Prime Minister’s Office as an entity in the machinery of government is simply an invention, but it’s like a cancerous growth. And as the Prime Minister’s Office grows, and this is a trend we started with Pierre Trudeau in a much more innocuous way, it’s not reached its apex, but if we don’t do anything to stop it, what else will the next prime minister do? And as the PMO grows into being the all-powerful decision-maker, leaving cabinet ministers, basically their job appears to be the primary public relations spokesperson for an area of policy they had nothing to do with developing, it’s dangerous to health of democracy. So respect for Parliament, to me, is synonymous with respect for democracy. And I respect Parliament and that’s where the work is happening. I respect … there’s very few ministers who actually, actually I can only think of one, who sit though parliamentary debate on their own bills. And that’s, and should I say for credit where credit’s due, Jason Kenney. When his bills are being debated and when I rise to criticize his legislation, he actually knows what I’m talking about and will make a reasoned defence of his own legislation. But for the most part, it’s like a ritualized form of theatre. And that’s dangerous. It’s not just a relic, sort of an anachronism, that we still have parliamentary democracy. That’s the system. And the problem is PMO, not Parliament.”
She could go on. And, in fact, she does as the conversation continues (for an extra 15 minutes beyond the allotted half hour after she and the person driving her go a bit off course).
Each party, she says, has its own version of the PMO: “people who are unelected, political, full-time strategists, who only care about winning and I don’t think they have a single strand of DNA in their being that cares about the good of the country as a whole.” The public never sees them, but these are the people, she says, who “call the shots.” “I don’t have any of that,” she says, “and as long as I’m leader of the Green party we never will.”
It is easier for her to say. She is, so far as the House of Commons is concerned, an independent MP. She is the leader of her party, but she is also its only elected member. She has no caucus to consider, no colleagues with whom she might clash. This doesn’t necessarily invalidate any of her concerns about the function and functioning of Parliament, the role of MPs and the balance of power. But it does provide her an entirely unique position from which she can survey Parliament and publicly pronounce on its fitness.
It is from this vantage point—literally Seat 309, but also figuratively Seat 309—that she makes her pitch. “Greens, when we’re a larger group in the House, will be able to demonstrate you can be a political party, you can adhere to the same values, and you can do it while respecting the role of Members of Parliament, not as non-entity nobodies who fill a space on behalf of their brand until the next time that there’s a sales pitch, but as actual thinking, conscientious, dedicated, community leaders,” she says. “And frankly, I would say that by far, like well over 90% of the current House of Commons fit that description of being thoughtful, dedicated and community-minded people who, because of the current tyranny of hyper-partisanship, spend their days taking orders and minding their Ps and Qs and deeply resenting it. People resent it to different degrees, but it’s not really what they signed up for.”
She is, of course, a politician—obviously and thoroughly. As sure as she will stand on a street corner in Victoria, she has something to sell and she needs people to believe in it, if even just a little bit. So maybe this is her angle. It could be that this is merely her opening. It could be that Parliament is merely a tool to further her political career. But all that could be true and maybe her larger point would still stand. “As long as Canadians are encouraged, and I think they are encouraged, to regard parliament as dysfunctional and uninteresting, then that means surrendering their own levers of power and saying, okay, we’ll let the people we didn’t elect run everything. You elected your MP. Your MP is accountable to you and should be accountable to no one else. And Canadians need to reclaim that.”
She is simultaneously running for Parliament and against the system. “I’m so liberated by my status,” she says. “I wouldn’t trade places with any other MP. The only MP I’d trade places with is the member for Calgary Southwest.”- it was confirmed in 9.3 supertest patchnotes that suicides will be punished in World of Tanks. A player asked, how will the game know if I for example drive off the bridge by accident. Storm answered that you’d have to “drive off by accident” three times in a row, so that’s apparently the limit of suicide punishment.
- you won’t get bonus XP for blocking shells with your tracks (SS: for example sidescraping). Storm: “Blocking shells by tracks – that’s bullshit and not tanking”
- Storm confirms that shooting hatches will NOT produce less damage than shooting other parts, because it would be counterintuitive for players
- +/-1 MM will not be implemented (Storm: “It would be boring shit”)
- Storm considers current tier 1,2,11 battles (those that have 1 MM spread) boring
- the biggest problem for creating HD models for now is that outsourced modellers suck (lag behind)
- Storm states that having full HD resolution for all tanks (and not just yours in battle as it was changed in 9.2) is pointless, as you can only tell the difference from like half a meter
- the full HD texture resolution for other tank than yours will not return, not even as an option
- free XP calculation formula won’t be changed
- Storm explains his statement that “there was not enough space in the garage and that’s why the UI got reworked”: “space for extended tank characteristics, that will come a bit later”
- Sturmtiger won’t be in the game, because it’s impossible to balance. I asked Storm whether he is considering replacing it with another candidate, such as the StuG Maus for the Brummbär line, he said it was not yet looked into
- 9.3 performance optimization will not concern only weak computers
- it will not be possible to disable HD models (SS: as in, the things will stay as they are now), the client will also not be split to normal and HD client
- Storm does not think that the HD vehicles, as they are now, look too “new and clean”, they have traces of use on them
- more spotting points on a tank: “when it’s done it’s done”
- no plans to nerf gold ammo as a whole
- new French heavy line will definitely not come in 2014 or 2015
- Storm confirms that the bug where the tanks are oddly tilted when scouted or when the map is loading will be fixed in 9.3
- Storm states that it is not possible to do anything with the issue (for now) where during one session, you get the same maps over and over again
- Storm states that the feature, planned earlier, where it would be possible to move a tank on one track a bit when it got detracked, the way it is in War Thunder, was scrapped
- new crew skills and perks will not come this year
- regarding the transmission/engine split, the vehicles of tiers 8-10 that got reworked in the 9.3 patch were only the first batch, it takes a long time to apply this mechanism to all the vehicles in the game
- both transmission and engine will have a common HP pool
- alternative hulls: “maybe next year”
- when new motion physics gets implemented, tank climbing ability on slopes will likely be artificially limited, the way it is now
- T-50-2 will not return
- it will theoretically be possible for a ricocheted shell to damage second tank
- T49 Light Tank will have two types of credit shells: HEAT and HE. According to developers, the HEAT penetration (SS: 152mm) is not very high and on high tiers, every second tank has some spaced armor, so shooting with it won’t be as simple
- LT video will come soon apparently
- T49 tank destroyer will be renamed to T67Chattanooga skyline. Top photo credit: C Simmons / Foter / CC BY-NC 2.0.
Tucked down into the southeast corner of Tennessee, Chattanooga is, perhaps, the most unassuming city in the Volunteer State. Though it doesn't have the musical legacies of Nashville or Memphis, or the University of Tennessee like Knoxville, what Chattanooga's 170,000 residents do share is the fastest Internet speeds in the United States. That's right: Chattanooga is the first Western Hemisphere city running a one-gigabit-per-second fiber Internet service. It's 200 times faster than the national average and has earned Chattanooga its nickname, Gig City, along with a seat at the grown-up table.
The fact that Chattanooga is leading the way in infrastructure is not surprising to anyone who knows the place. Chattanooga also boasts the world's longest pedestrian bridge (Walnut Street Bridge), the world's largest freshwater aquarium (Tennessee Aquarium), the world's steepest passenger railway (Lookout Mountain Incline Railway), and the world's highest overland bungee cord jump (Chattanooga Adventure Sports). It was also once listed as the “dirtiest city in America” due to outrageous pollution, but have made so much progress environmentally that Outside magazine readers named it “best town ever”. And, the MoonPie originated at the Chattanooga Bakery in 1917.
Here are Chattanooga's top 11 Shareable innovations:
1. Public Utilities
EPB SmarterGrid HD from EPB Fiber Optics on Vimeo.
The aforementioned one-gig fiber optic network is not only fast, it's also publicly owned by Chattanooga's EPB utility company, and it supports their SmarterGrid system, which is the most advanced power grid in the U.S. As old infrastructure falters and decays around the country, even mild storms can cause power outages. Chattanooga's SmarterGrid avoids all that and preserves the $100 million a year revenue that the city would lose from down time. Not only does the network lead to more power reliability and energy conservation, but it also allows for increased productivity and broader innovation. Further still, a smart grid brings renewable energy options one step closer.
Danna Bailey, who handles corporate communications for EPB, explains, “We believe that Internet is becoming as critical today as electric power was at the beginning of the 20th century, and what we’ve done with the network we’ve built is lay a foundation for our community to have what it needs in terms of bandwidth for the foreseeable future. Much like the ubiquitous availability of electric power was a key factor in opening the door for innovation in the 1900s, we believe high-speed Internet will have a similar effect here. Because we chose to build a complete fiber optic network, our customers are only limited by the electronics on either end. As more applications are built, people will want more bandwidth — and the network we have is suited perfectly for that. … I think it’s infused a new sense of the possible. There’s a new level of confidence and excitement about our opportunity to engineer our own future in Chattanooga.”
2. Public Transit
Lookout Mountain Incline Railway. Photo credit: Chris Totsky / Foter / CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.
Cruising from public utilities over to public transit, Chattanooga's CARTA (Chattanooga Area Regional Transit Authority) runs the Lookout Mountain Incline Railway, as well as one of the nation's largest fleets of electric vehicles all of which have WiFi. Transporting a million passengers a year via electric vehicles keeps more than 65 tons of emissions out of Chattanooga's air. Although their once county-wide services were scaled back due to budget constraints, CARTA continues to innovate within those constraints having implemented one of the top Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) in the country back in 2008. Using GPS and computer-assisted dispatching technology, CARTA's Bus Tracker app provides real-time arrival information at bus stops along its routes. They also experiment with things like solar panels, gas turbines, alternative battery chemistries, inductive charging, and hydrogen auxiliary power units.
CARTA's communications manager, Veronica Peebles, notes, “CARTA has a reputation for innovation and excellence. The future of public transit in Chattanooga is exciting as we are constantly planning and discussing how we can be the regional transit provider that we once were. Our ongoing planning process includes, but is not limited to, evaluating our existing routes and services for potential expansion, studying traffic patterns, identifying the areas of economic development and growth, and seizing opportunities to partner with local government, other community businesses, and organizations who share our sentiment that an investment needs to be made in the future of public transportation in our region.”
3. Biking
Bike Chattanooga. Photo credit: Elly Blue / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0.
CARTA's buses aren't the only way to get around Gig City. Even though it's a somewhat sprawling town, Chattanooga is committed to getting its bike on. Starting in 2007, the city began surveying residents to gauge their interest in a bikeshare program. After 75 percent of the participants expressed a favorable regard for the idea, the Lyndhurst Foundation ponied up $100,000 and the city, in conjunction with CARTA, was able to secure additional federal air-quality funding to get Bike Chattanooga on its feet... or wheels, as the case may be. Some 12,600 riders took spins in the program's first six months. A few years later, Bike Chattanooga has 300 bikes at 33 stations across the city and ridership is way up.
Ben Taylor of Chattanooga's Transportation Department: “The Chattanooga Bicycle Transit System is a key piece of the city transportation department’s commitment to supporting all modes of transportation. Bike Chattanooga just had its second anniversary with over 78,000 trips taken. That’s an over 40 percent increase in trips in our second year. Several protected bike lane projects are in the works, so we will see cycling increase as we make our street accessible to a wider range of the public.”
4. Local Food
The TasteBuds local food map. Photo credit: Crabtree Farms.
Like up-and-coming cities everywhere, Chattanooga is hopping on the local food bandwagon with farmers' markets, community gardens, and CSAs like Chattanooga Market, River Market, Main Street Market, Fair Share Urban Growers, Colvin Family Farm, and Signal Mountain Farm, along with a slew of restaurants that source their ingredients from area farmers. As, perhaps, the leader of the pack, Crabtree Farms worked in collaboration with the Benwood Foundation's Gaining Ground program to create TasteBuds, a guide and map that helps folks identify all of those eateries, shops, and other programs that focus on local food.
Andrea Jaeger, Programs Coordinator at Crabtree Farms, enthuses, “We’re at an exciting point right now when fresh, local foods are becoming more available to all of Chattanooga, which could have a tremendously positive impact on our local economy. With an increase in local farmers' markets, restaurants, and grocers sourcing from farmers; an increasing number of community supported agriculture (CSA) programs; and resources including the TasteBuds local food guide, local people are able to connect directly to the farmers who grow their food. What’s more, nearly half of our local farmers' markets accept Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, and a new ordinance allows for SNAP to be used to purchase CSA shares, making local food an option for all income levels. When we buy local, we have more control over our food choices, enabling us to enjoy fresher, more delicious foods. Not only that, we can keep our food dollars closer to home. A study in 2008 found that if every Chattanoogan were to spend just 5 percent of their total food budgets on local food, we’d add an impressive $100 million to our local economy. We are hoping that, with the way things are going now, we can even double that!”
5. Sustainable Building
A LEED certification on Main Street. Photo credit: Larry Miller / Foter / CC BY-NC 2.0.
Chattanooga's push toward sustainability doesn't stop at its smart grid, bikesharing, and local food. For the past six years, Gig City has been going green wherever and whenever it can. That means the new Volkswagen plant, the EPB facility, Riverview Animal Hospital, Cohutta Bank, Firestation Nos. 4 and 7, Majestic 12 Cinema, Hampton Inn and Suites, and 23 others are all LEED-certified buildings with 24 more in awaiting approval. Not only that, but the Chattanooga Airport’s new corporate flight center is the first terminal in the world to garner a LEED Platinum certification. In fact, solar arrays are currently being installed and will eventually power the whole airport.
green|spaces has been very involved with the greening of Gig City, as Michael Walton, the group's new Executive Director, noted: “The future of sustainability and green building in Chattanooga is strong. Those businesses, institutions, and individuals that care about the occupants of their buildings and their bottom line, and who are leaders in the community, will continue to pursue LEED certification. Those who don't qualify for or can't afford to pursue LEED certification can turn to our new green|light program for Chattanooga's local green businesses. We are building a series of next-generation houses which will go above and beyond LEED and look toward the Living Building Challenge, the ultimate green building standard. We also continue to educate local developers, design professionals, builders, and the general public about the latest best practices to help raise the standard of building. Finally, we are working on developing a plan to dramatically improve energy efficiency and affordability of utilities in low-income neighborhoods to help families afford better food, housing, and healthcare.”
6. Housing
Building our Future from The Crash Pad:An Uncommon Hostel on Vimeo.
Speaking of sustainable housing, Chattanooga really is putting its money where its mouths are. There's the Seniors Together co-housing project, the Fairmount Avenue affordable (and LEED-certified) townhouses, the Madison Street modern (and LEED-certified) homes, and the various affordable housing complexes under the Chattanooga Housing Authority's purview including Maple Hills and Edward F. Steiner apartments. Even people looking for sustainable short-term housing options need to look no further than The Crash Pad hostel.
John Ying, the Crash Pad's General Manager, says, “The Crash Pad was created three years ago to fill an empty niche in the Chattanooga community for sustainably built, shared overnight stays. The hostel model invites sharing, creativity, and respect for those outside of your norm. Family dinners, lawn games, and ride shares are beautiful and frequent occurrences when one regards strangers as potential friends. One of our missions is to reeducate tourists about a different way to travel rather than locking the hotel room door and turning on the TV. Creating a shared space where our guests can ask others what they did today or sights they've seen ensures an experience that's tailored to them and their interests. We want the Crash Pad to act as an inspiration to commercial and residential developers to go green from the beginning and upgrade with sustainable techniques. We are eager to share our knowledge and do often! Chattanooga is perfectly set up to build more sustainably, and, given our history, it's really a no brainer. We don't want to go back to our past; being declared the dirtiest city in America once was once too many.”
7. Community Development
A Glass House Collective public art project. Photo credit: Glass House Collective.
Sustainable buildings and homes are great, but populating them with community-minded residents is even better. In Chattanooga, a few different collectives have come together to bring together those sorts of groups. The Movement Arts Collective offers, well, movement arts such as yoga and dance to area residents. The NorthShore Merchants Collective brings together merchants and business owners on the NorthShore to help preserve and promote their neighborhood. They also issue NorthShore Bucks, a sort of local currency that most of the merchants accept. The Glass House Collective is all about creative placemaking. They get people out on the streets and into the neighborhood through various programs, as well as grants to artists who spend a year working on neighborhood art projects in Glass Street studios.
Glass House Collective's communications and outreach director Teal Thibaud “Chattanooga is known for working with public and private partners to invest in places others have overlooked. For example, the Aquarium, Miller Plaza, Riverfront, and Main Street — those specific places have continued to have a positive ripple effect on their surrounding communities. Moving forward, as investment and partners pool together to continue making our city center more vibrant the efforts to rebuild forgotten neighbors is key to sustain the redevelopment efforts in downtown proper.”
8. Shared Spaces
Members collaborating at Society of Work. Photo credit: Society of Work.
With all that Internet speed, all sorts of projects and professionals are bound to be needing space. That's why Gig City offers a variety of work spaces, sized — and styled — to fit. While the Chattanooga WorkSpace might sound like a coworking hotspot, it's actually geared toward artists, but it also has room for events. Over at the multi-purpose Camp House, there's a coffee house, a mobile office, an event space, and, until recently, a thrift store. For straight-up office and coworking space, the Concierge Office Suites and the Society of Work are the places to be, along with two shared maker spaces — Chattlabs and the 4th Floor at the Chattanooga Public Library — and the Artifact crafter's cooperative.
Society of Work's founder Kelly Fitzgerald notes, “Coworking in Chattanooga has had an organic growth cycle. As a true business model, coworking didn't exist until Society of Work (SOW). However, there were VC firms and business incubators started in 2011, and earlier in some cases. These organizations still exist, but unless you are you are being incubated by these entities, you can't work there and share amenities with other small businesses. Without these initial businesses, I don't think SOW would have gained traction as quickly as it has. Chattanooga has been a tricky market in that a large number of people think of shared office space as four walls within another four walls. Coworking succeeds when people have the ability to make their own space; hence, why all of our furniture is on wheels — it is truly their office. Coworking is the conduit, providing shared amenities and resources that can help build business. The open office aspect is, in some ways, no different than working in a large corporate setting. Through coworking, people have an opportunity to pave their own path and create an independence that a corporate job often does not provide. For the right person, it is the perfect environment to thrive. Chattanooga is highly supportive of small business and, for that reason, I see coworking as something that will continue to grow, even if we have started a little bit behind the curve.”
9. Business
The Idea Board at GigTank. Photo credit: Larry Miller / Foter / CC BY-NC 2.0.
Speaking of small businesses, Chattanooga was, a century ago, the entrepreneurial hub of the South, situated comfortably on the Tennessee River between Atlanta, Birmingham, Nashville, and Knoxville. Add the low cost of living to the SmarterGrid and a growth spurt is inevitable. Choose Chattanooga works hard to attract innovators, then the Chattanooga Renaissance Fund helps out with angel investments. One of the other main players in the business is The Company Lab which runs its CO.LAB Accelerator mentorship program for entrepreneurs as well as GigTank, a 14-week accelerator program focused on utilizing Chattanooga's fiber optic network.
Mike Bradshaw, CO.LAB's Executive Director, believes, “We’ve reached a new moment of opportunity for entrepreneurs in Chattanooga. Over the last few years, a number of critical startup resources have sprung up and aligned forces with existing business development entities in our area. Thanks to the responsiveness of our angel capital community and coordination among local startup supporters, Chattanooga’s entrepreneurial ecosystem now supports new companies at every level of the growth process, from business ideation to capital recruitment to longer-term incubation. As more people take advantage of these resources, we expect entrepreneurial activity in our area to continue to grow and create new economic opportunity for those who live here.”
10. The Arts
PAC's Art Trail map. Photo credit: Public Art Chattanooga.
Chattanooga is so invested in the arts that they have a Public Art Chattanooga (PAC) commission through which they desginate grants for public art projects. There's also 4 Bridges Arts Festival put on by the Association for Visual Arts as a way to connect art and community and the ArtsBuild fund and council, which is focused on supporting a healthy, multi-cultural arts environment in Hamilton County. And when those newly funded artists need a place to perfect their crafts, the Chattanooga WorkSpace provides studio, gallery, and event space to artists.
Chris Thomas, Executive Director of the Chattanooga Market which houses Chattanooga WorkSpace, “We see a lot of fresh momentum in Chattanooga regarding the arts, including a new influx of artists moving to our city because of all the opportunities and infrastructure emerging. At our own facility, we've seen tremendous interest for professional studio space and have maintained nearly 100 percent capacity since opening. There is also a lot of energy surrounding the creative live/work concepts several organizations in town are pursuing — all of which strengthens our art scene.”
11. Repurposed Goods
A true Tennessee-style belt buckle. Photo credit: Collective Clothing.
Across the board, it seems that reducing, reusing, and recycling is the name of the game in Chattanooga, and that applies to various goods. Three major flea markets — East Ridge Flea Market, I-75 Flea Market, and Sweetwater Flea Market — afford bountiful opportunities to find perfectly good stuff. Meanwhile, Green Door Trading Co. and Collective Clothing both offer more fashionable selections, and McKay Used Books covers various media. The Community Kitchen also has two wonderful repurposing programs that support Gig City's homeless community. Pedal Power restores bikes and gives them to homeless people as a means of empowerment and a mode of transportation, and Consider the Lilies Thrift Store and Give-away Program provides clothing to the same population, as well as revenues for the Kitchen.
Sondra Aten, Co-owner of Collective Clothing, feels, “Recycling has always been in fashion. Some people are more involved than others, but anyone could benefit from adding a second-hand clothing item to their wardrobe. Chattanooga is really supportive of our two stores, which sell second-hand modern and vintage clothing and accessories. But a lot of people still come in and wonder what we are and exactly what we are selling. For those people, I have some advice: You may find it easy to start buying vintage by adding a staple such as jeans or cut-offs to open yourself up to the idea of wearing vintage. My challenge is to find the person that isn't sure, and help them find the look they like and feel comfortable in. I'm always amazed when you meet someone that used to only dress in new apparel, and then a month later is rocking a flashy statement piece from a thrift shop. Converts are the reason we thrive. Second-hand fashion can be inspired by a variety of things and we try to stay informed of what people are buying and are constantly changing what we have to offer based on that. But, all together, Chattanooga is an upcoming city when it comes to second-hand fashion and we are proud to be a part of it!”A gang of 12 men who sexually exploited a vulnerable schoolgirl in Bradford have been sentenced to a combined 140 years in prison.
A trial heard how the girl was repeatedly raped and abused by the men when she was 13 and 14 years old, in a series of encounters arranged by a violent drug dealer.
Eleven of the men were jailed for raping the girl in Keighley, West Yorkshire, during a hearing at Bradford Crown Court. A 12th man was sentenced for sexual activity with the same girl.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your |
for objects matching the properties theorised for common-envelope events, and were surprised to discover several red transients that fitted their predictions.
"It felt really good to find these objects which matched the theory," says Ivanova.
"It's not very often you get the chance to explain something which is unknown. It's a nice feeling."
Based on their model, the researchers suggest that many red transients result from common-envelope events, and that red transients represent their long-sought signatures.
Ivanova now wants to focus on unravelling the physics that causes the common-envelope to be ejected from the binary star system in the first place.Virginia Sen. Creigh Deeds, pictured in 2009, was unable to find a psychiatric bed for his mentally ill son, who stabbed his father before committing suicide in November 2013. (Ricky Carioti/The Washington Post)
A new study by the University of Virginia found that the number of civil commitments of people in mental distress rose last year, perhaps in response to changes enacted after the fatal encounter between Sen. R. Creigh Deeds and his mentally ill son.
“Roughly speaking, there’s been about a 10 percent increase,” said Richard J. Bonnie, director of the Institute of Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy at U-Va. and chairman of the state Supreme Court’s Commission on Mental Health Law Reform from 2006-2011.
Although Bonnie said further study is needed to explain the increase, there is speculation that the Deeds case sensitized the public and providers of mental health care to be more vigilant about committing people who appear to pose threats to themselves or others. “One possibility is that this is what we might call the ‘Deeds effect,’ ” he said.
The institute, in compiling annual statistics for the Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, found that the total number of temporary detention orders rose from 19,971 in fiscal 2013 to 21,055 in fiscal 2014. The number of emergency custody orders — which authorize law enforcement officials to take a person into custody for evaluation or to keep a person in custody for evaluation — rose from 6,000 to 6,438.
The overall increase came after declines in civil commitments from 2011 to 2013, the report says. Using court data, it raised the question of whether the Deeds case and subsequent changes caused the increase, just as civil commitments had gone up after the April 2007 Virginia Tech massacre and ensuing reforms.
[A father’s scars: For Va.’s Creigh Deeds, tragedy brings unending questions]
In November 2013, Austin “Gus” Deeds, 24, stabbed his father and then committed suicide hours after mental health officials said no psychiatric beds were available for him. Sen. Deeds had obtained an emergency custody order from a magistrate so that Gus Deeds, a William and Mary student who had volunteered on his father’s unsuccessful gubernatorial bid, could undergo a psychiatric evaluation. But time ran out on the order before a bed could be found. Sen. Deeds (D-Bath), who has served in the General Assembly since 1992, angrily declared that the state had failed his son and other mentally ill people.
In the General Assembly session following the tragedy, legislators voted to give officials more time to find psychiatric placements for people who had been the subject of emergency custody orders. If a placement cannot be found before such an order expires, the new law requires the state to provide a bed of last resort. It also compels the state to maintain a “real-time” online registry of available beds, a project that had been in the works for years but did not come about until after Gus Deeds’s death.
The changes also mandated tighter monitoring of court-ordered outpatient treatment and a four-year study of mental-health services to search for additional reforms. The reforms were enacted in April 2014 and took effect July 1, 2014.
[Here’s a look at Virginia’s mental health reforms following Creigh Deeds tragedy]
Bonnie said the most interesting aspect of the data suggests that the increase — and later decrease — in emergency commitment orders from magistrates could have been caused by reforms that extended the time a person could be held for evaluation. There is speculation that permitting a person to be held longer allows emergency facilities to better stabilize the person before his or her release.
Deeds declined to comment Thursday, referring questions to state officials.
The report noted that the court statistics capture only a slice of the number of people in mental distress who are taken into emergency custody by law enforcement, usually voluntarily, because they appear to pose a threat to themselves or others. The report, citing a 2013 study of emergency evaluations conducted by Community Services Board personnel, found that more than half of the people taken into emergency police custody were being held temporarily, without an emergency custody order.
This year marked the first that state health officials began collecting information from Community Services Boards around the commonwealth on the number of emergency contacts and emergency mental health evaluations that were completed. The data will appear in future reports, the study says.Dear Prince Charles,
Your appreciation of Transylvania's unique ecosystem is well known and, after your first visit to the region in 1998, you said you were "totally overwhelmed by its unique beauty and its extraordinarily rich heritage." But something terrible is about to happen in Transylvania -- a vast open cast cyanide mine -- and I urge you to lend your voice to those who are trying to prevent a catastrophe.
The proposed gold mining project at Rosia Montana will erase three pristine villages and four mountains from the face of the planet, creating a sterile zone the size of a small city that will be contaminated for millennia. The investors plan to build a 185 metre high dam (higher than the Three Gorges Dam in China) that will contain 214 million tons of cyanide waste. The threat to the region's groundwater supply, and the Danube River, are serious.
Even though the project has been blocked by local courts over the last 15 years, and does not have an environmental permit, the current Romanian government have introduced a law which seems to have been written by the cyanide miners themselves. The law will give them extraordinary powers, allowing them to sweep aside all environmental and heritage protection regulations. It is currently waiting for parliamentary approval and there is no time to be lost.
Rosia Montana Gold Corporation (RMGC), an offshore investment fund, have carried out one of the most brilliant PR campaigns ever seen in Europe and most Romanians now believe their promises of local jobs, taxes and environmental protection. For many years now RMGC has been one of the biggest advertising spender in Romania and it is very difficult for the opposition movement to get their perspective into the mainstream media. One Romanian journalist told me they were forbidden to use the word "cyanide" in any article about the project. As a result, the Romanian public are not aware of the risks.
I first became aware of the international scale of this PR campaign when the former European editor of the Economist told me that RMGC had one of the most impressive international PR campaigns that he had ever seen at their editorial offices in London. An important part of RMGC's international campaign was a high budget documentary film that was presented by Phelim McAleer, a former Financial Times correspondent to Romania. The film explains that cyanide mining is harmless and the real problem is the environmentalists.
In Romania, one of the most effective things the cyanide miners did was to invite a large group of senior Romanian journalists to New Zealand to see a cyanide mine for themselves, an action that consolidated the support of much of Romania's mainstream media. Protests against the mine are taking place in London, Bucharest and 25 other European cities, but the Romanian media have portrayed them as "hipsters and druggies".
Cristian Tudor Popescu, one of Romania's best political writers, described his experience of RMGC's PR campaign:
"I see every day on the TV and in the papers how big, bitter and lacking in scruples is the Gold Corporation's propaganda campaign. At peak viewing hours, when one second of airtime is worth a small bag of gold, they bring poor people from the affected area to weep in front of the cameras...I can't forget the image of a middle aged lady who said she couldn't afford to feed her children. She also mentioned that she had a short term contract with RMGC, even though the project hadn't begun. Message: if the project starts she, as well as 450 others, will have long term contracts and will be able to feed their children...
"I am not in a position to draw any economic or ecological conclusions about Rosia Montana, but I can make a logical observation: when someone spends tons of gold, year after year, to convince the public that they want to do something good for them - but not for themselves - you can surely expect something bad to happen further down the line."
I ask you to help the Romanians in their hour of need as you are really appreciated in this south east European country. Many Romanians are ashamed of their poverty and corruption and the fact that you speak highly of their unique rural way of life, and that you have invested in a couple of homesteads in Transylvania, is seen as an important vote of confidence.
Rupert Wolfe Murray is a writer and editor from the Borders Region of Scotland. He currently lives in Bucharest, Romania.
London protest information here.
See also:
https://www.facebook.com/rosia.montana.in.unesco?ref=ts&fref=ts
http://www.rosiamontana.org/As a certified news junkie, I can hardly stand to listen to and read the steady stream of chaos masquerading as news. Everything from alleged sexual escapades to the daily denials of this or that has global heads shaking and stomachs churning. While our climate change issues continue to make catastrophic weather for the masses and gun violence leaves no community untouched, we are treated to record-high indictments and musical-chair dismissals.
Every single hour is the right time to pose thoughtful questions. When Phillip asked if interim Attorney General Matthew Whitaker might try to rein in the Mueller probe, President Donald Trump not only lashed out about it being a stupid question, he let Phillip know that he had been watching her and that she asks "a lot of stupid questions."
With the cameras from cellphones and media outlets recording this bizarre moment, the CNN White House correspondent suddenly became the news. It was a familiar historical headline: black woman being put in her place. But Trump could not resist taking aim at another when he mentioned Ryan, a frequent CNN contributor and longtime syndicated journalist.
In his view, Ryan is a loser who deserves his harsh branding of "very nasty." Of course, some people will say he treated Jim Acosta just as viciously, and that it is CNN Trump does not like, since all of them work or comment for the same cable news network. A media outlet that won round one of a lawsuit over Acosta's press credentials being revoked. But, a third black woman — Alcindor — does not work for CNN.
Like the others, Alcindor held her professional dignity during a hurtful and embarrassing exchange with Trump. The frequent contributor to MSNBC is the White House correspondent of PBS NewsHour. She asked Trump one of the toughest questions any reporter has dared to in front of a live audience. Does his self-described "nationalist" label embolden white nationalists?
The president flipped the script on Alcindor and threw out the reverse-racist card without completely answering the query. Few people remember that Alcindor also inquired about a tax break for the middle class. That question went unanswered too.
If 40 million black people in America truly have "nothing to lose," then why is it that one in four black families still lives in poverty and more than 10 percent of African-Americans are without basic health insurance? According to the U.S. Census, the median income for black families in 2016 was $39,490 compared to 2000 when it was $41,363. It feels as if we are going back in time, in more ways than one.
Despite our strength and support being taken for granted in every election, black women remain the single, most loyal voting bloc in America. When we are at the table, in the room, behind the camera, in front of the camera, on the mike or behind the scenes, with our community activism, we are fierce. We make our voices heard and our conundrums known.
Women like Phillip, Ryan and Alcindor gracefully stand on the shoulders of Harriet Tubman, Fannie Lou Hamer, Texan Barbara Jordan, presidential contender Shirley Chisholm and journalist Ida B. Wells, who asked the tough questions because she had to.
There is nothing fake about #BlackGirlMagic. It is a never-fully-paid, most-cherished debt to our mothers, grandmothers, sisters, aunts and former first lady Michelle Obama, who has gone so high that what is now so low is but a blip on her strength-of-character radar.
Joyce King is a writer in Collin County. She wrote this column for The Dallas Morning News.Compiled by Dani Klein (YeahThatsKosher) & Gavi Hoffman (Kosher in the Kingdom)
Heading to Orlando for Yeshiva Week vacation or another time of year, many frum families head to Orlando to explore the all the fun the theme parks has to offer. This is essentially an update to last year’s Orlando kosher update as things have changed.
Before diving into the specific on the parks, there are kosher restaurants and kosher food available in the Orlando area. It is highly recommended to have a rental car to be able to properly access these restaurants and theme parks as Orlando is very spread out.
Scroll down after the map for Disney & Universal kosher options.
Orlando Area Kosher Restaurants & Options: (listed on the map below)
Kosher Grill – this fleishig restaurant recently changed hashgachas and is now under the newly formed “OVO” hechsher. Click here for more details. Kosher Gourmet – one of the few full service meat kosher restaurants, also offering Shabbat meals, as well as dairy & pizza take-out. Hashgacha: RCF – Rabbi Yosef Konikov. Click here for more details. Simka’s Sweets – ice cream shoppe, non-Cholov Yisroel. Hashgacha: RCF – Rabbi Yosef Konikov. Click here for more details. Milk N Honey Kosher Pizza – local highly rated pizzeria. Hashgacha: Rabbi Reuven Aharon Elbaz (local Sephardic hashgacha) Motti’s Bistro & Catering – Meat Restaurant and Catering – Open for Yeshiva Vacation Only: Jan. 16-Feb. 3, 2017 –
Hashgacha: RCF – Rabbi Yosef Konikov. Click here for more details Zayde’s Kosher Kitchen – caterer also with 3 separate kitchens, located inside the Rosen Plaza Hotel. Hashgacha: RCF & OU. Click here for more details.
Kosher Options at Walt Disney World:
You can get kosher brought into any sit down restaurant on the Disney property, including the Disney owned hotels and Disney Springs, as long as you are able to get a reservation and give at least 48 hours notice. The most popular table service restaurants book up fast so highly recommend making a reservation as soon as possible either by calling Disney (407) 939-1947 or using their My Disney Experience app (available on the App Store and Google Play), where you can also book fastpast tickets in advance. You must call separately if you book with the app to reserve a kosher meal. Tips and tricks for grabbing those hard to get reservations can be found here.
You can get kosher meals at all the Disney parks and at a number of the hotels with no notice. There is additional information on Kosher in the Kingdom site including the locations (for nearby rides) in the park for each restaurant, as well as hours of operation.
Kosher meals can be picked up without notice at any of the following quick service Disney eateries:
Magic Kingdom – Cosmic Ray’s
– Cosmic Ray’s Epcot – Liberty Inn, Electric Umbrella
– Liberty Inn, Electric Umbrella Hollywood Studios – ABC Commissary
– ABC Commissary Animal Kingdom – Pizzafarri, Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery
– Pizzafarri, Kusafiri Coffee Shop and Bakery All-Star Movies Resort – World Premiere
– World Premiere All-Star Music Resort – Intermission
– Intermission All-Star Sports Resort – End Zone
– End Zone Caribbean Beach – Old Port Royale Food Court
– Old Port Royale Food Court Pop Century – Everything Pop Dining
– Everything Pop Dining Sassagoula Floatworks and Food Factory (recently refurbished) – Port Orleans French Quarter
(recently refurbished) – Port Orleans French Quarter Riverside Mill Food Court – Port Orleans Riverside
– Port Orleans Riverside Saratoga Springs Resort – Artist’s Palette
– Artist’s Palette Grand Floridian – Gasparilla Grill
– Gasparilla Grill Animal Kingdom Lodge – The Mara
Kosher meals at Disney restaurants are provided by Weberman’s. Pricing varies by what you order, but quick service meals are priced between $9.99-11.99. Table service meals varies by location and what you choose:
if it is a fixed price location (e.g. a show or breakfast buffet) it will cost the same as anyone else (only you don’t get all you can eat kosher even if its offered to others) e.g. Tusker House Character Breakfast, which Gavi highly recommends for numerous reasons was $30 for an adult $18 for a child + tax and tip.
get all you can eat kosher even if its offered to others) e.g. Tusker House Character Breakfast, which Gavi highly recommends for numerous reasons was $30 for an adult $18 for a child + tax and tip. al la carte restaurants will run $10.99 (children’s meal) to $19.99 (adults) depending on what you order + tax and tip.
Additionally, many of the snacks in the carts are certified kosher including the “famous Mickey Bar” ice cream. There is now a Starbucks coffee shop located at all the parks as well as Downtown Disney.
Generally, Disney and Universal are pretty generous in what they let you bring into the parks, more info on that here.
Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure
Kosher meals are available for service at:
Universal Studios Florida – Lombard’s Seafood Grille, Finnegan’s Bar & Grill
– Lombard’s Seafood Grille, Finnegan’s Bar & Grill Islands of Adventure – Confisco Grille, Mythos Restaurant
The menu is the same at all the restaurants and includes Baked Lemon Herb Fish (with rice pilaf and green beans), Herb Roasted Chicken (with carrot tzimmes and egg barley), and Salisbury Steak (with mashed potatoes and corn & peas), all provided by Spring Valley under the OU. Meals are $28.99 plus tax per meal.
Kosher meal requests require 72 hours advanced notice for preparation purposes. Instructions from Universal for placing your reservation are to call Guest Services at (407) 224-4233, select option four (4). More info on the meals here.
Additionally, on the Universal City Walk they have Menchies Frozen Yogurt which has many kosher flavors and (as of last check) the popcorn is also under the OU.
Finding Kosher Food at Orlando SupermarketsDevolution #1
Dynamite Entertainment
Written by: Rick Remender
Art by: Jonathan Wayshak
‘Devolution’ accomplishes things post-apocalyptic stories shouldn’t. Here’s yet another comic about the world gone mad and it totally works. Rick Remender (Deadly Class, Black Science, Low) has found a way to be innovative and provocative with another dystopian tale that covers new ground as humanity self-destructs again.
In a world rife with wars and conflict, the common denominator is determined to be religion. In order to combat that which draws us to believe faithfully, sometimes radically, a serum is created to eliminate our ability to do so. Unfortunately, the serum tests went horribly wrong, subjects began to devolve and mutate causing a contagious virus that spread worldwide. Human and beast began to revert to their prehistorical incarnations. The world has collapsed leaving bloodthirsty tribes and unchanged “sapiens” fighting for survival.
Remender avoids being derivative by introducing a much more primordial reality than his other excellent dystopian book, Tokyo Ghost, where culture has devolved into media-consuming zombies. ‘Devolution’ has homo sapiens-turned-neanderthals in a world gone wild with only a determined woman named Raja seeking a cure. She becomes sidetracked when she comes across a shady sapien settlement that holds her hostage.
The backstory that led to this situation is deftly and quickly established in Remender’s blunt style. The settlement camp resembles a fort right out of Deliverance with Gil the bully redneck in charge and a Confederate Flag waving in the background. There’s an echo of The Walking Dead-type isolation amid the monsters but the fresh characters and setting add a level of intrigue.
Jonathan Wayshak has a frenetic sketchy style that gives the book a unique energy, almost a surrealistic approach. Jordan Boyd infuses the environments with subdued colors that seem layered and somehow sullied on purpose to reflect the filthy world being depicted. It’s a daring method at illustrating this unpredictable story with unpredictable art.
‘Devolution’ gives Dynamite Entertainment another gem of a limited series. Remender, Wayshak, and Boyd set-up a dirty devolved dystopian future where anything can happen. It’s definitely worth getting on board for the ride.
*Editors Note: Check out our recent interview with Comic Creator Rick Remender HERE.Thirsty? You’re in luck. In Paste’s drinking-and-traveling series, City in a Glass, we mix up a city’s signature swills and slide them down the bar to readers. Grab a stool. This round is on us.
Going to Louisville and not sipping bourbon is like going to Russia and not getting sloshed on vodka. Why did you go at all? Kentucky produces 95 percent of the world’s bourbon, so when you’re there, you’re expected to drink it. For the uninitiated, bourbon is a particular type of whiskey that, by law, must be distilled in the U.S. from a grain mixture that is mostly corn. It is then aged in new, charred oak barrels and bottled at at least 80 proof (40 percent alcohol by volume). “Straight” bourbon is aged for at least two years and does not contain any additives like coloring or flavorings.
Since Kentucky is bourbon country, Louisville is its honorary capital. (Frankfort is the real state capital of Kentucky, but just go with us on this.) And while some cool bars have opened in Louisville recently to suggest the merits of other spirits, like El Camino’s focus on tequila, bourbon is still king. On this city drinks tour, we’re going to show you where to get a few modern and one classic—nay, ancient!—bourbon cocktails. Here are three drinks indicative of Louisville and where to get them.
1. Proof Positive
Where to order: Proof on Main
Art isn’t the only rare good found at the hip 21c Museum Hotel. Its bar, Proof on Main, stocks more than 75 artisanal bourbons, many coming from small-batch distillers and some even bottled exclusively for the hotel. The cocktail list is also a thing of wonder. Many of the bourbon-filled drinks are inspired by current museum exhibits. As a bonus, you are welcome to take your drink into the museum to sip on your cocktail while admiring the art.
One of Proof on Main’s signature drinks is the Proof Positive (pictured above), which is composed of bourbon, Italian aromatized wine, bitters and Kentucky sorghum syrup. (Sorghum syrup is a Southern staple, a molasses-like sweetener made from the sorghum plant.) “The Proof Positive is a variation that straddles the line between an Old Fashioned and a Manhattan,” beverage director Chea Beckley says. “It has rich herbal and earthy tones.” Beckley uses Old Forester Signature bourbon due to its strength (100 proof) and balance of wood and spices. He adds an herbaceous and floral quality to the cocktail with the aromatized wine and an earthy sweetness to the drink with Kentucky sorghum syrup. Orange bitters are used to brighten the whole thing up.
Proof Positive
2 oz. Old Forester Signature
½ oz. Cocchi Americano Rosa
¼ oz. diluted sorghum syrup (1 part syrup to 1 part hot water)
2 dashes house aromatic bitters (or another aromatic bitter such as Angostura)
2 dashes Fee Brothers West Indies Orange Bitters
Dilute the sorghum syrup, 1 part syrup to 1 part hot water. Combine all ingredients in a mixing glass. Stir. Strain into a rocks glass with one large cube. Garnish with an orange twist and Luxardo cherry.
2. Garage Bar Ginger Shandy
Where to order: Garage Bar
Drinks are a little more casual at Garage Bar, a popular watering hole located in a former auto service center. Here, you can drink your Kentucky bourbon while playing ping pong outside or warming up in front of the wood-fired pizza oven. One of the bar’s most requested drinks is its Ginger Shandy, a low-brow “beertail” made of bourbon, draft Pabst Blue Ribbon and ginger syrup. General manager Maggie Smith says it tastes “slightly sweet and bubbly. Like a ginger ale with a kick.” And it’s simple to replicate at home.
Photo courtesy Garage Bar
Garage Bar Ginger Shandy
½ pint Pabst Blue Ribbon
½ oz. Kentucky Tavern bourbon
1 oz. ginger syrup (recipe below)
Sprite
Make ginger syrup: Combine 1 cup sugar, 1 cup water and ¼ lb. ginger, peeled and sliced, in a saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool. Strain.
Make drink: Combine beer, bourbon and ginger syrup in a pint glass filled with ice. Top with Sprite. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
3. Mint Julep
Where to order: The Silver Dollar
Even though the Kentucky Derby isn’t until May, we weren’t going to let you escape Louisville without the fan-favorite mint julep. Every year during the epic race weekend known as Run for the Roses, bartenders mix up nearly 120,000 mint juleps for the Churchill Downs crowds. Yes, 120,000. Luckily, the drink only contains three ingredients—bourbon, mint and sugar. It is served over crushed ice in a silver cup, as it has been served in Louisville for nearly a century.
Photo courtesy The Silver Dollar/Yelp
The Silver Dollar bar, modeled after an old-school juke joint from the 1930s, is known for its stellar cocktails, including its classic mint julep. Many of its drinks incorporate Kentucky ingredients (in addition to bourbon) such as local peaches, Quills Coffee cold brew or even Ale-8-One cola. But the bar doesn’t complicate its mint julep, only slightly straying from the original recipe by using demerara (a.k.a. “raw” sugar) syrup in place of the white sugar. The demerara gives The Silver Dollar’s version a bit of a maple flavor.
Mint Julep
2 oz. Four Roses Single Barrel bourbon
6 fresh mint leaves
1 Tbsp. demerara syrup (recipe below)
Make demerara syrup: Combine 1 cup demerara or turbinado sugar and 1 cup water in a saucepan. Heat slowly, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.
Make drink: Combine bourbon, mint and syrup in a silver julep cup. Gently crush the mint with a barspoon. Fill the cup with crushed ice. Garnish with a sprig of mint and straw.
City in a Glass columnist Alyson Sheppard writes about travel and hangovers for Playboy.com. She currently resides in the great state of Texas.South China Sea: US aircraft carrier strike group conducts patrols in disputed waters
Posted
A United States aircraft carrier strike group has begun patrols in the South China Sea amid growing tension with Beijing over control of the disputed waterway.
China's Foreign Ministry has warned Washington against challenging Beijing's sovereignty in the area.
The US Navy said the force, including Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson, began routine operations in the South China Sea on Saturday.
The announcement was posted on the Vinson's Facebook page.
The strike group's commander, Rear Admiral James Kilby, said that weeks of training in the Pacific had improved the group's effectiveness and readiness.
"We are looking forward to demonstrating those capabilities while building upon existing strong relationships with our allies, partners and friends in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region," he was quoted as saying by the Navy News Service.
Friction between the United States and China over trade and territory under US President Donald Trump have increased concerns that the South China Sea could become a flashpoint.
China wrapped up its own naval exercises in the South China Sea on Friday.
War games involving China's aircraft carrier have unnerved neighbours with whom it has long-running territorial disputes.
Beijing lays claim to almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea, through which about $5 trillion worth of trade passes each year.
Brunei, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam also claim parts of the waters that command strategic sea lanes and have rich fishing grounds, along with oil and gas deposits.
The United States has criticised Beijing's construction of man-made islands and build-up of military facilities in the sea, and expressed concern they could be used to restrict free movement.
Reuters
Topics: territorial-disputes, defence-and-national-security, world-politics, foreign-affairs, united-states, china, asia, pacificA 23-year-old old woman identified as S Dhanya was hacked to death in India on Wednesday after rejecting a marriage proposal from a 27-year-old mill worker.
The murderer was known to the family and had known Dhanya for more than a year and asked for her hand in marriage. According to India’s NDTV, she rejected him because she was engaged to someone else. The woman “was alone at home when Zahir allegedly entered through the rear door of the house and attacked her with a sickle after she refused her [sic] advances. Her parents had gone out for shopping and had locked the front door, police said.”
Following the attack, the alleged killer – identified only as “Zahir” – attempted to commit suicide by ingesting poison. His attempt to kill himself was unsuccessful, and he was taken to the hospital, where he is currently in the intensive care unit. Police are waiting until he is out of ICU before they arrest him, but they have already registered the murder charge.
NDTV points out that attacks like these are becoming increasingly frequent. Last month, NDTV reports, “A 24-year-old teacher, N Francina was clubbed to death inside a church.” Before that, “24-year-old Swathi, employed with software giant Infosys, was hacked to death around 6.30 am on June 24 while waiting to board a train at Nungambakkam Railway Station to her workplace on the city outskirts.”
Violent attacks in India on both men and women, but more predominantly on women, have become more frequent in the past year. Breitbart News reported in March, “Brothers in India burned their sister alive after she married a man in a different caste (social class) in the nation’s most recent honor killing.”
Breitbart News also reported that violent attacks on women in India are prompting the government to take action, but in policing the women’s behavior, not the men’s: “The Indian government has warned female travelers not to wear skirts ‘for their own safety’ as they travel to and around the country.”A judge on the Great British Bake Off, a widely watched television cooking competition in the U.K., has been forced to apologize after revealing the winner hours before the final episode was scheduled to air.
Prue Leith posted the name of the winner on her Twitter feed while travelling in Bhutan, which is six hours ahead of Britain, thinking fans had already seen the last installment.
The show airs at 8 p.m. (2000 GMT) Tuesday night in Britain.
"No one told me judging a #gbbo final would be so emotional. I wanted them all to win. Bravo..." the veteran baker and television host posted before adding the name of the winner.
I am so sorry to the fans of the show for my mistake this morning, I am in a different time zone and mortified by my error <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBBO?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBBO</a>. —@PrueLeith
Leith, 77, subsequently deleted her post.
She later tweeted: "I am so sorry to the fans of the show for my mistake this morning, I am in a different time zone and mortified by my error."
The revelation sparked disappointment (and jokes) online from fans of the series.
I feel like a deflated souffle now 😢 —@bpd1
<a href="https://twitter.com/PrueLeith?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrueLeith</a> leaking tonight's results is the biggest scandal since the baked Alaska incident of 2014 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBBOFinal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBBOFinal</a> <a href="https://t.co/IsY3sRPmnm">pic.twitter.com/IsY3sRPmnm</a> —@LarderSheffield
Oh dear, <a href="https://twitter.com/PrueLeith?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@PrueLeith</a> has had a Halloween nightmare 🙈😉. If you don't want to know the winner of <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/GBBOFinal?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#GBBOFinal</a>, get off social media now. <a href="https://t.co/bmJduh63kS">pic.twitter.com/bmJduh63kS</a> —@VirginTrains
Channel 4 scored a coup earlier this year when it bought the rights to Bake Off, a ratings winner for the BBC. Last season's finale, which was on the BBC, garnered 16 million viewers — the most watched programme of the year on British television.
A Canadian version of the series, entitled The Great Canadian Baking Show, debuts on CBC-TV on Wednesday.You’ve created a seamless design—structurally sound, sufficiently thick, and mindful of overhangs. However, you get your part back to find out that it’s not printable!
Many of the errors we see stem from how the digital model was created and often the main problems come down to whether the design was modeled using solid bodies or surfaces.
If you’re using a program like SketchUp that uses surface modeling, it can be tricky to make your 3D model printable, so I’m going to walk you through a few of the most common errors and show you how to fix them.
How to Check Your Models
First download netfabb Basic, a free program you can use to quickly verify designs.
In netfabb, you can identify watertightness issues, spot surface tessellation, and apply auto-repair, so this is an excellent tool to help you check your models for any errors.
3 Common Issues + Solutions
Issue #1: Zero Wall Thickness
With surface modeling, parts sometimes have walls that are infinitesimally thin. While they appear in the digital rendering, they can’t actually be printed and would not be present in the physical model.
Solution: Make sure every surface is enclosed so that the part is “watertight,” meaning the part won’t leak if theoretically filled with water. Also make sure the edges of each surface are connected—each edge should have 2 adjacent surfaces, no more, no less.
It’s best to go back to your CAD model and remove any free ends or extend it so that it connects with another free end.
You can also do this automatically in netfabb by clicking on the red plus-sign at the top to extend some ends for you. Then follow the steps to repair.
For more detailed instructions, here’s a video that goes through the common watertightness issues and shows you how to fix them:
The key takeaway here is to make sure all the surfaces are closed. And even if the surfaces appear closed and you are still having issues, go back through the design flow to double check!
Issue #2: Tessellation
While a contour may appear smooth in the CAD, depending on approximation settings, the surface might actually be approximated.
Let’s compare two designs side by side in netfabb:
The cylinder on the left has some tessellation, so during print the surface might not appear as smooth. The cylinder on the right is much smoother.
(Note that for actual printing, make sure to separate the parts into different files. These two files are combined just for side-by-side comparison!)
Solution: In SketchUp, if you select <view> then check <hidden geometry>, you can see the approximation occurring for the curve. Change the number of segments on the curved surface to better approximate the contours.
Going back to SketchUp, we can see how these cylinders were designed:
The cylinder on the left has 12 segments, while that on the right has 24.
In SketchUp, you will need to change the number of segments on a surface before any extruding or push/pull. To do so, draw the curve, then type “24s” for 24 segments, or “20s” for 20 segments.
When printing in lower resolution FDM, the surfacing issues might not be as apparent and thus might not matter as much. It will matter however when printing in high resolution materials such as VeroWhite, where the tessellations are something you should be aware of!
Issue #3: Scaling
Many architects or industrial designers working on larger products design life-size models but wish to scale down their parts for a scaled-model. It’s a great idea not only for proof of concept, but also for lower material costs or high resolution showcase work.
However, in scaling down, some features become too thin and are no longer printable.
Solution: Make sure to calculate required thicknesses for scaling! Thicken your features by such amount that once the part is scaled down, the walls meet our Minimum Wall Thickness criteria.
You can easily scale in netfabb by going to the toolbar at the top and selecting <part> <scale>, then entering the desired scaling. Once scaled |
officials, showing the Kremlin’s secret power over our country’s politics. In the Cold War we called this subversion, meaning trying to undermine our political system, and what Putin’s doing right now is nothing less than a direct, albeit covert, attack on our democracy.
That said, the most insidious impact of the Kremlin’s Active Measures on our democracy is how it creates fake arguments over fake issues—to distract pundits, politicians, and the public from the real issues we face. The current Russian regime excels at this, and under President Putin such KGB tricks have been used to shift domestic politics into the realm of fantasy, where “nothing is true and everything is possible,” in the words of the top analyst of this political trickery. Now Moscow is doing this to America.
This is how our news cycle gets taken over by non-stories based on half-truths (when not outright lies) that portray Russia in a positive light and the West in a negative one. This was somewhat easier to detect in the last Cold War, when Moscow’s mouthpieces were usually left-wingers who spouted easy-to-spot Kremlinisms.
Putinism has mixed up those political categories and today’s Useful Idiots and Fellow Travelers (to use vintage KGB terms with current relevance) can now be found on both the left and the right, in the United States just as in Europe. Hence we have Stephen Cohen, a lefty professor who’s taken the Kremlin line for decades, and who’s married to the editor and part-owner of The Nation, being extolled by certain Republicans for his pro-Putin pontifications. Recently the right-wing agitator Roger Stone, a Trump mouthpiece, praised Cohen’s pro-Russian arguments as a “bitch-slap” in a memorable tweet.
The central role of the Donald Trump presidential campaign must be acknowledged here. As I’ve explained in column after column, the GOP nominee has surrounded himself with advisors who possess troubling ties to Moscow, some of whom are on the Kremlin payroll. It’s therefore no surprise that Trump is now mouthing crude Russian propaganda on the campaign trail, including his outrageous smear of President Obama as the “founder” of the Islamic State, which has been a staple of Russian Active Measures for a couple years now.
The increasing Kremlinization of the Trump campaign merits a close look. Its mouthpiece Stone, who admits he’s been in touch with Julian Assange, in sync with the Wikileaks founder insists that all the hacking of the Democrats has nothing to do with Moscow—even though, when directly confronted by Bill Maher over his Kremlin links, Assange refused to answer the question and awkwardly redirected.
This is classic disinformation, with a subtle wink taking the place of argument and fact. This KGB technique has insidiously burrowed its way deep into the Trump campaign. Assange recently gave an interview in which he slyly hinted that Seth Rich, a young DNC staffer murdered last month in Washington, may have been a Wikileaks source. The implication is that Rich spilled Clinton’s secrets and was therefore gunned down in cold blood.
This is an ugly slur for which Assange presented no evidence—since there isn’t any, this being no more than an attack on a dead man who can’t respond to the accusation—and soon it was being parroted by the right-wing online echo chamber that fervently backs Trump. This crowd likes to nebulously pin myriad unsolved deaths on Team Clinton in a fact-free fashion, and soon the Trump campaign joined the bandwagon.
Like clockwork, Roger Stone pointed a finger at the Clintons in Seth Rich’s unsolved murder. Stone has blamed the Clinton machine for countless crimes, including homicide, so this was nothing new. Except that this particular Active Measure is coordinated with Kremlin fronts like Wikileaks for political effect—to hurt the Democrats to Moscow’s benefit. Although there’s zero evidence that Seth Rich leaked DNC secrets, much less that his tragic death had anything to do with the Clintons, you can expect this nasty lie to live online for decades to come. Kremlin disinformation operations, like diamonds, are sometimes forever.
There’s an obvious pattern at work here. Take the lie that Obama “founded” ISIS. Much of this stems from reports last year that the White House, through the Pentagon, was secretly backing the Islamic State in Syria. This line, peddled by fringe websites both left and right, was given a smidge of credibility by shady comments made by Mike Flynn, the Trump campaign’s national security guru, who also happens to be very friendly to the Kremlin. But the essence of the story is provably false and the Pentagon intelligence report this Big Lie is based on actually says the opposite of what the conspiracy-mongers claim. In this arena, facts have no meaning anymore.
Kremlin lies have become disturbingly routine in our politics. This goes beyond Trump. Gary Johnson, the Libertarian Party presidential nominee, has made statements every bit as pro-Putin as anything emanating from Team Trump. In an interview with RT, the Kremlin propaganda network, Johnson defended the Kremlin’s theft of Crimea in early 2014, stating that it was an internal Russian matter since Ukraine was really “like Puerto Rico” is to America, in other words a territory, not a sovereign country.
Things are no better on the left, and Green Party nominee Jill Stein is strangely friendly to the Kremlin too, calling for close partnership with Moscow during an appearance on—you guessed it—RT. Stein attended that network’s anniversary gala in Moscow last year, sitting at the same table of honor with President Putin as—you guessed it—Mike Flynn. Stein’s pro-Putin utterances are finally getting media attention, and she’s not helped her case by featuring Julian Assange, whom she’s hailed as a “hero,” as a keynote speaker at the Green Party’s recent convention.
Then there’s the matter of Hillary Clinton. None can fairly accuse her of sympathy for the Kremlin—I’m sure she’s seething with rage at Putin right now over his efforts to steal the election for Trump—but her inner circle, too, possesses questionable financial ties to Moscow, while some of her dealings with Russian firms have rightly raised suspicions among security experts.
To say nothing of her awful security lapses in EmailGate, which have rendered the country and her campaign vulnerable to espionage and blackmail. There’s every reason to believe that the Kremlin has her emails from her time as secretary of state, even the 30,000 deleted ones, while NSA experts I know think many of the subsequent hacks of the DNC can be traced back to Hillary’s slipshod computer security during Obama’s first term. Putin now possesses a vast trove of compromising materials, what the Russians term kompromat, on Hillary and her party thanks to her inattention to basic security.
We are therefore in the strange situation that the only major presidential contender in this election cycle lacking troubling ties to the Kremlin is the socialist Senator Bernie Sanders—who actually honeymooned in the Soviet Union back in 1988.
The gross intelligence failures of the Obama years combined with the Trump campaign’s bizarre bromance with Putin have birthed a genuine security crisis for the United States. We need to squarely face how bad things really are. This week a senior Intelligence Community official in Washington told me, with the GOP nominee acting as the Kremlin’s unwitting agent, we’re up against “the biggest counterintelligence threat faced by this country since the early Cold War.”
In other words, we’re back to the late 1940s, when our government was swarming with Kremlin moles in most of our cabinet departments and security agencies. They were giving Moscow everything they could get their hands on, from political gossip to top secret war plans, even how to make an atomic bomb. Communist agents and fronts were pervasive in our political life too.
The way we beat back that Kremlin spy offensive was with excellent intelligence, above all VENONA, the above-top-secret NSA program that gave a unique look into the clandestine operations of Soviet intelligence and its agents in the West. VENONA was how we knew Alger Hiss was a Communist spy and how we knew the Rosenbergs gave Moscow the atomic bomb.
VENONA was so valuable, our ace in the espionage hole, that hardly any American officials knew about it. The press and pundits knew nothing of it until after the Cold War’s end. Even President Harry Truman was briefed on VENONA only near the end of his tenure in the White House. This need to protect NSA’s great secret regrettably led to decades of wild rumors about the true extent of Soviet espionage back in the 1940s.
We need another VENONA to defeat the Kremlin’s current spy offensive—but do we have one? Regrettably there’s no reason to think we do. Our slipshod government cannot keep the most basic secrets these days, so it’s doubtful they could protect something so valuable as VENONA again.
To say nothing of the defection to Moscow three years ago of Edward Snowden, who took vast troves of highly classified materials with him. Since the Kremlin now admits Snowden’s their agent, it’s safe to assume he’s told the Russians everything about NSA he ever knew.
The bottom line is that Vladimir Putin has managed to penetrate our government and subvert our democracy in a fashion we haven’t seen in decades. Our press and politicians increasingly dance to a tune being called in Moscow. No matter who wins our election on November 8, the Kremlin looks set to be the real winner.
Disclosure: Donald Trump is the father-in-law of Jared Kushner, the publisher of Observer Media.
John Schindler is a security expert and former National Security Agency analyst and counterintelligence officer. A specialist in espionage and terrorism, he’s also been a Navy officer and a War College professor. He’s published four books and is on Twitter at @20committee.Update: The language of the Family Leader Pledge referencing slavery was dropped on Saturday explaining that “the statement… can be misconstrued… detract[ing] from the core message of the Marriage Vow.”
I’m afraid there’ll be no baby-making Barry White music played while reading the “The Marriage Vow: a Declaration of Dependence upon Marriage and Family.”
Why? White conservatives are too afraid of all the black, brown, and red babies crowding out the white babies. Michele Bachmann’s signing of The Family Leader pledge to be pro-marriage and to destroy pornography is racially coded, and is another high-pitched alarm to ahistorical white conservatives, white supremacists, and Quiverfull advocates. Bob Vander Platts, the author of the vow, knows how to hit all the right notes for dog whistles, having worked for Mike Huckabee in Iowa in 2008. If you can’t hear the whistle, let me point you to the first two bullet points of the Family Leaders’ Marriage explanation for the vow, which read as follows:
Slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families, yet sadly a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household than was an African-American baby born after the election of the USA’s first African-American President.
LBJ’s 1965 War on Poverty was triggered in part by the famous “Moynihan Report” finding that the black out-of-wedlock birthrate had hit 26%; today, the white rate exceeds that, the overall rate is 41%, and over 70% of African-American babies are born to single parent.
Um, Hell-to-the-yeah slavery had a disastrous impact on African-American families. White slave owners broke apart families to sell, raped black women, and often confiscated the babies from these forced unions. Somehow, conservatives like Bob Vander Plaats forget to mention that. They are too busy buying into the fake history of the forefathers from WallBuilders.
The statement that a child born into slavery in 1860 was more likely to be raised by his mother and father in a two-parent household is a boldfaced, ignorant lie, designed to tug at conservative white heartstrings and sucker in some African-American Christian conservatives. To wit, let me quote Frederick Douglass from his autobiography: “The practice of separating mothers from their children and hiring them out at long distances too great to admit of the meeting, save at long intervals, was a market feature of the cruelty and barbarity of the slave system… It had no interest in recognizing or preserving any of the ties that bind families together or to their homes”
I am really getting sick and tired of the conservative meme about saving marriage, and placing the shaky foundation of their argument on African-American single parent birth and wedlock rates. Conservatives idolize the founding fathers, yet they conveniently forget the legacy of slavery and its atrocities many of the founders acquiesced to. While conservatives tick off statistics about African-American babies born out of wedlock, Teen Mom is the MTV show where teenage white girls can get their cash on by being pregnant and beating up their boyfriends on TV. Bristol Palin is proof that being a pregnant, unwed white girl is enough for a memoir at 20 called Not Afraid of Life. Put this together with all the reproductive rights rollbacks on abortion and the like, and the schizophrenic hysteria of the right doesn’t hold up.
When it comes to vows, pledges, and the like, the last thing I want to hear it from is a white male conservative authoring some sappy pledge for candidates to sign. After reading the report on John Ensign and Mark Sandford hitting the Appalachian Trail, and the RNC using funds at a sex-themed voyeur nightclub, moralizing, asinine pledges aren’t going to stop anyone, including the candidates, from having sex and watching lots of porn. Add in the ahistoricism of the right, and it’s laughable that any pledge from this hypocritical bunch could hold water.
So I have a suggestion for a better song for Bob Vander Plaats, Michele Bachmann and others to listen to while reading this pledge. It is Public Enemy’s “Can’t Truss It.” Matter of fact, watching the song’s video isn’t a bad idea either. If Public Enemy can get it right, then Bob Vander Plaats and his minions have their homework cut out for them.For a full wrap of today's events, read David Chazan's story here. That is all for today but keep visiting the website and our France page for the latest today.
David Chazan, our correspondent in Paris, says that as concern grew about the apparent ease with which the gunman boarded the train, Guillaume Pepy, the head of the SNCF national rail company said there would be more searches of passengers and luggage.
But he rejected calls for airport-style security, which he said would be unworkable because of the high numbers of train passengers - five million a day in France. “If we installed scanners in front of all trains, it would be 20 times more than what there now is at airports,” he said, adding that it was up to the authorities to step up security, not the rail company.
An emergency hotline for passengers to call for help if they spot anything worrying aboard a train will come into service in September.
Mr Pepy defended train staff against accusations that they failed to respond adequately to the emergency.
17.28
Who is Ayoub El-Khazzani?
15.49
This is the sequence of events on Friday afternoon and evening, written by Harriet Alexander.
15.17: Thalys train 9364 leaves Amsterdam.
17.13: Ayoub El-Khazzani, 25, boards the train in Brussels at the Gare du Midi. There are now 554 people on board.
17.50: Train crosses into France, and near the town of Oignies, El-Khazzani goes into the lavatories in carriage 12 to prepare his attack. A 28-year-old French banker, Damien A, finds El-Khazzani with a Kalashnikov over his shoulder, and wrestles with him.
El-Khazzani bursts into the carriage.
Alek Skarlatos, a 22-year-old member of the National Guard in Oregon, who recently returned from service in Afghanistan, throws himself at El-Khazzani.
His friend, Spencer Stone, runs down the carriage to help. A third American, Anthony Sadler, helps his two friends push El-Khazzani to the ground.
French-American Mark Moogalian, 51, assists but is shot in the neck.
A Briton, Chris Norman, 62, helps the other four to wrestle El-Khazzani.
French actor Jean-Hugues Anglade is lightly wounded when he breaks the glass to sound the alarm.
18.00: Train makes emergency stop in Arras, 115 miles north of Paris. El Khazzani taken into custody.
18.35: Train was due to arrive in Paris.
14.33
Is tighter train security compatible with Schengen?
Yesterday Charles Michel, the Belgian PM and one of Europe’s most passionate defenders of free movement, said that the Schengen rules that allow free movement within continent Europe must be revised to allow greater checks on passengers’ identity and baggage, writes Matthew Holehouse in Brussels.
Schengen was established 30 years ago, and its terms enshrined in EU law under the Treaty of Amsterdam. It enshrines the right of anyone, regardless of nationality, to cross Schengen’s internal borders without checks.
It is “non-negotiable”, a European Commission spokesman says. "It is one of the greatest achievements of the EU, and freedom of movement is a fundamental right".
However, in practice it is likely to be more flexible than the aspirations suggest.
In October, EU transport ministers will meet to discuss enhancing rail security. A working group to examine security on high-speed trains was set up in 2012 but it has not produced concrete results.
Sources said that routine X-ray baggage checks at stations would likely be permissible, as this is a security measure.
Under the Schengen rule book, police or border authorities would be allowed to conduct greater identity card and passport checks as well.
However, these cannot have “an effect equivalent to border checks”.
In practice, sources say, this means that the police could ask to inspect passengers’ identity papers if this is done in a “targeted” way to protect security in response to specific information of a threat.
However, the permanent and routine introduction of identity paper checks for those boarding the Paris to Berlin express is unlikely to be permitted.
There cannot be checks around border areas of each and every train, every time. That would be clearly out-ruled,” a spokesman says.
In a rare case, countries can suspend Schengen for up to thirty days and introduce border controls in the face of a “serious threat”.
A contradiction exists in that ID papers are already inspected for every passenger travelling within Schengen by air.
The Commission spokesman struggled to explain why high-speed trains should be treated differently to planes, saying it was a question of “proportionality for each mode of transport.”
"Air is not rail and rail is not air,” he said.
Air travel was never properly addressed in the original Schengen agreement. Reading between the lines, the texts show how the architects struggled to work out how you could separate EU and non-EU travellers on planes, as well as defend security.
A summary of the Schengen border rule book is here.
And the original Schengen agreement between France, Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, and the subsequent revisions, is here.
13.47
Concerns over ease of gunman boarding train
Seaches will be stepped up on French trains, the head of French Rail said on Monday, as concern grows about the apparent ease with which the gunman boarded the train, writes David Chazan in Paris.
But Guillaume Pepy said it was the role of the authorities to decide on heightened security, not the SNCF, the national rail company. He said new measures should be taken “at the European level”.
President François Hollande promised “to take the necessary action” but did not give details.
Mr Pepy said: “There will be more baggage searches. I can’t tell you exactly where or when they will be carried out but the operational plan is secret.”
Photo: THOMAS SAMSON/AFP/Getty Images
12.18
French investigators believe the gunman, 25-year-old Ayoub El-Khazzani, probably visited Syria earlier this year, where he may have received weapons training and the plan for the attempted attack may have been hatched, writes David Chazan in Paris.
He is known to have taken a flight from Berlin to Istanbul on May 10. He disappeared from the radar after arriving in Turkey but investigators believe he crossed the border to Syria.
There is no confirmation that he definitely went to Syria," a source close to the investigation said. "However, it seems unlikely that he was just taking a holiday. Going via Turkey is the normal route for jihadists."
El-Khazzani, a Moroccan, is being questioned by counter-terrorism officers in Levallois-Perret, in the Paris area. Under French law, he may be kept in custody until Tuesday, when he may be charged.
11.36
'Heroes are example of human courage'
European Commission spokesman praises the Thalys train passengers as a "sterling example of human courage and sacrifice."
A veteran member of the Brussels press corps notes the Americans saved the day. Can Europe not do it alone? There are gasps and muttering from the Francophone quarter of the Berlaymont briefing room.
There were other passengers apart from the Americans, but they prefer a "lower profile," the spokesman said "It was a trans-Atlantic operation."
11.02
The gunman, Ayoub, is sticking to his version that he intended to rob the passengers and investigators are being forced to use a translator to question him as he is insisting that he does not speak French or English, a source close to the investigation told the Telegraph's David Chazan in Paris.
He's denying any terrorist or jihadist motive and says he was homeless and found the weapons abandoned in a suitcase in a Brussels park. He's playing with our nerves. He's as stubborn as a mule. He says he wanted to rob the passengers, not kill them. He claims he planned to shoot out a window in the train and then flee."
But French investigators are "pretty certain" that his motive was terrorism and are liaising with their Belgian counterparts, who believe El-Khazzani was not a lone wolf but was acting under orders from a terrorist organisation.
He is being questioned by counter-terrorism officers in Levallois-Perret, just outside Paris. He will remain in custody until Tuesday evening, when he may be charged.
10.39
Chris Norman has spoken of his surprise: "If you had told me before that I would one day be awarded the Legion d'Honneur, I wouldn’t have believed it.
"I did what I could, what I had to do, but it’s the others you should be thanking, especially Spence and Alek.”
10.35
Jan Jambon, the Belgian interior minister, says the Thalys suspect was known to Belgian intelligence and they had an eye on him, but he was not "shadowed around the clock", citing the pressures of dealing with hundreds of targets.
10.14
Belgium thinks that El-Khazzani was not a lone wolf, and are investigating whether the attack was commissioned, Le Soir reports. In particular, they believe he needed help acquiring weapons, reports Matthew Holehouse in Belgium.
They are also investigating whether there is a link to threats to Belgium last week.
That is quite interesting. We picked this up on Saturday. Last week, a Belgian jihadist in Syria issued a direct threat to his home country. Abdellah Noumane, a man in his twenties from Antwerp who has spent two years in Syria, named "libraries, schools, hospitals, shopping centres and even nightclubs" as possible targets.
“We no longer care about all the discussions regarding innocent victims. All infidels will be killed,” said Noumane in an audio recording shares on WhatsApp.
There have been some 350 Belgians travel to Syria, making it the greatest producer of foreign fighters per capita of any European country.
09.50
'US serviceman saved my husband's life'
The wife of Mark Moogalian, the French-American professor who wrestled the gun from the attacker and was wounded, has given her account of what happened on the train. Mr Moogalian’s wife, Isabelle, was with him in the train and spoke to BFM TV by telephone.
My husband told me he saw a man who he thought appeared strange because he went into the toilet with his bag and stayed there for a very long time... Then the man came out and he saw that the man was carrying a weapon and another person was tackling him from behind. He told me, ‘Go, this is serious.’ I just moved a few seats away and my husband rushed at the man to take his weapon, a Kalashnikov. Then he collapsed and I saw him through the gaps between the seats. He looked at me and said, ‘I’m hit, I’m hit.‘ He thought he was going to die.
There was blood everywhere. I rushed to him and I saw he was hit in the back. I made a sort of tourniquet with a scarf and then I saw that he had another wound on the neck. I ran into carriage number 11 to ask for help. I asked if there was a doctor and I said, ‘He’s dead, he’s dead, he’s dead’. No one came so I went back to carriage number 12 while the American soldiers were pinning the attacker down...
Spencer Stone knew how to give first aid. He put his finger on the wound in the middle of his neck and he stayed in that position for the whole journey until we got to Arras so I think he really saved my husband’s life. I didn’t have time to think and I thought at first that we were all going to die. That’s what I was thinking, that we were all going to be shot.”
Photo: MICHEL EULER/AFP/Getty Images
09.39
More from Matthew Holehouse:
Belgium says an extra 54 cops were on patrol at international train stations yesterday. At Gare du Midi however there were if anything fewer cops than normal when I was there, and other papers are noting no extra security on trains. Plans to directly connect train CCTV networks to the federal police will be sped up.
Jacqueline Galant, the minister for transport, says random checks will be introduced at stations but security will not be as strict as airports.
Photo: REUTERS/Michel Euler
09.25
The editor of Elle Belgique, the women's magazine, faces accusations of racism after tweeting that she felt "paranoid" about "tanned guys with bags", Matthew Holehouse in Brussels.
Beatrice Ercolini wrote: "Get on the Thalys and resist the urge to stare at all the tanned guys with bags (there are plenty) #paranoia."
Twitter users pointed out that among the "tanned" people on the Thalys train was a black American who tackled the gunman.
She said she was "misunderstood" and her comments were taken out of "context" by "trolls". She merely wanted to foster diversity, she said.
She told Le Soir: "I wanted to share the sentiment into which we must not fall."
On the 8.17 train, all eyes were on a large brown [man] rummaging in his bag. I was struck by the tense atmosphere that prevailed. My reflex was in fact not to fall into the trap, as suggested in the tweet, and look out of the window. My tweet was certainly not intended to stigmatize a community. Quite the contrary!"
She has deleted the message after contact with her bosses.
08.53
Hollande: Your heroism is an example and inspiration
Photo: REUTERS/Michel Euler
President Francois Hollande has awarded the Legion d'Honneur to the four heroes, Americans Spencer Stone, Alek Skarlatos and Anthony Sadler, and Briton Chris Norman. He pinned their medals to their chests and embraced them on both cheeks, as is customary, writes David Chazan in Paris.
Your heroism should be an example and a source of inspiration for everyone," Mr Hollande. "You behaved like soldiers but also as men, responsible men."
Photo: AP Photo/Michel Euler
He also spoke of Mark Moogalian, the American-born French national who is still in hospital with gunshot wounds. He described the academic as "French, and American, and an English teacher," saying he will award him the Legion d'Honneur separately as soon as possible.
Mr Stone's left arm is still in a sling. The attacker cut his hand very badly with a box cutter, almost severing his thumb.
The ceremony is now over.
08.39
Francois Hollande thanks heroes
Mr Hollande has thanked the four for their bravery, and also paid homage to the 28-year-old French banker who the first to tackle the gunman but "does not want his name to be made public," a reaction Mr Hollande said he understood, writes David Chazan in Paris.
You averted what could have been a true carnage. Your heroism should be an example and a source of inspiration for everyone. You behaved like soldiers but also as rmen, responsible men."
He also spoke of Mark Moogalian, the American-born French national who is still in hospital with gunshot wounds, although he did not name him, saying he will award him the Legion d'Honneur separately as soon as possible.
He also thanked train staff and the emergency services for their role in responding to the emergency.
"A terrorist decided to commit an attack. He had enough weapons and ammunition to carry out a real carnage, and that's what he would have done if you hadn't tackled him at a risk to your own lives," Mr Hollande said.
Mr Hollande's short speech is over and he has now awarded the Legion d'Honneur to all four, kissing them on both cheeks, which is customary at such ceremonies in France, after pinning the medals on their chests.
08.29
Many French people are anxious this morning about the apparent ease with which the gunman boarded the train, amid continuing controversy over the actions of staff on board, writes David Chazan.
The head of French Rail promised to improve security, with more spot checks of passengers and baggage, after a French film star lambasted train staff over their response to the emergency.
Guillaume Pepy, the head of the SNCF, the national rail company, insisted that airport-style security would be unworkable as there were too many train users to check all baggage and passengers boarding trains. An emergency hotline will start operating from September 1, he said.
Passengers in France will be able to call 3117 to speak to specially trained staff who will assess the situation and trigger emergency action if needed. About 40 French Rail staff will be assigned to answering calls.
Mr Pepy said the hotline “will allow people to notify anything abnormal or worrying, in a station or in a train.” He added: “It is an important measure.”
The French actor, Jean-Hugues Anglade, best known for his role in the 1986 film Betty Blue, said staff "completely ignored our pleas for help". Mr Anglade, who was travelling with his wife and children, cut his hand when he smashed the glass to pull the emergency cord.
He said some train employees fled and locked themselves away, and failed to open the door when passengers shouted for help and banged on it.
But Mr Pepy, who held a “private” meeting with the star on Sunday, defended their actions.
“No one has mentioned the Thalys (train) driver who had the excellent reflex to ask to be diverted from the high-speed track where trains cannot stop,” he said. “He succeeded in getting (the train) diverted to Arras (in northern France) where emergency services could aid people and the police could arrest the terrorist.”
However, Mr Anglade renewed his accusations: “We were surprised by the very sudden flight of the train staff... without even warning us to take cover by lying down under the seats.”
08.23
Americans arrive at Elysee Palace
The three Americans have just arrived at the Elysee Palace with the American ambassador, Jane Hartley, reports David Chazan.
The mothers of two of the Americans, Spencer Stome and Alek Skarlatos, have flown to Paris and are also at the ceremony.
Briton Chris Norman is also there and the heroes are taking their places on a podium for the ceremony.
Photo: KENZO TRIBOUILLARD/AFP/Getty Images
08.20
The four heroes who tackled the gunman are expected within minutes at the Elysee Palace, where President François Hollande will award them France's highest civilian honour, the Legion d'Honneur, David Chazan in Paris writes.
The French prime minister, Manuel Valls and the Belgian prime minister, Charles Michel, are already present and the American ambassador, Jane Hartley, is to arrive shortly.
07.43
What's happening today?
Hello and welcome to the Telegraph's live coverage of the aftermath of the terror attack in France on Friday evening.
Today, Francois Hollande, the French president, will award three Americans and one Briton with the country's top Legion d'Honneur medal, France's highest civilian honour.
The men were hailed as heroes after overpowering a gunman on a train carrying an AK-47 among many other weapons.
Mr Hollande will thank the heroes who stopped 25-year-old Ayoub El-Khazzani, who was on the train armed with a Kalashnikov assault rifle, a Luger automatic pistol, ammunition and a box-cutter when he began his attack.
During a ceremony today, Charles Michel, the Belgian prime minister, and Jane Hartley, the US ambassador to Paris, will attend.
What happened this weekend?
Fortunately during this terror attack, no one was killed but that was thanks to the quick reaction and bravery of a French man the Telegraph exclusively named last night as Mark Moogalian.
Together with Mr Moogalian, three US servicemen and a Briton brought the gunman to a halt.
El-Khazzani is currently still being questioned - investigators have until tomorrow - after he boarded a high-speed train in Brussels that was going to Paris with weapons. He opened fire and injured a man before he was subdued.
Who are the heroes?
Last night the Telegraph named Mark Magoolian, a 51-year-old professor at the Sorbonne, as the first man to wrestle a weapon from the gunman.
Photo: REUTERS
His actions together with those of Alek Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Anthony Sadler as well as Chris Norman helped to save many lives.
Mr Magoolian tackled the Kalashnikov assault rifle off the gunman, who then drew a sidearm and shot him in the neck before taking back the rifle, his sister revealed.p align=”center”>(The following is a guest editorial written by forums member Guess Who, because frankly, someone needed to say it.)
Starting in the late nineties, a sizable community formed around reverse-engineering Sonic games. Thanks to the work of this community and its extremely talented individuals, amazing feats have been achieved. The original Sonic titles have been disassembled into their raw Motorola 68000 assembly code and thoroughly documented, allowing for substantial modifications; Sonic Adventure DX has similarly been torn apart, allowing for the creation of useful tools such as level and model editors; even the brand-new Sonic Generations has already been hacked wide open for creating custom levels, porting levels from Sonic Unleashed, and importing music. One thing all of these accomplishments have in common is that all of them are the result of collaboration. Many people worked for days, weeks, months, and sometimes even years to acquire and share the knowledge necessary for all of these technical marvels to come to fruition. Sonic Retro has always fostered a collaborative environment thanks to its forums, wiki, and Mercurial repository, and consequently has become the de facto hub for all things Sonic hacking.
So in March 2008, when Sonic 2 HD was announced, it was hailed as a shining example of the collaborative community environment that’s been so crucial to the Retro community. Media outlets like Kotaku covered the game’s announcement with great anticipation. It was given its own forum where members could contribute their own assets to the game, whether it was art, music, programming talent, or just general feedback. The engine, coded primarily by long-established community member LOst, was built using the disassembled code of the original Sonic titles (you know, that code collaboratively reverse-engineered and documented by a number of community members?) as a basis for its physics. The original Sonic 2 HD board received a whopping 14275 replies, mostly from members offering their own work or feedback for the product.
Even then, problems with the project began to arise. In September 2008, LOst released a second tech demo of the game’s engine for users to download, experiment with, and give feedback on. Even at that stage, users complained about poor performance. From the first tech demo to the second, tech member SANiK noticed a drop of thirty frames per second. Others complained about high levels of RAM usage. LOst quickly addressed these issues, saying that such slowdown was to be expected as the resolution of the graphics increased, and not to expect any improvement in later builds. Downloaded the new alpha release? Compare the system requirements in the Readme to the system requirements for Crysis.
Whaaaaat.
The symptoms of the project’s disease did not end there. In March 2010, there had been tremendous amounts of contribution and discussion around the project, but little progress had actually been made. On March 15th, the original Sonic 2 HD forum was locked, and a new forum was opened up complete with new submission threads. With this new forum, however, came a newly revised set of guidelines regarding what could be submitted to the project, and staff members that had been appointed to manage the original forum declared that Sonic 2 HD was now a “closed community project”. In other words, a core team of people would now work on the final product, but submissions would be allowed and considered for inclusion.
This alone was not cause for concern. While ideally a community project should be fully open to the entire community, on a more pragmatic level, completely crowd-sourcing the project would be entirely unfeasible. Many posts in the original project forums consisted of ridiculous overanalysis regarding which shade of green the grass should be or whether a piece of art was a pixel-perfect representation of the original game. One could easily attribute the project’s lack of progress to the sheer volume of feedback, a volume that could never reach consensus or provide coherence. Having a core group of staff members only made sense – they could bring order to the chaos. The alternative is, well, Project: Sonic Retro.
Project: Sonic Retro ended on a less-than-happy note.
However, declaring Sonic 2 HD a “community project” at all at this point seemed somewhat misleading. A large number of the staff members were not Sonic Retro community members in any meaningful sense outside of their contributions to the Sonic 2 HD project. This includes project manager Canned Karma, many members of the art staff (Cerulean Nights, Scanline99, CornetTheory, SnickerSnack), and musician Tee Lopes. All either have few posts, if any (CornetTheory, for example, has a whopping 25 |
doors to the Lord of Darkness.
READ MORE: Satanic Temple rolls out after-school program for kids
On Tuesday, Iris Fontana – reportedly a member of the Satanic Temple organization that views Satan as a symbol for rebellion and rational inquiry – gave the assembly invocation usually reserved for pastors.
Meeting attendees were reminded that they did not have to participate in the opening ritual.
Assembly members stood silently in a circle while Fontana asked them to “embrace the Luciferian impulse to eat of the tree of knowledge.” She then ended the surreal prayer with the words “Hail Satan.”
While traditional Satanism may invoke well-worn images of horned beasts, cloaked figures, and fiery underground lairs, the Satanic Temple is an atheist organization. Its website explains that it does not promote evil or the belief in supernatural beings.
Hello Monday... (Image from I Gatti deck) #thesatanictemple A photo posted by The Satanic Temple (@thesatanictemple) on Apr 11, 2016 at 2:04pm PDT
“The Satanic Temple holds to the basic premise that undue suffering is bad, and that which reduces suffering is good. We do not believe in symbolic ‘evil.’ We embrace blasphemy as a legitimate expression of personal independence from counter-productive traditional norms,” it states.
Footage of the unorthodox assembly opening, which preceded a fairly humdrum meeting regarding a $138,000 paving project and changing a hospital boundary, has been posted on the Kenai Peninsula Borough website.
Over 100,000 sign petition opposing Satanic 'black mass' in Oklahoma government buildinghttps://t.co/62EbLr4xlapic.twitter.com/LEMERFzTPA — RT America (@RT_America) April 23, 2016
However, the excitement of a prayer to the supposedly God-banished angel has not gone down too well with some assembly members.
“I appreciate what the Assembly President’s doing with the prayer issue and trying to be fair, but I find it ironic that the prayer from the atheist wasn’t really about doing good and making good decisions,” assemblyman Dale Bagley told Radio Kenai.
He described the incident as “irritating” and questioned whether a local pastor would be allowed to make such a political statement.It all started in the summer of 1992.
That’s the line you’ll hear from most everyone — scouts, players, coaches both foreign and domestic — whenever you ask for the moment basketball became a global game. While it had long been popular in places like the Baltics, the Balkans, and the Philippines, the sport had few fans in other pockets of the world until the Dream Team’s summer of smiling, sanitized dominance.
While Michael and Magic and Larry made their historic run, a woman named Meriem Moktaa Fournier sat at home in Saint-Maurice, France, 665 miles from Barcelona. Pregnant with a son she would name Evan, she had taken a break from her competitive judo career. Three months later she would give birth, bringing Evan into a world in which the Dream Team had already won gold, where Parisian blacktops were already teeming with wannabe ballers, where his path to the NBA was already being paved.
He would be tall and agile and maniacally competitive. His parents’ genes guaranteed that. He would not have to rely on political upheaval to open his route to America, like Vlade Divac once had. He wouldn’t have to shut up scouts who doubted that Frenchmen could play in the league, like Tony Parker once did. Because he was born three months after Barcelona, he would hit adolescence around the time general managers had grown smitten by Euros, making millionaires out of boys named Darko and Zarko and Nikoloz. He would grow up to say of the NBA: “It’s never been a dream. Only a goal. I always knew I was going to make it.”
He would spend his teenage years playing against his continent’s best — boys from Spain and Serbia and the Czech Republic and beyond. They would all believe they were destined to be the next Tony Parker or Pau Gasol, or at the very least, the next Vladimir Radmanovic or Goran Dragic. The NBA would welcome them. By now, it had been welcoming their compatriots for years.
But then in June 2012, Fournier would arrive Stateside, and he would travel around the country competing in workouts with other projected first-round picks. Only now, the other European kids were nowhere to be found. For years, there had been incessant transatlantic matriculation. But on this day, less than two weeks before the draft, the 19-year-old Frenchman would stroll through the lobby of his Dallas hotel, look around, shrug, and say with a knowing smile, “I’m the only one here.”
Other foreign players will be drafted Thursday, but if mock drafts are to be trusted, Fournier will be the only one selected in the first round. Most mocks have him somewhere between no. 25 (Memphis) and no. 30 (Golden State). A 6-foot-7 slashing swingman, the 19-year-old averaged 14 points per game for Poitiers, in France’s top division, last season. “He has the swagger of a big-time player,” says Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks’ president and general manager. “He’s got good size and good ability to get in the paint and find people. Oddly, most people think that anyone from Europe can shoot 3s in their sleep, but that’s one thing he really needs to work on.”
If Fournier slips out of the first round, and if no other European prospect vaults up draft boards to replace him, then this would be the first draft since 1992 — about a month before the Barcelona Olympics began — with no international first-rounders. Some see this as nothing more than a historical fluke, while others blame last year’s lockout or this year’s strong crop of collegiate prospects. Still others point to Europe’s economic woes or to lingering effects of long-ago wars. But even if this year is an aberration, a longer-term trend persists. Assuming Fournier is the lone first-rounder, that will make 20 players from outside North America chosen in the first round in the last five years, down from 36 in the previous five-year period.
So after years of unchecked player migration, has the impact of foreigners begun to decline?
Foreigners have been in the league since the beginning. Henry Biasatti, an Italian-born Canadian, played in the NBA’s first-ever game on November 1, 1946. Seven years later, a Vancouver native named Bob Houbregs became the first non-American to be chosen in the first round of the NBA draft, going second overall to the Milwaukee Hawks. But through the first several decades of its existence, the league was composed almost entirely of Americans.
“ You either have an eye for talent or you don’t. You can do all your homework and have everything properly organized, but when it’s draft night and you’re on the clock and your coconuts are on the table — when it’s nut-cutting time, as we say — that’s when you separate the boys from the men. ”
— Donnie Nelson
In the 1973 draft there was Swen Nater, a Holland native who moved to California as a boy, eventually playing for UCLA and seven different NBA and ABA teams. Through the ’80s a number of other foreign-born players used the NCAA as a springboard to the league — guys like Hakeem Olajuwon and Detlef Schrempf and Rik Smits. And then there was Georgi Glouchkov, a Bulgarian who came to the Suns in 1985 but then went home a year later, hounded by rumors of steroid use and overwhelming evidence that he just wasn’t very good.
But in November of 1989, the same month the Berlin wall came down, players from the Soviet Union (Sarunas Marciulionis) and the Yugoslav Republic (Vlade Divac and Drazen Petrovic) began long and successful NBA careers. “I call those the Jackie Robinson years of international basketball,” says Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks general manager and longtime pioneer in relations between the NBA and international leagues. “For years we’d been dealing with people saying, ‘Those foreigners aren’t athletic enough. They’re not tough enough or defensive-minded enough. They just can’t play our game.’ If they got over here and flopped, we would have had eight more years of that.”
Nelson leans back in his office chair, flanked by Mavericks player personnel staffers, deep in the bowels of the American Airlines Center. He’s surrounded by printouts and markers and whiteboards covered top-to-bottom with prospects’ names, all signs of the chaos that must be made orderly by the time draft night arrives. But for now, he takes a break from thinking about who the Mavs will take with the 17th pick and reflects on the last two-plus decades of the NBA’s international relations.
The key, Nelson believes, was Divac, who became an immediate contributor to the Showtime Lakers in 1989-90. “The most important relationship in the history of all of this was the relationship between Magic Johnson and Vlade,” Nelson says. “Magic was a worldly guy. He understood the politics. But most importantly, he understood how good Vlade could be. So you have one of the true ambassadors of the game, a world champion, and he’s taking Vlade under his arm. Because of that relationship, it became acceptable and even chic to have these European guys on your team.”
Divac and Marciulionis (whom Nelson helped bring to the Warriors) both had long and effective, if unspectacular, careers. Petrovic, however, appeared to be the best of them all, making the All-NBA third team before he was killed in a car crash in 1993. Croatian Toni Kukoc joined the Bulls in 1993, and Lithuanian Arvydas Sabonis, then hobbled by injuries, arrived in Portland in 1995. “After the collapse of the Soviet Union, it was like the dam opening up,” Nelson says. “All these players who hadn’t been able to come were all of a sudden coming, and they were showing that they could play.” Still, few teams had the relationships in Europe necessary to effectively scout and vet prospects. So despite the success of Soviet bloc players, there were only three first-round picks from overseas between 1992 and 1995. But by the late ’90s, it had become fashionable to draft foreigners. “We’re a trendy league,” Nelson says. “General managers and team presidents decided they wanted to go over there and look around. Everybody wanted at least one or two foreign players on their team.”
The 1996 draft welcomed Steve Nash, Peja Stojakovic, Zydrunas Ilgauskas, and other foreigners to the league, breaking the record with six international players chosen in Round 1. Two years later, Milwaukee chose Dirk Nowitzki at no. 9 and promptly traded him to the Mavericks. Though he had dominated the Nike Hoop Summit exhibition game against American high school stars, Nowitzki had yet to prove himself in Europe. “Even the people who knew the European game — none of them could believe this kid was going so high in the draft,” Nelson says. “Dirk was an anomaly. Germany was not a basketball country, and he wasn’t even playing in the first division. People were like, ‘Nowitzki? That’s not a Slavic name. Who is this guy?'”
By his fourth season, Nowitzki was an All-Star, well on his way to a Hall of Fame career and already drawing comparisons to Larry Bird. Suddenly, everybody wanted their very own Dirk. And, the thinking went, all they had to do was head over to Europe and find one.
Despite Nowitzki’s role in paving the way for future European players, Fournier didn’t grow up rooting for the big German. Nor, for that matter, did he care too much about Tony Parker, his countryman. “If you’re French, you definitely have to respect Tony Parker for what he did,” Fournier says, “even if you’re not really a fan.”
Unlike the generations of players before him, Fournier grew up in a flattened, post-nationalist European basketball culture. Sure, he appreciated Parker’s Spurs, but his all-time favorite NBA team remains the 2002 Kings. “I still can’t believe they lost that (Western Conference finals) series to the Lakers,” he says. “That was the series that made me love basketball.” Today, when Fournier wears the number 10 on his jersey, he does so in honor of his favorite player: Mike Bibby.
Fournier’s story is not one of a childhood spent dreaming of riches and glory in a faraway land. He was not plucked from obscurity or given his big break by an intrepid and eagle-eyed scout. Instead, Fournier’s tale sounds more like the biography of any number of players from Brooklyn or Atlanta or Compton. He played and he grew and he developed, always believing the NBA was within his grasp, until one day, it became clear, he was right.
Had he been born 10 years earlier, this probably wouldn’t have been the case. By the early 2000s, NBA executives had begun coveting European talent, but they still hadn’t figured out how to effectively evaluate it. Few teams had full-time overseas scouts. If they took an international trip and saw a player have a bad game, they wrote him off. If they brought someone in for a workout and he shined, they assumed he’d become a star. The openness to imports was there. The understanding of proper context was not.
“There was an overreaction during those years,” says Nelson. “We went from having no emphasis on international players, to the ’90s when we had the ‘Jackie Robinson’ years, to bringing in Gasol and Nowitzki and Parker and those guys, and then all of a sudden it went too far.” Players showed up on NBAdraft.net, then the most popular site for draft geeks, with grainy photos and tales of pterodactyl-like wingspans and flawless shooting strokes. In 2002, 19-year-old Georgian 7-footer Nikoloz Tskitishvili went no. 5 overall to Denver, on his way to averaging 2.9 points in eight four seasons in the NBA. The next year, 7-foot Serbian teenager Darko Milicic went no. 2 overall, ahead of Carmelo Anthony, Dwyane Wade, and Chris Bosh.
“In the 90s, you could go to a major European game, with tons of NBA-ready players, and not see a single NBA scout in the building,” says Rich Sheubrooks, executive director of global and pro scouting for the Jazz. “And then in the early 2000s, you’d show up to a game somewhere obscure like Austria, and there’s six NBA guys in there watching.”
At the rookie orientation meeting in 2002, former NBA point guard and current TNT commentator Kenny Smith lit into the American draftees while giving a seminar. According to Harvey Araton’s book Crashing the Borders, Smith spoke of the foreigners by saying, “Are they better than you? I don’t think so. Are there some who have been drafted but they’re not as good as you? Who knows? But they have a perception about you.” When someone asked about that perception, Smith continued: “That you’re lazy, you don’t work hard, you’re not coachable, and you’re arrogant. And the perception of the foreign players is that they work hard, love to be coached.”
Despite all the newfound love for foreigners, some still slipped through the cracks. Manu Ginobili went no. 57 in 1999. Tony Parker went no. 28 in 2001. That same year, Andres Nocioni went undrafted. “You could still get unbelievable value on players if you really did your homework,” says Pete Philo, an international scout with the Timberwolves who founded the Reebok Eurocamp, which has become a must-visit pre-draft event for NBA personnel. “There was so much misinformation out there, you had to have guys with the relationships and understanding in place. You might have a talented player who’s not performing because he doesn’t fit into the system. You can’t write that guy off.” Teams also struggled at times to put players’ performances in the proper context. “When you’re scouting college kids, you can watch your team play one night, and then go watch North Carolina and Duke play the next night,” says Nelson. “The comparison is right there. If you stay over in Europe too long, you’re not used to the athleticism of our league. You’re watching slow on slow. Anybody with any kind of quickness all of a sudden looks like he’s Tony Parker.” For that reason, Nelson prefers to send scouts on short-term trips abroad, with the speed of the league still fresh in their minds.
And yet despite the need for relationships, for context, for understanding of the international game, proper evaluation still comes down to one thing. “You either have an eye for talent or you don’t,” Nelson says. “You can do all your homework and have everything properly organized and have it all lined up, but when it’s draft night and you’re on the clock and you have three minutes and your coconuts are on the table — when it’s nut-cutting time, as we say — that’s when you separate the boys from the men. You either can tell who’s going to become a good player or you can’t.”
In the summer of 1992, while the Dream Team romped through Barcelona and Meriem Moktaa Fournier prepared to give birth to her NBA-bound son, on the other side of Europe a far bleaker reality persisted.
The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia — home to Vlade Divac, Drazen Petrovic, Toni Kukoc, and Dino Radja — was dissolving into a handful of independent states, all ripped apart by various interlocking wars. In Yugoslavia’s place emerged such countries as Croatia, Slovenia, and Bosnia and Herzegovina. They were free nations, but they were trapped under the shadow or deep in the throes of war. Historically, this was a region where basketball players were born. But now, few people were having children at all. Between 1991 and 1992, the birthrate in Croatia declined dramatically, only to rise again after the war in ended in 1995.
“No one was having babies there in 1992 and 1993,” says Philo, “and this is a place where there are a lot of players. Well, now it’s 2012, and there’s this small generation of players who would be 19 or 20 now but were never born.”
That’s one theory as to why we’re seeing a sudden dip in international talent. Another: Europe’s economic woes have impacted basketball clubs, harming the quality of the continent’s coaching (“I don’t buy that at all,” Nelson says). Most everyone agrees that this year’s crop is particularly poor in part because a number of players declared last year instead. “We had the lockout, so a lot of the college players decided to stay,” says Sheubrooks. “Then you had agents telling their international players, ‘This is a good draft for you — you should come out.'” But that only explains this year’s dip. If you look at the last several years, you’ll still see a significant decline from the early- to mid-2000s. “During those years, everyone and their uncle decides, ‘There’s gold in them there hills,’ and they all have to go check it out,” says Nelson. “So you get to a point where any guy you can find, as long as he has an “-ic” in his name — Stojakovic, Vrankovic, whatever — all of a sudden his stock doubles.”
Nelson explains his job this way: “We’re projectors of human beings. Some people project real estate. Some project art. We project basketball players.” Scouts are paid to speculate — to estimate future value of a human asset. So perhaps in the mid-2000s, the NBA just endured a Euro-centric “speculative bubble,” and today’s regression is nothing more than an industry-wide self-correction. Or maybe it’s something even simpler: Scouts and general managers have gotten better at their jobs.
Nelson does have one other theory, however, hatched during his time working with the Lithuanian national team. “When the breakup of the Soviet Union happened, we told Arvydas that if he cared anything about the future of basketball in his country, he would go back and fuck every chick he could possibly find. And he better not use the blanks — he better use the 7-foot-4 cartridges. Then in 2010, Lithuania would have all this talent. Obviously, he didn’t listen, because I don’t see any 7-foot-4 kids out there.”
Though Fournier insists he has always viewed the NBA as less a dream than a goal, he admits to giddy anticipation about the moment when he’ll shake David Stern’s hand. In fact, Fournier plans to be in Newark on draft night, bedecked in a well-tailored suit and ready to hop out of the stands and onto the stage as soon as his name is called. He does not care that the NBA hasn’t invited him to sit in the green room. Nor does he care about the Internet infamy that most certainly awaits. “Of course I’m going to be there,” he says. “I have to put on the hat and shake the hand. Why would I want to be anywhere else?”
He certainly doesn’t want to be back in Europe. Unlike many internationals who stay overseas after being drafted, Fournier can’t wait to move. While sitting in his hotel, he says of Dallas, “It reminds me of Paris,” becoming almost certainly the first person to ever make that comparison. He reflects on what he’s most looking forward to about the NBA: the competition, the facilities, and the fact that he’ll never get called for traveling.
I ask if he takes any pride in representing his country, joining the growing French contingent in the league. “Not really,” he says. “I don’t think about being from France. I only think about being myself.”
And with that, he gets up and walks away, through the cavernous atrium of a faceless hotel in the latest stop on a long foreign tour, back to his room, alone.
Editor’s Note: A footnote was added and a sentence deleted after this story was originally published to clarify how complicated it can be to define “international” players in the NBA.
Jordan Conn (@jordanconn) wrote The Defender: Manute Bol’s Journey from Sudan to the NBA and Back Again, a multimedia e-book published by The Atavist.By the time I arrived there in the summer of '93 [it was] a pretty smooth-running operation, inasmuch as it could handle the volume and the complexities of the problems. There was a good attitude; the atmosphere was positive … But the whole organization was scrunched into small areas where people were literally sitting on printers because they didn't have enough room to print; they had to move furniture to do it. … We had a corner of a conference room with a couple of boxes and we were thrown out whenever there was a conference. We didn't have a dedicated phone, had absolutely no dedicated secretarial staff at all. We were starting, literally, from scratch.
Up until the mid-80s … it was a very small operation; there were only six officers there. It was of no great influence in any of the decision-making. However, with the end of the Cold War and the "new world disorder," the demand for more missions moves exponentially from a couple to sixteen, seventeen, eighteen, in less than a year. …
As I write in my book at times, I'm wondering whether or not I was salivating for this command. Imagine you are a fireman or a fire chief who spent his whole career in prevention, you'd say, "Well he did a good job, there was no fires." But imagine retiring without having gone to put out one fire, or a dentist who never pulled a tooth. We had just finished forty-five years of peace time soldiering in northwest Europe… and that had just all crashed, because of the end of the Cold War. … I had generals senior to me who retired without going into conflict, [or] coming close to it even. … And then all of a sudden this mission appears. … It was like God had given me finally a real challenge for my skills. I just lapped it up. I couldn't get enough of it. And of course when you do get it and so many of your colleagues don't, it creates jealousy and things like that. But also what it does is, there are so few commands like that, you're just not allowed to fail. …
He commanded the U.N. force sent to Rwanda in 1993 to help enforce the peace. In this interview, he chronicles his time there - from the "gloom that came in" soon after arriving and sensing trouble coming, to the sudden collapse of his mission once the killing began, to the moral burden of the life and death choices he confronted trying to save lives with a few ill-equipped troops. He also talks about the world's attitude toward dirt-poor African nations like Rwanda, the heroism of a few people, and how he looked straight into "evil" as he forced himself to negotiate with the genocide leaders. Finally, Dallaire describes how Rwanda will never leave him. "My soul is in those hills, my spirit with the spirits of all those people who were slaughtered. … Lots of those eyes still haunt me, angry eyes, or innocent eyes. But the worst eyes that haunt me are the eyes of those people who were totally bewildered. They're looking at me with my blue beret and saying, 'What in the hell happened?'" This interview was conducted over four days in the fall of 2003.NEW YORK—Following Major League Baseball’s announcement that New York Yankees third baseman Alex Rodriguez will be suspended through 2014, sources confirmed Monday that there’s only one thing the 14-time All-Star is guilty of, and that’s trying to win baseball games.
Individuals who follow the sport and understand that there isn’t anything more important than putting up numbers and bringing home the hardware confirmed that no matter what commissioner Bud Selig might have to say about one of the greatest players of our generation violating MLB rules by using performance-enhancing drugs, the fact is that A-Rod went out there and did what he had to do to help his team win.
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Sources added that if playing to win, gutting it out on the diamond every day, and doing whatever is necessary to perform at the top of your abilities makes you guilty, then, sure, A-Rod’s guilty.
A-Rod is guilty as charged of taking his game to the next level and putting on performances that delight and inspire countless baseball fans across the nation.
According to everyone who knows what baseball is all about, A-Rod is also a career.300 hitter; he’s knocked 647 home runs out of the park; and, most importantly, on November 4, 2009, he went out there and helped the Yankees win their 27th World Series.
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He won. He’s a winner. Trophies, rings, winning—that's what matters, sources confirmed, and if wanting to be a winner is a crime in America, then the MLB might as well ban all 300 million of us, because that’s what this country’s all about.President Obama will head to Capitol Hill next week to meet with Democratic lawmakers to discuss a strategy to fight the ObamaCare repeal effort.
Obama will hold a joint meeting with House and Senate Democrats at 9 a.m. Wednesday in the Capitol Visitor Center auditorium. The notice for the meeting says the session is expected to last "at least one hour."
The White House said Obama will use the meeting to "share his perspective about the dangers posed by Congressional Republicans’ stated strategy to repeal the [Affordable Care Act] before proposing any replacement, creating chaos in the health system in the short run — and holding hostage Americans’ health care — while Republicans develop their plan."
Republicans are moving forward quickly with plans to repeal ObamaCare in the new Congress. They plan to vote on a budget resolution setting in motion a fast-track process for repeal of much of the healthcare law in early January.
- This story was updated at 12:42 p.m.Dennis Hof Opening New Brothel Of Alien Ladies
Dennis Hof runs the most famous brothel(s) in the world, mostly due to the HBO reality tv show Cathouse which documented the day-to-day of his legal Nevada house of love the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, but it’s not only his tv appearances that have made him the nation’s best known and loved pimp, Hof’s bombastic personality and flair for publicity has raised his profile as a celebrity flesh-peddler, and now he’s back in the news for his newest project: a whorehouse of alien ladies.
Nevada’s not just a destination for gambling and sex, UFO nuts travel there because they believe a flying saucer crashed in the desert at the US Airforce Base “Area 51” – Hof got inspired and seeing a way to appeal to these other tourists, and to some freaks with fucked up fetishes, he’s opening up the Alien Cathouse and Area 51 Alien Travel Center where all the prostitutes will be made up to resemble space aliens.
Bucky Beall will be first through the door, come on, don’t tell me you’re not tired of whore’s storming out of your apartment saying “Even I have standards” when you try to dress them up in the Alf costume you hand sewed for that very purpose, running out the door saying you’re sick in the head even though you offered to pay extra.
You got to be sick of that happening every night to you too….right?
Via Nerve.comYou know you've got a good team when, in the process of discussing how teams can slow you down, the best examples are games in which you scored 35 and 41 points and gained 446 and 459 yards.
When you're averaging 61 points and 684 yards per game, we have to start somewhere. And without the Kansas State and Oklahoma games, Baylor's averages jump to 68 points and 750 yards per game. The Wildcats and Sooners are the only teams keeping Baylor's per-game averages in Earth's atmosphere.
Regardless of semi-gaudy totals, both Kansas State and Oklahoma succeeded in slowing down Art Briles' attack for at least a little while. What can we learn about these defenses' relative successes? And how can it apply to Oklahoma State's defensive game plan when the Bears and Cowboys face off in Stillwater on Saturday night?
First, it bears mentioning that these two teams have the two most highly rated defenses Baylor has faced; in terms of Def. F/+, Oklahoma ranks 33rd and KSU ranks 39th. Baylor hasn't played any truly elite defenses. Oklahoma State's (13th in Def. F/+) is easily the best on the docket so far.
To explore the answer further, however, let's consult some game-charting data.
Dan Rubenstein picks Baylor-Oklahoma State and Week 13's other biggest games against the spread. There is also delicious food to look at.
Should you form an umbrella?
In 12 possessions against Kansas State, Baylor punted six times and lost a fumble. In fact, nearly half of Baylor's yards came on three plays, all long touchdown passes. The Bears were inefficient as a whole, and KSU was able to slow the run game down far more than anybody had to that point in the season.
The first step for Kansas State: cutting off outside running opportunities. According to our charting data, Baylor attempted 24 zone-read run plays, the bread-and-butter of Baylor's (and many others') spread rushing attacks. Eighteen of those rushes ended up going up the middle, where the landscape is most cluttered with defenders. Those 18 runs gained just 72 yards, 4.0 per carry. (And for that matter, the six that went off end or tackle gained only 13 yards. KSU had this schemed out incredibly well.) For the game, Lache Seastrunk and Glasco Martin combined to gain 129 yards on 28 carries, a 4.6-per-carry average far below their season averages. And this was against a defense that ranks just 79th in Rushing S&P+.
Of course, what is charted as "zone read" isn't always simply a keep-or-handoff option for the quarterback. Here's a good example of a nearly perfect possession against the Baylor offense. KSU was able to read and react with precision, but that meant more than simply having a a disciplined defensive end. In some cases, it meant playing tight coverage on the outside to prevent the success of packaged plays like the one on first down below.
On first down, KSU clogged the middle, had an outside linebacker ready to pursue Petty on a keeper, and had a cornerback playing tight to prevent an easy pitch-and-catch to the wideout. On second down, quick reaction and pursuit led to a short gain on a quick screen. On third down, a threatening end forced Petty to give to Glasco Martin, who was stuffed for no gain.
Of course, a Petty keeper moved the chains on fourth down. Keeping an offense like this under 10 yards in three plays is hard; doing it in four plays is even harder.
Kansas State never blitzed.
In this game, KSU did something that requires a monk's level of patience: the Wildcats never blitzed. In 23 pass attempts (21 passes, two sacks), KSU rushed four defenders 22 times and rushed three defenders once. Blitzes trigger automatic reads in so many offensive systems, and Baylor is really, really good with the automatic read-and-react situations. Kansas State made quarterback Bryce Petty survey a field congested with seven pass defenders.
While Baylor survived this, Petty did complete just 57 percent of his passes. He was 8-for-11 on passes thrown nine or fewer yards from the line of scrimmage and 4-for-10 on longer passes. What bailed Baylor out, of course, is that three longer passes -- two to Tevin Reese, now injured, and one to Antwan Goodley -- connected for 79 yards through the air and 140 yards after catch. Kansas State was sturdy and disciplined but suffered three breakdowns, and Baylor is good enough to take full advantage of every breakdown.
In general, however, KSU's general plan seemed to be to spread out like an umbrella, filter runs toward the middle of the field, and, on passes, force Bryce Petty to marinate in the pocket for longer than he wants. It almost worked. KSU took a 25-21 lead into the fourth quarter before a 54-yard pass to Reese gave Baylor the lead and a late interception Ahmad Dixon set up the game-clinching score. The game very well could have gone KSU's way.
(This game, by the way, was the first clear sign that Kansas State might be figuring things out. In 2011-12, the Wildcats were close-game masters, but with a new quarterback and a raw defensive two-deep, they lost four games by 10 points or less in the season's first six games. But their advanced-stat rankings were still top-40 level, and since the loss to Baylor, the Wildcats have played at almost a top-20 level, TCU near-miss notwithstanding. KSU currently ranks 24th in F/+, ahead of teams like Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Miami, and this Saturday's opponent, Oklahoma.)
Or should you attack?
Oklahoma was first more successful, then less successful than Kansas State overall. In an enormous Thursday night contest on November 7, the Sooners slowed Baylor's offense down to a crawl for the game's first quarter and a half. In the Bears' first five possessions, they gained just 64 yards in 30 plays (2.1 per play), 28 of which came on one pass to Clay Fuller. Of course, they then gained 386 yards in their next 42 plays (9.2). But what were the Sooners doing early that was so effective?
Like KSU, Oklahoma seemed intent on forcing Baylor to run up the middle. We've seen Lache Seastrunk split the middle of a defense for long touchdowns, getting to the second level quickly enough to ruin every linebacker's or safety's angles for catching him, but both OU and KSU decided the risk of that happening was still smaller than the risk of getting burned for a long gain to the corner. More than half of Baylor's early zone reads went to the up-the-middle option, which of course means that Petty was reading a defender prepared to cut off outside angles.
Either OU changed strategies or lost discipline later in the game. In for the injured Seastrunk, Shock Linwood eventually found zone-read success off end and tackle, gaining 81 yards in nine such carries after those first five possessions.
It only worked for so long.
Against the pass, OU defensive coordinator Mike Stoops took far more chances than Kansas State. In these first five possessions, Petty attempted 12 passes; Oklahoma rushed five defenders five times and a sixth once. The blitzes worked. Petty was sacked three times in these six blitz attempts, twice by an unblocked defender, and his three passes all fell incomplete, one thrown away and two overthrown. Against four pass rushers, meanwhile, he was 3-for-6 for 39 yards.
Oklahoma got somewhere with pressure, but it only worked for so long. Oklahoma blitzed nine more times after that early dry spell, and while Petty was hit once while throwing, he completed five of nine passes for 72 yards. For the game, blitzing was still worth it -- that's 15 blitzes, 60 yards (4.0 per play) -- but eventually Baylor's run game clicked well enough to avoid must-pass situations, and Petty got just comfortable enough against the pressure to start moving the ball.
Longform: The ultimate offense? "Listening to defensive coaches discuss the outbreak of Bear maulings west of the Mississippi, you get the sense that something awful is happening to the men of their profession."
The Oklahoma State plan
Over the summer at Football Study Hall, Ian Boyd asked, "How the hell do you stop Baylor?"
Teams that want to bring outside defensive backs on blitzes or disguise which players will be covering the slot receivers have tremendous difficulty doing so when the receivers are so far away from the offensive line. […] If you want the Baylor QB to wonder whether you are blitzing off the edge or covering |
old-school homicide detective in Rome is paired up with a star rookie born in Ivory Coast in this crime series starring Claudio Amendola.
WHAT/IF
In this neo-noir thriller series, a pair of cash-strapped newlyweds accept a lucrative but morally dubious offer from a mysterious female benefactor.
Medical Police
Two American doctors who discover a deadly virus in Brazil are recruited as government agents in a race to find a cure and uncover a dark conspiracy.
The Ghost Bride
In 1890s Malacca, a young woman finds herself in the afterlife and becomes mired in a murder mystery connected to the deceased son of a wealthy family.
Flinch
Faced with various frightening and uncomfortable events, contestants in this game show had better not flinch -- or they'll suffer painful consequences.
Six Underground
Ryan Reynolds stars in this action film from the creators of the “Deadpool” franchise.
Family ReunionWhat is the best razor blade? It is not as easy an answer as you may think. I have been researching razor blades over the past few months, even using a scanning electron microscope to look at blade edges, and have come to realize there are a number of variables that come into play with deciding on what is “best.” Even though I have been looking at double edge (DE) blades I think my comments should apply to any razor/blade combination, including blade cartridges (Fusion, Mach3, Dollar Shave Club, etc). Looking for an article about the best cartridge razor? CLICK HERE. Looking for an article about the best double edge safety razor? CLICK HERE.
Variables
I think there are actually two sets of variables when it comes to the performance of a razor blade. One set is the manufacturing characteristics of the blade itself: the type of metal used, how the edge is ground, and the non-stick coating used (if any). The other set is more “environmental” including the mineral content of the water the blade is exposed to, the type of shave “lather” used (including oils, gels, creams, etc.), and the characteristics of the hair being cut.
Manufacturing Characteristics
There was a good documentary on how razor blades are made a while back. Here it is:
Let’s take a closer look at some of the manufacturing characteristics.
Grinding
The most obvious manufacturing characteristic of a razor blade is how the edge is made. The process is referred to as “grinding” and the result is “ground” of a blade. Here you can see the striations, or the marks and furrows made by the grinding process:
Manufacturers can grind blades to different specifications so they all won’t look like the one above. Here’s another brand and another grind:
There are actually microscopic ridges and furrows to these grinding marks:
Coating
Most blades are coated with a non-stick material that helps the blade cut more easily and comfortably. There may also be some value to retard oxidation or degradation? Some coatings are thin (the “wavy” area near the top blade edge of this image)…
…while others are much thicker: (The scanning electron microscope had trouble focusing on this image because the non-stick coating was so thick.)
Metallurgy
Metallurgy refers to the type and “hardness” of the metal being used. It can be difficult to determine because there are so many grades of metal. But as an illustration here is the “inside” of a blade (right at the tip of the blade’s edge, made by immersing a blade in liquid Nitrogen and then snapping it in half for the cleanest possible cross-section):
And here is the tip of another blade brand:
You can see the upper image is more dense than the lower image.
Environmental Characteristics
While the manufacturing characteristics of a razor blade are a little more objective, I believe environmental factors also play a role in the performance of a blade.
Water Mineral Content
The mineral content of the water used definitely plays a part in the shave. “Hard” water generally makes a poorer lather compared to “soft” water, making a slightly more difficult job for the blade. I am sure “hard” water would also tend to degrade some types of blades faster, depending on their metallurgy.
Hair
Maybe it is obvious but worth mentioning anyway, a blade will have an easier time cutting thin, fine hair compared to thick, coarse hair (all other things being equal).
Shave Product
As an example of how the shave product (soap, cream, gel, etc.) can affect a blade, here is a used blade that was exposed to a bendonite clay-based shaving soap:
And here is the same brand of blade used with lather from a shaving soap that did not have clay:
So What’s The Best Blade?
After reviewing blades over the past few months I cannot come to an objective conclusion. I was hoping some kind of characteristic of a “good” blade would become apparent during my research, but it did not. It became clear near the end of my time on the scanning electron microscope that to do this “right” in the scientific sense I would have to sample many more blades, with multiple samples of the same brand. Unfortunately that is just not possible for me: it would take a lot more time and money (time with a scanning electron microscope is not cheap!) than I have. It has been an interesting exercise though. I sampled these blades:
7 o’ Clock “Yellow”
7 o’ Clock “Black”
Astra “Blue”
Astra “Green”
Crystal
Derby
Dorco
Feather
Merkur
Personna “Lab Blue”
Personna “Med Prep”
Personna “Red”
Polsilver “Super Iridium
Studio (Walgreens, made by Dorco)
SuperMax
Zorrik
The Feather, Polsilver Super Iridium, and Personna “Med Prep” blades were easily the preferred, “top shelf” blades…for me. The Derby and Merkur blades were at the bottom of the heap…for me. Everything else was acceptable under most circumstances but not preferred…for me. The common wisdom of trying a number of blade brands to find the right one(s) for you is still the best advice.
What blade(s) work best for you? Leave a comment with the blade(s) you like best, the razor you use most often, and whether you have “hard” or “soft” water!
Acknowledgements
Special thanks to John Koonz at West Coast Shaving for his help obtaining blade samples, Douglas Smythe at How To Grow A Moustache for his help with some blade variables, and the Microscopy Department at Texas A&M University for access to one of their scanning electron microscopes.
Related Posts:
What Is The Best DE Razor?
What Is The Best Fusion Alternative?
How To Extend The Life Of A Razor Blade'Genius' nowadays means something like 'extraordinary ability'. But since there's no precise definition for extraordinary, you can't say how many people would qualify.
As Robert Cottrell says, it's not about having a high IQ. Some high scorers achieve nothing of note. Winners of scientific Nobel Prizes don't always have IQs that would qualify them for Mensa membership.
Worth also looking at the origins of the word. The Oxford English Dictionary (full edition) tells us that it began as a pagan religious idea:
The tutelary god or attendant spirit allotted to every person at his birth, to govern his fortunes and determine his character, and finally to conduct him out of the world
It then shifted to something like talent or capacity:
4. Natural ability or capacity; quality of mind; the special endowments which fit a man for his peculiar work.
But then it separated out from similar words to gain the specialised meaning of extraordinary ability.
5. Native intellectual power of an exalted type, such as is attributed to those who are esteemed greatest in any department of art, speculation, or practice; instinctive and extraordinary capacity for imaginative creation, original thought, invention, or discovery. Often contrasted with talent.
It evolved informally into its present meaning, so there never has been a formal definition.
Note that a word separating out from similar words to gain the specialised meaning is quite common in English. 'Officious' once meant the same as contientious, but then evolved to indicate an excess. Much more strangely, 'terrible' and 'terrific' began with the same meaning as 'terrifying', but gained quite different meanings. And having been born in the 1950s, I was unaware that 'gay' might mean something very different from'merry' until this became part of general cultural usage in the early 1970s. (It had been used as a code-word by homosexuals long before that, but the whole point of a code-word is that most people miss it.)UPDATE - The dog will be euthanize.A boy and his mother were in their front yard, playing and watering the plants. The neighbor's dog was let out of its backyard enclosure, seemingly by accident. The dog spotted the boy from across the yard and stalked up behind him. The boy never saw the attack coming. The dog clamped on to his leg and began dragging the boy. That's when the family's cat took action.Responding police officers stated that if this had been their own son, the call response would have been for "Shots fired."Uploaded with permission.MOM UPDATE:Why the mom leave the son... The dog continues to linger on the other side of the SUV. She is trying to run it off while simultaneously getting the attention of the dog owner who is also in his driveway. She ends up going head to head with the dog, and also getting bit herself. Both the cat and the mom are bad-ass.---------------------------------------------------------DOG UPDATEWhat type of dog? - He is a medium breed mut of some kind.Dog's Status: He is in public quarantine. I will post his fate when it is decided by officials.MELBOURNE, Australia — Two decommissioned U.S. Navy frigates reserved for Taiwan were handed over last week; however, analysts say Taiwan needs to put into place an ambitious plan to boost its naval capabilities against China's increasingly powerful forces.
According to a report in the Taipei Times, the decommissioned Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigates Gary and Taylor were signed over to Taiwan on March 9 at a ceremony in Charleston, South Carolina.
The two ships were reactivated in Charleston by VSE Corporation. Following the handover, they are scheduled to enter service with Taiwan's Republic of China Navy, or RoCN, by the end of May. Taiwan had initially requested four decommissioned Perry-class frigates, which the Obama administration approved in late 2014, but the East Asian island nation eventually settled on only two for an estimated cost of $177 million.
According to Michal Thim, a Taiwan defense specialist with the Prague-based Association for International Affairs, the reactivated frigates are being earmarked to replace some of the six Knox-class frigates that serve in the anti-submarine role.
Taiwan's other main naval combatants are four Kidd-class destroyers, which like the frigates are also decommissioned U.S Navy vessels. The RoCN also has six French La Fayette-class and a further eight license-built Perry-class frigates. These are fitted with Taiwanese Hsuing-Feng II anti-ship missiles, and will eventually include the supersonic HF-3, which is being retrofitted on the latter ships.
It is unclear if Taiwan intends to bring the two frigates up to similar standards as their locally built equivalents, although the 2015 notification issued by the Defense and Security Cooperation Agency on the transfer of the ships includes the AN/SQR-19 Multi-Function Towed Array as part of the transfer. Taiwan had previously been blocked from acquiring the AN/SQR-19, and the retention of the system onboard the ships points to an anti-submarine focus in line with the Knox-class ships they will replace.
While not exactly cutting edge, the two ships add much needed capability to Taiwan's Navy, which has found itself at the end of a determined effort by China to diplomatically isolate Taiwan. China uses its substantial economic and political clout to restrict the sale of advanced weapons to Taiwan, which it sees as a renegade province.
× 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 our Early Bird Brief
The U.S. does, however, maintain strong de facto diplomatic relations with Taiwan's government, and the Taiwan Relations Act enacted by Congress in 1979 commits the United States to "make available to Taiwan such defense articles and defense services in such quantity as may be necessary to enable Taiwan to maintain a sufficient self-defense capability." Although in reality that has meant the most advanced U.S. weapons are out of Taiwan's reach so as to avoid incurring China's wrath.
This has resulted in Taiwan trying to build up its indigenous defense industry, which has made strides in the research, design and development of advanced weapons. Although as Thim and Taipei-based military and cybersecurity analyst Yen-Fan Liao wrote in The Jamestown Foundation's "China Brief" last year, Taiwan "will still need U.S. assistance in regards to sales or technology transfer of key components."
Taiwan previously had an ambitious list of 12 new shipbuilding and force modernization programs spanning 23-years and costing almost $15 billion. This list included new amphibious ships and submarines, as well as the eventual recapitalization of the RoCN's surface combatants.Billionaire oil tycoon George Soros, a financier of the Democrat Party, has deployed Arseniy Yatsenyuk, a leader of the Fatherland Party, to ignite a regime change revolution against the government of Ukraine in Kiev. Mr. Yatsenyuk is a leading member of the Scientology cult and a big fan of the Hollywood film star Tom Cruise. Al Jazeera reports that, "The three major players in the opposition are hostile to each other. The boxing champion and leader of the Ukrainian Democratic Alliance for Reform party (UDAR), Vitali Klitschko, is seen as glamorous and naive. The Fatherland Party leader, Arseniy Yatsenyuk, is viewed as a dutiful tool of the U.S. and billionaire philanthropist George Soros. The ultranationalist leader of the All Ukrainian Union “Freedom” Party, Oleh Tyahnybok, is seen as dangerous. The U.S. State Department reportedly favors the weakest of the three opposition leaders, the “liberal” Yatsenyuk." Yatsenyuk has taken charge of a Scientology-funded bank in the Ukraine called Aval Bank According to Wikipedia, "It is reported that Yatsenyuk graduated from the Kiev school of Dianetics and joined the Scientology organization in 1998, while working as a consultant for the credit department of Aval Bank. In the same year he signed a contract with the so-called "Sea Organization," the elite structure of the "Church of Scientology." Yatsenyuk is presently a high-ranking member of the sect and has a "level of auditing" called OT-6. His sister, Alina Petrovna Steele (aka Alina Jones), a citizen of the United States, is also connected with the Church of Scientology. Steele is active at the branch of the church in the city of Santa Barbara (USA, California) and she is at a lower level, OT-4, out of a total of 8." His wife and children currently reside in Santa Barbara to boost the global influence of Scientologists. To read the entire article from al Jazeera, link here: To learn more about Arseniy Yatsenyuk, link here: This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view itChildish Gambino’s “Redbone” is now platinum.
The RIAA acknowledged the Awaken, My Love! single passing the million sales mark on May 1 after it went gold back in March.
“Redbone” was featured as the introduction to Jordan Peele’s history-making horror film, Get Out.
“Well, first of all, I love the ‘Stay Woke’ [lyric] — that’s what this movie is about,” the director told HipHopDX. “I wanted to make sure that this movie satisfied the black horror movie audience’s need for characters to be smart and do things that intelligent and observant people would do.”
Childish Gambino is focusing on his acting career for now. As Donald Glover, he will star as Lando Calrissian in the upcoming Han Solo Star Wars film and is set to voice Simba in the The Lion King remake. All while fans wait for the second season of Atlanta.As Yemen struggles to quell Houthi rebels in the north, a secession movement gathering steam in the south threatens to deprive the central government of badly needed resources. While outside analysts have become increasingly concerned that the two conflicts are creating an unstable state where Al Qaeda could more freely operate, the chief domestic concern is more pressing: survival.
“The south has all the resources and only one third of the population. We cannot allow them to secede,” said a member of the opposition party Islah in the capital, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he is not authorized to speak for the party. “Northerners will fight to keep Yemen together. They know it is a matter of survival.”
More than 70 percent of Yemen’s revenue comes from its oil exports. Studies by both the World Bank and the United Nations Development Fund predict a precipitous decline in Yemeni oil production over the next five years, raising the stakes for control of the dwindling supplies.
“Eighty percent of Yemen’s oil comes from the south but where does the money go? It goes to Sanaa,” the capital, said a member of the Yemeni Socialist Party in Aden who did not want to be named for fear of government reprisal. “The people of the south have not benefited from any of this wealth and now it is running out.”
So despite President Ali Abdullah Saleh’s calls for unity, many in southern Yemen are taking to the streets in protest. Fed up with high prices and an overall lack of development, they’re calling for secession less than two decades after joining with the north to create a unified Yemen. The result has been violent confrontations between protesters and government security forces – forces which Human Rights Watch lambasted in a Dec. 15 report for being too harsh.
For now, the Saleh government seems more committed to quelling protests than addressing southerners’ grievances.
'We haven't gained anything by unification'
Upon arriving in the southern port town of Aden from Sanaa, one immediately notices the differences: there are few new buildings and the taxis and cars are often little more than rusted wrecks – a stark contrast with the luxury cars and plethora of new shops and hotels one finds in Sanaa.
But despite the run-down appearances, everything from fish to building supplies costs far more here than in the more prosperous north.
“Why is it that fish caught 10 kilometers [six miles] from here cost more than the fish trucked to Sanaa?” asks resident Mohammad Nahass, pointing to fish stacked on a piece of cardboard in Aden’s fish market.
Many throughout southern Yemen are asking the same question. They see little value in their 1990 unification with the north – a move that was precipitated by the fall of the Soviet Union. As a result of the USSR’s collapse, the Peoples’ Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY) – the only Marxist state in the Arabian Peninsula – lost its primary source of economic support and was forced to join North Yemen in a newly united Republic of Yemen, under the leadership of President Saleh, who has remained in power for 15 years.
“Most of what we have is what the British built when they were here. We haven’t gained anything from unification,” says a former colonel in the PDRY army, voicing a common sentiment as he waves his hand towards a row of bleak buildings. “I would rather have had the British here for 400 years than be ruled by Saleh and the Sanhan [President Saleh’s tribe].”
The south has in fact already tried to secede once since unification, which resulted in a civil war in 1994. The colonel says that after the war, officers such as himself were thrown out of the army and the civilian government was destroyed – leaving little role for the region’s formerly prominent players.
“Now everyone who has any power is a northerner,” he says. “The young people here have no chance to find decent jobs because they don’t have the tribal connections required to get them."
The colonel’s grievances with the north are heard across Aden, in tea shops and at daily qat sessions where many Adenis gather to chew the mildly intoxicating leaves of the qat tree.
'God willing, we will not have to rebuild again'
The front steps of the al-Aydarus mosque in Aden are stacked with men waiting out the mid-afternoon sun. They are reluctant to talk, but an elderly man who gives his name as Ibrahim stands up and ushers a visitor into the mosque. He points to recently completed repairs after the mosque was partially destroyed by conservative tribesmen during the 1994 civil war. “God willing, we will not have to rebuild again,” he says.
But most Yemenis in the south do not share Ibrahim’s guarded optimism.
“There will be war when the money runs out,” says the retired colonel. As he hands a coin to a Somali beggar, he continues, “President Saleh is a clever man – he knows how to play the tribes off one another, but this takes money. Money for the sheikhs, money for the army, it is endless. The people here will wait until he is weak enough and then they will strike.”Never give up, Dortmund fans tell Beşiktaş group under fire
DORTMUND
Borussia Dortmund fans opened placards in support of the charged Beşiktaş supporters.
Fans of Germany’s Borussia Dortmund football club have lent support to Çarşı, the iconic fan group of Turkey’s Beşiktaş, whose leading figures are now facing charges of attempting to stage a coup against the government.“Çarşı ultras, fight for your path,” read one large placard opened during the Sept. 13 Borussia Dortmund match against Freiburg on Sept. 13. Another placard read “Never give up,” while another stated “Freedom to Ultras, also Turkey.”An Istanbul court accepted Sept. 11 an indictment charging 35 members of Çarşı with attempting to topple the government, following its involvement in last year’s Gezi protests.The first hearing of the trial, in which suspects face life imprisonment, is set to be held on Dec. 16.According to the indictment, Çarşı members are accused of attempting to capture the Prime Ministry’s offices in Ankara and Istanbul with the aim of creating “Arab Spring-like upheaval” and attempting to overthrow the government.Supporters from Çarşı were among the groups braving violent police crackdowns during the first days of the Gezi protests, which led to many supporters being detained.Çarşı reacted to the indictment, stating in a press conference in Istanbul’s Beşiktaş district that it has always been socially-aware on many issues, from disabled rights to child labor and nuclear power, expressing dismay about allegations that it is an “armed organization,” as stated in the indictment.“We have advocated a Turkey without nuclear power, and said donating blood would save lives. There was an earthquake in Van, we went to help. The Foundation for Children with Leukemia built new shelters, and we led the way. Our friends filled buses after the mining disaster in Soma to see if they could make themselves useful there. We said, ‘Take your dirty hands off our children’ for child workers. We still campaign for our disabled citizens. What we have done for animal shelters is also well-known,” Çarşı said in its Sept. 9 statement.Sometimes things don't go as planned – and those moments often make for the best stories. Tripping columns offer readers a chance to share their adventures.
There were a dozen of us, travelling rough, on a trek over the Himalayas to the Tibetan plateau. Consternation commenced when I left the stove on the bush plane, forcing us to cook from an open fire for a month using yak dung as fuel. This wasn't as bad as it sounds, until our guide introduced us to Tibetan butter tea.
My main complaint lies with the butter; there are no fridges at 5,000 metres, so, in time, the butter turns rancid. Kept in a tin for a few weeks, the stench will blow your socks right off, especially if you haven't changed your socks for a month.
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Tenzin, our head guide, scrounged all day for dung, tucking the chips into his jacket pockets. Come dinner, he squatted next to the fire and broke the chips into small pieces. He lit the fire, then reached into his bag and pulled out a brick of black Chinese tea. This he also broke into small bits and placed in a wooden bowl. He reached into his coat again and pulled out a cookie tin full of rancid butter, into which he dipped his fingers and pulled out a handful.
This he also dropped into the bowl, and stirred the entire mess with his fingers. These were, of course, the same fingers that had just handled the yak dung.
In the Himalayas, the wind blows constantly and the air is full of dust, so it is virtually impossible to stay clean. Our head guide revealed that he had never washed in his life and he certainly saw no reason to start now. I took a look at his hands, which looked like a blacksmith's, full of thick calluses and permanently stained black, and saw he wasn't lying.
With loving care and attention to detail, Tenzin finger-stirred the tea mixture together for a few minutes, pouring in hot water from a pot until the contents reached the consistency of glue. He plucked a good dollop from the bowl, closed his eyes and swallowed, grinning with satisfaction. He then offered it to me.
Rather than dip my own fingers directly into the bowl, I pulled out my spoon. My first inclination as the slime slid down my esophagus was to regurgitate heavily into the fire, but I managed to swallow without choking. The taste? Imagine a room full of people with bad head colds all blowing their noses into a jar.
I have heard of people making butter tea without rancid butter, but I doubt it has the same kick.
Got a story to tell? Send it to travel@globeandmail.comBEIJING — A Chinese journalist who disappeared while seeking refuge in Thailand told his wife by telephone on Wednesday that he had returned to China and was being held by the police, she said.
The 10-minute call was the first sign of life the journalist, Li Xin, had given to his wife, He Fangmei, since he disappeared near Thailand’s border with Laos last month. Mr. Li had been trying for months to avoid returning to China, fearing that he would be persecuted here for having revealed that state security operatives had coerced him into becoming an informant, and for having described censorship in the state-run news media.
“He said, ‘Wife, it’s me, Li Xin,’ ” Ms. He said by telephone from her home in Henan Province, in central China. “He said that he’d returned to China voluntarily and was under investigation, but he didn’t say where he was in China.”
“He told me to celebrate the New Year holiday with his family and to make sure I kept healthy,” she added. The annual Lunar New Year holiday starts Sunday evening.POTISKUM, Nigeria - A girl as young as 10 blew herself up in a busy market in northeastern Nigeria, killing herself and four others, and fueling fears Islamic extremists are using kidnapped girls as suicide bombers.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack Sunday, which also seriously wounded 46 people, but it bore the hallmarks of Nigeria's homegrown extremist group, Boko Haram.
The girl, who appeared to be no more than 10 years old, got out of a tricycle taxi in front of the busy cell phone market in Potiskum and minutes later her explosives detonated, according to Anazumi Saleh, a survivor of the attack who suffered head injuries.
Authorities were not immediately able to confirm the girl's identity or her precise age from her remains.
Boko Haram militants using child bombers in Nigeria attacks
In recent months, Boko Haram has begun using teenage girls and young women for suicide bombings in marketplaces, bus stations and other busy areas, but the girl in Sunday's attack appeared far younger. It is not clear whether the girls and women have set off the explosions themselves, or whether the detonations were controlled remotely.
Boko Haram, whose name means "Western education is sinful" in the local Hausa language, attracted international condemnation when its fighters kidnapped 276 mostly Christian schoolgirls from a boarding school in the northeastern town of Chibok in April. Dozens escaped but 219 remain missing. Boko Haram has said the girls have converted to Islam and been married off to extremist fighters.
Boko Haram's violent campaign in Nigeria killed at least 10,000 people last year, according to the Council on Foreign Affairs. At least 1.6 million people have been driven from their homes in the group's brutal five-year uprising to create an Islamic state in Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation of 160 million people divided between mainly Muslims in the north and Christians in the south.
Potiskum, the capital of Yobe state, has been the target of repeated attacks. In November, a suicide bomber disguised in a school uniform set off explosives hidden in a backpack during an assembly at a high school, killing at least 48 students and wounding 79 others.
Suspected Boko Haram militants kidnaps scores of women, again
Meanwhile, Boko Haram denied a Ministry of Defense statement that Nigeria's military had retaken the border garrison town of Baga.
It has been reported that troops from Nigeria and neighboring Chad were retaking towns and villages held for months by Boko Haram even as the extremists attack other northeastern communities. Scores of civilians have been killed in such attacks in recent days.
"Baga still is under the control of the mujahedeen and any claim by the regime that they took the city is their usual lie," said a brief message posted on the Twitter account of Al-Urwa Al-Wuthqa, a group that releases propaganda for Boko Haram, according to the SITE intelligence monitoring service.
The Associated Press was trying to verify the situation in Baga, a town on Lake Chad near the border with Cameroon where the extremists are accused of killing hundreds of people in a January attack after Nigerian troops fled.
The government hopes the military will be able to reclaim enough territory to allow presidential elections March 28, which Boko Haram is threatening to disrupt.
The vote looks to be the most closely contested ever in Nigeria, Africa's biggest oil producer. Boko Haram, which denounces democracy as a corrupt Western concept, has warned it will disrupt the elections by attacking polling stations.
The group has indicated it may soon join up with the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS), according to a message posted Sunday on Twitter, according to SITE. Boko Haram began emulating ISIS last August, declaring it had established an Islamic caliphate in territory it controls in northeastern Nigeria.
"We give you glad tidings that the group's Shurah Council is at the stage of consulting and studying, and we will let you know soon the group's decision in respect to pledging allegiance to the caliph of the Muslims, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi," the group said in the message, referring to the Islamic State leader.After a career spanning almost 50 years, it’s safe to say that Robert De Niro has solidified himself as one of the greatest actors ever. And whaddya know, a bunch of the nearly 100 movies he’s been in have been pretty damn good. His new movie The Family is out Friday, so without further ado, here’s my list of his 20 best!
1. The Godfather Part II
Might as well start at the top! Arguably in the top ten movies ever made, and indisputably the best sequel of all time, The Godfather Part II is comfortably at the top of my list as Robert De Niro’s best movie. He won an Oscar for his phenomenal portrayal of a young Vito Corleone, one of many great performances in a film that ups the ante over the original in every conceivable way.
2. Goodfellas
Alongside the first two Godfather films, Goodfellas is arguably one of the three best gangster films of all time. Martin Scorsese’s true-ish story of Henry Hill’s rise and fall in the mob is funny, violent, and frantic, echoing Hill’s experience with organized crime, and towards the end of his story, cocaine. De Niro, Ray Liotta, Joe Pesci, and Lorraine Bracco are all phenomenal.
3. Taxi Driver
Unstable cab driver Travis Bickle is easily one of De Niro’s most disturbing roles. Watching Travis gradually become more and more unhinged is an incredibly tense experience, and even though his eventual violent trip past the breaking point is expected, it doesn’t make it any less harrowing.
4. Raging Bull
As I briefly discussed in my picks for the top biopics, Raging Bull is a prime example De Niro fully inhabiting a character. His Jake La Motta is a troubled, jealous man who is often his own worst enemy when it comes to finding lasting success in his relationships and boxing career.
5. The Deer Hunter
This is a film that stuck with me for days after seeing it for the first time. The Deer Hunter is one of the most haunting films I’ve ever seen, thanks to its brutal depiction of the Vietnam War and how it affected the lives of the men who fought in it (and their families back home).
6. Heat
Among the best crime dramas ever made, Heat is the first film in which two of the greatest actors of any generation, De Niro and Al Pacino, actually appear together on screen. It’s a hugely entertaining film, and defines the term “gritty.”
7. Brazil
Widely considered Terry Gilliam’s best film and among the top sci-fi movies of the last 30 years (not to mention having a near-perfect 98% on Rotten Tomatoes), Brazil is a brilliant futuristic dark comedy that takes staples of authors like Orwell and turns them on their heads.
8. Casino
Another De Niro/Scorsese collaboration, another excellent mob movie. This time the action takes place in Las Vegas, as De Niro’s Ace and Joe Pesci’s Nicky move out west to build a fortune in the casino business. Sharon Stone is excellent (and was nominated for Best Actress) in this brutally violent film about the dangers of trust when power and money are at stake.
9. Mean Streets
De Niro’s first ever teaming with director Martin Scorsese is among the best movies both have done. Mean Streets is widely considered a triumph of American cinema for its tale of – as tends to be a focal point for Scorsese’s movies – mafia aspirations and illicit activities in Little Italy.
10. Cape Fear
Martin Scorsese’s remake of 1962’s Cape Fear features De Niro in one of his most flat-out psychotic roles. The first shot of Max Cady working out in his cell, tattoo of the scales of justice hanging from a cross on his back, with the iconic score blaring, perfectly sets the stage for what’s to come.by Michael Keller
The eye is more than the window into the soul, it’s also the best identity card you can carry. A good photo of the colored part around the pupil called the iris contains so many unique features that researchers say it can tell who you are with an accuracy of about one in a billion people. Even the irises of identical twins are different because the finer points of its structure aren’t based on genetics alone.
These facts have made this single feature of the eye the subject of intense study in the world of biometric identification, which uses physical features like the face or palm and behavioral characteristics like how someone walks to figure out who a person is. And the technology is starting to be used around the world because iris scans can be done with a camera, require no contact with the subject and don’t carry the same stigma as being fingerprinted. For example, India’s Unique Identification Authority, a national government agency, is working to issue a national ID card that includes an iris scan to India’s 1.24 billion citizens in the next several years.
But projects like India’s and others happening around the world to identify individuals through their irises have at least one major limitation—subjects have to let their irises be photographed. Current technology needs to be close to the face and the lens has to be pointed almost straight at the eye.
That might be a slightly better situation for privacy advocates, but it’s just not good enough for biometrics researchers, companies and military and security officials. Several groups are working on what’s called long-range standoff iris recognition systems, which have to be neither close nor directly in front of the subject.
What’s this mean? Somewhere not too far off into the future, the advertisement-customizing, always-watching surveillance technology depicted in the 2002 film Minority Report will be a real thing.
Now a team working on standoff iris recognition at Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) is reporting that they have taken a significant step toward scanning wandering eyes.
“Historically, iris identification requires a full frontal shot to work,” says Chris Boehnen, ORNL’s Biometrics and Forensics Program Manager. “But you want a system to capture uncooperative irises like in Minority Report. Existing technology can’t do that.”
The major obstacle to realizing the Hollywood fantasy, Boehnen tells Txchnologist, is that when you take a picture of an iris in profile and compare it to a full frontal picture, the two angles make the eye look different. But a standoff system would need to match a person’s iris from almost any direction. “What we’re trying to do is use a corrective model to extract the iris pattern and make it look the same no matter whether the original picture was full frontal or off-angle,” he says.
Much of the work to give iris scanners more leeway for accidental eye movements or camera lenses that are slightly off-angle has involved mathematically adding a little fudge factor to processing software. But building in variance, Boehnen says, can accidentally cause a subject’s iris to match against one in a database that isn’t his or hers.
Instead, the ORNL team has developed image-preprocessing software that uses math and a biologically accurate 3-D model of the eye to take an off-angle picture of the iris and correct it. The result is that they have successfully been able |
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Topics: defence-forces, law-crime-and-justice, suicide, canberra-2600
First posted“Millions earmarked for Barras regeneration,” goes the stuck record. Beneath the headlines of a £27m package to transform the area around the Barras into a “must-visit” area and an “events quarter” lurks the familiar threat – the Barras Market may not exist for much longer.
The apparent desire to rid the Barras of the market comes hot on the heels of a similar exercise just down the road at Paddy’s Market, which closed its doors in 2009 following decades of neglect and a campaign to denigrate the market via the ever compliant local media. The council have paid Network Rail, who own the land which housed Paddy’s Market, £500,000 to ensure the land is unused. While many traders shut their doors, some moved to the Barras, only to see claims their stalls and businesses caused crime and anti-social behaviour move with them. With the latest report denouncing those who “operate behind roller shutters,” it’s beginning to look eerily familiar.
This regeneration scheme also bears a striking resemblance to the previous £3.5m plan, which we were assured would turn the area into…a cultural quarter, as part of one of Glasgow’s “biggest regeneration movements.” The question then, as now, is where the Barras are supposed to be moving to?
The Calton Barras Action Plan (CBAP) stated the market was central to regeneration of the area and was approved back in 2012, with Calton councillor and former Barras trader, Yvonne Kucuk, frequently providing the local press with cheery quotes about the benefits to the area. Amongst the crowning achievements of the CBAP has been the Barrowland Park, a green space created for the Commonwealth Games. The central feature of the park was “Album Pathway” by artist Jim Lambie which is dedicated to the many acts who have played at the Barrowlands. With the Games over, the park will be demolished and replaced by shops and expensive flats…while the new council report waxes lyrical about stimulating the artistic scene and capitalising on the area’s musical history.
Yet a few years later and with the CBAP still in motion, it seems the market is viewed as on its last legs and doesn’t seem as important as “business units…for social or commercial use” – known to you and I as “shops.” Oddly, Yvonne Kucuk hasn’t featured so prominently in discussions about who’s likely to benefit from the latest £27m. Perhaps because she‘s still busy explaining who benefited from another multi million pound regeneration project in Dalmarnock.
The Dalmarnock Legacy Hub employed Kucuk as a “regeneration manager” and also employs her husband. The Hub is operated by the People‘s Development Trust, where Kucuk’s cousin sat on the board until 2014, before relinquishing his place to his son. 2 other councillors are or were employed by the Hub and/or the trust. Despite being engulfed in a nepotism scandal, Kucuk recently attempted to seek a nomination for Labour at Holyrood. Central office eventually stepped in, with a bizarre statement about the shortlist not reflecting Labour’s aspirations for diversity i.e. “are you fucking joking?”
For decades now, the council has pursued a singular strategy of “arts led regeneration” (AKA gentrification) without any consideration of the consequences for the residents of the areas they claim to represent. Sadly, this latest report offers much of the same. I’m more than happy to stick my neck out to defend arts funding, even if it’s shite/unpopular and even at a time of austerity. But the council don’t care about the arts or the creative industries, they are just a tool to deliver an economic, social and political project.
With 1500 job cuts announced this week, it’s clear degeneration not regeneration remains the fundamental strategy. People with no jobs can’t buy things at a market, they can’t pay their rising rents, so their only option is move to areas not yet being eyed by the developers.
The answer to poor housing is always to talk down an area to deplete property values, then move the artists in to empty units to drive the prices up, so private developers can build expensive houses, 10 years later, once everyone who lived there has been forced out. The benefits to the council are twofold – they can increase the tax receipts for the land by driving out poor people and replacing them with higher earners and they get to fill their and anyone they knows boots, by awarding themselves cushy jobs in the ever-expanding regeneration industry. The notion we could just build social housing or that constituencies also contain people hasn’t occurred to those who’ve ran the council for the last 3 and a bit decades.
The answer to what an area needs is always more flats and shops (the report suggests 4-6 storey buildings in the surrounding area) never more green space (“Open space shall be provided in accordance with the policies and requirements of the Council“). The notion that more open public spaces like Barrowland Park could be a permanent feature of our City doesn’t cross the minds of the reports authors or the bean counters. We can do a bit better than some statutory grass.
It’s completely dishonest for the Council to attempt to link the alleged regeneration of the area with the market, without a clear commitment to the market’s future. Pretending huge public investment is intended to increase footfall at the Barras and then focusing so much on building yet more flats and shops is pure doublespeak. Ultimately, our elected leaders can only call so many things a “quarter” before people realise they’re talking out their (w)holes.
Despite the large public investment and despite the rhetoric of regenerated quarters, one question remains: will the Barras actually be saved or will it be hung out to dry by the media, re-drawn by the developers and culturally quartered by the council?
If the record of our local politicians is anything to go by, the traders will have a fight on their hands if they are to avoid becoming subjects of a new art installation about how we loved the Barras so much, we closed them down to make more space for posh flats.
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—————————————————————————————————In NASA's Budget: Plans To 'Shrink-Wrap' An Asteroid
Enlarge this image toggle caption NASA/Advanced Concepts Laboratory NASA/Advanced Concepts Laboratory
When President Obama released his 2014 budget for the federal government on Wednesday, much of it was spreadsheets and tables. But one corner of NASA's budget looked like something out of a movie script.
The space agency is planning to capture a small asteroid, drag it to the moon and put it in orbit. If the mission goes ahead, then within a decade, astronauts could visit and study it up close.
Louis Friedman, executive director emeritus of The Planetary Society, understands why some might be skeptical of the new plan: "The very idea of lassoing an object... and towing it to Earth orbit sounds pretty preposterous when you first think of it."
But it's not crazy. Last year, Friedman headed a committee of academics that took a serious look at the idea.
"Not only was this pretty feasible, at least at the early look of it... but it was the only way that humans would actually get out beyond the moon in the next couple of decades," he says.
NASA originally wanted to send astronauts out into deep space to study an asteroid in its natural habitat. But the rockets currently under development just aren't powerful enough, and the agency's $17.7 billion budget is being squeezed.
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Proponents argue that this plan provides an affordable alternative. NASA will use telescopes on Earth to track down a small asteroid passing by. (Those telescopes, by the way, will also look for anything that might hit us.) Once they've found a target asteroid, the agency will launch a robotic spacecraft to intercept it. In Friedman's study, the spacecraft has a huge inflatable cone on the front. When it reaches the asteroid, the cone inflates and traps the rock inside. Then it deflates.
"I call it'shrink-wrapping' the asteroid," Friedman says.
That process draws the 500-ton asteroid to the spacecraft and secures it. The spacecraft then steers it back toward the Earth-moon system.
But Jay Melosh, a researcher at Purdue University, has his doubts about the new plan.
"It's not impossible, but it's very difficult, and one could wonder about what advantage would there be in doing all that stuff," he says.
The goal of NASA is to get to Mars, he says. That requires solving difficult problems, like protecting astronauts from the radiation in deep space. NASA is wasting resources "on playing around with this little asteroid while not facing up to the major problems," Melosh says.
Even this mission won't be cheap. Estimates of the total cost of bringing the asteroid to the astronauts are currently around $2.6 billion.
The plan may also face opposition in Congress. Albert Carnesale is a professor of public policy at the University of California, Los Angeles. Last year, he led a review of NASA's strategic direction and found that many in Congress believed that NASA should be setting its sights on the moon rather than an asteroid. NASA's budget provides $78 million to start researching the mission, but ultimately Congress must approve the funding.
Friedman doesn't deny that this is a less ambitious project, but the Planetary Society director says it will get humans farther out into space than they've ever been before.Asked by BNS to comment on Zhirinovsky's statement, the minister said some politicians belonged in a zoo.
"I do not want to discuss this. I have already said that there are politicians who belong in a zoo. I see no sense in joining this level of discussions," the minister told BNS in New York on Wednesday.
Linkevičius noted that Zhirinovsky had been blacklisted by the European Union (EU) since las September and would not be able enter the community's territory.
"He has been on the sanctions list since September 2014. No additional measures are needed in this respect," said the Lithuanian diplomacy chief in comment of the interior minister's proposal to declare Zhirinovsky persona non grata in Lithuania.
Zhirinovsky, the leader of the Russian Liberal Democratic Party, made the threatening remarks to claim Vilnius and Klaipėda in a confrontational debate on the EU, Ukraine, Eastern Partnership and Russia that was broadcast after midnight on Russian TV on Wednesday.
EU Ambassador to Russia Vygaudas Ušackas, Lithuania's former foreign minister, who was also a guest at the TV debate, demanded an official Russian position on Lithuania's territorial integrity. In his opinion, the issue should be raised by Lithuanian leaders as well.TIMOTHY A. CLARY/AFP/Getty Images
There's something about a Donald Trump administration in charge of the US National Security Agency that has folks taking government surveillance very seriously.
Encrypted email provider ProtonMail and encrypted chat service Signal saw a spike in new users after the election. What's more, privacy advocates say they're hearing from more people who are interested in covering up their tracks online.
Eva Galperin, a global policy analyst at the privacy-oriented Electronic Frontier Foundation, said she's received more requests for trainings than usual since the election. Concerned internet users include journalists and activists, Galperin said. Driving these groups' fears is uncertainty over how an unpredictable Trump administration will handle its profound surveillance power.
"What protects most of us are just subjective norms," Galperin said. "The government didn't individually target people [with surveillance] because of subjective norms, but those change over time."
Whatever your reasons for wanting to keep your personal information, communications and browsing habits private, it's a complicated task.
Chat and email
Chat and email messages are the most straightforward to keep private, but even so, users have to pay close attention to make the tools work for them. Encrypted chat apps like WhatsApp, Signal and Wickr scramble up messages with end-to-end encryption. That means the app providers themselves can't read them, and therefore can't hand them over to the government. Other chat apps, including Facebook Messenger and Google's Allo, offer end-to-end encryption as an option, but it isn't a default setting.
But, your friends and contacts are most likely spread across these services, so you'll need multiple services to keep the conversation going. It's easy to lose track of which have encrypted messages as a default and which don't.
Still, privacy expert Serge Egelman said chat is light-years ahead of email when it comes to keeping messages private. The system for encrypting emails sent from any email provider -- called "Pretty Good Privacy" or PGP -- is cumbersome to put it mildly.
The system's "been around for the better part of 30 or 40 years," said Egelman, who directs usable security and privacy research at the International Computer Science Institute. "No one uses it because the tools are hard to use."
Browsing privately
Tools that prevent the government and others from tracking your web browsing history are out there. For example, the Firefox browser offers users a private browsing mode and the ability to tell websites not to track them. Mozilla won't have a record of your web browsing to give the government, but the websites you visit can still track your location and identity even if you ask them not to.
Chrome and Safari also offer private browsing modes. However, convenient features you don't even think about -- like cookies that keep you logged into your email account -- can evaporate when these settings are turned on.
The more extreme option is the Tor browser, which not only hides your IP address from the websites you visit but lets you access parts of the internet that might be blocked in your region. To use Tor in a part of the world with heavy internet censorship, you'll need to know how to configure the browser in a special way.
Social media
Social media is public, so that's your first obstacle if you're really trying to stay locked down. Galperin said she tells people who want to get into activism to keep their social media presences anonymous. That's easy to do on Twitter, but a bit trickier on Facebook, which requires users to give their real names.
Hiding your name isn't necessarily about the government but rather internet trolls, Galperin said. If other internet users want to stop you from speaking out against a government policy, for example, they can use your real name to figure out your home address and workplace and harass you in real life.
Some companies also scrape social media information and put it in their own highly searchable databases -- and sell access to law enforcement agencies. Some social media companies are pushing back on that trend, with Twitter revoking access to its software interface from companies that help collect social media data for law enforcement agencies.
What about the companies that collect your data?
Users might be the people with the least power over online privacy. With that in mind, the Electronic Frontier Foundation published an ad in Wired Magazine urging companies to do more to keep user data out of the government's hands.
Yahoo, Twitter, Facebook and Google declined to comment on whether they'll change any of their practices in advance of the transition to Trump's presidency. Microsoft and Apple didn't respond to requests for comment.
For its part, web browser company Mozilla is thinking about its privacy practices.
"When a new administration comes in, particularly one that has a new political view, it would be silly not to think about these issues," said Denelle Dixon-Thayer, chief legal and business officer at Mozilla.
But even though privacy concerns might be heightened for some now, Dixon-Thayer said companies need to work on securing their users' data every day.
"You're going to have lawful hacking by whatever government is in power," she said.Map shows drug smuggling routes into Texas used by cartels
Steven McCraw, DPS Director, presented a powerpoint to the Texas House Appropriations Committee July 19, 2016 detailing an overview of Operation Secure Texas, a border protection plan, and proposals requested by the Joint Committee on Border Security. less Steven McCraw, DPS Director, presented a powerpoint to the Texas House Appropriations Committee July 19, 2016 detailing an overview of Operation Secure Texas, a border protection plan, and proposals requested... more Photo: Courtesy/Texas Department Of Public Safety Photo: Courtesy/Texas Department Of Public Safety Image 1 of / 32 Caption Close Map shows drug smuggling routes into Texas used by cartels 1 / 32 Back to Gallery
The Texas Department of Public Safety presented a report to the state earlier this summer which included a map of “major smuggling routes” along the U.S.-Mexico Border.
Steven McCraw, DPS Director, presented a powerpoint to the Texas House Appropriations Committee July 19 detailing an overview of Operation Secure Texas, a border protection plan, and proposals requested by the Joint Committee on Border Security, according to the DPS website.
A photo of the map was recirculated on social media Wednesday by Dave Hendricks, executive producer for ValleyCentral.com.
RELATED: Poll: Most Texans oppose building wall on U.S.-Mexico border
The second slide of the presentation illustrates the “major smuggling routes” from Mexico into Texas.
“Texas shares 1,254 miles with Mexico,” the presentation says. “Fourteen Texas counties share a contiguous border with Mexico.”
RELATED: Border agents find people hiding amid roosters during checkpoint stop
According to the document, Hidalgo and Starr Counties have the highest drug smuggling threat in the state, followed by Webb and Cameron Counties which are located on the southern tip of Texas bordering with Mexico.
There were 234,062 undocumented immigrants apprehended at the Texas-Mexico Border in 2015, a drop from the previous year which saw 315,803 people seized, according to the presentation.
RELATED: Border agents find more than $7 million in liquid meth inside pickup gas tank
As of Aug. 1, there are 4,270 detection cameras deployed along the border region as well as 1,241 troopers, according to an August DPS report.
kbradshaw@express-news.net
Twitter: @kbrad5THE DRIVER
Often overlooked as a handling factor, the driver is actually one of the biggest factors affecting handling balance. The driver influences weight transfer by how and when the controls are utilized. When the driver uses the brakes, applies the throttle or turns the steering wheel, weight transfer begins to occur, and how quickly the driver uses those controls affects how quickly weight transfer happens. So the driver controls when weight transfer begins and affects how fast it takes place. And weight transfer affects traction and roll couple distribution or handling balance. So, how well the driver manipulates the controls determines how well the driver is managing tire traction.
Small changes in steering wheel angle and how fast the driver rotates the wheel, how hard and quickly the brake pedal is applied and how smoothly power is applied can make a big difference is handling balance, lap times and, over the course of a race or run, how well tires are managed. Smooth, consistent motions relative to control use will have a very different effect on the platform balance and tire traction compared to rapid and abrupt control inputs.
HANDLING AILMENTS: CAR OR DRIVER?
Driver error should always be considered when handling problems crop up. There are several items to consider when analyzing handling problems. The first consideration is to confirm or eliminate the driver as a possible cause. This is important because, no matter how good a driver is, the car will always be more consistent. Keep in mind, the driver influences weight transfer and tire traction at each corner of the car in a variety of situations. If the driver is too hard on the throttle, he can cause either a push or a loose condition, depending on what he does with the throttle pedal and when. How and when the driver uses any of the controls will often cause or cure a perceived handling problem.
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HOW A DRIVER CAN CAUSE A HANDLING PROBLEM ENTERING A TURN
If the driver comes into the corner too hot under hard braking, and attempts to rotate the car while applying too much brake-pedal pressure, then a significant push is created. Ironically, it also can cause the car to get loose. If the car has too much brake bias to the rear, a loose situation can result under heavy braking while steering. Too much front bias and the situation reverses. A slight roll-couple bias can have the same effect. Too much front roll-couple causes a push, too much rear will create a loose situation.
The overriding factor here is the driver. If the driver brakes too hard and tries to rotate the car — more steering wheel lock applied while braking — the car will have a handling problem just like the one I just described. The situation may not appear until the tires get hot. This will typically cause the car to push since the front tires may be overheating due to heavy braking going into the corners. The situation will only get worse as the tires get hotter and begin to wear.
Even if a car is perfectly neutral, the driver can cause a handling problem by making the steering motion too quickly or abruptly. Jerking the steering wheel can cause the front tire slip angles to increase suddenly relative to the rear tire slip angles, causing a push to begin, which can linger even though the rear tire slip angles eventually catch up to the front slip angles.
HOW A DRIVER CAN CAUSE A HANDLING PROBLEM WHILE EXITING A TURN
Corner exit handling problems also can be driver-caused. The most common situation is wheel-spin exiting a turn. This is almost always caused by the driver slamming the throttle pedal too quickly. More cross weight may reduce this on an oval, but on a road course, it’s the driver who has considerable influence over the situation. Just like the entry of a turn, the same action by the driver could cause the exact opposite problem. A push at the exit of the turn can also be driver-induced simply by accelerating too hard with too much steering lock. If the relative amount of drive torque available is too little to cause wheel-spin, the weight transfer due to acceleration can increase rear tire traction while reducing front tire traction. This change in balance often causes a push at the exit of a turn when wheel spin is not likely to occur. In each case, the driver is misusing the controls, which upsets the handling balance.
HOW TO CURE DRIVER-INDUCED HANDLING PROBLEMS
The first step in curing driver-induced handling ills is to recognize that the driver may be the cause of the problem. This can be difficult for two reasons. First, handling problems can be easily masked since several different scenarios can be the cause for a given problem. Second, it can be difficult for drivers to have the insight and honesty needed to look within themselves for the problem. It takes courage and commitment to confront yourself and your ego to seek the truth. There are several clues to help determine whether the car or the driver is the root of the problem.
If the problem is inconsistent, it is most likely driver-induced.
If a problem occurs at every similar type of turn, it is most likely, but not always, setup related.
On road courses, if a problem occurs on either left or right turns only, it is likely setup related.
If the problem occurs at one turn only or one segment of a turn, it is likely driver-induced.
IMPROVING YOUR DRIVING TECHNIQUE
Driver control errors cause handling problems. These errors fall into two categories, all occurring during transitions. First is abrupt control responses. Jerking the steering wheel, hitting the brake pedal too hard, or nailing the throttle to the floor too quickly are the usual problems. Second, the timing of control use may be off. Turning the steering wheel too soon or too late going into a turn can upset the car, causing problems. The same applies to the brake and throttle pedals. Smooth movements of the controls timed perfectly will eliminate most of the driver-induced handling problems.
Here are some examples. Turning the steering wheel too quickly at the entry to a turn can cause a push or loose condition. This relates closely to the use of the brakes in unison with steering. If the steering wheel is turned too quickly while the brakes are applied too much going into a turn, the front tires will be overloaded. The tires can steer and decelerate the car at the same time, but only up to point. The combination of brake and steering cannot exceed the limits of total tire traction. The tires create only so much traction regardless of direction — accelerate or brake, plus turn. The combination can go right to the traction limit, but not exceed it. All of the traction can be used to turn, or to brake, or some combination of the two. If the limit is exceeded, the tires will slide, usually at one end of the car before the other.
The driver is in complete control of this. More steering means less brake. More brake means less steering. If you need to turn the wheel while braking at the limits of tire traction, the tires cannot do the job. If all the traction is needed for turning, then no braking can be used, and vice versa.
The same situation applies to the corner exit. More traction for acceleration requires less steering lock by the driver. Maximum traction efficiency requires you to stay on the limit of the traction circle. If you go over the limit of the traction circle by asking the tires to do more work than they can, a handling problem will occur.
Think of the throttle and brake pedals as being linked to the steering wheel. More pressure on the pedal means less steering lock. More steering lock means less pressure on the pedals. Too much steering or too much pedal pressure causes tire traction limits to be exceeded.
As you enter a turn under braking, you must ease off the brake pedal to stay within the limits of traction. At some point in the turn, all the traction must be used for cornering, so the brakes are released and the car balanced with the throttle without acceleration. At the exit of a turn, to facilitate acceleration down the straights, the steering wheel must be unwound. If it is not, a handling problem, caused by the driver, will occur. The big question is finding the balance between pedal application and steering wheel lock angle. Too much of either will cause the fine balance to be lost and the car will fall off the desired path. Too little will be slow. Learning to keep the car balanced on the edge of traction is the key to being a fast race driver.
Finally, timing of control use is crucial for fast driving. Turning in too early can require using more steering lock midway into a turn. This should require a reduction in braking force, but then you may enter the corner with too much speed. This circumstance may also alter your line around the corner. Braking too late, turning in too late, not rotating the car at the best place on the track can force you to slow the car to avert disaster. Timing can be thrown off if control movements are too slow. The combination of smooth control use, perfect balance between pedal and steering inputs, and precise timing make driving a racecar an art form. Being off by 5 degrees of steering wheel angle, 10 pounds on brake pedal pressure, or a tenth of a second on timing can cost valuable hundredths of a second on the racetrack. True speed is found by perfecting your skills in these areas.
BASIC CORNERING THEORY FOR THE TRACK
Entire books exist covering this topic, but here are five basic principles to get you going in the right direction. While it is crucial to drive the corners as close to limits as possible, the real goal — and the fastest way — is to find the best compromises allowing you to accelerate, preferably at full throttle, the maximum amount of time during a lap. While braking and steering are an absolute necessity, both actually slow the car, so spending the least amount of time steering and braking and the most time accelerating is the key to fast lap times.
1. TURN THE STEERING AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE WHILE CORNERING
The act of steering scrubs off speed. For this reason, spend as little time as possible steering. And turn the steering wheel as little as possible to get through a corner. This is an “area under the curve” exercise. If you plot on a graph the steering angle of the steering wheel versus the time spent turning the steering wheel, the driver with the least area under the curve is the fastest. This requires scribing the largest arc possible through a corner. A line starting from the outside edge of the track, apexing at the geometric center of the corner on the inside of the track and exiting to the outside edge of the track will accomplish this as long as the arc is smooth. Steering corrections, while necessary at times, add to the area under the curve and cost time.
2. ALTER YOUR LINE IF YOU ENCOUNTER CORNER-EXIT WHEEL-SPIN
The goal is get back on full power as early as possible exiting a corner. Some corners are flat out, allowing full throttle throughout, but most corners require braking to negotiate the turn. Getting back on full power as quickly is possible is the key to fast laps. If full-throttle application induces wheel-spin, alter your line so that you can unwind the steering earlier in the exit phase of the corner, This allows the tires to use more traction capacity for acceleration. This line requires a later turn-in — meaning more steering angle — a later apex, but an earlier throttle application to full power and maximum acceleration.
3. USE LIMIT BRAKING WITH CAUTION
Braking at the limits of tire traction, also called threshold braking, is important for fast lap times, but it can cause problems at corner turn-in. Keep the traction circle theory in mind. As you reach the turn-in point, ease off the brakes as you begin to steer. More steering means less braking. You should be braking for a slow corner about one-third of the way into the turn for maximum tire traction utilization. But you must find the find balance between steering and braking to take advantage of the tire’s maximum traction. Too much steering for the amount of braking will cause a handling problem, scrubbing off speed and overheating the tires at the minimum, or resulting in an off track excursion — or a crash — at worst.
4.CONTROL USE: SMOOTH VS. ABRUPT
Smoothness counts. Abrupt use of the controls can initiate handling problems, overheat tires and accelerate wear. It is almost always slower. There are rare cases where abrupt control inputs can be used to coax the car into a desired behavior, but if such a tactic works, then the car setup needs to be addressed. Long-term abrupt control use destroys tires quickly and costs time in any event lasting longer than a single lap.
Abrupt steering input can cause tire slip angles to increase too quickly, overloading the tires, and can cause the slip angles to be higher than necessary, causing scrub, heat buildup and accelerated wear. Too abrupt on the throttle can cause wheel-spin. And an abrupt application of the brakes can cause wheel lock up and force forward weight transfer to take place too quickly, overloading the front tires at the turn-in to a corner.
So what is smooth? That’s tough to define! The best advice is to try using the controls more slowly. You may not be able to tell when you are using the controls too quickly, but you will know when you are using them too slowly. Slow down control movements until they feel too slow.
5.WHEN YOU DRIVE, WHERE YOU LOOK IS WHERE YOU GO
By looking farther down the track, you relax and things are happen more slowly. The driving is more fun and is actually much safer. And now you start to go faster than ever without added stress.
Where you look determines nearly every aspect of your driving: speed, comfort, style and safety. But is important to use your eyes effectively to become a better driver and to go faster as well. Visual fields are one of the most important areas of attention for any driver, but especially for the competition driver. What you see determines how you implement and modify your game plan. If you fail to see something important, it can cause problems. Knowing where to look, and what to look for is crucial for success, as well as safety, in all forms driving.
VISUAL FIELDS
Visual fields are simply where you look and what the eyes are taking in. Most of the data you gather for decision-making in a racecar is taken in visually. Your visual field could be the dashboard, down the road 300 yards, into a corner, a billboard, or anywhere you look. A short visual field limits data gathering, while a long visual field promotes greater data intake. The data you gather is needed to make decisions. “Where do I apply the brakes? When do I turn the steering wheel, and how much? What are the other cars doing?” Each of these questions, and dozens of others are answered by visual data you take in while on the track. If the visual data you take in is faulty, inaccurate or incomplete, the result will be lost time on the track and greater risk on the highway. You’ll either be too slow or too scared.
FOCAL POINTS
Your focal point determines what your visual field encompasses. Try this exercise right now. Focus on the page you are now reading. Don’t change your focal point, but notice what is in your peripheral visual field. What you see is limited, so the data you can gather from your visual field is limited. Now focus on an object several feet away. Do the same thing with your peripheral vision. You can take in more data. Try this on objects even farther away. As your focal point moves out away from you, your ability to gather important data improves. Within reason, the longer your focal point, the larger your visual field and the more data you can take in with your eyes. What you focus your eyes on is very important.
THE CRYSTAL BALL
Your visual field is like a crystal ball. It allows you to take a look into the future. For example, at 130 MPH, you are traveling at about 200 feet per second. If you look 200 feet ahead, you have a one second look at what will occur in 200 feet. But if you look at the bumper of the car just ahead, you have only 1/10 second look into the future.
During the time you give yourself with your visual field, three important factors occur. First, that is the time you have to implement your plan. Second, it is the time you have to plan tactics based on the cars around you. Third, it is the most amount of time you have to take evasive action in an emergency. You may have less time if the situation occurs within your visual field closer to you. Let’s look at these more closely.
YOUR PLAN
Whether you realize it or not, you have a plan for getting around a racetrack or down the highway. You must “plan” when you will turn the steering wheel, when to brake and when to use the throttle. Your visual field determines how far your plan reaches and how much time you have to implement the plan. If your visual field encompasses 100 feet in front of you, your plan for using the controls to position the car and control its speed extends 100 feet, and the time you have to implement the plan is determined by the speed of the vehicle.
YOUR PLAN ENDS WHERE YOUR VISUAL FIELD ENDS
To get through a corner effectively, you need a plan to get you completely through a corner. And that requires a visual field that stretches through the corner. A big visual field will allow you to see the path you want to drive and make smooth transitions on and off the controls. A short visual field, even if it shifts, does not allow you to see the big view, so you are forced to make several smaller plans, leaving little time to implement the plan and requiring you to react to rather than anticipate situations. This forces more abrupt transitions, and can cause you to lose speed.
TACTICS
Your visual field will affect your ability to create and implement tactics. The more you are forced to react to situations, the greater your disadvantage becomes. Larger visual fields allow you to anticipate tactical situations earlier in the majority of situations. If you count on reacting to situations, you will lose just about every time. If you give yourself time to anticipate the situation, whether you are attacking or defending, you will have a higher likelihood of success.
WHAT TO LOOK AT
Visual fields should always be dynamic, that is, always moving and changing. It is ineffective to focus on a marker or object 300 feet down the road, and maintain focus on that object until you pass. The effective way to use visual fields is to constantly change them. Keep your eyes moving. For example, as you approach a corner, your eyes may sweep through the braking zone, and then through the corner to the exit before moving back to your braking point and the path you plan to drive at the entry to the turn. During this time, you may also glance at the mirror or use your peripheral vision to check on the position of other cars.
At different times, the visual priorities will change depending on the position on the track, the situation in a race and other circumstances. It is best if you have an idea of where you need to shift your visual field at various points around the racetrack, or in various situations.
ROAD SIGNS
All race tracks and all roads have reference points of some type. These points can be anything: marks on the racetrack, cracks, marks on the walls, poles, etc. Use reference points to help you create and maintain your plan. Be sure to use permanent markers, not ones that can move.
UNDER BRAKING
As you approach the braking area, you should look all the way through the braking zone into the corner so that your plan is as complete as possible. Then shift your visual focus to the braking point, and allow your eyes to follow your desired path through the braking zone. As the brakes are applied, your visual field should shift to the corner, so that you have a clear mental picture of your desired path into and through the corner.
GOING INTO A CORNER
As you go into the corner, you should have already looked completely through the turn, and then you can shorten your visual field for specific reference points. Once into the corner, your visual field should move to the exit.
EXITING A CORNER
You must see out of the corner as early as possible so that you can unwind the steering and feed in throttle to maximize acceleration. This is probably the most important phase of the corner, and your visual focus is important. It is best to extend your visual field out of the corner as early as possible. Once your path is determined on the exit, you can check the mirrors or gauges as you enter the straight.
INVISIBLE CORNERS
In many cases, especially on road courses, you will encounter physical obstacles that impair your vision, or create a blind cornering situation. In these cases, you need to have experience well below the limits of traction through those areas to drive them effectively. With experience, you will be able to get up to the limit. This process allows you to see “through” the blind spot as if it were not there. You are actually fooling your mind into believing that you actually see through the blind area. The |
again, a franchise-changing rebuild was just months away.
Hopkins: “You’re trying to introduce yourself to the ownership of the team. You think you know where things are going. And you’re like, ‘What is going on here?’ I’m speaking very candidly, OK? I never really understood that relationship – I’m talking about the relationship that Bud had with his whole team. I never understood it. … Where’s the direction? Where are you going with this? How many conversations do you have with the guys that are in our locker room? And that never happened. So you’re like, ‘Where is the emphasis coming for this team to be better than it was the year before?’ When the head of the whole deal is not really giving you much direction, it trickles down.”
McDowell: “We were basically told … ‘You guys have got to get it done or we’re going to dismantle this team.’ ”
Givins: “He scared ’em. I’d been with the Oilers for (eight) years and that was the first time Bud Adams ever came into the locker room to say something like that.”
Bishop: “Yeah, that was scary. I’m a rookie and I’m like, ‘Uh, oh: He’s talking about me.’ He said, ‘This team’s been together, (I’ve) paid a lot of money, we should make it to the Super Bowl.’ If not, he’s going to dismantle the team. And he was serious.”
Dishman: “It was kind of strange to hear him say that, because you can’t break a team up like that. We had such a powerful team. We were so talented. From ’89 to ’93, I don’t venture there was a team that had more talent than the Houston Oilers.”
Sean Jones: “ ’93 was just the end. This was going on for the six years that I was there. We always had good guys play there. We always had, you know what, ‘Let’s win in spite of Bud. Let’s go win a championship.’ You had all this frustration going on. One year we had a player who had an incentive in his contract to bat balls down, because the year before he’d led the league in interceptions. … This guy literally has balls in his hands and he’s dropping them. He won’t catch them. … It was that kind of stupidity that was going on that made it really dysfunctional. And that was going on for six years and it culminates in ’93. People think we were dealing with just one season. No. ’93 was just the end of a seven-year run.”
* * * * *
“OK, who is the head coach?”
Welcome to the war. Ryan arms his troops during the months leading up to training camp, threatening to permanently bench locked-in starters and intentionally creating an us-against-the world mentality. While installing his widely praised but highly technical 46 defense, Ryan prepares for an all-out assault against Gilbride’s run-and-shoot.
Bishop: “It got so bad sometimes they just said, ‘Take the defense inside, practice is over.’ It was like, ‘What, are you serious?’ … OK, who is the head coach?’ I got a little confused at who I should listen to at the time. Buddy said, ‘Just hit anything that moves like you did in college and you’ll be fine.’ ”
Givins: “We attacked each other like we were the Pittsburgh Steelers versus the Houston Oilers every day in practice. That was the damndest thing I’ve seen.”
Munchak: “I remember how bad training camp was and how competitive it was, and the conflict between the coaches and everything. … There was definitely a feeling of who was in control throughout the season.”
Hopkins: “You’ve got to remember: I was supposed to go as a projection to the Cleveland Browns at No. 14. I had talked to (Cleveland coach) Bill Belichick a number of times – he had been on campus – and all the talking heads had their projections and that’s where I was going. And then to go to the Houston Oilers … I was completely surprised that they were even interested in me. And then to find out the way things had gone, that’s not normal, that’s not par for the course at that point in your NFL career. And I was just like, ‘Oh my goodness, is that what happens?’ As a young adult being in college, where pretty much everything is handed to you … and to come down to the fourth-largest city in the country and to have players committing suicide and coaches punching each other – just the whole craziness that comes with critiquing professional football players – that was an atmosphere I was completely blown away by.”
Barrow: “To me, it was normal that the offensive coaches and the defensive coaches are going at it, because nobody wants to lose. I didn’t know that was an issue; I was too naïve to know at the time. But it just brought out the best because we kept competing and we didn’t want to lose.”
Lamar Lathon (Linebacker, first round in 1990. Nine seasons, five with Oilers. Pro Bowl in 1996): “The thing with Buddy was personal for me. Buddy Ryan came in and before he even got into the office he said that comment about (linebacker) Al Smith needed to lose some weight. And then he said, ‘Lamar Lathon, if he’s not in Hawaii this year, he’ll be looking for a new address.’ … He immediately puts me in the doghouse before I even step on the field. Within a week, he had me on the depth chart at three or four. Of course, I didn’t understand it at the time, but he was trying to motivate me.”
“When Buddy did come, the tempo did go up, because Buddy was such a hellraiser. The whole thing with putting the name on the back of the helmet was almost like everybody in here needs to prove themselves to me. He was a master at playing mind games. And not to manipulate; he just knew how to get the best out of each player. And I guarantee you he did that.”
Givins: “With the talent that we had and with the draft picks, we thought we had enough to get over the hump. Everybody kept talking about, ‘The Houston Oilers should do this, the Houston Oilers should do that.’ Well, you’ve got to look at it from the outside. The outside, the picture was perfect.”
* * * * *
“We were rock bottom, bud. We were 1-4, and we were scratching our heads like, ‘Is this even going to work?’ “
The 46 caused a trainwreck. The run-and-shoot was out of bullets. Ryan asked his veterans for patience and Gilbride stayed the course. But a 1-1 start became a chaotic 1-4 and the ’93 Oilers initially looked like they would never get over The Choke. A 35-7 road loss to the Bills in Week 5 was an insult disguised as a blowout. Team Turmoil already appeared to be on the verge of going dark.
Tillman: “We were full of pride and full of hubris. And then that excessive pride began to show up and the excesses start to show up in the loss column. Eventually, it turns into a collapse.”
Hopkins: “What happens when you start having losses like that, especially in culmination like we did, people just start looking at their own jobs internally and making sure they’re doing whatever is necessary to survive. Well, that’s not the best atmosphere when it comes to being on a team.”
Givins: “Most teams if they would’ve started 1-4, they would’ve collapsed.”
Childress: “We were rock bottom, bud. We were 1-4, and we were scratching our heads like, ‘Is this even going to work?’ ”
* * * * *
Moon was at the center of the storm. His arm was betraying him and his focus was off. As rumors swirled about his personal life, the future Hall of Famer threw 11 interceptions and just five touchdowns during the Oilers’ 1-4 start. For the first time since he joined the organization in 1984, Moon became the team’s backup QB.
Givins: “When Warren got benched, that raised a lot of eyebrows to a lot of people. Not only on the football field, but in the locker room, as well.”
Moon: “(Coach Jack Pardee) called me into his office and he was very nervous, and I kind of had a feeling what he was going to tell me, just because I had never really had a meeting before with Jack in his office. It was at the facility in a closet. And I could tell how nervous he was to tell me, but I didn’t give him too much of a hard time about it. I tried to take it like a man and just kind of understood that’s part of the position. You’re going to get a lot of the blame when things aren’t going well and that was part of it. I wasn’t playing my best football but there were other things going on, too. I didn’t feel like it was fair but I felt like he had to do something and he went ahead and did that.”
Hopkins: “I had no idea that anything was really going on internally. That’s the way that football players have learned to keep their private lives separate from their playing lives. I’m sure there’s rumors and speculation about what’s going on with this guy and how it affects him doing his job. But for the most part with Warren, for all of his days in Houston, he had always fought the uphill battle. He had always fought the black quarterback mystique. He had always fought the, ‘Is he capable of coming from the Canadian Football League?’ … He was the consummate professional. Even with (backup quarterback) Cody Carlson, he showed himself to be relatively supportive and he wasn’t badmouthing anybody or the fans. He just pretty much came in and did his job, whatever he was asked to do.”
Jones: “Warren would’ve never made it in ‘Django Unchained’ – he just wouldn’t have. Because his perception or reality of what everybody else was dealing with was f—— warped. He had no idea what every other black player on that team was dealing with. He thought he was above reproach until people started heckling his family in the stands, then he kind of got a feeling for it. But he had no idea what everybody else was dealing with. He was the ultimate company man, as far as, ‘Y’all just need to be quiet. It’s not as bad as you say. Stop being such rebels.’ All that stuff. And then he got slapped in the face. … It hardened him. And he played with more focus. And he had more of a resolve, like, ‘These m—–f—— are going to f— me like they’re going to f— everybody else. And I thought I was above that s—.’ And then he played better, because he started to realize that he wasn’t untouchable. And clearly, because after the end of the season, he was gone like everybody else.”
Moon: “No question about it: (Getting benched) was probably the most embarrassing thing that happened (in my career), other than losing a playoff game. If it had gone on for longer, it might have been worse, but it didn’t last for that long. It seemed like I was never benched because … before you know it, I was back on the field.”
“After it happened, it was, ‘OK, how do I handle this so I don’t go too far in the tank and I’m still there for the team, I’m still being a leader?’ Because I didn’t know what my role was going to be, because I had never really been (a backup) before, except for my rookie year in Canada.”
Givins: “That year, he was very, very strong. I don’t know what went on with his personal things and everything – people was trying to pull things out of him. But if anything was going wrong with Warren, we were going to know. And if it was, he was damn sure good at being a magician, because he hid it from everybody. Nobody really knew anything. … If Warren had personal things going on, we never knew. Because he still threw the most beautiful ball I’ve ever seen.”
Tillman: “Warren was very resilient. … It was a very arduous path that he had taken. For anyone to have gone through that, he carried himself with as much dignity on the outside as anybody could have. I mean, some of the stuff, the (letters) that I read and the things that people would say, it’s just unbelievable — even in the 80s and into the 90s, it was just unbelievable. So, he gets a mulligan in my book. … Warren, to my opinion, he was a trailblazer. And he handled himself with class on the outside, as much as anybody that I ever knew that had been subjected to the challenges he was subjected to.”
* * * * *
“We didn’t let nobody mess with us, because that brother was still a Houston Oiler. I fight my brother all the time — I’ll fight him today. But he’s still my brother.”
This is what no one gets and everyone misses, the Oilers say: They were united. They were brothers. It’s hard as hell to win one game in the NFL. How in the world do you think a 1-4 team – in the early stages of the craziest season in league history — can win 11 straight if it doesn’t stick together?
Jones: “That is irrefutable. That should’ve never been in question.”
Childress: “My strong opinion is that we were professional athletes and we’re supposed to handle distractions. … We were not orphans. It’s not like we needed somebody to feel sorry for us because Buddy Ryan and Kevin Gilbride did not get along, so to speak. So what? We’re supposed to focus on what we’re supposed to do. If you’ve got a problem with it, get over yourself. … I really enjoyed playing on that team, to be honest with you. It’s like the saying, ‘I might call my dog ugly. But if you call my dog ugly, we’re going to fight.’ ”
Givins: “We did come together. Oh, yes we did – on Sunday. But what happens on that Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday was hell. It was hell. But for whatever reason on Sunday, we came together and became the Houston Oilers and we weren’t going to let anybody stop that.”
“Yes, we went out. Yes, we had a good time. Yes, we went to dinners and parties – we did all of those things. But we didn’t let nobody mess with us, because that brother was still a Houston Oiler. I fight my brother all the time — I’ll fight him today. But he’s still my brother. Ain’t nobody going to come in our house and disrupt the family, even though the family is dysfunctional. We still loved each other. And the best part about it — people don’t understand — we respected each other. But it was an odd respect.”
Moon: “I don’t think our team was divided once we were off the field. I think on the field sometimes we were. Sometimes our offensive and defensive linemen didn’t get along, because they were the ones with more contact than anybody else. … A lot of those things might not have made our team close as early in the season, especially, and that might have been one of the reasons we got off to such a bad start. We probably weren’t a very close team to start off with.”
Tillman: “One of the leftovers Jerry Glanville fostered before Jack took over, we’d have the family days. Where on Saturdays, the kids came in … and they would be playing and rummaging around in our lockers, and we’d have the pictures we’d take. And it’d be donut day is what it would be – the rookies would bring in donuts. … It was very much conducive to family. But there was some dysfunction there as well. I’m not going to totally open our locker room up to you totally. But there (were) some things that (were) problematic.”
Munchak: “There was no fighting in the locker room. It was nothing like that. We respected each other. … In the locker room and when we played, we played to win. We had that kind of bond and we wanted to win the whole thing and we felt we could — we should have.”
Barrow: “We were truly a family. That was one of the closest teams that I’ve even been a part of. … We had our own individual fights in practice because guys (were) competing. But it never spilled over into the locker room to where now it became personal and divided a locker room.”
McDowell: “Everybody knew certain guys (were gay). … Everybody speculated and people used to see these two guys come in by themselves. They’d leave at lunchtime and then come back.”
“Even on the road, guys get caught coming out of the room. ‘Hey, what you doing? But if it was such a bad situation, trust me, there was no grown man that’d put up with that if … that was a distraction to them. But that’s just how it was. And those same gentlemen that was being accused of it, we was with them all of the time. The whole time.”
“You’re going to have grown men in the shower with you. It was no big deal.”
Lathon: “Listen, those (gay) guys that we’re talking about were unbelievable teammates. And if you wanted to go to war with someone, you would get those guys first. Because I have never seen tougher guys than those guys. And everybody in the locker room, the consensus knew or had an idea that things were not exactly right. But guess what? When they strapped the pads on and got on the field, man, we were going to war with these guys because they were unbelievable. I mean, practice-wise, conditioning-wise, always at the top of their game, and people respect that.”
* * * * *
“That was the holy grail”
The opening became a tunnel. By Week 10, 1-4 was 4-4. Road wins at Cincinnati and Cleveland followed. Moon’s resurgence sparked the Oilers. But it was Ryan’s highly complex and downright nasty 46 defense that allowed the Oilers to shake off their turmoil and become the NFL’s hottest team.
Childress: “You talk about a high. You talk about being proud to walk on the field and being part of a defensive unit that, quite literally, when the opposing offenses would break the huddle, they knew they weren’t going to move the ball on us.”
Jones: “That 46 s—, that was like some different s—. That was the holy grail. ‘Oh my God. You can do that? You can create one-on-ones automatically and there’s nothing they can do about it? Oh my goodness.’ … I don’t care if you’re (Denver Broncos quarterback) Peyton Manning: you can’t game plan it. The 46 is akin to what Peyton Manning and those guys do on offense; that’s what the 46 did on defense. You only went into the game with two calls. That’s it: two calls. … The first couple games, defensively we were struggling a little bit, because you had guys that didn’t want to study. They would call AFC, which is automatic front coverage. It tells you based on what they have, what front they give you, that tells you what front you’re going to be in and it tells you what kind of coverage you’re going to run behind it. If you don’t study the formations, it’s hard to play it.”
“Buddy changed it halfway through (the season). At one time, he just had Al Smith calling the front. Then he changed it where he had me calling the front for the defensive line, Al calling it for the linebacker and (a safety) … in the secondary. … Once you picked it up, it was simple. We were coming from all angles and no one knew where we were coming from.”
Bishop: “I gotta give Buddy credit. … He kept saying, ‘Just stay with it and the defense is going to work. It’s going to be awesome.’ And sure enough, quarterbacks were scared. Exactly what he said was going to happen happened.”
* * * * *
“Let’s go ahead and turn this thing around”
From Week 7 to 18, Ryan’s defense only allowed 20 points one time, while Gilbride’s run-and-shoot averaged 25.4 points per game. A team many thought would do itself in before the season was complete became the most dominant and dangerous squad in the league. An All-Texas Super Bowl against the Dallas Cowboys for trophy XXVIII in Atlanta was in sight.
Moon: “The team just got kind of a rebirth and a refocus. I think it kind of really bothered them that I got benched and it wasn’t totally all my fault in the first place. I think once the team saw that I was going to go out there and play, everybody just kind of put everything together. Where maybe before, we weren’t doing that — maybe before we were relying too much individually on each other. And we started to play better as a team when I came back.”
Munchak: “We had so much talent. … Up in New England, Warren’s making the comeback and being our leader again and it’s all coming together. Once we won that game, we just kind of realized the other stuff doesn’t matter.”
Givins: “Yes, we had problems in the locker room. Yes, we hated one another. But we were professionals. And professionals step up and play the game. That’s how we went on that 11-game winning streak. We looked around in the locker room and we said, ‘We’ve got too much talent to just be a mediocre team. And let’s go ahead and turn this thing around. ’ ”
Hopkins: “The one thing that did help was the direction of (veterans). Having been in our locker room, having been on other teams — won with another team, lost with another team; understood the atmospheres, understood the volatility of being a professional – that made it easier to weather storms like this. Had that team been a young team that needed a whole lot of direction from the coaching, there’s no way in the world we would’ve won 11 games straight.”
Moon: “When you’re in it, you don’t really think about all the stuff that’s going on. You’re just battling through it. It just seems like part of what’s happening all of the time. That team, not only did those things happen, but there were a lot of smaller things going on within our football team that you didn’t know about outside of our locker room. … There were just so many strong personalities. So many guys that were very emotional-type players and would wear their emotions on their sleeves.”
* * * * *
But they were still the ’93 Oilers. At the start of the greatest winning streak in franchise history, the Oilers were forced to deal with the media-driven national news story that was Babygate.
Matthews: “I love (right tackle) David Williams to death, but I was angry. Nobody (with the Oilers) ever said anything about him not being there for the birth of his son. He was supposed to make the game, though. He was there when his son (Scot) was born on the Saturday afternoon before the game. Everything was fine. His wife was fine. The baby was fine. Her parents were there. His parents were there. The charter was waiting for him, but he never got on the plane. I mean, how long did he have to stay?”
Munchak: “We were practicing that morning practice and his wife was going into labor, I remember that part. And then he left and we thought that was good news, because he’s obviously going to be there, No. 1, and his child was going to be born before he left – he was in a panic over that. … She went into labor that morning when we were still in Houston. So we said, ‘This is going to work out perfectly. He’s going to be there for the birth and then fly out of Houston later on and play in the game the next day.’ ”
Moon: “Babygate was huge just because of the national attention it got, especially from women’s rights groups, so it took on (a) life of its own. I never thought it was that big of a disruption to our team. But it was a big distraction to our team.”
Hopkins: “A lot of people felt that David had plenty of time to rejoin the team. It’s not like his son was born Sunday morning and you’re expecting him to catch a flight and be on the field by noon. … There was plenty of time once he saw everything was secure and he welcomed his son to the world, he could’ve done what his job required. But I did sympathize and understand completely, because this is your first child. And the last thing you’re thinking about is going on the road and playing a football game, when the most important thing is looking you right in the face.”
Jones: “No one believed that he couldn’t make that f—— game. That’s the difference. Go be with your wife. Go kiss your little baby on the forehead. But get your a– on the field and go play a damn game, then go back right after the game is over. You’re not going to get support for stupid s—. Because something like that we thought could split the team apart. Who you were, what your persuasion was, none of that was a problem. But if you were doing s— that prevented you from playing and contributing and doing what we needed to do to win on Sunday, we had a problem with that. And we held people accountable.”
* * * * *
Jeff Alm: March 31, 1968 to December 14, 1993.
Near the end of the winning, a little-known defensive tackle loved by some of his teammates and hated by others would commit suicide on a Houston interstate ramp, five days before the Oilers clinched the AFC Central and their seventh consecutive playoff appearance.
Jones: “I Iove Jeff. Jeff was one of my guys. Jeff used to eat at my house every Wednesday. … He ate at my house the night before he died. It was just shocking to me. It was shocking, shocking, shocking.”
Childress: “First of all, Jeff was my friend. Second of all, great young man. … He was just really, really high strung. He was. That was his chemical makeup. And he had something bad happen to him. He snapped. He made a terrible, fatal decision. And I still regret that happening, honestly. … That was a first for me, I can tell you that. Having a teammate die during the season – that was a first.”
Tillman: “You hate to ever disparage somebody who’s ever passed on. I just remember the moment when he pushed my coach, Frank Novak. I’m not the biggest guy in the world; Frank’s smaller than I am. And I don’t know anything but to go after (Alm) and I knew I was going to get my butt kicked. But the bottom line was, I peered and looked at (general manager) Mike Holovak and I looked at Jack and I’m saying, ‘You’ve got to be kidding me? You can’t not do something.’ And after the melee was over, I just walked off the field and Mike came after me. I will just say this: Jeff was a troubled soul … a big guy, but he had a small mind in regards to how it related to how to manage situations – not always fighting and bringing your physical prowess to bear. And that’s an indictment, but it is what it is. He really was struggling with those areas. I don’t know if there were some other medical issues. … But he had some issues. There were some anger issues.”
Dishman: “I didn’t see him as a wild-and-crazy guy. I saw him as a guy who was pretty much to himself. He was a gun advocate – he loved hunting. He did have guns. He did have a trunk full of guns. But that was just because he just loved guns.”
Munchak: “We were all so young then. It’s like it doesn’t happen to people like us. That doesn’t happen to us. That’s not something that happens to athletes or someone you know. … We didn’t know what to do next. What could be worse than that? It was a real hard time. And I thought Jack, coach Pardee, did a real nice job.”
Givins: “That hit home. Because today we still talk about guys with mental problems and concussions. It’s funny: We talk about it but nobody ever came to me and said, ‘How do you feel, EG?’ … I had the most concussions on that team – I had seven. … That Jeff Alm thing, it shattered a lot of people.”
“I don’t know what I would do if that had been my best friend. People don’t know. You don’t know what’s going to happen. Jeff had known his friend (Sean Lynch) for years. … And then that happened. That was tough. That was real tough.”
Hopkins: “Everybody knew that Jeff Alm was a tense guy, kind of fiery. I guess you could say political correctness wasn’t his strong suit. But then I never knew to the degree of how intense the guy could be like that, unless you see him deal with a situation like the death of a friend that he felt he was the cause of. And just the reaction itself … I don’t know anybody that would’ve reacted like that.
“He was a constant risk taker. That’s exactly what he was. When you’re a professional athlete, I think there’s an air of invincibility that we all have because you’re playing such a violent sport. … But that kind of mantra doesn’t leave you if that’s what you live and breathe and think. And that’s what Jeff Alm was. He was an intense dude. But then, you know, he lived life – and not always the best way. It was a surprise, a complete surprise, a complete shock to find out that he took his own life. But then when you look back at it, it’s like the way he did it and the circumstance that he got himself in to be in that situation, is that surprising? No, not really.”
Matthews: “It was eerie and tragic at the same time. Jeff was such a high-strung dude. It showed that sometimes you never truly know what’s going on with somebody’s life. We treat football like it’s life and death, then we were confronted with the reality of death. It was shocking. Then we went out and played one of our better games (by winning at Pittsburgh). How do you figure?”
Jones: “Looking back on it, I just think it was incredible how the guys handled it. Everyone was so focused on what was going on. It was, ‘We feel bad for his family but we’ve got a game to play. Let’s go win it. Let’s go honor Jeff. But there ain’t going to be no sobbing because Jeff killed himself. It is what it is. Jeff made his choice.’ There was just such a maturity on that team. I had never been around a team that was so mature in how it handled different things that was going on.”
* * * * *
The Oilers make it through Babygate. They survive Alm’s suicide. They overcome 1-4, Moon’s benching and the 46 vs. the run-and-shoot to win their 11th consecutive game on the same night their regular season finally draws to a close. Then one of the most dramatic seasons in NFL history officially becomes the craziest. Ryan attacks Gilbride, throwing a punch on national television.
Hopkins: “That’s something that had been threatened. Not that Buddy ever threatened to punch Kevin or vice-versa, but just the whole back and forth. Not even in newspapers, but with conversations ourselves. … At some point, we thought they honestly might come to blows. But just not during a game. During a game? That’s something that happens after practice or on a Friday or something stupid – you can deal with it and it doesn’t even leave the building, right? They were on national television and you’re like, ‘What in the hell?’ That’s more like, ‘Are you serious right now?’ ”
Matthews: “When Buddy threw that punch at Kevin (and wide receiver Curtis Duncan stepped in to pull them apart), there was so much frustration and aggravation on Kevin’s part — he was about to beat Buddy’s a– when guys intervened. Guys stayed with Kevin as he left the field and in the dressing room, because we thought he might go after Buddy and just abuse the guy. That’s how angry he was. Obviously, when something like that happens – and in a game, no less – it’s shocking.”
Lathon: “People don’t get the real story. The week before that, we lost (safety) Marcus Robertson. … That was Buddy’s frustration. Everybody on the team had a tremendous amount of respect for Kevin Gilbride. To me, he’s an offensive genius.”
McDowell: “I got hurt, then Marcus got hurt in the exact same situation. That’s what took Buddy over the edge. … He didn’t just do it as, ‘Oh, I’m bad and I can push people around.’ Buddy was concerned about his players. So that’s why the punch happened.”
Munchak: “Buddy had had great success with his defense and Kevin had had great success with his offense. It was a match made in heaven, I guess.”
* * * * *
First, there was John Elway’s 1991 comeback. Then The Choke. Then Joe Montana’s last stand. The Oilers lead the Kansas City Chiefs 13-7 in the fourth quarter during an AFC divisional contest in the Astrodome and all momentum is pushing toward the franchise’s first AFC championship appearance in 14 years. But Ryan’s defense collapses, giving up three touchdowns in the final 8 minutes, 38 seconds. A stacked team is soon broken up and a withering organization later follows, as 37 years of history are packaged up and delivered to Nashville, Tenn.
Givins: “Everybody knew it was going to be a Texas Super Bowl. I think we got tired. It finally caught up to us in the end. We were exhausted. … We saw the whole season flash in front of us. The losses, all the wins, all the excitement, all the tragedy, all the victories, all the disappointments, all the a——-, we saw all that go flashing between our eyes.”
McDowell: “Aw, naw, s—: This can’t happen again.”
Jones: “We were the best team. We were the best team two years in a row. … We just took our eye off of it and all that s— just crept back in. We couldn’t make it happen. It was just too much. It was like you block it out, you block it out. But once you let it in, it starts happening. In the course of a half, we just couldn’t stop it. It was like holding back tears and then once you start crying, it’s a floodgate. It was like, ‘Training camp and then Jeff died and this.’ It was all like, ‘Whoa!’ We felt like we had done all we could and then we just couldn’t hold it.”
* * * * *
“Don’t let the door hit you”
Adams kept his word. Moon was traded to the Minnesota Vikings. Carlson became the team’s new starting QB. Ryan took over the Arizona Cardinals. Munchak and Jones, among others, departed. The craziest season in NFL history ended with a dud. By 1994, the Oilers were 2-14 and the ’93 team – the greatest, most chaotic and most entertaining since the franchise’s inception – was already fading into history.
Givins: “We knew things were going to end.”
Childress: “It’s just so unfortunate. We went to seven straight playoffs and we were never able to get to the Super Bowl. That’s a fact. And now you’ve got teams out there today that just wish they could make the playoffs. It’s, like, be careful what you wish for.”
“That was the real low. You go from being part of teams with great teammates and great coaches to obviously go into full-blown rebuilding mode. That was a low point.”
Barrow: “The end of it was weird. ’93 to me was great. … (After that), you go to play a preseason game and then they cancel the game because the turf was bad. So to me, those things were more detrimental to the team than the ’93 season. It was so bad one time, you know how they call your name before the game?, you literally had enough time to go shake everybody’s hand and then run out before they call the next guy’s name. It became like that. It became like a Pop Warner game. People just stopped showing up. … You was kind of like a pawn in a chess game when it was going on. … You’re part of the community but you’re really not, because you’re leaving. It’s just a bad feel.”
Hopkins: “The way we left definitely was (weird). Because this is the NFL — the highest-grossing revenue sport, the most popular sport in the country. And you saw a team leave because of what? A lack of support. When they were watching us leave the city of Houston, there was that whole mantra, ‘Don’t let the door hit you.’ And in thinking that way, we had to rally around ourselves, because the city of Nashville didn’t know anything about the Houston Oilers. … The referendum barely passed for us to come up to Nashville – that shows you right there. People were like, ‘Naw, we’re good.’
The Chronicle’s John McClain contributed reporting.Microsoft has today unveiled a cheaper subscription option for Office 365 – Personal. Previously, consumers had to fork out $10 a month for the Home package, allowing up to 5 installations of Office. With the new iPad suite now available, the company has launched a package that limits installations, but opens up support for iPads and comes with a more affordable price tag.
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Matt "The Demon" Denn takes on Chris "The Sinister Senator" Coons in a UFC mixed martial arts bout. Who wins?
Would I rather eat oysters with a bunch of men or shrimp with a bunch of women?
If the government were to actually look at the searches done on my iPhone, how fast would I be under surveillance?
What if all the bridges over the C&D Canal were to fall down at once? What if I were on the wrong side when it happened? Worse yet, what if I was on one of them?
Heels or flats?
I really miss Ruth Ann Minner's white-shoe test.
And just this morning... Why am I taking a shower? I'm just going to get dirty again.
Share in the Only in Delaware conversation 24/7 on delawareonline. Contact Jeffrey Gentry at jgentry@delawareonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @jeffreygentry
Read or Share this story: http://delonline.us/1iLVaAwJessica Walter On Archer, Arrested Development, and the Lost Classic Dinosaurs
Over a decade before Glenn Close's character stewed a pet rabbit in Fatal Attraction, Jessica Walter won a Golden Globe nomination for her role as a psychotic stalker fan in Play Misty For Me, the first feature film directed by Clint Eastwood. Thirty years later, Walter won the hearts of an entirely different demographic with her Emmy-nominated role on Arrested Development as the Bluth family's sinfully overbearing matriarch. While Arrested fans may not see the feature film for a couple years still (Mitch Hurwitz is rumored to still be writing the script), they can at least catch Walter in FX's new animated spy series Archer, which premieres tonight.
Movieline caught up with the lovely actress earlier this week to chat about how her Archer role was designed with her in mind, what she thought about her stint voicing Fran Sinclair on Dinosaurs, and her excitement for that Arrested Development script.
How did you hear about Archer?
I first read the script when my agent Cynthia, a wonderful woman, called and told me, "You know, it's the funniest thing. I got copy" -- copy, meaning what people audition from. She said, "They sent copy for this new show and it says next to the character Mallory, 'Think Jessica Walter from Arrested Development.'" So she called them up and said, "You know, I represent Jessica Walter and she really loves doing animation and has done many a show including Dinosaurs, which was a wonderful show in the nineties." And they said okay! I got the offer and they sent me the script. But how about that?
That must be flattering, especially since Mallory is smart, funny and a little bit like a certain Arrested Development character...
I know, there are a lot of similarities between Mallory and Lucille. [Laughs] Should I feel silly about that? Why do I keep getting these parts? They're similar though. They're strong women who both love their children but they don't know how to show it.
You mentioned that you love doing animation. What specifically about it interests you?
There are many things about it. One is that you don't have to do make-up and hair. You can roll out of bed and it is at your convenience and your availability. They schedule the sessions and those are just the peripheral things that are good about it. What's good about it too is that you can really have fun. You can go a lot further, especially with animated cartoons, than you can with having a close-up in your face. You can go over the top and not feel funny about it.
When voicing Archer, were you in the same room with your co-stars at any point?
On this show, interestingly enough, no. With Dinosaurs, which was a primetime show, we had table readings where all of the actors would get together. But then we did the actual recording facing the screen of the animatronic puppets, because there was a full person's body inside the suits. We would have to face the screen and make the dialogue fit into what was already done on the camera. That was difficult. Now for Archer, we read all of our lines in a little booth with no screen, no nothing. And then I guess they do the cartooning to match what we did.
Is that difficult since you don't have another actor to play off of?
Well you know something, on this show, and this is a tribute to Adam Reed, who is the creator and brilliant writer of Archer, he works with us from his base in Atlanta via satellite. I record in New York or Los Angeles if I'm there and he reads all of the other parts and he is wonderful. I always joke that if things don't work out for Adam, he can join the Screen Actors Guild. He does a heck of a job. We do whole scenes, three and four pages at a time, so it takes a lot less time to do it that way too. With most cartoons, you do a few lines, go back. And with Archer, maybe we do a scene three times and Adam takes what he likes in the editing room and that's that.
So when Jeffrey Tambor guest-stars on an upcoming episode, you two weren't acting together again somewhere in a soundbooth. But your characters will appear in scenes together.
Yes, we have scenes together. Jeffrey will be on January 28 and he plays the United Nations intelligence chairman.
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Police officers continued to stand guard Tuesday at the Brooklyn apartment building where the suspect in Monday's pipe bombing in Manhattan most recently lived and likely assembled his bomb.Meanwhile, more details are emerging about the man believed to be behind the blast in the underground corridor between Times Square and the Port Authority Bus Terminal.The explosion, which happened around 7:30 a.m. in a passageway under 42nd Street between 7th and 8th Avenues, triggered a massive emergency response by the NYPD and FDNY both above and below ground, tangling subway and bus service. Authorities described it as a terror-related incident.The suspect has been identified as 27-year-old Akayed Ullah, who is from Bangladesh and has been in the country for six years. Authorities say he entered the US on an F4 visa, a family-based visa, and lived at an address in Brooklyn. The FBI searched several locations in the borough.The pipe bomb was assembled in the suspect's apartment, officials said, in an attack he is believed to have been planning for a year.Ullah was severely injured in the apparent suicide bombing attempt, and he was taken into custody at the scene and transported to Bellevue Hospital. He appears to have been wearing a low-level explosive device that failed to properly detonate.Fire officials said the suspect had burns to his hands and abdomen. Ullah is conscious and talking to authorities, telling them he is self-inspired from ISIS online propaganda.A year after arriving, he obtained a license to drive a livery cab. Records show he got into two car accidents while on the road. In 2015, his license lapsed. Officials believe he then worked as an electrician.A TLC spokesperson issued the following statement:"I can confirm that the individual held a TLC For-Hire Vehicle Driver's License from March 2012 through March 2015, at which time it lapsed and was not renewed. As taxi and for-hire vehicle drivers are independent contractors and not employees, I unfortunately have no way of knowing whether he drove for any particular base, or whether he simply got the license but didn't drive at all. That said, since he held an FHV license, if in fact he did drive, we do know that it could not have been a yellow taxi."There are several known addresses for Ullah scattered through Brooklyn, where police descended on the locations, questioning family, friends, and neighbors in search of clues about his motivation."We are going to piece together who he is, what he is all about, who are his family members, his associates, his contacts, why did he do this?" NYPD Chief of Counterterrorism James Waters said.Ullah's family in Bangladesh, including his wife, her parents and an uncle, have been taken in for questioning by counterterrorism police there. The uncle has since been released. The wife and her parents are in Dhaka, the capital.Relatives and police told AP that Ullah last visited Bangladesh in September to see his wife and newborn son. He left both behind when he returned to the United States.Some of Ullah's family members blasted what they claimed were heavy-handed tactics by investigators.The Council on American Islamic Relations (CAIR) provided insight into Ullah's family. While they say they are heartbroken over the attack and allegations, they do not criticize their son. Instead, they level their wrath at law enforcement who tried to gather information from relatives.Albert Fox Cahn, the legal director for CAIR New York, read a short, prepared statement on behalf of the Ullah family saying, "We are heartbroken by the violence that was targeted at our city today, and by the allegations being made against a member of our family. But we are also outraged by the behavior of law enforcement officials who have held children as small as four years old out in the cold and who held a teenager out of high school classes to interrogate him without a lawyer, without his parents. These are not the sorts of actions that we expect from our justice system, and we have every confidence that our justice system will find the truth behind this attack and that we will, in the end, be able to learn what occurred today. Thank you for your time."Ullah lived with his father, mother and brother in a residential area with a large Bangladeshi community, neighbors said. The home was just off a shopping strip - a red two-story brick building.Imam Kamal Nasser says he recognized the picture he saw of Ullah right away."It came as a shock," Nasser said.For several years, Ullah prayed at the Kensington mosque where Nasser is Imam. He says Ullah was quiet and showed no signs of his radical beliefs."This mosque is a community builder, not a terrorist builder," Nasser said."Are you worried people will think that?" Eyewitness News asked."I hope not. This mosque is a prayer place, a place of peace and it will remain so," Nasser said.Five other people were hurt in the explosion, but all the injuries are said to be minor. The victims were treated and released.In Washington, President Trump said he wanted to prevent people like Ullah from entering the country. "The president's policy calls for an end to chain migration which is what this individual came to the United States through and if his policy had been in place, then that attacker would not have been allowed to come in the country," said White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders.----------It was a busy, albeit not overly exciting deadline period for the Montreal Canadiens, as they acquired several role players in various trades. While early acquisitions were met with universal praise, the latter trades left people scratching their heads.
Jordie Benn for Greg Pateryn and 2017 4th round-pick
The first trade for Marc Bergevin was out of left field to say the least, it was known that Greg Pateryn was on the market, but it was unclear what his return was. Jordie Benn however, is a great return as a good penalty killing defenceman and decent puck mover. In his debut game against the Columbus Blue Jackets, Benn played alongside Nathan Beaulieu on the third pair and on the penalty kill next to Shea Weber and performed admirably. It’s early, but this deal looks like a solid win for Bergevin, sending out an expiring contract for an positional upgrade with a bit of term left.
Brandon Davidson for David Desharnais
Perhaps the most shocking move of the deadline saw Bergevin ship out long time forward David Desharnais for Brandon Davidson. Davidson is an analytics darling of sorts, showing the promising ability to suppress shots against which is something the Habs desperately needed to improve on this year. Desharnais had a hard time finding a regular spot this year and when in the lineup, failed to make a real impact. This is a major win for Montreal, as they upgraded a spot of weakness and freed up a roster spot for an offensive call up.
Steve Ott for a 2018 6th round-pick
This trade is a major head scratcher, as Ott isn’t really a serviceable player anymore. While he’s a decent face off winner, he bleeds shot attempts against and doesn’t bring much in terms of offense. However, with division rivals loading up on heavier, grittier players it’s understandable to see why Bergevin went out to get Ott. It’s not a great trade by any means, but it’s a draft pick going the other way, not a useful player.
Dwight King for a 2018 Conditional 4th round-pick
Another bottom six add for Marc Bergevin, but unlike the Steve Ott trade, King has his uses in the Habs lineup. King played on a pair of Stanley Cup winning teams in LA and brings that experience Marc Bergevin loves in his players. He comes as a solid penalty killer, to a team that is in desperate need to sort their penalty killing woes under a new coach. For a fourth-round pick(that can become a third) that’s a small price to pay for a useful role player.
Andreas Martinsen for Sven Andrighetto
This is the only move of the deadline that I did not understand, Andrighetto is a superior player, is younger and fits the direction the team is supposedly moving in. Martinsen was the worst possession player on the Colorado Avalanche, and doesn’t add much in offence to cover up for his flaws. It’s the only trade I feel comfortable calling a loss on the day. Even trading Andrighetto was predicated on him likely being unprotected in the expansion draft, a GM has to do better in terms of assets received in a trade like this.
Bergevin made a lot of moves relative to the rest of the NHL, and after a strong start it led to a lot of questionable returns. Jordie Benn and Brandon Davidson are great adds to a defensive unit that struggled for large portions of this season. Even Dwight King can supplant Brian Flynn and add a bit more punch to the Habs fourth line going forward. While the Ott and Martinsen trades are currently not popular with Habs fans, neither is a back breaker, especially when either skater will likely play less than 10 minutes a night, if they’re even in the line up at all.
These trades don’t damage the team in the long run, in fact most of these players are on expiring contracts, meaning they’ll be off the books come July 1st. While they aren’t overly damaging to the team, none of these moves addressed the one glaring weakness left in Montreal, that being a top six scoring forward. It may be likely that AHL player of the month Chris Terry gets another shot or Charles Hudon gets an extended look now as well. Either way there is plenty to like about what Bergevin did, even if every move wasn’t a home run. Most notably he did not forfeit any quality prospects for a mediocre rental, even if his acquisitions were somewhat underwhelming.PerkStreet will be closing its doors for good on September 26th, 2013. They are not accepting any new applications. If you have money with them already then your money is safe. For more information on PerkStreet’s closing take a look at their announcement article: http://www.perkstreet.com/announcement.aspx Sadlyits doors for good on September 26th, 2013. They are not accepting any new applications. If you have money with them already then your money is safe. For more information on PerkStreet’s closing take a look at their announcement article: http://www.perkstreet.com/announcement.aspx We’ve done a write-up about the closure and what your next steps should be if you have a PerkStreet account: PerkStreet Financial Online Checking is Shutting Down (What Happens to My Money?)
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*To redeem a perk as a statement credit requires 2 perks per each $20 redemption, thereby reducing your effective cash back rate. In addition, statement credits are redeemed in $20 increments. All other reward redemption options require no additional perks. For example, a $20 statement credit will require $22 in perks. A $40 statement credit requires $44 in perks, etc.A ballad called Love Will Set You Free is the UK's entry at the Eurovision Song Contest, it has been revealed.
Sung by veteran crooner Engelbert Humperdinck, it premiered on the theBBC's Eurovision websiteon Monday.
The 75-year-old singer, best known for 1967 hit Release Me, is hoping to reverse the UK's fortunes at the show, which is being held in Azerbaijan.
Last year, reformed boy band Blue came 11th, while Josh Dubovie took last place in 2010.
This year's song has been written by Grammy award-winning producer Martin Terefe and Ivor Novello winner Sacha Skarbek, who co-wrote James Blunt's You're Beautiful and Lana Del Rey's Born To Die.
Love Will Set You Free is a tale of heartbreak with a simple, sparse arrangement of plucked Spanish guitar and melancholy strings.
"The more you listen to it, the stronger it gets," said Humperdinck. "It's not a one-time listen."
"It's a really good song," added Lee Sheriden, who won the Eurovision in 1976 with the group Brotherhood of Man.
Image caption Engelbert Humperdinck has sold more than 150 million records worldwide
"There's nothing to be down about. It's very well-constructed and it lifts in the right places. I can't wait to see how it goes at the Eurovision."
Humperdinck - who was born Arnold George Dorsey - will not be the only septuagenarian at this year's contest.
Russia has selected a group called Buranovskiye Babushki (The Buranovo Grannies) to represent it in the annual competition.
Their disco-tinged tune, Party For Everybody, is second-favourite to win, with bookmakers offering odds of 6/1.
Swedish singer Loreen, who won Sweden Idol in 2004, is tipped to take the crown with her melodramatic club track Euphoria.
Analysis In an era of constant reunions, where music is endlessly repeating itself, I guess it's only natural that we should go retro for Eurovision. And since Engelbert is inherently cheesy anyway it's actually far less cringeworthy to have him belting out a 60s-style torch ballad than getting some poor X Factor reject to humiliate themselves for nul points again. But did nobody ask The Military Wives?
Speaking to BBC Radio 2's Ken Bruce, Humperdinck said he was wary of his competition.
"I think you've got cause to worry about everybody," he said.
"It's all in the performance when the time comes. That's what I'm looking forward to - getting up there and doing my thing."
Humperdinck was announced as the UK's representative last month, at which point bookmakers cut the odds of a British win from 25/1 to 16/1.
He said he had "been running on air ever since".
The singer also toldThe Sun newspaper: "I have been in the business for 45 years and with my experience and the amount of countries I have visited in Europe, I can bring this home.
"I play these countries frequently and I hope I have scored some points with them."
Since February, his odds have continued to drop, with the UK now on 14/1.
Brotherhood Of Man singer Sheridan, who also wrote the winning entry Save All Your Kisses For Me, said Humperdinck's profile would give the UK a boost.
"He is a great singer and a true professional whose vast experience makes him more than capable of handling the stresses of Eurovision," he said.
"He is a great singer and he'll do great on the night. He'll be a great ambassador for the UK."
'Cliched'
Reaction to the song online has been mixed.
"Just listened to the UK Eurovision entry," wroteIan Cooper on Twitter. "I think I would prefer to watch that beige, slow drying paint after all."
Tim Roylett's tweetwas more positive, calling the song "a real oldies ballad, and perfectly sung".
Lyrics for Love Will Set You Free If you love someone Follow your heart 'Cause love comes once if you're lucky enough Though I'll miss you forever The hurt will run deep Only love can set you free
"Nice, but not a winner," he added.
On the official Eurovision website, a user calledtrickyuk wrote: "Classy song. And sure to stand out in amongst all the party songs from other countries."
A Swedish fan using the nameDeliciousagreed, writing: "I really like this song. It's not a boring ballad, it's a pretty ballad."
Lora, writing on Twitter from Glasgowwas less positive: "They put all the cliched lines from every love song ever recorded in a bag and rearranged them into a new Eurovision song."
The 57th annual Eurovision Song Contest will be held in Baku, Azerbaijan on 26 May.
The country is hosting the show after Ell and Nikki won last year's competition with pop ballad Running Scared.I was told that having a pregnancy pillow can be a life saver when you really start to get bigger. I wanted to have one,but not pay a lot of money for it. I was very interested in this Leahco Snoogle pillow, but I wasn’t a fan of the price. So, when I found one through a local facebook group, I decided to buy it used for $20 than new for $55. I know some people are really against a pillow used, so this part is whatever you prefer. I washed the pillow and the case it came in, but the muslin case was stained even if the pillow wasn’t. So I decided that I wanted a new cover for it. Well the covers range from 30 to 4o dollars. Which I didn’t really want to pay. So, I found this tutorial online,but wasn’t a huge fan of the extra seams that she had to sew on her cover. So, I made my own, and have taken step by step pictures. I hope this helps!
So I started with this pregnancy pillow,but you can either sew your own, or use a different type since the process is pretty much the same.
I used a queen flat sheet to make my cover out of. This way, it cost me no extra money since I had this cover on hand, and I didn’t have to worry about running out of fabric.
Lay out your fabric and place the muslin cover as flat as possible on the fabric.
Trace the cover with a sewing marker or chalk giving yourself whatever seam allowance you feel comfortable with.
Then cut out your first piece using good scissors.
Then turn your fabric the opposite way; if your fabric looks the same on both sides, then you don’t have to turn it over this time, but mine had a definite right and wrong side. This flat sheet already had a nice finished edge on it, so I wanted to try and reuse that portion to save myself time later on.
I wanted the cover where it overlaps to have a little bit extra fabric for overlapping, so I added a few inches as you can see here to ensure I had that whole finished edge.
Here you can see that I did the bigger piece of the back first.
Just to be sure that it was going to be correct, I laid my already cut piece on top to show that both wrong sides were facing each other so that I wouldn’t have a mistake of wrong matching material.
Then trace your bigger piece.
Then I did the same thing with the last smaller piece.
I gave it a little bit extra material and lined it up with the already finished edge that I wanted to use.
Then trace this piece as well, and cute out both pieces.
Next I ironed all of my pieces.
I then laid them out to make sure that I had all the pieces ready.
You can then start assembling your cover.
I decided that I wanted the smaller piece be under the larger piece while stuffing,but you can have either portion on top.
Now it is all laid out, make sure there aren’t any huge gaps.
Start pinning all the way around, this took the longest of any of the steps.
I made sure to add extra pins where the back piece overlaps.
I made sure to sew the whole case on one side, turn it over and do the same on the other. I just wanted to make sure that I didn’t have any areas that were too close to the edge that had been sewn. You could use a serger too, but you would only sew around once then,but I didn’t have mine out, and was too lazy to get it out for this.
Turn the case right side out, and double check for any missed openings.
Then stuff with the pillow.
On the back side, you and see where the overlap “closure” is.
Just a little bit of a close up.
And so you can see how the flat sheet edges overlap with a little bit extra fabric than the original muslin.
I am very happy with how this turned out, and it ended up being a lot easier than I expected. If you didn’t have an existing cover, that would make it harder for sure.
If you have any questions on this, please just comment below, and thanks for reading!Contrary to what you might expect, Europe is actually the continent with the fewest dynasts in power.
Political dynasties have always been a big part of human civilization and today is no exception.
In the United States, of course, the rise of Donald Trump (and Bernie Sanders) was at least partially a reaction to the dynastic, Clinton-versus-Bush election that only last year most Americans were expecting to get.
Among other things, Jeb Bush’s candidacy split the non-evangelical portion of the Republican establishment in two, preventing it from coalescing around Marco Rubio early on and thus leaving an opening for Trump to force his way into. Hillary Clinton’s candidacy, meanwhile, may even leave the door open for Trump to become president, however unlikely and unappealing that may be.
Canada
North of the border, Canada has just elected Justin Trudeau as its prime minister, the son of Pierre Trudeau who was prime minister for fifteen years during the late 1960s, 1970s and first half of the 1980s. One of Trudeau’s two opponents in the election had been New Democratic Party leader Thomas Mulcair, whose ancestors include the first and ninth premiers of the province of Quebec.
Mexico
South of the border, Mexican president Enrique Peña Nieto (who came to power in 2013) “is the nephew of two former governors of the State of México (the state in which Mexico City is located, which is nearly twice as populous as any other state in the country, even without counting the adjacent Distrito Federal): on his mother’s side, Arturo Montiel, on his father’s, Alfredo del Mazo González.”
China
In China, the current general secretary, Xi Jinping, who is thought to have amassed more personal power than any Chinese leader since Deng Xiaoping or even Mao Zedong, is the first to come from the “princeling” class. He is the son of a prominent political figure, Xi Zhongxun, from the first generation of the Communist Party leadership. This distinguishes him from the other general secretaries in the Communist era, including Mao, whose parents were not prominent politicians and in some cases were actually quite poor.
Other top members of the current Chinese leadership are also “princelings”, most notably Yu Zhengsheng, who is the fourth-ranked politician on the seven-man Politburo Standing Committee (which is generally considered to be China’s top political body), and Wang Qishan, who is ranked sixth on the Politburo Standing Committee and may be one of the most powerful figures in China at the moment as he has been leading Xi Jinping’s now-infamous anti-corruption campaign. Wang is a princeling by marriage only: his wife is the daughter of Yao Yilin, who was a former Politburo Standing Committee member in the Communist Party.
Japan
In Japan, Prime Minister Shinzō Abe is the most powerful politician the country has seen in at least a generation as well. He too comes from a political dynasty. According to Wikipedia, his grandfather, Kan Abe, and father, Shintaro Abe, were both politicians. Abe’s mother, Yoko Kishi, is the daughter of Nobusuke Kishi, prime minister of Japan from 1957 to 1960. Kishi had been a member of the Tōjō Cabinet during the Second World War.
South Korea
Meanwhile the president of South Korea, Park Geun-hye, is the daughter of South Korea’s third president, Park Chung-hee. (And in North Korea, of course, the Kim family’s rule is now into its third generation.)
Singapore
In Singapore, the prime minister since 2004 has been Lee Hsien Loong, the son of Singapore’s modern founding father, Lee Kuan Yew, who served from 1959 all the way to 1990.
India
In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his often fanatically right-wing Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party became in 2014 the first party in over three decades to win a majority government in a national election. Modi is not from a political dynasty himself, rather he is the reaction to the modern world’s most prominent political family of all: the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty.
The Guardian wrote in 2007 that “the Nehru-Gandhi brand has no peer in the world — a member of the family has been in charge of India for forty of the sixty years since independence.” The dynasty (which by the way is not related to the Gandhi) began with Jawaharlal Nehru, India’s first post-British era prime minister from 1947-1964, who was himself the son and nephew of significant political figures in pre-independence India. It then continued with Jawaharlal’s only daughter, Indira Gandhi (née Nehru), who was India’s prime minister from 1966-1977 and from 1980-1984, but was assassinated in 1984 by two of her own Sikh bodyguards in the wake of Operation Blue Star.
The dynasty was then followed by Indira’s sons, Rajiv Gandhi, who was prime minister from 1984-1989 before being assassinated by the Tamil Tigers in 1991, and Sanjay Gandhi, who was expected to become prime minister but was instead killed in a plane crash. Rajiv’s wife, Sonia Gandhi, is the leader of India’s powerful Congress Party and the mother of Rahul Gandhi, who lost to Modi’s BJP in 2014 but still finished with more parliamentary seats and far more votes than any other candidate in the election. Sonia likely would have run for prime minister herself, but cannot because she was born in Italy.
(Sanjay’s wife, Maneka Gandhi, on the other hand, has jumped ship from the historically Nehru-Gandhi-dominated Congress Party and joined the BJP instead; she is currently a cabinet minister in the BJP-led government. Maneka’s son, Varun, has also gone over to the BJP, serving as the youngest national secretary in the history of the party and a member of the country’s parliament. However, Maneka and Varun both remain less prominent than |
as well as the clarity and color of the water itself, and the presence of any suspended matter such as weed or plankton. Even in very clear ocean currents far from shore, less than 25 percent of available sunlight hitting the sea’s surface will penetrate much beyond 30 feet or so. By the time we reach a depth of 300 feet, the remaining light may be as little as 0.5 percent of that available on the surface. In other words, it’s a pretty gloomy place down there! In freshwater lakes and rivers, this loss of light with depth is even more dramatic.
As already mentioned, red is the first color visible to our eyes to disappear, and is typically gone within 15 or 20 feet of the surface. much less in turbid water. Orange disappears next, then yellow, green, and purple. Blues penetrate deepest of all, both the tones visible to our human eyes and also the shorter, ultra-violet wavelength many fish can see.
This phenomenon has a profound impact on the way things look to us, and also to fish underwater. White objects will appear bluish or gray underwater, and the darkness of that blue/gray appearance increases rapidly with depth. Red objects will begin to look dark brown or even black within a few meters of the surface. Down at 40 or 50 feet, even in very clear water, the world appears to be composed entirely of shades of gray, blue, and black.
It’s worth stressing that this loss or alteration of visible colors occurs in both the vertical and the horizontal or diagonal planes. So, 40 feet of vertical depth has roughly the same impact on light waves and color perception as 40 feet of horizontal or diagonal separation between object and observer. In other words, a red lure may look black when viewed at a depth of 40 feet, but it will also appear black, or at the least brown or very dark grey, when viewed from the side at a distance of 40 feet, even if it’s traveling right up in the surface layer.
At face value, this phenomenon of light and color loss underwater makes a mockery of the importance of color in lures anywhere beyond shallow, ultra-clear scenarios, yet anglers the world over will continue to argue that one color is better than another, even in deep-water jigging. The funny thing is, if you ask half a dozen fishers for their opinion on the most effective lure color, you’re likely to receive six different answers. Perhaps it’s time we moved color to the bottom of the list of criteria when choosing a lure or fly, and placed far greater emphasis on the size, action, profile, and speed of our offerings.NEW DELHI: There are only six people alive who speak the endangered Great Andamanese languages. The rest 49 of that community don’t know their original language, but 28 of them speak Hindi
Two other ancient languages still alive on the islands are Jarawa and Onge, but they, too, have few speakers—just about 300 and 106, respectively. And they also run the risk of extinction. “The Great Andamanese languages comprised 10 languages of which six became extinct by 1935. Then the Government of India shifted the population to the Strait Islands in the Andamans. There are only 55 of them alive today of which only six can speak their local language,” said Padma Shri Anvita Anvi, a professor in Jawaharlal Nehru University. She added that most of the languages spoken in the middle and south of the islands are extinct now, including Bo and Khora that died out in 2009 and 2010, respectively, after their last speakers died.Abbi advocates preservation of languages. “Just like other natural resources, languages need careful planning to sustain the biodiversity of the planet. A large number of languages which are endangered in India should be researched on, preserved, or revitalized and documented. Above all, languages are the witness of the diverse and varying ways human cognitive faculties perceive the world,” she said.There has been no documentation of languages spoken by people in the North Sentinel Island, even though it is believed that the 200 people who live there speak a sister language of Jarawa.“There has been no headcount. We only have a rough estimate based on some figures obtained during the British times. No work has been done on the language these people speak and outsiders don’t have access. Anyone venturing within 1km of the island is welcomed with arrows,” said Abbi.American singer and entertainer
Carson Wayne Newton (born April 3, 1942) is an American singer and entertainer. One of the best-known entertainers in Las Vegas, Nevada, he is known by the nicknames The Midnight Idol, Mr. Las Vegas and Mr. Entertainment. His well known songs include 1972's "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast" (his biggest hit, peaking at No. 4 on the Billboard chart), "Years" (1980),[1] and his vocal version of "Red Roses for a Blue Lady" (1965). His signature song "Danke Schoen" (1963) was notably used in the score for Ferris Bueller's Day Off (1986).
Early years [ edit ]
He was born Carson Wayne Newton[2] in Norfolk, Virginia, to Patrick Newton, an auto mechanic, and his wife, Evelyn Marie "Smith" (née Plasters).[3][4][5] He is of Irish, German, and Native American ancestry (his mother is half Cherokee and his father is half Powhatan).[6] When his father was serving in the U.S. Navy during World War II, Newton spent his early years in Roanoke, learning the piano, guitar, and steel guitar at age six.[7]
While he was a child, his family moved to near Newark, Ohio. He began singing in local clubs, theaters, and fairs with his older brother, Jerry. Because of Newton's severe asthma, his family moved to Phoenix in 1952, where he left North High School just before finishing his junior year.[2][8][9] The brothers, as the Rascals in Rhythm, appeared with the Grand Ole Opry roadshows and on ABC-TV's Ozark Jubilee; and performed in front of then-president Dwight D. Eisenhower[10] and auditioned unsuccessfully for Ted Mack's Original Amateur Hour.
In the spring of 1958, near the end of his junior year of high school, a Las Vegas booking agent saw Newton on a local TV show, Lew King Rangers Show, on which the two Newton brothers were performing and took them back for an audition. Originally signed for two weeks, the brothers eventually performed for five years, doing six shows a day. On September 29, 1962, they first performed on The Jackie Gleason Show. Wayne would perform on Gleason's show 12 times over the following two years. In the early to mid-1960s, he also acted and sang as "Andy" the baby-faced Ponderosa ranch hand on the classic western TV series, Bonanza.
By 1963, Newton had been signed to Capitol Records and his first album was released on the label. He had a minor hit with "Danke Schoen". It reached no. 13 on the Billboard Magazine Hot 100 chart.
Career as an entertainer [ edit ]
Many prominent entertainment icons such as Lucille Ball, Bobby Darin, Danny Thomas, George Burns, and Jack Benny lent Newton their support. In particular, Benny hired Newton as an opening act for his show. After his job with Benny ended, Newton was offered a job to open for another comic at the Flamingo Hotel, but Newton asked for, and was given, a headline act. In 1972 his recording of "Daddy, Don't You Walk So Fast" sold over one million copies, and was awarded a gold disc by the R.I.A.A. in July 1972.[11] Influential music director Rosalie Trombley of Canadian station CKLW "The Big 8" radio in the Detroit-Windsor area decided to add the record to her radio station to embarrass her ex-husband, who wasn't faithful about seeing his children, as Trombley explained in the documentary Radio Revolution: The Rise and Fall of the Big 8. The record topped the Canadian charts. From Detroit, "Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast" took off and broke nationwide.
From 1980 through 1982, The Beach Boys and The Grass Roots performed Independence Day concerts on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., attracting large crowds.[12][13] However, in April 1983, James G. Watt, President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of the Interior, banned Independence Day concerts on the Mall by such groups. Watt said that "rock bands" that had performed on the Mall on Independence Day in 1981 and 1982 had encouraged drug use and alcoholism and had attracted "the wrong element", who would mug individuals and families attending any similar events in the future.[13] Watt then announced that Newton, a friend and supporter of President Reagan and a contributor to Republican Party political campaigns, would perform at the Mall's 1983 Independence Day celebration.[13][14] Newton entered the Independence Day stage on the Mall on July 4, 1983, to mostly cheering members of the audience, but some members booed.[15]
On May 23, 1989, Newton's live stage show was broadcast as a pay-per-view event called Wayne Newton Live in Concert. In an odd break with tradition, Newton didn't perform his trademark songs "Danke Schoen" or "Red Roses for a Blue Lady". Newton did, however, close the show with a special finale of "MacArthur Park", which culminated with an onstage rainfall.
On December 12, 1992, Newton hit #1 on the Cashbox Pop and Country charts with an Elvis Presley-inspired song, "The Letter".[16] Controversy swirled around this chart feat, as "The Letter" did not chart at all on Billboard Magazine's authoritative Hot 100 chart, Adult Contemporary chart or "Bubbling Under" chart. It did not make the Radio and Records magazine chart either. This marked the first and only time in history that a record hit #1 on the Cashbox Top 100 chart, yet failed even to chart on Billboard's Hot 100.[17]
Wayne Newton strums the guitar during his USO show at the Patriotic Festival held on the Virginia Beach Oceanfront. May, 2005.
In 1994, Newton performed his 25,000th solo show in Las Vegas.
In 1999, Newton signed a 10-year deal with the Stardust, calling for him to perform there 40 weeks out of the year for six shows a week in a showroom named after him. Orchestrated by his business partner, Jack Wishna, this "headliner-in-residence" deal was the first of its kind. In 2005, in preparation for the eventual demolition of the casino, the deal was, from all reports, amicably terminated; Newton began a 30-show stint that summer at the Hilton. His last show at the Stardust was on April 20, 2005.[18] During a break in his on stage performance, he announced to the crowd that night he wanted to spend more time with his wife and new daughter as the main reasonings for canceling the contract. Newton said the Boyd family made him a very nice offer to stay on past the demolition of the hotel and casino and to play in other Boyd venues, but Newton declined citing "another deal in the works for Vegas", but he did not mention the Hilton specifically. News crews were expecting this performance to end on time, to make their 10 pm and 11 pm shows, but the show finally ended around 11:30 pm, thus eliminating the possibility. Mr. Las Vegas went on at 7:30 that night, and sang nearly his entire repertoire and songs of other Vegas mainstays as well.
Newton was elected to the Gaming Hall of Fame in 2000.[19]
Gen. Tommy Franks, Commander, U.S. Forces Central Command (CENTCOM) sings a duet with Wayne Newton aboard the USS Nimitz during a USO show. At the time, the USS Nimitz was deployed to the Persian Gulf in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. June, 2003.
In 2001, Newton succeeded Bob Hope as chairman of the USO Celebrity Circle. In January 2005, Newton started a reality television show on E! called The Entertainer. The winner got a spot in his act, plus a headlining act of their own for a year. And during player introductions at the 2007 NBA All-Star Weekend in Las Vegas, Newton sang Presley's "Viva Las Vegas."
Newton was the grand marshal of the 80th Annual Shenandoah Apple Blossom Festival in Winchester, Virginia, May 1–7, 2007.[20] He canceled a sold-out show to join the Festival.
Newton was featured on the 2007 fall season of Dancing with the Stars partnered with two-time champion Cheryl Burke. He became the third contestant to be eliminated from the contest. During the taping (which takes place at CBS Television City), he also became the first guest on The Price Is Right, which tapes on the same lot, under host Drew Carey, who began adding guests to the show, especially to present prizes. Newton appeared after a trip to Las Vegas was shown.
In 2007 Newton revealed on Larry King Live how he personally confronted Johnny Carson about jokes The Tonight Show host was making about him. Newton said he thought:
"Johnny Carson is a mean-spirited human being. And there are people that he has hurt that people will never know about. And for some reason at some point, he decided to turn that kind of negative attention toward me. And I refused to have it."[21][22]
However, in 1993, Newton first told the story on Late Night with Conan O'Brien but disclosed that he actually had slapped Carson. A detail he would leave out of the King interview 14 years later.[23]
In 2008, Newton received a Woodrow Wilson Award for Public Service. The Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, a national memorial to President Wilson, commemorates "the ideals and concerns of Woodrow Wilson." The award honors leaders who have given back to their communities.
Beginning October 14, 2009, he began performing his then newest show "Once Before I Go" at the Tropicana in Las Vegas.[24] A year later he took a 5-year hiatus to spend time with his family and prepare his voice for a future Las Vegas residency. In 2016, Newton returned to the stage at Bally's Hotel in the form of a lounge show called "Up Close & Personal", a combination of live singing, playing some of the 13 self-taught instruments (having learned in the past to give his voice a rest when performing 6 shows a night at the Fremont Hotel), and showing movie and TV clips on screen.
After performing more than 30,000 shows on the Las Vegas strip, Newton is scheduled to perform a number of shows celebrating his 60th year of performing in Las Vegas. The show, titled Mr. Las Vegas will be held at Caesars Palace casino-resort from Monday, January 28, 2019 through May. Newton told the Associated Press, “It’s hard for me to articulate, much less think about it,” referring to the anniversary. “I was here when Caesars (Palace) was built. This hotel for me has always represented the flagship of the Strip.” [25]
Family [ edit ]
In 1968, Newton married Elaine Okamura. They have one child, Erin Newton, born July 25, 1976; they divorced in 1985. In 1994, Newton married Kathleen McCrone, a lawyer from North Olmsted, Ohio. The couple has one daughter, Lauren Ashley Newton, who was born on April 19, 2002.
Arabian horse breeder [ edit ]
Newton has stated, "My two loves in life, from the time I can remember, were music and horses, and I couldn't decide which I loved more."[26] His Arabian horse breeding program, located at his Casa de Shenandoah Ranch, is called Aramus Arabians, and has produced six generations of horses, breeding over 700 foals, with 96 champions as of 2014.[27] Newton's first experience with horses was at his uncle's farm, where he visited frequently. He bought his first horse when he sold his bicycle and his parents' movie camera to buy a foal when he was a sixth-grader. Originally owning Thoroughbreds and American Quarter Horses, he "fell in love" with the Arabian breed via his ownership of the Champion stallion *Aramus, after whom he named his horse ranch.[26] He first came to the attention of Arabian breeders in 1969 when he partnered with Tom Chauncey, an Arabian breeder and television station owner, to purchase the stallion *Naborr from the estate of Anne McCormick.[28] They paid $150,000, which at the time was the highest price ever paid for an Arabian horse at auction.[29] Shortly thereafter, Newton formed a partnership with other Arabian breeders to purchase *Aramus, who was a son of *Naborr. He became the sole owner of *Aramus in 1972.[28]
Newton was given the Arabian Horse Breeders' Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 2007.[28] He continues to be directly involved in management of his horses, planning the breeding program for his horses, determining which to keep and which to sell, and even assisting his ranch staff during foaling season. He was awarded the Arabian Professional and Amateur Horseman's Association Breeder of the Year award in 1996.[26]
The asterisk * before the name of an Arabian horse is an AHBA notation, no longer used, that indicates that the horse was foaled outside of the United States and imported to the U.S.
Finances and legal problems [ edit ]
From 1980 to 1982 Newton was part owner of the Aladdin Hotel, in a partnership that led to a number of lawsuits and a failed attempt by Newton to purchase the entire hotel in 1983.[30]
In 1992, Newton filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy to reorganize an estimated $20 million in debts, much of which was accumulated while suing NBC for libel; he claimed the network had reported that he partnered with the Mafia to buy the Aladdin. His bankruptcy declaration included a $341,000 Internal Revenue Service tax lien. By 1999, he was financially well off again.[31]
In August 2005, the IRS filed a lawsuit against Newton alleging that he and his wife owed more than $1.8 million in taxes and penalties. One of Newton's tax lawyers disputed that, saying, "We believe the IRS owes him money."[32]
In late 2009, officials at Oakland County International Airport in Waterford, Michigan, claimed Newton owed the airport more than $60,000 for unpaid parking fees, which they claimed he owed after having abandoned a $2 million Fokker F28 plane there more than three years before.[32] The plane was originally flown in for renovations in 2005. After they were completed in 2007, the plane was moved to an outside parking area. The monthly parking fees were $5,000. An aircraft of this type needs to have its engines run at least once a month to retain its airworthiness. In 2009, it was discovered that the interior of the craft was rotting, and filled with mold.[33] The plane has since been disassembled, transported, and reassembled on his estate grounds.[34]
In a 2009 lawsuit, Newton was accused of failing to pay $32,384 for hay delivered to his Las Vegas ranch, presumably for consumption by his horses at the ranch. As of February 27, 2010, the lawsuit was still pending in Clark County District Court, with Newton and his attorneys having filed no response in court.[35]
In another 2009 suit, he was accused of owing GMAC $36,999 for a lease on a Cadillac. The suit was ultimately dropped.[35]
In February 2010, Bruton Smith sued Newton, claiming he was delinquent on a loan he had personally guaranteed, then bought from Bank of America. Smith sought foreclosure of Newton's Las Vegas ranch Casa de Shenandoah.[36]
Also in February 2010, Clark County sheriff's deputies and a fleet of moving vans were refused entry to Newton's ranch at E. Sunset and S. Pecos roads. The officers attempted to serve civil papers and seize property as part of a $501,388 judgment against Newton awarded to Monty Ward, his former personal pilot, but security personnel employed by Newton refused to accept the papers. Ward, who filed suit in 2006, won the judgment for past-due wages in January 2009 and since then had attempted to determine the wages of Newton when he performed at the MGM Grand and later the Tropicana hotel-casino. As of January 27, 2010, the value of the judgment was reportedly increasing by $126.86 per day.[35]
Newton was enmeshed in another lawsuit over a stalled project to convert his 40-acre home into a museum. In this lawsuit, a developer claimed he purchased Newton's home and paid the singer $19.5 million, with the understanding that Newton would move out and allow the property to be converted into a museum. The developer claimed that he has invested $50 million on the project, but that Newton had failed to move out and had deliberately thwarted construction efforts, including by sexually harassing construction workers.[37] The case was set to go to trial in May 2013.[38]
On December 17, 2012, U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge Bruce Markell approved the sale of Wayne Newton's estate, Casa de Shenandoah, to be listed for sale by Nathan and Associates, a Las Vegas brokerage firm. Bankruptcy papers placed the value of the property at $50,800,000.[39] The property remained on the market, until 2015, when Newton reached an accord with Lacy Harber, the businessman who owned 70% of the corporation that had purchased Casa de Shenandoah to turn it into a museum. Newton and his family moved back into the property, and in September 2015, after construction of a museum to house memorabilia, it was opened for public tours.[40] On April 26, 2018, the property hosted its last public event before closing indefinitely for renovations.[41]
Namesakes [ edit ]
The road serving the main terminal of McCarran International Airport in Las Vegas is named Wayne Newton Boulevard in his honor.
Charitable causes [ edit ]
Newton featured in the production of "You Can’t Say Love Enough" (1996), an all-star single, also featuring Dolly Parton, Heidi Newfield and several other artist-celebrities; this production served to raise funds for diabetes research,[42][43][44] and also to institute the Wayne Newton Research Grant awarded by the American Diabetes Association to several researchers including Jose F. Caro and Peter J. Roach.[45][46]
Discography [ edit ]
Albums [ edit ]
Danke Schoen (Capitol, 1963)
(Capitol, 1963) Sings Hit Songs (Capitol, 1964)
(Capitol, 1964) In Person! (Capitol, 1964)
(Capitol, 1964) Red Roses for a Blue Lady (Capitol, 1965)
(Capitol, 1965) Summer Wind (Capitol, 1965)
(Capitol, 1965) The Old Rugged Cross (Capitol, 1966)
(Capitol, 1966) Now! (Capitol, 1966)
(Capitol, 1966) Songs for a Merry Christmas (Capitol, 1966)
(Capitol, 1966) It's Only the Good Times (Capitol, 1967)
(Capitol, 1967) Song of the Year – Wayne Newton Style (Capitol, 1967)
(Capitol, 1967) Michelle (Capitol, 1967)
(Capitol, 1967) Wow!: Live Hollywood Concert (Capitol, 1968)
(Capitol, 1968) The Greatest! (Capitol, 1968)
(Capitol, 1968) Somewhere My Love (Capitol, 1968)
(Capitol, 1968) "Dreams of the Everyday Housewife" and "Town & Country" (MGM, 1968)
(MGM, 1968) One More Time (MGM, 1968)
(MGM, 1968) Walking on New Grass (MGM, 1968)
(MGM, 1968) Christmas Isn't Christmas Without You (MGM, 1968)
(MGM, 1968) Live at the Frontier, Las Vegas (MGM, 1969)
(MGM, 1969) How I Got This Way (Capitol, 1971)
(Capitol, 1971) Daddy Don't You Walk So Fast (Chelsea, 1972)
(Chelsea, 1972) Can't You Hear the Song? (Chelsea, 1972)
(Chelsea, 1972) While We're Still Young (Chelsea, 1973)
(Chelsea, 1973) Pour Me a Little More Wine (Chelsea, 1973)
(Chelsea, 1973) Everybody Knows (RCA Camden, 1974)
(RCA Camden, 1974) The Best of Wayne Newton Live (Chelsea, 1974)
(Chelsea, 1974) The Midnight Idol (Chelsea, 1975)
(Chelsea, 1975) Tomorrow (Chelsea, 1976)
(Chelsea, 1976) Christmas Everywhere (Chelsea, 1976)
(Chelsea, 1976) Change of Heart (20th Century Fox, 1978)
Singles [ edit ]
Filmography [ edit ]
TV credits [ edit ]
Video games [ edit ]
Newton stars as the voice of Mr. New Vegas, the DJ of Radio New Vegas, an in-game radio station.MRI scan reveals injury after Tour stage winner struggled through a painful Vuelta
Simon Gerrans (Orica-GreenEdge) has been forced to call an end to his 2013 season after an MRI scan has revealed a minor hip fracture. The 33-year-old Australian crashed during stage three of the Vuelta a España, but had ridden on until the end of today’s 13th stage. The pain had worsened, however, and he was taken to hospital straight after the stage where the injury was detected.
“I’ve been in a quite a bit of pain since my crash on stage three but was hoping it wasn’t too serious so that I could stay in the Vuelta and prepare for the World Championships,” Gerrans explained. “The pain just got worse and worse, and today we decided to have it scanned. That’s when we learned about the fracture.
“I’ve had a feeling something wasn’t right over the last few days,” he continued. “This obviously means that my season is over because an injury like this needs time to heal. I was really aiming to finish the year off with some good results, but with this happening, I need to pack it in for 2013.”
Although he has not been able to match last year’s Milano-Sanremo victory, Gerrans enjoyed one of his best years to date in 2013, taking stage victories in the Santos Tour Down Under, the Volta a Catalunya and the Vuelta al Pais Vasco. He took third place in the Amstel Gold Race for the second time in three years, but the highlight of his season came at the Tour de France, where he won the third stage and took the yellow jersey after Orica-GreenEdge’s victory in the stage 4 team time trial.
“I’m obviously really disappointed, but I have a lot of good memories from one my best seasons to date,” Gerrans added. “I’m sort of lucky that I can still recover fully in time to come back strong next year. This season has been great for me and the team. I look forward to healing up and setting new goals for next year.”TOKYO – Total Japanese box office earnings in 2014, were the third highest this century.
According to figures released on Tuesday by the Motion Picture Producers Association of Japan (Eiren), attendance climbed by 3.4% compared to 2013 and hit 161 million.
Eiren’s data in local currency terms shows a 6.6% gain, with gross box office takings rising from JPY194 billion in 2013 to JPY207 billion in 2014.
Since Eiren started collecting data in 2000, only 2010 and 2004 were higher, with totals of JPY210 billion and JPY211 billion respectively.
But with the Japanese Yen on a big slide over the past year, the U.S. dollar value of the Japanese box office dropped from US$1.89 billion in 2013 to US$1.79 billion in 2014.
The increases in admissions and local currency taking came despite a 5% increase in consumption tax that was widely expected to negatively impact movie-going, but fans turned out regardless.
One factor was the enormous popularity of “Frozen,” the biggest hit of the year and third-biggest of all time, which earned $216 million following its March bow. The number one live-action and domestic hit was Takashi Yamazaki’s WWII kamikaze drama “The Eternal Zero” with $74 million.
Local films accounted for 58% of the box office, down from 61% the year before.
Eight of the top ten BO pics were Japanese. Also, a total of 31 Japanese films earned the JPY1 billion (US$8.5 million) considered the benchmark of a commercial hit, while the similar figure for foreign films was only 18.Election 2016: Coalition edges closer to victory
Updated
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has edged closer to forming Government after two more crossbenchers pledged their support on confidence and supply.
Key points: Three crossbenchers have now pledged support for the Coalition
ABC's election computer has Coalition at 73 seats, Labor 66 and six seats in doubt
Shorten concedes Coalition likely to "scrape" over the line
Victorian independent Cathy McGowan and Tasmanian Andrew Wilkie made the commitments, giving the Coalition 76 votes it needs to govern in minority.
The pair joins north Queensland MP Bob Katter in committing themselves to supporting the Coalition on the vital votes.
"The country wants stable and settled Government to enable everybody to get on with their lives and business," Ms McGowan said
"I will continue to work with the Government of the day to achieve what is needed for my electorate and the nation, and I will consider each piece of legislation on its merits, vote according to my conscience, my electorate, and the needs of the nation."
Vote counting continues and the Government could secure a slim majority, allowing it to govern in its own right.
The ABC's election computer has the Government on 73 seats, Labor 66 and six other seats are in doubt.
Sorry, this video has expired Video: Antony Green says Coalition likely to win between 75 and 77 seats (ABC News)
ABC election analyst Antony Green said he could "pretty accurately predict" the Coalition would be returned to government with between 75 and 77 seats in the Lower House.
"If you look at the seats that remain in doubt, it explains the story," Green said.
"There are six seats in doubt. The Coalition definitely has 73. They need to win three of these seats."
Green said the Coalition was currently ahead in Forde, but Capricornia, Herbert and Flynn were the seats to watch.
The Coalition is expected to overtake Labor in postal votes, Green said.
Coalition is an 'election-winning machine': Pyne
But Coalition frontbencher Christopher Pyne earlier on Friday declared the Coalition had won, describing the Liberal Party as an "election-winning machine".
"We've won again," he told Channel Nine.
"That's our sixth victory out of eight in the last 20 years.
"You'd have to say that we are an election-winning machine in the Liberal Party."
Mr Turnbull was more cautious, waiting for the final seats to be determined before proclaiming a result.
"Christopher is a very confident colleague of mine and he is entitled to express his naturally optimistic and confident view," he said.
"But for us, for the Liberal Party, we're taking those lessons to heart very seriously and we respect the votes that have been cast, and one way that we show that respect is by waiting for the counting to be completed, or completed to the point where the decision is claimed."
Shorten concedes Coalition win 'likely'
Bill Shorten is set to remain Opposition Leader for another term of Parliament after he was the only nominee for the position at a Caucus meeting in Canberra on Friday.
"The best thing about this caucus meeting is that we now need more chairs," he told the party's MPs and senators.
But Mr Shorten conceded a Coalition win was likely.
"It is likely in the coming days that the Liberals will scrape over the line," he said.
"But the combination of a prime minister with no authority, a government with no direction and a Liberal Party at war with itself will see Australians back at the polls within the year."
Topics: federal-elections, federal-government, federal-parliament, turnbull-malcolm, political-parties, australia
First postedPropaganda: It's not often that the press exposes its own bias. But a Washington Post story this week reveals both the Obama administration's attempts to censor the news and the media's complicity in that effort.
For decades, news outlets have relied on pool reports from a rotating group of White House correspondents who follow the president on his travels to public or semipublic events and file quick-and-dirty reports. Their stories are then distributed to other news outlets to use as they wish.
Pool reports can be inane, such as the Sept. 4 dispatch making note of the fact that, while in Wales, "Obama and Prince Charles posed for the cameras and laughed. Obama greeted a group of children who were gathered behind the rope line."
But occasionally they can be seriously damaging, such as the pool report that alleged President George H.W. Bush's ignorance of supermarket scanners.
The catch is that the White House itself currently does the distributing of these pool reports to news outlets and government officials — leverage that Obama's top press officials have used, the Post reveals, "to steer coverage in a more favorable direction."
The story goes on to note that Obama's press team has demanded — and received — changes to many pool reports before they would agree to send them out.
Trying to censor the press is bad enough. But the fact that reporters have repeatedly and meekly acquiesced provides clear evidence of their willingness to put partisanship ahead of the public's right to know.
If you don't think so, just try to imagine the White House press corps agreeing to such demands from any Republican administration.
While the Post deserves credit for exposing this, it hardly gave the story the prominence it's due. Instead, the editors buried it below the fold in the paper's Style section next to a piece about a famous concert violinist performing in a Metro station.
The reporter himself cluelessly dismisses the White House demands as involving "mostly trivial issues" — a claim contradicted by the White House's very attempt to hide such facts from the public.
The story also raises as many questions as it answers.
What other Obama censorship demands have reporters agreed to? What else isn't the press telling us about how this administration is run?
More important, why are we finding out about this only now, when it has been going on for years?Cafe 28, 1800 W. Irving Park Road, is closing this weekend after 17 years. View Full Caption Cafe 28/Facebook
NORTH CENTER — Cafe 28 closed its doors for good after brunch Sunday.
The restaurant, 1800 W. Irving Park Road, posted the following message to its Facebook page: "With much regret after 17 years we will be closing our doors this weekend after Brunch on Sunday, February 24. We sincerely thank you for all your love and support, and for being part of the Café 28 family."
When Berta Nazarro and Rick Miranda opened the restaurant 17 years ago, it was small with only 9 to 11 tables, and only served breakfast and lunch. Gradually, they added other rooms, a bar and a patio, said Ardit Dizdari, who's been working at the restaurant as a bartender for eight years.
Cafe 28 had been having money troubles and decided the revenue wasn't enough to pay off debts, including owed taxes, he said. They'd lost their liquor license recently, and increasing competition caused a decrease in weekday business, Dizdari said.
"Everyone is sad," he said. "We've gone to each other's weddings—it is like family....It's always been good. This year has just been the final nails in the coffin."
The hope is that owners will be able to raise money to reconcept or relocate, but nothing is set yet.
Cafe 28 will be open for dinner Saturday, 5:30 - 10:30 p.m. and brunch Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m.I wanted to do an experiment, and get to the bottom of these 99 cent items on amazon. I set a budget of 100 dollars, and bought 25 items from Chinese sellers. All of them for the low low price of 99 cents plus 3.99 shipping. I bought them from 25 different sellers, in several different categories. From a TV to a pair of designer shoes, cleaning supplies, a drone, even a laptop, all of them from just launched sellers, all of them merchant fulfilled.
17 of the items I bought, the sellers no longer exist on amazon and I have gotten my money back from amazon, I seriously thought that was going to be what happened with most of them, so I was surprised the number was so low. Some of these I was automatically refunded, others I had to contact amazon to get the refund.
5 of the sellers contacted me to get me to purchase the items off other websites. I didn’t do this, because I didn’t feel like getting my credit card stolen. But this is an interesting strategy and really seems like an effort to scam people out of credit card info, plus the money paid for the item. There have been several articles on this, and it was mostly the higher end items. They claimed I would get a discount from purchasing off the other websites, and the prices where still too good to be true |
includes an interview Dr. Harriet Fraad on economics, psychology and the injustices faced of US women doing paid labor.
February 24th
Where Economic Theories Clash
This week’s episode discusses the exploitation of adjunct professors, which weakens higher education and exacerbates wealth inequality. The episode also explores the three main economic theories clashing in today’s world.
February 17th
Immigration and the Economy
This week’s episode discusses a stock market bounce, Swiss voters’ rejection of a corporate tax giveaway and why public schools are better than private schools. The show also includes an interview with investigative reporter Bob Hennelly on immigration, and more.
February 11th
Solving Old Economic Problems
This week’s episode discusses a Vermont brewery’s worker co-op, how profitability proves nothing, Trump knocking the “fiduciary rule,” and more. The episode also includes major discussions of applying Hegelian philosophies to historical labor contexts, and contrasts President Franklin D. Roosevelt to Donald Trump.
February 3rd
Women’s Movement Economics
This week’s episode discusses the NFL’s income redistribution, big bucks for Starbucks’ CEO, US health data, pension benefit cuts and the presence of Goldman Sachs in Trump’s government. It also includes an interview with Dr. Harriet Fraad on women’s movement economics.
January 27th
Trumponomics Exposed
This week’s episode discusses basic economy airfares, the drop in US union membership and Trump’s attacks on Mexico. It also looks at the differences between “elite” and state colleges, and the damage wrought by fake “jobs” policies.
January 20th
Organizing for Social Change
On this week’s episode, Prof. Wolff discusses Trump’s advisors; small fines for big corporations; wages from 1980-2015 by race, gender, and class; real poverty data; and news from Davos. This episode also includes an interview with two senior advisors on the Bernie Sanders campaign.
January 13th
The Economic and Social Costs of Prisons
This week’s episode addresses people forming co-ops in Detroit and Minnesota, Volkswagen’s guilty plea and New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s fake numbers, among other stories. The show also includes an interview with Dr. Kimberly Westcott on the history, economics and social costs of the US prison system.
January 6th
The Economics of Emotional Labor
This week’s episode addresses a new French labor law, the economics of obesity, a universal basic income, a mobile home co-op and Danish day care. The show also includes an interview with Dr. Harriet Fraad on emotional labor.
2016:
December 30
We Can Do Better Than Capitalism
This week’s episode includes updates on the mistreatment of homeless people, voter suppression, widespread lead contamination, Trump’s foreign employees and unequal retirement. The show also covers the economics of broken infrastructure and raising capital for worker co-ops.
December 23rd
Christmas vs. Economic Realities
This week’s episode includes updates on politicians lying about economics, fines for big banks, fewer international students coming to the US and a struggle at the Pebble Mine. The show also covers the Christmas spirit and the economic realities of deporting immigrants, rescuing and rebuilding the US “middle class,” and raising capital for worker co-ops.
December 16th
Escape From Labor in Capitalism
This week’s episode includes updates on US defense spending, French capitalism, IKEA’s US paid family-leave policy and Trump’s economics. The show also includes an interview with Professor Kristin Lawler on escapist thinking under capitalist drudgery.
December 9th
The Economics of White Women Voting for Trump
This week’s episode includes updates on Trump gutting the estate tax and appointing Wall Street billionaires; the Green Party victory in Austria; big oil companies’ desperation; Pope Francis on equality of opportunity; and Portland, Oregon acting against inequality. The show also includes an interview with Dr. Harriet Fraad on why women voted for Trump.
December 2nd
The Critique of Mass Media
This week’s episode includes updates on Maggie’s Farm, the John Lewis co-op in the UK, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Fidel Castro’s death, the economics of immigration, Deutschland Bank and Trump, and fake arguments to cut corporate tax rates. The show also includes an interview with David Barsamian, host of Alternative Radio, who discusses the problems of mainstream media.
November 25th
Moving Beyond Capitalism
This week’s episode discusses real corporate taxes, a Canadian infrastructure maneuver, the economics of real estate and foreign students. The show also covers the economics of interest rate hikes and how a politics beyond capitalism may work.
November 18th
The Economics of Trump
This week’s episode includes updates on a big Texas worker co-op, Audi’s deal to make cars in China, the Pope’s criticism of capitalism and Trump’s Wall Streeters. It also includes discussions of Trump’s economics and why Clintonomics and Reaganomics are not so different.
November 11th
Trump Explained
This week’s episode discusses president-elect Donald Trump and the economic factors that led to his election. The show also includes an interview about worker co-ops with Italian author and documentarian Dario Azzellini.
November 4th
Economy, Psychology, Mental Health
This episode discusses Harvard’s greed, corporate mega-mergers, Germany outlawing GMOs, campaign fundraising, prison strikes and foreign minimum wages. The show also includes an interview with Dr. Harriet Fraad, a mental health counselor, on the mental health implications of capitalist vs. worker co-op enterprises.
October 28th
Challenging Markets and Their Results
This episode discusses cutting vaccine costs, shameful Harvard economics, Icelandic women on strike and corporate merger mania. The show also covers the ongoing shortcomings of medical coverage in the US, and how UPS drivers may convert their company into a workers’ co-op.
October 21st
The Economics of Tax Avoidance
This week’s episode discusses cutting funds for public higher education, Princeton avoiding taxes, multinational corporations getting tax breaks and a billionaire’s yacht. The show also covers lessons from the strike at Jim Beam.
October 14th
The Pension Crisis
This episode discusses Harvard workers’ strike, big food capitalists, Berlin fighting gentrification and the collapse of US malls. The show also includes an interview with Professor Teresa Ghilarducci, an expert on pension economics.
October 7th
Capital for Worker Co-ops
This episode discusses US workers’ rising productivity even while wages have remained flat, US corporations evading taxes, a Gallup Poll on the poor US job picture, the redistribution of billionaires’ wealth and the rising corporate debt problem. The show also examines the ways and means of providing capital to worker co-ops, and why technical “progress” excites capitalists and worries workers.
September 30th
Economics and Red States
This episode of Professor Wolff’s radio show discusses Jeremy Corbyn’s victory in the UK, Uber drivers unionizing, state retirement systems being sued for threatening pensions and hard facts about US medical insurance. The show also includes an interview with Arlie Hochschild on her new book, Strangers in Their Own Land: Anger and Mourning on the American Right, and why she believes “bridges” between progressives and Tea Party folks are very possible.
September 23rd
Higher Ed Class Struggles
This episode of Professor Wolff’s radio show discusses the tight partnership between top corporate leaders and top government officials. The show also discusses Goldman Sachs, British wages and Brexit, and includes an interview with Professor Michael Pelias on the Long Island University faculty lockout.
September 16th
Worker Co-ops vs. Capitalism
This episode of Professor Wolff’s radio show discusses declining US incomes, parental leave policies, rising medical deductibles and social security dependence. The show also includes an interview with Peter Ranis, author of Cooperatives Against Capitalism.
September 9th
The Economics of Labor Day
This episode of Professor Wolff’s radio show discusses dark money, the Mylan drug scandal, air lines merging and capitalism in poor countries like India. The show also examines key facts, struggles and issues concerning Labor Day.
September 2nd
Puerto Rico’s Crisis Is Systemic
This episode of Professor Wolff’s radio show discusses US income inequality vs. the rest of world, Europe exposing Apple’s tax evasion, and the rising opposition to the Trans-Pacific Partnership and Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership. The show also includes an interview with Professor Ian Seda on Puerto Rico’s economic and colonial crises.
August 26th
Capitalism’s Lack of Sense
This episode of Professor Wolff’s radio show discusses universities, politicians, graduate students unionizing, Bill Gates’ obscene wealth and Harley-Davidson’s illegal pollution. The show also examines capitalism’s insufficient demand, unemployment’s wastes and state subsidies for all systems.
August 19th
The System Exposed
This episode of Professor Wolff’s radio show discusses the economics of the Olympics, mass transit, productivity truths and the crimes of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. The show also examines political conflict between unions and the rich.
August 12th
The Economics of Worker Co-ops
This episode discusses Macy’s closure of 141 stores, Clinton’s campaign economics, age and pensions, and corruption of think tanks. We also examine the economics of worker co-ops.
August 5th
Profits and Families
This episode discusses Irish bankers being jailed, US public pension economics and a Yale worker who won back their job. We also interview Dr. Harriet Fraad on how the post-1970s profit-driven US economy badly damaged intimate life.
July 29th
Economic Crisis, Fascism and History
This episode discusses inequality in India, the poverty in Philadelphia behind the DNC’s front, new union initiatives, Starbuck’s profiteering and the gutting of the federal estate tax. We also interview Adam Hochschild on the economic crisis, fascism and Spain’s civil war.
July 22nd
Convention Economics
This episode discusses updates on platform contradictions, the Volkswagon scandal, CEO pay and the Italian banking crisis. We also examine the economics of lotteries, when profit decides who gets mortgages and why 21st century socialism makes worker cooperatives the primary institution of production.
July 15th
The Deepening Crisis for People of Color in the US
This episode discusses Boris Johnson in the UK, Jamie Dimon in the US and the issue of stagnant incomes. We also interview Rob Robinson on the economic conditions and prospects for people of color in the US.
July 8th
Psychology, Economics and Orlando
This episode discusses minimum wage raises, the economics of prisons and evidence that most notions of an “economic recovery” are myths for a majority of the world. We also interview Dr. Harriet Fraad on why Orlando’s tragic mass shooting occurred.
July 1st
What Brexit Means
This episode discusses the latest on Puerto Rico, street battles in France, the ongoing effects of the Volkswagen emissions scandal and the selling out of national parks. We also examine the implications of a Brexit in a changing world economy.
June 24th
Small Victories, Big Lessons
This episode discusses victories over the US sugar industry, and reducing Sweden’s 40-hour workweek to 30 hours without a pay cut. We also examine jobs moving south, the legal fight over tax exemption for religious organizations, corporate bailouts in Michigan, excess corporate borrowing and capitalist technology serving profits over people.
June 17th
Economic Change — Why and How
This episode discusses CEO pay, a new book on inequality, and US estate and inheritance taxes. We also interview Alan Schulman, the coordinator of Democracy at Work.
June 10th
Local Groups, Social Change
This episode discusses the new book Coming of Age in the Other America, new research revealing the superiority of worker co-ops over capitalist enterprises, the negative results of profit-driven enterprises and “America” replacing Budweiser. We also interview Betsy Avila, a digital organizer working with local groups for social change.
June 3rd
Pro-Environment, Anti-Capitalist
This episode discusses fossil-fuel divestment, the economics of the Zika virus and payday loan scandals. We also interview environmental lawyer and activist Carol Dansereau.
May 27th
Listen, Professor Krugman
This episode discusses ride-share companies, the latest from the pope and evidence against Professor Paul Krugman’s rosy view of inequality. We also examine why markets shouldn’t undermine a co-op-based economy, and European leaders’ failed policies on Greece.
May 20th
Poverty and the US Economy
This episode provides updates on an Alabama prison strike, Greece’s economy, the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership and Yale’s taxes. We also interview Joan Berezin and Kip Waldo on revolutionary change.
May 13th
False Economic Recovery, True Journalism
This episode provides updates on “carrried interest” tax loopholes, state subsidies for businesses, negative interest rates and bank “bail-ins” versus “bailouts.” Finally, we interview reporter Bob Hennelly about the United States’ false economic recovery and dissolving society, and real journalism.
May 6th
What Inequality Does
This episode addresses wealthy tax evaders, Takata airbags, equalized wealth data and the money in Chicago’s politics. We also discuss corporate food scandals, government fiscal “crises” and why we should build worker co-op sectors.
April 29th
Poverty and the US Economy
This episode provides updates on the US economy, the money driving Yale, Chobani workers earning profits, more automakers’ scandals, and Christian and Marxist dialogues. We also interview anti-poverty activist Rob Robinson.
April 22nd
The Market Rules of Gentrification
This episode provides updates on the pay of CEOs opposed to raising the minimum wage, workers on public assistance, and paying and evading taxes. We also discuss the economics of gentrification.
April 15th
The IMF and the Panama Papers
This episode provides updates on the IMF, the Panama Papers, corporate tax evasion and the workers who are fighting back. We also discuss how worker co-ops might have changed the USSR and China.
April 8th
Efficiency — Capitalist vs. Human
This episode provides updates on tax issues, the Panama Papers, corporate tax rates and “inversions,” and Yale’s tax avoidance. Finally, we interview Dr. Harriet Fraad on how capitalist efficiency produces human inefficiency and what we can do about it.
April 1st
Worker Co-ops — Why and How
This episode provides updates on China’s rising wages, lethal overdoses, courts worsening Puerto Rico’s economic crisis and jobs moving to Mexico. Finally, we discuss the minimum wage, workers who lack college degrees and worker co-ops being key to doing better than capitalism.
March 25th
How Capitalism Changes Intimacy and Family
This episode provides updates on top bankers’ pay, bad auto comapnies’ decisions, deflation and socialist economics. Finally, we interview Dr. Harriet Fraad, on capitalism and personal life.
March 18th
Choosing Your Struggles
This episode provides updates on the Federal Reserve’s decision to raise interest rates, US struggle over trade with China, the UK’s possible exit from the European Union and fascism. We also critique capitalists’ definition of “job creation,” and discuss how capitalism has received state support for centuries.
March 11th
Economics of Our Politics
This episode provides updates on Europe’s new economic stimulus, French workers rallying for job security and US airlines’ fees. We also respond to listeners’ questions on how much we can blame the government for economic crises since 2008. Finally, we discuss what capitalist profit is and the economics of our political party system.
March 4th
Seeds of Fascism?
This episode provides updates on the injustice of Argentina’s default settlement, Pope Francis’ rejection of “exploiters” and stagnating real median incomes in the United States. Finally, we discuss what Bernie Sanders’ support proves about Occupy Wall Street, and the economics of fascism.
February 26th
Good for Profits, Bad for Society
This episode provides updates on Robert Gordon’s new book, food and drug companies profiting at public’s expense, the economics of presidential candidates, pension struggles and why China’s slowdown is due to US, European and Japanese economies. Finally, we discuss US unemployment and why the profit motive yields economic decisions that are often bad for society.
February 19th
Capitalism Is the Problem
This episode provides updates on Bloomberg’s money, negative interest rates, the oil market, Puerto Rico’s cruel sales tax and Apple borrowing practices. We also respond to listeners’ questions on converting capitalist enterprises into worker co-ops. Finally, we discuss three alternative responses to the huge problems of capitalism today.
February 12th
Economic Change, Economic Disorder
This episode provides updates on China achieving economic superpower status, how profit produces drug scarcity, Ireland’s unjust austerity and a millionaire tax in Massachusetts. We also discuss self-destructive cutbacks in public higher education and the chaos of the monetary system.
February 5th
Lessons About and From Socialism
This episode provides updates on the economic significance of Iowa’s vote in the Democratic caucuses, the costs of an oil market collapse and Keynes’ thoughts on the risks of revolution. Finally, we interview author Pete Dolack about lessons from past experiments in socialism.
January 29th
How Markets Fail
This episode provides updates on Johnson Controls Corporation evading taxes, Disney being sued over its abuse of the H-1B visa system, French workers striking against austerity and against “socialist” government. We also respond to listeners’ questions on tax-subsidies for churches and lessons from Israel’s kibbutz experience. We also have major discussions about five major market failures, and a major change in the UK Labor Party’s policy favoring worker co-ops.
January 22nd
Capitalism’s Results
This episode provides updates on Obama’s visit to Detroit, Walmart closing stores, Santa Fe and public banking and profits vs. people’s health. We also have major discussions about Oxfam and IECD reports on world poverty and inequality.
January 15th
Fighting Right-Wing Economics
This episode provides updates on worker actions by the UK’s “junior doctors” and Detroit’s teachers, Flint’s poisoned water and a Supreme Court fight. We also have major discussions about the US government’s subsidizing of religion. Finally, we interview Michael Johnson on his new book about worker co-ops.
January 8th
What Capitalism Is
This episode provides updates on an “Obamacare scandal,” bank errors threatening depositors, public pension looting and subsidizing religion. We also have major discussions about the old and new meanings of capitalism as an economic system.
January 1st
Economics and Real Issues
This episode provides updates on economics vs. the “free press,” Nevada vs. public education and bikes displacing cars in Europe. We also respond to listeners’ questions on the economics of closed ACA health co-ops and on inflation’s dangers and impacts. Finally, we have major discussions on the Massachusetts Senate bill to tax rich universities and answering the question: “What is Capitalism?”
2015:
December 28th
Capitalism and/or Socialism
This episode provides updates on Spain’s new left government, how Harvard is run like a business and new research showing how widespread hunger is. We also respond to listeners’ questions on why corporations buyback their own shares and why the “new” gig economy is not new. Finally, we have major discussions comparing old socialism (where the government intervenes in the economy) to new socialism (which aims to democratize the enterprise).
December 18th
Economic Lessons From 2015
This episode provides updates on the Fed’s interest rate hike; gun business; and oil economics. We also respond to a listeners’ question about whether it is China that is slowing the world economy. Finally, we have major discussions of Greek and Spanish austerity politics; and how major oil, banking and auto corporations proved why we can (and must) do better than capitalism.
December 11th
Transcending Capitalism
This episode provides updates on denying a bailout for Puerto Rico and gross wealth inequality in Wisconsin and the US as a whole. We also respond to listeners’ questions on guns and the capitalist profit motive. Finally, we interview Professor Cathy Mulder on transcending capitalism via worker cooperatives.
December 4th
Austerity’s Social Costs
This episode provides updates on Portugal joining Greece against austerity, US austerity in Puerto Rico and Illinois and useless laws for banks. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of Thanksgiving economics, Germany and refugees, and France and terrorism.
November 27th
Ireland as a Tax Haven
This episode provides updates on the economics of immigration, economic alarmists and Ireland as a tax haven. We also respond to a question on the role and place for small business in a worker co-op based economy. Finally, we interview Dr. Harriet Fraad, on the crisis middle-aged whites in the US today are facing.
November 20th
Big vs. Small Business
This episode provides updates on Japan’s recession, how ACA deductibles undermine affordability and the million student march. We also respond to a question on private vs. public enterprises. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of small vs. big businesses and some big ideas not being discussed in election campaigns.
November 13th
Economic Power Struggles
This episode provides updates on Greek and Portuguese austerity struggles, obesity and Coca-Cola, the importance of protests at the University of Missouri and JC Penney’s fake sales. We also respond to a questions on the economics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis on an upcoming Fed decision on interest rates and the economic causes of gentrification in US cities.
November 6th
How Capitalism Works
This episode provides updates on capitalism vs. higher education, the real costs of apps and how “the other half banks.” Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis on a projected economic downturn in 2016, inequality and housing changes in capitalism and how the system impacts sports.
October 30th
Teaching High School Economics
This episode provides updates on Obama’s harsh handling of student debt, abuse of tax havens and MIT’s rejection of fossil-fuel divestment. We also respond to a questions on where the US economy is headed. Finally, we interview life-long high school teacher Alan Schulman on teaching economics after the 2008 crisis.
October 23rd
Capitalism vs. Democratic Socialism
This episode provides updates on a monster merger in beer, the buying of the US presidency, homelessness in Hawaii and Canada’s election results. We also respond to a questions on the relation of individualism to capitalism and socialism. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of socialism vs. capitalism with focus on the specific place of democratic socialism.
October 16th
Co-ops vs. Capitalism
This episode provides updates on a looming economic downturn and a US plan to give Puerto Rican taxes to banks. We also respond to a question about whether it’s possible for a country to do economic planning successfully. Finally, we interview Laura Flanders, an independent journalist, on co-ops vs. capitalism.
October 9th
Capitalism’s Crimes
This episode provides updates on Planned Parenthood, as well as Irish and French unions’ initiatives. We also respond to questions on the Volkswagen scandal and the Trans-Pacific Partnership deal. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of the ongoing crisis in Greece.
October 2nd
The Meanings of Class
This episode provides updates on a Swedish plan for peaceful transition beyond capitalism, car insurance ripoffs, Ferguson and the Missouri credit downgrade. We also respond to questions on the California drought and the best solution for corporate abuses like Volkswagen’s. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of what class means, and the idea of a guaranteed income vs. guaranteed jobs.
September 25th
Puerto Rico as the United States’ Greece
This episode provides updates on the Chicago mayor’s austerity policies, homeless school children and soaring medical insurance deductibles. We also respond to questions on the Volkswagen scandal and the Pope’s statements on economics. Finally, we interview Professor Ian Seda-Irizarry on the current crisis in Puerto Rico.
September 18th
Capitalism’s Instability
This episode provides updates on the GM settlement and GE moving jobs overseas. We also respond to questions on the Fed’s agonies over interest rates and how capitalism mishandles unemployment. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of capitalist corporations.
September 11th
Precarious Work Equals Capitalism’s Inefficiency
This episode provides updates on the economics of refugees, the history of Labor Day, the Seattle Teachers strike and how Japan’s jobs are growing ever more precarious. We also respond to questions on why rising wages need not mean rising prices. Finally, we interview Dr. Harriet Fraad on the psychological pains, personal suffering and huge social costs of imposing uncertainty on job security, hours and days of work, benefits and wages.
September 4th
When Profits Come First
This episode provides updates on extreme poverty, workers’ victory over tech giants and Oakland’s worker co-ops. We also respond to questions regarding the injustice of state and local taxes. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of last week’s stock market gyrations and the resurgence of socialism.
August 31st
Market Chaos Hits Us All
This episode provides updates on Banksy’s Dismaland theme park, Amazon undercutting pensions and recent market chaos. We also give an in-depth analysis on oil market collapse and address rich universities’ abuse of tax exemptions.
August 21st
Labor Day Economics
This episode provides updates on Labor Day’s meaning, Amazon’s workplace horrors and how capitalism undermines recycling. We also respond to questions regarding shifting US federal tax burdens and the state’s role in capitalist economies. Finally, we give an in-depth analysis on criticisms of capitalism and directions for a better system.
August 14th
System Toxicity
This episode provides updates on China’s currency moves, adjuncts unionizing, Pepsi and Coke offering self-serving health advice and Rand Paul’s misunderstanding of economics. We also respond to questions regarding what happened to US real wages from 1974 to 2014. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis on the toxic effects of rising inequality and the role of psychologists play in advertising.
July 31st
Economic Reality Checks
This episode provides updates on Boeing’s economic blackmail, why Chrysler’s fine is bogus and a recent airline fees ploy. We also respond to questions regarding the stale debate at Medicare’s 50th anniversary, and on getting financing for worker co-ops. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of how China and Germany became economic powerhouses.
July 24th
Capitalism’s Endless Costs
This episode provides updates on the Coke vs. Pepsi war, price gouging on cancer drugs and the Pope’s strong anti-capitalist speeches. We also respond to questions regarding a guaranteed basic income and why public employees are not an economic negative. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis on supporting countries that refuse to pay certain government debts.
July 17th
Capitalism and Its Others
The first half of this episode explores two alternatives to capitalism. The first is an alternative to how capitalism organizes the internal workings and relationships of enterprises. The second alternative examines how workers’ self-directed enterprises work. The second half of the show looks at an alternative to how capitalism organizes the economy as a whole, and how the socialist tradition has evolved into many forms today.
July 10th
Learning From Economic Defeats
The first half of this episode explores how The New Deal was both a victory and defeat, and how both of which offer crucial lessons for today. The second half provides a critical review of labor’s short and long-run goals, defensive decline and a new strategy built on lessons of that decline.
July 3rd
Class and Socialism
The first half of this episode considers the different meanings of class, class analysis and class struggle across human history, and why those differences matter so much now. The second half explores how socialism evolved from a basic alternative to capitalism into a state capitalism not so different from private capitalism.
June 5th
Sawant in Seattle
This episode provides updates on Greece’s struggles with Europe, and a critique of Warren Buffett’s view on “the rich vs. the poor.” We also respond to questions regarding on the new mayor of Barcelona and the Trans-Pacific Partnership. Finally, we interview socialist Kshama Sawant about her seat on Seattle’s city council.
May 29th
The New Deal Lives
This episode provides updates on Larry Summers and other signs of a broken economic system, the economics of Nebraska ending the death penalty and vast sports corruption. We also respond to questions regarding on reorganizing universities and household class structures. Finally, we interview Professor Richard Walker and Dr. Gray Brechin on rediscovering the New Deal.
May 22nd
Austerity Resistance Rising
This episode provides updates on business domination of universities in service to profits, and Republican efforts to undermine Democrats revenues from unions. We also respond to questions regarding business influence over government policies and the definition of fascism. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis on repression of those resisting austerity, and the crisis of US higher education.
May 15th
Profit-Driven Capitalism
This episode provides updates on Verizon’s purchase of AOL, why Facebook’s “contribution” to ending inequality falls so short and why deadly Mediterranean migrations reflect capitalism’s uneven development across the globe. We also respond to questions regarding whether student debt can lead to reduced Social Security benefits. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis over the significance of recent guilty pleas by major banks for manipulating currency exchange rates.
May 8th
Children, Capitalism and Family Values
This episode provides updates on Kansas closing schools early, Gallup polls surveying the US wealth gap, average work weeks over 40 hours and ignorance about the USSR economy. We also respond to questions regarding public subsidies for private profits. Finally, we interview Dr. Harriet Fraad on children and families in US capitalism.
May 1st
Capitalism’s Other Side
This episode provides updates on May Day, the Baltimore uprising, the Nepal earthquake and Bud Light endangering women. We also respond to questions regarding different varieties of worker co-ops. Finally, we interview Professor Yahya Madra on Turkey, Capitalism and Islam.
April 24th
Capitalism and War
This episode provides updates on UK elections, and the long-term effects of economic crises and the demonization of the poor in Kansas. We also respond to questions regarding the economics of child support and how car production is moving to Mexico. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of the history of capitalism and war, the new stages of Cuban socialism and US Cuba-policy, and the high stakes of Greece’s economic situation.
April 17th
Honest Economics
This episode provides updates on Ben Bernanke’s new big-bucks finance job, GM avoiding billions in victims’ claims on faulty ignitions, the US public’s self-delusion on inequality and anti-student-debt activism. We also respond to questions regarding the impact on China if capitalism’s “relocation” stopped. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of the economics of wages and prices, the narrowness of the economics of education and basic global economic development issues.
April 10th
The Worker Co-op Alternative
This episode provides updates on inadequate unemployment insurance, Ted Cruz’s campaign money, a law which gives domestic workers real benefits and the demonization of the poor. We also respond to questions on California’s drought, and the US medical system’s experiments on people. Finally, we interview Yochai Gal on the tech-collectives he organized.
April 3rd
Economic Change and Personal Life Crises
This episode provides updates on the car parts industry, how Russia’s economy is growing despite sanctions, declining US teaching positions for new PhDs in humanities and huge Mexican strikes against Driscoll berries. We also respond to questions on countries’ currency manipulations and the role of unions in workers’ co-ops. Finally, we interview Dr. Harriet Fraad, a mental health counsellor, on how capitalism’s changes since 1970s have disrupted the personal lives of US men and women.
March 27th
System Change: Then and Now
This episode provides updates on Trans-Pacific Partnership secrets, the Heinz-Kraft merger, the underperforming US medical care system, China’s real-estate bubble and estate tax repeal. We also respond to questions on private versus public property. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of how system change happened in the past and how it could happen today.
March 20th
Economics of Corruption
This episode provides updates on a press conference concerning Janet Yellen, “Blockupy” protests in Europe against the ECB and austerity. We also respond to questions on New York Mayor de Blasio signing a bill for worker co-ops and an important fight over the closing of Sweet Briar college. Finally, we interview veteran reporter Bob Hennelly on the economics of US political corruption, focusing on his native New Jersey.
March 13th
Housing, Cities and Suburbs
This episode provides updates on pizza politics, changing currency values and tax-cutting politicians’ wild claims. We also respond to questions on workers co-ops’ competitiveness and on “unfree” agricultural markets. Finally, we interview Walter South on the economics of housing and the dangerous economics of US cities and suburbs.
March 6th
Economic Decline and Growing Resistance
This episode provides updates on taxis vs. Uber vs. driver co-ops, an apology on Detroit, International Womens Day and cutting workers’ compensation. We also respond to questions on the economics of debts, past and present. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of issues including resisting economic decline and extremes of economic inequality.
February 27th
It’s the System of Capitalism
This episode provides updates on German anti-capitalism, student debt default, credit card economics and unregulated chemicals. We also respond to questions on pension scandals and Harvard economic research.
February 20th
Free Enterprise System Defects
This episode provides updates on Europeans’ struggles against austerity policies. We also respond to questions about how workers’ self-directed enterprises solve various problems, especially financing and different skill levels. Finally, we give an in-depth critical discussion of the “free enterprise” system.
February 13th
Market System Defects
This episode provides updates on labor protections for “contract” workers, a green new deal for Greece, slow US growth and the scandal of the used car market. We also respond to questions about the reality behind the “recovery” hype and on poverty among those over 65. Finally, we give an in-depth critical analysis of markets and “the market system.”
February 7th
The Poverty/Wealth Divide
This episode provides updates on capital gains tax, the Home Depot work/stress tragedy and Koch money in the 2016 election. We also discuss key economic problems looming for US economy and economic issues surrounding currency exchange, especially the value of the US dollar relative to the euro.
January 30th
Economics and Revolutions
This episode provides updates on political corruption, the Greek election results, Social Security taxes, debt jubilee, union membership and the lessons of revolutions.
January 23rd
Spinning Out of Control
This episode provides updates on Obama’s State of the Union speech, the European Central Bank pumping up the money supply to stimulate Europe, forgiving Greece’s debts and housing extremes in the US. We also respond to questions on global wealth inequality and Switzerland’s currency maneuvers. Finally, we interview Dr. Harriet Fraad on the US economy’s disastrous impact on children.
January 16th
Austerity Ends in Greece?
This episode provides updates on the Democrats’ “Robin Hood” tax, riders shifting from planes to buses and misleading US job market headlines. We also respond to questions on big bankers’ self-image, the basic economics of US federal estate tax, and state and local taxes. Finally, we interview professor Peter Bratsis on the upcoming Greek election and ongoing struggles – in Greece and beyond – to end austerity.
January 9th
Real vs. Fakenomics
This episode provides updates on rising health insurance costs, rebel economists and Senate costs. We also respond to questions on the Greek crisis, falling school funding and the wealth inequality in the US that blocks “recovery.” Finally, we interview London economics professor John Weeks.
January 5th
Economics of Denial
This week’s episode provides updates on Apple, French socialism, the Greek election, Vermont dropping single-payer health care, oil and Russia and latest National Labor Relations Board rulings. We also discuss welfare economics, meritocracy and 5 percent US GDP growth without hype.
2014:
December 26th
Signs of Deepening Inequality
This week’s episode provides updates on the successful Oregon teaching assistants’ strike, evicting the homeless, a law that limits unpaid internships to four weeks and universities becoming businesses. We respond to listeners’ questions on the economics of war and the military in US and on political corruption in the new budget.
December 12th
Mainstream Economics vs. Critical Economics
This week’s episode provides updates on Mexican farm exploitation, Grenoble taking down advertising, US teachers being underpaid and cutting workers’ pensions. We also respond to listeners on Harvard and Yale as full participants in capitalism’s defects. Finally, we analyze modern “economics” as a discipline, from Adam Smith to Karl Marx to the present day.
December 5th
Labor and Unions
This week’s episode provides updates on Ferguson and Portland as symptoms of economic decline, Sen. Bernie Sanders fight for worker co-ops, homelessness in New York City and the rising political left in Greece, Spain and now Ireland. We interview activist and author Steve Early on the present and future of the US labor movement.
November 24th
Capitalism’s Personal Costs
This weeks episode provides updates on Italy’s general strike, opera economics, Miami baseball and Argentina loans; responses to listeners on the economics of US children and on a new political party; and an interview with pyschologist Dr. Harriet Fraad, on the personal and psychological costs of capitalism.
November 14th
Extreme Capitalism
This episode looks at low Irish taxes on corporations, interns fighting back, the thriving opium market, Volkswagen bringing new labor relations to the US and big banks caught cheating again. We also discuss college sports, the business oligarchy in the US and forgiving countries’ debts. Finally, we respond to listeners’ questions on domestic outsourcing and the democracy of workers’ self-directed enterprises.
November 9th
Elections but No Democracy
This episode looks at election results, Ebola, mortgage rules, China limiting executives’ pay and who has the wealth. We also discuss election economics, child poverty, capitalism and democracy. Finally, we respond to listeners’ questions on changes at Costco, so-called “nonprofits,” why there are ever more billionaires and Piketty’s problem.
October 31st
Hostages to Profits
This episode looks at how public higher education is being destroyed; workers not taking days off; labor actions and Vermont labeling GMO food. We also discuss municipal bonds and how profits drive capitalism. Finally, we respond to listeners’ questions on PO banks and the history of economic systems.
October |
important that Americans, especially American Jews, understand that our racial history mirrors that of Israel. Though many American Jews start out with a highly idealized portrait of Israel and its history, which in turns leads them to become liberal Zionists–it’s critical to know that just as our own history is steeped in what the author calls “racial terrorism,” so is Israel’s.
Israel did not necessarily have the same history of lynching that we did here in the South. But by being able to sweep nearly two-thirds of the existing indigenous Arab population out of Israel in the Nakba, Israel didn’t need such a labor-intensive method of invoking fear and terror. Though of course there were incidents of rape and castration which I’ve reported here (along with Benny Morris’ early writings on the violence of the 1948 War).
Today, Israel reinforces the Original Sin of Nakba by treating current Israeli Palestinian as second or third-class citizens through an ongoing de facto system of state-sanctioned racism including defunding non-Jewish municipalities, depriving them of educational, health and vocational opportunities and commercial services. Israeli Palestinian human rights NGOs have codified at least 50 different laws and practices which reinforce this apartheid protocol.
In the Occupied Territories, the system is far more overt. Palestinian land is simply stolen out from under the owners’ feet either through IDF declaring the property necessary for military use, or through fraudulent land sales engineered by unscrupulous settler middle-men.
While no one should make the mistake of believing the U.S. has fully addressed its racist past and made restitution for the wrongs suffered by former Black slaves and their descendants, we have gone a lot farther than Israel. That country still maintains the disingenuous perspective held by Bill Buxton above: that the current generation has done nothing wrong and should simply be left alone.
Israelis prefer not to know, remember, or address wrongs done in their name by previous generations or their own current leaders. Out of sight, out of mind. Nor is there any serious internal debate that stands a chance of changing that outlook. That is why many of us have come to believe that there must be external intervention that forces a more equitable and just outcome on Israel, no matter how long this takes.
Another extraordinary and little-known episode of American ethnic-cleansing, this time against California Native Americans indigenous to one of the nation’s most beautiful national parks: Yosemite.
This article was published at Tikun OlamNEWARK, N.J. — After practice on a rainy, windy Wednesday afternoon in Newark Andy Greene takes his spot in the corner of the Devils locker room, by the door, an empty seat to his right. He removes his jersey and immediately puts his hat on backwards, covering his receding hairline. He unfurls the mountain of white tape on his elbow pads and rolls it up methodically in a ball. Spotting a garbage can across the room, Greene tosses the ball... and scores.
“Rain man!” an equipment staffer screams upon the swish. Greene pumps his arm in celebration.
Things have been going well for Andy Greene of late. He signed a five-year, $25 million contract with the Devils before last season. He was named captain in the beginning of October. He’s got a seven-week-old baby son at home, Colton James, and his “champ” of a wife, Rachel. With all the change in Devilsland—new coach (John Hynes), new general manager (Ray Shero), new owner (Josh Harris), new just about everything—Greene, 33, is the calming force who has helped the team to a surprising and solid 6-4-1 start.
Not bad for an undrafted free agent who almost became a physical education teacher.
Greene was ignored by NHL teams during his draft year (2006) despite tallying 114 points over four seasons at Miami University of Ohio. Surprising? Yes. But the 5’ 11”, 190-pound defenseman knew he could play.
“I was always betting on myself a little bit, growing up,” Greene tells SI.com. “You could say I went under the radar. [But] I knew I was a decent player. After my freshman year, guys who you played with or against for a year, you see them getting NHL contracts, you think, ‘if they can do it, I have a shot.’ That’s the way I’ve approached it. I’ve come this far, let’s keep going, see how far [I] can take this.”
It’s an approach that served him well in college. He was a captain at Miami, All-CCHA, All-American. Coach Enrico Blasi knew that Greene was the type of guy who could take his program to new heights.
“We kind of felt that if we got Andy, we could build around him,” Blasi tells SI.com. “We [felt] like he was going to be one of our captains right away. That’s the first impression you get. ‘Oh wow, this guy is pretty genuine.’ That’s why everyone says he’ll be a good captain.”
Greene, along with future Los Angeles Kings playoff hero Alec Martinez, helped led the RedHawks to the CCHA title in 2006, capping a career where he was named team MVP twice, and a finalist for the Hobey Baker Award in '06.
And although he wasn’t drafted—Blasi thought that Greene got caught in a league-wide transition from big, bruising defenders to quicker, smaller guys—he did have one important admirer.
“A lot of it had to do with (former Devils president/GM/sometime coach) Lou [Lamoriello],” Blasi said of Greene’s choice to sign with New Jersey. “Nobody else.”
Greene latched on with the Devils full-time in 2007, quickly becoming a top defenseman entrusted with big minutes. When New Jersey went to the Stanley Cup Final in 2012, he averaged 22 minutes per game. But things have changed, and the Devils haven’t been to the playoffs since. No more Martin Brodeur, no more Zach Parise. Multiple coaching changes; no more Lou, no left-wing lock. Yet, as he does with most things, Greene is taking it all in stride.
“I’m excited,” he says. “I’ve been saying that since Day one. This is no disrespect to anyone who was here before. But change was needed. I didn’t know what [type of] change was needed. But I think we”re on the right path now. I’m really looking forward to growing with this team and becoming a good team for many years to come.”
Change has come, and it has been jarring for fans who can't imagine the Devils without their old standbys. As the new captain, Greene has been the one who has steadied the club as it makes its transition.
“Andy is Andy,” Cory Schneider tells SI.com. “He’s steady. He’s just a really calming presence. He hasn’t changed a whole lot. He’s always been the same guy. On the ice, he’s still the same player. He’s not trying to change the way he’s played to get to this point. It’s a good thing, because he’s a done a lot right.”
Adds former Ducks forward Kyle Palmieri, one of the newcomers: “It’s tough sometimes, with all the management changes, all the new faces, to reel everybody in,” he says. “But he’s done a great job so far. He has a lot of respect from everybody in our locker room.”
Greene is a lead-by-example guy, but vocal when he needs to be. He defers to other veterans—Mike Cammalleri, Travis Zajac’ and Schneider—but is forceful when its required. There are some new responsibilities that come with being captain, especially dealing with the on-ice officials, but the key in his mind is saying the same.
“I really tried to concentrate on being the same guy,” Greene says. “That’s what I’ve learned. I’ve gotten this far being who I am. I’m not going to change who I am now and try to be someone [I’m] not.”
Greene sought out advice, mainly from former Devils captain and good friend Bryce Salvador, who retired before the season. But Greene also wanted to do things his way.
“He sent me some nice words, but at the same time, I wanted to feel it out myself,” Greene says.
Greene is not a flashy defenseman, and he won’t put up a ton of points. He won’t manhandle opposing forwards or lay out big hits like former Devils icon Scott Stevens, who wore the C from 1992 to 2004. But he gets the job done. It’s a lesson he's been passing on to teammate Adam Larsson, the No. 4 pick in 2011 (ahead of Dougie Hamilton and Jonas Brodin) who emerged last year from a period of struggle and signed a six-year, $25 million contract this summer.
“People forget he came in as an 18 year old,” Greene says of Larsson. “Obviously [Connor] McDavid and [Jack] Eichel [are] making it look easy. [But] there’s not many guys who can dominate from the start. He’s been steadily growing for the last couple years here.”
The Devils have an interesting mix of veterans and young kids. Schneider is one of the best goalies in the league. Greene leads a solid, if unspectacular, defense. Cammalleri and Zajac add punch up front, and early on, the power-play ranks in the league’s top 10. Youngsters like defensemen Eric Gelinas and Damon Severson have shown lots of promise.
Getting to the playoffs on a regular basis like the Devils used to do in the good old days of their semi-dynasty (three Cups between 1995 and 2003) might still be a few years away. But a core is being built. Greene’s leadership will help the team get there.
“I texted him the other day, ‘the ‘C’ looks good on your jersey,’” Blasi says.
Devils fans think so, too.BRUSSELS/CAIRO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu took his case to Europe to ask allies to join the United States in recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but met a firm rebuff from EU foreign ministers who saw the move as a blow against the peace process.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, meanwhile, took his own case to Egypt on Monday and was expected to fly to Turkey for a meeting of Muslim countries this week, cementing support from leaders who say the U.S. move was a dire error.
President Donald Trump announced last Wednesday the United States would recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, breaking with decades of U.S. policy and international consensus that the city’s status must be left to Israeli-Palestinian talks.
Palestinian militants in Gaza fired a rocket into Israel and the Israeli military said it responded with air strikes and tank fire targeting a position of Hamas, the Islamist group that controls the enclave.
On the ground in the Palestinian territories, violent clashes with Israeli security forces in which scores of Palestinians have been injured and several killed since the U.S. announcement last week appeared to have mostly subsided.
Netanyahu, on his first visit to EU headquarters in Brussels, said Trump’s move helped peace, “because recognizing reality is the substance of peace, the foundation of peace”.
Israel, which annexed East Jerusalem after capturing it in a 1967 war, considers the entire city to be its capital. Palestinians want East Jerusalem as the capital of a future independent state.
The Trump administration says it remains committed to the peace process and its decision does not affect Jerusalem’s future borders or status. It says any credible future peace deal will place the Israeli capital in Jerusalem, and ditching old policies is needed to revive a peace process frozen since 2014.
But even Israel’s closest European allies have rejected that logic and say recognizing Israel’s capital unilaterally risks inflaming violence and further wrecking the chance for peace.
After a breakfast meeting between Netanyahu and EU foreign ministers, Sweden’s top diplomat said no European at the closed-door meeting had voiced support for Trump’s decision, and no country was likely to follow the United States in announcing plans to move its embassy.
“I have a hard time seeing that any other country would do that and I don’t think any other EU country will do it,” Margot Wallstrom told reporters.
Israel’s position does appear to have more support from some EU states than others. Last week, the Czech foreign ministry said it would begin considering moving the Czech Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, while Hungary blocked a planned EU statement condemning the U.S. move.
But Prague later said it accepted Israel’s sovereignty only over West Jerusalem, and Budapest said its long-term position seeking a two-state solution in the Middle East had not changed.
On Monday, Czech Foreign Minister Lubomir Zaoralek said of Trump’s decision: “I’m afraid it can’t help us.”
“I’m convinced that it is impossible to ease tension with a unilateral solution,” Zaoralek said. “We are talking about an Israeli state but at the same time we have to speak about a Palestinian state.”
The Palestinian president, Abbas, met Egypt’s President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi in Cairo, as well as the head of the Arab League. Egypt, a U.S. ally with a peace treaty with Israel, has brokered Israeli-Palestinian deals in the past.
“DUNGEON FOR MUSLIMS”
Moving the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem would have “dangerous effects on peace and security in the region”, Sisi said on Monday at an earlier meeting with visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Abbas was also due to fly to Turkey. Trump’s announcement has triggered a war of words between Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan and Netanyahu, straining ties between the two U.S. allies which were restored only last year after a six-year breach that followed the Israeli storming of a Turkish aid ship.
On Sunday, Erdogan called Israel a “terror state”. Netanyahu responded by saying he would accept no moral lectures from Erdogan who he accused of bombing Kurdish villages, jailing opponents and supporting terrorists.
Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and European Union foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini brief the media at the European Council in Brussels, Belgium December 11, 2017. REUTERS/Francois Lenoir
On Monday Erdogan took aim directly at Washington over Trump’s move: “The ones who made Jerusalem a dungeon for Muslims and members of other religions will never be able to clean the blood from their hands,” he said in a speech in Ankara. “With their decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, the United States has become a partner in this bloodshed.”
Trump’s announcement triggered days of protests across the Muslim world and clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem.
In Beirut, tens of thousands of demonstrators took to the streets to protest at a march backed by Hezbollah, the heavily-armed Iran-backed Shi’ite group whose leader called last week for a new Palestinian uprising against Israel. An announcer led the crowd in chants of “Death to America! Death to Israel!”
Hezbollah leader Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah told the crowd by video link the group was turning its focus back toward the fight against Israel: “Today the axis of resistance, including Hezbollah, will return as its most important priority... Jerusalem and Palestine and the Palestinian people and the Palestinian resistance in all its factions.”
“STOP PAMPERING”
Netanyahu, who has been angered by the EU’s search for closer business ties with Iran, said Europeans should emulate Trump’s move and press the Palestinians to do so, too.
“It’s time that the Palestinians recognize the Jewish state and also recognize the fact that it has a capital. It’s called Jerusalem,” he said. In comments filmed later on his plane, he said he had told the Europeans to “stop pampering the Palestinians”, who “need a reality check”.
The decision to recognize Jerusalem could also strain Washington’s ties with another of its major Muslim allies, Saudi Arabia, which has sought closer relations with Washington under Trump than under his predecessor, Barack Obama.
Saudi Arabia shares U.S. and Israeli concerns about the increasing regional influence of Iran, and was seen as a potential broker for a comprehensive Arab-Israeli peace deal. But Saudis have suggested that unilateral decisions over Jerusalem make any such rapprochement more difficult.
Prince Turki al-Faisal, a former Saudi ambassador to the United States and veteran ex-security chief, published a strongly-worded open letter to Trump on Monday.
“Bloodshed and mayhem will definitely follow your opportunistic attempt to make electoral gain,” the prince wrote in the letter, published in the Saudi newspaper al-Jazeera.
Slideshow (5 Images)
“Your action has emboldened the most extreme elements in the Israeli society... because they take your action as a license to evict the Palestinians from their lands and subject them to an apartheid state,” he added. “Your action has equally emboldened Iran and its terrorist minions to claim that they are the legitimate defenders of Palestinian rights.”
Iran’s defense minister said Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem would hasten Israel’s destruction, while a top Revolutionary Guards commander, Qassem Soleimani, phoned two Palestinian armed groups and pledged support for them.Retraction is example of economic interests trumping science – professor
Former member of journal's editorial board condemns retraction
Scientific ethics watchdog COPE powerless to intervene
GM industry lobby group uses retraction to push GM eggplant in Philippines
Press release, endsciencecensorship.org (info@endsciencecensorship.org), 4 March 2014
The number of scientists and experts condemning a journal editor’s retraction[1,2] of a study that found serious health effects in rats that ate a Monsanto genetically modified (GM) maize and Roundup herbicide has climbed to 150.[3]
The editor of the Elsevier journal Food and Chemical Toxicology (FCT), Dr A. Wallace Hayes, claimed he retracted the study by Prof Gilles-Eric Séralini’s team because some of its findings are “inconclusive”.[1,2] This rationale was widely derided by scientists, who pointed out that many studies contain inconclusive findings.[4]
The retraction came just months after the arrival of a former Monsanto scientist on the editorial board of FCT.[5]
One signatory of the petition opposing the retraction is Dr Mohamed Habib, Professor of Entomology at the University of Campinas, Brazil. He said the retraction was an indication of how economic interests have influenced scientific journals. Prof Habib said, “It is a criminal attitude. Truth and ethical values have to be considered as more important than money. The article must be reinstated.”[6]
Three researchers writing in the journal Environmental Health Perspectives criticised the retraction as “a significant and destructive shift in management of the publication of controversial scientific research”.[7]
A former member of the editorial board of FCT, Marcel Roberfroid, condemned the retraction in a letter to the editor of the journal, saying, "Your decision, which can be interpreted as a will to eliminate scientific information that does not help supporting industrial interests is, in my view, unacceptable."[8]
In a separate initiative, over 1200 scientists have pledged to boycott Elsevier over the retraction.[9]
Ethics watchdog powerless to intervene
Critics of the retraction have said that it violates the guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE),[10] of which FCT is a member.[11] FCT editor Hayes, on the other hand, claimed that COPE guidelines supported his decision to retract the paper.[12]
COPE has responded to a complaint from Prof GE Séralini about the retraction with an admission that it is powerless to investigate or make a judgment on the dispute, saying that the decision on how COPE guidelines are interpreted “lies with the editor and publisher”.[13]
Claire Robinson, coordinator of endsciencecensorship.org, called COPE’s response “disappointing”. She said, “This shows the limitations of voluntary guidelines in cases of unethical or unscientific behaviour on the part of editors of scientific journals. Nothing can be enforced, so editors have ‘carte blanche’ to play fast and loose with scientists’ research and reputations.
“In the interests of not misleading scientists who submit papers to the journal, FCT should resign from COPE, since the editor’s actions are incompatible with the COPE guidelines.”
Retraction Watch accused Hayes of doing a “verbal dance” around the COPE guidelines to try to justify his decision. Retraction Watch concluded, “Claiming COPE guidelines somehow support the decision doesn’t seem valid”.[14]
Industry uses retraction to push release of GM eggplant
The retraction is already being used by GM industry lobby group ISAAA to push for the release of a GM pesticide-containing eggplant in the Philippines.[15] Last year seven expert witnesses tried but failed to rebut the Séralini study in a court of law. The court subsequently banned field trials of the GM eggplant, which was developed by a Monsanto subsidiary, to protect health and the environment.[16] Following the retraction, ISAAA wants the ban on the eggplant to be overturned.[15]
Claire Robinson said, “It seems that the editor of FCT, Dr Hayes, effectively did the job for the GM and agrochemical industry that the expert witnesses failed to do. The witnesses couldn’t demolish the study through scientific argument, so it had to be removed from the record. That is what Séralini’s critics told Hayes to do,[17] and he obliged.”
Additional quotes from scientists on the retraction (all published at endsciencecensorship.org)
"The retraction is a shameful violation of scientific and publishing integrity by economic and political interests." Donald R. Davis, PhD, nutritional biochemist at the Center for Sustaining Agriculture and Natural Resources, Washington State University; retired from Biochemical Institute, University of Texas at Austin, USA
"The excellent work of Professor Séralini and his colleagues should be published in all the independent scientific journals of the world, as a form of protest and resistance against pressure of transnational corporations." Tomás Enrique León Sicard, PhD, Professor of Agrology, Institute of Environmental Studies, National University of Colombia
"Séralini's study underpins the urgent need of carcinogenic risk assessment of GMO crops, and should never have been retracted from FCT." Henk A.Tennekes, PhD, consultant toxicologist, member of EUROTOX; Dutch, Swiss and British Societies of Toxicology; Society of Toxicologic Pathology; International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN)/Commission on Ecosystem Management (CEM), Netherlands
"The retraction was clearly based on political and economical interests and pressure, as it does not have a scientifically sound justification. Science is not built upon ‘definitive’ studies. In fact, within a scientific framework, a hypothesis is never definitive; it can always be re-tested and generate new, more robust knowledge. This is what should be done in this case. The article should be reinstated, and its findings can be confirmed or contested by replication and new studies. It is shameful that, in this day and age, commercial interests still have so much influence in scientific publishing." Daniel Ferreira Holderbaum, MSc, PhD student in Plant Genetic Resources, Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil
"What has been done regarding retraction of Seralini's peer-reviewed publication and defamation is outrageous. It is without precedent, and is completely unacceptable." Richard Doherty, MD, retired Faculty Professor in the Departments of Pediatrics, Genetics, Radiation Biology & Biophysics at the University of Rochester School of Medicine, USA
"This study should be reinstated or studies supporting the safety of NK603 should retracted as well: they are no more conclusive." Vincent Detours, PhD, IRIBHM (a research institute of the Faculty of Medicine), Université Libre de Bruxelles, Belgium
"Withdrawal and censorship of the Séralini report is an act of complicity to conceal the flaws of a lethal technology. This is criminal behaviour." Miguel Lovera, PhD, Universidad Católica de Asunción - CEIDRA (Studies and Research Center for Agricultural Law and Agrarian Reform), Paraguay
“What happened to the Séralini study is not science, it is censorship. Scientific data should not be suppressed merely because it does not conform to pre-determined beliefs or conflicting interests. The Séralini study should be reinstated and if necessary, repeated.” Catherine Greenall, MPhil, MRSC, CChem, C.Sci, MCIWEM, CWEM
"This retraction is politically motivated and ignoring science that is now consolidated in many studies showing that glyphosate is a damaging substance both for human health and the environment generally." Malcolm Hooper, Professor Emeritus, PhD, BPharm, MRIC, CChem Royal Society of Chemistry, Society for Medicines Research, British Pharmacological Society, UK
"This is reminiscent of trials of Galileo at the hands of the Vatican. These tactics bring shame onto the scientific fraternity and erode the confidence of the public in the scientific process." Shideh Pouria, PhD, MBBS, BSc, MRCP (UK); Vice President, British Society for Ecological Medicine; Visiting Research Fellow, King's College London, UK
"Science must remain independent if it is to be relevant and must be evidence-based not results-driven. Elsevier are shooting themselves in the foot as they have lost all credibility as a science publisher and made a mockery of the peer review system." Vivienne Laval, PhD, molecular genetics, UK
Contact: Claire Robinson info@endsciencecensorship.org +44 (0)752 753 6923
Notes
1. Hayes AW (2013). Elsevier (2013). Elsevier announces article retraction from Journal Food and Chemical Toxicology. 28 November. http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/elsevier-announces-article-retraction-from-journal-food-and-chemical-toxicology#sthash.VfY74Y24.dpuf
2. Hayes AW (2013). Letter to Prof GE Séralini. 19 Nov. http://www.gmwatch.org/files/Letter_AWHayes_GES.pdf
3. http://www.endsciencecensorship.org/en/page/Statement#signed-by
4. http://www.endsciencecensorship.org/en/page/press-release#.UxNhjl4vFY4 ;
- Heinemann J. Let’s give the scientific literature a good clean up. Biosafetycooperative.newsvine.com. 2013.http://bit.ly/1aeULiB ; - Schubert D. Science study controversy impacts world health. U-T San Diego. http://www.utsandiego.com/news/2014/jan/08/science-food-health/. Published January 8, 2014; - European Network of Scientists for Social and Environmental Responsibility (ENSSER). Journal’s retraction of rat feeding paper is a travesty of science and looks like a bow to industry: ENSSER comments on the retraction of the Séralini et al. 2012 study. 2013. Available at: http://bit.ly/1cytNa4. Accessed February 21, 2014 ; - AFP. Mexican scientists criticise journal’s retraction of study on GMO. terra.cl. http://bit.ly/1jVl1HZ ; English translation available at: http://gmwatch.org/index.php/news/archive/2013/15225. Published December 18, 2013; - Antoniou M, Clark EA, Hilbeck A, et al. Reason given for retraction – inconclusiveness – is invalid. 2014. http://www.endsciencecensorship.org/en/page/retraction-reason#.Uweb4l4vFY4.
5. Robinson C, Latham J. The Goodman affair: Monsanto targets the heart of science. Earth Open Source and Indep Sci News. 2013. http://bit.ly/1hC69y4.
6. http://www.endsciencecensorship.org/
7. Portier CJ, Goldman LR, Goldstein BD (2014). Inconclusive
findings: Now you see them, now you don’t! Environ Health Perspect:122(2).
8. Roberfroid M (2014). Letter to the Editor of Food and Chemical Toxicology. Vol 65, March: 390. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278691514000039
9. http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Open_letter_to_FCT_and_Elsevier.php#form
10. e.g: http://www.i-sis.org.uk/Open_letter_to_FCT_and_Elsevier.php ; http://bit.ly/1fw9BT5 ; http://www.endsciencecensorship.org/en/page/Statement#.UxC23l4vFY4
11. COPE (2013). Members: Food and Chemical Toxicology. http://publicationethics.org/members/food-and-chemical-toxicology
12. http://www.elsevier.com/about/press-releases/research-and-journals/food-and-chemical-toxicology-editor-in-chief,-a.-wallace-hayes,-publishes-response-to-letters-to-the-editors
13. COPE (2014). http://www.criigen.org/SiteFr//index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=480&Itemid=144
14. http://retractionwatch.com/2014/01/16/journal-editor-defends-retraction-of-gmo-rats-study-while-authors-reveal-some-of-papers-history/
15. http://interaksyon.com/business/80314/new-evidence--group-tells-sc-bt-eggplant-is-safe-amid-pivotal-french-studys-retraction
16. Republic of the Philippines Court of Appeals, Manila, Former Special 13th Division (2013). Greenpeace Southeast Asia et al. vs Environmental Management Bureau of the Dept of Environment and Natural Resources et al. CA-G.R. SP No. 00013: Resolution. 20 September. p. 10. http://www.gmoseralini.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/court_resolution.pdf
17. Matthews J (2012). Smelling a corporate rat. Spinwatch. 11 December. http://www.spinwatch.org/index.php/issues/science/item/164-smelling-a-corporate-ratJan M. Olsen And Karl Ritter, The Associated Press
COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- A Danish Muslim leader who seven years ago travelled the Muslim world fueling the uproar over newspaper caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad is back in the headlines in Denmark after doing an about-face on the issue.
Once a leading critic of the Danish cartoons, which sparked fiery protests in Muslim countries, Lebanese-born Ahmad Akkari now says the Jyllands-Posten newspaper had the right to print them.
His unexpected change of heart has received praise from pundits and politicians in recent weeks, though some question his sincerity. It has also disappointed some in the country's Muslim minority who were deeply offended by the cartoons.
Akkari, now 35, was the spokesman for a group of imams who led the protests against the drawings in Denmark. They travelled to Lebanon, Egypt and Syria to elicit support, saying the Danish government wouldn't listen to their concerns.
Their journeys helped turn the dispute into an international crisis. Dozens were killed in weeks of protests that included violent attacks against Danish missions in Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Lebanon. Tiny Denmark found itself on a collision course with the Muslim world -- something Akkari now regrets.
"I want to be clear today about the trip: It was totally wrong," Akkari told The Associated Press this week. "At that time, I was so fascinated with this logical force in the Islamic mindset that I could not see the greater picture. I was convinced it was a fight for my faith, Islam."
He said he's still a practicing Muslim but started doubting his fundamentalist beliefs after a 2007 trip to Lebanon, where he met Islamist leaders.
"I was shocked. I realized what an oppressive mentality they have," Akkari said.
A year later, he moved to Greenland, the desolate Danish Arctic island, where he worked in a school for two years.
"I had plenty of time to read and write. And think," said Akkari, who has shaved off the patchy beard he used to wear.
Islamic law generally opposes any depiction of the prophet, even favourable ones, for fear it could lead to idolatry. Arguing that such religious sensitivities should not limit the freedom of speech, Jyllands-Posten in 2005 invited Danish cartoonists to draw the prophet.
At the time, Akkari joined Muslim hardliners demanding an apology from the paper and action against it by the government. He appeared to advocate violence against a more moderate Danish Muslim in a secret TV recording, but later said it was just a joke.
Akkari now says printing the drawings was OK and that his reaction at the time was wrong. Last week he even apologized in person to one of the cartoonists, Kurt Westergaard, who has faced multiple death threats and murder attempts from extremists. Many Muslims consider Westergaard's drawing, which depicts Muhammad with a bomb-shaped turban, as the most offensive.
"I met a man who has converted from being an Islamist to become a humanist who understands the values of our society," Westergaard said of Akkari. "To me, he is really sincere, convincing and strong in his views."
Akkari's former colleagues in the Islamic Society of Denmark are not impressed, and have reportedly accused him of being an attention-seeker trying to get back into the limelight.
Group spokesman Bilal H. Assaad declined to comment on Akkari on Thursday but said "it is still not OK to publish drawings of Muhammad. We have not changed our position."
The group is believed to represent about 10 per cent of Denmark's estimated 200,000 Muslims.
Michael Ulveman, who was an adviser to then-Danish Prime Minister Anders Fogh Ramussen during the cartoon crisis, also expressed doubts about Akkari's sincerity.
"I think Ahmad Akkari should go on al-Jazeera and tell the Arabic world about his new realization," Ulveman wrote on his Facebook page. "That would have real value for Denmark and the freedom of speech. And convince many of us about the depth and reach of his reorientation."Array ( [actionDate] => 2014-09-17 [displayText] => Passed/agreed to in Senate: Passed Senate with an amendment by Unanimous Consent.(consideration: CR S5715-5720; text as passed Senate: CR S5715-5720) [externalActionCode] => 17000 [description] => Passed Senate )
Array ( [actionDate] => 2014-09-17 [displayText] => Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions. Reported by Senator Harkin with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report. [externalActionCode] => 14000 [description] => Introduced )
There are 4 summaries for S.2141. Public Law (11/26/2014) Passed House without amendment (11/13/2014) Passed Senate amended (09/17/2014) Introduced in Senate (03/13/2014) Bill summaries are authored by CRS
Shown Here:
Public Law No: 113-195 (11/26/2014)
(This measure has not been amended since it was reported to the Senate on September 17, 2014. The summary of the Senate passed version is repeated here.)
Sunscreen Innovation Act - (Sec. 2) Amends the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to establish a process for the review and approval of over-the-counter (OTC) sunscreen active ingredients.
Allows any person to request that the Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) determine whether an OTC sunscreen active ingredient or combination of ingredients is safe and effective.
Requires the Secretary to review any request regarding a sunscreen active ingredient or combination of ingredients that has been in use and that is not included in the stayed sunscreen monograph published by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
Directs the Secretary to invite the sponsor of the request to provide data and other information on the safety and efficacy of the sunscreen active ingredient or combination of ingredients. Requires the Secretary to determine whether the provided information is sufficient to conduct a review, and if so, file the request, and if not, explain to the sponsor why the provided information is insufficient.
Requires the Director of the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research to complete a review of a filed request and determine the safety and efficacy of the sunscreen active ingredient or combination of ingredients within 300 days for new requests or a shorter timeframe for requests pending before enactment of this Act. Directs the Commissioner of Food and Drugs to make the determination if the Director does not make a determination in the allowed timeframe.
Allows sunscreen active ingredients that are determined to be safe and effective to be used in OTC sunscreen products.
Allows the Secretary to amend a determination if additional information becomes available.
(Sec. 3) Allows sponsors of eligible non-sunscreen OTC drug applications to request that the Secretary provide a framework for review of their application. Requires the Secretary to respond with framework options, including options that follow the review process set forth in this Act for sunscreen active ingredients.
(Sec. 4) Directs the Comptroller General (GAO) to report on the progress of the Secretary in establishing this process and the role of the Commissioner of Food and Drugs in issuing determinations on pending requests. Requires the Secretary to report on the decisions made about the safety and efficacy of sunscreen active ingredients, the amount of time between submission and decision for each request, the cost of the review process, and recommended improvements to the review process.If you're wondering where to find the best Christmas light displays in Calgary, one enthusiast has it all mapped out for you.
Silvana Stoesser covers her home in the southeast community of Deer Run with more than 18,000 Christmas lights every year.
Silvana and Christian Stoesser go all out each Christmas when it comes to holiday lights. (James Young/CBC)
She also runs a website to showcase where other Calgarians have erected elaborate holiday displays.
"We have an interactive map on there with all the displays in Calgary where people can go and look at those beautiful displays," Stoesser told the Calgary Eyeopener on Friday.
Stoesser's display usually takes two to three full weeks to construct, but thanks to some neighbourly help, it took only two weekends to set up for this year's holidays.
"We just love Christmas," said Stoesser. "It's fun for us, and when you see the kids coming by and you look into their bright eyes, you know you've done something right."
Food Bank donations accepted
Along with more than 18,000 lights, Stoesser's display features 17 inflatables and several other figures, all synched to music from 4:30 to |
violence and poor academic performance should be the expulsion of students who engage in assaults and disrespectful behavior. You say, “What’s to be done for these students?” Even if we don’t know what to do with them, how compassionate and intelligent is it to permit them to make education impossible for other students?
The fact that black parents, teachers, politicians and civil rights organizations tolerate and make excuses for the despicable and destructive behavior of so many young blacks is a gross betrayal of the memory, struggle, sacrifice, sweat and blood of our ancestors. The sorry and tragic state of black education is not going to be turned around until there’s a change in what’s acceptable and unacceptable behavior by young people. That change has to come from within the black community.
Walter E. Williams is the John M. Olin distinguished professor of economics at George Mason University, and a nationally syndicated columnist. To find out more about Walter E. Williams and read features by other Creators Syndicate columnists and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate web page.
The Best of Walter E. WilliamsYou are looking at 1301 fluorescent bulbs planted in an English farm, powered entirely by electrical fields generated by the power lines that float in curves over the top of this field.
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The installation is called simply FIELD. Five years ago, FIELD creator Richard Box was an artist in residence in the physics department at Bristol University, and he got the idea to plant his fluorescent crop after hearing a colleague describe playing light saber games with a fluorescent tube beneath power lines in his backyard. So he bribed a local farmer into letting him set up this extraordinary scene, to recreate the light saber game times a thousand.
How does it all work?
According to the UK Guardian, describing the project when it was first created:
A fluorescent tube glows when an electrical voltage is set up across it. The electric field set up inside the tube excites atoms of mercury gas, making them emit ultraviolet light. This invisible light strikes the phosphor coating on the glass tube, making it glow. Because powerlines are typically 400,000 volts, and Earth is at an electrical potential voltage of zero volts, pylons create electric fields between the cables they carry and the ground. Box denies that he aimed to draw attention to the potential dangers of powerlines, ‘For me, it was just the amazement of taking something that's invisible and making it visible,' he says. ‘When it worked, I thought: ‘This is amazing.''
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You can see more of Box's work on his website.Rodrigo Duterte's son grilled at Senate inquiry over allegations of ties to drug trade
Updated
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte's son has dismissed allegations of his involvement in the drug trade as "baseless", telling a Senate inquiry that he has no links to a massive narcotics shipment that has come under scrutiny.
Opponents of Mr Duterte, who has instigated a brutal crackdown on the country's drug trade, said they believed his son Paolo may have helped ease the entry of the $US125 million ($155 million) drug shipment from Beijing at the port in Manila.
"Once and for all, I now have the time to deny any and all baseless allegations thrown against me," Paolo Duterte told the Senate.
Senator Antonio Trillanes, a staunch critic of the President, displayed to the Senate panel photographs of Paolo beside a businessman who was behind the shipment in which the alleged drugs were found.
Senator Trillanes also said he had intelligence information from a foreign country that Paolo, the vice-mayor of Davao, was a member of a Chinese criminal syndicate, citing as proof a "dragon-like" tattoo with secret digits on his back.
When asked about the tattoo, Paolo admitted that he had one, but declined to describe it, invoking his right to privacy. When pressed if he would allow a photograph to be taken of the tattoo and sent to the US Drug Enforcement Agency to decode secret digits, Paolo refused.
Over the course of the hearing, Paolo also consistently refused to respond to questions about his finances and bank accounts, calling them "irrelevant".
The President's son-in-law, Manases Carpio, who has also been accused of links to the May drug shipment from China, also told the hearing he had no involvement.
On Tuesday, Mr Duterte said he had told Paolo to attend the Senate investigation if he had nothing to hide, while also advising him not to answer questions and invoke his right to keep silent.
The Philippine leader has repeatedly said he would resign if critics could prove any members of his family were involved in corruption.
Mr Duterte unleashed his bloody campaign the day he took office on June 30 last year, after promising Filipinos he would use deadly force to wipe out crime and drugs.
Police records show more than 3,800 people have died in police operations since July last year, and more than 2,100 other reported murders are linked to drugs.
Reuters/AP
Topics: drug-offences, drugs-and-substance-abuse, government-and-politics, philippines, asia
First postedVillage in Maharashtra, India
Shani Shingnapur[1] or Shani Shinganapur [2] or Shingnapur[3] or Sonai is a village in the Indian state of Maharashtra. Situated in Nevasa taluka in Ahmednagar district, the village is known for its popular temple of Shani, the Hindu god associated with the planet (graha) Saturn. Shingnapur is 35 km from Ahmednagar city.
Shingnapur is also famous for the fact that no house in the village has doors, only door frames. Despite this, officially no theft was reported in the village[4] although there were reports of theft in 2010 and 2011.[5]
The temple is believed to be a "jagrut devasthan" (lit. "alive temple"), meaning that a deity still resides in the temple icon. Villagers believe that god Shani punishes anyone attempting theft.[4] The deity here is "Swayambhu" (Sanskrit: self-evolved deity) that is self emerged from earth in form of black, imposing stone. Though no one knows the exact period, it is believed that the Swayambhu Shanaishwara statue was found by shepherds of the then local hamlet. It is believed to be in existence at least since the start of Kali yuga.
The village has a post office and a high school known as Shri Shanishwar Vidya Mandir besides the primary schools run by the Zilla Parishad. The chief source of water supply in the village is wells.[4]
Historical importance [ edit ]
Shrine of Shani Shingnapur
The story of the swayambhu statue handed down from generations through word of mouth, goes something like this: When the Shepherd touched the stone with a pointed rod, the stone started bleeding. The shepherds were astounded. Soon the whole village gathered around to watch the miracle. On that night Lord Shanaishwara appeared in the dream of the most devoted and pious of the shepherds.
He told the shepherd that he is "Shaneeshwara". He also told that the unique looking black stone is his swayambhu form. The shepherd prayed and asked the lord whether he should construct a temple for him. To this, Lord Shani Mahatma said there is no need for a roof as the whole sky is his roof and he preferred to be under open sky. He asked the shephered to do daily pooja and 'Tailabhisheka' every Saturday without fail. He also promised the whole hamlet will have no fear of dacoits or burglars or thieves.
So, Lord Shanaishwara can be seen even today, in the open yard without any roof above. To this day, there are no doors for any houses, shops, temples.[6] It is to be seen to believe that even post office has no door, not to speak of locks. Due to the fear of Lord Shani, none of the structures, be it dwelling houses, huts, shops, etc. situated within one kilometer radius of this Lord Shani temple have neither doors nor locks.[7] No thievery or burglary was reported until 2010 when first theft was reported and again another one was reported in 2011. This Shani Shingnapur is visited daily by thousands of devotees praying for Lord Shaneswara's favour. The place is busiest on Saturdays. Shani Thrayodashi is considered to be a favorite day for the lord. Similarly Saturday falling on 'Amavasya'(new moon day in Sanskrit and many other Indian languages) is considered to be a favourite day for the Lord Shanaishwara and on that days devotees seeking his blessings throng this temple in thousands.
Shrine of Shani [ edit ]
The shrine for Shani consists of a five and a half feet high black rock installed on an open-air platform, which symbolizes the god Shani. A Trishula (trident) is placed along the side of the image and a Nandi (bull) image is on the south side. In front are the small images of Shiva and Hanuman.[4]
Generally, the temple has 30–45,000 visitors a day, which swells to around three lakh (i.e. three hundred thousand) on amavasya (the no moon day), believed to be the most auspicious day to appease Shani.[1] The village holds a fair in honour of the deity on this day. A bigger festival is held on new moon days that fall on Saturdays. Devotees bathe Lord Shani's image with water and oil and offer flowers, and udid to him. A palanquin procession of Shani is held on the day of the fair.[4] Other festivals include the birthday of Shani, Shani Jayanti.[1]
The shrine gained popularity with the decade-old film Surya Putra Shanidev made by the film producer Gulshan Kumar.[1]
Entry to women [ edit ]
Entrance Gateway of Shani Shingnapur
According to a 400-year tradition, women are restricted from entering the inner sanctum. On 26 January 2016, a group of over 500 women, led by activist Trupti Desai, marched to the temple under the group "Bhumata Ranragani Brigade", demanding entry into the Inner sanctum. They were stopped by the police.[8]
In a landmark judgement on 30 March 2016, the Bombay High Court asked Maharashtra government to ensure that women are not denied entry to any temple.[9] On 8 April 2016, the Shani Shingnapur trust finally allowed the women devotees to enter the sanctum.[10]
UCO Bank [ edit ]
In January 2011, the United Commercial (UCO) Bank opened a 'lockless' branch in the village, the first of its kind in the country, taking note of the near-zero crime rate in the region. The local police were reported to be unhappy over this development and that it amounted to a breach of conditions, because the Central government of India has made it mandatory for all banks to have high security. The bank has doors, but they will always remain open. However, it was reported by the local legislator and the bank officials that adequate precautions were being taken for the safety of lockers and important documents.[11]
Exceptional cases of theft [ edit ]
In 2010, cash and items worth ₹135,000 (US$1,900) were stolen from a vehicle,[12][13] then in 2011 when ₹50,000 (US$700), gold rings, mobile phone, etc. was stolen from the home of a retired official of the Shree Shanaishwar Devasthan Trust [14] and then again in January 2012 gold ornaments were stolen from within the temple. Still villagers never keep their valuables under lock and key.
Bull carting [ edit ]
Sugar cane juice extraction by bull carting, on way to Shani Shingnapur
The way to Shingnapur village is covered with sugarcane fields and local people use bull to extract juice from the sugarcane, instead of machines and this type of juice extraction centres are known as Rasavanthy.[15]I woke up at 6 o’clock in the morning, looked out and saw mist outside my window. Normally I would not pay much attention to it, but this time, for some reason, I thought it might be a good idea to go out and photograph. Perhaps it was a conversation I had a few days ago that triggered it? Anyway, about twenty minutes later I was on my bike heading into town.
I am going to keep my eyes on the weather forecast for more morning mist. When the mist was good in the early hours, few people were about so if you do this, bring a friend! Next time I’ll try to convince one or two people to join me. Also need to figure out a way how to get into the colleges, or maybe onto a punt.
JohannesStory highlights Iraqi Brig. Gen. Rasid Mohammed Sadiq dies in Arizona plane crash
The fighter jet belonged to the Iraqi Air Force
The 162nd Wing specializes in the training of international aircrews
(CNN) An Iraqi pilot was killed while training with the U.S. Air Force on Wednesday, according to U.S. Central Command.
The pilot, Brig. Gen. Rasid Mohammed Sadiq, was flying an F-16 on a night training mission when it crashed in southeastern Arizona.
"We are in a tough fight together, and our hope is that Gen. Sadiq's comrades will be able to find strength in his service and honor his sacrifice through their own continued service in the coming days," Gen. Lloyd Austin, the head of CENTCOM, said in a press release.
The fighter jet belonged to the Iraqi Air Force, and rescue efforts were continuing, the 162nd Wing of the Arizona Air National Guard said.
The 162nd Wing, headquartered in Tucson, specializes in the training of international F-16 Fighting Falcon aircrews.
Read Moreby Brett Stevens on October 4, 2016
The forces of destruction, or those who fear reality so much that they seek to ruin it so that it cannot compete with the blaze of glory that is their own egos, thought they had a good gig going with the Soviet Union.
The intellectuals of the early days of the Soviet Union were in almost unanimous agreement that Communism was the way to avoid the instability of capitalism, the inhumanity of man, and the torment of being working class in a middle class world.
Back then, the agreement was as widespread as certain notions now, like that climate change exists, that racism/xenophobia/intolerance are not just wrong but impractical, that smoking and drinking are terrible and that women belong in the workforce and on the pill.
In intellectual circles, to deny the supremacy of the Communist model was to be ignorant, wrong, stupid, backward, mean, illiterate and probably an agent of those evil right-wingers. It was considered irrefutable common knowledge and consensus among educated people that Communism was the future, and it was required to believe it to join high society.
Then little bits of narrative collapse began trickling out. First there were the executions, which did not bother Leftists; after all, the people getting shot were right-wingers. The real crusher came next, which was the widespread abuse of non-right-wingers, and worse, the dramatic failure of the system to feed its people.
In fact, when Western intellectuals got their first look at the Soviet Union from direct personal experience, their general reaction was, “Ick.” Ugly concrete cities, people deprived of basic necessities, and sullen workers going through the motion and trying to hide from increasingly knee-jerk authorities.
In short, the Leftists had promised Heaven and delivered Hell, yet again.
But the forces of destruction learned from the Soviet Union. It fell because it crushed the pride of its people by making everyday life a humiliating experience of deprivation. With the next iteration of an attempt to destroy humanity, the forces of decay tried something closer to the Roman and Greek model.
In this model, people do not starve, but rather drown in abundance — if, and only if, they become obedient conformists within the System. Do what the state demands, and you will live high, relative to what you would have otherwise.
This is why dying societies seem like a game of follow-the-leader where the leader walks into the sea and everyone else follows because the rule says right here that you have to follow the leader at all times. The rules are more important than reality, specifically social rules, which are how people get ahead.
And so people repeat the same lies to each other as if they were truth. To get ahead in this society, you have to say the same things everyone else does, and anyone who criticizes the narrative will not get hired or promoted. That is why all the voices in public are in unison: yes to lies, no to reality, because reality does not pay the bills.
Our current time features people talking about “collapse” as if it were a sudden, catastrophic event. This is historically incorrect. Collapse occurs through many small events which add up to the gradual irrelevance of a society as its social order fails, and thus it ceases to produce anything of relevance.
By the time the vandals show up at the gate, the society has been in a state of third-world activity for some time, trading on its military prowess which has eroded as all sane people exited and headed for the countryside. The genetics of Italians suggest mixed-race cosmopolitan cities which were then repopulated by country folk.
This takes years. By the 1950s, it was clear that the Soviet Union had gone to the padded room. It took another four decades for the fear and hope to collapse. In the same way, in 1968 the United States clearly jumped the shark. But forty-eight years later, it is still going strong. Why?
The answer is that people are as inert as crops in a field. If their particular patch has enough sun and water, they will do nothing to change the situation. They are doing well; everyone else does not matter to them. This is why civilizations collapse, because the event does not happen all at once.
Instead, the good citizens keep showing up to the trough and paying taxes as they should, unaware of the fact that they are human domesticated animals whose leaders are using them as a cash cow to fund an empire that works against their interests. They simply do not care.
Dying empires drive people into total insularity. If you care about anything more than your paycheck and whether you win lawn-of-the-month, you lose, because the society is doomed. The people who do best in these situations are those who care about the least and have the highest tolerance for tedium and forced obedience without purpose.
This is why people seem to rush into the ocean to drown themselves. They want to win that game of follow the leader. But equally importantly, they are only interested in keeping up with the person in front of them. Everything else is outside of their consciousness until the waves close over their heads.
The practical upshot of all of this is that those of us who want to reverse the decline of Western Civilization can do it with small numbers because most people are inert. They are oblivious to good and bad alike, and if they express an opinion, it is purely social.
In the meantime, small groups can gain control by aggressively demanding membership at the table, then excluding all other groups by (correctly) thinking that those groups will act in self-interest which is a zero-sum game, displacing the interest of the small group in question. No mercy for the others; exclude, disenfranchise, destroy.
A traditional problem for civilization rescuers is that they are not fanatics. Ideology is like a laser; it polarizes complex light into a single focused beam, whether right or wrong. Restorationists are more nuanced and complex in their thinking. They need to get over that and act like fanatics to win.
The USA and EU are clearly dying empires at this point. In a nod to Aldous Huxley, they are going out not through authoritarianism and starvation, but through freedom and plenty, which has made their citizens mentally obese and thoughtless. This improves on the Soviet model, but cannot duck the inevitability of entropy.
Tags: collapse, entropy, eu, soviet union, the decline and fall of western civilization, usa
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.NBA commissioner Adam Silver said the league will "take a fresh look" at its domestic violence policies in light of the issues surrounding the NFL.
"We learn from other league's experiences. We're studying everything that's been happening in the NFL," Silver said on Monday at a news conference to announce the league's community service initiative in New York City in conjunction with the 2015 All-Star Game. "We're working with our players' association [and new executive director Michele Roberts]. We've been talking for several weeks, and we're going to take a fresh look at everything we do."
Adam Silver said the NBA will "take a fresh look" at its disciplinary policies in light of the issues surrounding the NFL. Bob Donnan/USA TODAY Sports
The NFL has drawn criticism for its handling of Ray Rice's domestic violence case. Silver said the NBA can "learn from" the NFL's missteps in the Rice case.
"The whole world's focused right now on what's happening around the NFL, so it would be foolish for us not to try to learn from everything that's happening with that league," Silver said.
The commissioner added that the NBA is "studying it like everyone else is -- as I'm sure [the NFL is] -- to make sure mistakes don't happen again." The NBA has specific policies regarding violent misconduct and unlawful violence, which includes domestic violence. The current collective bargaining agreement calls for a minimum 10-game suspension and mandatory counseling for a conviction on a first offense.
The league has the authority to impose discipline beyond that minimum punishment.
The NBA also addresses domestic violence in its rookie transition program and team awareness meetings, Silver said.
The commissioner said the league would look to "enhance" those programs.
"By no means am I naive; we've had our share of issues over the years," Silver said. "What we can do is focus on education. We have in place the appropriate mechanisms for discipline, but we'll take a fresh look at them as well. Most importantly it's education. It's not just the players, but it's the players' families. That's what we're learning.
"We have to take these programs directly to the players' spouses, directly to their partners, so they're aware of places they can go to express concerns. Whether they're anonymous hotlines, team executives [or] league executives. And we're consulting experts. There's a lot to be learned here. It's a societal problem. It's not one that's unique to sports. We're enlisting lots of experts out there to help us."
Silver said that the NBA and the players' association continually analyze their policies. But the NFL's situation has spurred the league to look specifically at ways to better educate its employees about domestic violence.
"It's one thing to know how to react when it happens, but it's a lot smarter to make sure it doesn't happen in the first instance," Roberts said. "So one of the things Adam and I have agreed to talk about are some prophylactic measures we can put into place [to] make sure everyone is adequately trained and understands. I think, frankly, this is an opportunity to have people be reminded of how bad misconduct can have a negative effect on consequences in the future. So we are going to talk about it, I hope, in ways that are more prophylactic than having to mete out more severe punishment."[Mesa-dev] Vendor-neutral OpenGL dispatching library
Last September, Andy Ritger proposed updating the Linux OpenGL ABI to allow for multiple vendors to co-exist within a single process and OpenGL applications to dispatch commands to different vendors with per-context granularity. The current proposal [1] calls for a vendor-neutral "API library" which acts as an intermediate layer between the application and OpenGL vendor implementations that manages this dispatching. I have written a work-in-progress library based on this proposal which implements this API library for GLX. This library leverages some code from Mesa's glapi module to handle TLS and core OpenGL dispatching, as well as the BSD-licensed uthash library [2] and the X.org Xserver's list.h [3]. The library source can be found at this location: http://github.com/NVIDIA/libglvnd In this repository, the file README.md describes the library's code organization and architecture as well as remaining open issues and implementation TODOs. What do people think about this? We are hoping to gather feedback to help facilitate discussion of the implementation of the new ABI during XDC 2013. Any concerns, suggestions, or other comments would be much appreciated. Thanks, Brian [1] https://github.com/aritger/linux-opengl-abi-proposal/blob/master/linux-opengl-abi-proposal.txt [2] http://troydhanson.github.io/uthash/ [3] http://cgit.freedesktop.org/xorg/xserver/tree/include/list.h?id=74469895e39fa38337f59edd64c4031ab9bb51d8 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This email message is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply email and destroy all copies of the original message. -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------President Trump tweeted his objection to the appointment of a special counsel to investigate possible collusion between his associates and the Russian government during the 2016 presidential election. (Victoria Walker,Jayne Orenstein,Dalton Bennett,Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
There’s some debate over what metric provides the best assessment of the political future of President Trump. Is it the strength of support in his base? Is it the opposition from Democrats? Is it how independents feel? Is it how Republicans feel?
I happen to subscribe to a mix of the latter two metrics. If Republicans waver on Trump, that could inspire members of his own party to speak out more strongly against Trump before the House primaries next year. If independents continue to be unusually skeptical of him, that could make Republicans in tough House races bail on him even more rapidly. Trump’s broad unpopularity means that there may be more close races than we might have expected a few months ago.
A new Quinnipiac University poll released on Wednesday suggests that, since a surge in opposition early in his presidency, strong opposition to or support for Trump’s job performance has been fairly steady — suggesting no great erosion that would cause increased nervousness about those elected officials yet.
On the biggest shadow being cast over Trump’s presidency — the ballooning investigation of Russian meddling and how Trump has responded to it — the poll offered some starkly bad news for the president and his party.
In controversy after controversy, Republican lawmakers have defended President Trump's actions. But with his disclosure of highly classified information to Russian diplomats, they've floundered to explain the decision. (Jenny Starrs/The Washington Post)
Remember that 88 percent of Republicans voted for Donald Trump in 2016, a smaller percentage than Mitt Romney earned four years before, but the vast majority of his party’s voters. Compare that 88 percent with Republican support on a slew of questions about the firing of FBI Director James B. Comey and the investigation into possible Trump campaign collusion with Russian actors.
On the firing, only a bit over a third of the country approves — including 73 percent of Republicans.
It gets worse from there. In the letter he sent to Comey to terminate his position, Trump added an unusual line claiming that Comey told him multiple times that he himself wasn’t under investigation. Only 31 percent of Americans — and only 54 percent of Republicans — believe that.
Why? Well, in part because most Americans (and a decent chunk of Republicans) don’t think that Trump is honest.
Most Americans also believe news reports that Trump asked Comey to drop the investigation into his former national security adviser Michael Flynn. Even a quarter of Republicans believe that report.
Asked if they believed Comey was fired because Trump lost confidence in his performance or, instead, that it was to try to disrupt the Russia investigation, most think it was the latter, though only about 14 percent of Republicans do.
A key problem for Trump is that, while Republicans felt as though he was within his rights to fire Comey, a third of them disapprove of how he handled the firing. Only 55 percent approve — compared with only a quarter of Americans overall.
Almost half of Americans think that it was an abuse of his power to fire Comey.
But this isn’t the only problem area for Trump, of course. More than 60 percent of Americans are very or somewhat concerned about reports that Trump revealed classified information in a private meeting with Russian officials. A quarter of Republicans agree.
When asked if Trump is abusing his power overall — not just in the Comey case — more than half of Americans agree. That includes only 12 percent of Republicans, presumably overlapping substantially with that 12 percent that didn’t vote for him. But 46 percent of independents voted for Trump in 2016, and more than half now think he’s abusing his power.
In fact, on every single question we’ve highlighted in Quinnipiac’s poll, independents hold a position closer to the Democratic position than the Republican one (save on the “abuse of power to fire Comey” question, where independents were midway between the parties).
Quinnipiac asked about continuing the investigation into Russian meddling in several ways. Was it important that the next FBI director should continue that investigation? Eighty percent said, yes, it was very or somewhat important — including 64 percent of Republicans.
Did Americans support an independent commission? Yes, 73 percent did — including 45 percent of Republicans.
A special prosecutor, similar to the one appointed last week by the deputy attorney general? Yes, two-thirds of Americans support that appointment, including a third of Republicans.
In short? Republicans stand by Trump, but the undercurrent of concern about the ongoing investigations is often broader than the support the party showed him during the last election cycle. Independents tend to align more with Democrats when considering the question of how Trump’s behaved on the matter.
We’re often quick to point out warning signs that may amount to nothing. But when there’s a warning sign, it’s still generally worth pointing out. And for Trump and his party, this poll is a warning sign.From left: Rev. Al Sharpton; Sybrina Fulton and Tracy Martin, parents of slain teenager Trayvon Martin; and Rev. Jesse Jackson, at a community forum on the killing of Trayvon Martin, at Macedonia Baptist Church, March 26, 2012 in Eatonville, Fla. Mario Tama/Getty Images
(CBS/AP) CHICAGO - - The Rev. Jesse Jackson is urging people to avoid violence if George Zimmerman is found not guilty.
READ: Trayvon Martin Shooting: A timeline of events
PICTURES: George Zimmerman on trial in death of Fla. teen
The civil rights activist is tweeting that message to his 20,000 Twitter followers as jurors deliberate Saturday for a second day in the racially charged case.
Former neighborhood watch leader Zimmerman is charged with second-degree murder in last year's slaying of a 17-year-old black teen in Sanford, Fla., Trayvon Martin.
Police in Florida say they're preparing for the possibility of mass protests or even civil unrest.
Jackson says people should "avoid violence because it only leads to more tragedies."
Jackson also says that should Zimmerman be found guilty people should avoid "inappropriate celebrations because a young man lost his life."
He says we seek "justice not revenge" from the judicial system.
Complete coverage of the George Zimmerman Trial-Trayvon Martin case on CrimesiderReplacing the irreplaceable is inherently impossible, but Brendan Rodgers sure ain’t going to die wondering. Armed with £75m from the sale of Luis Suárez to Barcelona, Rodgers has filled up the Liverpool team bus with cash, put a cannon on the roof and started firing the Benjamins at any club across Europe with young forwards of repute. Divock Origi and Lazar Markovic are finalising terms close to the Melwood training ground as we speak. Wilfried Bony is on the brink of a £19m move from Swansea City after successfully using the Welsh club as a stepping stone. And Liverpool are reportedly in advanced talks with Chelsea over a £26m deal for Romelu Lukaku. Everton will not be pleased.
Rodgers has also trained his sights on Marco Reus and is hoping a £45m bid will be enough to lift the Borussia Dortmund speedster from his double misery of missing out on Germany’s World Cup-winning campaign through injury and a dream move to Barcelona after the Catalans opted to sign Suárez instead. Arda Turan of Atlético Madrid is also on the radar of the Liverpool manager, who is so caught up in his newfound wealth he will risk further angering Ronald Koeman by returning to Southampton for Jay Rodriguez. Watch out for the handshake snub when Saints head to Anfield on the opening weekend.
Manchester United are close to finalising a £31.8m deal for Arturo Vidal after reaching agreement with Juventus over the multifunctional midfielder. Patrice Evra will head to Turin to help Bianconeri fans come to terms with their loss. The capture of the Chilean will come as great relief to Louis van Gaal, after Ángel di María became the latest player to reject United in favour of Champions League football. The Real Madrid forward is set to agree a £50m deal with Paris Saint-Germain.
Real Madrid have also agreed to let Sami Khedira join Arsenal, so confident are they in adding James Rodríguez and Toni Kroos to their ranks of brilliance. Khedira will signa four-year contract to join his bosom buddy Mesut Özil at the Emirates.
Chelsea have opened discussions with Didier Drogba about a fairytale return to Stamford Bridge. The 36-year-old Ivorian will be offered a coaching role while he sees out his playing days. Ki Sung-yueng will become the latest player to join Aston Villa if Paul Lambert can finalise a deal with Swansea. And Tottenham’s summer spending plans have been dealt a blow after Gylfi Sigurdsson and Michael Dawson turned their noses up at moves to Crystal Palace and Hull City respectively. Mauricio Pochettino has apparently been told he must sell before he buys as he suffers the consequences of Tottenham’s £100m scattergun splurge a year ago. Be warned Brendan!Trump tried to make the holiday of thanks and gratitude about him, with yet another racist Twitter rant against black athletes.
The Thanksgiving holiday is meant to be a time of self-reflection, in which all Americans take a deep look at their lives and decide what they are most thankful for.
Donald Trump wants to make very clear that people should be thankful for him. Especially black athletes and their families.
In his latest unhinged early-morning Twitter outburst, he turned his guns once again on LaVar Ball, the retired athlete whose son was just rescued from overseas after being detained by Chinese authorities on shoplifting charges.
As a reminder, Ball’s son and the players’ athletic conference already thanked Trump.
But his default assumption is always that black athletes are “ungrateful” for what white culture deigned to bestow on them — a theme he continued with yet another tweet blasting the NFL for not getting “tough and smart” on players protesting police brutality.
And Trump was not finished. Soon after, he retweeted another user who said that if Hillary Clinton freed his child from prison, he would be thanking her “corrupt ass”:
Trump pivoted from his shallow dog whistles to his continued insecurity about his standing in the 2016 presidential election, in which Clinton won nearly 3 million more votes than Trump.
Previous presidents never behaved like this during the Thanksgiving holidays. President Barack Obama and his family took this time to volunteer at shelters helping veterans and the homeless. He did not have a pathological, constant need to be thanked — he just went out and did what he felt would help.
If the American people should have anything to be thankful for with regard to Trump, it is that his term will not last forever.Scientists in China, the UK and the Netherlands have engineered a polydiacetylene polymer that reversibly changes color within 1 second of being heated or cooled.
Thermochromic polymers have a wide range of potential uses, from biological sensors to smart windows. However, the irregular structure and weak molecular interactions in established thermochromic polymers results in long response times, slow reversibility and a narrow working temperature range.
Now, a team led by Zhengzhong Shao of Fudan University in China report that introducing peptide side chains into the polymer gives fibres that are strong and exhibit a remarkably rapid color change even at temperatures up to 200 °C. The critical temperature of the transition can be tuned by varying the length of alkyl chains in the polymer.
Not only do the peptides stabilise the diacetylene but they also enable the material to self-assemble into continuous fibres. Heat disrupts the coplanarity of the polymer by introducing more motion into the polydiacetylene side chains and the resulting change in conjugation length changes the polymer’s color by affecting which wavelengths are absorbed. The presence of the peptide localises the disruption and also acts as a stabilising agent, re-establishing the conjugation and the original color as soon as the heat is removed so the process can be repeated whenever heat is applied as long as the peptide is not disrupted.
‘The colorimetric response maintains a stable value even after scores of thermal cycles,’ says Shao. ‘There is hardly any loss of sensitivity or color change with repeated use, as long as the organisation from the peptide remains.’ If the temperature exceeds 200 °C, the peptide is irreversibly damaged and the material no longer presents the thermochromic properties.
The team are now looking into adjusting the temperature range at which the color change takes place. Polymer chemist Dmitriy Paraschuk of Moscow State University in Russia agrees that this is a priority. For the system to be a suitable biosensor, ‘the thermochromic change needs to be closer to that of the human body.’ However, he adds that the team ‘have managed to combine strong thermochromism with excellent processibility’.
This article is reproduced with permission from Chemistry World. The article was first published on July 22 2014.In contrast to the military intervention in Libya, the administration has restricted itself in those countries to statements condemning the violence and urging restraint.
Mr. Obama used tough language that was at times reminiscent of President George W. Bush before the war in Iraq.
“If Qaddafi does not comply with the resolution, the international community will impose consequences, and the resolution will be enforced through military action,” Mr. Obama said, laying out a policy decision made after several weeks in which the administration sent |
gun ownership, a preference for single-family homes oriented around highways rather than urban enclaves organized around public transit, embrace of country music, disdain for arugula and fancy mustard, etc.) Disdain for American liberalism, multiculturalism, identity politics, affirmative action, welfare, European-style social policies, and the left and its ideas generally. A desire to be left alone by government, often coupled with a belief that being left alone is a natural right. A principled belief in federalism. The belief that taxes should be lower and government smaller. The belief that the national debt and deficits put America in peril. The belief that whenever possible, government budgets should be balanced. Consciousness of the fallibility of man, and an awareness of the value of skepticism, doubt and humility. Realism in foreign policy. Non-interventionism in foreign policy.
Granting that any list of this kind is imperfect, I contend the foregoing is sufficient for our purposes. So where do the presidential candidates I've mentioned fall?(Don Emmert/AFP/Getty Images)
The super-committee charged with cutting trillions of dollars from the US debt by the end of the year may be able to find at least one relatively small-change solution in their wallets: replacing the dollar bill with the dollar coin.
The controversial move would phase out paper bills and replace them with a new $1 coin, increasing production costs at first but saving billions in the long term, USA Today reports. Groups on both sides of the issue are voicing their opinions, with the Americans for George claiming that we prefer the paper bill, while the Dollar Coin Alliance say saving money is preferable.
The Government Accountability Office, which issued a report on the cost-savings of a currency switch earlier this year, said that because coins outlast paper currency (which survive about 42 months), the switch would save about $5.6 billion over 30 years.
Lobbyists and industries with ties to the money-making industry are also weighing in. Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry has introduced a bill to do away with dollar coins (the current Susan B. Anthony versions). Paper for U.S. currency is made by Massachusetts-based Crane & Co.
On the flip side of the coin, mining interests and states that have heavy mining industries are pushing for the coins to become the standard. Former Arizona representative Jim Kolbe, who started campaigning for dollar coins in 1986, is now honorary chairman of the Dollar Coin Alliance and is pushing for the country to “update” its currency system, the report states.
One obstacle to the money-saving move, however, could come from Americans’ dislike of using dollar coins, at least the ones now available. Currently, billions of dollar coins that are not used are sitting in storage facilities at the U.S. mint, according to a report by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl. By 2016 the dollar amount of coins in storage could grow to more than $2 billion.
To store all the unused coins, the Federal Reserve told Congress they will need to spend $650,000 to build a new vault in Dallas to hold them. Shipping the coins to the new secure facility will cost an additional $3 million.
Passed by Congress in 2005, the Presidential $1 Coin Act ordered the mint to make millions of coins to honor every dead president, but not even Sen. Jack Reed, D-R.I., one of the co-sponsors of the original bill, uses the legal tender.
“Do you use these things? Do you have any of these things in your pocket?” Reed was asked by ABC News’ Jonathan Karl while holding the dollar coins. “I don’t I tell you, but I like everyone else repeatedly use nickels, dimes, quarters. In fact I have a little jar in my car for the traffic meters.”Image: Marc Dalmulder/Flickr
Thursday, I watched people eat "steak chips," a crispy form of beef jerky that required no cows to die. Our lab-grown meat future is fast approaching, and those leading the charge say that the products they're making are more ethical than eating even a vegetable.
Modern Meadow's steak chips, which are grown in a laboratory using cells that are cultivated from a living cow (they can taken via a punch biopsy) and then allowed to grow in a laboratory, are "much less alive than a vegetable," Oron Catts, director of Australia's SymbioticA, an "artistic biology research lab," said at a synthetic biology conference in New York this week. "The cells are unarranged, you're taking them out of the context in which they were living. They have no sentiency or notion of life, there's no pain, no harm."
Even plants, he says, show response to stimuli that are likely to harm or kill them. The cow muscle cells used to make Steak chips do not.
Catts has spent a lot of time thinking about this. In the lab-grown meat scene, he's an old-timer, maybe the first to look at the future of meat and not see any animals involved. Back in 2003, Catts, an artist more than anything else, made the world's first lab-grown steak, a frog steak that he called "disembodied cuisine."
Reviews for Modern Meadow's steak chips were mixed. I didn't get to try them, but Isha Datar, executive director New Harvest, a nonprofit investing in victimless meat companies, noted that the chips "smelled like food for animals."
"That means it's meaty! It's just the smell," she said, adding that the taste wasn't overly powerful.
"I see beer being brewed or yogurt—the yeast and lactobacillus do not cry out because it's in a tank"
Andras Forgacs, CEO of Modern Meadow, says that its food scientists are running through a slew of different recipes and spices for its steak chips. For this particular version, he said the chips were lightly seasoned to allow the meat itself to stand out.
Making a product that meat-eaters want to eat is the first and most important hurdle. If only vegetarians want it, the company and the whole theory that lab-grown meat can reduce the number of animals slaughtered will have failed, Forgacs said.
"The goal is not replication. We're not making burgers or hot dogs," Forgacs said. "We want it to be recognizably different [than traditional meat] and superior in some ways. If it's identical, you've failed, because it's not likely that you'll initially be cheaper [than existing meat]."
It now just costs a few bucks for other companies to make a lab-grown burger (down from $325,000 just a few years ago), but animal-less meat is still tough to grow in bulk, which is why, at least initially, Modern Meadow is focusing on other types of products.
So, crispy lab-grown beef jerky. Even if you're not a Level 5 Vegan, the idea of meat that's even more ethical than vegetables is compelling. But is it true that lab-grown meat will be less harmful to life than eating a tomato?
It's not the case that cultured meat is totally free of animal products at the moment. Calf blood serum is the best medium to grow cells, which is often a byproduct of the meat industry. Forgacs says Modern Meadow is moving away from using calf serum at all, and Catts says that the entire cell-growth industry is trying to create artificial nutrient mediums simply because calf serum is expensive.
"We've replaced what we use with nonfatal serum taken from animals that don't have to die," Forgacs said. "We're dropping the serum levels and adding in other ingredients the cells need to thrive. It's not impossible to do [without calf serum], but it is a bit painstaking."
Forgacs says the process of making lab-grown meat is more like beer brewing than it is to real meat production: The only "living" things that are being made use of are muscle cells, which are never connected to a nervous system.
"I see beer being brewed or yogurt—the yeast and lactobacillus do not cry out because it's in a tank," he said. "That's our goal, to apply those principles to an animal product. We don't have to industrialize sentient beings."Cook County Court Dismisses more than 90 Cases Against Occupy Chicago Protesters Judge rules park curfew ordinance unconstitutional on its face and as applied
Chicago, IL — Cook County Court Judge Thomas Donnelly dismissed over 90 cases today against Occupy Chicago activists who were arrested last October and charged with a violation of rarely used park curfew law. Judge Donnelly issued a written ruling today which found that the city’s park curfew ordinance is “unconstitutional both on its face and as applied and all complaints in this case are dismissed with prejudice.” The Chicago chapter of the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) filed motions to dismiss in February on behalf of 92 Occupy Chicago protesters.
Judge Donnelly’s order from today, which is available here, reads in part that, “The City’s claim that citizen safety, park maintenance and park preservation constitute the substantial governmental interests that justifies closing the park seven hours nightly fails because the City routinely closes the park for fewer than seven hours nightly, making ad hoc exceptions to the Curfew for permitted groups.” The order continued that, “Because it is undisputed that the City closes Grant Park longer than necessary to serve the governments interests, the Curfew is not narrowly tailored, in violation of the First Amendment. The Curfew also violates the Illinois Constitution which provides a more vigorous right to free assembly, embracing even non-expressive assemblies.”
“Judge Donnelly made the right decision by declaring the city’s ordinance unconstitutional and by dismissing the remaining cases brought by the city against activists legitimately engaged in free speech,” said NLG attorney Sarah Gelsomino from the People’s Law Office and one of the lawyers representing the charged activists. “Hopefully this sends a clear message to the city that they must better respect the First Amendment rights of protesters no matter what their message might be.”
Nearly a year ago, on October 16th and 23rd, more than 300 Occupy Chicago activists were arrested for protesting in Grant Park and accused of violating the city’s park curfew, which had been inconsistently imposed from 11pm-6am. Most of the 300 protesters arrested have already accepted a deal with the city to resolve their cases for community service in lieu of a conviction. It’s unclear whether these agreements will need to be revisited as a result of today’s ruling.
In his order, Judge Donnelly pointed out the city’s inconsistent enforcement by stating that, “while the City arrested everyone remaining in Grant Park during the Occupy Chicago rally, the City arrested no one at the Obama 2008 presidential election victory rally, even though the Obama rally was equally in violation of the Curfew. That violates Defendants’ right to equal protection because it treats similarly situated citizens differently.”
To read more about our work defending dissent, visit the Protest and Free Speech Page on this site.How do the College Football Playoff résumés of No. 2 Baylor and No. 4 TCU compare at midseason? Here's a look at where each of the Big 12 favorites stand in a few of the categories that matter to the committee:
Strength of schedule: According to ESPN FPI, Baylor has played the nation’s No. 102 schedule to this point. Its three non-conference opponents are a combined 7-11 this season, and West Virginia and Kansas are both winless in Big 12 play -- so that hasn’t helped. TCU has played the No. 54 schedule so far. Its season-opening win at Minnesota probably won't sway voters much, since the Gophers are 4-3 and projected to go 5-7, but having four road wins this early is a plus.
Best win: For both teams, it’s Texas Tech. TCU pulled off a 55-52 win in Lubbock on Sept. 26 thanks to a miraculous fourth-down touchdown in the game’s final minute. ESPN’s Game Score metric gave TCU a score of 89 for that win. A week later, Baylor earned a 94 for its 63-35 blowout of the Red Raiders at AT&T Stadium in Arlington. That game never got too close thanks to Baylor’s 49-point first half and a strong day on defense.
Offensive efficiency: Baylor has the best offense in the country and it’s not even close. In addition to being tops in scoring and total offense, the Bears are No. 1 in yards per play (8.9), yards per rush (7.1) and yards per attempt (11.7). They’re scoring on 66 percent of their drives. TCU is No. 2 in scoring and yards per play (7.8), No. 3 in total offense, No. 4 in yards per attempt (10.2) and scoring on 54 percent of its possessions. Both feature Heisman Trophy contender quarterbacks, All-American receivers, powerful offensive lines and impressive coaching. Hard to find many flaws.
Defensive efficiency: Neither Baylor nor TCU can claim to be playing elite defense right now. They’re not among the top 50 scoring defenses in FBS and rank No. 46 and 56, respectively, in ESPN’s defensive efficiency metrics. Baylor’s doing well on takeaways (14) and has a tough run defense (3.3 yards per carry). TCU is still consistently forcing three-and-outs (28 percent of drives) and producing stops on 65 percent of its drives. Baylor gets stops on 69 percent. We’ll see how those rates hold up against the Big 12’s best.
Gary Patterson's TCU team and Art Briles' Baylor squad are neck-and-neck when it comes to the College Football Playoff. AP Photo/Jerry Larson
Injury status: Yes, the committee factors this in. Baylor has maintained near-perfect health through six games. Only backup running back Devin Chafin has missed extended time, and defensive tackle Andrew Billings and linebacker Taylor Young have had minor injuries. TCU has been ravaged at linebacker, defensive back and wide receiver, including losing six starters for the season, but those who’ve filled in have delivered. A 12-0 TCU team would get serious props from the committee for overcoming those setbacks.
Remaining schedule: Baylor’s remaining schedule ranks 18th in the nation according to ESPN’s metrics. TCU checks in at No. 22. For comparison’s sake, Alabama is 28th and Utah is 38th on that list. One thing the Big 12 rivals both need in November: Oklahoma and Oklahoma State must stay in the Top 25. Baylor and TCU still have a combined zero wins over ranked teams this season. Alabama and LSU already have three. Michigan State, Utah and Stanford each have two.
Conference title: According to ESPN FPI, Baylor is still the favorite to win the Big 12 with 52.3 percent odds. TCU is seen as having a 33.2-percent chance. The only other threats, of course, are Oklahoma (8.6) and Oklahoma State (5.9). That same FPI data projects TCU to be a slight underdog at Oklahoma. Both Baylor and TCU are better than 70 percent favorites against the Pokes. The likelihood of Baylor finishing with one loss or less is 74 percent, which ranks best in the FBS. TCU, at 48 percent, ranks fifth.
The eye test: Art Briles has put together his most talented Baylor team yet -- these Bears look like they can beat anybody. They still haven’t been seriously challenged by anyone, a reflection of both their play and their schedule. TCU has braved three serious road challenges against Power 5 foes and is just trying to survive and advance. Gary Patterson has enough star power on offense and his young, patchwork defense is improving under fire. One must grow, the other must maintain. There’s no doubt about which team has been more dominant and which team has faced a greater degree of difficulty. And there’s nothing wrong with admiring the results of each.
The head-to-head: As of today, FPI projects Baylor’s odds of beating TCU in Fort Worth at 55 percent. If the Horned Frogs and Bears can stay on track through their treacherous November schedules and remain undefeated, the odds of their Black Friday showdown being as ridiculously important as last year’s unforgettable shootout are at least 100 percent.Jason Kessler is hosting the Unite The Right rally in Charlottesville, VA on August 12th.
I’m confident this event will end up being the biggest rally we have held in the United States in over a decade. It will be much bigger than the original event in Charlottesville in May which was kept private. The Alt-Right will be there. Southern Nationalists will be there. White Nationalists will be there. The Alt-Lite was invited to come, but predictably backed out over race.
I’ve been doing activism in the South for several years now. I usually have a feel for how many people will show up at these events, but I have never seen so much interest in one event. I’m going to have to rent a van because I have six people who want to ride with me alone. I know this event is going to be a big deal because people who I consider leaners have booked non-refundable flights and there will be convoys coming to Charlottesville from far flung states like Texas and Florida.
I’m telling you to trust me on this one. You do not want to miss this event. If you have ever wanted to attend a pro-White or pro-South event, this is the one to go to. I think Charlottesville has the potential to be a breakthrough moment in our activism. There is so much energy which has been bottled up online over the past 15 years that the dam is close to breaking. It is only a matter of time before it finally spills over into the real world and we are getting very close to that point.
We’re still a month out from the Unite The Right rally. The only question at this point is how much we can swell the size of this event. We have over a month to get the word out. This should be plenty of time to take off work, make travel arrangements, find someone to carpool with, etc. We need you to share these flyers on Facebook and Twitter to create as much buzz as possible. If you are planning to come, work on bringing another person who wouldn’t ordinarily come to an event.
Note: If you want to get a League of the South polo shirt, you can order one at Patriotic Flags. We’re going to be in Charlottesville in force with black polos and the Confederate Battle Flag.The White House says Ivanka Trump will comply with ethics restrictions -- even though they don't formally apply to her -- now that she's getting a West Wing office.
Those restrictions include giving up some income and limiting her exposure to conflicts of interest by minimizing certain assets and recusing herself from some policy matters.
But ethics experts say the self-policing leaves a loophole -- and blurs the lines yet again between the Trump family, the Trump businesses and the Trump administration.
"They keep pushing to these gray areas," said Larry Noble, general counsel of the Campaign Legal Center, a nonprofit, nonpartisan watchdog group in Washington.
Even though the first daughter isn't taking a salary, she's still using government resources, Noble said, and should be required to follow the same ethics rules as full-time federal employees.
"She looks like a government employee. She seems to be acting like a government employee," Noble said. "And the reason we have these ethics and transparency laws is not because of the label you put on somebody, but because of the function they serve."
As Politico first reported Monday, Ivanka Trump will get security clearance and a West Wing office. The move further solidifies her considerable influence in her father's orbit.
She was at a White House meeting last week with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and she met with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau last month. She has also attended White House discussions with leaders in manufacturing and technology.
Ivanka Trump to get top security clearance and office, WH official says
Meanwhile, Ivanka Trump has resigned her executive vice president job at the Trump Organization, her father's business empire, and relinquished her salary there. She has also sold her common stock and dumped her investments in various technology companies.
Her lawyer, Jamie Gorelick, told CNNMoney that Ivanka Trump has converted her stake in her father's company into fixed payments, which means she can't benefit from the financial performance of the Trump Organization.
Gorelick said that decision was made with the advice of the Office of Government Ethics, the federal agency that works with executive branch employees to avoid conflicts. She did not immediately respond to a question about which stocks were in Ivanka Trump's portfolio.
Ivanka Trump also stepped down from the management of her clothing and accessories business, but she kept her ownership stake and moved the assets into a trust. Gorelick said that was the best of a series of difficult options.
She couldn't shut down the business because of contractual obligations, and selling it would mean someone could profit from Ivanka's name and likeness without her control, Gorelick said.
"Her choices are not terrific," the lawyer said.
At the White House, Ivanka Trump's role will be to advise her father and concentrate on issues related to women in the workplace, child care, parental leave and job training, Gorelick said.
But Gorelick said her focus could change over time. She said Ivanka Trump is aware of potential conflicts and would be careful to avoid them.
"If there were a trade agreement that was specific enough to focus on a tariff, for example, on textiles and clothing in a country where her clothing that is licensed by her brand is being made, she should not participate in that," Gorelick said.
The concern is more than theoretical. A Harvard University professor who studied Ivanka Trump products found that hundreds were imported from China, a country her father has threatened with tariffs.
Related: How Trump's budget may undercut Ivanka's agenda
It's also unclear whether Ivanka Trump will follow other ethics rules typical of federal workers.
For full-time government employees, following federal code means filling out documents to publicly disclose financial entanglements. Many employees also pledge to divest any problematic assets or recuse themselves from cases in which they might have a financial interest.
Gorelick deferred questions about whether Trump will supply a written, publicly available ethics agreement to the White House. When the White House was asked, it deferred to Gorelick.
Gorelick also said Ivanka Trump would probably not fill out her own public financial filing. But she said her assets will already be disclosed in documents completed by her husband, Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser.
"It's not as if there's no public disclosure, even right now," she said.
Noble, the ethics lawyer, said it's good that Ivanka Trump and the White House acknowledge the potential conflicts. But he said their plans don't go far enough.
"They want to get the benefit of people who would traditionally be government officials and subject to transparency laws, recordkeeping laws, and yet keep them outside that loop," he said. "It's a dangerous precedent."
If the White House claims that ethics rules are voluntary for Ivanka, Noble asked, where does it draw the line?
"If a disclosure comes out later on about something that Ivanka Trump did, while adviser, that would violate the ethics laws, is she going to voluntarily make herself subject to penalties? Prosecution?" he asked. "They are asking for an awful lot of trust."San Bernardino False Flag Operation
Designed To Trigger More Gun Control
Obama is being methodically enabled (i) to strip Americans
of all guns which can be effectively used by militias to mount
an insurrection, (ii) to confiscate guns from those deemed
to be rebels and/or undesirables and (iii) to shut down all
unaccountable gun shops and gun shows. Obama is poised,
via Executive Order, to eventually revoke the 2nd Amendment
right to bear arms under the pretext of Marshall Law.
State of the Nation
If Barack Obama has one top priority mission during his final year in office, which is much higher on his “To Do” list than any other, it is to strip Americans of their 2nd Amendment right to possess firearms.
Make no mistake about it, there will be an all-out assault on the 2nd Amendment for the next 13 months.
Call it the last and final push to once and for all strip Americans of their constitutional right to gun ownership.
It may not come all at once, as the stealthy approach of Obama’s handlers has been patiently incremental. In fact, his masters have used each of his 7 years in office to methodically peck away at society’s willingness to let firearm possession prevail—24/7.
No matter how many gun-related atrocities are required to remove America’s guns, the ruling elites are determined to orchestrate one fake shooting after another, no matter how fraudulent and stupid they may look. Despite the reality that most of these mass shootings are obvious government black operations, their strategy is slow and sure, forever wearing away at American acceptance (and tolerance) of its longstanding and traditional gun culture.
Was The Charleston Church Shooting Yet Another False Flag Operation (and Distraction Event) To Take Away Guns?
Truly, the mass shootings and shocking shootouts, schools murders and mall shoot-ups just won’t quit. Not only will the pace of these mass murders not slacken, in all likelihood they will only increase in number and intensity since Obama was explicitly chosen as their man to remove guns from the street. Why else did they choose a half white, half black constitutional lawyer except to do the dubious honors of taking away America’s guns? He’s the only one who could possibly get away with it; that is, if he makes it out of D.C. without being ly_ched!
What’s the key point here?
Obama was selected as POTUS for two primary reasons.
Yes, they chose him to pass the unmitigated legislative disaster known Obamacare, as well as to put his presidential stamp onto the unconstitutional Gay Marriage ruling by the SCOTUS.
Obamacare: Ongoing Disaster With No End In Sight
Unconstitutional SCOTUS Gay Marriage Ruling Irreparably Tears Social Fabric
However, these two ‘successes’ legislative and judicial, respectively, are quite secondary to his primary missions as prez. Without question, his highest domestic priority is to practically — not legislatively — nullify the 2nd Amendment anyway he can. By erecting so many new barriers to gun ownership and ammo purchases, or by issuing unlawful executive orders, or by demanding illegal background checks, or by somehow issuing mental health criteria as a requirement to gun ownership, etc. he possesses many tools and techniques to weaken the Second Amendment.
Incidentally, his most important foreign policy mission was to restart the Cold War with Russia, which he accomplished with an extraordinary degree of prevarication and treachery. He did this by arming (with guns) the neo-Nazis in the Ukraine, unlawfully supplying terrorist organizations in Syria (e.g. ISIS and Al Nusra) with weapons (aka guns). Even the murder of U.S. Ambassador J. Christopher Stevens during the attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi was really all about CIA-coordinated gun-running to the rebels who were paid by the USA to overthrow President Muammar Gaddafi. What else should be expected from a Nobel Peace Prize winner?!
Nobel Committee Obligated to Strip Obama of Peace Prize
As a stone-cold, full-fledged Manchurian Candidate, Obama has been programmed to accomplish these 2 essential missions. Foisting total gun control on the United States of America has always been a primary mission of the globalist cabal that is determined to turn the nation into a slave plantation. Obama is clearly their man to take the credit and/or blame for putting the final nail in the coffin of the American Republic — “land of the free and the home of the brave”.
Barack Obama: Manchurian Candidate, CIA Cutout, Or Both
The Ramp Up in Mass Shootings is by Quite Purposeful Design
The so-called terrorist-perpetrated San Bernardino mass shooting is just one more of many patently false flag and thoroughly fake black operations designed to shock and awe the U.S. citizenry. Surely there must be a threshold of tolerance beyond which the American people will gladly give up their guns, as well as the very right to possess firearms. So goes the thinking of the ruling elites who really do fear for their lives after all that they have plundered from foreign lands and pillaged on the domestic front through legalized fleecing.
San Bernardino Mass Shooting: Yet Another Government Hoax Promoted By The Mainstream Media
The real problem with their sheer desperation is that the NWO global cabal is already way behind schedule with regard to legislated gun control. The free flow of relevant gun control information and data on the internet has significantly slowed down their plans for the confiscation of all guns. The World Wide Web has especially curtailed their ability to repeal the 2nd Amendment. That was their actual goal at one time, but it can no longer be accomplished as too many patriots — both gun owners and those who choose not to own — are onto their game.
Nevertheless, these United States of America remain an extremely dangerous place because of the incessant government plots afoot to stage one mass shooting after another. Unwittingly, the government agents are providing a HUGE justification for the maintenance of a healthy and robust 2nd Amendment. After all, it’s downright dangerous out there, not too unlike the wild, wild West was once upon a time. You never know who or where or how the next mass shooting is going to take place. And it’s the G-men who are behind them all, so how can the American people possibly consider giving up their guns, especially when they are under such violent assault BY THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT?
Waco TX Biker Massacre: Classic False Flag Operation & Government-Run Inside Job
What is not being asserted here is the degree of authenticity of these various shootings. All that can be said with certainty is that they are staging events which are then conveyed as real mass shootings through the mainstream media (MSM). How many of these fabricated shooting events actually kill and injure people is impossible to say. However, it is probably safe to assume that, except for Sandy Hook — where clearly nobody died — some of the other recent mass murders may have actually taken place; albeit, with G-men or their proxies pulling the triggers.
“Amazon Bans Fetzer’s Hot New Book, Nobody Died At Sandy Hook”
What’s the crucial point? It’s dangerous out there no matter what’s really going on, because people are in fact disappearing after the supposed shootings, be they genuine or bogus. Because it is quite impossible to fake so many disappearances, it is therefore quite dangerous being out and about in public places. Public spaces and events are simply too exposed and are particularly attractive targets for the government to use to implement their “Shock and Awe” agenda. Which again speaks directly to the dire need to possess firearms; that being to protect oneself from either from the real crazies or criminals, or from the government forces who control them and from the G-men who are paid triggermen.
Why is the NWO agenda to confiscate all guns so critical to the success of their misguided scheme of a One World Government?
There is really nothing else but American gun ownership (and firearm possession) that prevents the cabal from running their tyranny across the planet in the form of a One World Government. Whereas the United States is in actuality the military arm of the New World Order, it is therefore critical for the U.S. citizenry to be compliant and cooperative with respect to all manner of military ventures and foreign conquests.
The USA: Military Arm Of The New World Order
Toward that end, the World Shadow Government (WSG) cannot risk the threat that a true representative American government might be elected. Hence, the WSG contrives one false flag operation after another to keep the citizenry in the state of constant fear and anxiety so that they will slowly give up their rights. In this way the electorate will ALWAYS vote for the lesser of the two evils who clearly represents the interests of the NWO globalists.
With each false flag terror attack around the globe citizenries have willingly ceded their hard-earned rights and liberties in the interest of guaranteeing a thoroughly fraudulent form of ‘national security’. The WSG has been quite successful in taking away the guns from the people in countries throughout the European Union as well as Australia, and are determined to implement a global ban on guns under the authority of the United Nations.
The bottom line with respect to gun ownership is that a citizenry that has no access to guns and ammunition poses no threat to a despotic government. The more tyrannical the leadership, the more determined they always are to remove any legal right to firearm possession. The Obama Administration, being the most lawless and autocratic in U.S. history, was the obvious choice to divest Americans of their guns. Many of the pseudo-liberals who staff the current Executive Branch are actually communists at heart masquerading as Obama socialists who cannot wait to impose their brand of godless and corrupt political philosophy on the nation.
ObamaNation: Where Lawlessness And Moral Depravity Prevail
The USA Became an Obamanation Through Stealth and Strategy
In reality it has been well over 100 years of creeping government control which has found its perfect advocate in the presidency of Barack Obama. The national security state has experienced relatively little resistance because of the way that Obama was used to effectively co-opt so many governmental institutions and public corporations, NGOs and private foundations, universities and research organizations, think tanks and brain trusts. He was especially successful at capturing a great majority of those Americans living in the lower socio-economic classes. The regular transfer payments from the “welfare state” to those who have been made jobless or permanently unemployed secures a loyalty to Obama’s cause that has no competition.
Virtually every domestic policy initiative that has been undertaken by the Obama Administration has this as its ultimate goal. Obamacare is, of course, the poster child for woefully failed government intervention in the marketplace. The ACA (Affordable Healthcare Act) is a government program that promised one thing but ended up delivering something altogether different. Not only has it destroyed the institutional arrangements of the American healthcare delivery system, it has driven up healthcare cost from levels that were already unsustainable.
Obamacare: Exorbitantly High Deductibles Make Insurance ‘All But Useless’
OBAMACARE: Regulators in some states to raise their rates by more than 50 percent next year
The deceitful strategy and unparalleled stealth that was employed to enact Obamacare has since been tried time and again against the opposition of the Republican Party. It is for this reason that Obama has cried racism when in fact it is he who is the racist. Forever stoking the embers of racial tensions and religious differences, he has cultivated an unprecedented environment of hatred and division throughout America. In this way has his Administration been responsible for producing a level of societal violence and police brutality that could serve as a false pretext for extraordinary government intervention, or worse, Marshall Law.
This is their master plan: divide and conquer each and every demographic within American society. By driving wedge issues deep within the body politic, it is planned that the American people will be too spent to fight the government that really terrorizes them. This strategy then utilizes a whole load of tactics which pits father against son, daughter against mother, white against black, boss against employee, neighbor against neighbor, man against woman, heterosexual against homosexual, rich against poor, etc. This classic communist scheme for “divide and rule” employs the very people themselves to do all the dirty work.
In this fashion has the U.S. Federal Government been setting up the country so that ultimately it will be a majority of American people who demand gun control. That’s where Obama is really going with this. After a critical number of colleges and universities experience mass shootings — fake or otherwise — college students will be sufficiently softened up so that they will one day say enough is enough. At that point protests and demonstrations might even erupt on college campuses instigated by government-controlled agent provocateurs.
Their (aka TPTB) Hegelian Dialectic strategy, as well as “divide and rule” tactics, revolve around the key social engineering dynamic known as manufactured consent. They know they cannot use Obama to take the guns away from the law-abiding citizens without the consent of a solid majority of Americans. Therefore, they are now working triple time to manufacture the necessary consent. TPTB are obsessed with their self-imposed deadlines with only a year left of their ever-obedient puppet president to do their bidding. Once Obama leaves office, the political climate will change significantly, regardless of who the next president is. Hence, the campus shootings will continue and probably intensify for the foreseeable future. It is therefore highly advisable that everyone on campus be extra vigilant.
(Source: This Is Why The Mass Shootings Are Being Staged On College Campuses)
Do you now see where this is all going?
Caveat: If Hillary Clinton is elected president, the pressure exerted by the globalist cabal to take away the guns will surely not wane; although, the men of America will not take too kindly to being divested of their firearms by a ‘woman’ president. That’s precisely why Obama was chosen for the odious job of taking away America’s guns.
Clinton Goes For The Guns, Proves She Will Continue Obama’s Gun-Grabbing Ways
“Among the many misdeeds of the British rule in India, history will look upon the act of depriving a whole nation of arms as the blackest.”
~ Mahatma Gandhi
State of the Nation
December 6, 2015
References
Sandy Hook Hoax Exposed
Obama Uses Another Staged, False Flag, Mass Murder To Take Away Guns
Who really benefits from the obvious false flag shootings designed to fuel America’s escalating race war
Garland, Texas Shooting: Yet another false flag operation blamed on and claimed by ‘Islamic Jihadists’The night before, Aubrey Mariko cited the recent transgender killings around the world and asked in a Facebook update if she was going to be next.
“Let’s face it,” Mariko wrote on Feb. 24, “it’s hard for Trans women, esp. twoc (trans women of color).”
According to the Marin County Sheriff’s department, Mariko was witnessed jumping off the bridge Feb. 24. Her body was located in the water around 6:12 p.m. A forensic examination determined she died of multiple impact injuries.
Mariko’s death, unreported in the media, draws attention to the plight of transgender women of color and how they are largely invisible.
Mariko wasn’t always so hopeless. In a description about herself she wrote, “loving and sharing communities, especially locally, is my passion.”
She was active in several organizations and movements. In December 2014 she was awarded a yearlong fellowship with Youth Impact Hub Oakland. Mariko proposed a project called “Stop Stigma Radical Rally” to promote awareness of mental health struggles.
“Aubrey was always raising awareness on trans issues, talking about how trans folks of color were so excluded from the LGBTQ (white gay) community and the trans white community itself,” said Jorge Hernandez, a friend of hers.
“What hurts the most is this amazing person who had so much to offer feeling like they didn’t have any options left,” said |
updates (versus 9%). In addition, almost two-thirds (65%) of those who get news on Facebook visit the site several times a day, compared with about three-in-ten (29%) other Facebook users.
Those who consume news on Facebook are more active on the site than other users by nearly every measure. Fully 77% are driven to the platform to see what friends are up to (compared with 60% of other Facebook users), 49% go to chat with friends and family (versus 29%) and 26% go to post personal updates (versus 9%). In addition, almost two-thirds (65%) of those who get news on Facebook visit the site several times a day, compared with about three-in-ten (29%) other Facebook users. Roughly half, 49%, of Facebook news consumers report regularly getting news on six or more different topics. The most popular topic is entertainment news, which 73% of Facebook news consumers get regularly on the site. Close behind is news about events in one’s own community (65%). National politics and government rank fourth, reaching 55% of these consumers regularly, just behind sports, which reaches 57% regularly. Still, Facebook has yet to become a platform for learning about news events as they happen. Just 28% of Facebook news consumers have ever turned there for breaking news.
The most popular topic is entertainment news, which 73% of Facebook news consumers get regularly on the site. Close behind is news about events in one’s own community (65%). National politics and government rank fourth, reaching 55% of these consumers regularly, just behind sports, which reaches 57% regularly. Still, Facebook has yet to become a platform for learning about news events as they happen. Just 28% of Facebook news consumers have ever turned there for breaking news. Liking or commenting on news stories occurs almost as frequently as clicking on links, though back and forth discussions are less common. About two-thirds (64%) of Facebook news consumers at least sometimes click on news links (16% do so often). Nearly as many, 60%, at least sometimes “like” or comment on stories (19% do so often). Just under half, 43% post or share links themselves at least sometimes (10% do so often) and about a third, 32%, discuss issues in the news with other people on Facebook (6% do so often).
About two-thirds (64%) of Facebook news consumers at least sometimes click on news links (16% do so often). Nearly as many, 60%, at least sometimes “like” or comment on stories (19% do so often). Just under half, 43% post or share links themselves at least sometimes (10% do so often) and about a third, 32%, discuss issues in the news with other people on Facebook (6% do so often). News outlets rank low in the reasons Facebook news consumers click on news links. The biggest single reason people cite for clicking on links to news stories is interest in the topic; 70% name this as a major reason to click on news links. About half say finding the story entertaining (51%) or surprising (50%) is a major reason; 37% say a friend’s recommendation is a major reason. On the other hand, that the link came from a news organization they preferred is cited by just 20% as a major reason for clicking – outpacing only that the story had a lot of “likes” (13%).
The biggest single reason people cite for clicking on links to news stories is interest in the topic; 70% name this as a major reason to click on news links. About half say finding the story entertaining (51%) or surprising (50%) is a major reason; 37% say a friend’s recommendation is a major reason. On the other hand, that the link came from a news organization they preferred is cited by just 20% as a major reason for clicking – outpacing only that the story had a lot of “likes” (13%). Facebook news consumers who “like” or follow news organizations or journalists show high levels of news engagement on the site. About a third, 34%, of Facebook news consumers have news organizations or individual journalists in their feeds. Those who do are more likely to see the site as an important way to get news than those who do not have news organizations or journalists in their feed (54% versus 38%). They are also nearly three times as likely to often click on news links (27% versus 10%)and discuss issues in the news with others on Facebook (11% versus 4%). They are twice as likely to often post or share stories (16% versus 7%) and “like” or comment on stories (29% versus 15%).
About a third, 34%, of Facebook news consumers have news organizations or individual journalists in their feeds. Those who do are more likely to see the site as an important way to get news than those who do not have news organizations or journalists in their feed (54% versus 38%). They are also nearly three times as likely to often click on news links (27% versus 10%)and discuss issues in the news with others on Facebook (11% versus 4%). They are twice as likely to often post or share stories (16% versus 7%) and “like” or comment on stories (29% versus 15%). As with U.S. adults overall, only a minority of Facebook news consumers say they prefer news that shares their point of view. Less than a third, 31%, of Facebook news consumers generally prefer news that shares their own point of view, just slightly higher than the 27% of U.S. adults who say the same. And, when asked about things that bother them on Facebook, twice as many Facebook news consumers are bothered when people post political statements (whether related to the news or not) than when people post opinions about something in the news (32% versus 14%). And, 58% have been surprised by a friend’s or family member’s opinion about an event in the news on the site.
Less than a third, 31%, of Facebook news consumers generally prefer news that shares their own point of view, just slightly higher than the 27% of U.S. adults who say the same. And, when asked about things that bother them on Facebook, twice as many Facebook news consumers are bothered when people post political statements (whether related to the news or not) than when people post opinions about something in the news (32% versus 14%). And, 58% have been surprised by a friend’s or family member’s opinion about an event in the news on the site. Among U.S. adults, the desktop/laptop computer is still the primary way most adults access Facebook. Fully 59% of all adult Facebook users and 53% of Facebook news consumers mostly access the site through a desktop or laptop computer rather than a mobile device such as a smartphone or tablet. And while the primarily mobile users tend to check in more frequently, desktop users clock more total time: 37% of mainly desktop/laptop Facebook news consumers spend an hour or more a day on the site, compared with 28% of mainly mobile Facebook news consumers.
About the Survey
This report is based on a Pew Research Center survey conducted Aug. 21-Sept. 2, 2013, among a nationally representative sample of adults 18 years of age or older. The sample comprised 5,173 respondents, 3,268 of whom are Facebook users, of which 1,429 are Facebook news consumers. The survey questionnaire was written by the Pew Research Center and administered by GfK using KnowledgePanel, its nationally representative online research panel.
For questions asked of the full sample of 5,173, the margin of sampling error is plus or minus 1.7 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. For Facebook users, the margin of error is plus or minus 2.2 percentage points; for Facebook news consumers, it is 3.3 percentage points.
Facebook news consumers are defined as those who answered that they “ever get news or news headlines on Facebook.” News is defined as “information about events and issues that involve more than just your friends or family.”
For more details on the survey methodology, see methodology section.Getty Images Writer-director James Toback has been accused of sexual harassment by more than 30 women. Share
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More than 30 women came forward to the Los Angeles Times about the sexual harassment they say they received from Oscar-nominated writer-director James Toback.
Of the 38 women who spoke to the L.A. Times, 31 agreed to be named and on-the-record about Toback’s alleged behavior, dating back to the 1980s and as recently as 2008. According to the report, Toback would approach young aspiring actresses and promise to make them “stars” if they held private meetings. At these meetings, the women said, Toback would grill them about their sexual histories before either dry-humping on them or masturbating in front of them.
“It’s a common thread among many women I know … after someone mentions they were sexually abused by a creepy writer-director, the response is, ‘Oh, no. You got Toback-ed,’” actress and drama teacher Karen Sklaire told the newspaper. She said she had her own meeting with Toback in 1997, which ended with him grinding against her leg.
Toback denied the allegations, telling the L.A. Times that he either never met the women or, if he did, it “was for five minutes and have no recollection.” He also claimed his diabetes and heart condition made the allegations “biologically impossible.”
Toback, who is Jewish, was was nominated for an Academy Award for his screenplay for “Bugsy,” a film about the Jewish mobster Bugsy Siegel.
In a separate interview with Variety after some accusations against him had publicly emerged but before the L.A. Times story was published, Toback praised the women who came forward with allegations of sexual harassment at the hands of Hollywood mega-producer Harvey Weinstein.
“What’s going on in the world now is revolutionary,” he said. “They’ve been in the passenger seat or in the back seat or even in the trunk with guys driving. Now is their time to drive.”
Contact Aiden Pink at pink@forward.com or on Twitter, @aidenpink“I don’t know a thing bad about him,” said the father of one of his high school teammates, who declined to be identified because he did not want to be part of the controversy. He added, “I feel like he’s just kind of a victim of circumstances and really didn’t do anything wrong but was trying to help.”
Ed Mikell, 69, who is white and was Officer Habersham’s track coach on the high school relay team, said he saw an unusually protective side to the young man. “Some of his so-called friends, fellow students, were not very polite to teachers and coaches and so forth,” Mr. Mikell said. “When one of them would say something to me, he’d get in their face and tell them no. I watched him do it several times. My son is an ex-police officer. I wouldn’t rush to judgment on a police officer. I’d want more facts before I made a decision.”
He said Officer Habersham put high expectations on himself.
“I lost several batons due to his temper,” Mr. Mikell said. “He would get mad and throw them down and bend them up. The temper was basically aimed at himself, not at somebody else.”
Officer Habersham attended Elon from 1998 to 2002 but did not complete his degree, a university spokesman said. He joined the North Charleston force in 2007, about two years before Mr. Slager applied in 2009.
On April 4, Officer Habersham arrived on the scene after Mr. Slager, 33, who has since been charged with murder, fired eight shots at Mr. Scott as he was some distance away, fleeing after a traffic stop and a confrontation. In the video, as Mr. Scott lies in a grassy lot after Mr. Slager has handcuffed him, Officer Habersham can be seen crouching over Mr. Scott and at other times standing over him while directing medics to the lot on his radio. He does not appear to perform CPR on Mr. Scott, and he did not claim to have done so in his two-sentence report, stating that he “attempted to render aid to the victim by applying pressure to the gunshot wounds.” Yet there are moments in the video when neither officer appears to be tending to Mr. Scott as he lies dying.
Some experts question that response.
“I wouldn’t have expected him to jump immediately into CPR,” Seth W. Stoughton, an assistant professor at the University of South Carolina School of Law and a former police officer, said of Officer Habersham. “You need to treat the bullet holes first to make CPR even remotely effective. But I didn’t really see him doing that. When I see two officers on scene with someone who has just been shot, I certainly do not expect to see both of them standing up and away from the body, neither one of them offering aid.”In our coverage of the string of next-generation HPC systems, we have talked about the big changes on the programming, memory, and network horizons, but there is one potentially disruptive change on the way for storage—one that could tear down existing paradigms, including the concept of time-tested parallel file systems.
The shift starts with a new layer of storage that is set to appear on the upcoming CORAL supercomputers, which is intended to serve as an I/O enhancement called a burst buffer. While the national labs are expecting major improvements for things like checkpointing, for instance, those petabytes of NVRAM in the CORAL machines could serve a much larger function following some clever software interlacing to create a new approach to using multiple tiers of storage for far more than just I/O.
As we have detailed in the past, Los Alamos National Laboratory was the originator of the burst buffer concept to boost I/O on large supercomputers, but the plan was always to see this storage tier as something that could tie off other data movement bottlenecks and find real use within applications. Beyond serving as a high-speed, high-capacity dump for checkpoint data, that layer of NVRAM could potentially serve the same functions—and go far beyond—traditional file systems, even on a machine like the Trinity supercomputer, which will have 2 PB to 3 PB of main memory, 7 PB of NVRAM to support the burst buffer, and 82 PB of disk capacity. While that is going to take quite a bit of development with the upcoming sets of pre-exascale machines outfitted with this NVRAM layer, Gary Grider, head of high performance computing at Los Alamos, says that exascale systems simply will not use file systems at all.
What is needed is a new storage abstraction layer can allow the same storage to be viewed by a diversity of namespace abstractions. In plain English, a software framework that can support that layer of NVRAM like a “first class citizen” in the storage hierarchy, Grider tells The Next Platform. To do this, such an abstraction layer for generalizing storage options has to provide several services that users rely on currently, including transactional support, reliability, availability, and data protection).
“With storage like that provided by NVRAM, most people won’t want to access it as files, they are going to want to access it as part of the application–as data structures that simply happen to live in persistent storage as opposed to in memory. So what we are thinking about now are the multitude of ways people will want to view that piece of in-system storage. It’s a matter of abstracting the storage in such a way that lots of different namespaces can use it while providing the semantics they expect or need.”
In short, this introduction of NVRAM as a real first-class citizen within the system’s storage hierarchy means that file systems could very well fall out of favor. The outcome of this thinking is found in the DAOS project, which is part of the Fast Forward Storage program and funding and which is a priority for teams working on it at Intel, Los Alamos, and other centers.
When it is finally realized in practice, DAOS can allow multi-use of the same storage by providing that very low-level abstraction for talking to each layer of storage as well as the capacity layer that sits below it in a way that allows users to map any kind of namespace they might desire onto it. For example, a user might want to make something look like a file, so she would ask DAOS to create the logical container to make it look as such. In theory too, DAOS can make something look like an HDF5 container and also possible to have DAOS treat a specific piece of that NVRAM layer or disk in that manner. In the broader world beyond exascale supercomputers, in cloud environments, it could be used as space for Memchached memory caching, where users want to build a transparent caching layer where they can put all their indexes in memory. It is just a matter of “asking” DAOS to make a layer of storage appear a certain way to allow several uses for one (or more) layers of storage.
This frees the concept of storage from traditional strictures; DAOS can be used by an application programmer to create a place to store arrays, to write files to, to be used for scratch like Memcached—the idea is that you don’t necessarily want every vendor who sells a machine with this layer of storage to provide a different interface to access all of that, you want a common interface so that middleware and programing modelers and others can write to the DAOS abstraction and make that storage look like anything they want it to be.
While there are multiple layers of complexity to DAOS, the bare concept boils down to the very simple concept of namespaces, which are essentially just clever ways for programmers to remember where things are. If the namespace becomes a layer that sits on top of multiple types of hardware (disk or NVRAM, for example) the same concept loops through and DAOS can let the application developer choose what hardware the namespace rests on. This sounds simple in theory, but naturally, there is a great deal of work to be done yet to make this abstraction layer clean and standard so that vendors have something to standardize on (note again that Intel is heavily involved in this).
“It would be nice for an application programmer to be able to code like they think. For instance, to say, ‘this is simulation 47 and here are the pressure and temperature factors but all of that needs to be squashed down into a file where all the extra information has to be dropped out. It would be nice if that programmer could come back later and ask the storage system to pull all the simulations that were run where pressures were over a certain amount and other properties met other certain criteria’ and then it starts to sound like a database.”
“This is where databases and file systems start to mesh. Databases are really just namespaces in essence, just another way to name something with different properties. We want to allow application programmers to not have to convert things into some artifact called a file system in a completely different namespace just because that’s the way file systems we made. And to do that, we need something that is flexible, that lets them choose a namespace to stick on top of that storage that can support those artifacts and plenty of new ones.”
It is at this point that one can very easily start to see how the notion of file systems as the standard way of making use of storage starts to break down. But again, there are big roadblocks in the way of making something like this a de facto standard, in part because it will involve some ripping and replacing of code. And for large-scale scientific codes, where DAOS will be put to the initial test, this is a significant undertaking.
Putting DAOS into play will mean more than just working out the abstraction layers to get the functionality Grider and his team hopes for. This will add yet another layer of complexity for programmers on pre-exascale and exascale machines who already have quite full plates (as we discussed in depth in the context of programming the massive Summit HPC machine coming to Oak Ridge National Lab. Not only will these programmers be considering new levels of massive parallelism and heterogeneity, but now they will have to think through the multiple tiers of memory and how to best address these in the most efficient manner. DAOS is set to help with this, but each application will need to be specifically tuned to make it work the way Grider and teams at Intel and elsewhere envision.
In fact, while application programmers are hard at work rewriting their codes to meet the multidimensional new needs for next-generation systems, these new ways of taking advantage of what DAOS adds to the I/O subsystem will be among the new things they code for. The problem is, for DAOS to become a reality at all it will mean rewriting applications, something that the big scientific code shops are already well aware of (and working toward) but that the rest of the world might not be ready to do.
As a side note to end, work on DAOS has been fed by the Department of Energy Fast Forward I/O storage program, which targets exascale computing research and development across the national labs and key vendors. If you’re looking for something that goes far deeper into the proposed functionality, there are some presentations and project documents from some of the key people behind DAOS at Intel, including Eric Barton, as well as materials from Grider at Los Alamos. And as another side ending item, you’ll notice from the materials above that Intel is involved, but this was not the original intention. At the beginning, Lustre startup Whamcloud won the I/O and storage contract (along with other companies, including the HDF Group, EMC for burst buffer projects, and Cray for scale-out storage research). With the Intel acquisition of Whamcloud, the Fast Forward I/O contract was renegotiated with Intel and DataDirect Networks both working on specific research and development areas.An almost inconsequentially small number of migrants (0.36 per cent) applying for asylum in Germany last year should have done so according to EU law, as they had not passed through other safe nations before getting there.
Around 280,000 migrants entered the German asylum system in 2016, and less than 1,000 did not come via safe third countries.
If Germany’s Basic Law and the European Union’s (EU) Dublin Agreement were fully implemented, then 99.6 per cent of the migrants entering asylum claims would not be allowed to do so.
“In 2016, a total of 903 asylum seekers who were not sent to Germany via a safe third country or a safe country of origin were identified by the federal police at German airports,” Germany’s Federal Police Agency told WELT AM SONNTAG.
Safe third countries invariably surround Germany, and if Angela Merkel’s government had upheld the law, all of the 280,000 migrants applying for asylum last year should have been classed as already safe.
The EU’s Dublin Agreement stipulates that migrants must apply for asylum in the first safe European nation they enter. Germany is legally required to at least inquire with the EU nation that a migrant first entered when they apply for asylum, and process their request if they cannot be returned.
However, Chancellor Angela Merkel unexpectedly suspended the rules, with little consultation, in August 2015 at the height of the migrant crisis, and said “no upper limit” of migrants could apply for asylum in Germany.
The number of migrants began rising shapely soon after and more than a million arrived in 2015.
In November 2015, Germany’s Secretary of State for the Federal Ministry of the Interior, Ole Schröder, admitted that the chaos had meant they had no idea how many migrants had entered the asylum system.
Many migrants register in multiple nations as they “shop around” for the best asylum and welfare conditions – something the Dublin Agreement was designed to stop – and in February 2016 Germany admitted it had “lost” 130,000 asylum seekers.AAP's credibility in the dock? Manish Sisodia under ACB's scanner for favouring relatives
India
oi-Reetu
New Delhi, Oct 1: More trouble seems to be coming for Aam Aadmi Party as reports suggest that Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia's relatives were given contracts of the government advertisements.
As per a Zee news report, Anti Corruption Branch (ACB) Joint Commissioner of Police Mukesh Kumar Meena on Thursday claimed receiving complaints about the same.
The report says, "Talking to reporters, Meena, who was appointed by Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, said that a probe is on and a notice has been issued to the Directorate of Information & Publicity (DIP), Delhi, in this regard.
Notably, the DIP is entrusted with the job of informing and publicising the programmes, policies and activities of the Government of NCT of Delhi for citizens' welfare, particularly for weaker section of society."
ALso read: Another trouble for AAP: Manish Sisodia's degree too comes under scanner
"We've received some complaints that most of Delhi government's advertising contracts were given out to the relatives of Sisodia," Delhi anti-corruption bureau chief MK Meena was quoted as saying in ET report.
M K Meena was appointed as chief of the ACB by Jung which led to a lot of clashes between him and the AAP.
Because of the clashes ACB now having two chiefs.
OneIndia News
(With inputs from agencies)Content restrictions by Facebook in India has seen a huge surge. The social network in its government requests report said that it placed restrictions on 15,155 pieces of content in the first half of 2015 compared to 5,832 pieces in the second half of 2014, an increase of 159.86%.
“We restricted access in India to content reported primarily by law enforcement agencies and the India Computer Emergency Response Team within the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology because it was anti-religious and hate speech that could cause unrest and disharmony within India,” Facebook said in the report.
Earlier in July, in two separate incidents, eight persons in Uttar Pradesh were arrested over posting “objectionable content” on social networking website Facebook last week. The charges on the persons were mostly sections of the Indian Penal Code which deal with hate speech.
In March, a class XI student was arrested in Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh and sent to 14 days of judicial remand, after Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s media in-charge Fasahat Ali Khan filed a complaint with the police claiming that the student posted an offensive message about a particular community on Facebook. More on the cases here and here.
Requests for data
Total requests for data from India stood at 5,115 in the first half of 2015 compared to 5473 in the second half of 2014, a decrease of 6.54%. While requests for account information stood at 6,268 compared to 7,281, a decrease of 13.91%. The percentage of requests where Facebook produced some data was 45.32% in the first half of 2015. The number stood at 44.69% in the second half of 2014.
Globally
The amount of content restricted for violating local law increased by 112% over the second half of 2014, to 20,568 pieces of content, up from 9,707. India and Turkey lead the number of content restrictions.
While government requests for account data increased across all countries by 18% over the same period, from 35,051 requests to 41,214. The bulk of government requests came from US law enforcement agencies. US agencies requested data from 26,579 accounts which comprised more than 60% of requests globally.
Image source: Flickr user mkhmarketingPeople talk on their cell phones everywhere - in stores, in parks, in the hallway outside my office. Although I hate overhearing someone's phone conversation, I'm frequently forced to listen to half a conversation because people near me are talking on their cell phones. I find it annoying and distracting. I'm willing to guess that you've also been annoyed and distracted by overheard cell phone conversations.
I've written a few blog posts regarding the dangers of trying to navigate while talking on a cell phone (Hang Up and Drive; Unicycling Clowns, Train Wrecks, and Pilots Forgetting to Land) or while texting (Texting Zombies). In essence, using a cell phone makes you less aware of the world around you and thus more dangerous while driving or walking. In this post, I am writing about the problems posed for the people surrounding that person blabbing away on that cell phone.
I've recently come across research concerning the effects of overhearing cell phone conversations. Interestingly, overhearing someone's cell phone conversation is worse than overhearing two people talking face-to-face.
First, and not surprisingly, people find overhearing cell phone conversations annoying. In a very funny experiment, Monk, Carroll, Parker, and Blythe tested people's reactions to overhearing cell phone and face-to-face conversations. Their researchers (2 female students) conducted short conversations in public. They had their conversations either face-to-face or over a cell phone. They also varied volume - either normal conversation level or loud. After they finished their conversation, one of the women turned to the person near them and asked them questions about the experience of overhearing someone's conversation. ("Hi, we're conducting research on how overhearing other people's conversations affect people in public places." I like the image of the researcher turning to the bystander, starting that interview, and then asking how intrusive it was and if the people were listening in.) Loud conversations were rated as more intrusive and annoying than normal volume conversations, thus documenting the obvious. But cell phone conversations were always rated as more intrusive and annoying than face-to-face conversations.
Maybe you've noticed this in your own experiences. Sometimes overhearing two people talking can be annoying. But overhearing just one side of a cell phone conversation always seems to be annoying. How annoying? Some people have developed cards to hand rude cell phone users (I've included an image of one such card already filled out).
Someone else has invented a cell phone booth to isolate the cell phone conversation (see the other picture, but I don't know where to buy one of these).Monk and colleagues found that it wasn't just that people were loud when talking on a cell phone. Instead, overhearing just one side of a cell phone conversation annoys everyone around the cell phone user.
Those overheard cell phone conversation are not only annoying, they are also distracting. In a paper just published in Psychological Science on-line, Emberson and colleagues studied whether overhearing a cell phone conversation is more distracting than listening to other forms of speech. They gave people some straightforward vigilance tasks to perform - follow a moving dot on a computer screen or respond whenever certain letters and numbers appeared in a long series of letters and numbers. At the same time, the people listened to background speech. Emerson and colleagues played both sides of a cell phone conversation (a dialogue), only one side of a cell phone conversation (a halfalogue - I this term), one person talking (a monologue), or silence. Overhearing a halfalogue, that is one side of a cell phone conversation, was the most disruptive. Through an additional study, Emberson and colleagues concluded the distraction is caused by the lack of predictability and understandability of hearing only half of a conversation. Even though you are told to ignore the speech and you really try to ignore it, your attention system constantly tries to make sense of the verbal information around you. You can't stop listening. Making sense is easier and less distracting when you hear both sides rather than one side of a conversation.
My conclusion? Using a cell phone in public is just bad. Since you are less aware of the world around you when using your cell phone, you are a hazard on the road and on the sidewalk. In addition, since the people around you have to listen to your halfalogue, you are annoying and distracting. I love my cell phone, but I am pledging to not annoy and distract everyone around me.Her party lost the referendum, but Nicola Sturgeon is riding a tidal wave of popular support. Will she soon wield power below the border? The breakout star of the election campaign talks independence, nerves and not doing a Nick Clegg
A crowd gathers around Glasgow’s Buchanan Street steps. There are whistles, bongos and banners galore: “Stronger for Scotland”, “YeSNP”, “Vote SNP Get Sexy” and, most popular of all, “I’m with Nicola”. It’s party time in Scotland, and most of the people here today have never seen anything like this. Some remember a similar feeling in 1997, when Tony Blair became prime minister, but they don’t like to talk about that. Too painful.
In front of the steps is a statue commemorating Labour’s Donald Dewar, Scotland’s first first minister, but his glasses have been smashed and a sticker is cruelly plastered across his crotch. Politics has caught up with history: labour and Labour went hand in hand in Scotland for most of the 20th century. Perhaps it was inevitable that once heavy industry was wiped out the Labour vote would eventually follow.
But today is not about decline and the past, it’s about optimism and the future. “It’s coming!” says Davina Mackellar, a tiny pensioner with a giddy smile and 48 years in the SNP. What’s coming? She looks at me, disbelievingly. “Independence is coming! Have ye not gathered that? Haha!”
The crowd quietens, and then there is a mighty roar as Scottish comic Elaine C Smith introduces “the fabulous Nicola Sturgeon”. This isn’t politics, it’s rock’n’roll. And what’s astonishing is that the star is Sturgeon, known to the crowd as “wee Nicola”, a woman who struggled for years to win any kind of election, who was derided in the past as dull, Alex Salmond’s eternal sidekick. Now here she is, revered. Sturgeon, the only party leader with a positive personal rating, has become the story of this election – and she’s not even standing for Westminster.
“What a fantastic sight,” Sturgeon says to the crowd. “It’s absolutely wonderful to be here in Glasgow. It’s particularly wonderful – no offence, guys – to see so many women. My pledge to you is that the SNP will put women and gender equality right at the heart of the Westminster agenda. Better health care, better education. We’ll campaign to put an end to the Tory austerity and the Tory welfare cuts that are hurting so many women. I stand here today as the first woman first minister of our country. Every day I hold this office, I will work to ensure that every woman, every wee girl across this country, gets a chance to do what I’ve done and follow their dream.”
Sturgeon is an old-fashioned orator. Her speech is impassioned, fluent and toughened by the grit in her voice. She joined the Scottish National party at the age of 16 and has been campaigning for independence ever since. The Daily Mail has called her “the most dangerous woman in Britain”, and you can understand why: she presents a threat to the political establishment – a threat to Tory austerity, a threat to a Labour majority.
Scotland’s political transformation is unprecedented in recent British history. Since last year’s independence referendum, SNP membership has quadrupled, from 25,000 to more than 100,000. Of 59 Scottish constituencies at Westminster, 41 were won by Labour in 2010 and only six by the SNP. This time around, those figures may well be reversed. There is even talk of an SNP clean sweep. There is currently only one Conservative MP in Scotland. No wonder the country feels alienated from the coalition government.
“On May 7th, we have the opportunity to make Scotland’s voice at Westminster be more loudly heard than it ever has been before.” The crowd roars. “The SNP stands within touching distance of doing something we have never done in our history, winning a Westminster election in Scotland.” Another roar. “It will not be a victory for the SNP, it will be a victory for Scotland.”
The Tories are the selfish party. We are the selfie party
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Nicola Sturgeon: ‘I’m not Nick Clegg. I’m not about to go into coalition with the Tories and sell out on all my principles.’ Photograph: Murdo MacLeod for the Guardian
Afterwards, Sturgeon gets lost in the crowd. Eventually, I find her in the middle of a circle, having her photo taken with, well, everybody. “The Tories are the selfish party,” one activist says. “We are the selfie party.”
A couple of hours later, we meet in a cafe just outside the city centre. Sturgeon looks different today, and I realise it’s because she’s in trousers. We nearly always see her wearing a mumsy skirt suit. Close up, she looks younger, less severe than on television. The most surprising thing is her walk: for a smallish woman (5ft 4in), she doesn’t half swagger. When she stands, her legs are wide apart, hands on hips or thumbs in her trouser pockets, every inch the cowgirl. Scotland’s own Sheriff Woody.
I ask if the mood feels different from a year ago, pre-referendum? “If anything, it’s more positive,” she says. “The mood in the runup to the referendum was electric. But the result was devastating.”
Surely, by the end, she knew they were going to lose? She shakes her head. “I was convinced that we’d won… I was bitterly disappointed. But it didn’t feel that way for long, because very quickly there was a feeling that the country had completely changed. Although the result hadn’t been yes, something very empowering had happened.”
In the end, the no vote won by a clear 10%. Salmond resigned as leader of the SNP, and Sturgeon was elected by the Scottish parliament as first minister. When Salmond announced he would stand for the SNP in the general election, it was suggested this was another example of his scheming – that he sensed that the real power would now reside in Westminster.
So, assuming he wins his seat in the Commons, as looks likely, who will be the real SNP boss? “I am the boss now,” Sturgeon says instantly. “When he was leader, he was the boss. For 20 years, he was the mentor and the person I looked up to.” Salmond was recently filmed at an SNP event saying that he would be writing Labour’s budget. Did she tear a strip off him for that? “Over that? It was a joke.” Has she ever called him into her office to give him a bollocking? “No, I haven’t had the need to since I became leader. If I felt the need to, I would have no hesitation in doing so.”
What’s the best thing about Salmond? “His loyalty.” And the most annoying? “Nobody laughs at his own jokes louder than he |
birds’ nests — could also help slow the declines, Paxton added.
The most important point is that action is needed quickly. The study demonstrates the unusually powerful impact of climate change on island ecosystems, showing how quickly these isolated species can be affected if strong measures aren’t taken to prevent them.
“If we do nothing, then we will lose most of these species,” Paxton said. “So it’s really important that we as a country, as a society, come up with a strategy that we agree on to move forward against extinction.”IRVING, Texas -- Cornerback Morris Claiborne skipped the Dallas Cowboys' walk-through practice and angrily left the club's Valley Ranch training facility Tuesday after being informed that Orlando Scandrick was replacing him in the starting lineup, multiple sources said.
Claiborne returned to Valley Ranch on Wednesday morning, a source told ESPN.
The Cowboys could fine Claiborne for missing the practice or for conduct detrimental to the team. Scandrick missed the first two weeks of the season while serving a two-game suspension, and Claiborne helped fill the void, starting two of the Cowboys' first three games.
Editor's Picks MacMahon: Claiborne is Cowboys' biggest bust Considering what the Cowboys gave up to get him, cornerback Morris Claiborne is the biggest bust in team history, Tim MacMahon writes.
Claiborne's demotion came a few hours after owner Jerry Jones said on his weekly radio show that the third-year cornerback had not been worth the sixth pick of the 2012 draft, which Dallas moved up to acquire.
"Is he what we had hoped for at this point when we drafted him with the sixth overall pick, giving up the [second-round] pick to go up to the sixth pick to get him? No," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan. "But he's going to be a good player."
On Sunday, Claiborne allowed five receptions for 108 yards and a 51-yard touchdown pass as the St. Louis Rams took a 21-0 second-quarter lead before the Cowboys rallied to win 34-31. He also gave up a 38-yard catch and was penalized once for defensive holding.
Still, he made two of the game's biggest plays on St. Louis' final possession. He pressured St. Louis quarterback Austin Davis into an incompletion, when he perfectly executed a corner blitz. Two plays later, he made a leaping interception, the third of his career, to clinch the victory.
But coach Jason Garrett refused to endorse Claiborne as the starter Monday.
Morris Claiborne spoke with teammates Wednesday morning, one day after leaving the team after being told of his demotion from the starting defensive unit. Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
"We'll evaluate them and see who can play best," Garrett said. "We'll do that again this week and determine how we play guys all throughout our roster."
After the game, Claiborne said he "stunk it up."
"Not in my eyes," Claiborne said, when asked whether the interception erased his struggles. "It seemed to do that with everybody else. Not in my eyes.
"I'm ready to go learn from this tape and get better from it. Like I told the DBs, no matter what the outcome is, I can't go out and play like that. If we want to be the No. 1 defense in the league, on my end, I can't go out like that."
Scandrick, who took Claiborne's job last season, likely would've been the starter when the season began if he hadn't been suspended for two games for violating the league's substance abuse policy.
The suspension was later reduced to two games after the league and the NFLPA agreed to a new policy.
Scandrick played well against the Rams, yielding just two catches for 25 yards. Scandrick started the game instead of Claiborne because of the formation St. Louis used.
Claiborne missed the entire preseason with knee and shoulder injuries.
Garrett has said he thinks Claiborne can be a good player.
"Mo was just in situations in [Sunday's] game where he was isolated by himself and they made good throws and catches against him," Garrett said. "His technique on each of those plays wasn't perfect and they had success for different reasons on each of those plays where he got beat, and he just needs to continue to learn and grow and develop as a player."
ESPN.com's Todd Archer and ESPNDallas.com's Calvin Watkins contributed to this report.A smaller number said they simply didn't like the taste or thought it would make them fat. Regular cow's milk now competes with goat's, rice, coconut, soy, nut and oats milks on supermarket shelves. Credit:Scott Barbour More women than men are avoiding milk and dairy foods that are rich in nutrients including calcium, iodine, and vitamins A, D and B12. "The scale of people restricting their diet without a medical reason is very concerning in terms of the public health implications, especially for women," said CSIRO's Bella Yantcheva, a behavioural scientist on the research team. "It means there is potential for nutritional deficiencies or imbalances, or the risk that an underlying health condition could be going untreated."
Most people need at least two to three serves of dairy, such as cheese and yoghurt, each day, according to the Australian Dietary Guidelines. One cup, or 250ml, of fresh milk constitutes one serve. Since Murray Goulburn's listing in 2015, shares in the MG Unit Trust have fallen from $1 to a record low of 84¢ each. Credit:Louie Douvis While consuming dairy can cut the risk of osteoporosis, colorectal cancer and type 2 diabetes, shoppers are increasingly seeking plant-based alternatives such as rice, nut and oat milks. Nutritionist Rosemary Stanton, who helped develop the national guidelines, said those on dairy-free diets, such as vegans, needed to ensure they get the nutrients in milk from other foods. Drinking milk reduces the risk of osteoporosis. Credit:Quentin Jones
"They're fine for adults but rice, oat and almond milks are not adequate substitutes for young children who also need the protein and riboflavin and a few other nutrients in mammalian milk." She said myths, such as the belief that calcium in milk isn't well absorbed by the body and that milk triggers mucus production, had contributed to the fall in consumption. "Some think it's not natural for humans to drink the milk of another mammal but for those who can happily tolerate lactose, milk is a perfectly OK food and no more unnatural than breeding cows and other animals and eating their flesh." She also said she was concerned people were self-diagnosing "symptoms" such as bloating as related to their diet, when there might not be a direct link. "The exact food varies with whatever is trendy at the time and the'symptoms' also vary – often vague such as 'brain fog', or feeling unhappy or tired.
"These may have nothing to do with diet and more to do with some other aspect of life such as lack of sleep, overwork or unhappiness in a work or personal relationship." The CSIRO and the University of Adelaide researchers also found about a third of the respondents avoiding dairy foods were also avoiding wheat-based foods. They found about 10 times as many Australians than those diagnosed with coeliac disease were avoiding wheat-based foods. "The numbers show that cutting out significant, basic food groups isn't a fad but something far more serious," said Ms Yantcheva. "It's not just about missing out on the food type being avoided and risking your health, but also possibly overconsuming other foods to compensate as well."
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story was amended to more accurately reflect the reasons women were avoiding milk in their diet. Latest consumer affairs newsThis article is over 3 years old
Swedish prosecutor working on new application to interview WikiLeaks founder in London over rape allegation
The Swedish prosecutor heading a preliminary investigation into an allegation of rape against Julian Assange has said she is preparing a new application to interview him at Ecuador’s embassy in London.
Julian Assange:'sweet' victory soured by British and Swedish rejection Read more
Last week a United Nations panel report said Assange’s stay at the embassy amounted to arbitrary detention.
Sweden’s prosecution authority said: “The prosecutor in charge, chief prosecutor Marianne Ny, is currently working on a new application to interview Julian Assange in Ecuador’s embassy in London.”
Ny said: “In relation to the report which was released last week, I can state that it does not change my earlier assessment in the preliminary investigation.”
Assange, 44, took refuge at the embassy in June 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden, where he is wanted for questioning over an allegation that he committed rape in 2010. He denies the allegation.Drinking up to a pint-and-a-half of beer a day may reduce the risk of death for people in the early stages of Alzheimer’s, a study has found, although it is possible that the survivors are simply more sociable.
The study, published by the online British Medical Journal Open, drew on a three-year-long Danish study of 330 people living with Alzheimer’s or early stage dementia.
Nearly three-quarters of the people drank one or fewer units of alcohol a day, but those who drank two to three units had a 77 per cent lower risk of death compared with those who drank least.
Cautiously interpreting the findings, the authors said there is “a potential correlation” between consumption of two to three units of alcohol per day and a lower risk of death among some Alzheimer’s patients.
The results were found to be reliable even after age, gender, general health, smoking, and whether the subject lived alone or with a carer were taken into account.
Researchers offered a number of possible explanations, including perhaps that those who drink moderately “have a richer social network which has been linked to improved quality, and possibly length, of life”.On April 8, 2013, the New York Times reported that 76 percent of American university faculty are adjunct professors - an all-time high. Unlike tenured faculty, whose annual salaries can top $160,000, adjunct professors make an average of $2,700 per course and receive no health care or other benefits.
Most adjuncts teach at multiple universities while still not making enough to stay above the poverty line. Some are on welfare or homeless. Others depend on charity drives held by their peers. Adjuncts are generally not allowed to have offices or participate in faculty meetings. When they ask for a living wage or benefits, they can be fired. Their contingent status allows them no recourse.
No one forces a scholar to work as an adjunct. So why do some of America's brightest PhDs - many of whom are authors of books and articles on labour, power, or injustice - accept such terrible conditions?
"Path dependence and sunk costs must be powerful forces," speculates political scientist Steve Saidemen in a post titled "The Adjunct Mystery". In other words, job candidates have invested so much time and money into their professional training that they cannot fathom abandoning their goal - even if this means living, as Saidemen says, like "second-class citizens". (He later downgraded this to "third-class citizens".)
With roughly 40 percent of academic positions eliminated since the 2008 crash, most adjuncts will not find a tenure-track job. Their path dependence and sunk costs will likely lead to greater path dependence and sunk costs - and the costs of the academic job market are prohibitive. Many job candidates must shell out thousands of dollars for a chance to interview at their discipline's annual meeting, usually held in one of the most expensive cities in the world. In some fields, candidates must pay to even see the job listings.
Given the need for personal wealth as a means to entry, one would assume that adjuncts would be even more outraged about their plight. After all, their paltry salaries and lack of departmental funding make their job hunt a far greater sacrifice than for those with means. But this is not the case. While efforts at labour organisation are emerging, the adjunct rate continues to soar - from 68 percent in 2008, the year of the economic crash, to 76 percent just five years later.
Jobs report sees reduction in
US unemployment
Contingency has become permanent, a rite of passage to nowhere.
A two-fold crisis
The adjunct plight is indicative of a two-fold crisis in education and in the American economy. On one hand, we have the degradation of education in general and higher education in particular. It is no surprise that when 76 percent of professors are viewed as so disposable and indistinguishable that they are listed in course catalogues as "Professor Staff", administrators view computers which grade essays as a viable replacement. Those who promote inhumane treatment tend to not favour the human.
On the other hand, we have a pervasive self-degradation among low-earning academics - a sweeping sense of shame that strikes adjunct workers before adjunct workers can strike. In a tirade for Slate subtitled "Getting a literature PhD will turn you into an emotional trainwreck, not a professor", Rebecca Schuman writes:
"By the time you finish - if you even do - your academic self will be the culmination of your entire self, and thus you will believe, incomprehensibly, that not having a tenure-track job makes you worthless. You will believe this so strongly that when you do not land a job, it will destroy you."
Self-degradation sustains the adjunct economy, and we see echoes of it in journalism, policy and other fields in which unpaid or underpaid labour is increasingly the norm. It is easy to make people work for less than they are worth when they are conditioned to feel worthless.
Thomas A Benton wrote in 2004, before tackling the title question, "Is Graduate School a Cult?":
"Although I am currently a tenure-track professor of English, I realise that nothing but luck distinguishes me from thousands of other highly-qualified PhD's in the humanities who will never have full-time academic jobs and, as a result, are symbolically dead to the academy."
Benton's answer is yes, and he offers a list of behaviour controls used by cults - "no critical questions about leader, doctrine, or policy seen as legitimate", "access to non-cult sources of information minimised or discouraged" - that mirror the practices of graduate school. The author lived as he wrote: it was later revealed that "Thomas A Benton" was a pseudonym used by academic William Pannapacker when he wrote for the Chronicle of Higher Education - a publication said to employ more pseudonyms than any other American newspaper. The life of the mind is born of fear.
Some may wonder why adjuncts do not get a well-paying non-academic job while they search for a tenure-track position. The answer lies in the cult-like practices Pannapacker describes. To work outside of academia, even temporarily, signals you are not "serious" or "dedicated" to scholarship. It does not matter if you are simply too poor to stay: in academia, perseverance is redefined as the ability to suffer silently or to survive on family wealth. As a result, scholars adjunct in order to retain an institutional affiliation, while the institution offers them no respect in return.
Dispensable automatons
Is academia a cult? That is debatable, but it is certainly a caste system. Outspoken academics like Pannapacker are rare: most tenured faculty have stayed silent about the adjunct crisis. "It is difficult to get a man to understand something when his job depends on not understanding it," wrote Upton Sinclair, the American author famous for his essays on labour exploitation. Somewhere in America, a tenured professor may be teaching his work, as a nearby adjunct holds office hours out of her car.
"It is easy to make people work for less than they are worth when they are conditioned to feel worthless."
On Twitter, I wondered why so many professors who study injustice ignore the plight of their peers. "They don't consider us their peers," the adjuncts wrote back. Academia likes to think of itself as a meritocracy - which it is not - and those who have tenured jobs like to think they deserved them. They probably do - but with hundreds of applications per available position, an awful lot of deserving candidates have defaulted to the adjunct track.
The plight of the adjunct shows how personal success is not an excuse to excuse systemic failure. Success is meaningless when the system that sustained it - the higher education system - is no longer sustainable. When it falls, everyone falls. Success is not a pathway out of social responsibility.
Last week, a corporation proudly announced that it had created a digital textbook that monitors whether students had done the reading. This followed the announcement of the software that grades essays, which followed months of hype over MOOCs - massive online open courses - replacing classroom interaction. Professors who can gauge student engagement through class discussion are unneeded. Professors who can offer thoughtful feedback on student writing are unneeded. Professors who interact with students, who care about students, are unneeded.
We should not be surprised that it has come to this when 76 percent of faculty are treated as dispensable automatons. The contempt for adjuncts reflects a general contempt for learning. The promotion of information has replaced the pursuit of knowledge. But it is not enough to have information - we need insight and understanding, and above all, we need people who can communicate it to others.
People who have the ability to do this are not dispensable. They should not see themselves this way, and they should not be treated this way. Fight for what you are worth, adjuncts. Success is solidarity.
Sarah Kendzior is a writer and analyst who studies digital media and politics. She has a PhD in anthropology from Washington University.The ACLU has sued the District of Columbia and two police officers for allegedly seizing the cellphone of a man who photographed a police officer allegedly mistreating a citizen, and for then stealing his memory card.
The suit, filed in federal court (.pdf) in Washington, D.C., alleges that the police officer violated Earl Staley, Jr.'s First Amendment and Fourth Amendment rights by improperly searching and seizing his property while he was exercising his right to photograph the police performing their duty.
The incident occurred July 20 when Staley, on his way to a bus stop with a friend, pulled out his phone to record police after he saw an officer hit a man on a motorbike. Two police officers then allegedly punched the man on the ground as he bled.
Staley pulled out his phone to take photos when police also allegedly began "chest bumping" bystanders who would not leave the scene.
Officer James O'Bannon seized Staley's smartphone from his hand when he saw Staley take a photo of another officer and told Staley that he had broken the law in photographing the officer, according to the complaint. O'Bannon told Staley he was seizing the phone as evidence and threatened to arrest Staley if he didn't leave the scene.
When Staley was later given back his phone by police, his memory card was missing. The police have still not returned the card, which Staley says contained several years' worth of personal data, including family photos, passwords, financial account data and music files.
“That memory card had a lot of my life on it,” Staley said in a statement. “I can never replace those photos of my daughter’s first years. The police had no right to steal it. They’re supposed to enforce the law, not break it.”
The incident occurred a day after the D.C.'s Metropolitan Police Department issued a General Order informing officers that the public has a First Amendment right to photograph or record police officers performing their duties in public. That's also the legal opinion of the U.S. Justice Department.
Per the D.C. order, police cannot “[i]n any way threaten, intimidate or otherwise discourage an individual from recording members’ enforcement activities,” and prohibits officers from seizing cameras unless an “official with supervisory authority” is present at the scene.
“Officers must learn that people have a right to photograph them in public places, and that trying to cover up police misconduct is worse than the initial misconduct," said Arthur B. Spitzer, Legal Director of the ACLU's D.C. chapter, said in a statement. "The officer’s actions here will have consequences.”____,
Governor Walker claims that his controversial proposal is simply about the budget. But it’s not: it’s a political bait-and-switch designed to destroy the fundamental rights of Wisconsin’s workers.
And in the last two weeks, it’s become clear that Governor Walker isn’t doing his job to represent my state of Wisconsin. Instead, he’s trying to make a national name for himself by pushing the same agenda shared by corporate interests like the Koch brothers - the billionaire captains of industry who just recently opened a lobbying office across the street from the Capitol in Madison.
The Kochs not only spent tens of thousands of dollars supporting Walker’s campaign, but they also funneled millions of dollars through front groups to fund attack ads. And now, just as the people of Wisconsin are working together to stand up to them, the Kochs and other front groups are trying to simply buy the result they want, showering the state with pro-Walker, anti-Obama TV ads.
Enough is enough. It’s time we unite as progressives and stand up to the corporate interests trying to dominate our democracy. Members of Progressives United are calling on Governor Walker to take a step back and end his attempt to strip the rights of Wisconsin’s workers. Click here to join usLong ago when we were between MMOs, my guild went through several months of playing a new game every week thanks to the magic of free trials. But what if you wanted to do that and don’t already have a guild? In fact, what if you wanted to tour the best available MMORPGs in the modern era but didn’t want to have to find a new guild every time you switched?
That’s where the MMO Book Club can help. Like a real book club, this little Reddit community is selecting a new MMO every three months by popular vote and then heading in en masse, using the experience to discuss the game across Reddit and Discord
The first vote selected Lord of the Rings Online, and the whole thing kicks off on May 1st. The organizers have weekly events planned, including crafting and dungeoning nights.
May we recommend Justin’s recent LOTRO Legendarium: A guide to starting fresh in Lord of the Rings Online?Carmelo Militano is a Winnipeg poet and writer. Born in the Italian village of Cosoleto, he immigrated to Canada at an early age with his parents. His books include Ariadne’s Thread (winner of the 2004 F. G. Bressani award for poetry) as well as a collected poems, Feast Days (2010) and the travelogue and family memoir The Fate of Olives (2006). He spoke with Alex Boyd about his novel Sebastiano’s Vine, newly published by Ekstasis Editions.
Alex Boyd: Your novel begins with a Charles Simic quote “We are fragments of an unutterable whole,” and proceeds to piece together an individual and family story from assorted moments, including the present and as far back as 1783. Did it take long to determine this was the best way to tell your story?
Carmelo Militano: I began the story as a way to kick-start my writing after a long pause. I was curious to see if I could write a story from the perspective of an adolescent—I had reread Dubliners and liked the way Joyce was able, in some of the stories, to write from a kid’s point of view. But my poetic side kept insisting on metaphor. So I launched into a bigger story, one drawn from historical events using the voice of an aging adult. Once I got that voice I began writing as much I could from various parts of the narrator’s life—he’s an historian trying to understand what happened to him when he was a young man. His voice holds the story together but it is not all cause and effect—the narrator himself is uncertain why some things happened. I wrote without a map and discovered what I was doing as I went along. Only once the first draft was done did I realize that the novel is loosely structured like in a poem, with short chapters like stanzas. In fact, one of my first readers noted this. The credit, however, for making the story so tight really belongs to my editor, Trish Loewn. She made some great suggestions. Simic’s quote came one day when I was reading his poetry as a break from writing the novel—I think I was close to finishing, and it hit me that his lines were a perfect description of the narrator’s view of events, and a commentary on the story itself.
AB: There’s a linguistic richness in your writing: a busy restaurant kitchen is like “a torpedoed ship,” and the worn edges of old bomb craters are covered with “thin wild grass.” At the same time, a Fellini quote at the beginning suggests, “There is no end. There is no beginning. There is only the infinite passion of life.” With its passionate language, I felt your novel was suggesting we should cherish life, and relish the experience while we can. Is this fair to conclude?
CM: I’m a poet first. My use of passionate language and feeling is not so much a commentary, or advice on cherishing life and experience, but comes out of my reading and love of poetry and what poetry does with language and experience. I think what you picked up on is the elegiac sadness in much of the narrator’s voice when he talks about himself and his youthful experiences. He understands his story has no clear beginning, nor can it be satisfactorily concluded. All that remains is the passion of having loved and lived in a certain way as a young man.
AB: There are assorted references to a bigger, or cosmic, picture. The novel doesn’t just refer to individual lives, but the “eternal olive trees,” or the way “the names Sabini and Tommaso roll off the tongue and across the centuries.” What does the novel reveal about your notion of time?
CM: I think we’re connected to the people who came before us, and in ways we can barely understand sometimes. And we are connected to the people who will come along after we are gone. What I know with certainty is that a book or a poem written fifty years ago can live with me forever after I read it it can help shape my spirit and consciousness; the way I understand, the way I use language.
AB: You have a reference at the beginning of the novel to “the perfect Canadian,” and in conversation with me you’ve said you don’t believe in being a hyphenated Canadian. Could you elaborate on this?
CM: I’ve always been uneasy about being known as an Italian-Canadian writer or poet, although many of my poems have an Italian flavour, as does my non-fiction work. A hyphen boxes you in, and can become a handy moniker to dismiss by suggesting that your range is limited to your ethnicity. I’m Italian, but what also feeds my work are books that have crossed borders and time, such as Homer’s Odyssey or Ovid’s Metamorphoses or contemporary poets such as Robert Haas and Michael Ondaatje. So, yes, I cannot help but be Italian and have absorbed—consciously and unconsciously—many specifically Calabrian ways of knowing the world and being in the world. But that’s not the only way I want to be understood or to understand. As much as I often feel distant from the local Winnipeg writing community, I still am a Winnipeg writer, who swims in the same pond, but from a working class part of town. And I’m a Canadian of Italian background, writing in English although the Calabrian dialect was my first language. I guess it’s complicated having new roots and old roots in two different places. The perfect Canadian is polite, self-effacing, reserved, discrete, and modest in expression and manner; almost impossible virtues to achieve coming where I come from.
AB: Have you felt that writing turned you into an observer, not directly influencing the world?
CM: Auden famously said poetry “makes nothing happen,” and I take it he meant poetry and perhaps writing in general doesn’t have the heft and weight of politics or the practical result of say, building a house. But observing and telling what one sees is important and I would argue a form of doing by bearing witness to one’s time and place. So being an observer, especially an accurate and skilful observer, is important not only to you as a writer but also to the culture as a whole. Writers and poets are mirrors. We need critical mirrors and many other kinds of mirrors. Business or political interests must not be allowed to exclusively define our culture and, by extension, who we are. Art gives back to us, in part, our personal reflections.
AB: What made you want to use the novel form to write what feels like a personal story? It seems to reflect an interest in writing more directly, even while that story has been shaped into fiction.
CM: As I said earlier, the novel evolved in part as an exercise. But there was also my desire to evoke the early years of my parents' generation when Italian food and culture had no real cultural cache. No one had heard of Tuscany or Italian food, never mind writing about them, although Italian cinema did a have a hold on cinephiles in North America. I also wanted to write about how immigration affected marriages and relationships, and to some extent use the City of Winnipeg in a mythic way, the way Woody Allen uses Manhattan in his movies or Dostoevsky uses St. Petersburg in many of his novels. I’m glad the story is effective enough to seem personal but much of what happens to Michael, the main character and narrator, never happened to me. Some of his frustrations and disappointments are drawn from some of mine. There are some personal family bits here and there, and then there are composites of people I have known. Outlaws such as Hughie, the thief and drug-dealer, have always fascinated me.
Alex Boyd’s latest book of poems is called The Least Important Man.A great deal will be made of the outcome when Michigan and Florida square off at the Dallas Cowboys’ stadium to start 2017 (Sept. 2, 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC). The Wolverines are in Year 3 under Jim Harbaugh and again considered Big Ten contenders. The Gators are infusing Notre Dame transfer Malik Zaire into a third-year Jim McElwain offense and could win the SEC East for a third year in a row.
This game could have postseason ramifications, but it’ll more likely be a majorly entertaining tune-up, with bragging rights on the line.
However, the game will tell us something about which team has the pieces to contend in a conference championship. Each has a big question that the talent of the other can help answer.
Is Michigan finally a downhill offense?
The Wolverines came close in 2016 to the kind of thundering run game that helped Harbaugh put Stanford on the map. Then rising star LT Grant Newsome went down with a gruesome injury, and the shuffling of the line left the Wolverines without a dominant run game. They’ve yet to rank better than No. 80 in yards per rush against teams with winning records.
The first two years of the Harbaugh era were more about dropback passing to veterans Jehu Chesson, Amara Darboh, and Jake Butt. Those guys are all gone.
The Michigan OL has continued to reshuffle. Senior center Mason Cole is sliding out to left tackle, while both guard positions are going to Harbaugh recruits: sophomores Ben Bredeson (eight starts as a true freshman) and Michael Onwenu (350-pound mauler). At the skill positions, the Wolverines return fullback Khalid Hill, an emerging cast of tight ends, and a strong stable of backs led by sophomore Chris Evans (614 rushing yards, 6.9 per carry, does not play Captain America).
Although Wilton Speight returns at QB, the Wolverines will probably invest more of their practice time into finally being able to run over teams.
Here’s an example of their first-team OL and 22 personnel package (two RBs, two TEs) executing power O like a Stanford squad:
It’s a mess of lines on the chalkboard and a bigger mess of bodies on the field, but the key is that the TE (Y here) drives that E out of the picture, to clear room for all the other blockers to find their targets. At TE, the Wolverines will lean on redshirt sophomore Tyrone Wheatley Jr., the 6’6, 276-pound son of a Michigan legacy and NFL star.
The Gators defense, ranked in the S&P+ top 10 three years in a row, should prove a worthy test, despite losing much of its front. Florida does return several contributors and star strongside end CeCe Jefferson. The junior has a knack for disrupting plays with his quickness. He can spill plays to Florida’s always-fast backfield.
You can see him darting inside and tying up the pulling guard, ruining the chances of LSU either securing a downhill angle on the edge or hitting the cutback lane.
If Wheatley can contain Jefferson, the Gators would be in for a long afternoon, but the bigger takeaway would be about the Wolverines’ brutal run game.
The Read Option A daily-ish mini-column on the college football thing of the day, with some other stuff too. Your email address Subscribe By signing up, you agree to our Privacy Policy and European users agree to the data transfer policy.
Do the Gators have a passing game yet?
The cornerstone of the McElwain offense is the zone running game. The Gators have won the SEC East due to defense, but also thanks to the steady gains they make by running off tackle behind TE-OT double-team blocks on DEs typically recruited for speed and pass-rushing.
Whether Zaire takes over the offense or the job goes to Panhandle passer Feleipe Franks, that run will be a primary part of the offense. The problem is that Michigan is far less susceptible to this tactic then most programs, thanks to coordinator Don Brown’s use of an “anchor” strongside DE and the athlete who’s filling that role this season.
The 6’5, 290-pound Rashan Gary and his counterpart, three-technique tackle Maurice Hurst, are ideal antidotes to the problems presented by double-teams. Between the styles of Michigan’s fronts, the quality of its DL, and its deployment of athletes like Jabrill Peppers over the TE, there wasn’t much to be gained from running at the Wolverines in this fashion a year ago.
Michigan is likely to be more vulnerable at pass defense this year, despite strong pressure from this line. In addition to losing Peppers, Michigan lost the rest of its starting secondary.
The Gators have star receiver Antonio Callaway, rising sophomore Tyrie Cleveland, and tight end DeAndre Goolsby and an OL that returns four starters. If they can finally execute McElwain’s passing attack (UF has ranked in the 50s in passer rating vs. winning teams), there should be opportunities to get after an unproven pass defense.
That attack includes some tweaks on normal dropback concepts, such as this unique way of running the smash combo:
Calloway is open against a Cover 2 bracket (albeit against walk-ons), thanks to a nice fake under the deep safety. That’s not a route combo teams are used to defending on the one-WR side of a set that has three WRs on the other side, and that fake can be tough to defend.
The protection has to hold up this well, and it’d be better if Franks moved his eyes a little, but it might be Zaire who executes this anyway. That begs the question of how well Zaire and Franks are learning McElwain’s passing game before having to learn a complicated Michigan defense.
Because Michigan will be young in the secondary but guided by an aggressive DC, it’ll bring man/zone combo blitzes that might be easier for Florida to beat with Zaire’s improvisations. For instance...
... Zaire has a strong arm, and if he can build some rapport with Callaway, he’s capable of doing damage outside the pocket or pushing the ball down the field on play action. Michigan knows it’ll have to take care and perhaps double Callaway when it blitzes, to avoid getting burned on comebacks and play-action bombs.
No matter who wins, the takeaways for the rest of the season will be abundant.
This is a tough draw for the Gators in Week 1 to get a team that’s designed to counter the thrust of its offense.
However, the Wolverines are young and inexperienced on defense, and a dual-threat QB who can make plays that weren’t in the game plan is often a trump card in a college game.New Delhi: Indian companies want finance minister Arun Jaitley to slash corporate income tax rate, incentivise digital transactions, introduce radical steps to reduce litigation and strengthen dispute resolution mechanism in Union Budget 2017 to be unveiled on 1 February.
The industry also wants government to focus on infrastructure, unveil measures to widen the tax base and lower personal income tax rates to boost consumption.
“Since last year, the government has started reducing the corporate tax rate with a view to bring it down to 25% by 2020. However, the progress has been a little slow, and only a few companies have been covered under the new tax regime so far. We would like this process to gain traction in the budget," said Pankaj Patel, president of industry body Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce Industry (Ficci), on Sunday.
ALSO READ | Budget 2017: Finance minister Arun Jaitley may hike service tax to 16-18%
“The lending rates should also be brought down and easy financing should be made available for sectors such as housing. These steps can prove to be a confidence booster among the business fraternity and would encourage investment demand as well," he added.
Patel said it was critical to reduce the individual income tax rates to boost consumer spending and encourage tax compliance, especially as the country has witnessed some amount of disruption, post-demonetisation. The current corporate tax rate works out to be 30% plus cess and surcharge.
According to another industry body Assocham, despite the tax revenue showing smart growth despite demonetisation, the biggest challenge before the government is to revive the urban consumer demand and provide a huge stimulus to rural economy which had to bear the maximum impact of demonetisation.
ALSO READ | Banks eyeing big-ticket reforms in budget: Survey
The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), on its part, said that “inflation may be down, but it has to be seen in the context of glut in many crops, especially vegetables, resulting from excess output and cash withdrawal in November".
CII also believes that with more economic activity entering the tax net post demonetisation, the government should lower corporate tax rate to 18% in the budget. “Government has no doubt taken commendable initiatives and made fair provisions to minimize and reduce unnecessary litigation. However, much more |
pool_range [w{1},.... w{pool_range}]. One caveat here is that if any one of these weights is negative, then the assumption that the activation vector is sorted by strength and we are taking a weighted average will not hold true. So instead of using the weights directly I take a softmax over the weight vector and multiply the result with the activation vector. To test the importance of adding a softmax, I conducted a toy experiment on the cluttered-mnist dataset, with and without softmax and pool_range=3. Following were the results on the test dataset.Although there were options to fly via India, I elected to take a Flydubai flight, the only airline to fly direct from DXB to KTM.Then flying on from Kathmandu to Tenzing-Hillary Airport, and then trekking on to Namche Bazar and hopefully to catch a glimpse of Mount Everest.About to catch the Flydubai flight to Kathmandu on Wednesday afternoon after work, with another Flydubai 737 taking off in the backgroud.For the 4 hour flight I bought a couple of chicken wraps and a can of 7Up for a reasonable 45 AED ($12) for dinner.Arriving at Kathmandu's Tribhuvan International Airport at 11pm. I was expecting the weather to be cool, but was actually quite warm and was fine in my t-shirt.With my $25 15 day tourist and about to pick up my pack. They were checking everyone's luggage tags with their baggage slips and was causing a bit of a queue.In the hotel shuttle winding through the narrow alleys of Thamel in the middle of Kathmandu.Checked into my hotel at about midnight, and got a welcome note from the guide for the trip since I missed the pre-trip meeting earlier in the day. 5am meeting in the lobby for the ride back to the airport so just enough time for a bit of sleep.Got up at 4:30am, had a quick shower and shave, and met up with the rest of the group in the lobby. Just five others on the trip, with a couple from Perth, Australia, a couple of German girls living/working in Beijing, and a Swiss girl on her big OE.The front entrance of the hotel. The path ahead has names written on it of famous guests, including the Beatles, Ricky Martin and Jeremy Irons.After catching a ride to the airport, we queued up outside the domestic terminal. A bit of construction going on, so quite dark and lots of things to trip onGot through security and into the check-in area. Both check-in and hand luggage had to be weighed since we were flying on a small turbo-prop for the flight out to Lukla.About to board the Tara Air DHC-6 Twin Otter at dawn.Banking left after takeoff over Kathmandu in the early morning sun.Definitely the most colourful boarding pass I've ever had! We would be trekking up to Namche Bazar on Day 2.Amazing scenery as we fly through the hills and up into the mountains.After a successful landing at Tenzing-Hillary Airport (LUA), the 'world's most dangerous airport' LUA airport is at an elevation of 2,860 metres, has a runway length of only 460 metres, and has a gradient/slope of 12% (uphill for landing, downhill for take-off).Outside arrivals after picking up our packs.At a Lukla restaurant to get some breakfast to fuel us for the morning trek to the village of Phakding.After breakfast, I headed back to the airport to watch the early morning flights that were still coming in. As the planes literally land/take-off from a cliff, there can often be updrafts of wind that startle the pilot as he approaches the runway threshold.Also, as the runway directly faces the mountain, there is no option to abort the landing on short final.We had some time before we started the trek to Phakding, so our guide Ramesh took us for a walk around Lukla. Some locals playing a game similar to snooker, but with small discs on chalk covered board.At the local morning markets.Eggs for sale.Spicy.Dried chilli's.Morning smile.Got my TIMs card checked and signed off by the police before heading off on the trek.And leaving the main gate out of Lukla just after 9am.After an initial steep drop, the track was fairly easy going.With Granddad.Front door.Little girl.Dhaka topi (Nepali hat).Perfect weather for trekking with the sun out and not too hot either.Quite a few swing bridges to cross and take in the view below.Nose ring.Buddhist prayer wheels which you could spin for good luck.Vege patch.Some religious script etched into the cliff face.After 3 hours of trekking, we arrived at our lodge in Phakding at about 12pm. Elevation of 2,440 metres, or ~400 metres less than Lukla.We then had some lunch, and I chose chicken steak with some local vegetables.My cabin, room #108.Quite cosy and clean inside, and a western toilet in the back too. I was pretty knackered after the flight, early morning and then 3 hour trek, so crashed out for a few hours.I got up at 4pm and had a walk around the village, including the waterfall right in the middle.Two porters baskets loaded up. Everything must be brought in either via donkey, yakow (yak/cow hybrid) or on a porter's back.I then met up with our guide and the rest of the group at 5pm for a trek into the hill's. Unfortunately soon after I paused to take a photo on the bridge I lost sight of the rest of the group! I set off to explore on my own instead.The Dhudh Kosi River.I trekked up into the hills and came across a picturesque farming village.After trekking up further into the hills, I came across a couple kids dresed in religious clothing. Unfortunately they couldn't speak english, but I managed to use a bit of sign language to ask them if I could take their portrait.Further up the hill I found their Monastery.The main monastery building.They seemed quite surprised to see a westerner this far off the main trackAt 6pm it was starting to get dark, so I headed back down the hill.Shepherds.Another porter carrying up fresh supplies.I made it back to Phakding and found my guide in the porter's cabin, wondering where I had beenPlaying cards with the rest of the guys at the lodge in the evening.And having some tasty meat momo, or steamed dumplings for dinner.At this point, Chance The Rapper may be every bit as known for his humanitarian work in his hometown of Chicago as he is for his rapping, and that’s saying something since the three-time Grammy winner is an international sensation for his exploits on the mic. After a successful set at Lollapalooza in his home town, Chano is back at it again, giving away 30,000 backpacks in the city at the historical Bud Billiken Parade.
Back in March, Chance announced he would be the grand marshal of the parade that’s been running since 1929, and now he’s bringing treats along with him. The Bud Billiken is the largest African American parade in the country, and is a family tradition in the city to get children excited about going back to school. Chance announced his gifts for the crowd on social media, and mentioned they would be stuffed with goodies, but never revealed what. The giveaway is the result of a partnership between Chance’s non-profit organization SocialWorks and State Bags, a Brooklyn-based charitable organization that sells backpacks and accessories and matches each purchase with a donation to a child in need.
It’s just the latest in a long line of charitable deeds by Chance, who continues to give back to his hometown at every opportunity.Hurricane Patricia roared ashore in southwestern Mexico as a Category 5 storm Friday evening, bringing lashing rains, surging seas and cyclonic winds hours after it peaked as one of the strongest storms ever recorded.Although it had weakened some before hitting the coast, forecasters said it had potential to do "catastrophic" damage.The storm is now a Category 2 hurricane. So far, there were early reports of some flooding and landslides, but no word of fatalities or major damage as the storm moved over inland mountains after nightfall. TV news reports from the coast showed some toppled trees and lampposts and inundated streets.Patricia's center made landfall in a relatively low-populated stretch of the Jalisco state coast near Cuixmala. The nearest significant city, Manzanillo, was about 55 miles (85 kilometers) southeast and outside the zone of the storm's hurricane-force winds.The U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said the storm clocked with winds of 200 mph (325 kph) earlier in the day had weakened some, but remained a very dangerous Category 5 hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 165 mph (270 kph) at landfall.Patricia's projected path headed over a mountainous region dotted with isolated hamlets that are at risk for dangerous mudslides and flash floods, and where communications can be sketchy.The storm was expected to rapidly weaken over the mountains and dissipate Saturday, but was still capable of soaking the region with heavy rain.Patricia "continues to advance and continues to be extremely dangerous," national civil protection coordinator Luis Felipe Puente warned via Twitter. "Stay informed and follow recommendations."Residents and tourists hunkered down in shelters and homes along a coastal stretch dotted with sleepy fishing villages and gleaming resorts, including Manzanillo and the popular beach city of Puerto Vallarta.In Puerto Vallarta, residents had reinforced homes with sandbags and shop windows with boards and tape, and hotels rolled up beachfront restaurants.At a Red Cross shelter, some 90 people waited anxiously in the heavy, humid air, including senior citizens in wheelchairs and young children snuggled between their parents on mattresses on the floor.Carla Torres and her family sought refuge there in the afternoon, fearful of what Patricia might do to her home just two blocks from a river in an area vulnerable to high winds."Here we are with those who can give us help," Torres said.Patricia formed suddenly Tuesday as a tropical storm and quickly strengthened to a hurricane. Within 30 hours it had zoomed to a record-beating Category 5 storm, catching many off guard with its rapid growth.By Friday it was the most powerful hurricane on record in the Western Hemisphere, with a central pressure of 880 millibars and maximum sustained winds of 200 mph (325 kph), according to the National Hurricane Center.Patricia's power while still out at sea was comparable to that of Typhoon Haiyan, which left more than 7,300 dead or missing in the Philippines two years ago, according to the U.N.'s World Meteorological Organization. More than 4 million people were displaced and over 1 million houses were destroyed or damaged in 44 provinces in the central Visayas region, a large cluster of islands.Mexican officials declared a state of emergency in dozens of municipalities in Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states, and schools were closed. Many residents bought supplies ahead of Patricia's arrival. Authorities opened hundreds of shelters and announced plans to shut off electricity as a safety precaution.According to the 2010 census, there were more than 7.3 million inhabitants in Jalisco state and more than 255,000 in Puerto Vallarta municipality. There were more than 650,000 in Colima state, and more than 161,000 in Manzanillo.One of the worst Pacific hurricanes to ever hit Mexico slammed into the same region, in Colima state, in October 1959, killing at least 1,500 people, according to Mexico's National Center for Disaster Prevention.A steady rain fell in Puerto Vallarta after dark Friday, but there was no sign of the storm's vicious winds. Streets were deserted except for police patrolling slowly with their emergency lights on.Brandie Galle, a tourist from Grants Pass, Oregon, said she sheltered with other guests in a ballroom with boarded-up windows at the Hard Rock Hotel. Workers let them out to eat in a hotel restaurant after nightfall, when the city was not feeling any major effects from the storm two hours after landfall. There was no visible damage to the building.Galle said some guests desperate to leave had earlier paid $400 for taxis to drive them the 120 miles (200 kilometers) to the inland city of Guadalajara.Wendi Mozingo of Austin, Texas, and six family members sat on folding chairs in a shelter in Puerto Vallarta after being ordered out of their beachfront vacation rental home by managers of the property. They brought a few changes of clothes and left everything else behind.The family was supposed to depart Puerto Vallarta on Tuesday, but now, Mozingo said, "We're leaving as soon as we can."U.S. State Department spokesman Mark Toner said tens of thousands of American citizens were believed to be vacationing or living in areas likely to be affected by the storm.Three airports in the storm's path were shut: Puerto Vallarta; Manzanillo in Colima state; and Tepic in Nayarit.Jose Manuel Gonzalez Ochoa was one of the residents who decided to get out of Puerto Vallarta, heading to a town about 30 minutes from the coast. His family lives in their ground-floor chicken restaurant, Pollos Vallarta, and neighbors told them water was 5 feet deep in the street the last time a hurricane came through."The whole government is telling us to leave," he said. "You have to obey."Asked what preparations he would make for his business, Gonzalez Ochoa said he planned to just close up and see what was left after the storm passed.Patricia also threatens Texas with forecasters saying that even after the storm breaks, up its tropical moisture will likely feed heavy rains already soaking the state.The U.S. National Weather Service said a flash flood watch would be in effect through Sunday morning for Dallas-Fort Worth, Austin and San Antonio.A coastal flood warning was in effect through Friday night in Corpus Christi. Galveston was under a coastal flood advisory until Saturday night.Back in November, we brought you the first single from Josh Farro’s debut solo album. Today (Feb. 4), Billboard is excited to premiere the whole thing; recording as Farro, the co-songwriter behind many of Paramore’s biggest hits presents his debut solo album Walkways a day ahead of its Feb. 5 release.
"It's been a long time coming, but the day is finally here,” Farro tells Billboard. “Walkways is a great representation of the musical journey I've been on over the last year.”
Josh recorded the pristine pop-rock album with producer Jacquire King at Nashville’s Blackbird Studio. His brother Zac drummed on the “majority of the album,” as Farro told Billboard in his Nov. 2015 interview.
How Well Do You Know Paramore? Take This Very Tough Quiz
The brothers Farro were original members of Paramore. They helped form the band in 2005 alongside Hayley Williams and Josh co-wrote hits like “Misery Business” and “Ignorance.” They left the band together in 2010 and ventured out on their own. Projects formed and fizzled out, but Josh Farro’s solo project appears ready to stick. He described the making of the album to Billboard:
I started to do the album with an engineer friend of mine, but I really wanted to do it with a producer. I was randomly introduced to Jacquire King. He was onboard, and next thing you know, we’re doing pre-production [in 2014]… I signed on with new management and once I had the album done with Jacquire, we started strategizing. We decided it was missing a few strong -- I guess you could call them singles. I started writing again and I was really pleased with what I came up with.
Farro recently announced a slew of tour dates in support of the new album. They're available on his official site.
Check out Walkways in full below:Three decades after Azaria Chamberlain went missing from a tent near Uluru in central Australia, a coroner in Australia has finally concluded that the nine-week-old baby was taken from her tent by a dingo.
Azaria's disappearance transfixed Australia in 1980, and divided a nation in the years that followed. Her parents, Michael and Lindy Chamberlain, were camping near the Uluru, formerly known as Ayers Rock, with Azaria and their two other young children on the night she disappeared. They have always maintained a dingo took her.
On Tuesday, Northern Territory coroner Elizabeth Morris handed down her findings, saying evidence from the case proved a dingo or dingoes were responsible for Azaria's death and ruled that her death certificate should read "attacked and taken by a dingo".
"I am satisfied that the evidence is sufficiently adequate, clear, cogent and exact, and that the evidence excludes all other reasonable possibilities, to find that what occurred on 17 August 1980 was that shortly after Mrs Chamberlain placed Azaria in the tent, a dingo or dingoes entered the tent, took Azaria and carried and dragged her from the immediate area," she said.
Her voice breaking with emotion, the coroner addressed Michael Chamberlain and his former wife, now Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton, and their son, Aidan, in court.
"Please accept my sincere sympathies on the death of your special and loved daughter and sister, Azaria. I am so sorry for your loss. Time does not remove the pain and sadness of the death of a child," she said.
The finding means that Azaria's death certificate has been changed from "unknown" to state that a dingo took her.
Outside the court Chamberlain-Creighton said she was relieved and delighted to be at the end of this saga.
"No longer can Australia be able to say that dingoes are not dangerous and only attack if provoked," she said.
"We live in a beautiful country and it is dangerous and we would ask all Australians to be aware of this and to take appropriate precautions and not wait for somebody else to do it for them."
Her former husband, Michael Chamberlain, said the battle to get to the "legal truth" about what happened to his daughter had taken too long.
"However, I am here to tell you that you can get justice even when you think that all is lost. But truth must be on your side," he said.
"I cannot stress strongly enough how important it is to pursue a just cause even when it seems to be a mission impossible."
He thanked those who had believed their story and backed their version of events throughout three decades of trials and inquests.
"This has been a terrifying battle; bitter at times. But now, some healing and a chance to put our daughter's spirit to rest," he said.
The night Azaria died, her family had been camping with six other groups on the east side of the rock. After Azaria had been put her to bed in a tent, one of the other campers heard a cry. Lindy Chamberlain went to check on her and moments later cried out "My God, My God, a dingo has got my baby". There was blood on the tent and dingo tracks nearby. A search party of around 300 people looked for the baby until 3am but she was never found.
The first coronial inquest into Azaria's disappearance in 1980-81 ruled that a dingo was the likely cause of her death. The court proceedings were the first to be televised live and the coroner criticised some police and the public for what he thought was a prejudiced view against the Chamberlains.
Both Michael and particularly Lindy had become the subject of jokes. Dinner tables across the country were consumed by debate about who or what had killed Azaria, something later captured in the movie about her disappearance, A Cry in the Dark, starring Merryl Streep.
Despite the coronial verdict, investigations into her death continued, and in late 1981 the Northern Territory supreme court quashed the coroner's findings and a new inquest and subsequent trial followed.
In October 1982, Lindy Chamberlain was convicted of murder and her husband as an accessory. The prosecution alleged that Lindy Chamberlain had cut Azaria's throat in the front seat of the family car and hidden the baby's body in a large camera case. They presented controversial forensic evidence, later discredited, to support their case.
Lindy Chamberlain served three years in jail, during which time she gave birth to another daughter, Khalia. An appeal to the high court was rejected.
In 1986, the chance discovery of Azaria's matinee jacket – an item of clothing Lindy had always said her baby had been wearing at the time of the attack – reopened the case.
The Chamberlains were pardoned, their convictions quashed. The third coronial inquest in 1995 returned an open finding with the cause of death unknown.
The latest inquest heard new evidence of the prevalence of dingo attacks in Australia, including on both children and adults.
In a television interview following Tuesday's findings, Chamberlain-Creighton said she believed many of those attacks could have been prevented if people had been properly warned about the danger of dingoes. She said if she had known of the potential danger the animals posed, she would have taken further precautions herself on the night and put her children to bed in the family car, rather than in the tent.
"The reason I kept fighting for this inquest and fighting for a dingo finding is because, despite the three other deaths [caused] by dingoes or cross dingoes since Azaria died, there's still nothing in law until today to say that there's ever been any sort of [death by] dingo attack," she told channel Nine.
Chamberlain-Creighton said she felt she had been subjected to trial by media over the decades since her baby's disappearance.
"I think there are people in all fields who should be ashamed of the way they behaved over this and individuals at home as well, because nobody sat on the fence," she said.IS THE solar system about to get another ocean? So far, besides Earth, six bodies are known or suspected to harbour oceans. These are Europa, Callisto and Ganymede (all moons of Jupiter), Enceladus and Titan (both moons of Saturn) and Triton (a moon of Neptune). The latest candidate is Pluto, the most famous inhabitant of the Kuiper belt, a girdle of asteroids that orbit the sun beyond Neptune.
Pluto’s claim to an ocean, argued this week in two papers published in Nature, is based on data collected in 2015 by New Horizons, a robotic spacecraft that zoomed past it in July of that year. The ocean in question, if it exists, is beneath Pluto’s surface. That makes it unlike Earth’s ocean, but like those of the other six bodies. To human sensibilities that is, perhaps, a funny sort of ocean. But add it to the other six and it is Earth’s surface ocean that looks anomalous, rather than Pluto’s buried one.
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The argument for a Plutonic ocean—advanced by teams led by Francis Nimmo of the University of California, Santa Cruz, and James Keane, of the University of Arizona, Tucson, centres on Sputnik Planitia, a basin 1,300km across (see picture) caused by a collision in Pluto’s distant past. Pluto and its largest moon, Charon, are tidally locked. As they orbit their common centre of gravity, they always show each other the same face and, relative to the horizon, the position in the sky of either observed from the other never changes. The curiosity is that Sputnik Planitia lies almost exactly on the opposite side of Pluto from Charon, on the “tidal axis”, a line that runs through the centre of both bodies.
That is quite a coincidence—or, rather, in Dr Nimmo’s view it isn’t. He calculates the odds of it happening by chance as one in 20. He would therefore prefer to believe there is a physical explanation. And there might be. If Sputnik Planitia were an anomalously dense part of Pluto’s surface, and thus a concentration of mass, it would affect Pluto’s orientation with respect to its moon. That would cause Pluto to topple over until Sputnik Planitia lay at one of the two points at which the tidal axis intersects its surface.
Unfortunately, basins are characterised by the absence of mass rather than its presence. But Dr Nimmo is unfazed. He suggests that the huge quantities of material blasted out by the impact which created Sputnik Planitia would have reduced the pressure on Pluto’s crust, letting the subterranean water of a hypothetical ocean bulge closer to the surface. Since water is denser than most of the stuff found at or near Pluto’s surface, that upwelling would have increased the relative mass of Sputnik Planitia rather than decreasing it.
Though speculative, this idea is plausible. Water is common in the Kuiper belt, and Pluto in particular is thought to consist of a rocky core overlain by a thick mantle of ice. That rocky core will contain radioactive elements, the decay of which might provide enough heat to melt some of the mantle. Add a dash of ammonia, also common on Pluto, to lower the water’s freezing point, and Presto! you have an ocean.Western training of Syrian rebels is under way in Jordan in an effort to strengthen secular elements in the opposition as a bulwark against Islamic extremism, and to begin building security forces to maintain order in the event of Bashar al-Assad's fall.
Jordanian security sources say the training effort is led by the US, but involves British and French instructors.
The UK Ministry of Defence denied any British soldiers were providing direct military training to the rebels, though a small number of personnel, including special forces teams, have been in the country training the Jordanian military.
But the Guardian has been told that UK intelligence teams are giving the rebels logistical and other advice in some form.
British officials have made it clear that they believe new EU rules have now given the UK the green light to start providing military training for rebel fighters with the aim of containing the spread of chaos and extremism in areas outside the Syrian regime's control.
According to European and Jordanian sources the western training in Jordan has been going on since last year and is focused on senior Syrian army officers who defected.
"As is normal, before any major decision is taken on this issue, the preparations are made so that when that decision is taken, everything is in place for it to go smoothly. That is what these groups [special forces] do. They go in in advance," a European diplomat said.
A Jordanian source familiar with the training operations said: "It's the Americans, Brits and French with some of the Syrian generals who defected. But we're not talking about a huge operation."
He added that there had so far been no "green light" for the rebel forces being trained to be sent into Syria. But they would be deployed if there were signs of a complete collapse of public services in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, which could trigger a million more Syrians seeking refuge in Jordan, which is reeling under the strain of accommodating the 320,000 who have already sought shelter there.
The aim of sending western-trained rebels over the border would be to create a safe area for refugees on the Syrian side of the border, to prevent chaos and to provide a counterweight to al-Qaida-linked extremists who have become a powerful force in the north.
British officials say new European guidelines on the Syrian arms embargo, formally adopted by the EU at the beginning of March, allow military training as long as the ultimate aim of that training is "the protection of civilians".
Paris takes an identical view of the EU rules.
Officials in Brussels say the language of the guidelines is less than clear-cut. "It's deliberately hazy," said one. "When it comes to technical assistance, what it means in practice depends on who you ask. The Brits and the French, for example, are much more forward-leaning than others. The principle is that the assistance should be for the protection of civilians, but as we saw in Libya, that can be interpreted in different ways."
British officials argue that training of Syrian forces to fill the security vacuum as the Assad regime collapses would be help safeguard civilian lives.
William Hague, the foreign minister, outlined the goals of such training on Wednesday.
"Such technical assistance can include assistance, advice and training on how to maintain security in areas no longer controlled by the regime, on co-ordination between civilian and military councils, on how to protect civilians and minimise the risks to them, and how to maintain security during a transition," he told parliament. "We will now provide such assistance, advice and training."
A Foreign Office spokesman said: "It's not the sort of thing we are going into too much detail on right now. We are big on the transition picture, because at some point Assad is going to fall, and the opposition are going to need help to provide governance in areas they control, and that of course includes security. But security doesn't just mean fighting, it also means basic law and order, and policing."
The Pentagon said last October that a small group of US special forces and military planners had been to Jordan during the summer to help the country prepare for the possibility of Syrian use of chemical weapons and train selected rebel fighters.
That planning cell, which was housed at the King Abdullah II Special Operations Training Centre in the north of the capital, Amman, has since been expanded to co-ordinate a more ambitious training programme. But Jordanian sources said the actual training was being carried out at more remote sites, with recent US reports saying it was being led by the CIA.
For the first two years of the Syrian civil war, Jordan has sought to stay out of the fray, fearing a backlash from Damascus and an influx of extremists that would destabilise the precariously balanced kingdom.
"What has happened of late is that there has been a tactical shift," said Julien Barnes-Dacey, a Middle East expert at the European Council on Foreign Relations thinktank. "Islamist forces have been gaining steam in the north and Jordan is keen to avoid that in the south. Having been very hands-off, they now see that they have to do something in the south."
He added: "There is a feeling that Jordan simply can't handle a huge new influx of refugees so the idea would be to create a safe zone inside Syria. For them it's a no-win scenario. Everything they had been seeking to avoid has come to pass."
For western and Saudi backers of the opposition, Jordan has become a preferable option through which to channel aid than Turkey. Ankara has been criticised for allowing extremist groups, such as the al-Nusra Front, become dominant on the northern front while it focused on what it sees as the growing threat of Kurdish secessionism.
"The Americans now trust us more than the Turks, because with the Turks everything is about gaining leverage for action against the Kurds," said a Jordanian source familiar with official thinking in Amman.
The US has announced an extra $60m (£40.2m) in direct aid to the rebels, including military rations and medical kits. Asked on Tuesday whether assistance included military training, the US state department spokesman Pat Ventrell replied: "I really don't have anything for you on that. Our policy has been non-lethal assistance."
Earlier this week, the US secretary of state, John Kerry, said Washington was now confident that arms supplies to the rebels would not be diverted to extremists. "There is a very clear ability now in the Syrian opposition to make certain that what goes to the moderate, legitimate opposition is, in fact, getting to them, and the indication is that they are increasing their pressure as a result of that," he said.
Syrian rebels have said that in the past few months there had been a relaxation of the previously strict US rules on what kinds of weapons were allowed across the border, and that portable anti-aircraft missiles had been released from Turkish warehouses where they had been impounded.
Matt Schroeder, who tracks the spread of such weapons for the Federation of American Scientists, said the recent appearance of modern, sophisticated anti-aircraft missiles in the hands of such fragmented rebel groups was deeply troubling in view of their capacity to bring down civilian airlines.
"This is a step above anything we've seen before in the hands of non-state actors," he said. "This is a new and unfortunate chapter in recent manpad [man-portable air-defence] proliferation."PARIS — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday said Turkey’s president was a brutal dictator who supports Palestinian terrorist groups in their efforts to “kill innocent people,” as a war of words heated up between Israel and Turkey over US President Donald Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem.
“I am not used to receiving lectures about morality from a leader who bombs Kurdish villagers in his native Turkey, who jails journalists, who helps Iran get around international sanctions, and who helps terrorists, including in Gaza, kill innocent people,” said Netanyahu.
“That is not the man who is going to lecture us,” Netanyahu said at a press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron in Paris.
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Israel has long pressed Turkey to end its support for Hamas and not allow Hamas members to live in Turkey.
Netanyahu’s comments came after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan vowed to use “all means to fight” against the US recognition of Jerusalem as the country’s capital.
“Palestine is an innocent victim… As for Israel, it is a terrorist state, yes, terrorist!” Erdogan said. “We will not abandon Jerusalem to the mercy of a state that kills children.”
The Turkish leader has employed sharp rhetoric against Israel almost daily in the wake of Trump officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
On Saturday, Erdogan described Israel as a “state of occupation” that used “terror” against the Palestinians.
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid also spoke out against Erdogan, invoking the Armenian genocide to denounce the Turkish president.
“Those who deny the murder of children in the Armenian genocide should not preach morality at us,” Lapid tweeted on Sunday.
Israel — along with other countries, including the United States and Germany — has refrained from formally recognizing the Armenian genocide over fears of angering Turkey. Lapid has publicly called on Israel to recognize the targeted mass killings of Armenians as genocide.
Israel and Turkey only last year restored diplomatic relations after years of frozen diplomatic ties in the wake of the so-called flotilla incident. In May 2010, Israeli troops raided the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara ship, which was trying to break the Israeli security blockade on the Hamas-run Strip, and killed nine Turkish nationals aboard who attacked them violently. Israel has apologized and pledged to pay reparations to the families of the deceased.
In a White House speech last week, Trump defied worldwide warnings and insisted that after repeated failures to achieve peace a new approach was long overdue, describing his decision to recognize Jerusalem as the seat of Israel’s government as merely based on reality.
Trump stressed that he was not specifying the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in the city, and called for no change in the status quo at the city’s holy sites.
The move was hailed by Netanyahu and by leaders across much of the Israeli political spectrum.
The change in longstanding US policy has sparked demonstrations across the Muslim world and led to days of unrest in the West Bank and Gaza.
Agencies contributed to this report.QPR will hold further talks with Marseille on Tuesday as midfielder Joey Barton moves closer to a season-long loan.
A deal has been agreed in principle, while the 29-year-old Barton, who is one game into a 12-match ban, is willing to move to the Ligue 1 club.
QPR are keen to bring Marseille midfielder Stephane Mbia to Loftus Road as part of the deal.
Joey Barton's clubs Manchester City: 2002-2007
2002-2007 Newcastle United: 2007-2011
2007-2011 QPR: 2011-present
Marseille officials are in London as they look to formalise the move.
If completed, the Football Association will then decide whether the remainder of Barton's ban is served abroad or when he returns to England.
Barton was given his suspension after being sent off in the final match of last season against former club Manchester City.
He was also fined six weeks' wages by QPR, stripped of the club captaincy and left out of the pre-season tour of Malaysia.
Barton's number 17 shirt has already been given to QPR summer signing Ryan Nelsen.
He recently trained with League Two Fleetwood Town, but a loan move to the Football League newcomers collapsed.INDIAN ISLAND, Maine — The chief of the Penobscot Indian Nation on Friday praised new water quality standards issued by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency that he said will protect the tribe’s sustenance fishing rights.
“This is great news for the Penobscot River, the Penobscot people, and the state of Maine,” Kirk Francis said. “This brings us one step closer to restoring the fish habitat of the Penobscot River for the betterment of all who use this extraordinary river.”
After previously rejecting rules proposed by the state, the EPA on Thursday issued its final federal Clean Water Act water quality standards that include stricter criteria to water bodies in Maine “subject to sustenance fishing rights.”
It was unclear Friday what impact the EPA’s action will have on a federal lawsuit filed by the Maine Department of Environmental Protection in August 2014. The complaint alleged that, among other things, the then proposed EPA rules would create a double standard for water quality in Maine — one for tribal waters and another for the rest of the state. The lawsuit is pending in U.S District Court in Bangor.
Efforts to reach the Department of Environmental Protection and Timothy Feeley, spokesman for the Maine attorney general’s office, which is representing the department in the case, were unsuccessful Friday.
How the new rules will impact municipalities that have discharge permits on the Penobscot River also was not clear Friday.
Matt Manahan, a Portland lawyer who has represented towns between Bucksport and Millinocket and some towns in between, said last year that the proposed standards could cost municipalities millions to comply with the standards.
Efforts on Friday to reach Manahan were unsuccessful.
Historically, Penobscot tribal members have consumed fish and other food sources from the Penobscot River at much higher rates than the general public, according to Francis. In the 1980s and early 1990s, for example, Penobscots relied upon the river for food, especially fish, at rates averaging up to 750 grams per day. Those consumption rates went down in the face of dioxin, mercury and other pollutant contamination in the river and issuance of advisories to limit the number of fish caught in the river.
Last year, the EPA rejected the human health criteria that the Maine Department of Environmental Protection used in its water quality standards because they exposed Penobscot tribal members and |
movement.” (Jenny, meet Joe.) Sounds a bit harsh when their own rhetoric is flung back at ‘em, doesn’t it! Not since the White House warned Americans to “watch what they say, watch what they do” in the wake of 9/11 – before starting the stupidest, longest, most ruinous wars in U.S. history, having cowed most of the press and Congress into submission – has there been a moment like this. Egged on by the “vaccines uber alles” forces, know-nothing folks like Mother Jones’ blogger Kevin Drum are stepping up the intemperate language to “baby killer” levels not seen since Bill Gates laid that one on Andy Wakefield. (These levels are likely to rise again with RFK Jr.’s new book, out next week, driving them into frenzy.)
Pot, meet kettle. It’s not as though Olmsted has exactly been temperate in his vicious attacks on those whom he perceives as his enemies, such as Paul Offit, Kathleen Seidel, and others. His talent for hyperbole is undiminished as well. After all, it is a bit ridiculous to compare a writer for a magazine writing something a little over-the-top about attacks on high school students about a vaccine movie and something Bill Gates said about Andrew Wakefield to the hysteria that helped fuel one of dumbest wars in our history, but Olmsted’s only getting started:
There’s been a lot of talk recently about parallels between 1914 and now, 100 years later. Here’s another one – as war fever built, free speech was suppressed under the Espionage Act. President Wilson even tried to criminalize criticism of the president. I’m sure he thought that opposing entry into the war would cost lives. Instead it probably cost us a century more of constant war. Calling us anti-vaccine because we want a safer, saner vaccine schedule and are highly critical of current government policy is like calling Mother Jones anti-American because it wants a safer, saner country and is highly critical of current government policy.
Olmsted might have had a germ of a point there, as overwrought as it is, except for one thing. Dan Olmsted is antivaccine. AoA is antivaccine. Jenny McCarthy is antivaccine. They might have the self-image of not being antivaccine (again, remember my whole point about how they view themselves and heroic and “us” as evil), but just because they have that self-image does not make it true. Indeed, over the years, I’ve explained time and time again why the claim, which I first heard from Jenny McCarthy, that antivaccinationists are “not antivaccine but rather “pro-safe vaccine” or “fighting for vaccine safety” are nonsensical self-delusions or outright lies. It’s one of the tactics and tropes of the antivaccine movement, repeated by everyone from Barbara Loe Fisher to Jenny McCarthy to, yes, Dan Olmsted. A variant of this is to liken vaccines to cars and say that “I’m not ‘anti-car,’ I just want safer cars.” That’s not a good analogy. A better equivalent would be if they demanded absolute safety of cars and refused to use them unless GM, Ford, Chrysler, Toyota, Honda, et al swear that they’ll never be injured in a car crash, which is exactly what Dan Olmsted does.
As if to demonstrate the truth of that observation, Olmsted proceeds to repeat the same old antivaccine nonsense that he’s been repeating all these years, just with a new twist. For example, this time, instead of the Amish, he invokes Orthodox Jewish and Arab communities:
The evidence for lower autism rates in less vaccinated populations keeps rolling in – and rolling off the backs of the media and medical establishment. Thanks to AOA’s Adriana Gamondes for spotting this March article in the Times of Israel: “In Israel, a lower percentage of ultra-Orthodox and Arabic children are diagnosed with autism compared with the general population — and no one is quite sure why. “That pattern, which is mirrored in Aboriginal populations in Canada, was the subject of discussion by autism researchers from the two countries at a Hebrew University symposium this week. One thing is certain, they said — when it comes to autism in both Israel and Canada, not enough is known.”
We’ve met Adriana Gamondes. She’s basically the caricature of the libertarian who’s into “health freedom” and is rabidly antivaccine. In any case, Olmsted is clearly referring to this article, which does indeed describe how autism prevalance is much lower in areas where Orthodox Jews and Arabs live, but anyone who’s paid attention to autism prevalence would know that this could well be due to less screening, fewer services, and less awareness, plus, perhaps, diagnostic substitution. In other words, it’s the same ol’, same ol’.
In any case, to Olmsted, the pushback against antivaccine pseudoscience couldn't possibly be because antivaccine pseudoscience has contributed to declining vaccine uptake in pockets of the country where vaccination rates have fallen low enough to degrade herd immunity sufficiently to lead to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable infectious diseases like the measles. It has to be a "hate speech." As I’ve pointed out before, this seems to be a new trend that I've noticed among antivaccinationists, to label criticism as "hate speech" or to hysterically liken it to things like the hysteria over 9/11, to Nazis, or to bullying. Poor Olmsted. He views himself as persecuted and the pro-vaccine, pro-science bloggers and writers as the “persecutors,” but doesn’t seem to realize that freedom of speech does not mean freedom of consequences due to that speech.The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission is urging the community not to send money or personal details to strangers after $45 million was reported lost to scams already this year and 45,000 complaints made.
"Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated in their attempts to get your money or personal details. Scams succeed because they look like the real thing and catch you off guard when you’re not expecting it," ACCC Acting Chair Delia Rickard said.
"Our new Scamwatch website, which is being launched today, has all the latest news and tips to help you identify and avoid scams. By following the advice on this site, you can help to protect yourself against scammers."
"For the first time, the ACCC has published data on common scams that are causing the most harm in Australia, which will be updated every month on Scamwatch. This tool will help you keep one step ahead of the scammers," Ms Rickard said.
"Scams target people of all backgrounds, ages and income levels across Australia. There's no one group of people who are more likely to become a victim of a scam and all of us may be vulnerable to a scam at some time."
× Scam statistics snapshot for Jan - Jun 2015
Be alert to the fact that scams exist: When dealing with uninvited contacts from people or businesses, whether it's over the phone, by mail, email, in person or on a social networking site, always consider the possibility that the approach may be a scam. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is.
When dealing with uninvited contacts from people or businesses, whether it's over the phone, by mail, email, in person or on a social networking site, always consider the possibility that the approach may be a scam. Remember, if it looks too good to be true, it probably is. Know who you're dealing with: If you've only ever met someone online or are unsure of the legitimacy of a business, take some time to do a bit more research. Do a Google image search on photos or search the internet for others who may have had dealings with them.
If you've only ever met someone online or are unsure of the legitimacy of a business, take some time to do a bit more research. Do a Google image search on photos or search the internet for others who may have had dealings with them. Do not open suspicious texts, pop-up windows or emails – delete them: If unsure, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source such as a phone book or online search. Don't use the contact details provided in the message sent to you.
If unsure, verify the identity of the contact through an independent source such as a phone book or online search. Don't use the contact details provided in the message sent to you. Keep your personal details secure: Put a lock on your mailbox and shred your bills and other important documents before throwing them out. Keep your passwords and pin numbers in a safe place. Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social media sites. Scammers can use your information and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam.
Put a lock on your mailbox and shred your bills and other important documents before throwing them out. Keep your passwords and pin numbers in a safe place. Be very careful about how much personal information you share on social media sites. Scammers can use your information and pictures to create a fake identity or to target you with a scam. Keep your mobile devices and computers secure: Always use password protection, don’t share access with others (including remotely), update security software and back up content. Protect your WiFi network with a password and avoid using public computers or WiFi hotspots to access online banking or provide personal information.
Always use password protection, don’t share access with others (including remotely), update security software and back up content. Protect your WiFi network with a password and avoid using public computers or WiFi hotspots to access online banking or provide personal information. Choose your passwords carefully: Choose passwords that would be difficult for others to guess and update them regularly. A strong password should include a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Don’t use the same password for every account/profile, and don’t share your passwords with anyone.
Choose passwords that would be difficult for others to guess and update them regularly. A strong password should include a mix of upper and lower case letters, numbers and symbols. Don’t use the same password for every account/profile, and don’t share your passwords with anyone. Beware of any requests for your details or money: Never send money or give credit card details, online account details or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust. Don't agree to transfer money or goods for someone else: money laundering is a criminal offence.
Never send money or give credit card details, online account details or copies of personal documents to anyone you don’t know or trust. Don't agree to transfer money or goods for someone else: money laundering is a criminal offence. Be careful when shopping online: Beware of offers that seem too good to be true, and always use an online shopping service that you know and trust.
Key features of the new Scamwatch website
Types of scams The ACCC provides information on the most common types of scams targeting the Australian community, and collects and publishes data on these scam types. Report a scam If you think you've been scammed or know someone who has, report it to the ACCC using our report a scam page. Get help If you've been scammed there are steps you can take straight away to reduce the damage and prevent further loss. Find out what you can do to protect yourself, your business or your loved ones from scams.
We also encourage you to sign up for our Scamwatch radar alerts to stay informed about the latest scams. You can also follow us on Scamwatch Twitter.There are over one billion devices with TeamViewer, a software that allows users to conduct online meetings, desktop sharing, remote control, file transfer, etc. between computers. So when there is a vulnerability in such a widely used program, it becomes a big thing.
Recently, a GitHub user going by the online handle of “Gellin” discovered a critical vulnerability in TeamViewer that allows an attacker or client to remotely take over a computer without consent or knowledge of its owner.
According to proof-of-concept (PoC) published on GitHub, “an injectable C++ dll, which uses naked inline hooking and direct memory modification to change your TeamViewer permissions.” That means victim remains uninformed once TeamViewer permissions are modified.
Gellin tested the vulnerability on TeamViewer x86 Version 13.0.5058 and it transpired that it can be exploited to enable the “switch sides” feature which an attacker can use to take control of victim’s PC during the desktop session. By default, only a client can manually allow another user to access their device through TeamViewer however the vulnerability also grants user control over mouse and control settings and permissions.
“Exploited as a presenter you are able to turn on a ‘switch sides’ feature (that usually needs the client to agree to) and change controls and sides, controlling a viewer’s computer. If exploited as a viewer, you are able to control the mouse of the presenter’s computer no matter what settings or permissions the presenter may have had set,” TJ Nelson, a security researcher with Arbor Networks told ThreatPost.
The vulnerability affects TeamViewer on macOS, Linux, and Windows systems while a patch for Linux and macOS versions of TeamViewer will be out Tuesday or Wednesday while a patch for Windows was already issued on Tuesday.
According to Axel Schmidt, senior PR manager for TeamViewer, users who have automatic update enable will get the update automatically but those who don’t will be notified once the update is available.Hong Kong. Sean Pavone / Shutterstock A Hong Kong bitcoin exchange has allegedly shut its doors with at least $8.1 million of investors' funds missing, according to a report from CoinDesk.
Early reports had suggested as much as £254 million ($386 million) could be lost, based on MyCoin's own figures on customers. There may be more victims that have yet to come forward and report their losses, however.
MyCoin offered clients to invest in a contract that would provide a HK$1 million return (£84,823) on a HK$400,000 (£33,929) investment and even, as the South China Morning Post says, offered additional prizes of Mercedes-Benz cars or cash if investors recruited others.
However, there are now fears that MyCoin operated a pyramid or ponzi scheme that later paid investments out to early clients to create — illegally — the illusion that the company was seeing huge returns. One client said she was "told by those at higher tiers [of the scheme] that we can get our money back if we find new clients," according to the South China Morning Post. Tech In Asia is already labelling MyCoin a "pyramid scheme" and a "scam."
The company's offices have been closed for over a month for "renovation," and fears are now mounting that the funds are gone for good. Customers did not have any written records of their investments beyond accounts on the website, making any potential criminal investigation difficult. Some reportedly took out mortgages to invest as much as HK$50 million — £4,274,815.
Bitcoin's troubled trading history
Bitcoin's history has been punctuated with scams and failed exchanges. The Tokyo exchange Mt. Gox shuttered in early 2014 with about $450 million (in then-current prices) in bitcoin missing. More recently, hackers stole $5 million from the UK exchange BitStamp.
However, Hong Kong bitcoin entrepreneur Aurélian Menant told Tech In Asia that MyCoin was more similar to classic scams than previous sophisticated bitcoin hacks.
"MyCoin was offering its customers to invest in mining contracts, promising them 300 percent year-on-year profits," he said. "It is really a basic case of Ponzi scheme, exactly like what Madoff had done for years in the US with more classical investments... Investors were supposed to buy shares in mining rigs, and therefore get a proportional share of the returns."
The overall figure $387 million figure came from the South China Morning Post. The paper calculated it based on a previous statement by MyCoin. The exchange had said it had 3,000 clients who had invested on average HK$1 million.
Business Insider has reached out to MyCoin for comment and will update if we hear back.Chinese students are joining their peers on American campuses and getting woke. Their cause? Defending the official line of the Communist Party.
On Feb. 2, the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) formally announced that the Dalai Lama would make a keynote speech at the June commencement ceremony.
The announcement triggered outrage among Chinese students who view the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader as an oppressive figure threatening to divide a unified China. A group of them now plans to meet with the university chancellor to discuss the content of the upcoming speech.
The awkwardness doesn’t end there. As the aggrieved students have trumpeted their opposition, their rhetoric has borrowed elements from larger campus activist movements across the United States. The upshot: What Westerners might perceive as Communist Party orthodoxy is mingling weirdly with academia’s commitment to diversity, political correctness, and other championed ideals.
Opposition to the Dalai Lama among Chinese authorities is nothing new, of course. Less recognized in the West is that many Chinese citizens feel the same way as the government. At UCSD, the Chinese-student opposition to the invitation came instantly. Just hours after the announcement, the Chinese Students and Scholars Association (CSSA) issued a lengthy, Chinese-language note on WeChat saying it had communicated with the Chinese consulate about the matter.
UCSD is a place for students to cultivate their minds and enrich their knowledge. Currently, the various actions undertaken by the university have contravened the spirit of respect, tolerance, equality, and earnestness—the ethos upon which the university is built. These actions have also dampened the academic enthusiasm of Chinese students and scholars. If the university insists on acting unilaterally and inviting the Dalai Lama to give a speech at the graduation ceremony, our association vows to take further measures to firmly resist the university’s unreasonable behavior. Specific details of these measures will be outlined in our future statements.
Comments from Chinese students on Facebook were also couched in rhetoric commonly used to rally for inclusivity on campus. One simply read #ChineseStudentsMatter. Some argued that the invitation goes against “diversity” and “political correctness.” Others contended the university was acting hypocritically by inviting an “oppressive” figure like the Dalai Lama while fostering a climate of anti-racism and anti-sexism.
In a letter addressed to the university’s chancellor, the UCSD Shanghai Alumni Group used similar rhetoric, invoking ”diversity” to justify its opposition.
As Chinese alumni, we are proud to be part of the growing UC community because of its diversity and inclusiveness. When addressing such a diverse community, there is a greater responsibility to spread a message that brings people together, rather than split them apart. During the campus commencement, there will be over a thousand Chinese students, families, and friends celebrating this precious moment with their loved ones. If Tenzin Gyatso expresses his political views under the guise of “spirituality and compassion,” the Chinese segment of this community will feel extremely offended and disrespected during this special occasion.
This is not the first time that overseas Chinese students at US colleges have voiced opposition to certain campus events perceived as disrespectful to China. In 2008, hundreds gathered at the University of Washington to rally against the Dalai Lama’s acceptance of an honorary degree. But typically, criticism is couched in familiar tropes like ”hurting the feelings of the Chinese people,” rather than failing to account for diversity.
“There is a borrowing of rhetorical strategies.”
“If there were an objection to the Dalai Lama speaking on campus 10 years ago, you would not have seen the objection from Chinese students being framed within the rhetoric of diversity and inclusion,” says professor Jeffrey Wasserstrom, who researches modern Chinese history at the University of California, Irvine. “There is a borrowing of rhetorical strategies.”
Dr. Tsering Topgyal, a Tibetan native who received his master’s degree at UCSD and now lectures at the UK’s University of Birmingham, called diversity “an expedient notion to latch onto given its importance in both rhetoric and substance in the US and academia.” But he questions its appropriateness as a framing device for this specific grievance:
If the Chinese students wish to exploit diversity, they would come across as more convincing if they were more committed and supportive of this principle back home. If they are so committed to diversity, it behooves them to be more accepting of the Dalai Lama’s talk, especially since I am sure that many of the non-Chinese student community would wish to hear the Dalai Lama.
John Li, a UCSD student and principal member of the CSSA who requested Quartz not use his real name, says the chancellor invited a group of overseas Chinese students for a meeting on Feb. 15. According to him, the group won’t ask the chancellor to disinvite the Dalai Lama. But it will request that he ”send out statements that clarify the content of Dalai Lama’s speech,” “make sure his speech has nothing to do with politics,” and “stop using words like ‘spiritual leader’ or ‘exile'” to describe the Dalai Lama.
None of professors Quartz contacted in the UCSD Chinese Studies program replied to requests for comments.
Holy man, or terrorist?
Tibet and the Dalai Lama remains one of a handful of topics where the Communist Party of China espouses a specific orthodoxy, inside and outside of China. It will counter or suppress opposing views in academia and the media, and retains control over Tibet’s depiction in history textbooks. Consequently, most native Chinese hold views that conform with the party’s preferred narrative.
Central to many objections in China toward the Dalai Lama is the perception that he advocates for separatism. He fled to India during the 1959 Tibetan uprising against Chinese forces. For decades, he advocated for Tibet’s full independence. He has since moderated his stance, advocating for a “high degree of autonomy” as a region that’s still part of the People’s Republic of China.
In China, the government and a majority of citizens view the Dalai Lama as a relic of the country’s feudal past. Says Dr. Topgyal:
The Chinese view is that before the Chinese ‘liberation’ of Tibet, Tibet used to be a backward feudal society where the Dalai Lama held most of the Tibetans as slaves. This is a blatant misrepresentation of Tibetan history. Tibet did practise a variant of a feudal system complete with serfs of different levels of social status and degrees of landownership. It was unequal and exploitative just like in any other feudal society, but it was definitely not a slavery system. No society, including China’s own by the way, is without a dark and abusive past.
Chinese critics call the Dalai Lama a “terrorist” (which explains the frequent comparisons to Osama bin Laden) and blame him for inciting the self-immolations that aggrieved Tibetans continue to commit. The Dalai Lama blames the Chinese government’s “cultural genocide” and oppressive rule over the region.
These views stand in stark contrast to how the Dalai Lama is portrayed in the West—primarily as an advocate for religious freedom and human rights.
Li, the CSSA member, says that he hasn’t engaged with any non-Chinese student in person regarding Tibetan history and the nature of the Dalai Lama’s politics. But he’s nevertheless frustrated by a lack of consideration toward the arguments his Chinese peers share on Facebook.
“They are basically rejecting every evidence we provide” of historical slavery in Tibet, says Li. “How can we argue about it if the other side refuses to listen to your points?”
A sizeable minority
The Chinese students’ objections to the Dalai Lama’s graduation speech sits at the junction of several trends taking place across American universities. Campus activism in the US has swelled in recent years, as students stage movements intended to provide more voice and representation to groups that have historically faced institutionalized or culturally entrenched discrimination.
Just this week, students at Yale successfully completed a campaign to change the name of Calhoun College, named after a 19th-century senator and strong advocate of slavery. It will now be named after Grace Hopper, a computer scientist who served in the US Navy. A similar campaign was defeated at Princeton last year.
Data suggests that Asian students have typically remained the least politically active of all student groups on US campuses. According to a survey by the University of California, Los Angeles of first-year students across nearly 200 universities, students who identify as “Asian” remain less likely to participate in protests compared to whites, blacks, and Latinos.
Yet several factors could cause Chinese overseas students to grow more vocal in expressing their opinions in matters of politics, which at times may or may not conform with views held by most Westerners.
For one thing, more overseas Chinese students are studying in the US than ever before. According to the Institute of International Education, more than 304,000 international students were attending university in the US during the 2014-2015 academic year, marking a nearly fivefold increase from a decade prior.
UCSD, along with other public universities in California and in the Midwest, has seen some of the highest uptake in admissions from Chinese international students. Data published in the fall of 2015 placed the school’s total overseas Chinese student population at 3,569—marking 10.6% of the total student population, and 55.7% of the international student population.
These students also tend to pay full tuition. Indeed, some of the complaints among Chinese students on Facebook center around how they find it unfair that that their monetary contributions to the school aren’t reflected in the choice of the speaker.
In addition, xenophobic sentiment that has increased since Trump’s victory has evidently affected at least some Chinese college students. In early February, Chinese students at Columbia University reported that their name tags were ripped off the doors of their dorm rooms. The news prompted Chinese overseas students to create a wildly successful viral video, in which they explained the meaning of their given Chinese names.
Indeed, some xenophobic sentiment has spilled out in online discussions about the speaking invitation. In addition to accusations that Chinese students are ”brainwashed,” others trumpeted the familiar “if you don’t like it, you can get out” refrain.
Topgyal, who lived and studied with mainland Chinese students at UCSD in the early 2000s, believes that inviting the Dalai Lama back then wouldn’t have stirred up such controversy. While many Chinese students would have felt discomfort privately, he says, “they were certainly not as organized as they are today, or [as emboldened] on account of their country’s rise in the global hierarchy.” He adds that social media has played a role in this empowerment, as it “enables even Chinese students in other universities and countries to join the conversation on a single platform.”
There’s also suspicion among some academics that CSSA, which represents students at UCSD and dozens of other US universities, sometimes serves as a conduit for Chinese consulates to promulgate Communist Party orthodoxy on overseas campuses. Last week, an official at the Chinese embassy in London reportedly phoned Durham University’s debate society, urging it to cancel an appearance by Anastasia Lin, a Chinese-Canadian beauty queen and vocal human rights activist. The school’s CSSA issued a statement also condemning Lin’s appearance.
In its initial statement opposing the Dalai Lama’s appearance, UCSD’s CSSA wrote that it had “been in contact with the People’s Republic of China Consulate General in Los Angeles at the earliest opportunity since the matter arose,” and “was waiting for the advice of the Consulate General.”
Li tells Quartz that this part of the letter is ”a mistake.”
“We only worked with the Chinese consulate on cultural events such as spring festival gala. Besides that, we don’t have any relationship with the consulate,” he says. “Lots of people believe that we are the consulate’s agent, but we are actually not. We are a 100% student-run organization.”
The need for nuance
While the CSSA and other Chinese students have expressed opposition to the Dalai Lama’s appearance at commencement, views on his invitation are not uniform among the Chinese student community.
Lisa Hou, a sophomore studying math and computer science, says that of her Chinese peer group, about 60% oppose the Dalai Lama’s invitation, and 30% support it, while 10% have no opinion. She says that when she first heard of the speaking invitation, she felt motivated to conduct her own research about him, which led to her view on him becoming more nuanced.
“We were kind of all taught to be against the Dalai Lama.”
“We were kind of all taught to be against the Dalai Lama,” she notes. “And then I searched online, and I realized I didn’t know why I was against him. Although he is a political person, he did so many good things.” She says her schedule will determine whether or not she attends his commencement speech.
Hou and Li’s main objection to the Dalai Lama’s invitation stems primarily from the fact that the Dalai Lama remains a divisive figure, who will speak at the most important annual campus-wide event in front of thousands of Chinese people. Many attendees will be parents, who will travel thousands of miles to celebrate their child’s graduation.
“My focus is never who Dalai Lama is and the political philosophy that Dalai Lama stands for. As long as this decision upsets my Chinese peers and their parents, I believe there is probably something wrong,” Li says. “Since my parents and my grandparents are coming, I will not attend his speech under any circumstances.”
It’s not clear whether the Chinese students against the speech will take further action beyond meeting with the chancellor—say, staging a public protest, the kind ubiquitous across UC campuses. Li believes that a CSSA protest will be unlikely, and if it were to happen, he wouldn’t participate despite his objections to the Dalai Lama’s upcoming appearance, he says. “I don’t believe I have the obligation or capacity to challenge the mainstream belief of Western societies,” he says.
But Hou says that even though she might attend the Dalai Lama’s speech, she would also willingly participate in a protest if one were organized. “Chinese students have spoken out a lot but haven’t done anything. If we don’t do anything, that really makes us a minority,” she says. “China is kind of defined in Western culture as a brainwashed society: People are totally brainwashed, and we don’t have self-judgment. So we want to use this as an opportunity to clarify this.”President Barack Obama poked fun at the Republican presidential candidates at a fundraising event in New York. "It turns out they can't handle a bunch of CNBC moderators," he said. (AP)
NEW YORK -- President Obama on Monday gleefully mocked the Republican presidential candidates who have called him weak on the world stage, suggesting the would-be tough guys "can't handle a bunch of CNBC moderators."
"Let me tell you, if you can’t handle those guys then I don’t think the Chinese and the Russians are going to be too worried about it," Obama said during an Democratic fundraiser at the Richard Rodgers Theater in Manhattan, drawing laughter and applause from a crowd of more than 1,300 supporters.
In some of his most barbed comments to date about the 2016 race, Obama appeared to relish poking fun at his rivals over their performance last week during a GOP debate broadcast on the cable network. Several of the candidates complained about the questions posed by the moderators and have demanded that the Republican National Committee and networks abide by a set of changes to debate rules in the future.
Obama arrived at the theater after a performance of the musical "Hamilton," loosely based on the life of former Treasury secretary Alexander Hamilton. Though he bemoaned not being able to see the show again -- noting that he and first lady Michelle Obama love the musical -- Obama delivered a version of his campaign stump speech with a particularly showy flourish.
Talking about GOP skepticism of climate change, Obama noted that a Republican member of Congress -- Sen. Jim Inhofe (Okla.), though the president didn't name him -- brought a snowball into the chamber to prove global warming was a fraud.
"I’m not making that up. That’s what happened. That’s crazy," Obama said. "I was going to quote [rapper] Kanye [West] but this is a family audience. But that's cray" -- meaning crazy.
Republicans, Obama said, just won't believe the facts.
“If you go to 100 doctors and 99 of them tell you you have diabetes … you wouldn’t say ahh, that’s a conspiracy," he said. "All 99 doctors got together with Obama to keep me from having bacon and donuts. You wouldn’t do that."
The audience roared with laughter.
After making the case that Americans are better off by virtually every measure than they were when he took office in 2009, Obama said: "I don’t know if the Republicans running for office know any of these things. Because they occupy a different reality it seems. According to them, everything was really good in 2008 when we were going through the worst economic crisis in our lifetimes, when we were hopelessly addicted to foreign oil, and when Osama [bin Laden] was still running loose."
After a beat he added: "This, apparently, was the golden age I messed up."
President Obama greets supporters along a rope line in Newark on Nov. 2, 2015. (David Nakamura/The Washington Post)
The appearance at the theater was the second of two fundraisers for Obama in New York. Earlier, at the home of hedge fund magnate George Soros, Obama rallied supporters to help elect Democrats to Congress next year, warning that maintaining control of the White House will not be enough for the party to build on his administration's accomplishments.
"I will do everything I can to make sure I’ve got a Democratic successor," Obama said at the fundraiser to benefit the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, "but that Democratic successor is going to need a Democratic Congress that is going to work with the president to advance the causes we care about."
With House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) among the dinner guests at the Soros home, the president added that "I need people to feel a sense of urgency about these congressional races.... Health care would not have passed [in 2010] if Nancy Pelosi was not speaker of the House."
Obama is helping raise money for the 2016 campaign even though he has not yet begun campaigning for individual Democrats, including those running to succeed him. Earlier in the day, the president appeared in Newark to tout his administration's efforts to help ex-offenders assimilate into society after prison.
The president praised Republicans for helping pass a two-year spending bill, which he signed Monday morning before leaving Washington.
"I wish [former House Speaker] John Boehner had not waited until he was leaving until deciding to work with us on this, but I want to give credit where credit is due," Obama said at the Soros home. "Republicans worked with Nancy and [Senate Minority Leader] Harry [Reid] and the White House. That's the way it's supposed to work."
Obama then recalled a skit from comedian Chris Rock.
"Part of his act where he’s talking about guys bragging about things they're supposed to do anyway," Obama said. "They say, 'I take care of my kids.' You’re supposed to take care of your kids. 'I haven’t been to jail.' Well, you’re not supposed to go to jail.
"There is an element of a low bar in passing a budget... but having said that, I do think it's important."If your 2017 writing goals include networking or honing your craft, there’s no better place to do so than a writer’s conference or workshop. Whether you are looking to shore up your technique with quality intensives, or network with industry professionals, there is an upcoming event for you. Some are small, with one-on-one opportunities for meeting with industry professionals and agents, while others are better suited for meeting fellow writers and building your network on a smaller scale. No matter where you are in the writing process, you’ll find fellowship and growth in a conference.
To get you started on your search for the perfect place to attend, here is a list of workshops and conferences around the nation that are open to registration.
February 2017
WriteOnCon
Where: Online
When: February 2-4, 2017
This online conference doesn’t even require you to leave the comfort of your own home! WriteOnCon is a three-day children’s book conference for writers and illustrators of picture books, middle grade, young adult, and new adult. The event features blogs, vlogs, Q&A sessions, critique forums, and pitch sessions for writers at every stage in their career.
Website: writeoncon.org
Association of Writers & Writing Programs Conference & Bookfair
Where: Washington, DC
When: February 8-11, 2017
Join over 12,000 attendees for four days of networking, intensives, readings, panels, and craft lectures. Celebrating the best of what contemporary literature has to offer.
Website: AWP
Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators Annual Winter Conference
Where: New York
When: February 10-12, 2017
Held over two days, with an optional intensive on Friday, this conference is held at the Hyatt Grand Central at Grand Central Station in New York City.
Website: scbwi.org
Desert Nights, Rising Stars Writers Conference
Where: Tempe, Arizona
When: February 16-18, 2017
This writers conference brings together writers, readers, and lovers of literature for three days of inspiration, instruction, and community networking.
Website: piper.asu.edu
San Francisco Writers Conference
Where: San Francisco, CA
When: February 16-19, 2017
With over 120+ presenters, including bestselling authors, literary agents, editors and publishers, there’s a session for every writer. Come get more information from experts on self-publishing, book promotion, platform building, and author websites.
Website: www.sfwriters.org
Sleuthfest 2017
Where: Boca Raton, FL
When: February 23-26, 2017
Sponsored by the Florida Chapter of Mystery Writers of America, this is a premier conference for mystery and suspense writers featuring workshops, social events, manuscript critiques, and pitch sessions.
Website: sleuthfest.com
April 2017
Philadelphia Writing Workshop
Where: Philadelphia, PA
When: April 8, 2017
This one-day writing event offers a wonderful opportunity for intensive instruction, along with the opportunity to pitch to a literary agent or editor. Seats are limited to 150 participants, so register early.
Website: philadelphiawritingworkshop.com
Idaho Conference on Youth and Children’s Literature and Writing
Where: Boise, Idaho
When: April 21-22, 2017
This conference offers workshop intensives, keynote lectures, and many break-out sessions for writers of children’s literature.
Website: idcclw.com
May 2017
Romance Times Booklovers Convention
Where: Atlanta, GA
When: May 2-7, 2017
At first glance this is a conference for readers, but don’t discount the wealth of panels and sessions aimed at writing romance. There are |
people being … I don’t feel writers are especially condescending. We were just looking at a Metacritic review, and this has been our highest critical acclaim record thus far. And I remember we were darlings, we were at the tip of everybody’s tongues when we were just babies coming out with Hot Fuss. My point is, your world, your literary world as you call it, is filled with mostly people who aren’t interested in the betterment of music or the escalation of art. They are in it to get a personal foothold for themselves, to make themselves seem clever. And I know this. My best friends are writers. Ted used to be a writer. I know how it works. And I’ve been doing interviews for 16 years; it’s how it is. That’s how your world spins; that’s how it goes. And if people really dug in and really examined it and were a little selfless about it, you may not feel that way.Yesterday, when we reported the latest rumor of Russian gold selling, this time out of SocGen, we said that "it should be noted that SocGen and its "sources" have a conflict: in an indirect way, none other than SocGen is suddenly very interested in Russia stabilizing its economy because as we wrote before, "Russia Contagion Spreads To European Banks : French SocGen, Austrian Raiffeisen Plummet" which also sent SocGen's default risk higher in recent days. So if all it will take to stabilize the RUB sell off, reduce fears of Russian contagion, and halt the selloff of SocGen stocks is a "source" reporting what may or may not be the case, so be it."
Moments ago, as if to deter further speculation that Russia is indeed converting hard money earned from real resources for fiat paper, the Russian monetary authority made it quite clear, that at least in November, Russia not only did not sell any gold, but in fact bought another 600K ounces in the month of November.
RUSSIAN MONETARY GOLD HOLDINGS RISE VS 37.6M ON NOV. 1
RUSSIAN MONETARY GOLD HOLDINGS 38.2M TROY OZ AS OF DEC. 1
So we can now add another 600K to Russia's most recent holdings:
Which of course means that the very "Russia is selling" rumors that were so effectively used to keep the price of gold low into the recent risk-flaring episode, were capitalized on by the very same Russia, which we do however know sold some $8 billion in US Treasurys in October bringings its total holdings of US paper to the second lowest since 2008...
... and which used these same low prices not to sell, but to buy. At the lowest prices possible.The following is Part One in a series. Read Part Two here.
In the book Columbus and other Cannibals, indigenous author Jack D. Forbes lucidly explores a psychological disease that has been informing human self-destructive behavior that Native American people have known about for years. After reading his book, it was clear to me that he was describing the same psycho-spiritual disease of the soul that I wrote about in my book, The Madness of George W. Bush: A Reflection of our Collective Psychosis. I introduce the idea that from the dawn of human history our species has fallen prey to a collective psychosis which I call malignant egophrenia. Speaking about this very same psychic epidemic, Forbes writes, "For several thousands of years human beings have suffered from a plague, a disease worse than leprosy, a sickness worse than malaria, a malady much more terrible than smallpox."[i] Indigenous people have been tracking the same "psychic"[ii] virus that I call malignant egophrenia for many centuries and calling it "wetiko," a Cree term which refers to a diabolically wicked person or spirit who terrorizes others. Professor Forbes, who was one of the founders of the Native American movement during the early sixties, says, "Tragically, the history of the world for the past 2,000 years is, in great part, the story of the epidemiology of the wetiko disease."[iii] Wetiko/malignant egophrenia is a "psychosis" in the true sense of the word as being a "sickness of the soul or spirit." Though calling it by different names, Forbes and I are both pointing at the same illness of the psyche, soul and spirit that has been at the root of humanity's inhumanity to itself.
As if performing a magic ritual, in exploring the entity of wetiko, we first have to invoke its spirit and enter into relationship with it. We must contemplate and engage wetiko as objectively as we are able, as if it exists outside of ourselves, lest we get too "mixed up" with the object of our contemplation. Due to its unique psychic origin, the epidemiology of wetiko is different than any other disease. An intrinsic challenge to our investigation of the wetiko virus is that it is incarnating in the very psyche which itself is the means of our investigation. Aware of this conundrum, Forbes explains that he is attempting to examine the disease, "from a perspective as free as possible from assumptions created by the very disease being studied."[iv] If we are not aware of the frame of reference through which we are examining the wetiko virus, our investigation will be tainted by the disease, obscuring the clear vision needed to start the healing process. Studying how wetiko disease manifests in others, as well as in the "other" part of ourselves, will help us to see "it" more objectively. Seeing this psychological disease manifesting in the world is the looking glass through which we can potentially recognize this same illness as it arises subjectively within our own minds.
After evoking an entity like wetiko, in order to study it as objectively as possible, we have to hermetically seal it within an alchemical container. This ensures that its mercurial spirit doesn't vaporize back into the invisibility of the unconscious, where it would act itself out through us. Jung continually emphasized the importance of developing a container or vessel in which to catch troublesome spirits like wetiko. He writes, "Therefore, if anything is wrong, take it out of its place and put it in the vessel that is between your neighbor and yourself…For love of mankind, create a vessel into which you can catch all that damned poison. For it must be somewhere — it is always somewhere — and not to catch it, to say it doesn't exist, gives the best chance to any germ."[v] Wetiko is an elusive spirit that is challenging to pin down and say it is "this" or "that." At the same time, it is critical that we attempt to delineate its properties. Unlike a physical virus, the wetiko bug can not be isolated materially, but its characteristic signature can be detected and seen in the peculiar operations of a psyche that is under its spell. To not recognize the existence of the wetiko germ — "to say it doesn't exist" — allows the psychic infection to act itself out unrestrained. Being "always somewhere" is to be nonlocal, which means that it is always around, even potentially, or especially, within ourselves. In calling forth the wetiko spirit, we are simultaneously creating, through our inquiry itself, the container in which we can study this bug so as to understand what in fact we are dealing with, see how it operates out in the world, in others, and subjectively, within ourselves. In order to come full circle in our contemplative exercise/exorcise, we have to homeopathically take our contemplation back within ourselves. As if in a dream where the inner is the outer, we can recognize that the wetiko virus that we have been tracking "out there," outside of ourselves, is a reflection of and co-related to the same process within ourselves. Encoded in wetiko's symptomology is a revelation, something that is most important for us to know.
A Disease of Civilization
Wetiko/malignant egophrenia is a disease of civilization, or lack thereof. To quote Forbes, "To a considerable degree, the development of the wetiko disease corresponds to the rise of what Europeans choose to call civilization. This is no mere coincidence."[vi] The unsustainable nature of industrial civilization is based on, and increasingly requires violence to maintain itself. Genuine "civilization," in essence, means not killing people. Referring to the lack of "civility" in modern society, Gandhi was asked what he thought of Western civilization and responded by saying, "I think it would be a good idea." It makes sense that native people would know about malignant egophrenia, as they were both oppressed by, but weren't, at least initially, under the "curse" of modern civilization. Being under the sway of modern civilization can feel like something foreign to our nature is being imposed upon us, as if we are living in an occupied land. Modern civilization suffers from the overly one-sided dominance of the rational, intellectual mind, a one-sidedness that seemingly dis-connects us from nature, from empathy, and from ourselves. Due to its disassociation from the whole, wetiko is a disturber of the peace of humanity and the natural world, a sickness which spawns aggression and is capable of inciting violence amongst living beings. The wetiko virus is the root cause of the inhumanity in human nature, or shall we say, our seemingly inhuman nature. This "psychic virus," a "bug" in "the system," in-forms and animates the madness of so-called civilization, which, in a self-perpetuating feedback loop feeds the madness within ourselves.
Forbes continues, "this disease, this wetiko (cannibal) psychosis, is the greatest epidemic sickness known to man."[vii] We, as a species, are in the midst of a massive psychic epidemic, a virulent collective psychosis that has been brewing in the cauldron of humanity's psyche from the beginning of time. Like a fractal, wetiko operates on multiple dimensions simultaneously — intra-personally (within individuals), inter-personally (between ourselves), as well as collectively (as a species). "Cannibalism," in Forbes's words, "is the consuming of another's life for one's own private purpose or profit."[viii] Those afflicted with wetiko, like a cannibal, consume the life-force of others — human and nonhuman — for private purpose or profit, and do so without giving back something from their own lives. One example that symbolizes our self-destructive, collective madness is the oil companies' destruction of the Amazonian rainforest, the lungs of our planet. This is literally a full-bodied revelation showing us what we are doing to ourselves. Another literal example that is symbolically illustrating the wetiko complex in action is Monsanto genetically engineering terminator seeds that do not reproduce a second generation, thus forcing farmers to buy new seeds from Monsanto for each year's new crop. This makes survival for many poor farmers impossible, which has triggered a wave of suicides among farmers, as Monsanto grows richer from the process.
Forbes writes, "The overriding characteristic of the wetiko is that he consumes other human beings, that is, he is a predator and a cannibal. This is the central essence of the disease."[ix] Predators, "full-blown" wetikos are not in touch with their own humanity, and therefore can't see the humanity in others. Instead, they relate to others either as potential prey or as a threat to their dominance. As if a different breed who is more animal-like predator than ordinary human being, someone fully taken over by the wetiko psychosis consumes others' lives, physically, emotionally, psychically and meta-physically, beyond just the material body and physical possessions to the level of meaning itself. Wetikos are the "anti-artists" of our culture, embodying the opposite of what creative artists do. Unlike an artist (please see my article "The Artist as Healer of the World"), who creates life-enhancing meaning and enriches the world without robbing others, a wetiko takes and consumes without giving anything back, continually draining and impoverishing the planet of resources.
We are currently in the midst of "the greatest epidemic sickness known to man" (please see my article "Diagnosis: Psychic Epidemic"). Many of us don't even realize this, as our collective insanity is so pervasive that it has become normalized. Our collective madness has become transparent to us, as we see and interpret the world through it, rendering our madness invisible, thereby unwittingly colluding with the collective psychosis that is wreaking incredible death and destruction on our planet. Being "trans-parent," our madness is beyond its mere appearance, which is to say, "beyond being apparent," i.e., not visible. Our collective psychosis is invisible to us, as it expresses itself both in the very way we are looking, as well as all of the unspoken ways we have been conditioned not to perceive. Due to its cloak of invisibility, we don't see our madness, a psychic blindness which makes us complicit in the creation of our madness.
Many of us can't fathom the level of evil to which full-blown wetikos have fallen prey, and of which they are capable. Our lack of imagination of the evil existing in potential in humanity is a direct reflection of a lack of intimacy with our own potential evil, which enables the malevolence of wetiko to have nearly free rein in our world (please see my article "Shedding Light on Evil"). In our psychic blindness we are complicit in the spreading of the evil of the wetiko psychosis, a systematic evil whose depth is beyond the capacity of words to fully describe. Evil paralyzes the ability to language our experience, creating a seemingly unbridgeable gap between language and the event it is supposed to describe. Finding that place of no words, we simultaneously discover and create a new language, a language which is universal and transcends language itself, a language known as art.
A Parasite of a Different Order
When people are infected by the wetiko virus, Forbes writes, they are "the host for the wetiko parasites."[x] The wetiko germ is a psychic tapeworm, a parasite of the mind. Just like certain computer viruses or malware infect and program a computer to self-destruct, mind-viruses like wetiko can program the human bio-computer to think, believe and behave in ways that result in our self-destruction. Wetiko is a virulent, psychic pathogen that insinuates thought-forms into our mind which, when unconsciously en-acted, feed it, and ultimately kills its host (us). It doesn't want to kill us too quickly however, for to successfully implement its agenda of reproducing and propagating itself throughout the field, it must let the host live long enough to spread the virus. If the host dies too soon, the bug would be prematurely evicted and would suffer the inconvenience of having to find a new residence.
Like a cancer of the mind that metastasizes, in wetiko disease, a pathological part of the psyche co-opts and subsumes all of the healthy parts of the psyche into itself so as to serve its pathology. The personality then self-organizes an outer display of coherence around this pathogenic core, which "masks" the inner dysfunction, making it hard to recognize. In a psychic coup d'etat, the wetiko bug can usurp and displace the person, who becomes its puppet and marionette. Like a parasite, the wetiko virus can take over the will of an animal more evolved than itself, enlisting that creature into serving its nefarious agenda. Once the parasite becomes sufficiently entrenched within the psyche, the prime directive coordinating a person's behavior comes from the disease, as it is now the one calling the shots. Just as someone infected with the rabies virus will resist drinking water, which would flush out the infection, someone taken over by the wetiko parasite will have nothing to do with anything that will help them get rid of the disease. Wetikos are phobic towards the light of truth, which they avoid like the plague. In advanced stages, this process takes over the person so completely that we could rightfully say the person is no longer there; they are just an empty shell carrying the disease. In a sense there is just the disease, operating through what appears to be a human being. The person becomes fully identified with their mask, their persona, but it is as if there is no one behind the mask.
Alien Intrusion
Speaking in his own language about the predation of the wetiko virus, the spiritual teacher Don Juan, of the Carlos Castaneda books, mentions that the ancient shamans called this "the topic of topics."[xi] Don Juan explains, "We have a companion for life…We have a predator that came from the depths of the cosmos and took over the rule of our lives. Human beings are its prisoners. The predator is our lord and master."[xii] This sounds just like the state of affairs being pointed at in the Bible when, for example, The Gospel of John refers to the devil as "the ruler of this world" (14:30; 16:11), and Paul speaks of Satan as "the god of this world" (Cor. 4:4). The Gnostic Gospel of Phillip, talking about the root of evil that lies within all of us, makes the similar point that unless this evil is recognized, "It masters us. We are its slaves. It takes us captive." (II, 3, 83.5-30) Speaking about the predator, Don Juan continues, "It has rendered us docile, helpless. If we want to protest, it suppresses our protest. If we want to act independently, it demands that we don't do so."[xiii] It is striking how Don Juan's description of the effects of these predators is being enacted in our increasingly militarized society, as our freedoms and liberties get taken away step by step. It is as if an inner, invisible state of affairs existing as a yet unrealized archetypal pattern deep within the soul of humanity is revealing itself by materializing in, as, and through the outside world.
To quote Don Juan, "Indeed we are held prisoner! This was an energetic fact for the sorcerers of ancient Mexico."[xiv] Don Juan is referring to an "energetic fact" that I imagine most of us can relate to; i.e., there is "something" within us that stops us from expressing our true creative genius and attaining our full potential. These predators are "time-bandits," consuming the precious hours of our lives, as if we are wage-slaves on a prison-planet "doing time." Deepening his description of these predators, Don Juan elaborates, "They took over because we are food for them…we are their sustenance. Just as we rear chickens in chicken coops, gallineros, the predators rear us in human coops, humaneros."[xv] The wetiko virus particularly flourishes in overpopulated cities, where people are "coop-ed up." When we buy into group-think and are enlisted as a member of the herd, we become like sheep that are being led over the edge of a cliff, or cattle that are being raised to be slaughtered.
Don Juan continues, "The predators give us their mind, which becomes our mind."[xvi] It is as if these predators are in competition with us for a "share" of our own mind. The predator shape-shifts and assumes our form, and if we are unaware of its masquerade, we will identify with its invasive thought-forms as if they are our own, and act them out. We will mistakenly believe that we are acting on our own impulses, with our best interests in mind. This predator, Don Juan continues, "fears that any moment its maneuver is going to be uncovered and food is going to be denied."[xvii] The wetiko predator has an inner necessity, a brute compulsion born out of terror, as it continually has to feed itself so as to postpone its ever-approaching death. Don Juan continues, "Through the mind, which, after all, is their mind, the predators inject into the lives of human beings whatever is convenient for them [the predators]."[xviii] Cloaking itself in our form, this predator gets under our skin and "puts us on" as a disguise, fooling us to "buy" into its false version of who we are. (This is why the shortened name of Malignant Egophrenia is "ME disease," referring to a distortion of our identity, i.e., our sense of "me"-ness). Instead of being in our power and serving ourselves, we "unwittingly" (which means to be "out of our wits," i.e., not in our "right" mind) become the servant of the predator. Instead of being a sovereign being who is creating with our own thoughts, we will then be created by them, as the predator literally thinks in our place. It is as if the predator is sitting in our seat.
Speaking of the predator's scheme, Don Juan says, "it proposes something, it agrees with its own proposition, and it makes you believe that you've done something of worth."[xix] It is as if there is an alien "other," an extraterrestrial, metaphysical entity which is subliminally intruding its mind into ours in such a way that we identify with its point of view and dis-connect from our own. Don Juan refers to this situation as a "foreign installation," as if some alien race has set up a space station inside of our minds. This is exactly what the Gnostics — the ones who "know" — are pointing at when they talk about alien predators called "Archons" who infiltrate and subvert the workings of our mind.[xx] To the extent that we are not conscious of this alien take over of our psyche, we become drafted into the predator's sinister agenda, unwittingly becoming its slaves. This state of inner, psychological warfare is mirrored by the sinister psy-ops (psychological operations) being instituted by the powers-that-be in the outside world. The disease feeds on our unawareness of it.
Vampires
Forbes writes, "The wetiko psychosis is a sickness of the spirit that takes people down an ugly path with no heart…After all, the wetiko disease turns such people into werewolves and vampires, creatures of the Europeans nightmare world, and creatures of the wetiko's reality."[xxi] The wetiko psychosis takes people down, period. Werewolves and vampires are shape-shifting creatures, symbolic representations of the horrific potential within all of us to be taken over by and act out the archetypal shadow, regressing to an archaic level of the psyche and become like a predatory animal or nonhuman creature. When these not-yet-humanized psychic energies break through into consciousness and are not mediated through consciousness, Jung writes, "they sweep everything before them like a torrent and turn men into creatures for whom the word 'beast' is still too good a name."[xxii]
Vampires, considered to be the darkest creature of evil's arsenal, have haunted our imagination for ages, as they are representatives of a living process that exists deep within the human psyche. A vampire is not a human figure, but rather, is a soulless creature, a being who has lost its soul; or if it hasn't lost its soul, its soul has been "damned," which is a soul that is lost. Either way, there's something missing. Isolated from the world, it has lost any connection with the part of itself that is related to everything else; from its point of view, the world exists simply for its use. Although it has lost connection with its heart and soul, a vampire hasn't lost its mind (though in one sense it has), as vampires often have clever and incisive intellects that cloak their pathology, making their disease hard to see. This is similar to how people in a deep state of trauma can have brilliant minds as well, a gift that can hide the extent of their trauma, making their malady hard to recognize. The sharpness of the vampire's mind, instead of being devoted to gaining insight into their malady and healing from it, however, is used for the "passing on" and propagation of their dark art.
One of the undead, a vampire is death taking living, human form. The wetiko virus is ultimately not a living life-form, but rather, a living form of death. Wetiko, like a virus, is "dead" matter; it is only in a living creature that viruses acquires a "quasi-life." Members of the living dead, vampires are neither truly alive, nor truly dead. Like a full-fledged vampire, "full-blown" wetikos have forfeited their humanity, becoming a conduit for the impersonal, transpersonal and depersonalizing wetiko virus to incarnate through them. They are a living portal, an opening in the third-dimensional fabric of space/time through which this contagious, virulent higher-dimensional virus can spread itself throughout the field, both locally and nonlocally.
Lacking a sense of soul, wetikos are efficient "machines," dedicated to preserving and serving "the state," which, to quote Forbes, "is itself a creature of the wetikos who have seized control of its power apparatus."[xxiii] A full-fledged wetiko has become a robotic automaton, conditioned to react to certain stimuli like a reflex. They have become part of "the machine," with no spontaneity, creativity, originality, nor free thinking programmed in. De-humanized, wetikos have lost touch with any sense of aesthetics, of appreciating the inherent beauty of life, and have become "an-aesthetic," i.e., anesthetized and numb to what it is to be a human being. Emissaries of an authoritarian, militarized, patriarchal planetary "culture," the wetiko bug breeds fascism, and terror. To quote the great healer Wilhelm Reich, "Fascism is the vampire leeched to the body of the living, the impulse to murder given free rein."[xxiv] Fascism is the outer, collective political expression of an individual's ravaged inner landscape that has been crippled and suppressed by the authoritarian civilization of "the machine."
Like a vampire, in full-blown wetikos there is nobody home, which is one of the reasons why, symbolically speaking, vampires have no reflection in a mirror (which, mythologically speaking, reflect back images of the human soul). Full-blown wetikos are empty to the core, so there is nothing to reflect. Inwardly there is just an infinite void, a sponge that can never be saturated, a devouring black hole that is feeding on the universe. Their atrophied soul has been emptied out like a piece of wood hollowed out by psychic termites. Full-blown wetikos are so compulsively possessed by and identical with the unconscious in its destructive, consciousness-negating form that they are not able to see nor think about themselves, which philosopher Hannah Arendt claims is one of the primary characteristics of evil. Unable to self-reflect, they can no longer access within themselves the faculty of the psyche from which such activity derives. One of the reasons we can't see a vampire's reflection in a mirror, however, is because our own inner, unconscious vampire obscures the reflection, which is to say that the unacknowledged specter of our own shadow gets in the way.
A vampire casts no shadow. In order to cast a shadow, there has to be a source of light. In a vampire there is no light, only infinite darkness. Not being a living being, a vampire has no inherent reality, no substance. Only a thing of substantial existence can produce a shadow. Vampires can't cast a shadow, however, because they are the living embodiment of and identical with the archetypal shadow. A shadow casts no shadow of itself, as the shadow itself has no substance. There are benefits that accrue to the vampire because of its ability to not cast a shadow — it is then easier for the vampire to hide its true identity, move in the hidden shadows, become invisible, and be able to prey on people. Not casting a shadow, the vampire, a shape-shifter who is a master of camouflage and disguise, is able to easily seduce and entice the unaware, as sugar-coated vampires entrap us through our unconscious shadow and blind-spots. This is to say that the loss and dis-owning of our shadow can lead to vampirism. The vampire archetype gets activated within us when we turn our backs on our own darkness, rendering our shadow invisible to ourselves. We can't see vampires because we have chosen not to see those aspects of ourselves that are most like the vampire. Our reluctance to see our own vampiric qualities blinds us to the vampiric energies in others.
In addition to the weak and defenseless, vampires seek out people who are on the verge of a quantum, evolutionary leap in consciousness, but have not yet fully integrated their realizations and come out the other side. These individuals are in an energetically sensitive and "charged" condition, and their openness and vulnerability invites the vampiric entities to help themselves and gorge on the light of their expanding awareness. The strategy of these predators is to distract us so as to keep our attention directed outwards, thereby stopping us from finding the light within ourselves, which would "kill" the vampires. If we hold up a mirror and reflect back the insanity being exhibited by those stricken by the wetiko psychosis, we run the very real risk of being accused of being the ones who are crazy. If we do manage to connect with the light within ourselves and try to share it with others, these nonlocal vampiric entities (what I have in previous articles called "nonlocal demons," or NLD for short), not bound by the third-dimensional laws of space and time, will try, via their "connections" to the nonlocal field, to stop us by influencing other people to turn against us. This process can destroy us, or, if we have the meta-awareness to see what is happening and are able to skillfully navigate our way through, can serve to further strengthen our intention, deepen our connection with the light of lucidity, hone our skill of creatively transmitting our realizations, and cultivate more open-hearted compassion. It is as if these psychic, nonlocal vampires are guardians of the threshold of evolution.
Just like vampires, full-blown wetikos have a thirst for the very thing they lack — the mystical essence of life — i.e., the "blood" of our soul. In "consuming" other human beings, wetiko disease is a feeding thing, a psychic eating disorder in which the stricken psyche consumes other psyches, as well as, ultimately, itself. Wetikos are what are called "psychophagic," i.e., soul-eaters. Savaged by the ferocity of their unending hunger, full-blown wetikos have become possessed by an insatiable craving that can never be filled. This vampiric feeding is an unholy parody, a satanic reflection, of the self-renewal of life. This perverse inner process is mirrored collectively by the consumer society in which we live, a culture that continually fans the flames of never-ending desires, conditioning us to always want MORE. As if starving, we are in an endless feeding frenzy, trying to fill a bottomless void. This process of rabid, obsessive/compulsive consumption is a reflection of a deeper, inner shared sense of spiritual starvation. The entity of the global economic system itself is a living symbol of out-of-control wetiko disease "in business."
Viruses like wetiko are all about copying themselves. A virus can't replicate itself, however; it has to use some other vehicle as its means of reproducing itself. They need us to be their birthing chamber. To the extent we are not aware of their ploy, these higher-dimensional spirit parasites put us on, wearing us like their third-dimensional space suits. These psychic vampires are compelled to replicate themselves through us so that we can then "pass on" and transmit the bug to others. This process is analogous to when someone is infected with the rabies virus. In advanced stages of the disease, like a rabid animal they will be taken over by the irresistible urge to bite other creatures so as to pass on the virus. People taken over by the rabies virus are a living, frothing symbol of what the wetiko virus does in its full-blown virulent stage.
In a vampiric lineage, the wetiko virus's self-propagation is accomplished through the medium of the "family system" (be it our family of origin, or the human family), as the legacy of abuse (be it physical, sexual, political, emotional, psychological, or spiritual) gets passed down, both individually and collectively, and transmitted over generations, continually incarnating itself through the living. It is through the traumatic shattering of our wholeness that wetiko passes its fractured logic and distorted code into the body/mind of another. As if under a curse, our species has been suffering from a collective, inherited form of PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder). Remaking their victims in their own image, the wetikos' victims join the legion of the "damned," themselves becoming holders of an unholy lineage. This "curse" will continue until we intervene in the spreading of this vampiric mind-parasite, and the chain of never-ending abuse is stopped.
Highly Contagious
Speaking about wetikos, Forbes says, "they are insane (unclean) in the true sense of the word. They are mentally ill and tragically, the form of soul-sickness that they carry is catching."[xxv] Wetiko psychosis is highly contagious, spreading through the channel of our shared unconsciousness. Its vectors of infection and propagation do not travel like a physical pathogen. This fluidly moving, nomadically wandering bug reciprocally reinforces, feeds off of and into each of our unconscious blind-spots, which is how it nonlocally propagates itself throughout the field. In wetiko there is a code or logic which affects/infects awareness in an analogous way to how the DNA in a virus passes into and infects a cell. People who are channeling the vibratory frequency of wetiko align with each other through psychic resonance to reinforce their shared agreement so as to uphold their deranged view of reality. Collaboratively supporting their mutual psychosis, groups of people drawn together by the unconscious can potentially become a socio-political force with which to be reckoned. When a group of people are in agreement about anything, whether it is true or not, their alignment with each other exerts a contagious, magnetic field-of-force which can sway and attract the unaware into itself.
People taken over by the wetiko virus usually don't suspect a thing about how they have been "conned." The wetiko culture offers no incentive for them to self-reflectingly speculate upon their depraved circumstance; on the contrary, the nonlocal field configures itself to conspire, enable and further cultivate their psychosis. When someone is a full-blown, unrecognized wetiko, the field around them torques so as to protect, collude with, and feed into their psychosis in a way that en-trances everyone around them. Once under the wetiko spell, they lose the capacity to recognize the wetiko pathology in others. In a situation of "group narcissism," wetikos at different stages of the disease assume particular postures and roles relative to each other so as to protect and shield themselves from their own insanity and darkness. They feed and reinforce each others' narcissism because it enhances their own. Speaking about the type of person who is typically susceptible to fall prey to the wetiko virus, Forbes writes that it is usually the individual "whose strings are pulled by others or who follow a life-path dictated by others. Thus they are ripe for the wetiko infection."[xxvi] Not in touch with their inner guidance, they project authority outside of themselves, and become very suggestible to the consensus, agreed-upon opinion of the dominant pack. Losing touch with their own discernment and ability for critical thinking, the "mass man" becomes part of the mindless herd and falls prey to "group-think," whose members co-dependently enable each other to uphold their shared version of the (wetiko) world. Their group consensus about the nature of reality gets increasingly harder to sustain as time passes, however, as, like a house of cards ready to collapse at any moment, their vision of the world is based on the fundamental error of not being true. Strangely enough, people under the collective enchantment of wetiko become fanatically attached to supporting an agenda that oftentimes is diametrically opposed to serving their own best interest. This is an outer reflection of the inner state of being under the sway of the self-destructive wetiko parasite.
By being "unclean," it is as if there is an un-holy or evil spirit that has taken up residence in the beings of those taken over by wetiko. They are unwittingly being used as instruments, as covert operatives of this darker, unclean spirit to proliferate itself in the wider field. Secret agents of the disease, wetikos' secret is self-secret, in that it is secret even to themselves. As is true for any of us when we are taken over by something other than ourselves, carriers of wetiko don't know how possessed they are at any given moment. The experience of being taken over by something more powerful than themselves always happens in their blind spot (please see my article "Are We Possessed?").
The wetiko bug influences our perceptions by stealth and subterfuge so as to hide and obfuscate itself from being seen. Like a higher-dimensional, alien form of psychic foliage, the wetiko germ implants its seeds into and takes root and germinates within our mind, distracting and deviating us from our true vocation, calling and spiritual path. The alien, and alienating, effect of the wetiko virus, the very thing we need to see, is disguised by the way we think, perceive, and give meaning to our experience. When someone becomes a full, card-carrying member of the cult of wetiko (please see my article "The Bush Cult"), it is as if their mind has been colonized by the virus in such a way that they themselves don't have the slightest clue about their own pathological condition. Wetikos don't experience themselves as needing help; for them other people are always "the problem." They usually don't mind their disease, or even recognize it, because it is all they know, and their leaders and the very society they live in encourage them in it. They neither have an appreciation of their disorder, nor do they realize how truly sick they are.
Forbes writes, "one of the major traits characterizing the truly evil and extreme form of wetikoism is arrogance."[xxvii] In being "full-blown," wetikos are arrogantly puffed up with their own self-importance, i.e., "inflated |
challenges can be broken down — that there's a huge difference between not understanding something and not understanding it yet — is powerful mojo.
Adam Savage (adamsavage.com) is a sculptor, special-effects fabricator, and co-host of Discovery Channel's MythBusters.Blue Origin, the private space company owned by Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, made history by being the first company to launch and land its New Shepard reusable rocket for a second time.
The launch, which took place on 22 January, saw New Shepard travelling to the Karman line (63 miles above Earth) before returning back to Earth. In a blog post on Blue Origin’s website, Bezos makes the whole ordeal sound incredibly simple to do – something we know can’t be true thanks to SpaceX’s landing issues. However, there’s one crucial difference with how Blue Origin handles its rocket landings.
Video of Launch. Land. Repeat.
“Rather than [New Shepartd] translating to land at the exact center of the pad,” writes Bezos, “it now initially targets the centre, but then sets down at a position of convenience on the pad, prioritising vehicle attitude ahead of precise lateral positioning. It’s like a pilot lining up a plane with the centre-line of the runway”.
Bezos compares this new landing style to that of a pilot landing a plane, explaining that a pilot just lands “a few feet left or right of the centre-line”, instead of trying to hit the exact midpoint. Bezos is essentially saying the new landing technique succeeds because it emulates a human approach to landing.
Blue Origin’s successful second landing of a reusable rocket goes to show that the future of more sustainable spaceflight is truly possible. Thanks to this success, Bezos sees New Shepard launching and landing again and again this year as they begin testing the BE-4 engine and scaling up booster sizes.
Let’s just hope we’ll see more celebrations like this from both Blue Origin and SpaceX.AFL UMPIRES manager Jeff Gieschen is adamant that the goal umpire who appeared to deny Richmond a goal late in the Tigers' one-point loss to Fremantle on Friday night did nothing wrong.
The umpire was standing against the goal post when a shot from Richmond's Matthew White struck him in the leg.
The ball rebounded off the umpire and was rushed through for a behind by Freo's Stephen Hill.
Tigers coach Damien Hardwick was furious after the match, believing the goal umpire was in the wrong place and should have called for a score review to check whether the ball crossed the line before striking him.
But Gieschen is happy with the way the umpire handled the situation.
"He was extremely confident, and that's the reason why he didn't call for a score review," Gieschen said on Monday.
"The goal umpire knew exactly where it hit him and where he was in relation to the line.
"The field umpire, who was down in a good position to see where it was as well, also believed it hadn't crossed the line, and there was a boundary umpire down there as well.
"So there was no doubt in any of the umpires' minds … (about whether) that ball had crossed the line. They all believed it hadn't – it stayed in play."
As for whether a video score review should have taken place anyway, Gieschen said: "Possibly, one of our score review people could've said, 'This is an interesting one, it's quite close, let's have a look.'
"But they've only got a short period of time to make up their mind on that as well."
The incident at Patersons Stadium has ignited much discussion about whether goal umpires should be encouraged to straddle the goal-line or should stand further back.
The AFL's new general manager of football operations has asked Gieschen to look into it.
"I would think that first of all we need to get it so that the ball doesn't hit the umpire in the first place," Evans said on Monday morning.
"If the ball's rolling towards him, is there a position that the goal umpire can take so he doesn't actually come onto the field of play?"
But Gieschen is not convinced that a change is necessary.
"They do that because they want to try and adjudicate accurately touched balls on the line," he said.
"If they're not on the line people are going to say, 'Why aren't they on the line?'
"If they are on the line they run the risk of getting hit a few times and that's exactly what happened on the weekend."
The League is aiming to find a high-tech system to aid the goal umpires in the future.
Introducing two goal umpires has been thrown up as a stop-gap measure, but that has all but been ruled out.
"A goal umpire, right now, can be in the perfect position underneath the post and still not get that slight deflection off the post," Evans said.
"Having two goal umpires won't solve that; having two goal umpires won't solve whether the ball has been touched off the boot or touched in flight.
"It may assist as to whether the ball has crossed the line, but we need to try and progress towards a system – if we're going to spend money on a system – that eradicates this problem for supporters."Russia’s growing nationalist movement has alarmed many liberal commentators, who wonder how the country that defeated Adolf Hitler could have given birth to so many young men overtly sympathetic to his ideas. Journalist Olesya Gerasimenko, who has covered several neo-Nazi trials, wondered where the defendants came from: how Russian boys could go out and kill foreigners in cold blood. She persuaded three of the convicted murderers’ parents to talk to her.
I often observe them in court. They sigh and observe how their son – accused of 15 murders – has lost weight. They wink at him furtively. They beg the guard to loosen his handcuffs, oblivious to the voice of the prosecutor: ‘…demonstrating their own superiority over people of non-Slavic origin, they attacked the victim K., whose external appearance indicated Asian ethnicity, and struck him with a knife no less than 26 times in the head and other parts of the body, causing wounds to the chest, which penetrated the right and left pleural and abdominal cavities with damage to the right and left lungs, the left part of the diaphragm, the spleen, the third and ninth ribs on the left, and the chest, as a result of which the victim died from severe loss of blood’.
I want to ask: did you know, did you guess, did you support this? What were you thinking when they were arrested? Do you believe the judges? Have you come to terms with this? Are you proud, or are you ashamed?
Neo-nationalism in Russia is growing and becoming
more overt. Photo Yury Goldenshteyn/Demotix.
All rights reserved.
But the parents of those nationalists convicted of violent crimes are rarely asked about these things, and they themselves are not keen to talk. Only a few agreed to meet me, and even they didn’t agree immediately. ‘And what views do you yourself hold?’ ‘You’re not interested in the documents.’ ‘You’re not going to actually print any of this!’ But after 15 minutes of face-to-face conversation it becomes clear that they do have something to say.
One has adopted the views of their only child and says that violence is necessary. One blames the politicians that have incited adolescents to street fighting. One cries, convinced of the innocence of his son. They are all different, but they have all asked themselves one and the same question: ‘am I to blame for what happened?’
Elena Krivets, academic, mother of Vasily Krivets
Vasily Krivets is a 23-year-old nationalist. He was sentenced in 2010 to life imprisonment for 15 murders. The victims were citizens of Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan and Russia. He was arrested, but escaped police custody when taken to one of the crime scenes for a reconstruction and hid for almost a year. He did not confess to a single one of the crimes and refused to give evidence.
‘Vasya is a warrior. And everything follows from this. When he was a child all his little fingers were pistols, all of them shooting. Then he formed his toy soldiers into armies. Then we played together, conquering Constantinople.
Gradually he gained an education. He’s not the kind of warrior who just lashes out with his fists and feet, but a warrior who understands history and tradition. I myself have a degree in philosophy, and my husband was a political scientist.
Our family line is an old one, we’re Cossacks. So his love of history appeared by itself. He started with the American Indians and the Civil War. Straight away he wanted to go and save the American Indians. He investigated the Civil War himself, and the White Army immediately interested him. He’s now completely debunked the myth of some great victory by the Red Army. He came to venerate the Tsar, Nicholas II.
I had an aunt, a noblewoman, an aristocrat, she gave me a different understanding of history, which differed from what the communists taught about the Tsar, the Tsarina. She laid in me the foundations of religion. Vasily read children’s books about the Tsar. Somehow or other we were in St. Petersburg; we were called into the University and he, 12 years old, asked us to buy him Tikhomirov’s academic volume on Russian history. We, laughing, bought it. At home he leafed through it a bit and said – when I grow up, I’ll read it. He was already studying it in his first year of higher education.
There was a period when my husband and I were travelling in Egypt on business, and the whole time there Vasya kept saying it was ‘lost time’. I didn’t understand at all. I thought it would be interesting for a teenager to see another country, to travel. I understood only later that he felt a deep sense of his motherland, and he was homesick. Even in his young heart he felt that he had been cut off from the life of the country.
When he was studying in years nine and ten he went to a Cossack Sunday school. This was a club at his school. There were field expeditions, reconnaissance. I myself taught Orthodox catechism there, Cossack history. I went there specially. You should never let a child out of your sight, without knowing what and how he will be taught. Never. A mother must always know exactly what a teacher is telling her child. It is the parents, you see, not the teachers, who will answer before God for that child.
‘And it was then that I understood that there have always been individuals who went to battle like this; rather than cautiously, correctly, with their eye on the final outcome. Sometimes the outcome isn’t important. In order to raise the masses, you need a loud cry and a summons.’
When he finished school he said: ‘I’m a soldier, I need to enter a military institute of higher education’. But his intellectual inclination was more towards the humanities. And in a military college you need to pass algebra. I said to him: ‘well, into what sort of military institute?’ And he answered ‘for officers’. Well, he got in, and studied for about seven months. Then he ran away because, as he said himself, the uniform was 1944-style, and he got into the political science faculty instead. Our local church had a club for free style wrestling, hand-to-hand fighting and such like. Vasya carried on going on expeditions with them. They completed reconnaissance tasks there, you know, like we used to play ‘Summer Lightening’ (a ‘military-patriotic’ game played in the Soviet Union’s pioneer camps – editor).
With time he began to notice what was going on. In particular that Moscow was filling up with foreigners. And when he was around 16 years old he started to fight them. He of course didn’t say anything about it, but it was clear from the jeans he wore, and from his requests that we buy a certain type of boots. Once he mentioned that he had fought with black people over the drugs they were distributing in the metro. I didn’t see any fighting, but at home there was always discussion over whether violence was necessary or not. I was always against it. But he argued that it is right: that the Lord helps those who help themselves; that we need action as well as prayers. And action for him, as for a soldier, was to use his hands. It is only now that I agree with him. The court case has been and gone, the sentence too, so you see how long it took me to reach this position. And lots of people asked me why our lads went so openly, nakedly, unarmed, to battle. And it was then that I understood that there have always been individuals who went to battle like this; rather than cautiously, correctly, with their eye on the final outcome. Sometimes the outcome isn’t important. In order to raise the masses, you need a loud cry and a challenge.
Russian nationalism often has an extremely violent
side. In Moscow alone, there are hundreds of
racially-motivated murders each year. Photo CC:
Iliya Varlamov
The arrest wasn’t unexpected: we’d already had a similar experience with him. We have Cossack ancestry, and Don Cossacks always fought with Turks – and the first case we had was precisely with a Turk. That struck me. Then he had to be bought out of trouble – well, not exactly bought out, but this case had to be covered up by any means possible. It was a murder: there were three of them, two survived, one died. From that moment on Vasily’s views became clear. I understood that I wouldn’t change him. We didn’t row, no, that would have driven my son away from me. You must always protect your relationship with your child. I needed not to lose him. After the incident with the Turk I said: ‘Vas, first pay off the debt – we are in debt – I can’t do this myself, you help me. Study and work for now’. I thought I’d found a brilliant solution. For some time at least I could hold on to him.
Later he came to me himself and said: ‘Mum, I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s time to take action’. I looked sadly at him and remained silent. And what could I say?
Confrontation has increased: the town is full of foreigners from other races with completely different mentalities, with whom we do not want to live. As a result white parents will now go anywhere, even to the outskirts of Moscow, just so to make sure there are only children like theirs in the classroom. Well, this is now happening all over the world. And genetic research has shown that when a person encounters someone of a different race, you see, he expends a huge amount of inner energy in order to suppress his inner opposition to them. Even these gay parades have started here. He also went to them, bashed the queers – well, these people’s mentalities are so alien… He asked: ‘where will be the place for my children?’ And it’s true, it’s already impossible to raise children in purity.
The government has a system in place to destroy our nation. Some people are imprisoned for drugs, others for drunkenness, others again for screwing around. Some people are stuffed full of money; this younger generation earns a good wage. And only a few remain who can understand what is happening. And how does the government find them? They need to provoke them, for example, to attack foreigners. There were an awful lot of provocateurs in the movement. Parents wrote to Putin saying that their children were being zombified, were being got at through the Internet. If someone is by nature a nationalist, simply loves his motherland, and he sees everything that is going on, then they stir him up.
‘The political system is built like that: they blame lads for not liking non-Russians.’
He understands now that he went against these blacks for nothing, that this process is being controlled by the government and bureaucrats. And what’s the point of fighting these ordinary people? There’s another million on their way here. Confronting them has helped a little bit though. Everything counts.
We held out hope until the very last moment during the court case. We prayed to St. Nicholas in the corridors, because they wouldn’t let us into the courtroom. But Judge Olikhver (chief justice in the case of Vasilii Krivets Natalia Olikhver - editor) is possessed by demons, she felt the spirit. In the recesses she would run out into the corridor and throw us out the door.
Despite the fact that they jail our children, we parents are united and think about what is wrong in our lives, and where the truth lies. The government has done us a favour by introducing us to each other. There are parents who take the side of their children. And there are also parents who refuse to accept their children’s views, who won’t accept the struggle. Some manage to deflect their children. Some don’t manage to. To begin with I didn’t agree with Vasily, but I could hardly do nothing: freedom must take priority.
I work in the Academy of Sciences, researching a doctorate in history; I write academic articles and teach. Vasily has been good for me, he’s given me a lot. He’s cleverer than me. He digs something up and shares it with me. And I with him.
What would I say to him, if he were to come out now and say that he was going to carry on killing, fighting the system? Well, what can one say to a person whose soul aches for the motherland and who is ready to give up his life for it? A mother can only bless. And know, that she blesses unto death.’
Andrei Appolonov, engineer, father of Victor Appolonov
Victor Appolonov is a 22-year-old member of the National-Socialist Society North (NSO-Sever) and was sentenced to life imprisonment for five murders. On the day the sentence was announced he entered the courtroom shouting ‘Yids, prepare to die!’ and ‘Baburova croaked, and you’ll croak too!’ (for further detail see ‘The case of the thirteen’ in issue no. 29, 25 July).
‘We immediately refused a lawyer, because they are useless. I think that’s it’s useless to go to the Supreme Court too. This is a case that’s been politically ordered, so it’s difficult to contest. The investigator told me himself that he sits there like the Tsarist secret police: whoever needs to be sent down, he sends down.
I’ve worked all my life as an engineer in a factory, politics never interested me and I never subscribed to any party. But now, if you don’t get interested in politics, then sooner or later, politics will take an interest in you. I started to look at what was happening only when they took my son, arrested him. And I understood that power is simply being divided up between the clans on high, and up there our children are expendable material. So there is politics here, which came about because Putin is in office. Because of him, hundreds of lads are sitting in prison. If it were only my son accused of murder or something else. But it’s impacting on so many people! In our group almost everyone is unacquainted; they even lived in different towns – Sergiev Posad, Mytishchi, Novgorod. And who’s guilty here? Did their parents give them knives and say: ‘go out and kill’?
"Let's give Russia back to the Russians" - a troubling
slogan given the large number of ethinicities and
nationalities that form the Russian state.
The political system is built like that: they blame lads for not liking non-Russians – because of the colour of their skin or the slant of their eyes, and there are articles in the newspapers that Russia’s economy will rot without immigrant labour. So it happens that someone is using their political power in order to bring a cheap labour force over here. It’s profitable for someone. That same Tel’man, who built Cherkizon (a huge market in Moscow - editor), he needed cheap labour. All this is robbing Russia of money.
Basically the territory of Russia is like a welcome mat. A representative of another nationality can get Russian citizenship, but when he goes to Armenia then he’s an Armenian. All these people have their own countries, and Russians don’t. Putin, when he met with the youth after the protest on Manezh Square, said that in the Caucasus – which is a part of the Russian Federation – they have their own traditions, and he doesn’t care who infringes them there. So the former guarantor of the Constitution doesn’t care about someone who is on the territory of the Russian Federation. This is double standards.
We need to resolve the nationality question in Russia; to declare that Russia is a Russian country; to write people’s ethnicity in their passports again. You cannot tell a Tajik or an Uzbek to serve Russia. But a Russian will understand if you tell him he has to serve his country. In our country, Jews are holding top positions, but I would never claim high office in someone else’s country.
‘We need to resolve the nationality question in Russia; to declare that Russia is a Russian country; to write people’s ethnicity in their passports again. You cannot tell a Tajik or an Uzbek to serve Russia.’
Victor’s views weren’t unexpected, but what he was accused of was. He wasn’t a difficult child: he worked as a consultant in a bookshop, was at home in the evenings, was interested in history. He wanted to go to an institute to study history. He wasn’t particularly sociable. He lived a fairly solitary life, read loads of books, that’s why he liked the bookshop too. The following year he was due to be conscripted into the army. I didn’t take any interest in whether or not he wanted to go. Everyone goes usually.
Friends of the family were amazed when they found out about his arrest. They all asked what on earth was going on. He didn’t drink, didn’t smoke. Of course he was withdrawn sometimes, thinking about something or other. Not long before his arrest he mentioned a sports club, but I thought, sport – that’s a good thing.
I don’t know where he got interested in all that, I don’t know whether he came to these opinions himself or not, because at 18 years old – as far as I remember – interests change quickly. He is not an experienced person, naturally, and politicians exploit the young.
I didn’t read the case notes. Could he kill? I wanted to investigate this independently, but the judges and investigators took this mission upon themselves. This didn’t suit me at all. And if only this was an isolated example! But as I attended the court sittings I understood that this is a whole system: one little group passing through after another, you see. And what, am I supposed to say to my own son that he’s guilty, when there’s a whole system?
I honestly didn’t expect a life sentence. I think this is revenge for the fact that he openly says what he thinks. He sat in a pre-trial detention centre for three years, then went to court, and I could see immediately that he’d become more vicious. Moreover he was in a cell with all different ethnicities, people arrested for drugs, robbery, theft. He got some experience there, began to answer back to the judges and prosecutors in court. So because he began to answer them like that, they used their authority and gave him a life sentence.
During a visit I asked him what he did with his time in the cell. He said he played chess. ‘With whom?’ I asked. ‘With an Uzbek’.’
Pavel Golubev, Retired Colonel, father of Sergei Golubev
Sergei Golubev was the youngest convicted murderer in the case of NSO-Sever. He was 16 when he was arrested in 2007. He pleaded guilty to the murder of one person and attempted murder motivated by racial hatred. He was sentenced to ten years in a penal colony.
‘Basically Sergei had nothing to do with this. Well, he went to a demonstration against illegal immigration. And is there anyone who does support breaking the law? On 1 May 2008 he was at that demonstration at VDNKh. ‘Peace, Labour, May! Guest-workers away!’ And after the demonstration participants beat up some Tajik or other – right in front of the local police station. Sergei was also there. He said that he wanted to stop them, that they were starting a fight five metres from the window of the police. He got detained, and they checked whether he belonged to a youth organisation. And in the report they wrote that: ‘he is not a member of a gang, but shares the view that the Russian people and the Russian Orthodox faith must flourish on the territory of the Russian Federation’. And this was recorded as a nationalist viewpoint. No one told President Medvedev it was a nationalist viewpoint when he said the same thing at a meeting of the State Council in February 2011. And Sergei, of course, wasn’t a member of the NSO. He had some knowledge about that organisation, but even I’ve heard of it.
Nationalists at the oppostion protest on Bolotnaya Square on 11 December 2011, which took place one year after the infamous Manezhnaya Square race riots. Maria Pleshkova/Demotix. All rights reserved.
He is a very capable boy generally. He got into an economics grammar school sponsored by the Academy of Finance. But he didn’t have the self-regard to become a top pupil. It is an elite school with elite children, who are driven there by their chauffeurs. Basically they try to force out any children who don’t give the teachers money. He had a high temperature one day, and for some reason the class teacher kept him at school and wouldn’t let him go home. He ran away, jumped over the fence, ran across Prospect Mira in winter with no coat on. Something snapped in him then. He lost interest in school completely. He sat in lessons, looking out of the window, thinking his own thoughts. We took him out of that school after that, and sent him to be examined at the psychiatric hospital. The doctor said to me’ ‘you know, I see so many like him, the most important thing is that he doesn’t get sent to prison before he reaches 18. After that everything will pass, he’ll get distracted by work and love. But many don’t make it that far’.
Sergei rarely went out. He sat at his computer. I used to tell him to go out and have a wander. He would take me to the window and ask if I really wanted him to go out there. ‘Do you see them sitting there, already pouring out drinks on the bench? What’s more, when evening comes, the darkies will bring weed. Do you want me to join them?’ I said that of course I didn’t.
It scared me that he was going off into a virtual world. That’s why I was even glad when he decided to go out to a girl’s birthday celebrations. (On 6 May 2008 at the Butyrka café on Dmitrovsky highway Vasilisa Kovaleva celebrated her 21st with her then-boyfriend Mikhailov, with Appolionov and with Golubev. That same evening the group killed two Uzbeks - editor.) He got to know Kovaleva via the Iyupnternet. He liked older girls. She was a student in the faculty of journalism, and he could talk to her about all sorts of things. I couldn’t have imagined how it would all end. He went out to her birthday.
He was a witness at that murder incident, the one they prosecuted him for. He saw the struggle, the cries. He said that he felt sick. When they hit the woman in the neck and she started bleeding, he didn’t even see what happened to her, he was pulled away. The investigators asked whether he tried to help the victim. No? Well then, that means you’re an accomplice.
Sergei said: ‘as far as I’m concerned, be they blacks, Chinese, Tatars – it makes no difference to me. I respect them all. They’re all human beings’. When he went to prison he was a Christian. He’s now lost his faith. He said that if God existed, He would not have allowed this to happen to him.
‘I used to tell him to go out and have a wander. He would take me to the window and ask if I really wanted him to go out there. ‘Do you see them sitting there, already pouring out drinks on the bench? What’s more, when evening comes, the darkies will bring weed. Do you want me to join them?’
They didn’t let us meet for a year and a half. They tortured him twice. They told him to write what they wanted him to write about the other lads, but he refused. ‘I don’t know them, or what sort of people they are. If you know that they are murderers, then you write that.’ They promised to make life difficult in the cells for him for that. They put some sort of lads in with him. They burnt him with matches, beat him up, his shoulders, stomach, the small of his back were all covered in bruises. I saw all of this at the court hearing about the extension of his arrest. Sergei looked at me from behind the bars and asked’ ‘what should I do? I can’t last much longer’. Do you understand – he looked me in the eye and asked: ‘what should I do? You’re stronger than me, but they string you up by the hands to see how long you last. Should I cut my own throat? Either way, the judge has guaranteed that I won’t get more than ten years. Maybe I should stab one of them at night? Tell me what would be better?’ And he looked me in the eye. I said: ‘better to cut them than yourself’. It ended with him taking a sharpened implement and preparing to drive it into the eye or neck of this lad, who noticed and left. The lawyer and I complained to whoever we could, and they held an investigation in the pre-trial detention centre, and they stopped bothering him.
And after a year his cellmates were ordered to beat him up again so badly that they wouldn’t even let us go to court. I asked him later whether he had managed to get them back a bit, so it didn’t feel quite so bad.
Even the detectives passed on their approval to me. Everyone thought that since he was the youngest, he’d sign everything, but he wouldn’t budge and said that no one would persuade him to. His steadfastness amazed them. ‘What a good lad we have here’. Well, thanks, I thought, I’m glad.
How did he end up there? As the investigators said to me after his first year in pre-trial detention centre: ‘if we’d known from the start what evidence there would be, we wouldn’t even have arrested him. But now, you understand, how can we let him out? He’s underage, and responsibility would have to be taken for this. So, you see, we’ll treat him like the others, and he might get around five years’. And then they explained further that I’d angered them by complaining to the Moscow City Court that they hadn’t allowed us to meet. Why, they asked, did you behave like that? In a fit of anger they included five unnecessary years in the indictment.
Then I gave further evidence in court. I told them about the torture, about the false documents in the criminal case, about how no one had interrogated him for a year. And that made the prosecutor angry with me. But of course I didn’t expect them to give him ten years. I thought that even a military court, a troika, is not allowed to settle personal scores; all the more so that this was based on the admission that they should have basically let him go. I was a professional soldier myself, a colonel. I worked for a long time at a research institute. Of course, when I became Sergei’s legal representative I couldn’t work anywhere.
It has, of course, made him angrier. He’s continually in the punishment block. He says they have sworn an oath. ‘Don’t they know what to do with me? Haven’t they read the case notes?’ After the sentence he said that he would never go and fight for this country, like his grandfather who held a machine gun in his hands and shouted that he was fighting for this motherland. He was patriotic before. ‘If I get a call up for the army I’m not going to evade it. If they send me to Chechnya – I’ll go, I won’t hide behind anyone’s back’. And now he says that it was the Russian Federation that passed this sentence on him. It found me guilty, he says, of being a fascist, a murderer. That makes Russia my stepmother, not my real motherland, and I’m not going to fight for her. ‘Let the prosecutor’s children go and serve her.’ That’s what he says.’
A version of this article was first published in Russian on Kommersant. Vlast’ hereAlcatraz is a term deeply ingrained in our cultural consciousness as a source of mystery and curiosity, so it seems fitting that J.J. Abrams and Elizabeth Sarnoff, two of the genius minds behind the equally enigmatic "Lost," would choose to tackle the iconic island for another high-concept TV series. "Alcatraz" (premiering Mon., Jan. 16, 8 p.m. EST on Fox) might be lacking smoke monsters and polar bears, but there are still plenty of questions to be answered, as HuffPost TV discovered when we visited the Vancouver-based set in October.
The show's story begins in March 1963, when history tells us the prison was closed due to unmanageable operating costs and the erosion of buildings from years of salt water exposure. But in the world of "Alcatraz," the true reason for the closure is far more compelling: 302 prisoners and guards mysteriously vanish without a trace, only to reappear in our time without having aged. An unlikely team -- Alcatraz historian and comic book writer Doctor Diego Soto (Jorge Garcia), police detective Rebecca Madsen (Sarah Jones) and government agent Emerson Hauser (Sam Neill) -- must work together to capture the returned inmates and discover the truth behind their disappearance.
The series was conceived by Steven Lilien and Bryan Wynbrandt, former "Kyle XY" writers, who sold the concept to Abrams' Bad Robot production company. But Sarnoff, who has now stepped down as showrunner, took another stab at the story before shopping around to the networks.
Another "Lost" alum, Jack Bender, serves as executive producer, and he was on hand to answer reporters' questions during the group set visit. On the surface, the two island-based shows share similar DNA -- and not just because of Abrams and Garcia. But Bender insisted that "Alcatraz" is designed to be more accessible than its predecessor.
"I think the networks are certainly afraid of the mythology of the show overpowering an audience's potential to come aboard the train if they've missed a few [episodes]," he said. "I think that our show is going to walk that fine line, hopefully, because each week there is going to be a story unfolding that begins and ends. And there's still this overreaching, 'What happened? How the hell did this happen? What's going on?' vibe to the show that will be, season by season, revealed in a slow fashion so that the mystery stays alive and well."
Mystery series are somewhat dependent on the cast and crew's ability to keep a secret, and Abrams has arguably created a whole sub-genre of television show that's designed to keep the audience guessing, from "Alias" and "Lost" to "Fringe" and "Person of Interest." "Alcatraz" will be no exception.
Garcia, who shot to fame as the lovable Hurley on "Lost," told The Huffington Post that he's become accustomed to not knowing anything about his character's backstory -- and that he knows better than to ask. "I've gotten used to working this way from having done a show with these people before," he said. "I enjoy having to fill in my own blanks at the beginning. If stuff gets revealed later, even if it seems contradictory, I always feel that contradiction is what makes us people. So when you behave in a way that's not how people would have expected, it's a very human way to behave. So I've always enjoyed those moments myself as an actor."
While Garcia admitted that his new character on "Alcatraz" has his humorous moments, fans shouldn't expect Hurley 2.0 from Doc Soto. "It's fun finding a new guy. I'm digging what they've been writing for me," he said. "I wear a lot more clothes than on 'Lost' -- I've been doing that and I did that for six years; now let's explore somebody new and go see where I would go with it a different way."
Though Garcia and Neill's characters are integral parts of the story, Detective Rebecca Madsen is our true entry point to the mystery. She's a Scully-esque skeptic whose family history is inexorably linked to the prison. Sarah Jones has appeared in numerous guest spots and recurring roles (most notably in "Big Love" and "Sons of Anarchy"), but "Alcatraz" marks her first experience as the lead.
Jones described the show as a "procedural hybrid" that balances the weekly mysteries with added character development and ongoing mythology. In terms of her character, Jones said: "It's about her journey into a very new phase, a new chapter in her life that connects her to her past that she didn't know about before. Her world is basically turned upside down in the pilot and [the show] follows her through trying to put the pieces together, while she's catching the worst of the worst coming back and wreaking havoc on the good people of America."
Though Sam Neill wasn't on set during The Huffington Post's visit, his co-star helped shed a little light on Neill's cryptic Emerson Hauser, a member of a shadowy government agency who seems to know far more about the secrets of Alcatraz than he's letting on.
"There's definitely secrets he's keeping from them," Garcia admitted. "He lets stuff out, but really lets it out in a very thin trickle. It's not like a big idea of you become president and then go, 'All right, let me show you what's in the |
ps supply,” Mark Kennedy, director of the KPMG Centre for Business Analytics at Imperial College Business School, told BB. “It will be difficult for PwC to fill those slots.”
Juan Jose, director of the master in business analytics at IE Business School, said: “Big data analytics is creating a revolution across organizations – and it is a key factor in how enterprises face the great challenge of their digital transformation.”
The PwC announcement comes after several top firms said recently that they are seeking MBA hires who can use advanced analytics. “Increasingly, an understanding of data and analytics is required,” said Gregor McHardy, managing director at Accenture UK and Ireland, who spoke of consultants in general.
Matthew Guest, head of Deloitte’s digital strategy practice for EMEA, said: “Data and analytics has become part of the fabric of how we do business. It’s almost instrumental.”
Demand has intensified because consultants with tech expertise are difficult to find. However, the number of digital consultants rose by 26% in the UK alone last year, according to the Management Consultancies Association.
“There are areas where just fining talent is quite difficult — people that have worked on big digital transformation programs [for example],” said Radhika Chadwick, a partner at consultancy Ernst & Young, who leads digital and strategy services.
“There is enormous potential to increase our talent pool and I think the uptick in salaries that people with digital skills can demand does point to a lack of sheer numbers.”
McKinsey & Co and Bain, meanwhile, said recently that they are seeking MBAs who understand the science behind decision making.
Business schools have lunged at the chance to fill the gaps in supply. Cornell’s Johnson School is developing a big data-focused MBA program with Amazon and Twitter. And USC Marshall, NYU Stern and Warwick Business School, for instance, all run specialist business analytics master’s courses.by Sabrina Fendrick
“There’s an air of cognitive dissonance about it, that a woman, especially a nurturing, professional woman, could both smoke pot and not be Jim Breuer in Half Baked was, to many, a revelation.” Emily Dufton, The Atlantic (10/28/13)
Emily Dufton does an excellent job identifying the cultural challenges and social setbacks that are experienced by female cannabis consumers on a regular basis. The issue of women and weed has become a hot topic recently, and being on the forefront of this push for female engagement has been nothing short of fascinating. The emergence of independent, mainstream professional women becoming more outspoken about their cannabis use has prominently challenged traditional stereotypes, and started the long-overdue process of reframing gender norms. As marijuana goes mainstream, its cultural connotations will continue to evolve. In return, more women will feel comfortable coming out of the cannabis closet.
A little over 4 years ago, I wrote an aptly named blog; Because Women are NORML Too, in response to the overwhelming interest to Marie Claire’s famous Stiletto Stoners article. In that post, I noted, “The normalization of recreational cannabis consumption is not just happening with men, which is what most people think of when they think of pot smokers. Women, who are not necessarily left out of the movement, are rarely recognized as a major demographic that is essential for the reform effort to push forward in a truly legitimate fashion.” It’s amazing to see how far we’ve come.
Since then, there has been a major effort on behalf of NORML and the movement to identify and close the gender gap. Reformers are acutely aware that in order to succeed in ending blanket prohibition, female outreach has to be a key component to their advocacy work. Women, a significant demographic were largely responsible for bringing down California’s Proposition 19, but were also a key factor in the passage of Washington and Colorado’s legalization initiatives in 2012. In fact, campaigners in Colorado and Washington spent a significant amount of time and resources cultivating the female vote. Though a gender gap still exists nationwide, it is shrinking, fast.
While great strides have been made culturally and politically, there still remains a great deal of curiosity and intrigue surrounding female cannabis consumers. Many want to know, who are these women who smoke pot? Why do we smoke pot? Is it because we are sick or in pain, need a crutch or because we simply want to relax with a substance that has less side effects than alcohol? Why don’t more of us speak out about it? Why aren’t there more women leading the fight? Can a responsible mom still smoke pot? It’s truly amazing how a single chromosome can alter the entire construct and perception of a certain behavior. One can write volumes on each of these questions, but the interest clearly comes from the disconnect of deeply rooted gender norms regarding women, intoxication, and our various roles in society. Many of these abstract components have been mulled over time and again by different authors and publications. But if we look at our current policies, some of these questions are answered in very real terms.
For example, a mother who chooses to unwind with a joint after her child has gone to bed is no more a danger to her child than one who chooses a glass of wine. Yet, our laws say otherwise. A mother who smokes pot is in constant danger of losing her children because child protective services maintain the false presumption that this behavior (or the mere presence of pot) poses a threat to the child’s safety. This is just one example of how the culmination traditional gender norms and our current marijuana policies play a real and tragic role in our society. The proliferation of government agencies across the country removing children from safe, loving homes for the mere fact that a parent is a cannabis consumer, even in states with a legal medical marijuana program, or where marijuana possession is no longer a criminal offense is not just an abstract discussion, but a tangible, legal issue that requires immediate attention and an expedited solution. Support for marijuana legalization is higher than ever before, and as the political winds change, so too will the scope of the marijuana culture. Women, and our relationship with marijuana will have political and social implications for years to come, and it is therefore up to us to make sure we take a leading role in defining what those outcomes will be.At the top of a mountain, a crumbling Yellow Brick Road winds around forests filled with creepy anthropomorphic trees, Dorothy’s dilapidated house and an Emerald Castle made of stone. The Land of Oz has been abandoned for thirty-three years, and it hasn’t seen much restoration during that time, but it opens to the public October 5th for an annual event called ‘Autumn at Oz,’ enabling visitors to see it in all its sad, derelict glory for a few of Halloween season.
Located at Beech Mountain, a ski resort in Western North Carolina, the Land of Oz saw over 20,000 visitors on its opening day in 1970. A ski lift was modified to resemble a balloon ride, taking guests on an aerial tour of the park with views of the mountain scenery. The park design was based on the book rather than the film, and the visitor was intended to experience it from Dorothy’s point of view.
Despite a 1975 fire that destroyed some artifacts, including the dress worn by Judy Garland in the movie, the Land of Oz was fully operational until 1980. Once it was closed, many items were stolen, vandalized or destroyed, and those that weren’t were given over to the elements. A few pieces remain in storage at Appalachian State University.
The park was partially restored in 1990, and Former employees started Autumn at Oz as a reunion three years later. Now it’s an annual event, opening the doors to the outside world just two days every year. Proceeds from the event go to the (apparently minimal) upkeep of the park.Bill Kristol: Hannity Started Twitter War, Wants Me to Come Begging for Forgiveness (VIDEO)
Weekly Standard founder Bill Kristol went on with Steve Malzberg today on Newsmax TV.
Kristol still continues to refuse to apologize for his actions before the election and his attempts to get Hillary Clinton elected.
Today Kristol told Steve that Hannity wants him to come bagging for forgiveness.
This was after Hannity laid into him on Twitter last night after Donald Trump’s SCOTUS pick Judge Neil Gorsuch was announced.
No thanks to you Bill. Maybe time to man up and admit you were wrong about @POTUS. I won’t hold my breath. Tonight happened in spite of you! https://t.co/vfVf5Zyaao — Sean Hannity (@seanhannity) February 1, 2017
Bill Kristol: He really wants to say to those of us who couldn’t be for Trump on November 8, that we still have to apologize and come calling and begging I suppose for forgiveness from Sean Hannity or maybe from Donald Trump himself.
Via NewsMax TV:Marie Briganti, president and CEO of Battle Creek Unlimited. (Photo: Provided)
Editor’s note: Marie Briganti, president and chief executive of Battle Creek Unlimited, posted the following statement on the Enquirer’s Facebook page in response to the story, “Lease dispute brews between Arcadia, BCU,” March 15.
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There is a lot to this story that hasn’t been shared publicly, as it has been our intention to keep matters private, but we now feel it appropriate to communicate some facts that aim to enlighten the public on this matter. On Friday, March 18th, I shared additional details including indisputable facts and appropriate documentation with the Battle Creek Enquirer.
Arcadia Brewing has been operating since 2004 with a written lease with Battle Creek Unlimited. The current lease allows Arcadia to pay rent at less than half the current market rate. Under the terms of this lease, Arcadia is responsible for paying taxes, improvements/repairs and insurance.
In 2013, Arcadia approached BCU requesting a new lease with rent payments of $0 for the entire term of the new lease. They also requested that BCU pay Arcadia’s unpaid taxes as well as improvements to the building. During negotiations, BCU has, as a gesture of goodwill to protect this community asset, been paying Arcadia’s taxes, repairs and other expenses that Arcadia was/is responsible for. Arcadia has not paid any rent since October 2014. Despite this 16-month delinquency, BCU has not pursued any collection efforts (including liens on brewing equipment) instead trying to negotiate with Arcadia.
Before putting the building on the market for sale, BCU offered to sell the building to Arcadia for a very generous (below market) offer. Arcadia rejected and made no counter-offer.BCU realizes the role this establishment has in revitalizing the downtown entertainment and food scene.
As this information suggests, BCU has supported their presence. BCU has consistently reassured Arcadia that it will work cooperatively with them to help them stay in Battle Creek and will continue to do so. However, BCU does have the obligation to be a good steward of community resources.
When Arcadia demands more and more financial resources from Battle Creek, but expands elsewhere (it has relocated all brewing to its Kalamazoo location), it is hard to see that as anything other than Battle Creek getting taken advantage of by paying for Arcadia’s investment in other communities.
BCU will continue to work to retain Arcadia and other valuable Battle Creek employers, but will protect Battle Creek’s community resources from being taken out of our area.
In other recent news: Facing harsh reality, BCPS at a pivotal moment
- Our own Flint: Lead danger in older Battle Creek homes
Read or Share this story: http://bcene.ws/1pF836VHere is a column a reader sent to me:
As a former Republican aide in the Wisconsin State Senate, part of my job was to help read the governor, and advise my senator accordingly. If I were still advising a Republican state senator, this is what I'd say right now.
DO SOMETHING.
This governor is not hard to read. He's a giant fiery ball of ambition. When he sneezes he compares it to how Reagan sneezed. His first major act, after netting a modest 52 percent in a GOP wave election, was to pick the most dangerous and inflammatory political fight he could think of. His next major act was to propose a budget that might get him re-elected in Texas, but not Wisconsin. Why?
Clearly he doesn't care about getting re-elected in Wisconsin. He doesn't care about protests, or poll numbers, or recalls. He barely even cares if what he's proposing passes. So long as he gets attention for proposing it.
Scott Walker is driving a fast bus to Washington, estimated time of arrival 2012. Fourteen of his Senate passengers jumped off and hid the moment they knew what was happening. The other 19 might want to wake up before their own districts disappear in the rear-view.
I'm not the only political watcher walking around Madison wondering what's holding the GOP caucuses together on the Walker-for-Vice-President express. Saunter into a bar near the Capitol, find people in suits and eavesdrop for five minutes. It requires only a two-year sense of history to identify the last photogenic gubernatorial novice who turned into a conservative folk hero when a presidential candidate needed some far-right street cred.
So attention Alberta Darling. Attention Dan Kapanke. Attention Dale Schultz (well, Dale, you already get it, apparently, but you need some support). Attention all you Republican senators who need a few union votes to hold your districts. I served alongside you and I respect you. So pretend I'm your staffer.
You're toast if you stay on this bus. Here's your way off it.
Get three of you together. Congratulations. You're now the governor of Wisconsin.
Call a press conference. Here's your spin: The truth. It goes something like this.
"We're here to repair the budget. We accept the union concessions budget repaired. Beyond that this state is not ready to allow.
"Some of us Republican senators support an end to public bargaining. Others of us have reservations. But it does none of us, or our constituents, any good to lose our majority and see whatever is done now quickly undone.
"We've heard from our constituents, and we're here to represent their spoken wishes by ending this destructive impasse and getting to work, together with the governor, passing a good, solvent, conservative budget."
Then you stand back and let all the people in the caucus who hate collective bargaining and don't need the union votes to blast you a new one. You'll get some nasty letters and e-mails and phone calls. But you'll all get to keep your jobs. You'll have a chance at holding the majority you just won in the Republican wave of a lifetime. You can let Baby Guv pilot his fast bus to Washington.
And not be on board if it crashes.
Bob Schwoch, is a UW professor of communications and a former chief-of-staff to Republican Sens. Carol Buettner and Peggy Rosenzweig, as well as Democratic Rep. Peggy Krusick..Sucuri, a company that cleans over 500 hacked sites a day, has released a statement about new occurrences of a of certain type of SEO spam which involves maliciously installing subdirectories on WordPress websites.
The idea behind this black hat scheme is to abuse the server resources and storage by installing spammy sites within a WordPress subdirectory.
The spammy sites are usually promoting products, designer sunglasses for example, with the intent for the attacker to make affiliate income.
What sets this tactic apart from other SEO hacked spam, such as malicious redirects or defacements, is that it doesn’t change the appearance of the original site.
The hackers cover their tracks by hiding their spammy site within the legitimate site’s subdirectory, so the site owner may never even notice it. Having some type of security monitoring in place is one way to be alerted if something like this happens to your website.
Another way to find out if an attacker is spamming your site is to use Google Search Console, Sucuri recommends. If you see a lot of search queries for things that are way off topic, you might be a victim of an SEO hack.
That’s not a perfect way to diagnose if you’re a victim of this new type of SEO subdirectory spam, but it’s somewhere to start.
EDIT 26/08/16 @ 820pm: Title mistakenly read “New SEO Spam Discovered”, was changed to “New Occurrences of SEO Spam Discovered.”This latest instalment in our series on Russia’s relations with its neighbours looks to North Korea. Robert Winstanley-Chesters tells the story of Russian’s chequered relationship with the communist stronghold and explains that it could be entering a new mutually beneficial period.
Russia is supposedly turning its back on Europe … and is looking for new business partners, above all in Asia. Let me say that this is absolutely not the case. Our active policy in the Asia-Pacific region began not just yesterday and not in response to sanctions, but is a policy that we have been following for a good many years now.
– Vladimir Putin, Sochi, October 2014
When Russia’s leader made those comments last year in a characteristically robust retort to Western liberal values, it was a useful reminder of his nation’s longstanding interest in the East.
Moscow may not quite have been on the Pacific Rim as long as the Japanese, Chinese or Korean nations, but it achieved its goal of year-round ice-free access to the ocean as long ago as 1858-60 with the Treaty of Aigun and the wider “unequal” treaties of Peking.
This enabled Moscow’s writ to extend to the Pacific region of Primorsky Krai and its administrative centre, Vladivostok; as well as to the Tumen River, which divides latterday Russia, China and North Korea. This is the reason that Russia has a border with North Korea today.
Then as now, this went hand in hand with Russia’s other regional priorities: the mineral and natural resources on Sakhalin island and the markets and spaces of the (then) rapidly developing economies of north-east Asia. We shall see that the Russians may well be reasserting and reassessing the importance of their eastern interests and connections in 2015. But in a sense Moscow has been doing so since the 19th century.
The extent and location of the Soviet Union’s tutelage for instance of Kim Il-sung, first and “Great Leader” of North Korea is open to intense, fractious dispute. But if the Soviets were too diplomatic to comment loudly on this themselves, the importance of their technicians, educators and engineers to North Korea’s developmental history is clear to those who have examined the evidence.
In truth, the Soviet relationship with North Korea following the Korean War (1950-1953) was never easy, for a combination of reasons. These included Russia’s post-1956 policy of dismantling the legacy of Stalin, the Sino-Soviet split of the 1960s, and North Korea’s engagement with the group of states who refused to align themselves to either the Soviets or Americans during the Cold War.
Yet Moscow kept investing in North Korea through these years to prevent it from becoming too close to China and to retain a buffer from American forces in South Korea and Japan. Moscow’s support throughout these years was vital to many of North Korea’s largest environmental and infrastructural projects, and Soviet hydrologists and industrial engineers supported the nascent institutions of Pyongyang after 1945. Even at the nadir of their relations from the mid-1950s onwards, there is no evidence that technicians working on reservoir and irrigation projects were recalled westwards.
The post-Soviet era
Relations between Moscow and Pyongyang did collapse following the fragmentation of the Soviet Union. With Boris Yeltsin credited with having extraordinarily diminished Moscow’s influence in the wider world, this included a lack of focus on east Asia. This meant that Russia appeared temporarily irrelevant in the search for solutions to the problems of the Korean peninsula.
Russia under Yeltsin also manifested an almost flagrant disregard for the region’s provincial and peripheral infrastructure, which can be seen in acute disparities in the region today. In Pyongyang’s institutional mind, this made linking up with Moscow even more unattractive.
Relations with Pyongyang revived in 1999 after Putin’s rise to power. When he and then North Korean leader Kim Jong-il met in 2000, it coincided with a rapprochment between the North Korean leader and his South Korean counterpart, Kim Dae-jung. Russia returned to the geopolitical game on the North Korean issue, expanding the five-party talks to six parties.
Russian development priorities in the region also revived at this time. Putin’s paper of November 2000, Russia: New Eastern Perspectives conceived of Pacific east Asia as a “common house” in developmental terms. It envisaged that through an “iron silk-road”, east China, both Koreas and potentially Japan could access European markets through a connection between the trans-Siberian railway and an inter-Korean railway.
It also talked about Russia supplying South Korea with gas from its Sakhalin fields through a newly built and Russian-controlled pipeline system running the short route along the east coast of North Korea rather than via Japan or China.
Russia and North Korea also sought to cooperate on environmental matters affecting the Tumen basin, both through regional cooperation bodies and shared projects focused on tiger and other wildlife conservation.
Admittedly ambitions and possibilities in the early 2000s have not come to fruition, thanks to the peculiarities of the Bush regime in the US, Kim Jong-il’s fervent nuclear ambitions, the mistrust of Lee Myung-bak’s government in Seoul and countless other difficulties.
Other recent obstacles include declining relations between Pyongyang and Beijing, the Abe government’s desire to resurrect a muscular Japan, and the political and legacy difficulties with current South Korean president Park Geun-hye. Her father Park Chung-hee, the former president, was anathema to the north during his time in office, while her mother was murdered by a supporter of the regime.
The global picture
The deterioration in Russian relations with the West is likely to add new difficulties. Cooperation over North Korea is likely to become more difficult. It will be even harder to gain Russian assent for any complaints to the Security Council on grounds of human rights or anything else.
In spite of all this, Moscow is willing again to expend diplomatic and political capital on its relations with Pyongyang. We saw high-level diplomacy last year in Moscow led by North Korean Workers’ Party Secretary Choe Ryong-hae, and current leader Kim Jong-un is due to visit in person imminently. We have also seen large capital expenditure by Russian Federal Railways and other institutions in Rason in the north-eastern corner of North Korea and on cross-border railway connections at Khasan on the Russian side.
So in spite of the passage of time, current events and ideas driving Russo-North Korean relations today are similar to those of the past. In a situation where US and Europe are consumed by fear, fury, lust and indecision over Russia’s western frontier, it is important to watch what happens in the East.
It could well be an opportunity for Russia, North Korea and perhaps other Eastern partners to resolve some longstanding possibilities and finally build that “common house”.
To read previous instalments from our Russia’s borders series, click here.Gurley: I want to start at the beginning. What made you want to be a writer?
Howey: I was that kid who always had a book in his hands. My nieces are like this. They are always reading. I think this sub-species of human is more prevalent today than in my time, what with the success of the Harry Potters and Twilights.
When I was a kid, it was mostly those of us who didn’t fit in, those of us only comfortable in make-believe places.
Books were a big part of your life, then.
I used to walk down sidewalks a few paces behind my family while reading. I’d literally bump into trash cans and lampposts. On the rare occasions that I went out with friends to bars in college, I brought a book along and sat in the corner to get through another few chapters. The back pocket of my blue jeans were stretched out in the shape of a mass market paperback. How can you be into a hobby like this without dreaming of making it to the big leagues? It would be like shooting hoops for hours a day in the driveway without longing for a starting position in the NBA.
Howey and his father, Hamp
How old were you when you realized that you wanted to be more than a reader — that you wanted to tell stories yourself?
Twelve or thirteen — whenever it was that my dad brought home our first computer. The only thing it was good for was crunching numbers (slowly) and typing out words (even more slowly, but that was my fault). I had just finished Ender’s Game and The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and I wanted to create worlds like these. I wrote the first four chapters in a book that ripped off Douglas Adams’s style, and that was the first of many books that I would begin and subsequently abandon.
You started writing young. Do you remember the first story you ever wrote?
Unfortunately, yes. It involved a man falling through a hole in his yard to discover that the planet Earth was one massive spaceship. He formed a friendship with his robotic bedpan, which was better than him at chess.
His robotic bedpan?
The story began making less sense the deeper I went. I still have the printout of this masterpiece. It resists my efforts to destroy it.
I would read a story about a robotic bedpan.
Are you offering to beta-read the novel I started at age twelve? Because I’ll totally take you up on that.
So science fiction has always been an interest of yours. What drew you to it, to writing it?
Changing the subject. Smart. What drew me to science fiction is its potential for satire. There’s no better genre for examining the human condition. Literary fiction and historical fiction can’t hold a candle to science fiction. You’re able to exaggerate some feature or flaw in humanity or society and see what this says about our current way of life. The gold standard of the genre is Gulliver’s Travels. I also admire Brave New World for all the clever and dismal subtext packed in to so few pages.
It can’t help but hold a mirror up to the real world, in a way.
Exactly. The other cool thing about science fiction—and this is something I learned as I moved from reading fantasy novels to reading science fiction novels—is that you have the ability to make up worlds that might become true. They won’t, of course. But fantasy novels are about a history that never happened. Science fiction is about a future that is at least, however slimly, possible. And if that doesn’t get your forward-looking juices flowing, I don’t know what will.
You’ve mentioned an interest in writing in new genres, though. Do you know where you’re going next?
I have a romance novel that has a slight dystopian flair to it. And I have a horror novel planned that’s also based on the wallscreen technology.
The wallscreen featured in the Silo series?
Yeah. The original plan for Wool was for it to be the fourth novella in a larger piece. Each novella featured the wallscreens, and each was a slightly different genre. This horror novel was to be one of those four stories.
The story I’ve had in me for the longest is a coming-of-age novel about a girl whose father is a psychologist.
Some writers worry that genre-hopping will dilute their brand, or alienate parts of their audience.
I’ve heard that said, but I don’t think it gives enough credit to the reader. Myself, I’ve never enjoyed reading just one genre or reading the same story over and over. The best thing about becoming a writer is that I’ve been able to create the stories that I wish were out there as a reader.
You’ve broken out in a big way in the last two years.
Howey was at Worldcon when he learned that Dust was #7 on the New York Times bestseller list
You know what’s weird? I still have to be reminded of this. I feel like no one has ever heard of me, because most people haven’t. So few people read compared to other pastimes. And most of those who do only read the top fifty or one hundred best-known authors out there. I feel completely obscure, which is how I prefer it. That’s why it freaks me out when someone recognizes my name, or I meet a stranger who has read my work.
Let’s talk about that preference for obscurity. You wrote a guest piece recently for Indie Reader (“The Best Days of My Life”) that’s a surprising confession. I suspect most readers (and other writers) would expect that you’re living the dream right about now.
That’s why I wrote the piece. I knew at the time, both while working as a roofer and while working in a bookstore, that life didn’t get any better than this. That’s not to say that my life isn’t great right now, but I think the people out there who are aspiring for a dream and aren’t enjoying or fully appreciating the process and the journey, might regret not taking it all in later. And they might be disappointed if they finally reach that dream and expect it to be wholly fulfilling.
That’s a sentiment not often heard these days.
I bet if you asked LeBron James what the best days of his life were, he might say winning a state championship in high school. The same probably goes for NFL pros who look back on their college days and recall playing for the joy of it, remembering the camaraderie. I loved working on rooftops with my friends. I loved working in a bookstore. Getting up every morning and writing in my pajamas is the culmination of a lifelong dream, but I enjoyed the hell out of the life that led me here.
You’re very grounded about your success. Do you ever take it for granted?
I expect all of this to end tomorrow. I have for the past two years. I think this is partly from low self-esteem and partly as a defense mechanism. Whatever the reason, it helps me appreciate each moment as if it’ll be the last. It keeps me from expecting anything more than I’ve already earned, and it has me fully prepared to go back to shelving books in a moment’s notice.
That doesn’t seem terribly likely, though.
Howey’s mother, Gay
Maybe not, but it was the mindset I needed before I quit my day job and really made a go of this. I needed to remind myself that I could get another job at any time and be just as happy as I was before. It’s all about realistic expectations, even as you’re working to fulfill a dream. After completing my first novel, I told my mom that I would be thrilled to sell 5,000 copies in my lifetime. That was me dreaming big. I know there aren’t a lot of readers out there, and even fewer who will take a chance on an unknown author, so I set lofty goals. My mom laughed at me just this week while recalling that conversation, but I still think I was right to dream only this big. Even if part of me longed to get a call from Oprah.
Oprah may not have called yet, but you long ago surpassed five thousand sales. In the Indie Reader piece, you wrote: “…it appears that I’ve sold a million books in the past two years.”
Yeah, I just confirmed this last night. The Silo Saga has sold over a million copies here in the US alone. So total worldwide book sales are probably closer to one and a half million. It boggles the mind.
There have been some big, big moments along the way. I’d like to peel back a layer or two and talk about what each one meant to you. Let’s start before the big successes — what was it like to work in a bookstore, surrounded by books, writing your own on lunch breaks?
It was grueling. I was living in the mountains of North Carolina at the time, and in the winter that meant getting up in the freezing cold, driving on icy roads before the salt trucks and ice scrapers had made their rounds, trudging through snow into the 24-hour library on campus, stamping the slush out of my boots, and sitting and writing every morning before the bookstore opened.
In the spring, it meant spending my lunch hour, every day without fail, up in the windowless conference room with the doors shut and the lights out, pounding away at my keyboard. Everyone else was out on the lawn, basking in the sun, laying out in the grass, enjoying the scent of flowers blooming. They would come poke their heads in the door and tell me how great it was outside. My boss, after we both got back from lunch, would tell me about the walk he went on, or how he laid out with a nice meal and a newspaper and got some sun.
That’s just cruel.
It was just normal small talk, but yeah, the effect was cruel. Writing every day like this for a week would have required a force of will. Doing it for three years required being a little crazy, I think. You really have to love your stories and believe that what you are creating is worth what you’re giving up. And I always felt that. Even when coworkers gave me grief for spending all my time in the library or that dark conference room. Especially then.
It must have been vindicating when publishers began sniffing around. Tell me about the first time a publisher came calling. What was that like?
The very first time was back with my first novel.
That was Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue, right?
Howey’s first book, Molly Fyde and the Parsona Rescue
Yeah, that was the first novel that I actually finished. A few friends convinced me to try to get it published. I spent a few weeks querying the work when an editor—Nadene Carter at Norlights Press — saw me tweeting in the voice of one of my characters. She followed the link to a blog where I was writing about my made-up universe, then asked for sample pages. I was over the moon.
What did she see in your writing then?
Oh, I’m a little embarrassed to say. Nadene is a huge fan of sci-fi. She asked for more pages, said she needed to see where the story went, that readers were going to “gobble this up.” She kept comparing the work to Ursula K. LeGuin’s material. It was mind-blowing. I really had a great time working with Nadene. When I finished Wool 2, I dedicated the work to her.
When Wool found success, publishers came calling in greater numbers.
Well, Kristin (Nelson, of Nelson Literary Agency) sent the work out to editors along with some sales data. The first offers that came back were a blend of amusing and depressing. The money was great, but I was already making quite a bit.
What was the depressing part?
It was the ideas they had. They wanted to take the book off the market and repackage it for a “real” release.” Major publishers wanted to change the name of a book that already had a hundred thousand fans.
Did they make any suggestions for a new title?
If they did, I’ve blocked it out. The gist was that Wool was a dumb title for a science fiction novel. I suppose the idea was that books should blend in and be invisible, not stand out and sell like gangbusters.
Howey, Kristin Nelson and her husband
If it ain’t broke, as they say…
That was our attitude. What was really revealing was how unsurprised Kristin was. She’s been a top agent in this industry for a long time, so she’s seen this sort of thing before. I think she took it in stride because of the interest we were getting overseas and in Hollywood.
The two of you stuck it out, though. I recall you writing about your whirlwind tour, meeting publisher after publisher. What was it like to sit down with each publishing house to hear their offers?
It was a mix of excitement and disappointment. There’s a misconception out there that I negotiated my way into this landmark deal, but that wasn’t the case at all. I told publishers what I was looking for, which was to sell them the print rights and let me keep the digital, and I was told, flat-out, that this would never happen. So there wasn’t any negotiating these points. It was just a matter of sitting across the table from these publishing teams as they promised me the moon and offered what they thought was a massive advance.
It just seemed that way.
At one meeting, I opened my laptop and pulled up my sales figures to show them that they were offering me what I make in a month. I don’t think they understood what self-publishing pays.
You said it was both exciting and disappointing — how was it exciting?
The exciting part was getting to tour these publishing houses. As a lifelong reader and a bookseller, I would have paid money to do this. I flew to New York, was given a badge, was scanned through the formidable steel gates and glass partitions that keep the riff raff out of HarperCollins, Random House, Penguin, and Simon & Schuster. And then I got to walk down halls lined with books, posters of books, glass displays of books, piles of manuscripts, and fancy meeting rooms full of editors and publicists and marketing experts. It was an absolute blast. Right up until the meetings commenced.
Signing copies of Wool
It seems that lately, traditional publishing is becoming less of a realistic goal for indie authors. But many authors are still ecstatic at the idea of seeing their book made into a movie. What was it like when you learned that Ridley Scott and Steve Zaillian were optioning the rights to Wool?
I couldn’t believe it. I was in my backyard, on my crappy old flip cellphone, pacing in circles while conferencing in with my agents. It was a very hectic time in my life. I had just quit my day job; the book sales were going up and up; and I was having a conversation with a different producer every day. It was Universal Studios and a gentleman whose films I loved almost as much as Ridley’s, and a handful of TV stations, and more every day telling my agent that they needed more time, that one more person higher up the chain needed to finish reading but that an offer was heading my way, and please don’t make a decision just yet.
I didn’t realize there was interest from television networks, too. Someone must have seen the potential for one hell of a gritty drama in your books.
Oh, yeah. We were thinking Battlestar Galactica meets Lost. A lot of fans were weighing in for a TV deal, but the right offer never materialized in time.
It’s hard to complain, though. Ridley Scott — how do you pass that up?
My thoughts exactly. The Ridley deal was on the table, and they didn’t want to get into a bidding war. And frankly, neither did I. When I heard Steve Zaillian was sending the book on to Ridley, I wanted to end up with this duo. I kept dreaming that they’d come back with an offer. When they did, I reckoned my life had peaked right then and that it would never get better |
miles from the shelves of the Apple store, and ordinarily concealed from consumer concern, lies the reality of alienating toil that, in extreme conditions, contributes to individual tragedies such as Yu's. During 2010, 18 young workers, ranging in age from 17 to 25, attempted suicide at Foxconn facilities in China. Fourteen died, whereas four survived with crippling injuries (Chan, 2011b). International media dubbed these events the ‘suicide express’ (Daily Mail, 29 May 2010). Facing public criticism, Foxconn strove to minimise reputational damage by claiming that the suicide rate at its plants was below the national rate of 23 per 100,000 people (Phillips et al., 2002). Liu Kun, the corporate public communications director, emphasised that Foxconn had more than 1,000,000 employees in China alone, and that the reasons for suicides were multiple. ‘Given its size, the rate of self‐killing at Foxconn is not necessarily far from China's relatively high average’, reported The Guardian (28 May 2010). But no scientific study would draw a comparison which ignores the fact that the suicides were by young people employed by a single company, the great majority working in a small industrial district of Shenzhen. Scientific comparisons would require that data be randomly drawn from a district with similar population size and age groups. It would make little sense, for example, to compare the workers’ suicides to patterns among the disadvantaged rural women and the elderly who made up a large proportion of the country's suicide cases (Ji et al., 2001, Lee and Kleinman, 2003; China Economic Review, 28 May 2010). The Foxconn suicide cluster represents a phenomenon that has no precedent in China's industrial history. It is hoped that the following testimony of Yu will contribute to an understanding of this wave of suicides and, more broadly, will assist in the necessary scrutiny of the Chinese and global contexts of international capital, which link Foxconn, electronic consumer product brands, and the Chinese government (Chan, 2010; 2012; Chan and Pun, 2010; Pun and Chan, 2012). This paper interweaves Yu's testimony with Foxconn's shop floor practices and will conclude with a discussion of the roles of the local government and the All‐China Federation of Trade Unions (ACFTU), the organisation that ostensibly represents workers, and their responses to the suicides.
Fieldwork in China Since summer 2010, and in the wake of the suicides and reports of corporate abuses, faculty members and students from 20 universities in mainland China, Taiwan and Hong Kong have formed the University Research Group on Foxconn. Together with Students and Scholars Against Corporate Misbehavior (SACOM),1 a Hong Kong–based transnational campaign group, international researchers have conducted independent investigations into Foxconn's labour practices and production systems (see January 2013 special issue of the South Atlantic Quarterly, Litzinger, 2013; Pun and Chan, 2013; Pringle, 2013; Hung, 2013). The author is one of the principal Hong Kong Chinese field researchers who have interviewed Foxconn workers, managers, government officials and labour rights activists in Hong Kong, Shenzhen (Longhua and Guanlan towns in Guangdong province), Chengdu (provincial city of Sichuan) and Chongqing municipality, and a labour rights advocate affiliated to SACOM. In addition to extended interviews with Yu, 42 additional interviews have been conducted by the author with current or former workers offsite, where they were not subject to managerial surveillance and thus retaliation. When undertaking such fieldwork the research team members identified themselves as a group in order to protect the anonymity of individual university researchers (particularly those full‐time undergraduate and postgraduate students based in mainland China) and frontline labour activists from company harassment or local government censorship. Such anonymity was essential given the close alliance between Foxconn managers and government officials across all four municipalities (Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin and Chongqing) and 15 provinces, in which Foxconn has huge investments in production and research and development facilities (Chan et al., 2013).
Tian Yu's story The first meeting with Yu was in July 2010 at the Shenzhen Longhua People's Hospital in Guangdong province, where she was recovering from the injuries sustained in her suicide attempt. Aware of Yu's fragile physical and psychological state, the researchers were fearful that their presence might cause Yu and her family further pain. However, both Yu's mother, at her bedside, and Yu herself when she awoke, welcomed their presence. The researchers sought to understand the nature of the ‘private troubles’ that had driven her attempted suicide and to channel this insight as a contribution to making these conditions a ‘public issue’ (Mills, [1959] 2000; Webster et al., 2008). Over the following weeks, as Yu regained her faculties and established bonds of trust with the researchers, she recalled her family background and the circumstances that had led to her being employed at Foxconn, her experiences working on the assembly line and living in the company dormitory. During interviews it became clear that Yu's problems were not individual or ‘psychological’ but were faced by many Foxconn employees. From farm to factory The personal journey undertaken by Yu, migrating from the countryside to employment as a young worker in the expanding workforce of China's export‐oriented manufacturing industry is not atypical: ‘I was born into a farming family in February 1993 in a village near Laohekou City, Hubei Province, central China. My grandmother brought me up while my parents were earning money as factory workers far away from home’. Yu belonged to the generation of ‘left‐behind children’, as the first rural‐to‐urban migration wave enveloped China's countryside. Since the mid‐1980s, the deterioration of the rural economy under the urban‐based state development policy, and the increased market pressures following China's accession to the World Trade Organization in 2001, brought about unprecedented challenges to China's vast peasantry. At best my family could earn about 15,000 yuan on the land in a year [approximately US$2,380], hardly enough to sustain six people … Some years later my parents returned home with just enough money to renovate the house. Rural reconstruction as a multidimensional project that integrates social and economic goals has been flawed and remains undeveloped (Selden, 1993 2007 en masse for the cities. Personal decisions to leave home are shaped by both sociocultural and economic concerns. Young rural residents increasingly express a desire to broaden their horizons and experience a modern life and cosmopolitan consumption in megacities such as Shenzhen, on the northern border of Hong Kong (Harney, 2008 Internet technology and mobile communications has opened a window on the wealthy, wonderful city lifestyle for us. Almost all the young people of my age, including my school friends, had gone off to work, and I was excited to see the world outside too. Upon completing a course at the local vocational school, I decided to leave the province to seek new opportunities, with my parents' support. Soon after the Spring Festival in early February 2010, Yu's father gave her about 500 yuan (approximately US$80) to support her search for work in the coastal Guangdong province, and provided her with a second‐hand cell phone so that she could call home. He asked her to be safe. My cousin brought me to the long‐distance coach station. I was joining many rural youth leaving the land to find jobs in the city. It was the first time in my life that I was far away from home, my familiar place, food and people … Getting off the coach, my first impression of the industrial town was that Shenzhen was nothing like what I had seen on TV. Rural reconstruction as a multidimensional project that integrates social and economic goals has been flawed and remains undeveloped (Selden,; Day and Hale,). Despite the elimination of agricultural taxes in the mid‐2000s, the countryside has remained stagnant as youth have leftfor the cities. Personal decisions to leave home are shaped by both sociocultural and economic concerns. Young rural residents increasingly express a desire to broaden their horizons and experience a modern life and cosmopolitan consumption in megacities such as Shenzhen, on the northern border of Hong Kong (Harney,).Soon after the Spring Festival in early February 2010, Yu's father gave her about 500 yuan (approximately US$80) to support her search for work in the coastal Guangdong province, and provided her with a second‐hand cell phone so that she could call home. He asked her to be safe. Arriving at Shenzhen—entering Foxconn In 1980, Shenzhen was the first special economic zone opened to overseas Chinese and foreign investments. Since 1988, Foxconn has built many factories in southern China, the heart of the nation's export‐oriented development and an area where labour and environmental regulations were weak and enforcement even weaker (Andors, 1988; Chan, 2001). Foxconn has expanded and diversified, taking advantage of favourable tax policies and low‐cost land and water for these electronics start‐ups. The result has been the creation of huge new workforces and a dependence on the continuous supply of labour from the countryside. New employees have experienced a depersonalised induction process, as depicted by Yu. At the Foxconn Recruitment Center, I queued up for the whole morning, filled out the job application form, pressed my fingertips onto the electronic reader, scanned my identity card, and took the blood test to complete the health check procedures. On 8 February 2010, I was employed as a general assembly‐line worker. Foxconn assigned me staff number F9347140. That same afternoon I received a brief company introduction about the working hours and rules and regulations at Foxconn's Guanlan factory. I also obtained a pocket‐sized, color‐printed Foxconn Employee Handbook. The preface of this Handbook is replete with morale‐boosting language: ‘Hurry toward your finest dreams, pursue a magnificent life. At Foxconn, you can expand your knowledge and accumulate experience. Your dreams extend from here until tomorrow’. The instructor at employee orientation told stories of entrepreneurs like CEOs Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to inspire new workers. Foxconn propagates this dream of riches through labour, the belief that success is possible through diligent work. Then, I and the hundreds of other new workers were taken to the Longhua factory, about an hour ride by the company bus. In a late afternoon, the setting sun bathed the Foxconn facilities in golden light. At 5 p.m. thousands and thousands of Foxconn workers poured out of the factory gate. Longhua is the flagship manufacturing base of Foxconn, where workers are assigned to day and night shifts on assembly lines. It is a key node in the global production network, where the assembly and shipment of finished products to world consumers continues around the clock 365 days a year. Container trucks and forklifts rumble non‐stop, serving a grid of factories that churn out iPhones, iPads and other electronic products. Yu became one of the 400,000‐strong Foxconn Longhua workforce, most of whom, similarly, were young rural migrants in their late‐teens to early twenties. The preface of this Handbook is replete with morale‐boosting language: ‘Hurry toward your finest dreams, pursue a magnificent life. At Foxconn, you can expand your knowledge and accumulate experience. Your dreams extend from here until tomorrow’. The instructor at employee orientation told stories of entrepreneurs like CEOs Steve Jobs and Bill Gates to inspire new workers. Foxconn propagates this dream of riches through labour, the belief that success is possible through diligent work.Longhua is the flagship manufacturing base of Foxconn, where workers are assigned to day and night shifts on assembly lines. It is a key node in the global production network, where the assembly and shipment of finished products to world consumers continues around the clock 365 days a year. Container trucks and forklifts rumble non‐stop, serving a grid of factories that churn out iPhones, iPads and other electronic products. Yu became one of the 400,000‐strong Foxconn Longhua workforce, most of whom, similarly, were young rural migrants in their late‐teens to early twenties. My introduction to factory work There are 12 business groups in the Foxconn company, which compete on ‘speed, quality, engineering service, efficiency and added value’ to maximise profits (Foxconn Technology Group, 2009: 8). Among them, iDPBG (integrated Digital Product Business Group) and iDSBG (innovation Digital System Business Group) exclusively serve Apple in components manufacture and final assembly. The other business groups tailor production for Microsoft, IBM, Samsung, Amazon, HP, Dell, Sony and other premium brands. My assembly‐line position was at the iDPBG. I arrived late for my first day of work. The factory was too big, and I got lost. So I spent a long time looking for the iDPBG workshop. The factory directory shows that there are ten zones listed from A to H, J, and L, and they are further subdivided into A1, A2, A3, L6, L7, J20, and so on. It takes almost an hour to walk from the south main gate to the north main gate, and another hour to walk from the west to the east gate. I did not know what each building was, nor did I know the meaning of the English acronyms that could be seen written everywhere, such as FIH [Foxconn International Holdings] and the JIT [just‐in‐time] Hub. Foxconn's working hours are notoriously long, as Yu soon experienced. Each production line in my workshop had from a few dozen to more than 100 workers. I was responsible for spot inspections of glass screens to see whether they were scratched. I woke up at 6:30 a.m., attended an unpaid morning meeting at 7:20 a.m., started work at 7:40 a.m., went to lunch at 11, and then usually skipped the evening meal to work overtime until 7:40 p.m. I attended compulsory unpaid work meetings every day. I reported to the line leaders 15 to 20 minutes earlier for roll call. Leaders lecture us on maintaining high productivity, reaching daily output targets and keeping discipline. There seemed to be no way for me to say ‘no’ to overtime … Toilet breaks during the working hours are also restricted. I had to swipe my staff ID card at electronic readers at the beginning and end of my work shift. I had to ask permission from the assistant line leaders to leave my seat. The assembly lines run on a 24‐hour non‐stop basis, the well‐lit shop floor visible from afar. I was switched to the night shift in March. Checking the screens of the products made my eyes feel intense pain. Working twelve‐hour days with a single day off every second week, there's no spare time to use the facilities like swimming pools, or to window shop for smartphones in the commercial districts within the enormous complex. The assembly lines run on a 24‐hour non‐stop basis, the well‐lit shop floor visible from afar. A harsh production regime Foxconn has adopted a production model apparently based on classic Taylorism. The production process is simplified to an extreme degree so that workers need no specialised knowledge or training to perform most tasks. Technicians from the industrial engineering department regularly use stop watches and computerised engineering devices to test workers. If they are able to meet the quota, targets are increased to the maximum possible. On the iPhone assembly line, another worker described how her tasks were measured to precise seconds: ‘I take a motherboard from the line, scan the logo, put it in an anti‐static bag, stick on a label and place it on the line. Each of these tasks takes two seconds. Every ten seconds I finish five tasks’ (Interview, 15 October 2011). As production ramps up, workers face serious problems if they are unable to complete orders within specified time frames. In some departments where workers normally take a 10‐minute break, those who fail to meet the hourly production target are not allowed to rest. New workers, like Yu, are repeatedly reprimanded for working ‘too slowly’ on the line, even when they strive to keep up with the ‘standard’ work pace. She recalled posters on the Foxconn workshop walls and between staircases that read: Value efficiency every minute, every second. Achieve goals or the sun will no longer rise. The devil is in the details. Foxconn's ‘8S’ policy is built upon the ‘5S’ Japanese management method to improve efficiency and organisational performance, which refers to Seiri (sort), Seiton (set in order), Seiso (clean), Seiketsu (standardise the first ‘3S’ procedures), Shitsuke (sustain the efforts of seiri, seiton, seiso and seiketsu), to which are added Safety, Saving and Security to the Taiwanese/Chinese system. Such principles are enforced rigorously, as Yu experienced. Foxconn's ‘8S’ policy is built upon the ‘5S’ Japanese management method to improve efficiency and organisational performance, which refers to Seiri (sort), Seiton (set in order), Seiso (clean), Seiketsu (standardise the first ‘3S’ procedures), Shitsuke (sustain the efforts of seiri, seiton, seiso and seiketsu), to which are added Safety, Saving and Security to the Taiwanese/Chinese system. Such principles are enforced rigorously, as Yu experienced. Frontline workers' sitting or standing posture is monitored as much as the work itself: ‘I had to sit in a standardized way. Stools have to be in order, and cannot move past a yellow and black ‘zebra line’ on the floor’. Foxconn's industrial engineering aims to make all workers' operations, up to the minutest movements, ever more rationalised, planned and measured. Each assembly‐line worker specialises in one specific task and performs repetitive motions at high speed, hourly, daily and for months on end. This ‘advanced’ production system removes feelings of freshness, accomplishment or initiative toward work: ‘I found it hard to see the end of the screen‐inspection work’, Yu reflected. Discipline and punishment A collection of quotations on the work philosophy of Foxconn's CEO, Terry Gou, adorn the factory walls and are regarded as holy writ, expressing the entrepreneurial spirit and relentless work ethos: Growth, thy name is suffering.
A harsh environment is a good thing.
Execution is the integration of speed, accuracy and precision.
Outside the lab, there is no high‐tech, only execution of discipline. Gou bases his management model on his military experience and insists on absolute obedience from top to bottom in a chain of command: ‘An army of a thousand is easy to get, one general is tough to find’. The 13‐level Foxconn management hierarchy is organised in a pyramid with clear lines of command. Senior leaders formulate the corporate development strategy and set annual profit goals. Middle management devise implementation plans and delegate responsibility while, in the workshop, production operators face intense supervision from multiple layers of management, including assistant line leaders, line leaders, team leaders and supervisors. Yu confirmed that while preparing to start work on the production line, frontline managers demand workers respond to the question, ‘How are you?’, by shouting in unison, ‘Good! Very good! Very, very good!’ Gou bases his management model on his military experience and insists on absolute obedience from top to bottom in a chain of command: ‘An army of a thousand is easy to get, one general is tough to find’. The 13‐level Foxconn management hierarchy is organised in a pyramid with clear lines of command. Senior leaders formulate the corporate development strategy and set annual profit goals. Middle management devise implementation plans and delegate responsibility while, in the workshop, production operators face intense supervision from multiple layers of management, including assistant line leaders, line leaders, team leaders and supervisors. Yu confirmed that while preparing to start work on the production line, frontline managers demand workers respond to the question, ‘How are you?’, by shouting in unison, ‘Good! Very good! Very, very good!’ A long work day of enforced silence, apart from the noise of the machines, is the norm. Yu recalled that, Friendly chit‐chat among co‐workers is not very common even during the break; everyone rushes to queue up for lunch and eat quickly. The company prohibits conversation in the workshop. In the factory area, CCTV cameras are set up virtually everywhere for surveillance. Thousands of security officers are on duty, patrolling every Foxconn factory building and dormitory. Special Security Zones are commonplace. In order to enter the iDPBG shop floor, I had to pass through layers of electronic gates and inspection systems. The entry access system is very strict. We were not allowed to bring cellphones or any metallic objects into the workshop. If there was a metal button on my clothes, it had to be removed, otherwise I wouldn't be allowed in, or they [security officers] would simply cut the metal button off. In order to maintain strict confidentiality for buyers like Apple, HP and Microsoft, Foxconn retains a veritable army of private security officers. Foxconn justifies this surveillance system by its contractual responsibility to secure its customers' rights to intellectual property, in which any leak of ‘business information’ will result in big financial losses. In this way, global technology multinationals transmit extreme pressure to the Chinese shop floor. Equipment like notebook computers, diskettes, flash drives and multimedia recording devices are strictly barred at Foxconn. In order to maintain strict confidentiality for buyers like Apple, HP and Microsoft, Foxconn retains a veritable army of private security officers. Foxconn justifies this surveillance system by its contractual responsibility to secure its customers' rights to intellectual property, in which any leak of ‘business information’ will result in big financial losses. In this way, global technology multinationals transmit extreme pressure to the Chinese shop floor. Equipment like notebook computers, diskettes, flash drives and multimedia recording devices are strictly barred at Foxconn. Foxconn's management practices and corporate culture are perceived as punishment‐oriented, despite the company human resources rhetoric of ‘mutual care and love’ (Lucas et al., 2013). Chan and Wang (2004) and Hsing (1998) have examined the Taiwanese managerial style on export‐oriented Chinese factories. Yu reiterated: I didn't make any mistakes on the products, but the line leader blamed me anyway … I saw a girl who was forced to stand at attention for hours for supposedly making an error. Public humiliations occurred several times during the working month. Line leaders, themselves under pressure to fulfill their own production norms, treat workers harshly to reach targets. A young line leader reported, ‘If we listen too much to our superiors, we have to mistreat workers below us. If we take care of the workers' feelings too much, maybe we won't complete our tasks. When work is busy, it's easy to get angry’ (Interview, 17 October 2011). Line leaders, themselves under pressure to fulfill their own production norms, treat workers harshly to reach targets. A young line leader reported, ‘If we listen too much to our superiors, we have to mistreat workers below us. If we take care of the workers' feelings too much, maybe we won't complete our tasks. When work is busy, it's easy to get angry’ (, 17 October 2011). In a group interview, several young women employees discussed the ritualistic punishment that they had to endure (Interview, 30 March 2011). Their collective experience was articulated most clearly by one of this group. After work, all of us—more than 100 people—are [sometimes] made to stay behind. This happens whenever a worker is punished. A girl is forced to stand at attention to read aloud a statement of self‐criticism. She must be loud enough to be heard. Our line leader would ask if the worker at the far end of the workshop could hear clearly the mistake she has made. Oftentimes girls feel they are losing face. It's very embarrassing. Her tears drop. Her voice becomes very small … Then the line leader shouts: ‘If one worker loses only one minute [failing to keep up with the work pace], then, how much more time will be wasted by 100 people? ‘A massive place of strangers’ Yu worked on the production line for more than a month and never made friends. ‘Heart to heart, Foxconn and I grow together’ reads a bright red Foxconn banner above the production line. It suggests that the workers and the company identify with each other but, behind the image of ‘a warm family with a loving heart’, the life of a Foxconn worker is atomised. The profound loneliness and displaced lives of young migrant workers has been reported in other studies (Jacka, 2006; Yan, 2008). Yu's experience illustrates the difficulty of forming meaningful social relationships in a mega‐factory where workers are individualised and pitted against each other to achieve incessant and excessive production demands. Foxconn's practice of rotating day and night shifts not only affects workers' rest but also hinders their ability to set up networks of social support. With roommates often working different shifts, it is difficult to rest or fulfill their need to socialise. When speaking of her dormitory roommates, Yu recalled, ‘We were not close. Random dormitory reassignments break up friendships, increasing our isolation. Although eight girls were housed in the same room, we were strangers to each other. Some of us had just moved in as others moved out. None of the roommates was from Hubei’. Yu's father explained the significance of this experience. ‘When she first came to Shenzhen, sometimes when others spoke, she couldn't understand much’. While Mandarin is the national language in China, local dialects are commonly used among people from their native place, and these sublanguages often cannot be comprehended by outsiders. In school, by contrast, my classmates and I often had time for relaxation and fun, we celebrated birthdays and sang songs. At Foxconn, when I felt lonely, I would sometimes chat on QQ online. But those logging on to the QQ groups in the Internet space2 are bound to remain distant. ‘In Foxconn's Longhua factory, with none of my good friends or family members around, it's a massive place of strangers’. But those logging on to the QQ groups in the Internet spaceare bound to remain distant. ‘In Foxconn's Longhua factory, with none of my good friends or family members around, it's a massive place of strangers’. The accumulation of despair After I had worked a month, when it was time to distribute wages, everyone else got their wage debit cards, but I did not. I asked the line leader what had happened. The line leader said that although I worked at Longhua, my wage card was at another Foxconn factory in Guanlan town. Yu had been interviewed at the Recruitment Center in Foxconn Guanlan before being sent to the Longhua facility. The Human Resources Department at Guanlan had kept her personal file and the documents had not been transferred, so that her debit bank account at Foxconn Longhua had not been set up. Consequently, she did not receive her pay. ‘I had no choice but to take a bus to Foxconn Guanlan on my own’. The Guanlan factory, which began production in summer 2007, now employed 130,000 workers. In an unfamiliar factory compound, ‘I went to Block C10, B1, B2, and from floor to floor of building after building to inquire about my wage card’. Yu had been interviewed at the Recruitment Center in Foxconn Guanlan before being sent to the Longhua facility. The Human Resources Department at Guanlan had kept her personal file and the documents had not been transferred, so that her debit bank account at Foxconn Longhua had not been set up. Consequently, she did not receive her pay. ‘I had no choice but to take a bus to Foxconn Guanlan on my own’. The Guanlan factory, which began production in summer 2007, now employed 130,000 workers. In an unfamiliar factory compound, ‘I went to Block C10, B1, B2, and from floor to floor of building after building to inquire about my wage card’. After a fruitless day of searching for the right office, with managers and administrators deflecting responsibility, she was unable to find information about her wage card. She recalled: ‘I went from office to office by myself but no one would point me in the right direction. They all brushed me off, telling me to ask someone else’. She never received pay for a month of work, approximately 1,400 yuan (US$220) consisting of a basic pay of 900 yuan plus overtime premiums. By then it was the middle of March 2010, and after more than one month in Shenzhen I had spent all of the money my parents had given me. Where could I borrow money? At this moment of crisis my cellphone broke. I was unable to get in touch with my cousin in Shenzhen, my sole link to home and family. I could find no one to help me. The accumulated effects of endless assembly line toil, punishing work schedules, harsh factory discipline, a friendless dormitory and, rejection from managers and administrators, compounded by the company's failure to provide her with income, and then her inability to make contact with friends and family, were the immediate circumstances of her attempted suicide. Her testimony reveals how she was overwhelmed, ‘I was so desperate that my mind went blank’. The accumulated effects of endless assembly line toil, punishing work schedules, harsh factory discipline, a friendless dormitory and, rejection from managers and administrators, compounded by the company's failure to provide her with income, and then her inability to make contact with friends and family, were the immediate circumstances of her attempted suicide. Her testimony reveals how she was overwhelmed, ‘I was so desperate that my mind went blank’. At 8 a.m. on March 17, Yu jumped from the fourth floor of her dormitory building in despair. After 12 days in a coma, she awoke to find that her body had become half‐paralysed. She is now confined to a bed or a wheelchair. Rebuilding life ‘There's no choosing your birth, but here, you will reach your destiny. Here you need only dream, and you will soar!’ reads a Foxconn recruitment slogan. The world's largest industrial company turned out to be the antithesis of Yu's dream workplace. In October 2010, eight months after her hopitalisation, under mounting public pressure Foxconn finally disbursed a one‐off ‘humanitarian payment’ of 180,000 yuan (US$27,000) to ‘help the Tian family to go home’. In effect, the company stopped providing medical support and sent Yu and her parents back home in exchange for their silence about management's negligence. In the words of Yu's father, ‘It was as if they were buying and selling a thing. There was no compassion, no fairness’. However, Yu has not lost her will to ‘stand up’. On returning to her birth village on November 30, 2010, she wrote to the University Research Group (my translation): For various reasons, I had a tragedy that caused my family great suffering. During my recovery in Shenzhen, many kind‐hearted university students and teachers and uncles and aunts offered encouragement and concern for my situation, and great consolation to my injured spirit. It enabled me to see life's hope and promise. A supportive local teacher drove her from her home to a hospital in Wuhan, the provincial city of Hubei, where the treatment for her paralysis eventually enabled her to brush her teeth, wash and dress herself without too much difficulty (Ai, 2011 A supportive local teacher drove her from her home to a hospital in Wuhan, the provincial city of Hubei, where the treatment for her paralysis eventually enabled her to brush her teeth, wash and dress herself without too much difficulty (Ai,). A combination of further treatment and personal determination has enabled her to sit up by herself and gain limited movement in her right foot. Over three years, Yu has received acupuncture and massage therapy at a local hospital. At the same time, she started weaving cotton slippers to earn a little income to help pay her rehabilitation fees. Chinese netizens spread word about the colourful handwoven slippers and ‘the reborn phoenix Tian Yu’ (Shenzhen Daily, 22 April 2011). The harsh reality, however, is that the village is more than a five‐hour drive from Wuhan, severely limiting the development of a family‐based arts and handicrafts enterprise. Despite this, Yu keeps her optimistic outlook. I can no longer be a migrant worker, nor can I do farm work. Throughout my treatment, I thought that after being discharged from the hospital, regardless of whether I could stand or not, I must have my own income and be able to take care of myself independent of my parents and friends … I will be a useful person to society, not a useless burden on society. Thank you for your concern. I wish you successful studies and work. Yu's desperation is emblematic of myriad labour problems at ‘the electronics workshop of the world’. During Yu's intensive medical treatment in the Shenzhen hospital, the dreams of more than a dozen young Foxconn workers were similarly shattered. How did Foxconn respond to the workplace‐based suicide cluster and critical media scrutiny? Yu's desperation is emblematic of myriad labour problems at ‘the electronics workshop of the world’. During Yu's intensive medical treatment in the Shenzhen hospital, the dreams of more than a dozen young Foxconn workers were similarly shattered. How did Foxconn respond to the workplace‐based suicide cluster and critical media scrutiny?
The company response In a media interview on employee suicides, Foxconn CEO Terry Gou highlighted the ‘emotional problems’ of Chinese workers, while also felt compelled to take corporate responsibility: ‘If a worker in Taiwan commits suicide because of emotional problems, his employer won't be held responsible, but we are taken to task in China because they are living and sleeping in our dormitories (quoted in The Straits Times, 11 June 2010)’. The company moved swiftly to control the damage to its image, announcing plans to improve conditions in the wake of the suicides. It started to require all job applicants to complete a psychological test with 36 questions. It was a victim‐blaming approach. Those with ‘weak capability to handle personal problems’ and ‘fragile spirits’ were the source of the past troubles. Foxconn left intact the underlying structures of labour‐management relations, the pressures of speedup and illegal levels of compulsory overtime work, and the humiliation of workers on the shop floor, all aspects of the factory regime that are central to understanding of the young workers' deep frustrations and the continuing crisis of labour. No‐suicide pledge, anti‐suicide nets In May 2010, the Foxconn human resources director attempted to make workers sign a no‐suicide pledge containing a disclaimer clause: Should any injury or death arise for which Foxconn cannot be held accountable (including suicides and self‐mutilation), I hereby agree to hand over the case to the company's legal and regulatory procedures. I myself and my family members will not seek extra compensation above that required by the law so that the company's reputation would not be ruined and its operation remains stable (China Central TV, 28 May 2010). The no‐suicide ‘consent letter’ sought not only to limit Foxconn's liability but to ensure that the responsibility for future suicides was placed on the individual worker. After intense criticism by workers and from wider society, Foxconn subsequently dropped this administrative requirement. The no‐suicide ‘consent letter’ sought not only to limit Foxconn's liability but to ensure that the responsibility for future suicides was placed on the individual worker. After intense criticism by workers and from wider society, Foxconn subsequently dropped this administrative requirement. In the same month that Foxconn was making these attempts to deny responsibility for the suicides at its facilities, the suicide wave reached its appalling peak, when seven young migrant workers attempted suicide, resulting in six deaths. As an emergency measure, Foxconn placed safety nets around the roofs, on both sides of corridors, and all the windows were covered with wire and locked tight. These ‘remedial measures’ were taken to prevent workers from leaping to their deaths. In the two major Foxconn factory complexes in Longhua and Guanlan, where more than 500,000 workers were housed in an all‐encompassing, densely‐populated environment (Foxconn Technology Group, 11 October 2010), and in all its manufacturing bases across China, anti‐suicide nets have now been installed. A female employee aged 16, reflected, ‘I feel really constrained at Foxconn since the suicides. Now everywhere there are safety nets, they've set up these nets everywhere. It gives you a really constricted feeling. I'm depressed’ (Interview, 3 December 2011). The factory dormitory system contains a massive internal migrant labour force without the support of family networks and communal life (Pun and Smith, 2007; Pun and Chan, 2013). What is striking is that all the ‘Foxconn dormitory safety management measures’ were put in place only after the negative publicity that followed the suicides. Some netizens posted pictures of giraffes in a zoo cage, a metaphor for the experience of Foxconn workers being confined in wire‐covered dorm rooms and the dehumanised nature of their working lives (Financial Times, 20 January 2012). The enterprise union: in defense of workers' rights? To understand why no official trade union staff members visited Yu in hospital or offered to assist with her problems, it is necessary to analyse the nature of the ACFTU. From 2003, the new Chinese government of Hu Jintao and Wen Jiabao was promoting a unionisation campaign focused on private and foreign‐invested firms (Liu, 2011). As of January 2012, the Chinese trade union federation had a total membership of 258 million, of whom 36 per cent (94 million) were rural migrant workers (Xinhua, 7 January 2012). The numbers surpass the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) global membership of 175 million workers in 156 countries and territories excluding China (ITUC, 2012). By June 2012, 82.7 per cent of non‐state companies were unionised, including various types of business entities and labour contracting companies (ACFTU, 2012). This stands in sharp contrast to the United States, where in recent decades private‐sector labour unions have shrunk to a small percentage of the industrial and service workforce (Chun, 2009). In spite of impressive Chinese union membership, operational and financial dependence on management severely undermines the capacity of enterprise unions to represent the workers (Traub‐Merz and Ngok, 2012). The Foxconn factory union is no |
go through a renovation. Let's hear it for preservation in downtown.A total of 312 new projects approved in 28 municipalities across Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario, March 31, 2017 — Investing in public infrastructure supports efficient, affordable and sustainable transit services that help Canadians and their families get to work, school and essential services on time and back home safely at the end of a long day.
Today, the Honourable Karina Gould, Minister of Democratic Institutions and Member of Parliament for Burlington, on behalf of the Honourable Amarjeet Sohi, Minister of Infrastructure and Communities, Ted McMeekin, Member of Provincial Parliament for Ancaster—Dundas—Flamborough—Westdale, on behalf of the Honourable Steven Del Duca, Ontario Minister of Transportation, and his Worship Fred Eisenberger, Mayor of Hamilton, announced 13 newly approved projects that will benefit Hamilton under the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund (PTIF). The federal government is providing up to 50 per cent of funding for these projects—just over $36.2 million.
Earlier today, Prime Minister Trudeau acknowledged the importance of public transit to Canadians as stated in Budget 2017, and also announced federal funding for major GO Transit Regional Express Rail projects across the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area.
Budget 2017 is the next step in the Government’s long-term plan to create jobs and strengthen the middle class. Prime Minister Trudeau spoke about how Budget 2017 will make ambitious investments in public transit projects that shorten commutes, decrease air pollution, and allow Canadians to spend more time with their families.
The PTIF projects include significant investments across Hamilton. A project to design and plan a new maintenance and storage facility will support the maintenance of the expanding transit fleet. The purchase of 16 new buses will also support the growth of the public transit system and make transit services for riders more reliable and comfortable. Another project will modernize and refurbish numerous bus stops and shelters, improving riders’ experience as they wait for transit services to take them where they need to go.
In addition to these projects, Minister Gould and MPP McMeekin also announced that 107 public transit projects will benefit eleven other communities across Ontario.
This investment is part of an agreement between Canada and Ontario for the Public Transit Infrastructure Fund.A “tank” Hamas proudly rolled out at a funeral last week may be more parade float than war machine, and a photo of the contraption prompted Twitter trolls to turn their guns on the terrorist group.
The olive behemoth appeared at a memorial service for seven Hamas members killed when an illegal tunnel they were digging in Gaza collapsed. But in between the mysteriously immobile half-tracks, sharp-eyed social media mavens noticed what looks like a set of telltale tires.
Hamas paraded yesterday a "captured, rebuilt Israeli tank". FYI, tanks aren't made of wood and don't run on wheels. pic.twitter.com/cP1e8KFjAJ — Ofir Gendelman (@ofirgendelman) February 1, 2016
“Hamas paraded yesterday a 'captured, rebuilt Israeli tank,' tweeted Ofir Gendelman, spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. “FYI, tanks aren't made of wood and don't run on wheels.”
Few took seriously Hamas’ claim the tank was captured from Israeli forces, and reconstructed in Gaza. But some apparently did:Ten rockets fired from the Gaza Strip exploded in southern Israel Monday, prompting Israeli retaliatory strikes on the Hamas-controlled territory.
Red alert sirens sounded Monday morning in Sderot and the Sha’ar Hanegev region of southern Israel, adjacent to the Palestinian enclave.
Seven rockets fell in open areas in the Sha’ar Hanegev region and outside the city of Sderot, causing no injuries or damage. One rocket exploded in Sderot, causing damage to a road and several shops.
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Another rocket struck the Eshkol region of southern Israel, but regional officials said the warning sirens did not go off.
According to Army Radio, the Iron Dome missile defense system intercepted an inbound rocket as well.
A police spokesman said police bomb disposal experts were searching for the remains of the projectiles.
The IDF dispatched two attack helicopters to the northern Gaza Strip to identify the source of the rocket fire and the choppers fired “warning shots” into the Strip.
Later on Monday, the Israeli Air Force carried out airstrikes on the Gaza Strip, hitting targets in Khan Younis, Nasirat and Deir al-Balah. According to the IDF, Israeli aircraft struck two “terror activity sites” in the southern Gaza Strip and a third in the central Gaza Strip in response to the rocket fire. The IDF said direct hits were confirmed.
The Palestinian Ma’an news agency reported that one government security agent was hurt in an IAF strike in the central Gaza Strip.
Earlier in the morning, a Gaza-based terrorist group launched a rocket-propelled grenade at an IDF patrol near the security fence east of the city of Deir al-Balah. According to the Palestinian Safa news agency, the rocket missed its target, and the Israeli soldiers returned fire.
The IDF confirmed that an army patrol identified an RPG fired in its general direction, but said the soldiers did not fire back.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for either of the attacks.
According to the IDF, terrorist groups in the Gaza Strip have fired at least 108 rockets and mortars into Israel since the beginning of 2014.
IDF spokesman Lt. Col. Peter Lerner responded to the escalation of hostilities in southern Israel saying that it was the IDF’s “obligation to seek out and target those who wish to attack our civilians and soldiers and to eliminate their capabilities. Hamas rocket terrorism is an intolerable reality Israelis should not have to accept.”How do state officials and indigenous leaders in Alaska, where the climate is warming faster than almost any other place in the world, pursue their work in a world where the new president has dismissed climate change as a hoax and has appointed like-minded people to key environmental posts?
Very carefully, it turns out.
That may start with wording. Take the description used for a glacier-shaped bar of soap, a door prize at an environmental conference this month in Anchorage.
"It symbolizes climate change, or what are we calling it now? 'Ecological transition,' " Kurt Eilo, executive director of the Alaska Forum on the Environment, said when he gave the soap to one of the conference attendees.
Climate change is an important enough priority for the state of Alaska to have been invoked by Gov. Bill Walker in his state of the state address: "Alaska is the only Arctic state in the nation — and we are ground zero for climate impacts," he said in his address, delivered a month ago.
Discussing the issue with the Trump administration might require a diplomatic approach, said Larry Hartig, commissioner of the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation.
"You would try to tailor it in a way that you would find common ground," he said when asked how he would approach the subject with the new administration. "I wouldn't speculate a lot on what caused it," he said. "I would focus on: What are we going to do for the communities?"
The same goes for non-fossil-fuel forms of energy, Hartig said.
"There's a lot of no-regret type of opportunities when it comes to renewable energy. We don't want to lose that momentum on that," he said.
Renewable energy development has bipartisan support in Alaska, as costs of diesel fuel and other fossil fuels are especially burdensome in remote parts of the state.
On the international level, Hartig said, he would counsel the Trump administration against pulling out of the Paris climate agreement, which the president has vowed to do.
"We have to recognize that as much as one administration may want to change things in a different direction than the other administration was going, there's the rest of the world out there," he said. If the United States becomes "too much of an outlier" concerning climate change and renewable energy, results could be costly, he said, and that is the message he would try to convey if given an opportunity. "You're being replaced as a world power; you're being replaced as an economic power," he said.
Jim Stotts, president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council of Alaska, is anticipating the need for a tougher approach.
He and his colleagues are concerned about the new person or people who will lead Arctic policy at the Arctic Council and State Department level.
"If it was somebody that was very much a climate-change denier, clearly we would go on the offense and make the case that, yes, there is climate change, and yes, it does affect the Arctic more than any place in the world," Stotts said.
So far, though, the Trump administration has not taken any specific steps that would warrant a response from the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Stotts said.
"We haven't reacted to anything because we haven't had anything to react to yet," he said. "I think until something happens, we're just proceeding as things are normal. We realize they probably won't be."
President Donald Trump's choice to head the Environmental Protection Agency, Scott Pruitt, fought the agency when he was Oklahoma attorney general, and environmental group leaders say he has questioned the overwhelming scientific evidence of climate change.
State Rep. Andy Josephson, an Anchorage Democrat, is arguing that the state should take climate action without federal support, if necessary.
He plans to introduce a bill that would revive the state climate-change advisory panel created by Gov. Sarah Palin in 2007 but deactivated under her successor, Sean Parnell — with some new twists, chiefly a mechanism to collect money for climate-mitigation work within Alaska. The bill in the works is an update of legislation Josephson introduced last year; that bill did not move out of committee.
Josephson said he is not optimistic about convincing the Trump administration to take Alaska climate change seriously. "I don't know of any way" to do that, he said. Instead, he said, the state should take the initiative on the subject, study the work done by the previous climate commission and build on it.
"We don't need to sit around and the issue is not going to sit around. We can't afford to wait," he said. "It's about us right now and what we can do aside from the federal government and federal intervention."
One notable Trump administration move was the decision to slash from 34 to 17 the number of EPA officials authorized to attend the recent Alaska Forum on the Environment — an annual gathering in Anchorage that attracts hundreds of participants from across the state. Issues discussed at the forum included climate change impacts in Alaska, security of wild foods needed by rural residents, water quality, marine debris and community waste management.
The Trump transition team portrayed the decision as a cost-saving measure, even though the Alaska EPA headquarters is just a few blocks away from the downtown convention center where the weeklong event was held. "This is one small example of how EPA will be working cooperatively with our staff and our outside partners to be better stewards of the American people's money," Doug Ericksen, communication lead for the Trump administration's EPA transition team, said in a statement.
Eilo, a former EPA official, said he worries about future conferences. Three-quarters of the attendees from rural Alaska depend on federal funds to attend the forum, he said. However, the forum will continue to be held, even if in reduced form. "We understand we're living in uncertain times. But we have work to do," he said.
Hartig also said he has concerns about effects on rural Alaska of drastic changes at the EPA. The short-lived freeze on EPA grants imposed by the Trump administration was potentially damaging to rural Alaska water and sewer upgrades that depend on EPA support, he said. Weather conditions make the Alaska construction season short, so the grant freeze — which has since been revoked — could have had ripple effects.TID:
This image quickly “went viral” on the Internet and really struck a chord with people when same-sex marriage was legalized in Washington State. Please tell us the backstory behind the image.
MERYL:
On February 13, 2012, Governor Chris Gregoire signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in Washington State. However, due to the referendum process, the issue was then put on the ballot for voters to decide. After the November 6th election, and for the first time in history, same-sex marriage became legal by a vote of the people and the result was certified on December 5th.
That evening people began lining up to apply for marriage licenses and shortly after midnight on December 6th, 2012, the first licenses were issued. There were 10 couples, many of whom had a hand in the passage of the referendum, who in a small ceremony (with their guests and the media present) obtained their licenses from King County Executive Dow Constantine. Simultaneously, people who had lined up outside, were let into the King County Recorder’s Office to obtain their marriage licenses. Randy and Larry were number 72.
TID:
How did you prepare for this story?
MERYL:
I honestly didn’t prepare, and I almost didn’t go.
After working all day, I had two photography sessions for my business, Meryl Schenker Photography, and getting caught up in a traffic jam, I was tired. In addition, I couldn’t really envision what type of photos I would be able to make if I went. I’ve never applied for a marriage license, so I had no idea what that looked like visually. I was having a difficult time getting motivated. Furthermore, it was originally determined the private midnight ceremony was going to be a pool situation, so I wasn’t planning on being let into that event.
At the last minute, I decided to go and see what I could see. I knew I’d at least get my friend and client, Jessica and her fiance, Lisa, getting their marriage license, as I knew they were waiting in line. I really didn’t want to miss the opportunity to document history. Besides, in the past, none of my best images were conceptualized in advance.
TID:
There were dozens of other photographers there to document this historic moment. How did you place yourself in the right place at the right time?
MERYL:
I try and stay later than everyone else and get away from other photographers. Sometimes it’s just not possible, but for a moment in time at 1:30 a.m., it was. Plus a little bit of luck is always involved. It was late, and a lot of my colleagues were either transmitting by then, downstairs where the couples were leaving, or had left.
Because I wasn’t working for a daily or wire service, I didn’t try to make any deadlines, just concentrate on the image making. I know I could have had had more images published if I had sat there with my computer and transmitted what I had (to Zuma Press), but that isn’t how I function anymore, unless I have a specific client looking for images. In this case I had sent myself there, and the idea of selling wasn’t really on my mind.
TID:
As visual content creators our work sometimes reinforces stereotypes. But magic seems to happen when an image challenges stereotypes. Were you thinking about this as you made this photograph?
MERYL:
I honestly can’t remember if I thought that before, during or after the making of this photo. I was happy that Randy and Larry let me tag along as they got their marriage license and that no one else had seemed to key in on them. I thought they were unusual, and that I had the potential to make a special image, but I had no idea that millions and millions of people would see and appreciate this image and it would be held up as an example of challenging stereotypes.
When I began processing the images at home, I definitely liked this image right away, but I still can’t get over what happened with this photo. It exploded so fast, it’s all a bit of a blur.
TID:
What challenges did you encounter while working to make this image?
MERYL:
There were a lot of photographers, professional and friends of couples, in a very tight area, trying to document history.
The only challenge while trying to make an image of Larry and Randy was that while they were in the process of speaking with the licensing official, another photographer friend, Bettina Hansen, came over to ask them some questions. Unbeknownst to me, she had photographed them in line earlier using a long lens, and needed their names. She was classy enough to get the information and leave and not “squeeze in.”
TID:
How did you handle and overcome these problems?
MERYL:
I just crossed my fingers and hoped that she would be done asking them her questions by the time they were ready to take the oath. She had a right to be there, so I couldn’t really ask her not to, although I have to admit, it was making me a little nervous. I thought about it asking her to come back after they were finished, but decided not too.
In general, I try and be respectful and not jump in on someone else’s photo. For example, some couples just attract attention. There was a woman wearing a veil, and because that was obviously visual, there were several of us trying to get a photo of her and her fiance getting their marriage license. After a few minutes I walked away and let other photographers “work it”, because I knew that that photo was not going to be unique.
TID:
Now, onto the moment. Can you talk about the moments leading up to the picture and also the actual moment?
MERYL:
People were being moved in small groups from the downstairs line to the upstairs line (in the hallway outside the elevator) and then into the Recorders office. I was leaving the upstairs area (via elevator) to go downstairs with Jessica and Lisa (to follow them through the rest of the process) when I spotted Randy and Larry waiting in line by the elevator. They stood out because of their long matching beards, their similar look and because Larry was in a wheelchair. I thought to myself, I better try and get back up here and speak to them, they look really interesting.
I went down in the elevator with Jessica and Lisa, I took some more photos and I told Jessica, “I want to get back upstairs and see if I can catch those guys.” Lucky for me, the line hadn’t moved too fast and they hadn’t had their appointment yet.
They were quietly minding their own business when I found them standing in line with everyone else. I don’t remember exactly what I said to them, but we talked, I found them to be charming with their southern accents and mannerisms. I discovered that Larry was only in the wheelchair temporarily. I asked them if I could photograph them as they applied for the license. I think I said something about them looking different. They were so sweet, and I think it tickled them to be asked to be followed, as they didn't see themselves as special. Also, it was around 1:30 a.m. and a lot of the hub bub had died down by then.
TID: What surprised you about the moment? MERYL: Honestly, nothing. It was a fairly routine event (taking the oath) made special by the people in the photo. Not to be misunderstood, the whole evening was special, but getting a marriage license isn’t typically what one would think of as a particularly photogenic event. TID: I'm curious if you have any strategies on how you relate to folks and/or gets them to be natural while you are present. I know you said the situation in the office wasn't too difficult, but still, you are very close to them (physically) in many images, and they seem completely at ease. MERYL: I am so glad to hear you say they look completely at ease with me being close. Due to the recent advice of two top-level photo editors, I have been working on getting closer and had that in the back of my mind during both photo opportunities. I've never really thought about how I put people as ease. I think I combine a mixture of talking to them like friends and joking a bit, with being quiet and just letting them concentrate on what they are doing. It's difficult sometimes because people really like to engage me in conversation. I'm a very honest person, and maybe that comes through. I do think that people can tell when you have a warm heart and good intentions. In addition, it was a good match of personalities. Not every story is right for every photographer and not every photographer is right for every story (or subject). TID: What have you learned about yourself in the process of making images like this? MERYL: Remember to trust my instincts. TID: Is there anything else you want to add about this experience? MERYL: I think some photographers might think that the best picture to be made is the one that is laid out for us by the event organizers. In this case, the private ceremony, with the “chosen” couples. And, those photos were important. But there are images waiting to be made by seeing on our own and not just documenting what is laid before us. TID: Could you tell a bit more about how and why you chose to be with them on their wedding day? What did you say or do to get such great images of them in a personal space (the bathroom!) MERYL: The night they got their marriage license, (after I took "the" photo), I followed them through the rest of the process. I just liked them and thought they were unique. And I really liked the fact that they weren't looking for attention. At some point, I asked them if I could photograph their wedding. I asked them because it was a historic occasion, and I think many photographers do better concentrating on a specific person (or in this case, couple) than racing around trying to capture everything. They said yes, although at that point they hadn't confirmed where and when they were actually getting married. We exchanged phone numbers and I called them the next evening, and I told them what happened with their photo going viral. After that we spoke several times on the phone and exchanged emails, as I kept them informed of what was going on with their photo and helped them navigate through a few requests. They were very grateful to have my perspective since they were never looking for attention, and didn't quite know how to handle it. I never told them what to do, just gave them pros and cons. The phone conversations, and I guess the way I handled myself, built up trust.
MERYL: When they decided to go through with the group wedding in the church (they considered postponing because of all the attention), and told me they were going to come to Seattle the night before and stay in a hotel, I asked them if I could meet them at their hotel room and take photos of them getting ready. I figured during a group wedding in a dark church it would be difficult to get intimate photos, and knew spending time with them ahead of time would be best to capture their relationship. Actually, it's what all wedding photographers do before the wedding, capture the couple getting ready, so it didn't seem like too much of an unusual request. Plus it adheres to the PJ motto, "go early, stay late." Don't know who said that originally, but it's great advice. The bathroom was tricky because I was standing in the doorway and trying to keep out of the reflection in the mirror. The bathroom was a hotel room bathroom; they live 45 minutes from Seattle, where the wedding took place, so they stayed in a hotel the night before the wedding. I didn't say anything to them except to do what they needed to do to get ready.
TID: In conclusion, what advice do you have for photographers?
MERYL:
Three things:
I will pass on the best advice ever given to me by mentor, Bryan Moss who said, "Make images between the moments." That advice has served me very well for the past 17 years.
Occasionally a good photo will drop in your lap, but mostly great photojournalism is just hard work. Push yourself.
Don’t miss the moment, but get away from “the pack.”
:::BIO:::head of government of the Republic of Albania
Prime Minister of Albania
Kryeministri i Shqipërisë
Emblem of the Prime Minister Incumbent
Edi Rama
since 15 September 2013 since 15 September 2013 Residence Kryeministria Appointer President Inaugural holder Ismail Qemali Formation 29 November 1912 Website Official Page
The Prime Minister of Albania (Albanian: Kryeministri i Shqipërisë), officially styled the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania (Albanian: Kryeministri i Republikës së Shqipërisë), is the head of government of the Republic of Albania and as well the most powerful and influential person in Albanian politics. The Prime Minister holds the executive power of the nation and represents the Council of Ministers and chairs its meetings.
The Prime Minister is appointed by the President of Albania after each general election and must have the confidence of the Parliament of Albania to stay in office. The Council is responsible for carrying out both foreign and domestic policies. It directs and controls the activities of the ministries and other state organs. The Prime Minister is elected on the basis of universal suffrage, through a secret ballot, for a four-year term. The Constitution of Albania sets no limit as to office terms of the prime minister.
The 33rd and current officeholder is Edi Rama of the Socialist Party who was elected on 23 June 2013 and started his first four-year-term on 15 September 2013.
Powers, duties and responsibilities [ edit ]
The Prime Minister of the Albania, officially styled the Prime Minister of the Republic of Albania, is the most powerful and influential state officeholder in the Albanian system of government.
One important role of the President is to designate a candidate for the office of Prime Minister who, in the opinion of the President, is best able to command a majority of the members of the Parliament.[1] As head of government, the Prime Minister is charged with directing the internal policy of the country and leads the public administration. In this regard, the government cooperates with other interested social actors. If the Prime Minister is temporarily absent or incapable of exercising its executive power, the Deputy Prime Minister takes over his functions, such as chairing the cabinet and the council of ministers.
The Constitution states that the Prime Minister represents the council of ministers and chairs its meetings[2], outlines and presents the principal general policies of the state and is responsible for them, assures the implementation of legislation and policies approved by the Council of Ministers, coordinates and supervises the work of the members of the Council of Ministers and other institutions of the central state administration, performs other duties contemplated in the Constitution and laws, resolves disagreements among ministers, and issues orders in the exercise of his powers.[3] The Prime Minister can also initiate a proceeding of the Constitutional Court of Albania.[4]
Oath [ edit ]
Before assuming duty, the prime minister-elect is required to take an oath of office before the President, swearing loyalty to the Constitution. The text of the oath in its Albanian form is sensitive to gender and all nouns always retain a neutral form. The prime minister-elect takes the following oath of office, specified by the Constitution[5][6]:
“ Albanian: Betohem se do t’i bindem Kushtetutës dhe ligjeve të vendit, do të respektoj të drejtat dhe liritë e shtetasve, do të mbroj pavarësinë e Republikës së Shqipërisë dhe do t’i shërbej interesit të përgjithshëm dhe përparimit të Popullit Shqiptar. The President may add: Zoti më ndihmoftë! English: I swear that I will obey to the Constitution and laws of the country, that I will respect the rights and freedoms of citizens, protect the independence of the Republic of Albania, and I will serve the general interest and the progress of the Albanian People. The President may add: So help me God! ”
Office and residence [ edit ]
The facade of the Kryeministria by night.
The Prime Minister's Office (Albanian: Kryeministria) is the official office and residence of the Prime Minister. It provides secretarial assistance to the Prime Minister. The Prime Minister through his office coordinates with all ministers in the central union cabinet, minister of independent charges and governors and ministers of state government. Furthermore informal meetings between the prime minister and other government or foreign officials takes place in the Office. It also consists of the immediate staff of the Prime Minister of Albania, as well as multiple levels of support staff reporting to the Prime Minister. Since 1941, the building serves as the office and residence of the Prime Minister. The building is in the capital city of Tirana at the Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, near the Mother Teresa Square.
The building was planned by the Italian architects Florestano Di Fausto and Gherardo Bosio, and constructed together with the Dëshmorët e Kombit Boulevard, the Mother Teresa Square and all the buildings located on these squares, during the Italian occupation of Albania in 1939 to 1941, in a Rationalist style.
See also [ edit ]The big beverage companies have all created plans and taken action to reinvigorate consumer interest in carbonated soft drinks, but Coca-Cola might be hedging its bets against the continuing decline of the category by creating something new.
The number-one beverage producer appears to be working on a desert-on-the-go product, according to a recent filing at the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. The filing describes a broad swath of beverages that include rice extracts or derivatives to thicken the beverage and give it a mouth feel similar to cream or custard. The beverage may also include starch, protein, fiber, fat, fruit flavors and flavors commonly associated with ice cream, pie, cake or pudding.
“The variety of portable deserts has not been exhausted,” the application said.
But Coca-Cola avoided firmly pinning down its plans. The application describes differing thicknesses that could be achieved, and what purposes they would serve. The application described one as “a dairy-free, low caloric, low fat beverage,” that echoes meal replacements like Muscle Milk. That brand has experienced explosive mainstream growth after being introduced to convenience channels earlier this year, and recently gained distribution with the Pepsi Bottling Group. Chief Coke bottler Coca-Cola Enterprises does not yet distribute a similar product.
A representative from Coca-Cola did not return a request for comment.Mr. Rutledge expected to take on a major operating role in the company. But after AOL acquired Time Warner in 2001 to form AOL Time Warner, Mr. Rutledge was passed over for the chief executive job at Time Warner Cable and left the company. “I just thought I would be miserable,” he said. “They didn’t believe in the vision of the industry the way I thought it should be.”
That vision, he believed, did not involve owning networks like AOL but instead transforming the pipes that deliver entertainment and information for the digital age.
Mr. Rutledge eventually landed at Cablevision, which is controlled by the Dolan family. He helped lead the company through a period of success and the development of a series of innovations, including the introduction of triple-play bundling, in which subscribers receive a discount for purchasing multiple services including cable television, phone and Internet. The company faced challenges and lost subscribers after Mr. Rutledge left, but analysts said that it is not clear whether he was to blame.
“The open question has always been: Why did Cablevision end the way it did under his watch?” said Rich Greenfield, a media analyst at BTIG Research, adding that the company struggled in the face of stronger competition from Verizon.
Cablevision declined to make an executive available for comment for this article.
During his tenure at Cablevision, Mr. Rutledge met Mr. Malone, a larger-than-life figure who was one of the industry’s pioneers. Mr. Malone tried to recruit Mr. Rutledge to run DirecTV, the satellite operator he controlled at the time.
Mr. Rutledge was not interested, but agreed to meet Mr. Malone for a dinner at the University Club in New York.
Image Charter got a second chance for a deal after Comcast abandoned its bid for Time Warner Cable in April. Credit Karsten Moran for The New York Times
“I thought the idea of sitting in a room and telling him why I didn’t want to go to DirecTV would be fascinating,” Mr. Rutledge said. “He is a frictionless thinker. By the end of the conversation, we were talking about how great cable is.”SAN FRANCISCO — Oakland Raiders wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey pleaded no contest today to a misdemeanor DUI charge in connection with his arrest on the Bay Bridge in April.
Heyward-Bey, 25, was pulled over at about 2 a.m. on April 7 on the lower deck of the bridge on his way back to the East Bay from a nightclub in San Francisco, his attorney Ivan Golde said.
He agreed to plead no contest in San Francisco Superior Court to the misdemeanor charge this morning in exchange for a sentence of three years’ probation, three months of DUI classes and various fines and fees.
Heyward-Bey had been pulled over after allegedly weaving and driving slightly above the speed limit in his 2012 Range Rover, according to the California Highway Patrol.
Prosecutors said a chemical test conducted at the scene found his blood-alcohol content was.13 percent, and a Breathalyzer test taken about an hour later found his BAC was still.12.
Golde had previously said there were “serious issues” with the case, but told Judge Samuel Feng today that seeking a trial on the charges would distract from with the Raiders’ upcoming season and “would be an undue hardship” on his client.
Heyward-Bey “wants to put this behind him,” Golde said.
Raiders players are scheduled to start reporting for the team’s preseason training camp this Sunday in Napa.
Heyward-Bey was Oakland’s top receiver last season, leading the Raiders with 64 receptions and 965 receiving yards, both career highs.
Copyright © 2012 by Bay City News, Inc. … republication, re-transmission or reuse without the express written consent of Bay City News, Inc. is prohibited.Still more Tropic Thunder outrage. The head of The Arc—the world's largest grassroots organization supporting people with intellectual and developmental abilities—is calling on Ben Stiller to have a sit down and meet with people with disabilities and their families, to help him understand why his movie offended them. They're also demanding that Stiller, Paramount and DreamWorks issue an official apology.
So, funny little trivia I found out. The Arc was originally an acronym. When it started, the organization operated under the name The Association of Retarded Children. Since expanding its function beyond children, they stopped calling themselves that.
More than 780 chapters of The Arc across the United States will be at movie theaters throughout the weekend handing out flyers condemning the word "retard" and urging people to stay away from the movie. Arya's hot tip of the day: if you don't want to be bothered by flyers, go see the movie at malls. Most malls don't allow distribution of leaflets and protests inside the premises, as it would be considered tresspassing, so they can only campaign on the parking lot.
The open letter follows:Growing evidence suggests the recent cyber-attacks on top Democratic Party groups and the possible breach of Clinton Foundation computers are connected to Russian-backed cyber militias, say a former Defense Department official and other security experts.
"This clearly has all indications of a larger strategic intelligence gathering operation," Bob Gourley, a former IT specialist at the Defense Intelligence Agency, told Fox News.
Tom Kellerman, CEO of the next-generation technology group Strategic Cyber Ventures, also thinks the attacks are linked, based on circumstantial evidence such as the sequence of events.
"It's not surprising to me," said Kellerman, arguing that as of last summer 2,600 of Washington’s most influential people and their spouses were targeted by cyber-attacks from Russia in what was called “Operation Pawn Storm."
Based on available data and what's known of the time line on the recent attacks, the first was on the Democratic National Committee.
Then hackers "island hopped" to other computer networks after staffers at the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and perhaps elsewhere opened phishing emails from which their user IDs, passwords and other credentials were stolen.
The FBI is investigating the breaches at the DNC, made public in late July, and the DCCC, announced earlier this month. It is not clear whether that work has expanded with the apparent targeting of the Clinton Foundation.
Gourley, now a partner at the strategic consulting and engineering firm Cognitio, also told Fox News about a new hacking method known as “malvertising,” which takes advantage of how the internet is now designed to deliver targeted ads to visitors.
"People are deceived into clicking a link,” Gourley explained. “After that foothold is established, the malicious code, the real hackers get to work and grow out from there."
Russian President Vladimir Putin's government denies direct involvement, but Russian intelligence is thought to routinely use cyber gangs to do its bidding and to create plausible deniability.
"Within the former Soviet bloc, Russian-speaking hackers pay homage as cyber-militia members to the regime in Russia,” Kellerman said. “They act as proxies … when called upon to leverage their sophisticated tool sets and attack against victims in the U.S.”
He also warned about the NSA earlier this week posting for auction some of its most powerful spying tools -- considered electronic lock picks with code names such as "buzzdirection" and "epicbanana."
"The distribution of that cyber arsenal to the wild allows for literally a cyber forest fire to occur against U.S. corporations and government agencies," Kellerman said.
The codes -- created by a group of elite NSA hackers -- were believed stolen in 2013, at the same time former contractor Edward Snowden was copying thousands of NSA surveillance documents.
Snowden is still in Russia, and experts are not ruling out a DNC connection.
"The only links are circumstantial," Gourley said. “It's a very interesting timing that would occur right now after someone sat on that code for over three years."The family of a decorated Norwegian-Canadian war hero says that after months of struggle, Petter Blindheim, 94, will finally be admitted to a Halifax veterans' hospital for long-term care.
Peter Blindheim, Blindheim's son, says he met with Halifax MP Andy Fillmore on Friday, who gave him the news in person.
"It's a shocker, it's a big change from what we were told yesterday," Blindheim told CBC News Friday.
His son called the decision to finally open a spot for his father at Camp Hill Veterans Memorial Hospital not only "a positive outcome for us, it is going to have a positive outcome for Canada."
Veterans Affairs launches review
The federal government's decision is part of a new agreement |
at least 100% of warming for 1950–2005 is 39%. These results suggest that natural effects probably account for some of the observed warming over these timeframes.
Figure 5: Cumulative distribution functions for temperature changes over 1900–2005 and 1950–2005 for a) greenhouse gases (GHG)-only and b) all anthropogenic forcings. Observed data are from NCDC, with ENSO effects removed. All changes are estimated using the robust trend. Figure 4 from WS12.
WS12 thus concludes that the first IPCC statements about greenhouse gas warming are far too conservative (emphasis added).
"Using IPCC terminology, therefore, it is very likely that GHG-induced warming is greater than the total warming observed over this 56-year period (i.e., the model GHG-only trend is not just greater than ‘‘most’’ of the observed warming, but very likely greater than the full amount of observed warming)."
In their simulations for 1950–2005, the 90% confidence interval of warming using all-anthropogenic forcings 0.308–0.937°C (50–152% of observed warming), while the greenhouse gas-only warming 90% confidence interval is 0.582–1.397°C (94–227% of observed warming). Therefore, the IPCC statement should either say
"Most of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations human climate influences."
or
"Most At least 94% of the observed increase in global average temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to the observed increase in anthropogenic greenhouse gas concentrations"
Solar and Volcanic Forcings Don't Change the Result
The next step in the WS12 analysis is to incorporate changes in solar and volcanic activity (but not in AMOC or NADW, for which data are not available in the early 20th Century, as noted above). The results are shown in Figures 6 and 7.
Figure 6: Estimates of global mean surface temperature change from observations, compared with median model simulations of the response to anthropogenic forcing only, and the response to forcing by combined anthropogenic and natural factors. Model results are relative to 1950. Observations have been zeroed to have the same mean as the ‘‘anthropogenic + natural forcing’’ result over 1950–2005. The plot shows annual-mean values; on a monthly timescale the volcanically induced cooling signals are larger. Figure 5 from WS12.
Figure 7: Cumulative distribution functions for global mean surface temperature changes over 1900–2005 and 1950–2005. Results for anthropogenic forcing only (Figure 5b) are compared with those for combined anthropogenic and natural (solar plus volcanic) forcing. The observed changes are from the NCDC data set with ENSO effects removed. Figure 6 from WS12.
Incorporating these natural factors does not change the 1950–2005 result very much. The probability that the observed warming exceeds the model-predicted warming (Figure 7b) actually increases from 61% to 69% (a "perfect" result would be 50%). However, for 1900–2005, the probability that the observed warming exceeds the model-predicted warming (Figure 7a) is decreased from 78% to 66% when accounting for these natural factors.
What Does it All Mean?
WS12 summarizes their results as follows.
"Here, the probability that the model-estimated GHG component of warming is greater than the entire observed trend (i.e., not just greater than ‘‘most’’ of the observed warming) is about 93%. Using IPCC terminology, therefore, it is very likely that GHG-induced warming is greater than the observed warming. Our conclusion is considerably stronger than the original IPCC statement."
Thus quite contrary to the myth that the IPCC is "alarmist", WS12 finds that the IPCC has been far too conservative in attributing the observed global warming to human greenhouse gas emissions. In fact their central estimate is that humans are responsible for 100% of the observed global warming for the 1950–2005 timeframe, with greenhouse gases responsible for 160% (Figure 8).
Figure 8: Percent contributions of various effects to the observed global surface warming over the past 50-65 years according to Tett et al. 2000 (T00, dark blue), Meehl et al. 2004 (M04, red), Stone et al. 2007 (S07, green), Lean and Rind 2008 (LR08, purple), Huber and Knutti 2011 (HK11, light blue), Gillett et al. 2012 (G12, orange), and Wigley and Santer 2012 (WS12, dark green).
As Figure 8 shows, the body of scientific literature is still very consistent in finding that grenhouse gases have most likely caused more warming than has been observed over the past half century, which means that the IPCC has been too conservative in attributing global warming to human greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, without human influences on the climate, there would likely have been little change in the average global surface temperature over the past 50 years. Instead, surface temperatures have warmed approximately 0.65°C since 1960.
Note: this post has been incorporated into the rebuttal to the myth that the IPCC is "alarmist"DM Muffin's work a guest May 31st, 2014 225 Never a guest225Never
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rawdownloadcloneembedreportprint text 46.56 KB (04:33:25) (DMCrumpets): You all wake up in a tavern, you've been extremely drunk, and in your drunken stupor you have decimated the towns population (04:33:39) (DMCrumpets): you appear to be the only ones breathing in the tavern (04:33:55) (Spamman4587): So we've killed 1 in 10 of the town's pop? (04:33:58) (Spamman4587): We must be hated (04:34:04) (DMCrumpets): Probably (04:34:05) sahdee: Glad nobody picked this one. BEST COLOUR! Well, after FERT (04:34:17) (DMCrumpets): I wouldn't be surprised if the constables are on the way (04:34:23) sahdee: I already like this story (04:34:31) (Spamman4587): I'm getting a celebratory beer...we killed everyone in the tavern! (04:34:42) sahdee: Whoo! (04:34:46) (DMCrumpets): Shall we go with turn order? (04:34:54) sahdee: They were probably a bunch of ORs anyway (04:34:54) (Spamman4587): kk (04:35:04) (DMCrumpets): In actual DW everyone acts simultaneously, but that'll be hard over chat (04:35:10) (DMCrumpets): so everybody roll 2d6 (04:35:16) ChatBot: (Spamman4587) rolls 2d6 and gets 6,6. (04:35:22) (DMCrumpets): This can be in Chroma if you want (04:35:22) ChatBot: sahdee rolls 2d6 and gets 5,6. (04:35:28) ChatBot: (AllStarr) rolls 2d6 and gets 1,3. (04:35:29) ChatBot: Eliminioa rolls 2d6 and gets 4,5. (04:35:37) (DMCrumpets): Rock? (04:35:54) (DMCrumpets): Spam, then Sahdee, then Elim, then Starr (04:36:00) ChatBot: (Spamman4587) is now known as (1_Spam). (04:36:03) ChatBot: Eliminioa is now known as (3-Eliminioa). (04:36:08) ChatBot: sahdee is now known as (2_sahdee). (04:36:08) (DMCrumpets): and rock wherever whenever he rolls (04:36:28) (DMCrumpets): So Spam you wanted to grab a beer? (04:36:51) (1_Spam): Yup (04:37:32) (DMCrumpets): There are a few bottles that aren't broken around, and the kegs in the back seem undamaged, so you pour yourself a draft of a fairly low quality beer (04:37:49) (1_Spam): Booze is booze at this point, what am I carrying? (04:37:56) (1_Spam): Other than said brewski (04:37:58) (2_sahdee): We killed an entire town (04:37:59) (DMCrumpets): Uh (04:38:06) (2_sahdee): We deserve thee good stuff (04:38:07) (DMCrumpets): Give me a 1d100 roll (04:38:10) (3-Eliminioa): I'll brb, if it comes to my turn, I want to blockade the door from the cops the best i can (04:38:15) ChatBot: (1_Spam) rolls 1d100 and gets 35. (04:38:20) ChatBot: Rockdale rolls 2d6 and gets 6,4. (04:38:24) Rockdale: sorry (04:38:28) Rockdale: I'm late (04:38:31) (DMCrumpets): Rock you're 3rd in line (04:38:34) (DMCrumpets): That's fine (04:38:41) Rockdale: My Mom brought cheesecake. (04:38:47) (DMCrumpets): Spam you have 35 coin and randomly, a few fingers (04:38:51) Rockdale: So I think I'm excused from being late (04:38:54) (1_Spam): Om nom nom (04:38:58) (DMCrumpets): One of the Fingers has a ring with a red Orange (04:39:01) ChatBot: Rockdale is now known as (3_Rock). (04:39:08) (2_sahdee): oops (04:39:21) (DMCrumpets): final action and small action? (04:39:27) (DMCrumpets): nvm (04:39:30) (DMCrumpets): final action? (04:39:37) ChatBot: (3-Eliminioa) is now known as (4-Eliminioa). (04:39:37) (AllStarr): what number am I? (04:39:40) ChatBot: (4-Eliminioa) logs out of the Chat. (04:39:41) (AllStarr): 5? (04:39:44) (DMCrumpets): 5th (04:39:49) ChatBot: (AllStarr) is now known as (5-AllStarr). (04:39:53) (DMCrumpets): you rolled the lowest sorry (04:39:53) (1_Spam): 2 actions to pour the beer? (04:39:59) (DMCrumpets): Nope (04:40:11) (DMCrumpets): I'm gonna stick with 2 actions per person to keep things moving (04:40:16) (1_Spam): kk (04:40:20) (DMCrumpets): and the small action of course (04:40:26) (1_Spam): Inspect the ring (04:40:48) (DMCrumpets): The Ring appears to be from an officer in the OrangeRed army (04:40:56) (DMCrumpets): A bit Pretentious, but not too uncomon (04:40:59) (1_Spam) hopes it says "To Fawksey from Grey" on the inside (04:41:09) (DMCrumpets): You could probably sell it for around 10 coin (04:41:14) (1_Spam): kk (04:41:25) (2_sahdee): *Roaddoggie from Grey (04:41:27) (DMCrumpets): Sahdee? (04:41:38) (DMCrumpets): your turn! (04:41:39) (2_sahdee): Yes (04:41:48) (2_sahdee): Where am I? (04:41:57) (DMCrumpets): You're in the tavern with everyone else (04:42:09) ChatBot: Eliminioa logs into the Chat. (04:42:17) (DMCrumpets): You have a hell of a hangover and what'll become some wicked scars, but you seem alright (04:42:32) ChatBot: Eliminioa is now known as (4-Elim). (04:42:32) (2_sahdee): Okay I look around for any weapons or valuables (04:42:50) (DMCrumpets): There are several knives on the floor (04:42:59) (DMCrumpets): undoubtedly from the brawl last night (04:43:20) (DMCrumpets): While searching the bodies you find some more of those rings that spam had (04:43:28) (DMCrumpets): Perhaps they were in the same unit (04:43:40) (DMCrumpets): *You found 3 rings* (04:43:49) (DMCrumpets): 1 action left (04:44:23) (2_sahdee): I put the rings in my pocket and arm myself with as many knives as I can manage (04:44:43) (DMCrumpets): As you only have 2 hands, you equip 2 knives (04:44:49) (DMCrumpets): Rock's Turn! (04:45:20) (3_Rock): I observe my surroundings (04:46:00) (DMCrumpets): It's a bloodbath, half of your compatriots are up, the other half are still unconscious, the tavern is quite literally drenched in blood (04:46:09) ChatBot: AUZZ13_BL1TZ has been logged out (Timeout). (04:46:20) (DMCrumpets): There's a bar, a room in the back with the beer kegs, and several booths around the room (04:46:29) (DMCrumpets): The door outside is directly behind you (04:46:33) (DMCrumpets): 2 actions left (04:46:35) (2_sahdee): The sweet scent of murder. Lovely (04:46:41) (2_sahdee) breathes in (04:46:51) (DMCrumpets): Better Dead than Orangered (04:46:52) (3_Rock): Well that's unsettling. I look out the door to check the outside (04:47:01) (DMCrumpets): you guys took that a bit too seriously (04:47:23) (2_sahdee): I detect orangered sympathies ^ (04:47:24) (1_Spam) swigs beer (04:47:31) (DMCrumpets): Rock, the town seems empty, maybe even evacuated, you recognize this as a small village in Nordwalder (04:47:40) (1_Spam) eyes the dead bodies for movement (04:47:51) (2_sahdee): <--motivation (04:47:58) (3_Rock): I go back inside and search for any weapons or valuables (04:48:00) (1_Spam): <-- Motivation (04:48:17) (DMCrumpets): Knives are readily availible (04:48:29) (DMCrumpets): Where are you looking for valuables? (04:48:34) (DMCrumpets): The bodies have been searched (04:49:06) (DMCrumpets): Behind the bar, in the back room, outside? (04:49:11) (2_sahdee) puts on three rings and admires her hands (04:49:25) (DMCrumpets): Sahdee those are OR officer rings (04:49:29) (3_Rock): behind the bar (04:49:30) (DMCrumpets): I'm not sure you want them (04:49:37) (2_sahdee): they're now trophies! (04:50:00) (2_sahdee): If Spam can keep his fingers I want my rings (04:50:02) (DMCrumpets): You find a small register, you can probably pry it open with one of the knives (04:50:08) (DMCrumpets): You can keep them (04:50:12) (DMCrumpets): I just wanted to let you know (04:50:43) (DMCrumpets): Do you want to try? (04:50:55) (3_Rock): Sure (04:50:56) (2_sahdee): And now I can punch people better. (04:51:01) (DMCrumpets): roll 2d10 (04:51:06) (DMCrumpets): 2d6* (04:51:12) ChatBot: (3_Rock) rolls 2d6 and gets 6,1. (04:51:17) (3_Rock): Welp (04:51:28) (DMCrumpets): you just manage to pry it open, but you break the knife in the process (04:51:41) (DMCrumpets): roll 1d100 (04:51:49) (3_Rock): shit (04:51:55) ChatBot: (3_Rock) rolls 1d100 and gets 25. (04:52:04) (DMCrumpets): you find 25 coin in the register (04:52:11) (DMCrumpets): Elim's turn! (04:52:27) (3_Rock): yay! (04:52:53) (DMCrumpets): Elim are you alive? (04:52:59) (4-Elim): Y[color=red]p[/color] (04:53:04) (DMCrumpets): (04:53:08) (3_Rock): lol (04:53:16) (4-Elim): Alright, so first I seize the biggest knife I can find lying around (04:53:20) (DMCrumpets): In the options you can turn on persist font color (04:53:36) (DMCrumpets): All the knives seem standard issue, but you grab one off of the ground (04:53:41) (4-Elim): Ahhh, thanks for that (04:53:46) (DMCrumpets): 1 action and 1 small action (04:54:07) (4-Elim): alright, so for the small action, I'm gonna check out the door for any approaching coppers or hostile OReds (04:54:34) (DMCrumpets): The town seems empty, though in the distance a large cloud of dust is visible (04:54:34) (5-AllStarr): no such thing as a nonhostile OR hehe (04:54:43) (DMCrumpets): Perhaps a large group of people (04:54:47) (DMCrumpets): Maybe even an army (04:55:00) (4-Elim): alight, then can I find a usable vehicle outside the tavern which can fit our group? (04:55:12) (2_sahdee): (04:55:29) (4-Elim): if I do, I'll occupy it until next turn (04:55:49) (DMCrumpets): Looking around you see what the OR's probably used to get here, a small truck, big enough to fit around 10 people (04:55:51) ChatBot: Zwoosh logs into the Chat. (04:55:52) Zwoosh: Hru all (04:55:57) (DMCrumpets): hru Zwoosh (04:55:58) (5-AllStarr): hru Z (04:56:01) (1_Spam): Hru Zwoosh! (04:56:02) (DMCrumpets): Do you want to play a bit? (04:56:05) (2_sahdee): hru Z (04:56:07) (4-Elim): cool, then as I said, I occupy it and end turn (04:56:08) Zwoosh: Nah I'm good (04:56:12) (4-Elim): hru zwoosh (04:56:17) (DMCrumpets): Starr's turn! (04:56:19) Zwoosh: so many colors (04:56:21) (5-AllStarr): yay! (04:56:35) (5-AllStarr): first I quickly pocket one of the knives as descretly as possible (04:56:50) (DMCrumpets): I'm gonna make you roll if you want to be secret (04:56:56) (5-AllStarr): ok (04:56:58) (DMCrumpets): sorry :/ (04:57:01) (DMCrumpets): 2d6 (04:57:08) ChatBot: (5-AllStarr) rolls 2d6 and gets 5,1. (04:57:14) (DMCrumpets): fail (04:57:23) (5-AllStarr): (04:57:30) (1_Spam) swigs beer, watching the others move around (04:57:34) (DMCrumpets): everyone notices you and if they want, they can ask you about it (04:57:34) (5-AllStarr): i still have the knife though, right? (04:57:41) (DMCrumpets): anybody want to ask? (04:57:47) (DMCrumpets): yeah you have the knife (04:57:57) (2_sahdee): Nice knife Starr! (04:57:58) (1_Spam): Why are you pocketing it? (04:58:03) (1_Spam): Gonna stab us? (04:58:12) (DMCrumpets): A valid question (04:58:19) (DMCrumpets): he is typing in orange after all (04:58:23) (4-Elim): Keep it pocketed if you want a lift! (04:58:25) (2_sahdee): (04:58:49) ChatBot: (luu) logs into the Chat. (04:58:50) (5-AllStarr): Never meant it like that, just wanted to keep it secret in case of... emergency (04:58:59) (1_Spam): Hru Luu (04:59:00) (luu): Can I enter? (04:59:04) (DMCrumpets): 1 action 1 small action (04:59:06) (DMCrumpets): sure! (04:59:06) (2_sahdee): hru luukie (04:59:17) (luu): Yous tole my color though (04:59:17) (DMCrumpets): you can be just behind starr (04:59:18) (luu): Bad DB (04:59:24) (DMCrumpets): I'm the DM (04:59:25) (5-AllStarr): Next I'll look around for any non-alcoholic beverages (04:59:26) (1_Spam) takes note of what everyone's wearing (04:59:29) (DMCrumpets): don't make me punish you (04:59:42) ChatBot: (luu) is now known as (&-luu). (04:59:44) (DMCrumpets): You find a tap of water (04:59:55) (DMCrumpets): If you want to look for something else you can roll (05:00:00) (DMCrumpets): because it's harder to find (05:00:06) (5-AllStarr): For my last action I will drink the water (05:00:16) (DMCrumpets): you drink (05:00:20) (DMCrumpets): Luuk's turn! (05:00:35) (&-luu): Where am I-? (05:00:41) (DMCrumpets): hold on (05:00:48) (4-Elim) spends his waiting time examining the vehicle closely (05:00:53) (DMCrumpets): (16:33:25) (DMCrumpets): You all wake up in a tavern, you've been extremely drunk, and in your drunken stupor you have decimated the towns population (05:01:03) (DMCrumpets): You're in Nord (05:01:08) (DMCrumpets): the town's been evacuated (05:01:10) (2_sahdee): You know, the usual (05:01:17) (DMCrumpets): There are dead OR's all around you (05:01:18) (&-luu): What do I have on me? (05:01:21) (&-luu): Who am I? (05:01:34) (DMCrumpets): You're whoever you want (05:01:37) (DMCrumpets): roll 1d100 (05:02:27) ChatBot: (&-luu) rolls 1d100 and gets 83. (05:02:35) (DMCrumpets): You have 83 coin on you (05:02:41) (DMCrumpets): 2 actions remain (05:02:43) (&-luu): Any weapons and stuff? (05:03:30) (DMCrumpets): all over the ground (05:03:37) (&-luu): Oh cool (05:03:37) (DMCrumpets): knives everywhere (05:03:44) (&-luu): No gunsies? (05:03:47) (DMCrumpets): you can search for a more powerful weapon if you want (05:03:52) (&-luu): I do (05:03:58) (DMCrumpets): roll 2d6 (05:04:07) ChatBot: (&-luu) rolls 2d6 and gets 1,2. (05:04:10) (&-luu): uh (05:04:12) (DMCrumpets): you fail (05:04:14) (4-Elim): ouch (05:04:15) (&-luu): low rolls= good, like in DH right? (05:04:19) (DMCrumpets): 1 action left (05:04:20) (2_sahdee) snickers at luuk (05:04:30) (DMCrumpets): you can pick up a knife if you want (05:04:32) (2_sahdee): Sorry luuk (05:04:36) (DMCrumpets): or a broken bottle (05:04:39) (DMCrumpets): your choice (05:04:52) (&-luu): Fine I pick up the best knife I can see (05:05:06) (DMCrumpets): all knives are standard issue from the OR army (05:05:16) (DMCrumpets): but you pick up a knife on the ground (05:05:19) (DMCrumpets): Spam's turn! (05:05:51) (1_Spam): I'm going to search for a better weapon while drinking my beer (05:06:01) (DMCrumpets): roll 2d6 please (05:06:06) ChatBot: (1_Spam) rolls 2d6 and gets 6,4. (05:06:09) (&-luu): If you find one, gimme pls (05:06:12) (DMCrumpets): God damn (05:06:21) (DMCrumpets): You find in the back room, a gun locker (05:06:30) (2_sahdee): Yes! (05:06:36) (1_Spam): is it locked? (05:06:41) (&-luu): Good jobb spammy (05:06:42) (&-luu): <3 (05:06:55) (4-Elim): damn, wanna distribute those? (05:07:05) (&-luu): Yeeee (05:07:12) (1_Spam): Gotta find out if it's locked first (05:07:33) (3_Rock): Damn son, where'd ya find this? (05:08:17) (5-AllStarr): lol (05:08:27) (1_Spam) opens gun locker (05:08:33) (2_sahdee): RIP DM Crumpets (05:09:09) Californicus: http://www.reddit.com/r/SapphireDistrict/comments/26zt34/well_thatll_do_it_for_ons_in_hopes_sorrow_rps/ (05:09:11) (5-AllStarr): T.T (05:09:39) (&-luu): RIP DMC (05:09:41) (DMCrumpets): sorry I had to carry in shopping (05:09:51) (DMCrumpets): the locker is open (05:09:59) (1_Spam): Awesome, what's inside? (05:09:59) (3_Rock): Californicus GET NO SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPED! (05:10:01) (2_sahdee): Did they raid there? (05:10:08) (3_Rock): Oh wait, they used a periscope. (05:10:10) (DMCrumpets): Filled with basic pistols (05:10:10) (3_Rock): nvm (05:10:11) (&-luu): Gimme gun! (05:10:12) Californicus: Yeah, they did. (05:10:19) (1_Spam): Yeah they raided it. (05:10:22) (&-luu): Gimme gun (05:10:26) (DMCrumpets): Spam do you want to let your friends know about this? (05:10:30) Californicus: Figured I'd lore-slap 'em. (05:11:04) (2_sahdee): Spam if you give me one I promise never to shoot you (05:11:06) (1_Spam) calls over the group except Elim (who's in the truck outside) (05:11:12) (3_Rock): I do like the name though (05:11:18) (3_Rock): I'll give 'em that (05:11:33) (DMCrumpets): Alright, you guys go over? (05:11:39) (1_Spam) grabs pistol and a few ammo clips with Ammunition (05:11:39) (5-AllStarr): duh (05:11:51) (DMCrumpets): Starr and spam have guns (05:11:57) (DMCrumpets): Anybody else? (05:12:20) (&-luu): Moi! (05:12:28) (&-luu): How many guns in cabinet? (05:12:38) (&-luu): >filled, so many? (05:12:39) (DMCrumpets): around 10 or so (05:12:40) (2_sahdee): I take the biggest gun (05:12:49) (&-luu): I take three and clips (05:12:52) (DMCrumpets): Fairly small, but enough for everyone (05:12:59) (DMCrumpets): All guns are the same sahdee (05:13:11) (1_Spam): I'll take a second pistol...Dual wield (05:13:13) (DMCrumpets): Standard Periwinkle Issue Pistol (05:13:28) (2_sahdee): Fine, I take a pistol and 3 clips (05:13:29) (DMCrumpets): The bartender must have been a patriot (05:13:40) (&-luu): (05:13:46) (&-luu): I take three, remember (05:13:49) ChatBot: (&-luu) is now known as (6-luu). (05:13:53) (2_sahdee): Yup (05:14:07) (DMCrumpets): So now everybody has a gun but Elim (05:14:13) (DMCrumpets): 1 action and 1 small action left spam (05:14:21) (6-luu): Take a gun for elim (05:14:23) (6-luu): (05:14:26) (3_Rock): I didn't take one... (05:14:35) (DMCrumpets): You didn't go over rock? (05:14:38) (4-Elim): given that I'll probably be driving, it's not critical (05:14:41) (DMCrumpets): Sorry I missed you (05:14:48) (4-Elim): and there might also be some in the truck (05:14:59) (DMCrumpets): It is a military truck (05:15:02) (DMCrumpets): that's not a bad bet (05:15:08) (6-luu): ooh (05:15:14) (6-luu): Time to look in the trucks (05:15:17) ChatBot: FroDude258 logs into the Chat. (05:15:23) (DMCrumpets): not your turn (05:15:25) (DMCrumpets): wb fro (05:15:25) (2_sahdee): hru Fro (05:15:32) (1_Spam): Hru Fro (05:15:36) FroDude258: Food was good (05:15:38) (5-AllStarr): hru Fro (05:15:56) (1_Spam) take a third pistol and ammo for Elim (05:16:04) (5-AllStarr): brb (05:16:11) (DMCrumpets): Luuk already did that spam (05:16:15) (1_Spam): Oh (05:16:16) (1_Spam): ok (05:16:16) (2_sahdee): Spam's going to shoot himself accidentally (05:16:16) (6-luu): nope (05:16:17) FroDude258: Well, I see DB wanted to call the shots after I left (05:16:21) (6-luu): I took three guns for myself (05:16:26) (6-luu): The fok u want DMC (05:16:28) (2_sahdee): Oh (05:16:30) (3_Rock): I have exclusive video of RPS Resurgent's crews reaction to the sinking (05:16:42) (DMCrumpets): How do you plan on using 3? (05:16:49) (DMCrumpets): I'm not gonna stop you (05:16:50) (6-luu): I don't (05:16:51) (DMCrumpets): but why? (05:16:54) (6-luu): If one jams (05:16:55) (1_Spam): Then my small action stands to take the pistol and ammo for Elim (05:17:02) (6-luu): Or if I need to keep shooting, faster than reloading (05:17:05) (DMCrumpets): alright (05:17:07) (2_sahdee): Crumpy do I get an accuracy bonus for only using one gun? (05:17:11) (DMCrumpets): final action? (05:17:14) (DMCrumpets): No (05:17:26) (DMCrumpets): But you get a debuff for dualwielding ( |
eyes. 'Don't look, you pervert—' 'No, you're the one!?' However, a communique about a serious mission arrives from Kizuna's sister. The mission — to rub Aina's chest!? Actually, Kizuna has the power to level up a girl through indecent acts. With a battle against another world, the future depends on this power."
The anime will premiere on AT-X on July 5.
Crunchyroll announced earlier on Friday that it also added the DAYS soccer anime to its summer lineup. The series will begin streaming on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET. The anime will be available to Crunchyroll members in North America, Latin America, the Netherlands, Scandinavia, South Africa, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, the Middle East, and North Africa.
The television anime adapts Tsuyoshi Yasuda's soccer manga. Kônosuke Uda ( One Piece, Ginga e Kickoff!!, Majin Bone ) is directing the anime at MAPPA ( Terror in Resonance, Rage of Bahamut Genesis ). Kazuto Nakazawa ( El-Hazard: The Wanderers, The Legend of Black Heaven, Terror in Resonance ) is designing the characters for animation.
The manga centers on two boys who were never meant to meet: Tsukushi Tsukamoto, who has no special skills but secretly hides a passionate heart, and Jin Kazama, an isolated soccer genius. On a stormy night, the two meet, and that meeting creates a whirlwind in the world of high school soccer.
The anime will premiere on MBS on July 3 at 2:58 a.m.
Seishi Kishimoto launched his Sukedachi 09 ( Assist Nine ) manga in Square Enix's free online web magazine Gangan Online and Shonen Gangan in 2014. The series will end in the August issue of Shonen Gangan on July 11. Square Enix released the fourth compiled book volume in Japan this on March 22 of this year.
In the Edo era, revenge was allowed in one-on-one duels. In 2015, a huge rise in murder incidents has prompted the government to reenact the "revenge penalty," which states that a killer may be executed in the same manner as their victim. Because one-on-one battles are dangerous, a special execution team is formed to protect the general populace and assist (sukedachi) with revenge. The members of this team are called the "Sukedachinin" (Assist People).
Irono launched the Shinigami to Gin no Kishi ( The Grim Reaper and an Argent Cavalier ) manga in Square Enix's GFantasy magazine in 2014. Square Enix released the fourth compiled book volume in Japan on June 27.
In the story, the Grim Reaper consumes peoples' souls to gain immortality. He released Larvae into the world to help him collect souls. Cyan is a former holy knight of the Argent Cavaliers, who are devoted to eradicating Larvae. Cyan leaves the Argent Cavaliers to personally hunt down the Grim Reaper and destroy the source of the Larvae.
Update: Crunchyroll confirmed premiere dates and territories for all of its newly announced anime:Different players have different training regimens during the offseason. For example, some enroll in body-sculpting and diet-altering crash fitness courses, run by taskmasters like Gary Roberts. And others are Dustin Byfuglien.
That's the Winnipeg Jets defenseman, putting the B-I-G in Big Buff at Dave Bolland's July 13 wedding, as captured by Jai Girard Photography in this (rather wonderful) slideshow.
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Patrick Caisse of TVA Sports believes this image and one from Byfuglien's late July court appearance on that "careless boating" charge indicate that the former Chicago Blackhawks Cup winner has cleared the 300-pound threshold. Because, obviously, the best measure of tonnage is through still photography.
TJ Caps of Winnipeg Jets blog Arctic Ice Hockey, which hipped us to the wedding photo, opines:
Questions of Byfuglien's commitment to conditioning have been lobbed about the city over the past year; entirely appropriate considering he rakes in 5MM+ a season while playing in over 24 minutes in TOI on an average night for a team that desperately needs him to be a difference maker. While it's evident that not every NHL hockey player will have the body of an Adonis, this photo of Byfuglien has him looking like he's on the plus-side of obesity.
Fact is, we're simply looking at Summer Byfuglien here. (And if anyone wants to write a "Grease" song parody with that title, we'll play it on the podcast.)
Please recall in 2011 when Byfuglien weighed in at 286 pounds when he was arrested in Minnesota, and a svelte 266 pounds when he reported to Jets camp. As defenseman Mark Stuart said last September: "When you look at him, you're not seeing a guy that's cut. That's not his body. Even if he wanted, he couldn't be chiseled."
Story continues
What he does do is manage his weight as the season draws near. For a person his size, weight gain is going to seem more extreme than the same percentage of body fat gain for a smaller individual -- same with the weight loss. To wit, there are Instagram images of Byfuglien fishing in August that appear to feature a much different physique, one month later.
So Buff'll chew on the usual taunts from fans and media and, eventually, opponents — heck, there's a #DustinByfuglienIsSoFat Twitter meme bouncing around that's already produced gems like "#DustinByfuglienIsSoFat the Coyotes are moving to his ass next season."
But this is just the Dustin Byfuglien fitness cycle, annually. Of course, not every year has an impending work-stoppage that could keep players off the ice for months. Might be a good time to remove the celery cap for Mr. Byfuglien …
s/t HF BoardsAir France
Millions of Americans who got on a plane over the Thanksgiving holiday heard the admonition: “Please power down your electronic devices for takeoff.”
And absolutely everyone obeyed. I know they did because no planes fell from the sky. No planes had to make an emergency landing because the avionics went haywire. No planes headed for Miami ended up in Anchorage. We were all made safe because we all turned off all our Kindles, iPads, iPhones, BlackBerrys and laptops, just as the Federal Aviation Administration told us to. Realistically speaking, I’m going to bet that a handful of people on each flight could not be bothered, or forgot to comply.
According to the F.A.A., 712 million passengers flew within the United States in 2010. Let’s assume that just 1 percent of those passengers — about two people per Boeing 737, a conservative number — left a cellphone, e-reader or laptop turned on during takeoff or landing. That would mean seven million people on 11 million flights endangered the lives of their fellow passengers.
Yet, in 2010, no crashes were attributed to people using technology on a plane. None were in 2009. Or 2008, 2007 and so on. You get the point.
Surely if electronic gadgets could bring down an airplane, you can be sure that the Department of Homeland Security and the Transportation Security Administration, which has a consuming fear of 3.5 ounces of hand lotion and gel shoe inserts, wouldn’t allow passengers to board a plane with an iPad or Kindle, for fear that they would be used by terrorists.
New technologies are often greeted with fear and that is certainly true of a disruptive technology like cellphones. Yet rules that are decades old persist without evidence to support the idea that someone reading an e-book or playing a video game during takeoff or landing is jeopardizing safety.
Nevertheless, Les Dorr, a spokesman for the F.A.A., said the agency would rather err on the side of caution when it comes to digital devices on planes.
He cited a 2006 study by the Radio Technical Commission for Aeronautics, a nonprofit group that tests and reports on technical travel and communications issues. The group was asked by the F.A.A. to test the effects of cellphones, Wi-Fi and portable electronic devices on planes.
Its finding? “Insufficient information to support changing the policies,” Mr. Dorr said. “There was no evidence saying these devices can’t interfere with a plane, and there was no evidence saying that they can.” I’m not arguing that passengers should be allowed to make phone calls while the plane zooms up into the sky. But, why can’t I read my Kindle or iPad during takeoff and landing? E-readers and cellphones can be easily put into “Airplane Mode” which disables the device’s radio signals.
The government might be causing more unnecessary interference on planes by asking people to shut their devices down for take-off and landing and then giving them permission to restart all at the same time. According to electrical engineers, when the electronic device starts, electric current passes through every part of the gadget, including GPS, Wi-Fi, cellular radio and microprocessor.
It’s the equivalent of waking someone up with a dozen people yelling into bullhorns.
As more and more people transition from paper products to digital ones, maybe it’s time to change these rules.
Michael Altschul, senior vice president and legal counsel for CTIA, the wireless industry association, said a study that it conducted more than a decade ago found no interference from mobile devices.
“The fact is, the radio frequencies that are assigned for aviation use are separate from commercial use,” Mr. Altschul said. “Plus, the wiring and instruments for aircraft are shielded to protect them from interference from commercial wireless devices.”
Mr. Dorr reluctantly agreed. “There have never been any reported accidents from these kinds of devices on planes,” he said.Not all story elements have equal impact on a game setting. The more dramatic a threat to the status quo, the more that threat deforms the setting around it like a gravity well, pulling characters and events into its orbit. Existential threats overshadow local events; the specific issues you’re dealing with in your local context have no meaning in the face of the larger threat, making the rest of the setting irrelevant.
For example, Tolkien’s Middle-Earth hosted all manner of interesting local stories, such as the picaresque events of The Hobbit. But the drama of the War of Five Armies, central as it was to the latter part of the story, simply couldn’t happen in The Lord of the Rings, even though both narratives take place in the same fictional setting. Sauron’s return reduced all local concerns to irrelevancy, except insofar as they touched on the goal of destroying the One Ring.
Similarly, in Michael Moorcock’s Elric stories, the titular antihero has all manner of local pulpy adventures through much of his career. He engages in thievery and war, battles sorcerers and godlings, and is embroiled in feuds with relatives and rivals. He also struggles against his own inner demons, and at least once tries to set aside the sword for a peaceful life. But later in the series, once the powers of Chaos rose up to ravage the world, every story revolves around that conflict, pushing smaller events and themes to the wayside.
High fantasy stories of this nature, dealing with matters on the grandest scales, are viable in a literary work where the author decides the aims of the story. But a published game setting should provide players and referees with many possible stories, and if a threat demands that the PCs combat it, that narrows options for play.
This isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Many games thrive on a narrowly defined setting and story, especially small indie games like Polaris or Dogs in the Vineyard. These games have a laser-like focus on specific playstyles and stories. If you’re playing 3:16 Carnage Among the Stars, you go into the game expecting to kill aliens as a Space Trooper; that’s what the game is about.
Broader, mass-market games with world-shaking Big Bads also generally assume that you’ll end up on the front lines, but certain factors allow early gameplay to avoid focusing on the grand conflict.
The “zero to hero” power curve generated by typical RPG advancement systems means that you’ll typically start off as such small fry that you don’t have a role in the fight. Starting characters in the Supernatural RPG simply aren’t going to harrow Hell and go toe-to-toe with Lucifer.
Similarly, various high-powered NPCs are usually posited as holding the line against the threat while the PCs are still low on the totem pole. In Mage: the Ascension, the Traditions’ Masters and Archmasters are so far beyond the powers of starting PCs that the PCs can act as they will without feeling that they need to be throw themselves into the conflicts of the Ascension War.
The existential threats are often genuinely existential; though the struggle dominates the setting, there’s no immediate threat written into the books. In the various incarnations of Runequest, Chaos endangers the universal order, but there’s no immediate War against Chaos that the PCs have to participate in. Despite the presence of an inimical cosmic threat, life goes on.
Lastly, sometimes the war has already been lost, at which point the urgency of individual battles subsides. For all their rage, the Garou of Werewolf: the Apocalypse are a dying race, and their defeat is inevitable. They can continue to fight the Wyrm and its minions, but they can’t win, so while the PCs may still be drawn to battle, their players recognize that there’s no underlying urgency to the conflict.
Where things get tricky are in games where these factors don’t strongly apply. If your PCs start out at a high power level in an environment where they can make a difference against a powerful foe, stories will naturally revolve around conflict with that foe. If the enemy is transparently evil or just plain doing bad things, then unless you’re making an effort to eschew modern morality in your roleplay, you’ll feel compelled to intervene. World-destroying threats don’t even allow you that loophole; your game has to be about that fight, because if you lose, you don’t have a world to keep playing in.
This has been a steadily increasing problem through the run of Exalted. As more and more existential threats to Creation appeared—such as the Deathlords being repurposed from focusing on conquering the Underworld to actively seeking to annihilate Creation, or the Yozis going from an irrelevant holdover from an ancient war to a potential invading force of unimaginable power—the local stories that the game was always intended to facilitate became irrelevant in the face of those existential threats.
The peculiar asymmetry of such threats comes from the relationship between the game designer and the individual RPG group. It’s the designer’s job to present an environment full of stories; it’s the group’s job to select and play out their own story. The referee and players pick what they focus on, and if they want to add such narrative weight to an adversary that it warps the entire setting around it at their table—well, that’s very easy to do! But taking that weighted threat out of a published setting for your home game is much harder! If that warping effect is hard-coded into the setting, you’ll have to untangle it from everything it touches in the books—a significantly more arduous task.
In short, creating an immediate, world-ending threat to a game setting is only the job of the designer if the core of the game is always meant to be the struggle against that threat. If the game is about other things, then adding immediate world-ending threats is a job for the table.
AdvertisementsAt Pebble Beach today for the Monterey Car Week and 2016 Pebble Beach Concours D’Elégance this weekend, Mercedes unveiled a new all-electric luxury-class coupé concept: the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6.
While Mercedes is about to unveil its plans for a series of new electric vehicles potentially under a new brand, it doesn’t look like the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 will be in those plans, but it’s instead a concept to feature future designs and technologies that could potentially make it to Mercedes production cars in the coming years.
And it bodes well for some features important to electric vehicles…
The all-electric vehicle is powered by a 80 kWh battery pack, which Mercedes says could achieve an NEDC-rated range of 310 miles (500 km) or over 200 real-world miles, and “four compact permanent magnet synchronous electric motors”.
The automaker says it can accelerate from 0 to 60 in less than 4 seconds and achieve a top speed of 155 mph (250 km/h).
The most interesting part is the vehicle’s charging capacity. Mercedes says that they could push DC charging based on the CCS standard to its limit of 350 kW, which could add over 60 miles of range for every 5 minutes of charging.
Again, while we can hope to see some of these features in Mercedes’ upcoming series of electric vehicles, this Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 concept is described as a “visionary design show car” and it shouldn’t be expected to make it to production.
Here’s a gallery of the car and the press release below:
Study of an ultra-stylish luxury-class coupé: The ultimate in luxury: Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6
Stuttgart/Pebble Beach. Every August classic car fans from around the world converge on Pebble Beach in California for a very special beauty contest. This gathering of magnificent classic cars is the perfect place to premiere the exclusive Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, a sensational luxury-class coupé. The 2+2‑s eater is a homage to the glorious age of the aero coupés and consciously carries this tradition forward into the future. The coupé reinterprets classic, emotional design principles in an extreme way, following the Mercedes design philosophy of sensual purity.
The Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, which measures almost six metres in length, is designed as an electric car. The drive system has an output of 550 kW (750 hp). The shallow underfloor battery allows a range of over 500 kilometres according to the NEDC (over 200 miles according to EPA).
The large coupé is set to make its debut at Monterey Car Week, which will take place on the Monterey Peninsula between 16 and 21 August 2016. The final event on 21 August will be the Pebble Beach Concours D’Elégance.
With its sensual, emotional design (“hot”) and intelligent details (“cool”), the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 represents the ultimate in luxury. The classic aesthetic proportions of the show car – the extremely long bonnet, the low roof line and the rearward positioning of the greenhouse – recall the aero coupés of days gone by. But this is not retro design – this is a reinterpretation of classic, aesthetic principles.
At the same time the design is something unexpectedly new – cool, technoid and reduced. This is exemplified by the aerodynamically intelligent basic shape. Even without aids such as spoilers, the airflow hugs the contours of the vehicle body and only breaks away very late at the tail end of the vehicle. Then there is the surprisingly technoid character of the narrow lights, the partially transparent rims and the split rear window.
“Our glamorous coupé, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6, represents the ultimate in contemporary luxury. It is hot and cool”, states Gorden Wagener, Head of Design at Daimler AG. “With its intelligent appeal and reduced, technoid look, it perfectly embodies our design philosophy of sensual purity and our pursuit of aerodynamic efficiency”.
Reinterpretation of classic, aesthetic principles: the exterior design
Clearly defined contours and organically formed wings stand in contrast to the sharply drawn, extended feature line on each side which defines the upper vehicle body from the radiator grille across the entire length of the vehicle to the rear. Below this, the main body has a bulging, muscular look, extending across the entire flank. There is also a striking contrast between the Maybach red paintwork and the chrome strips which sit above the wheel arches and in the centre of the bonnet and boot lid.
A reinterpretation of the Mercedes-Maybach radiator grille with its fine, vertical struts accentuates the front end. The grille was inspired by a pinstriped suit. The radiator grille rests on two aerodynamically shaped supports on the outer right and left of the bumper.
The distinctive 24-inch wheels are a development of the aero rim from the Concept IAA (Intelligent Aerodynamic Automobile). A transparent shield in the vehicle colour provides a view of the aluminium spokes behind it.
A further highlight is provided by the gullwing doors, a hallmark Mercedes design element which has been brought up to date. They underline the sporty character of the vehicle’s silhouette and feature innovatively designed aluminium trim. The exterior mirrors designed as cameras are supported on the wings.
The extended, round “boat tail” format of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6’s rear recalls a luxury yacht, and narrow tail lights which emphasise the width of the vehicle are integrated in its outer edges. Above this sit the two extremely shallow rear windows (“split window”). Further distinctive features at the rear include the diffuser with aluminium frame and the air outlets behind the wheel arches.
Luxurious 360° lounge featuring new materials: the interior design
The interior of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is a synthesis of intelligence and emotion and combines traditional Mercedes-Benz values with a new high-tech experience.
The dashboard wing curves across the door trim into the seat landscape, creating a 360° lounge. The new “inside out” spatial design adds a particular touch of finesse. The sitting surface forms a horizontal, which transitions into the vertical of the doors and finally becomes the underside of the dashboard wing.
In addition to the flowing contours, the material composition produces a luxury experience of the highest order. Authentic materials and colours such as rose gold are used to create luxurious accents. The interior, with its high-quality leather trim, has a cool colour scheme which perfectly underlines the digital innovations. The sitting surfaces have a Chesterfield look. In the doors and dashboard the traditional wood trim softens the appearance of the digital control and display interfaces. As a contrast to the digital world of the displays, elm is used in the floor area, creating a refined yachting look. Elm is the palest open-pore wood which Mercedes-Benz is currently working on for series use.
In the front luggage area of the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is a set of two suitcases, exclusively created for the vehicle. Here too the designers have followed the sensual, pure design idiom of Mercedes-Benz. Plenty of space has also been provided for further additions such as picnic accessories or personal items.
Dipping into the future: a fusion of analogue and digital experience
Ever since Mercedes-Benz invented the car 130 years ago, driving has been a source of enjoyment and delight. With the increase in digitisation comes a simultaneous need for sustainable analogue solutions, the design of which has been emphasised and in places exaggerated in the concept car. In the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 this can be seen above all in the “hyperanalogue” instruments with needles and circular, crystal-look displays.
The classic circular instruments are combined with deep displays and act as a reference to the unique history of Mercedes-Benz. In contrast, other display elements are digitally integrated into a continuous glass trim part. Information about the seat, for example, can be shown on this digital strip. Map information is also shown in the front area of the strip. Menu content is extended along a digital line which extends to the sides as far as the occupants, who can set their own content ergonomically using touch control.
The front windscreen serves as a transparent display: driving-related data and geographical information is shown across its full width, augmenting the outside world with additional information. This information can be controlled and adjusted by the occupants using gestures.
The luxury padded leather upholstery is a particular highlight. Its traditional look is combined with future technology here – the buttons which would normally be trimmed in leather have been replaced in the upholstered surfaces by miniature “body sensor displays”. These scan the passengers and monitor, for example, their vital functions. As a result, comfort features such as seat climate or the massage function, for example, can be activated or the seat settings adjusted to the passenger. The sensors embedded in the upholstery also record the incidence of light, the colour of the occupant’s clothing and the ambient temperature. This information can be used to trigger new, emotional lighting effects in the interior.
The concept car aims to embody the ultimate in luxury, and this is underlined by the fact that the driver can switch to digital/autonomous mode. Another highlight is offered by the floating, transparent centre tunnel, which visualises the drive system’s electrical energy flow for the occupants.
Emission-free driving: electric drive system generating 550 kW (750 hp)
The side sills, illuminated by LED light strips, clearly underline the fact that the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 is designed as an electric car. Thanks to its four compact permanent magnet synchronous electric motors, it features all-wheel drive. The output of the drive system is 550 kW (750 hp). The shallow underfloor battery has a usable capacity of approx. 80 kWh. This not only allows performance characteristics typical of a sports car (acceleration from 0‑1 00 km/h in under four seconds, top speed electronically governed at 250 km/h) but also a range of over 500 kilometres according to the NEDC (over 200 miles according to EPA).
Vision: add an extra 100 kilometres to the range in just five minutes
The quick-charge function is also visionary: as a result of DC charging based on the CCS standard, the system allows an impressive charging capacity of up to 350 kW. In just five minutes enough power can be charged to achieve an additional range of around 100 kilometres.
The battery can either be charged via a cable connection at a public charging station or a conventional domestic outlet or, for even more convenience, it can be charged wirelessly, via an electromagnetic field.
The wow effect: visionary show cars with long-term prospects
With its impressive dimensions, the Vision Mercedes-Maybach 6 (length/width/height: 5700/2100/1328 millimetres) is the first luxury coupé in the series of visionary design show cars from Mercedes-Benz. These include the Vision EnerG‑Force (Los Angeles, November 2012), AMG Vision Gran Turismo (Sunnyvale, 2013) and Vision Tokyo (Tokyo, 2015). Thanks to the global nature of the Mercedes-Benz Design function, these concept vehicles take cues from local trends in design, culture and mobility and make these the focal point of the respective mobility concept. At the same time these show cars are looking far into the future.
Mercedes-Maybach: perfection blends with exclusivity
Mercedes-Maybach stands for the ultimate in exclusivity and individuality. The target group is made up of status-oriented customers. The current vehicles include the Mercedes-Maybach S 500 and S 600 models, launched in February 2015, which blend the perfection of the Mercedes-Benz S‑Class with the exclusivity of Maybach. A special protection version, the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Guard, is the world’s first passenger car to meet the highest ballistic protection level for civilian vehicles, VR10.
The most recent model is the Mercedes-Maybach S 600 Pullman with face-to-face seating. Launched at the beginning of 2016, it adopted the mantle of absolute top-of-the-line model.WASHINGTON, DC – As world marked earth day on April 22, the largest Muslim group in North America launched a new campaign urging Muslims, mosques and Islamic center to implement practices and policies that are environmentally friendly, vowing to mark a greener Ramadan this year.
“We, as Muslims, must seek to implement practices and policies that are environmentally friendly,” the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) said in a statement sent to AboutIslam.net.
“Let us live up to our role as stewards of the earth by joining the “Greening Our Ramadan” campaign again this year.”
In the campaign, coming as part of ISNA Green Initiative, the group urged mosque leaders to pledge and adopt some practices during Ramadan.
The practices include: Conserve food during iftars and avoid being wasteful by giving excess food to people in need. Conserve water, especially during wudu. Follow the tradition of the Prophet (PBUH)
Use relatively quick degradable paper products for iftars and not at all use Styrofoam cups and plates
Recycle material, especially plastic water bottles
Replace all light bulbs with energy saver bulbs and thus conserve electricity
Give a khutbah on the Islamic imperative to conserve and protect the environment
The group also included several verses from the Holy Qur’an and saying of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) which urge people to protect their environment.
Allah (SWT) commands us: “Eat and drink but waste not by extravagance. Certainly Allah loves not the musrifin (wasters)” (Translation 7:31).
“Every year consumers in rich countries waste almost as much food (222 million tons) as the entire food production in sub-Saharan Africa” (UN).
“40% of America’s food supply ends up in a dumpster” (Washington Post).
Plastics take up 25-30% of our landfills.
In the US, 1500 plastic water bottles are used every second (One Green Planet).
Styrofoam contains styrene which is classified as a potential cause of cancer by the EPA. Also it takes a long time to degrade Styrofoam. Imagine if a Companion at the time of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) used a Styrofoam cup it would not have decomposed yet.It is a well-known fact that now it takes 1 year and six months to produce non-renewable sources that we consume in 1 year. As the caretakers of this planet, as ordained by Allah (SWT), it becomes our obligation to make every effort to conserve and protect our resources. Therefore, ISNA is requesting to adopt the following practices during and Ramadan:
Conserve food at iftars and avoid being wasteful by giving excess food to people in need. Conserve water, especially during wudu. Follow the tradition of Prophet (PBUH)
Use quick degradable/paper products for iftars and not Styrofoam cups and plate
Recycle material, especially plastic water bottles
Replace all light bulbs with energy saver bulbs and thus conserve electricity
Give a khutbah on the Islamic imperative to conserve and protect our environment. Remember: “Command the good and forbid the wrong” (Translation 31:17).
Ramadan is the holiest month in Islamic calendar.
In Ramadan, adult Muslims, save the sick and those traveling, abstain from food, drink, smoking and sex between dawn and sunset.
Muslims dedicate their time during the holy month to be closer to Allah through prayers, self-restraint and good deeds.
Muslims in North America are expected to start fasting on Saturday, May 27.Speaking before the National Rifle Association (NRA) on Friday, President Donald Trump reprised his racist attack on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), calling her "Pocahontas" during a "campaign-like speech" to an appreciative crowd.
"I have a feeling in the next election you're going to be swamped with candidates," he said to the pro-gun group's annual meeting in Atlanta. "But you're not going to be wasting your time. You'll have plenty of Democrats coming over and you're going to say, 'No sir, no thank you. No ma'am'—perhaps ma'am. It may be Pocahontas, remember that. And she's not big for the NRA, that I can tell you."
The remark reportedly drew "big laughs."
The President of the United States just called @SenWarren "Pocahontas" (again) pic.twitter.com/zJH4FsHV9V — Steve Kopack (@SteveKopack) April 28, 2017
Warren has been a major thorn in Trump's side since before he was elected; she denounced him during the 2016 campaign as a "money-grubber;" a "thin-skinned racist bully;" and a "loser." Since he became president, she's been a leading figure in the resistance, recently giving him an "F" grade for his first 100 days in office.
Reaction online to Trump's latest attack was swift and furious:
Donald Trump is deeply racist and the conservative movement’s core institutions love it. https://t.co/5MQmOvBGmQ — Jamison Foser (@jamisonfoser) April 28, 2017
@AnaKasparian @SenWarren He's staying on brand. Unfortunately his brand is "racist sexist lowlife" — Dan Friedman (@TheDannyFresh) April 28, 2017
Trump calling Warren Pocahontas is racist. We kind of gloss over it at this point. But this is the president being racist. SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT Help Keep Common Dreams Alive Our progressive news model only survives if those informed and inspired by this work support our efforts
— Sam Stein (@samsteinhp) April 28, 2017
Trump calling Elizabeth Warren "Pocohontas" is dog whistle racism. A form of "socially acceptable" racism that is heard loud and clear. — Claude Taylor (@TrueFactsStated) April 28, 2017
The United States President referring to a sitting United States Senator as “Pocahontas” is something we should continue to be shocked by. — Matt Viser (@mviser) April 28, 2017
Even before he insulted Warren, Trump's speech to the NRA—the first from a sitting president since Ronald Reagan addressed the group in 1983—served as a reminder that the president is often in campaign mode.
He "started his address with a freewheeling recollection of his November election victory," Fox News wrote, and vowed to "never, ever infringe on the rights of the people to keep and bear arms."
According to Heavy.com, "the biggest applause of the afternoon came when he talked about building a wall along the southern border."Today, deeply embedded and highly confidential yet incredibly trusted inside sources within the Autostraddle network have secretly confirmed a story currently fingerblasting from the newsdesks of the hard-working and undoubtedly honest journalists of The Daily Mail: Orange is the New Black actress Samira Wiley and Orange is the New Black writer Lauren Morelli are A Thing.
“They are believed to have been dating each other for the past six months,” reported The Daily Mail in the passive voice. “But on Monday evening Orange Is The New Black actress Samira Wiley and Lauren Morelli (who is a writer on the show) took their rumoured relationship into the spotlight as they left Chateau Marmont together hand-in-hand.”
We’d like to show you an actual photograph of this situation but don’t want to be threatened with a multi-thousand-dollar lawsuit like we were the last time we used photographs from The Daily Mail that didn’t belong to us because we can’t afford to buy those photographs because we are a poor queer independent media property. Luckily, I have a personal Intern who made this faithful representation of the event for you:
Lauren’s instagram also reveals the twosome giving great face en route to the ceremony.
In a May 2014 essay for Mic.com, Lauren revealed that she realized she was gay while writing Orange is the New Black, a revelation that did not surprise the thousands of women who realized they were gay while watching Orange is the New Black. (Television is a key element of the lesbian recruitment agenda.) Lauren wrote, “I went through it all on set: I fell in love with a woman, and I watched my life play out on screen. And now, as we are gearing up for the release of season 2, it feels liberating and appropriate to live my life in front of you.”
“The pair certainly haven’t kept their relationship a secret, both posting intimate selfies of one another on their respective Instagram accounts,” reported The Daily Mail breathily. Specific intimate selfies cited include “a picture of Samira grinning behind a tray of oysters on what appeared to be a romantic dinner date.”
Another cited intimate selfie is described by The Daily Mail like so: “Lauren added another picture in May, which showed Samira lovingly kissing her head as they celebrated her birthday.”
Also, Samira Wiley Enthusiast and Autostraddle Associate Editor Yvonne Marquez has noted of the following photograph, “this is clearly lauren’s dog.”
The two women were captured wearing fancy outfits and being cuddly in public on August 23rd at the Variety and Women In Film Emmy Nominee Celebration Powered by Samsung Galaxy, along with a plethora of talented and brilliant humans you might have strong feelings for:
In addition to all of the captivating information we’ve already shared with you, we must add that on Instagram, Lauren Morelli cited her day at New York City Pride to be “one of the best days of her life.” This speaks to the incredible power of lesbian love and the cast of Orange is the New Black to overcome sweltering heat and the aggressive marketing of Bud Light to unsuspecting homosexuals.
In the following instagram photograph, captioned as “chilling w/Lo,” Samira and Lauren express a tender and cheerful intimacy reminiscent of that time I called my straight best friend “Lo” even though her name was “Lauren” and sometimes we had sex. Unlike me and my Lo, however, Samira and her Lo are actual girlfriends, which’s a much healthier situation and I’d highly recommend going that route rather than the sleeping-with-your-straight-best-friend route. This is me looking out for you, young lezzers of America. This is the work we do here.
In conclusion, it is safe to assume that Lauren Morelli has succeeded in fulfilling the need Samira Wiley announced nearly a mere year ago, for a “boo” to “keep [her] lil’ ass warm.” Furthermore, look at how hot and brilliant everybody in this picture is:This story has been updated.
President Obama dismantled Senate Republicans’ arguments for blocking a Supreme Court nominee on Wednesday, and vowed to do his constitutional duty despite critics’ attempts to stonewall his potential court nominee.
“I’m going to do my job,” Obama told reporters in the Oval Office. “I recognize the politics are hard for them [Senate Republicans] because the easier thing to do is to give in to the most extreme voices within their party and stand pat and do nothing. But that’s not our job. Our job is to fulfill our constitutional duties.”
The President also said once there is “an actual nominee” rather than “an abstraction” about filling the vacancy left by Justice Antonin Scalia’s death, the American public will get |
party.
Gupta said the show on Monday was called Janmanch 2014 (People’s Forum 2014) featuring five local politicians which was coming to an end when the man suddenly appeared.
“Within minutes, the Doordarshan team closed its cameras and packed all their equipment,” he said.Sun archives More columns by J. Patrick Coolican
The scheme is so devious, so underhanded, that it nearly worked. I’m talking about the White House’s secret agreement with Donald Trump that he run for president as a Republican who calls into question Barack Obama’s birthplace. Trump is doing this in exchange for... what? That I haven’t quite gotten to the bottom of, but I assure you I’m getting close. Very close.
It goes like this: Let’s say you’re a wild-eyed radical left winger who managed to get elected president with the help of ACORN even though you weren’t born in this country.
And let’s say there’s a financial crisis because the government forced the powerless banks to give loans to poor people, and that omnipotent illegal immigrants and teachers and social worker unions and other nefarious evildoers have blown up the economy.
Well, let’s face it, bub: You’re going to have a problem winning re-election to finally achieve your dream of redistributing the wealth, establishing Sharia law and handing over the reins of the military to the gays and the United Nations.
So, what do you do? Well, it’s simple. You go find a guy with all the network news anchors on speed dial, someone who defines glamour and sophistication, someone who hosts a successful game show called “Celebrity Apprentice,” someone who will burn up weeks and months of orgiastic media time. Trump!
Recall that in 2004, Dan Rather, by falling for a set of forged documents, made it impossible for anyone to question President George W. Bush’s military service. Similarly, Obama’s birthplace cover-up will survive because Trump is an unreliable narrator and a sideshow and will throw the media off the scent. Obama even went so far as to directly address the controversy Wednesday and release yet another “birth certificate.” It’s brilliant.
And I fear that Nevada Republicans are falling for the trap. Trump will appear this evening at Treasure Island, which has sexy pirates, at an event organized by Draft Trump 2012. (Best website heading: “Natural Born.”)
The event is billed as “From Ronald to Donald,” invoking Ronald Reagan, the Gipper. The White House, which is clearly the hidden hand behind Draft Trump, knows its audience because Republicans love them some Reagan and some 1980s. (If only Gordon Gekko weren’t a fictional character, he could have run.)
It’s certainly understandable that Nevada Republicans would be seduced by Trump. After all, look what he’s given our community: A $1.2 billion eponymy wrapped in gold. Sure, he never built the second tower that was supposed to go with it. And sure, it sits there alone a quarter mile from the Strip, with a couple of surface parking lots sprouting weeds. But in the gift shop, you can buy — and I did! — a milk chocolate bar wrapped in gold foil so that it resembles a real gold bar. It is inscribed with “Trump” and it costs $4. A $4 milk chocolate bar. That’s luxury right there. As Trump once said, “I did want to do something really dramatic in Las Vegas, and this building, in terms of its height and beauty and look, is rather amazing,” Yes, rather amazing.
Trump also graced our community with opportunity when he offered weekend seminars for a mere $1,499, during which his “hand-picked” teachers would explain how to get rich in real estate. This was December 2006, a great time to get rich in Las Vegas real estate!
So I get why Nevada Republicans might get taken in by Trump.
But I’ve done some digging around, and the Trump-Obama conspiracy has revealed itself.
Check out this exchange reported recently by Al Kamen of The Washington Post.
Trump says he complained to Obama confidante David Axelrod that when the White House has state dinners and important events, it’s always in some cheap rickety tent.
“I will build you, free of charge, one of the great ballrooms of the world,” Trump says he told Axelrod, one that will “cost maybe $100 million” and be “attached to the White House.” (Imagine the luxury of such a ballroom!) Axelrod said, “That’s great,” Trump recalled, but “I never heard from ’em.”
Axelrod has a slightly different story, according to the Post, recalling the offer of the free luxury ballroom, but adding that this came only after another offer behind Door No. 1. See, Trump called him and asked to be put in charge of the effort to plug the leaking oil well in the Gulf. “I know how to run big projects,” Trump told Axelrod. “Why don’t you put me in charge?”
Sure, why not a real estate speculator and TV game show host for that job. Seems reasonable.
Anyway, what we see here is a pattern of the White House and Trump flirting over ballrooms and oil spills. All we need is another dot.
Enter Glenn Beck: “So a lot of people think that George Soros is nothing to worry about, Donald Trump. Donald Trump took investment money from George Soros to build the Trump Tower in Chicago.”
Aha! Soros. Soros, the billionaire financier who has supported democracy efforts in former communist bloc countries and left-wing causes in the U.S.
And... Chicago. Hmm... Chicago. What foreign-born U.S. president learned radical Saul Alinsky-style politics in Chicago? You know who.
So, we know Trump is connected to Soros, and of course we know Soros is secretly running the White House.
Now, what does Trump get in return for his service to the White House, what does he get by acting like a loathsome buffoon and making a mockery of the Republican nominating process?
That I haven’t figured out yet. There’s some dirty deal, and I suspect Las Vegas has something to do with it. We always do.".vimrc " Author: Steve Losh <steve@stevelosh.com> " Source: http://bitbucket.org/sjl/dotfiles/src/tip/vim/ " " This file changes a lot. I'll try to document pieces of it whenever I have " a few minutes to kill. " Preamble ---------------------------------------------------------------- {{{ filetype off call pathogen#runtime_append_all_bundles () filetype plugin indent on set nocompatible " }}} " Basic options ----------------------------------------------------------- {{{ set encoding = utf -8 set modelines = 0 set autoindent set showmode set showcmd set hidden set visualbell set cursorline set ttyfast set ruler set backspace = indent, eol, start set nonumber set norelativenumber set laststatus = 2 set history = 1000 set undofile set undoreload = 10000 set cpoptions += J set list set listchars = tab :▸\, eol :¬, extends:❯, precedes:❮ set shell = /bin/ bash set lazyredraw set matchtime = 3 set showbreak = ↪ set splitbelow set splitright set fillchars = diff :\ set ttimeout set notimeout set nottimeout set autowrite set shiftround set autoread set title set dictionary = /usr/ share /dict/ words " Wildmenu completion {{{ set wildmenu set wildmode = list :longest set wildignore +=.hg,.git,.svn " Version control set wildignore += *.aux, *.out, *.toc " LaTeX intermediate files set wildignore += *.jpg, *.bmp, *.gif, *.png, *.jpeg " binary images set wildignore += *. o, *.obj, *.exe, *.dll, *.manifest " compiled object files set wildignore += *. spl " compiled spelling word lists set wildignore += *. sw? " Vim swap files set wildignore += *.DS_Store " OSX bullshit set wildignore += *.luac " Lua byte code set wildignore += migrations " Django migrations set wildignore += *.pyc " Python byte code " Clojure/Leiningen set wildignore += classes set wildignore += lib " }}} " Make Vim able to edit crontab files again. set backupskip = /tmp/ *, /private/ tmp/*" " Save when losing focus au FocusLost * : wa " Resize splits when the window is resized au VimResized * exe "normal! \<c-w>=" " Tabs, spaces, wrapping {{{ set tabstop = 4 set shiftwidth = 4 set softtabstop = 4 set expandtab set wrap set textwidth = 80 set formatoptions = qrn1 set colorcolumn =+ 1 " }}} " Backups {{{ set undodir =~ /.vim/ tmp /undo/ / " undo files set backupdir =~ /.vim/ tmp /backup/ / " backups set directory =~ /.vim/ tmp /swap/ / " swap files set backup " enable backups " }}} " Leader {{{ let mapleader = "," let maplocalleader = "\\" " }}} " Color scheme {{{ syntax on set background = dark colorscheme molokai " Highlight VCS conflict markers match ErrorMsg '^\(<\|=\|>\)\{7\}\([^=].\+\)\?$' " }}} " }}} " Status line ------------------------------------------------------------- {{{ augroup ft_statuslinecolor au! au InsertEnter * hi StatusLine ctermfg = 196 guifg = #FF3145 au InsertLeave * hi StatusLine ctermfg = 130 guifg = #CD5907 augroup END set statusline = % f " Path. set statusline += % m " Modified flag. set statusline += % r " Readonly flag. set statusline += % w " Preview window flag. set statusline += \ " Space. set statusline += %#redbar# " Highlight the following as a warning. set statusline += %{SyntasticStatuslineFlag () } " Syntastic errors. set statusline += %* " Reset highlighting. set statusline += % = " Right align. " File format, encoding and type. Ex: "(unix/utf-8/python)" set statusline +=( set statusline += %{& ff } " Format (unix/DOS). set statusline += / set statusline += %{strlen ( & fenc )?& fenc :& enc } " Encoding (utf-8). set statusline += / set statusline += %{& ft } " Type (python). set statusline +=) " Line and column position and counts. set statusline += \ ( line\ % l \/%L, \ col \ % 03 c ) " }}} " Abbreviations ----------------------------------------------------------- {{{ function! EatChar ( pat ) let c = nr2char ( getchar ( 0 )) return ( c =~ a :pat )? '' : c endfunction function! MakeSpacelessIabbrev ( from, to ) execute "iabbrev <silent> ". a :from. " ". a : to. "<C-R>=EatChar('\\s')<CR>" endfunction call MakeSpacelessIabbrev ('sl/', 'http://stevelosh.com/' ) call MakeSpacelessIabbrev ( 'bb/', 'http://bitbucket.org/' ) call MakeSpacelessIabbrev ( 'bbs/', 'http://bitbucket.org/sjl/' ) call MakeSpacelessIabbrev ( 'gh/', 'http://github.com/' ) call MakeSpacelessIabbrev ( 'ghs/', 'http://github.com/sjl/' ) iabbrev ldis ಠ_ಠ iabbrev sl @ steve@stevelosh. com iabbrev vrcf ` ~ /.vimrc` file " }}} " Searching and movement -------------------------------------------------- {{{ " Use sane regexes. nnoremap / / \ v vnoremap / / \ v set ignorecase set smartcase set incsearch set showmatch set hlsearch set gdefault set scrolloff = 3 set sidescroll = 1 set sidescrolloff = 10 set virtualedit += block noremap < leader >< space > : noh < cr > : call clearmatches ()< cr > runtime macros/matchit. vim map < tab > % " Made D behave nnoremap D d $ " Keep search matches in the middle of the window and pulse the line when moving " to them. nnoremap n nzzzv: call PulseCursorLine ()< cr > nnoremap N Nzzzv: call PulseCursorLine ()< cr > " Don't move on * nnoremap * * < c - o > " Same when jumping around nnoremap g ; g ;zz nnoremap g, g, zz " Easier to type, and I never use the default behavior. noremap H ^ noremap L $ " Heresy inoremap < c - a > < esc > I inoremap < c - e > < esc > A " Open a Quickfix window for the last search. nnoremap < silent > < leader > / :execute 'vimgrep / '.@/.' / g %' < CR > : copen < CR > " Ack for the last search. nnoremap < silent > < leader >? :execute "Ack! '". substitute ( substitute ( substitute ( @/, "\\\\<", "\\\\b", "" ), "\\\\>", "\\\\b", "" ), "\\\\v", "", "" ). "'" < CR > " Fix linewise visual selection of various text objects nnoremap VV V nnoremap Vit vitVkoj nnoremap Vat vatV nnoremap Vab vabV nnoremap VaB vaBV " Error navigation {{{ " " Location List QuickFix Window " (e.g. Syntastic) (e.g. Ack) " ---------------------------------- " Next | M-k M-Down | " Previous | M-l M-Up | " ---------------------------------- " nnoremap ˚ :lnext < cr > zvzz nnoremap ¬ :lprevious < cr > zvzz inoremap ˚ < esc > :lnext < cr > zvzz inoremap ¬ < esc > :lprevious < cr > zvzz nnoremap < m - Down > :cnext < cr > zvzz nnoremap < m - Up > :cprevious < cr > zvzz " }}} " Directional Keys {{{ " It's 2011. noremap j gj noremap k gk " Easy buffer navigation noremap < C - h > < C - w > h noremap < C - j > < C - w > j noremap < C - k > < C - w > k noremap < C - l > < C - w > l noremap < leader > v < C - w > v " }}} " Highlight word {{{ nnoremap < silent > < leader > hh :execute'match InterestingWord1 /\<<c-r><c-w>\>/' < cr > nnoremap < silent > < leader > h1 :execute'match InterestingWord1 /\<<c-r><c-w>\>/' < cr > nnoremap < silent > < leader > h2 :execute '2match InterestingWord2 /\<<c-r><c-w>\>/' < cr > nnoremap < silent > < leader > h3 :execute '3match InterestingWord3 /\<<c-r><c-w>\>/' < cr > " }}} " Visual Mode */# from Scrooloose {{{ function! s:VSetSearch () let temp = @@ norm! gvy let @/ = '\V'. substitute ( escape ( @@, '\' ), '
', '\
', 'g' ) let @@ = temp endfunction vnoremap * : < C - u > call < SID > VSetSearch ()< CR > // < CR >< c - o > vnoremap # : < C - u > call < SID > VSetSearch ()< CR >?? < CR >< c - o > " }}} " }}} " Folding ----------------------------------------------------------------- {{{ set foldlevelstart = 0 " Space to toggle folds. nnoremap < Space > za vnoremap < Space > za " Make zO recursively open whatever top level fold we're in, no matter where the " cursor happens to be. nnoremap zO zCzO " Use,z to "focus" the current fold. nnoremap < leader > z zMzvzz function! MyFoldText () " {{{ let line = getline ( v :foldstart ) let nucolwidth = & fdc + & number * & numberwidth let windowwidth = winwidth ( 0 ) - nucolwidth - 3 let foldedlinecount = v :foldend - v :foldstart " expand tabs into spaces let onetab = strpart ('', 0, & tabstop ) let line = substitute ( line, '\t', onetab, 'g' ) let line = strpart ( line, 0, windowwidth - 2 - len ( foldedlinecount )) let fillcharcount = windowwidth - len ( line ) - len ( foldedlinecount ) return line. '…'. repeat ( " ", fillcharcount ). foldedlinecount. '…'.'' endfunction " }}} set foldtext = MyFoldText () " }}} " Destroy infuriating keys ------------------------------------------------ {{{ " Fuck you, help key. noremap < F1 > : set invfullscreen < CR > inoremap < F1 > < ESC > : set invfullscreen < CR > a " Fuck you too, manual key. nnoremap K < nop > " Stop it, hash key. inoremap # X < BS > # " }}} " Various filetype-specific stuff ----------------------------------------- {{{ " C {{{ augroup ft_c au! au FileType c setlocal foldmethod = syntax augroup END " }}} " Clojure {{{ let g :slimv_leader = '\' let g :slimv_keybindings = 2 augroup ft_clojure au! au FileType clojure call TurnOnClojureFolding () au FileType clojure compiler clojure au FileType clojure setlocal report = 100000 au FileType clojure nnoremap < buffer > o jI < cr >< esc > kA au FileType clojure nnoremap < buffer > O I < cr >< esc > kA au BufWinEnter Slimv.REPL.clj setlocal winfixwidth au BufNewFile, BufRead Slimv.REPL.clj setlocal nowrap au BufNewFile, BufRead Slimv.REPL.clj setlocal foldlevel = 99 au BufNewFile, BufRead Slimv.REPL.clj nnoremap < buffer > A GA au BufNewFile, BufRead Slimv.REPL.clj nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > R : emenu REPL. < Tab > " Fix the eval mapping. au FileType clojure nmap < buffer > \ee \ ed " Indent top-level form. au FileType clojure nmap < buffer > < localleader >= v ((((((((((((= % " Use a swank command that works, and doesn't require new app windows. au FileType clojure let g :slimv_swank_cmd = '!dtach -n /tmp/dtach-swank.sock -r winch lein swank' augroup END " }}} " Confluence {{{ augroup ft_c au! au BufRead, BufNewFile *.confluencewiki setlocal filetype = confluencewiki " Wiki pages should be soft-wrapped. au FileType confluencewiki setlocal wrap linebreak nolist augroup END " }}} " Cram {{{ let cram_fold = 1 augroup ft_cram au! au BufNewFile, BufRead *. t set filetype = cram au Syntax cram setlocal foldlevel = 1 augroup END " }}} " CSS and LessCSS {{{ augroup ft_css au! au BufNewFile, BufRead *.less setlocal filetype = less au Filetype less, css setlocal foldmethod = marker au Filetype less, css setlocal foldmarker = {, } au Filetype less, css setlocal omnifunc = csscomplete#CompleteCSS au Filetype less, css setlocal iskeyword +=- " Use <leader>S to sort properties. Turns this: " " p { " width: 200px; " height: 100px; " background: red; " "... " } " " into this: " p { " background: red; " height: 100px; " width: 200px; " "... " } au BufNewFile, BufRead *.less, *.css nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > S?{ < CR > jV/\ v ^\s*\}?$ < CR > k : sort < CR > : noh < CR > " Make {<cr> insert a pair of brackets in such a way that the cursor is correctly " positioned inside of them AND the following code doesn't get unfolded. au BufNewFile, BufRead *.less, *.css inoremap < buffer > { < cr > {} < left >< cr >< space >< space >< space >< space >. < cr >< esc > kA < bs > augroup END " }}} " Django {{{ augroup ft_django au! au BufNewFile, BufRead urls. py setlocal nowrap au BufNewFile, BufRead urls. py normal! zR au BufNewFile, BufRead dashboard. py normal! zR au BufNewFile, BufRead local_settings. py normal! zR au BufNewFile, BufRead admin. py setlocal filetype = python.django au BufNewFile, BufRead urls. py setlocal filetype = python.django au BufNewFile, BufRead models. py setlocal filetype = python.django au BufNewFile, BufRead views. py setlocal filetype = python.django au BufNewFile, BufRead settings. py setlocal filetype = python.django au BufNewFile, BufRead settings. py setlocal foldmethod = marker au BufNewFile, BufRead forms. py setlocal filetype = python.django au BufNewFile, BufRead common_settings. py setlocal filetype = python.django au BufNewFile, BufRead common_settings. py setlocal foldmethod = marker augroup END " }}} " Firefox {{{ augroup ft_firefox au! au BufRead, BufNewFile ~ /Library/ Caches/*.html setlocal buftype = nofile augroup END " }}} " Fish {{{ augroup ft_fish au! au BufNewFile, BufRead *.fish setlocal filetype = fish augroup END " }}} " HTML and HTMLDjango {{{ augroup ft_html au! au BufNewFile, BufRead *.html setlocal filetype = htmldjango au FileType html, jinja, htmldjango setlocal foldmethod = manual " Use <localleader>f to fold the current tag. au FileType html, jinja, htmldjango nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > f Vatzf " Use Shift-Return to turn this: " <tag>|</tag> " " into this: " <tag> " | " </tag> au FileType html, jinja, htmldjango nnoremap < buffer > < s - cr > vit < esc > a < cr >< esc > vito < esc > i < cr >< esc > " Smarter pasting au FileType html, jinja, htmldjango nnoremap < buffer > p : < C - U > YRPaste 'p' < CR > v `] = `] au FileType html, jinja, htmldjango nnoremap < buffer > P : < C - U > YRPaste 'P' < CR > v `] = `] au FileType html, jinja, htmldjango nnoremap < buffer > π : < C - U > YRPaste 'p' < CR > au FileType html, jinja, htmldjango nnoremap < buffer > ∏ : < C - U > YRPaste 'P' < CR > " Django tags au FileType jinja, htmldjango inoremap < buffer > < c - t > {% < space >< space > %} < left >< left >< left > " Django variables au FileType jinja, htmldjango inoremap < buffer > < c - f > {{ < space >< space > }} < left >< left >< left > augroup END " }}} " Javascript {{{ augroup ft_javascript au! au FileType javascript setlocal foldmethod = marker au FileType javascript setlocal foldmarker = {, } augroup END " }}} " Lisp {{{ augroup ft_lisp au! au FileType lisp call TurnOnLispFolding () augroup END " }}} " Markdown {{{ augroup ft_markdown au! au BufNewFile, BufRead *. m *down setlocal filetype = markdown " Use <localleader>1/2/3 to add headings. au Filetype markdown nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > 1 yypVr = au Filetype markdown nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > 2 yypVr - au Filetype markdown nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > 3 I### < ESC > augroup END " }}} " Nginx {{{ augroup ft_nginx au! au BufRead, BufNewFile /etc/ nginx /conf/ * set ft = nginx au BufRead, BufNewFile /etc/ nginx /sites-available/ * set ft = nginx au BufRead, BufNewFile /usr/ local /etc/ nginx /sites-available/ * set ft = nginx au BufRead, BufNewFile vhost.nginx set ft = nginx au FileType nginx setlocal foldmethod = marker foldmarker = {, } augroup END " }}} " OrgMode {{{ augroup ft_org au! au Filetype org nmap < buffer > Q vahjgq augroup END " }}} " Pentadactyl {{{ augroup ft_pentadactyl au! au BufNewFile, BufRead.pentadactylrc set filetype = pentadactyl au BufNewFile, BufRead ~ /Library/ Caches /TemporaryItems/ pentadactyl - *.tmp set nolist wrap linebreak columns = 100 colorcolumn = 0 augroup END " }}} " Puppet {{{ augroup ft_puppet au! au Filetype puppet setlocal foldmethod = marker au Filetype puppet setlocal foldmarker = {, } augroup END " }}} " Python {{{ augroup ft_python au! au Filetype python noremap < buffer > < localleader > rr :RopeRename < CR > au Filetype python vnoremap < buffer > < localleader > rm :RopeExtractMethod < CR > au Filetype python noremap < buffer > < localleader > ri :RopeOrganizeImports < CR > au FileType python setlocal omnifunc = pythoncomplete#Complete au FileType python setlocal define = ^\s*\\ ( def \\\\ | class\\ ) au FileType python compiler nose au FileType man nnoremap < buffer > < cr > : q < cr > augroup END " }}} " QuickFix {{{ augroup ft_quickfix au! au Filetype qf setlocal colorcolumn = 0 nolist nocursorline nowrap augroup END " }}} " ReStructuredText {{{ augroup ft_rest au! au Filetype rst nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > 1 yypVr = au Filetype rst nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > 2 yypVr - au Filetype rst nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > 3 yypVr ~ au Filetype rst nnoremap < buffer > < localleader > 4 yypVr` augroup END " }}} " Ruby {{{ augroup ft_ruby au! au Filetype ruby setlocal foldmethod = syntax augroup END " }}} " Vagrant {{{ augroup ft_vagrant au! au BufRead, BufNewFile Vagrantfile set ft = ruby augroup END " }}} " Vim {{{ augroup ft_vim au! au FileType vim setlocal foldmethod = marker au FileType help setlocal textwidth = 78 au BufWinEnter *.txt if & ft == 'help' | wincmd L | endif augroup END " }}} " }}} " Quick editing ----------------------------------------------------------- {{{ nnoremap < leader > ev < C - w > s < C - w > j < C - w > L: e $MYVIMRC < cr > nnoremap < leader > es < C - w > s < C - w > j < C - w > L: e ~ /.vim/ snippets/ < cr > nnoremap < leader > eo < C - w > s < C - w > j < C - w > L: e ~ /Dropbox/ Org < cr > 4 j nnoremap < leader > eh < C - w > s < C - w > j < C - w > L: e ~ /.hgrc < cr > nnoremap < leader > em < C - w > s < C - w > j < C - w > L: e ~ /.mutt/ muttrc < cr > nnoremap < leader > ez < C - w > s < C - w > j < C - w > L: e ~ /lib/ dotfiles/zsh < cr > 4 j nnoremap < leader > ek < C - w > s < C - w > j < C - w > L: e ~ /lib/ dotfiles /keymando/ keymandorc.rb < cr > " }}} " Shell ------------------------------------------------------------------- {{{ function! s:ExecuteInShell ( command ) " {{{ let command = join ( map ( split ( a :command ), 'expand(v:val)' )) let winnr = bufwinnr ( '^'. command. '$' ) silent! execute winnr < 0? 'botright vnew '. fnameescape ( command ) : winnr. 'wincmd w' setlocal buftype = nowrite bufhidden = wipe nobuflisted noswapfile nowrap nonumber echo 'Execute '. command. '...' silent! execute'silent %!'. command silent! redraw silent! execute 'au BufUnload <buffer> execute bufwinnr('. bufnr ( '#' ). '). ''wincmd w''' silent! execute 'nnoremap <silent> <buffer> <LocalLeader>r :call <SID>ExecuteInShell('''. command. ''')<CR>:AnsiEsc<CR>' silent! execute 'nnoremap <silent> <buffer> q :q<CR>' silent! execute 'AnsiEsc' echo 'Shell command '. command.'executed.' endfunction " }}} command! - complete = shellcmd - nargs =+ Shell call s:ExecuteInShell (< q - args >) nnoremap < leader >! :Shell " }}} " Convenience mappings ---------------------------------------------------- {{{ " Clean whitespace map < leader > W :%s /\s\+$//<cr>:let @/ = '' < CR > " Dammit, Slimv map < leader > WW :%s /\s\+$//<cr>:let @/ = '' < CR > " Change case nnoremap < C - u > gUiw inoremap < C - u > < esc > gUiwea " Substitute nnoremap < leader > s :%s // < left > " Emacs bindings in command line mode cnoremap < c - a > < home > cnoremap < c - e > < end > " Diffoff nnoremap < leader > D : diffoff!< cr > " Yankring nnoremap < silent > < F6 > :YRShow < cr > " Formatting, TextMate-style nnoremap Q gqip " Easier linewise reselection nnoremap < leader > V V`] " Preview Files nnoremap < leader > p : w < cr > :Hammer < cr > " HTML tag closing inoremap < C - _ > < Space >< BS >< Esc > : call InsertCloseTag ()< cr > a " Align text nnoremap < leader > Al : left < cr > nnoremap < leader > Ac : center < cr > nnoremap < leader > Ar : right < cr > vnoremap < leader > Al : left < cr > vnoremap < leader > Ac : center < cr > vnoremap < leader > Ar : right < cr > " Less chording nnoremap ; : " Faster Esc inoremap jk < esc > " Cmdheight switching nnoremap < leader > 1 : set cmdheight = 1 < cr > nnoremap < leader > 2 : set cmdheight = 2 < cr > " Source vnoremap < leader > S y :execute @@ < cr > nnoremap < leader > S ^vg_y:execute @@ < cr > " Replaste nnoremap < D - p > "_ddPV`]= " Marks and Quotes noremap'` noremap æ'noremap ` < C - ^ > " Calculator inoremap < C - B > < C - O > yiW < End >=< C - R >=< C - R > 0 < CR > " Better Completion set completeopt = longest, menuone, preview " inoremap <expr> <CR> pumvisible()? "\<C-y>" : "\<C-g>u\<CR>" " inoremap <expr> <C-p> pumvisible()? '<C-n>' : '<C-n><C-r>=pumvisible()? "\<lt>up>" : ""<CR>' " inoremap <expr> <C-n> pumvisible()? '<C-n>' : '<C-n><C-r>=pumvisible()? "\<lt>Down>" : ""<CR>' " Sudo to write cmap w!! w! sudo tee % > /dev/ null " I suck at typing. nnoremap < localleader >= == vnoremap - = " Easy filetype switching {{{ nnoremap _md : set ft = markdown < CR > nnoremap _hd : set ft = htmldjango < CR > nnoremap _jt : set ft = htmljinja < CR > nnoremap _cw : set ft = confluencewiki < CR > nnoremap _pd : set ft = python.django < CR > nnoremap _d : set ft = diff < CR > " }}} " Toggle paste set pastetoggle =< F8 > " Split/Join {{{ " " Basically this splits the current line into two new ones at the cursor position, " then joins the second one with whatever comes next. " " Example: Cursor Here " | " V " foo = ('hello', 'world', 'a', 'b', 'c', " 'd', 'e') " " becomes " " foo = ('hello', 'world', 'a', 'b', " 'c', 'd', 'e') " " Especially useful for adding items in the middle of long lists/tuples in Python " while maintaining a sane text width. nnoremap K h /[^ ]<cr>"zd$jyyP^v$h"zpJk:s/ \ v + $ // < cr > : noh < cr > j ^ " }}} " Handle URL {{{ " Stolen from https://github.com/askedrelic/homedir/blob/master/.vimrc " OSX only: Open a web-browser with the URL in the current line function! HandleURI () let s:uri = matchstr ( getline ( "." ), '[a-z]*:\/\/[^ >,;]*' ) echo s:uri if s:uri!= "" exec "!open \"". s:uri. "\"" else echo "No URI found in line." endif endfunction map < leader > u : call HandleURI ()< CR > " }}} " Quickreturn inoremap < c - cr > < esc > A < cr > inoremap < s - cr > < esc > A: < cr > " Indent Guides {{{ let g :indentguides_state = 0 function! IndentGuides () " {{{ if g :indentguides_state let g :indentguides_state = 0 2 match None else let g :indentguides_state = 1 execute '2match IndentGuides /\%(\_^\s*\)\@<=\%(\%'. ( 0 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\|\%'. ( 1 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\|\%'. ( 2 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\|\%'. ( 3 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\|\%'. ( 4 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\|\%'. ( 5 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\|\%'. ( 6 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\|\%'. ( 7 *& sw + 1 ). 'v\)\s/' endif endfunction " }}} nnoremap < leader > i : call IndentGuides ()< cr > " }}} " Block Colors {{{ let g :blockcolor_state = 0 function! BlockColor () " {{{ if g :blockcolor_state let g :blockcolor_state = 0 call matchdelete ( 77880 ) call matchdelete ( 77881 ) call matchdelete ( 77882 ) call matchdelete ( 77883 ) else let g :blockcolor_state = 1 call matchadd ( "BlockColor1", '^ \{4}.*', 1, 77880 ) call matchadd ( "BlockColor2", '^ \{8}.*', 2, 77881 ) call matchadd ( "BlockColor3", '^ \{12}.*', 3, 77882 ) call matchadd ( "BlockColor4", '^ \{16}.*', 4, 77883 ) endif endfunction " }}} nnoremap < leader > B : call BlockColor ()< cr > " }}} " Insert Mode Completion {{{ inoremap < c - l > < c - x >< c - l > inoremap < c - f > < c - x >< c - f > " }}} " }}} " Plugin settings --------------------------------------------------------- {{{ " Ack {{{ map < leader > a :Ack! " }}} " Autoclose {{{ nmap < Leader > x < Plug > ToggleAutoCloseMappings " }}} " Commentary {{{ nmap < leader > c < Plug > CommentaryLine xmap < leader > c < Plug > Commentary au FileType htmldjango setlocal commentstring = {#\ %s\ #} " }}} " Ctrl-P {{{ let g :ctrlp_map = '<leader>,' let g :ctrlp_working_path_mode = 0 let g :ctrlp_match_window_reversed = 1 |
remains a tightly guarded secret. She takes no pains to hide her outrage as she continues: “Certain candidates say things, and if you were to lift the language and put it into our show, we’d get notes back from HBO saying, 'It’s too broad, too over-the-top.’ ”
The real-world contest and its coterie of larger-than-life characters will not be reflected in any way during the new season, which Louis-Dreyfus insists isn’t noticeably different without Iannucci. To ensure as seamless a transition as possible, she personally recruited new showrunner David Mandel, with whom she worked on Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and has stepped up her involvement as an executive producer. Castmates say they often find Louis-Dreyfus on the Los Angeles set on her rare nonshooting days, posted up at video village pitching bits or monitoring for continuity. “Julia’s obviously not in the writers room every second, but she might as well be,” notes Mandel. “This is very much her show now.”
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Louis-Dreyfus met with senators, lobbyists and schedulers, but it was time with Al Gore and Joe Biden that proved the most helpful as it confirmed her suspicions about the VP role: “Nobody goes into government or politics wishing to be vice president of the United States,” she says. “Nobody wants to be number two.”
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“It’s so outrageous what’s happening right now in the political landscape,” says Louis-Dreyfus, who was photographed Feb. 25 at Root Studios in New York. “I think Selina Meyer would have a shot at winning - she could give Donald Trump a run for his money.”
If you believe the Louis-Dreyfus family lore, she first discovered a passion for performing at age 3, when her decision to stick a wad of raisins up her nose drew big laughs. That the gag also sent the budding comic to the ER is a minor detail. “I don’t remember a time when I didn’t want to perform,” she says between bites of her chopped salad.
Her author mother split from her father, who ran the family’s multibillion-dollar conglomerate, when she still was a toddler, and each parent quickly remarried and had more children. When Louis-Dreyfus wasn’t in Manhattan, she’d spend time with her mother and stepfather, a doctor, in such far-flung locales as Sri Lanka and Tunisia, where he’d treat the locals. By 8, she’d moved with them to Washington, where, in a prestigious private school with several politicians’ children, she gained an early understanding of D.C. life. Louis-Dreyfus would become both the class president and the class clown at Holton-Arms before heading off to Northwestern, where she narrowed her focus to comedy. She landed a coveted role in the university’s famed Mee-Ow sketch show during her freshman year and later joined Chicago’s Practical Theatre Company with Brad Hall, now her husband.
Read More: Julia Louis-Dreyfus “Dumbstruck” as Australian Leader Adopts 'Veep’-Like Slogan
It was there that she was discovered by a Saturday Night Live producer, who was so impressed by her, Hall and two other members of the troupe that he offered them jobs on the spot. Louis-Dreyfus was not yet a senior in college. “It was mind-blowing,” she says, “just f - ing unbelievable.” Her comeuppance, however, came quickly. At the first table read, she and her buddies were asked to try out their more popular Practical Theatre sketches. “Here we were coming in as these stupid-ass new kids who had not a clue doing our goofy Chicago sketch comedy in front of a bunch of kiss-off, more experienced, bitter people,” she says of the Eddie Murphy-Joe Piscopo era at SNL. “And so we go to that Wednesday table read, and it really did not go over well.” How did she know? “There was no noise coming from anybody. It was f - ing bad.”
With the perspective of several decades - and three turns as host - Louis-Dreyfus faults her own naivete in part for her failings at SNL. At 21, one of the youngest castmembers in the show’s history, she hadn’t come with a collection of sketches or ready-made characters and had ly presumed SNL would offer the kind of collaborative environment that Northwestern had. What she found instead was a show in transition: Its visionary, Lorne Michaels, had departed two years earlier, and successor Dick Ebersol had just fired a handful of castmembers the previous season. “The culture was not friendly - very dog-eat-dog,” she says, recalling the many nights that ended with her in tears.
“It was this very chauvinistic situation back then: very few women, lots of sexism, issues of sexual harassment and some really big-time drugs,” she continues. “Of course, I was so oblivious. I just thought, 'That’s so weird that that guy’s sketch is 17 pages long and at the table read he’s howling laughing.’ ” Louis-Dreyfus left in 1985 after three seasons. Though her memories of the period are largely bleak, she did emerge with some name recognition within NBC and a bond with Larry David, a writer who was just as miserable there as she was.
A few forgettable years followed as Louis-Dreyfus struggled to regain her footing. Then came a call in 1989: David and his pal, stand-up comedian Jerry Seinfeld, were working on an NBC comedy about, well, nothing, and the network felt their three-man ensemble needed a shot of estrogen. Louis-Dreyfus met with Seinfeld, who already had seen several actresses audition to play Elaine Benes, Jerry’s ex turned good friend. “I sat with Julia and read a few pages of dialogue, and I could tell immediately that she knew how to play this game,” says Seinfeld. “The ball comes to her, it’s up, and she’s firing it right back to you with the kind of energy I was looking for.”
Mandel remembers being struck, even then, with how committed she is. “There is no joke she’s unwilling to do,” he says, “and the few of us writers who were right around 25 or 26 back then were all just head over heels in love with her.”
Seinfeld famously struggled during its early years, but by the series’ fifth season it was a full-blown juggernaut, among the highest-rated shows on television and with a regular audience of more than 30 million. Everything from the series’ major plot points to the $600,000-per-episode salaries that Louis-Dreyfus and her co-stars Jason Alexander and Michael Richards secured for the show’s ninth and final season were splashed across the press. That interest would spill over to their personal lives as well; Louis-Dreyfus recalls with horror the day she and Hall came home from the hospital with their second son (now a basketball player at Northwestern) to find a swarm of paparazzi outside their house.
Ultimately, it was Seinfeld, the series’ co-creator, writer and star, who decided after nearly a decade that he’d had enough. “Jerry was understandably exhausted,” says Louis-Dreyfus, “but there was this deep sadness because we knew that it was a phenomenon and that it would never come around again as it was and that we were bidding it goodbye.” After wrapping with a finale watched by 76 million in May 1998, she took a few years off to spend time with her boys before diving back in. When she did, it was with her husband’s creation, Watching Ellie, a comedy in which she starred as a California jazz singer. It lasted just two seasons before NBC pulled the plug.
See More: The Many Faces of Julia Louis-Dreyfus
The “Seinfeld curse” that had afflicted her former co-stars - whose follow-ups had fumbled - suddenly applied to her as well, and the actress, as competitive as she is talented, was driven to dispel it. By 2006, she had signed on to star as a divorced mom on CBS’ The New Adventures of Old Christine, and in the comedy’s first season she picked up an Emmy. “That was a big deal because everyone kept writing about the 'Seinfeld curse,’ ” says her longtime TV agent, Michael Rosenfeld of CAA. “And even though we didn’t want to give weight to it, probably in the back of our minds we felt like we better prove everybody wrong.”
Old Christine ran for five seasons, and each one earned Louis-Dreyfus a nomination for her performance. But if it took that role to prove she could carry a series, it was the one of Selina Meyer that would solidify Louis-Dreyfus as the most celebrated comedic actress of her generation.
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Louis-Dreyfus and her college sweetheart (now husband) Hall collaborate often. Up next: HBO miniseries Soldier Girls. He also directed an episode of Veep this season.
On a February afternoon, Veep’s White House set on the Paramount lot is dressed up for a congressional ball. Whizzing through the dozens of black-tied extras is Louis-Dreyfus, pulling at her ball gown as she works through the scene at hand. The script calls for Selina to toss her purse onto a passing server’s tray, where her body-man (played by Tony Hale) will retrieve it while she busies herself with photo ops. But right now, the timing isn’t working for her.
Without warning, Louis-Dreyfus’ actor hat comes off and she snaps into director mode. “Now if you can come over quicker,” she requests of one extra; then, as the episode’s actual director stands off to the side, she works with another: “And if you wouldn’t mind waiting just a bit longer to pick up the camera, that would help us, too.”
Read More: Shondaland Stars Endorse Hillary Clinton on TGIT
If you don’t stick around to see that each time Louis-Dreyfus offers a suggestion, the scene improves, you could walk away intimidated - or worse, turned off. But many who have worked with the actress insist that this level of engagement has long been part and parcel of her process and key to her and her series’ success. Lombardo recalls seeing Louis-Dreyfus in the initial casting sessions for Veep and marveling at her dedication. “From the beginning,” he says, “she’s been as integral in shaping that character and the development of the show as the writing staff.”
That hands-on quality impresses co-star Timothy Simons, a virtual nobody when he signed on to play weaselly White House liaison Jonah Ryan. “She knows more about comedy [than almost anyone], and I love that she’s not willing to be like, 'Well, I’m just going to do my thing over here,’ ” he says. “She doesn’t just want her moments to work, she wants all of it to work. And if a scene isn’t ringing true to her, she’ll keep suggesting things, she’ll keep asking questions, she’ll keep trying to make it better, and the scene is always better for it.”
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With Veep co-stars Matt Walsh (center) and Hale in season five.
Those closest to Louis-Dreyfus insist she doesn’t take herself nearly as seriously as she does her work, however. She’s beloved by her Veep castmates for her generous spirit and filthy mouth. Simons recounts the years spent on location in Baltimore playing cards together. (The show relocated to L.A. for season five thanks to a generous tax break.) “We’d play Shanghai, and Julia would get murderously competitive,” he says. “She was nice to everybody in teaching them the rules, but as soon as we all knew them, she’d be like, 'All right, f - this.’ And if you won, she’d try to put on a brave face and say, 'Good game,’ but you knew she wouldn’t mean it.”
On the set of the 2013 dramedy Enough Said, writer-director Nicole Holofcener says it was Louis-Dreyfus who not only kept the mood light, but also regularly had her in stitches. “Julia knows how to have a good time,” she says, recalling the kind of sophomoric fun that the two would have with a noise machine Holofcener kept on set. “There we were [hysterical over] these enormous belch sounds and a couple of good fart noises, which I’m sure drove the crew absolutely nuts.”
Read More: This Is the TV Show That Most New Yorkers Watch
Holofcener has tried to enlist Louis-Dreyfus for a handful of other projects in the years since, but the only yes she’s received was for that Inside Amy Schumer sketch she directed. As part of the setup, Schumer stumbles upon Louis-Dreyfus, Tina Fey and Patricia Arquette, who have gathered in a field to toast Louis-Dreyfus’ “last f - able day.” As she explains to Schumer, “In every actress’ life, the media decides when you finally reach the point when you’re not believably f - able anymore.” Fey adds that while nobody overtly tells an actress when that day arrives, there are signs: “You know how Sally Field was Tom Hanks’ love interest in Punchline, and then like 20 minutes later she was his mom in Forrest Gump?”
But halfway through the day of filming, Louis-Dreyfus admits she found herself in a complete panic. “I started to feel unbelievably paranoid that I was making fun of myself and wondering, was this really happening to me? Like, 'How meta is this moment in my life?’ ” she says. “I started to have a kind of soul-searching crisis in the middle of the day. And I didn’t know the women well enough to bring it up, so I was just trying to be a good sport even though I was dying a little bit on the inside.” When the sketch debuted in April 2015, it quickly racked up several million YouTube views and spawned a series of think pieces about Hollywood’s double standards.
At this stage of her career, Louis-Dreyfus doesn’t shy away from addressing those inequities directly. When I ask her to expand upon a recent comment she made about the challenges she’s had in securing producer credits on Old Christine and Veep, she says, “I don’t want to disparage people whom I’ve worked with, but let’s just say I had to work really hard to get those credits, and they did not come easily.” I ask whether she thinks it would’ve been different if she were a man. “I know it would have,” she replies. “There’s no question.”
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“I kept thinking, like, 'How meta is this moment in my life right now?’ ” Louis-Dreyfus says of shooting “Last F - able Day.”
She will have a producer credit on the forthcoming adaptation of the award-winning Swedish film Force Majeure, for which she’s reteaming with former Veep writer Jesse Armstrong, just as she will on the HBO miniseries Soldier Girls, which she’s developing with her husband and longtime producing partner. Based on Helen Thorpe’s book Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at Home and at War, it tells the true story of a bond forged between women who enlist in the National Guard and serve during the Afghanistan and Iraq wars. She hasn’t ruled out starring in it as well.
If she can secure the time and the right material, Louis-Dreyfus says she’s eager to find more stories with strong women at the center. “I’m trying to change things,” she tells me as the check arrives. “I mean, I’m playing a powerful woman who’s middle-aged,” she pauses, a smile washing over her face. “And who, at least I think, is still pretty f - able.”A few weeks back, we introduced you to the wonders of Google Trends. We tried to stress how useful it can be, but how misleading it can be as well. As we previously explained, Google Trends is "a free service provided by Google that allows users to see how often terms are searched on Google...it allows you to compare the popularity of different search terms."
What we tried to prove is that by using Google Trends, there's enough raw data for you to draw conclusions about the popularity of different rappers (provided their names are actually something you can Google. So congratulations, or condolances, to artists like B.o.B, The Game, Ice Cube and Nas for choosing monikers that prohibit us from accurately figuring out how popular they are on Google.) Our goal was to use Google Trends to try to get an objective, scientific ranking of just how "hot" the hottest rappers really are.
It should go without saying that Google Trends can't give us any type of qualitative assessment of an artist's music. It's more of a ranking of how newsworthy artists are, the interest level they inspire, on a mass scale. If something dramatic happens in a rapper's life (a sensational arrest, say, or a near-death experience, or even an album release) this will be reflected by a spike on the graph because more people are searching their names in an effort to learn the story.
So it's far from perfect, but we think our search of Google Trends is about as accurate as something like this can be. And we think it yields some important truths. (Well, as "important" as you think rap music is—we think it's pretty important. But of course, this is mostly just for fun.) Nearly all the "hottest" or "best" lists you read are based solely on opinions of the authors. This one is based on facts and raw data. We looked up just about every rapper name we could think of, put them into the trend machine and limited our search to the last 12 months. (Because we're interested in hotness "now.") And then ranked them based on their popularity. [Ed. note—The research for this post was done the Thursday, September 12. Due to the nature of news, the ranking could have changed already.]
Please enjoy: The 50 Hottest Rappers Right Now, Ranked According To Google Trends.
Written by Insanul Ahmed (@Incilin)
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RELATED: Eminem Releases Marshall Mathers LP 2 Tracklist[SaneVax: If, as alleged, GSK will stoop to bribing doctors to prescribe drugs for off-label uses that are not approved by the FDA – one has to wonder what is going on in the vaccine division. For any drug not classified as a vaccine, the manufacturer still has to stand behind their product in a court of law when the nedication does not live up to stated claims. Vaccine defects do not have the same consumer protection measures. Should a person experience an adverse reaction that is not listed on the ‘injury table’ it is basically up to the victim to prove their reaction was caused by the vaccine. Logic says this would promote even more abuses in the vaccine arena – why not? There is limited liability at best.]
The Gates Foundation connection to the Glaxo drug fraud scandal
By Tom Paulson
In a ‘landmark’ legal case, the pharmaceutical giant firm GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) pled guilty this week to engaging in fraudulent, criminal behavior which included covering up adverse drug side-effects, promoting ineffective therapies and hiding unfavorable data — and will pay a record $3 billion in fines.
Most news reports quoted GSK’s CEO Andrew Witty blaming the misconduct on others and “a different era for the company,” adding that such behavior will not be tolerated. “I want to express our regret and reiterate that we have learnt from the mistakes that were made.”
One of the most high-profile GSK executives alleged to have engaged in misbehavior is Tachi Yamada, former head of global health for the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation who was before that head of research and development for GSK.
Yamada, while he was head of global health for Gates Fdn, was accused in a U.S. Senate hearing of bullying a scientist to not publish negative findings about a GSK diabetes drug. This was fairly big news at the time and such behavior is part of the federal complaint against the drug firm.
As a journalist blogger, I don’t have as much time as the major news outlets to do a lot of original reporting so I count on the big guns to do the work which I can then plagiarize, uh, I mean ‘curate.’
But so far as I can tell, nobody has made any mention of Yamada’s role in this case. Yet he was pretty high profile — at the center of the controversy surrounding the drug company’s attempt to cover-up adverse side effects of its diabetes drug Avandia.
Here are some of the stories that came out years ago, while he was at the Gates Foundation:
CBS News Meet Glaxo’s Fixer
Guardian Glaxo’s handling of drug Avandia damned by US Senate
ABC News Charity chief accused of bullying critic
Wall Street Journal Glaxo’s criticized for response to critics
Yet none of the news stories about this record-setting case mentions Tachi Yamada.
Read the entire article here.New England Patriots wide receiver Chad Ochocinco said he was "not trippin' " about losing his wallet, credit cards, license and iPod when someone broke into his SUV Wednesday, but was inconsolable about his Starbucks gold card being stolen as well.
"I earned the gold card," Ochocinco said in a two-minute video posted to his Twitter account discussing his ordeal. "You know how many coffees I've had to drink and lemon loafs I've had to purchase to get to that gold card? I had $220 left on my Starbucks card. Not just any Starbucks card, but a gold Starbucks card."
According to the Starbucks website, gold card holders get a free drink every 15 times the card is used; free syrup or soy milk in any coffee purchase; and, of course, a personalized card so the barista will know you by name when you order. Customers need to use their standard Starbucks card at least 30 times a year to upgrade it to a gold card.
"I feel like I'm about to tear up," Ochocinco added.
Later in the day, Ochocinco tweeted that the mother of one of his followers had found the wallet in Providence, R.I. While it contained his credit cards and license, the Starbucks gold card was missing.
The story does have a happy ending, however. Starbucks reached out to him via Twitter and agreed to replace his gold card.By the by, I consistently use that title because I mean for it to operate as a trigger warning. I write a lot about rape, but sometimes I write about other things, and I don’t want anybody taken off-guard transitioning from “help computer” into wtf rape-talk. Case you were wondering.
I was re-reading my five billion goddamn posts about rape and force, and I realized (surprise!) there is a more succinct way for me to express what I was thinking. I tend to go on and on, circling a subject, trying to get out everything in my head that possibly relates to it, and then sometimes find I didn’t really address the subject at all. So, here is what I wanted to say in those five billion posts about rape:
If women are raised being told by parents, teachers, media, peers, and all surrounding social strata that:
it is not okay to set solid and distinct boundaries and reinforce them immediately and dramatically when crossed (“mean bitch”)
it is not okay to appear distraught or emotional (“crazy bitch”)
it is not okay to make personal decisions that the adults or other peers in your life do not agree with, and it is not okay to refuse to explain those decisions to others (“stuck-up bitch”)
it is not okay to refuse to agree with somebody, over and over and over again (“angry bitch”)
it is not okay to have (or express) conflicted, fluid, or experimental feelings about yourself, your body, your sexuality, your desires, and your needs (“bitch got daddy issues”)
it is not okay to use your physical strength (if you have it) to set physical boundaries (“dyke bitch”)
it is not okay to raise your voice (“shrill bitch”)
it is not okay to completely and utterly shut down somebody who obviously likes you (“mean dyke/frigid bitch”)
If we teach women that there are only certain ways they may acceptably behave, we should not be surprised when they behave in those ways.
And we should not be surprised when they behave these ways during attempted or completed rapes.
Women who are taught not to speak up too loudly or too forcefully or too adamantly or too demandingly are not going to shout “NO” at the top of their goddamn lungs just because some guy is getting uncomfortably close.
Women who are taught not to keep arguing are not going to keep saying “NO.”
Women who are taught that their needs and desires are not to be trusted, are fickle and wrong and are not to be interpreted by the woman herself, are not going to know how to argue with “but you liked kissing, I just thought…”
Women who are taught that physical confrontations make them look crazy will not start hitting, kicking, and screaming until it’s too late, if they do at all.
Women who are taught that a display of their emotional state will have them labeled hysterical and crazy (which is how their perception of events will be discounted) will not be willing to run from a room disheveled and screaming and crying.
Women who are taught that certain established boundaries are frowned upon as too rigid and unnecessary are going to find themselves in situations that move further faster before they realize that their first impression was right, and they are in a dangerous room with a dangerous person.
Women who are taught that refusing to flirt back results in an immediately hostile environment will continue to unwillingly and unhappily flirt with somebody who is invading their space and giving them creep alerts.
People wonder why women don’t “fight back,” but they don’t wonder about it when women back down in arguments, are interrupted, purposefully lower and modulate their voices to express less emotion, make obvious signals that they are uninterested in conversation or being in closer physical proximity and are ignored. They don’t wonder about all those daily social interactions in which women are quieter, ignored, or invisible, because those social interactions seem normal. They seem normal to women, and they seem normal to men, because we were all raised in the same cultural pond, drinking the same Kool-Aid.
And then, all of a sudden, when women are raped, all these natural and invisible social interactions become evidence that the woman wasn’t truly raped. Because she didn’t fight back, or yell loudly, or run, or kick, or punch. She let him into her room when it was obvious what he wanted. She flirted with him, she kissed him. She stopped saying no, after a while.
These rules for social interactions that women are taught to obey are more than grease for the patriarchy wheel. Women are taught both that these rules will protect them, and that disobeying these rules results in punishment.
Here’s a situation every woman is familiar with: some guy she knows, perhaps a casual acquaintance, perhaps just some dude at the bus stop, is obviously infatuated with her. He’s making conversation, he’s giving her the eye. She doesn’t like him. She doesn’t want to talk to him. She doesn’t want him near her. He is freaking her out. She could disobey the rules, and tell him to GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM HER, and continue screaming GET THE FUCK AWAY FROM ME every time he tries to step closer, or speak to her again. And then he will be all, “I was just talking to you! WTF!” and everybody else will be all, “Yeah, seriously, why’d you freak out at a guy just talking to you?” and refuse to offer the support she needs to be safe from dude. Or, the guy might become hostile, violent even. Ladies, you’ve seen that look, the “bitch can’t ignore me” look. It’s a source of constant confusion, as soon as you start budding breasts, that the man who just a moment ago told you how pretty you are is now calling you a stupid ugly whore, all because you didn’t get in his car.
OR
You could follow the rules. You could flirt back a little, look meek, not talk, not move away. You might have to put up with a lot more talking, you might have to put up with him trying to ask you out to lunch every day, you might even have to go out to lunch with him. You might have to deal with him copping a feel. But he won’t turn violent on you, and neither will the spectators who have watched him browbeat you into a frightened and flirtatious corner.
So we learn the rules will protect us. We learn that, when we step out of line, somebody around us might very well turn crazy. Might hurt us. And we won’t be defended by onlookers, who think we’ve provoked the crazy somehow. So, having your ass grabbed at the bus stop, having to go out to dinner with a guy you fucking can’t stand, maybe even having to fuck him once or twice, it’s a small sacrifice to avoid being ostracized, insulted, verbally abused, and possibly physically assaulted.
It’s a rude fucking awakening when a woman gets raped, and follows the rules she has been taught her whole life — doesn’t refuse to talk, doesn’t refuse to flirt, doesn’t walk away ignoring him, doesn’t hit, doesn’t scream, doesn’t fight, doesn’t raise her voice, doesn’t deny she liked kissing — and finds out after that she is now to blame for the rape. She followed the rules. The rules that were supposed to keep the rape from happening. The rules that would keep her from being fair game for verbal and physical abuse. Breaking the rules is supposed to result in punishment, not following them. For every time she lowered her voice, let go of a boundary, didn’t move away, let her needs be conveniently misinterpreted, and was given positive reinforcement and a place in society, she is now being told that all that was wrong, this one time, and she should have known that, duh.
For anybody who has ever watched the gendered social interactions of women — watched a woman get browbeaten into accepting attention she doesn’t want, watched a woman get interrupted while speaking, watched a woman deny she is upset at being insulted in public, watched a woman get grabbed because of what she was wearing, watched a woman stop arguing — and said and done nothing, you never have the right to ever ask, “Why didn’t she fight back?”
She didn’t fight back because you told her not to. Ever. Ever. You told her that was okay, and necessary, and right.
You didn’t give her a caveat. You didn’t say, “Unless…” You said, “Good for you, shutting up and backing down 99% of the time. Too bad that 1% of the time makes you a fucking whore who deserved it.”
Nobody obtains the superpower to behave dramatically differently during a frightening confrontation. Women will behave the same way they have been taught to behave in all social, professional, and sexual interactions. And they will be pretty goddamned surprised to come out the other end and find out that means they can legally be raped at any time, by just about anybody.
I am focusing on women here. I tend to do that, being one and all, but let’s mention something about men. If men have been raised to behave aggressively, to discount what women and weaker men want and feel and say, to obtain power and social standing through force, to deny emotions exist, to feel that women are fundamentally a different species, to set a boundary and keep it NO MATTER WHAT, to make a decision and stick to it NO MATTER WHAT, to feel entitled to sex, to feel they will be ostracized and possibly physically attacked if they don’t acquire sex with women, to feel under threat of harassment and attack if they don’t constantly maintain a hyper-masculine exterior, to prove their manhood through dangerous and degrading physical activities…
if you have seen men behave in this way, and encouraged it, and thought it was normal, so normal you didn’t even see it…
then you never have the right to say “He couldn’t possibly have done that” when you hear that your brother raped somebody.
That wasn’t concise at all. What I mean to say is:
The way men and women interact on a daily basis is the way they interact when rape occurs. The social dynamics we see at play between men and women are the same social dynamics that cause men to feel rape is okay, and women to feel they have no right to object. And if you accept those social interactions as normal and appropriate in your day to day life, there is absolutely no reason you should be shocked that rape occurs without screaming, without fighting, without bruising, without provocation, and without prosecution. Behavior exists on a continuum. Rape doesn’t inhabit its own little corner of the world, where everything is suddenly all different now. The behavior you accept today is the behavior that becomes rape tomorrow. And you very well might accept it then, too.Manchester United kept their slim hopes of a top-four Premier League finish alive with victory at lowly West Brom.
A Rafael header was tipped onto the crossbar before United took the lead when Phil Jones powered in a header.
The Baggies exerted some pressure in search of an equaliser and striker Victor Anichebe angled a shot wide.
However, United secured the win when Wayne Rooney headed in from close range and Danny Welbeck provided a cool finish after a well-worked move.
Media playback is not supported on this device Moyes praises 'creative' United
It was a comfortable victory for the visitors as they restored some pride after the 2-0 Champions League defeat by Olympiakos in their previous game, and avenged a 2-1 defeat by the Baggies in the reverse fixture in September.
The Red Devils are nine points behind fourth-placed Manchester City, who have two games in hand, and 11 adrift of both Liverpool and Arsenal, who - like United - have played 28 matches.
West Brom, meanwhile, are still searching their first win under Pepe Mel, who after seven matches in charge sees his side only above the relegation zone on goal difference, having won just once in 18 league games.
The Spaniard is coming under increasing pressure, with games against fellow relegation rivals Swansea, Cardiff and Norwich to come in the next month.
But for United counterpart David Moyes, the victory will help ease the burden after he admitted this week he had endured a more "difficult" campaign than he envisaged when he took over from Sir Alex Ferguson.
Ferguson's farewell after more than 26 years in charge came with an action-packed 5-5 draw at The Hawthorns at the end of last season, but this match took a while to spring to life.
Analysis "West Brom manager Pepe Mel is still winless. United boss David Moyes will not be feeling the pressure so much. He has praised recent performances while bemoaning results, but this time he got both. West Brom were spirited but United were just better."
The first piece of goalmouth action came when United midfielder Marouane Fellaini's header was nodded towards his own goal by Baggies skipper Chris Brunt, but Youssouf Mulumbu cleared off the goalline.
United soon went close again as Adnan Januzaj crossed to the far post, where the unmarked Rafael's header was tipped onto the crossbar by Ben Foster.
The home side failed to heed the warnings and went behind when Robin van Persie whipped in a pacy free-kick and centre-back Jones powered a header past Foster.
The goal belatedly stirred Albion into producing a greater attacking threat, and Claudio Yacob sent an effort just over from close range, the ball flying off his shoulder.
Anichebe then held off Jones before turning and angling a shot wide as the home side went close again.
Both sides then felt decisions went against them. First Foster came out of his area to make a clearance only to miss the ball, which bounced up and struck his hand.
Referee Jon Moss took no action, and also kept his card in his pocket when the home side felt Van Persie should have been booked for a second time for a challenge on Steven Reid.
And Albion were punished for those earlier missed chances when Rafael crossed for Rooney to head in at the far post.
Welbeck put the finishing touch to the victory when, after Fellaini and Rooney combined to tee him up, he controlled expertly before slotting past the advancing Foster.
West Brom boss Pepe Mel:
"Manchester United is a big club and a strong team but today, for us, it is about luck.
Media playback is not supported on this device Van Persie should have been off - Mel
"We had three players come off injured and Van Persie not getting a second yellow is very important in the match. It is a yellow, but the referee is the boss."
Asked about his future: "It doesn't depend on me. The only thing I am thinking about is working tomorrow and putting all my energy into making sure West Brom win at Swansea.
"The next four matches are very important for us. We need 11 men, 11 good professional players and a good mentality."
Manchester United manager David Moyes:
"It was more like it. We were more creative and played well. It's never the easiest of places to come and we had lost to them earlier in the season so it was good to get a good result.
"We earned the right to be in front. When we did, we sort of controlled chunks of the game.
"I think the [Van Persie] tackle is a foul but not a second booking. If it is, we are all going soft.
"All areas pleased me today. There were some very good performances. Marouane Fellaini did really well, Phil Jones and Chris Smalling were excellent.
"I thought the two boys up front were fabulous, with Juan [Mata] and Adnan [Januzaj]."A longtime defense analyst and critic of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter program says taxpayers next year will pay between $148 million and $337 million per jet, depending on the model.
Winslow Wheeler, a staff member at the Project On Government Oversight who has worked on national-security issues for the Senate and the Government Accountability Office, detailed his cost estimates for the Lockheed Martin Corp.-made fifth-generation stealth fighter in a recent article on Medium.com.
Wheeler puts the per-plane production price tag at $148 million for the Air Force's F-35A, which can take off and land on conventional |
’s easy to be an outsider and not know what it takes. Just to comment on it and give your opinion about something that you see on TV, if a lot of people actually knew what athletes had to go through, they would change their mindset or the things that they say about us because it’s not easy being a college football player.”
“Some of that stuff, especially coming from Ohio State fans, that’s unacceptable," added redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Pat Elflein. "Put yourself in his shoes being out there in the cold trying to perform at this level, it’s not easy. People think it’s easy, like no, we work our tails off to try and be good at what we do and when people say that stuff it’s like, ‘Get out of here, man. What are you talking about?’"
Another guy who hasn't lost confidence in Marshall is head coach Urban Meyer. He constantly raves about Marshall's ability to be a dynamic part of the Ohio State attack.
And despite Marshall's struggles in the punt return game against Minnesota, it appears he will still be the Buckeyes' return man Saturday against Indiana in a game where they can clinch a spot in the Big Ten championship game.
"Jalin had a tough game, but we haven't lost confidence in Jalin. We don't do that here," Meyer said. "If you don't play hard, that's a whole different animal, but you play hard and make mistakes — we've just got to fix it, and he's going to work on a lot of things this week to get himself better."Talk about an impressive opening to the season for the Vancouver Whitecaps FC 2, the Whitecaps USL affiliate team. Starting the season with two straight road matches, the boys have walked away with all six points after topping the Timbers 2, 3-1 on Saturday.
Spencer Richey got his first start of the season, while Center Back Sem De Wit was the only defender to make his way into the starting 11 for the second time this season. Whitecaps MLS SuperDraft Pick Cole Seiler partnered with him at the position, while Brett Levis and Kadin Chung took the wings. Chung, of course, was fresh off his appearance for the Canadian U-20's, where he scored a goal against England. Will Seymore and Matthew Badlisimo took the defensive midfield in the 4-2-3-1 formation, while 15 year old Alphonso Davies joined Thomas Gardner and Daniel Faber in the attack. Captain Kyle Grieg was the lone man up top. All said and done, Head Coach Alan Koch made five changes from his season opening win.
The majority of the action in this match came in the second half, but Vancouver still had some good scoring chances in the first. In the 4th minute, De Wit launched a deep ball for Davies, but it was cut off by Timbers 2 Goalkeeper Wade Hamilton. However, the keeper had come well out of his net to do that, and wasn't able to cleanly collect the ball. Instead, it found it's way to Grieg, who missed wide with his shot.
Just under a minute later, Grieg would get behind the backline for another good shot, but Hamilton made the save. He would be called into action again just a few moments later, getting a mitt on a close range header that had come off a Vancouver corner.
In the second half, Vancouver opened the scoring thanks to a penalty in the 60th minute. Levis dashed his way into the box, but was tripped up by Marco Farfan of Portland.
Grieg then finished things off with the penalty kick to make it 1-0.
Vancouver kept pushing, and in the 67th minute were able to double their lead. Haber took a nice pass from Levis, then pushed his way into the box before launching his shot into the net.
Haber would strike again in the 76th minute, as took a shot from just outside the box that Hamilton couldn't reach.
The Timbers 2 were able to get one back thanks to a goal from Dylan Damraoui in the 79th minute, but it was far too little, too late, as Vancouver won their second straight to open the season. The boys are back at it on Sunday, when they return home to take on the Sacramento Republic FC.A New Jersey real-estate agent overpriced a house so that it wouldn’t sell — and he could use it as a sex pad with a fellow broker, according to a report.
The randy pair’s sexcapades ended when the property owners got wind of the antics — after the realty couple was caught in the act on home security video, The Record of Hackensack reported Sunday.
Coldwell Banker agent Robert Lindsay had jacked up the Wayne, NJ, home’s price to scare away buyers and allow him to have “sexual escapades” with coworker Jeannemarie Phelan, according to a lawsuit filed by homeowners Richard and Sandra Weiner on Dec 6.
“Lindsay and Phelan entered the master bedroom, undressed and proceeded to have sex on the Weiners’ bed,” the suit states. “A while later, the security cameras show Lindsay and Phelan getting dressed.”
The Weiners filed suit against the agents and their company alleging breach of trust and fiduciary duties. Neither Phelan nor Lindsay were reached for comment by The Record. Coldwell Banker said it had ceased its affiliation with the agents.
The couple is seeking compensatory damages for invasion of privacy, infliction of emotional distress, breach of contract, trespass of land and other civil counts, according to The Record.Apr 21, 2014-
The revised transitional justice bill, which was registered at Parliament last week, has once again come under criticism from human rights groups, including the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Among the concerns raised are amnesty provision loopholes even for serious human rights abuses, a provision that leaves prosecution to the discretion of the state Attorney General and a provision for reconciliation that only requires an application from either victim or perpetrator. In all this furore, the voices of victims have been largely unheard. Dewan Rai and Pranaya SJB Rana spoke to Ram Bhandari, founder of the National Network of the Families of the Disappeared and Missing, about the role of victims in the ongoing discourse, their concerns with the bill and what they would like to see from the transitional justice process.
What has the role of victims been in the transitional justice discourse?
From the very beginning, victims have not been part of the discourse. Transitional justice has become a national agenda but no one is taking a victim-centred approach. The Comprehensive Peace Agreement and the Interim Constitution both stated that transitional justice would be pursued but the approach was itself flawed. Victims were never consulted, nor given a stake in the process. NGOs that came to Nepal to work for transitional justice hijacked this agenda from victims. When it was time for elections, the political parties politicised this agenda because they needed votes. So the discourse has always been shaped from the top, whether by the NGOs and donors or political parties, as prescriptions from others. But a proper environment for transitional justice has not been created. This will require the participation of victims and for that, the state needs to be able to win the trust of the victims. There are some symbolic cases, like that of Bal Krishna Dhungel and Niranjan Basnet, who were both indicted by the courts. Perhaps if the state could put them in jail, that would send a positive message to victims.
How does the victim community see the current transitional justice bill?
The bill looks like a tool to satisfy donors. It was pushed through in a very hurried manner as there were many other forces at play here. The TRC taskforce included NGO members as ‘experts’ and Chuda Bahadur Shrestha, who was actively involved in Operation Romeo, in drafting the anti-terrorism act and in disappearing people.
There were no widespread consultations and discussions with victims or broader civil society. As a result, the parties are now divided over the bill as they are concerned about their own self-interest. So on the one hand, there is pressure to pass the bill quick from perpetrators and on the other, victims want amendments made to the bill immediately and then passed. In the middle are the human rights groups that want to scrap the entire bill and prolong the process indefinitely.
Another aspect that the transitional justice bill does not seem to have looked into is the safety of the victims and their willingness to speak. Many of the state perpetrators are still in the police and Army and they have been promoted. The DSP who took my father away is now an SP. My mother is afraid to speak when she encounters a man in uniform. And hers is not an exceptional case. Many people have been tortured; they have seen the police and Army come in and take their husbands and father away. Understandably, they are afraid to speak out. Victims do not trust the state to look after them. The question arises: who will this truth benefit? Take, for example, the rape clause in the transitional justice bill. Many donors’ reports mention ‘comfort women’. This changes the definition of rape and hampers women’s rights. Already, women are afraid to speak out about rape because of socio-cultural values. So rape has been tactically instrumentalised in the bill because the drafters of the bill know that many women will not come forward.
What specific amendments do victims want in the bill?
First, the disappearance clause has been weakened. In Nepal’s case, it is not just about disappearance but also abduction, extra-judicial detention, torture and extra-judicial killing. So it is not just about changing the name of the commission from bepatta bhayeka (people who disappeared) to bepatta pariyeka (people who were made to disappear). If the disappearance clause was made stronger, it would include all forms of serious human rights abuses, from abduction, torture to extra-judicial killing. It was because of this reason that the disappearance clause was tactically sabotaged. It is a result of collusion between all the parties who were involved in the conflict—the leadership of the political parties, the Army and police and the Maoist leadership. So we want disappearance to be criminalised in law. That will automatically bring murder and torture into the fold, and we already have provisions for rape in the bill. Another crucial demand is for a comprehensive reparation policy.
What do you wish to see in the reparation policy?
There is too much focus on prosecution when there needs to be focus on the victims’ needs. Prosecution is not a victims’ agenda. It is the agenda of those who have so far shaped the transitional justice discourse. Victims want transitional justice addressed in a very practical manner. Rights activists constantly threaten to make war-era cases international. Instead, why don’t they make these cases national or better yet, regional? Ask the victims what they want specifically. Create a family profile. Some families just want to know the fate of their loved ones so they can perform the last rites. Some want education for their children; others just want an old age pension. These are socio-cultural issues. It is not just a legal matter of ending impunity. A proper policy should address all kinds of reparations, including economic, social, educational, health and psychosocial. This is where consultation is most important. What has the role of NGOs been in shaping this discourse?
Neither the state nor the NGOs have raised war-era cases in a consolidated manner. Instead, they have tried to divide the victims. When transitional justice started to become prominent, none of them talked about the local context. We wanted a disappearance commission but they started to talk of a Truth and Reconciliation Commission. They brought us to Kathmandu and showed us films about Cambodia and South Africa. Human rights agencies have focused solely on the legal aspect. They protest if they are unsatisfied with even one article in a bill. But will simply changing the article give us justice? NGOs want to scrap the current bill but that will not help victims. Such protests only prolong the process. Meanwhile, the mental strength of victims gets weaker even as perpetrators in security forces get promotions. There are other aspects to transitional justice besides laws and acts, like social and economic aspects. Victims don’t just want answers; they also want recognition and reparations. Recently, civil society has become active and is even challenging the political parties. The political parties, too, are trying to retaliate against civil society groups. In this battle, the agenda of victims has been undermined and lost.
What about the role of donors?
To the donors and the international community, Nepal’s peace process has ended already. They want to form transitional justice commissions as soon as possible and get out. So they’re looking for an exit. But for the victims, nothing has ended.
Finally, what do victims want from the transitional justice process?
We want the state to publicly acknowledge and recognise that certain incidents happened. We don’t want data or recognition from Insec, Advocacy Forum, ICRC or the UN. We want the state to create a proper environment for transitional justice so that victims can trust the state. Ask the victims what they want through widespread consultations. Not just in Kathmandu, but elsewhere in the country. Go to emblematic places, like Madi, Doramba or Dang. Through these consultations, figure out the specific needs for reparations. This can come in a variety of forms. The state could name parks, chautaris, schools and canals after victims. Sometimes even an official letter from the state recognising and expressing remorse for a death can be enough. Prosecution is not a priority for victims. We are more concerned with day-to-day needs. Victims are ready to reconcile. We know who the perpetrators are but we have not sought revenge. This alone means that victims are already on the path to reconciliation. But the parties and rights groups also need to recognise this. Instead, they are hard at work prolonging the issue, dividing victims and inflaming tensions.
Published: 21-04-2014 08:32Victoria Ahearn, The Canadian Press
TORONTO -- Bears busting a move in the Canadian Rockies and a rascally raccoon family in Toronto are among the animals profiled in "Planet Earth II," the followup to the massively popular 2006 TV series that won four Emmys.
Debuting Saturday on BBC Earth, the visually arresting six-part series was filmed in 4K in 40 countries over a span of three and a half years, featuring exotic jungles, deserts, islands and grasslands.
The second episode visits the Alberta Rockies and shows grizzly bears coming out of hibernation and doing a dance against trees to scratch themselves.
Filmmakers captured the footage by installing cameras up high in trees that were identified by scientists as being among the type that bears like to use. They left the cameras there for several weeks and came away with intimate and hilarious footage.
"It's funny, that sequence feels a bit voyeuristic," said Elizabeth White, producer of "Planet Earth II."
"The way they get into their dancing, it really looks like these twerking bears. It was a really fun one in the edit, they put some great music to it. It's a side of bears that you wouldn't expect to see."
The raccoons are seen in a city-focused episode as they navigate the streets -- and garbage bins -- of Toronto late at night.
"I think we just wanted to show a parental struggle," said White. "It's an adorable story. It's a mother looking after her little ones and trying to look at the city through their eyes."
Hans Zimmer did the score and English veteran broadcaster David Attenborough narrates the series, which offers new perspectives on animals and the planet using sophisticated technology, including drones and thermal-imaging cameras.
The series offers rare footage, including river dolphins deep in the Amazon, female birds of paradise in the jungle, and adult chinstrap penguins feeding their chicks on the remote island of Zavodovski.
The first episode features island life and White said they had to battle El Nino during filming, but added that it "was relatively easy in that a lot of island animals are quite naive to humans."
"They're not used to human beings and so they don't feel massively threatened by them," she said.
The island episode starts with a story of a sloth who swims great lengths to find a mate. It also shows a fierce komodo dragon battle and a slew of snakes hunting down a hatchling marine iguana.
The high-stakes snake-iguana sequence has gone viral online, with over nine million views on the BBC Earth YouTube channel.
"We knew that snakes hunted iguanas but we had no idea we'd see such big numbers of snakes, so that's quite a spectacular piece of footage," said White.
"Even though behaviourally it's not actually a new revelation, it's a twist on a revelation of something we knew but didn't quite know."
White said producers go into filming with an idea of the drama they want to capture, but don't always come away with it. In the sloth sequence, for example, they were hoping to capture a successful mating effort but alas, the love was unrequited.
The creators consult with experts in order to make sure they're respecting the animals and their natural habitat, she said.
"There are rules and regulations, so you have to work within the framework of our own ethical code and also the people who you're working with," said White.
"So we've almost always got a scientist or a ranger there who is an expert in that location or that animal."A Oklahoma mother is behind bars. She is accused of lighting her daughter on fire while trying to treat head lice.
Investigators said 25-year-old Shana Suggs poured gasoline on her daughter's head.
A nearby space heater caught the 5-year-old girl as well as Suggs on fire.
Police say Suggs' live-in boyfriend, Dylan Webster, ran into the bathroom and tried to put the flames out. That was unsuccessful so Webster grabbed a jacket from another room and was finally able to put the flames out.
Suggs and Webster dropped off the other four children that were in the home at the time at the homes of relatives.
After that, they took the girl to the hospital in McAlester, Okla., about 15 minutes away. That's where police were called.
The girl suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 60% of her body. She had to be taken to a Tulsa hospital with a burn unit then a Shriners' hospital to be treated.
Suggs was arrested and charged with felony child abuse by injury.
The child is out of the hospital and is in DHS custody.Image caption The UN estimates Nigeria's population could grow from 160m to 400m by 2050
In our series of viewpoints from African journalists, Sola Odunfa in Lagos gives Nigeria's President Goodluck, the leader of Africa's most populous nation, some advice about birth control.
I have always wondered how many children a man or woman should have, and my conclusion each time has rested on the Lagos slang: "It's a matter of cash".
If you are rich you may have as many as the late Sir Olateru Olagbegi, the highly revered traditional ruler of Owo in western Nigeria, had.
His children swear that he sired 70 - unassisted. And they all are successful in their various callings.
The more the number of children - the more the poverty Yoruba proverb 'I want to stop giving birth'
On the other hand if you are a "common" man or woman, that is you do not own a house and car and you must seek an appointment before you may see your bank manager, you must limit your family size to what the political elite dictate.
Otherwise you all starve and your children end up living under the bridge.
The stark reality needs no argument.
We see it and feel it on the streets of Nigerian cities on a daily basis.
The rich and the poor hardly mix.
Children of the one are taken to school in air-conditioned, tinted-glass cars and buses.
Head start
"Common" children of the "common" man are either hawking in the morning traffic for survival or dodging that scourge of Nigerian city roads - the commercial motorcycle - on their way to school, many barefooted.
Image caption Not all children in Nigeria are able to go to school, many work as street traders
One already has a head-start in the race of life, although nothing will stop the exceptionally bright and lucky from catching up the others at or before the tape.
The late business mogul and later politician Moshood Abiola - of 12 June presidential election fame - makes a good example.
The president admitted that children were gifts from God, but then so is the hair on our head which we control by barbering
He was raised in poverty but in later life few of his privileged contemporaries in school matched his academic and business successes.
He remains one of the rare exceptions to the Yoruba saying of "omo bere - osi bere", that is, the more the number of children - the more the poverty.
The point is that in this age any child who must be a success in life needs formal education; and education does not come free - it is a matter of cash.
Some Nigerians say that President Goodluck Jonathan does not have "the charisma of a leader" but I say that he knows how to describe situations graphically.
'Down-to-earth logic'
This is a sample from his address at the inauguration of the National Population Commission in Abuja about a fortnight ago: "Sometimes you get to somebody's house living in a well-furnished duplex.
Why not bring education to everyone's reach?
"The husband and wife there may have two, three, four children. The mai guard [security guard] guarding them have nine children."
The president admitted that children were gifts from God, but then so is the hair on our head which we control by barbering.
Then why not control the number of children? It is down-to-earth logic, one would say.
In response to Nigeria's galloping population, the president is contemplating legally enforced birth control.
At the end of the day though, since the problem is down to education and education is a matter of cash, why not bring education to everyone's reach?
The cost to government may be less than the billions of naira stolen annually by officials and you get birth control without pain.
If you would like to comment on Sola Odunfa's column, please do so below.Agency Takes New Approach To Save Everglades Land
Enlarge this image toggle caption Luis M. Alvarez/AP Luis M. Alvarez/AP
In Florida, federal officials have released plans for a new wildlife preserve just south of Orlando. The Everglades Headwaters National Wildlife Refuge will include at least 150,000 acres, but there's a twist — most of it will remain under private ownership.
Visitors mostly come to central Florida for its theme parks and beaches, but long before Walt Disney set his sights on the part of the state where he erected a castle at the Magic Kingdom, it was known for its lakes, rivers and grasslands.
Charlie Pelizza with U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service says the area includes dry prairie habitat, sand hills and scrub area found nowhere else in the world.
Enlarge this image toggle caption U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
"We're also looking at a landscape that is just covered with endangered species and threatened species," Pelizza says. "I think there's 98 in this habitat — in this landscape of the Everglades headwaters."
The Interior Department recently released a map and details for the new preserve in Kissimmee, Fla. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working along with the Nature Conservancy to protect at least 150,000 acres from development — an area that includes wetlands, rivers and lakes.
Pelizza says preserving it will help save the Everglades, 90 miles to the south.
"This is where the water starts and ultimately ends up down in Everglades National Park out in Florida Bay," he says. "So, it's really important to make sure that the water quality and the distribution of that water from here is healthy so that the restoration activities that are occurring further south have better water quality and better distribution."
A New Approach To Preservation
To create the refuge and conservation area, Fish and Wildlife is trying something it's done in other parts of the country, but not in Florida. Instead of buying the land, the agency is seeking to create most of the refuge through conservation easements. Under these agreements, cattle ranchers and other big landowners would retain ownership, but give up their rights to develop their property for housing or shopping centers.
Mark Musaus, a deputy regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, says two thirds of the refuge will be protected through those agreements with landowners.
"We can get more through easements than we can through fee title, in terms of the purchase," Musaus says. "It is costly to be able to operate fee title lands, so that's a factor as well. I think we realize as we are facing the conservation challenges that are out there today, that we can do more in a partnership effort working with those who are already there and also have the same kind of vision we do."
Musaus is talking about the cattle ranchers who pioneered central Florida and still own large rural sections of the state.
One of those ranchers, Mike Adams, runs a 50,000-acre ranch started by his grandfather in the 1930s. He says he'll be interested in the conservation plan — if it's done correctly.
"We have aspects to our ranch that we'd like to see preserved forever," Adams says. "At the same time, we're what we'd consider sort of a modern cow-calf operation. So it has to be flexible enough to allow us to change."
Adams says there are some good models out there for conservation easements and U.S. Fish and Wildlife appears to be listening. In public hearings earlier this year, the agency heard from some ranchers who made it clear they just weren't interested.
The agency now says it will not use eminent domain to acquire land and will only work with ranchers who want to sell. U.S. Fish and Wildlife hopes that agreement will tamp down concerns from independent ranchers and other landowners suspicious of a government land grab.
For ranchers, Mike Adams says, signing over some property rights may make the difference between staying in the cattle business and selling out to developers. He says it will help keep the land values down so he and other ranchers can transfer it to the next generation.
"It's kind of like my father — he left plenty of work ahead of me and I'd like to do the same to my kids — you know, give them the tools to continue," he says.
U.S. Fish and Wildlife plans to spend some $600 million on the project and hopes to begin acquiring land and easements for the new Everglades headwaters refuge by the end of next year.2015 TOOTBLAN Hall of Fame Class
Starling Marte
The Pirates had the first TOOTBLAN of the year on US soil in 2014 and never gave up the lead. He finished the year with 18 (though none after August 31) to edge fellow Hall of Famers Yasiel Puig (class of ‘15) and Carlos Gomez (class of ‘14).
Yasiel Puig
Puig had two TOOTBLAN in Australia to open the MLB season and was a steady presence on the leaderboard throughout the year. Like few others, Puig puts his TOOTBLAN up in bunches - two on March 22, May 1 and August 14. Plus, his TOOTBLAN drive the right people crazy.
Travis Snider and Gabby Sanchez
Snider and Sanchez pulled off the greatest TOOTBLAN of the TOOTBLAN era, automatically gaining entry into the TOOTBLAN Hall of Fame.
2014 TOOTBLAN Hall of Fame Class
Kolten Wong
With the Cardinals trailing 4-2 in Game 4 of the 2013 World Series, Wong committed a pinch-run, walkoff TOOTBLAN. Pinch. Run. Walkoff. TOOTBLAN. In. The. World. Series.
Any one of those – pinch run, walkoff and World Series – would have made Wong’s gaffe a significant one. But packaging them all together ensured Wong would be a unanimous selection for the 2014 class.
Jose Altuve
Altuve led MLB in 2013 with 17 TOOTBLANs. He was picked off eight times and thrown out seeking an extra base six times for the Astros. He was even hit by a batted ball for a TOOTBLAN.
Alejandro De Aza
De Aza, who finished one back of Altuve with 16 in 2013, specialized in getting doubled off (six times). He was picked off another five times for the White Sox.
Carlos Gomez
Gomez was the TOOTBLANiest player on baseball’s TOOTBLANiest team (the Brewers had 82 in 2013). Gomez ran into 15 outs, including five pickoffs and five outs on fielder’s choice with an open base.
Gregor Blanco
Blanco finished with 11 TOOTBLANs to lead the Giants in 2013, but that’s not why he was voted to the Hall of Fame. He earned his seat by having a baseball-best three TOOTBLANs in one game. In a Sept. 27 win against the Padres, Blanco was thrown out attempting to stretch a single into a double in the first inning, picked off first in the fourth inning, and gunned down at home in the eighth inning.
2013 TOOTBLAN Hall of Fame Class
Ryan Theriot
Theriot is the inaugural inductee into the Hall because he was the inspiration for the creation of the TOOTBLAN, as a major component of the Ryan Theriot Adjusted On-Base Percentage. Details here.
Jean Segura
Segura earns first-ballot Hall of Fame honors for doing this:
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The man stole second, stole first and then was caught stealing second. That’s a Hall of Famer, even though he didn’t actually earn a TOOTBLAN on the play.
Ruben Rivera
This just speaks for itself:
Fred Merkle (Veterans Committee)
Merkle gets in for committing perhaps the most famous TOOTBLAN in baseball history - the “Merkle Boner.” The story is here:
Part Two:
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DisqusJeff Condon seems unhappy with me. Enough to blog about it. And Anthony Watts cross-posts. But what I’d really like to discuss is yet another way in which Condon fools himself about trends in sea ice.
He thinks he shows that the trend in global sea ice (both area and extent) is just barely statistically significant, so “just barely” that if you leave out the first few months of data, significant it no longer is. Here, for instance, is his result for global sea ice area:
Note the numbers for the slope and its uncertainty near the top of the graph.
I’ve done similar analysis, using global sea ice area data from Cryosphere Today (UIUC, Univ. of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign). Even restricting to data no later than December 2009 (when Condon made his post), I get a result which is undeniably significant, not “just barely” so:
The rates we computed are nearly the same, and since we seem to be using different data sets the small difference is no surprise. But the uncertainty levels are dramatically different. The trend I get is “fer shure.” Wherefore art thou “just barely”?
Condon’s problem seems to be that he has overstimated the lag-1 autocorrelation. Note that on his graph he indicates “lag-1 value 0.998” for the AR(1) model he’s using to correct for autocorrelation. But that value is too high. When I compute the lag-1 autocorrelation of global sea ice area anomaly from UIUC data I get 0.9913 (data through December 2009). Numerically that’s not much different from 0.998, but in terms of its impact on the uncertainty level of a trend analysis, it’s way different.
I’m not sure, but I think the UIUC data represents a multi-day average of ice conditions. But that can’t cause the lower value, because such a process will inflate the autocorrelation even more, so it can’t explain this value being so much lower than 0.998.
If we use an AR(1) model with lag-1 autocorrelation 0.9913, then the “number of data points per effective degree of freedom” is about 229. This increases the uncertainty in an estimated trend slope by the square root of that, making it about 15 times larger. Clearly that’s a very strong effect. But if we use a lag-1 autocorrelation value of 0.998, the “number of data points per effective degree of freedom” is a whopping 999, increasing the uncertainty in a slope estimate by a factor of almost 32. That’s more than twice as large a correction factor as actually applies.
Where did Condon get his 0.998? I can’t be sure but I have a theory. I think he computed the lag-1 autocorrelation, not of the anomaly values, but of the data values. For the UIUC data, that gives a lag-1 autocorrelation of 0.9986, which is even higher than Condon’t 0.998, possibly because of the UIUC data being a multi-day average.
If it’s true that Condon estimated the lag-1 autocorrelation from the raw data rather than the anomalies, then the only proper characterization is — rookie mistake. In any case, the value 0.998 is too high, as is Condon’s estimate of the uncertainty of the slope.
By the way, it can also sometimes be a mistake to use an AR(1) model for the errors. In fact it’s a good idea to look at the autocorrelation function (ACF) in order to determine whether or not such a model is plausible. For the UIUC data, we can compare the ACF estimate from the data (in black) to that which would follow from an AR(1) process with autoregressive parameter given by the lag-1 autocorrelation (in red):
Note that the AR(1) model values are consistently higher than the values estimated from the data. That shows that the AR(1) correction will overcompensate for autocorrelation, giving uncertainty levels which are too high. A better (but still imperfect) model is ARMA(1,1). Either way, the trend is “fer shure.”
Having established that the trend is real, we should estimate the autocorrelation from the residuals to the linear fit. This lowers the lag-1 autocorrelation from 0.9913 to 0.9888.
Bottom line: the trend is real, with or without the first few months of data. By no means is it “just barely.” Condon’s estimate of the trend uncertainty is way too high. He has fooled himself (and others too).
He closes by taking the anomaly values and adding to them the overall average value, in order to produce this graph:
That certainly accomplishes his purpose.
AdvertisementsCOMMENTARY: As senators who proudly represent the world-class scientists at New Mexico’s national laboratories, research universities, military installations and high-tech businesses, we call on policymakers to use science as a guiding light.
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Our capacity to seize opportunities and face the many challenges ahead rests heavily on our ability to make decisions driven by scientific data. And our state’s economic future depends on ensuring that the next generation has the knowledge and skills – especially in science and math – to qualify for jobs in cutting-edge fields.
That is why we were so disturbed to learn that the New Mexico Public Education Department has proposed watering down science education standards for our public schools by removing any references to rising temperatures, climate change and evolution. If we weaken our science standards to advance an ideological agenda at the expense of scientific facts, we will put New Mexico at a distinct disadvantage.
And we encourage all New Mexicans to speak out against this plan to undermine the quality of K-12 science education.
For decades, advances in science have fueled New Mexico’s economic growth. Investment in scientific research during and after World War II drove the greatest era of prosperity in our nation’s history, when millions of families joined the middle class and reaped the benefits of America’s technological superiority.
Our state was home to breakthroughs that changed the way we power our electric grid, protect our national security and connect the world. Our scientists continue to play a major role in creating the technologies and materials that will grow our small businesses and drive our nation’s economy.
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We want New Mexico to lead in the modern high-tech economy, and that means we must continue to welcome scientific thinkers and innovators on the cutting edge of biomedicine, advanced materials, computing and clean energy development. Censoring science in our schools will slow the growth of our businesses and dissuade future investment into New Mexico from those looking to relocate their business or company here.
We can only keep our place at the center of scientific innovation if we educate the next generation of New Mexico students with a strong foundation in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. Our students need to be equipped with the most rigorous standards if they are going to compete in a global market. Providing an ideologically scrubbed curriculum shortchanges our children and intentionally leaves them behind the rest of the world, all in the name of some obscure political agenda.
Building a better education pipeline from cradle-to-career that prepares all New Mexicans for STEM careers is the one sure way to build a better economic future in our state. Our students who are learning science and technology skills in the classroom right now will be the researchers, entrepreneurs and highly skilled labor force that create new jobs and major new industries in New Mexico.
It is also critical for us to meet the challenges of climate change head on. In the coming years, New Mexico will face the realities of extended droughts, increased wildfire activity and greater floods. We can’t adequately respond and adapt to these climate disruptions if we pretend they don’t exist or hide the truth from our children.
We urge all New Mexicans to make their voices heard as the Public Education Department seeks public input on their proposed new science standards. There is a better way forward that gives our students all of the knowledge and skills they will need to succeed.
Tom Udall and Martin Heinrich, both Democrats, are New Mexico’s U.S. senators. Agree with their opinion? Disagree? NMPolitics.net welcomes your views. Learn about submitting your own commentary here.Oh wow!
I am kinda shocked, and saddened at all the people who claim to be "special" for one reason or another.
Every person, I am assuming, on this forum has played POTCO. That makes each of you special for that reason alone.
Why do |
by their Rally co-driver are moved into spectate instead of being removed from the job.
Bounty Payoff system added to allow players to start playlists who have Bounties, so long as they can pay the value of the Bounty.
The Character Creator layout has been updated. Lifestyle now appears above Heritage and Gender has been moved to the top of the Heritage section.
Fixed an exploit where players could gain unlimited RP during Missions.
NPC bounties can no longer be triggered by stealing a Tank.
Ammo Drops have now been disabled in Vehicle Deathmatches.
Players are no longer able to use the Kill Yourself option in Air Races.
The Clothing Store Clerk is now invincible during the GTA: Online opening Missions.
Fixed an issue where players were unable to drop the Pistol.50 despite being able to drop other Special Edition weapons.
Spectators can now hear everyone during a free for all Deathmatch.
Players should no longer be able to access North Yankton in Online.
Players can now use bank cash for vending machines.
Fixed issue where passenger could get stuck without HUD elements if driver left game while exiting garage.
Fixed issue where players could get stuck in garage elevator if transitioning between apartment and garage at same time as another player.
Fixed an issue with names not appearing in Mors menu when insurance was paid by other players.
Fixed issue with cash sometimes failing to drop out of an armored truck robbery after blowing open the rear doors with a sticky bomb.
Added a splash across the screen to create a more obvious warning when the player leaves the survival bounds.
Fixed an issue where helicopters in survival would sometimes get stuck at the boundary of the survival and not fly towards the action area.
Fixed an issue in survival where enemy peds would sometimes navigate quite far away from the main action area, making them difficult to target.
Fixed an issue in survival where enemy peds would sometimes look like regular pedestrian peds.
Fixed an issue where players would sometime get stuck in the sky after quick restarting a contact mission.
Fixed an issue where the difficulty multiplier was not correctly applying to cash rewards.
Fixed an exploit where players could continually farm enemies in certain Missions.
Fixed an exploit where players could farm RP by picking up and dropping Mission objectives.
Fixed an issue that caused Jobs to launch early if the player had no cash available for betting.
The “Created By” field when viewing Rockstar verified Jobs now uses the creator’s Social Club name.
Fixed an issue where players could get stuck on a black screen when joining a Survival in progress.
Added a screen for notifying players when GTA Online is down for maintenance.
Cash that is able to be shared with other players has now been capped.
The amount a Vehicle can be sold for immediately after modding it (without Insurance and a Tracker) in LS Customs has now been capped.
Fixed and issue where a player could spawn with arms missing/random clothes after wearing Christmas present clothing, then rebooting without Christmas present extra content.
Fixed an issue where a player could become stuck on a black screen if they tried to join a friend’s game through their friends list.
When a player is banned from GTA Online they are now immediately sent back to Single Player.
The Mechanic has now been removed when delivering a Personal Vehicle. The vehicle is now created nearby instead.
Added a new option to the Interaction Menu that lowers the attack priority against Friends.
When changing Masks, Hats, or Glasses via the Inventory the close-up camera no longer turns on if player is in a combat stance.
eCola can now be drunk when parachuting. No animation will played in this case.
A Personal Vehicle option has been added to the Quick GPS list in the Interaction Menu.
The Canis Seminole, clean Karin Rebel, and Bravado Rumpo can now be stored as a Personal Vehicle.
The lobby start timer for Rally Races will no longer begin until a minimum of 4 players have joined.
Solo players in Races now earn cash.
Fixed an issue in Parachuting where large amounts of cash were being incorrectly awarded.
Fixed an issue where with flashing button prompts in the transition to Leaderboards.
Fixed an issue where a player could become stuck on a loading screen when joining a friend’s session during a Mission replay and choosing to spectate.
Fixed an issue where Betting winnings could be incorrectly attributed.
Fixed an issue where a Leaderboard could be missing columns after completing a Mission.
Fixed an issue where players could be informed they had won a Deathmatch when they had not.
Fixed an issue where players were occasionally and randomly losing Insurance on their vehicles.
Redwood Cigarette coupons now affect Hospital bill reductions properly.
Corrected an issue where purchasing/removing a Tattoo could cause the incorrect tattoo name to show up when it is being purchased/removed.
Fixed an issue where occasionally players did not have to pay for weapons.
Corrected an issue where players lost all ammo when dying with a Minigun equipped.
The price of a Merryweather Airstrike has been reduced.
Fixed an issue where the option to delete a character did not work with Asian, Russian and German languages.
Fixed an issue where attacking enemies in the green circle before a Crate Drop would cause the crate not to drop.
Fixed an issue where replacing one Personal Vehicle for another in Online would make the original not visible in the Garage and only retrievable via the Mechanic.
Fixed an issue where masks could be removed from a player in a performing the Smoking animation.
A new “Blow Kiss” Celebration has been added. Show some love.
Fixed an exploit where a player could become invincible using the Online to Single Player switch menu.
Fixed an issue in Story Mode where all shops could remain closed in addition to all Store blips going missing.
[Support via Rockstar]Media playback is not supported on this device Premier League in numbers: Record goals & set-piece specialists
Tottenham boss Mauricio Pochettino joked that striker Harry Kane should buy his team-mates dinner after reaching 30 goals for the season.
Kane, 21, became the first Spurs player to reach the landmark since former striker Gary Lineker in 1991-92 after scoring in the 3-1 win over Newcastle.
Pochettino said: "Congratulations to him because he deserves this moment.
"I think he needs to pay for a dinner this week for his team-mates. The team work a lot and try to help him score."
Asked if Lineker's record was playing on his mind, Kane told BBC Sport: "Not really. After I got to 20 goals, I set myself a target of 30 and it felt like I was on 29 for ages.
"But now I've got here I'm delighted. Maybe I need to set myself another target from now to the end of the season [but] I will keep that quiet.
"It was a special occasion and to get the win makes it even more special."
Victory over Newcastle lifted Spurs above Southampton into sixth, level on points with fifth-placed Liverpool and seven points behind fourth-placed Manchester City.
Pochettino takes his side back to former club Southampton next Saturday and although his side are on course to qualify for next season's Europa League, the Argentine admitted that achieving a top-four place would be "very difficult".
"It's not easy after the victory for Manchester City [over West Ham]," he said. "But we need to always put in a challenge in the next game and try to improve our performance and to be stronger every day. Realistically it's very difficult but we need to try to get the points."Tombstone in an ancient church graveyard (Shutterstock)
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Newark has sued the state of New Jersey, arguing that a new law preventing religious organizations from selling headstones is a violation of its right to economic liberty.
The lawsuit, which was filed on Monday, is the latest step in the church’s lengthy legal dispute with the Monument Builders Association of New Jersey, which pursued state legislation after losing a lawsuit against the archdiocese in 2014. That decision was upheld in an appeal on June 23, according to attorneys representing the church.
Previously, members of the association have argued that the church threatened their business with unfair competition due to its tax-exempt status.
The new lawsuit challenges a state law, approved in March, that prohibits religious entities from selling memorials, including headstones and mausoleums.
New Jersey Governor Chris Christie approved the law after asking that implementation be delayed one year in order to protect grieving families from an immediate change in the law during a difficult time.
“The new law is, most importantly, infringing on the rights of the families we serve,” said Andrew Schafer, executive director of Catholic cemeteries for the archdiocese.
Schafer said the church wants to continue selling what it calls inscription rights, meaning a family buys rights to have a headstone inscribed while the cemetery retains ownership and responsibility for their permanent maintenance.
“When they’re acquiring the headstone from us, we’re providing that security to them that their memorial will always be cared for,” Schafer said.
The Monument Builders Association of New Jersey did not respond to requests for comment on Tuesday.
Christie’s office deferred comment to New Jersey Attorney General John Hoffman, who declined to comment on pending litigation. Christie and Hoffman are defendants in the suit.
In 47 other states, cemeteries are allowed to sell monuments directly to consumers, according to the lawsuit.
“We fully expect that when that decision does come down, it will be appealed,” said Greg Reed, one of two attorneys from the Institute for Justice representing the archdiocese.The drum beat is faint now, but it will grow progressively louder in the coming weeks and months:
RG III... RG III... RG III.
The New York Jets will be looking for a quarterback in the offseason, maybe two, and it appears that Robert Griffin III -- benched this week by the Washington Redskins -- will be available. Let's be clear: Several dominos have to fall before RG III-to-the-Jets can be considered anything more than fantasy-football chatter -- mainly, we don't know who will be calling the shots for the Jets -- but he could fit the profile for their 2015 plan.
Griffin has only one year remaining on his contract (an affordable $3.3 million guaranteed), assuming the Redskins don't exercise the fifth-year option in the spring. For the Jets, it would be a Percy Harvin-like trade: not much downside in terms of financial risk. Essentially, a one-year audition.
Obviously, a lot would hinge on the Redskins' asking price. They surrendered three first-round picks for Griffin in the 2012 draft, but his value has gone down, down, down amid questions about his attitude, his mechanics and his surgically repaired knee. Chances are, they would have to settle for pennies on the dollar, maybe a middle-round conditional pick that would increase if he meets certain performance levels.
All bets are off for the Jets if they take Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston or another quarterback with a high draft pick. They would have a new franchise quarterback, and there would be no point in trading for somebody else's tarnished franchise quarterback. Griffin-to-the-Jets only makes sense if they pick a quarterback in the later rounds or don't draft one at all, bringing back Geno Smith to compete for the starting job or, more likely, be a backup.
Griffin has accumulated a lot of baggage since his sensational rookie season, raising questions about whether he will ever fulfill his potential. He's a system quarterback, and we have no idea what type of system the Jets will be running next season. So, yes, this is a considerable projection on our part, but it's worth investigating if you are the Jets. They will be starting over at quarterback, so what is there to lose?
A look at other veterans who figure to be available in the offseason:
Sam Bradford, St. Louis Rams: The former No. 1 overall pick, coming off back-to-back knee surgeries, is a likely salary-cap casualty. He has a $16.6 million cap charge in 2015, the final year of his rookie contract. The Rams can clear close to $13 million by dumping him. Bradford didn't play well when he was healthy, so there would be considerable risk. At best, he would be a one-year stop gap.
Jay Cutler, Chicago Bears: He signed a seven-year extension at the end of last season (through 2020), but it's not a cap-crushing contract if the Bears decide to part ways with Cutler. There is a $15.5 million guarantee in 2015, but no guaranteed money beyond that. Cutler can sling it with anyone, but he's a turnover-prone quarterback with a prima-donna attitude -- and that wouldn't play well in New York.
Brian Hoyer, Cleveland Browns: Credit him for overcoming two phenomenons -- Johnny Football and the Browns' history of losing. Hoyer, one of the main reasons for the Browns' resurgence, will be the top free agent on the market. He probably wouldn't be a fit for the Jets. He's a complementary player -- read: game-manager -- who will command big bucks for the long term.
Johnny Manziel, Cleveland Browns: Johnny Football in the Big Apple? He would blow up the Internet and social media. He would sell tickets for Woody Johnson, that's for sure, but the deficiencies in his game, coupled with what the Browns would ask in a trade, wouldn't justify the risk-reward. The Browns invested a first-round pick in Manziel, so they won't give him away for nothing.
Josh McCown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers: He's under contract for 2015 (no guaranteed money), but he could be the odd-man out if the Bucs pick Mariota or Winston. The Jets were interested in McCown last offseason before signing Michael Vick. He wouldn't be a bad hold-the-fort guy.
Mark Sanchez, Philadelphia Eagles: Ha, ha.PPP’s newest national Republican poll finds a clear leader in the race for the first time: Scott Walker is at 25% to 18% for Ben Carson, 17% for Jeb Bush, and 10% for Mike Huckabee. Rounding out the field of contenders are Chris Christie and Ted Cruz at 5%, Rand Paul at 4%, and Rick Perry and Marco Rubio at 3%.
Walker has more than doubled his support since his 11% standing on our January national poll, and Carson has moved up 3 points. Bush, Huckabee, Paul, and Perry have largely stayed in place while Cruz has dropped 4 points and Christie has dropped 2 points.
Walker is climbing fast in the polling because of his appeal to the most conservative elements of the Republican electorate. Among ‘very conservative’ voters he leads with 37% to 19% for Carson, 12% for Bush, and 11% for Huckabee. Bush has a similarly large lead over Walker with moderates at 34/12…the problem for Bush though is that there are two times more GOP primary voters who identify as ‘very conservative’ than there are ones who identify as moderates.
Bush is really struggling with conservative voters. Among ‘very conservative’ voters on this poll, just 37% rate Bush favorably to 43% with an unfavorable opinion. By comparison Carson is at 73/2, Walker at 68/3, and Cruz at 68/8 with those folks.
You can really see the divide between Walker and Bush’s support on issues like global warming and evolution. Among primary voters who believe in global warming 37% support Bush to only 2% who favor Walker. The problem for him is that only 25% of GOP voters say they do believe in global warming- and among the 66% who don’t Walker has the 35/10 advantage over Bush. It’s a similar story on evolution. Among voters who believe in evolution Walker and Bush run pretty much even at 24/23. But that’s just 37% of primary voters, and with the other 49% of them who don’t believe in it Walker has a substantial advantage over Bush at 28/13.
The struggles Bush is having with some Republican primary voters don’t seem to have anything to do with his brother’s legacy. George W. Bush has a 74/21 favorability rating with them, and the closest any of this year’s candidates get to that is a 56% favorability for Mike Huckabee. And the former President has plenty of credibility with conservatives- among those rating themselves as ‘very conservative’ his favorability is 81/14 compared to his brother’s 37/43. It’s Jeb’s record on certain issues rather than his last name that is causing his issues.
One thing that continues to be interesting is that among Tea Party voters Ben Carson is really stealing Ted Cruz and Rand Paul’s thunder. Carson’s favorability with them is 80/3, compared to 70/3 for Cruz and 60/13 for Paul. Although Walker is winning the Tea Party vote, Carson’s 16% is beating out both 10% for Cruz and 5% for Paul. This is something we’re finding pretty much everywhere we poll right now.
Chris Christie just keeps on becoming more and more unpopular with Republican voters. Only 28% rate him favorably to 45% who have a negative opinion. Christie’s issues with conservatives are nothing new- among ‘very conservative’ voters just 20% rate him favorably to 61% with a negative opinion. But increasingly we’re finding that moderate voters don’t like him anymore either- on this poll just 33% gave him good marks to 38% with a negative opinion.
2015 has been a struggle for Rand Paul in the polls so far. This is the second month in a row he’s come in at 4% nationally, and he’s only registered at 5-7% in our state polls so far this year as well. Over the last year his favorability rating with primary voters nationally has fallen from 58/21 to 42/24. It’s not that he’s had a big uptick in voters disliking him, but the 13% decline in ones who even have an opinion about him suggests he’s not really grabbing the attention of Republican voters in the way the other candidates are.
Republican voters nationally actually have one elected official they like better than any of their potential choices for President- Benjamin Netanyahu has a 57% favorability rating. Huckabee at 56%, Carson at 54%, and Walker at 51% come closest but none of them are liked by as many voters in their party base as the Israeli Prime Minister.
Full results hereCanadian Soldiers in WW I
O
The Facts
Facts to lean on
In 1871, according to the first census after Confederation, of the total population of 3.2 million, 32 percent were of French ancestry, 24 percent Irish, 20 percent English, 16 percent Scottish, and 6 percent German. Notice, therefore, that we should acknowledge the immense importance of the Irish and Scots in the first centuries of "English Canada". There were only 21,500 blacks and 23,000 natives in 1871; by contrast, there were 202,991 persons of German origin.
Canada cannot "accurately be portrayed at Confederation as a nation of immigrants". In 1867, 79 percent had been born in Canada. Over the 400 years before Confederation, there were only "two quite limited periods" of substantial arrivals of immigrants: from 1783 to 1812, and from 1830 to 1850. In these two periods, the immigrants were "overwhelmingly of British origin". Immigration was not a major factor in population growth from 1850 to the end of the nineteenth century. From 1871 to 1891, "a high rate of natural increase allowed the population of Canada to grow from 3.7 million to 4.8 million".
Ukrainian farming family, Saskatchewan
From 1608 to 1760, immigration to New France consisted of only 10,000 settlers, and thereafter it was "almost non-existent". The French-speaking population numbered about 90,000 by 1770s, and thereafter, until the late 1800s, the population expanded rapidly with women having 5.6 surviving children on average. The increase in population in Lower Canada from 330,000 in 1815 to 890,000 in 1851 "was mainly attributable to the continuing high birth rate within the French-speaking community". By 1950, the Quebec population was almost 4 million. This increase was not a result of immigration, but primarily of the still continuing high fertility rates. It was only in the 1970s that Montreal saw an increasing inflow of non-European immigrants.
Between 1896 and 1914, Canada experienced high immigration levels with more than 3 million arriving within this period. However, the ethnic composition of the nation remained 84 percent of British and French origin, while the European component rose to 9 percent. Between 1900 and 1915, the high mark in "Asian immigration" before the 1960s, 50,000 immigrants of Japanese, East Indian and Chinese descent arrived, but this number comprised less than 2 percent of the total immigration flow. In contrast, in 1914, there were nearly 400,000 Germans in Canada, the largest ethnic group apart from the British (which includes the Irish and Scots) and French.
English immigrants
The total intake of immigrants between 1946 and 1962 was 2,151,505. At the same time however, between 1941 and 1962, the population of Canada increased from 11.5 million to 18.5 million, "largely accounted" by Canada's "extremely high domestic birth rates", the so-called baby boom generation. Ninety percent of all immigrants who came to Canada before 1961 were from Britain.
It was only after the institutionalization of official multiculturalism in 1971 that immigrants from Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, the Middle East and Asia at large started to arrive in large numbers. During the 1970s, the proportion originating in Europe was cut by half, whereas the proportion coming from Asia almost quadrupled. Of the 1.5 million who came between 1971 and 1981, 33 percent came from Asia, 16 percent from the Caribbean and South America and 5.5 percent from Africa.
In the period 1991-2001, immigrants of European origin fell below 20 percent at the same time that Asian immigration soared to nearly 60 percent. From 1991 to 2000, 2.2 million immigrants were accepted, the "highest ever for any decade". In recent years, Canada's visible minority population has been growing much faster than its total population: 22 percent growth from 1996 to 2001 versus 4 percent growth in the general population. Today, roughly one out of every four people in Canada is a member of a visible minority.
Fight Against Multicultural Revisionism!
George Orwell (1984) on the totalitarian method of manipulating history
Sources
J. M. Bumsted, Canada's Diverse Peoples: A Reference Sourcebook, 2003
, 2003 J. M. Bumsted, The People's of Canada: A Pre-Confederation History, 2003
, 2003 J. M. Bumsted, The People's of Canada: A Post-Confederation History, 2004
, 2004 Ninette Kelley and Michael Trebilcock, The Making of the Mosaic. A History of Canadian Immigration Policy, 1998
, 1998 Roger Riendeau, A Brief History of Canada, 2007
Research the Canadian settlement history.
ne of the most powerful memes in Canada is that "Canada is a nation of immigrants". Millions of individuals have indeed migrated to Canada since John Cabot first claimed either Newfoundland or Cape Breton Island for England in 1497. But the intended meaning of this phrase goes well beyond this simple fact. This phrase, continuously repeated by the media, and shoved down the throats of unsuspecting students from primary to higher education, is intended to fashion an image of Canada as a nation populated from the beginning by peoples from diverse cultures and racial backgrounds, in order to portray the Third World immigration patterns we have been witnessing since the 1970s as aof past migration patterns, rather than as what they are: a radical departure aimed at the termination of Canada's deep-seated Anglo-European ethnic character.What follows is a statistical refutation of this deceptive meme. The historical record, the facts we have about the people who came to Canada, the racial makeup of the immigrants, the proportion of Whites to non-Whites, the birth rate of Eurocanadians, the rates of immigration versus the domestic fertility rates, demonstrate, to the contrary, that Canada was a nation created from top to bottom by immigrants from Europe and by Eurocanadians born in Canada, with next to zero contributions by non-Europeans.Don't let them deceive you! Copy these facts and use them against the deceivers occupying our educational establishments. Don't believe the globalist claim that your nation was a creation of diverse races and that "White racists" were supposedly hiding away the equal contribution of non-European immigrants. This is a historical falsehood of major proportions. Canada was created by people of British and French descent, and other European ancestries. All the institutions, legal system, educational curriculum, transformation of wilderness into productive farms, all the cities, the parliamentary traditions, the churches, the entire infrastructure of railways, ports, shipping industries, and highways, were created by hardworking Eurocanadians.It should be noted that the following authors try to portray Canada as a nation that was from its beginning created by diverse immigrants leading to the official enactment of multiculturalism by P.E. Trudeau in 1971. Nevertheless the facts they bring out, which are the ones contained in the documents, show that Canada was a nation homogeneously White from its very beginnings.Related posts:than most of this Genre. However, I speak as someone who loves both Chobits and DearS.Story - 9 Ok, So i know it seems hard to believe but I love this story. I am a complete sucker for this kind of story, Boy meets Girl is just something I enjoy. No particular reason why. However this one turned out to be different. Just like Toradora! I fell in love with it gradually. it kept pulling me in, leaving bread crumbs of interest to lead me deeper into it. By the end, I was shaking with emotions because I didn't know what to feel.Art - 9 Ok, some people claim to hate the art for its inconsistancy, Now while I can agree that it has inconsistancies, that is what makes it good. Those chibi sloppy little doodles add so much to it and they just make me laugh. It adds a light tone to contrast the serioues points throughout. The designs of the characters and the backgrounds just drew me in closer to the Manga, What else can I say, its wonderfulCharacter - 10 Now, I know a LOT of people will disagree because you'll see similiar to older series. But I just love how they progress and regress at stages, How the characters develop themselves and develop others with their own actions, They all learn equally, though some of them have far more development, that is because of the supporting characters developing as well. Not to mention the love of Melon Bread that Ren has. That i just can't not love, its just to funny.Enjoyment - 10 I absolutly love this Manga, I have so much enjoyment from it as it is the first series I have ever read through and through simply because it pulled me in. I tried to do it with others but it never worked because I could not get invested into the characters or anything else enough. Peach-Pit did a magnificant job with this and I am incredibly happy with the ending. I wish there were maybe 2 more chapters released as specials to show how things progressed through after the end, But hey. I won't complain. Im completely satisfied.Overall - 9 I can't give it a perfect 10 because the other aspects arn't unanimously 10's I think that the rest of this review can state strongly enough how I feel for this Series as a whole.Recommendation - Highly, Go in with an open mind and do not drop it if things aren't going the way you want, give it a few. Have a little faith and try to see it at least half way through. However. I strongly advise against the Anime. it was done poorly and brings great shame upon this wonderful peice of art.Information about F-35 joint strike fighter was taken in cyberattack on Australian defence contractor, official reveals
Secret files on jets and navy ships stolen in 'extensive and extreme' hack
Secret information about new fighter jets, navy vessels and surveillance aircraft has been stolen from an Australian defence contractor.
The hackers had “full and unfettered access” to the information for four months last year, before the Australian Signals Directorate was tipped about the breach in November.
F-35 Joint Strike Fighters arrive in Australia for the first time Read more
Christopher Pyne, the defence industry minister, has admitted he has no idea who the hackers were but has stressed the stolen information was commercially sensitive rather than “classified” military information.
“It could be one of a number of different actors,” Pyne told the ABC on Thursday. “It could be a state actor, a non-state actor.”
Mitchell Clarke, the Australian Signals Directorate incident response manager, told a conference in Sydney on Wednesday the hackers had targeted a small “mum and dad type business”, an aerospace engineering company with about 50 employees, in July last year.
He said the firm was subcontracted four levels down from defence contracts.
“The compromise was extensive and extreme,” he told the Australian Information Security Association national conference in audio obtained by a freelance journalist called Stilgherrian.
“It included information on the [F-35] joint strike fighter, C130 [Hercules aircraft], the P-8 Poseidon [surveillance aircraft], joint direct attack munition [JDAM smart bomb kits] and a few naval vessels.”
He said the information hacked on the new navy ships included a diagram in which you could zoom in down to the captain’s chair and see that it was one metre away from the navigation chair.
Clarke described the security breach as “sloppy admin”. The organisation targeted was a small aerospace engineering firm with dozens of employees. It had a number of defence contracts, but only one IT staff member.
The conference heard the hackers could have been state-sponsored, or a criminal group. The hackers had used a tool called China Chopper, favoured by Chinese hackers.
The Australian Signals Directorate dubbed the hacker “Alf”, after a character in TV soap opera Home and Away.
Alastair MacGibbon, the special adviser to the prime minister on cyber security, also stressed the stolen information was only commercially sensitive.
“Unfortunately, there are a range of ways that the attacker could have got in, including default passwords on certain key parts of the IT infrastructure of the target company,” he told the ABC on Thursday.
He would not say if the government had formal requirements for contractors that passwords are not set to default.
“They weren’t directly contracted to the department,” he said. “It is an important distinction. My understanding is that they were actually working for a larger defence contractor.
“This is a supply chain issue. It is a third-party supply chain issue. This is something I’ve been speaking about for several years and it is important”.Ty Clevenger, the "crusading lawyer" who has been trying for months to get Hillary and several members of her campaign staff disbarred in every jurisdiction from Little Rock, Arkansas to New York, has now set his sights on a new target: Former FBI Director James Comey. According to the Washington Times, Clevenger filed a bar grievance in New York this week accusing Comey of lying to Congress and destroying potential evidence in the Clinton email scandal, in a process that could end up costing him his law license.
Ty Clevenger filed the grievance in New York, where Mr. Comey was a former U.S. attorney and is licensed to practice law. Mr. Clevenger said Mr. Comey’s testimony to Congress that he did not predetermine the outcome of the FBI’s probe into former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is belied by revelations this week that he in fact started drafting an exoneration months before even speaking with Mrs. Clinton. “Insofar as Mr. Comey gave materially false testimony to Congress, it appears that he violated Rules 1.0(w), 3.3(a)(1), and 8.4 of the New York Rules of Professional Conduct,” Mr. Clevenger wrote.
Clevenger also asked to renew grievances in New York against former Attorney General Loretta Lynch, saying that Comey’s claim that she tried to pressure him to downplay the Clinton probe should subject her to scrutiny.
As you may recall, Clevenger is also the lawyer who convinced Maryland judge Paul Harris Jr. to order the Maryland state bar to investigate former Hillary aides David Kendall, Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson for their efforts in allegedly helping Hillary "destroy evidence."
A Maryland judge ordered the state bar to open an investigation Monday into the three lawyers who helped former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to delete her private emails. Circuit Judge Paul F. Harris Jr. said the complaints lodged against David E. Kendall, Cheryl Mills and Heather Samuelson were “egregious” and said the state bar couldn’t brush them aside by calling them “frivolous.” “There are allegations of destroying evidence,” Judge Harris said at a hearing Monday morning, where he said the state’s rules require the bar to conduct investigations no matter who raises the complaint, and can’t brush accusations aside. “I just think this is a rather easy decision at this point,” he said. “The court is ordering bar counsel to investigate.”
So what say you? Is this all a waste of time or are the Clintons the only ones who can perpetually avoid punishment for their scandals?President Andrew Jackson died in 1845, 16 years before the Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter. | AP Photo Historians see a dark underside to Trump's Civil War riff
President Donald Trump on Monday once again defied the history books, this time claiming that Andrew Jackson was “really angry” about the Civil War – despite having died 16 years before the first shots were fired – and puzzled why a deal wasn’t cut to avoid the war altogether.
“He was really angry that he saw with regard to the Civil War, he said, ‘There’s no reason for this,’” Trump said in a radio interview with conservative writer Salena Zito broadcast Monday.
Story Continued Below
“The Civil War, if you think about it, why? People don’t ask the question but why was there the Civil War? Why could that one not have been worked out?” Trump added.
Trump for months has riled up history buffs with a range of eyebrow-raising comments, including his claim that not many people knew Abraham Lincoln was a Republican, his apparent ignorance that famed abolitionist Frederick Douglass died many years ago, and his question about whether anyone had heard of Susan B. Anthony.
And the fact that he didn’t seem to be aware of the extensive literature about the cause of the Civil War is now added to the list.
“It’s probably the most hotly debated issue in American history,” said historian Charles B. Dew, a professor at Williams College, who wrote a landmark 2001 book, "Apostles of Disunion," on the causes of the war.
The president's comments on Monday struck some historians as darker than a history goof, with the president seeming to minimize the painful history of slavery in the United States and to talk up Jackson’s role as a strongman leader who proudly owned many slaves.
“It’s the kind of comment that will get applause from neo-Confederate circles in the South,” said Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian at Rice University.
Confederate flags were a common sight at Trump rallies during the 2016 campaign, and monuments to Confederate leaders are common in Southern states.
Some in Trump’s circle, including chief strategist Steve Bannon, have sought to liken Trump to Jackson, a populist. In March, Trump visited Jackson’s gravesite in Nashville, Tennessee, where he declared himself “a fan.”
“Steve Bannon has made Jackson the epitome of the hardscrabble, American folk hero,” added Brinkley. “And Trump has bought into Steve Bannon’s version of Andrew Jackson.”
On Monday night, the president tweeted: “President Andrew Jackson, who died 16 years before the Civil War started, saw it coming and was angry. Would never have let it happen!“
Jackson, who was a slaveholder, threatened to use federal military force against South Carolina when the state sought to nullify federal tariffs. He died in 1845, 16 years before the Civil War erupted at Fort Sumter.
“What I saw in that comment was his belief, his attraction to a kind of strongman history,” said David Blight, a Civil War historian at Yale University. “It’s so completely out of any knowledge or context to suggest that somehow Jackson would have headed off the Civil War.”
The broad consensus among historians is that the secession of 11 Southern states, and the resulting war, was driven by slavery and the racial order that slavery represented. The Confederacy’s vice president, Alexander H. Stephens, said himself that the South’s “foundations are laid, its cornerstone rests, upon the great truth that the Negro is not equal to the white man; that slavery, subordination to the superior race, is his natural and moral condition.”
The myth that the Civil War was fought over not slavery, but states’ rights, has become an article of faith for some in the South and those in the white supremacist movement. Some Southern states instituted Robert E. Lee Day, celebrating the Confederate general, to fall on the same day as Martin Luther King Jr. Day after Congress established the holiday in 1983.
To have the occupant of the Oval Office cast doubt on the historical consensus could hearten those who downplay the significance that racism had in driving the war, historians said.
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On Monday, as controversy swirled around Trump’s remarks, the white supremacist and outspoken Trump supporter David Duke was tweeting about efforts by the Democratic mayor of New Orleans, Mitch Landrieu, to remove a Confederate monument.
“Confederate heritage,” Duke wrote, “is America’s heritage.”
Democrats were quick to call out Trump for his remarks.
“President Trump doesn't understand why there was a Civil War. It's because my ancestors and millions of others were enslaved,” wrote Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) on Twitter.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) simply tweeted a quote from the writer James Baldwin: “Ignorance, allied with power, is the most ferocious enemy justice can have.”Moved This website has not been updated for some years. As of September 2004, a new website - Solidarity South Pacific - has superseded this, though this website has been left as it may still contain useful content.
Rumble in the Jungle
Fighting for Freedom in West Papua
West Papua, the western half of the island of New |
patches, and is now compatible with Xcode >= 4 and OS X Lion.
Phusion recommends to start migrating to Ruby 1.9, and they are looking for new maintainers to take over further maintenance:
We plan on providing minor fixes and updates for the time being, but users are recommended to slowly migrate to Ruby 1.9. Phusion Passenger <= 3.1 users can use reverse proxy setups to run multiple Ruby versions on the same server. Starting from Phusion Passenger 3.2 it will support multiple Ruby versions natively without the need for reverse proxy setups.
We believe that Ruby Enterprise Edition has served its purpose. That said, we understand that many people still rely on Ruby 1.8 for the time being because of compatibility issues. Therefore we would like to ask for volunteers who want to take over maintenance of Ruby Enterprise Edition. Please contact us if you are interested!
InfoQ talked to Phusion's Hongli Lai to learn why there won't be a REE 1.9:
Most patches in REE are not necessary in 1.9, but some have no REE equivalent. For example, the MBARI patch set is highly 1.8-specific; some of the MBARI patches have already been merged into upstream MRI 1.8, while some others solve problems that don't exist in 1.9. Another example: the caller_for_all_threads patch is obsolete in 1.9 because 1.9 has its own official API for similar functionality. Ruby 1.9 does not have any GC tuning options, but it has a better overall GC so the benefit of being able to tune the GC is greatly diminished.
InfoQ: Phusion Passenger 3.2 will support multiple Ruby versions, can you tell us a bit more about what you have planned for Passenger's future?
We have many exciting things planned. I can't tell you everything yet but one of the things we're working on is switching Phusion Passenger to an evented I/O architecture, away from the current multithreaded I/O architecture. This allows us to handle I/O in a much more robust manner and gives us virtually unlimited I/O concurrency, paving a way to allowing us to properly support things like streaming and WebSockets in the future.
The latest REE is available for downloading. Have you already switched to Ruby 1.9? If not, what is keeping you back?The Karnataka government has informed the Union Ministry of Human Resource Development (MHRD) that it wants to retain the no-detention policy till class 8.
A report in The New Indian Express states that Karnataka was the only state which was not in favour of removing the No-detention policy. HRD Ministry had conducted a meeting in Bengaluru to discuss the New Education Policy and this was informed to her at the meeting.
Section 29 (h) of the Right of Children to Free and Compulsory Education Act states that no student shall be required to pass any exams in any of the boards. But the HRD ministry decided to do away with it.
State Primary and Secondary Education Minister Kimmane Rathnakar told the daily that most states were in favour of removing the no-detention policy, but he had communicated to HRD officials that Karnataka was not. Apparently, the state government will be conducting assessment tests for Class 7 students from the next academic year.Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Footage shows burnt out cars and debris spread across a busy road outside the school
An explosion outside a school in southern China has killed at least two people and injured several others, state media say.
At least 10 of the 17 people reported injured at the primary school in Guilin, Guangxi province, were school children, police say.
Witnesses told Xinhua news agency they saw a three-wheeled vehicle pull up to the school before the explosion.
The cause of the explosion remains unclear.
"First, the motorcycle caught on fire and then it exploded with a huge sound that could be heard from far, far away," a witness told Xinhua news agency.
Those injured in the explosion at the Baijie primary school were taken to hospital, the news agency added.
The school has now been closed and the police are investigating the incident.
In recent years, China has seen a number of knife attacks at primary schools.
As a result, many schools and kindergartens have significantly tightened security measures, correspondents say.“Shared VR is going to be a much bigger phenomena than even what we’ve experienced so far.”
This is how Philip Rosedale, founder of High Fidelity, began his address at SVVR 2016. High Fidelity is among a crop of companies including Altspace, VRChat, Second Life and others developing a shared VR platform. The goal of each is to unlock the potential of social VR experiences that bring together people who are wearing headsets in different parts of the world.
Rosedale showed off a brief demonstration of his company’s social VR platform with one person in a Rift and another in a Vive brought together to play a game of tic-tac-toe on a while board. Rosedale then made the announcement they’ve been building toward for three years: the High Fidelity beta is now officially open.
Download it now to get started with the platform. The beta will be completely free and is currently open for anyone to get started.
Tagged with: High fidelity, svvrA special court has sentenced former Gujarat minister Maya Kodnani to 28 years in prison for her role in one of India's worst religious riots.
Prosecutors had demanded the death penalty for Kodnani, who was among a group of 32 people convicted on Friday with "beating, cutting down, burning alive and causing the deaths of women, men and children", in an episode of the Gujarat riots known as the Naroda Patiya massacre in 2002.
The court has ordered that Bajrang Dal leader Babu Bajrangi, a youth of the hardline Vishwa Hindu Parishad, will remain in jail for the rest of his life.
Seven of the 32 convicted have been sentenced to 21 years in jail by the court in Ahmedabad for their role in the episode in which 97 people were killed.
In some of India's worst inter-faith clashes since independence in 1947, about 2,000 people died in a wave of anti-Muslim unrest triggered by a train fire in which 60 Hindu pilgrims were burned alive.
One witness alleged Kodnani, who became a minister in the state government five years after the riots, identified Muslim targets to be attacked and at one point fired a pistol.
Kodnani's conviction comes as the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) prepares for elections in Gujarat.
Narendra Modi who is leader of the economic powerhouse state, is often touted as a future prime minister.
Modi 'involvement'
Modi, Gujarat's chief minister since 2001, has always denied any wrongdoing in connection with the riots, but has never expressed any remorse or offered any apologies.
The Congress party, in power nationally, signalled the case would likely feature in its Gujarat election campaign, saying Kodnani's conviction was proof of the BJP's involvement in the riots.
The BJP said the court ruling was proof that the state's criminal justice system was free from bias.
A 2005 federal government inquiry concluded that the train fire had been an accident probably started by people cooking in one of the carriages and was not the result of an attack.
A commission of inquiry set up in 2008 by the Gujarat state government determined that it was the result of a conspiracy.
A 2008 state inquiry exonerated Modi over the riots.
A special investigation team (SIT) was set up by the Indian supreme court to investigate some of the most prominent riot cases.
In November 2011, 31 people were sentenced to life in prison over the killings of 33 Muslims in a single house during the riots.While Armor has declined to seek court assistance to treat inmates over their wishes in the jail, the company has sought help outside the jail via the state's Baker Act, which allows people to be held involuntarily in a psychiatric facility for up to three days if they are a threat to themselves or others.
After five days in jail, Armor sent Herring to a psychiatric crisis center. Medical staff at Henderson Behavioral Health noted he was uncooperative, fasting and refusing medication during his three days there. They sent him back to the jail with no medication, according to Henderson records.
After another week of refusals, Herring became so dehydrated, jailers sent him to Broward Health North in Deerfield Beach, where a doctor declared him a danger to himself and ordered a shot of the anti-psychotic medication Haldol every eight hours for two days.
"The gentleman is critically ill and will need to be monitored closely in the intensive care unit," another doctor wrote, according to medical records.
After six days, hospital staff recommended Herring be discharged to a psychiatric facility, according to medical records. But a sheriff's deputy said Herring needed to return to the jail's infirmary.
Back in jail, Herring again refused medication, food and drink and was put back in isolation in the jail's infirmary. Martin, the jail psychiatrist, did not give him an emergency injection, as doctors at the hospital had done. After three days, Martin wondered if Herring might get help at a hearing the following day.
"Perhaps the judge will Baker Act him to a facility where he can be treated medically (and) psychiatrically," Martin wrote.
Herring collapsed before the Nov. 16 hearing and spent the last five weeks of his life in a coma at Broward Health Medical Center in Fort Lauderdale.
A judge released Herring from custody on Nov. 21 while he was on life support. That enabled Kaether to freely visit her son, and relieved Armor and the Sheriff's Office of the cost of his continued treatment. It also meant the Sheriff's Office did not investigate the circumstances of his death, because he was not in their custody when he died on Dec. 23, 2012.
Armor apparently didn't investigate either. In response to a court order in a lawsuit over another jail death, the company turned over investigations from that time period, and Herring's was not among them.
Armor is responsible to pay up to $50,000 for an inmate's care at an outside facility, according to the company's contract with the Sheriff's Office. The company does not have to pay when an inmate is sent to a psychiatric clinic under the Baker Act or to a state mental hospital after being found incompetent to stand trial.
That means Armor has a financial incentive not to send inmates to outside health care providers, Fort Lauderdale attorney Greg Lauer argued in a federal lawsuit on behalf of the family of Raleigh Priester, another inmate who died.
"They've made a promise with the sheriff and the people of Broward County to accept $25 million a year to provide comprehensive health care," Lauer said. "That means if you have an individual who is not eating because the Good Lord has told him not to eat, you're not allowed to just stand by and let him die."
Armor said in its statement on Saturday that it has made about 11,000 referrals for off-site care over the past 10 years.
"The fact Armor has an individual cap totally contradicts any claim the company is incentivized not to provide care," the company said.
Five months in isolation
An examination of the final days of Priester, 52, reveals how Armor medical staff relied on a severely mentally ill inmate to make decisions for himself, even as he deteriorated before them. Martin, the jail psychiatrist, did not take steps to provide mental health medication although he thought that would likely prevent Priester from suffering.
Priester was arrested in February 2012, accused of throwing rocks at a Fort Lauderdale parking garage employee. Priester, a Fort Lauderdale native, had been ruled not guilty by reason of insanity in a robbery and burglary years earlier. He had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.
Martin recognized early on that Priester was seriously troubled.
"He was denying any history of mental illness," Martin later said in a deposition during the federal lawsuit. "He was denying being on medication. Denying having taken any medication in the past. He was denying everything."
Priester's jail medical records show he refused medical care, but it was not always clear how, the Sun Sentinel found. Sometimes he was asleep, did not show up for medication distribution, or was talking to himself. All were counted as refusals.
Martin said in the deposition that he had seen people with schizophrenia not eat if they were untreated, and that Priester could have benefited from taking mental health medication.
"The psychosis would have been controlled. He would have been -- the goal would be to get him to be functioning like a normal individual," Martin said.
Yet Armor doctors did not take steps to get him that treatment in the jail. They could have requested a guardian to make medical decisions for Priester, or filed a court order to give Priester his mental health medication over his objections. They did neither.
Jail medical staff hoped a judge would declare him mentally incompetent to stand trial and send him back to a state mental hospital, where he had spent more than 11 years of his life. But that commitment process can take months.
As Priester continued to refuse medical care, Armor staff noted his declining health. Less than three weeks after he was booked, a nurse found him banging his head on the floor of his cell.
Priester was incarcerated for two months before jail staff tried to send him to a psychiatric facility under the Baker Act.
"... he was likely to be severely harmed by not eating and not taking care of himself," Martin said of the decision. The facility rejected Priester because of his poor physical health.
Another month passed. Priester's blood pressure plummeted and he was taken to a hospital on May 22, 2012. Doctors diagnosed him with a blood infection, pneumonia, and ulcers on his feet. Standing 5-foot-11, he weighed about 140 pounds and was malnourished -- despite jail staff reports that he regularly ate 75-100 percent of his meals.
After four days in the hospital, he gained about 11 pounds. Four days later, he returned to jail, where he again was left untreated mentally. He also did not get insulin injections -- Dr. Stanley Frankowitz, the jail's medical doctor at the time, said he did not believe Priester had diabetes. He had been diagnosed with the condition during a previous state hospital stay.
"Maybe he was a diabetic at one time before I knew him. I have no idea," Frankowitz said in a 2015 deposition. He declined to comment for this article.
Priester collapsed in his cell and died on July 10, 2012. He had lost 30 pounds in the month and a half since he was in the hospital, records show, and weighed 120 pounds when he died.
The medical examiner cited heart disease as his primary cause of death.
"If you would have a pet, and that pet was treated the way he was treated as a human being, you would be arrested," said Priester's sister, Ceaniel Edwards. "He suffered."
Edwards, represented by Lauer, sued Armor in federal court and settled for a confidential amount in 2015.
An Armor review concluded that Priester received adequate care in jail. "Perhaps he could have benefited from a closer (follow up) from medical?" the report said.
Troubled but left alone
Kennith Kellum, of Hollywood, had turned himself in on warrants for crimes including drug possession and resisting arrest, fulfilling a promise he made to his dying father.
As he was booked into jail in June 2010, he told an Armor health worker he had bipolar disorder and anxiety. Had the worker noticed the red mark across the front of his neck, she later said in a deposition for a state lawsuit about Kellum's death, she would have put him on suicide watch.
Instead, jailers sent him to a solitary confinement cell because of past "negative behavior" during a previous jail stay, a detective later wrote.
Twenty-seven hours after he was put in the cell, a deputy found the 21-year-old hanging by his bed sheet.
Suicide is a leading cause of death in jails, and the risk is higher soon after people are booked and while experiencing symptoms of a mental illness.
Isolation of 23 hours a day, as Kellum faced, also increases the risk.
"There's no question, and there's lot of data, when you take someone with a psychosis of any kind and put them in solitary confinement it almost invariably gets worse," said Dr. E. Fuller Torrey, a research psychiatrist and founder of the Treatment Advocacy Center, which pushes for more effective treatment for people with mental illnesses.
The National Commission on Correctional Health Care, which has accredited Broward jails, said in April that mentally ill people should not be in solitary confinement for any period of time, and anyone who is not given meaningful contact with others is considered in be in solitary confinement.
A 1995 jail monitoring agreement states that Broward inmates identified as a suicide risk should not be in a "single occupancy cell" unless they are observed 24 hours a day.
That did not happen for Kellum. He was not identified as a risk despite his mental illness and the mark across his neck -- possibly left by a previous suicide attempt, a sheriff's investigator later concluded. Kellum had "ample time" to hang himself between deputy wellness checks every 30 minutes, the detective found.
"He was aware of the deputies' procedures, the times shift changes were to occur, as well as how they were conducted," the detective wrote.
The Sun Sentinel found three other mentally ill inmates who hanged themselves while they were housed alone in cells. One man, who had attempted suicide by overdosing on prescription drugs just before he was booked, hanged himself on his fifth day in jail, according to a Sheriff's Office investigation. Another had a previous suicide attempt in custody and often refused his mental health medication, Sheriff's Office records show. The third, a 19-year-old with a history of bipolar disorder, was put in 23 hours of daily solitary confinement a year into her incarceration.
After 13 days, a deputy found her hanging from a bed sheet.
Details not included
Broward Sheriff's Office investigations do not mention lapses in medical and mental health care detailed in Armor reviews, including delays in medical care and staff breakdowns that preceded inmate deaths.
The Sheriff's Office reviews inmate deaths to see if a deputy committed misconduct or if a fellow inmate contributed to the death. Those investigations are public.
Armor conducts its own review when an inmate dies to document the person's treatment and evaluate staff performance, but the company keeps those private, saying they are proprietary and confidential by law.
Yusimir Arencibia, a Sheriff's Office-designated health care manager, has access to all Armor inmate medical records except for the death investigation reports. She said she talks often with representatives of Armor and gets all of the information she needs for her own reviews.
But the Sun Sentinel found that critical details outlined in Armor reviews are not always included in Sheriff's Office investigative reports.
This was the case with Steven Shogan.
Shogan, 30, had schizophrenia and was accused of stabbing a man to death in 2011. The Queens, N.Y., native had been in the Main Jail in downtown Fort Lauderdale for a year when he was moved out of solitary confinement on Jan. 1, 2013. Two weeks later, he hanged himself.
What the Sheriff's Office investigation does not say: For the 12 days before he died, jail nurses failed to give Shogan his medicine, an oversight documented in Armor's report.
Other confidential Armor reviews obtained by the Sun Sentinel acknowledge lapses unmentioned in Sheriff's Office investigations into inmate deaths: at least a 24-hour delay in seeking a higher level of care for a man who later died from a heart attack and blood infection, and a man with a head injury left untreated for days.
Suarez, the Armor spokeswoman, did not answer the Sun Sentinel's questions about whether any Armor employees were disciplined in these cases, saying the company does not comment on employee matters. The newspaper found no mention of discipline or policy changes in Armor's confidential reviews.
Contact the reporter: shobbs@sun-sentinel.com or 954-356-4520I'm probably naïve and certainly bourgeois and obviously white, but I've always felt lucky to have lived so many years in America.
In the U.S., the law rules, not corrupt satraps or violent police. Or at least, that's the way it's supposed to be.
What I saw on my first visit to Cairo 17 years ago — a beer-bellied police thug kicking a beggar woman in the face and belly while his partner pinned her arms — would not be tolerated in America.
Her right to beg would, in principle, be protected by law here.
This is a nation with a constitution, a powerful founding document ordinary Americans commonly carry in their pockets. People here believe in it. They think, because they were told in civics class, that it shields them from arbitrary measures.
Well, they probably should know better, and so should I.
Here's a suggestion: Instead of eating up Tom Clancy's latest jingoistic best-seller, curl up tonight with the 105-page report published last week by the U.S. Justice Department about the predatory police actions in Ferguson, Mo.
You will read about officers who couldn't give a toss about the law — a force that routinely punished citizens who exercised their legal right to record police abuses, or those who had the gall to cite their constitutional rights.
"Talking back" is how Ferguson's officers regarded that sort of insolence.
The report is the story of gun-toting, badge-wearing louts who probably spent hours imagining themselves as impassive, reluctant heroes, telexes in their ears, steely eyes concealed behind sunglasses, preparing to do whatever necessary to enforce the law.
In reality, they ran their little corner of Missouri like a lawless seigneury, bullying citizens, ignoring the law, abetted by an equally bent municipal court system. Ordinary folks didn't stand a chance.
The federal report effectively describes Ferguson's police as thuggish tax collectors, willing to use Tasers, fists and boots to satisfy their political masters' desire for ever more revenue.
Their real job was writing tickets, not protecting the public. How much they could milk from motorists, or pedestrians, determined their career paths.
A few highlights:
Ferguson's mostly white police department blatantly targeted black citizens. "Failure to comply" with police orders that the DOJ said were often illegal, and "walking unsafely in the street" were among the most popular money-generating citations.
Officers were particularly harsh with anyone who dared record their behaviour. They would issue an order to stop recording "for safety reasons;" those who kept rolling were charged with failing to comply. Smartphones were seized, video erased.
Drivers were cited for imaginary offences. One man was written up and fined for making a false statement. He'd given his name as "Mike" instead of "Michael."
Ferguson police disproportionately went after the poor, who, if they didn't pay promptly, did jail time and had their fines increased. One woman spent days in jail and paid hundreds of dollars for two parking tickets; she still owes $541.
The report is a tale of overweening government and abuse of power in America, just the sort of thing you'd expect would make freedom-loving American conservatives rise up and roar.
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder discusses the Justice Department's findings in two investigations regarding the Ferguson, Mo., shooting of Michael Brown by Darren Wilson. (James Lawler Duggan/Reuters )
Instead, nothing. In fact, some conservative writers have denounced the federal investigation of Ferguson's police as an unfair imposition of federal power on local authority.
Some have suggested Attorney General Eric Holder, who is black (and works for a black president), hates white police. Others have stated flatly that it is only natural that Ferguson police principally targeted blacks, given that blacks commit more offences.
Not a single Ferguson officer faces charges.
Cash grab
As the New York Times recently noted, Ferguson is hardly unique. The only reason Ferguson was targeted in the first place by the Justice Department's civil rights division was the shooting of an unarmed black man and the ensuing riots last summer.
Statistics suggest police and court officials in other, nearby municipalities are just as anxious to grab the public's money, and just as likely to abuse minorities.
Across the U.S. South and Mid-West, county and municipal and state police have piled on board a federal scheme to seize the cash of private citizens on the assumption it comes from the proceeds of crime.
It began with suspected drug dealers, but eventually metastasized into a billion-dollar shakedown of anyone foolish enough to carry serious money in their own vehicles.
Police take classroom lessons in how to find and seize cash, thereby bolstering their budgets.
In New York, officers strangled a man who was selling loose cigarettes, tightening their chokehold as he protested he couldn't breathe. An officer in Fairfax, Va., shot a white man dead through his own front door, a man who other police on the scene say was unarmed and following orders.
A demonstrator symbolically raises her hands in New York's Times Square as she joined others in protest against a grand jury's decision in November not to indict Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson in the fatal shooting of Michael Brown. (The Associated Press)
A federal court is now supervising police in Cleveland, after an earlier federal Justice Department report detailed police using guns, Tasers and fists against helpless suspects, including the mentally ill.
The list of federally investigated forces goes on: Maricopa County, Az.; East Haven, Conn.;Albuquerque, New Mexico; New Orleans, La.; Newark, New Jersey.
In Miami Gardens, Fla., National Public Radio documented the horrendous story of police who routinely hounded minority residents to fill arrest quotas.
A law-abiding, mentally impaired employee of a local convenience store — a black man — was such an easy target that he was arrested 258 times in four years, often dragged out of his bedroom in the back of the establishment.
Again, a federal Justice Department inquiry found widespread violations of citizens' rights.
Yes, there is a constitution in America. But in Ferguson, and all sorts of other places here, you're a long way from the Supreme Court.
Be wary. Be careful. Submit totally if you cross paths with police.
And as our governments constantly increase police powers, citing terrorism and crime, it may be worth reflecting on what poses the greatest threat to your personal liberty.Newly crowned BBMA winners BTS found the time to have a nice chat with us about their Billboard award!
[NOTE: This interview took place before BTS held their Sydney concert on May 26, 2017]
It's been a whirlwind couple of weeks for BTS, having played to sellout crowds throughout their "WINGS" world tour to scoring a historic win at the 2017 Billboard Music Awards last week.
SBS PopAsia had the privilege of having a chat with BTS just prior to their highly-anticipated sell out concert in Sydney, and from the reaction at BBMAs to what they missed about Australia, the boys were nothing short of absolute gentlemen throughout the interview!
1. How do you feel about winning your first BBMA?
Rap Monster: We are deeply honoured. I can’t believe that we actually competed against Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez. It was like a dream for us because we actually won the award in such a huge event. I would like to express my sincere thanks to our ARMY fans all over the world who brought us here today.
2. What has been the best moment of your tour so far?
Jungkook: Every single moment of our tour is the best moment for us. We can see all our fans’ impressions when we are on stages. We’re always cheered up by our fans who get enthusiastic with us. To me, every single moment is the best because we have our fans with us, who support and enjoy our music and performance.
Jimin: Whenever we have a concert, our fans always hold an event for us. I’m always impressed by our fans who organise all that for us. I really appreciate your love and passion. Thank you, ARMY!
Image: Big Hit Entertainment
3. How were your concerts in the US?
J-Hope: It was full of energy in the US. We were surprised by the fact that the concert hall was jam-packed with our fans. We were as happy as can be because we felt a strong bond between BTS and ARMY. Come and see another concert of BTS in future! We will do our best to put on a better show for you.
4. Did you miss Australian fans since your last visit in 2015?
Rap Monster: I always missed Australia!! I’ve been looking forward to another visit to Australia.
Jin: I always missed our Australian fans. I still remember that our Australian fans gave such big cheers last time when we performed in Australia. I’d always wanted to come back one day, so I’m so glad that we had a chance.
Suga: I missed Australian fans so much. I wanted to come back because we all have such happy memory in Australia.
J-Hope: I missed Australian fans so much that it nearly drove me mad. I badly want to perform as soon as possible. Have you waited for us as well? See you soon!
Jimin: It’s been nearly 2 years now, so I think we probably made our fans to wait for too long. We will return your favour with a better performance since we’ve all waited too long. Please wait a bit more!
V: I missed you all a lot!!! I missed Australian ARMY!!
Jungkook: Of course I did. I can’t wait to meet you all!!! How can I ever forget the heat and love from Australian ARMY?
BTS Sydney concert 2017
5. What is the best thing about Australia?
Rap Monster: Clean air and beautiful view… I’d love to see Opera House again. And of course, Kangaroo and Koala.
Jin: I spent few weeks in Australia when I was young. I have all good memories of my time there with beautiful scenery, fresh air, and all the environments. I still remember that time.
Suga: Fresh air and nice people were the best things in Australia. I hope to see more of these this time.
J-Hope: The moment we performed and interacted with our fans in Australia was the best and the happiest moment.
Jimin: I remember that the environment and the buildings around the nature were so beautiful when we visited Australia last time. When we think about our fans there, such a beautiful country, it made me feel just great.
V: I really wanted to come back again because the concert was so fun last time in Australia. I am so happy to meet Australian ARMY again this time!!!
Jungkook: I liked the heat of Australian ARMYs. I still remember our fans shouting.
6. What are your plans after this tour?
Jin: We don’t have a definite plan to let you know yet. Our first goal at the moment is to complete the "WINGS" tour successfully. We will always do our best because we know that our ARMY fans will be with us and support us all the time.
7. Many Western musicians really want to work with you, do you have plans for any collaborations?
V: It’s a secret yet. We’ll be able to open to the public one day when everything is ready for a release. Then we will give a surprise for ARMY. Keep your eyes on us please!
8. Our fans absolutely love your MVs. What do you think is the best music video of yours?
Jimin: My favourite is ‘Not Today’. You will be able to see our amazing group dance in a magnificent setting.
J-Hope: I recommend ‘Blood Sweat & Tears’. You can enjoy every single detail, including our various dances as well as the visual arts in the colourful and splendid music video. Once you watch the music video, I’m pretty sure that you all will fall in love with us!
Image: Big Hit Entertainment
9. Who is your favourite pop star?
Rap Monster: Drake, Nas.
Suga: There are too many of them. Most recently, I’ve been listening to Flume’s music a lot. It would be fun if we can work together.
J-Hope: As I had mentioned several times before, I love Tinashe. It would be a great pleasure if we can do a collaboration.
Jungkook: I definitely want to work with Justin Bieber and Charlie Puth. Also, it would be great if I can work in collaboration with Radwimps to create songs like "Date."
10. Finally, can you say something to your Australian fans?
Rap Monster: Aussie ARMY!! We’re goin Sydney!!!
Jin: Please wait a little bit more until we arrive in Australia. We are actually preparing this interview thinking about you in the flight to Sydney. I just want to land on Australia as quickly as possible!!
Suga: Australian fans, we have prepared a lot for this tour and are on our way to Australia now. Please look forward to meeting us!
J-Hope: Our Aussie fans, are you ready!!! Let’s have a ball!
Jimin: Hello, Aussie fans. I’m sorry to keep you waiting so long. We know that you guys always give us fantastic support. It would be impossible for us to describe how grateful we are. We are finally on our way to Australia! I wish we can give you unforgettable memories.
V: Our Aussie ARMY fans. Please wait a bit more. We will be there soon!!!
Jungkook: We missed Australian ARMY as much as you missed us. We’ll be there soon, so please wait a bit more!!
BTS Sydney concert 2017
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Download the app here:COW CAUGHT: About five or six police officers and Hamilton City Council staff cornered the cow.
A cow on the loose in a suburban Hamilton park this morning has been caught.
Allenby St resident William Potter said he and partner, Christine Creed, heard what they thought sounded like a cow mooing in Melville Park, on Normandy Ave, about 7.30am.
About five or six police officers and Hamilton City Council staff cornered the cow down the riverbank at the intersection of Normandy Ave and Cobham Dr where it was caught without incident.
Earlier Potter said they saw the cow inside a police cordon - made up of police emergency tape - in the park behind their property.
"All I could see was a cop standing there with a rifle in his hand."
Potter said he later saw the cow doing a runner, with a policeman armed with a rifle in close pursuit, heading towards the Cobham St bridge.
"It obviously saw that it was going to be shot and ran straight through (the tape)."
Potter said he questioned the officer whether he was going to tranquilise the cow and was told "that's one of two options".Earth’s concentric layers scale remarkably well to those of a peach. The atmosphere is proportionally as thick as the exterior fuzz. The crust corresponds to the skin, the iron core (although spherical rather than pointed) to the pit, and the rocky mantle, which constitutes eighty-four per cent of the volume of the planet, to the flesh of the fruit. The lower mantle is about eighteen hundred miles from Earth’s surface—roughly the distance from Manhattan to Denver—but is less accessible and less known to us than the face of Mars. The deepest holes ever drilled, in a bizarre late-Cold War competition between NATO and the Soviet Union, barely pricked the skin; they went about eight miles down.
We know that the mantle is solid rock, contrary to various fanciful depictions in fiction and film, because, in the wake of major earthquakes, certain seismic waves that can be transmitted only through solids are detected on the opposite side of the globe. The time it takes these waves to traverse the mantle even provides information about the minerals that they encounter along the way. We also know that the mantle, although solid, is flowing in a slow, continuous roil, like the wax in a lava lamp. This convective overturning is the principal means by which Earth cools itself, and it sets the pace for the dance of the tectonic plates at the surface. It is also crucial to the existence of the magnetic field, which arises from the motion of liquid iron in the outer core. If the mantle didn’t transport heat outward, there would be no vertical temperature contrast in the core to drive Earth’s electromagnetic dynamo, which creates an invisible aura that extends many planetary diameters away—the scent, perhaps, of the peach. This halo protects us from solar wind and space radiation.
The character and behavior of the lower mantle have been the focus of one of the most quarrelsome modern debates in the geosciences. In the early nineteen-seventies, plate-tectonic theory—then only about five years old—had already gone far in explaining how geophysical phenomena, including earthquakes, volcanism, and mountain building, result from interactions between the major plates at their boundaries. The San Andreas Fault, the Himalayas, the Andes, Krakatoa, Vesuvius, and Mt. St. Helens all lie on plate boundaries. But there remained obvious exceptions, such as the prodigious volcanic activity at Hawaii and Yellowstone, both of which are in the far interiors of their plates. Not all the unrest, in other words, was at the margins.
In a modest paper published in the March 5, 1971, issue of Nature, the geophysicist Jason Morgan proposed that Hawaii and other isolated volcanic hot spots were surface manifestations of what he called mantle plumes—columns of hot (although not molten) rock, about a hundred miles in diameter, that rose from the core-mantle boundary and generated magma as they neared the surface. Morgan’s article was rather thin on actual data, but his theory was consistent with a number of observations. First, lavas from Hawaii and similar archipelagoes, including Samoa, the Canaries, and dozens of others, differ markedly in their chemistry from those that erupt at the mid-ocean ridges, where plates diverge from each other. This suggests that they emanate from parts of the mantle that are distinct from those that produce ordinary seafloor basalt. Second, some island groups in both the Pacific and the Atlantic show a well-defined progression of ages. In the case of Hawaii, a string of successively older islands—and then an underwater mountain range, known as the Emperor chain—stretches to the northwest of the Big Island. Morgan’s greatest insight was that this pattern could be a result of the northwestward motion of the Pacific Plate. Just as the bars on a typewriter strike a fixed point on a moving sheet of paper, the stationary mantle plume was leaving its embossment on the surface of the drifting crust.
Although Morgan’s evidence was indirect, his idea quickly became reified, and most geologists forgot that |
with their immediate neighbouring subgroup in a continuous linguistic chain.[29] In the Philippines, the Sama-Bajau can be divided into three general groups based on where they settle:[17][27]
Sama Bihing or Sama Lipid - The "shoreline Sama" or "littoral Sama". These are the Sama-Bajau which traditionally lived in stilt houses in shallows and coastal areas. An example is the Sama Simunul. They are originally from the larger islands of Tawi-Tawi. [17] [27] They have a more flexible lifestyle than the Sama-Gimba (Dilaut Origin), and will farm when there is available land. They usually act as middlemen in trade between the Sama Dilaut and other land-based peoples. [27]
or - The "shoreline Sama" or "littoral Sama". These are the Sama-Bajau which traditionally lived in stilt houses in shallows and coastal areas. An example is the Sama Simunul. They are originally from the larger islands of Tawi-Tawi. They have a more flexible lifestyle than the Sama-Gimba (Dilaut Origin), and will farm when there is available land. They usually act as middlemen in trade between the Sama Dilaut and other land-based peoples. Sama Dea, Sama Deya, or Sama Darat - The "land Sama". These are the Sama-Bajau which traditionally lived in island interiors. Some examples are the Sama Sibutu and the Sama Sanga-Sanga. They are usually farmers who cultivate rice, sweet potato, cassava, and coconuts for copra through traditional slash-and-burn agriculture (in contrast to the plow agriculture technology brought by the Tausūg). They are originally from the larger islands of Tawi-Tawi and Pangutaran. [17] [24] [27] In the Philippines, the Sama Dea will often completely differentiate themselves from the Sama Dilaut. [49]
,, or - The "land Sama". These are the Sama-Bajau which traditionally lived in island interiors. Some examples are the Sama Sibutu and the Sama Sanga-Sanga. They are usually farmers who cultivate rice, sweet potato, cassava, and coconuts for copra through traditional slash-and-burn agriculture (in contrast to the plow agriculture technology brought by the Tausūg). They are originally from the larger islands of Tawi-Tawi and Pangutaran. In the Philippines, the Sama Dea will often completely differentiate themselves from the Sama Dilaut. Sama Dilaut, Sama Mandilaut, Sama Pala'u, or Bajau Laut - The "sea Sama" or "ocean Sama". In the Philippines, the preferred ethnonym is Sama Dilaut;[11] while in Malaysia, they usually identify as Bajau Laut. This subgroup originally lived exclusively on elaborately crafted houseboats called lepa, but almost all have taken to living on land in the Philippines. Their home islands include Sitangkai and Bongao.[50] They are the Sama-Bajau subgroup most commonly called "Bajau", though Filipino Sama Dilaut consider it offensive.[49] They sometimes call themselves the "Sama To'ongan" (literally "true Sama" or "real Sama"), to distinguish themselves from the land-dwelling Sama-Bajau subgroups.[14]
Other minor Sama-Bajau groups named after islands of origin include the Sama Bannaran, Sama Davao, Sama Zamboanga Sikubung, Sama Tuaran, Sama Semporna, Sama Sulawesi, Sama Simunul, Sama Tabawan, Sama Tandubas (or Sama Tando' Bas), and Sama Ungus Matata.[24] Mixed-heritage Sama-Bajau and Tausūg communities are sometimes known as "Bajau Suluk" in Malaysia.[7][51] People of multiple ethnic parentage may further identify with a three-part self-description, such as "Bajau Suluk Dusun".[52] The following are the major subgroups usually recognised as distinct:
Garay warship of the pirates warship of the Banguingui
Banguingui (Philippines, Malaysia) - Also known as "Sama Balangingi", "Sama Balanguingui", or "Sama Bangingi". Native to the Philippines. Some have recently migrated to Sabah. They are sometimes considered distinct from other Sama-Bajau. They have a more martial-oriented society, and were once part of regular sea raids and piracy against coastal communities and passing ships.[29][56] Main article: Banguingui people
Lepa refers to the houseboat in the dialect of east coast Bajau. In this festival, Bajau people decorate their boats with colourful flags. The Regatta Lepa festival in Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia.refers to the houseboat in the dialect of east coast Bajau. In this festival, Bajau people decorate their boats with colourful flags.
East Coast Bajau (Philippines, Malaysia) - are Sama Dilaut who settled in the eastern coast of Sabah, particularly around Semporna. They still identify themselves as Bajau Laut or Sama Laut. Though they are called East Coast Bajau to distinguish them from the Sama Kota Belud of western Sabah. [57] They are also known by the exonym "Pala'u" ("boat-dwelling" in Sinama), but it is sometimes considered derogatory. Some have retained their original boat-dwelling lifestyle, but many others have built homes on land. They are known for the colourful annual Regatta Lepa festival, which occurs from 24 to 26 April. [58]
(Philippines, Malaysia) - are Sama Dilaut who settled in the eastern coast of Sabah, particularly around Semporna. They still identify themselves as Bajau Laut or Sama Laut. Though they are called East Coast Bajau to distinguish them from the Sama Kota Belud of western Sabah. They are also known by the exonym "Pala'u" ("boat-dwelling" in Sinama), but it is sometimes considered derogatory. Some have retained their original boat-dwelling lifestyle, but many others have built homes on land. They are known for the colourful annual Regatta Lepa festival, which occurs from 24 to 26 April. Jama Mapun (Philippines) - Also known as "Sama Kagayan". They are from the island of Mapun, Tawi-Tawi (formerly known as Cagayan de Sulu). Their culture is heavily influenced by the Sulu Sultanate. [59]
(Philippines) - Also known as "Sama Kagayan". They are from the island of Mapun, Tawi-Tawi (formerly known as Cagayan de Sulu). Their culture is heavily influenced by the Sulu Sultanate. Samal (Philippines, Malaysia) - "Samal" (also spelled "Siamal" or "Siyamal") is a Tausūg and Cebuano term and is sometimes considered offensive. Their preferred endonym is simply "Sama", and they are more accurately a general subgroup of Sama Dea ("land Sama") native to the Philippines. [14] [49] A large number are now residing around the coasts of northern Sabah, though many have also migrated north to the Visayas and southern Luzon. They are predominantly land-dwelling. [5] [37] [49] They are the largest single group of Sama-Bajau. [60] In Davao del Norte, the Island Garden City of Samal was possibly named after them. [49] [61]
(Philippines, Malaysia) - "Samal" (also spelled "Siamal" or "Siyamal") is a Tausūg and Cebuano term and is sometimes considered offensive. Their preferred endonym is simply "Sama", and they are more accurately a general subgroup of Sama Dea ("land Sama") native to the Philippines. A large number are now residing around the coasts of northern Sabah, though many have also migrated north to the Visayas and southern Luzon. They are predominantly land-dwelling. They are the largest single group of Sama-Bajau. In Davao del Norte, the Island Garden City of Samal was possibly named after them. Ubian (Philippines, Malaysia) - Originated from the island of South Ubian in Tawi-Tawi, Philippines and make up the largest Sama-Bajau subgroup in Sabah. They reside in sizeable minorities living around the towns of Kudat and Semporna in Sabah, Malaysia.
The traditional house of the west coast Bajau in Kota Belud, Sabah, Malaysia.
West Coast Bajau (Malaysia) - Also known as "Sama Kota Belud". Native to the western coast of Sabah, particularly around Kota Belud. They prefer to call themselves by the general ethnonym "Sama", not "Bajau"; and their neighbours, the Dusuns also call them "Sama". British administrators originally defined them as "Bajau". They are referred to as West Coast Bajau in Malaysia to distinguish them from the Sama Dilaut of eastern Sabah and the Sulu Archipelago. [57] They are known for having a traditional horse culture. [49]
(Malaysia) - Also known as "Sama Kota Belud". Native to the western coast of Sabah, particularly around Kota Belud. They prefer to call themselves by the general ethnonym "Sama", not "Bajau"; and their neighbours, the Dusuns also call them "Sama". British administrators originally defined them as "Bajau". They are referred to as West Coast Bajau in Malaysia to distinguish them from the Sama Dilaut of eastern Sabah and the Sulu Archipelago. They are known for having a traditional horse culture. Yakan (Philippines) - Found in the mountainous interior of the island of Basilan. Though they may have been the ancestors of the Sama-Bajau, they have become linguistically and culturally distinct and are usually regarded as a separate ethnic group. They are exclusively land-based and are usually farmers.[29] Yakan are also a horse-riding culture, similar to the West Coast Bajau. They are renowned for their weaving traditions.[62] Main article: Yakan people
Languages [ edit ]
The Sama–Bajau peoples speak some ten languages of the Sama–Bajau subgroup of the Western Malayo-Polynesian language family.[63] Sinama is the most common name for these languages, but they are also called Bajau, especially in Malaysia. Most Sama-Bajau can speak multiple languages.[10]
The Sama-Bajau languages were once classified under the Central Philippine languages of the Malayo-Polynesian geographic group of the Austronesian language family. But due to marked differences with neighbouring languages, they were moved to a separate branch altogether from all other Philippine languages.[64] For example, Sinama pronunciation is quite distinct from other nearby Central Philippine languages like Tausūg and Tagalog. Instead of the primary stress being usually on the final syllable; the primary stress occurs on the second-to-the-last syllable of the word in Sinama.[27] This placement of the primary stress is similar to Manobo and other languages of the predominantly animistic ethnic groups of Mindanao, the Lumad peoples.[65]
In 2006, the linguist Robert Blust, proposed that the Sama-Bajaw languages derived from the Barito lexical region, though not from any established group. It is thus a sister group to other Barito languages like Dayak and Malagasy. It is classified under the Bornean geographic group.[66]
Sama-Bajau languages are usually written in the Jawi alphabet.[15]
Culture [ edit ]
Religion [ edit ]
Religion can vary among the Sama-Bajau subgroups; from a strict adherence to Sunni Islam, forms of folk Islam (itself influenced by Sufi traditions of early Muslim missionaries), to animistic beliefs in spirits and ancestor worship. There is a small minority of Catholics and Protestants, particularly from Davao del Sur in the Philippines.[22][31]
Among the modern coastal Sama-Bajau of Malaysia, claims to religious piety and learning are an important source of individual prestige. Some of the Sama-Bajau lack mosques and must rely on the shore-based communities such as those of the more Islamised or Malay peoples. Some of the more nomadic Sama-Bajau, like the Ubian Bajau, are much less adherent to orthodox Islam. They practice a syncretic form of folk Islam, revering local sea spirits, known in Islamic terminology as Jinn.[29]
[68] An-Nur Mosque, the main mosque in the Bajau village of Tuaran, Sabah, Malaysia
The ancient Sama-Bajau were animistic, and this is retained wholly or partially in some Sama-Bajau groups. The supreme deities in Sama-Bajau mythology are Umboh Tuhan (also known as Umboh Dilaut, the "Lord of the Sea") and his consort, Dayang Dayang Mangilai ("Lady of the Forest").[69] Umboh Tuhan is regarded as the creator deity who made humans equal with animals and plants. Like other animistic religions, they fundamentally divide the world into the physical and spiritual realms which coexist.[11][70] In modern Muslim Sama-Bajau, Umboh Tuhan (or simply Tuhan or Tuan) is usually equated with Allah.[24][70][note 2]
Other objects of reverence are spirits known as umboh ("ancestor", also variously spelled omboh, m'boh, mbo', etc.).[24] Traditionally, the umboh referred more specifically to ancestral spirits, different from the saitan (nature spirits) and the jinn (familiar spirits); some literature refers to all of them as umboh.[71] These include Umboh Baliyu (the spirits of wind and storms), and Umboh Payi or Umboh Gandum (the spirits of the first rice harvest). They include totemic spirits of animals and plants, including Umboh Summut (totem of ants) and Umboh Kamun (totem of mantis shrimp).[70]
The construction and launch of sailing vessels are ritualised, and the vessels are believed to have a spirit known as Sumangâ ("guardian", literally "one who deflects attacks").[40] The umboh are believed to influence fishing activities, rewarding the Sama-Bajau by granting good luck favours known as padalleang and occasionally punishing by causing serious incidents called busong.[43][69]
Traditional Sama-Bajau communities may have shamans (dukun) traditionally known as the kalamat. The kalamat are known in Muslim Sama-Bajau as the wali jinn (literally "custodian of jinn") and may adhere to taboos concerning the treatment of the sea and other cultural aspects. The kalamat preside over Sama-Bajau community events along with mediums known as igal jinn.[26][69] The kalamat and the igal jinn are said to be "spirit-bearers" and are believed to be hosts of familiar spirits. It is not, however, regarded as a spirit possession, since the igal jinn never lose control of their bodies. Instead, the igal jinn are believed to have acquired their familiar spirit (jinn) after surviving a serious or near-fatal illness. For the rest of their lives, the igal jinn are believed to share their bodies with the particular jinn who saved them.[69]
One important religious event among the Sama-Bajau is the annual feast known as pag-umboh or magpaay-bahaw, an offering of thanks to Umboh Tuhan.[24][26][29] In this ceremony, newly harvested rice (paay-bahaw) are dehusked (magtaparahu) while Islamic prayers (duaa) are recited. They are dried (magpatanak) and are then laid out in small conical piles symbolic of mountains (bud) on the living room floor (a process known as the "sleeping of rice"). After two or three nights, two-thirds are set aside for making sweet rice meals (panyalam), while one-third is set aside for making sweet rice cakes (durul).[26][29] Additional prayers (zikir), which includes calling the names of ancestors out loud, are offered to the Umboh after the rice meals have been prepared. Pag-umboh is a solemn and formal affair.[26]
Another annual religious ceremony among the boat-dwelling Sama Dilaut is the pagkanduli (literally "festive gathering").[71] It involves ritual dancing to Umboh Tuhan, Dayang Dayang Mangilai, and ancestral ghosts called bansa. The ritual is first celebrated under a sacred dangkan tree (strangler figs, known elsewhere in the Philippines as balete) symbolising the male spirit Umboh Tuhan and afterwards in the centre of a grove of kama'toolang trees (pandan trees) symbolising the female spirit Dayang Dayang Mangilai.[69]
The trance dancing is called mag-igal and involves female and male and igal jinn, called the jinn denda and jinn lella respectively. The jinn denda perform the first dance known as igal limbayan under the dangkan tree, with the eldest leading. They are performed with intricate movements of the hands, usually with metal fingernail extensions called sulingkengkeng. If the dance and music are pleasing, the bansa are believed to take possession of the dancers, whereupon the wali jinn will assist in releasing them at the end of the dance.
The bansa are not feared as they are regarded as spirits of ancestors. Temporarily serving as hosts for the bansa while dancing to music is regarded as a "gift" by the living Sama Dilaut to their ancestors. After the igal limbayan, the wali jinn will invite the audience to participate, to celebrate, and to give their thanks. The last dance is the igal lellang, with four jinn lella performing a warrior dance, whereupon the participants will proceed to the kama'toolang grove. There they will perform rituals and dance (this time with male and female dancers together), symbolically "inviting" Dayang Dayang Mangilai to come with them back to the dangkan tree. Further games and celebrations are held under the original dangkan tree before the celebrants say their farewells to the spirits. Unlike pag-umboh, pagkanduli is a joyous celebration, involving singing, dancing, and joking among all participants. It is the largest festive event among the Sama Dilaut communities.[26]
Aside from pagkanduli and magpaay-bahaw, public dances called magigal jinn may occur. During these celebrations, the igal jinn may be consulted for a public séance and for nightly trance dancing.[71] In times of epidemics, the igal jinn are called upon to remove illness causing spirits from the community. They do this by setting a "spirit boat" adrift in the open sea beyond the village or anchorage.
vinta boat A Sama-Bajau family on aboat
burak Sama-Bajau woman from Maiga Island, Semporna, Sabah, Malaysia, with traditional sun protection called
A few Sama-Bajau still live traditionally. They live in houseboats (lepa) which generally accommodate a single nuclear family (usually five people). The houseboats travel together in flotillas with houseboats of immediate relatives (a family alliance) and co-operate during fishing expeditions and in ceremonies. A married couple may choose to sail with the relatives of the husband or the wife. They anchor at common mooring points (called sambuangan) with other flotillas (usually also belonging to extended relatives) at certain times of the year.[24][23][29]
These mooring points are usually presided over by an elder or headsman. The mooring points are close to sources of water or culturally significant locations like island cemeteries. There are periodic gatherings of Sama-Bajau clans usually for various ceremonies like weddings or festivals. They generally do not sail more than 40 km (24.85 mi) from their "home" moorage.[5][23] They periodically trade goods with the land-based communities of other Sama-Bajau and other ethnic groups.[23] Sama-Bajau groups may routinely cross the borders of the Philippines, Malaysia, and Indonesia for fishing, trading, or visiting relatives.[12][18][24][72]
Sama-Bajau women also use a traditional sun-protecting powder called burak or borak, made from water weeds, rice and spices.[73]
Free-diving adaptations [ edit ]
A Sama-Bajau child in Tagbilaran City Bohol, Philippines, diving for coins thrown by tourists into the water.
Sama-Bajau are noted for their exceptional abilities in free-diving.[74] Divers work long days with the "greatest daily apnea diving time reported in humans" of greater than 5 hours per day submerged.[75] Some Bajau intentionally rupture their eardrums at an early age to facilitate diving and hunting at sea. Many older Sama-Bajau are therefore hard of hearing.[20][74]
More than a thousand years of subsistence freediving associated with their life on the sea appear to have endowed the Bajau with several genetic adaptations to facilitate their lifestyle.[76][77] A 2018 study showed that Bajau spleens are about 50 per cent larger than those of a neighboring land-based group, the Saluan, letting them store more haemoglobin-rich blood, which is expelled into the bloodstream when the spleen contracts at depth, allowing breath-holding dives of longer duration.[78][77] This difference is apparently related to a variant of the PDE10A gene.[77] Other genes that appear to have been under selection in the Bajau include BDKRB2, which is related to peripheral vasoconstriction, involved in the diving response;[79] FAM178B, a regulator of carbonic anhydrase, which is related to maintaining blood pH when carbon dioxide accumulates; and another one involved in the response to hypoxia.[77] These adaptions most likely result from an increased frequency of alleles widely distributed in human populations.[77] Members of another "sea gypsy" group, the Moken, have been found to have better underwater vision than Europeans, although it is not known if this trait has a genetic basis.[80]
Music, dance, and arts [ edit ]
A Bajau girl clad in her traditional dress.
Sama-Bajau traditional songs are handed down orally through generations. The songs are usually sung during marriage celebrations (kanduli pagkawin), accompanied by dance (pang-igal) and musical instruments like pulau (flute), gabbang (xylophone), tagunggo' (kulintang gongs), biula (violin), and in modern times, electronic keyboards.[26] There are several types of Sama-Bajau traditional songs, they include: isun-isun, runsai, najat, syair, nasid, bua-bua anak, and tinggayun.[14][81]
Among the more specific examples of Sama-Bajau songs are three love songs collectively referred to as Sangbayan. These are Dalling Dalling, Duldang Duldang, and Pakiring Pakiring.[26] The most well-known of these three is Pakiring Pakiring (literally "moving the hips"), which is more familiar to the Tausūg in its commercialised and modernised form Dayang Dayang. The Tausūg claim that the song is native to their culture, and whether the song is originally Tausūg or Sama-Bajau remain controversial.[26] Most Sama-Bajau folk songs are becoming extinct, largely due to the waning interest of the younger generations.[14]
Sama-Bajau people are also well known for weaving, needlework skills, and their association with tagonggo music.
Horse culture [ edit ]
The West Coast Bajau horsemen in their hometown of Kota Belud, with a background of Mount Kinabalu behind.
The more settled land-based West Coast Bajau are expert equestrians – which makes them remarkable in Malaysia, where horse riding has never been widespread anywhere else. The traditional costume of Sama-Bajau horsemen consists of a black or white long-sleeved shirt (badu sampit) with gold buttons (betawi) on the front and decorated with silver floral designs (intiras), black or white trousers (seluar sampit) with gold lace trimmings, and a headpiece (podong). They carry a spear (bujak), a riding crop (pasut), and a silver-hilted keris dagger. The horse is also caparisoned with a colourful outfit called kain kuda that also have brass bells (seriau) attached. The saddle (sila sila) is made from water buffalo hide, and padded with cloth (lapik) underneath.[82]
Society [ edit ]
The rehabilitation of a traditional Sama-Bajau house in the Heritage Village of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia.
Though some Sama-Bajau headsmen have been given honorific titles like "datu", "maharaja" or "panglima" by governments (like under the Sultanate of Brunei), they usually only had little authority over the Sama-Bajau community. Sama-Bajau society is traditionally highly individualistic,[23] and the largest political unit is the clan cluster around mooring points, rarely more. Unlike most neighbouring peoples, Sama-Bajau society is also more or less egalitarian, and they did not practice a caste system, unlike most neighboring ethnic groups. The individualism is probably due to the generally fragile nature of their relationships with land-based peoples for access to essentials like wood or water. When the relationship sours or if there is too much pressure from land-based rulers, the Sama-Bajau prefer to simply move on elsewhere.[27] Greater importance is placed on kinship and reciprocal labour rather than formal authority for maintaining social cohesion.[18] There are a few exceptions, however, like the Jama Mapun and the Sama Pangutaran of the Philippines, who follow the traditional pre-Hispanic Philippine feudal society with a caste system consisting of nobles, notables, and commoners and serfs. Likely introduced by the Sultanate of Sulu.[23]
Depictions in popular culture [ edit ]
It has been suggested by some researchers that Sama-Bajau people's visits to Arnhem Land gave rise to the accounts of the mysterious Baijini people in the myths of Australia's Yolngu Aboriginals.[84]
The Sama-Bajau have also been the subject of several films. They include:
Notable Sama-Bajau [ edit ]
Politics [ edit ]
Entertainment [ edit ]
Sports [ edit ]
See also [ edit ]
Notes [ edit ]
^ The concept of an Australoid "race" is antiquated. Most modern literature refer to these peoples as the Australo-Melanesians. However, their exact relationship within their member groups and with other ethnic groups in Asia and Oceania is still debated. ^ Tuhan (literally "god" or "master") is a common word referring to a supreme deity in various Bathala of the Kan-Laon of the (literally "god" or "master") is a common word referring to a supreme deity in various Austronesian languages in eastern Malaysia, southwestern Philippines, and eastern Indonesia. It originally referred to a different concept of a deity separate from the Abrahamic god, but Malays and other Muslim Austronesian ethnic groups usually equate Tuhan with Allah. Compare withof the Tagalogs andof the Visayans
References [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]
Newspapers [ edit ]
Books [ edit ]A video was posted on Twitter Sunday evening (March 8)—a day after President Obama's speech at Selma, Ala. and same day as the 50th anniversary of "Blood Sunday"—of Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity brothers of the University of Oklahoma singing a racist song about never letting black people pledge (see below).
Since the release, SAE has closed its chapter at the University of Oklahoma, suspending all its members and stating that the men featured in the video "may have their membership privileges revoked permanently."
One rapper has responded to the disturbing video and made it very clear that he will not tolerate such disgusting behavior and canceled his scheduled concert at the University. That rapper is Waka Flocka Flame. Known mostly for his turn up anthems and jovial personality, Waka made it clear that there is no place for racism. The show was planned for April 25 in conjunction with the SAE fraternity. Read his Instagram message below.
SMFH.. I know for a fact the whole school and SAE don't agree with those kids actions so know that I'm not madd at the whole #SAE just those disgusting kids!!!!!! #WFF We can't change history but we damn sure can create our own future #DeathToRacism A photo posted by Waka Flocka (@wakaflockabsm) on Mar 9, 2015 at 8:14am PDT
Read the SAE national headquarter's statement below:
We apologize for the unacceptable and racist behavior of the individuals in the video, and we are disgusted that any member would act in such a way. Furthermore, we are embarrassed by this video and offer our empathy not only to anyone outside the organization who is offended but also to our brothers who come from a wide range of backgrounds, cultures and ethnicities. This type of racist behavior will not be tolerated and is not consistent with the values and morals of our fraternity. We have more than 15,000 collegiate members across the nation, and this incident should not reflect on other brothers because this type of hateful action is not what Sigma Alpha Epsilon stands for. This is absolutely not who we are.
Waka Flocka Flame is gearing up for his upcoming LP Flockaveli 2. Serving as the follow up to Waka’s debut Flockaveli, fans can expect a pretty dope album from the looks of it. Jay Z, Kanye West, Lil Wayne, Drake and 50 Cent will all appear on Flockaveli 2, which drops June 1. He recently dropped a new mixtape called The Turn Up Godz: Tour with DJ Whoo Kid last week. In a lighter note, his videos with us reading 50 Shades of Grey is the best thing you will see in years. Watch that here.
Related: Waka Flocka Flame Reads ‘Fifty Shades of Grey’
Waka Flocka Flame Featuring DJ Whoo Kid, Offset And Ca$h Out “OVA”
10 Reasons You Should Follow DJ Whoo Kid and His Moisture Mob on Instagram
Stream Eminem & DJ Whoo Kid’s ‘Shady Classics’ Mixtape (60+ Songs)Get the biggest rugby 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
Helen Ward was the heroine for the Wales women’s side, who opened their 2015 World Cup qualifying campaign with a late win over Belarus at the Cardiff City Stadium.
Jarmo Matikainen’s side dominated for large spells of the Group Six clash and the hosts finally found a way past FC Minsk goalkeeper Ina Batsianouskaya courtesy of record goal-scorer Ward in the 80th minute.
It was the perfect way for the 27-year-old striker to celebrate her 50th appearance for her country by netting her 30th international goal.
The Chelsea forward even received a guard of honour from the Welsh squad and a bouquet of flowers to mark the milestone.
And Ward’s late strike from 12 yards gave Wales the perfect lift-off as they began their bid to reach the finals in Canada in fine style.
The Dragons, who also have arch-rivals England in their group, were well supported by a crowd of 828, including Wales and Cardiff men’s striker Craig Bellamy.
The only concern on a positive night came when Ward’s team-mate Kylie Davies was carried off on a stretcher at the end of the first half.
Davies suffered a head injury following a clash with Belarus’ Sviatlana Astashova, but the Wales and Chelsea centre-back was able to watch the second period from the substitutes’ bench.
Wales had warmed up for this contest by beating Estonia 3-2 in a recent friendly, while the visitors had already lost their opener at the hands of England 6-0 in Bournemouth last week.
On the eve of the game, Wales captain Jess Fishlock had called for increased funding and backing for the women’s game from the national association.
Fishlock, who plays for National Women’s Soccer League side Seattle Reign, claimed that the women’s game in both England and Scotland is ‘at least 10 years ahead’ of Wales.
But the Glasgow loanee led from the front for her country with the first shot of the night in the sixth minute.
Yet Fishlock’s right-footed effort was comfortably saved by Batsianouskaya, who had more action to deal with than Wales keeper Nicola Davies.
Wales looked the more likely to score throughout, Bristol’s Natasha Harding close to breaking the deadlock on the hour mark before Ward struck with 10 minutes remaining.Trump campaigned as an ardent and unapologetic nationalist. He railed against international and regional institutions and said America needed to stop spending money overseas and start taking care of business at home. He told us Assad was not the problem and Putin was a guy with whom he could do business.
But in less than a week Trump has morphed into a guy who could almost be mistaken for a conventional Republican president. Trump appeared in the White House's East room yesterday and gave remarks that could've come from the mouth of George H.W. Bush.
Our thought bubble: We've been charting the ascendance of the Jared Kushner camp in the administration and there's no mistaking it. Jared, Ivanka, Gary Cohn, Dina Powell — they and their worldview are ascendant.The election was fought over the fate of Marine Corps Air Station Futenma, a particularly unpopular base whose aging runway is surrounded by homes and schools in the middle of the densely populated city of Ginowan. Mr. Nakaima, 75, was supported by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has tried to restart an almost two-decade-old plan to move the base to a less-populated spot on the northern end of the island near Henoko, a village in the city of Nago.
Mr. Onaga campaigned on a platform of opposing the relocation, calling for the airfield to be moved off the island altogether. Two other minor candidates also staked out positions on what to do about the Futenma base, a highly emotional issue that has become a rallying point for Okinawan anger at the noise, pollution and crime brought by the American presence.
While Mr. Onaga’s victory was not a surprise — he had been leading in polls — political analysts called it a blow to budding hopes in Tokyo and Washington that Mr. Abe might finally get the new base built. The United States and Japanese governments first agreed in 1996 to relocate the airfield to an American base called Camp Schwab, near Henoko, but stiff local opposition has blocked the move.
The project seemed to take a big step forward in December when the prime minister persuaded Mr. Nakaima to drop his opposition to the relocation and approve a contentious landfill permit. Mr. Abe, who has vowed to build closer military ties with the United States, won over Mr. Nakaima with offers of more than $3 billion in public works projects for Okinawa, including the construction of a second runway at Naha’s busy airport.
Despite Mr. Nakaima’s defeat, analysts said Mr. Abe could still try to move ahead with the construction of the new Marine airfield because his government already has the permit to begin filling in the sea for its twin runways. But doing so would require him to push past the opposition of both the new governor and the current mayor of Nago, who won re-election in January.Silicon Valley is the US’ geographic golden child. A glittering, high-tech icon of accomplishment against all odds; a magnet for the innovative and the restless.
Silicon Valley tolerates failure, celebrates it even
Yet this success story comes with a twist: Silicon Valley tolerates failure, celebrates it even. The former orchard groves south of San Francisco are as much an ode to catastrophe and crushing disappointment as they are to achievement.
A culture – some might say a fetish – of failure permeates every open-floor office plan and shiny new Tesla in the Valley. You aren’t considered a bona fide success in Silicon Valley unless you have failed – ideally, multiple times and in spectacular fashion.
There’s even an annual Failcon conference, where people celebrate their failures – and, presumably, learn from them. (Failure, apparently, is contagious; there are now Failcon conferences in Tel Aviv, Bangalore, Barcelona and elsewhere.)
Yes, failure is the engine that drives Silicon Valley; it’s an integral part of the region’s creative ecology – but not for the reasons that are so often touted.
Silicon Valley’s failure fetish traces back to its beginnings, and is intertwined with its geography. It’s no coincidence that the world’s premier technology hub sprouted not in establishment East Coast cities like New York and Boston, but in the far West. California was – and to an extent still is – a place one flees to, a refuge for jilted lovers, bankrupt businessmen, lost souls. As one of the region’s high-tech pioneers, William Forrester of Stratus Computer, put it, “If you fail in Silicon Valley, your family won’t know and your neighbours won’t care.”
And the Valley is, at least in part, a child of the 1960s counter-culture movement, an era when failure, or at least contr |
-Manuel Miranda, who said that Trump was going "straight to hell."
"You're going straight to hell, @realDonald Trump. No long lines for you," tweeted Miranda, who is of Puerto Rican descent. "Someone will say, 'Right this way, sir.' They'll clear a path."
You're going straight to hell, @realDonaldTrump. No long lines for you. Someone will say, "Right this way, sir." They'll clear a path. https://t.co/xXfJH0KJmw
Later Saturday, Vice President Mike Pence defended the President's remarks in an interview with Orlando television station WKMG.
"Well, it is frustrating, I expect, to millions of Americans to hear rhetoric coming out from some in Puerto Rico, particularly the mayor of San Juan, instead of focusing on results," Pence said.
Pence said he learned that "while our joint field operation at the convention center in San Juan has more than 1,000 personnel working out in a football field environment, the mayor of San Juan has only visited our joint field operation once." He added that he would encourage her to come alongside Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló and other officials "who are focusing on continuing to make the steady progress that we are making in Puerto Rico."
In the series of early-morning tweets, Trump also lauded the federal government's response on the island, which is still grappling with the devastating impact of Hurricane Maria. The President said that the 10,000 federal workers there are doing a "fantastic job."
"The military and first responders, despite no electric, roads, phones etc., have done an amazing job," he wrote. "Puerto Rico was totally destroyed."
Trump's early praise of relief efforts, however, does not appear to match the reality on the ground. Puerto Rico, which is home to 3.4 million people, is facing a humanitarian crisis, and many of its people remain without power and water. Sixteen people have died, according to government officials, but that number could well rise with the full range of devastation not yet known.
In an interview with MSNBC, Yulín Cruz said she wasn't making "nasty comments" about Trump in remarks earlier this week criticizing the administration's statements lauding the response, adding that her only goal was to save lives.
"I was asking for help," she said. "I wasn't saying anything nasty about the President."
The goal is one: saving lives. This is the time to show our "true colors". We cannot be distracted by anything else. pic.twitter.com/7PAINk19xM — Carmen Yulín Cruz (@CarmenYulinCruz) September 30, 2017
Trump's comments come ahead of a planned visit to Puerto Rico on Tuesday. The President is scheduled to speak with Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long, Rosselló and other Puerto Rican officials later Saturday.
Rosselló said Saturday morning that his previous conversations with Trump didn't square up with the President's tweets and that Trump had "reiterated his commitment with this effort."
"I do reiterate that the only way for this to work is for us to have collaboration," Rosselló said. "And let me stress this, I am committed to collaborating with everybody. This is a point where we can't look at small differences. We can't establish differences based on politics."
While Trump and other administration officials have repeatedly lauded the federal government's response to Maria, some have said that the administration has moved more slowly than it did in responding to the recent storms that battered Texas and Florida.
Other critics have drawn comparisons to President George W. Bush's handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, particularly given the race and class of most victims in both disasters. Katrina, of course, became a political disaster for the Bush presidency.
When asked for his reaction to President Trump's tweets, Russel Honoré, the retired general appointed by Bush to take over the federal response to Katrina in 2005, said he had none.
"I have no reaction. The mayor's living on a cot, and I hope the President has a good day of golf," he told CNN.
Earlier this week, Honoré told CNN that the President's response to Maria shows that he doesn't care about the poor or people of color.
"The President has shown again he don't give a damn about poor people," Honoré told CNN's Erin Burnett. "He doesn't give a damn about people of color. And the SOB that rides around in Air Force One is denying services needed by the people of Puerto Rico. I hate to say it that way but there's no other way to say it."
In his interview Saturday with WKMG, Pence took issue with Honore's characterization.
"Well, I would suggest, with great respect to that retired general and respect for the work he's done in the past, that the Department of Defense -- 16 different Navy ships in the region, the USS Comfort will be there in a matter of days," Pence said. "I was able to inform Governor Rosselló the USS Wasp will be arriving with 16 helicopters tomorrow. We have literally 10,000 federal officials on the ground, 4,500 National Guard have been there from early on, more are on the way."
A 'good news story'
Thursday, acting Homeland Security Secretary Elaine Duke also stirred controversy after she told reporters she was "very satisfied" with the federal response since Maria made landfall, calling it a "good news story."
"I know it is really a good news story in terms of our ability to reach people and the limited number of deaths that have taken place in such a devastating hurricane," Duke said.
That prompted a sharp retort from San Juan's mayor in a CNN interview.
"This is, damn it, this is not a good news story," Mayor Cruz said. "This is a 'people are dying' story. This is a 'life-or-death' story. This is, 'there's a truckload of stuff that cannot be taken to people' story. This is a story of a devastation that continues to worsen."
Dan Scavino, the White House social media director, tweeted on Saturday that Yulín Cruz "has been hating on @realDonaldTrump long before he was our President."
San Juan, PR Mayor has been hating on @realDonaldTrump long before he was our President. I'm not surprised by the show she is putting on... pic.twitter.com/vRPxS6J19A — Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) September 30, 2017
In a separate tweet, Scavino described San Juan's mayor as "the perfect example of an opportunistic politician."
.@realDonaldTrump hater, the Mayor of San Juan - is the perfect example of an opportunistic politician. Go ask PR Gov about responsiveness. pic.twitter.com/us3p78P9zK — Dan Scavino Jr. (@DanScavino) September 30, 2017
In his own Saturday morning tweets, Trump also lashed out at the media for what he said was biased coverage, saying that the "Fake News Networks are working overtime in Puerto Rico."
The Fake News Networks are working overtime in Puerto Rico doing their best to take the spirit away from our soldiers and first R's. Shame! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
"Fake News CNN and NBC are going out of their way to disparage our great First Responders as a way to 'get Trump,'" he tweeted. "Not fair to FR or effort!"
Democratic lawmakers react
Trump's comments were criticized by a number of Democrats, who took issue with the President's rhetoric in the middle of a domestic disaster.
Rep. Al Green of Texas told CNN's Ana Cabrera on Saturday afternoon that he thought Trump's comments showed he cared less about Puerto Rico because it was unimportant to his reelection and added that he saw racial undertones in the President's remarks.
"If they were all Anglos, I don't believe the President would have the attitude that he has, because you don't hear that kind of dog whistle, of people not wanting to pull themselves up by their bootstraps, when the people are Anglos," Green said. "That's something reserved for people of color."
Sen. Ed Markey of Massachusetts, meanwhile, called for an apology from the President.
"First thing Trump should do on Tues when he visits #PuertoRico for the first time since #HurricaneMaria devastated the island is apologize," Markey tweeted.
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York called Trump's remarks "offensive."
"When millions in Puerto Rico are in crisis, the president should be better than this," she tweeted.
Offensive. When millions in Puerto Rico are in crisis, the president should be better than this. https://t.co/ca52gNgHUZ — Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) September 30, 2017
Sen. Bob Menendez, a New Jersey Democrat facing trial for federal bribery charges, tweeted that Trump should be doing more to help the territory, suggesting his response might be slower because Puerto Rico has no electoral votes.
"I know Puerto Rico doesn't get Electoral College votes, Mr. President, but there are real Americans there suffering. Time to do more," he wrote.
In another tweet, Menendez declared the situation in Puerto Rico "worse" than Hurricane Katrina.
Now returning from PR, "Trump's Katrina" comparison no longer accurate. This is worse. At least Bush never blamed & attacked those suffering pic.twitter.com/EO28NvtVq3 — Senator Bob Menendez (@SenatorMenendez) September 30, 2017
Democratic Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts said Puerto Rico was in "crisis" and Trump should "stop playing politics with their lives."
"The definition of 'poor leadership' is sitting at your golf club while millions of US citizens beg for your help, @realDonaldTrump," she tweeted.
Don Beyer, a Democratic representative from Virginia, noted in a series of tweets that the President had ignored the people of Puerto Rico for days, instead "picking a fight with athletes while a humanitarian crisis grew in Puerto Rico."
"You focused on aid efforts in TX & FL but ignored Puerto Rico. Now you attack San Juan's mayor for saying 'people are dying.' THEY ARE DYING," he wrote.
Amid the criticisms, Trump took to Twitter later Saturday afternoon to praise several Puerto Rican officials, including Rosselló; US Virgin Islands Gov. Kenneth Mapp, an independent; and Republican Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon.
"#FakeNews critics are working overtime, but we're getting great marks from the people that truly matter! #PRStrong" Trump wrote.
......#FakeNews critics are working overtime, but we're getting great marks from the people that truly matter! #PRStrong🇵🇷 — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
Trump continued to fault the news coverage of his administration's response in tweets Saturday night.
"Because of #FakeNews my people are not getting the credit they deserve for doing a great job," he wrote. "As seen here, they are ALL doing a GREAT JOB!"
Because of #FakeNews my people are not getting the credit they deserve for doing a great job. As seen here, they are ALL doing a GREAT JOB! pic.twitter.com/1ltW2t3rwy — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 30, 2017
At a news conference Saturday afternoon, Mapp said the vice president and his wife, Karen Pence, would arrive in St. Croix on Friday to assess the hurricane damage. He also said Trump did not rule out a visit to the territory during a phone call Saturday, but the President was trying to visit both Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands in one day, which posed logistical challenges.
Administration update
FEMA said in a news release Saturday that urban search-and-rescue teams, working alongside local law enforcement, have scoured the island and rescued 843 people. In addition, 11 highways have been cleared, 70% of ports and 60% of gas stations are operating, and half of the grocery and big box stores are open, the release said.
While the release said power has been restored to 59 hospitals, FEMA official Alejandro de la Campa told reporters only 5% of electricity had been restored in the island as of Saturday.
The president of the Puerto Rico Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, Elí Díaz Atienza, gave a breakdown of the water service restoration effort to San Juan radio station WIPR, saying water is running to about 55% of the city.
CLARIFICATION: This story has been updated throughout to reflect the full last name of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz.At the most recent Frankfurt auto show, Renault unveiled their new 100% electric concept car, the Frendzy. Like several other modern concept cars, the Frendzy takes on the challenge of multi-faceted lifestyles, trying to meet the needs of people who work and communicate from their cars, and to serve them as their lives change over time. The Frendzy features a flexible interior with fold-down back and front passenger seats, a fabric roof that literally flexes to adapt to bulky objects transported in the vehicle, an asymetrical interior with family-oriented features on the left and work-oriented functions on the right, plus a Blackberry Playbook that docks near the driver’s seat and controls an exterior 37-inch widescreen that can be used for entertainment or advertising.
We’re not sure how practical it is to combine an exterior 37-inch widescreen display on the passenger rear sliding door with a chalkboard for children to draw on (we’re fairly sure the designer doesn’t have kids, who would love to draw on the whole car while they’re at it), but the idea of even having different doors on either side of the Frendzy is intriguing: slider on the right with no central pillar for easy loading, and center-opening doors on the left for loading the family in and out.
+ Renault
Via Industry Leaders MagazineThe Pentagon has confirmed that it has lost a $21-million drone in an Iraqi desert after photos of the crashed UAV surfaced on social media.
The MC-1Q Gray Eagle drone crashed near the government-controlled city of Samawah in southern Iraq on July 16, Defense Department spokesman Army Major Roger Cabiness said in a statement.
The unmanned aircraft was returning from a surveillance mission when “technical complications" caused a loss of communication, he added.
A U.S drone crashed in the desert of Samawa province in southern iraq earlier today pic.twitter.com/VbQiCPJFJ6 — Steven Nabil (@stevoiraq) July 21, 2015
"There were no weapons on board the aircraft. We are working with Iraqi authorities to recover the aircraft," Cabiness is cited as saying by the Hill.
The crash appears to have caused some excitement at the scene. Locals rushed to the site and Iraqi activist Steven Nabil even posted several selfies with the drone.
The UAV, valued between $21-31 million, was found by a shepherd, according to General Yahya Al-Zubaidi, spokesman for the Joint Operation Command.
"I talked to US advisers and they confirmed that they lost a drone two weeks ago. The shepherd called the police and a unit from the Samawa Police Directorate arrived at the location and they took it to the Al-Mamlaha police station,” Al-Zubaidi said, as cited by NBC News.
NEW photo :The U.S drone that crashed in Samawa province ( near the cement factory) pic.twitter.com/0j93LoE2az — Steven Nabil (@stevoiraq) July 21, 2015
Intelligence-gathering and armed drones have been deployed by the US in Iraq and Syria in order to participate in the US-led air strikes against the Islamic State.
It’s the third drone the Pentagon has lost in recent in months as technical problems caused the crash of a military UAV in Iraq in May, while another was shot down in Syria in March.Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump on Monday said he has never suggested that law enforcement or immigration officials screen Muslims more than other groups.
“I never said the term ‘Muslim,’” Trump told Fox News host Bill O’Reilly, who asked whether Trump’s profiling plan could cause all Muslims to be viewed with suspicion. “I’m saying we’re going to profile people that maybe look suspicious, I didn’t say [if] they were Muslims or not.”
Trump has built his presidential campaign on the promise to keep other people out of the U.S. ― be they immigrants from Central and South America, refugees from the war-torn Middle East, or citizens of countries Trump says are “compromised” by “terrorism,” although he won’t actually name those countries. His remarks on Fox News followed bombings in New York and New Jersey over the weekend that left scores of people injured. The suspect, Ahmad Rahami, is a naturalized U.S. citizen who came from Afghanistan as a child with his asylum-seeking father.
Trump promised to expand the use of “profiling,” an illegal tactic in which authorities target certain individuals for suspicion based on their race, ethnicity, religion or nationality. Though he tried to distance himself from illegal profiling, his presidential campaign website still proudly displayed Trump’s longstanding promise to institute “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.”
Pressed by O’Reilly on what it means to “look suspicious,” Trump exclaimed, “I don’t know! These are [profiling] experts, that’s what they do.They profile. You go to Israel, and [U.S. law enforcement] should study [Israel], because Israel’s done a phenomenal job at this. They’re not happy about [having to profile], but they do it. And people aren’t complaining about it. But we have to do it, we have to profile.”
O’Reilly noted that Trump’s plan wasn’t aimed at profiling “guys with leather jackets and blue eyes,” which both men understood to mean that Trump would single out Muslims and people from the Middle East, and not blue-eyed caucasians.
“I’m not using the term Muslim!” Trump insisted.“I’m saying we’re going to have to start profiling. And I don’t know if it’s that bad, but certainly it’s not a wonderful thing. But we have a country to keep safe. And you know, and I know, it’s going to get worse.”
For anyone who’s paid even remote attention to Trump’s campaign over the past year, Trump didn’t have to use the word Muslim. Since announcing his candidacy, Trump has used the terms “Muslim” and “Islam” thousands of times, almost always in order to warn his supporters of the threat posed by the world’s 1.6 billion followers of the religion.
On Monday evening, Trump met with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, a move intended to make the reality TV star look presidential. Trump’s campaign said the nominee emphasized to Sisi “his high regard for peace-loving Muslims.” Sisi is a career military officer who seized power in a coup, and whose government detains political dissidents indefinitely without trial.
DOMINICK REUTER via Getty Images Donald Trump (L) looks on as Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi speaks during a meeting at the Plaza Hotel on Monday in New York.
The profiling system Trump has pointed to as a model for the United States is Israel’s system of profiling and screening Arabs, non-Jews, and occupied Palestinians. The United Nations has labeled Israel’s institutional oppression and segregation of the largely Muslim Palestinians an “apartheid.”
“Israel does it, and Israel does it very successfully,” Trump told O’Reilly. “And when they see someone they’d like to talk to, or have a look at, or open up their satchel and see what’s inside, they do it. And they don’t like to do it, but they do it. And we have to do it.”
Trump complained that constitutional protections against police profiling in the United States mean that “you have a woman who’s 87 years old from Sweden, and we have to look at her the same way we’re going to look at somebody else [who looks suspicious]. It’s ridiculous.”Social media anger exploded after footage was released of a female Arizona police officer putting a 15-year-old girl in a chokehold, as the teenager shouted that she was unable to breathe and her mother was begging to stop.
The cell phone footage emerged on Friday and was posted on Facebook. It has since gone viral and received more than 2.5 million views.
The punching incident took place in Mesa, Arizona, on Friday. A witness caught it on video and the cameraman can be heard pointing out, “he just punched her in the face”. “I can’t breathe, I can’t breathe…please…” the girl is screaming.
A bystander approaches, apparently to intervene in the situation, who was later discovered to be the victim’s mother; the girl had apparently been an “emotionally unstable” runaway, according to Luis Paul Santiago, who recorded the incident.
According to the Free Thought Project, the second police officer standing nearby said that his colleague’s actions were in accordance with the procedure and that if she’d wanted, the officer “could have shot her dead.”
Santiago can be heard towards the end of the recording telling both the family of the girl and the police officer that he had filmed the entire thing.
“The cops wanted to delete this off my phone,” he later wrote in a Facebook post accompanying the video.
The mother reportedly said the girl suffered from asthma so the chokehold could have been potentially fatal.
“It’s a shame this happens to teenagers who can't even defend themselves,” one commenter wrote.
“That's bulls***,” another began. “He needs to be charged for NOT protecting or serving the public and making our streets safe, why fear gangs or criminals when our cops are just as bad…”
This incident has come on the backdrop of nationwide protests against police violence, sparked by the deaths of Eric Garner and Michael Brown at the hands of police officers, who were later acquitted of any wrongdoing by a grand jury in both cases.The Los Angeles Rams have been in the process of sculpting a talented and unique roster over the past years. With all the talent, though the Rams might not have enough room to pay one specific wide receiver after this season.
Rutgers own Kenny Britt was initially brought into the league by way of the Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, but that was back in Tennessee. Britt has had his ups and downs to this point, which may leave Fisher and the Rams brass to mull over the idea of choosing not to re-sign him after the 2016 season.
Why would the Rams part with their leading wide receiver? Well, for starters, he is very replaceable as things currently stand. You want to love Britt but you really can’t, you can like him, but he just isn’t ever going to mold into that elite go-to target that the Rams so badly wanted him to become.
Fortunately, that’s alright, because in steps rookie wide receiver Mike Thomas from Southern Mississippi. The Rams spent one of their three sixth-round draft picks in 2016 on the talented receiver. Thomas was a victim of scouts overvaluing speed and not looking at the technicalities of being a receiver who is reliable and can run crisp routes like Thomas.
Thomas is not a crazy prospect by any means. His 4.53-forty time isn’t the best and his vertical jump of 36 inches doesn’t wow you. However, Thomas is a major threat to overtake that number one wide receiver job at some point down the line, thus potentially making Britt obsolete.
What it comes down to is this. Thomas has ideal size for an NFL starting wide receiver, as he stands at 6-foot-1 and weighs in at 200 pounds. Britt is a little taller at 6-foot-3 and bigger at 223 pounds, but Britt has not been dominate by any means. Thomas will cost a lot less as well, compared to re-signing Britt to what could potentially wind up being an $8-10 million contract, depending on how strong of a year he has in 2016.
Speaking of that, Thomas will also need to show the Rams he can start before they even consider the idea of him replacing Britt. The Rams could very well view Thomas as a longer-term project, which could potentially push a guy like Pharoh Cooper, who was drafted three rounds ahead of Thomas, above him.
While it is well documented that the Rams loved Cooper, they like him as a slot receiver, while Thomas is more cut out to be on the outside. With the big play and jump ball ability that he showed at Southern Mississippi, it’s hard to imagine Thomas not working his way up to becoming a starter if he produces the way he did in college.
Don’t be surprised if Thomas logs some serious regular season reps in 2016. The Rams know they landed a good player in him, and it could only be a matter of time before he pushes a player or two out of the rotation.No, no, he's not a meth dealer or a drug kingpin. He just plays one on TV.
Giancarlo Esposito, aka Gus Fring from "Breaking Bad," had a run-in with police the other day when leaving a rehearsal for a play he's working on. The cops were looking for a male suspect wearing a hoodie, and when they saw Esposito leaving the theater in a suit, they somehow figured that he was the same guy.
The cops actually pointed their guns at Esposito and frisked him before realizing that he was a completely different person from the suspect they were looking for. The cops let up when one of them reportedly recognized Esposito from "Once Upon a Time," and not from "Breaking Bad," which confirms that the cops had terrible taste in television shows in addition to probably being at least a little racist.
In an interview with The Wrap just days later, Esposito explained how the incident doesn't bother him so much. "I refuse to walk around, carrying that sack of racist crap," said Esposito. "Luis Buñuel made great movies. And in all his movies there's one old guy… who walks through the background with a big pillowcase, a sack of shit. That's your stuff. So when I'm healing, I'm healing my stuff.
How very calm, forgiving and un-Gus-like of him!Note: Look, I just want to apologize from the get-go if weird punctuation things are going on in this essay. When you decide to name a film mother! it creates a lot of issues. I’m trying.
***
This is not an essay – well, that’s a lie, it is – but it’s really a purging. Since seeing Darren Aronofsky’s mother!, try as I might, I have not been able to stop thinking about the film. This is not necessarily a good thing. I didn’t really like the movie too much. Sure, I like the camera work, the set design, score, etc., but I didn’t like what the film said. I found mother!’s point to be didactic, oversimplified, and preachy in the worst possible ways. But the thing is, is I didn’t feel like that at first. My first reaction to the movie was a sort of abject-horror mixed with utter awe. I could not believe it existed. I couldn’t believe I just saw this movie in the blockbuster theater in my town (there are four theaters in town, each getting more and more indie-centric than the last). I couldn’t believe the Thursday night pre-show was sold out. There is so much about the sheer existence of this film that baffles and insights endless discussion, excluding consideration of what the movie is ostensibly about, that it’s understandable that I would continue to think about this film a full two-weeks later. But that’s all window dressing. That’s just the side-show. Here’s the real meat:
mother! might be the best argument ever about why creators should never explain what their art means. To take it further, I think mother! might also be the best argument AGAINST the use of straight allegory in film, or even just art in general, that I’ve ever seen.
Now, look, I understand that these might seem like extreme statements – and they are – but I plan to back them up. It’s just going to take a lot of unpacking because this topic doesn’t just include the movie mother!. So, bear with me, because this is a doozy.
Explaining Films:
The first part of this whole process that I want to talk about is how, following (and even somewhat before) the release of mother!, Aronofsky took to a press tour in which he straight-up laid out what the movie was about. He spilled the beans. For me, this kind of ruined the film. I don’t mean to suggest that it should ruin it for you, but it had a genuine effect on my experience, and, hey, that’s what I’m here to talk about.
There is this propensity amongst film viewers and fans to think that a movie needs to be explained or understood. While I agree with this for a certain subset of movies, i.e., traditional mainstream narrative focused films generally benefit by having relatively clear meanings, I think this is ultimately a reductionist viewpoint on film in general. See, the thing about film and art as a whole is that part of the understanding comes with you, the audience, being willing to engage and do a little work. Sticking with the general line of thinking in which we consider the artist to be effectively dead, thus rendering their views and history moot in a discussion of the relative merits or meaning of a film, any interpretation that a person comes away with from a film is equally valid; assuming it’s an interpretation or reading supported by the text. This notion of constructing meaning from a piece of art can be taken further into the realm of semiotics, the studying of symbols in the goal of constructing meaning. But stepping back from the technical nature of semiotics, I think there is a broader understanding at work here. See, films are personal things: they mean a lot of different things to many different people. Sometimes the simplest scene in the world can say something to someone that was never and could never have been planned or engineered by the director or writer or whoever. There are things that just simply happen because, when a film is good, its characters and scenes and story become applicable to numerous facets of the human experience.
For a quick anecdotal example, the movie Little Miss Sunshine meant a whole lot to me, but it meant a whole lot more to my mom. That’s because the relationship between Alan Arkin’s character and Abigail Breslin’s directly mirrored my mom’s personal history and experience with her recently passed away grandfather. While this isn’t a moment of clarity on the nature of the profound and difficult to parse meaning of the film Little Miss Sunshine, it is an example of a film’s general applicability (note this term) to the human condition as a whole informing a new meaning and connection, a new interpretation, from its viewers.
Now, imagine if the director of Little Miss Sunshine came out and said the entire film was actually an allegory for, just spitballing here: child slavery (look, I know this is a weird movie to use but just go with it). Wouldn’t that sort of sour the taste of the character relationships? Now imagine if that allegory, running with this example, was already incredibly easy to pick up on in the film. Imagine you see the film, and you get it, and then you keep looking because, well, why the hell would a film only be reducible to one understanding? Rather than trying to interpret and understand the meaning and message presented in the movie, you might end up in a position where all you can think about are the allegorical implications that have just been rammed down your throat. And I don’t mean to say it would be impossible to really connect with the film if it was revealed to be an allegory, but it would certainly change the relationship. This is what happened to me.
This is the issue with explaining a film. Art’s interpretability is part of its magic. There is a reason that David Lynch refuses to give any insight on the meaning of his films. It would be moot. It would reduce the nuanced avant-garde into the mundanity of one experience, one understanding. This extends beyond David Lynch. Andre Tarkovsky is widely considered to be one of if not the greatest directors to ever live. Imagine if he had just come out and told you “no, Stalker is about this,” or “that’s wrong, actually Solaris is about blank.” That would be the artistic equivalent of shooting himself in the foot. Tarkovsky’s films are magical because they manage to strike such a broad yet nuanced view of humanity and our endless complications that they become mirrors for each of our souls (I still intend to write an essay explaining how Stalker is one giant metaphor for imagination). Explaining the meaning of a film shunts creativity and stamps out the unique possibilities of art.
Another example for this is Stanley Kubrick. More specifically his 1979 adaptation of The Shining. Can anyone else think of a film that has inspired more interpretations, running the gamut from Native American genocide to faking the moon landing? I don’t mean to say that these are good interpretations or wholly factual ones that work on a semiotic level, but the continued obsession with explaining the film is honestly inspiring. People try and explain The Shining because it’s a masterpiece, not because explaining it somehow justifies its placement in the hall of our greatest films of all time. The film justifies itself without any need for exact interpretation.
This all can be summed up as saying essentially this: when movies aren’t constrained by the interpretation of their creators, they become vessels, open to a multitude of engagements and understandings limited only by the limitations of us as a species. And I think that’s wonderful.
But to peddle this back to what we were initially talking about, let’s talk about mother!.
So, Aronofsky decided to explain his movie. I think this probably came from a fear of being misunderstood. This is understandable, and ultimately I empathize with the viewpoint – hell, look at how many words I’m writing right now just to make sure I’m fully understood – but I think that he sort of, kind of, almost definitely shot himself in the foot by explaining the whole thing. To stop beating around the bush, let’s jump into what exactly Aronofsky thinks his movie is about.
***SPOILERS***
It’s an allegory for the Earth. Even further, it’s an allegory about the nature of the Bible, Christianity, and our continued use, abuse and discarding of the natural gifts of our planet.
…
Look I’m just going to come out and say it: this is not a hard allegory to get, and it really did not need to be explained. Seriously. Not at all. I figured it out in the first act. Now I might be an exception to the “regular person,” because I spend all my free time obsessing over the details and meanings of film, but I think it’s a fair assessment to say that, by the end of mother!, it is really really really damn obvious what the film is about. In case it wasn’t, I’m now going to break it down for you.
Jennifer Lawrence, and by extension the house, is Mother Earth. Javier Bardem is God. Ed Harris is Adam. Michelle Pfieffer is Eve. Brian Gleeson is Able. Domhnall Gleeson is Cain. Javier Bardem’s old work is the Old Testament, and his new book/poem/art is the New Testament. All the people that start to invade the house represent the different sects and splinters of Christianity. Lawrence’s baby is Jesus. You get it by now if you didn’t before. I’ll stop with the blunt sentences, but you can see why it’s so baffling that Aronofsky would have to come out and explain his movie when the connections are so startlingly clear that it’s kind of absurd for him to be so worried about his audience missing the obvious one to one connections. I want to be absolutely clear right now; I do not mean to insult anyone who didn’t get this movie. I really don’t. I’m just frustrated with a director who so clearly does not trust the intelligence of his audience. But this lack of trust isn’t the only issue I have with this whole situation.
Aronofsky considers this movie and its meaning, and really all of his films, to be incredibly serious. I don’t need anecdotal evidence from him as a person to say or prove this – although watching any interview with him will give all the evidence a doubter would need – because his films do the talking for me. Aronofsky’s films are so absolutely serious about how important what they are saying and doing is, and how important their existence is, that I sometimes find myself edging into hysterical reactionary laughter at moments that lean so hard that I just can’t help myself. Case in point: there is a part in mother! where everyone is fucking with JLaw’s house and no one is listening to her, and she’s pregnant and in distress, and she comes around a corner, and a guy is using a roller to paint an unfinished section of her entryway/stairway area. I laughed out loud in the theater and was subsequently shushed. Now, you might be inclined to argue, “well obviously that moment was meant to be absurd.” I can understand that interpretation – I mean who in their right mind (spoiler: it’s Aronofsky) would be so self-serious that they would ever consider playing a scene like that straight – but the film itself doesn’t support that interpretation. Everything that happens in the movie is played with the same kind of straight-faced self-seriousness. Every. Single. Scene. It’s all so critically important to Aronofsky that we all take this seriously, and I don’t intend to imply that the nature of our planet’s imminent destruction at our own hands is not serious, but his insistence edges into the absurd so often I can’t help but point this out. Which then leads to a worse issue:
When everything is serious, nothing is serious. It’s the kind of critical understanding of storytelling that I generally take for granted until I see someone who is so obviously talented mess it up so absolutely horribly. It’s kind of like Michael Bay (no, I don’t mean to say Aronofsky is the quality equivalent of Michael Bay). If you’ve ever seen a Michael Bay film you know that from start to finish they are go go go, stakes stakes stakes, action action action, and that because of this they become incoherent messes that lack any breathing time; and rather than have the intended effect of propulsive cinema, they end up as horrific slog-fests. Aronofsky’s issue is far less pronounced than this – for starters, his films are infinitely better than Michael Bay’s – but the same principle applies. When everything in the film is played to be so vital and to be held with so much gravitas, there comes a point where the levee breaks and you just can’t help but let out a little laugh at the whole endeavor (I did the same thing during Requiem for a Dream, and that’s my favorite of his films). Not to harp on this point for |
This ability would eliminate the need to either wait for another female at the site of the deposited sperm packet or to produce a new packet, wasting energy. Other advantages include the possibility of mating in other, safer places than flat ground, such as in trees or bushes. If the ancestors of the other flying insects evolved the same habit of clasping the female and dragging her over their spermatophore, but posterior instead of anterior like the Odonata does, their genitals would come very close to each other. And from there on, it would be a very short step to modify the vestigial appendages near the male genital opening to transfer the sperm directly into the female. The same appendages the male Odonata use to transfer their sperm to their secondary sexual organs at the front of their abdomen. All insects with an aquatic nymphal or larval stage seem to have adapted to water secondarily from terrestrial ancestors. Of the most primitive insects with no wings at all, Archaeognatha and Thysanura, all members live their entire life cycle in terrestrial environments. As mentioned previously, Archaeognatha were the first to split off from the branch that led to the winged insects (Pterygota), and then the Thysanura branched off. This indicates that these three groups (Archaeognatha, Thysanura and Pterygota) have a common terrestrial ancestor, which probably resembled a primitive model of Apterygota, was an opportunistic generalist and laid spermatophores on the ground instead of copulating, like Thysanura still do today. If it had feeding habits similar to the majority of apterygotes of today, it lived mostly as a decomposer. One should expect that a gill breathing arthropod would modify its gills to breathe air if it were adapting to terrestrial environments, and not evolve new respiration organs from bottom up next to the original and still functioning ones. Then comes the fact that insect (larva and nymph) gills are actually a part of a modified, closed trachea system specially adapted for water, called tracheal gills. The arthropod trachea can only arise in an atmosphere and as a consequence of the adaptations of living on land. This too indicates that insects are descended from a terrestrial ancestor. And finally when looking at the three most primitive insects with aquatic nymphs (called naiads: Ephemeroptera, Odonata and Plecoptera), each order has its own kind of tracheal gills that are so different from one another that they must have separate origins. This would be expected if they evolved from land-dwelling species. This means that one of the most interesting parts of insect evolution is what happened between the Thysanura-Pterygota split and the first flight.
Origin of insect flight Edit
The origin of insect flight remains obscure, since the earliest winged insects currently known appear to have been capable fliers. Some extinct insects (e.g. the Palaeodictyoptera) had an additional pair of winglets attached to the first segment of the thorax, for a total of three pairs. The wings themselves are sometimes said to be highly modified (tracheal) gills.[71] And there is no doubt that the tracheal gills of the mayfly nymph in many species look like wings.[citation needed] By comparing a well-developed pair of gill blades in the naiads and a reduced pair of hind wings on the adults, it is not hard to imagine that the mayfly gills (tergaliae) and insect wings have a common origin, and newer research also supports this.[citation needed] The tergaliae are not found in any other order of insects, and they have evolved in different directions with time. In some nymphs/naiads the most anterior pair has become sclerotized and works as a gill cover for the rest of the gills. Others can form a large sucker, be used for swimming or modified into other shapes. But it doesn't have to mean that these structures were originally gills. It could also mean that the tergaliae evolved from the same structures which gave rise to the wings, and that flying insects evolved from a wingless terrestrial species with pairs of plates on its body segments: three on the thorax and nine on the abdomen (mayfly nymphs with nine pairs of tergaliae on the abdomen exist, but so far no living or extinct insects with plates on the last two segments have been found). If these were primary gills, it would be a mystery why they should have waited so long to be modified when we see the different modifications in modern mayfly nymphs. Theories Edit When the first forests arose on Earth, new niches for terrestrial animals were created. Spore-feeders and others who depended on plants and/or the animals living around them would have to adapt too to make use of them. In a world with no flying animals, it would probably just be a matter of time before some arthropods who were living in the trees evolved paired structures with muscle attachments from their exoskeleton and used them for gliding, one pair on each segment. Further evolution in this direction would give bigger gliding structures on their thorax and gradually smaller ones on their abdomen. Their bodies would have become stiffer while thysanurans, which didn't evolve flight, kept their flexible abdomen. Mayfly nymphs must have adapted to water while they still had the "gliders" on their abdomen intact. So far there is no concrete evidence to support this theory either, but it is one that offers an explanation for the problems of why presumably aquatic animals evolved in the direction they did. Leaping and arboreal insects seems like a good explanation for this evolutionary process for several reasons. Because early winged insects were lacking the sophisticated wing folding mechanism of neopterous insects, they must have lived in the open and not been able to hide or search for food under leaves, in cracks, under rocks and other such confined spaces. In these old forests there weren't many open places where insects with huge structures on their back could have lived without experiencing huge disadvantages. If insects got their wings on land and not in water, which clearly seems to be the case, the tree canopies would be the most obvious place where such gliding structures could have emerged, in a time when the air was a new territory. The question is if the plates used for gliding evolved from "scratch" or by modifying already existing anatomical details. The thorax in Thysanura and Archaeognatha are known to have some structures connected to their trachea which share similarities to the wings of primitive insects. This suggests the origin of the wings and the spiracles are related. Gliding requires universal body modifications, as seen in present-day vertebrates such as some rodents and marsupials, which have grown wide, flat expansions of skin for this purpose. The flying dragons (genus Draco) of Indonesia has modified its ribs into gliders, and even some snakes can glide through the air by spreading their ribs. The main difference is that while vertebrates have an inner skeleton, primitive insects had a flexible and adaptive exoskeleton. Some animals would be living in the trees, as animals are always taking advantage of all available niches, both for feeding and protection. At the time, the reproductive organs were by far the most nutritious part of the plant, and these early plants show signs of arthropod consumption and adaptations to protect themselves, for example by placing their reproductive organs as high up as possible. But there will always be some species who will be able to cope with that by following their food source up the trees. Knowing that insects were terrestrial at that time and that some arthropods (like primitive insects) were living in the tree crowns, it seems less likely that they would have developed their wings down on the ground or in the water. In a three dimensional environment such as trees, the ability to glide would increase the insects' chances to survive a fall, as well as saving energy. This trait has repeated itself in modern wingless species such as the gliding ants who are living an arboreal life. When the gliding ability first had originated, gliding and leaping behavior would be a logical next step, which would eventually be reflected in their anatomical design. The need to navigate through vegetation and to land safely would mean good muscle control over the proto-wings, and further improvements would eventually lead to true (but primitive) wings. While the thorax got the wings, a long abdomen could have served as a stabilizer in flight. Some of the earliest flying insects were large predators: it was a new ecological niche. Some of the prey were no doubt other insects, as insects with proto-wings would have radiated into other species even before the wings were fully evolved. From this point on, the arms race could continue: the same predator/prey co-evolution which has existed as long as there have been predators and prey on earth; both the hunters and the hunted were in need of improving and extending their flight skills even further to keep up with the other. Insects that had evolved their proto-wings in a world without flying predators could afford to be exposed openly without risk, but this changed when carnivorous flying insects evolved. It is unknown when they first evolved, but once these predators had emerged they put a strong selection pressure on their victims and themselves. Those of the prey who came up with a good solution about how to fold their wings over their backs in a way that made it possible for them to live in narrow spaces would not only be able to hide from flying predators (and terrestrial predators if they were on the ground) but also to exploit a wide variety of niches that were closed to those who couldn't fold their wings in this way. And today the neopterous insects (those that can fold their wings back over the abdomen) are by far the most dominant group of insects. The water-skimming theory suggests that skimming on the water surface is the origin of insect flight.[72] This theory is based on the fact that the first fossil insects, the Devonian Rhyniognatha hirsti, is thought to have possessed wings, even though the insects' closest evolutionary ties are with crustaceans, which are aquatic.
Life cycle Edit
Mayflies Edit Another primitive trait of the mayflies are the subimago; no other insects have this winged yet sexually immature stage. A few specialized species have females with no subimago, but retain the subimago stage for males. The reasons the subimago still exists in this order could be that there hasn't been enough selection pressure to get rid of it; it also seems specially adapted to do the transition from water to air. The male genitalia are not fully functional at this point. One reason for this could be that the modification of the abdominal appendages into male copulation organs emerged later than the evolution of flight. This is indicated by the fact that dragonflies have a different copulation organ than other insects. As we know, in mayflies the nymphs and the adults are specialized for two different ways of living; in the water and in the air. The only stage (instar) between these two is the subimago. In more primitive fossil forms, the preadult individuals had not just one instar but numerous ones (while the modern subimago do not eat, older and more primitive species with a subimagos were probably feeding in this phase of life too as the lines between the instars were much more diffuse and gradual than today). Adult form was reached several moults before maturity. They probably didn't have more instars after becoming fully mature. This way of maturing is how Apterygota do it, which moult even when mature, but not winged insects. Modern mayflies have eliminated all the instars between imago and nymph, except the single instar called subimago, which is still not (at least not in the males) fully sexually mature. The other flying insects with incomplete metamorphosis (Exopterygota) have gone a little further and completed the trend; here all the immature structures of the animal from the last nymphal stage are completed at once in a single final moult. The more advanced insects with larvae and complete metamorphosis (Endopterygota) have gone even further. An interesting theory is that the pupal stage is actually a strongly modified and extended stage of subimago, but so far it is nothing more than a theory. There are some insects within the Exopterygota, thrips and whiteflies (Aleyrodidae), who have evolved pupae-like stages too. Distant ancestors Edit The distant ancestor of flying insects, a species with primitive proto-wings, had a more or less ametabolous life-cycle and instars of basically the same type as thysanurans with no defined nymphal, subimago or adult stages as the individual became older. Individuals developed gradually as they were grew and moulting, but probably without major changes inbetween instars. Modern mayfly nymphs do not acquire gills until after their first moult. Before this stage they are so small that they need no gills to extract oxygen from the water. This could be a trait from the common ancestor of all flyers. An early terrestrial insect would have no need for paired outgrowths from the body before it started to live in the trees (or in the water, for that matter), so it would not have any. This would also affect the way their offspring looked like in the early instars, resembling earlier ametabolous generations even after they had started to adapt to a new way of living, in a habitat where they actually could have some good use for flaps along their body. Since they matured in the same way as thysanurans with plenty of moultings as they were growing and very little difference between the adults and much younger individuals (unlike modern insects, which are hemimetabolous or holometabolous), there probably wasn't much room for adapting into different niches depending on age and stage. Also, it would have been difficult for an animal already adapted to a niche to make a switch to a new niche later in life based on age or size differences alone when these differences were not significant. So proto-insects had to specialize and focus their whole existence on improving a single lifestyle in a particular niche. The older the species and the single individuals became, the more would they differ from their original form as they adapted to their new lifestyles better than the generations before. The final body-structure was no longer achieved while still inside the egg, but continued to develop for most of a lifetime, causing a bigger difference between the youngest and oldest individuals. Assuming that mature individuals most likely mastered their new element better than did the nymphs who had the same lifestyle, it would appear to be an advantage if the immature members of the species reached adult shape and form as soon as possible. This may explain why they evolved fewer but more intense instars and a stronger focus on the adult body, and with greater differences between the adults and the first instars, instead of just gradually growing bigger as earlier generations had done. This evolutionary trend explains how they went from ametabolous to hemimetabolous insects. Reaching maturity and a fully-grown body became only a part of the development process; gradually a new anatomy and new abilities - only possible in the later stages of life - emerged. The anatomy insects were born and grew up with had limitations which the adults who had learned to fly didn't have. If they couldn't live their early life the way adults did, immature individuals had to adapt to the best way of living and surviving despite their limitations till the moment came when they could leave them behind. This would be a starting point in the evolution where imago and nymphs started to live in different niches, some more clearly defined than others. Also, a final anatomy, size and maturity reached at once with a single final nymphal stage meant less waste of time and energy, and also[citation needed] made a more complex adult body structure. These strategies obviously became very successful with time.
See also EditLook, it's not as though we didn't already know that Fox News ambush specialist Jesse Watters is a major-league wanker. I mean, c'mon: Stalking bloggers on their vacations? Really?
But this takes the cake.
Priscilla at Newshounds digs up a clip from last week's O'Reilly Factor on Fox in which Watters shows off his right-wing brand of humor [hint: Mallard Fillmore is funnier] with clips he brought back from the Democratic National Convention in Charlotte, where he obviously was stalking the hallways in search of liberal celebrities to harass.
But his key clip moment in Charlotte came when he decided to harass the mayor of Boston, Thomas Menino, about Menino's opposition to allowing a Chick-fil-A in Boston because of its owners' anti-gay politics -- linking it, a la Tony Perkins, to the attempted shootings at the Family Research Council offices in Washington.
Here's how Watters put it:
“Do you feel bad about the fact that you've created all this controversy that this crazed gunman went up and shot up this conservative outfit.”
Just roll that one around and enjoy the delicious, though bizarre, hypocrisy of it all.
First of all, as Priscilla observes:
Mayor Menino did not engage in incendiary rhetoric which would have, in any way, motivated the shooter. He said that he would block the chicken franchise, Chick fil-A from coming to Boston because he objected to what he felt were intolerant views against gays by the president of Chick fil-A. It does not appear that Menino ever mentioned the Family Research Council.
Nor, might we add, is there even a whiff of evidence that the FRC shooter was inspired to act by anything that Mayor Menino said. Nothing, except the conjecture of right-wing jackasses like Jesse Watters and Bill O'Reilly.
Now let's compare and contrast that to a case in which someone actually was murdered: the assassination of Dr. George Tiller. And in that case, there is a mountain of evidence connecting the incendiary eliminationist rhetoric of Bill O'Reilly, fueled by the grotesquely afactual "reporting" of Jesse Watters, to that killing.
Support Crooks and Liars:
Three years ago, O'Reilly and his ambush-crew specialist, Jesse Watters, went hard after Tiller, accusing him of wantonly murdering babies because he performs late-term abortions: Bill summarized in a heartfelt Talking Points Memo on Friday, November 10th: "If we as a society allow an undefined mental health exception in late-term abortions, then babies can be killed for almost any reason... This is the kind of stuff that happened in Mao's China and Hitler's Germany and Stalin's Soviet Union... If we allow this, America will no longer be a noble nation... If we allow Dr. George Tiller and his acolytes to continue, we can no longer pass judgment on any behavior by anybody." Including, evidently, murderous extremists. And, as you can see in the video above (from 2006), O'Reilly similarly accused anyone who refused to buy into his accusation of coddling killers: I don’t care what you think. We have incontrovertible evidence that this man is executing babies about to be born because the woman is depressed…if you don’t believe me, I don’t care…You are OK with Dr. Tiller executing babies about to be born because the mother says she’s depressed.
And then there was O'Reilly's notorious radio attack on Tiller:
And if I could get my hands on Tiller -- well, you know. Can't be vigilantes. Can't do that. It's just a figure of speech. But despicable? Oh, my God. Oh, it doesn't get worse. Does it get worse? No.
Moreover, the killer, Scott Roeder was heavily involved in the radical anti-abortion group Operation Rescue (whose propaganda was promoted regularly and featured prominently as "factual" on O'Reilly's show) and avidly read its newsletters -- which featured weekly pieces from Bill O'Reilly, including several attacking Tiller as a "baby killer" -- and its website, which liked to feature O'Reilly videos attacking Dr. Tiller. Indeed, O'Reilly had indulged a high-profile and unusually obsessive (not to mention vicious) jihad against Tiller, resulting in 42 such attacks on Tiller, 24 of which referred to him generically as a "baby killer."
Even to this day, O'Reilly insists he did nothing wrong: after all, sure, it was wrong to shoot the guy, but "what Tiller was doing was murder."
And who was O'Reilly's chief facilitator in this lethal media attack? Why, Jesse Watters, of course; here's his notorious "confrontation" with Tiller's attorney.
Of course, Tiller was hardly alone. Watters has made a career out of harassing liberals. ThinkProgress has a list.
And he's obviously proud of it, too. His breathless account of his and O'Reilly's attacks on Tiller are still available at the Fox website.
A word to the wise to gross hypocrites like Jesse Watters: Karma is a bitch.Have you tried chickpea pancakes yet? I’ve seen recipes for these floating around (also under the name of ‘chickpea omelettes’) for probably upwards of a year, and I only recently got around to finally trying them. I think I’m hooked! They’re so simple – made of scarcely more than chickpea flour and water. They’re so tasty, nutritious and filling. And, they’re so infinitely customizable! I made mine into loaded Greek chickpea pancakes by adding a cornucopia of my favorite Greek-inspired ingredients. It’s kind of like a stuffed pita, but made totally vegan and without any of the refined carbs!
Some claim that these chickpea pancakes taste like eggs, hence the ‘omelette’ moniker. I don’t think I’m on that team. My partner (who does eat eggs) tried these and agreed: these are really, really delicious but we don’t personally get a eggy vibe from them. That said, in terms of being a vessel for assorted tasty things, they can definitely compete with omelettes. I envision making these in the future as a way of using up vegetables in the fridge that have seen better days. And they are also similar to egg omelettes in that, when added to a hot pan, they seem to magically cook into a cohesive texture.
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I have seen this done in a different way, where the mix-ins are added directly to the batter. That’s a great way of doing it too! I just really wanted to fold these up and eat them taco-style, so I kept it separate.
I think these Greek chickpea pancakes do need some kind of sauce – otherwise it might be a little too dry. Some whole grain mustard, ketchup, or your own favorite vegan mayo, sour cream or vegan tzatziki sauce would work really well. I have a vegan tzatziki recipe available along with my tofu gyros recipe if you want to make your own.
5 from 1 vote Print Loaded Greek Chickpea Pancakes These loaded Greek chickpea pancakes are a Mediterranean-inspired twist on tacos, made by stuffing chickpea flour crepes with fresh vegetables and lemon roasted potatoes. Prep Time 20 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes Total Yield 4 pancakes Calories Per Serving 209 kcal Author Yup, it's Vegan Ingredients For the lemon garlic roasted potatoes: 2 medium gold potatoes scrubbed and cubed, skins intact
small drizzle of oil
zest of 1/2 of a lemon
1 clove garlic minced
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp dried oregano
pinch turmeric
freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste For the quick-roasted peppers and onions: 1/2 of a large red onion sliced
1 red bell pepper seeded and sliced into strips For the chickpea pancakes: 1 cup chickpea flour
1 tbsp nutritional yeast
1 tsp ground flaxseed
3/4 tsp salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 tsp dried oregano
3/4 cup water (plus more as needed; see instructions)
vegetable oil spray For assembling the pancakes: lemon garlic roasted potatoes (see above)
quick roasted peppers and onions (see above)
fresh parsley
fresh dill
chopped green onion
sliced cucumber
sliced kalamata olives
vegan tzatziki sauce (optional) Instructions For the potatoes: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the cubed potatoes in a baking dish and add a drizzle of olive oil to coat, stirring to distribute evenly. Bake for 15 minutes. Sprinkle the potatoes with the lemon zest, garlic, and spices, and stir. Continue baking, stirring occasionally, until done all the way through, about 15-20 more minutes. For the quick-roasted peppers and onions: Turn the oven up to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with a silicone liner or parchment paper. Line up the peppers and onions on the baking sheet, spreading them out as much as you can. Bake for 10-15 minutes, or until starting to brown but still slightly crisp. For the chickpea pancakes: Combine everything except the water and oil spray in a mixing bowl. Start with stirring in the first 3/4 cup of water, and add more as needed until the batter reaches a pour-able consistency. I used closer to 1 cup. Heat a nonstick skillet over medium heat, and lightly spray it with oil spray. Pour about 1/4 cup of the batter into the skillet and tilt it around to spread the batter out into a circle. Cover the skillet and cook for about 3 minutes, until the underside is firm enough to flip the whole thing over. Flip over the pancake, cover again, and let cook for about another 3 minutes, or until firm but pliable all the way through. Remove from the skillet, spray a bit more oil, and repeat with the remaining batter. Make the stuffed pancakes: Top a cooked chickpea pancake with a variety of the toppings listed above, and enjoy! Recipe Notes Calculated nutrition facts include the chickpea pancakes and roasted toppings. Other toppings and thus the recipe nutrition are subject to your taste preferences. Nutrition Facts Loaded Greek Chickpea Pancakes Amount Per Serving (1 loaded pancake) Calories 209 Calories from Fat 45 % Daily Value* Total Fat 5g 8% Polyunsaturated Fat 1g Monounsaturated Fat 1g Sodium 434mg 18% Potassium 659mg 19% Total Carbohydrates 35g 12% Dietary Fiber 7g 28% Sugars 5g Protein 9g 18% Vitamin A 19% Vitamin C 89% Calcium 6% Iron 15% * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Pancakes adapted from Susan’s chickpea flour omelets and Vaishali’s besan chilla.Dear Reader, As you can imagine, more people are reading The Jerusalem Post than ever before. Nevertheless, traditional business models are no longer sustainable and high-quality publications, like ours, are being forced to look for new ways to keep going. Unlike many other news organizations, we have not put up a paywall. We want to keep our journalism open and accessible and be able to keep providing you with news and analysis from the frontlines of Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish World.
Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat will not depart for preliminary peace talks in Washington until his government receives assurances regarding Israel’s readiness to negotiate a deal based on the 1967 lines and a commitment to release prisoners who have been serving sentences handed down before the signing of the Oslo Accords, the pan-Arab daily newspaper Al-Hayat reported Tuesday.
Erekat, the veteran negotiator, is due to meet with Justice Minister Tzipi Livni and Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s envoy Yitzhak Molho early next week in the American capital to discuss the terms for renewing talks.
A spokesperson for Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas said that Erekat would insist on establishing a framework for negotiations that would eventually address key Palestinian demands before direct talks with Israel resume, according to Israel Radio.Israeli officials are also lowering expectations in the run-up to next week. Likud Beytenu MK Avigdor Liberman told Israel Radio that it remains uncertain as to whether peace negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians will indeed be renewed.Liberman, the former foreign minister who currently chairs the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said on Tuesday that the negotiating teams that are due in Washington early next week will seek to reach agreement on an agenda for the talks.In the interview with Israel Radio, Liberman repeated his view that the preferred route for Israel would be to strive for a long-term interim agreement with the Palestinian Authority rather than a final-status deal.The former foreign minister expressed his view that even if Israel acceded to Palestinian demands to return to the ’67 lines and partition Jerusalem, the PA would still refuse to end the conflict.Liberman told Israel Radio that he didn’t see the necessity in calling a referendum – which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu vowed to initiate in the event that a deal is reached with Ramallah - for any agreement signed with the Palestinians. The lawmaker said that the practice of referendums was “uncommon” for Israel.Liberman said that any agreement would in all likelihood be supported by a majority of Israelis due to what he termed “media brainwash” as well as “the bear hug that Israel can expect from the international community.”The former foreign minister has previously spoken out against peace, stating in February: "Anyone who thinks that in the center of the diplomatic, political and social tsunami that is shaking the Arab world it is possible to get a magical solution of comprehensive peace with the Palestinians does not understand."More explicity, he stated that peace with the Palestinians is "impossible."“I am saying clearly that it is impossible to reach a comprehensive agreement with the Palestinians,” said Liberman, who has not hidden his desire to return to the helm at the Foreign Ministry after his upcoming trial. “It is impossible to solve the conflict, it needs to be managed.”
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>GTR Profile Blog Joined September 2004 47912 Posts Last Edited: 2012-06-29 12:40:29 #1
'Empress' Seo Ji-soo (Tossgirl) declares her retirement as an active progamer
The last female active Starcraft progamer in Korea, Tossgirl, has decided to retire. A retirement ceremony will occur at the STX Proleague match on the 17th of July.
Known for dominating female-only tournaments, she has had not much luck achieving success in normal tournaments. An active progamer since 2000, she has notably taken games off Reach and Yellow.
some other stuff about interviews, comments etc, can't be fucked translating
SOURCE: The last female active Starcraft progamer in Korea, Tossgirl, has decided to retire. A retirement ceremony will occur at the STX Proleague match on the 17th of July.Known for dominating female-only tournaments, she has had not much luck achieving success in normal tournaments. An active progamer since 2000, she has notably taken games off Reach and Yellow.SOURCE: http://esports.dailygame.co.kr/news/read.php?id=62656 Commentator Twitter: @GTR1H
Stream: http://www.twitch.tv/GTR1H
marttorn Profile Blog Joined May 2011 Norway 5208 Posts #2 Nooooooooooooooo! memes are a dish best served dank
Urth Profile Blog Joined November 2007 United States 1176 Posts #3 Any news on whether she is gonna do sc2 competitively? BY.HERO FIGHTING!!!!
NeWeNiyaLord Profile Blog Joined September 2010 Norway 2468 Posts #4 Loved TossGirl :/ Noooooo! so sadLoved TossGirl :/ This is where we begin. Show your true self, Battosai.
Shana Profile Blog Joined July 2009 Indonesia 1720 Posts #5 Not surprising
When was the last time she plays for STX? Believing in what lies ahead. | That which we call a rose, by any other name would smell as sweet.
Iplaythings Profile Blog Joined August 2009 Denmark 7751 Posts #6
FFFFFFFFFFFFFUU In the woods, there lurks..
legoboomette Profile Joined December 2011 England 156 Posts #7
Thought she could at least make a comeback in sc2 Won(*3*)Chu KissMe!
BookTwo Profile Blog Joined May 2009 1975 Posts #8
YoucriedWolf Profile Joined July 2010 Sweden 1091 Posts #9 Will be dearly missed im sure.
But she will also find a way to stick around if she really wants to.
Nikon Profile Blog Joined May 2009 Bulgaria 5151 Posts Last Edited: 2012-06-29 10:06:22 #10 On June 29 2012 19:00 Shana wrote:
Not surprising
When was the last time she plays for STX?
Her last Proleague game was played in January 2009. So yeah, more than 3 years of nothing by now, and when you've been around since forever... Her last Proleague game was played in January 2009. So yeah, more than 3 years of nothing by now, and when you've been around since forever...
Darksoldierr Profile Joined May 2010 Hungary 2007 Posts #11 I hope Idra will make an apparence What do humans know of our pain? We have sung songs of lament since before your ancestors crawled on their bellies from the sea.
BLinD-RawR Profile Blog Joined April 2010 ALLEYCAT BLUES 43995 Posts #12 this is a retirement that surprisingly doesn't upset me so much...don't kill me for saying that. Moderator Woo Jung Ho, never forget.| Twitter: @BLinDRawR
EMPaThy789 Profile Joined July 2009 New Zealand 869 Posts #13 =(
GhostKorean Profile Blog Joined November 2008 United States 2291 Posts #14 Heartbreaking news. Sad day for esports
=[
Kazeyonoma Profile Blog Joined April 2010 United States 2632 Posts #15 damn legends announcing retirement left and right. sad sad days in scbw I now have autographs of both BoxeR and NaDa. I can die happy. Lim Yo Hwan and Lee Yun Yeol FIGHTING forever!
TheRealFluid Profile Joined June 2011 United States 494 Posts #16 Will her interviews still go on D= "The wings don't make you fly and the crown don't make you king.||"What do you say to god of gg? NOT TODAY" -John the Translator. "Give me Command" -Yellow.
Seeker Profile Blog Joined April 2005 Where dat snitch at? 31887 Posts #17 TOSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
GIIIIIIIIRRRRRRLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!!!!!!!!!
T-T T-T T-T
I hope she will continue the interviews she conducts with players/coaches. I really liked those Moderator PM me if you want translations done | twitch.tv/dankshrine Weekly SC2 Podcast!
red4ce Profile Blog Joined January 2011 United States 7302 Posts #18 Well it wasn't all that hard to see this coming. Hopefully she'll continue as an e-sports reporter or something like that.
WakaDoDo Profile Joined July 2009 Sweden 365 Posts #19.
Thanks for everything Seo Ji-soo, may you find joy where ever you go from here. Noooooooooooo! What a great loss for bwThanks for everything Seo Ji-soo, may you find joy where ever you go from here.
Flonomenalz Profile Joined May 2011 Nigeria 3473 Posts #20 nooooooooo tossgirluuuuu
i hope to see her in SC2 maybe. I love crazymoving
1 2 3 4 5 13 14 15 Next All[PREVIOUS STORY: Neighbors want police to crack down on 'hooker hotel']
A WAVE 3 News investigation in summer 2013 found Metro Police averaged more than two calls to the hotel every day over a two-year period. Neighbors know the hotel as a haven for drug deals and prostitution, which they say spills over into their neighborhood.
The state hearing officer is considering whether to suspend the Economy Inn's operating license. Metro Public Health and Wellness expects to get the recommendations this week, said Dave Langdon, a spokesman for the agency.
Health Department officials still must agree with the recommendations, a process that typically takes about two weeks, Langdon said.
Also Monday, the Louisville Metro Board of Zoning Adjustment granted a waiver to the Economy Inn's owner for a 12-foot fence that separates the hotel from neighbors behind it.
The fence is four feet taller than Metro regulations allow, but General Manager Kelly Kado made an appeal that the fence has reduced the amount of criminal activity in the surrounding neighborhood.
"Since we installed that fence, we've been coming along with the neighbors," Kado told the board. "We have no issues anymore."
But neighbors who live behind the Economy Inn said problems persist, and the 12-foot fence isn't doing enough.
"We've got hookers on this street, we've got people doing drug deals at both corners," said Fred Cogswell, who showed WAVE 3 News that the taller fence stops before his property. "It's bad."
Neighbors have signed a petition asking city officials to shut down the Economy Inn, and said Monday they welcomed progress with the case.
"Something's going to be done about it -- there's kids around here," said Brian Rauh. "At night, you're a little scared to walk somewhere because you never know what's going to pop out from behind (the hotel)."
[if gte mso 9]> Copyright 2015 WAVE 3 News. All rights reserved.EU Referendum: Cameron, the little European 22/04/2016
Follow @eureferendum
In a classic application of FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt), David Cameron is targeting micro-audiences with a particularly insidious claim.
Writing for the
As usual though, the fear tactic relies on half-truths and deception – and the ignorance of the media and politicians. And not least of these deceptions is the omission of rather crucial information: the scheme also applies to
Applicants from outside the EU can register their products with their national authorities, which then pass on the details to the EU, where they are then – after due process – recognised as protected process.
The system can be seen at work
In a reciprocal move, the Chinese authorities set in motion the recognition process for "ten celebrated |
be strong relations with the US. Not with blue or red."
Romney: Jerusalem is capital
Speaking against the backdrop of Jerusalem's Old City, Romney called the disputed city Israel's capital. That's likely to bother Palestinians and Arab countries who claim East Jerusalem – the portions captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War – as the capital of a Palestinian state.
In another dig at Obama – who has been bragging about stepped-up military cooperation with Israel – Romney blamed the president for allowing public disputes to emerge: "Standing by Israel does not mean with military and intelligence cooperation alone," he said. "We cannot stand silent as those who seek to undermine Israel voice their criticisms. And we certainly should not join in that criticism. Diplomatic distance in public between our nations emboldens Israel's adversaries.''
Romney’s portrayal of Iran seemed to echo Netanyahu's apocalyptic comparisons of Iran and Nazi Germany. The Republican nominee said Iran's leaders are "testing our moral defenses" and added "we have seen the horrors of history. We will not stand by. We will not watch them play out again."
His warning that "when the world’s most despotic regimes secure the world’s most dangerous weapons" will lead to war also seemed to echo remarks made by Netanyahu just last week about the need to stop Iran.
Second billing in Romney’s speech was given to the tumult in Syria and the political transition in Egypt. He gave no policy direction on Syria, and urged Egypt to uphold its peace treaty with Israel, as the administration has done.
Absent from the speech was any mention of the peace process with the Palestinians, which has been mothballed for years and shows no signs of resuming. Just two weeks ago, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton repeated Obama, saying that "the status quo is unacceptable."
Romney's broader critique
This is the second presidential election in which the Jewish state has become a campaign stop. In 2008, both Obama and Sen. John McCain took breaks from campaigning in the US to visit here.
But the open bickering between Obama and Netanyahu over the peace process with the Palestinians and how to confront Iran has made support for Israel an issue for debate, and part of Romney’s broader foreign-policy critique that the administration has failed to stand behind allies and projected weakness.
Romney’s visit is also seen as an attempt to indirectly highlight the fact that Obama did not visit Israel in his first four years of office when he visited other American allies in the Muslim world, stirring up criticism from some Israelis.
"Romney feels that the president may be somewhat vulnerable. Romney may sense that there is some Israeli dismay at some Obama policies and sees an opportunity," said David Horvitz, editor of the Times of Israel news website. "Unfortunately, Israel has become an issue of greater partisan debate than it used to…. That’s tremendously to Israel’s detriment."
Despite Romney’s oft-quoted allegation that Obama has thrown Israel "under the bus," many Israelis are unfamiliar with Romney because they aren’t paying attention to the US election. A recent poll among Israeli Jews by the Begin Sadat Center for Strategic Studies, an institute at Bar Ilan University, showed Romney with a seven percentage point edge over Obama regarding who would better promote Israel’s interests, but 49 percent said they don’t know.
Jewish-American voters at stake
At stake is an attempt by Romney to make inroads with the Jewish American community who have solidly supported Democratic presidential candidates. In 2008, Obama was favored by 74 percent of American Jews, second only to African-Americans among demographic groups, but now that support is at only 68 percent, according to a recent Gallup survey. Some believe that only a slight shift could help capture a crucial swing state like Florida, where Jews make up a significant chunk of the registered voters.
Some have accused Netanyahu, who is known to be on better terms with Republican politicians than Democrats, of feeding into the polarization. Standing alongside Romney on Sunday, the Israeli prime minister took a dig at the administration by saying the administration’s policy of sanctions and diplomacy to pressure Iran had failed to delay Iran's drive for nuclear weapons.
"We have to be honest and say that all the sanctions and diplomacy so far have not set back the Iranian program by one iota," he said.
Just two weeks ago Secretary Clinton said in Jerusalem that sanctions and diplomacy had brought unprecedented pressure on Tehran and needed more time to work.
Bilateral polarization
Some see the increased partisanship as a natural expression of the affinity between the two countries’ respective ideological rivals: The Republicans are more drawn to Netanyahu’s conservative Likud party, and Democrats find common cause with social democrats on the Israeli left, like the Labor Party. A scheduled visit between Romney and the Israeli Labor Party leader was canceled.
Republicans and the Israeli right see common cause "on three issues: the land of Israel, religion, and family values," says Mitchell Barak, an Israeli pollster. "There’s a natural connection to the Israeli left to the Democrats, and vice versa: That’s based on share values of democracy, freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and protection of minorities."
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But that risks upsetting a key strategy by pro-Israel allies in the US of cultivating support among both Democrats and Republicans in order to ensure that there’s continuity of US support for Israel regardless of who controls the White House or the Congress.
"It was very easy to stay out of this when American presidential candidates didn’t come to Israel three or four months before the election," says one Jewish American official active in boosting bilateral ties. "If it looks like you are backing one and the other gets elected, you are in trouble."Exactly a week ago, the Wall Street Journal reported that Robert Mueller was looking into Jared Kushner’s contacts with foreign governments.
“Robert Mueller’s investigators are asking questions about Jared Kushner’s interactions with foreign leaders during the presidential transition, including his involvement in a dispute at the United Nations in December, in a sign of the expansive nature of the special counsel’s probe of Russia’s meddling in the election,” the Journal wrote, citing the ubiquitous “people familiar with the matter.”
Apparently, the questions related to the December 23 UN resolution on Israel’s settlement construction – Trump advocated for the resolution to be blocked. Months later, Foreign Policy reported that “Michael Flynn and other members of the president’s transition team launched a vigorous diplomatic bid to head off a U.N. Security Council vote condemning Israeli settlements.”
Then, just yesterday, CNN reported that Robert Mueller’s office had interviewed Kushner earlier this month. One person who came up: Michael Flynn.
Well given all of that, the writing was on the wall. Which is why it comes as no surprise that in the wake of Flynn’s guilty plea, Jared Kushner has been identified as the man who instructed the disgraced former national security adviser to make contact with Russian officials.
“This is relevant now because one of Flynn’s lies to the FBI was when he said that he never asked Russia’s ambassador to Washington, Sergey Kislyak, to delay the vote for the UN Security Council resolution,” Bloomberg’s Eli Lake explains, adding that “one transition official at the time said Kushner called Flynn to tell him he needed to get every foreign minister or ambassador from a country on the UN Security Council to delay or vote against the resolution.”
So when Flynn said he “did not ask the Russian Ambassador to delay the vote on or defeat a pending United Nations Security Council resolution,” he lied.
Lake notes that if this is a Logan Act case, collusion might not be in the cards but warns that “it may be enough to take out not only Flynn, but also the man who married the president’s daughter.”
[Down goes Kushner! Down goes Kushner!]
But as Foreign Policy goes on to detail, there’s more to this than just the UN Resolution issue. To wit:
In a Nov. 30 brief, special counsel Robert Mueller alleged that Flynn “did willfully and knowingly make materially false, fictitious, and fraudulent statements and representations” to FBI agents when he was questioned earlier this year. Mueller said Flynn lied about the contents of phone calls during the presidential transition with the Russian ambassador in Washington. Mueller alleged that Flynn asked Sergei Kislyak on Dec. 29, 2016 to “refrain from escalating the situation” after then-President Barack Obama had imposed additional sanctions on Moscow. Flynn told investigators he did not recall getting a positive response to that call. Flynn himself did not make the decision to reach out to Kislyak, the special counsel said, but rather was directed to do so by a senior presidential transition official at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida on December 29 at a meeting with other senior transition officials present. That official, who the government did not name, asked Flynn to tell the ambassador that they “did not want Russia to escalate” in response to the sanctions levied that same day. After making the call, Flynn called that same official to report back. Two days later, the Russian ambassador called again, letting Flynn know that the Kremlin would not retaliate “in response to his request.”
Clearly, the implication is that the “senior official” in question there is also Kushner, although on Friday evening, reports indicated that KT McFarland was actually running point on that.
In special counsel’s statement of offense, sources say: Jared Kushner is “very senior member” who "directed Flynn to contact officials from foreign govts, including Russia" KT McFarland is “senior official” involving Flynn communications on US sanctionshttps://t.co/Yh6lBZBWg7 pic.twitter.com/iG0zHIUO3c — NBC News (@NBCNews) December 1, 2017
Of course there’s also the ABC reporting which is unquestionably the bombshell story of the day. Here are some excerpts from their piece:
Retired Lt. Gen Michael Flynn has promised “full cooperation” in the special counsel’s Russia investigation and, according to a confidant, is prepared to testify that Donald Trump directed him to make contact with the Russians, initially as a way to work together to fight ISIS in Syria. […] A close confidant told ABC News that Flynn felt abandoned by Trump in recent weeks, and told friends about the decision to make the plea deal within the last 24 hours as he grew increasingly concerned about crippling legal costs he would face if he continued to contest the charges. […] Flynn had initially resisted cooperating with the investigation, according to people close to the retired general, but he has been facing mounting legal debts and plans to sell his house to help defray costs.
And then there’s the whole “I hope you can see your way to letting this thing go,” fiasco in which Trump attempted to convince then-FBI Director James Comey to drop the Flynn investigation.
If Flynn truly does, as the ABC piece indicates, feel as though Trump has abandoned him and if, as more than a few reports have suggested, Flynn’s son is also in Mueller’s cross hairs, you can bet that he’s going to tell Mueller anything and everything he knows. Especially considering that it now seems highly likely Mueller is using something to do with the alleged plot to kidnap Fetullah Gulen as leverage over the Flynns.
As the above-mentioned Eli lake goes on to say, “Flynn is prepared to tell Mueller’s team that Trump had instructed him to make contact with Russia during the campaign itself [and] if those contacts involved the emails the U.S. intelligence community charges Russia stole from leading Democrats, then Mueller will have uncovered evidence of actual collusion between the president and a foreign adversary during the election.”
Now think back to the contact Trump Jr. had with WikiLeaks. And to the letter Chuck Grassley and Dianne Feinstein sent to Kushner’s attorney about missing documents. And to the reports that Kushner lied to Congressional investigators about contact with WikiLeaks.
You get the idea. Next up here is a push to make a case for impeachment.
Grab the popcorn.
And speaking of popcorn, I haven’t seen the usual suspects rolling out the Putin meme today. Probably because it doesn’t seem so funny to them in this context….Kaumudi Gurjar
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By:It’s rare to see anyone spare a second glance for roadkill, despite the towering number of innocent strays and other wildlife regularly being plowed to death on our highways.But in an unusually touching display of respect for these unfortunate victims, a group of techies last Friday not only terminated their picnic plans halfway to Lonavla when they saw the callous disregard of passers-by for such carcasses, but also took up the rather noble task of burying them in roadside trenches.The group of IT professionals from various cities have the NGO ‘Live’ in common, which they collectively founded in 2010 after they finished their post-graduation intogether from the Sinhagad Institute of Technology, and are actively involved in social work every weekend.One of Friday’s good, who works with city-based T Max Solutions, 28- year-old, said, “In the morning, we were all set to picnic in Lonavla. As we left Pune, we came across a dog hit by a speeding car, and were disturbed by its casual treatment — it was literally some sort of circus to avoid running over the carcass. Some vehicles just ran over it again.No one thought of removing it from the road.” He added, “We got down and moved the carcass out of the way, and buried it in a roadside trench that we dug, but started coming across more and more roadkill.This was enough to compel us to halt our plans — we instantly decided that we should bury them all, to save them from further humiliation and cruelty from several speeding vehices before scavengers arrived.” The group then decided to travel till Lonavla to bury all the roadkill they found, and later extended the journey to Satara.When they finally called it a day, after 12 hours on the road starting from 6 am, they had found and buried 28 dogs — including some puppies — who had been killed by speeding vehicles on the Pune-Mumbai and Bangalore highways. Another group member, 28-year-old, who hails from Surat and works with a Bangalore-based software company, elaborated, “We always carry First Aid kits, so whenever we come across birds orin distress, we make it a point to help the creature. On Friday, each time we stopped to move a carcass, it took not more than five minutes.Why then do people fail to show any sensitivity towards roadkill on highways?” City-based animal rights activistexplained, “Stray deaths on highways are a common phenomenon, thanks to speeding vehicles.While this is very unfortunate, nothing much can be done about it, as if vehicles slow down to avoid running over a dog, they could get hit by vehicles coming from behind.” Friends of Animals memberadded, “The spate of dog deaths on highways during monsoons is associated with mating cycles — when packs of dogs chase female counterparts, chances of them unwittingly being run over increase.”On behalf of the authorities, Deputy Superintendent of Police (Pune Highway)said, “We have sent several letters to IRB, who take care of the highways, to erect protective fencing to avoid this problem, but in vain. People driving precariously is another reason for such regular stray deaths on highways.”►►► Stray deaths on highways are common... but if cars slow down to avoid running over a dog, they could get hit by vehicles from behindGet the biggest daily stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
From fairgrounds and markets to live music and displays - the Tall Ships Belfast 2015 is going to be packed with something for everyone.
Some of the highlights will include continental markets, international bars, Red Arrows display, Viking Village, hot air balloons and a fabulous firework display.
Some of the ships will also be open to the public for a unique opportunity to explore on deck and learn about life on board these giants of the sea.
During the festival there will also be family entertainment, musical performances, street theatre, nautical fun and games, water sports, tours and talks.
The 2015 event is expected to attract 500,000 people, with another 500,000 watching the ships arrive and leave along the Northern Ireland and Irish coasts. The ships will be berthed in and around Belfast Harbour and the Titanic Quarter area.
The best time to view the ships ‘en masse’ will be on Sunday, July 5, between 10am and 2pm, during the Tall Ships Parade.
Below is a map of the festival activities to give you a better idea of what to expect.
Festival TimingsRe: Re: CRA gets tough on tax cheats, March 20
Re: CRA gets tough on tax cheats, March 20
As a grateful flag bearer for the successful efforts of the newly revived and invigorated CRA, it is comforting for me to know that a projected $13 billion will be collected from additional tax this year by CRA audits. Star reporter Marco Chown Oved has been painstakingly making a strong case for better CRA outcomes — and he deserves credit for his relentless pursuit of results.
The CRA decision to replace voluntary disclosures with criminal investigations represents an effective “paradigm shift” that should be a warning that proper justice will be meted out to the offending high-value tax cheats and multinational corporations that have been sheltering their profits in tax havens. Finally, Canadian taxpayers’ interests are now being served.
Now that the CRA is using real time data, developing algorithms to cross-reference outside data and computer information to trawl the information, the money flow that the CRA will be generating from aggressive tax avoidance and tax evasion will be a big boon for our cash-strapped federal government to invest in much needed social programs.Stats about Cosmology@Home
Perhaps let’s start with what is Cosmology@Home?.
Cosmology@Home (C@H for short) is a distributed volunteer computing project which allows people all over the world to donate their spare computer time when they’re not using it (like when their screen-saver is on) to help cosmologists run the computations we need to answer some of the biggest questions about our universe.
Many of you reading this might already be volunteers, in which case hello and thank you! If you’re not but would like to be, here’s how.
I’m currently one of the main developers at C@H. In planning some upgrades, we needed to take a detailed look at some stats about our users. Then we thought, this is cool information that others might be interested in too! So here it is. There’s also an IPython notebook if you’re curious how these plots were made or would like to do something similar for your own @Home project.
C@H has been around since 2007 and over the years about 50,000 unique computers have run a computation for us. The number of active computers, that is any which have returned a result in the last month, currently sits at about 5700. The data in the remainder of this post are going to be about just these computers. Based on IP addresses, here’s where they’re located:
C@H is currently used to create “training sets” for the PICO code. These training sets consist of samples from the parameter space of possible cosmological models (e.g. a universe with 30% matter and 70% dark energy, or one with 31% matter and 69% dark energy, etc… in reality there’s as many as 10 properties we vary). Each sample is sent out to a different computer which computes what such a universe might look like, and is rewarded a number of “credits” for each computation. We use this data to train PICO and see which models best fit the available cosmological data (a more detailed description will be the subject of a future post).
We wanted to make sure our planned upgrade will be compatible with most everyone’s operating system, and based on this it will:
We don’t currently support Macs but in fact the upgrade will add support!
The “number of credits” in the plot above represents how many credits were received by computers running that operating system (arbitrarily scaled to appear on the same axes). The interpretation is that, e.g. hosts running Windows Server 2008 R2 are very efficient, while Windows 8.1 computers are less so. A large factor in performance is the number of CPUs a given computer has. Here’s what our distribution across all computers looks like:
Lots of users running multi-core systems is great as our upgrade will allow more efficient use of these systems. (Also, if you look closely, no, Intel hasn’t come out with new 3-core and 7-core processors, its that users can limit how many cores they provide to C@H).
We are also looking at upgrades targeting 64 bit computers, which are a large and growing majority of the total computation power (based on credits received):
Running jobs means downloading input files and uploading results, and for current purposes, C@H Internet connections are largely sufficient:
Finally, an important statistic is turnaround time. That is, how long between when a computer gets sent a job until the result is returned. Here’s the distribution of average turnaround times,
About half of computers return a result within the first three days. Wait times to submit similarly large jobs on some computing clusters are comparable to this so this is pretty good for a volunteer project!
There are many more statistics one could look at, for us this was all we needed to know C@H computers look ready for our planned upgrades. Hopefully you found some of this interesting too! Feel free to leave suggestions or comments below.
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Funimation Entertainment posted an FAQ regarding Sony Pictures Television Networks' acquisition of the majority stake in Funimation. The company noted that its streaming service, simuldubs, and release schedules will continue unchanged. Services to regions outside the United States — U.K., Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand — will also remain unchanged.
Additionally, The Hollywood Reporter recorded Sony Corporation CFO Kenichiro Yoshida's comment from Sony's earnings announcement in Tokyo. "We have IP across Funimation, Aniplex, Animax and the PlayStation platform, the challenge is to connect them all organically," Yoshida said. "CEO [Kaz] Hirai is taking stock of all the IP in the group and the PS4 will be at the center."
Aniplex of America is a subsidiary of the Tokyo-based company Aniplex, Inc., which is owned by Sony Music Entertainment Japan. Funimation noted in its FAQ that its deal with Sony "does not involve Aniplex."
Source: The Hollywood Reporter (Gavin J. Blair, Georg Szalai)
Thanks to Jack Wong, relyat08, and Rachel L. for the news tips.Fantasy baseball is a horrendous proxy for real baseball, and no one wants to hear about your stupid fantasy team. Except, there is one common problem for the real managers and the fake ones: Both of them have to rely on relievers, and relievers are flighty drifters who are more likely to steal your silverware than help your team. This is the story of one of the better relievers and why it's time to celebrate him, now that he's probably thrown his last pitch.
Joe Nathan tore his UCL, and he'll be 41 before he can possibly throw another pitch again. No one is openly saying the word "retirement," but that previous sentence is screaming it. He was one of the better closers in baseball on and off for nine different seasons, though he was in the shadow of Mariano Rivera during much of that time. Nathan is even off the left side of the Trammell-Ripken spectrum, a scale that informs us of the players we should have appreciated more when they were in the shadow of a Hall of Famer. Nathan is seventh all-time in saves, but he's about 200 away from automatic Hall of Fame territory for closers. He'll have to be remembered on his own merits.
Of which there are plenty. He's a six-time All-Star and two-time top-five Cy Young finisher, one of the more familiar faces for the perennially contending Twins teams of the late '00s. There are two reasons that I've been smitten with him for a decade and a half, though, and this seems like a swell enough time to rehash them.
The first is that Nathan is a converted shortstop. Conversion stories are the best stories because they combine the romance of scouting with the general uncertainty of baseball. Someone with a straw hat and wet cigar saw the sculpture of a pitcher in that lump of shortstop clay. There are pitchers who grow up pitching, who dominate at pitching throughout American Legion, in high school, in college, in the minors, and suddenly they reach a point where they're not good enough to pitch anymore. There's a cement ceiling, and they often crash into it elbow first. With someone like Nathan, though, there's the idea that every strong arm is a major leaguer in waiting, and all it takes is the right set of circumstances, raw talent, instruction and opportunity.
Hey, maybe if someone took the time to make you a pitcher in little league... I mean, you never know.
The second, and more important, reason Nathan has been one of the more interesting stories over the last two decades is that he's a walking reminder that I'm not a scout, and I'm definitely not a doctor. I thought I was both when Nathan was a broken Giants prospect, and for the next 15 years, he was a coffee mug filled with the viscous sludge of humility. Baseball is the 32-volume set of stuff you don't know, and the unique path of a pitcher like Nathan reminds everyone not to get attached to the paperback filled with crap they do know. And here's what we knew about Joe Nathan in 2001:
He was a 26-year-old pitcher coming off shoulder surgery with a 7.29 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A, walking 70 and striking out just 54 in 108 innings.
How many red flags can you count? There's the age, poor control and low strikeout rate, for three. Then there's the flashing neon sign of "shoulder surgery" that tells you to spend your time with nearly anyone else. Maybe you give him one more chance, considering he was a prospect, and all. Here's what we knew about Nathan in 2002:
He was a 27-year-old pitcher a year removed from shoulder surgery with a 5.60 ERA in Triple-A, walking 74 and striking out 117 in 146 innings.
Better, but only relative to the horrific previous season. None of the red flags were removed entirely, and Nathan was a year older. You play amateur scout. You play amateur doctor. Is this a player you put on your 40-man roster? Is this a player you bother with out of a list of 300 minor league free agents?
Here's what we knew about Nathan for the eight seasons directly after that:
He was one of the best relievers in baseball, in the middle of one of the better bullpen stretches in modern baseball history, striking out 11 batters per nine innings, with a 2.04 ERA over nearly 500 frames
Awful in Triple-A at 26. Awful in Triple-A at 27. Comes back as someone who finishes in the top 10 in career saves and built something close to a Hall of Fame career. You know relievers are formed out of sticks and the wishes of needy children. Nathan is probably the best example of his generation, considering the longevity and efficiency.
If this reads like a eulogy, that's because it sort of is. There's no way he comes back from his second Tommy John surgery as a 41-year-old. He's probably not even going to try, right?
Nathan: "My mindset is to do what I need to do, work my butt off to get back in this game." — Jason Beck (@beckjason) April 23, 2015
One of the first responses to that tweet: "The guy is delusional." No, he's just someone who has climbed out of the underworld with a pickaxe and a corkscrew before. And, to be honest, I had this same column in my head after his first Tommy John surgery in 2010. He was probably done then, too. Except he pitched four more seasons and made two more All-Star teams.
Joe Nathan has probably thrown his last pitch. You're not a scout, though. You're not a doctor. If there's anyone who can come back and last longer than LaTroy Hawkins, it's Nathan. Not because of anything logical or expected, but just because it would add to an already ridiculous story that should have been over 13 years ago.Early in the morning on November 21, 1980, twelve men decided to abandon their oil drilling rig on the suspicion that it was beginning to collapse beneath them. They had been probing for oil under the floor of Lake Peigneur when their drill suddenly seized up at about 1,230 feet below the muddy surface, and they were unable free it. In their attempts to work the drill loose, which is normally fairly easy at that shallow depth, the men heard a series of loud pops, just before the rig tilted precariously towards the water.
At the time, Lake Peigneur was an unremarkable body of water near New Iberia, Louisiana. Though the freshwater lake covered 1,300 acres of land, it was only eleven feet deep. A small island there was home to a beautiful botanical park, oil wells dotted the landscape, and far beneath the lake were miles of tunnels for the Diamond Crystal salt mine.
Concluding that something had gone terribly wrong, the men on the rig cut the attached barges loose, scrambled off the rig, and moved to the shore about 300 yards away. Shortly after they abandoned the $5 million Texaco drilling platform, the crew watched in amazement as the huge platform and derrick overturned, and disappeared into a lake that was supposed to be shallow. Soon the water around that position began to turn. It was slow at first, but it steadily accelerated until it became a fast-moving whirlpool a quarter of a mile in diameter, with its center directly over the drill site.
As the whirlpool was forming on the surface, Junius Gaddison, an electrician working in the salt mines below, heard a loud, strange noise coming down the corridor. Soon he discovered the sound’s source, which was rushing downhill towards him: fuel drums banging together as they were carried along the shaft by a knee-deep stream of muddy water. He quickly called in the alarm, and the mine’s lights were flashed three times to signal its immediate evacuation. Many of the 50 miners working that morning, most as deep as 1,500 feet below the surface, saw the evacuation signal and began to run for the 1,300 foot level, where they could catch an elevator to the surface. However, when they reached the third level, they were blocked by deep water.
Clearly, the salt dome which contained the mine had been penetrated by the drill crew on the lake. Texaco, who had ordered the oil probe, was aware of the salt mine’s presence and had planned accordingly; but somewhere a miscalculation had been made, which placed the drill site directly above one of the salt mine’s 80-foot-high, 50-foot-wide upper shafts. As the freshwater poured in through the original 14-inch-wide hole, it quickly dissolved the salt away, making the hole grow bigger by the second. The water pouring into the mine also dissolved the huge salt pillars which supported the ceilings, and the shafts began to collapse.
As most of the miners headed for the surface, a maintenance foreman named Randy LaSalle drove around to the remote areas of the mine which hadn’t seen the evacuation signal, and warned the miners there to evacuate. The miners whose escape was slowed by water on the third level used mine carts and diesel powered vehicles to make their way up to the 1,300 foot level, where they each waited their turn to ride the slow, 8-person elevator to the surface as the mine below them filled with water. Although it seemed to take forever to get out, all 50 miners managed to escape with their lives.
Barges being sucked into the vortex.
Meanwhile, up on the surface, the tremendous sucking power of the whirlpool was causing violent destruction. It swallowed another nearby drilling platform whole, as well as a barge loading dock, 70 acres of soil from Jefferson Island, trucks, trees, structures, and a parking lot. The sucking force was so strong that it reversed the flow of a 12-mile-long canal which led out to the Gulf of Mexico, and dragged 11 barges from that canal into the swirling vortex, where they disappeared into the flooded mines below. It also overtook a manned tug on the canal, which struggled against the current for as long as possible before the crew had to leap off onto the canal bank and watch as the lake consumed their boat.
After three hours, the lake was drained of its 3.5 billion gallons of water. The water from the canal, now flowing in from the Gulf of Mexico, formed a 150-foot waterfall into the crater where the lake had been, filling it with salty ocean water. As the canal refilled the crater over the next two days, nine of the sunken barges popped back to the surface like corks, though the drilling rigs and tug were left entombed in the ruined salt mine.
Despite the enormous destruction of property, no human life was lost in this disaster, nor were there any serious injuries. Within two days, what had previously been an eleven-foot-deep freshwater body was replaced with a 1,300-foot-deep saltwater lake. The lake’s biology was changed drastically, and it became home to many species of plants and fish which had not been there previously.
Of course numerous lawsuits were filed, and they were subsequently settled out-of-court for many millions of dollars. The owners of the Crystal Diamond salt mine received a combined $45 million in damages from Texaco and the oil drilling company, and got out of the salt mining business for good.
No official blame for the miscalculation was ever decided, because all of the evidence was sucked down the drain, but the story described here is the generally accepted theory of what caused this massive disaster.
Update 16 March 2013: Ron Davis wrote in with a little history about the drill rig in question.Videogame studios owned by Microsoft should push the boundaries of what can be done in the sector so gamers get the best experiences, the head of Xbox has said.
Phil Spencer said first-party studios are starting to take more risks and embrace innovation but need to go further to match the breakthroughs seen in other areas of the company.
“I think the work we do in our first-party studios should be a beacon of innovation for how our platform is being used,” Spencer, who has been at Microsoft for nearly 30 years, told the UK News Centre. “I like our first-party studios taking risks and trying new things. You see Gears of War doing cross-play between Windows and Xbox, and Minecraft connecting players on iOS, Android, Xbox and Windows, and its coming to Switch. It’s even on virtual reality devices. That’s the role I think our first-party studios should play – trying to be innovative.”
This desire for pushing the boundaries of technology to take gaming to the next level is part of a wider culture at Microsoft that has seen the company create some cutting-edge products in recent years.
“Surface Studio came out and people loved it, they saw design and innovation; [Technical Fellow of the Operating System Group] Alex Kipman’s work on HoloLens has shown that Microsoft can lead in a lot of places. Xbox is definitely a fun spot to be in from that perspective. The team is really buzzing,” Spencer added.
A lot of that innovation comes from having “the community at the table, helping us design”, said Spencer, who was in Europe to visit Microsoft game studios Rare and Mojang.
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Rare, which is based in Twycross, Leicestershire, was taking the collaboration with gamers “a step further” ahead of the release of the highly-anticipated shared-world adventure game Sea of Thieves, he added.
“Gamers are some of the most passionate consumers you will find, and feedback is critical. At Rare, they’re engaging the community before Sea of Thieves is even done. They brought people in to play the game online and captured feedback. The community are at the table, helping them design what the game should be about. I think that’s unique in videogames, breaking that wall [down] and bringing the community in as the process of development is going on.”
He added that Xbox makes a point of listening to gamers about issues they are having or new feature suggestions, and will often act on those. Xbox Live features such as Clubs allows gamers to collaborate and play together, and just a few weeks ago Spencer’s team took one of the most popular titles on the Xbox 360 and made it available on the Xbox One.
“We specifically created our user voice channel on Xbox because we wanted to try to give the community a channel into us, to ‘vote up’ ideas and communicate directly with us. We gave people a place to go tell us what games they wanted to see in the Backward Compatibility list and we were able to launch Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, which was the most requested game.”
Spencer said he will talk about some of the most exciting upcoming Xbox games at E3 – the annual videogame conference in Los Angeles – in June. “It’s about the breadth of games we are seeing on Xbox. I want to spend the time on stage [at E3] showing how great first-party and third-party games are going to look on Scorpio, as I truly believe the best versions of games will be running on it,” he said.
Tags: E3, microsoft, minecraft, scorpio, Sea of Thieves, spencer, XboxWhile the inaugural TUDOR United SportsCar Championship may still be less than two weeks in the books, teams are already planning for the future, with the 2015 season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona less than 100 days away.
READ: 2015 Silly Season Update: P/PC
Sportscar365 takes a look at the confirmed and possible entries for the GT Le Mans and GT Daytona categories.
GT Le Mans:
Corvette Racing – The Pratt & Miller squad are planning to return with its pair of factory Corvette C7.Rs. Drivers have not been announced, although it would seem logical for Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin, Antonio Garcia and Jan Magnussen to all continue. (2 cars)
Porsche North America – The CORE autosport-run factory squad is confirmed for 2015. Driver lineups for the two Porsche 911 RSRs have yet to be determined but likely to include the usual suspects, including Patrick Long, Michael Christensen and Nick Tandy. (2 cars)
BMW – With BMW’s contract with Rahal Letterman Lanigan up at the end of this year, the big question is whether the Bobby Rahal-led |
though. I’m sure everyone has reserved their share of so-called “encouragement” that actually made them feel worse.
Here are three times when encouragement doesn’t help:
When someone who you don’t respect delivers it. The truth is, some people’s feedback means a lot more than others.
When it’s not sincerely given. No one likes to receive praise when they know that the speaker doesn’t actually mean what they are saying. In fact, false encouragement can actually have the affect of discouraging, rather than encouraging.
When you don’t really believe that it is true. This is not a problem with the encourager, but rather with the freelancer receiving the encouragement. Yet, a surprising number of us have trouble hearing positive things about ourselves.
How To Get The Most of Encouragement
I’m often not as receptive to encouragement as I should be. Sadly, sometimes I have trouble accepting it, even when it is deserved.
Here are three ways to make the most of encouragement that you do receive:
Accept genuine encouragement graciously. Even if you feel awkward when you are receiving it, often you can look back and realize that the encouragement provided valuable feedback about what went right that you can use in the future.
Keep a file of encouragement that you have received for future reference. You can turn to this file to remind yourself that your work is valued when you face a particularly difficult or challenging project.
Make the most of praise from a business perspective. If someone has praised you, then they may be satisfied enough with your work that they are welling to provide a testimonial or serve as a reference for your business. Why not ask them?
How To Be An Encourager
One of the best ways to enhance your relationship with others is to become an encourager yourself. People like to be around and associate with positive people. Here are three ways that you can encourage others:
Look for the positive in those around you and when you find it express it freely.
Always, always be sincere in your compliments and praise of others.
Don’t forget to thank others when they have done something that you value.
Has encouragement made a difference in your freelancing career? If so, why not share how? :)
Laura
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About the author: Laura Spencer is a freelance writer from North Central Texas with over 18 years of professional business writing experience. If you liked this post, then you may also enjoy Laura’s blog about her freelance writing experiences, WritingThoughts.Copyright by KRON - All rights reserved
KRQE - ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (KRQE) – An Albuquerque Walgreens is under fire, after a mother said a pharmacist wouldn't fill her teenage daughter's prescription because it was related to birth control.
What was supposed to be a typical prescription pick up at the Walgreens Pharmacy on Coors and Montano, turned into a mother's fight for her daughter's rights.
"A mother and her daughter who were discriminated against when they attempted to pick up a prescription related to the daughter's birth control at a Walgreens pharmacy here in Albuquerque," said Erin Armstrong, an ACLU Reproductive Rights Attorney.
It's led to the ACLU filing a complaint against Walgreens. According to the complaint, in 2016 that mom tried to pick up a prescription of Misoprostol for her daughter. It's a drug used to prepare patients for getting an IUD, a form of birth control.
However, when she tried to get that prescription filled, the pharmacist on duty denied her, stating personal reasons.
"None of us should have to worry when we go into a pharmacy that we might be turned away because of someone's personal beliefs and not because of a medical reason," said Armstrong.
It's an incident that's all too familiar to Susanne Koestner. She said it happened to her in 2012, at the Walgreens Pharmacy at Eubank and Central when she tried to get her birth control prescription filled.
"He said he wouldn't fill it because of his religious beliefs," said Koestner.
The ACLU also filed a complaint in 2012. Walgreens, at the time, said if filling a prescription went against an employee's belief, another pharmacist would step in. Koestner said she's disappointed that's still not happening.
"It's not about what our intent is with the medicine. That's for our doctor and the patient to decide," she said.
KRQE News 13 did speak to the pharmacist accused of not filling the teen's prescription. He told us he did not want to comment. He was only filling in that day, and works at the Walgreens in Espanola.
Walgreens sent a statement addressing the situation:President Trump swung down to Florida on Saturday and stopped off in Orlando, home of Disney World, the wonderland of make believe, and said America's media makes stuff up.
“I want to speak to you without the filter of the fake news,” Trump said to thunderous cheers from thousands gathered inside an airport hangar.
“The dishonest media, which has published one false story after another with no sources, even though they pretend they have them – they make them up in many cases. They just don’t want to report the truth.”
Trump pointed out that he's not the first president ever to go after the media for its dishonest coverage. "Many of our greatest presidents fought with the media and called them out," Trump said, noting that Thomas Jefferson, Andrew Jackson and Abraham Lincoln all had difficult dealings with the media.
Just as he did in his combative press conference on Thursday, Trump went straight at the news media.
"When the media lies to people, I will never, ever, let them get away with it. I will do whatever I can that they don't get away with it," he said. "They have their own agenda and their agenda is not your agenda."
“But despite all their lies, misrepresentations and false stories they could not defeat us in the primaries or general election and we’ll continue to expose them as what they are and most importantly we’ll continue to win, win, win,” said Trump, who spoke without his signature tie at the rally.
The 9,000 in attendance whooped and cheered throughout Trump's speech. But Trump said TV viewers wouldn't know how many people were there. attacks were red meat for Trump’s supporters, who gathered by the thousands in the heat of an airport hangar to see him.
"Do you think that one media group back there, that one network will show this crowd? Not one, not one," he said.
Trump also talked about his goals as president. “Making our country great again is a campaign. For me, it’s a campaign. To make America great again is absolutely a campaign. It’s not easy, especially when we’re also fighting the press.”
And he ticked off a list for the crowd of what his administration is already moving on: his campaign promises on trade, building a border wall, extinguishing terrorism, protecting Americans.
On his travel ban, he said, “We never give up. We will do something next week. I think you’ll be impressed.”
And he also said America has to be smarter about what conflicts it becomes involved in. “We’re fighting battles that no longer help us,” Trump said. “We’re fighting battles that other people aren’t treating us fairly in the fight. I’m a NATO fan, but many of the countries in NATO, many of the countries that we protect, many of these countries are very rich countries. They’re not paying their bills.”A dirty dead-end in London’s Kings Cross is nobody’s idea of sanctuary. But on November 9, hours after Donald Trump’s victory was confirmed, escape lies at the end of this dark alleyway. In an upstairs rehearsal room, the xx are practicing for an imminent BBC performance; in a fortnight, they’ll travel to Croatia to kick off their first tour in more than two years. The group’s reemergence comes along with their third album, I See You, a record that knows something about surviving dark times. This evening, the outside world is well and truly banished.
They run a closed rehearsal, where producer Jamie Smith’s hulking crescent of synths are only audible through headphones. A single serene candle atop Romy Madley Croft’s guitar amp seems to mock the discarded cups littering the low-ceilinged room, bringing calm to a day of disbelief. “I try not to check my phone first thing, but…” Madley Croft trails off, looking down at her Siouxsie and the Banshees hoodie. “I thought it was a joke. I’m speechless.”
Not that the xx are an explicitly political band. Co-leads Oliver Sim and Madley Croft are both gay, and there’s an argument to be made for the xx providing a rare portrait of queer intimacy, though they prefer to see it as universal. In the rehearsal room, it’s easy to imagine them as teenagers in a South London garage: Sim the leader, Madley Croft the guide, Smith the silent sage.
“Let’s power through, and if something goes wrong, just let it happen,” says Sim. From his synth battalion, Smith triggers the vocal samples from “Gosh,” a single from his 2015 solo album, In Colour, which turned the band’s shyest member into its unlikely breakout star. Over the track’s chomping rhythm, Madley Croft starts singing “Shelter,” from the xx’s self-titled debut. The mash-up shouldn’t work. “Gosh” clatters, while an airy synth seems to trace the London skyline; “Shelter” quietly anguishes over vanishing sensations. But more than 16 years of friendship has led to a certain mind-meld, and the tracks fuse perfectly, Smith’s song heightening the desperation in Madley Croft’s lyrics. As the synths wind skyward, she sets down her guitar. Sim spontaneously extends a hand, and the singers turn a hug into a sway, spinning slowly until they return to their microphones for the song’s final lines.
“I like our slow dance for ‘Gosh’—let’s slow dance!” he tells her afterwards. She’s less convinced. They run through the song again, the pair dancing more purposefully this time, their clasped hands pointing out as her head rests in the crook of his neck. When they pull away, they hold on until their fingertips brush apart. “We’re gonna do that!” says Sim excitedly, poking Madley Croft’s middle with one finger and pointing at the floor with another.
It’s not Miley Cyrus’ inflatable hotdog, but this kind of showmanship—any kind of showmanship—doesn’t come easy to the xx. Before they attempt “Lips,” a downright lustful new song built around big drums and a haunting modern classical sample, Madley Croft asks Sim, “Should we face forward?” She then turns to me to apologize; I’m watching from a couch six feet away from their microphones. “We have to get used to facing forward and not looking at Jamie. I’ll look past you.” Faced with a painfully intimate audience, Madley Croft winces and recoils from the high notes.Politicians be praised. Politicians be damned. Years removed from their decisions for harm or for good, we are left staring at ourselves in the mirror with the caption: “It’s your fault. For better or worse.”
This November 2016 file photo shows vehicles coming into and out of downtown Toronto along the Gardiner Expressway in Toronto. A proposal to institute tolls on the Gardiner and Don Valley Parkway was surprisingly blocked by Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne. ( Nathan Denette / THE CANADIAN PRESS File Photo )
Such is the case with road tolls — or more to the point, the death of road tolls in Toronto for at least 25 years. Premier Kathleen Wynne blocked the tolls last week with a classic double-cross of Toronto Mayor John Tory — an about-face so stunning and stinging that it will resonate for decades. After assuring Tory she had his back on the proposition to charge motorists about $2 a ride to use the Don Valley Parkway and Gardiner Expressway, Wynne changed her mind in the face of storm clouds threatening to overwhelm her government.
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Hers was a dishonest and duplicitous decision — and colleague Martin Regg Cohn disemboweled the premier with as skilful a gutting as can be splashed on the front page of last Saturday’s Star. These are roadways under Toronto’s jurisdiction. Your property taxes are used to build, repair and maintain them — at huge costs. The province, really, should be the one financing the operation of these highways, but uses its power over municipalities to demand Toronto pay for them. Ditto for social housing and the near-billion dollars in repair backlog. It’s a centuries-old, discredited, abominable relationship that’s more suited for Tiny and Tay Township, not global city Toronto. It’s a disrespectful and patronizing affiliation we thought was coming to an end when the province approved the City of Toronto Act in 2006 — legislation that gave Toronto the right to impose tolls on roads within its jurisdiction. Alas, even with that Act, the province always retains the right to stop any municipal manoeuvre — and Wynne just did. Wynne and her government did the calculation, studied the political tea leaves, listened to the grousing of citizens, heeded the self-preserving propaganda of her party faithful and ministers and concluded that the tolls would cost her party votes in the 2018 provincial election. Falling in the opinion polls and increasingly unpopular, the party figured it didn’t need another issue that annoyed voters.
In other words, Wynne listened to the vocal, selfish, short-sighted, ridiculously misguided residents who continue to stultify progress. I blame her. I don’t fault her. I blame us. I am at a loss. And so are the men and women we pay to provide wise counsel to our governments. So are the civic workers who toil day and night to find ways to advance our economy, build infrastructure, provide needed services and create a metropolis that is the envy of the world.
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The Toronto and region board of trade disagrees with this decision. The city’s chief planner is disheartened. Toronto’s city manager, diplomat that he must be, having just arrived at city hall after heading the provincial bureaucracy for years, says the decision will “further entrench” Toronto’s dependence on the province for handouts. And the city managers before him — Joe Pennachetti, Shirley Hoy, Mike Garrett, Dale Richmond — all hang their heads in despair. From Richmond’s seminal report, Crumbling Financial Partnership, to Wallace’s report on revenue tools the city could use to take care of its own affairs without a handout from Queen’s Park, the push has been for self-sufficiency and a disentangling of costs and services that allows Toronto to survive and thrive. Wynne, who comes from a progressive background that embraces all this, just got snowed under by the politics that listens to people’s fears above the public aspiration. We, as a people, want something for nothing. We know that is not possible but will cling to the unrealistic proposition for as long as we can. We demand the mayor keep property taxes low and city services at a high standard. We want buses and subways, force fare hikes on the captive users of transit, and squawk at a $2 toll on our roadways. We comfort ourselves with inflationary tax hikes of no more than 2 per cent. But that means the city is forced to recover the missing revenues from user fees. That’s OK, we think, deluding ourselves into thinking it is the neighbour, not me, who will have to pay those fees. The result is huge hikes in waste management fees, water rates, recreation fees and the like. We pay one way or the other; today or tomorrow. We prefer the other and tomorrow. So, instead of a careful, planned, deliberate roll out of infrastructure needed to build our city, we reward politicians who spin what amounts to the Big Lie that we will get something for nothing. As one senior bureaucrat — a veteran — says: “It makes me feel that much of the change that we thought were occurring, didn’t. It’s no different than 10 or 20 years ago. My fear is we are going backwards, not forwards. You think about your career and wonder, why did I work my arse off for 40 years to step back 20 years. Did I accomplish anything?” So, hear this. The trains and subways and transit this city desperately needs today — even the most tax-averse resident acknowledges this — will arrive decades later than they should. They will be fewer than we need, later than we need, in fewer places than we need, at higher cost than is possible now. We get nothing for nothing, only it costs us more. Royson James’ column appears weekly. rjames@thestar.ca
Read more about:1. Coffee. Of all the drugs in the world, this is probably the most ok to get addicted to. lol. Plus it’s kind of a social thing; getting coffee in the morning allows me to sometimes run into people in the cafeteria, or to just get out of the office with some coworkers in the afternoon.
2. Knowing my cat is safe and content. I can’t focus if I think my cat might be outside when she shouldn’t be, or if she might be overheating in the house, or if I left plastic out somewhere she might chew on… And this goes for any family member’s safety and happiness too. But I don’t have to worry about my human family eating plastic bags. :)
3. Getting to draw stuff I enjoy. That’s pretty self-explanatory :)
4. Getting outside. I don’t like being cooped up inside all day. If I can do any part of my assignment outside, I try to squeeze it in out in the sunlight. Unfortunately this also makes me really sleepy, so I can’t do that too much…hah
5. Socializing and having time to myself. I really enjoy hanging out with small crowds or one-on-one with my pals, and I am pretty comfortable alone as well. So long as I don’t have to be at a loud party for more than 3 hours, I’ll be fairly content. :)Everybody wants to talk about Hakeem Nicks' YouTube hands, which are 10½ inches wide, require 4X gloves and are approximately the size of George Foreman grills. With them, he can catch anything thrown at him, up to and including single-engine Cessnas.
Nobody wants to talk about the hands of Hakeem Nicks' brother Robert Nicks III, which he allegedly used to kill a man, as well as attempting to jack cars and buy guns illegally. To try to hide what he had done with his hands, he tried to chew off his fingerprints. Apparently, it didn't work. He's in a Coleman, Fla., prison today.
Everybody wants to talk about the way Hakeem Nicks finishes off drives. His 37-yard Hail Mary catch with no time on the clock in the first half of the Giants' playoff game in Green Bay crushed the favored Packers and helped propel New York to its eventual stunning Super Bowl win last season.
Nobody wants to talk about some of the drives of Hakeem Nicks' father, Robert Nicks Jr. Three of those drives ended up in DWI convictions. Many others have ended up in a shoebox full of traffic violations.
Everybody wants to talk about what an A-plus citizen Hakeem Nicks is. It's true. There was a New York Post report last season that Nicks was at teammate Victor Cruz's 25th birthday party at a New York City nightclub at 2:20 a.m. when it was sprayed with bullets, leaving one man dead. Please. To Hakeem Nicks, there's only one 2:20 in any 24-hour cycle. In fact, he was at home with his then 3-year-old daughter, Harmony.
Nobody wants to talk about what a good citizen Hakeem Nicks' brother Aleef is. He has lived in and out of striped sunshine for years, including beats for drug, weapons and assault violations. He added one more arrest Saturday in Charlotte, on charges of assault and battery and felony possession of a handgun.
So the question isn't, "Why is Hakeem Nicks the way he is?" The question is, "How did Hakeem Nicks not end up like the rest of the men in his family?"
The answer is: None of your business.
"I don't speak on it," Nicks says sternly. Nicks is a very serious man who does not kid a lot. You can tell he's not kidding now.
Fine.
Everybody wants to talk about Eli Manning and Victor Cruz and salsa dancing and Mario Manningham and the Ball That Dropped Into The One Square Foot It Had To For The Giants To Win The Super Bowl. But how come nobody wants to talk about the most supernatural, freakishly talented, undyingly dedicated New York Giant of all, Nicks himself? How come nobody wants to talk about a man who has caught balls with his helmet, behind his back, and with only his left or right hand? How come nobody wants to talk about one of the most frenzied after-the-catch receivers in the league?
Check that. There was one man who's been talking about Hakeem Nicks since the kid was 13 -- a soothsayer.
When Nicks was in the eighth grade and shuffling from life with his mother to life with his grandmother to life with his aunt to life in homeless shelters, his grandmother took him to a church with a visiting prophet.
"And he picked me out!" Nicks remembers. "He started prophesizing about my life. He said, 'I see a lot of money around this boy! I see people pulling this boy in different directions! I see them pulling this boy left and right! But God has a hook in this boy's nose. If he tries to stray away, God will pull him back on the right route.'"
That route finally led him to Charlotte to live with his father and his two brothers in a siren-strewn neighborhood where the cops often ended up at his house. Yet he stuck to that path, when every path around him seemed to be heading to juvie. He became the first person in his family to graduate from high school.
"He was 18, 19, 20 going on 40," former University of North Carolina coach Butch Davis once said of him. "I never lost any sleep worrying that he was going to be a guy on the front-page headlines."
It figures that the most trouble Nicks has ever gotten into was at UNC for accepting unauthorized academic help from a tutor. Nicks refuses to talk about it.
Drafted in the first round by the Giants in '09, he has stayed straighter than a Kansas highway. And when the Giants beat the Patriots in the Super Bowl? Nicks came down to the party with Harmony and left in 15 minutes.
"He's not a flash guy, and he's not a trash guy," says the Giants' starting right tackle David Diehl. "He's humble. You'd think with all that success that Victor Cruz has had, there'd be egos clashing, but there's not."
The only typo in New York Nicks' book so far was breaking his right foot on May 24. Nicks didn't run on it for eight weeks and didn't practice Sunday or Monday. Giants' fans were petrified he might not be ready to play in Wednesday night's NFL lid-lifter at home versus the Cowboys. After all, Nicks and Cruz torched Dallas so bad last year in the two games -- 25 catches, almost 500 yards -- that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones brought in two new cornerbacks to replace the ones they devoured: free agent Brandon Carr and first-rounder Morris Claiborne.
"I'm playing," Nicks said before the first question was asked. "You don't have to ask me no questions."
Little advice for the two new Cowboys? Good luck trying to knock him off his route.TAIZ, Yemen - Afnan al-Soroori, 22, used to live a comfortable middle-class existence with her family in Taiz, Yemen’s third-largest city.
Like others of her kind, she wore clothes common to more liberal and fashionable Yemeni women, would go outside more or less when she wanted, and hung out with other female students also doing their undergraduate degrees at Taiz University, one of the country’s best.
As the eldest of five siblings, Soroori helped out around the house, but with an electric oven, washing machine and household appliances aplenty, this was never a burden.
But a year ago, as Houthi rebels inched closer and closer to her home, that all changed. Her family fled the city and took shelter in a makeshift camp in a school in the al-Safia area, 65 kilometres away.
The life they found there could not be more different.
The family was forced to leave all their possessions behind and Soroori’s father has not been able to work.
These days, just doing simple chores is a grinding ritual that lasts from dawn until after dusk. Instead of a stove, Soroori tries to cook meals in a makeshift oven she fashioned from two stones placed next to firewood. She washes the family’s clothes by hand in a large bowl in the school’s courtyard and says her hands have grown hard from the work. What she hates most is her total lack of independence.
"I’m finding it hard to adapt to domestic work without electric appliances, but the worst thing is that I cannot leave the camp,” Soroori said. “If I try to leave, I will find several youths waiting to harass me.”
As soon as she tries to step outside the gates, young men crowd around and either shout abuse or make inappropriate sexual advances, she said.
"If you leave the camp, especially in the afternoon, you will hear bad words and see obscene gestures,” Soroori said. “Once this happens, it forces you to stay in the camp and not leave again."
She said the clothes she wore so naturally in the city make her a target here. Many middle-class women in the city wear an abaya, a long Muslim dress that covers the whole body, but leaves the face exposed.
Traditionally, the abaya has been jet-black and very loose, but in the cities it has become more fitted and has increasingly been worn with different colours and designs. In the countryside, however, women still wear the more conservative abaya or other forms of dress that cover the entire face.
Soroori’s father, like other men with female relatives in the camp, has appealed to local tribal elders to tell the young men in the community to treat women from the city with respect, but their calls have gone unheeded.
Instead of chastising their sons, most men have opted to lash out at the women, saying that they dress and behave inappropriately.
"We went to the mosques in the village and told the religious people about this problem, but all of them were against the women and criticised their fashionable clothes and loud voices," he told MEE.
Since that day, he has had no choice but to tell his wife and three daughters to stay in the camp until they are able to return to Taiz City.
Soroori said that the city families largely reject this approach and think that local villagers have a skewed interpretation of Islam and Yemeni culture, but that there is little they can do to remedy the situation.
"This is not our area, so we have no choice but to be confined by the cultural norms of the rural areas,” Soroori said. “No one can help us here, so I have decided to stay in the camp at all times.”
“I know there is a beautiful bit of green land outside, but I cannot go out to enjoy it,” she added.
Younger and more urban Yemeni women are less traditional in their dress, which can have unwanted consequences (AFP)
Even some of the women who either brought more traditional abayas with them or have been able to get some in the countryside have been unable to avoid the harassment.
Mariam Abdul-Qader, a 23-year-old who lives in the same camp, has resorted to wearing the same clothes as the rural women, but said local youths still recognise her by her sandals and shout abuse regardless.
"I tried to wear the same dress as the women in the al-Safia area, but the awful young men seem to recognise us just from the way we walk and even from the sandals we wear as I do not have the plastic shoes worn by the women here," Abdul-Qader said.
She added that oftentimes women from the camp, who have grown close over the last year, go out in large groups to try and avoid problems, but not even this has stopped the name-calling and aggressive harassment.
"I hate this atrocious war that drove us away from our houses and forced us to accept life among these savage people who don't appreciate our suffering,” Abdul-Qader said.
Local backlash
Local people have also grown frustrated and even angry at the new arrivals for upsetting age-old customs that have governed their rural life for centuries.
A local sheikh, Mohammed Gobah, told MEE that sexual harassment had regrettably become a major problem in area, but he blamed the “immodesty” of the city women.
"I had never heard of sexual harassment in this area and have only started to hear about it in the last year since the displaced people came here,” Gobah told MEE.
“This means that the displaced women are the reason and not our sons.”
He said that local women were respectful, wore conservative clothing and rarely left the house. When they did, they knew to be quiet and not disturb the male residents.
"I myself observed the displaced women, saw their immodest clothes, which cling close to their bodies, and saw them in the valley listening to music and laughing loudly,” he said. “It is this kind of behaviour that has attracted the young men to the area."
Gobah said the new arrivals had caused such an upheaval that he might have to see them removed from the school if they did not rein in the immodest behaviour of their women.
The situation has now deteriorated into a standoff from which neither side seems ready to back down because of the deep cultural and social rifts that separate Yemen's cities from its many villages.
"There is a social gap between the rural and urban areas and the disputes between the displaced and residents is a normal consequence of this gap,” said Fadhl al-Thobhani, a sociology professor at Taiz University.
“Because of this gap, the displaced women have to imitate the women of the rural areas to avoid any harassment.”
He said he saw no quick resolution to the crisis and felt the issue would only be solved once the war ended and people were allowed to return to their homes.
For city women trapped in rural life, however, that day seems an eternity away.
"I never thought I was destined to live a terrible life like this, which has brought me to this prison,” Soroori said. “I stopped my studies in Taiz University and fled to this camp, but people here don't appreciate our suffering and impose restrictions on our way of life.
“I always pray to Allah to free me from this prison."
Additional reporting by Amal MamoonEXPORT (USA → Canada) PRICING
Click here to jump down to IMPORT [Canada→USA] Pricing
All prices are in U.S. Dollars ($USD).
FIREARMS (MODERN: manufactured 1899 or later)
$249 for the first gun, + $149 for each additional gun on the same shipment.[1]
+ 5% of the total value of exported merchandise [2% on portion above $5k];
+ $25 per Restricted classified firearm;
For 5+ guns, contact Borderview for a custom quote.
ANTIQUE FIREARMS (manufactured pre-1899, excludes shotguns)
$99 for the first antique gun[2], + $59 for each additional antique gun on the same shipment.
+ 5% of the total value of exported merchandise [2% on portion above $5k];
AMMUNITION*, PARTS, COMPONENTS, ACCESSORIES, OPTICAL SCOPES
$149 for the first line item[3], + $75 for each additional line item on the same shipment.
+ 5% of the total value of exported merchandise [2% on portion above $5k];
When shipped with Firearms, each line item including the first is $75.
For 10+ line items, contact Borderview for a custom quote.
*Ammunition must be on the ‘List of Authorized Explosives’ from Natural Resources Canada to be allowed for import. Check with us before having ammo sent here for export.
SMALL PARTS EXEMPTION (certain parts (certain parts [4] under $500 USD total value)
$39 for the first line item, + $29 for each additional line item on the same shipment.
+ 5% of the value of the exported merchandise;
SHIPPING / DELIVERY
Shipping Costs Vary – Average $30 to $50 for a rifle; $20 to $30 for a handgun.
Non-ammunition items can usually be mailed via Canada Post; ammo by Purolator.
Customer is responsible for all shipping & insurance costs, billed at actual rates.
TAXES / DUTIES
Customer is responsible for applicable tax, including GST/PST/HST, and Duty on modern items made outside of North America (most often at 3.5% of value).
OTHER EXPORT OPTIONS & CHARGES
Excess Storage (>30 days, at customer request): $10 / month
Magazine Capacity-Limitation: min. $30 / each (by gunsmith)
Missing / Incomplete Transfer Form: $25 / each
Re-packaging in hard case, for firearms received in very poor packaging: $25
Other / Gunsmith: varies, custom quotes available.
Sounds Good, Let’s Start an Export. Tell me how it works.
IMPORT (Canada → USA) PRICING
FIREARMS (MODERN: manufactured 1899 or later)
$299 for the first gun, + $199 for each additional gun on the same shipment.[1]
+ 5% of the total value of imported merchandise [2% on portion above $5k]
For 5+ guns, contact Borderview for a custom quote.
ANTIQUE FIREARMS (manufactured pre-1899)
$199 for the first antique gun[2], + $99 for each additional antique gun on the same shipment.
+ 5% of the total value of imported merchandise [2% on portion above $5k]
AMMUNITION, PARTS, COMPONENTS, ACCESSORIES, OPTICAL SCOPES
$149 for the first line item[3], + $75 for each additional line item on the same import shipment.
+ 5% of the total value of imported merchandise [2% on portion above $5k]
When shipped with Firearms, each line item including the first is $75.
For 10+ line items, contact Borderview for a custom quote.
SHIPPING / DELIVERY
In-Person Border Clearance is included in per-item prices above, saving you hundreds of dollars compared to other importers.
Domestic U.S. Shipping Costs to your FFL vary – typically ~$25 / handgun, ~$40 / long gun.
Customer is responsible for all shipping & insurance costs, billed at actual rates.
TAXES / DUTIES
Customer is responsible for applicable tax and U.S. Customs fees, including Duty on modern items made outside of North America (most often between 2.6% to 3.1% of value).
OTHER IMPORT OPTIONS & CHARGES
‘Restricted’ classified firearm(s) in Canada: + $25 / each (remove from Registry);
‘Prohibited’ classified firearm(s) in Canada: + $50 / each (export permit, remove from Registry);
‘Surplus Military Curio & Relic’ (“SMCR”) firearms: + $50 / each ($100 for U.S.-origin SMCR);
Re-packaging in hard case, for firearms received in very poor packaging: $25 / repack;
Excess Storage (>30 days, at customer request): $10 / month.
Sounds Good, Let’s Start an Import. Tell me how it works.
[1] The “same shipment” means guns or items that arrive to our office around the same time and are thus exported / imported at the same time. If ordering multiple guns, contact us if you wish to ensure simultaneous shipment.
[2] Firearms manufactured before 1899 are antique by U.S. standards, but may not be Antique in Canada. Such firearms qualify for Antique pricing if the date of manufacture can be confirmed by Borderview, but may require additional paperwork in Canada.
[3] A “line item” is a reasonable quantity of a single model/type of item. For example, 4 barrels of the same make, length and caliber is one line item, whereas 2 each of two calibers would be two line items.
[4] Small Parts Exemption only applies to certain firearm parts, and excludes: full-auto parts, ammo components, barrels, receivers, complete breech mechanisms, parts made in embargoed countries, and shotgun trigger mechanisms, magazines and tubes. Click here for full details.The site where Stevie Ray Vaughan's helicopter crashed Aug. 27, 1990, killing him and four others. Vaughan had just finished playing at Alpine Valley with Eric Clapton. This photo was in the Aug. 27 edition of the Journal with the caption "Officials look through wreckage of a helicopter Monday morning that crashed into an Alpine Valley ski hill, killing Stevie Ray Vaughan and four other people." Credit: Al Fredrickson
SHARE Stevie Ray Vaughan, 35 years old, newly sober and on the cusp of real stardom, died in a helicopter crash after performing at Alpine Valley on Aug. 27, 1990. Sony Music Video
By of the
Before the last song of the last show of a two-night stand at Alpine Valley Music Theatre, guitar legend Eric Clapton stepped up to the microphone.
"I'd like to bring out to join me, in truth, the best guitar players in the entire world: Buddy Guy, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Robert Cray... Jimmie Vaughan."
The group lit into an extended jam of the classic "Sweet Home Chicago," with 40,000 people soaking up blistering guitar licks as the performers traded vocals.
Shortly after midnight on Aug. 27, 1990 — 25 years ago Thursday — four helicopters left Alpine Valley for Chicago, carrying performers and crew members. Three made it. The other flew barely a half-mile before crashing into a ski slope.
Among the five dead: Stevie Ray Vaughan — 35 years old, newly sober, on the cusp of real stardom, and already considered one of the greatest electric guitarists who ever lived.
Plane crashes have claimed other pop and rock stars: Otis Redding, Jim Croce, Rick Nelson, Ronnie Van Zant, Buddy Holly and Ritchie Valens. But in the world of blues generally and electric |
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