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heatsink equipped with aluminum fins. The aluminum fin heatsink block is featured on top of a large copper vapor heatsink block. Display outputs include Dual-Link DVI, HDMI and a display port while power is provided through an 8+6 Pin connector.
The PCB features a 5+1+1 phase (5 Phase Core/ 1 Phase Memory/ 1 Phase PLL) VRM design featuring the Copper MOSFETs, CPL chokes and the IR 3567B PWM chip. The memory modules featured as SK Hynix built labeled with the H5GQ2H24AFR-R0C part with a maximum data rate of 6 Gbps. There are 6 modules in total which represent a 512-bit/4 GB GDDR5 memory.
The benchmarks previewed by AMD made it very clear that the Radeon R9 290X will have complete dominance over the GeForce GTX 780. Both cards would cost similar to each other so it seems like a clear win for AMD in this case but there’s a report about a possible price cut on the GeForce GTX 780 which would take place in November to pave way for their next high-end GeForce GTX 780 Ti which is directly placed against the Radeon R9 290X. So it seems like the victory over NVIDIA would be short lived by AMD if the performance reports we are hearing about the GTX 780 Ti hold any truth. Anyways you can see the charts below to see the performance of the Radeon R9 290X in both Uber and CrossFireX mode:
Note – The wording on the slides was in Chinese so we couldn’t translate the settings they used for testing but all games were tested at 4K resolution:
Gaming Titles Settings (4K Resolution) AMD Radeon R9 290X (Uber Mode) AMD Radeon R9 290X (Quiet Mode) NVIDIA GeForce GTX 780 (Stock) Anno 2070 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 34.3 34.2 25.2 Aliens Vs Predators 3840×2160 4xMSAA 16xAF 32.6 32.3 23.5 Battlefield 4 3840×2160 4xMSAA 36.8 36.9 31.0 Bioshock Infinite 3840×2160 0xAF NoAA 43.9 44.2 37.6 Borderlands 2 3840×2160 16xAF 76.2 76.1 62.4 Company of Heroes 2 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 34.8 34.5 26.6 Crysis 3 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 32.2 32.2 27.5 Dirt Showdown 3840×2160 8xMSAA 16xAF 31.7 29.9 21.2 Far Cry 3 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 37.2 34.2 30.1 Grid 2 3840×2160 8xMSAA 47.9 46.3 39.1 Hitman Absolution 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 35.9 36.0 32.1 Max Payne 3 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 72.1 71.2 50.7 Metro Last Light 3840×2160 0xSSAA 16xAF 47.8 47.7 40.7 Saints Row IV 3840×2160 8xAA 16xAF 34.0 32.9 30.3 Skyrim 3840×2160 71.2 71.3 52.6 Sleeping Dogs 3840×2160 16xAF AA 46.1 45.2 18.3 Tomb Radier 3840×2160 16xAF FXAA (TressFX Off) 40.3 40.2 34.5
Gaming Titles Settings (4K Resolution) AMD Radeon R9 290X (Uber Mode) AMD Radeon R9 290X CrossFireX (Uber Mode) Aliens vs Predators 3840×2160 4xMSAA 16xAF 32.6 63.3 Battlefield 3 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 39.2 77.1 Bioshock Infinite 3840×2160 0xAF 43.9 80.4 Crysis 3 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 32.2 62.1 Dirt Showdown 3840×2160 8xMSAA 16xAF 31.7 60.7 Far Cry 3 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 32.3 64.4 Hitman Absolution 3840×2160 8xAA 0xAF 10.9 21.1 Max Payne 3 3840×2160 8xAA 16xAF 16.9 32.6 Metro: Last Light 3840×2160 0xSSAA 16xAF 25.2 46.6 Saints Row IV 3840×2160 8xAA 16xAF 34.0 62.2 Shogun 2 3840×2160 8xAA 16xAF 16.4 31.2 Splinter Cell Blacklist 3840×2160 0xAA 0xAF 44.6 88.2 Tomb Raider 3840×2160 16xAF FXAA (TressFX On) 28.4 56
There’s also this last slide the leaker posted on the forums which shows the CrossFireX scaling performance of the card which shows that the new CrossFireX DMA engine implemented on the Radeon R9 290 series as was leaked a while ago really does its job in dual-GPU functionality. Unfortunately that’s all the information available on the net regarding the new graphic cards but i had a talked to a few board partners and they confirmed that the card would be on retail shortly after the reviews go live later this month. Following is a chart layout which is courtesy of PCTuning though they removed the charts and images much like the source where we got our information:Iain Borden is Professor of Architecture and Urban Culture at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London, England.
Research by Iain Borden explores how architecture and cities are experienced and re-used by the public.
Architecture and cities are crucial to how people live and society operates. Without homes, shops and parks, without offices, workplaces and airports, our world would grind to a
Iain Borden is Professor of Architecture and Urban Culture at The Bartlett School of Architecture, UCL, London, England.
Research by Iain Borden explores how architecture and cities are experienced and re-used by the public.
Architecture and cities are crucial to how people live and society operates. Without homes, shops and parks, without offices, workplaces and airports, our world would grind to a halt. As a historian and theorist of architecture and urban culture, he is interested not just in how our cities function but also how they are designed, what they mean to people and how they are experienced.
To do this, he has studied a diverse range of subjects and places, from Italian renaissance piazzas to surveillance cameras in shopping malls, from architectural modernism to recent postmodernism, from issues of gender and ethnicity in cities to the way architecture is represented in cinema and photography. In particular, he has completed an in-depth study of the urban practice of skateboarding, looking at how skateboarders adopt modern cities as their own pleasure-ground, creating a culture with its own architecture, clothes, attitudes and social benefits. He has also extended this investigation into the world of automobile driving, looking at movies to explore how people’s experiences of the city from the car changes their engagement with architecture and urban space. Recent work explores how specific places and buildings in cities worldwide can be encountered through different kinds of social engagement, such as memory and risk-taking.Three El Monte men were arrested today after allegedly slashing a woman’s throat and dumping her on the side of a steep canyon in Whittier, authorities said.
The woman, a 20-year-old Bellflower resident,suffered a 4-inch slash across her throat and had cuts and bruises on her body, said Jason Zuhlke, spokesman for the Whittier Police Department.
The men -- Vincent Mendoza, 21; Edward Meraz, 24; and Jose Ayala, 27 -- were booked on charges of attempted murder and kidnapping, Zuhlke said.
He said the woman underwent surgery at County-USC Medical Center and was listed in critical condition.
The woman knew the three men and had planned to go to the beach with them Monday, Zuhlke said. Instead, they got in their car, tied her up with rope, beat her, cut her throat and left her in Turnbull Canyon in Whittier, he said.
“They dumped her and took off,” Zuhlke said.
The woman, still bleeding, eventually climbed up the hill to the 6000 block of Altmark Avenue, he said.
Residents on the street were awakened about 3:30 this morning by the woman’s screams. She gave police the suspects’ names and a description of their vehicle.
Zuhlke said the three men, still in the Whittier area, were pulled over by police a short time later.
“They had rope" and a shovel in the car, he said.
-- Robert LopezWindows-privesc-check is standalone executable that runs on Windows systems. It tries to find misconfiguration that could allow local unprivileged users to escalate privileges to other users or to access local applications (e.g. databases).
Essentially it’s a Windows privilege escalation scanner, the Microsoft side of the World counterpart to unix-privesc-check – which we wrote about a while back.
It is written in Python and converted to an executable using PyInstaller so it can be easily uploaded and run (as opposed to unzipping python + other dependencies). It can run either as a normal user or as Administrator (obviously it does a better job when running as Administrator because it can read more files).
Find Privesc Vectors (as Administrator)
When run with admin rights, windows-privesc-check has full read access to all secureable objects.
This allows it to perform audits for escalation vectors such as:
Reconfiguring Windows Services
Replacing Service executables if they have weak file permissions
Replacing poorly protected.exe or.dll files in %ProgramFiles%
Tojaning the %PATH%
Maliciously modifying the registry (e.g. RunOnce)
Modifying programs on FAT file systems
Tampering with running processes
A great many of the privielges escalation vectors checked are simply checks for weak security descriptors on Windows securable objects, when complete a report is generated in HTML, TXT and XML format.
Find Privesc Vectors (as a Low-Privileged User)
An important design goal is that windows-privesc-check can perform as many checks as possible (above) without admin rights. This will make the tool useful to pentesters as well as auditors.
Clearly, low-privileged users are unable to see certain parts of the registry and file system. The tool is therefore inherently less able to identify security weaknesses when run as a low-privileged user.
As above, a report is generated in HTML, TXT and XML format.
Provide Information To Help Compromise A Remote System
Given low-privileged credentials (or perhaps using anonymous access), windows-privesc-check should provide basic information which might help the user compromise the remote system. This might include:
Details of poorly configure shares
A list of admin-equivalent users
Information about its domain membership and the trusts configured for that domain
You can download windows-privesc-check here:
windows-privesc-check-master.zip
Or read more here.Requiem For The Dead: American Spring 2014 is a new HBO documentary that tells the tales of several individuals who lost their lives to guns in the Spring of 2014. Each day, more than 80 Americans lose their lives due to gun violence — totaling more than 30,000 fatal shooting deaths annually. Requiem For The Dead: American Spring 2014 seeks to tell the true-crime stories of some of the few who died tragically that Spring.
The way directors Shari Cookson and Nick Doob presents these stories to the viewer is drastically different from the way most documentaries approach these very personal stories. Requiem For The Dead included a large portion of social media information gathered on the deceased subjects to create the story.
The following is according to director Shari Cookson.
“This film is stylistically different than any film we’ve ever done, but our point of view as filmmakers is what drove us to go in the direction we did. We wanted the film to revolve around the life and times of our characters… This is a film about life as much as it is about death.”
The directors found it both sad and fascinating how these victims have documented their own lives right up until their deaths. Looking at the crime victims’ social media pages, such as Facebook, shows exactly what the victim were doing or thinking, just minutes or hours before the abrupt end of their lives.
According to NOLA, Nick Doob sheds more light on the process of pulling the documentary together.
“In this film, obviously, our subjects were no longer living. We decided early on that we didn’t want to make a film made up of remembrances — interviewing family and friends, talking-head experts, etc. We also didn’t want to re-create the circumstances of their death, using actors. We didn’t want that quality of looking back. We wanted to make a film that had a kind of present-tense authenticity and felt real. “
HBO viewers will see some graphic and disturbing images as these stories are highlighted. They will also hear the sad details of the way the victims died through new reports, police documents, and when possible, 911 calls.
As HBO’s dedicated viewers tune in to this cutting edge documentary, they will get a sense of the horror of what it is like to lose someone suddenly in the most bizarre ways. Requiem For The Dead will include the death cases of Kyla and Alex Ryng, Tiffany Davenport and Melvin Ray, Lucas, Renotta Jernigan, and Jerel and Mae Worthy.
Requiem For The Dead: American Spring 2014 is a well-crafted documentary that will rip these stories from the headline and weave them into a compassionately human story that will touch the hearts of HBO fans. Don’t miss this riveting documentary. Tune in to HBO tonight at 8 p.m.
Requiem For The Dead: American Spring 2014 trailer and tease:
“A harrowing look back at some of the 8,000-plus men, women and children who were killed by gunfire in America during the spring of 2014.”
[Photo Credit: YouTube]"Questlove Supreme" is set to debut September 7th on the new station at 1PM ET. If you can't tune in then, the show will repeat for 48 hours and will be available via the artist's mixtape. The list of featured guests will include Saturday Night Live actress Maya Rudolph, producer and engineer Bob Power and Grammy award-winning artist Kimbra. The Questlove station is already live and you can listen to a preview here. What's more, Questlove will serve as Pandora's strategic advisor and the first artist ambassador in addition to working on the station and show.
Pandora has already added popular podcasts Serial and This American Life to its lineup and this new aritst-curated station makes a lot of sense to help pad the library. Apple Music's Beats 1 does something similar with a mix of regular radio shows and artist-hosted weekly installments. It's too early to tell if Pandora is looking to take on Apple's radio offering directly. However, if recent reports are any indication, we won't have to wait long to find out the finer points of Pandora's forthcoming streaming service.The Obama administration has taken the rare step of authorising the killing of a US citizen, Anwar al-Awlaki, a radical Muslim cleric linked to the attempt to blow up a US airliner on Christmas Day.
The decision to place Awlaki on a US hit list followed a national security council review because of his status as an American citizen.
"Awlaki is a proven threat," a US official told Reuters. "He's being targeted."
Born in New Mexico to Yemeni parents, Awlaki has been accused of encouraging terrorism in his sermons and writings. He is believed to be in hiding in Yemen's rugged Shabwa or Mareb regions, an area that has become a haven for jihadis. He has been linked to Major Nidal Malik Hasan, the army psychiatrist accused of killing 13 people at Fort Hood, Texas, in November, and to Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, the Nigerian charged with trying to blow up a Detroit-bound airliner on Christmas Day.
It is extremely rare, if not unprecedented, for an American to be approved for "targeted killing", officials told the New York Times. A former senior legal official in the Bush administration said he did not know of any American who was approved for targeted killing under the former president.
The decision to place Awlaki on a hit list took place this year, the paper said, as US counterterrorism officials judged he had moved beyond inciting attacks against the US – he has a large following among English-speaking Muslims – to participating in them.
"The danger Awlaki poses to this country is no longer confined to words," an official told the New York Times. "He's gotten involved in plots."
The policy of targeted killings is controversial. President Gerald Ford issued an executive order banning political assassinations in 1976. However, Congress approved the use of military force against al-Qaida after the 9/11 terrorist attacks. People on the target list are considered to be military enemies of the US and therefore not subject to the ban on political assassination.
In February, the director of national intelligence, Dennis Blairan, alarmed civil liberties groups when he told Congress that the US may, with executive approval, deliberately target and kill US citizens suspected of being involved in terrorism.
Under Obama's watch, the US has stepped up attacks on al-Qaida figures around the world from Somalia to the Afghanistan-Pakistan border through the use of Predator drones or other aircraft. The Pakistani government tacitly permits CIA-operated unmanned aircraft to target terrorist sites and militants up to 50 miles inside the country, and there have been reports of helicopter-borne raids into Pakistani territory.When The New York Times is more honest about gun violence than you, that’s when your integrity has gone off the deep end, which is where the leftwing Washington Post has practiced its dishonest tradecraft for quite some time now. But in the fascist pursuit of restricting your Second Amendment civil rights, the Post is desperately furthering a Big Lie about mass-shootings that even the New York Times refuses to spread.
Using biased sources and a definition of “mass shooting” that is so wide open it includes gang fights and family disputes, the Post’s Philip Bump re-published this Saturday: “The San Bernardino shooting continues a disturbing trend: No week since 2013 without a mass shooting.”
That’s not even close to the truth. The truth is four — four mass-shootings this year. Still four too many but a far cry from Bump’s manufactured number.
Bump is not practicing journalism, he is practicing propaganda — propaganda so noxious and dishonest even the gun-grabbers at The New York Times felt the need to debunk it:
On Wednesday, a Washington Post article announced that “The San Bernardino shooting is the second mass shooting today and the 355th this year.” Vox, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow, this newspaper and others reported similar statistics. Grim details from the church in Charleston, a college classroom in Oregon and a Planned Parenthood clinic in Colorado are still fresh, but you could be forgiven for wondering how you missed more than 300 other such attacks in 2015. At Mother Jones, where I work as an editor, we have compiled an in-depth, open-source database covering more than three decades of public mass shootings. By our measure, there have been four “mass shootings” this year, including the one in San Bernardino, and at least 73 such attacks since 1982.
Bump isn’t only trying to take guns away from law-abiding citizens, he is playing Palace Guard for a White House desperate to distract from the fact that they have failed to keep the homefront safe.
Hey, maybe Bump’s colleague, Chris Cillizza, can write another one of those columns crybabying over how terrible it is that the American public no longer trusts the media.
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNCLow solar activity means more Central European floods
Yet another paper showing the spooky non-relationship with the local thermonuclear reactor. Thanks to climate models we all know that jiggles in solar radiation mean nothing much to Earth, otherwise we might wonder if the pattern of lows in sunlight and highs in floods meant something…
The River Ammer is in Southern Germany, and Markus Czymzik and others dug through the sediments nearby and graphed the flood layers alongside the small changes in solar radiation (TSI). They noticed that a less active sun correlates with more floods. At the low point of every solar cycle there appears to be more rain. (Don’t buy a house on a floodplain in southern Germany in the next few years.)
There is a pretty neat correlation there in the last 90 years, and then in the second graph they take that correlation back to 3,500BC, back when the Funnelbeaker culture was making nice pots in the same area. This same odd coincidence of the sun and rainfall patterns was also found by researchers in Chile, China and Australian and Indonesia. Low solar activity tends to occur at the same time as the winter jet stream in the North Atlantic gets blocked. And solar activity seems to affect Earth’s atmospheric pressure. None of these things occurs in climate models.
Repeat after me, the sun has no effect on our climate. …
Naturally, TSI itself is probably not the driver, it is just a marker for some other effect operating within and from the sun itself. (Read more on the possible mechanisms below). It’s another reminder of what the global climate models don’t know, and explains why they are so terrible at predicting rain.
Oh for a mechanism?
As David Evans outlined there are as many as seven different ways the sun could affect our cloud cover (and thus in turn the rainfall). It could also be the solar magnetic effect on cosmic rays, or through plantkon that generate aerosols that seed clouds, etc etc. There are interplanetary electric fields, there is the dynamic ever shifting solar wind, and who knows, meteoric dust which also changes with solar cycles.
The researchers talk about the solar top down mechanism, which involves the cyclic UV shifts that appear to occur in every solar cycle, and also about cosmic rays. But Stephen Wilde has long ago developed a theory about UV acting on the stratosphere and mesosphere that changes the jet stream patterns, which lays out a mechanism in more detail.
One amplifying feedback proposed by model studies is the so-called solar top-down mechanism (Gray et al., 2010; Haigh, 1996; Ineson et al., 2011; Lockwood, 2012). Larger changes in solar UV emissions influence stratospheric ozone concentration, heating and circulation and, consequently, strength and stability of the polar vortex. These disturbances are expected to communicate downwards to the troposphere via a chain of processes that is still under investigation to modify position and strength of the midlatitude storm tracks mainly over the North Atlantic and Europe (Gray et al., 2010; Haigh, 1996; Ineson et al., 2011; Lockwood, 2012). Under further consideration are the effects of energetic particles from the Sun and galactic cosmic rays on cloud cover and precipitation.
The only lag or delay mentioned in this paper is a 3 year gap after TSI peaks, not the key pattern of a delay of a solar cycle which would fit in with the work David Evans has done.
For more info : CO2science
h/t C3headlines, climatedepot
REFERENCES
Czymzik, M., Muscheler, R. and Brauer, A. 2016. Solar modulation of flood frequency in central Europe during spring and summer on inter-annual to multi-centennial timescales. Climate of the Past 12: 799-805.
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please wait... Rating: 9.4/10 (68 votes cast)In our ever accelerating information age, it's easy to think the sky's the limit. Facebook lets you have up to 5,000 friends, you can collect millions of Twitter followers, and new social media platforms are emerging, each one wanting to be the next big breakthrough platform. But according to evolutionary anthropologist Robin Dunbar, our meaningful social circle can't ever exceed between 100 and 230 people (with an average of 150 people).
How did Dunbar's number come about? Robin Dunbar figured out how there's a direct relationship between the size of our brain and the size of our social group. Even though we mostly live in cities now, we evolved from hunter-gatherer societies, where the average village size was 150. The size of Roman legions was also 150. From the time modern human emerged, 250,000 years ago, Dunbar's number can be viewed as a constant.
This is both a social and cognitive number. There's a set number on whom we can maintain stable, meaningful social relationships. Once you go past Dunbar's number, the effectiveness of your social network drops precipitously and logarithmically. In the real world, the laws of physics and space-time prevent you from carrying out meaningful relationships with thousands of people.
Even though we have Internet accessibility to millions of people across the globe, it's our real-time interactions, and fully interactive relationships that make us human. Your Nook may hold up to 6,000 books, but we still read novels one sentence at a time. Real life experience is still the measuring stick for living a quality life. The globetrotting PBS travel advice superstar, Rick Steves lets you tour London from the comfort of your living room, but visiting London and getting tips on its best pubs are two different things. The right information can lead you on the path of knowledgeable application, but it isn't going to buy your plane ticket. Having thousands of social media friends isn't the same as having friends you have meaningful personal interactions with.
Our hunter-gatherer villager ancestors roamed the Earth back when it literally did "take a village" to raise children. While someone in the outer circle of the group might prevent a child from wandering off in the cave of a wild beast, those folks on the outer fringe of societies were also useful as the watchers and, perhaps seers for the tribe. Today, visionaries and protectors are just as important as they were in prehistoric times.
Here's the other thing about the connections we can have in our socially-networked world: loose connections matter more than ever. People you know who are on the far fringe of your established circle might see prospects and possibilities your closest friends may not be able to imagine. You're more likely to hear about your next job, new apartment, or cultural or social opportunities from a loose connection -- an informed and significantly connected person, who's several connections removed -- than from your closest connections.
We don't generally interact with 150 people in a given week, or sometimes even within a month's time. But we will easily interact with 150 people over the course of a year, especially when you consider the cross-over between business and personal contacts, and the way social interactions overlap into many other areas. So, think about your connections, grow your network, and realize the fluid world of social networking is an evolving concept, but a concept that may already have a clearly defined number built into it.We listened to Zach Lowe’s interview with Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban at Grantland last week, and as always with those two the back and forth was fascinating. We did miss one rather important part, however, stuck in the middle of a Cuban anecdote about former NBA refereeing chief Ronnie Nunn.
[Follow Dunks Don't Lie on Tumblr: The best slams from all of basketball]
Cuban actually considered selling his Mavericks in 2006, at the peak of Dirk Nowitzki’s powers, as he was despondent over the state of the NBA’s referee crew. The Dallas Morning News pointed out that bit of information in its transcription of the podcast on Monday night. Here’s Cuban:
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“There’s still a lot of room for improvement but I think transparency makes a huge difference. I think the biggest change that’s going to happen that (NBA commissioner Adam Silver) has really started to push through is in recruiting and training.
“I remember back after 2006 when I was just going bananas and it really was the only time I was looking at selling the team, sitting down with them and showing them a list at that point and time where all our most recent refs over the past 10 years had worked at prior to coming to the NBA, and they were all from two conferences: the Southern, I think, whichever conference had Belmont. They were two really tiny conferences and it was because the college coach of the then head of officials, Ronnie Nunn, was the head of officiating in those two conferences. So we had this little back scratching arrangement which nobody even knew existed. Didn’t even know existed. Since that time we’ve started to make headway in better recruiting of officials but now we’re really starting to take it seriously.”
Story continues
(#Actually the Belmont Bruins were in the Atlantic Sun Conference back then. They currently play in the Ohio Valley Conference.)
A quick breeze through the NBA annals will tell you that Cuban’s Mavericks were at their absolute peak in 2006, making the NBA Finals that year and earning the NBA’s best record the following season. What should have been the happiest days of Cuban’s basketball life, however, was rocked by a calamitous NBA Finals collapse against the Heat, and a borderline shocking (to some, at least) first round ouster in 2007 at the hands of Golden State.
All along the way, the refs were the target. Cuban didn’t fully blame them on record for his team’s defeat, as he annoyingly did routinely during his first few years running the franchise, but the silent and seething anger was there. Miami shot 52 more free throws than the Mavericks in the series, spread out over only six games, with Dwyane Wade averaging a ridiculous 16.2 per game (and taking 25 in a pivotal Game 5 overtime loss). Golden State was allowed to set the terms of conflict in the first round the next year.
Caveats abound, though.
Yes, the training and hiring practices for the referees may have been off and, some would contend, corrupt (Nunn hasn’t been in charge of the referee corps since the Tim Donaghy scandal hit in 2008, most recently he worked on camera at NBA TV). Dallas has its own issues to blame here, though. Mavs coach Avery Johnson repeatedly went with an aggressive style of defense on Wade, often using the slower Adrian Griffin who bodied and hand-checked him using an outmoded style of defense that was mostly (and thankfully) outlawed by the NBA a season before. It wasn’t pretty, but Wade intelligently took advantage. This isn’t to say that there weren’t bad calls, there were. The Mavs’ perimeter defense was playing by 2003 rules in 2006, though.
Meanwhile, not only had lottery-bound Golden State teams played Dallas well during the regular seasons in the years before 2006-07, they also had a team that was better than its eighth seed would suggest (in the loaded West) and the benefit of former Mavs coach Don Nelson calling the shots. An inspired Nelson paired with lingering matchup issues to combine for an upset that really wasn’t all that mind-blowing despite Dallas’ league-leading record.
Cuban had every right to be despondent with the mixture of the Nunn realization, those two playoff failures, the critical hit he took during the ascendency of former Mavs point guard Steve Nash in Phoenix, and the critical hit he took in 2007-08 (something I joined in with fervor) when he traded a seeming future star in Devin Harris for a slowing Jason Kidd. Despite all the winning from back then, and despite Dirk’s brilliance, those are a lot of hits to take.
And for him to notice that the NBA seemed to hire quite a bit of referees that just happened to work in a tiny NCAA conference under the former head coach of the NBA’s director of officials, well, you can see why he’d be pretty steamed. Even if Joe Crawford, Joe Derosa, Bennett Salvatore (the referees on hand for Game 5 of the 2006 NBA Finals) had nothing to do with the arrangement.
It’s just fine to roll your eyes when Mark Cuban falls just short of claiming that every referee is out to get his Mavericks, something he did incessantly in his first few years owning this franchise. You can’t deny that, behind the scenes, he hasn’t been an absolute boon for the league as it attempts to improve its ability to bring order to the Toughest Game to Call.
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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don't Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!It’s their howl,” says Kim Wheeler, president of the Red Wolf Coalition. “That’s what keeps me going. It’s a sound that falls somewhere between the deep baritone of the grey wolf and the yip of the coyote. It’s their call to life. And now, because the program to protect them is under such scrutiny, there’s a very really possibility that their voice will be silenced.”
Once a top predator throughout the southeastern United States, the red wolf almost vanished 50 years ago. After being named an endangered species, a captive breeding program began in 1973. As the captive population grew, scientists considered where the red wolf could be reintroduced.
In 1987, six pairs of wolves were released in the Alligator River National Wildlife Refuge located within a five-county region—Beaufort, Dare, Tyrrell, Hyde and Washington—of eastern North Carolina. Those 1.7 million refuge acres are now home to the only wild population of red wolves in the world, managed for the last 29 years by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program. Until recently, it has been one of the most successful wildlife recovery programs in the country’s history.
But today, both the program and the wild red wolf face possible extinction once more. In the last few years, the wild population has decreased from over 120 wolves to 45— mainly due to shotgun mortality. Red wolves can resemble coyotes—especially at night—and a handful of local landowners have balked at hunting restrictions to protect red wolves. At the request of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and pro-hunting landowners, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service has temporarily suspended the red wolf reintroduction and adaptive management program.
Voices both for and against the red wolf have demanded immediate action; in September, the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service will announce whether they will continue the recovery program or remove the last remaining wild red wolves.
“The situation has gotten so much more dire,” says Brett Hartl, Endangered Species Policy Director for the Center for Biological Diversity. “We didn’t expect the population to drop as quickly as it has. We’re at a crisis point. They won’t last much longer unless there’s a change in course.”
The red wolf stands just over two feet tall, with pointed ears, long legs, and large feet. Red wolves weigh up to 80 pounds, and some of its fur has a reddish tint. Shy and reclusive, red wolves roam the woods at night in search of food such as rabbits and raccoons as well as insects, berries, and occasionally, deer.
“Red wolves are not unlike our human families,” Wheeler says. “They have puppies, they take care of them, they eat, they often travel in packs and they do their normal wolf activities.”
In 1988, the first wild litter of red wolf pups was born on the Alligator River Peninsula. As the population grew, scientists attempted to establish wild red wolf populations in other areas, including St. Vincent National Wildlife Refuge in Florida (in 1990) and the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (in 1992). But none of the other wild populations thrived, and all have subsequently ended.
Meanwhile, the North Carolina population increased under the watchful eye of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Red Wolf Recovery Program. On the Alligator River Peninsula, the wolves have over one million designated acres to roam. But from their first days, they wandered onto private land. And that’s where the resistance began.
“The program has been controversial throughout its existence,” says Pete Benjamin, Raleigh Field Supervisor for U.S. Fish & Wildlife (USFWS). “Generally I’d have to characterize it as successful. It was the first effort of its kind to restore a large carnivore to its historic range, and this program was the model for other predator re-introduction programs, including the grey wolves to Yellowstone.”
Indeed, for the first fifteen years of the program, the human and red wolf populations co-existed in relative peace. Sightings were rare, but tourists still traveled to the area in the hopes of seeing the elusive animals. USFWS worked with farmers who encountered red wolves on their private lands; the red wolves, for their part, often helped control predator populations during farming seasons.
USFWS monitored the red wolves, implementing various programs including the sterilization of coyotes to prevent a ‘coy-wolf’ hybrid population. Red wolves live an average of six to seven years in the wild; the Alligator River Peninsula population peaked at an estimated 130 red wolves. But in the last five years, that number has plummeted. One major reason: gunshot mortality. Coyotes and red wolves are similar in appearance, and the two have sometimes bred.
Coyotes have moved eastward across the United States, and when they arrived in the Alligator River Peninsula, hunters did not want them preying on deer or local livestock. Private landowners, often confusing red wolves for coyotes, began shooting red wolves. From 2012-2015, an estimated 30 of 65 red wolf deaths were attributed to shooting.
Hyde County Manager Bill Rich owns over 3,000 acres in the area. “There was never really a problem with the introduction of the red wolf,” Rich says |
of BL in human beings.
Introduction
Locomotion on all fours can normally be seen in human infants during the crawling period. A typical infantile quadrupedalism involves the hand and knees alternating diagonally between left-hand, right-knee and right-hand, left-knee: diagonal sequence crawling on hands and knees. Hands and feet may also be used during this period (bear crawling: diagonal sequence crawling on hands and feet). Trettien (1900) reported on 150 children, 50% of whom exhibited diagonal crawling on hand and knees, 20% lateral crawling on hands and knees, and 9% diagonal crawling on hands and feet. Hrdlicka (1931) reported some cases of bear crawling in healthy children.
Nearly 100 years later from the first quadruped man discovered by Childs (1917), a consanguineous family with 19 siblings, 6 of them exhibiting a novel syndrome with habitual QL, mental retardation and impaired speech was reported, and their condition was named Uner Tan syndrome (Tan, 2005, 2006a,b,c; see Tan, 2010; Tan et al., 2012 for reviews).
Among cerebellar ataxias, UTS is a unique syndrome with substantial differences from other balance disorders such as disequilibrium syndrome (DES), Cayman ataxia, and Joubert syndrome (see Tan, 2010; Tan et al., 2012). In this context, Guertin (2013) emphasized that UTS is a “recently identified and uniquely different neurological disorder.” Genetic studies showed UTS to be a unique, genetically heterogeneous syndrome without infantile hypotonia (Ozcelik et al., 2008; Gulsuner et al., 2011).
The primary aim of the present work was to evaluate the members of two closely related novel families with UTS, residing in a small village near Diyarbakir, South-Eastern Turkey. Some of the siblings in these families exhibited infantile hypotonia along with the usual UTS symptoms: no speech, severe mental retardation, and late-onset quadrupedal locomotion (QL). These symptoms constitute UTS Type-II, and UTS without infantile hypotonia is now designated UTS Type-I. In addition, this study will consider ipsilateral limb interference during QL, and its possible role in the evolutionary emergence of human bipedalism.
The most prominent feature of UTS, which is diagonal sequence QL in which the hind limb touchdowns are followed by the contralateral forelimb touchdowns, is characteristic of most primates, while lateral-sequence QL, with a hind limb touchdown followed by an ipsilateral forelimb touchdown, is characteristic of most non-primate species (Hildebrand, 1967; Prost, 1969; Rose, 1973; Rollinson and Martin, 1981; Schmitt and Lemelin, 2002). However, diagonal-sequence QL has a locomotor disadvantage in that there is often interference between the ipsilateral limbs, i.e., the ipsilateral hands and feet may clash during QL, constraining the movement of the coincident ipsilateral limbs (Schmitt and Lemelin, 2002). In this context, Larson (1998) reported that “a diagonal sequence/diagonal couplet walking gait creates a strong potential for interference between the ipsilateral hind and forelimbs.”
Interestingly, the first fish-like tetrapods also exhibited diagonal-sequence QL nearly 400 MYA, indicating that this type of QL is phylogenetically the oldest locomotor trait, and has been preserved for millions of years (see Tan et al., 2012). Human beings use essentially the same ancestral neural networks, ancient locomotor traits such as the central pattern generators (see Guertin, 2013; Ivanenko et al., 2013) generating diagonal sequence QL during bipedal locomotion (BL) (Donker et al., 2001; Zehr et al., 2009), even though human beings have the most complex brains of all species, along with unique psychomotor actions (see Tan et al., 2012). In this context, Bem et al. (2003) reported: “our findings support the hypothesis of a phylogenetic conservatism of the spinal locomotor networks generating axial motor patterns from agnathans to amphibians.” Dominici et al. (2011) also highlighted the evolutionary conservation of the ancestral neural networks in several animal species, beginning with common primitives (see Stuart, 2007).
Although diagonal-sequence QL was the first to appear during locomotor evolution, it was coupled with a locomotor disadvantage. Namely, the hindlimb and ipsilateral forelimb touchdowns coincided, increasing the probability of collision between the two limbs (Hildebrand, 1968). This was also observed in all of the UTS cases. Animals may have used two strategies to avoid the ipsilateral interference between the fore and hindlimbs: (i) by altering limb angular positioning, and (ii) by altering footfall patterns so that the ipsilateral forelimb is not maximally retracted at the moment of hindlimb touchdown (Young, 2012). Apart from this overstriding of one limb against another, one more mechanism could be developed to overcome the ipsilateral limb interference, and that is a transition from diagonal-sequence to lateral-sequence QL during evolution, with the consequent emergence of animals with lateral-sequence QL. It seems that most of the non-human primates succeeded in striding one limb over the other to avoid the collisions, and many non-primate animals succeeded in the transition from diagonal-sequence QL to lateral-sequence QL.
Several theories have been put forward to explain the evolutionary emergence of human bipedalism, e.g., the fighting hypothesis (Carrier, 2011), energetics (Sockol et al., 2007), the carry hypothesis (Videan and McGrew, 2002), and aquatic ape theory (de Sarre, 1988). Although the first hominins with BL emerged about 7 MYA, the mechanisms by which our BL evolved remains unknown (Sockol et al., 2007). These theories actually seems to be concerned with the consequences of the evolutionary emergence of human bipedalism rather than the mechanisms of that evolution. Consequently, the second aim of this work was to evaluate a novel theory to explain the evolutionary emergence of the human bipedalism, comparing the diagonal sequence QL in UTS cases. The working hypothesis was that the human bipedalism might be an attractor state triggered by the motor coincidence between the ipsilateral limbs during diagonal-sequence QL in our ancestors.
Methods
Cognitive abilities were evaluated using the mini mental state examination (MMSE) test, standardized for uneducated Turkish adults, and also known as the “Folstein Test” (Folstein et al., 1975). This test consists of a 30-point questionnaire measuring the individual's orientation, attention, calculation, recall, language and motor skills. The total possible score is 30 points, with equal or greater than 25 points being normal, 21–24 points indicating mild mental impairment, 10–20 points moderate, and 9 or below severe mental retardation (Mungas, 1991).
Brain MRI scans were obtained to visualize the cerebro-cerebellar structures of the patients' brains. The brains were scanned with a Siemens (Erlangen, Germany) 1.5 T scanner. A healthy individual from the same family was also subjected to the same procedure as a control. The brain MRI scans were evaluated by a specialist neuroradiologist. The physical characteristics of the cases, such as the head circumference, body height and weight were also measured. A written informed consent for scientific study of the families was obtained from the healthy fathers and mothers of the families, Branch I and II, respectively. The study was approved by the local ethics committee of Cukurova University.
According to the reports of the parents, no QL had been observed in previous generations, and the affected children were the results of the consanguineous marriages in Branch I and II families. We collaborated with Dr. Gleeson's laboratory at the University of California San Diego (USA) for the genetic analysis to be performed on healthy subjects, including fathers and mothers, as well as the affected individuals from the Branch I and Branch II families. Using the Qiagen reagents, DNA was extracted from the blood samples and a 5K SNP scan was performed, the results being analyzed using easy-linkage-Plus software (see Ali et al., 2012).
The videos of the cases were taken with permission of the families and patients, and saved as Figshare files, which can be downloaded using the citations for the videos. One can watch the videos by clicking Ctrl+ on the video address.
Results
Environment
There was one large and extremely poor core family with two closely related subfamilies, all residing in a small village with exclusively Kurdish inhabitants, located near Diyarbakir in South-Eastern Turkey (Figure 1, area 4). This was a poorly developed village with no school, water supply, or post office, but there was electricity. The families with affected members lived in small houses in the village, which had 62 houses and 3200 inhabitants, most of whom raised farm animals. The locations where previous UTS cases were found in Turkey are illustrated in Figure 3 (see also Tan et al., 2012).
FIGURE 1
Figure 1. Map of Turkey showing the places where the UTS cases were hitherto found between 1917 and 2012. (1) Hatay (Iskenderun), 6 cases; (2) Adana, 3 cases; (3) Gaziantep, 4 cases; (4) Diyarbakir, 7 cases; (5) Kars, 2 cases; (6) Afyon, 3 cases; (7) Canakkale, 4 cases; (8) Samsun, 1 case, discovered in 1917.
Genealogy
The pedigree of the two related subfamilies is presented in Figure 2. The mother (III-8, 50 years) and father (III-7, deceased at 57 years) of the first branch were first cousins (II-6 and II-8). There were 10 siblings in Branch II (IV-8 to IV-17: six normal (IV-8 to IV-10; IV-13, IV-14 and IV-17), two deceased daughters (IV-12 and IV-15) both with UTS, who died of unknown causes at the age of 2 and 9 years respectively, and one living son with UTS (IV-16). Another sister (IV-11) had severe hypotonia and was bedridden and died at the age of about 2 years of unknown causes. The siblings of the second family Branch II also had consanguineous parents (III-11 and III-12) who were children of cousins (II-2 and II-8). There were 12 siblings in this family, six of them being healthy (IV-21, IV-24, IV-27, IV-28, IV-30, IV-32), and six affected with various degrees of psychomotor disorders; of these, IV-26 and IV-31 were bedridden.
FIGURE 2
Figure 2. Genealogic tree of the Diyarbakir family. Squares: males, circles: females; filled symbols: cases affected with UTS; symbols filled with dots: bedridden cases. Double horizontal lines represent consanguineous marriages; diagonal lines represent deceased persons; roman numerals: generations; Arabic numerals: birth order of siblings. A specific combination of numerals, like IV-16, uniquely identifies each person.
Branch I, Case IV-16
The patient designated IV-16 (28 years, male) and belonging to the Branch I family, was first encountered begging on the street, walking on all four extremities and exhibiting diagonal sequence QL. He had not been referred to a hospital at that time. After permission was granted by himself and his parents, neurological examinations and MRI scanning were carried out and a blood sample was taken for genetic analysis. Figure 3 illustrates his ataxic lateral-sequence BL Figure 3A and diagonal-sequence QL Figures 3B,C), with ipsilateral arm to leg and hand to foot interference on the left side. The gestation of this patient had been without complication, and he had been delivered at term with the help of a neighbor's wife. According to his mother, he had been hypotonic, like a jelly, just after birth, but suckling was well developed. He started to speak with dysarthria at 7 years, could sit up without help at the age of 10 years, crawled on hands and knees at 12 years, and started to walk on hands and feet at 16 years. He could easily stand up now (at 28 years) without assistance, walking upright forwards and backwards, but with truncal ataxia and his legs apart more than 25–30 cm (see Video 1: IV-16 BL). His infantile hypotonia had progressively disappeared over the years. Now, he is a strong, lively, and friendly man, joking very often, and not complaining about his obligatory QL (see Video 2: IV-16 QL). He did not go to school and is still illiterate.
FIGURE 3
Figure 3. Case IV-16: ataxic upright walking (A), diagonal QL with interference between left hand and left foot (B,C).
The patient was able to speak using just a few 100 words necessary for everyday living, despite a mild dysarthria. He could construct only simple sentences, without using “and,” and “with.” In the Mini-Mental-State Examination test standardized for uneducated Turkish adults, the patient could not correctly answer the questions pertaining to the year, season, time, or country, and he could not understand the word “city.” He could recall three words and three items, could name the objects, repeat a short sentence, fold a paper, construct a sentence related to his home, could imitate the mimics, but could not draw a watch or name the days backwards. In total, he had 18 items correct from 30 items. To assess the patient's cognitive abilities further, the Wechler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) (1981) was used. The verbal, performance, and full scale IQ scores were found to be 53, 50, and 46, respectively.
MRI scans of the midsagittal, axial, and coronal sections of the brains of patient IV-16 and his unaffected brother are depicted in Figure 4. The midsagittal MRI scan showed a prominent cerebello-vermial hypoplasia, a thin corpus callosum, and gyral simplification, especially in the frontal cortex (Figure 4A) compared to the healthy subject, who had normal anterior, posterior superior, and posterior inferior vermial lobes, and well developed cortical gyral structures (Figure 4B). In the axial MRI section, there is severe cerebellar hypoplasia with just visible vermis (Figure 4C), compared to the control subject's well-developed cerebellum and cerebellar vermis (Figure 4D). In the coronal section, the severe cerebello-vermial hypoplasia were visible in the patient (Figure 4E) compared to the control subject, who had a well-developed cerebellum and cerebellar vermis (Figure 4F). Otherwise, the basal ganglia, thalamus, bulbus, and hippocampus seemed to be normal and similar to the control subject, but the pons appeared to be mildly hypoplastic.
FIGURE 4
Figure 4. MRI scans of the patient IV-16 (left) and the unaffected relative (right). (A,B): midsagittal; (C,D): axial; (E,F): coronal sections.
Branch II
The fathers of the mother (45 years) and father (55 years) of the second branch (III-11, III-12) were their respective uncles (II-3 and II-8). There were 12 siblings in this family, six of them being healthy (IV-21, IV-24, IV-27, IV-28, IV-30, IV-32) and the remaining six being affected with varying degrees of psychomotor disabilities (IV-22, 23, 25, 26, 29, 31). The cases IV-22 (25 years) and IV-23 (20 years) were a man and woman with fully developed UTS exhibiting habitual QL with severe mental retardation, and no speech except a few nonsense sounds. The main physical and neurological characteristics of the family members were as follows:
The mother (III-12) was quite normal with no impaired speech or intelligence; head circumference (50 cm) and height (154 cm) were within normal ranges for the Turkish population.
The father (III-11) was also normal with unimpaired intelligence and speech. Head circumference (52 cm) and height (155 cm) were within normal ranges. However, the deep tendon reflexes (DTR) were hypoactive in the lower extremities, which exhibited muscular atrophy.
Case IV-21 (30 years, male) did not show any psychomotor abnormalities, including locomotion and cognitive faculties.
Case IV-22 (25 years, male) showed fully developed UTS with truncal ataxia, habitual QL, severe mental retardation, and no speech except a few sounds. The patient could easily stand up, but he needed the help of a wall or a person for support. He fell down if he tried to make a step (Video 3: IV-22). There was neither nystagmus nor tremor. In the upper extremities, muscle tonus and muscle strength were well-developed with normal DTRs. In the lower extremities, muscle strength was normal, but muscle tonus was hypertonic, and the DTRs were hyperactive, brisk (grade 3). The muscles below the knees were atrophic. The Babinski sign was bilateral positive.
The MRIs depicted in Figure 5A (sagittal), Figure 5B (coronal), and Figure 5C (axial) show a diffuse cerebello-vermial hypoplasia, evidenced by prominent cerebellar foliae, in addition to mild cortical gyral simplifications. The basal ganglia, thalamus, bulbus, hippocampus and pons seemed unimpaired. Figure 5D shows the subject swinging the left arm parallel with the left leg as he attempted to make a step from the wall supporting him without falling down due to truncal ataxia. When he fell down after releasing from the wall, he immediately started to walk on all four extremities, exhibiting diagonal-sequence QL (Figure 5E; Video 3: IV-22).
FIGURE 5
Figure 5. Case IV-22. Sagittal (A), coronal (B) and axial (C) MRI scans. (D) Releasing from the wall to make a step: notice the parallel action of the left arm and left leg; (E) diagonal-sequence QL soon after releasing from the wall: notice the interference between the right arm and right leg.
Case IV-23 (20 years, female) exhibited UTS, with upwards nystagmus, bilateral dysmetria, dysdiadochokinesia, atrophy in the muscles of the legs below the knees, no plantar reflex, normal DTRs in the upper extremities, hyperactive DTRs in the lower extremities, severe mental retardation, and no speech except a few nonsense sounds. Her MRI scan showed cerebello-vermial hypoplasia (Figure 6A: sagittal; Figure 6B: coronal, and Figure 6C: axial sections). The basal ganglia, thalamus, bulbus, hippocampus, and pons seemed unimpaired.
FIGURE 6
Figure 6. Case IV-23. Sagittal (A), coronal (B), and axial (C) MRI scans. (D) Parallel-sequence ataxic BL: right arm-right leg and left arm-left leg (see arrows); (E) diagonal-sequence QL: left arm-right leg and right arm-left leg (see arrows).
She could easily stand up and walk back and forth, but with difficulty due to the truncal ataxia. Figure 6 depicts her upright, parallel sequence (right arm-right leg vs. left arm-left leg) BL Figure 6D, and diagonal-sequence (right arm-left leg vs. left arm-right leg) QL Figure 6E. Video 4 IV-23 shows the locomotor functions of this patient: standing up, walking upright, BL with truncal ataxia, and walking on all fours without truncal ataxia.
Case IV-24 (18 years, male) exhibited well-balanced bipedal walking and running (Video 5). The Babinski sign was absent, DTRs were normal in the upper extremities but hyperactive in the lower extremities. His MRI showed a mild cerebello-vermial hypoplasia, without gyral simplification in the cerebral cortex (Figure 7). The basal ganglia in thalamus, bulbus, hippocampus and pons seemed to be unimpaired in this case. He had a mild mental retardation with limited vocabulary, and was attending the school for handicapped children in Diyarbakir. Figure 8 illustrates the diagonal sequence (right leg-left arm vs. left leg-right arm) BL of this case.
FIGURE 7
Figure 7. MRI scans from a healthy subject: sagittal (A), coronal (B), and axial (C) and the patient IV-24: sagittal (D), coronal (E), and axial (F).
FIGURE 8
Figure 8. Diagonal-sequence BL in the case IV-24: left arm-right leg and right arm-left leg as indicated by the arrows. Notice no interference between arms and legs with freed hands and feet.
Case IV-25 (deceased at 10 years) had UTS with QL, mental retardation, and no speech.
Case IV-26 (deceased at 15 years) had no ambulation, was hypotonic, bedridden, with no speech except a few sounds (no UTS).
Cases IV-27, (15 years, male), IV-28 (10 years, male), and IV-32 (1 years, male) had no neurological signs or symptoms; speech and intelligence were not impaired.
Case IV-29 (deceased at 7 years) had UTS Type-II with quadrupedalism, mental retardation, childhood hypotonia, and no speech.
Case IV-30 (5 years, male) had congenital talipes equinovarus in both feet, which were turned inward and could not easily be moved into the normal position. Locomotion was facultative: he could easily stand up and walk and run on two feet, but he walked on hands and knees for slow actions and used QL for fast actions. He could understand, but not speak except for producing a few unintelligible sounds. His cognitive status could not be assessed because of difficulties in communication. Otherwise, he seemed to be a bright but naughty child. Figure 9 depicts his diagonal-sequence BL Figure 9A, QL on hands and feet Figure 9B, and on hands and knees Figure 9C, and the midsagittal Figure 9D, coronal Figure 9E, and axial Figure 9F MRI scans. No cerebello-vermial hypoplasia or any other anomalies in the cerebral structures were visible in these MRI scans. Video 6 CASE IV-30 (ALL GAITS) shows the fast quadrupedal running on hands and club feet and slow QL on hands and knees, followed by upright BL on club feet.
FIGURE 9
Figure 9. Case IV-30, 5 years old male with congenital talipes equinovarus in both feet. (A) Diagonal-sequence BL: right arm-left leg and left arm-right leg (see arrows). (B) Diagonal-sequence QL on hands and feet: left arm-right leg and right arm-left leg (see arrows). Notice the interference between the ipsilateral extremities on the left side; (C) diagonal sequence QL on hands and knees. Midsagittal (D), coronal (E), and axial (F) MRI scans.
Case IV-31 (3 years, male) was severely hypotonic, could not hold his head up, had horizontal nystagmus, severe muscular atrophy in the muscles of the upper and lower extremities. DTRs could not be elicited. Bilateral Babinski was negative. He was bedridden.
Genetic Analysis
The genealogy presented in Figure 2 suggested an autosomal recessive transmission from consanguineous parents. As a result of our collaboration with the Gleeson Lab at the University of California, San Diego, a possible mutation in the VLDLR (very low density lipoprotein receptor) gene was looked for and excluded in the affected cases of the Branch I and II families. In this context, the VLDLR gene involved in neuroblast migration in the cerebral cortex and cerebellum showed a missense mutation in members with UTS in two closely related families, as first mentioned by Ozcelik et al. (2008).
The results of the analysis for Single Nucleotide Polymorphism (5K-SNP) and the whole genome-wide approach were inconclusive: linkage plots showed areas where some homozygocities were found, but the linkage peaks did not reach statistically significant levels.
The clinical findings of the affected members of the families are presented in Table 1.
TABLE 1
Table 1. Clinical characteristics of the UTS Type-II and other cases.
Discussion
The characteristics of a novel variant of UTS was presented in two closely related families: UTS Type-II, which included childhood hypotonia without ambulation. The infantile hypotonia slowly disappeared and was replaced with normal muscle tone and QL during adolescence. In the previously described UTS Type-I cases, there was no childhood hypotonia, but the major symptoms, such as the consistent QL, mental retardation and dysarthric or no speech, were the same (for reviews see Tan, 2010; Tan et al., 2012).
The early phase of UTS Type-II, with severe hypotonia, no ambulation, truncal ataxia, severe psychomotor retardation, no speech, and a marked cerebellar hypoplasia, may be related to the long-known DES (Hagberg et al., 1972) and its clinical synonym Cayman ataxia (Brown et al., 1984; Nystuen et al., 1996). In contrast to these non-progressive cerebellar ataxias, in the UTS Type-II cases, the severe muscular hypotonia gradually disappeared and was replaced by strong muscles appropriate for walking, at least on all four extremities. The DES, Cayman ataxia and Joubert syndromes are mainly characterized by lifelong hypotonia with no ambulation even in adulthood.
Like UTS Type-I, UTS Type-II is also a rare cerebellar ataxia syndrome. This is consistent with the unpredictability of the outcomes of dynamical complex systems with a strong tendency to self-organize (Guarini and Onofri, 1993; Gribble, 2001). The extremely slow locomotor development in the UTS Type-II cases may be due to the slow progression of the self-organized, adaptive developmental processes (Tan, 2010; Tan et al., 2012; Karaca et al., 2013). The nature of UTS as a developmental disorder was recently dealt with in detail in a book chapter (Karaca et al., 2013).
In all of the UTS Type-II cases, the deep tendon reflexes were normal in the upper extremities but hyperactive in the lower extremities, except case IV-16 who had hyperactive DTRs in both upper and lower extremities. These results suggest that these cases may be affected by the upper motoneuronal lesions in addition to the cerebellar disorders, since the hyperactive stretch reflexes are generally elicited if the cortico-spinal pathways are interrupted at supraspinal levels (Walker, 1990).
With regard to VLDLR gene mutation in some cerebellar ataxias, Moheb et al. (2008) argued that “VLDLR deficiency alone is sufficient to cause the human DES phenotype.” Although a similar mutation in the same gene was also found in some families with UTS Type-I (Caglayan, 2008), this was not the rule either for DES or UTS cases. For instance, no VLDLR mutation could be detected in the UTS Type-II families in the present work. Similarly, Melberg et al. (2011) reported that their cases diagnosed as DES were negative for mutations in the VLDLR gene. Thus, DES may not always be associated with a mutation in the VLDLR gene.
The UTS cases showed genetic heterogeneity (see Karaca et al., 2013): VLDLR mutation in the Antep and Canakkale families (Ozcelik et al., 2008), CA8 in the Iraqi family (Turkmen et al., 2009), WDR81 in the Iskenderun family (Gulsuner, 2011; Gulsuner et al., 2011), and ATP8A2 in Adana family (Onat et al., 2013). Thus, no single gene defect may explain the emergence of UTS. This weakens the arguments about the genetic origins of UTS, and is consistent with findings on the minor genetic influence on the well-known syndromes. Accordingly, Maher (2008) argued that “even when dozens of genes have been linked to a trait, both the individual and cumulative effects are surprisingly small and nowhere near enough to explain earlier estimates of heritability.” Moreover, it is well known that similar mutations of a gene may be associated with different expressions of the same phenotype, i.e., “similar genetic lesions can have entirely different phenotypes” (Prasun et al., 2007).
Considering the above mentioned Mahler's argument about the small effect of genes in heritability, it is likely that genetics may play only a minor role in the origins of UTS, but the inconclusive results of the whole genome analysis in this work make a definitive conclusion impossible. However, it may be concluded that additional agents would probably contribute to the emergence of this syndrome. Accordingly, Hall (2011) argued “as the past 70 years made abundantly clear, genes do not control development. Genes themselves are controlled in many ways, some by modifications of DNA sequences, others by external and/or environmental factors.” There is one factor shared by all of the UTS families: the low socio-economic status, with associated low income, under-nutrition, illiteracy, and parental neglect. Thus, the unfavorable socio-economic status gains importance for the emergence of the whole spectrum of cerebro-cerebellar signs and symptoms in families with UTS, and affects the genetic expression (see Karaca et al., 2013). The association with the epigenetic status was highest in the most socio-economically deprived group of individuals and lowest in the least deprived group (McGuinness et al., 2012). The epigenetic status (DNA-methylation patterns) was also affected by dietary factors, even during embryogenesis, with further consequences in adult life (Mathers et al., 2010; Thompson et al., 2010; Thornburg et al., 2010). Similarly, the UTS Type-II families living under extremely low socio-economic conditions may also have been subjected to epigenetic changes during embryogenesis (see also Tan, 2010; Tan et al., 2012; Karaca et al., 2013). These epigenetic changes may be subjected to developmental disorders under the influence of self-disorganization. The rareness of these conditions may be due to the unpredictability of the outcomes of the complex systems, in which self-organization and self-disorganization occur. This may also be the reason why UTS was discovered only in families with low socio-economic status, the syndrome being so rare and not occurring in most low socio-economic status populations. That is, the low socio-economic status with its unfavorable effects on the prenatal development through epigenetic mechanisms may exert its effects within the brain, which is a dynamic system with highly complex information networks tending to self-organize attractor states, which are unpredictable and uncontrollable (Heylighen, 2008), like the emergence of UTS with impairments in upright posture and cognitive functioning resulting in ancestral QL, mental retardation, and dysarthric or no speech. In addition to unpredictability of the outcome of a complex system with self-organizing properties, the inbreeding may also be considered as an additional factor in rareness of the syndrome, i.e., a combination of poverty and inbreeding.
The cases with diagonal-sequence QL showed an ipsilateral extremity interference, constraining the movement of the coincident ipsilateral hands and feet. There is no interference between the ipsilateral extremities in tetrapods with lateral-sequence QL. Although the ipsilateral limb coincidence may be disadvantageous, this may have had important evolutionary consequences with regard to the emergence of BL in human beings. Hominids with ancestral BL would have had a better developed cortico-cerebellar system. In agreement with this, the affected UTS cases showed an impaired cortico-cerebellar motor control. In this context, Smaers et al. (2011) accentuated the importance of the cortico-cerebellar connections in human evolution: “neural systems involving profuse cortico-cerebellar connections are a major factor in explaining the evolution of anthropoid brain evolution.” Moreover, a functionally better developed brain may also induce better conscious control over any sustained perturbation in the locomotor system (Malone and Bastian, 2010), to overcome, for instance, the disadvantageous locomotor effect of the ipsilateral limb interference during QL, by the emergence of a new locomotor attractor state, human bipedalism. This may occur in a complex system by adaptive self-organization occurring within the brain of our ancestors, without any external selection process, in line with Waldrop (1990), who noted: “the tendency of complex dynamical systems to fall into an ordered state without any selection process whatsoever.” Oudeyer (2006) also reported: “the explanation of the origins of forms and structures in the living can not only rely on the principle of natural selection, which should be complemented by the understanding of physical mechanisms of form generation in which self-organization plays a central role.” Malone and Bastian (2010) reported on the role of conscious control of locomotor adaptation to a sustained perturbation. Our ancestors cannot be excluded from such a conscious control of locomotion. Namely, consciously perceiving the benefits of BL, such as freeing the hands for fine manipulations, foraging or carrying items, reaching food in previously inaccessible environments, for carrying babies to provide better protection. The more beneficial attractor state, upright posture with BL, would then emerge during evolution of the locomotor system. These benefits would enhance their chances of survival, creating habitually upright-walking human beings, with consequent developments in the psychomotor domain.
The strong potential for the interference between the ipsilateral hind and forelimbs during diagonal-sequence QL may have been the triggering factor for our ancestors to try to overcome this locomotor disadvantage by standing up, using BL. This would then result in more accurate specialization of the fore and hindlimbs: feet only for walking and running; hands only for manual actions such as grasping, throwing, handling, exploring, and tool-making. This is the novel theory for the evolutionary emergence of bipedalism in human beings, suggested for the first time in the present work: the ipsilateral limb interference theory for the evolution of human bipedalism.
The child, Case IV-30, with congenital club feet, exhibited all forms of locomotion: BL, QL on hands and feet, and crawling on hands and knees. He preferred upright BL and QL for fast actions: he always ran rapidly on two feet (BL) or on all fours (QL) despite the club feet, but he crawled on hands and knees for slow actions. He seemed to be a bright child with normal brain structures seen in MRI scans. We had previously described similar cases without psychomotor disorders: 4- and 12-year-old bright males, who also showed facultative locomotion: BL for slow and QL for fast actions (Tan and Tan, 2009). So, an impaired brain is not necessary for the emergence of QL (see also Karaca et al., 2012), in contrast to the argument that human QL should be considered as an epiphenomenon caused by neuro-developmental malformation and ataxia (Hertz et al., 2008). It was, instead, suggested that human quadrupedalism may spontaneously emerge as the outcome of the self-organizing brain processes in human beings with entirely normal brains, by taking advantage of the ancestral neural networks preserved for about 400 million years since the first appearance of fish-like tetrapods (Karaca et al., 2012). The 5-year-old child (Case IV-30) apparently utilized all possibilities for locomotion, including the most recent neural networks for BL, and the ancestral neural networks for QL, which will probably be suppressed later on and replaced by the most recently emerged BL in human beings.
Conclusions
Two closely related consanguineous families with siblings exhibiting UTS were presented. They lived in a small village near Diyarbakir, in South-Eastern Turkey. The affected siblings had infantile hypotonia, which had gradually disappeared by adolescence, and was replaced by QL during adulthood (UTS Type-II: a novel variant of UTS). No mutation was found in the VLDLR gene, but the genetic analysis was inconclusive. No single gene had so far been identified as a single factor directly involved in the emergence of UTS; consanguinity was not a prerequisite for the emergence of the syndrome, consistent with the Editorial in Nature Genetics: “it is unlikely that consanguinity contributes significantly to poly |
travelers a glimpse of daily life here.
“Up until a few years ago we had hardly any markets in the city, but it has really exploded,” said John RichLeMonde, the director of Sorauren Park Farmers’ Market (Monday 3 to 7 p.m.; corner of Sorauren Street and Wabash Avenue; westendfood.coop), a year-round operation that opened four years ago. During a visit this spring, dozens of children toddled about the market, dancing to the tunes of Jan Kudelka, a folk singer. Janet Dimond, owner of the stand Augie’s Gourmet Ice Pops (augiesicepops.com) briskly sold fresh icy confections (watermelon infused with cucumber and ginger, strawberry mingled with rhubarb) for $2.75 and bowls of asparagus, lemon and chickpea soup for $3. “On a day like this,” Ms. Dimond said, indicating the brilliant sunshine, “this is where everyone comes.” Alli Millar, who lives down the block, sold loaves of spring onion and wild wheat bread, and sticky buns for $3. Two women sold vegetarian spring rolls, freshly rolled, under a banner labeled Earth and City (earthandcity.ca), and Bizjak Farms sold its cider and apples, picked just a few miles away in Niagara, Ontario (bizjakfarms.com).
Mr. RichLeMonde credits one market with inspiring others to open in Toronto, Dufferin Grove Market (Thursday, 3 to 7 p.m.; just south of the intersection of Dufferin and Bloor Streets; dufferinpark.ca). It is in a park that was once a postage stamp of green in a rough neighborhood that has vastly improved, some say because of the market’s success since its arrival a decade ago. Dufferin Grove is a tremendous draw: on Friday nights, large communal dinners are cooked on site. The park has two giant outdoor wood-fired ovens where bread is baked and sold. It is also the site of a free ice skating rink.
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Not all the markets are based in parks. “There are about 12 neighborhood markets in the Toronto Farmers’ Market Network but over 30 markets in the city, some in civic centers, some in parking lots,” said Anne Freeman, market manager at Dufferin Grove Market and a coordinator for the 90 markets in the green belt that hugs Toronto.
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One of them is the Stop’s Farmers’ Market (Wychwood Barns, 601 Christie Street; thestop.org), which is held on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to noon in a former streetcar barn. Now the barns are used for artists’ studios and the market.
The oldest market in the city, the St. Lawrence Farmers’ Market (93 Front Street), is also held on Saturdays across a small plaza from the storied food stalls of the same name (the main hall is filled with permanent food vendors and restaurants). There, farmers line one side, peddling piles of asparagus for $1, and bakers sell pretzels, pies and breads. The Torontonian Andy Rattray’s “Sabores Latinos” offers antibiotic- and hormone-free beef empanadas and black bean spicy quesadillas ($3.50 each). At the next stall, Moyer Rowe Family farms (rowefarms.ca) lets visitors taste freshly milled red fife wheat pasta and sauce, harvested and milled just outside of Toronto.Judge: Saudi threats apparently 'rolled over' British government RAW STORY
Published: Friday February 15, 2008
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Print This Email This The British government appeared to have "rolled over" in response to pressure from Saudi Arabia to drop an investigation into alleged bribery in an arms deal with BAE Systems PLC, a High Court judge said Thursday. Lord Justice Alan Moses made the comments while hearing a challenge brought by two lobby groups to the legality of a Serious Fraud Office decision to stop the investigation in December 2006. "Saudi Arabia's rulers threatened to make it easier for terrorists to attack London unless corruption investigations into their arms deals were halted, according to court documents revealed yesterday," David Leigh and Rob Evans report for The Guardian. "Previously secret files describe how investigators were told they faced 'another 7/7' and the loss of 'British lives on British streets' if they pressed on with their inquiries and the Saudis carried out their threat to cut off intelligence." The Campaign Against Arms Trade and anti-corruption group Corner House argue the decision to halt the probe was illegal because it was based on tainted advice from then-Prime Minister Tony Blair and his government. The activists also argue it contravened the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development's anti-bribery convention, disregarded Saudi Arabia's obligations under international law and was against British law. Blair took responsibility for the decision to halt the probe, saying the investigation threatened national security interests. That argument was reiterated on Thursday by the fraud office's lawyer, Philip Sales, who said the decision was taken by the agency's director because there was a serious and imminent threat to national security. Sales said Saudi Arabia threatened to withdraw cooperation on issues crucial to British public safety, including those «in light of the Islamist terrorist threat. However, the two groups argue the government also put pressure on the fraud office to drop the investigation because BAE faced the loss of a lucrative jet fighter contract. The activists' lawyer, Dinah Rose, said the government had not disputed allegations that Saudi Prince Bandar bin Sultan, the former ambassador to the United States and now head of Saudi Arabia's National Security Council, told Blair during a meeting in July 2006 to stop the inquiry or BAE would lose a 10 billion pound (US$19.6 billion) contract to buy Typhoon Eurofighter jets. Rose said Blair then placed "irresistible pressure" on the fraud office's director, Robert Wardle, to stop the investigation. "We submit that the prime minister, with the greatest respect, crossed the line," she said. Documents presented to the court also revealed that BAE sent a'strictly private and confidential' memo to Britain's attorney general, Peter Goldsmith, saying the inquiry should be called off because it jeopardized the new contract. Goldsmith's office responded by saying it was not appropriate for him to read such a memo. Lord Justice Alan Moses, one of two judges presiding over the judicial review, repeatedly questioned why no attempt was made to see if the threats could be mitigated, or to explain to those making the threats that the fraud office was independent from the government, before ending the inquiry. "As far as we know, we have seen nothing that suggests that anybody did anything other than just roll over in the face of that," he said. Rose said a greater threat was the perception that Britain would give in to a threat delivered at the right time, in the right manner. "That could seriously implicate our national security," she said. The fraud office was investigating allegations that BAE, one of the world's largest arms makers, ran a 60 million pound (US$126 million) slush fund offering sweeteners to officials from Saudi Arabia in return for lucrative contracts as part of the Al-Yamamah arms deal in the 1980s. Al-Yamamah, meaning 'the dove,' was the name given to an agreement under which BAE supplied Tornado fighter jets and other military equipment to Saudi Arabia, which paid the British government with oil. The contract to buy Typhoon Eurofighter jets superseded the Al-Yamamah agreement. BAE, Britain's largest defense group, has always said it acted lawfully. Prince Bandar bin Sultan has also denied that he profited from the deal. The judicial review, which is expected to last two days, will consider only if the decision was legal, not if it was right or wrong. If the court finds in favor of the activists, the fraud office can be ordered to reconsider its decision. It would be able to draw the same conclusion, providing all legal procedures were correctly followed. The British government sold its majority BAE stake in 1981 when BAE became a public limited company. An investigation by the U.S. Justice Department is ongoing. Further excerpts from Guardian article: # Prince Bandar, the head of the Saudi national security council, and son of the crown prince, was alleged in court to be the man behind the threats to hold back information about suicide bombers and terrorists. He faces accusations that he himself took more than £1bn in secret payments from the arms company BAE. He was accused in yesterday's high court hearings of flying to London in December 2006 and uttering threats which made the prime minister, Tony Blair, force an end to the Serious Fraud Office investigation into bribery allegations involving Bandar and his family. The threats halted the fraud inquiry, but triggered an international outcry, with allegations that Britain had broken international anti-bribery treaties. Lord Justice Moses, hearing the civil case with Mr Justice Sullivan, said the government appeared to have "rolled over" after the threats. He said one possible view was that it was "just as if a gun had been held to the head" of the government. # FULL GUARDIAN ARTICLE HERE (with wire reports) This video is from Channel 4, broadcast February 14, 2008.Chapter One:
Introduction
In 1962, philosopher-scientist Thomas Kuhn coined the term "paradigm shift" to signal a massive change in the way a community thinks about a particular topic.1 Examples of paradigm shifts include Copernicus's discovery that the earth revolves around the sun, Einstein's theory of relativity, and Darwin's theory of evolution. Each changed the world of thought (some for better, some for worse) in a fundamental way.
From a political perspective, Constantine's Edict of Milan, issued in AD 313, constituted the formal beginning of a major paradigm shift that signaled the end of the ancient world and the beginning of the medieval period. That edict legitimated Christianity and impressed upon it the Empire's stamp of approval. It provided in pertinent part:
We grant both to Christians and to all men freedom to follow whatever religion each one wishes, in order that whatever divinity there is in the seat of heaven may be appeased and made propitious towards us and towards all who have been set under our power.... And since these same Christians are known to have possessed not only the places in which they had the habit of assembling but other property too which belongs by right to their body... you will order all this property... to be given back without any equivocation or dispute to all those same Christians.2
While the edict was couched in terms of tolerance to all forms of religion, its significance and historical impact lies in the fact that its author, Constantine, was the first Roman emperor openly sympathetic to Christianity.3
From a theological perspective -- specifically an eschatological one -- the Edict of Milan also signaled a monumental paradigm shift -- from the well-grounded premillennialism of the ancient church fathers to the amillennialism or postmillennialism that would dominate eschatological thinking from the fourth century AD to at least the middle part of the nineteenth century.4 Yet, as explored below, the groundwork for this shift was laid long before Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in AD 313. In the two centuries that led up to the edict, two crucial interpretive errors found their way into the church that made conditions ripe for the paradigm shift incident to the Edict of Milan. The second century fathers failed to keep clear the biblical distinction between Israel and the church. Then, the third century fathers abandoned a more-or-less literal method of interpreting the Bible in favor of Origen's allegorical-spiritualized hermeneutic. Once the distinction between Israel and the church became blurred, once a literal hermeneutic was lost, with these foundations removed, the societal changes occasioned by the Edict of Milan caused fourth century fathers to reject premillennialism in favor of Augustinian amillennialism.
This paper explores these two interpretive errors on the part of the post-apostolic fathers that set the doctrine of eschatology adrift from its secure biblical moorings and resulted in an acute paradigm shift from premillennialism to amillennialism. But first we must address a foundational question: Why do we care? Why does it matter what the early church father believed about eschatology anyway? Don't we as conservative Protestants embrace sola Scriptura? Isn't that enough? The answer to these questions is discussed in Chapter Two.
Chapter Two:
Why Study the Eschatological
Views of the Early Church Fathers
It is a fair question to ask: "Why do we care about the eschatological views of the early church fathers?" We as evangelicals emphatically agree with Hodge that "the true method of theology... assumes that the Bible contains all the facts or truths which form the contents of theology."5 As Ryrie cogently put it:
The fact that something was taught in the first century does not make it right (unless taught in the canonical Scriptures), and the fact that something was not taught until the nineteenth century does not make it wrong unless, of course, it is unscriptural.6
In the words of our Baptist forefathers: "The Holy Scripture is the only sufficient, certain and infallible rule of all saving knowledge, faith, and obedience" and "the whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man's salvation, faith and life, is either expressly set down or necessarily contained in the Holy Scripture: Unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelation of the Spirit, or traditions of men."7 Therefore, since everything we need for an adequate understanding of doctrine is to be found in the Bible, are the doctrinal positions of our predecessors irrelevant to our understanding of theology?
Not at all. There is, in fact, much value in studying historical theology.8 The value is interpretive. As stated by Erickson, historical theology "makes us more self-conscious and self-critical, more aware of our own presuppositions."9 It assists us in learning to "do theology" by showing us "how others have done it before us."10 Finally, it "may provide a means of evaluating a particular idea."11 It shows us how a particular doctrine began, evolved and, importantly for purposes of this paper, "sometimes deviated from biblical truth." In sum, "historical theology attempts to understand the formation of doctrines, their development and change -- for better or worse."12
Not surprisingly, the period of the early church fathers is considered the most important in historical theology.13 This is true for two reasons: First, the early church fathers were "close to the events of the life of Christ and the apostolic era." Moreover, the second century apologists took the lead in defending Christianity against its first barrage of intellectual criticism.14
Thus, it behooves us to understand the eschatological views of the early church fathers. This is especially so since one charge frequently laid against dispensational premillennialists is that our system cannot pass the test of historical theology. Dispensationalism cannot be true, so the assertion goes, because it is recent in origin.15 Charles Ryrie calls this the "historical attack."16
Of course, the historical attack on dispensational premillennialism ignores the overwhelming evidence that the church fathers of the first three centuries AD were uniformly premillennial, not amillennial or postmillennial. It also fails to recognize that a change in church dogma does not necessarily indicate a change for the better. Indeed, one can profitably learn as much from the mistakes of those who come before us as from their triumphs. Unfortunately, at least in the area of eschatology, the progression of doctrinal understanding leading up to the paradigm shift occasioned by the Edict of Milan was not for the better. It involved two basic interpretive errors that remain with us today. The first critical error of the second century fathers -- the failure to keep distinct the nation of Israel and the church -- is discussed in Chapter Three.
Chapter Three:
The First Error: Blurring the
Distinction Between Israel and the Church
THE FIRST ERROR:
A fundamental tenet of dispensationalism is the belief that Israel and the church are distinct peoples of God.17 Indeed, a simple concordance search of the word "Israel" in the New Testament will lead to the conclusion that the New Testament writers never equated the church with the nation of Israel.18
However, what the New Testament writers did not do, the post-apostolic fathers quickly did. For example, around the turn of the first century AD, Clement appears to have ascribed to the church the promises of the Abrahamic Covenant in his Epistle to the Corinthians:
Let us then draw near to Him with holiness of spirit, lifting up pure and undefiled hands unto Him, loving our gracious and merciful Father, who has made us partakers in the blessings of His elect. For thus it is written, When the Most High divided the nations, when He scattered the sons of Adam, He fixed the bounds of the nations according to the number of the angels of God. His people Jacob became the portion of the Lord, and Israel the lot of His inheritance. And in another place [the Scripture] saith, Behold, the Lord taketh unto Himself a nation out of the midst of the nations, as a man takes the first-fruits of his threshing-floor; and from that nation shall come forth the Most Holy. Seeing, therefore, that we are the portion of the Holy One, let us do all those things which pertain to holiness,....19
While Clement's statement could perhaps be seen as ambiguous, the following assertions of Justin Martyr in Dialogue with Trypho (around AD 160) cannot:
[1] And Trypho remarked, What is this you say? that none of us shall inherit anything on the holy mountain of God? And I replied, I do not say so; but those who have persecuted and do persecute Christ, if they do not repent, shall not inherit anything on the holy mountain. But the Gentiles, who have believed on Him, and have repented of the sins which they have committed, they shall receive the inheritance along with the patriarchs and the prophets, and the just men who are descended from Jacob, even although they neither keep the Sabbath, nor are circumcised, nor observe the feasts. Assuredly they shall receive the holy inheritance of God.20
[2] What larger measure of grace, then, did Christ bestow on Abraham? This, namely, that He called him with His voice by the like calling, telling him to quit the land wherein he dwelt. And He has called all of us by that voice, and we have left already the way of living in which we used to spend our days, passing our time in evil after the fashions of the other inhabitants of the earth; and along with Abraham we shall inherit the holy land, when we shall receive the inheritance for an endless eternity, being children of Abraham through the like faith. For as he believed the voice of God, and it was imputed to him for righteousness, in like manner we having believed God’s voice spoken by the apostles of Christ, and promulgated to us by the prophets, have renounced even to death all the things of the world. Accordingly, He promises to him a nation of similar faith, God-fearing, righteous, and delighting the Father; but it is not you, ‘in whom is no faith.’21
[3] What, then? says Trypho; are you Israel? and speaks He such things of you?.... "As therefore from the one man Jacob, who was surnamed Israel, all your nation has been called Jacob and Israel; so we from Christ, who begat us unto God, like Jacob, and Israel, and Judah, and Joseph, and David, are called and are the true sons of God, and keep the commandments of Christ. 22
According to Saucy, Justin Martyr's statements were "the capstone of a developing tendency in the church to appropriate to itself the attributes and prerogatives that formerly belonged to historical Israel."23 Saucy states:
With Justin's statement, the developing theology of replacement was complete. There was no longer any place for historical Israel in salvation history. The prophecies addressed to this people henceforth belonged to the church.24
Why did the early church fathers so quickly abandon the biblical distinction between Israel and the church? Saucy notes four factors. First was the developing antagonism between Judaism and early Christianity.25 The early strife revealed in the apostolic period (Acts 4:1ff; 5:17ff; 6:12ff; 9:1; 1 Thes. 2:14-16; Rev. 2:9) was "acerbated by the failure of Christians to support the Jewish revolt against the Roman authorities in AD 66-70, the Christians choosing instead to flee Jerusalem for the safety of Pella, across the Jordan in Decapolis." The schism was again deepened by the Jewish proclamation at the Council of Jamnia (AD 90) that all who departed from the standard Jewish faith were cursed.26
The second factor influencing the thinking of early believers in terms of how they viewed Israel was the two-fold destruction of Jerusalem.27 With the first destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the expulsion of Jews from Jerusalem as a result of the second Jewish revolt in AD 132-135, the early Christians began to see these defeats as evidence of not only God's displeasure on Judaism, but also God's vindication of Christianity. The early Christians thus abandoned any hope for the restoration of the nation of Israel.28
The third rationale was the refusal of Jews to accept Christ.29 As time passed, the church began to realize that the Jewish establishment was not going to change its mind about Jesus Christ. Hence, early Christian leaders began to see Jews less as converts to the gospel and more as enemies of the gospel.
The fourth rationale involved the increasingly Gentile composition of the church.30 As the church began to be dominated by people without Jewish roots, the hardening of the Jews' hearts and the waning hope for Israel's conversion made it easier for the increasingly Gentile church to polemicize against Judaism and to seek a replacement theology.31
In sum, the basic premise of the early fathers was that God had permanently cut the nation of Israel off as his people as a result of her disobedience and idolatry in the Old Testament and her rejection and crucifixion of Jesus in the New. The faithful of the church age became the "new Israel" of God. They, along with the patriarchs and saints of previous ages, would inherit the promises given to national Israel, and these promises would be fulfilled in the millennial kingdom.32
Although Saucy calls the reasoning of these post-apostolic fathers "surely understandable,"33 it was equally certain error. As a result, the dispensationalism of the biblical writers was lost, even though the early fathers continued to hold to a literal millennial kingdom for the church and the Old Testament saints to enter. Moreover, this initial error led to a far more serious problem. The early fathers' willingness to abandon the literal meaning of the biblical text -- in this instance in terms of the meaning of Israel and the church -- was merely a portense of things to come with regard to the second major error -- the systematic allegorizing and spiritualizing of Scripture. This is discussed in Chapter Four.
Chapter Four:
The Second Error:
Allegorizing the Text of Scripture
The early apostolic fathers interpreted Scripture according to a "functional hermeneutic," meaning that they applied the text to their own situation, often without regard for its original context.34 For example, Clement included 166 quotations or allusions to the Old Testament in his Epistle to the Corinthians, seeking not so much to discover the Old Testament's message on its own or even with regard to the work of Christ, but more so to offer types and other pictures of Christ as a basis for moral obedience.35 In the seven letters of Ignatius that are believed to be genuine, the Antioch bishop used almost fifty references to 1 Corinthians. In doing so, he characteristically took Pauline expressions from their contexts and used them in his own situations.36
In the latter part of the second century, the church was beset by Gnostic critics who challenged the continuity between the Old and New Testaments. For example, the heretic Marcion rejected the Old Testament in toto. In response, Justin Martyr expanded the "functional hermeneutic" of the early fathers to include a "typological hermeneutic."37 He linked the Old Testament and the New by adopting the view that the Old Testament in its entirety pointed to Jesus. Almost any person or event in the Old Testament profitably could be used to foreshadow the life or work of Christ.38 In fact, Justin saw the Old Testament as being "a specifically Christian book, belonging to the church even more than to the synagogue."39 This approach paved the way for the allegorical interpretive method suggested by Clement of Alexandria and perfected by his successor, Origen.
Clement became the leader of the Alexandrian school in AD 190. He saw the literal meaning of Scripture as being a "starting point" for interpretation. Although it was "suitable for the mass of Christians," God revealed himself to the spiritually advanced through the "deeper meaning" of Scripture. In every passage, a deeper or additional meaning existed beyond the primary or immediate sense.40 "The literal sense indicated what was said or done, while the allegorical showed what should be believed."41
Origen, Clement's successor, took his approach to new levels. Origen (along with Augustine) has been considered the most nimble, creative mind of the early church.42 Schaff called him "the greatest scholar of his age, and the most gifted, most industrious, and most cultivated of all the ante-Nicene fathers."43 Origen was a pious man. He "rarely ate flesh, never drank wine; devoted the greater part of the night to prayer and study, and slept on the bare floor."44 He was tortured and condemned to the stake in the Decian persecution, and was saved from martyrdom only upon the death of the emperor.45 For his faith, then, Origen is to be commended. For his theology, however, he is to be severely castigated.
Schaff's delicate suggestion that Origen's "great defect" was the "neglect of the grammatical and historical sense and his constant desire to find a hidden mystic meaning" in the text of the Bible is sheer understatement.46 While Origen did not deny the literal meaning of the text, that most certainly was not his emphasis. Rather, he taught that Scripture has three different, yet complementary meanings: (1) a literal or physical sense, (2) a moral or psychical sense, and (3) an allegorical or intellectual sense.47
To Origen, much of the Bible, if read literally, was intellectually incredible or morally objectionable. An allegorizing interpretation was used to make objectionable passages palatable.48 However, as Bruce has observed: "this approach was largely arbitrary, because the approved interpretation depended so largely on the interpreter's personal preference, and in practice it violated the original intention of the Scriptures and almost obliterated the historical relatedness of the revelation they recorded."49 Farrar similarly declared:
When once the principle of allegory is admitted, when once we start with the rule that whole passages and books of Scripture say one thing when they mean another, the reader is delivered bound hand and foot to the caprice of the interpreter....
Unhappily for the Church, unhappily for any real apprehension of Scripture, the allegorists, in spite of protest, were completely victorious.50
The dangers of an allegorical approach to interpreting Scripture are nowhere more evident than with regard to Origen himself. Origen taught the pre-existence of souls, universal salvation and a limited hell, doctrines for which he was posthumously condemned as a heretic.51 Despite his late condemnation, the damage had long been done. Through Augustine, Origen's allegorical hermeneutic became the backbone of medieval interpretation of the Bible.
Augustine (AD 354-430), perhaps Christendom's most preeminent theologian apart from the apostle Paul, was drawn to the Alexandrian approach to interpreting Scripture by Ambrose, his spiritual mentor. Building on Origen's interpretive system, Augustine suggested a four-fold sense which would later be adopted by medieval theologians: (1) literal; (2) allegorical; (3) tropological or moral; and (4) analogical.52 However, later in life, he began to emphasize more strongly the literal and historical sense of Scripture.53 Stanton has even suggested that Augustine came to the view that the historical and doctrinal sections of Scripture should be interpreted by normal literal methods, while prophecy should be interpreted spiritually.54
In apparently backtracking from Origen's purely allegorical method of interpretation, Augustine may have been influenced to some degree by the Antioch school of biblical interpretation, which arose in opposition to the Alexandrian school. The Antioch's school’s two greatest exegetes, Theodore of Mopsuestia (AD 350-428) and John Chrysostom (AD 354-407), were "anti-allegorical," meaning they rejected interpretations that effectively denied the historical reality of what the scriptural text affirmed.55 Chrysostom, in particular, avoided treating Old Testament passages as allegories of Christ and the church and instead sought typological meanings when the text allowed for it.56
Chrysostom and the Antiochene school distinguished allegorical interpretation from typological in two primary ways. Typological interpretation attempted to seek out patterns in the Old Testament to which Christ corresponded, while allegorical exegesis depended on accidental similarity of language between two passages. Second, typological interpretation depended on a historical interpretation of the text. The passage, according to the Antiochenes, had only one meaning, the literal, and not two as suggested by the allegorists.57
The Antioch school, however, was an aberration. It could not halt the torrent of allegorism spawned by Origen and matured by Augustine.
Whether Augustine personally abandoned Origen's allegorical hermeneutic later in life is open to debate. His legacy, however, at least through the medieval period, was the perpetuation of Origen's allegorical interpretive method. Indeed, with Origen's allegorical hermeneutic firmly in place, it became an easy jump to amillennialism.
Chapter Five:
The Paradigm Shift:
From Premillennialism to Amillennialism
Philip Schaff, no dispensational premillennialist, observed that "the most striking point in the eschatology of the ante-Nicene age is the prominent chiliasm, or millennarianism, that is the belief of a visible reign of Christ in glory on earth with the risen saints for a thousand years, before the general resurrection and judgment."58 Schaff noted that the hope of Christ's imminent return "through the whole age of persecution, was a copious fountain of encouragement and comfort under the pains of that martyrdom which sowed in blood the seed of a bountiful harvest for the church."59 Even church fathers who committed other errors discussed above, such as Barnabas, Papias, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, and Tertullian, remained committed premillennialists. For example, Clement of Rome conspicuously combined premillennialism with a clear belief in the imminency of Christ's return. He wrote:
Of a truth, soon and suddenly shall His will be accomplished, as the Scripture also bears witness, saying, Speedily will He come, and will not tarry; and, The Lord shall suddenly come to His temple, even the Holy One, for whom ye look.60
Barnabas, an early member of the Alexandrian school who otherwise spiritualized the Old Testament, expressly taught a millennial reign of Christ on the earth:
The Sabbath is mentioned at the beginning of the creation [thus]: And God made in six days the works of His hands, and made an end on the seventh day, and rested on it, and sanctified it. Attend, my children, to the meaning of this expression, He finished in six days. This implieth that the Lord will finish all things in six thousand years, for a day is with Him a thousand years. And He Himself testifieth, saying, Behold, to-day will be as a thousand years. Therefore, my children, in six days, that is, in six thousand years, all things will be finished. And He rested on the seventh day. This meaneth: when His Son, coming [again], shall destroy the time of the wicked man, and judge the ungodly, and change the-sun, and the moon, and the stars, then shall He truly rest on the seventh day.61
In Against Heresies, Irenaeus extolled the virtues of the millennium in terms reminiscent of the Old Testament prophets. He also marshalled statements from Papias in support of his literal millennial views:
The predicted blessing, therefore, belongs unquestionably to the times of the kingdom, when the righteous shall bear rule upon their rising from the dead; when also the creation, having been renovated and set free, shall fructify with an abundance of all kinds of food, from the dew of heaven, and from the fertility of the earth: as the elders who saw John, the disciple of the Lord, related that they had heard from him how the Lord used to teach in regard to these times, and say: The days will come, in which vines shall grow, each having ten thousand branches, and in each branch ten thousand twigs, and in each true twig ten thousand shoots, and in each one of the shoots ten thousand dusters, and on every one of the clusters ten thousand grapes, and every grape when pressed will give five and twenty metretes of wine. And when any one of the saints shall lay hold of a cluster, another shall cry out, I am a better cluster, take me; bless the Lord through me. In like manner [the Lord declared] that... all animals feeding [only] on the productions of the earth, should [in those days] become peaceful and harmonious among each other, and be in perfect subjection to man.
And these things are bone witness to in writing by Papias, the hearer of John, and a companion of Polycarp, in his fourth book; for there were five books compiled... by him. And he says in addition, Now these things are credible to believers. 62
Polycarp asked two questions which reflected a belief in a literal, earthly reign of Christ and his saints:
But who of us are ignorant of the judgment of the Lord? Do we not know that the saints shall judge the world? as Paul teaches.63
Justin Martyr was an enthusiastic premillennialist, although by his day, premillennialism had at least some opponents:
And Trypho to this replied, I remarked to you sir, that you are very anxious to be safe in all respects, since you cling to the Scriptures. But tell me, do you really admit that this place, Jerusalem, shall be rebuilt; and do you expect your people to be gathered together, and made joyful with Christ and the patriarchs, and the prophets, both the men of our nation, and other proselytes who joined them before your Christ came? or have you given way, and admitted this in order to have the appearance of worsting us in the controversies?
Then I answered, I am not so miserable a fellow, Trypho, as to say one thing and think another. I admitted to you formerly, that I and many others are of this opinion, and [believe] that such will take place, as you assuredly are aware; but, on the other hand, I signified to you that many who belong to the pure and pious faith, and are true Christians, think otherwise.... But I and others, who are fight-minded Christians on all points, are assured that there will be a resurrection of the dead, and a thousand years in Jerusalem, which will then be built, adorned, and enlarged, [as] the prophets Ezekiel and Isaiah and others declare.64
Tertullian was also a premillennialist, but he unfortunately based his eschatology on the predictions of Montanist prophets as well as on Scripture.65 Indeed, the Montanists' fanatical excesses worked to discredit premillennialism among early church leaders, and opposition to premillennialism began in earnest as a result of the Montanist movement. Caius of Rome attacked millennialism specifically because it was linked to Montanism, and he attempted to trace the belief in a literal millennium to the heretic Cerinthus.66
In Alexandria, Origen spiritualized the eschatological prophecies of Scripture, in keeping with his general allegorical hermeneutic.67 His student, Dionysius the Great, went so far as to even deny that the apostle John wrote the book of Revelation. Instead, he attributed the Apocalypse to a heretofore unknown elder of the same name.68
However, these were mere harbingers of things to come. The crushing blow for premillennialism came with the Edict of Milan in AD 313, by which Constantine reversed the Roman Empire's policy of hostility toward Christianity and accorded it full legal recognition and even favor. Historian Paul Johnson calls the issuance of this edict "one of the decisive events in world history.69 With it, no longer was the blood of the martyrs the seed of the church. Rather, Christianity would be, in many ways, a mirror-image of the empire itself. "It was catholic, universal, ecumenical, orderly, international, multi-racial and increasingly legalistic."70 It was a huge force for stability.71 Hence, Christianity after 313 would become worldly, rather than other-worldly.
The church's new-found favor from Rome caused dramatic upheavals. Jerome complained that "one who was yesterday a catechumen is today a bishop; another moves overnight from the ampitheatre to the church; a man who spent the evening in the circus stands next morning |
well.)
So we went to the admin with our calculations but they wouldn't listen to us for several hours. I asked them several times about this issue and they kept telling me that they are working on it, even though it would just take a minute to calculate it together. We were very persistent and finally got them to reconsider and recalculate it. Around 10:30 pm (after about 4 hours and all the top 16 matches had finished at this point) they talked to us behind the scenes and told us that they made a mistake, but replaying the round is impossible.
I understand that it is not possible to change the bracket but I was very devastated, since getting a spot in the top 16 and especially a chance to win the event is way more valuable to me than the money I got as a compensation.
Thanks to all my teammates and my manager for cheering me up the whole time. I have never had any previous issues with Dreamhack, I believe they are a great organization, but things like this cannot happen.
Reply · Report PostThe news cycle has moved at a ferocious pace over the last several years as our attention has been sequentially riveted by predicament after unexpected predicament: from the Arab Spring to Putin’s annexation of Crimea, from the rise of ISIS to China’s extensive land reclamation on reefs in the South China Sea. As the pace of news, coupled with new social media technologies that further hype the new “trending story,” many foreign policy analysts can be forgiven for complaining of severe whiplash at the rapid turn of events.
One storyline that seems to have been precipitously dropped by the media ( with only few exceptions ) concerns the Ebola Crisis in West Africa. It’s easy to forget that this issue was the dominant news theme last summer and fall.
In September 2014, the Centers for Disease Control offered the dire, worst case prediction that as many as 1.4 million people in West Africa could be infected by January 2015. Some have faulted the U.S. response as coming too late to help the approximately 11,000 victims of the terrible disease.
However, even if the most dire predictions did not come true, the fact that 3,000 U.S. military personnel went bravely into this quite unprecedented and plainly risky situation to help to stem the outbreak undoubtedly reflects greatly on the U.S. armed forces as a “global force for good” and perhaps also their commander-in-chief, who made the difficult decision to commit sizeable resources to this noble effort.
Other U.S. government agencies (e.g. Public Health Service), as well as numerous American volunteers also played heroic roles—frequently risking exposure during the worst part of the crisis. Still, the United States was hardly alone among the world community in lending a hand. Little Cuba’s outsized contributions impressed many, for example.
But what of the emergent Chinese colossus? This edition of Dragon Eye will attempt a modest and quite preliminary appraisal of China’s “非洲抗击挨博拉” [counter Ebola in Africa] campaign.
It seems that Beijing has not received due acknowledgement for an impressive effort, that featured significant participation from the People’s Liberation Army (PLA), among various Chinese government agencies. China itself has been uncharacteristically modest about these achievements. This may be an attempt to temper future expectations for the next big global outbreak. More likely still, one may speculate that Chinese leaders were seriously concerned that “excessive” coverage of China’s efforts to counter Ebola could have incited major worries at home regarding the obvious risk of carrying the deadly virus back to China. Such concerns would have been totally reasonable, moreover, if one simply recalls the jittery reactions of Americans with respect to returning aid workers.
As with most of the other members of the international community, China could be faulted for reacting somewhat slowly to the crisis. The earliest pledge of assistance by Beijing in April 2014 amounted to a paltry $160,000 to contain the crisis in the entire region. Over time, however, as the crisis deepened during the summer of 2014, additional assistance was promised and seems to have reached well over 100 million.
This amount is less than some other major powers, for example Japan, but then China also put significant “skin in the game,” as well as funds. Thus a November 2014 report in 环球时报 [Global Times] pointed out, for example, that while the United States was also providing resources, unlike China it was not directly providing military personnel to staff the facilities it was helping to set up. The same report suggested that China had deployed more specialists and medical personnel to the region than any other single country.
This claim needs to be verified with other sources, of course, but Beijing may have indeed benefited in its effort from its recent, large-scale effort to counter the SARS epidemic. In addition to hospital beds, ambulances, protective clothing, and stoves, China set up a 100-bed “Ebola Control Center” in Liberia with 160 doctors and nurses from the PLA to staff that facility. China also worked with the African Union and the European Union to provide public sanitation courses, as well as setting up an “非洲疾病防空中心” [Africa Disease Control Center], according to a report in the State Council-affiliated journal 亚非纵横 [Asia & Africa Review].
The most specific information that has emerged from China regarding its Ebola response actually concerns the military unit deployed into Liberia. This unit, frequently referred to as China’s “白衣战士” [white coat warriors] was operating under President Xi Jinping’s overall guidance to “大胜仗零感染” [fight on to victory, allow zero infection].
PLA Hospital #302 is identified as the main unit deployed into Liberia, but that hospital has drawn in medical personnel from across China’s military regions, including Shenyang and Chengdu, as well as Beijing. In early September 2014, the doctors and specialists at this hospital were put on alert and ordered to prepare to deploy to West Africa to combat the “超级病毒” [super virus]. In preparing for the deployment, the hospital developed an elaborate process involving 36 discrete steps and 11 special garments to address “every conceivable risk,” and achieve a “stricter than strict” set of procedures to avoid infecting deployed personnel.
The initial deployment of PLA medical personnel succeeded in completing the 100-bed Ebola treatment center, a facility of 5,400 meters, by November 25. The achievement was said in one Xinhua report to “彰显中国标准和中国速度” [to manifest Chinese standards and Chinese speed].
As with medical personnel from other nations directly involved in the Ebola maelstrom, the Chinese military doctors and nurses experienced a wide array of challenges, tragic circumstances, “恐怖” [horror], and poignant encounters. A quite detailed account of the first military medical team’s activities appeared in a mid-January edition of 中国国防报 [China Defense Report]. In this report, one learns of the nervousness of confirming the very first Ebola case at the new treatment center, and about coping with the heat and the sweat.
There are other less obvious difficulties, such as the challenge of finding blood vessel veins for needles against the very dark skin of the local victims. A 53-year old military nurse from Shandong, Chen Hongma, is said to come “面对面” [face-to-face] with the danger of Ebola infection in handling the blood of victims during her duties. Another female member of the PLA-team in Liberia, Yang Limin, confronts the all-to-common reality that a young patient has just lost her mother to Ebola and so temporarily becomes her “中国妈妈”[Chinese mom].
The sixth detachment to rotate through the hospital #302 facility arrived in mid-April. That deployment brought the number of PLA personnel rotating through the facility to nearly 500. As of April 2015, that unit had treated 938 sick persons, diagnosed 295 as confirmed cases of Ebola, and cured and released 25 of those infected with the virus. Figures on fatalities were not available, but must be assumed to be high given the virus’ extreme lethality.
China has also accomplished major feats against Ebola in Sierra Leone as well, for example at the Sierra-Leone-China Friendship Hospital that was also converted to serve as an Ebola treatment center. Moreover, it should be noted that the first Chinese medical teams to go into the Ebola Crisis were not from the PLA, but rather from the China National Health and Family Planning Commission. About the August 2014 decision to send these teams, one early Western academic appraisal of China’s efforts made the following observation worth quoting at length:
“Observers found it notable that China did not pull back its personnel and instead sent more in. ‘Even by dispatching just a few teams, it was a signal of recognition from the Chinese of the gravity of the situation as an international emergency,’ said Dr J. Stephen Morrison, director of Global Health Policy Center at Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies. ‘They are not running away from it, they’re running towards it.’”
The information in this Dragon Eye column hardly constitutes a comprehensive study of China’s effort against Ebola and that story continues, moreover. Such a project, using a wider array of sources as well as interviews while applying due skepticism, may await the patient spadework of an ambitious graduate student in search of a thesis.Facebook recently published the results of a study from Nielsenthe same company that does TV ratings, on their Business Blog regarding the effect that Facebook video ads have. The results state that (emphasis added):
Results show that from the moment a video ad was viewed (even before one second), lift happened across ad recall, brand awareness, and purchase consideration.
First, let me explain what the study “determined,” then I’ll lay out why I think some of it is laughable. Per Nielson, individuals who watched a video for three seconds or less generated 47 percent of the total campaign value, and by 10 seconds of watching, that value had leapt up to 74 percent. Value continued to increase after the 10 second mark, but the most benefits to a brand occur in the first 10 seconds.
Facebook reports that Nielsen analyzed data from 173 of their BrandEffect studies that included Facebook video ads. The goal was to determine ad recall, brand awareness and purchase consideration, and they reportedly used a “test-and-control design.”
I generally have no problems with the premise behind the idea that people spending at least 3 seconds watching a video probably show an uptick in interest in purchasing a product and brand awareness. However, the idea that a significant number of people seeing a video for a time shorter than a second would have been impacted is risible.
Has Nielsen heard of Inattention Blindness?
If you are like me, you scroll through your Facebook feed looking for something that catches your eye. On Twitter, I tend to take the time to read, but Facebook tends to go past in a blur. Now, it’s entirely possible that large groups of people slowly study each item in their feed, but I’m going to go with not. This is important because if people aren’t actually paying attention to what they are seeing, even if it’s in their face, it won’t register.
There have been a variety of studies on inattention blindness, but the linked video should demonstrate quite nicely. Long story short, seeing an ad for “less than a second,” whether it’s an image or a video isn’t likely to make the type of impression they’re talking about.
Results Were Admittedly Massaged
Someone who is way smarter than me, Byron Sharp, of the Ehrenberg-Bass Institute1, responded to the Facebook blog post in the comments.
The “uplifts” in this research are the comparison between those who chose to watch the ad to a similar group of people who were not exposed (or worse, those who did not choose to watch). This is not the same as usual ad research that compares unexposed to exposed. People interested in the category or brand are far more likely to choose to watch, and watch longer. Hence higher purchase intention and awareness.
Fred Leach, stating that he was with the lead team at Facebook who worked with Nielsen had this response (emphasis added):
First, for each campaign in the study Nielsen used data from Facebook to create a model that used thousands of features to estimate the probability of watching the video to completion with a penalized regression… Within the propensity score matching procedure, covariate balance was optimized with a genetic algorithm. After matching test and control groups in this manner, a regression adjustment was made to down-weight the small number of observations with poor matches.
In English, this means a lot of educated guesswork was done, and once results were had, they were altered. It sounds to me like the study, which wasn’t even independently handled, was designed to assure advertisers that just because people sped past their video ads, it didn’t mean they were wasting their money.
The Results Kneecap Video Advertising Anyway
Here’s the other thing about the study. The reason that the video ads were said to still have an impact, even if someone saw them for less than a second, is because the static image before a video plays is effectively a display ad. In other words, video ads that act like image ads supposedly provide significant results in terms of brand awareness and buying consideration. If that is the case, why on earth would you pay more for video ads?Meeting back in November last year with recipients of the Yangtze Taofen News Prize (长江韬奋奖), considered one of the most prestigious honours in Chinese journalism, President Xi Jinping said he hoped all journalists could be “news workers trusted by the Party and by the people.”
Trust and credibility are of course questions at the heart of journalism — questions that are again the subject of fresh and fierce deliberation in the West in the era of “post-truth.” But what does trust actually mean in the context of the Chinese journalism as it is understood and delineated by the Chinese Communist Party?
Answering this question is the thankless task of an article in the most recent edition of Seeking Truth, one of the Party’s leading journals of theory and policy. And, just as thanklessly, we summarise the article’s main points here to help readers better understand press policy in the Xi Jinping era.
The Seeking Truth article, attributed in the byline to the Party Committee of the All-China Journalist’s Association — an official industry organisation purporting to represent the interests of media professionals but more importantly representing the Party’s interests to and through journalists — explores the “four directions” (四向) formula outlined by Xi Jinping in November, and pledges to lead all journalists in enacting them as the “four actions” (四做).
In typical biaotai (表态), or “declaration of official support,” fashion, the Seeking Truth article back-scratches the president, saying that his remarks on journalism have “enriched the press theory of socialism with Chinese characteristics.”
So here we have the formula:
Adhering to the correct political direction, being a news worker with steadfast politics.
Xi Jinping emphasised that news workers must adhere to the correct political direction, maintaining a high degree of unity (高度一致) with the central Party leadership. They must adhere to the Marxist View of Journalism (马克思主义新闻观), which essentially means A) supporting the principles of the Party, B) criticising the “bourgeois concept of free speech,” and C) maintaining “correct guidance of public opinion” (meaning media control to maintain political stability). According to the article, news workers must “deepen their understanding of the relationship between the Party nature and the people nature” (党性和人民性关系), meaning they must understand their role as “mouthpieces” that speak simultaneously in a unified voice for both the Party and the public — and not as independent voices for a supposed public interest. The bottom-line, as Xi Jinping re-emphasised in February last year, is that the Party runs the media, and “all media are surnamed Party.” As the Seeking Truth article said, journalists must ensure “the full realisation of Party control of the news, and Party control of the media.”
Adhering to correct guidance of public opinion, being news workers who guide the age.
Xi Jinping emphasised that all news workers must abide by correct guidance of public opinion, or zhengque yulun daoxiang (正确舆论导向), a concept dating back to the 1989 crackdown on the pro-democracy movement in China. Media control, in other words, is essential for the Party in maintaining social and political stability, and in advancing its policy goals. And so, in the Seeking Truth article’s parroting of Party discourse, the news media must “deeply propagate the Party’s theories and policies,” and in the context of the Xi era must propagate the idea of the Chinese dream of “the great rejuvenation of the Chinese people.” More concretely, this is about emphasising positive news coverage, or zhengmian xuanchuan weizhu (正面宣传为主) — and minimising the negative, always seen as destabilising — in order to advance the Party’s economic and social development objectives. The Seeking Truth article also employs the metaphor of navigation, saying that correct guidance serves the function of a “pole star.”
Adhering to correct news goals, being news workers with a consummate sense of the business.
While the above two points emphasise the primary objective of Party control of the news media, and media more broadly, this one is the leadership’s nod to the commercial and soft power aspects of the media as an industry. So here, for example, we find language about having “the courage to innovate.” While Xi Jinping has laid a great deal of emphasis on so-called “innovation,” this is in fact old stuff, redolent of the 1990s, when media development and commercialisation were priorities stated alongside media control. We may also recall Hu Jintao’s “Three Closenesses” formula, introduced in 2002, which stressed the need for media to be relevant and attractive to the public. The emphasis in the Seeking Truth article is on increasing the “infectiveness” of news reports — in other words, making them marketable bits of effective propaganda — on advancing the use of new media tools and platforms, and on “raising the international transmission capacity” of Chinese news reports in the hope of “telling the China story well.”
Adhering to the correct work direction, being news workers with proper work styles.
This last point turns the formula back on the people practicing journalism, on the news workers who must be properly orientated themselves, and properly managed, in order to achieve the above-stated objectives. It is about regulating and managing members of the press. Here, too, the discussion turns to ethical breaches in the media, including such practices as “paid-for news” (有偿新闻), “fake news” (虚假报道), “vulgar sensationalism” (低俗之风), “harmful advertising” (不良广告) and “news extortion” (新闻敲诈).When the great architect Philip Johnson first visited the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, designed by Frank Gehry, he started to cry. “Architecture is not about words. It’s about tears,” Johnson reportedly said. Something about the museum’s majestic curves moved him at an emotional level. Many others must get a similar feeling, because the building is usually ranked among the most important in modern times.
Whether or not Johnson and Gehry realized it, the Bilbao and its swirling façade tapped into a primal human emotional network. Time and again, when people are asked to choose between an object that’s linear and one that’s curved, they prefer the latter. That goes for watches with circular faces, letters rendered in a curly font, couches with smooth cushions–even dental floss with round packaging.
The Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Harvard Medical School
The Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at Harvard Medical School
Recently neuroscientists have shown that this affection for curves isn’t just a matter of personal taste; it’s hard-wired into the brain. Working in tandem with designers in Europe, a research team led by psychologist Oshin Vartanian of the University of Toronto at Scarborough compiled 200 images of interior architecture. Some of the rooms had a round style like this:
Courtesy of Oshin Vartanian
Others had a rectilinear form, like this:
Courtesy of Oshin Vartanian
Vartanian and collaborators slid people into a brain imaging machine, showed them these pictures, and asked them to label each room as “beautiful” or “not beautiful.” In a study published earlier this year, they reported that test participants were far more likely to consider a room beautiful when it was flush with curves rather than full of straight lines. Oblong couches, oval rugs, looping floor patterns–these features got our aesthetic engines going.
It’s worth noting this isn’t a men-love-curves thing; twice as many women as men took part in the study. Roundness seems to be a universal human pleasure.
Beauty ratings were just the first step in the study. The researchers also captured the brain activity that occurred when the study participants in the imaging machine considered the pictures. Turns out people looking at curved design had significantly more activity in a brain area called the anterior cingulate cortex, compared to people who were looking at linear decorations. The ACC has many cognitive functions, but one is especially noteworthy in the context of Vartanian’s study: its involvement in emotion.Bill Gross, Portfolio Manager, Janus Capital Group, speaks during the Milken Institute Global Conference in Beverly Hills Thomson Reuters (Reuters) - Bond investor Bill Gross warned on Tuesday that investors should reduce their risk appetite, given the U.S. growth rate is stunted by secular forces "which monetary and even future fiscal policies seem unable to reverse."
In his June investment outlook letter, Gross of Janus Henderson said: "Strategies involving risk reduction should ultimately outperform 'faux' surefire winners generated by central bank printing of money.
"It's the real economy that counts and global real economic growth is and should continue to be below par," said Gross, who runs the $2.1 billion Janus Henderson Global Unconstrained Bond Fund.
Gross has repeatedly said investors should not be tempted to buy high-flying equities and corporate bonds, given the possibility U.S. President Donald Trump may fail to enact policies to fuel growth of between 3 percent and 4 percent.
Last month, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross told Reuters the U.S. economy would fall short of the Trump administration's goal of 3 percent growth this year and would only achieve that rate when its regulatory, tax, trade and energy policies were fully in place.
"Capitalism's arteries are now clogged or even blocked by secular forces which when combined with low/negative yielding'safe' assets promise to stunt U.S. and global growth far below historical norms," Gross said.
Gross said so-called zombie corporations that need bailouts to survive are being kept alive as opposed to destroyed and standard business models forming capitalism's foundation - such as insurance companies, pension funds, and banking - are threatened by the low yields that have in turn, produced high asset prices.
"These sectors in fact, have long-term maturities and durations of their liabilities, and their assets have not risen enough to cover prior guarantees, so we see Puerto Rico, Detroit, and perhaps Illinois in future years defaulting in one way or the other on their promises to constituents," he said. "Faulty finance-based capitalism supported by the increasingly destructive monetary policy begins to erode, not support the real economy."
Overall, instead of making money by investing in the real economy, savers/investors increasingly are steered toward making money in the financial economy, Gross said.
But "'making money with money' is seriously threatened. How soon this takes place is of course the investor's dilemma, and the policymakers' conundrum. But don't be mesmerized by the blue skies created by central bank QE (Quantitative Easing) and near perpetually low interest rates. All markets are increasingly at risk."You must enter the characters with black color that stand out from the other characters
— Cheered by the biggest crowds of his campaign, Republican Mitt Romney declared Sunday that 42-year-old running mate Paul Ryan is ready to be president, but said his own budget plan, not the more detailed proposals of his partner, will be the basis of his White House bid.
"I have my budget plan," he said. "And that's the budget plan we're going to run on."
Earlier, Romney walked a careful line as he campaigned with Ryan by his side in North Carolina, singling out his running mate's work "to make sure we can save Medicare." But the presidential candidate never said whether he embraced Ryan's austere plan himself, and he addressed the matter more directly in a "60 Minutes" interview, with Ryan still with him, that aired Sunday night on CBS.
Democrats weren't about to let them off that hook.
President Barack Obama, attending campaign fundraisers Sunday in Chicago, tagged Ryan as the "ideological leader" of the Republican Party.
"He is a decent man, he is a family man, he is an articulate spokesman for Gov. Romney's vision but it is a vision that I fundamentally disagree with," Obama said in his first public comments about Ryan's selection.
Senior Obama adviser David Axelrod and other aides spent Sunday trying to brand Ryan's budget "the Ryan-Romney plan."
During the Republican primary, Romney had called Ryan's budget a "bold and exciting effort" that was "very much needed."
Ryan proposed to reshape the long-standing entitlement by setting up a voucher-like system to let future retirees shop for private health coverage or choose the traditional program — a plan that independent budget analysts say would probably mean smaller increases in benefits than current law would provide.
Romney and Ryan, in their first joint television interview Sunday, were clearly mindful that some of Ryan's proposals don't sit well with key constituencies, among them seniors in critical states like Florida and Ohio. Each man sought to reassure older voters they wouldn't take away their benefits, with Ryan saying his mother is "a Medicare senior in Florida" and Romney vowing there would be "no changes" for seniors currently counting on the popular federal program.
"In America, the nature of this country has been giving people more freedom, more choices," Romney said. "That's how we make Medicare work down the road."
Romney praised his running mate for his policy depth and analytical skills and said if they should win the election, Ryan will surely be consulted in big decisions — "along with other individuals." He added: "Obviously I have to make the final call in important decisions."
The presumptive presidential nominee said Ryan, "if it were necessary, could become president." And Romney extolled his running mate's Washington experience, despite having criticized primary rivals Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum for their years in the nation's capital.
Ryan said he planned to release two years of personal tax returns to the public. The wealthy Romney is also releasing two years of returns, despite pressure from Democrats and some Republicans to provide more information about how he manages his millions.
Romney's selection of Ryan has jolted the presidential contest, until now one that had done little to draw the public's attention, and set the contours for the fall campaign: Romney as a proponent of a friendlier business climate seeking to revitalize the economy and rein in federal spending and Obama casting himself as a defender of middle-class families and federal spending on health care, retirement pensions and education.
The running mate pick also shifted the campaign debate, at least temporarily, to the pressing economic challenges facing the country — a debate both Romney and Obama have said they wanted to have even as the dialogue had spiraled into nasty, personal attacks. Sunday was a marked departure from the previous week, when the race for the White House devolved into name-calling and accusations of lying from both campaigns.
Three months from Election Day, polls find Obama with a narrow lead over Romney, though the race remains tight in key battleground states. And while Ryan's selection raised the role of government spending and Medicare in the election, the fundamentals of the campaign remained unchanged: a race defined by a weak economy and high unemployment, measured most recently at 8.3 percent in July.
Romney, seeking to pull his campaign out of a summer slump, appeared to relish in campaigning alongside the youthful and energetic Ryan.
"This is Day Two for me," a gleeful Romney told a campaign rally in Moorseville, N.C. "This is Day Two on our comeback tour to get America strong again, to rebuild the promise of America." He meant a comeback for the country, but that could apply as well to his campaign.
The duo blitzed through North Carolina — a competitive battleground state in the November election — as part of a multistate bus tour. The team made two campaign stops in North Carolina Sunday – at 10 a.m. at the NASCAR Technical Institute in Mooresville and at 1 p.m. in High Point – and the presidential hopeful laid out a five-step plan he says will create 12 million jobs.
Romney pulled out of a planned campaign event at Smokey's Shack, a barbecue restaurant at 10800 Chapel Hill Road in Morrisville, but the candidate's son, Matt Romney, filled in as headliner. Pat McCrory, the Republican candidate for governor, was also on hand.
The pair ended the day in Waukesha, Wis., with a homecoming-themed event for Ryan, who was in tears as he took the stage.
Romney, emboldened by the enthusiastic crowds that greeted the pair Sunday, wrapped up a day of campaigning with a sharp shot at the tone of Obama's campaign. "Mr. President, take your campaign out of the gutter," he said.
Romney then planned to head to Florida and Ohio as the week begins, while Ryan was scheduled to travel to Iowa on Monday as the ticket looked to cover as much ground as possible.
For Ryan, the weekend of campaigning was a chance to make a first impression on many voters. A recent CNN/ORC international poll found a majority of voters had no opinion of the congressman, an up and comer in Washington but far from a household name. Nearly 40 percent had never heard of him and 16 percent weren't sure what they thought of him.
The 42-year-old congressman embraced the attack dog role traditionally assumed by the No. 2 on the ticket. He said Obama had turned his 2008 campaign slogan of "hope and change" into "attack and blame."
"We're not going to fall for it," Ryan told a crowd of 5,000 in High Point, N.C.
Obama's campaign had already been trying to tie Romney to Ryan's tough budget blueprint even before the Wisconsin congressman emerged as a contender for the GOP ticket. Democrats believe seniors, those nearing retirement and middle-income voters will view Ryan's long-term budget plan remaking Medicare and cutting trillions in federal spending as a threat to their financial security.
Campaign officials were readying state-specific strategies aimed at seniors in Florida and Ohio, and also planned to court young people and military service members who they believe will be turned off by other elements of Ryan's proposed budget cuts.
As chairman of the House Budget Committee, Ryan is the primary author of conservative tax and spending proposals that the tea party-infused Republican majority approved over vigorous Democratic opposition in 2011 and again in 2012.
They envision transforming Medicare into a program in which future seniors would receive government checks that they could use to purchase health insurance. Under the current program, the government directly pays doctors, hospitals and other health care providers.
Ryan and other supporters say the change is needed to prevent the program from financial calamity. Critics argue it would impose ever-increasing costs on seniors.
Other elements of the budget plan would cut projected spending for Medicaid, which provides health care for the poor, as well as food stamps, student loans and other social programs that Obama and Democrats have pledged to defend.
In all, it projects spending cuts of $5.3 trillion over a decade and would cut future projected deficits substantially. Romney, too, has proposed ambitious cuts in federal spending, but without the specifics that make Ryan's plan so attractive to fiscal conservatives and such a target for Democrats.
Republicans say Ryan could help put Wisconsin, which traditionally has voted Democratic in presidential campaigns, in play and that the Catholic Midwesterner also could appeal to blue-collar voters whom Romney, a Mormon and multimillionaire, has struggled to reach in Iowa and elsewhere.
Obama's campaign had no plans to start running new television ads in Wisconsin following Ryan's pick. Officials said they didn't think Ryan was popular enough statewide to swing Wisconsin toward the Republican ticket.
Obama's campaign argues Ryan's budget could be a powerful campaign tool for the president in states like Pennsylvania and Iowa, in addition to Florida and Ohio.
Down ballot, party leaders hoped to work in tandem with Obama to turn the Ryan budget into a litmus test in congressional races, forcing Republican opponents to take ownership of the plan. The campaign arm of the House Democrats, for example, was urging its lawmakers to call Ryan's budget plan — not the man himself — Romney's new "running mate."
___
Thomas reported from Chicago. Associated Press writer Julie Pace contributed from Washington.The fortitude of even the most devoted investors has been sorely tested by the stock market decline, which already ranks among the worst in modern history. “People say they’re afraid of a stock market crash,” said Mr. Lynch, the former manager of Fidelity’s Magellan fund. “Well, we’ve already had a crash. Look at the numbers.”
The Dow Jones industrial average is down more than 50 percent from its peak of October 2007. In just the first two months this year, it declined almost 20 percent, its worst start ever. Many markets around the world have fallen even further, and the global economy is still weakening.
What’s more, over the last 10 years, a period that many investors had considered protracted enough to count as “the long term,” the stock market has actually declined in value — a reversal that generations of investors had never experienced for themselves. And despite government rescue plans around the world, there is no assurance that the slide is over.
Henry Kaufman, the Wall Street economist who has often been bearish in the face of market optimism, says that while the stock market will surely recover, many investors will need to lower their expectations.
It’s not clear that the market today presents a “buying opportunity,” he said, pointing to continuing structural problems in the economy. “There is no golden rule that says how much a market should go down,” he said.
Even after the market eventually rebounds, he said, people who expect annual returns of 9 or 10 percent will be disappointed. “Over the next five years,” he said, “annual returns of 4 to 5 percent are in the range that people might expect.”
Dr. Kaufman said that several popular investing theories “have fallen apart.” With nearly all asset classes moving in tandem, he said, diversification hasn’t been of much help, and global investing hasn’t worked out very well, either.
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“Many markets outside the United States are down more than the American markets,” he said, “and certainly, in terms of flight to safety, in the fixed-income side, the money is coming back here rather than going out there.”
And, he said, Wall Street’s faith in “quantitative risk analysis” has been battered. “It didn’t save anything or anybody,” he said.
What should investors do under these circumstances? Buy high-quality corporate bonds, which fell sharply over the last year or so, and which are likely to rise in a market recovery. That makes sense to Dr. Kaufman, as well as Messrs. Wien, Biggs and Lynch. Bonds have the merit of providing steady income, at rates that are now very high; they tend to be less volatile than stocks; and they have a higher legal claim on a company’s assets.
FOR investors with a truly long-term view, probably 20 years or more, the market will be worthwhile, they said, because stocks should outperform other asset classes. To one degree or another, though, they said investors should be extremely cautious over the short term.
Mr. Biggs said he thinks it’s “50-50” as to whether the economy begins to recover over the next year or “whether we are going into a depression and a deflation,” which could conceivably be as painful as the 1930s.
“If we’re going into the 1930s,” he said, “it’ll be survivalism, and we’ll have very substantial social unrest.”
Mr. Wien considers that prospect extremely unlikely, saying he is convinced that the Obama administration’s economic and financial rescue plans “will do the job,” setting off a stock market rally later in the year. But he also predicted enough disturbance in currency markets for gold to rise to $1,200 an ounce from its current $940 range.
For his part, Mr. Lynch said that even after this market decline, he would stick to the view that no one should hold stocks unless they could afford to lose an additional 50 percent. And he said he had not deviated from his faith in “bottom-down stock picking,” in which investors who have done their research buy shares of just five or six well-priced companies with strong balance sheets and “compelling stories.”
“I can’t tell you anything about where the market will be in the next six months or 12 months or two years,” Mr. Lynch said. “But at some point in the future, I think you’ll look back and see that we’ve gotten through this,” and that “stocks turned out to be the best bet.”There are lots of feel-good promises coming from Hillary Clinton about wages, jobs, opportunity and so forth and so on — skewed to portray the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee as a true woman of the people who understands household financial challenges and kitchen table economics. These claims are accompanied by much vigorous criticism of Republicans, always set to the same melodramatic script.
But wait. The ever-analytical Republican National Committee accuses Mrs. Clinton of having “economic amnesia,” and pointed out that she has perhaps forgotten her party has been in the White House for eight years, fiscal policies and all.
Then there is the reality check to consider — or in this case, just plain checks and lots of them. An upcoming fundraiser in Chicago at week’s end serves as a reminder. On hand for the festivities: former President Bill Clinton. The price per ticket for a “host” is $50,000. A “champion” can get through the front door for $33,400.
In total, Mrs. Clinton has raised $247 million so far for her campaign, and the effort is ramping up, and growing more intense. Former Democratic presidential hopeful Martin O’Malley will spend the next 48 hours campaigning in Iowa for his former competition.
Then there’s Sen. Elizabeth Warren who has also joined the team.
The ladies are set for their official debut in Ohio. Soon. Oh, but it is complicated. Mrs. Clinton herself shows up in Cincinnati for an evening fundraiser on Sunday, to be followed by her first appearance with the outspoken Massachusetts lawmaker the following morning. Then Mrs. Clinton is off to Chicago for a solo speaking engagement at a jumbo luncheon, followed by an afternoon “Hillblazer” fundraiser. |
aren’t setup properly, and it wouldn’t be too difficult to resolve a market wrongly. We don’t want someone’s first experience with Augur to be something where they buy Kanye shares, he wins, and then the oracle says Trump won: the backstops are needed to prevent that. A diagram of the process is below, and a dispute works by posting a reputation bond. If the dispute was valid and the initial outcome was wrong then you get your bond back and more rep. If you posted a dispute and it wasn’t needed (i.e. it was reported on correctly the first time), you lose your rep bond.
Below is a diagram of the current reporting process, which is about 6,000 lines of code shorter than the old process:
What was removed for launch?
These things were removed for complexity reasons:
Events resolving early (so instead of making “Will Elon ever make it to Mars” and having one market until say 2040, instead users should make markets like “Will Elon make it to Mars by the end of 2018?” and another one for 2019, etc.)
The reporting commit and reveal has been removed because it’s unneeded complexity and cost (if people collude, the system will just end up going to the next backstop). This was suggested by Vitalik long ago and we finally got around to removing it.
Markets with more outstanding shares in the first wave of reporting (limited reporter numbers) getting more reporters was removed.
Indeterminate, unethical are all lumped under one invalid now.
What will be in future Augur releases?
More than 8 outcome markets, perhaps using the LS-LMSR, since it’s actually good for things like this — these add a lot of complexity and don’t work very well when using an order book so they were removed for the time being.
Allow markets denominated in other currencies (as opposed to just ETH + other markets themselves) which requires that the currency has an ETH exchange rate with a decentralized exchange so we can count it towards outstanding share value which is needed for the reporting system.
Town Crier, Oraclize.it, SmartContracts.com, and RealityKeys as first resolver options built in the UI (and using the reporting system as a backstop, which allows for much quicker market resolution most of the time).
Off chain trading using the 0x protocol.
State channel trading.
A more mobile friendly UI.
Audits
For audits, we want to have experts inside and outside the community review the code, and then we’ll implement the fixes and share the reports. Audits are in progress and will be continuing over the upcoming weeks. If you know anyone who you think would be good please email us at team@augur.net, we’re always looking to add more people who can further audit our contracts!
Release Schedule
1. Security Audits (in progress)
2. Code Bug Bounties
3. Bug Bounty Prediction Market Release
4. Augur Lite release with a maximum amount of shares outstanding / open interest in the markets (meaning only a small amount of money can be locked up in them). Alternatively, make it so users can only deposit a maximum amount, say, 5 ETH.
5. Full Augur Release
We want to launch slowly. In the beginning the core dev team will essentially have carte blanche to modify things, replace / upgrade contracts, etc in the case of a fault event or vulnerability after launch. The idea is to sort of start with “training wheels” and slowly remove them over time as the system proves to be secure. If something went wrong we could quickly update the contracts. If we maliciously updated them a fork of Augur would almost certainly develop, which is good! Early on the probability that the developers are malicious is lower than the probability of bugs and vulnerabilities. Later on we can switch to a decentralized way of updating things.
The Decentralized Mode for Updating:Badger’s Rob Watts was at the Autosport International Show, and sat down with former McLaren mechanic and current Sky F1 pundit Marc Priestley to talk through some of the major talking points in Formula One.
Rob Watts: Without a doubt, the biggest news story of the winter is Nico Rosberg’s retirement. I didn’t see that coming. What was your take on it?
Mark Priestley: I had an exclusive interview with him the day before [he announced his retirement] and he was the most relaxed I’ve ever seen him. He was in great spirits, and we chatted for half an hour which was way more than we had booked out. He answered all of my questions in a very open and honest manner – apart from those about 2017. I asked him what number he was going to have and whether it was going to be the number one and he said ‘Oh I don’t want to talk about that, I haven’t even thought that far ahead – I just want to concentrate on the moment’.
At the time, of course, you think that’s fine and completely understandable. Even though there were clues in hindsight, none of them had triggered. Even the Mercedes team had no idea, so that tells you what a closely guarded secret it was. I have to say I have respect for his decision. Having got to know him a bit better during that half an hour, I have a lot of respect for what he’s achieved and what he’s gone through to achieve it. 2016 took everything he had – he literally gave it everything. He sacrificed a lot at home and took a different approach in terms of his preparation and focus, and he literally had nothing left by the time he had got to Sunday night in Abu Dhabi. He was completely spent, and you could see that.
So I have a total respect that he didn’t want to go through that again and again when yes, he might have got two or three titles, but he didn’t need that. He wanted to become World Champion, and he’s done it. There’s a lot of benefits obviously to being a Formula One driver, but why sacrifice so much of the rest of his life that he sees as so important when he’s already ticked the thing off his list that he wanted the most?
RW: We saw a mental toughness from Nico last year, that we’ve perhaps not seen from him before. Do you agree that Austin 2015 (cap-gate) was a turning point in his career?
MP: He told me that he’d spent two or three days after [Austin 2015] feeling distraught with himself, and then he said he picked himself up, went for a run, and said that he never wanted to feel like that again. So that was definitely a turning point for him. I think you’re right – it’s his focus that has changed, and that was the difference – obviously there were some mechanical issues that you could debate all day long for Lewis, but at certain parts of this year, he was not as mentally focused as Nico was. I don’t think even Lewis could argue with that.
When you’re trying to win a Formula One race or a championship, everything has got to be right – it’s not an easy thing to do. Nico took advantage of every opportunity because he was so focused. When those opportunities came along, he didn’t put a foot wrong, and that’s what has won him the title.
RW: It was quite frustrating to see just how shut off Nico became at times last season, but we now know he was using a mind coach to help him focus one race at a time. What role do you think that played?
MP: Some people see it as a weakness, and Lewis has alluded to that by saying that he doesn’t need one. He’s almost trying to put it down as their rivalry continues even after Nico’s retired. I don’t see that as a weakness, though. I see that as trying to hone every single part of your armoury, trying to maximise everything thing you’ve got. The mental focus and mental toughness needed in any top sport is a huge part of it; a part that a lot of people do overlook.
If you get it wrong, no matter how fit or how talented you are, it can trip you over. A number of drivers that I’ve worked with have used mind coaches, psychotherapists or whatever you want to call them. For some of them, it really works, while for others it doesn’t, but I don’t think you can criticise it. That was a clear example of Nico looking for any advantage, no matter how small it may be – and it’s been justified as he’s won the title.
RW: You worked with Lewis yourself back in 2007-08. What is it about him that makes him such a difficult teammate to have?
MP: “His raw pace is at the heart of it. I remember back in his rookie year in 2007 his teammate was the world champion, Fernando Alonso. A big part of the problems we had back then could be traced back to the fact that Lewis was just so quick. Nobody expected him to be that fast, especially Fernando Alonso! He thought he’d be the clear number one, but Lewis’ pace was the trigger, and then of course on top of that, once he’s got an opponent riled or on the ropes, he does have a knack of going for the jugular.
You can’t criticise that either, it’s just his way of going about top level motorsport, or any sport in fact. Nico Rosberg perhaps doesn’t have that, so he approaches things in a different way, but I think that’s one of Lewis’s strengths; he gets under the skin of his opponents and grinds them down to the point where they lose their focus. Nico this year managed to not let any of that affect him, and that’s credit to Nico. You have to look at Formula One drivers and remember they are just humans, and it’s easy to just label them all as Formula One drivers, but they’re not – they’re all different people. When they come under pressure or come up against a difficult opponent, they all handle it differently.
It’s one of the things I love about the human side of Formula One – you can’t just apply one rule to them all, and that’s why we find that we get behind one driver over another. It’s not just because they’re quick, it’s because of their personality, how they handle media, the fans, and their teammates. All those elements go into becoming a world champion, and not all those elements are the same for each driver.
RW: How do you think Valtteri Bottas will cope with the pressure he’ll find in that seat alongside Lewis?
MP: “He’s pretty quick and I don’t believe we’ve seen the best of him. When he was brought into the sport by Frank Williams, Frank said he was one of the best drivers he’d ever worked with – and that’s a big deal coming from Frank Williams. One thing I’d say having worked with Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Raikkonen, they both had a very Finnish attitude which is to be very quiet, but what struck me about them both is the politics. They don’t get involved in politics. They don’t tend to let that side if things rile them.
Kimi is a perfect example; he has no ego, and he’s never had one. So, the fact that someone like Lewis might try the games and let him know whose boss, I’m not sure that’s going to affect Valtteri. The only thing he’ll care about is being quick in the car, and not so much about any in-fighting or politics that might occur between the two. It’s a nice dynamic to have and certainly an easier one to manage from the team’s point of view.
RW: Valtteri’s departure puts Williams in a tricky situation, and they appear to see Felipe Massa as the solution. Do you think that’s the wrong move?
MP: It’s a strange one. Lots of people reading this will think it’s a really disappointing way to approach it from Williams’ point of view. They’ve got so many young drivers nipping at their heels, trying to get into Formula One, yet they’ve taken someone who decided he doesn’t want to be in the sport anymore.
From that point of view, I get it. But also from the team’s point of view, we’ve got a huge regulation change this year, and their other driver is a kid who has never raced in Formula One before. He may be quick, but he’s got no experience so you can see why they might want an experienced head in the other car. I totally understand that. They know what they’re going to get with Felipe – he knows the team and how it works, and he’ll be a great person for Lance Stroll to learn from.
There was a very strong rumour that Felipe was going to sign for a Formula E team for next year, and he’s now pulled out of that contract. I have mixed emotions on that one. I see why the team have had to do it, but I can also understand why a lot of fans may be disappointed with that kind of decision.
RW: What about Pascal Wehrlein? He seems to be the big loser in this situation, having seemingly been turned down by Mercedes, Williams, and Force India, and ending up at Sauber.
MP: Things like that really are a test of a driver. If you look at somebody like Carlos Sainz for example, who was equally overlooked at Red Bull team, or Daniil Kvyat, who had a more extreme version where he was bumped back down – the measure of a driver and a man like that is how you deal with the disappointment.
Now he’s ended up at Sauber, he has to put all of that to one side and take the view that he’s in Formula One. He’s in a team that undoubtedly will improve because they’ve got some good investment and some good people coming on board. They’re in a pretty good place from where they were, so he’s got an opportunity that hundreds of drivers would love to have, and he’s got to take that and show people what he can do. He’ll be judged against his teammate next year, as you always are, but he’s got to dominate him and then he’ll be looked upon favourably again.
These things do hurt you, whether you’re an F1 driver or a guy working in an office. If the guy sat next you gets a promotion, you’ll always ask yourself why? What have I done wrong, or why am I not as good as him? Particularly with the decision that Force India took, which I think was more based on personality over and above just race results, and that will hurt a little bit as well. Force India didn’t want Pascal Wehrlein – not because he wasn’t quick enough, but because they preferred to work with Esteban Ocon. It will be interesting to see how he handles it, for sure.
RW: His career is definitely at a turning point now, and issues like the one he had in Austin this year won’t have helped his cause.
MP: Also, Force India, don’t forget, had worked with both of those guys before, and they have a close relationship with Mercedes also. People talk in the Formula One paddock all the time – not always in an official capacity, but sometimes you’ll get engineers from one team talking to engineers from another, and it’s pretty easy to build an accurate picture of a driver just by talking to someone who works with him on a daily basis. It has the potential to affect Wehrlein in a negative sense, but it’s up to him as to whether he lets it.
RW: As well as some key drivers moves, there’s been some changes on the pit wall too. Your old boss at McLaren has moved on – what do you make of that?
MP: It’s a difficult one. I worked for Ron for nearly ten years. At times I hated working for him – he’s an utter pain in the arse to work for, but I genuinely have nothing but respect for him and for what he’s built up at McLaren. The one thing I would say is that there is no one in this world who will be as passionate about seeing McLaren succeed as Ron. So it’s a loss to lose that from your organisation.
On the flip side, Ron’s a unique character and as much as he’s a genius and a visionary in a business sense, he’s also his own worst enemy. He’s lost friends down the years, some significant friends in the paddock, because of his manner and the way he goes about doing things. Ultimately, by falling out with people who are serious players in the Formula One world, particularly his own fellow shareholders, he lost control of the company. He sold the shares in McLaren with the intention to bring in investment and send McLaren in the right direction, and in many ways, that’s been brilliant for the company, but in doing so he lost his own ultimate control over it, and I think that’s something he needed to have.
Formula One’s a weird world in which dictatorships absolutely work and are probably the best way to go about running a Formula One team, and Ron’s been a good example of that. Bernie Ecclestone has been successful in what he does because he’s in total control and when big corporations get involved and control spreads to a large number of people, often it becomes more complicated and doesn’t work as well. I hope the power at McLaren doesn’t get spread too thinly, but I think they needed a change because things have gone awry, particularly with the Honda relationship. So a change will surely kick-start something, but it’s a real loss that they’ve lost the passion that Ron Dennis has for the organisation.
RW: You could argue that by bringing Honda back, it eventually played a part in his exit. Is it fair to suggest Ron would still be at the helm had the team been winning races?
MP: I don’t think Ron’s departure is necessarily linked to the poor performance of the team. Obviously, it won’t have helped, but it was more about the instrumental decisions on which direction the team was going in. Even on things like driver appointments – he fell out with high-level people at McLaren about which drivers they were going to have. The decision even to bring Honda into the sport a year before they really wanted to get involved, because he is an impatient guy.
Ron’s the sort of guy that if he has a genuine belief in something, no one is going to get in the way of that, he will continue until he makes it happen. There’s no surprise that if he wanted to get Honda onboard because he had no real other option, they will bow to his kind of pressure. He’s a very persuasive guy. Honda coming into the sport a year early is the reason that they’re still struggling now – I think there were lots of things about the way Honda approached Formula One that were wrong.
It was the right decision undoubtedly to tie yourself in with a manufacturer. McLaren’s an independent team but they now have manufacturer support which is a good place to be. Honda work in a very different way to the way McLaren do, and that relationship between the two is still gelling – and so in the first two years, the issue has seen McLaren trying to get Honda to work at the speed that they work at, and it just hasn’t happened.
Ron’s departure is quite complex, and there are a number of reasons behind it. A big part of it is his unique personality, which on some levels has been great for McLaren, but on others has lost him so many friends, and as soon as results start going the wrong way, it becomes very easy to use that as an excuse.
In the second part of this interview, Marc gives his views on the F1’s new technical regulations and explains what Liberty Media can learn from Formula E.New war looms for SA troops
Johannesburg - On Saturday, SA buried 12 of the 13 soldiers killed in battle with rebels in Central Africa. On Sunday, the country was preparing to send more than 1 000 troops to a perilous new war in the DRC.
“We don’t want to kill our brothers from South Africa,” was the thinly veiled threat by Congolese rebel leader Bertrand Bisimwa as the bruised SA National Defence Force (SANDF) prepares to do battle again.
This time, the front is the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and the new enemy is Bisimwa and his M23 rebel group.
The SANDF is part of a multilateral regional force, which includes the armies of Mozambique, Malawi and Tanzania, and has the blessing of the UN Security Council.
Tons of weaponry were this week being flown in huge Russian cargo planes from Bloemfontein, Pretoria and Makhado airports to Entebbe in Uganda, close to the Congolese border, where South African forces are expected to be based.
Bisimwa and M23 have warned South Africa that they are in a different league to the Seleka rebels in the Central African Republic (CAR) who killed 13 South African soldiers.
Grave mistake
“We say welcome (President Jacob) Zuma. M23 is not Seleka,” the group wrote on their official Twitter account on Thursday. On Friday, M23 tweeted: “If SA special Force attacks us; it will be catastrophic & apocalyptic.”
The rebel group accuses Zuma of sending South African troops to the DRC to protect his nephew Khulubuse’s oil interests.
Bisimwa spoke to City Press’ sister newspaper, Rapport, from the DRC on Saturday. He said it would be a grave mistake for the SANDF to attack them.
“My message is we are fighting for peace and for good governance in our country. There is a letter I wrote to Parliament and the people of South Africa to ask them not to come and kill their brothers here because we are all fighting for good governance in Africa.
“We don’t want to kill our brothers from South Africa. We are asking them to support peace in Congo, not to come to fight,” said Bisimwa.
Asked how he would react if South African troops were to attack M23, he said: “We will defend ourselves and our positions.
But we will not attack them if they don’t attack us.
Negotiate
“We have time to negotiate in Kampala (negotiations started in January)?.?.?.?We understand the DRC will also be there.
“Our people in Congo don’t like war in their country, just like in South Africa.”
M23 are regarded as new-generation rebels and are active on social media platforms.
They are the region’s most feared group and, according to experts, have rocket launchers, 37mm anti-aircraft weapons and other “dangerous armoury”.
They top the list of rebel groups being targeted by the UN Security Council, which authorised an “intervention brigade” on 28 March to “neutralise” armed forces in the eastern DRC.
This was a dramatic change from the UN’s peace mandate in the past, which only allowed soldiers to shoot back when they were being shot at.
End of April
In expectation of South Africa’s deployment to the DRC, which could happen as soon as the end of April, masses of military equipment, including helicopters, were transported to Entebbe this week.
One defence source said “special forces” were taken to Uganda, but this was disputed by other reports.
A Congo expert with close ties to the rebel leaders told City Press that South Africa underestimated M23.
“If they (the South Africans) think they will go out into the hills and annihilate these guys, they’re fucking crazy.
“If an army goes in, which does not know the terrain or the politics, is overconfident and is itself not combat equipped for these kind of operations, they’re going to be kicked. If South African special forces could not keep Seleka at bay – not nearly as coherent a target as M23 – how are they going to defeat M23, which are in their own back yard?”
Doomed to fail
With the absence of a plan for what will happen after the attack, the mission is doomed to fail, “just like many similarly structured American missions in Iraq and Afghanistan”.
Sultani Makenga, M23’s commander, is well-trained and has helped to overthrow two governments in the area – the Rwandan government in 1994 and the regime of Mobutu Sese Seko, in the then Zaire, in 1996.
Defence analyst Helmut Heitman added: “What worries me is that M23 have some rocket launchers and they captured twin-barrel 37mm anti-aircraft weapons from the Congolese army. They have dangerous weapons.
But if we have a good commander, we will do a good job.
“We need to make sure we have good intelligence before we go somewhere. Our troops should be better armed and equipped. After that (CAR fight), no rebel troops will want to fight South Africa.”WILLIAM BRANGHAM:
We're talking here about what's known as net neutrality, not the easiest concept to grasp, so bear with me.
Almost all of us in America get our Internet access via one main provider. These are the telecom and cable giants like Verizon, Comcast, Charter, Time Warner. They provide the infrastructure that delivers the bounty of the Web to our homes and phones – sites and apps like Google, Netflix, Facebook, Instagram, you name it.
The telecoms build the highway. The others guys are like the cars traveling that highway.
The idea of net neutrality is that the telecoms have to treat that highway as an open road. They can't pick and choose which Web sites or services get to you faster or slower. The fear is that, if they do have that power, they will be tempted to favor their content, their sites, their own videos over a competitor's.
But the telecoms argue that's not fair, they should be able to control that flow, and be able to charge more for faster access.
In 2014, the Federal Communications Commission under President Obama wanted to lock in these net neutrality rules, but it faced intense pushback by the industry.
The fight even spilled into pop culture, with this from HBO's John Oliver.
JOHN OLIVER, Host, "Last Week Tonight With John Oliver": If we let cable companies offer two speeds of service, they won't be Usain Bolt and Usain Bolt on a motorbike. They will be Usain Bolt, and Usain bolted to an anchor.
(LAUGHTER)Michigan has been busy passing bills against e-cigarettes, well everyone else is so theydidn’t want to feel left out. Three such bills included several regulations including prohibitingthe use of e-cigarettes by people under the age of 18. However, the bills have now beenvetoed by Gov. Snyder but exactly why has he taken such a decision?Snyder claims that Michigan shouldn’t be stepping on the toes of the federal government,which has proposed regulating e-cigarettes. Exactly when that is going to happen isn’tknown, it’s a bit like waiting for the FDA to get their act together or waiting for a bus in rushhour. The Governor claims that the bills would “sow confusion” and send a “mixed healthmessage” to the public.However the real reason seems to be that Snyder isn’t at all happy about the fact that thebills passed do not declare e-cigarettes to be tobacco products. Perhaps Michigan actuallyhas some politicians that realize that for something to be labelled a tobacco product, it reallyshould contain tobacco which of course e-cigarettes don’t. The Governor is all for agerestrictions to be placed, even though vaping stores are renowned for their decisions not tosell to under-18s anyway.In a media release, Snyder said: “We need to make sure that e-cigarettes and other nicotine-containing devices are regulated in the best interest of public health.It’s important that thesedevices be treated like tobacco products and help people become aware of the dangers e-cigarettes pose.”Notice that Snyder doesn’t actually mention what those dangers actually are. Neither doeshe mention the fact that e-cigarettes can be used to help people stop smoking tobaccocigarettes. Anything positive doesn’t really get mentioned a great deal by politicians,especially when they have hidden agendas. By labelling e-cigarettes as tobacco products, itmakes it so much easier to start taxing them and bringing in much needed revenue Jennifer Hunt, vice president of government relations for the American Cancer SocietyCancer Action Network, is all in favour of what the Governor has done. She fears that“special treatment for electronic cigarettes may hook a new generation of tobacco users.”Now that’s a really uninformed statement to make.Does Hunt not know about the study that showed that there isn’t a gateway from using e-cigarettes to later smoking tobacco? Hunt added: “It is unclear why creation of a separate definitionfor ‘vapor product’ is necessary. We believe that Michigan can prohibit the sale of these products tominors without undermining existing tobacco-control laws.”The situation in Michigan shows what a complete and utter farce the laws concerning e-cigarettes are in this country. Travel around the States and you’ll find different regulationseverywhere you go. Most are unwanted, several are unnecessary and it just makes for atotally confusing situation. The sooner it gets sorted out the better and the same goes forpoliticians and health officials actually mentioning positive studies.Photos by Scot Facer Proctor
Jeremiah Morgan was the assistant to the chair of the Kansas City Missouri Temple open house and dedication.
As he grew up, the stake president in Liberty, Missouri, believed that his name was Jeremiah Joseph Smith Morgan. As it turns out, the “Smith” wasn’t actually a part of his name, but that is an indicator of how deeply he felt tied to the prophet.
His mother was very devout. “The restored gospel was very important to her,” said President Morgan. “Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, I had my whole life. I never doubted that the Book of Mormon was true or that Joseph Smith was a prophet.”
So committed was President Morgan’s mother, in fact, that when he was 11, she moved the family from Lamoni to Independence, Missouri to gather with other church members.
When he was in high school, his mother read the Book of Mormon aloud to him as he got ready in the morning, hearing the verses as he brushed his teeth or put on his shoes or gobbled down breakfast. “She put everything that she could into me,” he said, “as she wanted to have a child who was highly committed to the Lord, and she thought that would be me.”
“I can’t say that I learned a whole lot from the scriptures,” President Morgan confessed. “I do remember a lot of and it came to pass’s’ and wars and rumors of wars’. What I did gain, however, was the strongest sense about how important it was to my mother to feel the Spirit and be taught the gospel.”
His mother certainly came by this devotion through her family line. Her great, great grandfather Francis Case had been baptized by Oliver Cowdery in 1831 in Lexington, Missouri. He, and his wife, Mary Ann, lived in Jackson County where they were treated cruelly and driven out.
They next had a farm near Gallatin, not far from Adam-ondi-ahman. Here again they received savage treatment for their beliefs, and he had been one who helped bury the Mormon dead at Haun’s Mill after the mob rode in, attacked the settlers as they worked and left limp bodies behind. So devoted were they to the restored gospel that this didn’t stop them and they migrated on to Nauvoo where they had the lot on a corner just across from Joseph and Emma’s Mansion House.
Jeremiah’s grandfather, Francis Case was one of a group of men who, at Emma Smith’s request, secreted Joseph Smith’s body out of the coffin after the funeral and by dark of night buried him under the spring house at the Nauvoo House to prevent members of the mob from stealing and desecrating the Prophet’s body.
So far, in many ways, this could be the story of many LDS boys who had a committed mother, but President Morgan’s story is different in one critical way. He grew up a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.
Francis and Mary Ann Case didn’t go West with Brigham Young for reasons not clearly known. President Morgan said, “I don’t know how they could have gone from accepting a traveling missionary in a remote area and the new gospel he approached to being driven from their homes again and again and then not gone all the way. I don’t know what they experienced.”
Whatever it was, President Morgan’s experience would be vastly different. When he was about 14, his mother wanted to take a church history trip and he didn’t want to go. He wanted to get a job and earn some money. “My father had abandoned us when I was a year old, and, with a single mother, my family was often the poor family, the kind that others would bring Christmas boxes to. It sounded very appealing to make some money, and I went on this trip kicking and screaming along the way.”
However, all that would change. In the Sacred Grove, he had a remarkable, spiritual experience which was imprinted on his deepest soul, but which he does not detail. “There’s no way to duplicate the Sacred Grove,” he said. “That was a great moment for me.”
It was after this that he began to be aware of a tumult in the RLDS church. Things were changing. In many ways, the teenaged Jeremiah saw it as a retreat from Joseph Smith’s First Vision. He heard people backing away from talking about Joseph’s experience as any more than a “significant religious experience.” He felt that the church was backing off, as well, from calling the Book of Mormon revealed scripture. This was troubling to him. He saw the church of his youth as losing its original identity and understanding of the gospel.
Being an earnest young man, he decided that he wanted to know for himself if his church was true. Growing up, he didn’t have fond feelings about Brigham Young, “and that” he said, “worked to my advantage, because when I actually learned about Brigham Young, it was very different than what I had learned.”
In high school, without telling anybody, he spent two months going to both the RLDS and LDS Churches every Sunday. He felt that the truth had to be with a restoration church. (The number of churches that claim that their origins begin with Joseph Smith are between 100 and 400, depending on the source.)
“In the morning I would go to my RLDS church and then in the afternoon go to the LDS church and sit in the overflow. I knew right away there was a big difference. It didn’t take me long to figure that out.”
He said that he had also dated an LDS girl a few times in high school, and he didn’t tell her, either, of his interest in the church. “I didn’t want anybody to make up my mind for me or try to influence me.”
“I told my mother first that I was going to join the LDS Church, and she didn’t say a word to me. She went right to the phone to let all the relatives know so they could begin working on me,” said President Morgan. They had him read lots of anti-Mormon literature, and his mother wouldn’t let him be baptized until he turned 18. Still, he said, “I am the kind of person that when I know, I don’t turn back.” And, he said, he knew.
His mother was “very upset” when he joined the Church, and she was upset, again, a year later when he put in his application to go on a mission. He served in the Micronesia Guam mission, where he faithfully wrote his mother every week. Since his mother was very proud of him in many ways, she shared his letters and pictures with her friends at her RLDS church. Impressed with his experiences shared by his mother, some of her friends said, “We wouldn’t mind if our sons joined the LDS Church, if they did the same thing.”
“This helped smooth things out for her a bit,” he said, “but she didn’t ever join the LDS Church. I probably pushed too hard,” he admitted.
The changes in the RLDS church happened slowly, so like the frog in the water who stayed while it was being gradually heated to boiling, she had her perspective, too change with time.
They were beginning to abandon the Book of Mormon while she was alive, but she didn’t see it.
“I think of the RLDS apostasy,” he said. “They had the truth and many of their early leaders would have been priesthood holders. Look what happens in 160 to 170 years. Look what happens to a church without a living prophet. They diverge from the gospel by degrees. If you are along the path with them, you don’t see it as you go. It is not evident to you. I asked my mother to describe God and she gave me a Nicene creed sort of description. I saw the transition even in her.
“I love my restoration heritage,” he said, “and I love the restoration branches. There are some really great people there trying to do some great things. But when you have been given the whole truth as I finally was, where do you go from there? You don’t go anywhere from there. This is Jesus Christ’s church, there’s no doubt about it. I was grateful that I was in a position that something could open my mind and heart that there was something else than what I had been raised to.
President Morgan saw his role as assistant to the Chair of the Kansas City Missouri Temple open house and dedication as one of the sweet experiences of his life. “I am thankful every day that I could be in this position at this time in this place,” he said.Subscribe to the best value in fantasy sports Subscribing is the only way to make sure you don't ever miss an article.
Everyone loves rookies; they’re new and shiny and the possibilities seem limitless. Unfortunately, they’re also expensive. You know who I love? I love the 2year guys. They’re forgotten and cheap, but have a leg up because they already know the offense. This series looks at players from the 2012 NFL Draft who you need to know and track throughout the summer. In case you missed them, check out my articles on other 2year guys: Stephen Hill AJ Jenkins. For each of the past three seasons Drew Brees has finished 2in the NFL in passing attempts. Consequently, the New Orleans Saints passing game has served as a gold mine for fantasy football players. In 2013, I am predicting a gold rush. Thanks to some turnover in their wide receiver corp.—nearly 750 snaps are available —and a trio of 30+ year old receivers, there is room for a young receiver to step up. Here’s guessing that Nick Toon can fill that void.On Nov. 18, the city’s police chief, Sheilah Coley, said she would waive the permit ordinarily required to assemble in Military Park, telling protesters that her officers’ task was “to make sure you’re safe.”
And Tuesday, members of the city’s Municipal Council said they supported lifting the 9 p.m. curfew that typically governs the plaza. One member declared his unwavering support for “operation whatever you call it,” to boisterous applause.
“It’s a good thing that it’s am |
AppExchange or other app store and create a great business for their authors. We don’t want your code; we want you to ship apps. We want you to make awesome stuff and make money.
Here’s what we intend to do next. First, we’re going to showcase all of the amazing apps online. Second, we’re inviting every team to participate in our AppExchange Accelerate program to help teams get funded and get their apps to market.
Finally, we plan to do more Salesforce1 Hackathons! We’ll partner with an outside firm to execute them. It’s not our core competency; we’re in the business of APIs and platform.
We want to thank everybody for their hard work, honest feedback and amazing apps. I hope that every developer that participated gives us feedback on how to do it better next time. Please email us: hackathon@salesforce.com
AdamThe world is a shit-show of craziness. Especially the Internet. Every day, something happens that makes you scratch your head, question your life decisions, and wonder how we collectively got to where we are. There are no answers. Never will be.
Today, Robbie Maddison just released a video of himself riding his dirt bike at Teahupoo and another famous Polynesian wave called Papara. That qualifies. Maddison, a 34-year-old stunt bike rider from Australia, has been working for two years to figure out how to surf waves on his motorbike. Because why not?
In fairness, it looks like the bike has skis attached to it to facilitate buoyancy, which makes the scenario much more jetski-like than it appears on the surface. But it’s still visually shocking and worth freaking out about nonetheless.
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We’re just excited for the day when full size sedans, MACK trucks, and Toyota Tacomas join us in the lineup. And for goodness sake, let’s do it in an eco-friendly way. Priority definitely goes to hybrids and electric vehicles. Always obey traffic signals. Be safe out there folks.
Learn more at DCShoes.com/PipeDream.The Wild River Wilderness is a huge forested watershed sandwiched between the Wildcat-Carter Mountain Range and the Baldface Range in the far eastern section of the White Mountains. If you want to really get away from it all, this wilderness area is way off the grid, without any road access, cell phone service, no bridges or shelters, and sparse trail maintenance. It is also a fantastic place to experience the changing colors of autumn in the Whites.
That was our plan this past weekend, when my friend Steve and I led a 3-day, 2-night backpacking trip for the Appalachian Mountain Club, starting at the 19 Mile Brook Trail across from Mt Washington, up and over Mt Hight, and down the Black Angel Trail into the Wilderness. After spending a night near the Basin Rim Trail outside of Evans Notch, we hiked the southern section of the Baldface Royce Mountain Range, climbing North and South Baldface Mountains, before looping back through Perkins and Carter Notches and back to our cars.
Do you want to Backpack the White Mountain 4000 Footers? Check out my Free Guidebook which has a full range of easy to strenuous backpacking trip plans. Do you want toCheck out my Free Guidebook which has a full range of easy to strenuous backpacking trip plans.
This is the second year running that Steve and I have led a trip on this weekend (last year we did a Kilkenny Range Traverse) and this trip was also fantastic with great company and on-the-whole great weather, despite the usual White Mountain challenges of mud, rain, and mist.
Steve and I were joined by my friend Guthook, making for a small and fast moving group of experienced hikers.
Mt Hight
Leaving from the 19 Mile Brook Trailhead, our first destination on Day 1 was Mt Hight (4675′), which has some of the best views in the White Mountains despite the fact that it’s not on the official 4,000 footer list. From the trailhead, it is a 3.8 mile hike with 3250 feet of elevation gain, which is a serious climb. But we made it to the summit in under 3 hours and had a long break to admire the views of the Presidential Range, the Carters, Carter Dome, and Moriah. Visibility was perfect and we could even see Old Speck Mountain in the distance, way north in Grafton Notch.
From Hight, it’s a short distance to the start of the Black Angel Trail which drops down into The Wild River Wilderness just north of Carter Dome.
As soon as you step onto the Black Angel Trail, it’s immediately clear that you are hiking on a less traveled path. The tree canopy closes over you and the trail drops steeply to the valley below. This was only the second times I’d hiked the Black Angel, the last time being back in 2007 on another AMC trip led by my friend Christine Benton. That was actually my first White Mountain Backpacking trip, a loop which included a night at the Imp Shelter and swimming in Moriah Brook.
After 5 miles, we came to the mighty Wild River, which can be a daunting ford in high water. Luckily it was running fairly low, making for a refreshing crossing which cooled off out feet.
Rather than camping by the river, we decided to keep going and try to close the distance to the Baldface Range for the second day of our backpack. Right after the river crossing, the Black Angel Trail climbs 800 feet of elevation on an old railroad grade or road which was easy to walk up, although steep. This entire region was heavily logged at one point and a fair number of the trails are clearly old logging roads.
We were aiming for the site of the old Blue Brook Shelter, which has been removed but is now a tent site with an excellent water source. While all of us would have preferred camping at wilder, stealth sites, the surrounding woods in the Wild River Wilderness have a fairly dense carpet of hobblebush, making it difficult to find a good pitch near water without a fair amount of searching.
While the Blue Brook Shelter sites were not perfect because they were packed earth tent pads, they were ok, since we expected a dry night that evening without rain. That said, we all pitched our tarps in such a way that we’d stay dry even if it did rain. For example, I pitched my tarp on a slight slope, avoiding the dished out section of the tent pad, and in such a way that rain water coming down the slope above me would be channeled around my tarp by the surrounding logs.
We cooked up a nice dinner as the sun set and Stephen and Ryan watched as I made a one-pot meal using my wood stove. Cooking on my Solo wood stove, as well as my one-pot meals, have really enhanced my backpacking experience this year. It’s a pain in the ass when it’s raining, but Esbit fuel works well enough for those times when dry wood is unavailable. Still having a small fire is a real mood enhancer and that fact that it burns to ash without a lot of mess is a real boon because it means you don’t scorch the ground or have to deal with the mess of putting the fire out.
The next morning we woke to mist, which was disappointing after Friday’s glorious weather. This was also the day we planned to hike the Basin Rim Trail and climb North and South Baldface which have extensive stretches of above-treeline alpine zone. I’d been hoping for views from the ridge into the valley below called Evans Notch, as well as views from the summits.
While I didn’t get to see Evans Notch, we were treated to fantastic views and a undercast or cloud inversion where the peaks of the mountains are visible above a sea of cloud. That was pretty special and made up for the lack of valley views.
We also saw an enormous moose bull as we walked down the ridge trail, by far the largest any of us had ever seen. He was making a lot of noise in the brush when we came up alongside him on the trail. It is moose mating season, so we were conscious about keeping tree trunks between him and us in case he decided we were competition and charged us.
As we approached North and South Baldface Mountains, the mist lifted enough the we had clear skies over the alpine zone below both summits. Both ascents were relatively small, only 500-600 feet, but required steep scrambling and exposed above-treeline walking to summit. We also had to climb North Baldface to get to South Baldface, and then re-climb North Baldface again on the return trip! Still it was nice to hike over such a long stretch of above-treeline terrain at such a low elevation and in such calm winds!
After we returned from the Baldfaces, we picked up the Eagle Link Trail leaving from Eagle Crag headed toward Perkins Notch Shelter where we hoped to camp for the night. After the glorious blue skies over the Baldfaces, we plunged back into dense forest.
Once you head back into the Wild River Wilderness from Eagle Crag, trail conditions become very very wet, and the trail becomes progressively less maintained the closer you come to its junction with the Wild River Trail. I’m not sure if this is due to lack of funding or because it’s a deliberate wilderness management strategy.
We picked our way down the trail trying to avoid slipping into the muddiest sections, but you now how it goes, sooner or later you will fall into the muck. The only relief came from numerous stream crossings where we could rinse our shoes and legs by wading through the water.
The weather forecast for that evening was heavy rain starting at midnight, so we were on the lookout for a good wild camp site but could find little with all of the hobblebush and dense understory. We decided to head for the Perkins Notch Campsite, which I encourage you to avoid if you have a choice in the matter.
The shelter has been removed and the tent site has packed-earth tent pads, which are useless for tarp campers because they flood when it rains. We all pitched up on sites in between the tent pads because they provided better drainage and then went in search of water. That’s when it started to rain.
So the bad thing about the Perkins Notch Tentsite is the water source, which is a swamp that you need to wade into to get fresh water. Imagine walking into a sea of marsh grass waist-high and you’ll get the idea. There is flowing water, but you get very wet in the process of getting it. Doing it in the rain was laughable.
When we all got back to camp, we cooked dinner in the rain. Luckily we’d all pitched up as soon as we got into camp so our gear was tucked away and dry. I cooked my dinner, a hot pot soup with polenta, sun-dried tomatoes, chili powder, and parmesan cheese, with two Esbit cubes, which worked nicely. Then we all went to bed at 7 pm. I was asleep 30 minutes later.
It rained heavily that night, but I stayed nice and dry in the little triangle of ground under my Duomid. I’d set up my tarp very carefully with the edges flush with the ground on a very slight decline, so the rain coming off my tarp would be channelled away from it or absorbed by the surrounding pine needles. This worked nicely, though I did experience internal some condensation. It wasn’t bad though, especially considering the amount of rain we had the night before.
When we woke up at 6:00 am, it was still raining and we decided to break camp a bit earlier than planned and hike out. We were about 4 miles to the Carter Notch Hut, where we planned to stop and get a cup of hot coffee, and perhaps a snack.
When we arrived at the hut, the hutmaster mistook us for thru-hikers and fed us a huge plate of pancakes. This was most welcome after our abbreviated breakfast in camp!
The crew was closing down the shelter for the season, so we worked off our debt folding up blankets and moving 50 pound bags of flour that they planned to airlift out later in the week.
From the hut, it was an easy 3.5 miles back to the trailhead to our cars.
This was really a great trip. I can’t wait to see where we go next year for our Autumn hiking season kick-off backpacking trip.
Total distance: 33 miles
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Most Popular Searches“She’s Got Game” Co-Star Sued The Game For Assaulting Her
A judge has ruled that The Game has lost a sex assault case after he never bothered to answer the accuser’s complaint.
Priscilla Rainey – who was a contestant on the VH1 dating reality show, “She’s Got Game” – sued The Game for $10 million back in August 2015 for sexually assaulting her.
Rainey said that last May, while shooting the show, she went out on an after-hours date with the rapper. The woman claimed that she went to a local bar in Illinois where The Game was out of control and drunk and high.
She said that during the night The Game sexually assaulted her on several occasions, including him forcefully reaching his hand inside her dress to rub her bare vagina and buttocks. The contestant explained she never gave him permission to touch her and she felt degraded by the unwanted touching.EXCLUSIVE / Unhappy with press coverage following the recent European Commission report on corruption in the 28-county bloc, a Bulgarian oligarch requested the EU executive's assistance in silencing a critical journalist. Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström is supposed to handle the issue.
EURACTIV has obtained a copy of a letter, signed by two officials from the Bulgaria’s Corporate Commercial Bank (CCB), to Commission President José Manuel Barroso and other Commissioners and MEPs. One of the signatories is oligarch Tzvetan Vassilev, president of the supervisory board and the majority shareholder.
The two CCB officials accuse Svetoslav Terziev, a journalist from Sega daily, for “malicious falsehood” of the Commission’s report on Bulgaria. In the article published in Sega daily on 5 February, the journalist added among the names of the people referred to in the report those of Delyan Peevski, a controversial businessman, his mother Irena Krasteva, owner of the New Bulgarian Media Group Holding and banker Tzvetan Vassilev, whom he calls their “creditor”.
The Commission’s policy is avoid putting names in the corruption reports, but the situation and persons described are easily recognisable.
>> Read: EU anti-corruption report stops short of 'naming and shaming'
“The election of a controversial MP as head of the State Agency for National Security (SANS) raised concerns in Bulgaria and beyond,” the report says, without mentioning a name. It is common knowledge, however, that the attempt by the Socialist-led government to appoint Delyan Peevski, an MP and a shady power broker, has sparked boisterous protests. Terziev only writes that Peevski is the controversial MP who was proposed as head of the SANS.
Also, the report says that “media ownership is increasingly concentrated, compromising editorial independence”. As it is common knowledge, the biggest concentration of Bulgarian media ownership and distribution concerns primarily the New Bulgarian Media Group Holding, of which Peevski’s mother Irena Krasteva is the owner, and of which credible press investigative reports suggest Vassilev is the creditor. Terziev mentions their names, which the CCB says is a “misuse of the Commission’s reports for private interests”.
Commission asked to help intending legal action
“Before we take any steps to defend our good name and reputation of Mr. Tzvetan Vassilev, we would like to receive confirmation that the above-mentioned citation is not part of the European Commission’s report," the CCB officials wrote to Barroso.
The leaked letter provides a rare glimpse of Bulgaria’s oligarchs’ approach to media freedom. Tzvetan Vassilev should not be offended by being referred to as an oligarch, because he accepted this appellation in an interview he recently gave to Deutsche Welle.
Bulgaria ranks as the worst in the EU in Reporters Without Borders’ 2014 World Press Freedom index, coming in at 100th place globally. Last year the country was 87th.
The Corporate Commercial Bank holds an overly large proportion of funds from state-owned companies. This reportedly allows the bank to maintain an audacious crediting policy. According to investigative reports an important beneficiary of such credits is the New Bulgarian Media Group Holding. In exchange, media from this group reportedly pay lip service to Vassilev and Peevski, through publications such as the dailies Politika, Telegraf and Monitor.
Eleven chief editors in Bulgaria, representing the Union of Publishers, wrote a letter in 2012 to the Commission, exposing the relation between CCB and New Bulgarian Media Group Holding as illegal state aid. No response has been received so far.
Asked to comment, Barroso’s spokesperson, Pia Ahrenkilde Hansen, said that it was up to the spokesperson of Home Affairs Commissioner Cecilia Malmström to reply, as the issue concerned the corruption reports overseen by the latter. She also said that most likely Malmström would reply to Vassilev.
Malmström’s spokesperson Michele Cercone stated the obvious: ''We confirm that the country chapter on Bulgaria of the EU Anti-Corruption Report do not refer to individuals by name''.
'Media are free to interpret'
A Commission official familiar with Bulgaria, who preferred not to be named, told EURACTIV that journalists were “free to interpret the Commission reports as they wish”.
He also indicated that the Commission tried to make their job easy by describing clear situations and often specifying the function of the person concerned.
“Media freedom is an important principle. The names are obvious for those who read the reports and for the journalists who interpret them", the Commission official said. In no way did he indicate that he saw Terziev’s naming of Peevski, Krasteva and Vassilev as inappropriate.
Asked by EURACTIV to comment, Svetoslav Terziev said that the main objective of the CCB was “to instigate fear and autocensorship on journalists outside the media empire of Krasteva and Peevski”.
He also said that following a complaint by CCB the media watchdog in Bulgaria had ruled on 14 February that his article did not contravene reporting rules, as it distinguished clearly his own words from the report quotes.
Terziev is recipient of the 2011 European Parliament press prize as national winner in the category written press.Sam Lowes has kicked off serious talks about a Moto2 switch that could see him form an all-British Tech 3 line-up with Danny Kent in 2014.
Lowes, who extended his World Supersport lead in Germany last weekend, opened talks with Tech 3 boss Herve Poncharal during the recent Czech Republic MotoGP clash in Brno.
The 22-year-old recently visited the Sachsenring in mid-July to assess potential Moto2 options but held positive initial talks by phone with Poncharal, who re-signed Kent for 2014 at Silverstone last weekend.
Poncharal, who runs the Mistral 610 machine designed and built by Tech 3 in France, told MCN: “We have been talking to Sam. He is very fast and doing a great job in World Supersport. The talks were very positive. I have been talking with a few riders and they ask if we can buy a Kalex or Suter chassis. But Sam said he is sure our bike can win and that is really good. It is no good if they come with a negative feeling because as soon as the results are not coming it is game over.”
A stumbling block could is Lowes is already under contract to stay with his Russian-based Yakhnich Motorsport and move to WSB in ’14.
Poncharal added: “There is a contract for 2014 with his current team which is quite binding but we have a big interest in him.”NEW YORK, Jan. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Analysis of Current and Emerging Materials Used for Flexible Electronic Substrates
Flexible electronics are highly popular owing to their high usage convenience, novel display attributes, high reliability, and lightweight. These devices find high potential for adoption in a range of high-end application sectors, which includes consumer electronics, automotive, healthcare, energy, defense, and textiles. However, flexible electronics need to address several key challenges in their performance before they can satisfy high mass volume demand. Flexible substrate materials used for the development of flex circuits have been identified as key enabling components that determine the performance of flexible electronics. Flexible substrate materials that provide high device efficiency, optimal production costs, superior display attributes, and long lifetime need to be developed and further enhanced to pave the path for next-generation flexible electronics. This research study provides an analysis of the existing and emerging substrate materials that influence the flexible electronics industry. This includes glass, metal, polymers, paper, stretchable, and hybrid substrates to name the key ones. The research service also provides insights into each substrate materials and highlights the key stakeholder initiatives, while assessing the substrate material impact on the flexible electronics industry. The technology development scenario in the form of a technology roadmap maps the future direction expected from each flexible substrate material.
Read the full report: http://www.reportlinker.com/p04246084-summary/view-report.html
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http://www.reportlinker.comThe Gumpert Apollo flew under the radar for many enthusiasts during its production from 2005 – 2012. With sharpened edges reminiscent of a stealth fighter, the Apollo’s looks may have been divisive to some, but the exact reason why it never caught on as a household name isn’t clear. This is all somewhat astounding since the performance offered by the Gumpert was never matched by any road-going contemporary.
The adage “race car for the road” is often overused since in reality, most road-going sports cars are heavily compromised. A focused racing car that can rattle the fillings out of your teeth will never sell in large quantities and most major manufacturers know this, but the saying is still kind of edgy and therefore is employed to inspire a little drama. This Gumpert, however, really is something more akin to any race car and yet, in typical German directness, its creators never relied on flowery phrases to sell it.
The Gumpert begins in a typically uncompromising fashion. Starting life as 211 chromoly steel tubes, the lightweight metal is welded together to form a spaceframe. The whole process takes two welders a month. On top of this, the designers add a chromoly and carbon passenger tub and begin fitting the suspension components and the engine to the spaceframe. What this means is that the torsional rigidity is at an extremely high level. Take for instance, the Porsche Carrera GT: a highly-respected performer with a chassis capable of withstanding 30,000 newton-meters of torque before twisting one degree. The Gumpert requires 40,000 and a Formula One car 44,000. What this translates into is extra-sharp and precise handling that takes a refined touch to get the most from.
The carbon fiber structure includes a crashbox at the front which certifies it for FIA-sanctioned competition. To add to it’s no-compromise mentality, the car has an adjustable suspension system with double wishbones and twin transverse control arm pushrods at all four corners. Behind the spartan but comfortable cockpit, which features fixed seats to improve the weight distribution, is a 4.2-liter Audi V8 mated to twin K26 turbochargers. Power outputs vary depending on the particular model. The base Apollo makes an already astounding 650 horsepower, while the Apollo S and the track-only Apollo R make 750 and 850 horsepower, respectively. With huge turbos, the power delivery is that of an archetypal turbo motor, with significant lag before 4500 rpm when the boost kicks in. This earth-moving amount of power is transmitted to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential gearbox and a twin-plate clutch. It’s safe to say that starting and stopping is a chore.
Space-age chassis: check. Miniature nuclear powerplant turning the rear wheels: check. Oh, and the Gumpert weighs 2400-2600 pounds depending on options. That’s as much as Mini Cooper with the base Gumpert producing over five times the power and torque. With such a power-to-weight ratio, the Gumpert would be competitive with almost anything on the street-going, but its aerodynamics give it that extra edge. Only 3.1 meters tall, the Gumpert is one of the shortest road-going cars in the world and this helps keep the frontal profile small, which helps with the considerable drag produced by the huge wings and splitters. The flat underbody creates a suction effect by channeling the air rushing underneath the car through an expanding shape, giving this car driving dynamics typically reserved to racing cars. When tested at the Nurburgring back in 2009, the Apollo posted a staggering time of 7:11, then faster than any other road-going car except the Radical.
Starting at $600,000, this is a car reserved for the well-heeled, but considering that it was built by a staff of forty atop an old soviet-era sewing factory, it almost seems like a bargain. With Roland Gumpert’s vision of developing a road-going track car fulfilled, the Apollo gained considerable media attention for a short while. With the economic slump in the late 2000’s, many prospective customers had to rescind their offer and Gumpert just squeaked by, thanks to the aid of its many investors. Not keen to fall by the wayside, Gumpert and his team released a lighter, more powerful version called in Apollo Enraged in 2012. Since then, the German company has not made much noise.
Perhaps the car is too extreme for the anyone but the most avid enthusiast. It might be too obscure for those seeking recognition, but in reality the Gumpert will turn heads anywhere it goes. Importantly, it was never designed to sell in large quantities. Anything this focused from such a small company will never be able to match the numbers of major manufacturers like Porsche and Ferrari and that’s fine – the car remains a paragon of automotive idealism. The Gumpert is the buy for an affluent, talented driver with an appreciation for sophisticated, no-compromise engineering. Whether we have the funds or not, there is something admirable, something almost awe-inspiring about this car and that which it strives for which resonates with the inner idealist in all of us.The RISKS Digest
Forum on Risks to the Public in Computers and Related Systems
ACM Committee on Computers and Public Policy, Peter G. Neumann, moderator
Volume 25 Issue 69
Sunday 24 May 2009
Contents
Another Boston subway crash with cell-phone implications
"Peter G. Neumann" <neumann@csl.sri.com>
At 7:18pm on 8 May 2009, one inbound subway train rear-ended another train in the Green Line in the Boston MBTA at 25 mph. The driver of the offending train (24-year-old Aiden or Aidan Quinn [both spellings appear in the same article from the *EDGE*], who reportedly had three auto speeding violations) was allegedly texting his girlfriend at the time. 49 passengers were injured and taken to the hospital, and three cars were crushed. This incident followed another similar case in 2008 in which another driver had allegedly been on her cell phone just before that train collided with the preceding one. [Source: PGN-ed from various news reports. Please browse the Web if want some of the background, which is way beyond the scope of RISKS.]
HIV patients sue after records left on MBTA (Elizabeth Cooney)
Monty Solomon <monty@roscom.com>
Four HIV-positive patients whose records were left behind on an MBTA train by a Massachusetts General Hospital employee are suing the hospital, contending their privacy was breached. In March 2009, the hospital notified 66 patients who received care at its Infectious Disease Associates outpatient practice that billing records bearing their names, Social Security numbers, doctors, and diagnoses had been lost by a manager who was riding the Red Line. She had brought the paperwork home for the weekend, but left it on the train when she returned to work Monday morning, March 9, according to a hospital security report. [Source: Elizabeth Cooney, HIV patients sue after records lost; Hospital worker left files on MBTA, *The Boston Globe*, 21 May 2009] http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2009/05/21/hiv_patients_sue_after_records_lost/
NZ bank lends $10M instead of $10K; couple takes the money and runs
Ian Wells <familywells@gmail.com>
It is not public yet how this error occurred. Couple is being charged with fraud, who decided to be fugitives when a bank error gave them a $10,000,000 loan instead of $6,000,000. http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/crime/2428243/Couple-missing-after-10m-bank-bungle Ian Wells, Christchurch, New Zealand
Re: NY voter voted absentee, then died; ballot ruled invalid (R-25.68)
Paul Wallich <pw@panix.com>
It gets even more complicated than that. In some jurisdictions, one actually votes during early voting (at a machine or with whatever other tools the site uses), while in others one fills out what is effectively an absentee ballot and hands it to the clerk for storage until election day. (In the latter case, there's a double envelope, with the inner one unmarked and the outer one signed and named, and the name used by the clerk to cross a voter off the main register.) So someone who voted early by machine and then died would have their vote count, whereas someone who voted by the accurately but oddly-named in-person absentee ballot could in principle be culled. Here's a case where reusing existing methods for a new purpose actually improves accuracy compared to inventing new methods.
Re: NY voter voted absentee, then died; ballot ruled invalid (R-25.68)
Harvey Fishman <fishman@panix.com>
> [Source: Tiebreaking Vote Cast by Dead Man; Runoff Required, AP item, PGN-ed. I do not believe that we have in-person early voting in New York State. Certainly we do not have it in New York City (understandably, as polls are generally in places like schools which are dedicated to other uses except on election days), but I only assume that voting rules are state-wide. [Yes. PGN]
Fragility of telephone system
Jim Haynes <jhhaynes@earthlink.net>
It's now been a while since the fiber optic cable cuts in the S.F. Bay Area. I've been waiting for an explanation of why cutting 3 or 4 fiber cables completely killed telephone service in all or part of three counties.
SANS NewsBites gets it very wrong, fails to post a correction
Jonathan Kamens <jik@kamens.brookline.ma.us>
I thought the following might be of interest to RISKS readers, both because I'm sure many of us also read (http://www.sans.org/newsletters/newsbites/) SANS NewsBites, and because this deals with misrepresenting computer-related risks in a very real way. In a recent NewsBites issue (11.39), the following item appeared as the headline story: >TOP OF THE NEWS > --One In Five Teenagers Claim to Have Used Hacking Tools >(15th May 2009) >A recent survey of 4,000 teenagers between the ages of 15 to 18 years >of age states that 17% of those surveyed know how to find hacking tools >online with one third of that group admitting that they have used the >tools.... In this little blurb, the editors of SANS make two statistical errors, one small and one very, very large. Here's the actual press release contents: "The survey also revealed that 17 percent of adolescent users claim to have advanced technical knowledge and are able to find hacking tools on the Internet. Of these, 30 percent claim to have used them on at least one occasion." The minor error is that 30% is less than one third. While a 3.33% difference might seem insignificant, it's little "telephone-game" changes like this that over time result in seriously divergences from reality. Note that one of the articles which SANS cited used the phrase "nearly a third," which is accurate, and SANS apparently saw fit to drop the "nearly." The second, much more serious error, is that the percentage of teenagers who admitted that they have used the tools is not "one in five," but rather 30% of 17%, which comes out to 5%, or ONE IN TWENTY, a huge difference from what SANS reported. I emailed the editors of SANS the same day this issue came out, pointed out both errors, and asked them to post a correction. The next issue was published three days later with no correction included. This is rather unfortunate. I find it just a bit disturbing that none of the editors of NewsBites, supposedly experts in the field, found the "one in five" statistic sufficiently surprising to dig deeper and discover the truth of the matter. I certainly did.
Rupert Moss-Eccardt <r.moss-eccardt@computer.org>
I must say I was surprised to see the assertion that the Nielsen server failures were directly attributable to the outsourcing. Firstly, I thought this was a moderated list and the assertion is a rather bald one. Secondly, and this is more of a risk, it appears from this and the comments posted to The New York Times article referenced that the real problem was that Nielsen had a set of systems with no real business continuity. According to former staff, if the comments are to be believed, the systems were fragile enough to be prone to failure if not cared for in special ways that weren't documented fully, or at all. [Rupert, Many TNX for the comment. PGN]
How to make memorable but secure passwords
phil colbourn <philcolbourn@gmail.com>
Some people, perhaps most, have a system for making passwords. Some systems involve the use of the same password everywhere - easy to remember but if discovered their online life is easily accessed. Others have different passwords and write them down. My system is to maintain long, virtually unique passwords which I never need to commit them to paper or electronic note. My goals are: * at least 8 characters * the use uppercase, lowercase, digits and symbols/punctuation * the discovery of the system should not compromise my passwords * no need to record any password * be able to quickly work-out my password for any site The System * Make up a memorable code with preferably uppercase, lowercase, numbers and symbols/punctuation. * For each site, consistently use some aspect of the site such as 3 or 4 letters/numbers of the site URL - modified in some systematic way - and add it to your memorable code. Add it using any rule you like. There is a problem with this system: sometimes sites change their name which, for me, has happened once. In this case I have not needed to change my password but since most sites will send your password to you, should you forget, you can easily have your old password recovered and then you can change your password - it doesn't happen often. Examples Assume your memorable code is Ab19#z. Example 1: Use the first, second, second-last and last characters of the site, added in reverse order, first and last capitalized, insert after the 4th character of your memorable code. So a password for google.com would be Ab19EloG#z. And for ibm.com it could be Ab19MbbI#z. (You should have some way to handle site names that 'fail' your system or require longer passwords than that of your system). Example 2: Insert the memorable code into the first and last characters of the site name. So the password for google.com would be gAb19#ze. It goes without saying (hopefully) that you should make up your own system and you should probably not use my examples. Ideas: * Consider using the organisation type or country code. * Consider using multiple systems. One for important sites and a simpler system for ad-hoc, single-use and other sites not containing personal data * Consider a version of the system for your home PC accounts Your should assume that your system could be discoverable, so you need to choose a memorable code that is secure by itself. If you want to document your system, do so with care. You should not write it down verbatim - try to obscure it ;-)
Re: A Lesson in Internet Anatomy: The World's Densest Meet-Me Room
<jidanni@jidanni.org>
"without incurring local loop fees" mentioned in http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meet-me-room is a factor encouraging putting so many eggs in one basket Re: http://catless.ncl.ac.uk/Risks/25.68.html#subj5.1
Re: FAA ATC shutdown (Kaiser, RISKS-25.67)
"Walter Roberson" <roberson@hushmail.com>
Pete Kaiser, in suggesting reasons why IT might be bad in government, including the possibility of "where underfunded entities are asked to perform miracles on inadequate budgets". I used to be a systems administrator for a government (outside the USA) in an underfunded situation. I instrumented and measured and compared published Fortunate 500 surveys: our 2/3-person equivalent networking staff was achieving uptimes slightly better than the average 12-person dedicated network staff reported for the F500 companies — and was doing so with equipment that was mostly already declared End Of Life by the respective manufacturers. We worked, underfunded, in government, but we were quite dedicated — as were the co-workers in other sites that I interacted with.
FAA ATC shutdown & Gov't IT Competence (Kaiser, RISKS-25.67).
"Chris Drew" <e767pmk@yehaa.co.uk>
> Businesses have many ways of concealing their IT incompetence that |
.
Callao's wet meadows are what made it an "oasis" for ranching in the first place, Anderson said. The isolated community is home to five working ranches and just a few dozen residents. It's more than 50 miles from the nearest paved road. Beth Anderson shrugs off the fact that the closest grocery store is hours away.
Theoretically, the ranchers could drill deeper to access lower sections of the aquifer, and SNWA would be required to pay for that. But what can't be protected against, the ranchers say, is the lowering of the entire water table. They worry that even distant SNWA wells would eliminate the shallow groundwater and surface water that feed grassy meadows needed to raise livestock.
The water authority has vowed to follow a plan laid out by BLM to monitor the production wells and decrease or stop pumping if major environmental impacts are seen. But Snake Valley residents call it an empty promise. "You can't believe anything they say," quipped retired Callao rancher Cecil Garland, 86. "I wouldn't believe them if they walked in the yard here and said hello." Distrust for the authority is almost ubiquitous here.
What happens to the phreatophytes?
Davis, the SNWA spokesman, says such worries are unfounded. "We are subject to an unprecedented level of restrictions and scrutiny," he insisted. "We're going to abide by the laws, not just in the letter, but in the spirit."
Davis is an expert public relations man, rarely flustered by those who disagree, but sometimes the staunch opposition still stuns him. "This idea of 'not one drop' isn't reasonable," he says.
He tries to remind doubters that the project will be subjected to constant federal and local agency oversight, and regulators will have the power to stop the pumping if needed. "It's not like the state engineer issues a decision, and we're like, 'Woo-hoo,' and we do whatever we want," he added.
Comments submitted to BLM by Western Resource Advocates, a nonprofit legal group, bolster the skeptics' concern that help may come too late.
The extended time range needed to notice effects of groundwater pumping stems from the so-called "cone of depression." When water is pumped from a well, its level drops at that location. But the well doesn't fully empty, because water from the surrounding aquifer gradually trickles into the new low-pressure void. The effect creates a cone-shaped area altered by the pumping.
It is unknown how fast the aquifers would be naturally replenished, but hydrologists agree that the water wouldn't be recharged as quickly as it would be withdrawn. And because it is going to Las Vegas, none of the water would directly return to the rural aquifer system.
Water loss is sure to disrupt the local ecology, said Great Basin National Park Superintendent Andy Ferguson, 60, who sees himself as an advocate for the whole Great Basin. "It's not just a job," he says. "It's where I am, and it's what I live."
One likely casualty of pumping, he said, would be phreatophytes -- deep-rooted shrubs like greasewood that cover much of the Snake Valley and keep the dirt in place. If the greasewood goes, says Garland, the retired rancher, the area will become "literally just a wind-blown desert with nothing to hold it together."
Utah wants a 10-year'study period'
The influential and well-funded Center for Biological Diversity has been vehement in its opposition to the Las Vegas proposal, flooding BLM with thousands of comments critical of its draft environmental impact statement. An action alert on its website collected 20,500 form submissions in response to BLM's draft environmental impact statement. About 10 percent were unique in some way, the agency said.
At least 550 other comments were submitted to the agency, some calling for approval of the project's needed rights of way, some opposing action, and still others criticizing methods and thoroughness of the report.
U.S. EPA's Region 9 has called for weaknesses to be addressed in the final report, expected this summer. In a Nov. 30 letter to the public lands agency, EPA said environmental impacts of pumping in the Snake Valley were "severe in magnitude, duration and scope" and recommended that BLM select a preferred alternative path that would avoid the most vulnerable areas in the Snake Valley and neighboring Spring Valley.
The Snake Valley is in a unique position because of its two-state spread. The nine wells proposed by the water authority would be on Nevada's side of the border, but the underlying aquifer would be affected in Utah, too. That's what has the Utah ranchers so worked up.
"We understand that we don't have a right to talk about what Nevada does with its water," said Glen Greenhalgh, resource coordinator for Juab County, which holds Partoun and Callao. "But when that affects our state and our county, then we have to speak up."
Nevada and Utah must reach an agreement on groundwater allocation before SNWA would be allowed to pump there; it's stipulated in the Lincoln County Conservation, Recreation and Development Act, passed by Congress in 2004.
A 2009 draft agreement evenly splits the 132,000 afy of groundwater in the basin but specifies how it should be managed. John Harja, former director of Utah's Public Lands Policy Coordination Office and a key player in negotiations, said in an interview that the state was "in a defensive role" in the process and insisted on safeguards for its residents. The agreement, still unsigned by Utah Gov. Gary Herbert (R), calls for a 10-year study period of potential environmental impacts on the Snake Valley.
But Snake Valley residents won't call that proposed delay a victory -- even if the agreement were signed. If the Snake Valley is spared -- or saved for later -- residents are still uneasy about the prospect of pumping in the basin next door.
"Stopping them from coming and drilling wells in Snake Valley isn't enough," said Anderson, the Callao rancher, "because if we turn our backs, they drill their wells in Spring Valley." Because water basins in the two valleys are interconnected, pumping in Spring Valley to the west would take water that could have otherwise ended up under Anderson's Snake Valley ranch.
No love for Vegas
From his office building a few blocks from Las Vegas' historic Fremont Street, Entsminger, the SNWA deputy manager, says he is resigned to the fact that he'll never win over many of the rural opponents like Anderson. "You're not going to convince everybody that this project is a good idea."
Davis, the spokesman, chimes in that opponents are too quick to paint Las Vegas as a bully in the water fight, using terms like "siphoning" and "water grab" to describe SNWA's pipeline proposal.
"The notion of a water grab is absolutely laughable," he said. "We're a public agency; we're not out here profiteering."
Las Vegas is often criticized as being inherently unsustainable. "Slow growth seems to be anathema to Las Vegas; it's growth at all costs," said Ferguson, the park superintendent.
Entsminger dismisses that accusation. Las Vegas is logically situated on major highways and railroads between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles, he said, and people will continue to move there and to the rest of the Southwest. "People will still wake up in Milwaukee and get tired of shoveling snow," he said.
The water authority has tried other ways to manage water. Conservation efforts have been aggressive. Since 2003, more than 25,000 acre-feet of its wastewater was recovered for use on golf courses and to cool power plants.
Las Vegas has also explored a form of desalination exchange, in which the city would fund a desal plant on the Pacific Coast and, instead of transporting water over the distance, would trade it for additional Colorado River allocations.
Bright lights or beef?
But Entsminger worries about putting too much hope in desal, another project in the multibillion-dollar range and similarly fraught with regulatory challenges. Without the pipeline, Entsminger says, he cannot guarantee that the water authority can provide for the people of southern Nevada for the next 50 years, "and that has a chilling effect on the entire economy of the state."
Without a secure water supply, the state and local governments will have trouble selling bonds, the Las Vegas Strip will have less favorable deals when refinancing debt, and the area will struggle to attract major new businesses.
The Las Vegas Chamber of Commerce has pushed for the pipeline's approval. So have Caesars Entertainment, Wynn Resorts, Zephyr Partners and plenty other Strip businesses.
"Our economic viability as a region and as an international tourist destination is dependent upon a reliable water source that will be available to accommodate any growth we may see into the future," said Kim Sinatra, senior vice president of Wynn Resorts, in a letter to BLM.
Davis, the spokesman, says a big part of his job is fighting the image problem Las Vegas has with opponents.
"They characterize Las Vegas as 'gambling, gluttony and girls.' I guess we're a victim of our own marketing," he said. But "mostly, it is middle-class people doing middle-class things, getting their kids to soccer games, and trying to get through their lives just like everybody else."
Anderson, the Callao rancher, insists that his contention with the project is not part of a culture war between urban and rural lifestyles. "I don't care if [the water] goes to casinos," he said, "if we're impacted, then it really needs to be studied out."
Generally even-tempered when speaking about the pipeline project, Anderson only occasionally reveals a bit of resentment toward to the glitz of the city: "Somebody's got to provide them the beef to put out on their buffet tables," he grunts.
Reprinted from Climatewire with permission from Environment & Energy Publishing, LLC. www.eenews.net, 202-628-6500Apparently the fact-finding is over. And why not? Who needs an informed Senate on a controversial $2.4 billion expression of Big Government when the Senate president has spoken?
This morning, one day after Sen. Rob Bradley's Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Environment and Natural Resources heard stakeholders pour their hearts out over the potential good and bad of a 60,000-acre reservoir on private property in the middle of the Everglades Agricultural Area -- a departure from the restoration plans already in place -- Bradley filed Senate Bill 10, Water Resources.
Senate Bill 10 is the No. 1 priority of Senate President Joe Negron, R-Stuart. Bradley is merely the water carrier -- and frankly, he's been a very good one, fairly managing the time of the dozens of Floridians who twice trekked to Tallahassee in support of, or opposition to the issue. I hope these folks won't consider the bill a done deal, even though Negron holds a tight rein on his chamber. (See the letter he wrote and distributed to all senators today in the attachment below.) There's a great deal of collateral damage to consider. For example, we haven't yet heard from the Taxpayers Association in Palm Beach County, or anywhere in the Glades, which stand to lose a significant chunk of private property from their tax rolls.
Senate Bill 10 authorizes bonding a portion of proceeds from the Land Acquisition Trust Fund, set aside by the voter-approved Water and Land Conservation Amendment (Amendment 1, 2014), to purchase land and construct a reservoir south of Lake Okeechobee "to reduce harmful discharges to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee estuaries."
Here is some of the rationale Negron used at the bill's filing:
“Despite the sincere efforts of our state and federal government to plan and fund long-term solutions to address rising water levels and pollution in Lake Okeechobee, year after year as the Lake levels rise, the solution is to flood my community and many others across our state with billions of gallons of polluted water that destroys our estuaries and harms our local economies.
"Record rainfall this past year resulted in unseasonably high water levels in Lake Okeechobee, which threatened the integrity of the Herbert Hoover Dike. To maintain safe water levels, the Army Corps of Engineers authorized the release of billions of gallons of water from the Lake to the St. Lucie and Caloosahatchee Rivers. Such freshwater discharges cause significant environmental damage by lowering the salinity levels of the estuaries and introducing pollutants into coastal waters. Due to the discharges this summer, massive amounts of toxic algae that originated in Lake Okeechobee were sent to the estuaries and coastal waterways.
Added Bradley, “These algal blooms have occurred before and will occur again unless high volume discharges from Lake Okeechobee are stopped and pollution in the Lake Okeechobee basin is abated. Algal blooms are not simply an unsightly nuisance for residents and tourists, they bring real health risks to humans and wildlife and result in severe economic damage to local businesses.”
So far, so good. But then Negron begins to draw conclusions that his bill will bring a "fix" to the problem, even when those conclusions are not shared by the hands-on engineers and scientists working with Everglades restoration.
“For nearly two decades, there has been scientific consensus and recognition by state leaders that additional water storage south of Lake Okeechobee is necessary to stop this ongoing problem; from Governor Jeb Bush's historic support of the bipartisan Comprehensive Everglades Restoration Plan in 2000; to the recent University of Florida Water Institute study commissioned by the Senate and completed in 2015,” Negron continued. “This legislation provides a clear plan to address this plague on our communities in a manner that respects the interests of the agricultural community and private land owners.”
"Additional water storage" -- yes, but 60,000 shallow acres? Did anybody see that in the recent University of Florida Water Institute study? Why not a deep well injected into the reservoir already on site?
Bradley then showed he's heard enough debate, on behalf of his committee and the Florida Senate. “The projects planned and under way are absolutely necessary and must be continued. Unfortunately, current projects fail to include one significant component that the majority of scientists and experts uniformly agree on -- a long-term solution requires additional land and storage south of Lake Okeechobee."
Do they really? Do the "majority of scientists and experts uniformly agree" on the need for more land south of the lake?" They agree more storage is necessary, but more land? How much land on the top of the reservoir already in the Central Everglades Plan?
“This legislation implements the constitution by using Amendment 1 funds, funds Florida voters dedicated to improving our environment, to address a critical and ongoing problem that impacts our residents, visitors, business, economy and quality of life.”
Oh, OK then. As long as we can, let's.
Senate Bill 10 authorizes the issuance of bonds to raise more than $1 billion to acquire 60,000 acres of land and build the southern reservoir. The estimated cost is roughly $2.4 billion -- of which the state's share is half. The federal government -- if you are to believe it -- will match the other half.
But please -- be careful here. Amendment 1 does not secure federal funding and the feds are already woefully behind. Which is why Florida passed legislation last year earmarking money for CERP.
Even Bradley says, "Nearly half way through the original timeline of CERP, less than 20 percent of the estimated total cost has been funded." That's the feds, people. That's the feds failing to meet their 50-50 commitment on years and years of restoration components. That's broken promises. Remember that.
Congressman Bill Schuster, R-Texas, visited the Treasure Coast not long ago. Schuster is chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which oversees the Corps and is key to approving any new projects. When he was asked whether the feds were on board with Negron's south reservoir plan, the chairman said, be careful what you ask for, you don’t want the federal government as your partner on this. He said a Chief’s report would be required, something that takes about three years of analysis. Then it would need to go to Congress for approval. Don't take the dodginess of this from me. Ask the Treasure Coast's new congressman, Rep. Brian Mast exactly what Schuster said.
Worth it maybe, this reservoir -- if it meant when the job is done Martin, St. Lucie and Lee counties will never see another lake release. But it doesn't mean that at all. Releases may be lessened, but in very wet years like 2016, they will remain a way of life.
And if the federal government does part with the money, good luck, Florida, getting Uncle Sam to meet his long-failed other 50-50 commitments.
Oh, by the way -- the $2.5 billion doesn't include construction or the dredging and plumbing required after that. That's just to buy the land. Add another $2.5-plus billion for the finished product.
Senate Bill 10, the Boondoggle.Surveys consistently show conservative voters overwhelmingly support an open Internet; it is an issue that transcends across political lines. Over 22 million Americans filed with the FCC to provide their input on the FCC’s plans to give big companies control of the Internet.
This is the perfect opportunity for President Trump and Congress to lead to make sure people can access any websites they want without any blocking, slowing down or throttling by their Internet service providers.
President Trump could establish himself as the “Internet President” by leading Congress to legislate a permanent net neutrality solution - one that provide certainty to the technology industry and consumers - which would encourage greater investment, innovation and competition.
Act now. Write your elected officials and tell you want them to support a legislative solution to network neutrality to protect conservative voices on the Internet!With his second degree murder trial looming, George Zimmerman’s defense attorneys on Thursday posted several items from discovery in the case, including texts and photos from Trayvon Martin’s cellphone. The words and images — including Martin exchanging text messages with friends, have the potential to be inflammatory. Zimmerman’s attorney calls them a necessary part of discovery in the case. Martin’s family attorneys call them an attempt to smear the dead teen and taint the jury.
What’s clear is that the Zimmerman trial promises to be, in part, a battle of images — a fight to shape the perceptions of jurors about the then-28-year-old neighborhood watch volunteer and the 17-year-old high school student, both of whom have blemishes in their backgrounds. The question: how much of what is in those backgrounds, of the defendant and the deceased, are relevant to the trial, in which Zimmerman is claiming self-defense.
Texts show a teen’s bravado, vulnerability
The texts, dated between November and December of 2011 and written in typical teenage shorthand, include a conversation between Martin and an unknown friend in which Martin implies he’s being “kicked out” of his home by his mother, Sybrina Fulton, and that he will have to move in with his father, Tracy Martin. “She just kicked me out 🙁 ” reads one text message, dated November 22, 2011. He also texted about witnessing a fight at school and a teacher blaming him for it.
In another text in November, 2011, Martin referred to being in a fight himself, in which the other person “got more hits” because he had him on the ground.
In texts on February 14, 2012, Martin responds to an unknown person who asks why he’s not in school. “Suspended,” he texts, later adding that his mother doesn’t want him home “caus she think ima get in mo trouble.” Martin lived with his mother, Sybrina Fulton, in Miami. His father, Tracy Martin, a truck driver, lived in Miami too, but frequently traveled to Sanford, Florida, near Orlando, to visit his fiancée and her son, who was several years younger than Trayvon.
That month, Martin and his father would go to Sanford, where they stayed at the fiancée’s townhome in the Retreat at Twin Lakes gated community. Martin had been suspended for two weeks from Michael C. Krop high school in Miami, after traces of marijuana were found in his backpack. His redacted school records were also part of the document release by Zimmerman’s defense team.
On February 17, just over a week before he was killed, Martin exchanged texts with a person identified in the transcripts as Witness 8, the young woman said to have been Martin’s girlfriend, who told police she was on the phone with Martin just before his confrontation with Zimmerman on February 26th. “I got 1 mo week” he texts.
According to the transcripts, on February 18, Martin texts Witness 8 saying, “hey bae.” He texts “I’m out Outback” — and asks what she had eaten, whether she’s got heat, and if her dad was coming over. He later texts in shorthand: “Nd b safe bae ion need ntn hapn 2 u” … “-_- Bae bullets dnt hav eyes.”
The texts are filled with teenage bravado, with Martin referencing “hiding weed,” but also vulnerability. One text says “be safe n stay focus,” followed by “I love you.”
On February 20th, Martin texts that he’s getting ready to leave for Orlando, and that he’s going for “a week.”
In a series of texts the following day, which appear to be between him and his father, Tracy Martin, a text counsels Martin to “show much respect to (name redacted” and adjust to my Lady & (name redacted)… Show them that you a good kid and you want positive things around you,” seemingly referring to the elder Martin’s fiancée and her son.
“Be a big brother and not a DONKEY …. LOVE DAD,” the next text reads.
Some of the texts contain apparent references to guns, including two messages Martin received on February 10th and 18th, reading: “you want a 22 revolver.”
Also released by the defense: photos said to be from Martin’s phone that include pictures of a handgun, what look like marijuana plants, and Martin wearing a replaceable gold tooth “grill,” extending a middle finger to the camera and blowing smoke out of his mouth. The photos were being widely reprinted in the media on Thursday, and Zimmerman’s attorney, Mark O’Mara, appeared on the Fox News channel to discuss the document release, which according to the Zimmerman defense website, also included videos from Martin’s phone and from his Youtube channel.
Next: ‘Weapons’ in defense ‘quiver’, or tainting the jury pool?PAWTUCKET, R.I.- The Columbus Clippers (62-56) beat the Pawtucket Red Sox (64-54) 3-1 Tuesday afternoon. All three of Columbus' runs came on solo homers, two by new Clipper Dusty Brown who was signed by the Indians earlier in the day and assigned to Columbus.
Zach McAllister (6-0, 1.87 ERA) had his sixth quality start in seven total starts with Columbus. He went seven innings and allowed one unearned run on one hit, three walks, six strikeouts and an error he committed in the fifth. C.C. Lee closed out the ninth for his third save of the season.
Edwin Escobar (0-0, 1.50 ERA) was solid in his start for Pawtucket, but took no decision. He went six innings and allowed one run on eight hits with two walks and five strikeouts.
The Clippers had lots of scoring chances early, but didn't break through until the fifth. The catcher Brown made his presence known in his Clippers debut. He homered to left and gave Columbus a 1-0 lead.
The PawSox tied the game in the bottom of the frame. They got their first hit on a 2-out single by Blake Swihart. A walk, error by McAllister and bases-loaded walk Justin Henry tied the game at one.
Brown gave the Clippers the lead in the seventh. He hit his second homer of the game, a solo shot, to give Columbus a 2-1 lead.
"El Jefe" Jesus Aguilar homered to give the Clippers a 3-1 lead in the eighth. It was his 15th homer with Columbus, most on the club.
Columbus missed a number of opportunities offensively. Overall the Clippers went 1-7 with runners in scoring position and stranded eight baserunners.
The Clippers have a scheduled off day Wednesday. Thursday Columbus begins a series at the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders. First pitch will be 7:05 p.m.In this photo taken Sept. 27, 2016 in the flooded Hranicka Propast, or Hranice Abyss, in the Czech Republic Polish explorer Krzysztof Starnawski, left, and Bartlomiej Grynda, right, are reading images from a remotely-operated underwater robot, or ROV, that went to the record depth of 404 meters,1,325 feet, revealing the limestone abyss to be the world's deepest flooded cave, during the 'Hranicka Propast - step beyond 400m' expedition led by Starnawski and partly funded by the National Geographic. (AP Photo/ Marcin Jamkowski) The Associated Press
By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA, Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland (AP) — A team of explorers say they've discovered that a cave in the eastern Czech Republic is the world's deepest flooded fissure, going at least 404 meters (1,325 feet) deep.
Polish explorer Krzysztof Starnawski, who led the team, told The Associated Press on Friday that he felt like a "Columbus of the 21th century" to have made the discovery near the Czech town of Hranice.
Starnawski, 48, determined Tuesday that the flooded limestone Hranicka Propast, or Hranice Abyss, which divers, including him, have explored for decades in its upper parts, was at least 404 meters deep. He scuba dived to a narrow slot in the rock formation at 200 meters down, then sent a remotely operated underwater robot, or ROV, that went to the depth of 404 meters, or the length of its cord, but still did not hit the bottom.
In 2015, Starnawski himself passed through the slot and went to 265 meters down without reaching the cave's bottom, which made him want to do more exploring. But after diving that far down, Starnawski had to spend over six hours in a decompression chamber, and decided he needed a robot instead.
Speaking on the phone from his home in Krakow, southern Poland, Starnawski said Tuesday's discovery makes Hranice Abyss the world's deepest known underwater cavity, beating the previous record-holder, a flooded sinkhole in Italy called Pozzo del Merro, by 12 meters (39 feet).
The Czech Speleological Society said it thinks the cave is even deeper and will yield additional records. When the robot was 404 meters deep "it was as deep as its rope could go, but the bottom was still nowhere in sight," the society said
Diving in the cave is a challenge, because of its muddy areas and a water temperature of 15 degrees Celsius (59 degrees Fahrenheit). The water's mineral composition also damages equipment and injures exposed skin, Starnawski said.
"But that is the only price to be paid for this discovery, and it was worth paying," he said.
A cross-section map he made of the cave ends with question marks in an unexplored area where he believes the fissure goes deeper.
On Saturday, he plans to dive to 200 meters again to bring the robot back through the narrow passage. The device was made especially for the expedition and operated by a Polish firm, GRALmarine.
Starnawski said National Geographic, which first reported the discovery, covered some of the expedition's cost.
___
This story has been corrected to show that the water temperature in the cave is 15 degrees Celsius, not 7 degrees.As the Smite god pool grows, the game can seem overwhelming for someone who is just starting out. In this guide we will cover playing Smite conquest as a support player for beginners. Conquest is the featured game mode in Smite and is the mode used for competitive play. Support typically played by a Guardian is a great role to learn how the game works while giving you a little leeway to make a mistake or two during the learning process. We will cover Athena and Ymir for our god selection, for new players both of these gods have a short learning curve and are generally a good choice for the role in most situations.
Ymir
Ymir is a great first choice since he is free on all newly formed accounts so you can use him from day one. What Ymir lacks in escapes he makes up for by bringing a lot of crowd control to the fight and a good amount of damage for a Guardian. Ymir’s first ability Ice Wall summons a wall of ice from the ground. At max level this wall will remain in place for 6s and cannot be destroyed by anyone. This can be very useful in stopping an opponent trying to escape a fight with low health or mana. This could also be used to save a friendly god running from a bad situation. His second ability, Glacial Strike damages and slows enemy gods and minions. When at max level it will deal 370 damage (plus 70% of your magical power) and slow enemies 35% for four seconds. For his third ability “Frost Breath” Ymir uses his breath to freeze enemies where they stand. This move is Ymir’s key ability in team fights allowing for high damage output on frozen enemies. When maxed out in level it will deal 370 magical damage (plus 70% of your magical power) and freeze minions and gods for 2.25 seconds. Ymir’s ultimate ability “Shards of Ice” slows opponent’s 30% and outputs 1100 damage + 150% of your magic power. Frostbite which is Ymir’s passive is a damage buff of 100%. When enemies are hit by Ymir’s damaging abilities (everything but Ice Wall) it applies a debuff called Frostbite for a duration causing Ymir’s basic abilities to do 100% more damage on that enemy god. Below is a good general model of how to prioritize his abilities as the game progresses. You want focus Frost Breath and upgrade Shards of Ice when possible (level 9, 13, 17, and 20) followed by Glacial Strike and Ice Wall last.
Athena
To play Athena early you will either need to buy a god pack to unlock all the gods, or save enough in-game currency (favor) to unlock her. You may also rent her and other gods for a small amount of favor to see if you enjoy her play style. Athena is one of the more popular Guardians picked in higher level play and also a great pick for new players that have her unlocked. With her first ability Preemptive Strike Athena charges up her dash and when executed will charge through minions and stop at the first enemy god. It is a damage and slow dealing ability that at max level will output 280 damage (plus 50% of your magic power) and slows your opponent 25% for 2.25 seconds. This move is also good as an escape for Athena if things go bad in the fight.
Athena’s second ability Confound is similar to Ymir’s Frost Breath but instead of freezing opponents it taunts them causing them to attack or chase her. The taunt will last 2 seconds when at max rank. Her third ability Shield Wall is a damage dealing ability. Shield wall at max level will deal 200 damage (plus 50% of your magical power). After two seconds the Shield wall collapses inward dealing an additional 360 damage (plus 50% of your magical power). Athena has one of if not the best ultimate of all the Guardians. A global ability called Defender of Olympus Athena picks a single friendly target anywhere on the map and launches herself up into the air landing next to that god 4.2 seconds later. The allied god receives a 20% damage mitigation throughout the duration of the ability and at max level her ultimate will deal 740 damage (+ 90% of your magic power). This ability is what makes Athena so popular in higher level play, being able to be anywhere she is needed in under 5 seconds.
Athena's passive is called Reach, after using any ability, her next basic attack is a ranged attack, hitting all enemies it passes through, and dealing an additional 25% of her magical power as damage. With her abilities you want to focus Confound and like Ymir level her ulitimate Defender of Olympus when possible. Once confound is max level finish Shield Wall and finish Preemptive Strike last.
Starter Items and Early Ward Placement
As you get higher in account level you will learn that most builds are situational and depend on the needs for that specific match. With that being said I will go over a good general Guardian build that fits well for both Athena and Ymir feel free to make adjusments where you think it is necessary. In Conquest as the Guardian you want to first buy Mark of the Vanguard, Hand of the Gods, a couple Wards, and two Multi Potions. Mark of the Vanguard is very useful in the beginning giving you +5 physical and magical protections and also +150 health. Mark has a passive reducing all damage taken by 5, giving you a total of +10 protections for both physical and magical. Wards early are best placed at the buff camps where the three jungle paths meet. Placing one at your buff and your opponents buff will help you avoid being ganked by the enemy jungle or mid laner. Learning good warding techniques early will only help you more as you progress through the Smite account levels.
*wards are represented as blue stars on this map
Early/Mid Game
The first item you want to focus after getting your starter items is Shoes of Focus. These boots once finished will grant 30 magic power 15% cool down reduction and 18% movement speed. The key factor for this being the cool down reduction provided to keep your crowd control abilities up as often as possible. After building Shoes of Focus, Sovereignty or Heartward Amulet will be the next two items you want to get. The order will depend on your match. If you have one or more physical damaging characters doing most the damage on the opposite team you will want pick up Sovereignty first and opt for Heartward Amulet if mages are your biggest threat. You also want to remember to keep refreshing your wards on the map to keep good vision. As towers fall you can place wards further in their jungle to keep an eye on your enemies when they retreat. At around the 10 minute mark you want to start considering warding the Gold Fury and Fire Giant areas. In higher level play you want to know when the enemy team is attempting to take one of those down to possibly try and prevent or steal the objective. Lower levels tend to forget about secondary objectives so it isn’t as big of deal if you don’t ward these consistently, but getting into the habit early is always good of course.
Mid/Late game
Most Smite matches will generally end before you have a full build due to the faster pace of gameplay compared to other MOBAs out there. If you do make it past Heartward Amulet and Sovereignty you will want to look at Magi’s Blessing and Winged Blade. Magi’s Blessing will give 15 protections to both the Physical and Magical side and grants 350 health once fully built. Its passive gives you a protective shield that will absorb one hard crowd control (cc) or root, it will also grant one second of cc immunity when the shield is absorbed. Winged Blade will grant you 300 health and a 10% increase in cool down reduction, attack speed, and movement speed. The passive absorbs one slow and increases your movement speed by 20% for 4s. These two items are mainly picked up for their passives. These two passives are meant to keep you in the fight longer and keep you fighting by absorbing hard cc’s, roots and slows. You can also sell your starter item in late game to open up a slot for a more useful item such as Void Stone, or Mail of Renewal.
**consider warding furthur up the opponents side or closer to your base depending on how the game is progressing
As a new player you won’t see much of the standard meta until you get higher in level and start playing against people with more conquest experience. So if you are coming over from another MOBA you will have to have patience with your teammates, things that come natural to you may not be so obvious to someone new to the genre. For everyone wheather new to MOBA's or salty vet the main thing to focus on at this point is learning the basics. Learning about the gods, their abilities, as well the in store items and what they give for stats, passives, or auras will help you out a lot with building and counter building. The sooner you can effectively counter build against your opponents the easier it will get for you. Keeping an eye on your mini-map can teach you a lot as well. The more conquest matches you play the more you will notice trends such as popular gank locations as well as hot spots where team fights tend to break out a lot.
Paying attention to jungle timers and warding are a crucial part of the game. Most new players tend to ignore the warding aspect of the game and leave their lane open for an easy gank. As the support player in the current meta it is common to start roaming the map at about the three minute mark when the mid gold camps spawn. If your team can control the mid camps then this will give you a huge advantage in level and gold and give a better chance of victory. Keep an eye on the enemy support if he doesn’t rotate when you do be sure to help out the hunter when needed. If your hunter is doing alright on their own allow them to gain level on the enemies who are splitting the experience. When team fights start to break out be sure to try and focus your abilities on the enemy damage dealers and not their support players.
Taking out the hunter, assassin, or mage early gives you a huge advantage in the rest of the team fight. If you are on the other end of a fight where one of your teammates goes down early use your abilities to get your other carries out of danger. It is better for you to die than a hunter or assassin. Try to focus towers and phoenixes when possible to keep pressuring the enemy team. Another big mistake of new players is forgetting to focus the objectives and want to focus on kills. The longer you take to finish the game the more time you give the enemy to gain level and gold back and |
policy was in fact a core belief of Scientology and as such deserved protection as religious expression.[28]
"Dead agenting"
In the 1970s, Hubbard continued to codify the policy of "attacking the attacker" and assigned a term to be used frequently within Scientology: "dead agenting". Used as a verb, "dead agenting" is described by Hubbard as a technique for countering negative accusations against Scientology by diverting the critical statements and making counter-accusations against the accuser; in other words, to "attack the attacker". Hubbard defined the PR (public relations) policy on "dead agenting" in a 1974 bulletin:
The technique of proving utterances false is called "DEAD AGENTING." It's in the first book of Chinese espionage. When the enemy agent gives false data, those who believed him but now find it false kill him—or at least cease to believe him. So the PR slang for it is 'Dead Agenting.'" — L. Ron Hubbard, Board Policy Letter, PR Series 24: Handling Hostile Contacts/Dead Agenting, May 30, 1974.
The phrase comes from a misunderstanding of the chapter on espionage in The Art of War. The Scientology-sponsored website, religiousfreedomwatch.org, features depictions of so-called "anti-religious extremists", most of them critics of Scientology.[29] Featuring photos of the critics and claimed evidence of their personal wrongdoing (sometimes very vague, for example: "Documentation received by Religious Freedom Watch shows that [Kristi] Wachter paid an individual to carry out a specific project for her, and also instructed this individual to lie about what he was doing in case he was caught"). The "Religious Freedom Watch" site is often cited by alt.religion.scientology users as a contemporary example of "dead agenting".
Dead agenting has also been carried out by flier campaigns against some critics—using so-called "DA fliers". Bonnie Woods, an ex-member who began counseling people involved with Scientology and their families, became a target along with her husband in 1993 when the Church of Scientology started a leaflet operation denouncing her as a "hate campaigner" with demonstrators outside their home and around East Grinstead. After a long battle of libel suits, in 1999, the church agreed to issue an apology[30] and to pay £55,000 damages and £100,000 costs to the Woods.[31][32]
R2-45
"R2-45" is the name given by L. Ron Hubbard to what he described as "an enormously effective process for exteriorization but its use is frowned upon by this society at this time".[33] In Scientology doctrine, exteriorization refers to the separation of the thetan (soul) from the body. According to the author Stewart Lamont, Hubbard defined R2-45 as a process by which exteriorization could be produced by shooting a person in the head with a.45 revolver.[34]
The journalist and author Tony Ortega has suggested R2-45 may have been used neither as a murder order nor as a joke, but as a means of intimidation. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) carried out a lengthy investigation of Scientology in the 1960s, and as part of that interviewed two prominent ex-Scientologists who said they had been sent "R2-45" letters. According to FDA records dating from 1970 that Ortega published in 2015, one of the two said he received a letter suggesting he use "a 45 caliber pistol to exteriorize himself",[35] while the other "stated he also received letters indicating he should apply technique R2-45 to himself". The FDA inspector noted "[t]his particular technique is a route whereby an individual places a 45 caliber pistol to his head and disassociates himself from his body."[36]
While no "R2-45 letters" have been published, orders to use R2-45 on specific individuals were published in a prominent Scientology magazine. On March 6, 1968, Hubbard issued an internal memo titled "Racket Exposed", in which he denounced twelve people as "Enemies of mankind, the planet and all life", and ordered "Any Sea Org member contacting any of them is to use Auditing Process R2-45."[37] The memo was subsequently reproduced, with another name added, in the Church of Scientology's internal journal, The Auditor.[38] Another four people were named in a second R2-45 order published in The Auditor later in 1968.[39]
Criminal convictions of members
Much of the controversy surrounding Scientology is reflected in the long list of legal incidents associated with the organization including the criminal convictions of core members of the Scientology organization.
In 1978, a number of Scientologists, including L. Ron Hubbard's wife Mary Sue Hubbard (who was second in command in the organization at the time), were convicted of perpetrating what was at the time the largest incident of domestic espionage in the history of the United States, called "Operation Snow White". This involved infiltrating, wiretapping, and stealing documents from the offices of Federal attorneys and the Internal Revenue Service. The judge who convicted Mrs. Hubbard and ten accomplices described their attempt to plead freedom of religion in defense:
It is interesting to note that the founder of their organization, unindicted co-conspirator L. Ron Hubbard, wrote in his dictionary entitled Modern Management Technology Defined...that 'truth is what is true for you.' Thus, with the founder's blessings they could wantonly commit perjury as long as it was in the interest of Scientology. The defendants rewarded criminal activities that ended in success and sternly rebuked those that failed. The standards of human conduct embodied in such practices represent no less than the absolute perversion of any known ethical value system. In view of this, it defies the imagination that these defendants have the unmitigated audacity to seek to defend their actions in the name of religion. That these defendants now attempt to hide behind the sacred principles of freedom of religion, freedom of speech, and the right to privacy—which principles they repeatedly demonstrated a willingness to violate with impunity—adds insult to the injuries which they have inflicted on every element of society.[40]
Eleven church staff members, including Mary Sue Hubbard and other highly placed officials, pleaded guilty or were convicted in federal court based on evidence seized in the raids and received sentences from two to six years (some suspended).[40]
Other noteworthy incidents involving criminal accusations and prosecutions against the Church of Scientology include:
In Belgium, after a judicial investigation since 1997, a trial against the organization is due to begin in 2008. Charges include formation of a criminal organization, the unlawful exercise of medicine, and fraud. [53] [54] [55]
In the United Kingdom the church has been accused of "grooming" City of London Police officers with gifts worth thousands of pounds. [56]
In Australia, Scientology has been temporarily banned in the 1960s in three out of six states; the use of the E-meter was similarly banned in Victoria. In Victoria, Scientology was investigated by the state government. In the conclusion to his report written as part of this investigation, Kevin Victor Anderson, Q.C. stated "Scientology is a delusional belief system, based on fiction and fallacies and propagated by falsehood and deception". [57] The report was later overturned [ citation needed ] by the High Court of Australia, which compelled the states to recognize Scientology as a religion for purposes of payroll taxes, [58] : para 21 stating "Regardless of whether the members of [the Scientology organization] are gullible or misled or whether the practices of Scientology are harmful or objectionable, the evidence, in our view, establishes that Scientology must, for relevant purposes, be accepted as "a religion" in Victoria." [58] : para 22
The report was later overturned by the High Court of Australia, which compelled the states to recognize Scientology as a religion for purposes of payroll taxes, stating "Regardless of whether the members of [the Scientology organization] are gullible or misled or whether the practices of Scientology are harmful or objectionable, the evidence, in our view, establishes that Scientology must, for relevant purposes, be accepted as "a religion" in Victoria." In 2009, a Paris court found the French Church of Scientology guilty of organized fraud and imposed a fine of nearly US$900,000.[59] The prosecution had asked for the Church to be banned, but a recent change in legislation made this impossible. The case had been brought by two ex-members who said they had been pressured into spending large amounts of money on Scientology courses and other services. Commenting on the verdict, the plaintiffs' attorney said, "It's the first time in France that the entity of the Church of Scientology is condemned for fraud as an organized gang". A Scientology spokesperson likened the judgment to "an Inquisition for modern times" and said the Church would appeal.[59]
Treatment of members
In 2007, a 25-year-old woman from Sydney was charged with murdering her father and sister and seriously injuring her mother. Her parents had prevented her from seeking the psychiatric treatment she needed because of their Scientology beliefs.[60][61]
In 2012, Debbie Cook, who ran the "spiritual Mecca" for seventeen years, came forward and accused the church of repeated accounts of "screaming, slapping" and being "made to stand in a trash and water's poured over you" in efforts to confess her sins. This was all done in "The Hole", located at Scientology's International base in the California Desert. She claims that she was taken there against her will and forced to stay for seven weeks. The church states that she "voluntarily" participated in their program of "religious discipline".[62] Leah Remini: Scientology and the Aftermath is a 2016–2017 A&E documentary series that investigates abuses of the Church of Scientology by interviewing of former members.[63]
Lisa McPherson and the "Introspection Rundown"
Lisa McPherson
The most widely publicized death of one of the organization's members was that of 36-year-old Lisa McPherson while in the care of Scientologists at the Scientology-owned Fort Harrison Hotel, in Clearwater, Florida, in 1995. McPherson, at the time, was displaying symptoms suggesting she was struggling with mental illness; in one case, she removed all of her clothes after being involved in a minor traffic accident, later remarking she had done so in hopes of obtaining counseling.[64] The Church, however, intervened to prevent McPherson from receiving psychiatric treatment and to keep her in Church custody. Records show that she was then placed in a Scientology program, the Introspection Rundown, which was forced isolation used to handle a psychotic episode.[65] Weeks later, she was pronounced dead on arrival at a hospital. The autopsy identified multiple hematomas (bruises), an abrasion on the nose, and lesions that were consistent with "insect/animal bites".[66] An autopsy showed that she had died of a pulmonary embolism.
Florida authorities filed criminal charges against the Church of Scientology, who denied any responsibility for McPherson's death and vigorously contested the charges. The prosecuting attorneys ultimately dropped the criminal case. After four years, a $100 million civil lawsuit filed by Lisa McPherson's family was settled in 2004. The suit resulted in an injunction against the distribution of a film critical of Scientology, The Profit, which the Church claimed was meant to influence the jury. The terms of the settlement were sealed by the court.[67]
Elli Perkins
Another crime that received substantial news coverage involved the death of Elli Perkins. This included an installment on the CBS investigative news program 48 Hours.[68]
Perkins was a mother of two, a professional glass artist, and a Scientologist who lived in Western New York. She was a senior auditor at the Church of Scientology in Buffalo, New York. When her then 24-year-old son Jeremy began to show strange and disturbing behavior, Elli did not seek out psychiatric care but used treatment in accordance with Scientology. Scientologists believe that psychiatry "doesn't work."
First, the family sent Jeremy to Scientology's Sea Org in California. He returned home some months later because Sea Org hadn't helped. Found trespassing outside the University at Buffalo on August 14, 2001, Jeremy was arrested and remanded to a local hospital after a court-ordered psychiatric exam confirmed that he had a diagnosis of schizophrenia.[69]
Elli Perkins later convinced the court to release her son into her custody so she could seek alternatives to psychiatry. She also refused any treatment with anti-psychotic medications. Defense attorney John Nuchereno said that Jeremy's condition declined over the summer of 2002. He was no longer able to work in the family business. The Church of Scientology ceased efforts to cure Jeremy and classified him as a level III "Potential Trouble Source."
In the fall of 2002, the family consulted Dr. Conrad Maulfair, an osteopathic physician and Scientologist.[69] Dr. Maulfair concluded that Jeremy needed to be purged of certain chemical toxins in his body. Maulfair said he needed to be "energized" through vitamin therapy.
Jeremy became suspicious of his mother; he thought the vitamins were poisoning him. In February 2003, Elli took Jeremy to see Albert Brown, a self-taught "natural healer." Elli planned to send Jeremy to live with Brown for treatment. He was to leave for Brown's on March 13, 2003, but days beforehand began to act more aggressively. On the 13th, after a shower he retrieved a steak knife and tried to slit his wrists. Unsuccessful, Jeremy found his mother in the kitchen and attacked her as she spoke to a friend on the phone. Autopsy reports showed that Elli Perkins was stabbed 77 times.[70]
Jeremy was charged with second degree murder but found not responsible by reason of mental disease. On January 29, 2004, after NY State Office of Mental Health exams, he was assessed "Dangerously Mentally Ill" and committed to a secure facility. Jeremy is on psychotropic medications, which court psychiatrists state have not cured him, but have stabilized his condition.
In March 2006, an advertisement in LA Weekly blamed the Church of Scientology for Perkins' violent death.[71] The 48 Hours segment on Perkins' death aired on October 28, 2006.[72] Afterward, CBS reported they had received complaints from Scientologists.
Noah Lottick
Noah Lottick was an American student of Russian studies who committed suicide on May 11, 1990, by jumping from a 10th-floor hotel window, clutching his only remaining money in his hands.[73] After his death, a controversy arose revolving around his parents' concern over his membership in the Church of Scientology.
Noah Lottick had taken Scientology courses, for which he paid US$5,000.[73][74] Lottick's friends and family remarked that after taking these courses he began to act strangely. They stated to Time magazine that he told them that his Scientologist teachers were telepathic, and that his father's heart attack was purely psychosomatic.[73] His parents said that he visited their home five days before his death, claiming they were spreading "false rumors" about him.[73]
Lottick's suicide was profiled in a Time cover story that was highly critical of Scientology, "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power", which received the Gerald Loeb Award,[73][75] and later appeared in Reader's Digest.[76]
Lottick's father, Dr. Edward Lottick, stated that his initial impression of Scientology was that it was similar to Dale Carnegie's techniques. However, after his son's death, his opinion was that the organization is a "school for psychopaths".[73] He blamed Scientology for his son's death, although no direct connection was determined. After Dr. Lottick's remarks were published in the media, the Church of Scientology haggled with him over US$3,000 that Noah had allegedly paid to the Church and not utilized for services.[73] The Church claimed Lottick had intended this to be a donation.
The Church of Scientology sued Richard Behar and Time magazine for $416 million. Dr and Mrs Lottick submitted affidavits affirming "the accuracy of each statement in the article", and stating that Dr Lottick had "concluded that Scientology therapies were manipulations". They said that no Scientology staff members attended the funeral of their son.[74] All counts against Behar and Time were later dismissed.[75] Lottick's father cited his son's suicide as his motivation for researching cults, in his article describing a survey of physicians that he presented to the Pennsylvania State Medical Society.[77]
The Church of Scientology issued a press release denying any responsibility for Lottick's suicide.[78] Spokesperson Mike Rinder was quoted in the St. Petersburg Times as saying that Lottick had an argument with his parents four days before his death.[78] Rinder stated, "I think Ed Lottick should look in the mirror... I think Ed Lottick made his son's life intolerable."[78]
Brainwashing
The Church of Scientology is frequently accused by critics of employing brainwashing.[79]
The controversy about the existence of cultic brainwashing has become one of the most polarizing issues among cult followers, academic researchers of cults, and cult critics. Parties disagree about the existence of a social process attempting coercive influence, and also disagree about the existence of the social outcome—that people become influenced against their will.[80]
One alleged example of the Church's possible brainwashing tactics is the Rehabilitation Project Force, to which church staff are assigned to work off alleged wrongdoings under conditions that many critics characterize as degrading. Some of these allegations are presented in Stephen Kent's Brainwashing in Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force (RPF).[81] Articles that claim to rebut those charges include Juha Pentikäinen's The Church of Scientology's Rehabilitation Project Force.[82]
Critics of Scientology have also accused L. Ron Hubbard of authoring The Brainwashing Manual, but these accusations have not been confirmed. Hubbard did publish a copy of this manual on two technical bulletins, "for the benefit of the auditors who may face victims of brainwashing". Hubbard discussed brainwashing in several of his works, but these, "expose brainwashing as something that should not be practiced", and "the practice of brainwashing could only end up in disaster".[83]
The Anderson Report
The final results of the Anderson Report in 1965 declared:
"The Board is not concerned to find that the scientology techniques are brainwashing techniques as practiced, so it is understood, in some communist-controlled countries. Scientology techniques are, nevertheless, a kind of brainwashing...The astonishing feature of Scientology is that its techniques and propagation resemble very closely those set out in a book entitled Brain-washing, advertised and sold by the HASI".[84]
Disconnection
The Church of Scientology has been criticized for their practice of "disconnection" in which Scientologists are directed to sever all contact with family members or friends who criticize the faith. Critics including ex-members and relatives of existing members say that this practice has divided many families.[85] The disconnection policy is considered by critics to be further evidence that the Church is a cult. By making its members entirely dependent upon a social network entirely within the organization, critics assert that Scientologists are kept from exposure to critical perspectives on the church and are put in a situation that makes it extremely difficult for members to leave the church, since apostates will be shunned by the Church and have already been cut off from family and friends.[86][87]
The Church of Scientology acknowledges that its members are strongly discouraged from associating with "enemies of Scientology", and likens the disconnection policy to the practice of shunning in religions such as the Amish. However, there is a consensus of religious scholars who oppose Scientology's practice: "I just think it would be better for all concerned if they just let them go ahead and get out and everyone goes their own way, and not make such a big deal of it, the policy hurts everybody." J. Gordon Melton, Institute for the Study of American Religion, Santa Barbara, California.[87]
"It has to do with feeling threatened because you're not that big. You do everything you can to keep unity in the group." Frank K. Flinn, Washington University, St. Louis, Missouri.[87]
"Some people I've talked to, they just wanted to go on with their lives and they wanted to be in touch with their daughter or son or parent. The shunning was just painful. And I don't know what it was accomplishing. And the very terms they use are scary, aren't they?" Newton Maloney, Fuller Theological Seminary, Pasadena, California.[87]
Use of donations and preferential treatment of Scientologist celebrities
Andre Tabayoyon, a former Scientologist and Sea Org staffer, testified in a 1994 affidavit that money from not-for-profit Scientology organizations and labor from those organizations (including the Rehabilitation Project Force) had gone to provide special facilities for Scientology celebrities, which were not available to other Scientologists:
"A Sea Org staffer...was taken along to do personal cooking for Tom Cruise and [David] Miscavige at the expense of Scientology not for profit religious organizations. This left only 3 cooks at Gold [Base] to cook for 800 people three times a day...apartment cottages were built for the use of John Travolta, Kirstie Alley, Edgar Winter, Priscilla Presley, and other Scientology celebrities who are carefully prevented from finding out the real truth about the Scientology organization... Miscavige decided to redo the meadow in beautiful flowers; Tens of thousands of dollars were spent on the project so that [Tom] Cruise and [Nicole] Kidman could romp there. However, Miscavige inspected the project and didn't like it. So the whole meadow was plowed up, destroyed, replowed and sown with plain grass."[88]
Tabayoyon's account of the planting of the meadow was supported by another former Scientologist, Maureen Bolstad, who said that a couple of dozen Scientologists including herself were put to work on a rainy night through dawn on the project. "We were told that we needed to plant a field and that it was to help Tom impress Nicole...but for some mysterious reason it wasn't considered acceptable by Mr. Miscavige. So the project was rejected and they redid it".[89]
Legitimacy of Scientology as a religion
The nature of Scientology is hotly debated in many countries. The Church of Scientology pursues an extensive public relations campaign arguing Scientology is a bona fide religion. The organization cites a number of studies and experts who support their position.[91] Critics point out most cited studies were commissioned by Scientology to produce the desired results.
Many countries (including Belgium, Canada, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Israel, Mexico, Russia, the United Kingdom), while not prohibiting or limiting the activities of the Church of Scientology, have rejected its applications for tax-exempt, charitable status or recognition as a religious organization; it has been variously judged to be a commercial enterprise or a dangerous cult.
Scientology is legally accepted as a religion in the United States and Australia, and enjoys the constitutional protections afforded to religious practice in each country. In October 1993, the U.S. Internal Revenue Service recognized the Church as an "organization operated exclusively for religious and charitable purposes".[92] The Church offers the tax exemption as proof that it is a religion. (This subject is examined in the article on the Church of Scientology).
In 1982, the High Court of Australia ruled the State Government of Victoria lacked the right to declare the Church of Scientology was not a religion.[58] The Court found the issue of belief to be the central feature of religion, regardless of the presence of charlatanism: Charlatanism is a necessary price of religious freedom, and if a self-proclaimed teacher persuades others to believe in a religion which he propounds, lack of sincerity or integrity on his part is not incompatible with the religious character of the beliefs, practices and observances accepted by his followers."[58]:para 26
Other countries to have recognized Scientology as a religion include Spain,[93] Portugal,[94] Italy,[95] Sweden,[96][97] and New Zealand.[98] The debate continues until today, with a new generation of critics continuing to question Scientology's legitimacy as a religion.[10]
L. Ron Hubbard and starting a religion for money
While the oft-cited rumor Hubbard made a bar bet with Robert A. Heinlein he could start a cult is unproven, many witnesses have reported Hubbard making statements in their presence starting a religion would be a good way to make money. These statements have led many to believe Hubbard hid his true intentions and was motivated solely by potential financial rewards.
Editor Sam Merwin, for example, recalled a meeting: "I always knew he was exceedingly anxious to hit big money—he used to say he thought the best way to do it would be to start a cult." (December 1946)[99] Writer and publisher Lloyd Arthur Eshbach reported Hubbard saying "I'd like to start a religion. That's where the money is." Writer Theodore Sturgeon reported Hubbard made a similar statement at the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society. Likewise, writer Sam Moskowitz reported in an affidavit during an Eastern Science Fiction Association meeting on November 11, 1948, Hubbard had said "You don't get rich writing science fiction. If you want to get rich, you start a religion."[100] Milton A. Rothman also reported to his son Tony Rothman he heard Hubbard make exactly that claim at a science fiction convention. In 1998, an A&E documentary titled "Inside Scientology" shows Lyle Stuart reporting Hubbard stated repeatedly to make money, "you start a religion."[101]
According to The Visual Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, ed. Brian Ash, Harmony Books, 1977:
"...[Hubbard] began making statements to the effect that any writer who really wished to make money should stop writing and develop [a] religion, or devise a new psychiatric method. Harlan Ellison's version (Time Out, UK, No 332) is that Hubbard is reputed to have told [John W.] Campbell, "I'm going to invent a religion that's going to make me a fortune. I'm tired of writing for a penny a word". Sam Moskowitz, a chronicler of science fiction, has reported that he himself heard Hubbard make a similar statement, but there is no first-hand evidence".
The following letter, written by L. Ron Hubbard, was discovered by the FBI during its raid on Scientology headquarters. The letter shows Hubbard turned Scientology into a "religion" for financial reasons:
(1953) DEAR HELEN 10 APRIL RE CLINIC, HAS The arrangements that have been made seem a good temporary measure. On a longer look, however, something more equitable will have to be organized. I am not quite sure what we would call the place – probably not a clinic – but I am sure that it ought to be a company, independent of the HAS [the Hubbard Association of Scientologists] but fed by the HAS. We don't want a clinic. We want one in operation but not in name. Perhaps we could call it a Spiritual Guidance Center. Think up its name, will you. And we could put in nice desks and our boys in neat blue with diplomas on the walls and 1. knock psychotherapy into history and 2. make enough money to shine up my operating scope and 3. keep the HAS solvent. It is a problem of practical business. I await your reaction on the religion angle. In my opinion, we couldn't get worse public opinion than we have had or have less customers with what we've got to sell. A religious charter would be necessary in Pennsylvania or NJ to make it stick. But I sure could make it stick. We're treating the present time beingness, psychotherapy treats the past and the brain. And brother, that's religion, not mental science. Ron Best Regards,
An article of Prof. Benjamin Beith-Hallahmi documents the secular aspects of Scientology from Scientology's own writings.[102]
Free Zone suppression
The Church has taken steps to suppress the Free Zone, the term for a variety of groups and individuals who practice Scientology outside the strictures of the Church of Scientology proper, and shut down dissenters when possible. The CoS has used copyright and trademark laws to attack various Free Zone groups.[26] Accordingly, the Free Zone avoids the use of officially trademarked Scientology words, including 'Scientology' itself. In 2000, the Religious Technology Center unsuccessfully attempted to gain the Web domain www.scientologie.org from the World Intellectual Property Organization, in a legal action against the Free Zone.[103] Skeptic Magazine described the Free Zone as: "..a group founded by ex-Scientologists to promote L. Ron Hubbard's ideas independent of the COS [Church of Scientology]."[104] A Miami Herald article wrote that ex-Scientologists joined the Free Zone because they felt that Church of Scientology leadership had: "..strayed from Hubbard's original teachings."[105] One Free Zone Scientologist identified as "Safe" was quoted in Salon as saying: "The Church of Scientology does not want its control over its members to be found out by the public and it doesn't want its members to know that they can get scientology outside of the Church of Scientology."[106]
Litigation as harassment of critics
In the past many critics of Scientology have claimed they were harassed by frivolous and vexatious lawsuits.
Paulette Cooper was falsely accused of felony charges as she had been framed by the Church of Scientology's Guardian's Office. Furthermore, her personal life had been intruded upon by Scientologists who had attempted to kill her and/or draw her to suicide in a covert plan known as Operation Freakout brought to light after FBI investigations into other matters (See Operation Snow White).[107]
A prominent example of litigation of its critics is the Church of Scientology's $416 million libel lawsuit s:Church of Scientology v. Behar against Time Warner as a result of their publication of a highly critical magazine article "The Thriving Cult of Greed and Power" by Richard Behar. A public campaign by the Church of Scientology accordingly ensued in an attempt to defame this Time Magazine publication. (See Church of Scientology's response)
Gareth Alan Cales is being harassed by the Church of Scientology, including false charges against him and his friends.[108]
The purpose of the suit is to harass and discourage rather than to win. The law can be used very easily to harass, and enough harassment on somebody who is simply on the thin edge anyway, well knowing that he is not authorized, will generally be sufficient to cause his professional decease. If possible, of course, ruin him utterly. — L. Ron Hubbard, A Manual on the Dissemination of Material, 1955
Similarly, the Church of Scientology's legal battle with Gerry Armstrong in Church of Scientology v. Gerald Armstrong spanned two decades and involved a $10 million claim against Armstrong.[109]
Personality tests
In 2008 the 20-year-old daughter of Olav Gunnar Ballo, a Norwegian member of parliament, had taken a personality test organized by Scientologists in Nice, and received very negative feedback from it. A few hours later she committed suicide. French police started an investigation of the Scientology church. In the wake of the Ballo suicide linked to the personality test, the spokesman for the church in Norway called the link at accusation deeply unfair, and pointing out that the daughter had previously suffered eating disorders and psychiatric troubles.[110]
The personality test has been condemned by the psychologist Rudy Myrvang. He called the test a recruitment tool, aimed at breaking down a person so that the Scientologists can build the test-taker back up.[110]
Treatment of Scientologists in Germany
[111] Pastor Thomas Gandow, a prominent spokesperson for the [112][113] Tom Cruise is one of several Scientologist artists who have been subject to boycott calls in Germany.Pastor Thomas Gandow, a prominent spokesperson for the German Lutheran Church, has described Cruise as the " Goebbels of Scientology".
Based on the 1993 IRS decision granting Scientology tax-exempt status, the U.S. Department of State formally criticized Germany for discriminating against Scientologists and began to note Scientologists' complaints of harassment and discrimination in its annual Human Rights Reports, starting from the 1993 report.[114] Since then, the U.S. Department of State has repeatedly expressed its concerns over the violation of Scientologists' individual rights posed by "sect filters", whereby potential employees are required to divulge any association with Scientology before they are considered for a job.[114][115][116][117] It has also warned that companies and artists associated with Scientology may be subject to "government-approved discrimination and boycotts" in Germany.[118] Past targets of such boycotts have included Tom Cruise and jazz pianist Chick Corea.[119]
In 1997, an open letter to then-German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, published as a newspaper advertisement in the International Herald Tribune, drew parallels between the "organized oppression" of Scientologists in Germany and Nazi policies espoused by Germany in the 1930s.[116][120] The letter was signed by Dustin Hoffman, Goldie Hawn, and a number of other Hollywood celebrities and executives.[116][119] Commenting on the matter, a spokesman for the U.S. Department of State criticized Germany's treatment of Scientologists and said that Scientologists were indeed discriminated against in Germany, but condemned any comparisons of this treatment to the Nazis' treatment of Jews as extremely inappropriate, an opinion echoed by the United Nations Special Rapporteur on human rights.[119][121]
German officials sharply rejected the accusations.[119] They said that Germany guarantees the freedom of religion, but characterized Scientology as a profit-making enterprise, rather than a religion, and emphasized that precisely because of Germany's Nazi past, Germany took a determined stance against all "radical cults and sects, including right-wing Nazi groups", and not just against Scientology.[119] According to a 1997 Time magazine article, most Germans consider Scientology a subversive organization, with pollsters reporting 70% popular support for banning Scientology in Germany.[119]
In late 1997, the United States granted asylum to a German Scientologist, Antje Victore, who claimed she would be subject to religious persecution in her homeland.[117] In 2000, the German Stern magazine published a report asserting that several rejection letters which the woman had submitted as part of her asylum application—ostensibly from potential employers who were rejecting her because she was a Scientologist—had in fact been written by fellow Scientologists at her request and that of the Office of Special Affairs and that she was in personal financial trouble and about to go on trial for tax evasion at the time she applied for asylum.[122] On a 2000 visit to Clearwater, Florida, Ursula Caberta of the Scientology Task Force for the Hamburg Interior Authority likewise alleged that the asylum case had been part of an "orchestrated effort" by Scientology undertaken "for political gain", and "a spectacular abuse of the U.S. system".[123] German expatriate Scientologists resident in Clearwater, in turn, accused Caberta of stoking a "hate campaign" in Germany that had "ruined the lives and fortunes of scores of Scientologists" and maintained that Scientologists had not "exaggerated their plight for political gain in the United States".[123] Mark Rathbun, a top Church of Scientology official, said that although Scientology had not orchestrated the case, "there would have been nothing improper if it had".[123]
Scientology and Wikipedia
In an effort to adhere to Wikipedia policy, the Arbitration Committee of the English Wikipedia decided in late-May 2009 to restrict editing from Church of Scientology Internet Protocol addresses, to prevent self-serving edits by editors within CoS-administered networks.[124][125][126] A "host of anti-Scientologist editors" were topic-banned as well.[124][125] The committee concluded that both sides had "gamed policy" and resorted to "battlefield tactics", with articles on living persons being the "worst casualties".[124]
Church of Scientology's response to criticism
Scientology's response to accusations of criminal behavior has been twofold; the church is under attack by an organized conspiracy, and each of the church's critics is hiding a private criminal past. In the first instance, the Church of Scientology has repeatedly stated that it is engaged in an ongoing battle against a massive, worldwide conspiracy whose sole purpose is to "destroy the Scientology religion." Thus, aggressive measures and legal actions are the only way the church has been able to survive in a hostile environment; they sometimes liken themselves to the early Mormons who took up arms and organized militia to defend themselves from persecution.
The church asserts that the core of the organized anti-Scientology movement is the psychiatric profession, in league with deprogrammers and certain government bodies (including elements within the FBI and the government of Germany.[127]) These conspirators have allegedly attacked Scientology since the earliest days of the church, with the shared goal of creating a docile, mind-controlled population. As an official Scientology website explains:
To understand the forces ranged against L. Ron Hubbard, in this war he never started, it is necessary to gain a cursory glimpse of the old and venerable science of psychiatry-which was actually none of the aforementioned. As an institution, it dates back to shortly before the turn of the century; it is certainly not worthy of respect by reason of age or dignity; and it does not meet any known definition of a science, what with its hodgepodge of unproven theories that have never produced any result-except an ability to make the unmanageable and mutinous more docile and quiet, and turn the troubled into apathetic souls beyond the point of caring. That it promotes itself as a healing profession is a misrepresentation. Its mission is to control.[128]
On the other hand, L. Ron Hubbard has proclaimed that all critics of Scientology are criminals. Hubbard wrote on numerous occasions that all of Scientology's opponents are seeking to hide their own criminal histories, and the proper course of action to stop these attacks is to "expose" the hidden crimes of the attackers. The Church of Scientology does not deny that it vigorously seeks to "expose" its critics and enemies; it maintains that all of its critics have criminal histories, and they encourage hatred and "bigotry" against Scientology. Hubbard's belief that all critics of Scientology are criminals was summarized in a policy letter written in 1967:
Now get this as a technical fact, not a hopeful idea. Every time we have investigated the background of a critic of Scientology we have found crimes for which that person or group could be imprisoned under existing law. We do not find critics of Scientology who do not have criminal pasts. Over and over we prove this. -- Critics of Scientology, "Hubbard Communications Office Policy Letter", 5 November 1967.[129]
Scientology claims that it continues to expand and prosper despite all efforts to prevent it |
opasnostima pokušaja redefiniranja obitelji i braka.
„Obitelj je temelj svakog društva, u njoj i sa njom započinje život. U obitelji učimo prve korake, prve riječi i molitve. Tradicionalna obitelj čuva stoljećima vrijednosti na kojima je izgrađeno naše društvo, one vrijednosti koje su jedine istinske i jamac opstanka društva u cjelini“, kazala je.
Petir na IV. Svjetskoj konferenciji o religijskom i međucivilizacijskom dijalogu
Petir je izrazila zabrinutost što se u današnjem svijetu tradicionalna obitelj susreće s osudama i što se za njezin opstanak moramo boriti pošto se danas nerijetko daje prednost drugačijem sustavu vrijednosti koji je u suprotnosti s istinom i naravnim zakonom.
„Došli smo do trenutka u kojemu je nužno brak i obitelj zakonom definirati kao zajednicu žene i muškarca jer se ta sasvim prirodna i naravna zajednica žene i muškarca, stoljećima priznata kao takva, više takvom ne prepoznaje. Građani su u Hrvatskoj na referendumu izglasali da definiciju braka kao zajednice muškarca i žene treba unijeti u Ustav, a to će biti nužno učiniti i u mnogim drugim zemljama obzirom na skupine koje žele poimanje braka proširiti čime bi mu se oduzela smisao i vrijednost“, istaknula je.
Petir je također istaknula važnost obitelji u odgoju djece, jer upravo je obitelj prva škola međuljudskih odnosa koja uči toleranciji i uvažavanju drugih. Petir je odlučna u stavu da roditelji imaju prvenstvo u odgoju djece te da imaju pravo u zdravoj okolini svoje obitelji odgajati svoju djecu u skladu sa svojim uvjerenjima unoseći u njih ispravne vrijednosti.
Iako se tradicionalna obitelj susreće s brojnim izazovima, Petir je ipak s velikom dozom optimizma kazala: „Vjerujem da smo svi ovdje s istim ciljem; očuvati najvrjednije što imamo, očuvati ono što je izgradilo tolike civilizacije – obitelj i vrijednosti koje su u nas usadili naši roditelji, bake i djedovi, a s kojima smo rasli i koje su nas izgradile. Moramo njegovati i širiti i dalje te vrijednosti koje smo preuzeli od svoje obitelji. To je ono najvrjednije što možemo ostaviti budućim generacijama. Možemo ponovno ispraviti krivine koje se nameću današnjem svijetu i promijeniti ga na bolje odgojem za vrijednosti – za dobrobit naše djece.“
Petir je također iskoristila priliku da tijekom svojeg obraćanja izrazi punu podršku Makedoniji koja po svojim vrijednostima nedvojbeno pripada europskoj obitelji, a za čiji se europski put aktivno zauzima u Europskom parlamentu kao predsjednica neformalne grupe Parlamenta „Prijatelji Makedonije". U subotu ujutro zastupnica Marijana Petir susrela se s predsjednicom ženskog centra "Lidija - Srce koje kuca" Svetlanom Jovanovskom, koji brine o trudnicama i pruža im potporu tijekom trudnoće. Prije povratka u Hrvatsku Petir se u Skopju susrela i s predstavnicima Zajednice Hrvata u Makedoniji te skopskim župnikom vlč. Davorom Topićem, navodi se u priopćenju.
N1 pratite putem aplikacija za Android | iPhone/iPad | Windows| i društvenih mreža Twitter | Facebook | Instagram.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rR5GAOrY2ps
Thomas Drake is a former senior executive with the National Security Agency, a United States Air Force and Navy veteran, CIA intelligence analyst, computer software expert and whistleblower. While at NSA, he blew the whistle on multi-billion dollar programmatic fraud, waste and abuse; the critical loss and coverup of 9/11 intelligence; government wrongdoing; and a dragnet electronic mass surveillance and data mining program conducted on a vast scale by the NSA (with the approval of the White House) after 9/11. Mr. Drake argued that this program violated and subverted the Constitution as well as individual sovereignty and privacy, while weakening national security and fundamentally eroding our civil liberties. In April 2010 he was charged by the US Department of Justice with a 10 felony count Espionage Act indictment facing 35 years in prison and declared an enemy of the state. All 10 original charges were dropped in July 2011 after Mr. Drake pled to a single misdemeanor count of exceeding the authorized use of a government computer with no fine or prison time. He is the 2011 recipient of the Ridenhour Truth Telling Prize, and with Jesselyn Radack the co-recipient of the 2011 Sam Adams Associates for Integrity in Intelligence Award and the 2012 Hugh M. Hefner 1st Amendment Award.
He was also a visiting professor of strategic leadership and information strategies at the National Defense University with the Industrial College of the Armed Forces. Previous to NSA, he was a principal in a couple of dot coms. He has 12 years of industry experience in change leadership, senior management, organizational leadership and development, quality assurance, software and systems engineering (having analyzed over 150 million lines of code), learning strategies, acquisition and program management, operations and technology life-cycle integration as a contractor and consultant with both government and commercial clients including Fortune 500 and Fortune 50 companies. He was at Booz | Allen | Hamilton as a management, strategy and technology consultant and software quality engineer from 1991-1998.
He served in the military for some 14 years as an active duty US Air Force aircrew member performing cryptologic linguist duties on the RC-135 airborne reconnaissance platform and as a Mission Crew Supervisor on the EC-130H electronic warfare mission during the latter years of the Cold War. He also served in the US Navy as a reserve commissioned all-source intelligence officer assigned to the National Military Joint Intelligence Center at the Pentagon serving on the ELINT, Terrorism, and Middle East/North Africa desks in the 1990s. He also had a short stint as an imagery intelligence analyst at the CIA in the late 80s.
Mr. Drake is the founder and senior leader of Knowpari Systems LLC, a boutique leadership development and executive consulting firm formed in 2008 and focused on business intelligence, IT-corporate governance, risk management, operations analysis, systems thinking, strategic advising and deep learning through people, process and technology – expanding capacity, increasing performance and enhancing social and relational well-being for individuals, teams, and organizations.
His outreach and speaking expertise center on delivering dynamic, interactive and compelling content in the areas of strategic leadership, international relations, contemporary international problems, professional ethics, executive management, business intelligence and decision support systems, resource strategy, complex systems (social and technical), human relations, dynamics of the information and knowledge age, information management, organizational sustainability, executive leadership, 21st Century issues, governance and decision-making, the Constitution and civil liberties as well as whistleblowing.
His particular area of expertise is the strategic and global perspective while placing events, people, trends, and movements in the larger context and finding the meaning and the connections and making sense of them such that one can take the practical action necessary to execute the mission and the business in challenging times, under adverse conditions and with constant uncertainty. He has also focused on a key ‘emergent’ strategically competitive best practice of relationship leadership involving dynamically evolving social ecology and social network systems. This highly innovative approach involves real-time learning and feedback creating the very conditions for both individual and organizational well-being and accomplishment while also achieving sustainable results in the marketplace and for social activism and change.
He now writes, speaks and teaches around the world on whistleblowing, Constitutional rights, civil liberties, secrecy, surveillance and abusive corporate and government power. He has dedicated himself to defending life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.The Sunnyvale Public Library is hosting an Atari party on June 14 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Digital Game Museum and Friends of the Sunnyvale Library.
Attendees will be able to play hundreds of Atari games using original consoles and hear from pioneers in the industry. At 11 a.m., former Atari engineer Dan Kramer will talk about how he created the Trak-Ball Controllers for the Atari 2600 as well as exhibit some prototype items from the early 1980s. At 2 p.m., PONG creator Al Alcorn will talk about the early days at Atari and his creation of the video game.
Atari had both corporate and manufacturing offices in Sunnyvale and produced the PONG consoles, the paddle controllers and some early console systems in the city. The first PONG game was installed in 1972 in Sunnyvale at Andy Capp’s Tavern, which is now Rooster T. Feathers.
The Sunnyvale Public Library is located at 665 W. Olive Ave. across from Sunnyvale City Hall. Parking is free and VTA line 54 serves the library.
For more information, visit sunnyvalelibrary.org or call 408.730.7300.New War Brewing: US, Israel Take Dangerous Steps
by Eric Margolis by Eric Margolis
DIGG THIS
GENEVA — The U.S., Israel and Iran are playing a very dangerous game of chicken that soon could result in a new Mideast war.
U.S. intelligence has concluded that Iran is not working on nuclear weapons. But the Bush administration and Israel, recently joined by France, are issuing increasingly loud threats of military action to frighten Iran into halting its nuclear enrichment program.
Iran insists its nuclear program is entirely for civilian use. Tehran is alternating between conciliatory statements and threats to retaliate against any attack by inflicting economic chaos on the global economy. Europe fears the economic damage a war against Iran would bring far more than Iran’s nuclear program.
Senior Israeli officials are openly threatening to attack Iran’s nuclear installations before President George W. Bush’s term expires. Early this month, Israel staged a large, U.S.-approved exercise using F-15s and F-16s to rehearse an attack over 900 miles — precisely the distance to Iran’s nuclear facilities.
The highly regarded American journalist Seymour Hersh just confirmed that the U.S. Congress authorized a $400-million plan to overthrow Iran’s government and incite ethnic unrest. This column reported a year ago that U.S. and British special forces were operating in Iran, preparing for a massive air campaign. Israel’s destruction of an alleged Syrian reactor last fall was a warning to Iran.
This week a Pentagon official claimed an Israeli attack on Iran was coming before year-end.
Other Pentagon and CIA sources say a U.S. attack on Iran is imminent, with or without Israel. The Bush administration is even considering using small tactical nuclear weapons against deeply buried Iranian targets.
Senior American officers Admiral William Fallon and Air Force Chief Michael Mosley recently were fired for opposing war against Iran. According to Israel’s media, President Bush even told Israel’s Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that he could not trust America’s intelligence community and preferred to rely on Israeli intelligence.
AIR BLITZ
Intensifying activity is evident at U.S. bases in Europe and the Gulf, aimed at preparing a massive air blitz that may include repeated attacks on 3,100 targets in Iran. Other sources say Iranian Revolutionary Guard installations will be barraged by cruise missiles.
In Washington, Congress, under intense pressure from the Israel lobby, is about to adopt a resolution calling for a naval blockade of Iran, an overt act of war.
Pro-Israel groups have been airing TV commercials claiming Iran is attacking American troops in Iraq and threatens the U.S.
The Bush administration’s last desperate act, its Gtterdmmerung, could be war with Iran. UN weapons inspectors concur with U.S. intelligence that there is no proof Iran is working on nuclear arms, but the neocon war party in Washington is determined to loosen a final Parthian shaft by striking Iran.
Israel asserts the right to maintain its Mideast nuclear monopoly by destroying all fissile-producing reactors in the region. Iran vows to retaliate against Israel with its inaccurate Shahab missiles, shut the Strait of Hormuz and mine the Gulf, producing worldwide financial panic, severe fuel shortages, and $400—$500 per barrel oil. Iran likely will attack U.S. forces in Afghanistan, Iraq and Kuwait, and strike Saudi and Kuwaiti oil facilities. Canadians in Afghanistan could also become targets.
GRAVE DAMAGE
The embattled Bush administration’s bunker mentality is leading to war that will gravely damage long-term U.S. Mideast interests. A single Iranian missile hit on Israel’s reactor would do more damage to the Jewish state than all its previous wars. Besides, Israel cannot destroy Iran’s nuclear infrastructure. A U.S. or Israeli attack on Iran will guarantee Tehran decides to build nuclear weapons. Israel and Iran have turned their regional rivalry into a confrontation that threatens all.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, not its bombastic President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, controls that nation’s military and insists Iran will not produce nuclear weapons. Israel claims it faces a second holocaust. Iran says Israel’s nuclear forces threaten its existence.
The dogs of war are being unleashed.
Eric Margolis Archives
The Best of Eric S. MargolisOne of my great-grandfathers was a cobbler. Another was a carpenter. A third was a painter. The fourth had many jobs, including being a ferryman. They wanted better for their children than scraping together a living from poorly paid labour. They achieved it.
One of my grandfathers was a metal worker in a factory in Leeds where, among other things, he made petrol tanks for Spitfires. My other grandfather was a ladies' hairdresser in Portsmouth. The Rawnsleys and the Butlers had risen into the skilled working-classes. My paternal grandmother was a cake-maker and tailoress. My maternal grandmother sold drapery. They wanted better for their children. They achieved it.
My father was an engineer. My mother was a teacher. The Rawnsleys had now arrived in the middle-classes. The passage was not easy. My mum, evacuated during Hitler's Blitz, last saw her father when she was five and left school at 17 for teacher-training college. My dad left school at 13 and earned his qualifications at technical college, doing national service and from night school. They were both smart people with a strong work ethic, but neither had the opportunity to go to university. They wanted better for their children. They achieved it.
My sister and I went to Cambridge, the first of our family ever to enjoy the privilege of a higher education. I hope that would be a source of pride to my great-grandfathers, though some might argue that the rise of the Rawnsleys then went horribly wrong. All those generations of striving to advance up the social scale and I became a journalist.
I don't take you on this brief tour of my family tree in order to toot my own trumpet, but I don't blush to salute my forebears whose hard work, resourcefulness and ambition for their children built the foundations of the rewarding life that I enjoy today. Many other people of my age could tell similar tales of progress over the generations – "upward social mobility" in the jargon. My thoughts on it are prompted by the publication of a stonking "state of the nation" report by a commission chaired by Alan Milburn, the former Labour cabinet minister appointed by the government to be its "social mobility tsar". He's been given a silly title, but the report deserves to be taken extremely seriously. We already knew that social mobility was freezing up. And nearly everyone agreed that this is a bad thing. Bad for those trapped by the circumstances of their birth because it denies them the opportunity to flourish and fulfil their potential. Bad for society because disadvantage is perpetuated from parent to child, deepening inequality that, in a negative feedback loop, then makes it even harder for people to better themselves. As the report puts it: "Disadvantage and advantage cascade down the generations." Bad for the economy because untapped talent is left to waste. It is not only unjust. It is stupid.
The Milburn commission tells us that things are even more dismal than we thought. Social mobility is not just frozen, it is going into reverse. For the first time in a century, the squeeze on incomes means that the children of some of the middle class are threatened with a worse standard of living when they grow up than their parents.
In some quarters, this has been greeted with a fatalistic shrug. One argument is that the upward mobility enjoyed by my family was the result of a never-to-be-repeated change to society in the postwar years. As we shifted away from a predominantly industrial economy, there was a big expansion in clerical, managerial and professional roles. This opened the door for people to rise from blue-collar backgrounds into white-collar jobs. Put simply: there was a lot of social mobility in the decades immediately after 1945 because the middle class got a whole lot bigger. This can't happen again, so it is contended, and that is what mostly explains the freezing of social mobility in more recent decades. There is a finite amount of demand for lawyers, doctors, teachers, accountants and other middle-class professions. No more people can rise into the middle class because it is full up.
Worse, the pessimists continue, those who have attained a privileged position will do all they can to preserve their gains for their children. There is some obvious truth in this. A rich parent can buy an expensive house in the catchment area of a successful school. A poor parent can't. A rich parent has access to social and cultural networks that are closed to a poor parent. A rich parent will know someone who knows someone who can help their child into the internship that will launch them into a well-remunerated career. A poor parent can't do that for their children. My family's progress, an example of lively social mobility in the 20th century, can be advanced as an explanation for why it has died in the 21st. I may be a well-meaning, liberal-minded, caring, meritocratic sort of person. But when it comes to the crunch, my first priority will be maximising the life chances of my daughters. It is contended that those families who have climbed up the ladder will stamp on the fingers of anyone trying to rise after them. In this dark view, everyone says they believe in equality of opportunity, but no one in a position of any privilege actually wants to see it practised.
Phil Collins, a former adviser to Mr Milburn, has argued that this is why politicians are never really serious when they claim to want to see more social mobility. If they were, they would have to be brave enough to admit: "In the competition for the best jobs, my children's victory means the defeat of yours." This is the "snakes and ladders" or "zero-sum" take on social mobility. I like Mr Collins but I don't like his grim, self-fulfilling prophecy. Tell the prosperous that social mobility is their enemy and they are going to be all the more determined to entrench the advantages of their children. Tell them that social immobility threatens their own affluence in the long term and they may come to a different conclusion.
The Milburn report advances some mostly conventional ideas, though they are none the worse for that, about how to unlock social progress. Better schools with teachers focused on standards and closing attainment gaps. The right incentives to encourage people into employment. Accessible routes into work via education and training. It makes the excellent point that, for decades, politicians have been obsessed with universities to the detriment of "the other 50%" more likely to go into vocational education.
Those are the easier bits for the politicians to agree on, even if left and right will quarrel about the best method and where to find the money to fund it. One of the report's most important – but expensive, and therefore contentious – recommendations is for high-quality and universal childcare.
Children from disadvantaged backgrounds don't fall behind at school. They start behind. If birth is too often destiny, the best place to start tackling inequalities is the very earliest years of children's lives. It is no guarantee of closing the gap, but it can narrow it. There's an innovative American programme called Learning Dreams. Its insight is that the most effective way to encourage children to thrive in schools is to focus first on the parents. When parents are motivated to love learning as the route to attaining life goals, they are much more likely to pass that on to their children and inspire them to engage with education.
Behind it all is a giant question about the economy. We've seen a dramatic polarisation between highly rewarding work for those with the right skills and connections and badly paid work and little chance of social advancement for those without. Whether we can re-energise social mobility depends hugely on how Britain is going to earn its living in the future and what sort of jobs we are going to create. Living standards are not just about the size of energy bills. That is a trivial, passing spat between politicians compared with the question that really matters. Britain and the United States come bottom of the league table for social fluidity among developed nations. They are also the countries with the starkest inequalities. The best engine of social mobility is a high-value economy that creates many quality jobs across diverse sectors, spreading prosperity and opportunity more evenly. The alternative is the nightmarish future projected by the Milburn report, one in which even in economic recovery only the top slice of society prospers, the middle and bottom stagnate or fall even more behind and the rungs of the social ladder grow even further apart.
There might, just might, be a glimmer of light in the gloom. While a lack of life chances was just an issue for children from poor families, politicians could get away with sounding like they cared, but not applying themselves to do anything fundamental about it. When the middle classes start hurting and fearing that their children will slide down the scale, the politicians, themselves overwhelmingly middle class, are much likelier to sit up and really take notice.About
"A Kickstarter Campaign 10 Years in the Making"
I was in the 7th grade and only 13 years old when I tried out for the school basketball team. Unfortunately being a less than skilled barely 5 ft tall white kid, I was at a disadvantage and didn't make the cut.
So I picked up guitar instead.
For the past 10 years, I've been writing and recording music with my friends. It's funny looking back at where we started, where we are today and where we hope to be.
Take a look at our video and listen to the past ten years of our lives making music together! If you find yourself in a donating mood, please contribute to our Kickstarter Campaign to help provide us with the funds to record our next EP at a professional studio and not our home using our laptops and a single usb mic!
The dreams of becoming rockstars fade, but the memories of making music with your friends last a lifetime.
LISTEN TO FULL TRACKS: (thestrangeweather.bandcamp.com)Michael Flynn talks to reporters as he arrives at Trump Tower in New York in November, after the presidential election. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)
Attorneys for Michael Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, informed the incoming White House legal counsel during the transition that Flynn might need to register with the government as a foreign agent — a phone call that raised no alarms within Trump’s team, despite the unusual circumstance of having a top national security post filled by someone whose work may have benefited a foreign government.
The firm Flynn headed, Flynn Intel Group, was hired last year when Flynn was an adviser to the Trump campaign by the Netherlands-based firm Inovo BV, which is owned by Turkish businessman Ekim Alptekin. Alptekin has close ties to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
Although the contract ended after the election, new details about the work Flynn did for Inovo resurrect the controversy over his short tenure as Trump’s top national security aide.
The national security adviser is supposed to be an honest broker within the executive branch, pulling together military and diplomatic options for the president so he can decide what policy to pursue. But Flynn’s work potentially benefiting Turkey meant he was representing the interests of a country other than the United States at the same time he was advising Trump on foreign policy during the election.
Flynn’s firm was paid more than $500,000 by Inovo for public relations and research work, including looking into exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen, who resides in Pennsylvania. His extradition is being sought by Turkey, which has accused him of fomenting a coup attempt last year.
Flynn wrote an op-ed on Nov. 8 for the Hill newspaper in which he called for Gulen’s extradition — a controversial diplomatic issue for the United States.
“The primary bone of contention between the U.S. and Turkey is Fethullah Gülen, a shady Islamic mullah residing in Pennsylvania whom former president Clinton once called his ‘friend’ in a well circulated video,” Flynn wrote.
“Gülen portrays himself as a moderate, but he is in fact a radical Islamist,” he wrote.
Flynn resigned from his White House post last month after just 24 days on the job amid reports he misled Vice President Pence about his contacts with the Russian ambassador.
But the disclosures this week about Flynn’s ties to Turkey underscore how the specter of the controversial retired lieutenant general still hangs over the White House.
On Tuesday, Flynn filed paperwork with the Justice Department identifying himself as a foreign agent who was paid last year to do work that could benefit the Turkish government.
Then on Friday it was revealed that Flynn’s attorneys twice told Trump’s legal counsel team of his possible plans to register as a foreign agent — once in a conversation with Don McGahn, Trump’s counsel, before the inauguration and then in a conversation with another member of the White House legal team during the administration’s early days, someone with knowledge of the situation told The Washington Post, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations.
(Daron Taylor,Jhaan Elker/The Washington Post)
A White House official confirmed both calls, the first of which was reported by the Associated Press, but said that Flynn’s attorneys had simply been seeking guidance, which Trump’s legal team said it was unable to provide.
Trump was never informed that his top national security pick felt he might need to register as a foreign agent, the White House said Friday.
Dan Pickard, a partner at Wiley Rein and an expert in the Foreign Agents Registration Act, under which Flynn registered, said it is unusual but not unheard of for a senior campaign official to also be registered as an agent of a foreign government.
“I’ve been aware of people who are registered under FARA being involved at relatively senior levels of a campaign, but in my experience that’s more the exception than the rule,’’ said Pickard, adding that the legal burden of complying with FARA “is relatively modest.’’
FARA was passed in the run-up to World War II as a means of making pro-Germany activists acknowledge whether they were receiving financial support from that country.
For some in Washington, the political appearance of being a paid agent of a foreign government can be more problematic than the actual legal issues, according to others well versed in the law.
Some political campaigns have asked FARA registrants in the past to notify them of their status if they attend a fundraiser, and some operatives are wary of being publicly associated with a foreign government.
The controversy over Flynn’s ties to Turkey illustrate why.
Nearly four weeks after his departure, the White House still can’t seem to escape Flynn.
In a week when the administration is making its biggest legislative push yet, White House press secretary Sean Spicer’s Friday afternoon news conference was yet again overshadowed by unflattering reports about Flynn — with Spicer devoting precious time to defending a staffer who no longer even works for the administration.
“The burden is on the individual to seek the legal advice or professional expertise to decide what they have to file and not,” Spicer said, parsing his explanation as to how someone who might have had to register as a foreign agent was hired as national security adviser.
“It’s not up to the transition attorney to go through someone’s livelihood and determine what they need to seek,” Spicer said. “They were given the proper legal advice at the time, which was to seek expertise in that matter.”
On Thursday evening, in an interview with Pence, Fox News’s Bret Baier pressed the vice president on reports that Flynn had registered as a foreign agent lobbying, essentially, on behalf of the Turkish government.
“Well, let me say, hearing that story today was the first I heard of it, and I fully support the decision that President Trump made to ask for General Flynn's resignation,” Pence said. “The first I heard of it, and I think it is an affirmation of the President’s decision to ask General Flynn to resign.”
However, Rep. Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.), the ranking Democrat on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, sent Pence a letter in November asking for more information on Flynn’s “apparent conflicts of interest” because of his and his firm’s lobbying work, specifically mentioning Flynn’s work in Turkey.
Asked why the letter did not pique Pence’s interest or why the vice president never alerted Trump, Spicer said, “It’s not a question of raising flags.”
“It’s not for us to adjudicate whether or not someone needs to file under, you know, the Lobbying Disclosure Act, the FARA registration act, that’s not the job of a transition attorney,” he said. “It’s to tell them to seek additional counsel or to explain to them where to find that information, not to tell them what to do or not to do.”
When Flynn resigned last month, Trump defended his national security adviser as a “wonderful man” who had “been treated very, very unfairly by the media.” On Friday, it remained unclear whether Trump had changed his assessment of Flynn in light of the latest disclosures.
But, Spicer said, the White House expects “every employee to follow the law.”
“I can tell you the president has made clear to every person in this administration, you are expected to live up to the high standards that he has set for them and that if you don’t you will be dismissed,” the press secretary said.
Devlin Barrett contributed to this report.Adani: Queensland leaders reject Chappell brothers' call to ditch Carmichael coal mine
Updated
Both sides of state politics have joined the Queensland Resources Council (QRC) to dismiss the Chappell brothers' objections to Adani's planned Carmichael coal mine.
Ian and Greg Chappell were among 90 prominent Australians to sign a letter to Adani chairman Gautam Adani, urging him to abandon the company's plan for a $21 billion mine in the Galilee Basin in the state's central region.
The former Test cricket greats — and other signatories including authors Richard Flanagan and Tim Winton, Telstra chair John Mullen, investment banker Mark Burrows and former Australian of the Year Professor Fiona Stanley — have called on Mr Adani to invest in renewables instead.
QRC chief executive Ian Macfarlane suggested the Chappells should stick to cricket commentating.
"They're great cricketers and I love listening to them on TV and radio — maybe they haven't had time to go and have a look at some people who haven't got electricity," Mr Macfarlane said.
"I'm guessing they're not aware that there are 400 million Indians who don't have electricity, who are living in darkness, who are burning all sorts of fuels that are poisoning them and the atmosphere.
"What we want to do is make sure that not only do they get electricity, but that coal-fired electricity is generated with some of the cleanest coal in the world."
Treasurer Curtis Pitt said the Chappells were entitled to their opinion, but were overlooking the job opportunities for regional Queensland.
"There's been a rigorous approval process with more than 200 conditions," Mr Pitt said.
"When you start talking about a $21 billion-plus project, that is going to mean significant construction jobs and ongoing jobs."
Opposition treasury spokesman Scott Emerson said there was bipartisan support for the project.
"The Chappells — who were up here at various times in their careers — I would say to them get on board, get with the LNP's policies of backing Adani, backing this project," Mr Emerson said.
Topics: business-economics-and-finance, activism-and-lobbying, industry, coal, government-and-politics, public-sector, mining-rural, mining-environmental-issues, mining-industry, australia, brisbane-4000, qld, mackay-4740, rockhampton-4700
First postedYou know those goody-two-shoes who volunteer for every task and thanklessly take on the annoying details nobody else wants to deal with?
That's right: Other people really can't stand them.
Four separate studies led by a Washington State University social psychologist have found that unselfish workers who are the first to throw their hat in the ring are also among those that coworkers most want to, in effect, vote off the island.
"It's not hard to find examples but we were the first to show this happens and have explanations for why," said Craig Parks, lead author of "The Desire to Expel Unselfish Members from the Group" in the current Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.
The phenomenon has implications for business work groups, volunteer organizations, non-profit projects, military units, and environmental efforts, an interest of Parks' coauthor and former PhD student, Asako Stone.
Parks and Stone found that unselfish colleagues come to be resented because they "raise the bar" for what is expected of everyone. As a result, workers feel the new standard will make everyone else look bad.
It doesn't matter that the overall welfare of the group or the task at hand is better served by someone's unselfish behavior, Parks said.
"What is objectively good, you see as subjectively bad," he said.
The do-gooders are also seen as deviant rule breakers. It's as if they're giving away Monopoly money so someone can stay in the game, irking other players to no end.
The studies gave participants -- introductory psychology students -- pools of points that they could keep or give up for an immediate reward of meal service vouchers. Participants were also told that giving up points would improve the group's chance of receiving a monetary reward.
In reality, the participants were playing in fake groups of five. Most of the fictitious four would make seemingly fair swaps of one point for each voucher, but one of the four would often make lopsided exchanges -- greedily giving up no points and taking a lot of vouchers, or unselfishly giving up a lot of points and taking few vouchers.
Most participants later said they would not want to work with the greedy colleague again -- an expected result seen in previous studies.
But a majority of participants also said they would not want to work with the unselfish colleague again. They frequently said, "the person is making me look bad" or is breaking the rules. Occasionally, they would suspect the person had ulterior motives.
Parks said he would now like to look at how the do-gooders themselves react to being rejected. While some may indeed have ulterior motives, he said it's more likely they actually are working for the good of an organization.
Excluded from the group, they may say, "enough already" and simply give up.
"But it's also possible," he said, "that they may actually try even harder."If you don’t have the right tools, or a steady hand I would first and foremost recommend that you leave the shaping of any machete blades to a sharpening professional (most knife shops have a sharpening service). However, if you have a steady hand and a good grinder, putting a sharp edge on the machete is straight forward albeit time consuming task.
If you are going to sharpen the blade yourself the first thing you need to determine is how sharp you want the blade to be. It might seem obvious that an ultra sharp edge might seem like they way to go, but remember the sharper the edge, the quicker it dulls. Since I tend to use my machetes more for blunt force task, rather than precious cutting ones I typically have a steep kinda dull edge that rarely if ever needs sharpening.
To create that edge I start by taking a brightly colored marker and mark in about 1/8in on each side of the blade all the way down its length. Then after securely clamping the blade down I take my grinder and grind at an angle that will grind from the inside edge of the marked line to the center of the blade edge. Make sure to take several grinding passes to reach this angle (about 10 to 15+) rather than trying to grind it all off at once. If you grind correctly on both sides (it takes some trial and error), then the marked line will disappear, and each side will meet in the middle of the blade. I typically find it helpful to split the curved section of the blade, and the flat section of the blade into two different sharpening zones, which is to say that I will take a few grinding passes at the curved section than take and equal number of passes on the straight section.
Now 1/8in back is what I use for creating a dullish blade, so if you decide you want a sharper blade start by marking further back (.25in for regular sharp and.375in for ultra sharp), and then grind at a the subsequent shallower angle. Also when creating sharper edges I find it helpful to run the blade thought a knife sharp |
it will have no trouble winning over the Olympic Committee a fourth time.
9 Velodrome
First: Completed Venue, the Velodrome.
The first completed venue of the Olympic Park was the Velopark’s Velodrome, a giant indoor cycling track. Fitting the “green” theme of the games, the venue is outfitted with rooflights to cut back on artificial lighting, and natural vents to minimize air conditioner usage. Also, the roof is designed to collect rainwater as a supplemental water source.
8 3D
First: Broadcast in 3D.
While the 2008 Olympics were the first to be broadcast entirely in HD, the 2012 Olympics are the first to broadcast in HD as well as 3D. Sean Taylor, a spokesperson for Panasonic – provider of some of the technologies – said it effectively, “Each Games, from a technology perspective, tries to have a first. London will be the first HD and 3D Games.” The games were first televised in Berlin in 1936 and played on big screens about the city. Then came the first games to enter households (strictly in London that is) in 1948, followed by the first internationally televised games during the 1960 Olympics in Rome. And ever since, that feeling of physically standing in the crowd and watching these mighty contestants has only gotten clearer, more defined. Now, they more literally than ever actually compete in your living room.
7 Soccer Team
First: Time Since 1960 England Will Have a Competing Football (Soccer) Team.
Part of the reason England hasn’t been trying to qualify for the games was a decision in 1972 to stop allowing ‘amateur’ players to play, which impeded those planning to play for the British team who fell under such a category. While these players were able to compete again in 1984, they simply opted out. Their playing again this year will make exactly one hundred years since they last won the gold (before that, in 1908 and 1900). Maybe in this revisiting of past ideals, the Brits will stumble upon some of whatever steam-powered them to glory in the early part of the 20th century.
6 Women’s Football
Ladies First: Women’s Football (Soccer) Comes First.
The first event to take place in the 2012 Olympics, before even the opening ceremony, is women’s football; this seems to be an overt way of announcing an increased sense of gender-equality. For one thing, Saudi Arabian women will for the first time be allowed to compete, this coming only after the Olympics threatened to ban the Saudi Arabian team over gender discrimination. Show jumper Dalma Rushdi Malhas will gallop into action as the first female representative of the nation.
5 Women’s Boxing
First: Appearance of Women’s Boxing.
In keeping with the support of women’s athletics in these games in particular, a new sport has been added, and it’s hardly a dainty one: women’s boxing. That’s right, women will be beating each other to a pulp just like any male boxer would in this new addition to the usual line-up. There will be three weight classes: lightweight, featherweight, and middleweight.
4 Paralympics
First: Paralympics in London.
Stoke Mandeville is actually where the Paralympic (a.k.a. “Special Olympics”) movement took place, the first nonofficial events taking place in 1948 in which hospitalized WWII veterans with spine injuries competed in a variety of sports. For the 2012 games, the first to officially recognize the Paralympics in conjunction with the Olympics, disabled individuals will be accommodated better than ever before, per official British mentality of equal opportunity.
3 Stadium Design
First: Stadium of its Kind.
The stadium is designed, like its competing athletes, for efficiency; it is especially lightweight and conservative. With the capacity to seat 80,000 individuals, it was built with less than 10,000 metric tons of steel (the first of such a structure). It boasts myriad energy-cutting measures, including a lack of indoor concessions – food provided external to the stadium, with giant screens so as to watch and eat. In finished form, the stadium will stand as the third largest in the country, after Wembley and Twickenham – not the case, however, when it is scaled down to a fixed 60,000-seat-stadium after the games.
2 Public Transportation
First: to Emphasize Public Transportation.
Another surefire measure to cutback on energy waste is to support public transportation. And the 2012 Olympics will do just that when it unveils the extra-quick “Javelin,” made especially for the purpose of transporting spectators. It will be able to go from central London to the Olympic Park in just seven minutes, transporting as many as 25,000 passengers in a single hour.
1 Eco-Conscious
First: Eco-Conscious Games.
A paradox is presented as the London games celebrate both the Industrial Revolution (a.k.a. the birth of pollution) and a spirit of committed environmentalism; London will be the first to actively measure its own carbon footprint during these games, designing a stadium and accommodations that cut-back on negative emissions when at all possible. They are also shooting for a world record via the “Javelin,” designed specifically to keep as many exhaust pipes at bay as humanly possible.Small carriers around the US are likely rejoicing. AT&T announced it was revamping its network for LTE compatibility on Tuesday. This means that users will have far more options when choosing carriers for their LTE-enabled phones.
"AT&T, for its part, has committed to investing considerable time and resources to the modification of its 700MHz LTE network through the implementation of a newly-standardized software feature," AT&T's federal regulatory vice president Joan Marsh said in a statement. "That effort will allow AT&T's network to support Band 12 capable devices."
In the US, a common problem with LTE technology is spectrum fragmentation. Because of the lack of consistent spectrum bands, carriers have built their networks using incompatible spectrum frequencies -- basically causing a lack of interoperability.
AT&T and Verizon actually run on the same frequency, 700MHz, but are in different parts of the band and can't work with each other. T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel are each using their own different bands.
The Federal Communications Commission has been pushing carriers to make their LTE networks compatible for years. And, regional and rural carriers have long complained to the FCC that the mobile giants were dragging their feet on the issue. So, it's no small feat that AT&T has finally agreed to modify its network.
"America's mobile consumers have a reason to celebrate today: After many frustrating years, wireless carriers have finally reached a voluntary industry solution that will resolve the lack of interoperability in the lower 700MHz band in the most efficient manner," acting FCC chairwoman Mignon Clyburn said in a statement. "This is a big win for consumers, especially in rural areas, who will see more competition and more choices. Also, by making it easier for small wireless carriers to compete, today's interoperability solution will spur private investment, job creation, and the development of innovative new services and devices."
While AT&T has pledged to make the switch, other carriers still seem reluctant. Verizon, for instance, has offered no indication that it'll alter its network to be more open.
In other AT&T spectrum news, the carrier also announced Tuesday that it completed its $1.9 billion acquisition of licenses covering Verizon's 700MHz B block, which the company will use for its 4G LTE deployment.
(Via GigaOM)Mortal Kombat’s Best Censored Fatalities
With the release of the new Mortal Kombat reboot upon us, we thought it may be fun to revisit some of the more obscure/forgotten/censored fatalities that don’t totally suck. Lists of “the most gruesome” or “most ridiculous” MK fatalities are numerous, but rarely does anyone take the time to appreciate some of the more toned-down ones, or completely altered fatalities that, well, were actually still pretty cool. Here are some of the best censored fatalities that Mortal Kombat has ever offered.
Back in its hay day, when Mortal Kombat rocked the arcades, I was stuck with the infamously neutered version: the SNES port. At the time I wasn’t really quite sure what to do when prompted to “Finish Him”, and typically resorted to an uppercut to end the round. But, when I did that on the Pit for the first time, I was a bit surprised to see my opponent fall to his death, impaled by spikes. Given how toned-down the SNES version of this game was, this was about as violent as it got. Interestingly (or…maybe not so interesting) the Sega Genesis version of Mortal Kombat, too, had all of its fatalities censored, unless you entered the “blood code” — ABACABB. This version had the *worst* all-around censored fatalities; the Pit fatality didn’t even exist unless you entered the code, so for that you have to at least give the SNES version some props. Here’s the side-by-side comparison:
As my MK-fu progressed, I began to learn the finishing moves from friends and game magazines. Most of them in the SNES version were terrible and hardly made any sense, but two specifically, in my opinion, were surprisingly cool, given the “PG” bounds in which the game was working. Sub-Zero’s fatality in the SNES version was 100% different from the arcade’s, but was creatively re-imaged:
Rayden also had a slight variation on his fatality that was almost as violent as was found in the Arcade, sans the blood explosion:
By the time Mortal Kombat II hit home consoles, the gloves were off. Mortal Kombat instigated the rating system we now know as the ESRB, and by this time all systems (even portables) retained as much of the Arcade gore as possible. In fact, for a long while we didn’t see a “PG” version of Mortal Kombat until 2008, with the announcement of Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe.
This was met with mixed fanfare, as many figured there would be no blood and no fatalities. Early showings of the game did reveal that fatalities would exist, and the Joker’s in particular made folks think “wow….they can get away with that in a ‘Teen’ rated game?”
Concerns about the gore in MK vs. DCU may have subsided a bit after seeing what looked like was going to be allowed in the game, however by the time it actually hit store shelves it (along with others) had been censored from what had been previously shown.
Two of the most brutal fatalities in MK vs. DCU were Deathstroke’s and Joker’s which, funnily enough, both end with an execution-style shooting to the head.
Uncensored versions of both can be found on-line, but for the final release the camera pulls away right before the gun is fired, and all you hear is the “thud” of your slain foe.
With out a doubt, the censored Joker fatality became one of the best fatalities (un)seen in a while, due to its humor and how well it fit the character, only to be neutered by the game’s “Teen” rating. And, for your viewing pleasure, here is a short video comprising the above fatalities:CNN’s “Anderson Cooper 360” cut out the worst parts of a video that shows Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton stumbling and dragging her feet at a Sept. 11, 2001 memorial ceremony.
The full video shows Clinton falling before a group of Secret Service agents rush in to carry her into the van.
WATCH:
But during her Monday interview on CNN, the part of the video that shows Clinton stumbling is cut, leaving only the part where Clinton is waiting for the van.
“Well, I just didn’t think it was going to be that big of a deal,” Clinton said about her failure to report her health. “It’s the kind of thing that, if it happens to you, and you’re a busy, active person, you just keep moving forward.”
Networks are reluctant to show the video, because the videographer is reportedly charging thousands of dollars each time the full video airs on TV, according to industry insiders.
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The decision by the country's largest school board to scrap the controversial School Resource Officer program was met with loud applause Wednesday night. The vote came a little more than a week after TDSB staff released a report recommending the elimination of the program because it left some students feeling intimidated or uncomfortable.
Phillip Morgan, a member of Education Not Incarceration, called the decision "a huge victory" that has been 10 years in the making.
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"It has been years of writing to trustees, teach-ins, public deputations and various other strategies to get the TDSB to listen to folks who have found themselves most harmed by the SRO program," Morgan said Thursday at a news conference with several other community organizations.
"We know that with the TDSB there has been a history of racism and discrimination, we know that with policing in Toronto there is also a history of racism and discrimination, so the folks who find themselves at the intersection of these two institutions through the SRO program have been particularly affected."
Morgan said there is still work left to do because the program is in place at the Toronto Catholic District School Board and other school boards in the province.
"This is an important first step, but not the last step," he said.
In an email Thursday, Toronto Catholic District School Board spokeswoman Emmy Szekeres Milne said the SRO program will continue to operate in its 21 schools across the city.
Andrea Vasquez Jimenez, co-chair of Latinx, Afro-Latin America Abya Yala Education Network (LAEN), commended the TDSB's "bold stance of centring on the voices and lived experiences of our most marginalized and vulnerable students and youth."
Vasquez Jimenez, who also spoke to reporters outside Toronto police headquarters, said the Ministry of Education should step in to make the same decision for all Ontario schools.
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Education Minister Mitzie Hunter said while school boards may partner with police for a variety of reasons, including community building, the ministry does not provide funding for or have involvement in the programs.
"All school boards are different, with each having a unique set of circumstances, which is why school boards remain in the best position to determine the format of partnerships with local police, so that the local needs of students are prioritized," Hunter said in a statement.
The School Resource Officer program, which the TDSB suspended at the end of August, saw police officers deployed at 45 of its high schools in an effort to improve safety and perceptions of police. It was implemented in 2008 after 15-year-old Jordan Manners was shot and killed at C. W. Jefferys Collegiate Institute the previous year.
The TDSB staff report earlier this month said the review of the program found the majority of those surveyed had a generally positive impression. However, it noted, about 10 per cent felt intimidated, uncomfortable or that they were being watched at school.
Although staff putting together the report heard from a significant number who supported the presence of an officer in their school (57 per cent), it said the board's priority must be "to mitigate against the differentiated and discriminatory impact of the SRO program."
Rodney Diverlus, a member of Black Lives Matter, said there are better supports for students than having officers in schools.
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"We believe the removal of the program puts an emphasis on the Ministry of Education to actually give adequate funding to the TDSB and other boards to support in having child and youth workers, equity-based social workers, more guidance counsellors and more time for teachers and teaching staff," Diverlus said. "A wide range of educators and community-based workers would better support students, student safety and student achievement."
Toronto police spokesman Mark Pugash would not comment directly on TDSB's decision, but said "the interaction between police and young people is an extremely beneficial one."
Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack, however, said the board's decision did not come as a surprise, adding that he thinks it was politically motivated.
"I think there is a lot of value in the program and now that value has been squandered or lost," McCormack said.
He said he understands the need to address the concerns those who feel intimidated, but "here's an opportunity to look at that 10 per cent and say, 'Why do you have these perceptions?"'
"For me, someone who has worked in community-based policing, this is the type of group where you want... to understand what's going on and you want to improve the relationship," McCormack said.
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Meanwhile, Toronto Mayor John Tory said Thursday that he was disappointed the board did not decide to improve the program.
"The reason why I supported and continue to support the fact we should have reviewed the program and make changes to improve it was because I also took note of the fact that there were many, many other people who appeared in front of the police board and in the school board's own survey who said they thought the program was good," Tory said.
The Toronto Police Services Board has also been reviewing the SRO program, with the assessment being carried out by Ryerson University.
Board chair Andrew Pringle said in an interview that he will be bringing forward a recommendation next month to cancel the assessment.
"I think then we'll reach out to school boards and offer to work with them if they have other suggestions," Pringle said.
The TDSB staff report recommended the board continue to work with police to ensure a safe school environment.
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Spokesman Ryan Bird said in an email that the board's other existing relationships with police, such as Community Liaison Officers, will continue.Usertility provides application usage analytics for software written in Delphi. Use Usertility to learn how people really use your software.
Over the weekend, I pushed out an update to the Usertility web interface that adds some cool new features. If you haven’t looked at Usertility in the last few days, you should check it out:
Advanced Analysis tab
The Advanced Analysis tab lets you build custom reports out of just about any data that Usertility has (including some that you can’t find anywhere else). You choose your dimensions and a metric, and Usertility will combine all possible permutations of the chosen dimensions and show the metric for each one. You can use advanced analysis to answer questions like these:
Does my app more have more errors on Windows 8 than Windows 7?
Are certain features used more in older versions of my software than new?
Does my software have errors that only appear on AMD CPUs, but not Intel?
CSV Export
Along with Advanced Analysis, you can now export report data to CSV, so you can get Usertility’s application usage data into Excel or any other analysis tool you choose.
CSV download is available for both the Advanced Analysis and Custom Events views.
Guest Users
You can now give read-only access to your Usertility analytics to others, such as partners, employees, or consultants. Your guest users see the same data that you see, but they can’t make any modifications to your app properties. You can add and delete guests as often as you need.
The “Standard” plan allows one guest user. The “Plus” plan allows up to five.
To add guest users to an app, click “Edit” from the app list, or click the “properties” tab when viewing any app data.
Come check out these features and learn how people really use your software at twodesk.com/usertility.The two parts of Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible" are epic in scope, awesome in visuals, and nonsensical in story. It is one of those works that has proceeded directly to the status of Great Movie without going through the intermediate stage of being a good movie. I hope earnest students of cinema will forgive me when I say every serious movie lover should see it -- once.
The productions were backed by Stalin, who took Ivan as a personal hero. They were filmed during World War Two, mostly at the Alma Ata studios in Kazakhstan, where major Soviet directors were relocated for greater safety. Even in wartime Eisenstein seems to have been under few limitations; in Part II, spectacular shots show a march of hundreds of costumed extras playing Ivan's army, and proletarians on a march to implore Ivan to return from exile. The first film, released in 1944, was met with great success (i.e., by Stalin who was the only one who counted). Part II was completed by 1946 but suppressed because either state censors or Stalin himself found the Tsar uncomfortably close to the dictator. Eisenstein planned a third part of a trilogy and shot some scenes for it, but production was halted and the director died in 1948.
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The film opens in a vast, towering throne room in Moscow, during the coronation of Ivan with the approval of the Boyars, the hereditary class of affluent bourgeois who exercised de facto control over the state. Their smiles turn to angry frowns as the tall, confident teenager immediately declares himself Tsar of all of Russia and vows to marry Princess Anastasia; he will to extend and protect Russian borders and hold sway over the Boyars.
This scene will set a tone for both films. The coronation ceremony is deliberate and stately. The costumes are particularly ornate and bejeweled, apparently so heavy they must be difficult to wear. The acting style is declamatory and bombastic. Eisenstein begins here, and will continue throughout the film, to use dramatic close ups of faces. The actors he uses often look odd. Their features are sometimes exaggerated by lightning from below. His camera angles are oblique. Ivan's opponents are seen as a menagerie of grotesque human caricatures, seen separately with no attempt to establish their spatial location.
It is impossible to look at those faces and not think immediately of the Danish silent film "The Passion of Joan of Arc," made by Carl Theodore Dreyer in 1928. Eisenstein had almost certainly seen it before he began filming in the early 1940s, if not in Russia then in Hollywood, where after the success of his early films "Potemkin" and "October" he was invited in 1930 to make a film by Paramount. His projects were rejected by the studio, he became the target of anti-Communists, and he never made an American film. (He did however find himself greatly impressed by the early work of Walt Disney, and later declared "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" the greatest film ever made.)
During the trial of Joan of Arc, Dreyer placed his heroine in a subservient position below a bench of fearsome judges, who along with onlookers are seen in frowning or angry close ups, at oblique angles, in stylized lighting. If that was an influence on Eisenstein, so also might have been Dreyer's set designs. Joan of Arc is seen placed in extreme architecture, its angled and exaggerated walls suggesting cold hostility.
Eisenstein's sets are incompatibly larger, but often evoke the same look. Some of them are unadorned walls, arches, nooks, stairs and passageways. Others, the throne room for example, have walls covered with painted icons, decorations and bas relief. It's tempting here to assume we're looking at matte drawings or optical effects, but in some shots Eisenstein has characters walk into the background and behind pillars or posts, demonstrating the dimensionality. In many other dramatic shots he uses enormous and presumably real shadows, for example to show a huge image of Ivan's head with its wickedly pointed beard, dwarfing the members of his court.
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In Part I we meet those involved in the court intrigues surrounding the Tsar (Nikolai Cherkasov. His close friend Kolychev wants out of the situation altogether, and opts to join a distant monastery. Another friend, Kurbsky, is pressured by the Boyars to resist Ivan. Since the Boyars until now had a monopoly on power and Ivan's assumption of the Tsar's role came out of the blue, this is persuasive.
After Ivan marries the Princess Anastasia (who he accurately considers his only friend), they have a child. This inflames the already existing hatred of Ivan on the part of Euphrosinia, Ivan's aunt. She passionately favors her own son, Prince Staritsky. Her choice introduces some humor into the film, because the baby-faced Staritsky, his blond hair in a choirboy cut, is a mamma's boy. At one point he flings himself into his mother's arms and protests that she is always trying to make him do things. He has no wish to ever be Tsar.
This Euphrosinia is an evil creature, often wearing a witches' hat. A peculiarity of the throne room is that many of its entrances are arches too low for anyone to pass through upright. The one apparently leading to her own apartment is so low she bends almost double, slithering into view like a snake. It is she who diabolically plots to have Ivan himself unknowingly bring a poisoned chalice to the sickbed of Anastasia. Later, Ivan has his revenge after mockingly dressing Staritsky in the Tsar's clothes and placing his crown on the lad's head.
Part I features stagy historical pomp and circumstance. Part II undergoes a tonal shift and declares itself cheerfully over the top. Some critics have been so unkind as to say it works best as camp comedy. Nikolai Cherkasov's performance as Tsar is generally impressive in Part I, but in Part II it occasionally seems to have wandered in from a Mel Brooks production of the same material. I personally felt little emotional involvement in either part of the film; it played for me like reluctant hagiography for a madman.
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Why are "Ivan the Terrible, Parts I and II" so routinely included on lists of the great films? I imagine few viewers really love it (although watching it inspires a visual fascination). In part it may be because Eisenstein has become one of the Sacred Monsters of the cinema. Film students are brought up to reverence him. In the 1940s and 1950s he was championed by Jay Leyda, who studied under Eisenstein in Moscow in 1933 and later became an influential curator at the Museum of Modern Art. It was Leyda who brought the only complete print of Eisenstein's "Battleship Potemkin," certainly a great film, to the West.
Still, to hail "Ivan the Terrible" is more a duty than a pleasure. While those who consider it Camp must enjoy it, is that what Eisenstein intended? I invite comparison of this film with Josef von Sternberg's "The Scarlet Empress" (1934); Camp is the least of the qualities that can be attributed to it. Compared to the wicked, subversive eroticism von Sternberg brings to the court of Marlene Dietrich's Catherine the Great, Eisenstein is a mechanic.One woman's post about a cotton display at a Texas Hobby Lobby has sparked backlash on Facebook.
Last Thursday, Daniell Rider took to Facebook to complain about raw cotton decorations for sale at her local Hobby Lobby in Killeen, Texas.
'This decor is WRONG on SO many levels,' Rider wrote. 'There is nothing decorative about raw cotton... a commodity which was gained at the expense of African-American slaves.'
Rider, who is black, added: 'A little sensitivity goes a long way. PLEASE REMOVE THIS "decor."'
Since then, the post has garnered more than 200,000 comments on Facebook, almost all of them from people who vehemently disagree with Rider.
Daniell Rider took to Facebook last week to express her distaste with cotton decorations for sale at her local Hobby Lobby in Killeen, Texas
Daniel Rider is pictured above. She said that cotton decorations are racially insensitive to African Americans, the descendants of slaves who picked cotton
Many of the commenters were African American like Rider, and said that they don't see what she found offensive about raw cotton.
'As a black person who had ancestors who were slaves and picked cotton, I'm not offended by the use of cotton as decor,' a user named Shanda Coombs wrote.
'It's a product that's both useful and attractive. It's not hateful or insensitive to display it or use it in any way. Let's not get carried away! There are many hateful, bigoted symbols, thoughts and behaviors around us but this isn't one of them!' Coombs added.
Plenty of white commenters pointed out that they or their ancestors had picked cotton too and that they saw the decorations as nice reminder of where they came from.
'My grandfather along with many others raised cotton, family picked it and he delivered it to the gin in town. He and they were not slaves. It was a way many people made a living and produced cotton which clothed people as well as filling their mattresses for comfort in sleeping, I still have two mattresses with cotton he grew and picked,' Mary Lou Ledbetter wrote.
Others said that Rider's reaction to cotton is part of a larger issue of political correctness in America.
'You, dear, are what's wrong with America!!! Not everything equates to slavery. Cotton is still grown by farmers!! Those farmers were not slave owners. Those farmers have machines or workers they pay fair wages to pick their cotton. Please focus your mind on something productive. Like...a hobby. Seeing as you are in Hobby Lobby, find something to paint or craft. Not find dumb crap to post!!' Traci Sherer wrote.Exclusive First Read: 'The Shepherd's Crown' By Terry Pratchett
The late Terry Pratchett wrote more than 40 books about the Discworld, a magical flat land borne through space on the backs of four elephants and a giant cosmic turtle. The Discworld is full of memorable characters: Werewolf constables, cunning rulers, snooty vampires, con men, trolls and dwarves and mystery-sausage sellers. But the most memorable of all are the witches — not green-skinned and cackling, but tough, practical women who use "headology" rather than spellcasting, and whose mission is to help people "when life is on the edge."
The young witch Tiffany Aching returns in Pratchett's last Discworld novel, The Shepherd's Crown. Readers first met Tiffany in 2003's The Wee Free Men, when she faced down the wicked Queen of the Elves to rescue her baby brother. Now, the Queen (she's really not very nice at all) is back — dealing with a rebellion among oppressed goblins — great change is coming to the Disc, and it may fall to Tiffany to restore the balance.
In this scene, the Queen begins to realize that her power is fading. The Shepherd's Crown will be published on Sept. 1.
The Queen of the Elves sat in state on a diamond throne in her palace, surrounded by her courtiers, foundlings and lost boys, and creeping creatures with no names — all the detritus of the fairy folk.
She had chosen to sparkle today. The everlasting sunlight shining through the exquisitely carved stone windows had been pitched exactly to strike the tiny gems on her wings so that delicate rainbows of light danced around the audience chamber as she moved. The courtiers lounging about the place in lace-trimmed velvet and feathers were almost, but not quite, as beautifully dressed.
Her eyes slid sideways, ever alert to the actions of her lords and ladies. Was that Lord Lankin over there in the corner with Lord Mustardseed? Whispering... And where was Lord Peaseblossom? One day, she thought, she would have his head on a pole! She didn't trust him at all, and his glamour had been strong of late, almost as glorious as her own. Or, she reminded herself bitterly, as glorious as her own had been... before.
Before that young witch — Tiffany Aching — had come into Fairyland and had humiliated her.
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rob Wilkins Rob Wilkins
Lately she had felt shivers between their two worlds, understood that things were shifting, the edges becoming more blurred. Softer. A few of the stronger elves had even been slipping through from time to time for a little mischief. Perhaps soon she could lead the elves on a proper raiding party... fetch another child to play with. Have her revenge on the Aching witch. The Queen smiled at the thought, licking her lips in anticipation of the fun ahead.
But for now there was other troubling news to deal with. Goblins! Mere worms, who should be grateful if an elvish lord or lady even looked their way, but who were now foolishly refusing to do her bidding. She would show them all, she thought. Lords Lankin, Mustardseed, Peaseblossom — they would all see how powerful she was again. They would see her strike down this goblin filth...
But where was Peaseblossom?
The goblin prisoner was brought into the audience chamber under guard. The whole effect was visually stunning, the goblin thought sourly. Exactly as a fairy court would look in a human child's storybook. Until you looked at the faces and realized that there was something not quite right about the eyes and the expressions of the beautiful creatures in the scene.
The Queen considered the goblin for a while, resting her fine-boned chin on the fingers of one exquisitely thin hand. Her alabaster brow furrowed.
"You, goblin, you call yourself Of the Dew the Sunlight, I believe. You and your kind have long enjoyed the protection of this court. Yet I hear talk of rebellion. A refusal to do my bidding. Before I hand you over to my guards for their... amusement, tell me why this is."
Her melodious voice was rich with charm as the words were spoken, but the goblin seemed unmoved. He should have fallen to his knees and begged for her forgiveness, hypnotized by the power of the Queen's glamour, but instead he stood his ground stockily and grinned at her. Grinned at the Queen!
"Well, Queenie, it's like this, you see. Goblins is now treated as upright citizens in human world. Humans say goblins useful. We likes being useful. We gets paid for being useful and finding out things and making things."
The Queen's beautiful visage slipped and she glared at the cheeky creature in front of her.
"That's impossible," she shouted. "You goblins are the dregs, everyone knows that!"
"Ah ha!" laughed the goblin. "Queenie not so clever as she thinks. Goblins riding on hog's back now. Goblins know how to drive the iron horses."
There was a shiver in the court as the goblin uttered the word "iron" and the magical glimmer dimmed. The Queen's dress changed color from silver gossamer to bloodred velvet and her blond ringlets turned into straight, raven-black locks. Her courtiers followed suit as the pastel silks and lace made way for leather breeches, scarlet sashes, and scraps of fur over woad-covered torsos. Elven stone knives were drawn and sharp teeth bared.
The little goblin did not flinch.
"I don't believe you," said the Queen. "After all, you are just a goblin."
"Just a goblin, yess, your queeniness," he said quietly. "A goblin what understands iron and steel. Steel as goes round and round and chuffs. Takes people to faraway places. And a goblin what is a citizen of Ankh-Morpork, and you know what that means, my lady. The dark one there gets upset when his citizens get killed."
"You are lying," said the Queen. "The Lord Vetinari would not care what happens to you. You goblins always lie, Of the Dew the Sunlight."
"Not my name any more. I am now Of the Lathe the Swarf," said the goblin proudly.
"Swarf," said the Queen. "What is that?"
"Itty bits of iron, they is, Queenie," said the goblin, his eyes hardening. "Of the Lathe the Swarf no liar. You talks to me like that again, your majisteriousness, I opens my pockets. Then we sees what swarf is!"
The Queen drew back, her eyes fixed on the goblin's hands hovering near the pockets of his dark blue jacket, wooden toggles fastening it over his skinny chest.
"You dare threaten me?" she said. "Here in my own realm, you worm? When I could shrivel your heart within you with just a word? Or have you dropped where you stand?" She gestured to the guards standing ready with their crossbows aimed at the goblin.
"I is no worm for you, Queenie. I have the swarf. Tiny bits of steel that can float in the air. But I is here to bring news. A warning. Of the Lathe the Swarf still has fancy for the old days. I likes to see humans squirm. Likes to see you fairy folk stirring things up, I does. Some goblins thinks as I does, but not so many now. Some goblins almost not goblins now. Almost human. I don't likes it but they says the times they is a-changing. The money is good, see, Queenie."
"Money?" sneered the Queen. "I give you goblins money, you wor — " She paused as she saw the goblin's hand move into his pocket. Could the horrible little creature really be bringing iron into her world? Iron — a terrible substance for any of the fairy folk. Painful. Destructive. It blinded, deafened, made an elf feel more alone than any human could ever feel. She finished her sentence with gritted teeth. "Worthy creature."
"Gold as melts away as sun rises," said the goblin. "They — we — gets real money now. I just wants goblins to remain goblins. Goblins with status. Respect. Not pushed around no more by you or anyone else." He glared at Peaseblossom, who had suddenly stepped to the side of the Queen.
"I don't believe you," said the Queen.
"Your funeral, Queenie," said the goblin. "Don't believe me. Go to gate.... You sees for yourself. World has changed, Queenie."
And the Queen thought, Changed, yes. She had felt the tremors |
The deal saw Iran cap its nuclear activities, in return for lifting of crippling sanctions.
Haley made the new demand after returning from meetings earlier in the week at the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, where she stressed U.S. "concerns about ensuring Iran strictly adheres to its obligations" under the nuclear pact.
One of Haley's primary missions -- not just in Vienna but back at U.N. Headquarters -- is to persuade the international community that Iran is not adhering to those obligations, and to ensure that it does.
Speaking to reporters back in New York after her trip, Haley said, "as good as the IAEA is, it can only be as good as what they are permitted to see."
Iran's top diplomat on new sanctions, detained Iranian-Americans
"Iran has publicly declared that it will not allow access to military sites but the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) makes no distinction between military and non-military sites," she said.
"I have good confidence in the IAEA, but they are dealing with a country that has a clear history of lying and pursuing covert nuclear programs," she told reporters.
Haley has said she is focused on trying, along with America's Western partners, to make what President Trump has called the "worst deal" with Iran better, by pressing Iran to stop test launching ballistic missiles.
In October, President Trump will be required by U.S. to officially certify that Iran remains in compliance with the nuclear deal struck under his predecessor. He has done so twice already, reluctantly, but administration officials have been clear that they've made no final decision on Iran's compliance, nor on the White House's policy in dealing with the regime in Tehran.One of my life’s passions is the desire to learn about the unknown — and to expand our understanding of it. For the rest of the NFL season, I’ll be sharing that passion with you.
Each week I’ll give you three puzzles. Sometimes they will involve math, other times logic and some of them will test your spatial awareness and reasoning. What unifies every one of these problems is that each one will make you think.
Give the problems below a try, and check back next week for the answers — and a brand new set of puzzles.
1. A number is said to be a perfect square if it can be written as an integer squared, and a perfect cube if it can be written as an integer cubed. For example, four is a perfect square (2²), and eight is a perfect cube (2³). The number one is both a perfect square and a perfect cube. What’s the next smallest number that is both a perfect square and perfect cube?
2. Two cars 60 miles apart are traveling 15 mph directly toward each other. Between them is a bee, flying back and forth between the two cars at a speed of 32 mph. By the time the two cars meet, how far will the bee have traveled?
3. Suppose you have an eight-by-eight grid (like a checkerboard) and eight pebbles. Is there a way to place the pebbles so that no two share the same column, row or diagonal? If so, can you give an example?Clemson Dining’s "Maximum Mexican" night, has become a student favorite over the last several years, and this year was no different, at first.
Everything was going great. Students were loving the food and festivities. Except for two students, who took to Twitter to voice their displeasure with the school's decision to host such a "#CUlturallyInsensitive" event.
While a few on Twitter were offended, the overwhelming preponderance of students registered absolutely no reaction at all. The one student who did respond to the Twitter complaints wrote, "I'm offended that you're offended. #CUfiestafiasco."
Clemson senior Austin Pendergist told Campus Reformhe felt the post-event uproar was “ridiculous.”
“This is something that Clemson Dining has done for years without any sort of backlash. People love the cultural nights in the dining halls,” Pendergist said. “What's next? Are they going to take away all potato based food as to not offend students from Irish decent? Remove the stir fry station so Asian-American students don't feel as if they are being misrepresented? When does it end?”
The university, however, took a different position. Dr. Doug Hallenbeck, Clemson University’s Senior Associate Vice President of Student Affairs apologized for the event’s “flattened cultural view of Mexican culture.”
“It is the mission of University Housing & Dining to create supportive and challenging environments that enrich and nourish lives. We failed to live out our mission yesterday, and we sincerely apologize,” Hallenbeck said.
Dr. Hallenbeck went on to promise that the university “will continue to work closely with [its] food service provider to create dining programs that align with Clemson University’s core values.”
The university posted similar apologies through the Clemson Dining Services Facebook and Twitter pages. The apologies came after students complained that the Mexican-themed event was offensive.
One student tweeted a picture of cafeteria workers wearing sombreros with the caption “Our culture isn't a costume and we will not be mocked!”
The event, which Pendergist said consisted of “a couple balloons, sombreros, and some tacos,” is one of many culturally themed events put on by the Clemson Dining Services throughout the year. For one such event, the university held an event titled “Low Country BBQ Bash,” where students were invited to “Pick up a plate of mighty fine fixins.”
The university has also previously held St. Patrick’s Day-themed events, where students were invited to a dinner of “cornbeef, fried fish, and Irish grilled cheese.” Both those events, it seems, were uncontroversial.
“For as long as I've been here, and probably for much longer, Clemson dining has put on certain culinary theme nights, where they decorate the dining halls and serve whatever kind of food. They have Italian night, Mexican night, seafood night, midnight breakfast, all kinds of events,” Pendergist told Campus Reform.
Pendergist went on to say he “can't imagine how they’re going to react when they discover that Taco Bell is a thing."
UPDATE: Clemson's Senior Vice President for Student Affairs told Campus Reform, "We appreciate and support the goal of Dining to celebrate cuisines of different cultures but we felt that we needed to acknowledge unintended offense. It would have been possible to have the celebration, including décor, as long as we avoid inaccurate and negative stereotypes. That will be our focus going forward. Clemson University issued an apology to students on Thursday after what appears to be a small group of students were offended by an annual Mexican cuisine event put on by university dining services."
Follow the author of this article on Twitter: @peterjhassonScammer poses as Scotty's Brewhouse CEO, pilfers 4,000 W2s Copyright by WANE - All rights reserved Scotty's Brewhouse of Fort Wayne [ + - ] Video
wanestaffreports - INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — A scammer poached the 2016 W-2 forms of every Scotty's Brewhouse employee - all 4,000 - after posing as the restaurant chain's CEO through email.
Copyright by WANE - All rights reserved Scotty's Brewhouse of Fort Wayne
Copyright by WANE - All rights reserved Scotty's Brewhouse of Fort Wayne
Scotty's Brewhouse Director of Human Resources Christopher Martin told WISH-TV in Indianapolis that his payroll account's manager, Emily Bledsoe, received an email from someone who claimed to be Scott Wise, the company's CEO. The person requested that Bledsoe send all 4,000 employee's 2016 W-2 forms in a PDF format.
After discovering that Wise did not send the email, Martin told WISH-TV that he contacted the Internal Revenue Service about the breach.
Martin told WISH-TV that he plans on contacting all employees affected to discuss what they can do to protect themselves from unauthorized use of their personal information.
No suspect information has been released at this time.
CEO of Scotty's, Scott Wise released a statement about the scam:
Unfortunately, Scotty's was the target of and fell victim to scammers, as so many other companies have. Scotty's employees and customers are of tremendous importance to the company and Scotty's regrets any inconvenience to its employees that may result from this scamming incident. Scotty's will continue to work with federal and local law enforcement, the Internal Revenue Service and credit bureaus to bring the responsible party or parties to justice."
Scotty's Brewhouse operates 14 locations in Indiana including Fort Wayne, along with restaurants in Illinois, Ohio and Florida. A manager at the Fort Wayne location at 6282 W. Jefferson Blvd. refused to comment to NewsChannel 15.Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Feb. 3, 2017, 7:14 PM GMT / Updated Feb. 3, 2017, 7:14 PM GMT / Source: NBC News By Petra Cahill
The radio personality Howard Stern said that he believes the presidency will be “detrimental” to the mental health of his old friend Donald Trump — because he just wants to be loved.
“I personally wish that he had never run. I told him that. Because I actually think this is something that is going to be very detrimental to his mental health, too. Because he wants to be liked, he wants to be loved, he wants people to cheer for him,” Stern said on his show broadcast on SiriusXM satellite radio on Wednesday. “I don’t think this is going to be a healthy experience for him.”
Howard Stern speaks with Donald Trump at a party given by the New York Post in New York on Feb. 9, 2000. AP
Stern and Trump have been friends for decades. When Trump was a New York City real estate mogul playboy in the 1990s and early 2000s, he was a frequent guest on Stern’s radio show, where the two men often joked around and made raunchy comments about women. From Diana, the Princess of Wales, to Angelina Jolie, Trump and Stern often discussed famous women’s looks and the businessman’s chances of sleeping with them.
Stern made his reputation as a "shock-jock" in that era, but has reportedly mellowed with age. He was prompted to get into a lengthy discussion about Trump when a caller, “Mike From Maine,” asked him to share memories of the now president from when he attended his wedding to Beth Ostrosky in 2008.
Stern and his co-host Robin Quivers, who sat next to Trump at his wedding reception, reminisced about the party and said that the president and his wife seemed to have such a good time that they were one of the last couples to leave.
Stern went on to reveal that he was “shocked” when Trump said he was going to run for president and it’s actually been very “odd” for him personally because the two men have such divergent political views.
“It’s very awkward for me personally because I like Donald a lot. I do. I like him a lot. But I’m not a guy who thinks the same way politically,” said Stern. “And I don’t even know that he thought this way politically a couple of years ago.”
Stern, who said he was a huge Hillary Clinton supporter, as well as pro-abortion rights, said he remembers when he and the president shared the same beliefs.
“So the new Donald Trump kind of surprised me,” said Stern.
Donald Trump, Melania Trump, Beth Ostrosky and Howard Stern attend the Washington Wizards vs New York Knicks Game on Nov. 4, 2005. James Devaney / WireImage via Getty Images
He is worried that the president’s “sensitive ego” won’t stand up to the demands of being the leader of the free world and the criticism that comes with it.
“I know something about Donald Trump, he really does want to be loved. He does want people to really love him. And that drives him a lot. I think that he has a very sensitive ego. And when you’re president of the United States people are going to be very, very critical.”
Regarding the recent executive order to ban immigration from seven Muslim countries, Stern said, “I think his motive is, ‘Wow, people will love me because I’m going to keep terrorists out of the country.’ And I think he’s genuinely shocked when people say, wait a second there is more to this…”
Stern says he warned Trump that he is “not going to be beloved” as president and that taking on the job would be a “nightmare” for the 70-year-old.
He went onto say that Trump is not anti-Hollywood or anti-press and that all of attacks on him will take their toll on his self-esteem.
“And all of this hatred stuff directed toward him — it’s not good for him. It’s not good.”
Stern firmly believes that Trump’s whole presidential bid just started as a lark so that he could get more money out of NBC when he renegotiated his contract for the Apprentice television show.
“I think it started as kind of a cool, fun thing to do to get a couple more bucks out of NBC for the Apprentice. I actually do believe that.”
“And that’s why Donald is calling for voter fraud investigation. He’s pi--ed he won!” said Stern. “He’s hoping he can find some voter fraud and hand it over to Hillary!”(Updated at 10:01 a.m., Sat., Sept. 6 with the attorney general's response)
Lawyers representing inmate Earl Ringo are asking a federal judge to halt his upcoming execution, citing new information uncovered in a St. Louis Public Radio investigation.
Earlier this week, we reported that Missouri has been using midazolam in its execution process. Midazolam, a sedative, is a controversial execution drug that has been used in three botched executions in the United States this year.
Missouri officials said previously that they would not use the drug.
"Critical state actors have perjured themselves, including the heads of the Department of Corrections and the Department of Adult Institutions," Ringo's lawyers wrote. "Lawyers for [the state] have submitted highly misleading pleadings and false claims in various courts about Missouri’s administration of executions."
Early Saturday morning, the state attorney general's office filed a response, arguing that the officials did not commit perjury.
"[Midazolam], valium and lidocaine are not used as lethal chemicals and are not part of the execution itself," Attorney General Chris Koster's office said. He argues that midazolam is part of its "pre-execution" procedure.
"Ringo has taken portions of depositions out of context and has strategically decided to classify pre-execution procedures, as in his view, part of the execution itself in order to create the appearance of contradiction. But there is no contradiction."
The state also included an affidavit of the warden at the facility where executions are conducted.
The inmate is offered Valium, which he can turn down, according to Warden Terry Russell. But Russell acknowledged that midazolam is not up to the inmate.
"The offender is subsequently evaluated by medical personnel to determine whether a sedative is warranted," Russell said. "The department currently utilizes midazolam as this sedative."
Russell also compiled a list of when the drugs were administered, something St. Louis Public Radio has asked the Department of Corrections to turn over several times.
It shows midazolam has been administered in as few as three minutes before pentobarbital.
We have also asked the state several times to see the portion of the protocol that he says deals with sedatives. The state says it is a confidential record.
Experts we spoke with said the doses Missouri is using would do much more than "calm," as the warden said. Two experts in anesthesiology said the doses Missouri is using would likely put the inmate in a deep sleep, to the point where he would be difficult to arouse. His airway could also become obstructed at those doses.
As Ringo's lawyers point out, midazolam requires an IV.
"Establishing intravenous access is part of Missouri’s execution protocol," Ringo's lawyers wrote on Thursday."Thus, administering the midazolam is part of the execution."
Documents we obtained show Missouri has been injecting midazolam before the state's execution warrant is valid and before witnesses are present.
Ringo is scheduled to be put to death on Sept. 10 for killing two people as part of a robbery in Columbia. His lawyers are asking for a hearing and discovery on the state's use of midazolam in executions.
"The department’s actions shock the conscience, and a hearing is required to determine whether the prison intends to continue its pattern of unconstitutional executions," Ringo's lawyers write.
Read our full investigation here.
Follow Chris McDaniel on Twitter: @csmcdanielARLINGTON, Texas -- Dan Haren is expected to miss his next start for the Los Angeles Angels because of back stiffness.
The right-hander went on the disabled list earlier this month for the same problem, which has apparently hampered him all year. He was set to pitch Wednesday against Texas.
Haren said the discomfort is not in the same place as his pain when he was placed on the DL. Haren described it being on his side around his lower rib cage.
"Talking to the doctors, they said it was very common for someone with back issues to feel some pulling down there," Haren said. "If you get an inch or two more extension, you're going to get some pull. It doesn't bother me when I twist, but getting it extended, I'm asking it to do a little bit more than it's done in a while.
"The day after I pitched I was really sore. I've made a lot of progress just in a couple of days. I don't know what my status is exactly."
Haren -- who holds an 8-8 record with a 4.59 ERA this season -- threw long toss from about 200 feet on Monday and hopes to throw a short bullpen session on Tuesday.
"I'm going day by day," Haren said. "I've put in four or five hours a day in the training room and have made a lot of progress.... Tomorrow I might try to get out on the mound. It just goes by how I feel."
Meanwhile, outfielder Mark Trumbo missed Monday night's 15-8 win at Texas because of back spasms. He felt pain during batting practice on Sunday.
Information from ESPNDallas.com's David Collier and The Associated Press was used in this report.Please use this thread for discussion about game release dates and/or discussion about the wait for the next episode. Thanks!
Have questions about the Adventure Pass DLC? Check the top of Page 1 for a small (unofficial) FAQ.
Release Dates
PC/Mac - September 13th
Playstation Network NA (PS4/PS3) - September 14th
Playstation Network Europe (PS4/PS3) - September 16th
Xbox 360 - September 13th
Xbox One - September 15th
iOS - September 13th
Android - September 13th
News
September 11th
September 7th
September 1st:
In an interview with Job Stuaffer, it is hinted that Telltale expects a September release "You played the first episode? Awesome! So, it doesn’t make sense to show an episode that’s already out, the second episode is still getting some final polish so we weren’t going to show that, our third season of The Walking Dead is coming this Fall, probably October or November, but our games don’t look like anything, visually, until like a week and a half, two weeks before they’re ready to go. We work very differently to most other developers. We have our final episode of Minecraft: Story Mode hitting September …"
Tweet from Nathan (replying to a fan asking for episode 8 info): we will have more info to share pretty soon, stay tuned!
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Tweet from Eric Stirpe: It's a quiet, quiet week for me in the world of #StoryMode. The episode is in the hands of the VO and cinematic wizards now.
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Pass some time and get to know the Telltale Community!
Whatever's On Your Mind Megathread - Hang out with other Telltale Community Members and make small talk about whatever's on your mind.
Telltale Talk (Off Topic Section) - Post your own off topic discussion in Telltale Talk and get to know the community!
Also, remember that the first rule of the forum guidelines is respect. This includes not just forum users and moderators, but Telltale staff as well. Please don't insult or antagonize anyone, including Telltale staff, for what they post, either on these forums, on the Telltale blog, on the Telltale Facebook page, on Twitter, or elsewhere. The Telltale Terms of Use prohibits behavior that harasses or advocates harassment of another person. We want these forums to be fun to visit for everyone, staff and gamers alike. Thanks.The N.C.A.A., a multibillion-dollar organization alternately respected and ridiculed for its stewardship of college sports in the United States, has found a prominent new international admirer: Japan.
This week, the N.C.A.A. president, Mark Emmert, is traveling to Tokyo to consult with government officials, sports industry leaders and at least 20 university presidents about Japan’s desire to form its own collegiate athletics association. Japanese colleges are considering modeling their new system after one that has served as the regulatory body in the United States for more than a century.
If successful, Japan would become one of the few countries outside the United States to establish an N.C.A.A.-type governing body for college athletics. Already, eight Japanese universities, which currently compete on a club sports model, have begun accepting government funding to shore up their athletic departments.
In a telephone interview on Sunday from Taiwan, the site of this year’s World University Games, Emmert described his impending Japanese visit as “exploratory” and driven mostly by what he hears from American university leaders looking to bolster their international standing.The Target experiment has come to an end in Canada.
Thursday morning Target announced that they will be closing all 133 stores across Canada, less than two years after their grand opening ceremonies in the country.
From a financial standpoint the Canadian migration was an expensive move that has not paid off. And from a branding standpoint, Target never really got it right enough to make it matter.
Yes, Target had some fun ads and branding materials in Canada and in the US over the last 24 months, but look at these next five points and see why it just wasn’t enough…
A Bad Start
From day 1 there were complaints about Target. What should have been a day of celebration and victory for the brand turned sour when customers took to social media to complain that shelves weren’t stocked and stores were half empty. And that wasn’t because there had been a rush of shoppers in taking advantage of Black Friday-esque prices, it was just poor planning and execution by the brand.
The Data Leak
The Target customer data leak was an embarrassment for the brand and a breach of trust for their community. The customers who had shown their highest loyalty to the brand by giving them their personal and financial information were hurt the most.
The leak dropped trust in the brand to near 0% and cost them any momentum they may have been building in a new market with millions of potential customers waiting to be drawn in.
Target vs. Walmart
Like it or not, Target was always going to have to go toe-to-toe with Walmart to find success in Canada… and they failed. From understocked shelves to underwhelming price points, Canadians never flocked en masse from Walmart to Target.
Perhaps perception was to blame, as Canadian shoppers who knew the Target brand were used to paying American prices for products during cross-border shopping trips. But when they excitedly walked in the doors to shop at Target in Canada they were faced with higher prices and fewer goods than they expected.
Whether Walmart won, or Target lost is up for debate. But there was only one survivor.
Location, Location, Location.
Target moved to Canada and moved into Zellers locations across the country. It was a flawed move from the beginning as many of those old Zellers stores were in awful locations, and had been for years. What may have seemed like a smart investment at the time, proved to be fatal now that the brand is calling moving trucks to take them home to the United States.
No Canadian Brand Community
It’s fair to say that Target never truly built a strong and loyal brand community in Canada. Customers didn’t travel to many of the retailer’s locations, they didn’t find outstanding value in their products or price points, and they never came to care about the brand.
The combination of mistakes listed above certainly played a part in all of this not working out for Target, and they clearly felt like they were too far behind to catch back up.
Would that brand community have become bigger, stronger and more loyal given more time? Probably, but we’ll never know.
Why Did Target Fail in Canada? The Bad Start
The Data Leak/ Lack of Trust
Couldn't Compete with Walmart
Poor Locations
Didn't Build a Brand Community View ResultsI write about radical issues for mainstream publishers, so, in addition to dancing around putting LGBT issues into cis-straight-friendly terms, I face a mile-high stack of hate mail on a daily basis. My wife is transgender, and, according to the angry mobs of keyboard warriors, this means that I am a pervert, that we are both going to Hell, and that we are guilty of abuse for raising a child together. But through all the negative comments, hateful emails, and long-distance threats, I get an occasional positive message, and it’s almost always, uncomfortably, “Thank you.”
Many, many people thank me for being with my wife, for accepting her the way she is, and for being “brave” enough to accompany her through the not-so-pleasant aspects of being trans in America. I get two or three emails a week from trans people thanking me for loving my wife, telling me that they hope they can someday find partners as “wonderful” and “accepting” as I am. I’ve gotten several near-identical emails from my readers who playfully ask, “Can I clone you?” or “Do you happen to have a sister who’s just like you?”
This doesn’t just happen online, but in the real world, too. We were once leaving a local transgender support group when a shy, nervous-looking woman who was there quietly asked for my phone number. The next day, she called me in tears telling me about her own wife, who left her and received full custody of their three children after she came out of the closet. She told me she “couldn’t thank me enough” for being with my wife, because seeing our relationship assured her that love and happiness can happen even to “people like us.” She turned out to be the first of now five people from the support group who have stopped to personally thank me for my relationship. It’s a sign that something is seriously wrong when there are people who feel so hopeless, and so unloved, that they feel that they owe me gratitude just for loving someone “like them.”
I can understand why it is that many transwomen feel a need to personally thank me. When society constantly tells you that you’re not worthy of having the kind of healthy, loving relationships that cisgender people take for granted– when the media tells you that your body and identity are the subject of fetishism at best and disgust at worst– I understand how it could be easy to forget that you, too, are a human being, and that you, too, deserve to be loved exactly as you are. Transphobia is so rampant in every aspect of our culture that it seems that many trans people have internalized self-hatred to the point that they have given up on all hope of love.
I’m obviously failing, somehow, to make it clear that my marriage is no charity project. My wife is not a mangy stray puppy I decided to feed, or a soap-opera character who needed a manic pixie dream girl to save her from her own tragedy. She is the love of my life. So maybe it’s time for me to make a few things clear. If anyone is owed gratitude for being in this relationship, it’s my wife.
I happened to be blessed with a body that matches my identity, but I am not without my share of struggles, and those struggles taint everything about my life—including my marriage. I am a survivor of child abuse, rape, and spousal abuse. I have an extremely severe panic disorder, along with an icky case of PTSD. I’m a wreck. The cost of my therapy and medications have eaten into the savings that we should be setting aside for my wife’s transition, but even with all the treatment in the world, I’m still not an easy person to be with. I have trust issues. I periodically develop bizarre, unreasonable delusions that my wife is cheating on me, or that she is going to hit me, or that she’s going to rape me. I’m prone to inconsolable, unpredictable panic attacks in which I can’t speak and can barely breathe.
I have a conservative family that despises me for being queer and voting for a “Muslim” president. My wife’s family hates me just as much as my own family does. I came into this relationship with a daughter who, while wonderful and bright and funny, is a financial and emotional burden that most people would not have been willing to accept. I’m too thin. I have unattractive breasts. I’m bad with money.
I’m an ally, but I’m also an asshole. I say unintentionally transphobic things sometimes. I’m uncomfortable around men, and I can’t always shut off the part of the skittish, bigoted part of my brain that thinks my wife is a man. I’m selfishly concerned with the effects that HRT might have on our sex life. I’ve been embarrassed when someone has stared at us in public. I sometimes get annoyed by how long it takes my wife to get rid of her body hair and to put on all her makeup, ignoring that it’s only because I have cis privilege that I can walk out of the house looking exactly as I did when I rolled out of bed, and not be called a freak for it. I try to be the best trans ally I can be, but I’m not perfect—not perfect at all.
If she wanted to, my wife could have found someone better than me. Someone who was more understanding, less insecure, and mentally healthier. Someone who wasn’t triggered by things she can’t help having attached to her body, like a penis and chest hair. Someone who didn’t come into the relationship wielding a toddler to whom she would have to pledge the next fifteen years of her life. Someone with a better family, where words like “faggot” and “n*gger” aren’t passed over the Thanksgiving dinner table like gravy and salt-shakers. If anything, my wife is the one who has had to make very serious sacrifices to be with me.
That’s the funny thing about real love, though. I’m not the first to make this observation, but it is never a fairy tale. It’s never a story in which two wealthy, healthy, perfect people fall madly in love and go on to have their flawless Happily Ever After. It’s also never a story about one perfect person choosing to love a broken individual out of altruism. Love—real love— is invariably the story of two troubled people who understand and accept each other’s troubles, but choose to face them together.
When I said “I do” to my wife, her beautiful brown eyes beaming and her delicate hand clasped in mine under a rainbow of ribbons, I was making the same promise that every other married person has made: the promise to love her, to be faithful to her, to share my life with her, and to be there when she needs me. It’s the exact same promise that she made to me.
My devotion to my wife was not an act of charity or heroism. She is not the one-eyed cat at the shelter that no one else wanted, or the bird with the broken wing that needed to be nurtured back to health. She is my wife, and she is there for me just as much as I am there for her. We are both people with a lot serious challenges to face, and we chose to confront those challenges as a team. That’s not heroism. It’s love.
Genevra Reid is a freelance writer, LGBT activist, angry feminist, and dedicated mommy to a bad-ass five-year-old girl. When she’s not busy writing, parenting, and inhabiting the nightmares of conservatives, she can usually be found snuggling with her wife, dog, kid, and/or cat.
Special Note: Autostraddle’s “First Person” column exists for individual queer ladies to tell their own personal stories and share compelling experiences. These personal essays do not necessarily reflect the ideals of Autostraddle or its editors, nor do any First Person writers intend to speak on behalf of anyone other than themselves. First Person writers are simply speaking honestly from their own hearts.One of the papers proposed for the next version of the C++ Standard is N4542: Variant: a type safe union (v4). As you might guess from the (v4) in the title, this paper has been discussed several times by the committee, and revised in the light of discussions.
Boost has had a variant type for a long time, so it only seems natural to standardize it. However, there are a couple of design decisions made for boost::variant which members of the committee were uncomfortable with, so the current paper has a couple of differences from boost::variant. The most notable of these is that boost::variant has a "never empty" guarantee, whereas N4542 proposes a variant that can be empty.
Why do we need empty variants?
Let's assume for a second that our variant is never empty, as per boost::variant, and consider the following code with two classes A and B :
variant<A,B> v1{A()}; variant<A,B> v2{B()}; v1=v2;
Before the assignment, v1 holds a value of type A. After the assignment v1=v2, v1 has to hold a value of type B, which is a copy of the value held in v2. The assignment therefore has to destroy the old value of type A and copy-construct a new value of type B into the internal storage of v1.
If the copy-construction of B does not throw, then all is well. However, if the copy construction of B does throw then we have a problem: we just destroyed our old value (of type A ), so we're in a bit of a predicament — the variant isn't allowed to be empty, but we don't have a value!
Can we fix it? Double buffering
In 2003 I wrote an article about this, proposing a solution involving double-buffering: the variant type could contain a buffer big enough to hold both A and B. Then, the assignment operator could copy-construct the new value into the empty space, and only destroy the old value if this succeeded. If an exception was thrown then the old value is still there, so we avoid the previous predicament.
This technique isn't without downsides though. Firstly, this can double the size of the variant, as we need enough storage for the two largest types in the variant. Secondly, it changes the order of operations: the old value is not destroyed until after the new one has been constructed, which can have surprising consequences if you are not expecting it.
The current implementation of boost::variant avoids the first problem by constructing the secondary buffer on the fly. This means that assignment of variants now involves dynamic memory allocation, but does avoid the double-space requirement. However, there is no solution for the second problem: avoiding destroying the old value until after the new one has been constructed cannot be avoided while maintaining the never-empty guarantee in the face of throwing copy constructors.
Can we fix it? Require no-throw copy construction
Given that the problem only arises due to throwing copy constructors, we could easily avoid the problem by requiring that all types in the variant have a no-throw copy constructor. The assignment is then perfectly safe, as we can destroy the old value, and copy-construct the new one, without fear of an exception throwing a spanner in the works.
Unfortunately, this has a big downside: lots of useful types that people want to put in variants like std::string, or std::vector, have throwing copy constructors, since they must allocate memory, and people would now be unable to store them directly. Instead, people would have to use std::shared_ptr<std::string> or create a wrapper that stored the exception in the case that the copy constructor threw an exception.
template<typename T> class value_or_exception{ private: std::optional<T> value; std::exception_ptr exception; public: value_or_exception(T const& v){ try{ value=v; } catch(...) { exception=std::current_exception(); } } value_or_exception(value_or_exception const& v){ try{ value=v.value; exception=v.exception; } catch(...) { exception=std::current_exception(); } return *this; } value_or_exception& operator=(T const& v){ try{ value=v; exception=std::exception_ptr(); } catch(...) { exception=std::current_exception(); } return *this; } // more constructors and assignment operators T& get(){ if(exception){ std::rethrow_exception(exception); } return *value; } };
Given such a template you could have variant<int,value_or_exception<std::string>>, since the copy constructor would not throw. However, this would make using the std::string value that little bit harder due to the wrapper — access to it would require calling get() on the value, in addition to the code required to retrieve it from the variant.
variant<int,value_or_exception<std::string>> v=get_variant_from_somewhere(); std::string& s=std::get<value_or_exception<std::string>>(v).get();
The code that retrieves the value then also needs to handle the case that the variant might be holding an exception, so get() might throw.
Can we fix it? Tag types
One proposed solution is to add a special case if one of the variant types is a special tag type like empty_variant_t. e.g. variant<int,std::string,empty_variant_t. In this case, if the copy constructor throws then the special empty_variant_t type is stored in the variant instead of what used to be there, or what we tried to assign. This allows people who are OK with |
is fast, but not much faster than the Model S 85 rear-wheel drive model. It's when you tap on Insane Mode that the ride changes. This throws you back in your seat and the extra front motor, we imagine, sounds like going into hyperspace. Very satisfying stuff.
Cornering offers more than enough grip and with that all-wheel drive system intelligently distributing power you'd have a real job trying to kick the back end out. We tried and failed. While we mainly used Sport Mode for the steering there's also a comfortable setting that makes the wheel super light, ideal for driving about town.
It's the little things that make a difference though. The door handles that slide out of the car when you approach, the multiple profiles to adapt to up to 10 drivers' preferences at a touch, opening the sunroof by sliding the touchscreen to a certain percentage, or the ability to learn your calendar so the car is charged, warmed and ready for journeys you may not have even remembered the night before. It'll even check the traffic and let you know if you need to set off early.
The key fob is fun too. It's car shaped. Double tap the boot to open and close, with the same for the front storage area, or the middle to lock and unlock. It auto opens as you approach but we didn't have the guts to walk away and trust it to lock itself, although this does work. Our only complaint here is the double tap is a bit tough with no discernable click. We want something a little more tactile.
One very nice option is the ability to change suspension ride height. We had it set on lowest, for performance, but when on a road with bumps, you can hit the on-screen button and it changes to offer greater clearance height. But it gets better. This is GPS smart so if you have a particularly steep drive at home it'll learn that and automatically change the ride height when you arrive there. It'll even link to your electric garage door so all you have to do is drive right in.
If you're giving the car to a valet or cleaner you can set it in Valet Mode. This pin code locks the boot and hides personal details, like address, as well as prohibiting access to the internet browser. Security remains apparent, even in your connected car.
While the Tesla Model S P85D can technically drive itself using Autopilot mode, laws need to be passed before that system is rolled out as a software update in the UK. For now you get lane assistance, so it won't steer for you, but will alert you if you stray off - which is common to many marques. But in the future this will steer to stay in lane and the use of an indicator will be all it takes to change lane.
There is also adaptive cruise control as an optional extra, to maintain a distance from the car in front without you touching the pedals. We were initially a bit nervous with a foot hovering over the brake with cruise set to a four car distance. After a while we reduced that to one car length and felt confident just using the wheel alone.
Self-parking is another option that means the car will be able to drive itself into parking spaces and even your garage at home. Well, not your UK garage as this is another legal issue that meant, in the model we drove at least, it doesn't work in the UK yet.
We'd heard complaints about that 17-inch touchscreen being awkward to control while driving. In our experience this wasn't a problem. Everything was large and clear enough to stab away at while driving along, and the interface was simple enough to learn quickly. What's key here is menus don't drill down, so you're always an icon tap away from what you want.
There are dual controls on the steering wheel with menu screens in the head unit, if you prefer real buttons. This is a nice touch as you can leave the satnav and battery consumption in the head unit and have suspension or radio information on the main screen if needs be.
That 17-inch screen is backed by 3G connectivity, which comes with the car free for 4 years. It'll let you visit webpages and you can access connected services like internet radio.
Smartphones, be they Android or iPhone, can connect to the car via the Tesla app. This allows for control of the charging process, syncing of calendars and more. Any phone with Bluetooth should be able to connect directly to the car for playing music and taking calls over the car's speakers. This was easy to use thanks to a scrolling menu system in the head unit. It was also really clear thanks to the near silent operation of the car and the surround sound audio.
The Tesla Model S P85D has a spec-sheet range of 300 miles on a single charge. On top of that, for a long journey there are Superchargers and intelligent journey planning.
There are now 22 Tesla Supercharger stations in the UK which can fast charge the car to 50 per cent in just 20 minutes. When you set your destination on the built-in Google Maps-powered satnav, the car will automatically plan it with any necessary stops at Tesla Superchargers.
It'll even give you stop times based on how long you'll need to charge for - so you can plan a lunch stop around a longer one for example.
Superchargers in the UK and Europe offer power at 120kW, meaning about 170 miles charge per half hour. We were told that if you're sharing a two-Supercharger bay the load is split, but if you have lower battery power it'll charge you faster than the other person.
By comparison Chademo faster chargers, which are all over the UK, work at 50kW which is about 85 miles per half hour.
The car has a realistic 253-mile range, so stopping regularly shouldn't be needed. The home charger is a 7kW adapter in the UK meaning you can get to full power overnight easily. The US has dual-chargers and higher power versions but right now the UK electricity infrastructure in older homes might not support that so Tesla is still testing ways to bring it to the entire UK.
The Tesla Model S P85D is a supercar with the comfort of a high-end luxury sports car, plus it offers a futuristic feel no other car offers. It also feels more future-proof than the competition, and the price at just under £80,000 reflects that.
Even when taking off the savings on petrol, road tax - and in the case of London, congestion charge - it's still expensive. Tesla offers finance but that'll mean paying £1,119 per month over 6 years.
Alternatively the Model S 85D offers a bit more range at a spec-sheet 310 miles and is a little slower at 0-60mph in 4.4 seconds but costs £63,580. Then there's the entry level Model S 70D for £55,000 but that means a spec sheet range of 275 miles, a slower-to-charge 70kWh battery and a 0-60mph time of 5.2 seconds.
The Tesla Model S P85D could be called future-proof. It's crammed with hardware and sensors that means it'll be a self-driving car one day, it is just a software update away and a hefty lump of legislation, of course. Software updates can offer free upgrades, like one which recently added horse power through an overnight update which Model S owners got for free.
But a car like the Tesla isn't really about saving money. This is the supercar for techheads. It's smart, connected, comfortable and offers the performance to put a smile on your face. It might have less appeal for petrolheads, but Tesla delivers in so many areas. At this price there are lots of rivals, from fossil powered to electric and everything inbetween. But in the UK a Tesla is still something of a rarity, it's something special and we feel the same sort of wonder for it as we do the BMW i8.
The Tesla Model S P85D is a luxury and it's not only the speed and comfort that make it attractive, but because it feels like you're driving a car from the future. And one day, it might just be driving you.
READ: 11 best electric and hybrid supercars: Over 1,300hp from an electric? It's hereKOBE Bryant’s NBA announcement didn’t really shock anybody.
What was shocking is just how much his decision to call it quits after 20 years and five NBA championships with the Los Angeles Lakers has affected the fans that loved to hate him.
We’re talking about Fremantle’s Michael Crowley or Cronulla’s Michael Ennis levels of hatred.
Suddenly, upon his pending deicision to walk away, fans have realised they respect the 37-year-old almost as much as they love to hate him.
The feeling was captured perfectly by a Boston Celtics fan, who penned an open letter to the Lakers No. 24 on a Celtics fan forum.
The Lakers and Celtics have the longest and most heated rivalry in the NBA, but the author identified on the fan site as Jonathan Jacobson admits he still feels sad to see his tormentor ride on into the sunset.
“Dear Kobe Bryant, I hate you,” the letter begins.
“Can you blame me? As a Celtics fan, I rooted against you for two decades. I rejoiced in your agony when my Celtics beat you in the 2008 Finals. Paul Pierce deserved it way more than you did. You already had three rings at the time.
“But three just wasn’t enough for you. You got your revenge and ultimately your fifth ring in 2010 while ripping my heart out in the process. I hope you still know how lucky you are that Kendrick Perkins was out for Game 7.
“I read your letter in the Players’ Tribune today and was shocked. Not because you announced your retirement – we all already knew that. I was shocked because of the way your letter made me feel.
“In my mind, I have always grouped you and (New York Yankees baseballer) Derek Jeter together. You are the players that we as Boston fans bitterly hate, but cannot help but respect. “You played the game the right way – with passion, pride, and professionalism.
“You were true students of the game who pursued greatness by working harder than anybody. You became generational icons of your respective sports. You embraced every challenge.
“You gave it your all. You put your bodies on the line. You knew how to win. You respected your sport, your craft, and your rivalry with Boston.”
Jacobson goes on to say he hopes Bryant’s final roadtrip to face Boston at the Boston Garden Arena on December 31 AEDT begins with the usual heckling and sledging at the Lakers veteran.
“This is also the last opportunity for us Celtics fans to cheer our team to victory against arguably the most dominant player in the storied history of the Celtics and Lakers,” he wrote.
“As you go, so goes what is left of the rivalry that once dominated the NBA. Perhaps some day it will be rekindled by new faces. Perhaps not.
“So when you come to the Garden next month, I hope the crowd puts you through hell. I hope we heckle you and boo you more emphatically than we did in the championship bouts.
“I hope you miss every single free throw. I hope you never forget what it’s like to be surrounded by 17,000 screaming fans who bleed green and would give anything to watch you fail one last time.
“I hope we beat LA once again. And when you get pulled from the lineup halfway through the fourth quarter when my Celtics are up by 20 points, I think something beautiful will happen.
“Every single person in the Garden will stop booing. We will rise to our feet and show respect in the form of the loudest, most passionate standing ovation you have ever witnessed. We will chant your name. We will wipe our eyes. We will say our bittersweet farewells.
“They say you never truly know what you got ‘til it’s gone. So before you go, I just want to say thank you for being far more than just a great basketball player. To an entire generation of NBA fans, you are basketball.
“I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m really going to miss you.
“Love (and hate) you always, a Celtics fan who didn’t appreciate you enough.”
The fan was responding to Bryant’s letter in The Players’ Tribune in which he confirmed it is time for him to say goodbye.
“You gave a six-year-old boy his Laker dream,” Bryant wrote.
“And I’ll always love you for it. But I can’t love you obsessively for much longer. This season is all I have left to give.
“My heart can take the pounding. My mind can handle the grind, but my body knows it’s time to say goodbye.
“And that’s OK. I’m ready to let you go. I want you to know now so we both can savour every moment we have left together.
“The good and the bad. We have given each other all that we have. And we both know, no matter what I do next I’ll always be that kid with the rolled up socks, garbage can in the corner (with) 0:05 seconds on the clock.
Ball in my hands. 5 … 4 … 3 … 2 … 1,
“Love you always, Kobe.”Doug Jones, the Democrat running for Alabama’s U.S. Senate seat, says he loves to hunt but the Second Amendment has “limitations.”
He believes that every right enumerated in the Bill of Rights is limited, and the Second Amendment is no exception.
According to the Alabama Political Reporter, Jones described himself as “a Second Amendment guy,” but stressed that some gun control is necessary. He said, “We’ve got limitations on all constitutional amendments in one form or another.” This position is contrary to the clear language of the amendment, which states that the right to keep and bear arms “shall not be infringed.”
He stressed that he loves to hunt but still believes in “smart” gun laws.
During a September 24, 2017, appearance on Meet the Press, Jones said, “The biggest issue, I think, that’s facing the Second Amendment right now is that we need to make sure we shore up the National Crime Information System, the NICS system for background checks, to both keep guns out of the hands of criminals, but at the same time, cut down on error so that law-abiding citizens can get those.”
New gun control focused on background checks has been introduced by Sens. John Cornyn (R-TX) and Chris Murphy (D-CT) since Jones’ appearance on Meet the Press. Like Jones, Sen. Murphy believes the Second Amendment has limitations.
During a May 2013 appearance on Rachel Maddow Lean Forward, Murphy said, “The Second Amendment is not an absolute right, not a God-given right. It has always had conditions upon it like the First Amendment has.”
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of Bullets with AWR Hawkins, a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.comWhy I’m a Remainer who accepts the EU referendum result
Owen Jones Blocked Unblock Follow Following Jul 23, 2017
Having a reasoned debate about Brexit is impossible. That’s not because of the large majority of people in Britain, irrespective of how they voted. It’s because of a vocal but unrepresentative minority of Remainers and Leavers who are intolerant of political disagreement and believe that dissenters (even those who voted the same way as them) are threats to Britain, either by destroying the economy or surrendering sovereignty.
I campaigned for Remain; like most Britons, I had problems with the EU. But my view was the referendum campaign wasn’t even about the EU. It was about, above all else, immigration. The official Leave campaigns made the strategic decision to wage a poisonous xenophobic campaign which scapegoated migrants and refugees for all the multiple social injustices which don’t just scar British society, but define it. A victory for Leave, therefore, would be a victory for some of the most reactionary forces in Britain, given the nature of the campaign. Furthermore, my view was that workers’ rights and co-ordination on tackling tax avoidance and climate change would be imperilled, and that the economic dislocation caused by leaving the EU would cause pain to those who are already struggling. Left forces across Europe — like Podemos in Spain — wanted us to stay, and they were right.
I stand by all of these arguments. I made them on television, in print (here, here, here, here, here, here, here) on social media, in videos, in rallies across the country.
Then we lost, and many of the fears that I expressed in a video filmed a week before the result were realised. Ever since I’ve done my best to campaign against the legitimised xenophobia and racism, and to defend the rights of EU migrants in Britain, which Labour have pledged to safeguard from day one of a new government.
In the last couple of days I’ve been in the midst of a never-ending twitter storm of people angry about the referendum, and determined that Britain must stay in the European Union at all costs. They’ve been whipped up by certain blue-tick celebrities. The anger has been caused because I’ve said, as a Remainer who is a democrat, that I accept and respect the referendum result, which is the view I’ve had ever since we lost.
The response has varied. Some are just disappointed, others in passionate disagreement; others have resorted to the age-old crutches of online debate, like seeing ulterior motives for people’s opinions because of an ability to accept that others can possibly disagree with them in good faith. Others have suggested that I must be mentally ill and/or be having a mental breakdown. Others have simply been abusive. Others have repeatedly tried to weaponise my sexuality, repetitively arguing ‘oh, would you accept a referendum on the criminalisation of homosexuality’, a thoroughly stupid argument I’ll come on to.
The polling shows that most Remain voters (let alone the rest of the population) have the same view as me: that we regret the referendum result but in the interests of democracy it must be respected.
If they are subjected to the obsessive haranguing I’ve had for the last 48 hours, then their views will only be hardened. Wanting to overturn a referendum result is an entirely legitimate perspective to have. It is an extremely controversial perspective currently, with polling suggesting little evidence of Leavers regretting their vote.
To shift opinions would need a number of things: a charm offensive that persuades those who voted Remain in 2016, let alone Leavers; a grassroots movement; and emotional arguments that go for the heart as well as the head. None of these ingredients appear to be on offer from hardcore anti-Brexiteers who are angrily lashing out at Remain supporters like me, let alone the 52% who voted to Leave.
Let me explain where I think they’re going catastrophically wrong.
First, questioning the intelligence and ability of the electorate. The electorate are not informed enough to make a decision on such a complex issue, or so this argument goes. Some, frankly, express outright contempt for the public’s decision-making abilities. This form of elitism is profoundly anti-democratic and repels people.
Secondly, describing the referendum as advisory. This, I’m afraid, is an argument which languishes in the No Man’s Land between pedantry and sophistry. Any British referendum is only technically advisory because of the nature of our parliamentary democracy. But the government made it explicitly clear that the referendum result would be honoured, whatever it is. “The Government will implement what you decide,” as the official Government EU leaflet put it. “The Government will regard themselves as being bound by the decision of the referendum and will proceed with serving an article 50 notice,” as Philip Hammond put it. That was accepted by the Official Opposition, as well as the official Remain campaign. Arch anti-Brexiteers argue (as I’ll go into) that the referendum campaign was littered with lies. The ultimate lie would be the key protagonists on all sides accepting the referendum result as the definitive word, and then afterwards dismissing the result on the basis it was only advisory. I’m afraid only those who have not spoken to people outside of their political bubbles can possibly regard this as remotely politically persuasive; if it was ever acted on it, it would cause probably permanent damage to trust in democracy (which I’ll come on to).
Third, the referendum result is illegitimate because of the lies of the Leave campaign. Yes, the official Leave campaigns were full of lies, from impending Turkish membership of the EU to £350 million extra money a week for the NHS to just blatant xenophobic hatred. Unfortunately there are many elections — let alone referendums — across the world (let alone this country) which are full of lies. And quite frankly if Remain would have prevailed, Brexiteers would now be claiming the exact same thing: from George Osborne’s threats of a punishment Budget (which never transpired) to threats to peace in Europe to wilder warnings of economic armageddon.
Fourth, imagine if Remain had won by 52%. This keeps being put to me by hardcore anti-Brexiteers: wouldn’t Nigel Farage be demanding another referendum and denying the legitimacy of the result? Yes he would, and these same hardcore anti-Brexiteers would, if they’re being honest with themselves, be passionately opposing such a call. They’d say the matter is settled, we had a referendum, we’re not having another one.
Fifth, I’m accused of hypocrisy. Don’t I campaign against the Tory government? I’m writing this on the train having spent the day campaigning for Labour in Boris Johnson’s constituency, after all. If I can campaign against the government which came to power in the last election, why can’t I campaign against the referendum? The critical difference is that, in our democracy, parliamentary elections are inherently transient. They happen every few years so we have a chance to reject those who govern every sphere of life in Britain if they cause us dissatisfaction. That is not the same as a one-off referendum on a single issue, where the result was accepted in advance by all key protagonists on both sides. If we were having a referendum on the EU every five years, they would have a point. We’re not. That may be an argument against referendums of any kind, but it is still irrelevant to the matter at hand. Does that mean a referendum result is permanent? No: but you have to convince enough of the electorate that another referendum is even necessary (which doesn’t apply to parliamentary elections), let alone that the last referendum result should be overturned.
Sixth, would you support decriminalisation of homosexuality if the majority voted for it? I keep having this tweeted at me because I’m gay. Let’s be clear here: there is a difference between a referendum on a constitutional issue, such as Britain’s precise relationship with the European Union, and the majority voting to deprive a minority of its civil rights. Yes, the referendum result does have an impact on a minority of non-citizens — EU citizens — who this country depends on: in the economy, culturally, as our friends, neighbours, colleagues, lovers. That’s why Labour has pledged to guarantee EU citizens’ existing rights on day one, and why I’ve campaigned — as best I possibly can — to oppose the xenophobia legitimised by the referendum, and to support EU migrants (like here, here, and here).
Seventh, sorry, but I’m convinced that overturning the referendum result would cause catastrophic, possibly irreversible damage to our democracy. It’s quite clear that one of the factors which drove Leave was disillusionment with the political elites. If a referendum result presented as the definitive word is overturned, what exact message will that send out? That you can vote for something, but tough? Imagine 52% voted for Remain and the government went, sorry, but tough, we’re leaving anyway?
Eighth, didn’t Labour’s unexpected successes have a lot to do with Remainers? Well look, the Lib Dems were the party that promised to have a second referendum and overturn the last referendum: and they flopped. Labour had the same position during the election as they do now. If attempting to reverse the referendum was really the priority for millions that it’s now being presented by some, then why did so many Remainers vote for Labour and not the Lib Dems? Why is Labour’s vote holding up in the polls, particularly among the younger voters who most decisively plumped for both Remain and Labour? Is it really being suggested they’re being ignorant when Labour has over and over and over again made it clear it honours the referendum result — including voting to activate Article 50 before the election result, much to the chagrin of the hardcore anti-Brexiteer faction? I’m afraid this is the most disingenuous of all the arguments. I knocked on I don’t know how many doors across the country in this election, and Brexit barely even featured. It is just not a priority for the majority of people.
That’s why it’s been my position — ever since the referendum — that Labour should honour the referendum result. That’s been their position, and they are right and showing leadership on the issue — even though I did believe that Labour MPs representing Remain constituencies had no choice but to defy the whip over Article 50. I regret the referendum result. I don’t think it’s good for our country. But the arguments above lead me, in good faith, to conclude that we have no choice but to honour the referendum result. If there is a decisive shift in public opinion, then it is a subject worth revisiting. My own view now is that campaigning to reverse the referendum result will cause a very considerable backlash and undermine faith in democracy. Which is why my view is the debate now has to be what Brexit we should have — rather than whether we should have Brexit at all.With the success of Hyrule Warriors, the world now knows Nintendo franchise are viable candidates to get the Warriors treatment. While Zelda series director Eiji Aonuma wouldn’t comment on any other specific Nintendo property that could potentially be developed in the Warriors mold, others have spoken out.
While we’ve briefly joked about the possibility of a Pokémon Warriors game in the past, Pokémon series director Junichi Masuda chimed in on whether or not it could happen:
“Masuda says he’d be open to [adapting Pokémon to become a Warriors game] if the game wasn’t too violent, suggesting that it could work if the player threw out a lot of Pokéballs, but it would need a new form of gameplay so as to not feel too familiar.”
What do you think? Would you be interested in seeing a Pokémon Warriors game? You’d have to deal with hordes and swarms! …wait a minute…
PolygonTake a good look around the field today, because it's the last time you'll see a bunch of these players in Rays uniforms.
That's the case in all 15 stadiums where there will be games this afternoon. But typically, it's on a larger scale with the Rays as remaking the roster, replacing some — but not all — higher-paid players with cheaper and usually younger alternatives, is a key part of their process as they seek to compete with their freer-spending foes.
Even at the franchise-high $80 million of payroll they are carrying now (up from around $70 million on opening day), they are at less than half any of the other AL East teams and once again near the bottom of the majors overall.
And from what principal owner Stuart Sternberg said last week in New York, after another season at the bottom of the attendance totals, that's not going to change anytime soon, with plans to "absolutely" reduce the payroll for 2018.
"Being we're so far above what we've spent ever before and way outside of what we can spend and should spend, the first move is down," he said.
How much, of course, is the major question and one that won't be answered until deeper into the offseason as they, as usual, weigh all options, from trading franchise faces such as 3B Evan Longoria and/or RHP Chris Archer on down.
It doesn't sound, however, like there will be a major reduction. Rays officials have said previously that to offset years when they've hiked the payroll, there eventually may be a season of reckoning when they slash extensively, such as to the $30 million or so the Padres paid current players this year. Sternberg said he doesn't "anticipate it happening" in 2018.
Part of their reduction will come organically, with eight players — most prominently veteran RHP Alex Cobb — heading to free agency and coming off the books. They made a collective $31 million, though the Rays weren't paying all of that as four were acquired midseason at a discounted rate.
There are also some built-in increases to the players signed to long-terms deals, primarily C Wilson Ramos ($6.5 million raise) and CF Kevin Kiermaier (up $2.5 million), that will add around $11 million.
So that will leave the Rays, as usual, facing some tough decisions, especially with the 12 players who are eligible for arbitration and the automatic raises that come with it, even for players who had bad years, such as 2B Brad Miller.
That group made around $22.35 million season, and that will go up considerably, especially with RH closer Alex Colome, who leads the majors in saves, jumping from $547,900 to more than $4 million, and OF Steven Souza Jr., the team MVP, being eligible for the first time, similarly to $3 million plus. And assuming they keep SS Adeiny Hechavarria, a great addition, he'll bump up $2 million or so to $6 million plus.
As a result, figure RHP Jake Odorizzi ($6 million plus?), OF/DH Corey Dickerson ($5 million plus?), Miller ($4.75 million?) and even Colome among players they will at least listen on, working the calculus on how the value of their projected performance compares to their salary. And there will be re-evaluation of the bullpen, with RHP Brad Boxberger and LHPs Xavier Cedeno and Dan Jennings due to make more.
There's also the potential for the Rays to fill some holes with some of their young players, though based on future impact on free agent and arbitration eligibility, it is more likely to see the likes of INF Willy Adames, 1B Jake Bauers, RHP Diego Castillo and RHP Brent Honeywell later in the season than right away.
"There's some natural turnover," Sternberg said. "A bunch of the other guys, they're here next year. They're still here this year because they're good players. I'd like them to be here. A lot will be determined on what's available to us, and why. Both adding and potentially subtracting. We've dealt from strength in the past. We like to deal from strength. We'd like to continue to do that. But you never know if that's an opportunity.
"We do have some younger guys knocking on the door a little bit, which hasn't really been the case much. You'd like to see that natural fill come in from the minor leagues. That's been the way on the pitching side; we'd like to think that will be in the bullpen as well because we've got some good arms. … But you'd like to see some of the position players show up, and there's a couple."
Get ready for a busy winter.
A look to 2018
Free agents to be
(In order of expected free agent salary; with 2017 salaries)
RHP Alex Cobb ($4.2M)
1B/DH Logan Morrison ($2.5M+)
1B/DH Lucas Duda ($7.25M*)
RHP Steve Cishek ($6M*)
RHP Tommy Hunter ($1.4M+)
RHP Sergio Romo ($3M*)
OF Peter Bourjos ($1.35M)
INF Trevor Plouffe ($5.25M*)
* Rays only paid part after acquiring; + plus incentives
Arbitration eligible
(with 2017 salaries)
RHP Brad Boxberger ($1.6M)
LHP Xavier Cedeno ($1.3M)
RHP Alex Colome ($547,900)
LF Corey Dickerson ($3.025M)
INF Matt Duffy ($545,300)
SS Adeiny Hechavarria ($4.35M)
LHP Dan Jennings ($1.4M)
2B Brad Miller ($3.575M)
RHP Jake Odorizzi ($4.1M)
OF Steven Souza Jr. ($546,700)
C Jesus Sucre ($630,000)
RHP Chase Whitley ($535,000)
Signed for 2018
(with raise from 2017)
3B Evan Longoria, $13.5M, up $500,000
C Wilson Ramos, $10.5M, up $6.5M
RHP Chris Archer, $6.25M, up $1.5M
CF Kevin Kiermaier, $5.5M, up $2.5M
RHP Nate Eovaldi, $2M*, no increase
* Team option, expected to be picked up
Not half bad
Today concludes the 20th season in Rays history; here is where this season (in italics) ranks based on wins and finish, with playoff teams in bold:
Year W-L Pct. Place-GB Manager 2008 97-65.599 1 Maddon 2010 96-66.596 1 Maddon 2013 92-71.564 2-51/2 Maddon 2011 91-71.562 2-6 Maddon 2012 90-72.556 3-5 Maddon 2009 84-78.519 3-19 Maddon 2015 80-82.494 4-13 Cash 2017 79-82.491 3-14 Cash 2014 77-85.475 4-19 Maddon 2004 70-91.435 4-301/2 Piniella 2000 69-92.429 5-18 Rothschild 1999 69-93.426 5-29 Rothschild 2016 68-94.420 5-25 Cash 2005 67-95.400 5-28 Piniella 2007 66-96.414 5-30 Piniella 2003 63-99.389 5-28 Piniella 1998 63-99.389 5-31 Rothschild 2001 62-100.376 5-34 Rothschild/McRae 2006 61-101.402 5-36 Maddon 2002 55-106.362 5-48 McRae
Rays rumblings
Interest in Japanese two-way sensation Shohei Otani is sincere, the Rays hoping his criteria go beyond a big market and the most bucks and more to development and their commitment to let him pitch and hit, as with top pick Brendan McKay. … Principal owner Stuart Sternberg said an option to negotiating a new TV deal is to form their own network. If they do another cable deal, he said given cord-cutting and overall value decline, "I don't expect it or anticipate it to be nirvana." … Given RHP Chris Archer's pointed comments about NFL players kneeling for the anthem, it would be cool if Bucs DeSean Jackson and/or Mike Evans invited him over for a chat. … 3B coach Charlie Montoyo's name has been mentioned for the Mets manager job, and will be for others; expect the Rays to do the right thing and let him interview. … Curious to see what the full Fox Sports Sun TV crew looks like in '18. … In Scott Miller's well-done bleachereport.com catchup piece, retired ex-Rays All-Star OF Carl Crawford said he has "gotta think it was the (Trop) turf" that led to injuries that shortened his career, and he'd be open to getting back in the game, chuckling: "If Rocco (Baldelli) can coach first base, I know I can do that." … Most likely of the Rays' eight pending free agents to return? How about RHP Sergio Romo? … The Rays are again offering a two-year season ticket renewal with gifts such as a beach party or dinner cruise with players.Five years ago, you didn’t see too many Miami Heat fans walking around D.C. But a couple years ago, oddly, you started seeing them. Last year, you saw more, and this year, even more. Heck, I saw a grown man wearing a teal-colored Miami Heat jersey just the other day.
Now, maybe there’s been a large migration from South Florida to the District. More likely, these are just the same people whose favorite college basketball team is now Louisville, and whose favorite NFL team is the 49ers, and who have always loved the Dodgers, I swear, starting about two months ago. What I’m talking about is different from the casual locals who start rooting for the Nats or Caps when they’re in first place. This is cross-continent bandwagoning.
I was reminded of this on Wednesday night, when LeBron James and the Heat seemed to win just about all of the awards at the fan-chosen ESPYs. As someone whose primary rooting interest in sports is against all things LeBron, this was particularly distressing to me — nearly as distressing as the fact I was watching the ESPYs — and I literally hid my head under the pillows at one point. But, like it or not, there’s no denying that there are now a lot of Miami Heat fans in this country.
Ray Allen — who helped accept some of the hardware on Wednesday — happened to be in The Post newsroom last week, as part of his trip to Washington to testify in favor of federal funding for research aimed at finding a cure for diabetes. In between health policy talk, I asked him about bandwagon fans.
“When we go on the road, you see people in Heat jerseys that have never been to Miami,” Allen said with a smile. “We were in Utah, and I thought that same thought — like, these people, some of these people, have never been to Miami before. I think it’s the machine of SportsCenter….Look at all the media outlets, from First Take to PTI to Around the Horn, that talk about the same stuff. We haven’t played for two weeks, and I think every time I turn on SportsCenter, they talked about LeBron in some form. And he hasn’t done anything but just be on vacation. So as much as we blame the fans for being bandwagon, it’s mostly the media’s fault. Because the media’s the one that continues to feed the machine.”
It’s an interesting point, and the same one I often go back-and-forth on with readers. Do the Redskins dominate local sports conversation because they have by |
active galaxies, Douglas Shaw at Queen Mary University of London and his colleagues have found what they call "good evidence" that some photons have gone missing in transit.
"It's absolutely an interesting way of looking for [exotic] particles, and the results are certainly intriguing," says Frank Wilczek, a particle physicist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Cambridge who was not involved with the work. But it's too early to interpret the findings as an unambiguous detection of chameleon particles, he says.
Missing in action
By themselves, the observations of dimmed light by Shaw and his colleagues can't distinguish between models that rely on chameleons and models in which photons turn into other 'axion-like' particles. Either "would be an interesting discovery," says Shaw.
However, only the chameleon model predicts that the photons' polarizations should be aligned with the magnetic fields they traversed. So far, the team has studied data on light from three stars in the Milky Way galaxy and in each case found the required polarization3.
"It's an ingenious and original technique," says astronomer Malcolm Fairbairn of King's College London. But he adds that astronomers don't yet fully understand how light is produced in these distant sources, so it is tough to predict the signals one might expect in the absence of chameleons.
Still, the group's analysis appears to get a boost from an independent study into an unusually high flux of high-energy photons spotted by the MAGIC telescope on La Palma and the VERITAS telescope in Arizona4,5. The results have perplexed astronomers because very high-energy photons should be kept from reaching Earth by interactions with the cosmic microwave background radiation. However, Miguel Sánchez-Conde at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalucia, Spain, and his colleagues have shown that if the photons convert into axion-like particles for part of their journey, they could reach Earth undisturbed6.
Bernard Sadoulet, an astronomer involved in dark-matter searches at the University of California, Berkeley, says that the wider community is likely to need more convincing. "The correct next step," he says, "should be to get back-up data in the laboratory."
Time for a change
Amanda Weltman at the University of Cambridge, UK, and one of the originators of the chameleon idea, is attempting to do just that with the GammeV group at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Batavia, Illinois. They are shining laser light through a tube with windows at either end that is immersed in a magnetic field. The chameleon model predicts that some photons should convert to chameleon particles. When the laser is switched off, the chameleons should slowly turn back to photons and create a faint afterglow. The experiment has completed its first phase without seeing any signs of a chameleon; however, the team has not yet searched for the chameleons with parameters that match those possibly sighted by Shaw's team7. The GammeV group is now preparing to test for chameleons in that "interesting range", says Weltman.
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With other tests planned to sniff out the chameleon, Weltman believes the particle will be confirmed or ruled out within the next decade. The European Space Agency's MICROSCOPE satellite, due to launch in 2012, will look for chameleon-induced deviations by studying the relative motion of two masses in orbit. The chameleon particle could also affect how stars and hydrogen gas clouds move in relation to each other under the influence of gravity in galaxies, says Lam Hui of Columbia University in New York.8 "Those data have already been collected by astronomers, so it's a question of analysing them," he says.
Whatever the outcome, the accumulation of strange astrophysical observations signal "exciting times", says Sánchez-Conde. "Everything seems to point to something new happening in physics."
Editor's note: The chameleon theory was first proposed by Justin Khoury along with Amanda Weltman. Both were at Columbia University at the time.Cyanide & Happiness won't be coming to a television near you.
The creators behind the popular webcomic announced that they walked away from a potential deal with a cable network to turn their webcomic into a television show, MediaBistro reports.
Kris Wilson told readers that he and the other Cyanide & Happiness creators had been approached about a TV show twice before, but walked away "due to rights and creative control issues."
"We're starting to realize that TV as an industry just isn't compatible with what we want to do with our animation: deliver it conveniently to a global audience, something we've been doing all along with our comics these past years," Wilson wrote. "That's just the nature of television versus the Internet, I suppose."
The third and latest deal fell through for similar reasons.
Other YouTube channels have made the leap from the Internet to the small screen. Pop culture commentator KalebNation got his own deal for a show in October 2011, and Nickelodeon gave Fred Figglehorn his own show, and he starred in two made-for-TV-movies for the network.
Epic Meal Time shot a TV pilot for G4 earlier last year, and a TV version of the Annoying Orange now airs on Cartoon Network. The sisters who commentated on Ray J's junk in the Kim Kardashian sex tape also got a one-hour special from OWN: Oprah Winfrey Network.
However, Wilson and company still want to bring a Cyanide & Happiness Show to the web. The creators plan to launch a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for production. Wilson feels that the entertainment industry is changing and soon the Internet will be the main way people watch programming, and C&H fans are likely already on the cutting edge.
"The Internet is already the largest network, available when you think about it," Wilson wrote. "Why go anywhere else?"
Fellow web content creator and Vlogbrother John Green showed his support for the creators and revealed that he and his brother Hank have run into similar problems when approached about bringing their YouTube channel to television.
Every time we've ever talked to a cable TV network, we ask, "So who will own this thing?" And they say, "Us." And we're like, "Yeah. No." — John Green (@realjohngreen) January 17, 2013
Mashable composite, image courtesy of Wikimedia Commons, and Flickr,Upupa4me
This article originally published at The Daily Dot hereWhen the Taliban assaulted the district of Ghorak in Kandahar last month, it seized a number of US-made weapons that were supplied to the Afghan security forces from a base that was overrun. Additionally, a number of Afghan soldiers were killed during a nighttime assault that was captured on video.
The Taliban released a video, entitled “The Conquest of Ghorak” on its propaganda website, Voice of Jihad, on Nov. 29. The jihadist group claimed it overran Ghorak’s district center on Nov. 19 however this has not been confirmed in the Afghan press. The video gives credence to the Taliban’s claim.
The Taliban assaulted a base outside of the town of Ghorak that appears to have been manned by a company of Afghan troops during the night of Nov. 18. After heavy fighting, which was captured on a video at a distance through a night vision camera, Taliban fighters entered the base. The bodies of dozens of Afghan troops are seen laying on the ground throughout the base.
After the battle, the Taliban displayed M-16 rifles, some with grenade launchers mounted, M-249 light machine guns, and rocket-propelled grenade launchers. Additionally, the Taliban walked away with crates filled with RPG rounds and ammunition for the rifles and machine guns. Several Taliban fighters were also spotted wearing night vision goggles; it is unclear if the devices were taken from Afghan troops during the assault, or if the fighters used them during the attack.
Ghorak is situated along a belt of Taliban-controlled or contested districts in southern Afghanistan that spans the provinces of Farah, Helmand, Uruzgan and Kandahar. The Taliban has used this southern safe haven to directly threaten the capitals of Farah, Helmand, and Uruzgan. Afghan forces, backed by US advisers and airstrikes, have struggled to stave off Taliban offensives against the capitals of these three provinces.
Images from the “The Conquest of Ghorak”
Bill Roggio is a Senior Fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies and the Editor of FDD's Long War Journal.
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A student seriously injured after a balcony collapsed while she celebrated her 21st birthday has started to wake from a coma.
Six students plunged to their deaths from the fifth storey of an apartment complex in Berkeley, California, last month while attending Aoife Beary's party.
Ms Beary suffered a serious head injury but has started to communicate with her parents and medical team in hospital in Stanford.
The 21-year-old from Dublin had successful heart surgery 10 days after the incident and is continuing to make progress, her family said.
In a statement posted online last night, they wrote: "Aoife is still in the ICU but is no longer on the critical list.
"She has slowly started to awaken from the induced coma - this process is expected to take some time.
"Aoife has also started some communication with her parents and the medical team. She has had a tracheotomy within the last week and continues to make progress on her long road to recovery."
The five Irish students who died were all from south Dublin - medical students and friends Lorcan Miller and Eimear Walsh; Olivia Burke, who went to school with Eimear; Niccolai Schuster, who was at the same college as Lorcan and Eimear, and his friend from school Eoghan Culligan.
Irish-American Ashley Donohoe, who lived in California and was a cousin of Olivia's, also died.
The students were on J1 working visas for the summer and were among 40 people attending the birthday party.
New safety rules for buildings in the university city were drawn up after investigations found severe dry rot in the balcony which collapsed.
Officials said exterior wooden beams on the apartment had been extensively weather-damaged and said emergency orders had been set out to enhance the safety of all new and existing buildings in the city.It’s the viral photo that just won’t die. Have you seen this 1960s picture of economy class seating on a Pan-Am 747? It’s a fake.
How can the photo be fake? The cabin is actually just a mock-up made by Boeing in the 1960s to demonstrate what one of their planes might look like one day. The models in this photo never left the ground.
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Yes, planes were certainly more roomy back in the 1950s and 60s. But they were also incredibly expensive, painfully slow, and often discriminatory. Even the promo photos above showed only white people. Legendary black singer Ella Fitzgerald famously filed suit against Pan Am in 1954 after getting bumped from a flight for a white passenger.
The color version of the “1960s economy class” photo appears above, but more commonly people like to share the black and white version. Maybe it feels more old-timey in black and white? I really don’t know.
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We even debunked this one back in 2013. But that hasn’t stopped countless people from sharing it recently — including Twitter accounts like HistoryInPics and OldPicsArchive. Every couple of months or so it seems to do the rounds anew on Twitter and Facebook.
So what did economy class seating actually look like when the Boeing 747 took off? The photo below shows what flying really was like back in January of 1970. A bit nicer? Sure. But it’s not quite the accessible, luxury experience that people what to romanticize it for being today.
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Top image via Works That Work; Bottom image via GettyThis isn’t an idle ambition, it’s an order: Sherlock fans, you’re going to need to get yourselves over to Cambridge in a couple of months’ time.
It’ll be quite damp, probably colder than you’re used to (depending on where you live, of course), but there will be one enormous ray of sunshine, in the shape of Benedict Cumberbatch, who has been named as guest director of the Cambridge Science Festival, set to run from March 11 – 24.
The festival takes place at the world famous University of Cambridge, playing host to over 200 events for science buffs of all age and ability. These can be anything from practical demonstrations to lectures from some of the world’s most prominent scientists.
As Benedict explained in his introduction to the festival, the appointment comes as much from his own scientific interests as those of the characters he plays:
“My link to a science festival may seem a little tenuous at first glance. And yet as an actor who has researched playing Stephen Hawking, Joseph Hooker, Heisenburg and both Frankenstein and his creation I’ve long had a passion for all fields of science. It really all began at school in the biology lab and keeping mice! But ever since then and partly thanks to my ridiculously privileged existence as an actor, I have been able to keep that amateur interest and investigation of science alive and build a very personal relationship with some of my heroes from that world like Professor Hawking.
Two events in particular seem to have caught Benedict’s eye: “Personally, as someone who has portrayed Sherlock Holmes, I’m of course particularly looking forward to Professor Jim Woodhouse on 8 March talking about why the violin is so hard to play, and also on 16 March testing my real-life deduction skills in the mock crime scene at the Central Science Library during Science on Saturday.”
See what I mean about this being a must-visit for Sherlock fans?
He went on to explain exactly why he thinks it’s so important that festivals like this exist: “I believe science and our engagement with it has reached a crucial crossroads. Whether it’s fighting disease on a cellular scale, tackling climate change, solving food and energy crises, exploring the outer regions of the universe or simply making it easier to shop online – science and technology play an increasingly integral part of our daily lives. And yet to the layperson like me, the intellectual and ethical complexities and technical detail can often seem daunting and distancing. Hence a festival of this range and accessibility is a hugely important bridge between the public and science.”
And brilliantly, as a special treat for Star Trek devotees, he signs off with the quasi-vulcan “live long and think hard!”
Find out more about the Cambridge Science Festival 2013President Barack Obama will present author Ernest J. Gaines, University of Louisiana at Lafayette writer-in-residence emeritus, with the highest award given to artists and arts patrons by the United States government.
Gaines will receive the National Medal of Arts during a ceremony in the East Room of the White House on Wednesday afternoon.
Other recipients of the award include New Orleans music legend Allen Toussaint; Star Wars director George Lucas; musician Herb Alpert; comedienne, director and writer Elaine May; and playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner. Twelve people also will receive the 2012 National Humanities Medal during the event.
First Lady Michelle Obama is expected to attend the awards ceremony, which will be live streamed at WH.gov/Live at 1:30 p.m. An archive of the video will be available after the event on the White House YouTube page.
Gaines will be honored for his contributions as an author and teacher. “Drawing deeply from his childhood in the rural South, his works have shed new light on the African-American experience and given voice to those who have endured injustice,” states a White House press release announcing the award recipients.
His novels include A Lesson Before Dying, The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, A Gathering of Old Men, Of Love and Dust and Catherine Carmier.
The Ernest J. Gaines Center, located in UL Lafayette’s in Edith Garland Dupré Library, is an international center for scholarship on the writer and his work.
The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman, Gaines’ third novel published in 1971, is the first-person narrative of a fictional 110-year-old woman born into slavery. The book earned the writer a widespread audience, critical acclaim and was adapted into a TV movie that won nine Emmy Awards.
A Lesson Before Dying, published in 1993, is another of Gaines’ most popular and critically acclaimed works. It tells the story of Jefferson, a young illiterate man condemned to death. The novel was selected for Oprah Winfrey’s popular book club and won the National Book Critics Circle Award.
The National Medal of Arts is a White House initiative managed by the National Endowment for the Arts.
The National Endowment for the Humanities, an independent federal agency, supports research and learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities by funding selected, peer-reviewed proposals from around the nation. A dozen people will receive the National Humanities Medal on Wednesday, including writer Frank Deford, novelist and screenwriter Joan Didion, and actress and playwright Anna Deavere Smith.Netflix has reached a deal with The Weinstein Co. for its first original movie — a sequel to Ang Lee’s 2000 martial arts pic “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” — set to hit IMAX theaters and the streaming-video service simultaneously next summer.
The film, “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend,” is slated for a Aug. 28, 2015, debut. Produced by Weinstein Co., the movie is the first of several major films to premiere day-and-date both on the SVOD service (at no extra charge) and in select IMAX theaters worldwide. Financial terms of the pact were not disclosed.
Netflix has been eyeing day-and-date releases of movies, as chief content officer Ted Sarandos said in a keynote last year at the Film Independent Forum in Los Angeles. The launch of the movie is likely to catch the ire of exhibitors — who have in the past viewed digital encroachment on theatrical windows as a threat.
Meanwhile, Netflix already has an output deal with Weinstein Co. that makes the Internet-streaming provider the exclusive U.S. subscription television service for first-run films from TWC, beginning in 2016, and has other deals with the studio including for original series “Marco Polo.”
Related Sandra Bullock Moms Who See 'Bird Box' Will Think: 'That River Is My Journey as a Parent' Felix Mallard Joins Netflix's 'Locke & Key' (EXCLUSIVE)
“Fans will have unprecedented choice in how they enjoy an amazing and memorable film that combines intense action and incredible beauty,” Sarandos said in a statement. “We are honored to be working with Harvey Weinstein and a world-class team of creators to bring this epic story to people all over the world and to partner with IMAX, a brand that represents the highest quality of immersive entertainment, in the distribution of this film.”
Added Harvey Weinstein, co-chairman of TWC, “The moviegoing experience is evolving quickly and profoundly, and Netflix is unquestionably at the forefront of that movement. We are tremendously excited to be continuing our great relationship with Netflix and bringing to fans all over the world the latest chapter in this amazing and intriguing story.”
IMAX, for its part, has high hopes for the release in China — where Netflix does not presently offer service. In territories where Netflix and IMAX simultaneously release the film, “we are excited to offer consumers the option of deciding how, when and where they want to view the film, and exhibitors the opportunity to participate in this alternative form of content in a new and innovative way,” said Greg Foster, CEO of IMAX Entertainment.
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend” will star Michelle Yeoh (pictured, above) reprising her role from the first movie as Yu Shu-Lien, along with Donnie Yen (first two “Ip Man” movies, “Monkey King 3D”) as Silent Wolf. The original 2000 film generated $213 million worldwide at the box office, including $128 million in the U.S.; among its awards haul were four Oscars, including best foreign language film.
The sequel is directed by martial-arts choreographer Yuen Wo-Ping, who previously helmed “Tai Chi Master” and choreographed fight scenes in “The Matrix” trilogy and the first two “Kill Bill” movies from Quentin Tarantino.
Principal photography is now underway in New Zealand. The new movie is based on “Iron Knight, Silver Vase” by Wang Dulu and scripted by John Fusco (“Marco Polo”), the original series about the famed explorer being produced by Weinstein Co. for Netflix.
“Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend” is produced by Harvey Weinstein and Peter Berg and Sarah Aubrey (both of “Friday Night Lights,” “Lone Survivor” and “Hancock”). Executive producers are Morten Tyldum, Ralph Winter, Anthony Wong and Bey Logan.
The film’s director of photography is Tom Sigel (“Drive,” “X-Men: Days of Future Past”) with the design team led by “Lord of the Rings” collaborators costume designer Ngila Dickson, production designer Grant Major and visual effects supervisor Mark Stetson.
The cast of “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: The Green Legend” also includes Harry Shum Jr. (“Glee,” “Revenge of the Green Dragons”), Jason Scott Lee (“Seventh Son,” “Hawaii Five-O”), Roger Yuan (“Bulletproof Monk”), Eugenia Yuan (“Revenge of the Green Dragons”) and newcomer Natasha Liu Bordizzo.
Weinstein Co. has rattled movie-release windows before. Most recently, the studio cut a deal with Yahoo, which will stream biopic “One Chance” for free starting Sept. 30 — 10 days before the movie hits theaters Oct. 10.
Theater owners have fought attempts by studios to move homevideo and VOD releases closer to or concurrent with theatrical bow, fearing that the move will hurt ticket sales. In 2011, Universal scrapped plans to offer “Tower Heist” on cable VOD — for $60 a pop, three weeks after hitting theaters — after several exhibitors responded by saying they would refuse to show the caper pic.3C! Supercritical Nicotine extracted from either organically grown or USDA Certified Organic tobacco. Shipped in CXTC proprietory NSF stainless steel tanks, the nicotine extract within has never been exposed to heat, light or oxygen.
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CXTC PRODUCTS DO NOT CONTAIN DIACETYL.Vocalist Tyler Carter has exclusively revealed to AP that he is leaving Woe, Is Me. In a statement, he writes:
It's not an easy step to make, but I can't go on living a dream that I no longer have full interest in. I love the fans, and I hope the true ones will stick with Woe, Is Me and myself even after my departure. Don't be ignorant to the situation–it's nothing personal with the boys, I love them all. I just can't fake passion that I once had. I always preach to my fans, “Follow your dreams,” and I need to take my own advice. My dreams are not fully achieved. I achieved several with the band, but I have many more goals to reach. This lifestyle, “rock 'n' roll” and what it consists of just isn't for me anymore.
Before any rumors start, yes I am leaving Woe, Is Me. I will be blunt so you all know the truth, directly from me myself, I'm not happy in this industry and I'm more positive of a person than I have been able to display on recent tours due to drama within the band. Being in a band is not easy, and I'm not running from my problems, just following my heart, as I encourage you all to do. That's all you really can do.
I'd like to thank the devil inside for slamming so many doors, but I thank God for opening so many more.
After spending much of the summer on Warped Tour, the band looks to be recording new music. AP is reaching out to Woe, Is Me's camp for more information and reaction; we'll update this post once we know more.Administration Plans to Scale Back Real ID Law
By Spencer S. Hsu, Washington Post
Yielding to a rebellion by states that refused to pay for it, the Obama administration is moving to scale back a federal law passed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that was designed to tighten security requirements for driver’s licenses, Homeland Security Department and congressional officials said.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano wants to repeal and replace the controversial, $4 billion domestic security initiative known as Real ID, which calls for placing more secure licenses in the hands of 245 million Americans by 2017. The new proposal, called Pass ID, would be cheaper, less rigorous and partly funded by federal grants, according to draft legislation that Napolitano’s Senate allies plan to introduce as early as tomorrow.
The rebranding effort follows months of talks with the National Governors Association and poses political risk for Obama as well as Napolitano, a former NGA chairwoman who wants to soothe strained relations with the states without appearing to retreat on a recommendation by the 9/11 Commission.
Commissioners called for federal standards for driver’s licenses and birth certificates, noting, “For terrorists, travel documents are as important as weapons.” Eighteen of 19 terrorist hijackers obtained state IDs, some of them fraudulently, easing their movements inside the country.
But the Bush administration struggled to implement the 2005 law, delaying the program repeatedly as states called it an unfunded mandate and privacy advocates warned it would create a de facto national ID.
As governor of Arizona, Napolitano called Real ID “feel-good” legislation not worth the cost, and she signed a state law last year opting out of the plan. As secretary, she said a substitute would “accomplish some of the same goals.”
Eleven states have refused to participate in Real ID despite a Dec. 31 federal deadline.
CLICK HERE TO READ THE FULL ARTICLE
Editor’s Note: As can be seen here, Real ID is a great example of how state-level activism to resist unconstitutional federal laws is an effective – and peaceful – method. A small number of states simply saying no has the power to force the federal government to get rid of a program. Consdier this as new regulations come into effect for Health, Gun Rights, nationalizing the Guard and more.
Want to help put the final nail in the coffin of Real ID? Take action over at DownsizeDC.org:
The REAL ID Act is a bad law passed under false pretenses. It was rejected three separate times by the U.S. Senate, and was only passed because it was added to a larger bill containing disaster relief and funding for Iraq. The Senate didn’t want it, and the American people don’t want it either. But the Republican majority leadership in Congress imposed it on us, and so now we have to fight to get it repealed.
The REAL ID Act creates a centralized federal database of personal information about all Americans. Decisions about the exact nature and scope of this program will be made by unelected bureaucrats in the Executive Branch. It seems inevitable that biometric information and electronic tracking tags will be included at some point. No one intends a bad use for this system today, but it is inevitable that it will be used in bad ways in the future.
We are promised increased personal security in return for laying this new “foundation stone” for the creation of a future police state. But those who would trade freedom for security deserve neither, and will have neither.
Many good arguments can be made against REAL ID, but they all reduce to one overpowering truth. The more information government has the less it seems to know. The more power government has the less it seems able to accomplish. Big Government doesn’t work. The federal government needs to do less in order to accomplish more. Small government is focused government. We need smaller government, not a massive new federal identification system. Please ask Congress to repeal the REAL ID Act.
Something called the PASS Act is being crafted to revive the Real ID concept, under a new name, and companies like L-1 Identity Solutions, which stands to benefit, are almost certainly lobbying hard to make it happen. We must lobby just as intensely in the other direction.
Please send your Congressional employees a message asking them once again to repeal the REAL ID Act.
Use your personal comments to ALSO ask them to…
* Stop the DHS from promoting enhanced drivers licenses
* Make the State Department lower the cost of passports
* Reject all the new forms of REAL ID, such as the PASS Act
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATIONThe first stable version of Vivaldi, a new web browser by Vivaldi Technologies, was released on April 6, 2016 to the public.
The web browser, launched by Opera co-founder John von Tetzchner's new company Vivaldi Technologies back in January 2015, swims against the trend of streamlining modern web browsers by giving users choice, features and customization options.
Vivaldi Web Browser
The first stable version of the Vivaldi browser marks an important milestone for the company and users interested in it, as it moves from beta / release candidate to stable which means that Vivaldi Technologies thinks it is ready for productive use.
To be fair, the browser was already fairly stable in its beta state but the upgrade to stable should give it another boost.
The company released Vivaldi 2.0 in September 2018, another milestone release. This review has been updated to reflect the changes in Vivaldi 2.0.
Vivaldi Download
The Vivaldi web browser runs on Windows, Mac and Linux systems. Windows and Linux users may select 32-bit or 64-bit editions of the browser on the download page.
Existing users can run update checks from within Vivaldi by selecting Vivaldi menu > Help > Check for updates, or download the new version directly from the Vivaldi website which will recognize the installed version during setup and update it to the stable version of the browser.
The Interface
Vivaldi's interface is not as restricted as Google Chrome's is. While most Chromium-based browsers share the same interface, interface modifications have been implemented in Vivaldi that set the browser apart from most Chrome clones.
Apart from the menu at the top left and the merging of the tab and title bar, Vivaldi displays additional tools in the address bar, a side panel that you can show or hide, and a status bar at the bottom of the screen which you can also show or hide.
Some features resemble features of classic Opera, like the zoom option or toggle images in the status bar, or the side panel that users can display or hide.
The side panel allows you to display bookmarks, downloads and notes, as well as web panels which display any site or service in the sidebar area directly.
Newer versions of Vivaldi introduced new functionality to the sidebar. Users may use it now to display and sort all tabs open in the browser and to restore closed tabs, or access the browsing history.
Vivaldi ships with a dedicated search field in the main UI which the majority of Chromium-based browsers don't support. It is a dedicated search field that users may use to run searches without interacting with the URL displayed in the address bar.
It is certainly possible to run searches from the address bar as well; this works identical to how Chrome or Opera handle search phrases typed into the address bar.
You may notice other useful features, like loading information displayed directly in the address bar that indicates progress of the operation, and the size of the page and the number of page elements loaded.
The status bar, another feature that distinguishes Vivaldi from the bulk of popular browsers out there, lists several useful tools to users that they can activate directly.
Use it to take a screen capture, change the zoom level, allow or block images and animations, or to display Page Actions to quickly run certain actions on the page.
The preferences hold several interesting appearance and interface related options. You can open the preferences with a click on Vivaldi > Tools > Settings, with the shortcut Ctrl-P, or by loading vivaldi://settings/ directly.
When you compare Vivaldi's settings to the settings of other browsers, e.g. Chrome, you will notice that Vivaldi offers more customization options.
It would go too far to list all available settings. Here is a very short list of handy options:
Show or hide the status bar.
Show or hide the tab bar, and display it at the top, left or right side, or bottom.
Show or hide the address bar, and display it at the top or bottom.
Hide the entire user interface.
Display the panel on the left or right, or hide its toggle.
Select a light, dark, or page theme color-based interface color.
Set a background color or image.
Enable lazy loading of tabs.
Install browser themes or create your own custom color scheme.
Customize the New Tab Page.
Major Vivaldi Features
In this review, I'll be looking at features that make Vivaldi stand out from the crowd. While some browsers may support these as well in one form or another, it is safe to say that the majority doesn't.
This means on the other hand that features such as automatic updates, speed dial, tabbed browsing, audio muting, tab pinning or support for HTML5 video sites such as Netflix won't be mentioned here as those are supported by every other browser as well.
Tab Stacks
I always liked the idea of stacking tabs to improve visibility in the browser. Unfortunately, no browser up until now added the tab stacking functionality of the classic Opera (well Google did in Chrome, but removed the feature again).
To stack tabs in Vivaldi, drag and drop one on the other. You can stack as many tabs as you like, and toggle between them with a click on the tab.
You will notice that the tab stack takes up the same space as a single tab. On top of that, you get tab tiling options to display all sites and services open in a tab stack at the same time.
Vivaldi introduced an option to use tab stacking automatically in version 2.3 of the web browser.
Tab Tiling
Right-click on any Tab Stack and select "Tile Tab Stack" to display all of its tabs in the same window. The layout displays all tabs side by side all the time if you use the right-click menu.
You can use shortcuts however to change the appearance:
Ctrl-F7 tiles all tabs to a grid
Ctrl-F8 tiles all tabs horizontally
Ctrl-F9 tiles all tabs vertically
Tab Hibernation
Tab Hibernation unloads sites but keeps them listed as tabs in the web browser. The main idea behind the feature is to give users options to free up memory used by the browser.
To use the feature, right-click on the active tab and select "hibernate background tabs". This will hibernate all tabs but the active tab.
You may hibernate individual tabs as well by right-clicking on them and selecting "hibernate tab" instead. Please note that the option won't show when you right-click on the active tab.
Note Taking
The browser ships with built-in note taking functionality. One handy feature of it is the ability to highlight any text on any website, and add it to a note to keep a record of it.
Simply highlight text in the browser, right-click on the selection afterwards, and select "add selection as a note" from the context menu.
You can access previously created notes on the notes web panel.You will notice that Vivaldi adds date, time and the url to the note automatically.
Apart from options to create notes from highlighted text, you may also create notes directly using the Web Panel.
The browser adds date and time automatically to each note that you create. You may add a web address to the note, and add screenshot or file attachments on top of that.
Quick Commands
Quick Commands are another interesting feature. If you prefer to use the keyboard for most activities, you may like this one a lot.
Hit F2 to display the Quick Commands interface which displays often used activities such as closing the window or launching a new private window.
Type the first couple of letters of what you want to do, and use the keyboard or mouse to select the option.
While it is not faster than using the keyboard shortcut directly, some options don't have hotkeys associated with them.
A side-effect of using Quick Commands is that hotkeys are highlighted so that you can discover them and use them in the future.
Interface scaling
Another interesting feature of the web browser is support for interface scaling. It provides you with options to change the size of interface elements and text in the browser.
You may increase the size for better accessibility, or decrease it to increase the room for website elements.
Tab Sessions
While you can configure the browser to start where you left of, utilizing its session management this way, you can also save all open tabs as sessions to open them again at a later point in time.
To do so, select Vivaldi menu > File > Save Open Tabs as Session. This stores all open tabs as a separate session which you can load at any time in the future.
Settings
Vivaldi ships with a massive list of settings. You can open the Settings window with a tap on Alt-P, or by selecting Vivaldi menu > Tools > Settings.
I have mentioned several settings already in the interface and feature sections above. Below is a small selection of interesting preferences:
Tabs: Define how tabs are cycled, and enable or disable tab previews.
Keyboard: Learn about keyboard shortcuts, and change shortcuts
Mouse: Enable and learn about supported mouse gestures.
Webpages: Set default web page zoom level (valid for all sites).
Webpages: Set minimum font size.
You may open vivaldi |
be a fighter pilot (that was about the only route open to being an astronaut then) since I didn't have perfect vision. So I downgraded my ambition slightly, but have still worked in the aerospace industry for the past 35 years. I've helped design rocket programs, aircraft engines, missiles, and even the radiator system for the International Space Station.
I doubt that would have happened had I not been introduced to space and the "final frontier" so early in my life. On top of Star Trek helping to launch my day job career, it helped feed my desire to write science fiction, with a focus on space travel, as well.Image via Shutterstock
Son of a bitch, you guys. All the sons of all the bitches, rolled in a shit burrito with hell sauce. I’m still pregnant. And it still blows.
Every stupid morning that I wake up alive, I declare that TODAY is THE DAY. Every stupid evening, I wash clothes soaked in my own pee, no amniotic fluid. This kid is making a fool out of me. He’s making me do so much laundry. Just listen to your mother, fetus.
I was really, really sure last week that things were happening. After some false labor, I was convinced that was the beginning of my body getting ready to make the transition from pregnant to just fat. I went into my OB appointment wondering how dilated I was going to be. On a scale of one to “You can’t have sex for six weeks,” how ripe was my cervix? Maybe we are having a baby today!
Maybe nope, idiot. Maybe nope, you are not. Not a damn thing had changed, except for an increase in the amount of stress my belly was putting on the elastic of my maternity pants. So, despite my solid conviction that if alternative medicine worked, it would be called “medicine,” I have started doing all the stupid old wivesy crap the Internet says will kickstart your labor. Here is an organized list, for your convenience.
1. Pushing That Pressure Point on Your Ankle. Horse. Fart. I watched an episode of True Blood AND an episode of The Newsroom with all the weight and force in my body behind my thumb, pressing that point. No dice. None. Sore ankle. Stupid television shows. Dumbest night of my life.
2. Eat Fresh Pineapple. I should have been in labor weeks ago. I eat a whole pineapple every few days. Sometimes, I eat a whole pineapple in one day. They are delicious. But they don’t do a damn thing for jumpstarting your labor. They just fill your body with juice that you can pee out into your last pair of clean gym shorts you stole from your husband’s dresser.
3. Intercourse. It’ll get a baby in you. End of usefulness. Someone’s stupid husband came up with this one. And his stupid wife believed him. Those idiots deserve each other.Photo via Flickr user Aurelien Guichard
Each passing week sees a new front open up in the battle to stop arresting people for weed. On Wednesday, insurgent Democratic presidential contender Bernie Sanders expressed support for legalization, a position that's also on the agenda of Justin Trudeau's Liberal Party, which prevailed in Canada this past Monday. Virgin's Richard Branson, meanwhile, recently made headlines by leaking a document indicating there is now a robust debate within the United Nations over the decriminalization of all drugs.
The debate has also been playing out on the streets of New York City, where despite a recent shift towards decriminalization, police reform activists are raising fresh questions about disparities when it comes to pot and the law.
Last November, Mayor Bill de Blasio and Police Commissioner Bill Bratton announced that the NYPD would move away from marijuana arrests and instead issue more summonses, which are similar to traffic tickets but require an appearance in court.
And it's making a difference: So far in 2015, according to state data, pot arrests have declined by over 40 percent, and likely will total between 14,000 and 16,000 for the year. Summonses are up by 25 percent and on pace to reach nearly 17,000 by the end of December. All told, the combined number of punitive interactions—arrests plus summonses—is on track to decline by about 25 percent from 2014.
"The de Blasio administration definitely deserves credit for making good on its promise that there would be fewer arrests," says Alyssa Aguilera, political director of VOCAL-NY, which advocates for drug law reform. "But the patterns of enforcement remain exactly the same."
To illustrate that point, VICE compared four NYPD precincts in Manhattan and Brooklyn. In the mostly Latino 23rd Precinct (East Harlem) as well as the mostly black 71st Precinct (Crown Heights–Lefferts Gardens), historically high arrest numbers have dipped, replaced by a growing number of summonses. In both precincts, the combined number of punitive interactions is on track to be nearly the same between 2014 and 2015, with roughly 500 in the 23rd and about 700 in the 71st.
Meanwhile, in the mostly white 24th (Upper West Side) and 78th (Park Slope) precincts, much lower arrest numbers have given way to a comparatively small, but rising number of summonses. The two-year total of interactions in the 24th projects to remain around 150, and while there's been an uptick in the 78th, that will only amount to about 130 encounters this year.
In other words, you're three times more likely to get busted for marijuana on one side of Central Park than the other, and in Brooklyn, it's significantly safer to possess pot in Prospect Park (the 78th) than across the street from it, on Ocean Avenue in Prospect–Lefferts Gardens (the 71st).
As is the case with many other areas of low-level misdemeanor enforcement (a.k.a. broken windows policing), marijuana violations continue to be handled differently according to neighborhood demographics. And in this case, the problem is even more glaring, given that whites smoke marijuana at greater rates than any other group.
"Marijuana is de facto legal for white people in New York City," says Queens College professor Harry Levine, perhaps the city's leading marijuana law scholar. And in his view, all neighborhoods should experience "the same level of respectful policing as the Upper West Side or Park Slope."
While violations that result in a summons are not considered a crime, they do come with significant collateral consequences. Recipients must appear in a court in downtown Manhattan on a scheduled date—they can't just put a check in the mail. That means taking off from school or work or having to make special childcare or other domestic arrangements. The ticket itself comes with a fine of $100 for first offense and $250 for a second offense, plus additional court costs tacked on of another $120. That's serious money for people living in places like East Harlem and Lefferts Gardens, where poverty rates far exceed the national average.
People who miss their court date, as is common, usually have a warrant issued for their arrest. Currently there are 1.2 million outstanding arrest warrants in New York City. This means that you can be collared at any time you have an interaction with the police, even if it's simply to report a crime. Those pinched on such warrants typically spend 24 hours in jail and court for what was originally a non-criminal offense. And unscheduled arrests can result in the loss of a job, childcare emergencies, and social stigma and embarrassment.
There is a groundswell of support for marijuana legalization on the City Council, including from Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito (whose district includes the 23rd Precinct). But as Elizabeth Glazer, director of the Mayor's Office of Criminal Justice, recently told a council hearing, "Decriminalizing marijuana entirely... is not something this administration supports."
Most critics see Bratton, not de Blasio, as the driving force behind the city's current marijuana policy. At a recent talk, Bratton insisted—contrary to scientific studies—that marijuana remains a "gateway drug."
Bratton also relayed an anecdote about how earlier that week, he had encountered a college student smoking pot in Lower Manhattan, but rather than issue a summons or order her arrest, he put out the joint. Along with a growing number of local elected officials, VOCAL-NY supports Colorado-style legalization, but in the meantime, Aguilera says, "Bratton's action that day essentially should be NYPD policy: Tell people to put it out and move on."
Theodore Hamm is chair of journalism and new media studies at St. Joseph's College in Clinton Hill, Brooklyn. Alex S. Vitale is associate professor of sociology at Brooklyn College.Metro is weighing a November 2018 ballot measure to fund affordable housing initiatives.
The regional government hasn't settled on an amount or a revenue source, or determined what the measure might help fund.
But a recent poll conducted on the agency's behalf suggested two-thirds of the region's residents would be willing to pay another $50 a year in taxes to support affordable housing.
In a statement released Tuesday, the agency said property tax of 20 cents per $1,000 of assessed value, which would amount to about $50 a year for the average home, would be enough to cover an approximately $500 million bond.
The same poll found that 84 percent of respondents believe the lack of affordable housing is a significant problem.
Metro paid FM3 Research of California $42,250 to conduct the telephone poll, which had a 3.5 percent margin of error.
Metro officials had been contemplating a housing measure as a response to the rising cost of renting and buying homes in the region.
But the matter took on new urgency as TriMet pushed back to 2020 a proposed bond measure to pay for transportation projects, including its Southwest Corridor light-rail line. That measure might also eventually include money to pay for housing initiatives.
Metro is now overseeing the drafting of both ballot measures.
Voters in the city of Portland last November approved a $258.4 million housing bond, which cost property owners 18.4 cents per $1,000 of assessed value. That bond replaced expiring city bonds, resulting in no net increase in property tax bills.
-- Elliot Njus
enjus@oregonian.com
503-294-5034
@enjusDonald Trump. REUTERS/Scott Morgan Real-estate mogul Donald Trump opened up his Saturday-afternoon speech in Iowa by warning the locals there what would happen if he doesn't win their state's caucus next month.
The Republican front-runner noted that Iowa has not had a great track record of picking presidential nominees in recent history.
"You haven't been good. In fact, some people say, 'Oh, it doesn't matter if you win Iowa.' Now don't let them talk to you that way. Don't let them talk to you that way," Trump said.
He added: "You have not picked a lot of winners. And that will make me feel good only if I don't make it with Iowa."
In 2012, former Sen. Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) narrowly edged out the eventual nominee, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney (R). In 2008, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) won Iowa, though the eventual nomination ultimately went to Sen. John McCain (R-Arizona).
Trump has led in the vast majority of Republican-primary polls since last summer, but Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) recently surged to the top in Iowa. A Fox News poll released Friday found Cruz in the No. 1 position with 27% among likely GOP caucus-goers. Trump was four points behind him. The New York Times described Cruz this week as having "plainly become the candidate to beat in the caucuses."
If Cruz wins in Iowa on February 1, Trump said that he would be highlighting the state's history of picking Republican-primary losers.
"You know that I'll be saying that big league: 'They haven't picked a winner in years!'" Trump said. "All right, but you know what, if you pick me, you're going to pick a winner. Because we're going to win. I'm telling you, we're going to win. And it's really time that that happens."
Trump also took some shots at Cruz for allegedly flip-flopping on ethanol subsidies, a popular local issue in Iowa. The Des Moines Register reported Thursday that Cruz has been dogged by questions about where he stands on the subsidy issue. Cruz, like many ideological conservatives, opposes the subsidies, but has recently started stressing that he would phase them out over several years.
"Ted isn't doing well at all in New Hampshire, but in Iowa he's doing well. And my primary opponent was totally opposed to the ethanol and the ethanol industry. Because he's with the oil industry. You know, he's from Texas. I guess it makes sense," Trump said.
"And he was getting clobbered," he recalled. "And all of a sudden he said, 'Uh, oh, I'm for ethanol.' You can't do that. You can't do that with three weeks to go. You're not allowed to do that."This article is adblocker unfriendly, following is the text of the article.
Government strips Lalu of Black Cats, son threatens to ‘skin’ PM Modi
NEW DELHI: The Union home ministry has downgraded RJD chief Lalu Prasad's security from 'Zplus' to 'Z' category, evoking a vitriolic reaction on Monday from his elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, who said he would get PM Modi "skinned".Lalu described Tej Pratap's remarks as the "natural outburst" of a "hounded father's angry son". RJD's ally Congress also defended Tej Pratap, with the party's working president in Bihar Kaukab Quadri saying the Centre's move had "provoked" him to make the statement.An FIR was lodged against Tej Pratap at Parliament House police station following a complaint by BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh Verma. The Centre decided to downgrade Lalu's security, which essentially means withdrawing the NSG's black cat commandos, after a review meeting of intelligence agencies on Friday on threat perception to VIPs.The decision was made known to the media on Monday. The RJD chief will still be guarded by 35 CRPF commandoes. Calling the Centre's move a conspiracy to kill his father, Tej Pratap told newspersons outside the Bihar assembly: "Narendra Modi ka khaal udhedva lenge (I will get Narendra Modi skinned)."Lalu defended his son, saying, "Any young son will get furious over such victimisation of his father." He added, "PM Modi and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar would be responsible if anything happens to me (after the security downgrade)." He also took to Twitter to attack the PM."Suno Modi, Lalu darne wala insaan nahin hai. Kisi aur ko darao, jaise Nitish ko daraya. Bihar ki 11 crore janta aur baccha-baccha mera rakshak hai. (Listen Modi, Lalu is not one to be intimidated. Intimidate someone else, like you intimidated (Bihar CM) Nitish. Bihar's 11 crore people and its every child is my protector)."In another tweet, he said his security had been downgraded to deter him from visiting poll-bound Gujarat. He added that his vehicle was pelted with stones during Modi's tenure as CM when he had visited Gujarat as railway minister. "... Lalu se kahe itna darte ho? (Why do you fear Lalu so much?)," he added.Tej Pratap's remark comes within a week of a similar threat he had issued to Bihar deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi after the latter invited the Lalu family to his son's wedding. "He remains our enemy. If I go... I will disrupt the function and beat up (Sushil) Modi after entering his house," Tej Pratap was heard saying in a video now viral.The deputy CM changed the venue of his son's wedding after the threat.The Centre has also withdrawn 'Z-plus' security from HAM-S leader and former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, and downgraded Union minister Haribhai P Chaudhary's cover from 'Z' to 'Y-plus' category
I am just a bot, I cannot reply to your queries. Send a modmail if you have any queries. Please provide a link to your submission. We would not be able to help you without a link.Life and recipes from cookery writer Damien Trench's kitchen diary. Written by and starring Miles Jupp. From November 2011.
Each episode of In And Out Of The Kitchen comprises the entries from the kitchen diary of cookery writer, Damien Trench. In a mixture of narrative, dialogue and recipes, Damien unflinchingly captures every angle of his day-to-day life, "no matter how grisly or, indeed, how gristly".
This first episode finds Damien and his partner, Anthony, deciding on their New Year's Resolutions. They start by finally making up their minds to commit to each other...namely, by signing up a builder, Mr Mullaney (played by Brandan Dempsey) to install a new kitchen which Damien hopes will eventually become the food and preparation space that he's always dreamed of.
On top of all this, Anthony decides to get fit and Damien decides to do a radio programme about the French bean. But not everything goes according to plan...
The programme also features Damien's easy-to-follow recipes: for a "Super Simple" Roast Beef, cooking your own pasta, and "Marvellously Moist Muffins".
Cast:
Miles Jupp as Damien Trench
Justin Edwards as Anthony
with
Selina Cadell as Damien's mother
Brendan Dempsey as Mr Mullaney
Philip Fox as Ian Frobisher
and
Alex Tregear as the Researcher
Producer: Sam Michell.Indie developer Brandon Sheffield (head of Necrosoft Games) has announced that he’s cancelling the Wii U version of their puzzle game, Gunhouse.
The reasoning behind this move is because of the recent controversy behind Nintendo and their former employee, Alison Rapp. In short, Sheffield believes Nintendo’s decision to fire Rapp was due in part to their kowtowing to an “angry internet wanting someone to blame for changes to some Nintendo games.”
In his eyes, Nintendo’s voicing their opposition to harassment is just a hollow statement. Instead, they should have kept Rapp in employment regardless of what the internet has said. To Sheffield, he wants “to see this industry change its attitude toward the women it employs.”
It’s worth mentioning that Sheffield did make a clear note in one of the more controversial bits of Rapp’s history, her highly debated essay on the sexualization of children in Japan, in which he is not a fan of, and in some respects, against her views in this regard.
You can find the most relevant portion of his Gamasutra response below:
First, I should say that I do not know Alison Rapp. We’ve never met and never talked. My statement was less about her as an individual – it was in support of all those who have been harassed by the darker corners of the internet, largely because they were women.
I should say also that I am not a fan of her much-discussed essay regarding the sexualization of children in Japan. While I agree with part of the premise, namely that the West should not push its particular ideas of right and wrong on the rest of the world, I disagree with the core proof in her argument – that lower rates of child abuse and rape in Japan are indicative that pornography may be helping. Japan does have some of the lowest rates of reported rape and abuse, but those stats have been increasing as laws rise to support such claims. Many publications, including the Japan Times, support the idea that the lower rate of rape reportage is likely just that – lower reportage.
When I made that tweet, it seemed that the sole reason for her firing was the harassment she received over the last several months, stemming from the Angry Internet wanting someone to blame for changes to some Nintendo games, and finding a feminist, Rapp, to pin it on. She fit the narrative of who they wanted to see fry, and it didn’t matter that she a) was in marketing not localization, and b) said she would’ve really liked to see those Xenoblade Chronicles X boob sliders anyway.
Nintendo has since made a statement that they fired her for having a second job which as in conflict with their terms of employment. They also stated that they do not stand for harassment of anyone for reasons of race, religion, or personal views. Many have asked whether this makes our symbolic gesture ring hollow – my response is this:
If you stand against harassment, you have to actually stand against it. You have to stand against it while it’s happening, not after you’ve let someone go, when it’s convenient and easy. You have to stand against harassment when it’s difficult and painful and awkward and inconvenient, because that is when it matters. Otherwise it’s just words.
I stand by my decision because I want to see this industry change its attitude toward the women it employs. Our small games aren’t going to make a difference to Nintendo’s bottom line, but the discussion that surrounds it might make a difference to our collective conscience.There's a new method for rooting Android devices that's believed to work reliably on every version of the mobile operating system and a wide array of hardware. Individuals can use it to bypass limitations imposed by manufacturers or carriers, but it could also be snuck into apps for malicious purposes.
The technique comes courtesy of a Linux privilege-escalation bug that, as came to light last week, attackers are actively exploiting to hack Web servers and other machines. Dirty Cow, as some people are calling the vulnerability, was introduced into the core Linux kernel in 2007. It's extremely easy to exploit, making it one of the worst privilege-elevation flaws ever to hit the open-source OS.
Independent security researcher David Manouchehri told Ars that this proof-of-concept code that exploits Dirty Cow on Android gets devices close to root. With a few additional lines, Manouchehri's code provides persistent root access on all five of the Android devices he has tested.
"It's very easy for someone who's somewhat familiar with the Android filesystem," Manouchehri said of the exploit. "From what I can tell, in theory it should be able to root every device since Android 1.0. Android 1.0 started on [Linux] kernel [version] 2.6.25, and this exploit has been around since [Linux kernel version] 2.6.22."
A separate security researcher who asked to not be identified said he and several other people developed a separate rooting exploit. It's based on this publicly available Dirty Cow exploit that they modified to make work on Android and to give it additional capabilities.
"We are using a rather unique route on it that we can use elsewhere in the future as well," the researcher said when asked why he didn't want to disclose the code or want his name published. "I don't want Google or anyone shutting down that route."
The video below shows the researcher using his app to root an Android-powered HTC phone, which is connected to a computer by a USB cable. The first ID and su commands show that the device is unrooted. After running "moo"—the name of the file containing the exploit code—and then running the su and ID commands again, it's clear that the device has been rooted.
Double-edge blade
Both of the exploits allow end users to root Android phones so they have capabilities such as tethering that are often restricted by individual manufacturers or carriers. By gaining access to the core parts of the Android OS, owners can bypass such limitations and vastly expand the things their devices can do. The darker side of rooting is that it's sometimes done surreptitiously so that malicious apps can spy on users by circumventing application sandboxing and other security measures built into Android.
Just as Dirty Cow has allowed untrusted users or attackers with only limited access to a Linux server to dramatically elevate their control, the flaw can allow shady app developers to evade Android defenses that cordon off apps from other apps and from core OS functions. The reliability of Dirty Cow exploits and the ubiquity of the underlying flaw makes it an ideal malicious root trigger, especially against newer devices running the most recent versions of Android.
"I would be surprised if someone hasn't already done that this past weekend," Manouchehri said.
Dirty Cow came to light a few days before the release of a separate rooting method for Android devices. "Drammer," as the latter exploit has been dubbed, is significant because it targets the "Rowhammer" bitflipping hardware bug, which allows attackers to modify data stored in device memory. Google plans to release a patch in November that makes Rowhammer much harder to exploit.
Now that the Dirty Cow hole has been patched in the Linux kernel, it's only a matter of time until the fix makes its way into Android, too. But the soonest it will be available is with the release of next month's Android patch batch. Of course, that's not available for a large number of devices, mostly because of limitations set by manufacturers and carriers.For those looking for a more naturalistic experience than Surgeon Simulator, the Moveo Foundation brings surgery to the Oculus Rift.
“Surgery is an art,” says Dr. Thomas Gregory of European Georges Pompidou. “It’s a difficult art because you only realize what it is when you do it yourself. When you’re a surgeon in training, you’re rarely in the place of the primary surgery.” But now that Gregory performed the first surgery captured in virtual reality on earlier this summer, new surgeons are going to be getting some help.
Funded by the Moveo Foundation, the surgery is part of foundations larger goal to implement new technologies into the medical practice. They worked with researcher Rémi Rousseau, an engineer who graduated from the Ecole Polytechnique and worked with medical companies like Essilor, bioMérieux, Sanofi and the French Society of Radiology.
Rousseau placed small cameras on the operating surgeon’s head to record the process and the video is then translated into a virtual reality experience. Surgeons in training, while serving in the operating room, are focused on a host of tasks which makes it hard for them to concentrate. This playback will allow them to see what a process looks like first hand and could be used for medical students who may not have access to a live surgery at any moment.As Russia assumes the chairmanship of the BRICS business council, the launch of the New Development Bank for its members will begin as an alternative to the US-dominated International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Sergey Katyrin, President of the Russian Chamber of Commerce, took over the chairmanship of a business council of BRICS, an economic association made up of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, on Wednesday.
The seventh summit of BRICS will be held in the southern Russian city of Ufa in July.
READ MORE: Putin signs law on ratification of $100 billion BRICS New Development Bank deal
Last month, Katyrin emphasized that Russia would concentrate its energy on the launch of the BRICS New Development Bank (NDB) in an effort to generate greater cooperation among the five emerging markets.
"The main priority for Russia will definitely be the launch of the BRICS bank. We will do our best to facilitate this process," Katyrin told RIA Novosti in an interview last month.
The bank will finance infrastructure projects in the BRICS countries and across other developing countries, and is expected to start functioning by the end of 2015.
“We hope that the Bank’s head – an Indian citizen - will be approved before the Ufa meeting and the main organizational and personnel decisions will also be taken during our presidency in the second half of 2015,” said Katyrin.
In July 2014, BRICS members gathered for the 6th summit in Fortaleza, Brazil, where they signed an agreement to forge ahead with the $100 billion NDB, which will also possess a reserve currency pool worth over another $100 billion.
READ MORE: http://rt.com/business/173008-brics-bank-currency-pool/
“BRICS Bank will be one of the major multilateral development finance institutions in the world,” Russian President Vladimir Putin predicted at the time of the signing.
Indeed, judging by the proportion of the planet that now falls under the BRICS fold, the economic alliance seems destined to be a powerful force on the global stage.
BRICS represents 42 percent of the world’s population and about 20 percent of the world’s economy based on GDP (30 percent of the world’s GDP based on PPP, a more accurate reading of the real economy). Total trade between the countries stands at around $6.14 trillion, or nearly 17 percent of the world’s total.
According to Russian experts, economic turnover within the BRICS in the last five years has doubled. And, despite the crisis, any serious depreciation is not expected: The growth rate is anticipated to be 5-10 per cent per year.
The creation of the NDB will not be the only major project on the agenda during Russia’s one-year BRICS presidency. Katyrin says there are some 40 projects set for consideration by the five-member group, the most important at present being “in the field of infrastructure."
Challenging US-dominated institutions
Analysts predict the introduction of the NDB could have an effect of lessening the dominance of the US dollar in global markets, as well as inside dollar-backed institutions such as the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank.
READ MORE: BRICS to discuss creating new rating agency in March - Brazilian ambassador
While Katyrin was optimistic that the pool of reserve currencies will “strengthen the position of the ruble,” he was realistic about the chances of any other foreign currency supplanting the US dollar as the global reserve currency anytime soon.
"It is not enough to declare that, for example, the yuan tomorrow will be a certain currency,” he said. “It will be a purely promotional, populist measure. We must make sure that any entrepreneur wanted to have the yuan in its turnover.”
“Until that happens, talk about convertibility of the yuan, or ruble would be inappropriate, the world will not treat (other currencies) like the dollar.”
Tool to foster security
Russian President Vladimir Putin reminded on Wednesday the importance of BRICS in helping to resolve global security issues.
Speaking about the “tragic lessons of the past,” Putin said BRICS “consistently advocated” on behalf of peaceful settlements in international conflicts and “condemned any attempts on the use of force and interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states.”
The most effective use of the five-nation economic bloc would be to “improve security and stability in the world.”
“That will be the focus during Russia’s presidency in BRICS,” the Russian leader emphasized.Socialists Could Turn to Environmentalist after Candidate’s Death
RIO DE JANEIRO, Aug 16 2014 (IPS) - The death of socialist presidential candidate Eduardo Campos opens up an unexpected opportunity for environmental leader Marina Silva to return with renewed strength to the struggle to govern Brazil, offering a “third way” in a highly polarised campaign.
Silva, who was environment minister from 2003 to 2008, won 19.6 million votes in the 2010 presidential elections – 19.3 percent of the total – and is seen by many as someone who can breathe new life into the Brazilian political scene.
The winding road, littered with tragedy, that led to her nomination as vice presidential candidate on Campos’ ticket could thrust her back to the forefront, with a stronger chance of winning.
She has preserved a large part of the popular support she gained in 2010. In addition, opinion polls show that she was the political leader who benefited the most from the mass protests that shook Brazil’s big cities in June and July 2013, which rejected the political class as a whole.
The national commotion caused by the death of Campos in a plane crash on Aug. 13 could also give a fresh impulse to a candidacy aimed at breaking with the two-party system.
The frontrunners in the polls for the Oct. 5 elections are President Dilma Rousseff of the Workers’ Party (PT) and Aecio Neves of the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB). The PT has governed Brazil since 2003, and the PSDB did so from 1995 to 2002.
Marina Silva’s political career began in the small northwestern Amazon jungle state of Acre, where she was born in 1958. She didn’t learn to read and write until the age of 16, after she left the rainforest to seek healthcare, as she was suffering from hepatitis, malaria and leishmaniosis.
Her close work with rubber-tapper and activist Chico Mendes, who organised his fellow workers in Acre to fight for their rights and became a martyr for the Amazon when he was killed in 1988, was the driver of her first electoral triumphs.
A senator since 1994, Silva was one of the main leaders of the PT, which first came to power with President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2003-2011).
She was environment minister until she resigned in 2008 over policy disagreements with Lula, who she criticised for pursuing “material growth at any cost,” at the expense of the poor and the environment.
A year later she left the PT and joined the small Green Party (PV) to run in the 2010 presidential elections, which were won by Rousseff, Lula’s former energy minister and chief of staff. Silva came in third, but with an unexpectedly strong showing.
She then left the PV as well, over disagreements with its reform proposals, and tried to create a new political grouping, the Sustainability Network. But the electoral court ruled that it had insufficient signatures to qualify.
To avoid being left out of the race, Silva joined the Brazilian Socialist Party (PSB), led by Campos, and became his vice-presidential running-mate.
After Campos’ death, she would seem to be his natural replacement. The PSB has until Aug. 23 to name its new candidate.
If the PSB does not choose Silva, it would be contributing to the two-party system that has reigned for 20 years, and would lose standing in the other levels of power, such as state legislatures and governments. A socialist legislator acknowledged that Campos is “irreplaceable.”
The dilemma for the PSB is that accepting Silva as its candidate would be another kind of suicide, because of the loss of identity it would entail for the party. The environmentalist has numerous discrepancies with the party’s policies.
The PSB, which named the ministers of science and technology during Lula’s two terms, is in favour of nuclear energy and transgenic crops, which are rejected by Silva and other environmentalists.
Campos was one of those ministers in 2004-2005, and his popularity grew when he served as governor of the state of Pernambuco from 2006 to early 2014, thanks to the swift economic growth and industrial development he led in his state, which is in the Northeast, Brazil’s poorest region.
Megaprojects like the Suape Port industrial complex, the diversion of the São Francisco River to bring water to the semiarid Northeast, and the Transnordestina railway were decisive for Pernambuco to have the highest economic growth of any Brazilian state in the last few years.
But environmentalists are opposed to many aspects of these megaprojects, which form part of a development-oriented policy focus that runs counter in many ways to the sustainability touted by Silva’s Network.
The projects were launched or given a new impulse in the last decade by Lula, for whom Campos was an important and loyal ally. His PSB only broke with Rousseff’s PT government last year.
Campos, with popularity ratings of more than 70 percent in Pernambuco, presented himself as an alternative to the PSDB social democrats and the PT labourists. But his criticism was not aimed at the Lula administration; it was strictly reserved for the government of Rousseff.
That distinction could have been based on electoral calculations, because Lula remains extremely popular. But it could have also been due to affinity with the former president. Campos was the political heir to Miguel Arraes, his grandfather, a legendary leader of the Brazilian left who governed Pernambuco for three terms. But he was also a disciple of Lula.
Like Lula, he was a master of dialogue, of building alliances even among disparate groups, forging relations with both business leaders and poor communities, and responding to the forces of the market while introducing strong social policies.
Rousseff, on the other hand, lost support among the business community due to her economic policies.
Campos had to redouble his efforts to win over landowners and ranchers, because of the rejection by those sectors of his running-mate, whose environmentalism is seen as an obstacle to the expansion of agribusiness.
Despite their contradictions, the union of Campos and Silva strengthened the so-called “third way” in Brazil’s elections.
Campos’ death could actually give Silva a boost in the elections, since she is already starting out with a broader electoral base, and will benefit from the fact that many Brazilians are fed up with the way politics is done in this country.
In July, according to the latest poll by the Data Folha Institute, 36 percent of respondents said they would vote for Rousseff, 20 percent for the PSDB’s Neves, and eight percent for Campos.
But analysts are now pointing to two weak points for Silva. One is that she alienates productive sectors with her ecological discourse, and as a consequence loses campaign donations. Another is her membership of the Pentecostal Assemblies of God, which draws her support from the growing evangelical flock but distances the Catholic majority.
In any case, analysts don’t rule out the possibility of a second round between two women who were both former ministers of Lula. But the question is to what extent the PSB’s leaders are prepared to renounce their ideals.
Edited by Estrella Gutiérrez/Translated by Stephanie WildesThis is a guest post by Brian Newman.
Freddie Wong (FreddieW). Ryan Higa (NigaHiga). Jenna Marbles. Kevin Wu (KevJumba). These are four names that I can mention in conversation with almost everyone I know in the independent film business and get blank stares. They aren’t the only four names that I could mention, but to me, they are arguably the four most important names that every indie should know about, but somehow no one does (hyperbole, I know).
For those of you not already in the know, each of these folks are in the top 10 channels on YouTube, based on number of subscribers, and to make that more clear - that means they all have over |
Lake had threatened to fight Rebecca. At one point, Rebecca told deputies, she was pushed in the hallway.
Rebecca did not know who pushed her and no criminal charges were filed, but Crystal Lake was told to change Rebecca's class schedule, the report stated.
After Rebecca left Crystal Lake in February to be home- schooled, the bullying moved online.
Detectives have learned the bullying might have started over a boyfriend problem, Judd said.
"We're trying to sort out a bunch of girl talk that goes further than girl talk," he said.
He said parents of the girls being investigated have cooperated with detectives and several cellphones and laptops have been confiscated.
Before her death, Rebecca had searched questions online related to suicide, including "How many over-the-counter drugs do you take to die?" and "How many Advil do you have to take to die?"
Detectives also found photos of Rebecca with razor blades lying on her arms and with her head resting on a railroad track, Judd said.
"She appeared to be beat down," he said.
The night before her death, Rebecca gave several warning signs about her planned suicide that were never reported.
Judd said a 12-year-old boy in North Carolina, whom Rebecca met through social media, knew of her plan. Rebecca messaged him only hours before her death, saying she was dead and "I'm jumping, I can't take it anymore."
Rebecca also changed her name early Tuesday morning on the free messaging application Kik Messenger to "That Dead Girl."
Rebecca was reported missing Monday about 7 p.m. when she didn't come home from school, the Sheriff's Office said.
Deputies searched for several hours before finding Rebecca about 2:25 a.m. Tuesday lying on the ground at a former Cemex cement plant site on North Eastside Drive in Lakeland, the Sheriff's Office said.
Judd said an autopsy showed wounds consistent with Rebecca jumping off a cement silo, which had three levels at 19 feet, 24 feet and 60 feet. The official cause of death is pending toxicology reports, he said.
The investigation is still in its early stages, but Judd said there were warning signs that nobody noticed. If detectives can find evidence, according to Florida law, the girls could be charged with felony cyberstalking because Rebecca was under 16 years old.
"If you bully somebody online and it's reported to us and we can build a credible case, we will charge you."
[ Stephanie Allen can be reached at stephanie.allen@theledger.com or 863-802-7550. ]Zero to MVP Thirty Minutes at a Time
MTaylor Blocked Unblock Follow Following Aug 22, 2016
How I Beat Procrastination to Launch a Side Project
Like a lot of people, I’ve always had entrepreneurial plans and aspirations that I rarely acted on due to my lifelong battle with procrastination. I was inspired by the success stories of people like Bill Gates, Steve Wozniak, and Steve Jobs to get into software development. I worked in the field for several years, but wanted to build something of my own too. I had a notebook full of ideas, and occasionally I’d even manage to work on something for a couple of months before losing interest and moving on to something else.
Maybe you found yourself in a similar situation. Even when I was single and had plenty of free time, I could not seem to accomplish my entrepreneurial goals. For me this pattern repeated for several years until one day I realized that with a family, a mortgage, a career, and being over 40, if I didn’t make it happen soon, it was never going to happen. To be clear, I’m incredibly happy with my family and career, I simply had this nagging feeling of unfinished business.
First I needed a project with real potential. If you were doing web development in the 2000’s you probably remember geocities, a free service that hosted users web sites. Back then, building sites on geocities and similar services was how a lot of people learned to code, before “Learning to Code” was a thing. I really loved creating little sites for my own education and sharing with friends. I always wanted to have a backend for my geocities site so I could make ajax calls and do more interesting things. But in those days, before CORS support in browsers, there was simply no way to create a backend for an html page without having your own server to serve requests from the same domain. Obviously when you just want to have fun building websites, learning server admin and backend languages and frameworks adds a large amount of undesirable complexity, effort, and expense.
But technology advances, and CORS became standardized and widely adopted. And yet no one was offering the service I always wanted; hosting for html, css, and javascript with a CORS enabled backend. This was the niche I’d attempt to fill. Today these types of sites are called ‘static sites’ because you just deploy your files to a service like github pages or netlify and are done with it. I was willing to bet a lot of people were also interested in a CORS backend for static sites (more on this below).
But how to could I conquer my old nemesis, procrastination? I’d found that when I did have free time and actually felt like working on a side project, I couldn’t. I felt there were a lot of unknowns, and the feeling of “where to start” was overwhelming. So I needed to get a handle on these unknowns, and define tasks to get started.
I’d found during busy times at work, if I left myself a short, direct note about the task I was working on, I could come back the next day and get back into flow at the same point much more quickly. I tried this a few times on a side a project, and it really seemed to work. I would use this technique to improve productivity during my limited free time.
So, I had a project I was passionate about and a scheme to overcome procrastination, But how would I find the time? I drive to work every day. Generally, my commute is 30 minutes to an hour, depending on where I’m working. I found that if I left a little earlier in the morning I could spend less time in traffic, and use the extra block of time to do some coding. I could also get a block of time over lunch to get some personal work done. So, thirty minutes before work, thirty minutes at lunch, and some potentially longer blocks of time in the evening and weekends. That’s all the time I had, would it be enough?
Since I work as a software engineer, I am extremely conscious of ownership of my work. I didn’t want there to ever be any question about who owned what I created. Therefor, I was very careful to work only on my own equipment over my own network connection, off site from my employer if possible. At first I tried going to cafes or restaurants, but I found this took to much time away from coding. So eventually I settled into a routine of coding in my car with my laptop tethered to my cell phone.
I did this for about six months, and was able to put together a minimal viable product (MVP). I estimate I averaged about 7 hours a week on the project. I found that leaving notes for myself worked really well for getting back into the flow quickly. I got into the habit of thinking through tasks and planning a lot more than I had before. All was not roses though. I found these limited blocks of time fine for small, well defined tasks or series of tasks. But for larger things, like complex refactoring efforts, they were entirely inadequate. For these I’d try to commit longer blocks at night or on the weekends.
I also found in the early part of the project I concentrated on getting things working, without flushing out the details too much. Later this came back to bite me as there were TODOs in the code I didn’t remember the purpose of, or features that were half implemented I had to go back and finish. I found it better to “do it now while it’s in my head” instead of “worry about it later”.
So I launched the MVP and started on the next phase, building awareness and finding an audience and users. That part of the story is still to come!
About File Mapper
File Mapper is an editor and viewer for fixed length files that uses COBOL copybooks to map data to their layouts. Perfect for ACH files or other fixed length file formats..
Happy Bastille Day, everyone. To celebrate, here are some assorted artworks by early Soviet sculptors and painters commemorating the Great French Revolution.
We begin with two pieces from the years immediately following the October Revolution. One of these, of course, is the sculptor Nikolai Andreev’s frightening Head of Danton (1919). Less well known are the memorials to M. Robespierre (1918 & 1920) by Beatrice Sandomirskaia [Беатрисе Сандомирская] and Sarra Lebedeva.
Sarra Lebedeva’s “M. Robespierre” (1920)«М. Робеспьер». 1920. С. Д. Лебедева. Beatrice Sandomirskaia’s “M. Robespierre” (1920)«М. Робеспьер». 1920. Беатрисе Сандомирская Unveiling of Nikolai Andreev’s “Head of Danton”(1919) «Голова Дантона», 1919 г. Н. Андреев Unveiling of Nikolai Andreev’s “Head of Danton” (1919) «Голова Дантона», 1919 г. Н. Андреев Nikolai Andreev’s “Head of Danton”(1919) «Голова Дантона», 1919 г. Н. Андреев
.
Still more remarkable, though from a slightly later date, is the set of illustrations by the Bolshevik artist Mikhail Sokolov depicting the principal actors and main events of the last great bourgeois revolution. These were intended as part of a volume entitled Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934), and are reproduced below alongside some of the historical representations on which Sokolov’s work was based.
Mikhail Sokolov, “Bailly [Байи],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Mirabeau [Мирабо],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Lafayette [Лафайетт],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of the Marquis de Lafayette Mikhail Sokolov, “Danton [Дантон],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Danton [Дантон],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “General Lazare Hoche [Гош],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of the revolutionary general Louis-Lazare Hoche Mikhail Sokolov, “Camille Desmoulins [Демулен],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “General Jacques Cathelineau [Кателино],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of Jacques Cathelineau The flight of the king Mikhail Sokolov, “Jean-Paul Marat [Марат],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Jean-Paul Marat [Марат],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of Jean-Paul Marat Mikhail Sokolov, Marat’s murderess “Charlotte Corday [Шарлотт Корде],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Jean-Marie Collot d’Herbois [Колло д-Эрбуа],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Maximilien Robespierre [Робеспьер],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Maximilien Robespierre [Робеспьер],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical representation of Robespierre Mikhail Sokolov, “Louis-Antoine de Saint-Just [Сен-Жюст],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Louis-Antoine de Saint-Just [Сен-Жюст],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Louis-Antoine de Saint-Just [Сен-Жюст],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès [Сийес],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès [Сийес],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of Emmanuel Joseph Sieyès Mikhail Sokolov, “Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon [Симон],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of Claude Henri de Rouvroy, comte de Saint-Simon Mikhail Sokolov, “Barthélemy Catherine Joubert [Жубер],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of Barthélemy Catherine Joubert Mikhail Sokolov, “Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte [Бернадотт],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Historical depiction of Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte Mikhail Sokolov, “Marshal Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte [Бернадотт],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Man in a cylinder,” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “François-Noël (Gracchus) Babeuf [Бабёф],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934) Mikhail Sokolov, “Roger Ducos [Дюко],” from Figures of the 1789 French Revolution (1930-1934)
.
And finally, here are some immortal lines by famous historical Marxists on the French Revolution. First of all, from the old man himself in December 1848, regarding “The Bourgeoisie and the Counterrevolution”:
The model for the revolution of 1789 (at least in Europe) was only the revolution of 1648; that for the revolution of 1648 only the revolt of the Netherlands against Spain. Both revolutions were a century ahead of their model not only in time but also in substance. In both revolutions the bourgeoisie was the class that really headed the movement. The proletariat and the non-bourgeois strata of the middle class had either not yet evolved interests which were different from those of the bourgeoisie or they did not yet constitute independent classes or class divisions. Therefore, where they opposed the bourgeoisie, as they did in France in 1793 and 1794, they fought only for the attainment of the aims of the bourgeoisie, albeit in a non-bourgeois manner. The entire French terrorism was just a plebeian way of dealing with the enemies of the bourgeoisie, absolutism, feudalism, and philistinism.
Some fiery words in closing from Leon Trotskii, written shortly after the Russian Revolution of 1905, in Results and Prospects:
The Great French Revolution was indeed a national revolution. And what is more, within the national framework, the world struggle of the bourgeoisie for domination, for power, and for undivided triumph found its classical expression. Jacobinism is now a term of reproach on the lips of all liberal wiseacres. Bourgeois hatred of revolution, its hatred towards the masses, hatred of the force and grandeur of the history that is made in the streets, is concentrated in one cry of indignation and fear — Jacobinism! We, the world army of Communism, have long ago made our historical reckoning with Jacobinism. The whole of the present international proletarian movement was formed and grew strong in the struggle against the traditions of Jacobinism. We subjected its theories to criticism, we exposed its historical limitations, its social contradictoriness, its utopianism, we exposed its phraseology, and broke with its traditions, which for decades had been regarded as the sacred heritage of the revolution. But we defend Jacobinism against the attacks, the calumny, and the stupid vituperations of anaemic, phlegmatic liberalism. The bourgeoisie has shamefully betrayed all the traditions of its historical youth, and its present hirelings dishonor the graves of its ancestors and scoff at the ashes of their ideals. The proletariat has taken the honor of the revolutionary past of the bourgeoisie under its protection. The proletariat, however radically it may have, in practice, broken with the revolutionary traditions of the bourgeoisie, nevertheless preserves them, as a sacred heritage of great passions, heroism and initiative, and its heart beats in sympathy with the speeches and acts of the Jacobin Convention. What gave liberalism its charm if not the traditions of the Great French Revolution? At what other period did bourgeois democracy rise to such a height and kindle such a great flame in the hearts of the people as during the period of the Jacobin, sans-culotte, terrorist, Robespierrian democracy of 1793?
Let the rallying cry of 1789 ring out this Bastille Day: Liberté, égalité, fraternité!
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PinterestHello, as we already know. ICONOMI is famous project which their ICO is live now.
Why ICONOMI is trustworthy and the investors want to invest their money in this project?
You can see the ANN- ICONOMI in Bitcointalk.org here : ICONOMI ANN
In short, ICONOMI provides an opportunity for investors looking for high profits, not possible in the old economy. With newly developed financial instruments, ICONOMI will drive new investors and fresh capital into decentralised economy.
The good point from ICONOMI project is they always updated their members and investors with the latest news and progress about their project, and you can see the important thing before you start ICO is escrow.
Without escrow, your funds is on risk because anytime you can got scammed without feedback and coins you invest. But,ICONOMI revealed their escrow-man << that's the good point from ICONOMI. And it has good reputable person for escrow-man (Such as CEO LISK, CO-Founder XAURUM PROJECT).
You can see the list of escrow here :
In this ICO event, it has 15 days to go before ICO ends. But, already 4,670,148.55 USD invested until now (September 14th), from 1676 investors. This is good and amazing threshold has been achieved.
Also, we already know. ICONOMI held the bounty campaign (twitter, blog, signature campaign, facebook, and thread moderation). You can see the bounty details here : ICO Bounties (2M ICN Token Reserved).
For anyone who has already joining the ICONOMI bounty, this time you can connect your social media for reserved your spot for bounty campaign, and you can see estimated of token you received after ICO.
Ok, let's start.
1. Go to ICO ICONOMI and login your account or create new account if you haven't registered.
2. Click your name and Click Bounties
3. Scroll down the sites, and you'll find the list of ICONOMI bounties (Twitter, Facebook, Blog)
For facebook :
- Click "Login with Facebook"
- And you'll see the estimated reward you'll get after ICO ends :
Keep supporting ICONOMI for being better project in the future.
Thanks for read my post. Hope this article helpful for you. Bye :)
1EndraHGw7H7PWhLUfNAwa6UYQcWZnowWNThere were a few supports released in the last update I still wanted to document, and these were among them! These are all three Chrom x Cordelia family convos, listed in order of how much I revised the script for them– though bear in mind none are changed dramatically, and are mostly copy/paste jobs. Note that I don’t have the C-S Support for Cordelia and Chrom written or implemented it. It’s a bit of a strange scenario where I have very specific ideas for what I don’t want the support to be, so I may just end up writing it myself. The initial coding for all three of these was done by @deathchaos-25 though I did the slight script revisions afterward!
I. Severa & Lucina Sibling Support
II. Severa & Chrom Parent/Child Support
III. Lucina & Cordelia Parent/Child Support
I. Severa & Lucina Sibling Support
C Support
B Support
A Support
II. Severa & Chrom Parent/Child Support
C Support
B Support
A Support
III. Lucina & Cordelia Parent/Child Support
B Support
A Support
All images are screenshots taken from my 3DSXL.We should really hate Frank Ocean for what he did to us last year.
More than a year after he announced the release date of his album to be July 2015 (I got twooooo versions, remember), I’d all but given up waiting for the follow-up to Frank’s exquisite Channel ORANGE. Or at least, I thought I had. Every time it seemed I’d given up hope, I’d get invested in a Twitter rumour, stay up until the early hours of the morning or spend a lunch on my phone constantly refreshing #FrankOcean, waiting for something to happen.
Then, on 1st August 2016, a year ago – something did happen. A black and white live stream was switched on via Apple Music. It showed Frank in a room woodworking. Painfully boring but beautifully shot it held onto your attention through pure trickery. He moved slowly, building, with occasional music playing in the background but never enough to form a full song, or even a snippet of one. Every time I went to switch it off, a sound would play and I’d be sucked right back in, thinking he’d drop the album at any second.
The press reported that the album would finally be released on 5th August 2016. We assumed that the stream would continue for five days and eventually lead to the album release but we were totally in the dark, clinging on to any clues that we could find in the video. There weren’t many. Conversation online turned quickly to what Frank was building. Was it a staircase? Was it speakers to play the album on? Was it nothing? Was this whole thing just a plot to confuse us all? Am I going insane? Why can’t I turn this off?
I didn’t have to turn it off. Frank turned it off for us. On the eve of the expected release date, the stream went black. The 5th August came and went and there was no album. It seemed that once again we’d been led towards something that wasn’t going to happen.
Two weeks went by with no word of what was going on. We were left clinging on to the ambient sounds that had played on the initial stream that gave little to no hint of the direction the record. Still, the sounds were comforting, a reminder that Frank had returned and left us with something even if it was minimal.
On 18th August 2016, Frank returned again on the live stream. And this time he meant business. He was back with power tools (the line at Bunnings must have been long) and was ready to finish what he was building. This time around there were more sounds too. Fuller sounds. More complete ideas with Frank’s voice. It felt like this time he wasn’t going to leave us in the lurch and finally, he had the same intentions that we thought he had. The echoing, reverb-soaked sounds were certainly not full songs but they were enough to erupt the internet in the same way you’d imagine it would if the second coming of the messiah happened.
I still remember the feeling when the first song started playing out of the speakers. I was sending frantic texts and formulating articles as Frank serenaded with a cover of Aaliyah’s At Your Best (You Are Love). It felt hollow but also comforting, much like the entirety of Endless. All the false alarms had amounted to this and the internet had gathered together to witness. Twitter’s gif game was strong and I was tightly bonding with people from some of the most far away places on the globe because, Frank dropped the album (or was in the process of doing so, so we thought).
Endless was strange. Beautiful, but strange. Most songs were under a minute long and it was more like sketches than a full album. Comme Des Garçons‘ brilliant beat was immediately whipped away from us and transformed into a howling, ambient synth of Honeybaby. In Here Somewhere‘s triumphant start detoured into experimental territory and Rushes was beautiful but, like much of Endless, it felt far away. It ended on Wolfgang Tillman’s Device Control and confirmed what we already kind of knew, we had no idea where Frank was going with all of this.
As satisfying as it was to hear Frank again, there was this communal feeling that if Endless was the album we’d waited years for then it wasn’t enough. We’d watched and waited on this stream for nearly three weeks and what he’d essentially offered up was an insight into his drafts folder on his computer. Thankfully, once again Frank agreed with us and he had Blonde up his sleeve ready to drop two days later.
Watching Endless back a year later is a strangely nostalgic thing. I remember the excitement that came with every echoing sound. That feeing of hope and strange desperation. For the first time in my life I’d become a hopeless, hardcore fanboy because Frank had so expertly and silently swelled hype to the point where I wasn’t even sure whether I still liked Frank but I was going to be here when it happened. Listening to Endless now without the weight of anticipation gives me goosebumps. It’s the prelude to Blonde but it’s also stands confidently as its own work.
Maybe Blonde wouldn’t have been so easy to swallow without its companion. Endless was a taste into the minimal, acoustic musings that were developed more wholeheartedly on the album that followed. Frank ends Endless on the lyric, “I love the way you make me feel,” and the visual album is all about feeling. It’s so warm and genuine. Even without the excitement of anticipation, there’s a certain stirring, fuzzy feeling that settles in the stomach and it makes me immediately forgive him again for the two weeks he made us watch him woodwork.
Even though I can’t even remember what he built anymore.A drill designed to penetrate 1–2 m into the lunar surface is envisaged by ESA to fly to the Moon’s south pole on Russia’s Luna-27 lander in 2020.
“It is an essential part of a science and exploration package being developed to reach, extract and analyse samples from beneath the surface in the Moon’s south polar region,” explains lunar exploration systems engineer Richard Fisackerly.
“This region is of great interest to lunar researchers and explorers because the low angle of the Sun over the horizon leads to areas of partial or even complete shadow. These shadowed areas and permanently dark crater floors, where sunlight never reaches, are believed to hide water ice and other frozen volatiles.”
Developed by Finmeccanica in Nerviano, Italy, the drill would first penetrate into the frozen ‘regolith’ and then deliver the samples to a chemical laboratory, which is being developed by the UK’s Open University.
The development team has tested the drill design with simulated lunar soil cooled to –140°C (typical of the expected landing site of Luna-27) but the permanently shadowed regions of the Moon are known to be even colder, at down to –240°C.
The drill system plus laboratory are collectively known as Prospect: Platform for Resource Observation and in-Situ Prospecting in support of Exploration, Commercial exploitation & Transportation.
Prospect is one of the packages being developed by ESA for flight to the Moon as part of cooperation on Russia’s lunar programme. Pilot – Precise Intelligent Landing using On-board Technology – is an autonomous precision landing system incorporating ‘laser radar’ lidar for hazard detection and avoidance.
These packages are being developed by ESA’s Directorate of Human and Robotic Exploration and will be proposed for approval to fly by ESA’s Council of European Ministers in December 2016.
Learn more about ESA and the Moon in this interactive web documentary.They say where there’s smoke, there’s fire. In the Smoky Mountains that’s more than just a saying. Fortunately, it seems like with every big blaze, there have always been a few brave souls willing to answer the call – heroes able to tame nature’s fury and preserve the Smokies for generations to come! Now comes your turn to celebrate that heroic spirit in a new coaster sure to test your mettle, and leave you screaming for more! It’s FireChaser Express – the nation's first dual-launch family coaster – blasting riders forward and backward!
Heroes come in all sizes on FireChaser Express!
Special Attraction Information: FireChaser Express is subject to closures during inclement weather conditions including lightning, snow, extreme cold, or hot temperatures and high winds. To ensure the safety of our guests, all passengers must be seated with the restraint locked in its lowest position. Due to the nature of the restraint system and seat configuration guests of a larger stature are encouraged to use the test seat prior to entering the queue line. Wilderness Pass
Wilderness Pass Height Restrictions Min. 39"
Guests under 48” must be accompanied by someone 16 or older.
Family, Thrill
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Barnstormer Enjoy the same breathtaking moments that daring stunt pilots of the 1920s might have experienced as they zoomed over the fields of nearby farms.
At least 48" Owens Farm
Thunderhead An old sawmill once moved lumber out of the mountains at Thunderhead Gap. Wood is still the focus, but now the operation known as the Thunderhead is the wildest ride in the woods! At least 48" Timber Canyon
Blazing Fury An out-of-control fire is just minutes away from engulfing this 1880s town.
At least 42" Craftman's ValleyOAKLAND — Neighbors of the former NASA scientist who was killed near his home are rattled by the fatal shooting that took place in the typically quiet residential neighborhood Sunday morning.
Brian Bole, 30, who worked in the health care industry, was fatally shot not far from his home about 12:15 a.m. Sunday on the 3000 block of Richmond Boulevard. He died at the scene.
Jadene Lim and her husband Darry Louie were watching TV when they heard the gunshot come from across the street, she said. The couple said they have heard gunshots several times in their 40 years of living in the neighborhood.
” … But this one here, everyone heard the shot,” Lim said.
A neighbor who resides two doors down saw Bole’s body lying near a gravel parking lot and called police, she said. Another neighbor was smoking a cigarette on the porch when the shooting occurred.
None of the neighbors have reported seeing the suspect, though, she said.
“Nobody saw anyone run away or anything,” Lim said.
Oakland police are following up leads and going through video footage Thursday, Officer Johnna Watson said.
“We want to look for any evidence that could move this case forward to identify who is responsible for this crime,” she said.
It is not known whether Bole was randomly shot or targeted, and the department’s homicide unit is not releasing additional information, Watson said.
Since the shooting, Lim said neighbors are “banding together” to raise awareness and communicate about crime and exchange information. Some residents have decided to get surveillance systems installed on their properties.
“We’re all planning to put them in just to make it less where someone wants to do anything like that,” Lim said. “It’s dark because of the trees and stuff, but everyone feels safe so they just walk around feeling safe.”
Lim never met Bole, but she has met his roommates and friends who stopped at the makeshift memorial where he was found, she said. Bole’s friends appear to be “the techie types with good jobs and advanced degrees.”
The neighborhood is mostly populated by retired couples and 30-somethings, Lim said. Although residents are shaken by the killing, none of her neighbors are thinking about moving.
“It’s just that nobody was expecting that, so everyone is still in a funk,” Lim said.
Bole’s family members could not be reached for comment.
Police are looking for possible witnesses and anyone in the area who might have surveillance video.
Violent crime is extremely rare in the area, which is primarily residential and home to Oak Glen Park.
Police and Crime Stoppers of Oakland are offering up to $10,000 in reward money for information leading to the arrest of the killer. Anyone with information may call police at 510-238-3821 or Crime Stoppers at 510-777-8572.
Staff writer Harry Harris contributed to this report. Contact Katrina Cameron at 925-945-4782. Follow her at Twitter.com/KatCameron91. Contact George Kelly at 408-859-5180 or follow him at Twitter.com/allaboutgeorge.Winter iPhone wallpapers are extremely popular this time of year! It’s that cold, snowy, white winter time and what a better way than to feel it present with adding one of our 35 winter iPhone wallpapers of 2018 to your phone. You will definitely spice up your phone with these beautiful snowy colorful images.
See also: iPhone Wallpapers for iPhone 8 Plus, 47 Free iPhone X Wallpapers, and iPhone 6s Wallpapers.
You are welcome to save as many as you would like so that you can switch out your images and enjoy this wonderful time of year.
Best Winter iPhone Wallpapers & Backgrounds 2018
1. White Snow Tree iPhone Wallpaper
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2. Winter White Trees iPhone Background
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3. Winter Night iPhone Wallpaper
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4. Snowflake iPhone Wallpaper
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5. Winter floral iPhone Wallpaper
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7. Keep warm iPhone background
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8. Winter is here iPhone background
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9. Cute Winter iPhone Wallpaper
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10. Let it Snow iPhone Wallpaper
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12. Snow Mountain iPhone Wallpaper
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13. Winter Iphone Wallpaper 13
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14. Snowflake iPhone Background
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15. Christmas tree trio iPhone Wallpaper
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16. Lightbulb Winter iPhone Wallpaper
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17. Candy Cane iPhone Wallpaper
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18. Winter Mountain iPhone Wallpaper
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25. Black and White Winter iPhone Wallpaper
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26. Snow Tree Winter iPhone Background
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28. Outdoor Snow Tree Winter iPhone Wallpaper
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31. Winter Snowflakes iPhone Wallpaper
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32. Snowy Red Winter iPhone Wallpaper
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33. Christmas Loading Winter Iphone Background
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34. Baby It’s Cold Outside Winter iPhone Wallpaper
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Happy Holidays!
We hope you enjoy the backgrounds we have handpicked for you, let us know which one you liked the best by commenting below. Find more awesome iPhone Wallpapers on our website.Boffins have discovered a unique triple star system that could help them to probe one of the most fundamental physics problems of all: the true nature of gravity itself.
Millisecond pulsar, left foreground, is orbited by a hot white dwarf star, centre, both of which are orbited by another, more-distant and cooler white dwarf, top right. Credit: Bill Saxton; NRAO/AUI/NSF
The tightly packed system includes two white dwarf stars and a superdense neutron star, all squidged into an space smaller than the Earth's orbit around the Sun, which has allowed researchers to take the best measurements yet of the complex gravitational interactions in such a system.
Astroboffins can use the unique features of the system to probe an aspect of Albert Einstein's General Theory of Relativity that does not mesh well with quantum theory - the Equivalence Principle. The most famous, although potentially mythical, experiment demonstrating the principle is the story of Galileo dropping two balls of different weights from the Leaning Tower of Pisa and having them arrive on the ground at the same time. The principle states that the effect of gravity on a body has nothing to do with the nature or internal structure of that body.
"This triple system gives us a natural cosmic laboratory far better than anything found before for learning exactly how such three-body systems work and potentially for detecting problems with General Relativity that physicists expect to see under extreme conditions," said Scott Ransom of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO).
Best hope of seeing general relativity break down
"While Einstein's Theory of General Relativity has so far been confirmed by every experiment, it is not compatible with quantum theory. Because of that, physicists expect that |
the pilot threw bombs on the boulevards and a note demanding surrender. If the taxi troops were not responsible for the Miracle on the Marne what was? Four things gave the Allies victory on the Marne. First, the Germans blundered. The Schlieffen Plan, Berlin's invasion blueprint, envisaged that the First Army would go around Paris to the west. Instead, the First Army pivoted and swung east on the heels of the retreating French.
The second major factor was spotter aircraft. A French plane reported that the German armies had wheeled to the east of Paris and presented their open flank. General Joseph Joffre, the white-haired French commander, saw his opportunity: The Germans had marched headlong into a trap. On September 5, Joffre's strike force, his "mass of manoeuvre", of three French armies and the British Expeditionary Force, attacked.
The 5,000 troops from Paris were used to promote the idea of soldiers and civilians uniting [REX]
This clash between global superpowers occurred on the very cusp of military eras
Sir John French, the pessimistic and petulant British commander, originally refused to take part in Joffre's plan, blaming his Gallic allies for the BEF's losses over the preceding fortnight. Lord Kitchener, the Secretary of State for War, paid a personal visit to Sir John and ordered him into the line. Another caller, Joffre himself, was apparently more persuasive; Sir John, tears rolling down his cheeks, promised Joffre: "All man can do our fellows will do."
Although tiny, the BEF was the third decisive factor. The BEF and French Fifth Army under General Franchet d'Esp¨rey, known as "Desperate Frankie" to the admiring British, inserted a wedge between the main German forces.
The Germans also forgot that the law of pantomime ("It's behind you!") applies to war. They were attacked in the rear by the French Sixth Army.
The final trump card of the Allies was Papa Joffre. Unlike Helmuth von Moltke, his anxious, flappable opposite number who was head of the German Army, 62-year-old Joffre was imperturbable and decisive.
In the midst of the world's battle, Joffre enjoyed a good lunch, a better dinner, and a superlative night's sleep. Then, he acted with the deliberation of a cobra. He purged the French Army of faint hearts, from top to bottom. Underperforming generals were, in the bon mot of the time, "Limoged", sent to the training facility at Limoges.
Ordinary soldiers of insufficient moral fibre were shot. Edward Spears, a British staff officer, witnessed the execution of a French soldier for the crime of abandoning his post. The general in charge of the execution explained to the condemned man that his punishment would serve as an example. "Yours also is a way of dying for France," the general emphasised.
Whereas Joffre gripped the Battle of the Marne by the neck, Moltke never did.
Astonishingly, the German Chief of Staff remained 150 miles from the action in his Luxembourg HQ. With wireless and telephony in their infancy, Moltke had little knowledge of the situation at the front.
There were days of impotency. Between September 5 and 9 the Supreme Army Command issued no orders relating to the battle.
The fighting on the Marne was different to how we imagine the First World War. Troops charged over pristine summer cornfields and deep-shadowed meadows untouched by shot and shell. This clash between global superpowers occurred on the very cusp of military eras. Sabre-wielding officers and aeroplanes, cavalry and heavy artillery, woollen caps and machine-guns all anachronistically commingled. French "poilus" (soldiers), wearing bright red trousers, made easy targets for German machine guns.
Civilians and soldier were supposed to be shown fighting the good fight together [REX]Recently (March 12, 2014), there was a huge furor on Twitter when a BJP sympathizer with the Twitter handle @BJP2014 and sporting BJP’s Election Symbol, Lotus, as his display picture tweeted a morphed picture of Gul Panag. The whole of Twitter was up in arms against the owner of the Twitter account. It so turned out that Narendra Modi himself was a follower of this account. Soon, after the Twitter outrage, Narendra Modi’s account unfollowed the BJP2014 account.
However, the highly sexist mentality of Modi-bhakts including the people Narendra Modi personally follows on Twitter is witnessed time and again. How many is Narendra Modi going to unfollow? A large majority of them are extremely abusive towards anyone who’s anti-Modi and women especially bear the brunt of their sick mentality. The images below will show you more examples of how Narendra Modi personally follows people who fling abuses at the drop of a hat.
On TruthOfGujarat, we have always maintained that if Modi ever manages to become the Prime Minister, these Modi Bhakts (Followers) will pose a grave danger to the social fabric of India. Besides being highly abusive, most of them are highly communal and specialize in circulating morphed pictures to incite communal feelings amongst us Indians.
However it is not surprising that Modi chooses to follow such sexist bigots on twitter. He himself ordered illegal stalking of a woman 24*7 over 2 months and appointed a phony commission to drown the case. He is the same man who never bothered to setup a commission to inquire when Kausarbi was raped and murdered by his Police. And he talks about women empowerment.A CAREFUL OBSERVER might note the chunky double glazing on the elegant windows and the heat pump whirring outside the basement entrance. From the outside the five-storey house in London’s posh Notting Hill district looks like any other. Inside, though, it is full of new technologies that aim to make it a net exporter of power. They exemplify many of the shifts now under way that are making energy cleaner, more plentiful, cheaper to store, easier to distribute and capable of being used more intelligently. The house in Notting Hill is a one-off, paid for by its green multimillionaire owner. But the benefits of recent innovations can be reaped by everybody.
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That makes a welcome change from the two issues that have dominated the debate about energy in the past few decades: scarcity and concerns about the environment. Modern life is based on the ubiquitous use of fossil fuels, all of which have big disadvantages. Coal, the cheapest and most abundant, has been the dirtiest, contributing to rising emissions. Oil supplies have been vulnerable to geopolitical shocks and price collusion by producers. Natural gas has mostly come by pipeline—and often with serious political baggage, as in the case of Europe’s dependence on Russia. Nuclear power is beset by political troubles, heightened by public alarm after the accident at Japan’s Fukushima power station in 2011. Renewables such as wind and solar—beneficiaries of lavish subsidies—have so far played a marginal role. The main worries were whether enough energy would be available for power generation, transport, heating, cooling and industry; and if so, whether it would cook the planet.
Now new factors are in play. Technological change has broken the power of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) to keep the oil price high. Hydraulic fracturing (“fracking”) and horizontal drilling have turned America into a big oil producer, with 4m barrels a day coming from sources which used to be deemed “unconventional”. The boom in producing oil and gas from shale has yet to spread to other countries. America enjoys some big advantages, such as open spaces, accommodating laws, a well-developed supply chain and abundant finance for risky projects. So far it has refrained from exporting its crude oil or natural gas, but exports of liquefied natural gas (LNG) will start this year. Increased trade in LNG will create a more global gas market and greater resilience of supply, undermining Russia’s pipeline monopoly in Europe. America is already exporting lightly refined oil.
An increase in supply, a surprising resilience in production in troubled places such as Iraq and Libya, and the determination of Saudi Arabia and its Gulf allies not to sacrifice market share in the face of falling demand have led to a spectacular plunge in the oil price, which has fallen by half from its 2014 high. This has dealt a final blow to the notion of “peak oil”. There is no shortage of hydrocarbons in the Earth’s crust, and no sign that mankind is about to reach “peak technology” for extracting them. But the fall has created turmoil in financial markets as energy companies lay off workers and cut or delay investment projects.
The implications are more complicated than the headlines suggest. For a start, low prices do not instantly cause supply curbs or make investment dry up. Even costly projects do not stop pumping when the oil price falls. Fracking is a small-scale business. New projects can be halted quickly and restarted when the price picks up. American frackers are now the world’s swing producers, reacting to price fluctuations in a way that was once the prerogative of the Saudis. On a 15- to 25-year time horizon, today’s slide in the oil price needs to be set against the likely long-term trend. Futures markets are betting that the oil price will be back to $90 per barrel in the early 2020s.
For now, though, low oil prices put money in consumers’ pockets and give a bit of breathing space to governments, making it easier to cut fossil-fuel subsidies (and perhaps even tax carbon emissions). In 2013 some $550 billion was spent on subsidising fossil fuels, a policy of extraordinary wrongheadedness that favours the rich, distorts economies and aggravates pollution.
A bigger question on many minds is the effect of rock-bottom oil prices on the shift towards low-carbon energy. Solar, wind and other renewables have recently benefited from unprecedented investments: an average of $260 billion a year worldwide over the past five years. Long, and wrongly, decried as mere boondoggles, they have begun to show real commercial promise in places as diverse as India, Hawaii, and parts of Africa where the climate is favourable, costs are low and other sources of power are expensive. Renewables capacity is rising even as subsidies are falling. China, for example, has already installed nearly half the 200 gigawatts (GW) of wind power it had been planning for 2020, so it is sharply cutting back the subsidies it introduced in 2009.
But the relationship is not always straightforward. Renewable electricity mainly competes with gas- and coal-fired power stations, not with oil. In North America, low oil prices may, paradoxically, lead to higher natural gas prices. Less fracking means there will be less of the associated gas that is produced along with shale oil. More broadly, much of the support for renewables has been political, and there is little sign that this is changing. Worries about climate change continue to ensure that clean energy enjoys strong political support in many developed countries. Whereas shares in oil companies have in recent months fallen along with the price, the S&P Global Clean Energy Index, which covers the industry’s 30 biggest listed companies, has barely budged.
The economics—and particularly the whopping subsidies of the past decade paid out in countries such as Germany and Britain—remain contested. Solar and wind are intermittent, so they are truly useful only if the power they produce can be stored; otherwise they need back-up capacity, typically from fossil-fuel sources. Dieter Helm, an energy expert at Oxford University, says that subsidies for primitive green technology, such as the current generation of solar panels, have been a “colossal mistake”. It would have been much better, he argues, to invest in proven technologies such as electrical interconnectors (linking Britain and Norway, for example) and support research into new kinds of solar power, such as films that can be applied to any outside surface and technologies that use a wider chunk of the spectrum.
Bits of the green-energy world are wilting under the impact of low oil prices. Some biofuels have become less attractive. The same is true for electric cars, which currently make up less than 1% of America’s light-vehicle fleet. Bloomberg New Energy Finance reckons that with petrol at $3.34 a gallon ($0.87 per litre), that share could rise to 9% by 2020. With petrol at $2.09, it would go up to just 6%. At the same time countries and companies thinking of switching from oil-fired power generation to renewables may reconsider. Saudi Arabia, for example, was planning to invest $110 billion in 41 GW of solar capacity by 2032, but may now want to think again.
Take the long view
Yet the long-term trend is clear. In particular solar electricity, and ways of storing it, are getting ever cheaper and better, as this special report will show. Sanford C. Bernstein, a research firm, sees “global energy deflation” ahead. Most of the investment decisions in the fossil-fuel industry are taken a decade or two ahead. The International Energy Agency (IEA), an intergovernmental organisation often criticised for its focus on fossil fuels, says the world will need to stump up about $23 trillion over the next 20 years to finance continued fossil-fuel extraction, but the prospect of much cheaper solar power and storage capabiliy may put investors off. The story may be not so much what falling oil prices mean for clean energy than what the prospect of clean energy will mean for the oil price.
Old energy industries are changing too. Gas will become more abundant and easier to trade. Even coal, the most widely used and so far most polluting fossil fuel, is not inherently dirty. It does not need to be burned but can be cooked instead to produce methane, which can then be used as a fuel or in petrochemicals. Modern coal-fired plants, though pricey, are far cleaner than the belching monsters of the past. The heat they produce is used, not wasted as in many traditional power plants. The emissions are scrubbed of the oxides (of nitrogen and sulphur) that eat away at bodies and buildings. In some projects—albeit for now on a tiny scale—the CO{-2} is also captured for storage or use. Such improvements could make coal as relatively clean as other fossil fuels, though they make commercial sense only if the rules are tilted in their favour. But if the price of such techniques comes down and the cost of pollution goes up, clean coal could be competitive.
Nuclear power, in theory, is a source of cheap, dependable, constant electricity. In practice it is too costly for private investors to back without government guarantees, and its perceived danger makes it unpopular in some European countries and in Japan. One of several flaws in Germany’s Energiewende—supposedly a big shift to green technology—was the hurried abandonment of the country’s nuclear capacity. Besides, many of the world’s existing nuclear power stations will have to close in the coming two decades. Barring a political shift or a technological breakthrough—perhaps in small, mass-produced nuclear plants—it is hard to see the fortunes of nuclear energy reviving.
Demand for energy is likely to hold up for some time yet, mainly thanks to rapid economic growth in emerging economies. The IEA predicts that over the next 25 years it will rise by 37%. Yet increasing efficiency in energy use and changes in behaviour have meant that the hitherto well-established link between economic growth and energy use is weakening.
More for less
America’s economy, for example, has grown by around 9% since 2007, whereas demand for finished petroleum products has dropped by nearly 11%. In Germany household consumption of electricity is now lower than it was in 1990. Global demand used to rise by 2% a year, but the rate is slowing. Even emissions in China, the world’s largest and dirtiest energy consumer, may peak by 2030, thanks to huge investments in new clean-coal power generation, nuclear and renewable energy and long-distance transmission lines. Simon Daniel, an energy expert, sees two conflicting trends: on one hand greater efficiency, local production and storage, on the other increased consumption from the billions of new devices that will be hooked up to the “internet of things”.
On current form the emissions from oil, gas and coal would, on most models, make it impossible to keep the rise in global temperatures below 2˚C by the year 2100; the most likely outcome would be a 4˚C rise, which has prompted calls for most of the world’s remaining hydrocarbons to be left in the ground. The IEA estimates the investment needed for “decarbonising” future electricity production alone at an astounding $44 trillion. The best hope of avoiding that much warming is a huge increase in energy efficiency.
One big component of that task will be to adapt the existing stock of buildings. Amory Lovins, one of the foremost prophets of energy efficiency and founder of Rocky Mountain Institute, a think-tank and consultancy based in Colorado, believes that the scope for improvement remains huge. He has long preached that proper building design and energy storage can eliminate the need for air-conditioning and space heating in most climates, and illustrates this by growing bananas in his own house, on a windswept mountainside in Colorado where winter temperatures can drop to –44˚C. Eliminating the heating system for his house, he says, saved more money than he spent on insulation and fancy windows. His optimism is slowly winning converts.
Despite all the obstacles, pretty much all the technology the world needs for a clean, green future is already available. As A.T. Kearney, a consultancy, notes in a recent report for the World Energy Council, a think-tank: “Energy-efficiency potentials combined with renewable-energy sources and shale-gas potentials provide an abundance of energy that can be made accessible with currently available technologies.”
Transmission costs for electricity are plunging, thanks to solid-state technology, which makes efficient direct-current circuitry safer and more flexible. Power grids which were previously isolated can now be connected: one audacious plan involves a 700-mile, £4 billion ($6 billion) link between Britain and Iceland. Such projects are costly up front, but offer big long-term savings from cheaper power, better storage and increased resilience.
More effective management of supply and demand also offers scope for big savings, as this special report will show. Sensors can now collect vast amounts of data about energy use, and computer power and algorithms can crunch that information to offer incentives to customers to curb consumption at peak times and increase it when demand is low. At the same time business models which can turn a profit from thrifty energy use are developing, and capital markets are waking up to their potential.
That splendidly energy-efficient house in Notting Hill demonstrates just how much can be done right now, even if it does not yet come cheap. Its owner, Michael Liebreich, founded a business called New Energy Finance, which he sold to Bloomberg, a financial-information company, in 2009. He has spent tens of thousands of pounds on making his home thrifty, resilient and productive.
The house is no stranger to energy revolutions. In 1865 its original builders installed a state-of-the-art delivery and storage system: a coal hole in the pavement, sealed by a handsome cast-iron hatch. Gas and then electric lighting, central heating and hot water came later. But the revolution under its current owner is the biggest yet. Despite the airtight insulation the rooms feel airy. Specially designed chimney cowls suck stale, moist air from the house while a heat exchanger keeps the thermal energy indoors.
The house now requires remarkably little input of energy. Gas and electricity bills for a dwelling of this size would normally run to at least £3,500 ($5,500) a year, but once everything is in place the owner expects not only to spend nothing but to receive a net payment for the electricity he produces. On the roof is a large array of solar panels which deliver two kilowatts (kW) of electricity on sunny days. Another source of power is a 1.5kW fuel cell in the former coal bunker. It runs on gas, with over 80% efficiency—far more than a conventional power station or boiler. The electricity from these two sources powers the household’s (ultra-frugal) domestic appliances and its low-energy lighting, as well as a heat pump (a refrigerator in reverse) that provides underfloor heating. A water tank stores surplus heat. Spare electricity is fed back into the grid.
Mr Liebreich does not claim that his house is easily copied, but he insists that through “thinning mist” the future is visible. “The only things that are inherently costly are the thermodynamic process and resource depletion—for everything else costs have come down, are coming down and will come down in future,” he says. In short, most of the forces changing the energy market are pushing in the right direction.ES Lifestyle Newsletter Enter your email address Please enter an email address Email address is invalid Fill out this field Email address is invalid You already have an account. Please log in or register with your social account
Sometimes, it almost seems to disappear into the desert. Conceived as a conjuring trick of architecture and topography, Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic Gateway to Space rises in a sinuous curve from the New Mexico dust, its steel surfaces weathered into a red-brown mirage on the horizon.
The route that the package-tour astronauts of tomorrow will take through the building has been meticulously devised by the architects of Foster + Partners to foreshadow the journey they will make into space: a concrete ramp ascends gently towards the centre of the building — a narrow, hooded cleft that even in the blinding south-western sunshine forms a small rectangle of perfect darkness.
A magnetic tag worn by each passenger triggers heavy steel doors that will open into a narrow and dimly lit passageway, the walls curving out towards another blackened doorway, and a catwalk with views of the 4,300 square-metre hangar four storeys below, housing the fleet of spacecraft in which they will travel.
And then, the finale: the last set of doors swings open into the astronaut lounge, a vast, open space filled with natural light from an elliptical wall of windows, offering a panorama of the 3km-long spaceport runway, and the sky beyond. The effect is just as the architects intended: although the building is not yet complete, when a group of prospective space tourists was brought to it, they found the experience so overwhelming they were moved to tears.
Yet there remains a great deal at stake out here in the desert. There are now nine locations in the US designated as spaceports, but the New Mexico complex — Spaceport America — is the only one built from scratch and designed to accommodate a regular passenger service. It was raised from nothing on an isolated plain 30 miles from the nearest town.
Creating it has not been cheap: to date, it has cost £155 million and the bill for the runway alone will be £24 million. And although the building at its centre bears Virgin Galactic’s name and was designed to the company’s requirements, it has been paid for by the state of New Mexico, whose citizens voted for a sales tax designed to finance its construction.
On a cold November morning, Christine Anderson, the former US Air Force official now charged with bringing Spaceport America to life, stands on a wind-whipped access road near the Gateway to Space. “This is the beginning of the commercial passenger space-line industry,” she says.
Anderson’s crews are on target to complete their work by the end of this year; Virgin Galactic plans a regular service — launching daily flights into space — for the start of 2014. She is optimistic about the future: daily sub-orbital passenger flights will be followed by point-to-point intercontinental travel that will traverse the globe in the time it takes to watch an in-flight movie; trips out of the Earth’s atmosphere will become as commonplace as taking a bus. “I hope,” Branson says later, “it’s the beginning of a whole new era in space travel.”
But before that can happen, Virgin Galactic will have to finish building its rocket. When complete, SpaceShipTwo’s cabin space will be 2.28m in diameter and 3.5m long, half the size of that in a small business jet.
After a take-off, tethered beneath the mothership — WhiteKnightTwo, a twin-fuselage turbojet with a 42m wingspan — the ascent to launch altitude will be the longest single part of the journey, taking more than an hour to reach nine miles high.
“There’s no drinks service, no newspapers,” says Dave Mackay, the former RAF test pilot and Virgin Atlantic captain who will be in the cockpit for Galactic’s first flights.
Once released from the mother ship, the spaceship drops away to a safe distance, where the pilot ignites the rocket motor, using two cockpit switches. With an unthrottled shriek, the rocket-plane shudders to full thrust within a tenth of a second, its nose pointed straight up to where the air thins towards the edge of space. At the instant of ignition, the passengers are thrown back into their seats with the full force of 3G, like being hurled against a brick wall. It’s 12 seconds to the sound barrier, 30 to Mach 2; within a minute, the spacecraft is travelling at 4,800kph.
“You’ll feel all the effects of what an astronaut goes through going to orbit,” says Steve Isakowitz, Galactic’s chief technical officer, an aerospace engineer and former administrator at Nasa. “The noise, the vibration, the acceleration, are almost the same as if you were sitting there in the Space Shuttle trying to go up to orbit.”
In those few seconds, the sky beyond the cockpit window tumbles through the spectrum of blues, from the rich azure of southern California to navy, indigo and then — abruptly — it turns black. “Not grey, black,” says test pilot Mike Melvill. “As black as black paint.”
After around 80 seconds, and 110km above the Earth’s surface, the pilot cuts the engine, and the rocket-plane enters zero gravity. The passengers have now become astronauts. Releasing their seatbelts, they float around the cabin, and gaze at the view: 1,600km from horizon to horizon, the curvature of the Earth subtle but clear, the fine blue line of the atmosphere easily visible against the blackness of space.
On-board cameras will capture every second of the experience, according to Virgin Galactic’s Mark Butler, who is leading the company’s preparations to open Spaceport America: “It will be the most photographed event of their lives,” he says.
It will also be one of the shortest. At the top of a parabolic arc, the rocket-plane will spend only four minutes in space before it begins to fall back down to Earth. The pilot positions the “feather” for re-entry, and the six passengers will fold their seats flat to enable them to cope with the 4-5G of acceleration they’ll encounter when returning to Earth’s atmosphere. After a 15-minute glide, they land on the runway.
If everything goes to plan, it may, after all, be possible for the world’s first commercial space-line to begin service from Spaceport America within a year.
In the meantime, the £130,000 tickets keep selling. At the start of last year, actor Ashton Kutcher became the 500th person to sign up, joining cosmologist Stephen Hawking, designer Philippe Starck and Dallas star Victoria Principal on the list of passengers. But not all the celebrities so far reported to be planning sightseeing trips in space have reserved tickets. Virgin has been discreet about the full list; all it will reveal is that, in the interests of democracy, Branson has insisted that no one gets a complimentary Branson has insisted that no one gets a complimentary ride, no matter how famous they are.
See the rest of this feature within the March 2013 issue of WIRED, on sale now.What they tell you about Los Angeles is that it’s a city for cars. They’ll tell you you can’t live here without one, and that being in one can be frustrating. They’ll tell you about bad drivers and parking problems and about how the meter maid has a stick up his ass. But none of that matters, because those things aren’t problems—they’re just annoying.
See, driving is like smoking. It’s fun in the beginning. If it’s not pleasant, it’s at least exciting. Maybe it gives you a little bit of a rush, but as time wears on, it becomes routine. That routine can get pretty annoying, but nobody ever stopped smoking because it was annoying; People stop smoking because they don’t want cancer. Well guess what:
Los Angeles has cancer.
Our experiences driving cars in this city are, for the most part, fleeting. We drive somewhere, we get out of the car, we close the door, and we walk away. But to think that we can escape the world that cars have created as easily as we escape the car itself is foolish. In fact, when we leave our cars, we walk into that world. We have to live in that putrid mess.
I’ve heard enough about traffic. I don’t care. People only complain about traffic because they don’t have the balls to talk about the real issue, which is that car culture is leeching away their quality of life, and there’s nothing they can do about it. We’ve spent more than enough time at this point talking about how being in a car is annoying. Los Angeles has cancer. Let’s talk about that.Chelsea’s frenetic end to the transfer window has stepped up a pace with the Premier League champions lodging a bid for Everton midfielder Ross Barkley.
The offer is believed to be worth around £25million and comes on the back of the £35m bid for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Chelsea will make a third offer for Leicester City’s Danny Drinkwater and are optimistic Swansea City will sanction the sale of striker Fernando Llorente before the transfer window shuts on Thursday night.
Everton originally valued Barkley at £50m at the start of the window, but are aware they will no longer get close to that figure and are now in talks with Chelsea over a deal.
Tottenham Hotspur have held a long-standing interest in Barkley and Everton will now hope they make a counter bid to try to drive the 23-year-old’s price back up.
Despite the fact Barkley is out for around three months with a hamstring injury and is in the final 12 months of his contract, Chelsea want to do a deal in this window.Boost for talks backed by Russia and Turkey as opposition groups consent to send delegation to press for ceasefire
The Syrian opposition says it will attend peace talks sponsored by Turkey and Russia in Kazakhstan next week, in a key step in the latest attempt to end the six-year civil war in Syria.
It is set to decide the makeup of its delegation on Monday. The negotiations in Astana will bring together representatives of the opposition and the regime of Bashar al-Assad, as well Russia, Turkey and Iran. Donald Trump’s incoming administration has also been invited.
The talks, which are expected to begin on 23 January, come weeks into a ceasefire negotiated by Ankara and Moscow that has largely held across the country. The opposition’s High Negotiations Committee said it would back the talks, and Mohammed Alloush, its lead negotiator, confirmed that a delegation would be attending.
Syria ceasefire appears to hold after rivals sign Russia-backed deal Read more
“All the rebel groups are going to Astana. Everyone has agreed,” said Alloush, a leading figure in the Jaish al-Islam rebel group, in an interview with AFP. “Astana is a process to end the bloodletting by the regime and its allies. We want to end this series of crimes.”
A senior Turkish official said the opposition was committed to the talks. “As we get ready for the Astana talks, we are trying our best to make sure that the ceasefire holds, and so we’re talking to the Russians to keep the regime in check, because most of the violations so far have been made by the regime in certain parts of Syria,” said İbrahim Kalın, a spokesman for the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. “But we are also talking to the opposition to remain committed to the Astana process, and they’ve been very helpful and cooperative so far.”
The talks are the first serious effort in months to put a stop to the carnage in Syria, which has killed nearly half a million people, displaced half its population and left much of the country in ruins.
Russia, whose intervention was crucial in rescuing the Assad regime and turning the tide of the war in its favour, and Turkey, a stalwart backer of the opposition, normalised their relations last summer. That rapprochement bore fruit in December when the two nations brokered a ceasefire in the city of Aleppo, allowing the evacuation of tens of thousands of civilians who were besieged in a shrinking patch of rebel-held territory.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Mohammed Alloush. Photograph: Denis Balibouse/Reuters
Now both are pushing the peace talks, with Moscow working to anchor its position as a global superpower and limit the costs of its intervention in the war, and Ankara hoping to stem an influx of refugees, 2 million of whom have fled to Turkey.
The opposition’s participation is a boost to the talks, but key issues remain that could derail them, including disagreements over the future of Assad, the shape of a transitional government, and rivalries within both camps – particularly the competing interests of Russia and the other key backer of the Syrian regime, Iran.
Although the talks are being launched without any preconditions, the rebels are keen to demand that Assad is ousted, and that a transitional government is appointed, a key sticking point that Assad’s representatives will not agree to without significant pressure. The regime has been emboldened by recent battlefield victories that have left the opposition without any major urban centres under its control.
“Our position on Assad is clear,” said Kalin. “We don’t believe that a united, peaceful Syria will be possible with Assad remaining in power. But as I said, we will see how Astana talks go. We want to go step by step at this point.”
Osama Abu Zeid, an opposition negotiator and a legal adviser to the Free Syrian Army, told the Guardian the talks in Astana had a limited aim – to ensure that the ceasefire continues.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Osama Abu Zaid, a spokesman for the Free Syrian Army rebel alliance. Photograph: Umit Bektas/Reuters
“The participation in Astana is supported by all the factions and the High Negotiations Committee, and we want through it to reaffirm the ceasefire,” he said. “We decided to go to Astana primarily to reaffirm the ceasefire after the Russians promised to look into practical ways to enforce it.”
He added: “There won’t be political negotiations, so we have created a military delegation [for the Astana talks].”
Abu Zeid said the first round of talks would be short and will help determine whether the Russians were serious about putting a halt to all the fighting in the country, particularly in areas besieged by the Assad regime. If the first round succeeds, the opposition was prepared to proceed to a second round of discussions, he said.
Some rebel groups have refused to attend the talks, saying they do not believe the Russians are honest brokers.
“We have decided not to attend these negotiations because we still doubt the seriousness of the Russians and their ability to instil an atmosphere conducive to a political solution,” said Bassam Mustafa, a member of the political office of Noureddine al-Zinki, a rebel group influential in Aleppo and its countryside, who cited numerous ceasefire violations by the regime and its allied militias.
Still, sources with knowledge of the negotiations have said they could not have succeeded without Moscow’s dogged insistence in the face of objections by Tehran, which appears to be less willing to compromise on Assad’s fate.
A source with knowledge of the Aleppo negotiations in December said the Russians often worked around the clock to ensure their success, and made sure that fighters leaving the city in private cars during the evacuation were not hindered. Their intervention prevented a final assault by the regime and its militias on the rebel enclave, the source added.
Iran repopulates Syria with Shia Muslims to help tighten regime's control Read more
Meanwhile, the Iranians raised additional issues to derail the evacuation, presenting what one rebel official at the time described as a “Christmas list” of demands that included the full evacuation of two Shia villages besieged by fighters linked to al-Qaida.
“This perennial ambiguity of the Iranians always pops up in these talks and negotiations,” said one official. “The Russians I think are more pragmatic when it comes to the future of Assad. Iranians seem to have a more ideological commitment to him staying.”
Tehran has deployed thousands of Shia militia fighters from Iran, Iraq and Lebanon in an effort to shore up the regime and to maintain a supply route through the country and into neighboring Lebanon, where Iran’s proxy Hezbollah holds sway. Much of the rhetoric of the militias’ leaders in publicly available recordings has sectarian undertones, and the Islamic Republic is seeking to cement its influence in a regional tussle with its Sunni rivals, Saudi Arabia and its allies.
The Iranians have also been accused of abetting demographic change in Syria, reportedly clearing areas reclaimed by the regime from their Sunni inhabitants and settling Shia residents there instead.SAN FRANCISCO — A Filipino woman, whose name has not been released, stabbed three people Monday afternoon, Aug. 22, in Brussels, Belgium.
The Filipina was wearing what seemed to be a headscarf. Police, however, believed the suspect was mentally ill and not a terrorist.
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The 52-year-old woman reportedly had an altercation on a bus before the attacks.
She allegedly attacked two of the victims while on the bus and one at a restaurant in a shopping mall in Uccle, part of greater Brussels. Police then shot and detained her, according an RT.com report.
The victims’ injuries are said to be non-life threatening, and the Filipina was taken to a hospital where she was treated then placed under arrest.
In a video footage filmed from inside the shopping mall, the woman can be seen sitting on a bench as six police officers close in.
The woman refused to throw away the knife when the officers asked her, and instead she ran away and was shot outside in the street. Prosecutors told news media that she had no criminal history.
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the other debug rooms are accessed, is STARTMAP. Its identification number in the field list is 65. Every field also has a signature by the event planner who handled the scenarios of that map. STARTMAP has Hiroki Chiba’s signature.
From there, some debug rooms can be accessed while others can’t. The debug rooms are typically black background fields, labelled “BLACKBG” followed by a number or a letter. However, some of these are used in the final game. To distinguish the BLACKBG maps, I complement the table below with color codes.
Default: Map is used in the final game
Blue: Accessible via STARTMAP
Red: Unused Map (not accessible via STARTMAP)
Field# Field Name Signature 93 BLACKBG1 Yoshinori Kitase 94 BLACKBG2 Motomu Toriyama 95 BLACKBG3 Keisuke Matsuhara 96 BLACKBG4 Hiroki Chiba 97 BLACKBG5 Kazushige Nojima 98 BLACKBG6 Jun Akiyama 99 BLACKBG7 Kazuhiko Yoshioka 100 BLACKBG8 Hideshi Kyonen 101 BLACKBG9 Yoshinori Kitase 102 BLACKBGA Motomu Toriyama 103 BLACKBGB Keisuke Matsuhara 104 BLACKBGC Hiroki Chiba 105 BLACKBGD Kazushige Nojima 106 BLACKBGE Jun Akiyama 107 BLACKBGF N/A 108 BLACKBGG N/A 109 BLACKBGH * Takashi Tokita 110 BLACKBGI Takashi Tokita 111 BLACKBGJ Masato Kato 112 BLACKBGK Masato Kato
*BLACKBGH is accessed via BLACKBGI, so it is only indirectly accessible from STARTMAP
To reiterate, the map names written in blue are reserved for the Unused Text Series. The remaining unused maps will be divulged here instead.
File Structure & Version Differences
One individual field/map/area in the PlayStation versions has a singular name but is made up of three file types. If you enter FFVII into your computer and check the FIELD folder, you will see the following file types for each map: DAT, MIM & BSX.
By knowing what these are, we can understand more about what the field contains versus what it does not contain. One common element is that a file which is only 2kB (2048 bytes) in size has nothing relevant in itself but nonsense, though there are exceptions.
————————————————————————————————————————
DAT
To use a table from the Qhimm wiki on FFVII data, here is what the DAT file includes:
Section Name Section Information Script Contains conversations, save point interaction, etc. Walkmesh Contains walkmesh triangles and access info. TileMap Contains the information for the background, animation
and static scene objects. Camera_Matrix Contains camera info. Triggers Contains triggers, singles, gateways and so on. Encounters Battle encounter information for location. Models Some info about field models.
In short, DAT is extremely crucial for a functional map. If a DAT file is only 2048 bytes in size, expect it to have nothing of the items listed in the above table.
MIM
The actual background image, or at least most of it, is contained in the MIM file. Without the DAT file to properly arrange the graphic tiles, you won’t get a solid-looking background. Just like DAT, MIM has nothing to divulge if it is merely 2048 bytes big.
BSX
Any field model which is not the main character (the nine playable characters) is contained here. The playable characters are instead contained in separate BCX files, which are not related to any specific field. This is why the BSX file can be below 2kB, but still have the models for Cloud, Barret, Tifa, Aeris, Red XIII, Yuffie, Cait Sith, Vincent and Cid.
————————————————————————————————————————
The file size of the DAT, MIM and BSX in each unused map will be presented. Often data was deleted or changed between releases of FFVII. Here are the abbreviations this article will use for the PlayStation releases:
– JORG: “Japanese Original”. Released on January 31st, 1997.
– JINT: “FFVII International”. Released on October 2nd, 1997.
– ENG: “English Version”. No unused files were changed between the American and (English) European versions.
– Post-JORG: Any edition after the very first Japanese release.
The PlayStation discs have the field files typed in capital letters, which is the system that shall be mimicked in this article. In contrast, the PC version has fields written in lower case letters.
The PC game has all its map inside the “flevel.lgp” file, where each map now consists of one file instead of three. Many unused maps were deleted for the PC port, with the exceptions of the debug rooms and a few others. Unless otherwise mentioned, an unused map is not available in the PC version. All that remains of these maps are their names in an internal map list that the port uses.
The Unused Fields
Thank you for getting through the intro stage to this point. Enjoy the reward!
Map Index
– DUMMY
– Q_5
– BLACKBGA
– BLACKBGE
– BLACKBGF & BLACKBGG
– WHITEBG1
– WHITEBG2
– ONNA_1, ONNA_3 & ONNA_6
– BLIN69_2
– TRAP
– CONVIL_3
– JUNMON
– SUBIN_4
– SHPIN_22
– PASS
– HYOU14
– TRNAD_53
– XMVTES
– FALLP
– M_ENDO
– FSHIP_26
DISCLAIMER: The commentary for these fields includes a lot of speculation, often due to the limited amount of data we have to go on. I hope the reader will find the speculation to be reasonable.
DUMMY
VIDEO:
DUMMY – FFVII Unlocked
ID#: 0
SIGNATURE: Motomu Toriyama
Due to DUMMY not being associated with any specific event, the signature and the map don’t reflect anything that Toriyama was in charge of. DUMMY could just as well have any other signature.
FILE SIZES: The numbers within these tables are the byte size of the file in each respective format and version of FFVII.
BSX DAT MIM JORG 17446 7142 31221 JINT 17446 2048 31221 ENG 17446 7169 31221
Due to the DAT file being only 2kB in JINT, DUMMY is not complete enough to be an explorable field. Teleporting here simply leads to a black space where the game will essentially have frozen. It must be accessed via JORG or the English game.
If you are using an emulator like pSX, the emulator will crash if you try to jump to DUMMY via FFVII International. It is not the case with all unused maps (that have a DAT file of only 2048 bytes) that the emulator will crash. With some examples, all you get is a blank loading screen and nothing more.
DUMMY has no text, so the tiny difference in DAT size between JORG and ENG most likely comes from the latter having support for red/green arrows, while the former does not. The original Japanese release did not include red arrows for gateways and no green arrows for ladders.
The MIM size of 31221 bytes is a standard for all black background fields.
MUSIC: None
WALKMESH: All black background fields use the same type of walkmesh.
The camera has zoomed too far in DUMMY in order to see the player hitting any wall when roaming this field. This is also very common for maps with a simple black background, even in cases where the camera follows the player to some extent. Walkmesh images are taken from Makou Reactor.
FIELD MODELS:
cloud ballete red13 tifa cid earith boy avaf Cloud Barret Red XIII Tifa Cid Aerith Shinra Grunt Jessie
Aside from “boy” not matching the Shinra Grunt model, all the other romanizations here are quite common in the ID# list for field models. Jessie receives the romanization of avaf (AVALANCHE Female), though in some parts, Wedge receives this codename instead (AVALANCHE Fat?). When Wedge is called avaf, Jessie instead has the name avaw (AVALANCHE Woman).
Unless otherwise mentioned, a field model will have the following animations:
ANIMATION #0: Standing
ANIMATION #1: Walking
ANIMATION #2: Running
Jessie, in DUMMY, is unusual,though, as her zeroth animation is not that of standing, but laying on her back and moving her leg. She also has a “shrug” animation, which, just like the resting animation, is never used by her in the final game. This shrug animation is more commonly associated with Cloud.
All models except for Tifa and the infantryman have as their default to perform an animation repeatedly, while between each repeat resetting to their zeroth animation. All these animations, with Jessie as the exception, are seen in the final game. Only Tifa and the grunt have the three standard animations, while everyone else has a fourth animation which is what they are repeating.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
Being the very first field of the list and with the name “DUMMY,” it was clearly never intended for the player to visit in the final game. There isn’t much trace of any debugging having been made via this map either.
I speculate that this map was a template from which new fields were made; DUMMY might have been copied, then from that new fields were built. The basic field data is there, without too much having to be deleted.
Q_5 (Fifth Gelnika Room)
All Gelnika maps start with the letter “Q”. This might stand for “Question”, matching with the theme of some monsters here being called “Unknown”.
ID#: 92
SIGNATURE: N/A
Gelnika fields Q_1 through Q_4 expectedly occupy the field IDs of 88-91. Keisuke Matsuhara’s signature is in all of these, so he is assumed to have been in charge of Q_5.
Q_1 ————————————— Q_2 ————————————— Q_3 ————————————— Q_4
In the PC version, the Gelnika files are renamed as follows: qa, qb, qc, qd & qe. The PC version of Q_5 (qe) only exists in the field list, but not as an actual field file.
FILE SIZES:
All file types in all PlayStation versions are 2048 bytes. As was mentioned before, 2048 is the standard byte size when a file is not in any functional state.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
The used Gelnika maps do not show any obvious unused doors. If a fifth room was ever drawn by Kusanagi or the game’s concept artists, one could guess that it was to be accessed via the bottom of Q_2 or Q_4. Or is that a sealed door on the right wall of Q_3? How fitting that the eerie sunken Gelnika now teases us with its unused map.
BLACKBGA
Motomu Toriyama’s discarded debug room, which was left in favor of his final debug room, BLACKBG2. The unused text of this map will be divulged in a separate article specifically about BLACKBGA. The kanji is often false in this map due to the text being made during an older, smaller build of the game’s kanji table.
BLACKBGA versus BLACKBG2
VIDEO: No release date planned for this video.
ID#: 105
SIGNATURE: Motomu Toriyama
FILE SIZES:
BSX DAT MIM JORG 58790 10171 31221 Post-JORG 58790 2048 31221
BLACKBGA is one of a handful of maps that can only be visited in the first Japanese release.
MUSIC: Aerith’s Theme CORRUPTED
In an older build of FFVII’s instrumental database, this theme would (presumably) have played in a fashion like in the final game. However, due to additions to the sound data, the one music track of BLACKBGA becomes messed up. Click below to listen.
– Aerith’s Theme ‘Corrupted’
WALKMESH:
Walkmesh is the same between BLACKBGA and BLACKBG2. How the camera follows the player is also identical.
FIELD MODELS:
INVIS stands for “INVISIBLE”.
cloud tifa ballet earith guard dancer air cos ket crew INVIS INVIS INVIS INVIS Red Shinra Guard Honey Bee Girl Sephiroth Dark-skinned Costa del Sol Woman Cait Sith Sailor
Either due to having no polygon data or due to the models using an outdated encryption, four characters are invisible here. Moving around with the default player character, Cloud, can be a bit of a hassle, but is made easier if you press select to summon the white glove. Clearly, the map here can not be referring to the BCX character files, which are meant to give the field-specific BSX files some slack. By talking to the invisible models, we can tell that the positions of Aerith, Barret and Tifa in BLACKBG2 matches with BLACKBGA. We don’t know if their field models had special costumes/dresses in BLACKBGA, though.
What is fairly clear is that these models used to be visible. Barret has the setting to perform two animations, jump on the spot three times, then after 120 frames do the same thing all over again. The visible Honey Bee Inn model is the only one that we get to see repeat motions on her spot.
As for animations, Sephiroth and Cait Sith ONLY have their respective standing animation and nothing else. The other visible characters have the three default animations, while the Honey Bee Girl is the only one sporting additional movement, with her turning around and wagging her “stinger” taking up four animations. Nothing else to see, but the animation of the red Shinra Guard walking and running looks a bit primitive because it makes his feet cross each other.
No model has any eye texture. This is consistent with a promotional video for FFVII that shows an early build of the game where many models lack eyes. (See primarily between 01:31-02:41 in the video)
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
With both the text and the music being off due to BLACKBGA being from an older build of FFVII, it becomes a reasonable question if the map jumps available here reflect what they used to be. If you speak to the Costa del Sol NPC and select the first option, the game will send you to SUBIN_4, which is actually another unused map.
The first option has the sign “家”, but by using Asa’s kanji correction key we find that the correct kanji is “街”. This actually matches up with the text in BLACKBG2.
BLACKBGA versus BLACKBG2
This is how we confirm that the map jump to SUBIN_4 is actually wrong. 街 means “town/sector/neighborhood”. In BLACKBG2, this option sends us to the central town area of Costa del Sol. In fact, the girl is completely devoted to map jumps to Costa del Sol in BLACKBG2, while it is the sailor instead who has map jumps to the submarine.
Because of these disparities and the fact that “town/sector/neighborhood” in no way matches up with a submarine area, the map jump to SUBIN_4 can only be a result from the changes to the full field ID list. The same observation can be made for all the other map jumps in BLACKBGA. So, in other words, this scrapped debug room shows its age not only in sound, text and field models, but also in its map jumps. Truly fascinating.
BLACKBGE
The unused text of BLACKBGE was presented at the end of Part 8 and (will be presented in) Part 11 in the Unused Text Series, respectively. For a full text analysis, visit these articles. In brief, BLACKBGE has an unused switch to the second disc and an unused monologue by Sephiroth prior to the battle against his second form.
VIDEOS:
– Bone Village, Forgotten City & Disc Switch – FFVII Unlocked (see 02:05-03:00)
– Final Dungeon – FFVII Unlocked (see 02:32-4:24)
ID#: 106
SIGNATURE: Jun Akiyama
There is no unused map jump to BLACKBGE, not even in Jun Akiyama’s debug room (BLACKBG6).
FILE SIZES:
BSX DAT MIM JORG 90 7360 31221 JINT 90 7385 31221 ENG 90 7405 31221
BLACKBGE also exists in the PC version.
The small DAT difference between JORG and JINT can, again, be bogged down to the added support for red and green arrows.
MUSIC: “Stop Music”
A very short, completely silent music track is often used to silence a previously playing tune. The game has a “stop music” operation code, but it doesn’t appear to be functional.
WALKMESH:
FIELD MODELS:
Cloud is the only field model here. Not even Tifa and Cid are included, which is otherwise the common trinity that’s included in maps. Incidentally, Cloud’s standard three animations (standing, walking and running) have Jun Akiyama’s signature. The small size of the BSX file in BLACKBGE indicates that the Cloud BCX file is referred to instead when his model is spawned.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
Nothing more to say. Moving on.
BLACKBGF & BLACKBGG
The two fields are grouped together here due to their nigh-identical data.
ID#: BLACKBGF=107, BLACKBGG=108
SIGNATURE: N/A
FILE SIZES:
Both fields have identical file sizes, across all PlayStation versions.
BSX DAT MIM 2048 2048 31221
MIM size corresponds exactly to that of other black background fields, so the background for these maps is no secret.
As was mentioned back in the DUMMY section, jumping to maps with 2kB DAT files will etiher cause the PlayStation emulator to crash or leave you with a never-ending black screen. This suggests that while some of these 2048-byte DAT files are identical in size, their content may be different. Jumping to BLACKBGF will cause the emulator to crash, but not so if you jump to BLACKBGG.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
Whether BLACKBGF and BLACKBGG were ever reserved for any particular debuggers is difficult to say. It is easy to imagine that many BLACKBG maps were made just to be on the safe side, so that event planners would not run out of maps to experiment in. But BLACKBGG is not the last map on the BLACKBG list, as it continues up to BLACKBGK.
If these two maps were reserved for any particular debugger, there are a number of candidates. The signature “oka” pops up in random fields all over the list, but this oka does not have his own debug room. What is not clear is if this oka is “Kazuhiko Yoshioka” (event planner and whose name matches with the producer of Chrono Trigger) or “Masaru Oka” (a map planner).
The two other candidates would be Takashi Tokita & Masato Kato, who both receive special thanks in the FFVII credits.
WHITEBG1
The unlockable scene in WHITEBG1 will be presented in Part 10 in the Unused Text Series. There is additional text in WHITEBG1 due to it also belonging to a duplicate group, except this text is outdated. This anomaly will be presented in an appendix to the Unused Text Series.
In short, WHITEBG1 holds a more primitive version of the scene that occurs in WHITEBG3 in the final game: The scene where a young Tifa and a young Cloud are found by Tifa’s father and another man.
VIDEO:
– The Lifestream Events – FFVII Unlocked (see 01:28-04:22)
ID#: 113
SIGNATURE: Yoshinori Kitase
The signature matches that of WHITEBG3.
FILE SIZES:
BSX DAT MIM JORG 37794 11717 15746 Post-JORG 37794 2048 15746
Consistent with the DAT size, WHITEBG1 can only be visited in JORG.
MUSIC: None
WALKMESH: Not just the black background fields, but also the WHITEBG1 and WHITEBG3, use this walkmesh.
FIELD MODELS:
cl ti cid tcl Untitled Untitled tpa Untitled Cloud Tifa Cloud Cloud Clone Young Tifa Young Cloud Tifa’s Father Man
The field model list is identical to that of WHITEBG3. The only difference is that in WHITEBG1, Tifa’s father does not have the animations where he partially kneels and scolds Cloud with judging arm motions.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
Although the kanji is erroneous in WHITEBG1 due to it being from when the kanji table was smaller, when the kanji is corrected, most of the unlockable scene text is the same as the WHITEBG3 counterpart. Only a line by Tifa’s father shows a small disparity with the final result.
WHITEBG2
Some may remember this map and its scene from Part 2 in the Unused Text Series. It’s the unused scene where Cloud has collapsed and the other AVALANCHE members are trying to wake him up.
VIDEOS:
– Sector 7 Events 2/2 – FFVII Unlocked (02:12-02:02:35 for WHITEBG2 scene; watch whole video for full context)
– WHITEBG2 – FFVII Unlocked
ID#: 114
SIGNATURE: Motomu Toriyama
FILE SIZES:
BSX DAT MIM JORG 17263 8895 15746 Post-JORG 17263 2048 15746
Only possible to visit in JORG? Why of course!
MUSIC: None
WALKMESH:
The area is a square, but with two spikes.
FIELD MODELS:
cloud ballet tifa avaw avas aval Cloud Barret Tifa Jessie Wedge Biggs
Relative to Cloud, all the other field models (except possibly Wedge) have been enlarged. Barret is considerably bigger than the rest. There are no unused animations to spot here.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
The AVALANCHE basement in the 7th Heaven bar has an unused map jump to WHITEBG2. The intention was possibly to have Cloud collapse after having first gone down via the pinball elevator.
ONNA_1, ONNA_3 & ONNA_6 (Honey Bee Inn)
All the secrets of the unused Honey Bee Inn maps are divulged in page one and two of The Unused Text Part 4. Hopefully the article will receive an update in the future, where the final kanji corrections and some re-retranslations can be made.
ID#: ONNA_1=215, ONNA_3=217, ONNA_6=221.
SIGNATURE: Motomu Toriyama
FILE SIZES:
ONNA_1 BSX DAT MIM JORG 60367 16594 220021 Post-JORG 60367 2048 220021
ONNA_3 BSX DAT MIM JORG 24492 10029 240548 Post-JORG 24492 2048 240548
ONNA_6 BSX DAT MIM JORG 13703 11108 260669 Post-JORG 13703 2048 260669
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
With the current edition of Makou Reactor, it is now possible to create new gateways in the unused Honey Bee Inn maps. Normally these are prison fields, but now this can be amended if you desire to mod these fields back into the game. To mod these into the English game, all you need to do is place the appropriate ONNA DAT files into the English game. The only downside is that red triangles will appear at random spots. Because the JORG DAT files do not have support for red arrows, these can’t be adjusted to fit the locations. The modding tools to fix this do not currently exist.
BLIN69_2 (Shinra Building, 69th Floor)
BLIN69_1 is the area where Tifa stays behind to wait for Cloud, while Barret and Red XIII attempt to escape with Aeris. There is no additional “BLIN69” field used in the final game. BLIN69_1 contains in itself both the “blood” and “no blood” versions (due to the blood being an animation parameter).
ID#: 265
SIGNATURE: N/A
FILE SIZES:
All files are 2048 bytes in size in all PlayStation versions.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
We can do some reasonable speculation on what BLIN69_2 might have looked like. The map name extension “_2” is used throughout the floors of the Shinra HQ fields. While for example BLIN60_1 shows the full floor, BLIN60_2 zooms in on the elevator doors on that floor.
BLIN60_1 ————————— BLIN60_2
The 67th floor is another example.
BLIN67_1 ————————— BLIN67_2
This pattern is true for a total of seven floors in the Shinra HQ. If this holds true for the unused field, then we can imagine for ourselves which section of BLIN69_1 we might need to zoom into in order to get BLIN69_2.
TRAP
The above image is a texture rip with all the graphic tiles in their default order, courtesy of Makou Reactor creator Myst6re.
ID#: 346
SIGNATURE: N/A
FILE SIZES:
File sizes are the same in all PlayStation versions.
BSX DAT MIM 2048 2048 119318 bytes
Because the DAT file is incomplete, the background tiles in MIM are not arranged properly. What might TRAP look like when restored to its original form?
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
Some of you may wonder what is up with the red portions among the tiles.
A background in FFVII usually consists of two layers. Often, one layer shows the sections that can be overlaid on the playable character, to make it appear like they are standing behind an object. When both layers are on top of each other, the full picture is formed. Let’s use the FARM field as an example.
PLUS EQUALS
This is why we have the red sections in the TRAP texture rip. One can spot how the red shapes match some of the rock tiles in TRAP, meaning that some tiles are meant to be laid over others.
**MAY 2014 UPDATE**
Final Fantasy VII veteran BrutalAl found that a logical pattern actually dictates how the tiles are grouped in the rip of the TRAP MIM file and used this knowledge to restore the field image. For the first time since developers worked on the game over 17 years ago, human eyes can yet again gaze at the TRAP background.
With the size of 320×320, we can see that without zoom it matches FFVII’s default resolution of 320×240. This means that if you roamed this field inside the game, you would get some scrolling on the up-down axis. Judging from the tiles with red in the texture rip, the player was able to partially hide behind the top and the sides of the rock formation.
How BrutalAl restored the map:
The direct rip can be divided into 6+1 groups of tiles, as is immediately visible. Group 7 (top right) is an obvious “foreground layer”. The first step was to confirm if there were enough tiles in the six groups to fill a whole square without there remaining an uneven number of tiles at the end.
6 (number of tile groups) * 64 (tiles in each group) – 5 (the 6th group has five tiles fewer) + 21 (include the completely “empty” tiles that are behind group 7) = 400
400 is a convenient number. It can create an image of 10*40, 16*25 or 20*20. This also means, with great likelihood, that the picture is completely without animations.
Contrary to what some might assume, the tiles in each group are NOT randomly mixed. They are placed in an order that is used for the final field image/map. The tile at the top left in a group will always be used BEFORE the second tile on that row, the second tile will always be used before the third and so on in that group.
This also means that the first tile in the final image must be Tile #1 either from group number 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 or 6. Let us say that Tile 4-01 (Group 4 Tile 01) is supposed to be at the top left in the final image. The tile to its right could yet again be one of six possible, either 1-01, 2-01, 3-01, 4-02, 5-01 or 6-01. Earlier we found the necessary dimensions to make use of the 400 tiles, so through that we know that the row will end either on tile 10, 16, 20 or 25.
Once the first row was completed the process became much easier, because then the “next” tile could always be matched with two other tiles (the one to the left and the one above).
After three hours of active work, BrutalAl solved the TRAP puzzle. Time was saved by having Photoshop “create” numbered tile pieces for him, automatically.
****
But what events were TRAP meant for? In general, the fields are listed in a way that represent the player’s progression through areas in the game’s story. Key term being “in general”. The context of TRAP is that it’s placed right after the Chocobo Farm maps, but right before FR_E and SICHI.
FR_E (ID#347) ——— SICHI (ID#348)
FR_E ended up used on the second disc event instead, right after the team encounters Diamond Weapon. But let’s continue the speculation anyway. Being positioned right after the Chocobo Farm fields, could it be that your task was to catch Chocobos via TRAP instead of the overworld?
It is not farfetched to think that TRAP was the original field where Yuffie was to be recruited to your team. Was Yuffie to set up a trap for our heroes? I argued for Yuffie’s scrapped, early recruitment in Unused Text Part 6, after noting that Yuffie can be present when the team reacts to the impaled Midgar Zolom. Here is that segment from the article.
Yuffie’s presence can be explained by the theory that originally she was meant to be recruitable earlier on. In the Character Files section of the FFVII Ultimania Omega’s Early Material Files, the recruitment info says that Yuffie was to be available any time after passing Kalm. Semantics can argue that the earliest window in the final game to recruit her, which is after passing through the Mythril Mines (when you get to the first forest patches), is technically after Kalm, but the Ultimania passage is still arguably suggestive. Also take into account the odd fact that even though you battle Yuffie in a forest, the scene that follows takes place on a grassfield with no trees in sight. This item, too, is with a counterpoint, specifically that the party may have dragged her out of the forest for reasons unknown, but the combination of this odd transition and the recruitment info in the Early Material Files adds credence to the notion that originally Yuffie was to be encountered on the grassy fields. In this scrapped framework, she would have been naturally present in the scene with the impaled Midgar Zolom.
The final game’s field where Yuffie is recruited is YOUGAN2, which is placed after Rocket Town but before Wutai in the map list. The fields where Yuffie can steal your materia are in YOUGAN and YOUGAN3, which lay adjacent to YOUGAN2 in the table.
Without additional data, we have to end our speculations here.
CONVIL_3 (Fort Condor)
Although the place is called Fort Condor, the file name clearly stands for “Condor Village”.
ID#: 357
SIGNATURE: Kazuhiko Yoshioka
Yoshioka was also in charge of the Fort Condor minigame.
FILE SIZES:
Data size is the same in all PlayStation versions.
BSX DAT MIM 7785 2048 2048
Despite the DAT file being only 2048 bytes, there is readable text if you open it in any text document (be it Word or Notes). This string only appears in the JORG version of the DAT file. This here is what we see:
kyoshio convil_ init cloud ballet tifa earith red yufi ketcy vincent cid
In all other cases in the field list, Kazuhiko Yoshioka writes his signature as “yosioka”. This is the only time we see it written as “kyoshio”. It is thanks to this unusual DAT file that we can list the map’s signature with hundred percent certainty.
“init” is commonly the first item on the field’s ID table (followed by data for background animations and field models), as it decides what the map should do when it loads. An init group can be found in all CONVIL fields. There is a space between convil_ and init, so the two are probably not meant to be linked.
In the remaining string we see recognizable romanizations for the names of the main playable characters. Whether the BSX file actually contain field models corresponding to these names or something completely different, is unknown. If the BCX character model files were the only thing referred to the BSX file in CONVIL_3 would be considerably smaller. My guess is that this field model data uses the outdated encryptions for the main characters, like what might be the case in BLACKBGA.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
We actually have two confident guesses as to what CONVIL_3 looked like. First, we round up the used fields.
CONVIL_1 —————— CONVIL_2 (default) —————— CONVIL_2 (animation) —————— CONVIL_4
When speaking to the NPC in the cabin, you can activate the CONVIL_2 animation and get to see the condor. This image is similar to the condor/phoenix FMV, but not identical with any frame from that sequence.
Don’t forget that we also have a minigame where a Fort Condor map is roamed.
Minigame Map *Open in separate tab for full size*
While the CONVIL_2 view of the condor is a candidate for CONVIL_3, I place my bet on the minigame map to have once been CONVIL_3. Initially the minigame may have been planned to take place on a normal field map, but was then moved to the minigame folder.
The minigame map rip is from the PC version, from the condor.lgp file in the minigame folder. The equivalent file in the PSX version has to be in either the CONDOR.BIN file or one of the CONDOR.LZS files. Without proper tools to extract these, I am not sure which holds the minigame map.
JUNMON
The map is fittingly grouped with other Junon fields. The only file name interpretation I can think of is “Junon Monster“.
ID#: 403
SIGNATURE: N/A
Yoshinori Kitase is the best guess for this field. Read further below.
FILE SIZES:
All files are 2048 bytes in size in all PlayStation versions.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
The file name and the interpretation of it leads one to think of Sapphire Weapon’s attack on Junon on the second disc. The placement of JUNMON in the field list fits, as it is placed right after the “JUNBIN” fields where the Weapon events in Junon take place. Yoshinori Kitase handled that scenario and his name might belong to JUNMON. All the other Junon events were handled by Toriyama.
I speculate that JUNMON was to act as a transitional field into one of the Sapphire Weapon FMVs. The final game sometimes uses transitional maps, even when not necessary, for some FMVs. For example the FMV showing Junon begins after first loading the JUNON field.
The walkmesh and the field models therein are used as the transition. The FMV triggers so quickly that the player never actually gets to see the JUNON map loaded; they only see its FMV counterpart.
So, perhaps a snapshot from one of the Sapphire Weapon FMVs could be what JUNMON looked like?
SUBIN_4 (Inside Submarine)
This is the unused map we saw referenced in BLACKBGA. This is the only map jump to SUBIN_4 in the entire game.
ID#: 410
SIGNATURE: N/A
Motomu Toriyama was most surely responsible for SUBIN_4, seeing as he handled all the other submarine fields and the submarine minigame.
FILE SIZES:
All files are 2048 bytes in size in all PlayStation versions.
ADDITIONAL COMMENTARY:
For completion, let’s list all the SUBIN fields that the final game employs. The red submarine is only visited if you lose in the submarine mission, which leads to the grey sub being destroyed.
Grey Submarine
SUBIN_1B ———————— SUBIN_2B ———————— SUBIN_3
Red Submarine
SUBIN_1A ——— SUBIN_2A
When losing the submarine minigame, the team enter SUBIN_3. They then launch themselves out of the malfunctioning submarine by riding on a torpedo. This odd scenario where they launch themselves out is never actually seen. SUBIN_4 could be an area accessed from SUBIN_3, perhaps after Cloud opens the door on the upper right of SUBIN_3.
Entrance to SUBIN_4?
There exists no gateway data to prove this notion though. Grouping SUBIN_4 with the grey submarine would fit though. If this unused map belonged to the red submarine, one would have expected SUBIN_3 to be called “SUBIN_3B” and SUBIN_4 to be “SUBIN |
phones, targeted at enthusiasts, are due for release before the end of the year, though a usable Unity 8 on the desktop is, Ubuntu developers have said in the past, unlikely to be ready before April 2016.
No matter what fans on any side may assume it’s still too soon to guess whose approach will work.
We can all pick our favourite convergence method on paper, but it’ll be the market that ultimately decides.Image caption Damien Shannon said he needed to prove to the university he could access £12,900 for living costs
A judge has reserved his decision over whether a student's human rights were breached when an Oxford college turned him down on financial grounds.
Damien Shannon, 26, from Salford had alleged St Hugh's College was discriminating against poorer students.
He said because he had no proof he could cover living costs, an offer from the college was withdrawn.
Judge Armitage QC reserved judgement at Manchester County Court until a future unspecified date.
The college requires proof from potential students that they can cover costs of £12,900 before they are accepted onto courses.
Lawyers representing St Hugh's had asked the judge to dismiss Mr Shannon's request to have the financial restriction removed.
Mr Shannon wanted the court to order the Oxford University college to remove the financial rule, claiming it contravenes the Human Rights Act, and to allow him to take up his postgraduate place in the next academic year.
'Arbitrary figure'
In his claim to the court he stated: "It is my contention that the effect of the financial conditions of entry is to select students on the basis of wealth and to exclude those not in possession of it."
Mr Shannon alleged his place on the year-long economic and social history course was withdrawn due to the "arbitrary figure" the college had set.
He said the sum required by the college was "not obtainable" for most people.
He had calculated he could live off the £9,000 he had access to after taking out a loan to cover his tuition fees.
A spokesman for St Hugh's College said: "The requirement that postgraduate students provide a financial guarantee in order to take up their course place at the University of Oxford is made clear to potential applicants."
The university said a financial guarantee was required before postgraduate students began their studies to ensure their fees and living costs were covered throughout the course.
The amount of £12,900 was calculated from an annual survey of college domestic bursars, who have expert knowledge of the local costs of core items such as accommodation, food, utility bills, books and socialising, the spokesman said.
"We consider this preferable not only for the institution but for the welfare of the individual student, as it prevents dropouts and disruption part way through a course," he said.March 31, 2016
U.S. Autism Rate Unchanged in New CDC Report
Researchers say it’s too early to tell if rate has stabilized
Researchers at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health contributed to a new U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report that finds the prevalence of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) largely unchanged from two years ago, at one in 68 children (or 1.46 percent). Boys were 4.5 times more likely to be identified with ASD than girls, an established trend. The rate is one in 42 among boys and one in 189 among girls.
ASD is a developmental disorder characterized by social and communication impairments, limited interest and repetitive behaviors. Early diagnosis and intervention are important to improving learning and skills. Rates have been rising since the 1960s, but researchers do not know how much of this rise is due to more children being diagnosed with ASD or if actual cases are increasing or a combination of both. The CDC’s first prevalance report, which was released in 2007 and was based on 2000 and 2002 data, found that one in 150 children had ASD.
For this new report, the CDC collected data at 11 regional monitoring sites that are part of the Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring (ADDM) Network in the following states: Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Maryland, Missouri, New Jersey, North Carolina, South Carolina, Utah, and Wisconsin. The Maryland monitoring site is based at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“Although we did not observe a significant increase in the overall prevalence rates in the monitoring sites, we continue to see the disparity among racial and ethnic groups,” says Dr. Li-Ching Lee, PhD, ScM, a psychiatric epidemiologist with the Bloomberg School’s departments of Epidemiology and Mental Health, and the principal investigator for the Maryland-ADDM. “For example, in Maryland, we found that Hispanic children were less likely to be evaluated for developmental concerns and therefore less likely to be identified.”
In Maryland, Lee notes, the vast majority of children (95 percent) identified with ASD had a developmental concern in their records by age three, but only 55 percent of them received a comprehensive evaluation by age three. “This lag may delay the timing for children with ASD to get diagnosed and receive needed services,” Lee says.
The prevalence in Maryland was one in 55 children (1.82 percent) with one in 34 among boys and one in 161 among girls. The data were derived from health and special education records of children who were eight years old and living in Baltimore County in 2012.
This is the sixth report by the CDC’s Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network (ADDM), which has used the same surveillance methods for more than a decade. Estimated prevalence rates of ASD in the U.S. reported by previous data were:
one in 68 children in the 2014 report that looked at 2010 data
one in 88 children in the 2012 report that looked at 2008 data
one in 110 children in the 2009 report that looked at 2006 data
one in 150 children in the 2007 report that looked at 2000 and 2002 data
The researchers say it is too early to tell if the overall prevalence rate has stabilized because the numbers vary widely across ADDM communities. In communities where both health and education records were reviewed, the rates are from a low of 1.24% in parts of South Carolina to a high of 2.46% in parts of New Jersey.
Some trends in the latest CDC report data remain consistent, such as the greater likelihood of boys being diagnosed with ASD. Disparities by race/ethnicity in estimated ASD prevalence, the age of earliest comprehensive evaluation and presence of a previous ASD diagnosis or classification persist. Specifically, non-white children with ASD are being identified and evaluated at a later age than non-Hispanic white children. The majority of children identified with ASD by the ADDM Network (82 percent) had a previous ASD diagnosis or a special educational classification.
The causes of autism are not completely understood; studies show that both environment and genetics may play a role. There is no known cure, and no treatment or intervention has been proven to reduce the prevalence of ASD. The CDC recommends that parents track their child’s development, act quickly and get their child screened if they have a concern. Free checklists and information for parents, physicians and child care providers are available at http://www.cdc.gov/ActEarly.
A full copy of the report, “Prevalence of Autism Spectrum Disorder – Autism and Developmental Disabilities Monitoring Network, 11 Sites, United States, 2012,” is available on the CDC website here.
A copy of the Community Report with individual state statistics is available here.
# # #
Media contacts for the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health: Barbara Benham at 443-703-8851 or bbenham1@jhu.edu and Michelle Landrum at 443-287-2769 or mlandru5@jhu.edu.Dear Readers. Shaun Lehmann, Katherine Firth (of the Research Voodoo blog) and I are currently in the process of writing a new book for Open University Press called ‘Writing Trouble’.
The proposed book evolved out of our work on the Thesis Bootcamp program, a writing intervention originally designed by Peta Freestone and Liam Connell. Over the years all of us have been running our own bootcamps we have met hundreds of students struggling to put their final thesis draft together. These students have supervisors who are clearly great researchers, but cannot give good feedback on writing. The book works backwards from the confusing feedback students have showed us. ‘Writing Trouble’ will help you diagnose and treat your thesis writing problems.
Part of our process with this new book is to test out some of our text on our audience – you. If you’d like to know more about the book before it’s published, you can sign up for our writing trouble mailing list. Here is the first post on ‘vagueness’ by Shaun – he’s interested to see if it’s too… vague. Take it away Shaun!
Research students often receive comments like these:
I’m not sure what you are trying to say here
Do you mean x, or y?
What is ‘it’?
Be more specific
Reading this feedback can be an incredibly frustrating experience. You thought had been crystal clear – why can’t your supervisor understand? Did they read it in the dark?
Unfortunately, it’s far more likely that your writing was suffering from ‘vagueness’ – a constant problem in English. English-speaking readers (especially in an academic context) will only do a very small amount of work to figure out what you mean before they respond with confusion. I’ve spent a lot of time with research students for whom English is a second/other language. Vagueness is an especially common for this group of PhD students, but it also plagues less experienced writers. Why does it happen?
When you level up to a research degree, there is increased scrutiny of your work. A big part of communicating successfully in academic English depends on your ability to identify and eliminate multiple meanings from your text. Surprisingly, once you learn how to do it, dealing with vagueness in your text can actually be very enjoyable, in addition to making you a better writer and editor.
Before I go on to explain some techniques to deal with vagueness, it is important to understand why the English language behaves the way it does when there is ambiguity. For this, I will turn to the work of the late anthropologist Edward T. Hall and his concept of high- and low-context cultures.
In essence, a high-context culture is one in which a listener/reader is comfortable making use of contextual information and applying their common sense in order to understand messages. These languages developed in tight knit communities who shared a lot of experiences in common. You can think about a high context language as being full of ‘insider speak’.
For instance, it’s likely that you understand cultural references and memes that completely mystify your parents. In a high context language you can take a lot for granted and don’t have to explain yourself. You may also see cultural communication styles like this referred to as listener/reader responsible. As it happens, some of the most common first languages of students writing in English are derived from high-context environments: Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Indonesian, Thai, Arabic, and to some extent Spanish and French.
On the other hand, a low-context culture relies much more so on the content of the message. Low context languages developed in situations where people living next to each other were different – such as in trading ports and countries that have been repeatedly colonised – such as England was for thousands of years. Waves of invaders: Romans, Vikings, the Normans disrupted the close bonds of society and this meant people had to work hard to understand each other.
In a low context language the recipient of the communication brings very little to the table in terms of securing understanding. The onous is on you to make yourself understood. These cultures are also therefore referred to as speaker/writer responsible. This communication style is especially common to the Germanic cultures of Northern Europe, and therefore to English as well.
Let me give you a small example of how this difference in context-reliance plays out in everyday speech, taking Japanese (high-context) and English (low-context) as our languages of comparison. Let us imagine two people stepping outside on a cold day. In Japanese, you can express that you feel cold by simply saying ‘cold’ – the listener will look at the situation at hand, understand that the weather is cold, and then guess that what you mean is that you feel cold.
In English, you need to do much more work. If you just say ‘cold’, your listener will probably respond with ‘what’s cold?’. This is because the listener in this case is not as comfortable with guessing what you mean based on context and common sense. For this listener, it is not possible to know whether you meant ‘I feel cold because the weather is cold’ or whether you meant ‘I’d like to direct your attention to the fact that the weather is cold, though I myself am not bothered by it’. Further, it actually isn’t even completely clear whether you are talking about yourself, as you haven’t said ‘I’. This is why in English we must say ‘I’m cold’ or ‘it’s cold’, if we hope to be reliably understood.
Stay with me – I will give a more academic example later.
As we can see, the English speaking listener (and by extension reader), is likely to be confused if there is more than one meaning implied in any statement. A useful way of thinking of this is that English speakers interpret communications on a possibility basis and not on a probability basis. Being 80% sure that you meant x is not acceptable, as there is still a possibility that you meant y. A successful English-language communication is one that has only one possible meaning.
So returning to the common (annoying) feedback at the top of this post, if you are being told that you are being vague, it means that you are writing in a higher-context mode than the reader and asking them to be probabilistic where they want more certainty.
How to Deal with Vagueness
Dealing with vagueness is about learning to ‘get out of your own head’. As I have implied, context-dependency issues can arise for writers with English as a second/other language, but they can also occur for native speakers who are simply too close to their work (a common problem for thesis students).
A useful technique is to learn to read your work through the eyes of a kind of caricature of the low-context communication mode. You need to imagine a reader who is highly intelligent and logical, but who has no common sense and will fail to interpret any multiple meaning in the way you had intended.
I call my version of this the Commander Data Meditation based on the robotic Star Trek character of the same name, but it works just as well to imagine Sheldon Cooper from the Big Bang Theory or any other hyper-logical character.
This technique is best used in combination with what I call the 48-Hour Rule. After you have finished writing, put aside your work for 48 hours. This is long enough to forget the exact words you chose, but to recall exactly what you meant to say. Sit down with your work, close your eyes, and put yourself into the mode of the character that works for you.
First warm yourself up with some simpler (and more humorous) examples. For each of the below, identify the multiple meanings, and then re-write them to make these multiple meanings clear.
Here’s an example:
During the incident, the defendant struck the man with a walking stick. During the incident, the defendant used a walking stick to strike the man. During the incident, the defendant struck the man who was holding a walking stick.
Now try the following:
The star was observed with a telescope.
I saw the tree coming around the hill.
It is widely acknowledged that flying planes can be dangerous.
I shot an elephant in my pyjamas.
Here is an example based on a real thesis:
“Some recommendations are still relevant and can be implemented. Most of the recommendations were related to project management, public debt management, budgetary reforms and financial sector reforms.”
In this case, two sets of recommendations are identified in the first sentence, 1) all recommendations, and 2) the recommendations that are relevant to be implemented. While it may have been perfectly clear to the writer that they were referring to 2) when they said ‘Most of the recommendations…’ in the second sentence, in my low-context mode it becomes clear that the writer could actually be pointing to either set of recommendations. I would then edit the text as such to remove this second meaning:
“Some recommendations are still relevant and can be implemented. Most of these still relevant recommendations were related to project management, public debt management, budgetary reforms and financial sector reforms.”
Now, go back to your thesis. As you read, try to identify where anything you are saying might be interpreted as having more than one meaning. Treat for vagueness as you have above.
While it can be frustrating to be told that you have vagueness issues, I think you can see how the fix is quite simple. The key is to remember that you aren’t writing for a clone of yourself, with all of your knowledge and experiences. Nor are you writing for someone who can be relied upon to ‘fill in the gaps’ in what you have said.
Thanks Shaun! What do you think? Is this post on vagueness helpful? Do you have any other writing trouble you would like help with? Now is the time to ask! We hope you will be able to buy ‘Writing Trouble’ in mid 2018, if all goes to plan.
Related posts
Using deliberate practice to improve your writing
Doing a copy edit of your thesis
Sign up for the writing trouble mailing listIt’s an intense game, considering the fact that you’re armed with a mask, ammunition and a paintball marker, but paintball is actually a fun, interactive way to build teamwork and get some exercise. Of course, the paintball gun is loaded with gelatin shells filled with a type of paint that marks a person or object when hit, so it’s an experience that will leave you covered in color!
Samir Becic, 4 times Number 1 Fitness Trainer in the world and HFR’s Top 10 Health Benefits of Paintball:
Adds variety to regular routine: Paintball is a great activity for those who do not have time to hit the gym or want to do something active with friends. It’s also a great way to shake things up and get an intense exercise routine outside of your normal workout. If you’re looking for an alternative activity to escape the monotonous motions of a treadmill, paintball allows players to experience a full range of movements like running, climbing, ducking and tip-toeing behind enemies.
Paintball is a great activity for those who do not have time to hit the gym or want to do something active with friends. It’s also a great way to shake things up and get an intense exercise routine outside of your normal workout. If you’re looking for an alternative activity to escape the monotonous motions of a treadmill, paintball allows players to experience a full range of movements like running, climbing, ducking and tip-toeing behind enemies. Full body workout: Paintball involves crawling, diving, sprinting, dodging and shooting. Because the game is so fast paced and strategic, many players get so caught up in the action they don’t even realize how the body is benefiting. People who have difficulty sticking to a workout routine often claim motivation and boredom as the primary reasons. Paintball offers participants a more enjoyable way to tone up their body without ever having to even think about it as exercise.
Paintball involves crawling, diving, sprinting, dodging and shooting. Because the game is so fast paced and strategic, many players get so caught up in the action they don’t even realize how the body is benefiting. People who have difficulty sticking to a workout routine often claim motivation and boredom as the primary reasons. Paintball offers participants a more enjoyable way to tone up their body without ever having to even think about it as exercise. Increases endurance: When you play paintball you experience an incredible cardiovascular workout that boosts your endurance levels because of the extended amount of time spent on the field.
When you play paintball you experience an incredible cardiovascular workout that boosts your endurance levels because of the extended amount of time spent on the field. Increases strength: Paintball will require you to be fast while lugging around a paintball gun and with all the safety gear. The main areas strengthened during paintball are the legs from running and squatting, the arms from shooting, and the core for stabilization of the body with all the equipment.
Paintball will require you to be fast while lugging around a paintball gun and with all the safety gear. The main areas strengthened during paintball are the legs from running and squatting, the arms from shooting, and the core for stabilization of the body with all the equipment. Increases interpersonal skills and self-confidence: Paintball is primarily a team sport, which requires some amount of strategy and execution that can be done only when all the players work together as a team. It promotes team spirit and can also improve your leadership skills. Tense situations in the game often bring out the best in many players and boost their self confidence.
Paintball is primarily a team sport, which requires some amount of strategy and execution that can be done only when all the players work together as a team. It promotes team spirit and can also improve your leadership skills. Tense situations in the game often bring out the best in many players and boost their self confidence. Good for weight loss and overall health: Needless to say, paintball also aids in weight loss. The intense exercise gained from a session of paintball can improve sleep cycles and boost metabolism. Intense workouts also result in the release of endorphins that elevate your mood. Apart from burning more calories, regular exercise through paintball also reduces risk of heart diseases, blood pressure and depression.
Needless to say, paintball also aids in weight loss. The intense exercise gained from a session of paintball can improve sleep cycles and boost metabolism. Intense workouts also result in the release of endorphins that elevate your mood. Apart from burning more calories, regular exercise through paintball also reduces risk of heart diseases, blood pressure and depression. Major stress relief: Playing a rough game of paintball is one of the best ways to vent out your frustration without risking hurting others. Sometimes, venting your anger in the game can also help you improve your skills as a paintballer. The endorphins released during intense exercise also eliminate mental stress and bring a sense of calm.
Playing a rough game of paintball is one of the best ways to vent out your without risking hurting others. Sometimes, venting your anger in the game can also help you improve your skills as a paintballer. The endorphins released during intense exercise also eliminate mental stress and bring a sense of calm. Promotes teamwork: Good teamwork is essential in paintball – your team must work together to make strategies and plans, and then be able to coordinate them. If you’re lacking a bit of teamwork in your office, why not arrange a day out with your colleagues and put yourselves to the test?
Good teamwork is essential in paintball – your team must work together to make strategies and plans, and then be able to coordinate them. If you’re lacking a bit of teamwork in your office, why not arrange a day out with your colleagues and put yourselves to the test? It’s healthy to be outdoors: Working out outdoors actually boosts your mood, outlook, focus and immunity. According to a study from the University of Michigan, group nature walks are linked to enhanced mental health and positivity, as well as significantly lower levels of depression and feelings of stress. A study from Glasgow University showed that people who walked, biked, or ran in nature had a lower risk of poor mental health than people who worked out indoors.
Working out outdoors actually boosts your mood, outlook, focus and immunity. According to a study from the University of Michigan, group nature walks are linked to enhanced mental health and positivity, as well as significantly lower levels of depression and feelings of stress. A study from Glasgow University showed that people who walked, biked, or ran in nature had a lower risk of poor mental health than people who worked out indoors. It’s fun!: Finally, who can say that having a bit of fun isn’t one of the major health benefits of paintball? The rush of adrenaline sparked by just running around and shooting opponents with pellets of dye brings back the inner child in us. Full of laughter and excitement, paintball makes a truly brilliant day out with friends.
To see more of our Top 10 lists, click here.It really is hard to know where to begin with this one. But let's start with: "What on earth were they thinking?"
The Heartland Institute, a Chicago-based rightwing thinktank notorious for promoting climate scepticism, has launched quite possibly one of the most ill-judged poster campaigns in the history of ill-judged poster campaigns.
I'll let its own press release for its upcoming conference explain, as there's simply no need to finesse it further:
Billboards in Chicago paid for by The Heartland Institute point out that some of the world's most notorious criminals say they "still believe in global warming" – and ask viewers if they do, too…The billboard series features Ted Kaczynski, the infamous Unabomber; Charles Manson, a mass murderer; and Fidel Castro, a tyrant. Other global warming alarmists who may appear on future billboards include Osama bin Laden and James J. Lee (who took hostages inside the headquarters of the Discovery Channel in 2010).
These rogues and villains were chosen because they made public statements about how man-made global warming is a crisis and how mankind must take immediate and drastic actions to stop it.
Why did Heartland choose to feature these people on its billboards? Because what these murderers and madmen have said differs very little from what spokespersons for the United Nations, journalists for the "mainstream" media, and liberal politicians say about global warming. The point is that believing in global warming is not "mainstream," smart, or sophisticated. In fact, it is just the opposite of those things. Still believing in man-made global warming – after all the scientific discoveries and revelations that point against this theory – is more than a little nutty. In fact, some really crazy people use it to justify immoral and frightening behavior.
But then comes the best bit:
Of course, not all global warming alarmists are murderers or tyrants.
It tries to morally justify its posters - the first of which appeared over the Eisenhower Expressway yesterday - by saying that, due to ""Climategate" and the recent incident in which a US scientist called Peter Gleick admitted to obtaining and releasing internal documents (one of which Heartland claims was faked) detailing Heartland's funding and policy strategies, that "the leaders of the global warming movement are willing to break the law and the rules of ethics to shut down scientific debate and implement their left-wing agendas".
It adds:
The people who still believe in man-made global warming are mostly on the radical fringe of society. This is why the most prominent advocates of global warming aren't scientists. They are murderers, tyrants, and madmen.
The bigger question, beyond trying to analyse the collective mentality of an organisation that would sign off a poster campaign like this, is whether it will now lead any of the speakers, attendees and sponsors to pull out of the conference and dissociate themselves from this thinktank.
As a result of the embarrassment caused by the release earlier this year of its internal funding documents, the US car giant GM pulled the plug on its funding for Heartland. Will Microsoft, Pfizer or GlaxoSmithKline, for example, now also choose to cut their funding to this organisation?
You also have to wonder if any of the scheduled conference speakers are now having doubts about whether they want to be associated with Heartland. One person who is on the list to speak is Roger Helmer, a British politician who has attended previous conferences. Having recently left the Conservative party as an MEP, the prominent climate sceptic is now the UK Independence Party's spokesperson on industry and energy.
Earlier, I sent him an email with a link to Heartland's poster campaign press release and asked him: "Will you now be reconsidering attending in light of this new poster campaign for the conference? Do you approve of or condemn the poster campaign?"
He confirmed he was still attending, adding:
I am delighted that the Heartland campaign for the Chicago climate conference has succeeded in its purpose and attracted the attention of the Guardian. I urge Guardian readers to attend the conference if they can, but failing that, to follow it on the web.
I simply have nothing further to add.HBO’s “Game of Thrones” has apparently found its Euron Greyjoy in Danish actor Pilou Asbaek, the network has confirmed.
Asbaek appeared on “The Borgias” as Paolo Orsini. He is also playing Pontius Pilate in the latest “Ben-Hur” remake. Last year, Asbaek played opposite Scarlett Johannson in “Lucy.”
Fan blog Watchers on the Wall initially reported, “The actor was spotted shooting today with the cast around [Northern Ireland’s] Ballintoy Harbour in a scene that involved a crowd cheering for Euron.”
Also Read: 'Game of Thrones' Breaks World Record With Season 5 Premiere Mega-Simulcast
The site also had some information on a pivotal scene that its sources claim filmed on Tuesday. For those who want to avoid spoilers, go click on another Wrap story. For those who simply cannot wait, read on.Paul Manafort (Photo: Screen capture)
Paul Manafort appears to be the source who revealed to congressional investigators that he attended a meeting last year with Donald Trump Jr. and a Russian lawyer promising damaging information against Hillary Clinton.
The former Trump campaign chairman’s home was raided late last month by FBI agents seeking evidence in a widening probe of his activity before the election — including his financial ties to Russian oligarchs — after his bank records were subpoenaed, reported Bloomberg Politics.
Federal investigators have been examining allegations that Manafort laundered money from Russia Eastern Europe through New York real estate, according to two sources familiar with that inquiry.
Special counsel Robert Mueller is now investigating those transactions, along with the purchase of Trump properties by wealthy Russians over the past decade and disgraced national security adviser Mike Flynn’s foreign entanglements.
The predawn raid on Manafort’s Virginia home caught the political adviser and his lawyers off guard, according to Bloomberg Politics, because it came a day after he provided notes to the Senate Intelligence Committee on his meeting with Trump Jr. and the Russian attorney.
The Bloomberg report also seems to indicate that Manafort initially told investigators about that meeting — which the president’s son first denied with his father’s help but then provided emails showing how the meeting was set up.
“In fact, Manafort had alerted authorities to a controversial meeting on June 9, 2016, involving Trump’s son Donald Jr., other campaign representatives and a Russian lawyer promising damaging information on Hillary Clinton, according to people familiar with the matter,” Bloomberg reported. “The president and his son-in-law, Jared Kushner, were dragged into the matter as details repeatedly emerged that contradicted the initial accounts of that meeting.”
That seems to confirm the New York Times‘ initial July 8 report on the meeting.
“Manafort, the former campaign chairman, also recently disclosed the meeting, and Donald Trump Jr.’s role in organizing it, to congressional investigators who had questions about his foreign contacts, according to people familiar with the events,” the Times reported.
The newspaper based its report on confidential government records based on interviews and documents shared with congressional investigators.
It’s not clear when Manafort told congressional investigators about the meeting, but a Federal Election Commission filing shows the president’s re-election campaign paid Trump Jr.’s attorneys $50,000 for legal consulting 11 days before the Times story broke.
The Bloomberg report also shows that Manafort’s longtime deputy Rick Gates and son-in-law Jeffrey Yohai had also been implicated in the Mueller probe.
Mueller’s team sent grand jury subpoenas in recent weeks to Manafort and Gates seeking global bank records, and Yohai is under investigation for operating an alleged Ponzi scheme.
Attorneys for both Gates and Yohai declined to comment on the report.You know Red Hat as the world's leading Linux company. Fair enough. What Red Hat wants to be known as these days is the world's leading private cloud company. To make that happen, Red Hat has embraced the open-source OpenStack infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) cloud.
Red Hat
Red Hat's plan has run into some difficulty. Canonical's Ubuntu is the leading OpenStack cloud operating system. Other top technology companies, such as IBM, are also throwing their hats into the OpenStack ring, while new dedicated OpenStack companies, such as Mirantis, are making inroads.
That isn't slowing down Red Hat for one moment. Days before the OpenStack Summit, Red Hat announced the general availability of Red Hat Cloud Suite and Red Hat OpenStack Platform (RHOP) 8, Together, Red Hat now offers a complete, integrated hybrid-cloud stack with a container application platform-as-a-service (PaaS), OpenShift; massively scalable IaaS, RHOP 8; and unified management tools, Red Hat CloudForms. Customers can either use these individually or as a single, easy-to-deploy cloud with Red Hat Cloud Suite.
Forming the backbone of Red Hat's hybrid cloud offerings is RHOP 8. This is based on the OpenStack Liberty release, which came out last fall. The latest OpenStack release, Mitaka, has been out for only days and it's not being deployed yet in commercial OpenStack distribution.
RHOP 8 integrates the proven foundation of Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) with OpenStack technology to form a production-ready cloud platform. RHOP 8 now natively includes:
Automated upgrades and updates, easily upgrade major point releases and minor updates. A component of the RHOP director, it automatically performs the necessary system-wide updates to both the core OpenStack services, as well as the director tool itself, helping to deliver a healthy and stable OpenStack cloud while minimizing downtime.
Infrastructure and workload management included; use Red Hat CloudForms for lifecycle and operational management over OpenStack infrastructure and workloads. CloudForms can manage Linux and Windows workloads running on top of OpenStack, including lifecycle management, usage monitoring and reporting, multi-node orchestration, and governance and policy-based access control.
Software-defined storage. Red Hat Ceph Storage, Red Hat's massively scalable, software-defined storage solution, is now included with Red Hat OpenStack Platform. This offers an initial 64 terabytes of highly flexible object and block storage that's big enough for most Big Data projects.
Red Hat is also trying hard with this release to gain telecom company customers. Telecommunications companies, which now come to 10 percent of all OpenStack production deployments, are rapidly adopting OpenStack. RHOP 8 adds several new and critical tech preview features focused on improving network virtualization functions. With this release there is more assured predictable latency with real-time KVM; improved network I/O performance with Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) accelerated Open vSwitch; and an OpenDaylight software-defined network (SDN) plugin.
Using this for a foundation, Red Hat wants Red Hat Cloud Suite to give customers a one-stop private cloud solution. Besides RHOP 8, the Cloud Suite combines Red Hat's container application platform OpenShift Enterprise with a common management framework Red Hat CloudForms.
Additional Red Hat Cloud Suite products include:
A unified management experience, spanning operations and lifecycle management, self-service, and infrastructure monitoring. These powerful management tools provided by Red Hat Satellite cover rolling updates for deployment, configuration, patch, and subscription management. A new self-service catalog extends to cover the lifecycle, operation, and financial management of services that customers deploy.
Newly-added infrastructure monitoring with risk management and analytics -- proactively collecting infrastructure analytics that enable customers to manage technical risks before they impact operations. Red Hat Insights, a newly-released operations management service, provides these monitoring capabilities spanning Red Hat OpenStack Platform, Red Hat CloudForms, and Red Hat Satellite.
KVM-based virtualization platform with the newly updated Red Hat Enterprise Virtualization, offering simplified virtual machine-to-virtual machine migrations.
Open, massively scalable, software-defined storage with the inclusion of Red Hat Ceph Storage as part of RHOP 8.
Put this all together and I see Red Hat taking a very familiar path. Like DEC and IBM before them, Red Hat wants to offer customers an all-in-one software stack for all their their needs. Since setting up a private cloud is never an easy-task, I suspect this approach will find many customers.
The only thing that's missing is a hardware partner. Or is it?
On the same day Red Hat announced RHOP 8, Dell announced that it was releasing its own RHOP 8 integrated open cloud solution: Dell Red Hat OpenStack Cloud Version 5.0. This features:
New flexible reference architecture which provides validated core architecture detailing optimized compute, storage, and networking designs, with a portfolio of innovative validated extensions.
Deployment automation across all layers, hardware and software, integrated with Red Hat OSP Director.
Seamless in place OpenStack version upgrades (Liberty going forward updates).
Dell PowerEdge R630/R730xd 13th generation servers powered with the latest generation Intel Xeon E5-2600V4 (Broadwell) processors.
Guest high availability to minimize downtime in the event of outage.
Host live migration to move VMs from one host to another without downtime.
Red Hat and Dell face strong private cloud competition, but with these moves they show they plan on winning.
Related Stories:The reclassification of cannabis from a class C to a class B drug has finally come into effect. The government defied expert scientific and medical opinion, which opposed reclassification on the grounds that cannabis is not as harmful as other class B drugs and that its harm was not sufficient to warrant harsher penalties. The government's own Advisory Council of the Misuse of Drugs recommended that it should remain a class C drug.
Ignoring the expert evidence, the home secretary, Jacqui Smith, caved in to irrational, ill-informed anti-cannabis hysteria. Making no distinction between responsible, occasional use and reckless, constant abuse, she has now reclassified all cannabis enjoyment as dangerous and harmful, and upped the maximum penalties for possession from two to five years.
This signals to the police and the courts that they should treat cannabis more harshly, on a par with demonstrably damaging banned narcotics. Meanwhile, the most socially harmful drugs, alcohol and tobacco, remain legal and outside the scope of anti-drugs legislation.
This selective get-tough-on-drugs policy seems motivated by the government's cynical desire to win few extra votes from Daily Mail readers. It has little to do with any genuine or effective attempt to encourage less frequent and safer cannabis use via advice such as: "Eat it, don't smoke it" and "Every day? Perhaps not good. Save it for a special occasion."
Millions of Britons enjoy cannabis sensibly, in moderation and without harm to themselves or others. Tens of thousands use it to ameliorate the symptoms of diseases such as cancer, HIV and multiple sclerosis.
East Londoner Edwin Stratton is one of them. For the last 18 months he's been using cannabis to treat his disabling coeliac condition. He's found it immensely effective, reducing his pain and |
party Frosty the Snowman. Frosty, it should be noted, was not one of the disciples and is not mentioned in the Bible.”
The Countdown host gave us a brief history of the origins of Santa, and detailed the greatest betrayal in the history of the war on Christmas, “The NY Post quoting Donohue wishing good will to all, “If they can’t celebrate Christmas, then they should check out. What a bunch of cowards.” this in defense of Santa Claus, who is not one of the disciples and is not even mentioned in the Bible. Santa Claus descended from the Germanic Sinterklaas who descended from the Norse god Odin whose horse would fly in the night, and eat carrots and straw left by children in their stockings by the fireplace. That’s right, Bill Donohue and the New York Post have turned their back on Jesus and taken up arms in defense of a pagan an symbol. And, of course, we all know who’s behind pagan symbols. Never thought of that did you?”
This is stunning blow for the war on Christmas. Although, truth be told, Fox News’ heart really hasn’t been in the war on Christmas for a while now. Heck, even the George Washington of this war, Bill O’Reilly gave up the battle and turned the keys over to John Stossel, but after so many culture warriors, oh I’m sorry they like to be called Tea Partiers now, campaigned this year on reviving the culture war, I thought that the war on Christmas was certain to enjoy a revival.
It should be noted that the war on Christmas was always more in with that commercialized universal pitchman in the red suit than putting the Christ back in Christmas. The war on Christmas was itself a commercial attempt to boost ratings and play on the multi religious and cultural fears of a segment of the US population. The ignorance of these Christmas warriors knows no limits, and funniest thing about this story is that the war on Christmas blowhards don’t even realize that they are defending a pagan symbol, not the holiday which they claim to be trying to preserve.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:A woman accused of stabbing both of her elderly parents at their Mountain Brook home late last year has now been indicted on attempted murder charges, and is back in jail with no bond.
Angela Hontzas, 47, was initially arrested in November 2016. A Jefferson County grand jury indicted her on the charges May 5, and those indictments were made public Tuesday.
Mountain Brook police said they were dispatched about 4 p.m. that Sunday to the family's home in the 3400 block of Oak Canyon Drive on an open 911 call, which means someone dialed 911 but wasn't saying anything. While the officers were en route to the scene, the call was updated indicating that there was a female stabbing victim in the front yard of the residence.
Once officers arrived on the scene, a second stabbing victim exited the house. It was discovered that a husband and wife, both 81, had been stabbed multiple times in a domestic assault by their daughter, Lt. Chuck Clark said at the time.
Angela Hontzas stayed in the home while officers treated the victims, and then turned them over to the medics. She surrendered a short time later. Both victims were transported to UAB Hospital where both underwent surgery, but survived.
Angela Hontzas was taken to Grandview Medical Center the day of the incident, where she was treated and released. Upon her release, she was taken to the Mountain Brook City Jail pending formal warrants. Once those warrants were obtained, - with bonds totaling $250,000 - she was transferred to the Jefferson County Jail.
Mountain Brook woman stabbed elderly parents, held on $250,000 bond for attempted murder Angela Hontzas, 47, stabbed her 81-year-old mother and father at their Mountain Brook home on Sunday, police said.
She remained in the county lockup until she was released April 19. Her attorneys asked for her bond to be reduced from $250,000 to $50,000. According to court records, the attorney argued that Hontzas suffered from mental illness and her parents were supportive of her release to receive mental health treatment.
Hontzas was sent Wade Freedom House in Jacksonville, which provides transitional living for women, and ordered by the judge to stay there and have no contact with her victims.
Prosecutors on April 25 filed a motion to revoke her bond after Hontzas left the rehabilitation center and was picked up by Jacksonville police. "The defendant has, according to Jacksonville PD, exhibited signs of mental distress and has also claimed to be paranoid,'' according to the bond revocation motion.
Hontzas was booked back into the Jefferson County Jail that day. A trial date has not been set in her attempted murder case.As the rally circus heads to North Wales for the penultimate round of the World Rally Championship season, the silly season is becoming more serious. The crews arrive in Deeside knowing Ott Tänak is defecting from M-Sport to Toyota, while Sébastien Ogier‘s fate remains on a knife-edge. Malcolm Wilson is continuing to twist Ford Performance’s arm to squeeze some extra funding out of the blue oval to help keep his talisman, having already lost the driver whom he treated like a son.
This weekend will allow Wilson & co. to set their long term concerns aside for a single weekend, and take aim at turning their home event into the site of potentially the greatest success in their history; scooping both the drivers’ and manufacturers’ titles simultaneously.
For such an ever-present team in the championship, with 55 rally wins over the course of two decades, it is extraordinary that only a pair of manufacturers’ titles have resulted. M-Sport have almost always been the bridesmaid, finishing second in the manufacturers’ standings ten times in the space of fifteen years, and seven times in the drivers’ championship during the same period. Whether it was with Carlos Sainz, Colin McRae or Marcus Grönholm, they almost always fell excruciatingly short of glory.
Throughout their era of near misses, M-Sport were backed to the hilt by Ford, the blue oval ploughing support into the preparation firm acting as their factory team. Since that support was withdrawn at the end of 2012, results for the Cumbrian team have been lean, but the 2017 regulation change allowed them a fresh start. A page was turned, a blank canvas granted to start afresh and attempt to reach the top once more.
Since then, it has all come together beautifully for the British team. A podium in every event this season has put them on the cusp of success, and with Thierry Neuville failing to score in the last two rallies, its team leader Ogier can also wrap-up a fifth straight title in Wales. The boss is well aware they are on the precipice of their greatest moment in two decades of WRC competition.
“It’s hard to find the words to describe just what a momentous achievement we are on the verge of securing this week,” said Wilson. “When we started developing the Ford Fiesta WRC, I knew we had the people to design a competitive, rally-winning car, and we always hoped to be in this sort of position.
“Now that it is a reality, it really is hard to find the words. But it’s not done yet and we cannot forget just what a challenging event Wales Rally GB can be.”
Challenging it proved for Mikko Hirvonen in 2009. Closing in on Sébastien Loeb in the closing stages of what was then the season finale, his Focus nosedived over a jump, damaging the bonnet and leaving the Finn unable to see where he was going. A minute – and his shot at the drivers’ championship – was lost. Ogier’s plan to avoid a repeat, and ensure his title challenge runs smoothly, is to ignore the points situation altogether.
“Clearly, this could be a very special event for the team and it also provides us with our first mathematical chance of securing the drivers’ championship,” said the Frenchman. “But we can’t think too much about that. We just need to focus on enjoying the rally and delivering the best performance we can.”
Winning in style is not on M-Sport’s agenda. It doesn’t match their modus operandi. A revitalised Kris Meeke may charge to the front for a home win, or Andreas Mikkelsen could go out to prove a point to his new employers at Hyundai. M-Sport will do what they have done all year, graft away and look to finish on the podium.
Perhaps this time around, finishing second will be enough to secure the crown which has eluded them for so long.Listen to the radio version of this story by WGBH/NECIR Reporter Rupa Shenoy http://necir.org/files/2014/03/severe-repetitive-loss-02-1.mp3
Over and over again, the Atlantic has taken aim at 48 Oceanside Drive. Almost four decades ago, it slammed the house clear off its foundation. Thirteen years later, seawater poured through the roof during a nor’easter. So often has the sea catapulted grapefruit-sized rocks through the vacation home’s windows that a former owner installed bulletproof-glass.
At least nine times the property has sustained significant flood damage from coastal storms. And each time, the federal government helped owners rebuild with National Flood Insurance Program payouts. It has subsidized insurance premiums at the property and in 2005, granted one owner $40,000 to elevate the home.
Now, the current owner of the $1.2 million vacation house is applying for what construction experts say could be $80,000 or more from the federal government to raise the house again.
Forty-eight Oceanside Drive’s tortured history with the sea – and the questionable incentives the government has given over decades there – has created a mammoth problem as Congress debates flood insurance reform: What should the U.S. do with properties the sea relentlessly tries to reclaim?
“We always knew it was unsustainable there,” said Dr. David Cooney, 75, a Maryland oncologist who sold the house after the 1991 Perfect Storm severely damaged it.
The saga of 48 Oceanside Drive and the sea is repeated across the U.S. There are 534 properties in New England alone that are considered Severe Repetitive Loss properties, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which manages the insurance program. Often, these NFIP-insured properties have had four significant flood claims – two within one decade. Nationwide there are about 12,000.
Scituate has 112 of them. Over the years, such properties have accounted for 689 losses. The total in claims: $21.3 million, according to FEMA.
All of this occurs without any inquiry into whether the homeowners are wealthy, poor, or in between: FEMA’s flood insurance was designed to help all flood-prone properties regardless of economic status.
The insurance program, which began in 1968 after private insurers largely abandoned flood insurance because of the recurrent risks, was initially designed to pay for itself. But a series of punishing storms starting with Hurricane Katrina in 2005 has meant premiums have not kept pace with payouts. Today, the program is about $24 billion in debt and taxpayers are now left holding the bill.
That shortfall is expected to widen in coming years as sea levels rise and storms are projected to become more intense from man-made climate change. Atlantic waters from north of Boston to Cape Hatteras, North Carolina are rising three to four times faster than globally, according to federal scientists. Billions of dollars worth of homes are on the front line.
Homeowners, like those at 48 Oceanside Drive, have every right to take advantage of legal government programs to protect property. The question is whether, in a time of rising tides and soaring deficits, the flood insurance program creates incentives that contravene both public policy and common sense.
Such concerns led Congress in 2012 to phase out subsidies and boost premiums to reflect the true risks of living in flood-prone homes.
But even as the law took hold, new federal flood plain maps raised insurance rates for hundreds of thousands of U.S. homeowners. The double-hit created a political backlash with many politicians, including those in New England who initially voted for the new law, supporting its delay or rollback.
Jack Clarke of Mass Audubon on the politics and costs of coastal home repairs. (Beth Daley/NECIR) http://necir.org/files/2014/03/jack-clarke-for-necir.mp3
The Senate is expected to pass a House-approved bill this week that would still raise premiums, but not as steeply as the 2012 law. While second homes and properties that are repeatedly hit would experience greater increases, their owners would still be eligible for sizable grants to elevate and fortify homes and there remains no limit on the number of times a property can collect.
“It’s like a boat with a hole in the side of it, the (National Flood Insurance Program) needs bailing out,’’ said Seth Kaplan, vice president for policy and climate advocacy at the Conservation Law Foundation, a Boston-based legal non-profit. “It only stays afloat as long as the government is willing to put taxpayer money into it.”
FEMA says the identities of those who have received subsidies, claim payouts and grants to protect their homes are confidential. The New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR) was able to reconstruct much of the history of 48 Oceanside Drive by combing through town building permits, conservation commission minutes, town archives and in interviews with the home’s previous and current owners. While owners were unable or unwilling to share premium information or exact payouts, the total claim and grant payout for the property over the past 35 years likely exceeds $750,000 according to NECIR estimates.
Massachusetts state Sen. Marc Pacheco, a Taunton Democrat, filed a bill in January offering an alternative approach: Create a fund to buy back properties from willing owners. While there is no funding mechanism yet, Pacheco says he is committed to figuring one out.
“There is a lot to be said for not rebuilding in areas,’’ he said.
HOLDING BACK THE SEA
Harold Cooney, a successful Arlington, Mass. accountant never learned to swim but always wanted an ocean view. In the mid-1950s, he bought a five-bedroom second home in Scituate for his wife and four children, according to David Cooney, one of his sons and land records.
The house was rebuilt once after being destroyed by fire. David bought the home after his father died. A year later it was destroyed along with 188 others in town, a casualty of the Blizzard of ’78.
Cooney received a federal claim payment although he can’t recall the dollar amount. He then built a two-winged home – he hoped it would be his retirement house – overlooking the Atlantic. He fortified the house with secure shutters and design elements to let water flow freely under it. Still, in 1991 it was severely damaged and Cooney came to the conclusion the house was going to be hit again and again. He sold.
Today, town officials say patches of oceanfront in Scituate should probably never have been developed. Geography and bad luck have left the coast perpendicular to the ocean with few barriers offshore to slow advancing storm waves. When those waves come, they slam into seawalls and jettison water – along with boulders – up and onto land, says Richard W. Murray, a Scituate selectman and professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University.
Selectman and Professor Richard W. Murray on the impact of climate change on coastal homes. (Rupa Shenoy/NECIR) http://necir.org/files/2014/03/rick-murray-for-necir.mp3
“It’s why people have steel shutters on their windows,’’ said Murray. “There are foot-long boulders flying around down there in some key locations.”
Joseph Pizziferri, the home’s next owner, says he put $155,000 worth of repairs into the damaged house, including steel beams. “I tried everything,’’ he said, but still got hit three times. Because flood claims are usually restricted to $250,000 or less per storm per building and don’t cover everything, Pizziferri said he often had to put in his own funds to repair damage.
Tired of constant rebuilding, he sold the property in 1999 for $465,000 to Donald F. Craig Jr., a Quincy accountant, and his wife. Craig was initially billed close to $12,000 in flood insurance premiums, but said he was able to almost halve the amount because the structure was grandfathered – built to code based on flood maps in effect at the time of construction.
Craig also remembers collecting insurance claims two or three times. He decided to elevate, expand and protect the house: He used 2x8s in the ocean-facing walls for strength and even installed three-quarter inch high-impact bulletproof glass to stop the ocean. While he paid for the expansion, the federal government chipped in for the elevation: Just shy of $40,000 according to government documents obtained by NECIR.
The history of subsidies at 48 Oceanside Drive is unclear because owners did not remember or declined to disclose them. However insurance specialists say it is likely, after the 2005 expansion, the home no longer paid a subsidized rate.
Economic studies show that every dollar spent to elevate or protect buildings from flooding reduces future losses $4 or more. But the elevation Craig built to – higher than what the federal government and town required – wasn’t high enough: Since he sold it to Gary and Margaret Motyl of Florida in 2007 for $1.2 million, it’s been hit twice by storms, most recently in early 2013 which caused $160,000 in damage, according to a town building permit application.
Today, Margaret Motyl is waiting to see if the federal government will pay to elevate the vacation house again. Motyl said she and her late husband had paid more than $50,000 of their own money to fix the sea wall behind her home, which also protects the town road and other properties. She was concerned if the house was in a news story, it could jeopardize her FEMA application.
Motyl’s late husband, Gary, was chief investment officer of the Templeton Global Equity Group and president of Templeton Investment Counsel. Federal flood insurance is not means-tested.
UNDOING A LEGACY
Not all properties that have severe and repeated losses or are second homes are owned by the wealthy. It is these homeowners who have little wiggle room to pay for the large premium increases arising from the 2012 law and new floodplain maps. Without relief – or help to elevate properties – they have few options, they and some politicians say. It is these homeowners that have sparked most of the call for delay in Washington.
Those who own second homes meanwhile, say they are merely availing themselves of a government-promoted program.
Doris Privitera’s second home at 121 Turner Road, which pays a subsidized insurance rate, is being elevated with a FEMA grant that will pay 90 percent of the cost. She and her husband bought the house 45 years ago.
Doris Crary on the details of the flood program and its benefits. (Rupa Shenoy/NECIR) http://necir.org/files/2014/03/doris-for-necir.mp3
Flood insurance “is controversial’’ she said, noting her neighbor had questioned why FEMA was giving her elevation funds until he too applied. “Should the taxpayers pay? It’s a difficult thing to say as an owner,” she said, noting the elevation would save on future payouts.
Some coastal experts say incentives need to change to encourage people to leave homes that will continually get hit; perhaps by giving tax breaks for leaving, denying insurance after a certain number of losses or pursuing voluntary buyouts. While FEMA has bought out 20,000 properties in the U.S. since 1993, it has not been a popular program along the coast.
Rachel Cleetus, senior climate economist for the Union of Concerned Scientists, a Cambridge-based research and advocacy group, said the flood insurance law the Senate is likely to vote on this week takes important steps to bring insurance premiums in line with the risk of severe repetitive loss properties. She suggested that the addition of a means-tested voucher program — reduced premiums for people with lower incomes –could help soften the financial blow for families that can’t afford a rate increase.
“You see these properties becoming a bigger and bigger problem going forward, especially as sea levels rise,’’ Cleetus said. “We can’t change the past, but there is an opportunity to do better going forward.”
NECIR interns Michael Bottari and Amanda Ostuni helped research and prepare this report.Contact Information: Domrose #563 ~ 630.407.2010
Sunday, September 20, 2015
Sheriff John Zaruba announced the arrest of a Champaign man for the 1985 Kristina Wesselman Murder.
Michael R. Jones (dob/03/5/53) of the 2500 block of Southmoor Dr., Champaign, IL has been charged with two counts of Murder and one count of Aggravated Criminal Sexual Assault.
Kristina Wesselman, 15 was murdered on July 21, 1985 while she was walking home from the Jewel Food Store near the intersection of Butterfield Road and Route 53 in Unincorporated Glen Ellyn. She was last seen walking on a well-traveled path back toward her residence. Kristina never returned home and was subsequently reported missing by her mother. Kristina’s body was found hours later by Sheriff’s Detectives in the field near the path she was last seen walking.
“Since the date of the tragic murder, the case has remained open and active,” Sheriff Zaruba said. “Over the last 30 years the Sheriff’s Cold Case Unit has worked hundreds of leads that have sent them across the nation and thousands of man hours have been spent to catch the killer in this horrendous crime,” he continued.
On September 10th, the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office obtained new information regarding the Wesselman case. Sheriff’s Cold case detectives investigated the new information and located Michael Jones. A search warrant was conducted at the Champaign address on Friday and Michael R. Jones was taken into custody and subsequently charged today.
“The work of the members of my detective division, coupled with the assistance of the Champaign Police Department and the Champaign County Probation Department during the capture of Michael R. Jones has made it possible for us to bring this 1985 shocking case to a successful conclusion,” Sheriff Zaruba said. He continued, “I cannot say enough about the professionalism and dedication of the investigators over the past 30 years who have worked this case and their work will now bring closure for the Wesselman family and the residents of Unincorporated Milton Township with the arrest and prosecution of the suspect.”
Jones is being held in the DuPage County Jail and will be in bond court tomorrow morning at 8:00am.
This case remains under investigation and Sheriff Zaruba is requesting information from the public regarding this case or any other incident which may have involved Michael R. Jones. Anyone with information is requested to please contact the DuPage County Sheriff’s Office at 630-407-2400 or by Anonymous Crime Tips via the DuPage County Sheriff’s website or by text to CRIMES (274637) and please include the key word Sheriff in the message.There just aren’t enough white-collar jobs in India for the country’s graduates. So increasingly, Indians fresh out of college with bachelor’s degrees are looking for blue-collar jobs.
Some 40% of those eyeing profiles such as office assistants, drivers, bartenders, maids, and mechanics were graduates, according to data analysed in September by hiring platform QuikrJobs, which has around seven million active job seekers registered with it.
“There is a huge demand-supply gap as far as graduates are concerned. A significant number of graduates, too, are applying for blue-collar jobs—a clear commentary on the need to create more jobs,” the QuickrJobs report said.
Statistics, thus, point to the twin issues plaguing the job scene in Asia’s third-largest economy: Not all Indian graduates are skilled enough for specialised or sophisticated jobs. And there aren’t enough jobs to suit the skill sets of the over five million graduates India churns out every year.
Over 80% of India’s engineering graduates are unemployable, estimates show. It’s the same story for post-graduates—almost 93% of MBAs aren’t fit for jobs.
Graduates for sweepers
India’s college system is often criticised for its emphasis on rote-learning, negligible research opportunities, and little skills training. This means that many graduates make do with manual labour or blue-collar jobs. In January 2016, some 19,000 graduates applied for the 114 vacancies for sweepers in Amroha, Uttar Pradesh. Many of these were even PhDs and MBA holders.
While a bachelor’s degree usually implies general excellence, the picture is different in India, said Amitabh Shah, founder of Yuva Unstoppable, a youth-focused NGO.
“(But), despite the plethora of institutions popping up on every street corner in India, that (old-fashioned) notion of a degree has disappeared. Now you can have someone… with a Bachelor’s degree in English literature and you’re not even sure they can speak English,” Shah told the Wharton School’s online business analysis journal on Oct. 05.
Even prime minister Narendra Modi’s ambitious plan to impart skills to graduates doesn’t seem to be working. In 2015, only 5% of the over 1.7 million students trained under the Pradhan Mantri Kaushal Vikas Yojana got jobs.
It doesn’t help that job growth in eight labour intensive sectors in India was at a seven-year-low in 2015. So, while India needs more jobs, it also must make its graduates job-ready.This year's RSA Conference began with controversy. Even before Chairman Art Coviello took the stage to deliver his opening keynote, protesters unfurled banners on the Moscone Center reminding the world of RSA's alleged complicity in enabling the NSA to access data that was believed to be secure.
However, after an interview with Coviello, we are no closer to any meaningful information as he does a skilful job of obfuscating and avoiding questions regarding the NSA.
Perhaps one of the most surprising, even shocking, elements of the information leaked by Edward Snowden was the depth and breadth of the NSA's penetration of supposedly secured systems. We asked Coviello if he was surprised by what has been revealed.
"I am in the defence business, not the offence business," said Coviello. "I guess the thing that surprises me most is how, if you look at some of the Snowden revelations, and then you look at some of the conjecture that then gets recorded as fact – what I've noticed is that of you compare some of the Snowden revelations with some of the reports, they’re not always as accurate as they might be."
"My job is to help defend out customers from any potential intruder. That's what I focus on".
It's clear that Coviello is not going to engage on anything specific regarding the NSA's actions or RSA's alleged involvement. Rather, he is focussing on trying to shift the discussion in a different direction.
"What I was trying to do in my keynote was raise the level of dialog. I was very quick to point out that the NSA is not alone is these endeavours. What I think we need, what the whole NSA story is about, is that we lack these norms of behaviour in the digital world," Covielllo said.
Coviello related a scene from the TV series Mad Men where a family, at the end of a picnic in the park, simply dropped all their rubbish off the rug, on the grass, and drove away. During the 1960s, when Mad Men is set, that behaviour was normal. Today, it is unacceptable.
What Coviello has not yet articulated and could not tell us during the interview was how these might be established.
"My point is not that we have to settle all these things. My point is that we need to be having a dialog about them," Coviello said.
Our conversation with Coviello then moved towards the precarious balancing act of privacy and security.
"We have to have the means of having collective security and government needs to play a role to distinguish between the two. So, security and privacy don’t need to be at odds with one another. Security can help us to protect privacy," Coviello said.
However, what's clear in talking with Coviello is that he will avoid discussing the specifics of Snowden's revelations. Instead, he is working hard to move the discussion towards establishing the "digital norms" he espoused during the conference's opening keynote.
Even a direct question as to whether he believed the United States had eroded the trust of the rest of world and if it could be regained following the revelations made by Snowden, was met with a non-answer.
"Well, I made a recommendation about that, about the offensive and defensive missions of the NSA. But, recognise that it against the law for the NSA to spy within the US. And if they’ve done anything illegal… no legal authority seems to be raising that as an issue," he responded.
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Ryan Kazanciyan Blocked Unblock Follow Following Oct 12, 2017
Hello friend. I’m Ryan Kazanciyan, Technical Consultant for Mr. Robot and Chief Security Architect for Tanium. I’ve been working with Kor Adana — Writer, Producer, and mastermind behind the ARG — and the rest of the Mr. Robot team since the second half of Season 2. Throughout Season 3, I’ll be writing about the hacks depicted in the show, how they came together, and their basis in reality.
Spoiler Alert! This post discusses events from the first episode of Season 3.
Shall we Play a Game?
The Capture the Flag (CTF) tournament at the hackerspace was the first technical scene that Kor and I designed for Season 3, and a cool opportunity to get Elliot back on keyboard. We wanted to draw from real-world CTF events and incorporate something that was realistic and credible for our infosec-savvy audience, but equally accessible for everyone else.
minesweeper.py
After spending nearly a week researching puzzles from past CTFs, I stumbled on an interesting challenge based on Minesweeper. It’s a terminal-based version of the game that’s fully-functional on the surface, but requires some clever exploit code to recover the “flag” needed to win. It was originally used as a CTF stage during the 29th Chaos Communication Congress in 2012. This event, and the Chaos Computing Club that founded it, are a core part of hacking history and culture (especially in Europe) so I was excited to reference them in the show.
As Kor and I worked through the scene, we agreed that going with Minesweeper seemed like a really good fit. Nearly everyone has played the original game, so it served as a familiar and approachable basis for a hacking challenge. And like any good puzzle, there are many creative ways to solve it. Elliot’s explanation of how to poison the save file, defeat the checksum validation, and inject malicious code to grab the flag is based on actual solutions from winning teams. Credit to Rami Malek for delivering those dense lines of technical jargon without missing a beat.
Since this was going to be filmed as a long take, we needed to prepare several animation sequences that covered various stages of the game and in-progress attempts at solutions. I worked with the original Python script to capture what the minesweeper board and output messages looked like in different states: solved, failed, saved, reloaded, and so on. I also played, and lost, many rounds — I’m terrible at Minesweeper.
Here’s one of the original mock-ups that I built:
There are two instances of the game board on the top left, and part of the solution script (meant to be a work in-progress) in vim on the bottom left. The original source code is on the right, with the cursor on the function call that loads a saved game.
I tend to assemble these sort of dense screens with several open windows so that they look visually interesting from far away, but also provide plenty of material for multiple single-window close-ups. (They also reflect the sort of cluttered mess that is my own desktop).
This ended up being very close to what was produced and filmed, although in this particular scene, the camera movement unfortunately doesn’t provide a clear shot of the monitors. You can catch still a few glimpses as Elliot approaches and speaks with the two CTF players that are stuck on this game.
Hijacking the Dark Army’s Backdoor
While the hackerspace crowd celebrates winning the tournament, Elliot can focus on the real task at hand: shutting down the backdoor that provides the Dark Army with direct access to the UPS management system in E-Corp’s paper-records facility in New York. He is working on borrowed hardware and borrowed time. He has no access to Evil Corp’s internal network or any Dark Army systems. He needs to quickly cut off their ability to use the backdoor, while ensuring they don’t have an opportunity to detect and stop his efforts before it’s too late.
After talking through the available options, Kor and I set down the path of having Elliot perform a domain takeover compromise.
For viewers and readers that might not be familiar with some of these technical concepts, I’ll provide a bit of background. Most backdoor malware periodically communicates with a server to provide status, receive updates, or give an operator the ability to issue commands. This communications heartbeat is called “beaconing”; when an operator or system responds by taking control or issuing commands, it’s known as “command and control” or “C2”.
How does the backdoor know where to send its beacon or C2 traffic? If an attacker hard-codes an IP address when creating and deploying the malware, it may be difficult to change that setting later on. C2 server goes down? IP gets detected and blocked on the victim’s network? You might be out of luck and unable to reach your infected system to fix things. Using domain names provides greater flexibility: they can be updated to resolve to a new IP address, which might be served up from any location, without needing direct access to the malware itself.
The downside to this approach is that it adds another point of failure: the registrar business responsible for maintaining the name records, and the hierarchical system of DNS servers that resolve domains to IPs. If you gain access to the user account that has administrator access for a set of domains — or worse, to the registrar’s entire web-based management interface — you can take control of these addresses. Among many configuration changes, you can then ensure that traffic originally intended for those domains ends up going to an IP address under your control.
And that’s how Elliot pulls off the domain takeover hack. Kor and I streamlined the timing and complexity of it all, but the underlying technique has played out in many real-world incidents. And yes, even some of the most sophisticated attacker groups use legitimate registrar services for their command-and-control domains.
The pace of the scene unfortunately didn’t afford much on-screen time to show how Elliot actually compromises the registrar in the first place. In my head, I reasoned that he found a basic web application vulnerability, like SQL injection or a poorly-secured administration interface, that was hackable straight from a browser. Again, plenty of real-world precedent for that. But you do see a few glimpses of the attack’s aftermath, shortly after Elliot has successfully logged in and tampered with the domain settings.
I wanted to base these screens on a real Chinese registrar — not just to nail the look-and-feel of the management panels, but also to get some contextually accurate language used to label the user interface. After a long evening of frustrating searches and copious use of Google Translate, I struck gold: a registrar with a publicly-available demo site that allows visitors to log on to a test account and explore their domain administration tools.
I worked through the pages relevant to reconfiguring domain name settings, and assembled a set of reference screenshots like the one above. These served as basis of the design for the fictitious registrar site that you see in the background when Elliot regains access to the backdoor.
Once the domain takeover is complete, the backdoor’s next automated attempt to connect back to its C2 server leads it to an an IP address under Elliot’s control. Success! He’s back on the UPS management system.
We previously saw this backdoor in use back in Season 2, Episode 12: it’s a publicly-available Perl reverse shell called “rwwwshell” that simply provides remote command-line access to an infected system.
Tech-savvy viewers might observe that “rwwwshell” is not the most interesting or contemporary example of covert backdoor malware. True, but we can presume that the victim host might be an old or bare-bones *nix distribution that lacks key dependencies needed for something more sophisticated.
Elliot quickly types a `shred` command to wipe out the backdoor script, and drops the connection, thereby eradicating the Dark Army’s foothold.
Hacking Cars the Old-Fashioned Way
(Updated 10/15/17)
Earlier last week, Kor and I hosted a Reddit AMA in which someone asked about how we avoid “hollywood hacker bullshit”. The FBI / Irving car pursuit is a great example of a scene where, in any other show, an imperiled hacker might pull out a laptop with a magical set of pre-loaded tools that can stop any vehicle in its tracks. (And if the situation is fast and furious, they might conjure up a botnet of attacking zombie cars.) We had to keep it real…but how?
There have been a few examples of remotely exploitable car hacks — but within very sets of conditions, and only affecting a few specific makes and models. Metasploit for cars doesn’t exist yet. So as Kor and I pitched ideas for the scene, I realized I didn’t want this attack to depend on traditional hacking tools at all. That led to researching the different ways that telematics systems can control a vehicle — and ultimately yielded Irving use of social-engineering against an OnStar-like service to initiate a “stolen vehicle slow-down”.
Russel Brandom at The Verge picked up on some key elements that we included in the scene; for instance, flashing the hazard lights so that the requesting officer confirms they’re about to halt the right car. That detail, along with other steps that Irving followed, came from a “best practices” document for public safety |
village remained empty and the fields overgrown with grass.
Though the background of the place was rather morbid, it was a very beautiful location otherwise. Zach had really found some nice sites in his decades of wandering the continent.
"So what was Kael being so excited about the other day?" Zach asked him. "I don't remember him being so excited about the time loop in the previous restart."
"Well, since I no longer have to worry about keeping my head down to stay below Red Robe's radar, Kael decided he can conscript some of the local alchemists for that research he keeps transferring across restarts," Zorian said.
"That sounds very expensive," Zach said, frowning.
"It probably will be," Zorian said, nodding. "I'd be annoyed at him throwing my money around like that, but in truth I really don't have much use for most of it. Besides, I can always dip into other sources of cash if I ever run out."
"Other sources?" Zach asked.
"I know the locations of several secret stashes of the Ibasans and the cultists scattered around Cyoria," Zorian said. "And I can always rob their houses too, since I know where a lot of them live and all."
"But that's stealing," Zach protested.
"Yes?" Zorian confirmed, mystified at Zach's response. "Why wouldn't I steal from them? They're a bunch of murderous invaders."
"Well… I guess it makes sense," Zach admitted. "But it just feels wrong to me, you know?"
"But you didn't feel uncomfortable helping me violently break into aranean settlements so we could violate their minds for practice and skill theft?" Zorian asked curiously.
Zach winced. "I, uh… didn't think of it that way. Besides, they're giant spiders. It's easier to justify that sort of thing when I can't read their body cues and they don't bother to talk to me about it."
"That's because you had a mind blank on," Zorian noted. "They literally couldn't talk to you. They did talk to me, though. They asked, even begged us to stop plenty of times."
"Uh, wow," said Zach awkwardly. "That's… pretty messed up. I always did wonder why you were so reluctant to do attack more than one colony each day…"
Zorian nodded silently. He wasn't exactly dying of guilt over what they did, but that was one restart he never intended to reenact in the future. There was no way he could keep doing that without becoming a monster.
After a short silence, Zach spoke up again.
"You know, Zorian," he said. "After watching you fight against the aranea in that restart and against other monsters in this one, I couldn't help but notice your combat magic is a little… basic."
"I guess," Zorian said slowly, wondering what the other boy was getting at.
"It's not bad!" Zach hastened to add. "It's pretty good, all things considered. But, well… I don't think it's good enough for what we need to do."
"Fair enough," Zorian agreed. "I am working on it, though. I suppose you think I'm not doing enough?"
"Actually, I was going to offer to teach you some more spells," Zach grinned. "I'm not much of a teacher, but I don't have to be one in order to increase your arsenal of combat spells."
There was no reason to say no – Zorian was always happy to learn more spells, especially restricted ones like most combat spells. Of course, learning spells was not the same as being able to use them effectively in combat, which was why Zorian still relied primarily on classics like magic missile, shield, fireball and the like.
It quickly became obvious that many of Zach's favorite tricks wouldn't work well for Zorian. For instance, Zach loved the shield variations that created multiple layers of force instead of a single shielding plane – while extremely effective, they had extreme mana costs associated with them as well. He also loved using spells in large swarms to overwhelm enemy defenses, which was likewise an impractical tactic for Zorian.
Still…
"Okay then, this is one of those fancy hexagon shields you sometimes see in illustrations," said Zach, casting the spell deliberately slowly so Zorian could memorize the movements and chants. A ghostly sphere made of interlocking hexagons sprung out around Zach. "I personally find it too much of a chore, but it sounds like it can work well for someone like you. The main advantage is that if an attack punches through, it will only destroy one hexagon instead of collapsing the entire shield. Though this does make the shield as a whole somewhat weaker than a layered aegis I showed you earlier. Hence me not using it much."
"That does sound more suited to me," Zorian admitted.
"We should probably stop for today," Zach said, dismissing the shield. It promptly dissolved into glittering motes of lights instead of simply winking out of existence like a regular shield did. Pretty.
"Yes," Zorian agreed. "It's best I spend some time experimenting with stuff you've already shown me before I bother learning more new stuff."
"Don't be afraid to ask for help," Zach said. "Hell, maybe one day you'll even teach me something."
Zorian cocked his eyebrow at him.
"Who says I can't teach you something now?" he asked the boy.
"Eh, I meant something related to combat magic," Zach clarified, waving his hand through the air dismissively.
"So did I," Zorian immediately countered.
"Zorian, please," Zach snorted derisively. "Combat magic is my thing. I've been working on it for decades now. Even if you know some obscure spell I've never encountered, I probably already have something better in my arsenal. Any feat of combat magic you can do, I can either duplicate or exceed."
"Hmm," Zorian hummed thoughtfully. "That calls for a little test, I think. Do you think you're up to it?"
"Sure," Zach shrugged. "What do you have in mind?"
"See that rock over there?" Zorian said, pointing at a large stone some distance away from them. Zach motioned for Zorian to continue. "Keep an eye on it while I cast my spell."
"Alright," Zach said, retreating to a healthy distance and positioning himself so he could easily see both Zorian and the stone at the same time.
Slowly and carefully, Zorian went through the motions of the spell. Zach looked torn between confusion and amusement, since the spell was clearly just a magic missile, but said nothing and opted to just watch instead.
Zorian finished the spell. For a second, nothing seemed to happen.
Then the rock Zorian designated as his target exploded into a shower of stone fragments, causing Zach to flinch in surprise at the sudden, unexpected detonation.
"What?" he asked uncomprehendingly. He gave Zorian a suspicious glance. "Did you put an explosive glyph on that stone beforehand or something?"
"Nope," Zorian said, grinning widely. "I cast an invisible magic missile at it."
"Invisible magic missile?" Zach asked slowly.
"Didn't you know?" Zorian asked innocently. "A flawlessly cast force spell is perfectly transparent, making it effectively invisible. It took me quite a while to achieve this, but I'm sure a master combat mage like yourself has mastered this years ago."
Zach stared at him for a second before shifting his gaze to the shattered rock the magic missile had demolished.
"So," Zorian began, smiling brightly. "How long do you think it will take you to duplicate that?"
- break -
Three days later, Zorian was kind of regretting one-upping Zach like he did. Ever since then, his fellow time traveler seemed obsessed with duplicating Zorian's feat, refusing to understand that this wasn't something you could achieve by working on it really hard for a couple of days.
"I'm not even sure why you're so upset about this," Zorian finally told him. "It's just a neat trick that people like you have no need for anyway."
"It's the principle of the thing," Zach said, casting another magic missile at the tree in front of him. Zorian didn't think the poor plant would last long if this continued for long. "I'm the combat guy. It's my thing, and I've been at this for decades longer than you! I can't let you outdo me in this area."
Zorian sighed at the explanation. He was getting uncomfortable flashbacks to Taiven's little episode when she figured out how good of a combat mage he is. Was this a general combat mage thing?
Well, at least Zach was not crying over it like Taiven had… that would have been really awkward.
"At least let me show you how to do it properly," Zorian said. "You'll never succeed by going at it in your current fashion."
Zach stopped for a second, considering it, before shaking his head.
"Maybe if I still can't figure it out in a few days," he said. "I like to figure these sorts of things on my own."
Oh well, he tried. With a helpless shrug, Zorian left Zach to his pointless attempts at brute-forcing a problem that required finesse to solve.
Eventually Zach either ran out of mana or got sick of casting magic missile – probably just got sick of it, considering his monstrous mana reserves – and decided to sit down next to Zorian for a while.
"Do you mind if I ask you a little about what you remember about the start of the time loop?" Zorian asked after a while.
"Feel free," Zach shrugged. "But keep in mind that the beginning of the time loop is very fuzzy in my mind and I keep having trouble remembering specific things about it."
"Yeah, you mentioned that," Zorian nodded. "But I've been thinking about what you've said, both recently and back when you still thought I was unaware of the time loop…"
"That was an asshole thing for you to do," said Zach, interrupting him. "I know I've said it before, but it bears repeating."
"You're never going to shut up about it, are you?" Zorian complained.
"Nope," Zach confirmed.
"Anyway," Zorian said, deciding there was no point in continuing that topic, "I remember you mentioning how you kept trying to convince everyone who would listen about the existence of the time loop. What was your logic behind that?"
"I found myself in some crazy time loop and there was an invasion of the city at the end of every month," Zach said. "Of course I wanted some help."
"So just to confirm…" Zorian tried. "Your earliest memories are of being confused by the situation you found yourself in, yes? The time loop was strange and novel to you, not something that felt natural?"
Zach frowned, lost in thought for a while.
"Yeah," Zach nodded. "Sounds about right. It doesn't feel like the time loop was something I was informed of in advance or specifically groomed for, if that's what you're asking. I guess that's a point in favor of Red Robe being the true Controller, huh?"
"Him being the original Controller still makes no sense to me," Zorian said. "Why would he tolerate you all this time if you weren't somehow critical for the loop? Do you remember ever experiencing a time loop being cut short for no apparent reason?"
"No," Zach said. "I would have remembered something that abnormal. I did experience a few unexpected restarts while sleeping, but I'm pretty sure those were due to assassinations."
"Hmm. I doubt Red Robe never died prematurely, so that means the time loop only resets when you die. That's a pretty obvious indicator it considers you more important than the two of us."
They continued discussing the issue for another ten minutes of so, with no solid conclusions by the end. Eventually they shifted to the topic of how to convince people around them they really were in a time loop and Zach started sharing some of his more amusing failures in his initial quest for allies…
"You told Benisek that you're a time traveler?" Zorian asked incredulously. "I can't believe you thought it was a good idea."
"Shut up," Zach said. "Aren't you friends with the guy?"
"Eh, sort of," Zorian admitted. "But I'm afraid our friendship didn't quite survive the time loop and its influence on me. I kind of feel bad, since it's not his fault he can't learn and grow like I do, but…"
"You don't have to explain that to me," Zach said. "I used to be casual friends with a lot of our classmates, but I feel completely alienated from most of them by now."
"Right," said Zorian. Best not to dwell on such a depressing topic. "So what exactly happened when you told Benisek about the time loop?"
"I thought he took it quite well at first," Zach said. "Then I came to school the day after and found that he told half the school I've gone completely nuts. Though funnily, everyone seemed to have a different idea of what kind of crazy thing I believed in…"
"Yeah, that sounds like Benisek," Zorian nodded. "So when you said you tried to convince everyone, you really meant everyone, huh?"
"Well, obviously I couldn't try to convince literally everyone in Cyoria," Zach said. "But it was a lot of people. Students, teachers, city authorities, you name it."
Zorian tapped his fingers against the ground around him, trying to think of some person from their class whose reaction to the time loop would have been amusing. Oh!
"How about Veyers?" he asked Zach. "Did you ever tell him about the time loop?"
"Who?" Zach asked, looking confused.
"Veyers Boranova," Zorian said. "You know, the guy who punched you in the face during class in our second year? He got expelled from the academy before the time loop began, but he had technically been our classmate, so I thought…"
He stopped when he noticed Zach was giving him a strange look.
"What is it?" he asked.
"Zorian… who the hell are you talking about?" Zach asked him slowly.
Zorian stared at Zach for a while, before he began to explain things in more detail.
"I'm talking about Veyers Boranova," he said. "Member of Noble House Boranova and our classmate during the first two years of our education. Tall, blond, and with vivid orange eyes that had a slitted iris and made him look sort of like a snake. You two hated each other… well, just about everyone hated the asshole, and he seemed to hate everyone around him, so I guess that doesn't say much but… Anyway, the point is that there is no way you could have forgotten the guy!"
Zach shifted in place uncomfortably.
"I have no idea who you're talking about," he finally admitted.
Wow. Now that… that was very, very interesting.Apple has reportedly begun the filtering of outbound messages sent via its MobileMe service.
The fruity one has applied inbound filtering to inbound emails as a precaution against spam since last year. Last month, however, it began filtering messages that users sent using the service – for questionable reasons.
The upshot is that whatever email client a MobileMe user uses, their message will be blocked without notification, reportedly even if the offending content in question contains mild political criticism.
Reg reader Mike Conley, who was the first to tell us of the problem, said that one of three offending messages he sent was blocked because it mentioned the phrase "growing hostility against Frankfurt and Brussels". An email about civil unrest in Greece about the sovereign debt crisis/austerity budget was also dropped. Conley realised there was a problem because he sends messages to himself via bcc. He complained and one of the offending messages was transmitted only for the problem to reappear days later.
As a result, Conley has decided to stop using the service after having been a loyal fan for more than 10 years.
Conloy started a thread on the problem on an Apple user forum. The post was picked up by Reg reader Harris Upham, who confirmed that censorship seems to be taking place.
"I have a mobileme account myself, and I have tested this myself and I'm now convinced that mobileme is censoring outbound mail based on message body content," Upham told El Reg.
Generally speaking we're much more inclined to attribute this sort of thing to a technical screw-up rather than a deliberate policy. The alternative is truly chilly. All-American firm Apple has decided to censor political debate occurring via email for reasons unknown, exactly the sort of behaviour routinely practiced in China and roundly condemned across the political spectrum in the West.
It's very likely there's some innocent explanation to this, but since Apple consistently refuses to speak to us on information security, we don't know what this might be. Enterprise email security firms we asked were unable to shed much light on the behaviour, presumably since it is restricted to Apple's user-base and only visible internally. ®As you design your In-app Billing implementation, be sure to follow the security best practices that are discussed in this document. These guidelines are recommended for anyone who is using Google Play's In-app Billing service.
Validating purchase details
It's highly recommended to validate purchase details on a server that you trust. If you cannot use a server, however, it's still possible to validate these details within your app on a device.
Validate on a server
By implementing your signature verification logic on a server, you make it difficult for attackers to reverse-engineer your APK file. This preserves the integrity of the signatures that your logic checks.
To validate purchase details on a trusted server, complete the following steps:
Ensure that the device-server handshake is secure. Check the returned data signature and the orderId, and verify that the orderId is a unique value that you have not previously processed. Verify that your app's key has signed the INAPP_PURCHASE_DATA that you process. Validate purchase responses using the ProductPurchase resource (for in-app products) or the SubscriptionPurchase resource (for subscriptions) from the Google Play Developer API. This step is particularly useful because attackers cannot create mock responses to your Play Store purchase requests.
Protecting your unlocked content
To prevent malicious users from redistributing your unlocked content, do not bundle it in your APK file. Instead, do one of the following:
Use a real-time service to deliver your content, such as a content feed. Delivering content through a real-time service allows you to keep your content fresh.
Use a remote server to deliver your content.
When you deliver content from a remote server or a real-time service, you can store the unlocked content in device memory or store it on the device's SD card. If you store content on an SD card, be sure to encrypt the content and use a device-specific encryption key.
Taking action against trademark and copyright infringement
If you are using a remote server to deliver or manage content, have your application verify the purchase state of the unlocked content whenever a user accesses the content. This allows you to revoke use when necessary and minimize piracy.
If you see your content being redistributed on Google Play, act quickly and decisively. For more details, see the Frequently Asked Copyright Questions page in the Copyright Help Center.Americans of Indian ancestry
Indian Americans or Indo-Americans, are Americans whose ancestry belongs to any of the many ethnic groups of the Republic of India. The U.S. Census Bureau uses the term Asian Indian to avoid confusion with the indigenous peoples of the Americas commonly referred to as American Indians (or Native Americans or Amerindians).
Terminology [ edit ]
In the Americas, historically, the term "Indian" has been most commonly used to refer to the indigenous people of the continents after European colonization in the 15th century. Qualifying terms such as "American Indian" and "East Indian" were and are commonly used to avoid ambiguity. The U.S. government has since coined the term "Native American" to refer to the indigenous peoples of the United States, but terms such as "American Indian" remain popular among both indigenous and non-indigenous populations. Since the 1980s, Indian Americans have been categorized as "Asian Indian" (within the broader subgroup of Asian American) by the United States Census Bureau.[7]
While "East Indian" remains in use, the term "South Asian" is often chosen instead for academic and governmental purposes.[8] Indian Americans are a subgroup of South Asian Americans, a census group that also includes Bangladeshi Americans, Bhutanese Americans, Nepalese Americans, Pakistani Americans, Burmese Americans, Sri Lankan Americans, etc.
Indian American immigration [ edit ]
18th century [ edit ]
The Naturalization Act of 1790 made Asians ineligible for citizenship, with citizenship limited to whites only.[9]
19th century [ edit ]
Indian immigration began in the mid-19th century, with more than two thousand Indian Sikhs living in the United States, primarily on the West Coast, by the end of the century.[10] The presence of Indian-Americans also helped develop interest in Eastern religions in the US and would result in its influence on American philosophies such as Transcendentalism. Swami Vivekananda arriving in Chicago at the World's Fair led to the establishment of the Vedanta Society. Many Punjabis migrated to the western US in the 19th and early 20th century followed by many other.
20th century [ edit ]
Bhicaji Balsara became the first known Indian-born person to gain naturalized U.S. citizenship. As a Parsi, he was considered a 'pure member of the Persian sect' and therefore a free white person. The judge Emile Henry Lacombe, of the Southern District of New York, only gave Balsara citizenship on the hope that the United States attorney would indeed challenge his decision and appeal it to create “an authoritative interpretation” of the law. The U.S. attorney adhered to Lacombe’s wishes and took the matter to the Circuit Court of Appeals in 1910. The Circuit Court of Appeal agreed that Parsees belong to the white race and were "as distinct from Hindus as are the English who dwell in India”. [11][11] Prior to 1965, Indian immigration to the U.S. was small and isolated, with fewer than fifty thousand Indian immigrants in the country. The Bellingham riots in Bellingham, Washington on September 5, 1907 epitomized the low tolerance in the U.S. for Indians and Sikhs who were called hindoos by locals. While anti-Asian racism was embedded in U.S. politics and culture in the early 20th century, Indians were also racialized for their anticolonialism, with U.S. officials, casting them as a "Hindu" menace, pushing for Western imperial expansion abroad.[12] Although labeled Hindu, the majority of Indians were Sikh.[12] In the 1923 case, United States v. Bhagat Singh Thind, the Supreme Court ruled that Punjabis were not "white persons" and were therefore racially ineligible for naturalized citizenship.[13] The Court also argued that the racial difference between Indians and whites was so great that the "great body of our people" would reject assimilation with Indians.[13]
After the Luce–Celler Act of 1946 a quota of 100 Indians per year were permitted to immigrate to the U.S. and become citizens.[14] The Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 dramatically opened entry to the U.S. to immigrants other than traditional Northern European groups, which would significantly alter the demographic mix in the U.S.[15] Not all Indian Americans came directly from India; some came to the U.S. via Indian communities in other countries, including the United Kingdom, Canada, (South Africa, the former British colonies of East Africa,[16] (namely Kenya, Tanzania), and Uganda, Mauritius), the Asia-Pacific region (Malaysia, Singapore, Australia, Fiji),[16] and the Caribbean (Guyana, Trinidad and Tobago, Suriname, and Jamaica).[16]
21st century [ edit ]
The indians are really good now and days and white people are really racist to us Indians and some months ago a police chiefs son beat up an Punjabi man which is not good.
Demographics [ edit ]
Percent of population claiming Asian Indian ethnicity by state in 2010
According to the 2010 United States Census,[21] the Asian Indian population in the United States grew from almost 1,678,765 in 2000 (0.6% of U.S. population) to 2,843,391 in 2010 (0.9% of U.S. population), a growth rate of 69.37%, one of the fastest growing ethnic groups in the United States.[22][23]
The New York-Newark-Bridgeport, NY-NJ-CT-PA Combined Statistical Area, consisting of New York City, Long Island, and adjacent areas within New York, as well as nearby areas within the states of New Jersey (extending to Trenton), Connecticut (extending to Bridgeport), and including Pike County, Pennsylvania, was home to an estimated 711,174 uniracial Indian Americans as of the 2017 American Community Survey by the U.S. Census Bureau, comprising by far the largest Indian American population of any metropolitan area in the United States;[24] New York City itself also contains by far the highest Indian American population of any individual city in North America, estimated at 246,454 as of 2017.[25] Monroe Township, Middlesex County, in central New Jersey, the geographic heart of the Northeast megalopolis, has displayed one of the fastest growth rates of its Indian population in the Western Hemisphere, increasing from 256 (0.9%) as of the 2000 Census[26] to an estimated 5,943 (13.6%) as of 2017,[27] representing a 2,221.5% (a multiple of 23) numerical increase over that period, including many affluent professionals and senior citizens. In 2014, 12,350 Indians legally immigrated to the New York-Northern New Jersey-Long Island, NY-NJ-PA core based statistical area;[28] As of January 2019, Indian airline carrier Air India as well as United States airline carrier United Airlines were offering direct flights from the New York City Metropolitan Area to and from Delhi, Mumbai, and (Air India) Ahmedabad. At least twenty Indian American enclaves characterized as a Little India have emerged in the New York City Metropolitan Area.
Other metropolitan areas with large Indian American populations include Atlanta, Baltimore–Washington, Boston, Chicago, Dallas–Ft. Worth, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco–San Jose–Oakland.
The three oldest Indian-American communities going back to around 1910 are in lesser populated agricultural areas like Stockton, California south of Sacramento; the Central Valley of California like Yuba City; and Imperial County, California aka Imperial Valley. These were all primarily Sikh settlements.
U.S. metropolitan areas with large Asian Indian populations [ edit ]
While the table above provides a picture of the population of Indian American (alone) and Asian Americans (alone) in some of the metropolitan areas of the US, it is incomplete as it does not include multi-racial Asian Americans. Please note that data for multi-racial Asian Americans has not yet been released by the US Census Bureau.
List of U.S. states by population of Asian Indians [ edit ]
Historical population Year Pop. ±% 1910 2,545 — 1920 2,507 −1.5% 1930 3,130 +24.9% 1940 2,405 −23.2% 1980 361,531 +14932.5% 1990 815,447 +125.6% 2000 1,678,765 +105.9% 2010 2,843,391 +69.4% 2017 4,402,362 +54.8%
Statistics on Indians in the U.S. [ edit ]
The United States is host to the second largest Indian diaspora on the planet
In 2006, of the 1,266,264 legal immigrants to the United States, 58,072 were from India. Between 2000 and 2006, 421,006 Indian immigrants were admitted to the U.S., up from 352,278 during the 1990–1999 period.[35] According to the 2000 U.S. census, the overall growth rate for Indians from 1990 to 2000 was 105.87 percent. The average growth rate for the U.S. was 7.6 percent. Indians comprise 16.4 percent of the Asian-American community. In 2000, the Indian-born population in the U.S. was 1.007 million. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, between 1990 and 2000, the Indian population in the U.S. grew 130% – 10 times the national average of 13%. Indian Americans are the third largest Asian American ethnic group, following Chinese Americans and Filipino Americans.[36][37][38]
A joint Duke University – UC Berkeley study revealed that Indian immigrants have founded more engineering and technology companies from 1995 to 2005 than immigrants from the UK, China, Taiwan and Japan combined.[39] The percentage of Silicon Valley startups founded by Indian immigrants has increased from 7% in 1999 to 15.5% in 2006, as reported in the 1999 study by AnnaLee Saxenian [40] and her updated work in 2006 in collaboration with Vivek Wadhawa.[41] Indian Americans are making their way to the top positions of almost every big technology company (Google, Facebook, Microsoft, Cisco, Oracle, Adobe, Softbank, Cognizant, Sun microsystems, etc.) Many of them came from very humble origins, for example the current google CEO "Sundar Pichai did not have the privilege of watching television or travelling by car during his childhood. Born and raised in a middle class household, Mr. Pichai used to sleep with his brother in the living room of their two-room apartment that barely had any technology. Despite facing these hardships of everyday life in India, Pichai had a gleam in his eyes of sheer ambition and relentless pursuit." [42]
A recent study shows that 23% of Indian business school graduates take a job in United States.[43]
In 2014, the Pew Research Center published an article listing some more interesting facts about Indian Americans.[44]
Socioeconomic status [ edit ]
Indian Americans continuously outpace every other ethnic group socioeconomically per U.S. Census statistics.[45] Thomas Friedman, in his 2005 book The World Is Flat, explains this trend in terms of brain drain, whereby the best and brightest elements in India emigrate to the US in order to seek better financial opportunities.[46] Indians form the second largest group of physicians after non-Hispanic whites (3.9%) as of the 1990 survey, and the percentage of Indian physicians has rose to around 6% in 2005.[47]
Education [ edit ]
According to Pew Research in 2015, 72% of Indian Americans had a bachelor's degree or more.[48] 32% of Indian Americans, aged over 25, had a bachelor's degree and 40% had a postgraduate degree compared to 19% of bachelor's degree attainment and 11% postgraduate degree attainment among
Household income [ edit ]
The median household income for Indian immigrants in 2015 was much higher than that of the overall foreign- and native-born populations. Households headed by Indian immigrants had a median income of $101,591, compared to $51,000 and $56,000 for overall immigrant and native-born households, respectively. By far they are the richest and most successful ethnic group in the USA due to their strong work-ethic and focus on education, as well as many other factors, such as the relatively low wages for highly-skilled workers in India, creating an incentive for highly skilled Indians to immigrate, while poorer Indians can neither afford to immigrate, nor live in the United States.
Approximately 7 percent of Indian immigrants lived in poverty in 2015, a much lower rate than the foreign-born population overall and the U.S. born (17 percent and 14 percent, respectively).[49]
Culture [ edit ]
Entertainment [ edit ]
Hindi radio stations are available in areas with high Indian populations, for example, Easy96.com in the New York City metropolitan area, KLOK 1170 AM in San Francisco, RBC Radio; Radio Humsafar, Desi Junction in Chicago; Radio Salaam Namaste and FunAsia Radio in Dallas; and Masala Radio, FunAsia Radio, Sangeet Radio, Radio Naya Andaz in Houston and Washington Bangla Radio on Internet from the Washington DC Metro Area. There are also some radio stations broadcasting in Tamil and Telugu within these communities.[50][51] Houston-based Kannada Kaaranji radio focuses on a multitude of programs for children and adults.[52] In South Florida, Bhawan R. Singh has hosted an Indo-Caribbean/Indian Hindustani radio program called Sangeet Mala on WHSR 980 AM on Saturdays. Indians/Indo-Caribbeans in New York City have their own station called WICR.
AVS (Asian Variety Show) and Namaste America are nationally available South Asian programming available free to air and can be watched with a television antenna.
Several cable and satellite television providers offer Indian channels: Sony TV, Zee TV, TV Asia, Star Plus, Sahara One, Colors, Big Magic, regional channels, and others have offered Indian content for subscription, such as the Cricket World Cup. There is also an American cricket channel called Willow.
Many metropolitan areas with large Indian-American populations now have movie theaters which specialize in showing Indian movies, especially from Bollywood and Telugu cinema.
In July 2005, MTV premiered a spin-off network called MTV Desi which targets Indian Americans.[53] It has been discontinued by MTV.
In 2012, the film Not a Feather, but a Dot directed by Teju Prasad, was released which investigates the history, perceptions and changes in the Indian-American community over the last century.
In popular media, several Indian-American personalities have made their mark in recent years, including Kovid Gupta, Kal Penn, Aziz Ansari, Hasan Minhaj, and Mindy Kaling.
Religions [ edit ]
Communities of Hindus, Christians, Muslims, Sikhs, Jains, Buddhists, Parsis, and Indian Jews have established their religions in the United States. According to 2012 Pew Research Center research, 51% consider themselves Hindu, 18% as Christian (Protestant 11%, Catholic 5%, other Christian 3%), 10% as unaffiliated, 10% as Muslims, 5% as Sikh, 2% as Jain.[6] The first religious center of an Indian religion to be established in the US was a Sikh Gurudwara in Stockton, California in 1912. Today there are many Sikh Gurudwaras, Hindu temples, Christian churches, and Buddhist and Jain temples in all 50 states.
Hindus [ edit ]
Some have claimed that as of 2008, the American Hindu population was around 2.2 million,[55] but this estimation is based on the flawed assumption that percentage of Hindus among Indian Americans is the same as in India. Regardless, Hindus are the majority of Indian Americans.[56][57] Many organizations such as ISKCON, Swaminarayan Sampraday, BAPS Swaminarayan Sanstha, Chinmaya Mission, and Swadhyay Pariwar are well-established in the U.S. Hindu Americans have formed the Hindu American Foundation which represents American Hindus and aim to educate people about Hinduism. Swami Vivekananda brought Hinduism to the West at the 1893 Parliament of the World's Religions.[58] The Vedanta Society has been important in subsequent Parliaments. Today, many Hindu temples, most of them built by Indian Americans, have emerged in different cities and towns in the United States.[59][60] More than 18 million Americans are now practicing some form of Yoga. Kriya Yoga was introduced to America by Paramahansa Yogananda. A.C Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada initiated the popular ISKCON, also known as the Hare Krishna movement, while preaching Bhakti yoga.
Sikhs [ edit ]
There are nearly 30 million Sikhs around the world today, and a vast majority of them live in the Indian state of Punjab. There is also a robust and flourishing diaspora, with communities large and small all over the globe. Much of the diaspora is concentrated in the commonwealth due to migration within the British empire, yet Sikhs continue to establish themselves in various countries throughout the world.
From the time of their arrival in the late 1800s, Sikh men and women have been making notable contributions to American society. In 2007, there were estimated to be between 250,000 and 500,000 Sikhs living in the United States, with largest populations living on the East and West Coasts, together with additional populations in Detroit, Chicago, and Austin. The United States also has a number of non-Punjabi converts to Sikhism. Sikh men are typically identifiable by their unshorn beards and turbans (head coverings), articles of their faith. Many organisations like World Sikh Organisation (WSO), Sikh Riders of America, SikhNet, Sikh Coalition, SALDEF, United Sikhs, National Sikh Campaign continue to educate people about Sikhism. There are many "Gurudwaras" Sikh temples present in all states of USA.
Jains
Adherents of Jainism first arrived in the United States in the 20th century. The most significant time of Jain immigration was in the early 1970s. The US has since become a center of the Jain diaspora. The Federation of Jain Associations in North America is an umbrella organization of local American and Canadian Jain congregations.[61] Unlike India and United Kingdom, the Jain community in United States doesn't find sectarian differences, Both Digambara and Śvētāmbara a share common roof.
Christians [ edit ]
There are many Indian Christian churches across the US; Church of South India, Church of North India, Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, Christhava Tamil Koil, Knanaya, Indian Orthodox Church, Mar Thoma Church (reformed orthodox), Malankara Syriac Orthodox Church, The Pentecostal Mission, Assemblies Of God, Church of God, Sharon Pentecostal Church, Independent Non Denominational Churches like Heavenly Feast, Plymouth Brethren, and the India Pentecostal Church of God. Saint Thomas Christians from Kerala have established their own places of worship across the United States. The website USIndian.org has collected a comprehensive list of all the traditional St |
hoping to take part in the boom. These included companies to develop perpetual motion (also ahead of its time), to insure horses, to improve the art of making soap, to trade in hair, to repair and rebuild parsonage and vicarage houses, to transmute quicksilver into malleable fine metal, and to erect houses or hospitals for taking in and maintaining illegitimate children, as well as the immortal enterprise, ‘for carrying on an undertaking of great advantage, but nobody to know what it is.’" (p. 49)
"Speculation, it has been noted, comes when popular imagination settles on something seemingly new in the field of commerce or finance. The tulip, beautiful and varied in its colors, was one of the first things so to serve. To this day it remains one of the more unusual of such instruments. Nothing more improbable ever contributed so wonderfully to the mass delusion here examined." (p. 28)
"Speculation, it has been noted, comes when popular imagination settles on something seemingly new in the field of commerce or finance. The tulip, beautiful and varied in its colors, was one of the first things so to serve. To this day it remains one of the more unusual of such instruments. Nothing more improbable ever contributed so wonderfully to the mass delusion here examined." (p. 28) Galbraith could be discussing Mt. Gox, "The final and common feature of the speculative episode – in stock markets, real estate, art, or junk bonds – is what happens after the inevitable crash. Thus, invariably, will be a time of anger and recrimination and also of profoundly subtle introspection. The anger will fix upon the individuals who were previously most admired for their financial imagination and acuity. Some of them, having been persuaded of their own exemption from confining orthodoxy, will, as noted, have gone beyond the law, and their fall and, occasionally, their incarceration will now be viewed with righteous satisfaction." (p. 22)
How many times have some bitcoin adopters claimed to be the new landed gentry ossifying into "old money"? Galbraith notes, "In all speculative episodes there is always an element of pride in discovering what is seemingly new and greatly rewarding in the way of financial instrument or investment opportunity. The individual or institution that does so is thought to be wonderfully ahead of the mob. This insight is then confirmed as others rush to exploit their own, only slightly later vision. This perception of something new and exceptional rewards the ego of the participant, as it is expected also to reward his or her pocketbook. And for a while it does." (p. 18-19)
"That fascination derives, in turn, from the scale of the financial operations and the feeling that, with so much money involved, the mental resources behind them cannot be less. Only after the speculative collapse does the truth emerge. What was thought to be unusual acuity turns out to be only a fortuitous and unfortunate association with the assets. Over the long years of history, the results for those who have been thus misjudged (including, invariably by themselves) has been opprobrium followed by personal disgrace or a retreat into the deeper folds of obscurity. Or it has been exile, suicide, or, in modern times, at least moderately uncomfortable confinement. The rule will often be here reiterated: financial genius is before the fall." (p. 17)
On the reason for continually fulfilling George Santayana’s dictum about not learning from the past, "The first is the extreme brevity of the financial memory. In consequence, financial disaster is quickly forgotten. In further consequence, when the same or closely similar circumstances occur again, sometimes in only a few years, they are hailed by a new, often youthful, and always supremely self-confident generation as a brilliantly innovative discovery in the financial and larger economic world. There can be few fields of human endeavor in which history counts for so little as in the world of finance. Past experience, to the extent that it is part of memory at all, is dismissed as the primitive refuge of those who do not have the insight to appreciate the incredible wonders of the present." (p. 13)
Views: 6,615REUTERS U.S. President Barack Obama delivers his State of the Union speech on Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. on Feb. 12, 2013.
To navigate something as complex and dynamic as the brain, a map would help.
Researchers have learned an enormous amount about how we think, what drives our behaviors, and why we feel the way we do since President George H.W. Bush proclaimed the 1990s the “decade of the brain,” but many fundamental questions about the three-pound universe remain unanswered. So President Obama has proposed a Brain Activity Map (BAM) project to reveal some of these remaining secrets, using the Human Genome Project as a model. Not all scientists, however, are on board.
In his state of the union speech, the President noted that every dollar invested in the human genome project “returned $140 to our economy.” With some $3.8 billion spent over 13 years, the resulting gene-based boon turned out to be $796 billion in new jobs, medical treatments, increased salaries and other benefits, according to a 2011 analysis conducted for the federal government. Although medical care has not advanced as much as initially expected because — surprise — the science of genetics is more complex than scientists had anticipated, the data is continuing to yield fruit and promises to provide more value in years to come.
MORE: The Brain: What the Mouse Brain Tells Us
The BAM project hopes to offer returns of equal or greater value, although the amount of funding has not yet been determined. The New York Times reports that scientists hope for at least as much money as was devoted to the genome project— $300 million a year for at least ten years— but what the administration will seek as part of the proposed budget and where the money will come from is not yet clear.
The goal is to produce the first map of brain function to explore every signal sent by every cell and track how the resulting data flows through neural networks and is ultimately translated into thoughts, feelings and actions. While work is already underway to understand the wiring diagram of the whole brain— known as the connectome— this project would go beyond that to try to understand what this circuitry actually does.
MORE: Q&A: Are You Just the Sum of Your Brain’s Connections?
“I have been interested throughout my entire career in one burning question: how do we turn thought into action?” says John Donaghue, professor of neuroscience at Brown University, who is one of the core scientists involved in the project. Although current brain imaging techniques and cell-based studies offer some insight into how the brain works, they don’t provide a deep enough look at the brain’s inner workings.
“It’s like looking at a page of TIME from six feet away,” he says of imaging methods like functional MRI (fMRI), “You can get a general idea of what’s going on and maybe read the headline but you can’t [understand] the text.” Meanwhile, simply dissecting or manipulating single cells or studying several of them interacting at a time, is “like looking through a microscope and seeing every ink imperfection in a ‘T.’ Maybe you don’t want to do that if you want to understand what a paragraph says.”
What’s missing, says Donoghue, is “that middle level of analysis. How does the brain transform, ‘I want my coffee cup,’ into reaching out with my hand grabbing the cup, bringing it to my mouth and taking a sip, effortlessly, naturally, fluidly.”
MORE: Will the Mind Figure Out How the Brain Works?
Donoghue says that the project’s lofty goal is to provide that level of analysis, in part by developing new tools needed to study neural networks to such a detailed extent. Some of the research will be done on animal models and some will require the development of nanotechnology specifically designed for the task.
In 2006, Microsoft co-founder Paul Allen funded, with an initial investment of $100 million, the first complete mapping of the mouse brain, and the Allen Brain Atlas is well on its way to doing the same for the human brain.
“There are already [neuroscientists] working on many aspects of this, so the first thing is to bring them together,” says Donoghue. “The second thing is to bring together physical scientists like nanotechnology engineers and computational people with neuroscientists so they can exchange ideas and develop technologies to revolutionize the study of the brain.”
Ultimately, researchers believe that by understanding the brain at a circuit level, diseases like Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, depression and other brain disorders could be better treated and perhaps even cured.
But some scientists are skeptical that current science is up to the task and are even more wary about whether funding a single project like BAM is the best way to gain this understanding. “I favor diversity in science, by funding lots of scientists pursuing their own research agendas, rather than funding one large project or initiative,” says Ed Vul, assistant professor of psychology at the University of California San Diego, who has published research on flaws in data analysis of fMRI research. Rather than channeling funding into one, potentially misguided pathway, the individual approach “allows funding agencies to adapt nimbly to results, and to what seems to be more or less promising,” Vul says.
Other researchers are concerned that the project might take resources away from trying to cure specific diseases in favor of a basic science approach that might take decades to yield treatments or cures. As Bloomberg reported, Maria Carillo, vice president for medical and scientific relations at the Alzheimer’s Association said that the project should be conducted in concert with approaches like the National Alzheimer’s Plan, instead of separate from them.
MORE: 2045: The Year Man Becomes Immortal
Brain mapping is an exciting new area of research, as evidenced by the fact that overseas, European officials recently announced that they will spend 1 billion euro on their own major neuroscience effort, the Human Brain Project. That initiative will attempt to simulate the brain in a computer, based on existing data, rather than map its actions in finer detail. While Donoghue has reservations about the European project because he doesn’t think there is enough data to build a decent model yet, he thinks that BAM might ultimately be able to provide such information.
“I predict the spinoffs will be unbelievable and amazing,” he says of BAM. As long as the President can find a way to pay for it.This summer, the Spanish firm Abengoa announced it had signed an agreement with a Moroccan government agency to forge ahead with the first phase of a project to build the world's largest renewable energy-driven seawater desalination plant.
Abengoa will undertake the engineering, construction, operation and maintenance of the plant for 27 years. The project will produce 275,000 cubic meters (m3) of desalinated seawater daily, to supply 150,000 m3 water for drinking as well as 125,000 m3 for irrigation of 13,600 hectares of farmland near Agadir, a coastal town in western Morocco. The contract provides for a possible future capacity expansion up to 450,000 cubic meters a day.
According to the Moroccan government, the electricity to power the plant will come in by planned new high-tension wires from the Noor Ouarzazate solar power plant (pictured at top) nearly 400 kilometers (249 miles) east of Agadir.
Agadir, Morocco. Abengoa's new desalination plant will serve the people of this city - and irrigate 13,600 hectares of nearby farmland, too
But is this new plant is a harbinger of a boom in desalination plants powered by sun or wind? Is there an emerging business case for unsubsidized renewable-energy-driven desalination plants?
Desalination by the numbers
At present, less than 1 percent of the world's population depends on desalinated seawater for its daily fresh-water supply. There are around 21,000 large desalination plants in operation; most are in the Middle East.
While the Agadir plant will draw seawater from the ocean and turn it into fresh water, "only about half the desalination plants in the world do that. The rest process water from other impure sources, such as brackish groundwater or polluted river water," according to Klemens Schwarzer, a scientist at the Jülich Solar Institute in western Germany, 60 kilometers west of Cologne.
The Via Maris seawater desalination plant near Tel Aviv, Israel, uses the reverse osmosis (RO) process. It provides about 100,000 m3 of freshwater daily. The Agadir plant will use similar technology.
Can scarce fresh water be made abundant?
In theory, the potential for increasing global freshwater supplies by using desalination technologies is enormous. About 97.5 percent of the 1,385 million cubic kilometers of water on Earth is salty seawater. The remaining 2.5 percent is freshwater, but around 90 percent of that freshwater is locked into the ice caps of Antarctica, Greenland, or other glaciers. Humanity's total annual water use is, in turn, a small fraction of the remainder.
Given these numbers, could desalination plants drawing on seawater turn the world's deserts and semi-arid drylands into thriving green plantations?
The short answer is: In theory yes, but in practice, not easily - because "it takes a lot of energy and equipment to make fresh water from seawater," Schwarzer said. "That means it's expensive."
The cost of desalination always must be compared with the cost of piping or trucking fresh water from somewhere it can be obtained without needing desalination - i.e. from lakes, rivers, or freshwater aquifers.
The Noor Ourzazate solar power plant uses concentrated sunlight to heat a carrier oil. The heat is then transferred to water via heat exchangers, and the hot water then drives a steam turbine. It's a solar thermal power plant, not a photovoltaic power plant
Technologies for desalination
A bewildering variety of desalination equipment exists, but are only two main kinds of process for turning saltwater into fresh, drinkable water: Thermal desalination and "reverse osmosis" (RO) desalination. Both are energy-intensive.
Thermal desalination works by causing water to evaporate, leaving behind salt and other impurities. RO works by using a multi-stage filtration process culminating in the use of high-pressure pumps to force salty water through a membrane whose mesh is so fine that water molecules can pass through, but salt and other impurities cannot. Abengoa's Agadir plant will use RO.
According to Schwarzer, thermal desalination tends to generate purer water than RO desalination.
On average, each human being directly or indirectly uses 3.8 cubic meters of water each day, when everything from washing and drinking through agriculture and industrial water use is counted. That means Abengoa's Agadir plant, once complete, will produce enough to cover the needs of about 72,500 average global citizens.
Pressure filters comprising part of a desalination plant at Beckton, England. This reverse osmosis plant turns mixed river and tidal water from the River Thames into drinking-water, at a rate of 150,000 m3 per day
Since there are about 7.5 billion people in the world, a back-of-the-envelope calculation shows that it would take nearly 104,000 plants the size of the one being built in Agadir to provide freshwater for everyone on Earth.
The business case for solar desalination depends on location
Most of the large desalination plants in oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia are thermal rather than RO plants. They use waste heat generated as a byproduct in oil-fired electricity generating plants, Schwarzer explained. That means the energy input needed for desalination is nearly free-of-charge.
The heat driving the desalination process could also be provided by large arrays of sunlight-concentrating mirrors - but it's expensive to make and install those mirrors.
That's one reason why the answer to the question posed at the top – "is the business case for solar desalination technology finally strong enough to unleash a boom?" – is no, not in countries like Saudi Arabia where natural freshwater is scarce, but oil and gas are cheap, seawater is readily accessible, and waste heat from fossil-fueled power plants is abundant.
Gas-rich Qatar has built a number of gas-fired thermal desalination plants - with money it got from selling gas to Europe. In early 2017 it completed its first major reverse osmosis seawater desalination plant, Ras Abu Fontas A3, big enough to supply water to a million people in Doha
But what about regions where both freshwater and fossil fuels are scarce and expensive?
"In those contexts, solar desalination may make sense," Schwarzer said. "Morocco imports most of its fossil fuels. It has a great deal of solar and wind energy that can be tapped, and it's beginning to do that."
Africa's financial challenge
There is an enormous unmet need for clean freshwater in sub-Saharan Africa too, Schwarzer added. With abundant sunshine, solar desalination makes technical sense for the continent, at least near the coasts. It could also be used to purify polluted river water. But most Africans can't afford desalination equipment.
Ethiopian children at a water well. Clean freshwater is the most crucial limited resource in Africa
People need at least 5 liters a day of water for personal use. Schwarzer's group at Jülich Solar Institute has developed small, decentralized multi-stage thermal distillation units that produce 10 cubic meters of freshwater per day - or 10,000 liters – at a cost of about two euro cents per liter. It's enough to provide drinking and cooking water for a village of about 2,000 people.
Two cents per liter sounds, to European ears, like almost nothing, "but it's actually quite a lot," Schwarzer said. "Consider a family of eight people - two adults, six kids. That's 40 liters, or 80 cents a day. For an African family earning just a couple of euros a day, it's too much."
The solution, he said, will have to entail some form of partial subsidy to cover the cost of building and providing desalination equipment.Edgar Froese, founder of German electronic music pioneers Tangerine Dream, has died, according to the band's website. He was 70 years old. The cause of death was a pulmonary embolism.
The note on the band's website said:
Dear Friends, This is a message to you we are deeply sorry for…
On January 20th, Tuesday afternoon, Edgar Froese suddenly and unexpectedly passed away from the effects of a pulmonary embolism in Vienna.
The sadness in our hearts is immensely. Edgar once said: “There is no death, there is just a change of our cosmic address." Edgar, this is a little comfort to us.
Froese founded Tangerine Dream in 1967, and remained the band's only constant member through their long existence. They released dozens of studio albums and composed the soundtrack for movies such as Firestarter and Risky Business. Froese also released many solo albums. Tangerine Dream were influential in developing the sounds of Krautrock, ambient, and electronic dance music.
Most recently, Froese collaborated on the score of Grand Theft Auto V.Hey everyone, it's Holly Marder back again this month with another beautiful interior to show you! I have a sneaking suspicion you’ll love this modern home in the country so let’s jump straight in!
Webshop owner and interior stylist Nicole de Ridder and her partner Michiel Kok live reside in this renovated farmhouse in the Dutch countryside with their baby boy Tyn. After years of remodeling, the results are a calming and contemporary family home that boasts all the characteristics of an old farm.
Michiel purchased the 140m2 property a decade ago prior to meeting Nicole. The building, which dates back to 1922, was in a sorry state of affairs and he commenced reconstruction right away, a job which took him more than six years. After meeting Nicole, they decided to live together however Nicole felt that much was needed to complete the renovation, including a full restyle of the home’s interior. “The furnishing of the farm was pretty dark and rural, not my taste,” admits Nicole. “To feel at home, we did some redecoration together and decided to finish the job.”
The former living room consisted of two smaller rooms. Nicole and Michiel broke through the wall separating the two rooms, resulting in a large L-shaped living space. They removed a large window and replaced it with French doors which gives them access to their garden. “We thought the adaptation would take two months at most, but in the end, it cost us more than nine months,” Nicole says. “Once you start, new things will pop up. The good thing is: now the whole house is finished right down to the last details.”
Their home is a mixture of styles. “I love to combine vintage with modern items and design,” Nicole explains. “The base colours in our home are white and grey. To create some warmth, I add warm colours such as brown, yellow, orange and red. I think wood is also a great way to give a room some extra warmth.” Nicole loves bringing souvenirs home from her travels, bringing with her unique accessories with a story and sweet memories. Her favourite pieces include the large wooden sculptures from the Philippines and the souvenirs in the shelving unit from Thailand and Laos.
Nicole and Michel do have different styles when it comes to decorating. “That can be difficult sometimes,” Nicole explains. “But finally, when Michiel sees how it turned out, nine out of ten times, he will like it anyway.” Michiel’s proudest accomplishment is the master bathroom, which he designed and created himself. The walls of the bathroom were given a ‘tadelakt’ finish, giving them a rustic aesthetic.
The size of the property commanded a lot of furniture, so the couple shopped together to fill each space. With an eye for beautiful products for the home, this was a process Nicole thoroughly enjoyed.
“Through my work, I find so many treasures. My apartment in Amsterdam was too small to collect things, but the farmhouse allowed me to finally get some of these pieces and give them a nice place in our home.” One of Nicole’s favourite brands is House Doctor, a Danish label she also sells in her webshop “It’s affordable and of good quality,” Nicole explains.
The grey corner sofa in the living room is an item Michiel purchased when he lived on his own. The cushions on the sofa are from La cerise sur le gateau, a brand Nicole endorses in her webshop. Beside the sofa, is a second hand black vintage chair. The couple drove to Brussels to find one at an antique market and design fair, but didn’t succeed and drove back to the Netherlands with an empty van. In the end, they found the black vintage chair on Marktplaats, and online marketplace for used and vintage items in the Netherlands (similar to Craigslist). Small coffee tables, one white one and a black one by Hay, maintain a sense of spaciousness in the room. The hand-knotted carpet, as well as the one in the dining area, was purchased at De Munk Carpets.
The couple’s self designed and made floor-to-ceiling bookshelf was created using MDF boards. Michiel did all the carpentry and Nicole the polishing and painting. “It was not an easy job, but I really wanted this bookshelf,” Nicole says. “One day, we will move back to Amsterdam and the knowledge that we won’t be able to move this bookshelf with us makes me sad already.”
A segment of the bookshelf continues around the wall, connecting both parts of the living room and acting as a display for Nicole’s favourite objects.
The couple purchased their dining table at Raw Materials, an Amsterdam-based furniture shop. Above it, are two white Muuto lamps. The white Panton chairs were a Marktplaats find, while the yellow one was purchased new from Loods5, a large Dutch furniture store where Nicole sells her products.
The couple painted their monochromatic kitchen, brining in blue accents for a bright and cheerful space to begin the day. The kitchen table is by House Doctor and the blue cabinet was purchased at Loods5.
Adjacent to the kitchen is a guest room, where the couple accommodate their friends and family, boasting the same light and airy aesthetic as seen in the rest of the house. Many of the accessories can be purchased in Nicole’s webshop. The dotted cushions are a La cerise sur le gateau creation, while the concrete light beside the bed is from CP Collections.
The couple cleverly created a workplace in the hallway upstairs, a cosy space just under the diagonal roof that would otherwise have remained unused. Nicole uses this space to update her webshop, create new items for her own label Studio Circus making posters and postcards for kids rooms. A newly placed roof window means the space received ample light, while the black modern lights above the staircase add a modern touch to the rustic space.
Upstairs, the master bedroom features the original wooden beams, painted white. Mint green and pastel tones create a fresh and light atmosphere, offsetting the old vintage chestnut desk and chair which belonged to Michiel’s great-grandmother. Wooden blinds in chestnut and a bamboo light overhead add warmth to the space, while the carpet brings the full colour palette altogether and adds a playful element.
Tyn's nursery features crisp whites with blue accents and naturally, a few posters from Studio Circus, a co-creation from his own mum.
With ample space to spare, the couple were able to turn one of the upstairs bedrooms into a dressing room, which displays all of the couple clothing on neatly organized black clothing racks from IKEA. The runner is an item from Nicole’s webshop.
Light and bright, yet with the characteristics of the old farmhouse it once was, Nicole and Michiel created a comfortable family abode blending Nordic sensibilities with subtle ethnic touches. “For me it is important to be happy when I come home, it has to feel right and this house does,” says Nicole. “Besides that, a house needs enough space to draw back whenever you feel the need.”
Well guys, I hope you enjoyed today’s tour! What are some of your favourite things about this home? My favourite things about this home are all the old wooden beams throughout and the huge self-made bookshelf and the cheerful blue cabinet in the kitchen. See you here again soon – Holly M.
(Photography, words and styling: Holly Marder | Avenue Lifestyle | Editorial assistant: Lotte Herink) When the US Copyright Office first heard about the proposed Google Books settlement, it found the idea a "positive development." Then, after reading the fine print, it changed its collective mind, deciding instead that Google was really out to rewrite US copyright law through the courts.
Marybeth Peters, the Register of Copyrights, today explained to Congress (PDF) her office's objections to what Google hoped to do:
But as we met with the parties, conversed with lawyers, scholars and other experts, and began to absorb the many terms and conditions of the settlement—a process that took several months due to the length and complexity of the documents—we grew increasingly concerned. We realized that the settlement was not really a settlement at all, in as much as settlements resolve acts that have happened in the past and were at issue in the underlying infringement suits. Instead, the so-called settlement would create mechanisms by which Google could continue to scan with impunity, well into the future, and to our great surprise, create yet additional commercial products without the prior consent of rights holders... Allowing Google to continue to scan millions of books into the future, on a rolling schedule with no deadline, is tantamount to creating a private compulsory license through the judiciary.
This objection from the top US copyright authority certainly doesn't help Google's chances of legalizing its massive book scanning project. Peters doesn't like the fact that the proposed settlement covers far more than Google's past behavior—it covers all books published before January 5, 2009, whether they have already been scanned or not. In addition to covering past behavior, then, the settlement would allow the company to continue scanning for decades, if that's how long it takes to digitize every volume published before 2009.
To Peters, this essentially creates a compulsory copyright license for all books published before this year; though there is an opt-out mechanism, the presumption is that Google can scan any book and that it is protected from liability for doing so.
Such a compulsory license for books isn't necessarily a bad thing; Peters told Congress that it was "an interesting proposition." But she also said that it was Congress' call to make and always had been. Creating such a default right to all existing books went beyond what was proper for the judiciary and was an end run around Congressional authority.
This was a charge that Google's David Drummond was at pains to rebut. He spoke repeatedly in his testimony about preserving "Congress's role in setting copyright policy." "The suggestion that the settlement usurps the role of Congress to set copyright policy because the suit took the form of a class action is flatly wrong," he added, pointing out that Congress had creating the class action system and arguing that this was a proper application of it.
Drummond's remarks were also peppered with the sort of idealistic talking points about "access to knowledge" and freeing "trapped" information and concluding that "something far greater for human knowledge is at stake." Hearing his remarks with no previous knowledge of the company, one would be hard-pressed to realize that it was one of the largest Internet behemoths in the world.
"We are a new entrant, starting with zero market share" in the bookselling world said Drummond, before chalking up corporate opposition to a fear of competition rather than anything more principled.
Still, Google announced a concession today to ease concerns of its rivals over the settlement: allowing other companies to sell access to Google's scanned works. "Google will host the digital books online," said the company, "and retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble or your local bookstore will be able to sell access to users on any Internet-connected device they choose. Retailers can also pursue their own digitization efforts of out-of-print books in parallel."NEPD Staff Writer: Oliver Thomas
The New England Patriots squeaked out a 23-21 win over the Buffalo Bills in the regular-season opener Sunday afternoon. But for the better part of four quarters inside Ralph Wilson Stadium, the Bills offense looked like the more dependable one.
New England’s new-look attack was sent sputtering from three unsuccessful red-zone drives, multiple missed blocking assignments from the offensive line, fumbles from running back Stevan Ridley and quarterback Tom Brady, a bobbled catch-turned-interception from tight end Zach Sudfeld, and just four receptions on 14 targets from wideout Kenbrell Thompkins.
Yet down just one with 4:31 left in the final frame, the Patriots defense forced a three-and-out, which afforded Brady and Co. one last opportunity to win the game. And 48 yards later, a 35-yard field goal from kicker Stephen Gostkowski did just that.
New England’s 12-play final drive was more than a display of cohesion, though; it was a display of trust between Brady, tailback Shane Vereen and wide receiver Danny Amendola.
As the Patriots maneuvered through the Bills defense with only minutes remaining, Vereen totaled 31 yards on five touches, while Brady kneeled twice for a loss of three yards.
Although when the Patriots needed to move the sticks in the underneath, it was Amendola who was called upon.
He answered.
3rd-and-3: Six-Yard Quick Slant
On the third play of New England’s make-or-break drive, the offense left the huddle in “11” personnel with Vereen flanking Brady in shotgun, and with tight end Michael Hoomanawanui in abutting right tackle Sebastian Vollmer on the line.
With it being a third-and-short situation, Amendola lined up out wide left before motioning into the slot. That adjustment drew Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin along with him, all while the Buffalo sub-package defensive front planned to rush five from the weak side.
As Brady took the snap and went through his reads, the 5’11”, 185-pound Texas Tech product planted his left food in the direction of the flats before cutting towards the hashes. That subtle move caught McKelvin with his back to the outside, conceding the middle of the field for his man to run a quick slant.
With the Bills sending extra bodies on the blitz, linebacker territory was vacant. And Brady saw it.
With the lane clear, Amendola was able establish inside seating. He maintained body lean through the diagonal turn and looked back to his QB with his arms ready to extend.
Concurrently, strong-side linebacker Jerry Hughes – who was the lone linebacker to drop back in zone – switched field to help contest the play. Safety Jim Leonhard soon followed.
But before the assistance could arrive on scene, Amendola was able to glove the football.
His early quick-out cut transformed into a quick slant, and New England’s fifth-year route-runner was able to capitalize on the deception. Not only did he make the most of his initial body language, he added to the capitalization by keeping his feet churning with the ball airborne.
As the ball sailed in, the 2008 undrafted free-agent pointed his left foot in the direction he intended to go. That presence of mind maximized his acceleration as he made a “U” with his fingers and thumbs to inhale the pass.
The culmination of those factors netted the Patriots a six-yard gain; it netted the Patriots new life on a vital third-down with just over three minutes remaining.
2nd-and-4: Six-Yard Pivot Route
After a six-yard scamper by Vereen on first down, the Patriots set themselves up for a 2nd-and-4 just before the two-minute warning. Vying to keep the Bills uneven, the offense spread five wide with one tight end and no backs.
Buffalo responded with a two-up, two-down front, playing off of Amendola and fellow New England receiver Julian Edelman in the seams.
This scenario played right into the hands of Amendola, who was prepped to run a pivot – a route Wes Welker practically trademarked during his time in Foxborough, Mass. The premise behind the pivot is to bunch the linebackers and safeties inside as the receiver, just before the receiver plants and turns back outside.
On second down, it worked as well as it’s drawn up.
As Brady harnessed the shotgun snap, Amendola broke off the line and inside. This misdirection attracted the attention on safety Aaron Williams and middle linebacker Nigel Bradham.
Just when the two Bills started to cheat up, Amendola planted his inside foot and stopped on a dime before swinging towards the numbers.
Brady deposited a ball in the direction of Amendola – who was in a five-yard bubble – and No. 80 snagged it on the run. He spun up the field as Williams and Bradham closed in.
With one late swivel, Amendola burrowed past the first-down marker before being tackled.
Amendola’s quick feet and proclivity in regards to catching passes on the run gave New England its second first down in just three plays.
1st-and-15: Four-Yard Drag Route
A false start by right guard Dan Connolly put the Patriots offense in a 1st-and-15 at the Buffalo 46-yard line. Striving to chip away at that deficit with under two minutes to go, New England shipped out in a three-wide set versus Buffalo’s nickel defense, with Amendola motioning inside from the “Z.”
Bills cornerback Justin Rogers joined the Patriots pass-catcher, who was gearing up for a drag route right behind the five-man rush.
Off the snap, Amendola stuttered as if he was running a comeback. But that was merely a façade, which brought rookie middle linebacker Kiko Alonso back on his heels. And with Rogers providing a soft cushion – covering the back 10 instead of the front five – Amendola was able to carve through the teeth of the defense.
As Alonso assumed a spy role on Vereen in the flats, Brady led Amendola through clear pasture.
Amendola reeled the pass in and got two hands wrapped around it before Leonhard wrapped him up.
Amendola’s drag only gained four yards. Nevertheless, he took what the defense gave him. In turn, the completion brought the Patriots to a much more manageable 2nd-and-11.
3rd-and-8: 10-yard Takeoff Route
Following a three-yard pass to Shane Vereen down the left sideline, the Patriots embattled a pivotal 3rd-and-8 at Buffalo’s 39-yard line. It was either move the chains, face a fourth down, or attempt 56-yard field goal in a hostile environment with a rookie holder.
For head coach Bill Belichick and staff, move the chains sounded like the best option.
With Vereen in the backfield next to Brady, the offense sent trips right with Thompkins split left. Buffalo replied with dime defensive backs and one safety deep over top.
Amendola aligned in the slot, where inside corner Ron Brooks loomed. He was orchestrated to run a takeoff route up through the secondary to the first-down marker.
As Brady handled the snap from center Ryan Wendell, Amendola veered outside. And with Brooks unexpectedly jamming Edelman’s in route, a natural pick was set over top. Amendola kept balance and zeroed in on center field.
Brady saw the window – which was noticeably expanded with the safeties draped deep – and waited for Amendola to cross through it.
Anticipating the void, Brady released a ball sighted towards the 27-year-old. And although it was deflected at the line by defensive tackle Kyle Williams, it reached its intended man.
Amendola stepped out in front of a closing Williams snare it.
He did. Even though the collision with Williams put him on spin cycle, Amendola was able to retain possession of the ball through contact with both the defensive back and the turf.
Amendola sold out for the ball and gave the Patriots offense a 10-yard gain when at least eight were needed.
Sitting on the 30-yard line, New England went by ground for the next three plays and exhausted all three of Buffalo’s timeouts. Then, with five seconds left on the clock, Gostkowski’s kick went through the uprights.
Not only was Amendola key in making it all transpire, he was vital. His performance on the Patriots’ game-winning drive consisted of four receptions, with three coming on third downs, for 26 yards and a trio of first-downs.
Amendola rose to the occasion late despite re-aggravating a nagging groin injury in the second quarter. |
“The deplorables are starting to wonder if govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew…” Drudge tweeted, suggesting that the motivation was to make “an exaggerated point on climate”.
The deplorables are starting to wonder if govt has been lying to them about Hurricane Matthew intensity to make exaggerated point on climate — MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) October 6, 2016
Drudge followed up the first tweet with another pointing out that there is no way for anyone to verify the claims of 165mph winds being claimed by the Hurricane Center.
Hurricane Center has monopoly on data. No way of verifying claims. Nassau ground observations DID NOT match statements! 165mph gusts? WHERE? — MATT DRUDGE (@DRUDGE) October 6, 2016
The creator of The Drudge Report went on to ask his followers to take control of monitoring the Hurricane, and help get out the truth about the danger it poses.
Drudge further tweeted the following:
These last two tweets were later deleted. However, Drudge regularly purges his twitter account of everything he tweets.
Reports over the past few days of the Category 4 storm gaining in strength prompted President Obama to declare a state of emergency in Florida, which paves the way for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA) to step in and override State and local authorities.
“This is likely the largest and most powerful hurricane to hit the United States in a decade or so,” White House press secretary Josh Earnest said earlier Thursday.
In addition, Florida Gov. Rick Scott issued an evacuation order, urging Floridians to “Evacuate, evacuate, evacuate,” warning that “This is going to kill people.”
With a lack of visual evidence of the intensity of the storm, many began to question whether it was being used by the government for political purposes, or even as an excuse for a Martial law type drill.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) slammed Drudge, urging his twitter followers to ignore the comments:
So irresponsible. If you are in the path of Hurricane Matthew, do not listen to this man! Stay safe! pic.twitter.com/aNS4RG459Z — Rep. Keith Ellison (@keithellison) October 6, 2016
Drudge took heat on twitter, and from the usual left leaning government mouthpieces for pointing out that some Americans believe the storm is being exaggerated.
The Huffington Post ran a story with the headline Matt Drudge’s Hurricane Theory Takes Conspiracies To A Dangerous Level:
While Media Matters ran with Matt Drudge Peddles Irresponsible Conspiracy Theory Downplaying Deadly Hurricane Matthew:
The website, which has been outed as a direct White House mouthpiece, then slammed Alex Jones for responding to Drudge’s tweets, claiming “Conspiracy theorist and Trump ally Alex Jones re-tweeted Matt Drudge, expressing support and agreement with his dangerous hurricane conspiracy while adding the white supremacist “altright” hashtag”The video will start in 8 Cancel
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Frustrated Daniel Sturridge IS interested in a move to Southampton - but fears a move would be blocked by Liverpool.
Stoke also want the 28-year-old marksman who is determined to quit Anfield next month in search of regular first-team football.
But Liverpool are set to rebuff loan bids. The club will only be tempted to allow Sturridge to leave if an offer of £25million is made.
Sources close to the England striker have indicated he has become disillusioned by Liverpool’s stance - particularly given his team ethic despite his lack of action.
Sturridge has knuckled down without complaining publicly about his ongoing bit part role with Roberto Firmino the man striker.
(Image: Liverpool FC)
Whether on a loan or on a permanent basis, Sturridge now wants to play for a club that values him enough to give him regular first-team football.
Spanish clubs Valencia and Sevilla have had an interest for some time while Newcastle boss Rafa Benitez also has Sturridge on his shortlist for a new striker.
Southampton are ready to sell their Italian striker Manolo Gabbiadini, eleven months after signing him for £14.6million.
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Gabbiadini exploded into life on the south coast with six goals in his first four games but has not been the same player since a groin injury in March put him out for a month.
With Charlie Austin set to miss two months with a hamstring injury, Southampton are in dire need of reinforcements up front.
The problem for Sturridge is that Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp is more intent on allowing Danny Ings leave on loan to regain full fitness with Stoke interested.
(Image: Action Images via Reuters)
Sturridge would then be kept as cover unless Liverpool were to receive an offer they could not refuse.
The marksman’s future did not form part of the discussions over Virgil van Dijk’s record £75million transfer. But it means Southampton do now have the cash to meet Liverpool’s valuation of Sturridge.
Mirror Sport revealed before Christmas that the striker fears his World Cup hopes will be all but over if he is still at Anfield in February.
Gareth Southgate has made it clear that only players that are playing regularly stand a chance of making it to Russia next summer.The operating profit margin has reached 17.4%. For the previous year this figure was 15.5%. The number of deliveries has risen by 3% in comparison with the same time period last year, reaching a total of 178,314 vehicles. A turnover of 16.5 billion euro has corroborated the high figures from last year. Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and Member of the Executive Board, Finance and IT, Lutz Meschke, believes that Porsche is on the right track: “With our profit margins, we continue to be one of the world's most profitable automotive manufacturers. As a result of this, we are able to cover the costs of investments for the future in the fields of electromobility, digitalisation and connectivity”.
“Our attractive product range is the key to our economic success”, states Chairman of the Executive Board, Oliver Blume. “Good financial results build the foundation for innovative sportscars of the future. Delighted customers, good profit margins and secure jobs are all parameters that we use to measure our success”.
Meschke expects a slight increase in operating result
Chief Financial Officer, Lutz Meschke, credited the excellent growth in operating result to the increased sale figures as well as to stringent fixed cost management and positive effects resulting from currency hedging. For the full financial year 2016, Meschke expects a slight increase in operating result in comparison with the previous year. In addition, the sportscar manufacturer will once again exceed its strategic objective to achieve a profit margin of 15%.
As a result of this success, Porsche has been able to create new job opportunities. After nine months of 2016, the Porsche team has increased to 27,115 employees – 13% more than 12 months ago. This continued growth now means that the number of employees has more than doubled over the past six years.TAMPA, Fla. -- Kevin Youkilis has two messages for New York Yankees fans: He'll always be a Boston Red Sox, and he'll never be Alex Rodriguez.
A newly clean-shaven Youkilis made his first appearance in Yankees camp on Thursday, going straight from a red-eye flight from his home in San Jose, Calif., to the batting cage at George M. Steinbrenner Field.
After batting practice, Youkilis made a sweep through the Yankees' clubhouse, where he greeted a few of his new teammates -- but not Joba Chamberlain -- and had a brief chat with manager Joe Girardi.
But although Youkilis, who signed a one-year, $12 million contract in December, said he looks forward to "an enjoyable season" in New York, his heart still belongs to rival Boston, where he spent his first 8½ seasons in the majors.
"I'll always be a Red Sock," Youkilis said. "To negate all the years I played for the Boston Red Sox, and all the tradition, you look at all the stuff I have piled up at my house and to say I'd just throw it out the window, it's not true.
"Those were great years in Boston. One bad half-year doesn't take away from all the great years I had there."In today's DevBlog we want to show you some powers that Furwind will acquire in his adventure and that will help him to overcome the difficulties that will be found throughout the different levels of the game. Let´s begin!
Posted by Boomfire on Oct 23rd, 2017
Hi everyone!
In today's DevBlog we want to show you some powers that Furwind will acquire in his adventure and that will help him to overcome the difficulties that will be found throughout the different levels of the game. Let´s begin!
Furwind needs more power to face the wickedness of his world, so he has to overcome some tests that will give him the powers he needs to fight his way. Throughout the game, we will find ancestral temples that will test our ability to resolve it and as a reward will give us a useful power for the challenges that lie ahead
When Furwind arrives at these temples, he knows that he will gain new powers, but.... At what price? You will have to pass a test of the most bloody and complicated, to enter into a level of nightmare that, without a doubt, will be a great challenge.
Each time a level of nightmare is completed, Furwind will return to the temple and obtain one of the different possible powers: The wind, the heal or the will-o-wisp, which we show below respectively:
These powers make the game very dynamic with respect to the mechanics of our protagonist, but be careful, we will not always have access to them, we must manage the powers very well because they are not infinite. But its use can get us out of a bad place more than once.
Wind power
The feather gives our little fox the ability to fly in the air to reach places that, by itself, Furwind would not be able to reach. Also, if we found an enemy along the way, better than better, we will knock it down in a moment.
On the other hand, we can use the feather as escape: Many enemies on the road? Sort them in the air!
Power of healing
The egg is a simple power to use. Use it at crucial times when you are in your life. But try to use it as a last resort, it is not unlimited and there are many dangers to go through.
Will-o-wisp
A little Imp will accompany Furwind when you called and will help him when he has to face multiple enemies or a more powerful one.
When you activate the Imp, you can throw fire at your opponents and defeat them from the distance. But like the other powers, the Imp will not always be with you. Use it when you really needed!
Finally, we want to show you the power bar where, so easily, you can manage the power you are active and the remaining charges.
This bar will appear in the upper right corner of the screen and shows (from right to left) the powers you have, the active power, and the remaining uses of that power. As shown in the gif, we can only have at most three charges of each power at the same time and of course, the powers do not share them, but each power has its own.
We can navigate between the different powers quickly by pressing one key and activate them with another. Nor can there be more than one power activated at a time. What happens if you run out of power? Do not be worry, throughout the game you get specific loads of each power. But be careful, you can run out energy really quickly.
Hoping you enjoyed this diary. See you at the next one!Our rating: By: Penpower Technology Ltd. Version #: 2.1.0 Date Released: 2011-04-08 Developer: Price: 4.99 User Rating: Loading... Loading... Download App
I’ve reviewed language translation programs for the iPhone before. The trick with them is the OCR technology in using the iPhone camera doesn’t quite translate perfectly on the fly, but it’s getting better.
Unlike Word Lens, the previous program I reviewed, Worldictionary doesn’t keep it’s word database locally. A network connection of some sort is required for translation. This could be an issue if you travel internationally a lot and don’t have an iPhone that works globally. You would need a WiFi connection to translate.
On the other hand, Worldictionary includes many, many more languages for the same price. Even languages with non-Western alphabets like Chinese and Hebrew are included.
In testing, the program seemed to work by throwing words with similar spellings into the real-time translator on the screen’s lower right and allows you to select the word you’re actually looking at. From there, it gives the definition and uses in a sentence in the target language. Keep in mind that any stylized letters will not translate. However, the app does include the capability of typing in the word you want to translate (which can also be done with the free app Google Translate).
The app can also snap a picture of a word or sign for later translation and has access to sites such as Google, Wikipedia and YouTube for research. As a note, the app only works on the iPhone and not the iPad or iPod touch. The more sophisticated camera of the iPhone has a superior auto-focus which the app requires to work.
The app has several other features all of which are covered in the excellent help section. Overall, it’s worth the five dollar investment if trapped in a strange land.Chris Kluwe: "I don't know" if LGBT activism got me cut The former Vikings' punter tells Salon he's not sure why he's out of a job, and how much he supports Jason Collins
Chris Kluwe isn't ready to speculate on whether his getting cut from the Minnesota Vikings had anything to do with his LGBT activism.
"I don't know because I'm not in the meetings with the managers when they make decisions like that," he says. "The only thing I can affect is how well I go out and punt the ball."
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For now, he's just "trying to earn a job with another team," says Kluwe, Salon's "sexiest man" of 2012.
That said, NBC quoted a text message from him reading, "It's a shame that in a league with players given multiple second chances after arrests, including felony arrests, that speaking out on human rights has a chance of getting you cut." So it maybe played a part in his getting cut, but maybe not. Either way, he thinks it sucks that it's possible that it did.
He might be choosing his words carefully when it comes to his dismissal, but that doesn't mean that he's changed his outspoken ways. When asked about Jason Collins, who recently became the first active male professional athlete to come out, he said, "I think it's very brave what he did and I'm really happy for him," he said. "He's finally able to be who he is and he doesn't have to worry about hiding a core part of himself. No one should have to live like that."HOUSTON – The Atlanta Falcons won a resounding victory in the 51st annual Super Bowl this past Sunday, defeating the New England Patriots 42-6. In doing so, the Falcons broke through a sky-high glass ceiling for southeastern players in professional football, becoming the first team in the region to win the big game since the Miami Dolphins in 1974.
The Falcons’ victory over the Patriots – a privileged team widely known for cheating, general villainy, and longtime association with Draco Malfoy – apparently did not sit well with former presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has fostered a close friendship with multiple Patriots players. He most recently tweeted: “The Falcons cheated by practicing. The Patriots should’ve gotten Putin to deflate the ball again…whatever it takes to beat LOSERS.”
In a post-game interview, Patriots quarterback Tom Brady blamed the loss on Lady Gaga’s halftime show, explaining that his teammates could not stop dancing on the field: “Her songs of love and unity sabotaged our minds the same way carbs, nightshades, and Leonardo DiCaprio sabotage the body.”The Fort Lauderdale airport reopened on Saturday, as the F.B.I. led an investigation that sprawled across the country and airport officials tried to reunite people with what they said were 20,000 items that had been recovered from the terminal, left behind by passengers and airport workers fleeing for their lives.
Esteban Santiago was born in New Jersey but was raised in Puerto Rico, where he joined the Puerto Rico National Guard in 2007 before he finished high school. A classmate said he had always wanted to be a soldier.
In 2010, Mr. Santiago was deployed to Iraq for nine months, working with the 130th Engineer Battalion clearing roads of improvised explosives and maintaining bridges, according to the Alaska Army National Guard. His company was awarded the Meritorious Unit Commendation.
Guard officials said at least two members of the company were killed in insurgent attacks during the tour, but there is no record indicating that Mr. Santiago was ever involved in combat.
Family members said Mr. Santiago was never quite the same after his return.
“After Iraq, something happened,” Hernan Rivera, 70, Mr. Santiago’s uncle, said Saturday afternoon as he stood in his driveway in Union City, N.J. “When he came back from Iraq, he was a different person.”
He described his nephew as a “normal kid” who enjoyed reading.
“He was a person who used to talk a lot,” Mr. Rivera said. “And then when he came back, he kept to himself, he’d go to his room, he wouldn’t talk to anybody.”
In 2014, Mr. Santiago moved to Alaska and joined the Alaska Army National Guard. He got a job as a security guard and found a girlfriend 14 years his senior. A few months ago, they had a baby; a law enforcement official said it was not clear whether that was the same child that he brought with him to the F.B.I. office in November.Compiler technology is one of my hobbies, most recently satisfied with my project to write a series of post of how to write a (Ruby) compiler in Ruby. Since I really like Ruby, it's natural that I've done a fair amount of thinking about compiling Ruby, and what the problems with that are, and I decided it was time I wrote some of them down along with some thoughts on how they can be solved -- ideally without changing Ruby. Even more so since I decided I DO want to take the leap towards making my compiler project focus on actually compiling Ruby, and not just something somewhat like Ruby.All of the issues here affect a traditional "ahead of time" compiler - one that takes source in and spits out a binary, but many also affects JIT's.
I'll start with the problems, in no particular order:
Problem #1: No delineation of compile time and runtime
Problem #2: A very costly method dispatch
A Ruby method call involves first identifying the class of an object. This either requires following the "class" pointer of an object, OR a "decoding scheme" (as used in MRI) to allow small objects like Fixnum, True, False, Symbol and Nil to be encoded without a pointer. Then we must follow the "super" chain from class to class, potentially all the way to Object, to determine which class can satisfy the method call. Then if that fails, it needs to do the same for #method_missing. Because the type of the object stored in any variable is unknown, a compiler can not assume anything about the type of an object based on where it is stored. Unlike, say, C++, where the compiler will happily assume that a Foo * will hold a pointer to an object of class Foo or a subclass, and treat it accordingly, a Ruby compiler could not. This also largely affect inlining of methods as a viable optimization... and anyway, since Ruby classes are open, users can add, alias and remove methods at will (with some minor restrictions), so a Ruby compiler largely can't assume a method stays the same through the lifetime of the object.... even worse, thanks to meta-classes in Ruby, there may conceptually be a new "almost" superclass inserted for an object.
Problem #3: Meta-programming
Problem #4: No statically defined set of instance variables
Problem #5: Method visibility, default arguments and method arity
, honest!" (or used #__send__ etc. to bypass the check), but handling that without imposing overhead on calls that don't need it is non-trivial as well.
Default arguments, and more generally method arity, suffers from the same problem. In C++ the caller can take responsibility for initializing default arguments when not providing values for all of the arguments. In Ruby, the compiler won't know when you are calling a method that has default arguments vs. one that just have fewer arguments (for that matter, you don't know for sure if the number of arguments is right at all), and so this has to be handled by the callee. That means the callee needs to get an argument count, or have another method of determining how many arguments were passed. That's not to bad.
But the callee then also have to contain the logic to initialize missing arguments. That's messier as it means either manipulating the stack frame, handling multiple ways of accessing an argument, making the arguments a "real" Ruby array and push the default arguments onto it, or otherwise moving arguments around to get them in a consistent location. There are simple ways of doing this (shove it all into a "real" Ruby Array object for example and convert the default argument initializers into the equivalent of ||= calls), and there are faster ways (keep things on the stack as much as possible, possible mess with the stack frame, and only convert to a Ruby Array object for methods where it's actually treated as one).
Solutions
Below are some of my thoughts on how to address the bigger ones of these problems.
Solution #1: Speeding up method dispatch with a multilevel approach to dispatch In "Protocol Extension: A Technique for Structuring Large Extensible Software Systems" (1994; original Postscript file; PDF from Citeseer X), Michael Franz, presents a method for "protocol extension" in Oberon - a way of relatively effectively adding methods at runtime. The basic idea is that method changes (addition, overriding or removal) are rare, and method dispatch is frequent, so it makes sense to do more work when modifying the methods than it does when calling them.
Franz suggested that the "vtable" for each subclass is made to contain pointers to all the methods for the entire hierarchy. A method that is overridden in a subclass has its method pointer overwritten in that subclass and all descendants of that subclass that has not overridden it themselves.
The problem he noted is that in a big class hierarchy the vtables for each class may grow prohibitively large, while remaining mostly unchanged. This can be counteracted in a number of ways - one of them being splitting the vtable into chunks for "interfaces", and making each vtable a set of pointers to vtables for interfaces.
Another way is this:
The compiler (or compiler-writer) can make educated guesses about which methods are most likely to exist in all classes, and which methods are less likely to get called:
Methods in classes high up in the hierarchy are more likely to remain present. In Ruby, methods on Object will exist in almost all classes (the only exception will be cases where the methods have been explicitly removed or aliased away).
Methods that are referenced in inner loops may be more important to make fast to call than others.
Analysis of number of call-sites can also give an indication of how frequent a method will be called. Methods that are present in more than a certain threshold of classes, or that are judged to be particularly performance sensitive can be allocated an offset in a per-class vtable. Methods that are slightly less likely can be grouped into "interfaces", and require a one level indirection. As a last resort the implementation can be forced to fall back on a #send call that does lookups the way MRI does now. But see solution #2
Solution #2: Polymorphic Inline Caches Otherwise expensive method lookups can be cached. This caching can even be done "inline" in he code path by dynamically inlining the code for the classes that are seen at a call site in practice. Polymorphic inline caches were introduced in Optimizing Dynamically-Typed Object-Oriented Programming Languages with Polymorphic Inline Caches by Urs Hlzle, Craig Chambers, and David Ungar.
This does not remove the problem of potentially expensive lookups, but it drastically reduces the impact in cases where the type used is relatively stable (which in practice is the common case - the same variable is rarely assigned more than a handful different types). The key to PIC for languages like Ruby is that you still need to check the type, and you either need to invalidate the old type when a class is modified, or you need to invalidate the caches. Maintaining that logic can be complicated (compare to the approach in solution #1, where all that is required is updating the vtables). PIC's can be combined with the approach above: Solution #1 provides cheap lookups, but #2 can still allow inlining of whole methods where appropriate, in a way that is safe. Solution #3: Trace Trees Dr. Michael Franz and Andreas Gal have been working on a technique called Trace Trees. Possibly the best introduction is in a blog post by Andreas Gal, but the papers are also fairly accessible. Trace trees is the "hot new thing" - you'll find it used in the new JS JIT for Mozilla for example ("Tracemonkey"). The short description is that trace trees consists of tracking the execution of bits of an application - typically in a bytecode interpreter, and when a certain part is executed often enough, you "trace" the code execution and create a "tree" of code fragments. You use this to identify loops or frequently executed code paths that are optimized (in the bytecode interpreter case, this would involve JIT compilation), and protected by a "guard" that verify whether to keep executing the new native generated code path. While the approach is intended for a bytecode interpreter, it has scope for being used to handle dynamic runtime optimization and inlining of specific code paths generated by an "ahead of time" compiler as well. The compiler can generate the best code it can, but inject timing and tracing code where appropriate to allow it to use information gathered at runtime to inline specific method calls into inner loops etc.. An in-between alternative is to let the AOT compiler use profiling data gathered from past runs to built trees on subsequent compiles (this approach is also suggested in the papers on polymorphic inline caches) Solution #4: Dynamic object packing (for instance variables) We've already explored the building blocks for handling the troublesome issue of dynamic instance variables above. There are two parts to that problem: Quick access, which is hindered by having to resort to schemes that requires expensive instance variable lookups, and space which is hindered by a potentially dynamically changing set of instance variables. First of all it is possible to apply a similar analysis to that suggested for vtables: Identify the most likely set of instance variables for objects of a class. Assign specific offsets for those instance variables, and compile code using static offsets for code internal to the class. For instance variables that are not guaranteed to be ever used, there's a value judgement: If information is available to determine a rough likelihood you can use a cutoff to decide which to always include in the object. This has the potential for huge space overhead if the guess is wrong. The alternative is to fall back on a hash table referenced from the object to handle additional instance variables. This is costly in space and time if the number of objects with extra instance variables is high. However the latter method can be combined with the earlier solutions to reduce the time overhead. To reduce space usage further, we can dynamically pack the object: We can potentially cooperate with the garbage collector to identify pointers to an object, and then reallocate the object elsewhere and change the layout, and then use tracing similar to the one mentioned above to created optimized code paths that rely on the new static layout. If we don't want to move all objects, we can handle this by inserting "proxy classes" and making specific subsets of these objects instances of specific proxy classes. In fact, Ruby already sort-of does this by inserting proxies for Module's that are "hidden" for normal Ruby code when walking the inheritance chain. This is a fairly complex solution, but one that can potentially allow very tight packing of objects, and avoiding a significant percentage of hash table lookups for instance variables. Combined with trace trees and PIC's, a significant part of the code overhead for method accessors used from outside the class can also be removed.
Many scripting languages fall in this category, but Ruby does it one better, by making the class definitions executable. Where a compiler for a language like C++ can do a lot of work to analyze and optimize code at compile time, and can build most structures related to classes at compile time, in Ruby it may in some cases be hard to avoid executing code at runtime to determine what the class will look like.A potential Ruby compiler also needs to solve the issue of what files are compiled once at compile time and linked into the application, and what files are evaluated (and possibly JIT compiled) at runtime. This is a possibly tricky tradeoff - reloading code has become a common solution for Ruby web applications to avoid shutdown and restarts, for example, but there are no formal hints in Ruby code that tells the application what may or may not be attempted reloaded later.Reloading in Ruby tends to depend on the ability of the Ruby object model to replace classes and methods, so the most natural solution for handling reloading may simply be to compile the classes in statically but retain this ability. That still doesn't solve the first part of the problem, though: If my app starts with "require 'foo'", do I expect "foo" to be loaded when compiling or each time? You probably wouldn't be surprised if the compiler loaded it once. But what if it starts with code that reads the contents of a directory, and require's each file in turn? That one is trickier - some scripts may use that method as a crude "plugin" mechanism, for example.My compiler project has reached the point where dealing with something supposedly simple like "require" is now actually a stumbling block. Even something "simple" like Mspec from Rubyspec actually depends on Ruby code being executed to determine what files to require, and I have to decide whether to for now use "hacks" to get around it (Mspec and a lot of other Ruby code use a small set of common idiomatic ways of modifying the load path for the code being required - a tiny interpreter subset could take care of the basic cases) or do it "properly" (compiling to shared objects and use dynamic loading at runtime, but this kills a lot of optimizations; or JIT compilation of files that get required this way; or even JIT compilation as a means of executing the code to determine the files to require and then requiring them statically). Or I could just skip the problem for now, and just handle the specific case where files are required using a static string and/or add a hack that will use a substitution table or regexp to rewrite the require's (eww...)Anyway, the point is that this is a big hurdle for anyone hoping to write an ahead of time compiler for Ruby without resorting to JIT compiling most of the program anyway. Part of the appeal of ahead of time compilation is to avoid JIT compilation (and avoid lugging around a ton of source files), so while supporting JIT compilation for pathological cases is good and/or necessary depending on how you look at it, for an ahead of time compiler to make sense you want to make that a "last resort" if there is no sensible alternative.Let me count the number of ways Ruby makes method dispatch expensive in aimplementation (see also my post on the Ruby Object Model as implemented in MRI)Luckily, there are a number of solutions that can vastly improve on the naive implementation of Ruby method dispatch. Unfortunately most (though not all) of them make the compiler and runtime more complex.It's alluded to above. Ruby allows extensive modification of classes and even objects at runtime. Defining new methods, inserting new modules or otherwise messing with the structure makes static analysis to optimize other problematic aspects of compiling Ruby very hard.Take even something simple like integer arithmetic. Never mind that Ruby automatically handles overflow and turns Fixnum's into Bignum's, which means that even if you do try to make it cheaper than a method call, you first have to check whether you deal with a Fixnum (which is not an ordinary object) or a Bignum (which is an ordinary object), but if both values ARE Fixnum's you still face the uncertainty of whether or not a method of Fixnum has been replaced by unscrupulous monkey patchers...In a language like C++, object size is kept down because the compiler knows at compile time what instance variables exist for any given object. As a result, it can pack them tightly together. In Ruby, theoretically an object can have new instance variables show up at any time, through mechanisms such as #instance_variable_set, #instance_eval etc.. MRI solved this by making the instance variables stored in a hash table, which is incredibly wasteful for otherwise small objects. Ruby 1.9 has reduced this impact somewhat by storing up to 3 instance variables in the object itself (see the Ruby1.9 section), and then falling back to an external structure.Luckily, in practiceobjects will have a small and mostly statically determinable instance variable set, and some of the same methods that can speed up method dispatch can be used to handle this more effectively as well.In C++ for example, you can easily know at compile time if a method is private or protected. In Ruby, since you don't know the class of the object you will be passed, you can't know that until runtime. This means this needs to be checked at runtime as well. We could imagine checking this only in private or protected methods, since use of them is relatively rare in Ruby code, but that's not easy either:Private methods in Ruby require self as an explicit receiver, which means they are only allowed to be called from within a method, and on the same object as the method is operating on. Slight little problem... How will the executed method know that this is the case? And then there's the ways of bypassing the check. An alternative for handling this is to pass along a flag saying "I promise I was called with self.© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
Private land ownership is something that most of us might take for granted, but it's not the case in communist China, where all land is either state-owned or run by collective economic organizations (CEOs). But with China's rapidly developing economy, skyrocketing real estate prices, unscrupulous "land grabs" and recent legislation towards a civil code protecting private ownership, the issue of owning land is in a tumultuous transition, prompting designers like People’s Architecture Office (PAO) and the People’s Industrial Design Office (PIDO) to explore different possibilities.
© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
Through this design, single family homes can be affordable and sustainable, parking lots are not wasted at night, and traffic jams are acceptable. The Tricycle House is man-powered allowing off-the-grid living.
Their joint effort is the Tricycle House and Tricycle Garden, a paired mobile home and garden plot mounted on modified three-wheelers. Made with CNC-scored, translucent polypropylene plastic, the house is an accordion-shaped, expandable temporary shelter. Say the designers:
© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
Created as part of Beijing's Get It Louder 2012 exhibition, Tricycle House was shown alongside other temporary urban shelters, like this one made out of spray foam insulation. Of course, this house's hidden amenities gives it a more comfortable edge, allowing it to be a multipurpose living space in small quarters:
Facilities in the [Tricycle] house include a sink and stove, a bathtub, a water tank, and furniture that can transform from a bed to a dining table and bench to a bench and counter top. The sink, stove, and bathtub can collapse into the front wall of the house.
© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
© People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office © People’s Architecture Office & People’s Industrial Design Office
The mobile garden is a clever addition, showing that living small and on the move doesn't mean a landless existence. More images over at ArchDaily, People’s Architecture Office and the People’s Industrial Design Office.Hi, my name is Anatoli Ingram, and welcome to Hidden Arcana, where I’ll be giving you an inside look at some of the ideas and lore behind Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns™. I’m a role-player at heart, so I love to create backstories and lives for my characters within the Guild Wars 2 setting. Professions are a huge part of a character’s identity, and the more lore I know about those professions, the better! My fellow role-players are probably just as curious about the paths their future revenant characters can take and how they might fit into the world, so I asked Narrative Director Leah Hoyer for some guidance straight from the narrative team. Leah gave me plenty of information that will help you jump-start your revenant’s role-play concept right at level one—without any Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns story spoilers.
Commune and Connect
Revenants are heroes who’ve learned to commune with the Mists, a magical protoreality that makes up the fabric of space and time within the Guild Wars 2 universe. The Mists remember what came before, and echoes of those who left an especially powerful imprint on the world of Tyria can still be found there. A revenant calls upon these legendary historical figures, bringing them back into action to enhance the revenant’s own abilities and power.
The story of how charr tribune Rytlock Brimstone became the first revenant hasn’t yet been told, but at the launch of Guild Wars 2: Heart of Thorns, he’ll have brought the knowledge of how to obtain that power |
a "twitter tirade" -- Trump asked the following question: "Did China ask us if it was OK to devalue their currency (making it hard for our companies to compete), heavily tax our products going into..their country (the U.S. doesn't tax them) or to build a massive military complex in the middle of the South China Sea? I don't think so!"
On Friday, Trump tweeted: "Interesting how the U.S. sells Taiwan billions of dollars of military equipment but I should not accept a congratulatory call."Blogs
Australian golfer Adam Scott teamed up very effectively with New Zealand caddy Steve Williams to lift the US masters green jacket last weekend but the two South Pacific nations are poles apart when it comes to same sex marriage.
Australian members of parliament overwhelmingly rejected a bill that would have legalised gay marriages in September 2012 when the House of Representatives voted 98 to 42 against.
But New Zealand's parliament legalised same-sex marriage last week by a wide majority of 77 to 44, in the process becoming the first country in the Asia-Pacific region to do so.
In so doing it becomes the 13th country in the world to approve the measure joining the Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Canada, South Africa, Argentina and Uruguay.
So why should two countries with such a similar history, culture and ethnic profile come to such different conclusions? Indeed, given that Australia’s government is left of centre and New Zealand’s right, one might have reasonably expected the very opposite result.
The answer seems to boil down to leadership.
Click "like" if you support true marriage.
Both parliaments allowed a conscience vote but in New Zealand legalisation had the backing of both the Prime Minister John Key and leader of the opposition David Shearer.
By contrast in Australia both Prime Minister Julia Gillard and opposition leader Tony Abbot voted against the bill.
Australian Marriage Equality national convener Rodney Croome has said that he expects as many as 1,000 gay couples will now cross the Tasman to get married: ‘Now that marriage equality is only three hours away there will be a flood of couples flying to New Zealand’.
But the Australian PM has remained adamant in her opposition, telling a gay marriage supporter, ‘I doubt we're going to end up agreeing, I'm sorry’.
The fact that UK political leaders David Cameron, Ed Miliband and Nick Clegg are all strongly in support of legalisation means that the battle to stop it in the UK was always going to be hard fought.
But it is by no means over yet.
The opposition in Britain has been huge and the loss of support to the conservative party over the issue and the resignation of Cameron’s key advisor (and same sex marriage enthusiast) Andrew Cooper last week means that there is still everything to play for as the battle enters the House of Lords in June.
Ironically, Cooper’s resignation seems to be linked to Australian Lynton Crosby now being at the helm to secure the next election for the Tories.
Crosby has a past record of helping Boris Johnson and Australian PM John Howard to victory in the past and will no doubt be advising the British PM that same sex marriage is a vote loser.
There is no doubt that Cameron’s chances of winning the next election have been damaged by his support for gay marriage.
But if he backs down now his campaign to legalise it will lose huge momentum.
I wonder what he cherishes more – to win a reputation as a ‘moderniser’ or to hold on to political power.
Achieving both is looking increasingly not to be possible.
Let’s wait and see.The Holy Grail has returned. And this season’s Quest is going to be like nothing you’ve ever seen before.
The ultimate test to push yourself to be the best you can be, conquer Tougher Mudder, Toughest Mudder, and World’s Toughest Mudder, all in a single season. All that Questing will secure you a one-of-a-kind Holy Grail Bib and an official TMHQ Holy Grail (Yeah, you read that right. A real, live Holy Grail).
The Male & Female who complete the most miles in a single season are crowned the Holy Grail Champions and receive the grand prize: Holy Grail Champion Jacket & Patch, 2020 All Access Pass, and Recognition on TMHQ Social Channels.
Camaraderie and teamwork will always reign supreme. But we’re challenging you to be your best, beat your best... and find whatever lies beyond.STAFFORD, Texas - The Black Friday deals got heated at one Houston-area store. A YouTube video has gone viral, racking up thousands of views in just hours, of people fighting over merchandise. Cell phone video shows shoppers brawling over a Samsung television as authorities tried and break it up. At one point, four people are lying on top of the flat-screen TV box.
"It doesn't surprise me. The way people are acting to save money and you can't blame them. They are just trying to save some money," said shopper Lorranie Henderson.
"That's the main reason me and my wife don't do Thanksgiving Day shopping," said shopper Derrick Broussard.
The person who uploaded the video to YouTube, Tooba Amir, said the fight took place inside of a Walmart. The video shows it took about a minute for police to get a hold of the TV and break up the fight. Stafford police said no one was arrested in the brawl. Fights like this are why Toya Foster said she avoids shopping on Thanksgiving.
"I don't want to be in the crowds," she said. "I don't want to be fighting with people over the merchandise. It's just not worth it. I'd rather pay a few more dollars to get whatever the item is in peace."
The video appears to show officers from the Stafford Police Department and the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Department breaking up the chaos. Stafford police said law enforcement in the video were off-duty police and sheriff's deputies hired to provide extra security for Walmart.
A spokesperson with Walmart said the TV was part of the store's One Hour Guarantee Promotion. Customers who show up between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. on Thanksgiving receive a coupon for the item at the absolute lowest price. Even if the store runs out of the item, the item will be shipped to the customer's store and can be picked up before Christmas.
"Offering only a small number of items that are hot ticket items for the season. I think it's kind of going to set up that kind of environment," said Foster.
"It was crazy to me. We went to a lot of stores and there was no fighting and there was 50 inch TV'S everywhere," said shopper Keith Domino.
Copyright 2014 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.(TL;DR Rust and Kotlin, read on to find out why…)
I believe a competent backend developer should be proficient in at least one language in each of three categories:
Systems programming: Used for writing lower-level software ranging from operating system kernels to network programming. Scripting: Used for writing test automation, one-off scripts and various system administration tasks. Application programming: Used for writing line-of-business applications like accounting software and web application backends.
Note that the lines between these categories are often blurred and a programming language can be a good fit for writing software in multiple categories. Nevertheless, the classification serves as a good rule of thumb.
I’m currently comfortable writing Java, Python and C; probably a little too comfortable. I believe that growth happens when you step out of your comfort zone. In that spirit, I’ve been pondering picking up a new programming language or two to broaden my horizons.
Turns out this is an exciting time for programming languages; I have several new ones to choose from! This post details my (rather unscientific) process of how I chose what language(s) to learn.
Systems programming
C has been and still is the undisputed king of systems programming. Most major operating systems and databases are written in C. The first programming language I learned was C, and it quickly became (by default 😁 ) my favorite programming language. Although it has served us well over the decades, C isn’t without faults. It is not memory safe, which has resulted in thousands of security vulnerabilities and bugs. Even code written by experienced programmers, in well-maintained open-source software like nginx is vulnerable to common buffer under/overflows. As a programmer of more modest means, I’m looking for a language that will allow me to write memory safe code by default.
Without spending time doing too much analysis, I chose Go and Rust simply because some of the most popular open source projects are written using them. Docker is written in Go and Servo is Rust’s flagship project.
I worked through tutorials for both languages, and wrote up a pros and cons list for each.
Golang
Pros:
Simple, easy to learn
Wide adoption, backed by Google
Garbage collected
Built-in concurrency constructs (goroutines)
Cons:
Allows nulls
No generics
No standard package manager
Rust
Pros:
Non-nullability by default
Advanced memory safety features (borrow-checking)
Functional programming constructs built-ins
Backed by Mozilla
Standard package manager (Cargo)
Cons:
Not as widely adopted
Learning curve is steeper due to new concepts like variable lifetimes
Concurrency constructs like async/await are not built-in
And the winner is..
Rust. As I wrote the lists, it became clear to me that Go doesn’t really offer that much over my primary language, Java. In comparison, Rust has some really novel concepts, allowing you to write memory-safe code without a garbage collector. However, the biggest factor that swayed me in favor of Rust was non-nullability by default. Tony Hoare called null references the “billion dollar mistake” and the creators of Rust seems to have taken note.
Scripting
Python hits the sweet spot for me here. I use it for all of my automation tasks, and I just don’t feel the need to reach for something new here.
Application programming
Java is the ten-thousand pound gorilla in this space. It gets a lot of hate, but I actually really like Java. I do admit, though, that it can get too verbose at times. Even though features like type inference and Java 8 functional constructs have alleviated a lot of the verbosity, the baggage still remains.
I’m looking for less verbose language that allows me to express business logic without getting in the way. However, I have no intent of abandoning the Java ecosystem. The JVM is simply the best runtime out there. This limits my search to languages that primarily target the JVM.
The obvious candidates are Clojure, Scala and Kotlin. I prefer a statically typed language for large application codebases, so that leaves us with Scala and Kotlin. I created the pros and cons lists as before:
Scala
Pros:
Wide adoption by companies like Twitter, LinkedIn etc.
Much stronger type system than Java.
Can write purely functional code, purely imperative or a mixture of both.
Cons:
Massive feature footprint
Steep learning curve
No built-in async-await, although there is a pending proposal
Kotlin
Pros:
Lightweight
Shorter learning curve coming from Java
Built-in coroutines
Excellent IntelliJ support since it’s made by the same company
Cons:
New kid on the block, not much adoption/production usage.
Coroutines are still experimental as of this writing.
And the winner is…
Kotlin. The main factor in favor of Kotlin was the tighter feature set and lightweight-ness, if that’s a word. I also admit to being a little bit biased here - in my anecdotal experience, a lot of Scala programmers I’ve met have been ivory-tower programmers, more interested in debating Category Theory than getting shit done. In comparison, Kotlin just feels more pragmatic.
Summary
Learning a new programming language in addition to its ecosystem takes months to years. I realize I’m being ambitious by choosing not one but two languages to learn. The hope is that this endeavor will help me become a better programmer, and who knows I may even end up writing code professionally in one of these languages in the future!Berlusconi: 'I'm Milan's exorcist'
By Football Italia staff
Milan President Silvio Berlusconi has “absolute faith” in Sinisa Mihajlovic and joked he’s the exorcist they need.
The patron arrived today for his first pre-match visit of the season at the Milanello training ground.
He had lunch with the squad and gave them a pep talk, leaving after two hours.
“I wanted to be present for everyone,” Berlusconi told reporters. “I call everyone regularly, from the Coach to Adriano Galliani and the players.
“If he overcomes this injury, you’ll see a Mario Balotelli who is more mature and efficient on the field. I found him much more solid than before.
“I asked the team what is behind this difficult start to the season, but it’s a very long conversation.
“On Sunday I will be at San Siro with the same hope as the fans of seeing a victory against Sassuolo. I understand the supporters are disappointed, but I invested €150m this summer, so I have another 150 million reasons to be disappointed.”
This week Berlusconi refused to publicly back Mihajlovic and the Coach said if he can’t fix their issues, then Milan “need to call an exorcist.”
“I can be the exorcist,” smiled Berlusconi. “I have absolute faith in our Coach, as is the Milan style. I think I motivated the players today and gave them some basic advice too.”
Berlusconi has an agreement to sell 48 per cent of the club to Bee Taechaubol, but the Thai investor hasn’t finalised the paperwork yet.
“I am convinced he is reliable. I hope the closing will be done by Christmas. It’s important for us to commercialise the brand in the Far East, particularly in China, where we have a huge number of fans.”Android's infamous blob emoji is dead.
Having appeared in various shapes and sizes since Android 4.4; the amorphous blob that defined Google's emoji appearance since 2013 is being retired.
Update August 2017: Android 8.0 Oreo has been released. See what's new.
In its place: a redesign of every emoji in Android, coming as part of Android "O" which was announced today at Google I/O.
Above: The new design style in Android O applied to emojis new and old.
In addition to the redesign, Google is the first major vendor to announce full compatibility with Emoji 5.0 which means a vomit face, orange heart, and dinosaurs are on their way.
End Of An Era
The "blob" character seen in previous versions of Android has been a divisive character; morphing over time from an alien, into a consistent gumdrop shape.
In Android O, the gumdrop is gone: replaced with round smiley shape, consistent with all other operating systems.
Google's blob character first entered the scene in 2013, when smileys that looked like aliens in older Android releases were replaced in Android 4.4.
Android 5 Lollipop furthered this trend in 2014, by making all emojis - including the humans - use various incarnations of blob, gumdrop, or worm:
Above: Android Lollipop had many variations of this character in 2014.
As of 2016, Google continued to follow Unicode recommendations, which by this stage recommended genders and skin tones for human emojis.
This left only the smileys with the gumdrop shape, which is now resigned to history.
Above: Evolution of the 😘 Face Blowing a Kiss on Android.
It's fair to say that while some enjoyed the charm of the blob character; the love was not universal.
Some may have enjoyed the different appearance, but others found it a frustration when sending to other platforms.
Redesign
It's not just the blobs that have changed in this release. Every single emoji has been redesigned.
This redesign ditches some older Android conventions (such as a ban on the colors pink or red) and starts anew with a tonal stroke around each emoji, and gradients now used on a number of designs.
For those used to the old Android designs, some of these emojis will remain familiar, while others could take some getting used to.
It was clear the old set had several layers of history baked in: slightly different colors between emojis, some appeared larger while others were smaller.
Proportions are now consistent throughout the entire Noto Color Emoji font.
Google tells Emojipedia the work for this update has been ongoing for nearly a year.
Emoji 5.0
Emoji 5.0 is the 2017 emoji list, finalized in March 2017. Many of these emojis rely on characters from Unicode 10.0, which is currently in beta.
Android O supports the entire Emoji 5.0 set of additions. These include new faces, food, sports, and fantasy characters.
Above: New Emoji 5.0 characters are supported in Android O.
Shown above:
Other popular emojis that are also new in this release include giraffe, pretzel and dumpling.
Among the updates, a total of nine new smileys are supported, all shown below.
Release
Android O is expected to be released in the second half of this year. No release date is yet known, though a developer beta is now available.
Also mentioned by Google is functionality which would allow users to download newer emoji fonts to support the latest emojis even on older Android versions.
This could fix a long-standing issue faced by Android users where new emojis cannot be seen for years, if updates are not provided. More to come on this.
As with any beta software, these emoji designs are subject to change by the final release.
This article updates.
Sign up to our free newsletter for the latest emoji news, first. Sent once per month, it's the best way to stay on top of what's happening in the world of emoji. Just enter your email here:Competitor Steps In To Offer Toxoplasmosis Drug For $749 Less Per Pill Than Martin Shkreli And Turing Pharma
from the so-much-for-the-'it's-only-profitable-if...'-argument dept
When Turing Pharmaceuticals jacked up the price of a toxoplasmosis-fighting drug (commonly used by AIDS and cancer patients) to $750/pill (a previous company sold it for $1/pill), CEO Martin Shkreli defended the move, saying the money would be dumped into research for a new and better drug. Of course, this is the usual defense offered by any pharmaceutical company that institutes a rate hike, but these claims are rarely followed through on. (And when they are, the R&D costs tend to be very overstated.)
Daraprim has been on the market since the 1950s and does its job well. The patent has long expired but the FDA's policies make it difficult for anyone to formulate a generic version of this "sole supplier" drug. When there's no competition, it's a seller's market, and Martin Shkreli is making the most of it.
This pirce hike set off a wave of backlash that included several presidential candidates. So, Shkreli hit the airwaves, promising to walk back the price to something more reasonable, whenever he got around to it. What he considered "reasonable" was never explicitly stated and, to date, the price has yet to come down. Now, another company is stepping in to offer patients something much more affordable. (via MetaFilter)
Turing CEO Martin Shkreli became “the most hated man in America” last month after raising the cost of the drug, commonly used to treat parasitic infections in immunocompromised patients, from $13.50 per pill to a staggering $750 per dose, claiming the company’s exorbitant price hike was justified. Now Imprimis will offer their alternative to those who need Daraprim for less than $1 per tablet.
Imprimis is now offering customizable compounded formulations of pyrimethamine and leucovorin in oral capsules starting as low as $99.00 for a 100 count bottle, or at a cost of under a dollar per capsule. Compounded medications may be appropriate for prescription when a commercially-available medicine does not meet the specific needs of a patient.
Imprimis' finished compounded drug formulations do not have an FDA-approval label for recommended use. Imprimis compounded formulations are not FDA approved and may only be prescribed pursuant to a physician prescription for an individually identified patient consistent with federal and state laws governing compounded drug formulations.
There are some caveats. The drug isn't exactly identical to Daraprim There's more detail in the disclaimer towards the end of the press release.So, those looking for a cheaper variant of Daraprim will have to find a physician willing to prescribe a drug that doesn't have the FDA's blessing for this particular use. The compound will likely work as well as Daraprim, but it does open doctors up to additional liability. That being said, some doctors may be willing to do this as the only other option for some patients will be no medicine at all.The other problem is that the FDA could come down aggressively on pharmaceutical companies who market drugs for non-FDA-approved purposes. Imprimis is exploiting a loophole in the system, albeit one much more easily closed than the FDA's loophole-esque sheltering of "sole supplier," off-patent drugs -- the sort that most often see astronomical price hikes post-acquisition.But for now, it's the market system at work -- the same market system Shkreli used as a justification for raising Daraprim's price. Zero competition led to Turing's $750/pill price. A little competition might push Shkreli to drop Daraprim's retail price lower than he actually wanted to. (And, again, no price drop has been instituted at this point.) But given Shkreli's past use of the FDA as his unofficial partner in stock-shorting moves, it's far more likely he'll be asking the agency to eject his new competitor from the playing field.
Filed Under: competition, daraprim, drugs, martin shrkeli, pharmaceuticals, pricing, toxoplasmosis
Companies: imprimis, turing pharmaceuticalsNew Delhi: Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) in the national capital are set to go cashless from January when fees for all services including driving licence, auto permit and fitness certificate can be paid electronically.
The transport department has started installing Point of Sale (PoS) machines at its zonal offices and the trial run of the cashless transaction system is being carried out at some places. “From January, people coming to RTO offices can pay fee of various services—permits, driving licence, fitness certificates—using their debit, credit cards. Applicants won’t be required to make payments in cash," a senior government official said.
Also Read: 10 Delhi Metro stations to go cashless from 1 January
There are 14 zonal offices of the transport department in the city. The official said that the move would ensure hassle-free services for the people of Delhi. The step is in line with the Delhi government’s plan to bring all departments under cashless transaction system.
“At present, e-PoS machines are being installed at all zonal offices. Besides, computer software of the department is also being updated in view of the cashless transactions," the official said.
Earlier this month, transport minister Satyendar Jain had directed his department to start accepting fees and payments in the form of bank drafts and pay orders for all transport services in view of cash crunch after demonetisation.It's news that will have Apple fans in the region rejoicing: The tech giant's first store in Southeast Asia is expected to open in May, according to CNBC sources.
The launch of the Singapore store has been shrouded in the company's usual veil of secrecy. Nearly two years ago, word of the addition to the company's beloved retail empire leaked in an email sent by the gym Pure Fitness to its clients, announcing it was leaving its sprawling space in a mall on Orchard Road.
Since then, the project has been beset by problems related to the construction in a busy part of central Singapore. A sign outside the building site originally said the expected completion date was October 31, 2016. Then it was changed to January 30 of this year. And then the date was wiped off completely.
A sign previously indicating when the Apple store expected to open has had that section blanked out (circled). CNBC | Craig Dale
The reasons for the apparent delay are somewhat opaque. Singapore's Ministry of Manpower issued a stop work order to the contractor for the worksite, Legend Interiors, an interior fit-out specialist.
According to a statement sent to CNBC by MOM, that stop work order was issued "for unsafe conditions relating to work at height, traffic management, scaffolding, electrical installation and lifting operations that were observed during an inspection at the worksite." The order went into effect on October 24, 2016 and was lifted on November 16, 2016.
Someone who answered the phone at Legend Interiors — which says its clients include Dolce & Gabbana, Christian Dior, Marriott, Credit Suisse, and Cathay Pacific — said they were uncomfortable answering questions about any issues that may have come up with the Apple store, especially a query about whether there had been any legal wrangling between Legend and Apple.
That person said discussing any issues would be "treading on dangerous ground," and referred all questions to project manager Madeline Tan. Reached by phone, Tan declined to comment on the project and even refused to give her exact title.
No comments Apple is notoriously guarded when it comes to its products, projects, and people. Staff at DP Architects PTE, the architect for the Singapore project, also declined to comment to CNBC, citing nondisclosure agreements. Employees with the civil and structural engineer, Rankine & Hill, and the mechanical and electrical engineer, J. Roger Preston, also waved away questions. A source with knowledge of the project told CNBC about problems with a neighbor — the Grand Royal Orchard Singapore hotel. That source said there had been a conflict over logistical and infrastructure issues related to the construction. "I think it's all gone legal," the source said, without specifying who brought or threatened action against whom. A manager of a retail store close to the site told CNBC she, too, was aware of a conflict. But the source with knowledge of the project said "it has all been resolved and [is] expecting to open in May." CNBC also reached out to the Grand Royal Orchard Singapore hotel. Elaine Heng, assistant director of marketing communications at the Park Hotel Group, the hospitality group that manages the hotel, said she could not comment on the matter.
A 'critical' launch Apple's predilection for secrecy is perhaps unsurprisingly in action for the Singapore site. Legal documents that have come to light in the past detail strict non-disclosure agreements for the company's contractors and suppliers, including $50 million payouts for each breach. "Apple by nature is a very secretive company, particularly when it comes to products," said Bryan Ma, vice president at IDC Asia Pacific. "So I wouldn't be surprised that's also why they're keeping quiet about their expansion in retail stores." Ma added that it was "critical" for Apple to have a presence in the Southeast Asian market: "Not even from the perspective of selling products; more from the perspective of marketing."Get the biggest Liverpool FC stories by email Subscribe Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Could not subscribe, try again later Invalid Email
Liverpool FC boss Jurgen Klopp believes striker Divock Origi will continue to improve - after he told the young Belgian he “didn’t have to change the world in one day”.
Origi struggled for form and fitness at Liverpool after arriving from Lille in the summer, but has improved in recent weeks, scoring in less that 30 seconds after replacing Daniel Sturridge in the 6-0 thrashing of Aston Villa, and leading the line in the win over Manchester City at Anfield.
Klopp says that the 20-year-old was simply trying too hard to impress early on in his Anfield career.
He said: “The good thing with a player like Divock is that you can improve on every part of his game - that’s cool.
“But of course he’s a big talent and everybody knows him for three or four years, so he started really early.
“When we came here, he was injured before and tried to come into the team, into a new club.
“After a few very successful years it [was] then a little bit [of a] difficult year, so he didn’t play the most self-confident football in the world.
“He started dribbling a bit too much and things like this and in one situation wanted to show all the skills he has, that was not too clever. But I saw this a lot of times, especially with young players, so I talked to him, gave him a little bit of rest and [told him to] cool down.
“You don’t have to change the world in one day, really, [I told him], this is what you have to improve.”
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Klopp says that Origi used his time recovering from injury to bulk up in order to get to grips with life in the Premier League.
“Everybody saw before his last injury, he made really big steps, really great,” Klopp added.
“He used the time to [build] a little bit more muscle, which is important, especially as a striker in England, because they are all very, very physical and strong centre-halves.
“In my opinion, in this moment he plays really cool. He’s a very hard worker for the team but with the ball he’s really cool, he’s smart enough to go behind the line and use his speed and he’s technically good enough to play with us and be an option. So it’s a really good situation.”
(Image: 2016 Getty Images)
Meanwhile. Klopp has tipped Origi’s countryman, Christian Benteke, to force his way back into the team, saying he was pleased with the £32m man’s cameo against City on Wednesday.
He said: “If you saw him now in the last game, he came in and it was completely different to the games he had before.
“The problem is at a club like Liverpool, with the strikers we have - Sturridge, Benteke, Origi, Ings injured but here, and Firmino, who we thought it would be a good idea to let him play as a striker too - you have not too much time to show what you are able to do. You need to use the time you’ve got.
“Christian was not in the best moment in this situation and Sturridge came back and Divock came back and so now they are a little bit ahead in this moment.
“But when I saw Christian coming into the last game, that was really good. He played really well and [did] what he showed in training before, so he’s in a good way too. Everything is OK.”Steve McQueen’s Indian Big Chief (restored by Von Dutch) Reading time: about 2 minutes. American
Indian
Motorcycles
Vintage
On Christmas Eve each year we try to feature something genuinely remarkable, for those of you who’ve come to Silodrome to escape a Christmas of excessive eating, certifiably insane relatives and screaming children. We spent a while looking for something worthy of a Christmas feature on Silodrome and settled on this beautiful 1923 Indian Big Chief, formally owned by Steve McQueen and restored by Von Dutch (Kenny Howard) in 1969.
The 1923 Indian Big Chief is a motorcycle that was designed by racer and engineer Charles B. Franklin as a flagship model for Indian, it had an all new 1200cc (73 cubic inch) engine with dual cams, helical gears for the primary drive and a clutch in an enclosed oil bath.
In pre-released testing the 1923 Big Chief managed to hit the 90mph mark, a remarkable feat for 1923 that led to significant sales successes for the model and a parallel life on the muddy race tracks of the era. The frame of the Big Chief was designed specifically to handle the added weight of a sidecar, this was a strategic move from Indian to compete with the cheap, mass produced cars that had become exceedingly popular and eaten significantly into motorcycle sales.
Steve McQueen’s love of vintage motorcycles is a big part of his legacy, we featured his first motorcycle a few months ago on Silodrome (also an Indian) and we’ve covered other cars and motorcycles from his collection, usually when they come up for auction or sale on the off chance that you want to remortgage your home and buy one.
One thing that really makes this Indian stand out from McQueen’s other motorised possessions is the fact that it was personally restored by none other than the legendary Von Dutch (Kenny Howard) in 1969. Von Dutch was the artist largely responsible for 1960s SoCal ‘Kustom Kulture’ that sprung into the mainstream throughout the 1960s, aside from his art and pinstriping work Howard was an avid motorcycle mechanic, metal fabricator, knifemaker and gunsmith.
With an estimated hammer-price of $50,000 to $70,000 USD you have to wonder if Bonhams have slightly under-valued this Indian, with its double-barrelled historical provenance and immaculate condition it wouldn’t be hard to imagine it selling for well over $150,000 to the right collector.
If you have the clams to spare and fancy a little bit of Big Chief for your garage, you can click here to visit Bonhams and register to bid for the Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction on the 9th of January 2014.For years, gardeners have claimed that putting Bounce® fabric softener sheets in their pockets is an effective way to repel pests like mosquitoes and gnats. Any Internet search will uncover countless articles about the bug-repelling properties of Bounce®. Are these claims valid or simply folklore?
The authors of a new study say that until now, no quantitative data has existed to substantiate these claims, but their latest research has revealed a definitive answer: Bounce® sheets do indeed repel adult gnats.
In a report just published in HortScience, Kansas State University Department of Entomology professor Raymond Cloyd and colleagues discussed a series of five replicated experiments they conducted to ascertain whether Bounce® dryer sheets…repel fungus gnat adults under laboratory conditions. “In all five experiments, the mean proportion of fungus gnat adults collected in the sample compartments containing the dryer sheets were significantly fewer, ranging from 12% to 18%,whereas the compartments without dryer sheets contained 33% to 48% of the fungus gnats released in the arena”, said Cloyd…
The research team also analyzed the volatile compounds in the dryer sheets using gas chromatography–mass spectrometry. One of the major volatile compounds detected in Bounce® was linalool, a colorless monoterpene alcohol used by cosmetic and perfume companies for its flower-like odor. Linalool—present naturally in plants such as lavender, marjoram, and basil—has been shown to be toxic to a number of different mites and insects. The experiments also indicated high levels of the volatile compound beta-citronellol, found in plants including rose geranium, citronella, and lemon balm, and known for its ability to repel mosquitoes.
I realize these are essentially natural products used for one or another reason in the fabric softener – and they obviously succeed in repelling some small flying insects. Of course, citronella has been around over a half-century and though some folks focus in worrywart fashion about using it as a concentrated insect repellent, I’m not aware of any testing agencies that caution against its use. Particularly in dilute fashion in fabric softener.Alistair Overeem: And Along Came the Biggest Blackzilian of All
For a team that’s new to the MMA scene, the Florida based Blackzilian team continues to grow by the day and now they’ve added their biggest fighter yet. Literally.
Top UFC heavyweight contender Alistair Overeem has signed on with Authentic Sports Management (ASM), headed up by owner Glenn Robinson, and will be relocating to the United States to work exclusively with his agency.
It’s no secret that Overeem had a bad split with his previous team at Golden Glory in 2011, and since that time he’s been working with several different teams, had to build a camp at home to finish getting ready for Brock Lesnar at UFC 140, and while he had a legal team, he’s had no management since that time.
So what was it about the management at Authentic Sports that caught Overeem’s attention?
“Since I signed my UFC contract, I knew I needed to be in the States more and, therefore, I visited several gyms, training camps, managers and other interesting people in the industry. When I came to South Florida, with ASM, I saw right away they are not only a management company, but an organization that makes sure that everything besides fighting is being taken care of,” Overeem said in an interview with MMAWeekly.com.
“They have a team of experts in their own field that can help you grow as a fighter. From Glenn Robinson working hands-on as management to Jen Wenk handling my PR and Karen Gough running marketing, a full-time nutritionist, a finance and legal department – you name it they have it. I have spoke to several people within the team and I was convinced that they can make me the new UFC world champion, so that was for me the decision to join ASM.”
Some fighters will travel to several different camps to get the necessary training they need for any given fight, but for Overeem it wasn’t the ideal situation. For his last fight as he finished up preparation to face Brock Lesnar, Overeem traveled home to Holland when his mother became ill and he literally had to stitch together a training camp to make sure he was ready for his UFC debut.
Obviously the end result was what he wanted, as he knocked out Lesnar in the first round, but it wasn’t the way Overeem desired or wanted to get ready for that level of fight. It was also very important to Overeem to get this settled now before his training camp for his next fight against UFC heavyweight champion Junior dos Santos got into full swing.
“Since my split (with Golden Glory), I was taking care of my own training camp, and it’s not easy to get people come to Holland to train ahead of your fight. Flying people in from around the world is not ideal, so I knew I needed a base where I can always go when I need proper training. I found that place in South Florida,” said Overeem.
“It’s very important, my fight preparation against Brock was far from optimal with a lot of things going on which needed my personal attention. If you want to perform at the highest level you should only focus on training and with this step I can do so. That means everything in this championship fight.”
A big piece of the puzzle according to Overeem was his new manager Glenn |
the boosterism.
"Victoria is not for everyone because some people think it's too small," he said. "Victoria is not a metropolis by any means. It's not like we have a crazy big population like Vancouver or Toronto."
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Still, there are plenty of tales of bidding wars across B.C.'s capital region. A detached house near the University of Victoria that listed for $800,000 sold in late January for $921,000 after only nine days on the market. The home, built in 1974, attracted six bidders, said Mr. Craveiro, who co-listed the property with his brother.
Mr. Craveiro believes the B.C. government's tax on foreign home buyers in the Vancouver region has shifted attention to some other markets in North America, but not so much Victoria. "Because of that foreign tax and because most foreign buyers want to stay in bigger cities, Seattle is seeing an influx and also Toronto," he said.
The benchmark price for detached houses sold in Greater Vancouver topped $1.47-million last month, or a 12.9-per-cent gain since February, 2016. The benchmark price is the industry's representation of typical properties that are sold.
By contrast, the benchmark price in February for detached houses sold in an area dubbed "Victoria core" reached $775,000, up 21.3 per cent from the same month in 2016. The core encompasses the City of Victoria and suburbs such as Oak Bay, Esquimalt and View Royal, as well as parts of Saanich.
At a Victoria open house in February, shoes littered the steps up to a bungalow built in 1954. The detached house, listed for $699,900, sold for $792,000 after only five days on the market.
In the broader area called Greater Victoria, the benchmark price for detached properties last month hit $642,300, up 19.6 per cent from a year earlier.
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Local agents noticed that the housing market began perking up in February, 2016, when the ratio of sales to active listings surged from the previous month. The rally continued through the spring, and displayed staying power. In the Victoria region, real estate agents consider it to be a buyer's market below 10 per cent for a sustained period and a seller's market above 25 per cent. Last month, it was 64 per cent – 633 sales divided by 988 active listings.
Between June 10 and Dec. 31, foreign purchasers accounted for 4.3 per cent of residential transactions in the Capital Regional District, which includes Victoria and suburbs such as Oak Bay and Saanich.
By comparison, foreign buyers accounted for 7.5 per cent of residential deals over the same period in the City of Vancouver and more than 11 per cent in the suburbs of Richmond and Burnaby, according to data compiled by the B.C. government.A Muslim YouTube star who made a hoax video in 2014 showing an NYPD officer stopping him for stop-and-frisk because he was wearing traditional Muslim garb is claiming Delta Airlines booted him off a flight from London to New York because he was speaking on his phone to his mother in Arabic.
We got kicked out of a @Delta airplane because I spoke Arabic to my mom on the phone and with my friend slim... WTFFFFFFFF please spread pic.twitter.com/P5dQCE0qos — Adam Saleh (@omgAdamSaleh) December 21, 2016
Adam Saleh, 23, posted multiple videos to Twitter and Periscope that showed Delta flight attendants escorting him off the plane. Saleh claimed passengers “felt uncomfortable” and called flight attendants because he was speaking Arabic.
Slim Albaher, Saleh’s friend and fellow YouTube personality, was also escorted off the plane. Saleh complained, “They kicked us off the plane because a lady, because a lot of people felt uncomfortable. Delta Air Lines just kicked us out for speaking Arabic.”
Saleh told the Guardian, “Usually before I take off I speak to my mom. My mom is 66 years old and she only speaks Arabic, so I was speaking to her in Arabic – it was a 30-second phone call.”
Saleh claimed that he continued by speaking to Albaher in Arabic and English, adding, “this lady that was sitting maybe four seats ahead of us turns around and says: ‘Oh my, you need to speak English, I’m feeling very uncomfortable.’” He stated that an older man the woman was traveling with snapped, “Chuck them of the f-ing plane!” prompting other men to call the captain. Saleh said the woman told the captain: “We feel uncomfortable – something happened in Germany. If they don’t leave, I leave."
According to Saleh, the captain then asked to speak to him and Albaher outside. That was when Saleh started shooting videos. One featured him claiming the flight attendants told him and Albaher they were “too loud.” He added, “All the racist people in there, they were like: ‘We feel uncomfortable,’ but because there were like 20 of those racist people, the captain came and he kicked us out. I’m not letting this slide … They were screaming at us like we were terrorists.”
Delta released a statement saying “two customers” had been removed from a flight and later rebooked after “a disturbance in the cabin resulted in more than 20 customers expressing their discomfort … We’re conducting a full review to understand what transpired. We are taking allegations of discrimination very seriously; our culture requires treating others with respect.”
London’s Metropolitan police reported they were summoned to Heathrow airport around 11 a.m., “after two passengers were removed from a plane by crew at Heathrow Airport. Officers attended and the passengers were escorted to the terminal where they were assisted with making alternative travel arrangements. They were not arrested and no offenses were disclosed.”
According to reporter Soledad O’Brien, Saleh’s story may not be entirely true:
Soooo. I have a good friend on this flight right now. Getting additional details on how this went down. Standby https://t.co/ibOv6rguYU — Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) December 21, 2016
A LOT still unclear. But apparently woman sitting near my friend tipped off flight attendants he was a youtube star known for pranks. — Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) December 21, 2016
Also people on plane disputing call to mom — Soledad O'Brien (@soledadobrien) December 21, 2016
Mediate reported, “O’Brien’s source told her that the Delta flight attendants were made aware that Saleh was a YouTube prankster.”
A recent video by Saleh appeared to show him traveling from Melbourne to Sydney inside a suitcase, but the Guardian reported. “The airline later said that Saleh had sat in a regular seat on the flight and that travelling via the baggage section would have been impossible.”
As The Huffington Post reported in 2014, Adam Saleh and Sheikh Akbar admitted their viral video purporting to show Islamophobia on New York’s streets was staged. They wrote, “This video is a Dramatization of previous events that occurred with us in our tradition clothing while filming in NYC. This video is not against the NYPD, it’s just an example of what we have to go through sometimes when filming in NYC. This is to raise awareness for Racial Profiling.”
The video was titled “Racial Profiling Experiment.” It showed the two men wearing jeans and T-shirts, arguing near a police officer on a street corner. Nothing happened, but later they walked by him wearing keffiyeh scarves and traditional long shirts; the officer forced them against a wall and searched them for weapons.
The original description of the video, in a cached version of the page, read:
We were filming another video for our channel with our cultural clothing but we kept getting followed by Police. So, we decided to film this social experiment on racial profiling. Too many innocent people get stopped and frisked every day because of what they wear or their skin color. We’re against people stereotyping others because of what they wear or what skin color they are. Hope you all can spread the message and help bring an end to this.
The video was tweeted by the New York chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations as an example of discrimination against Muslims. CAIR later demanded an apology from Saleh and Akbar. But as HuffPo reported, “CAIR-New York’s director of operations, Sadyia Khalique, told HuffPost that regardless of its authenticity, the video illustrates the very real discrimination that Muslims in New York often face at the hands of the NYPD.”President Donald Trump‘s first 10 weeks in office—yes, it’s only been 10 weeks—have been embroiled in scandal, controversy, failed legislative efforts, and sinking poll numbers.
None of these is more baffling than the ongoing investigations into Russia’s attempts to sway the 2016 election and potential collusion between Trump associates and Russian operatives.
Amid an endless barrage of headlines and 24-hour news coverage around Trump, Russia, and its dizzying array of moving parts, Trump’s supporters see an outsider commander-in-chief besieged by a hypocritical political and corporate media establishment hell-bent on destroying the one leader with the guts to shake up the status quo and return America to its elusive greatness. All this Russia talk is a deliberate distraction and an impediment to what really matters: Jobs, security, law, and order.
Trump’s critics, meanwhile, have watched with growing morbid glee over the possibility that their worst suspicions about America’s 45th president are real—that he’s the dumb, tactless gangster-traitor they thought he was from the beginning.
On both sides, the temptation to hunker down in partisan bunkers stocked with wild tales of conspiracy is all too real.
There’s good reason for this unraveling view of reality: The Trump–Russia controversy is very, very weird. Historically weird. And given this weirdness, it’s hard to talk about what’s going on without sounding like you’ve jumped ship for Nonsense Land.
Here is my attempt—and it will probably fail—to explain what’s happening with regards to Team Trump and Russia without diving into speculation, exaggeration, or willy-nilly dot-connecting.
Russia’s election meddling
This is where it all begins.
The U.S. intelligence community concluded in a 25-page public report released on Jan. 6 that operatives working for the Russian government attempted to meddle in the 2016 presidential election. The efforts, according to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), included stealing emails from Democratic National Committee staffers and Hillary Clinton campaign manager John Podesta, then leaking the emails to WikiLeaks, spamming the internet with anti-Clinton messaging, and engaging in other “influence campaigns.”
ODNI’s report found that Russian President Vladimir Putin was personally involved, and the primary goal was to hurt Clinton.
Trump maintained that the focus on Russia’s “election hacking,” as it confusingly came to be known—Moscow is not accused of literally hacking voting machines, but is instead accused of doing things to influence American voters—was simply part of a “political witch-hunt” and he consistently downplayed Russia’s efforts. “[T]here was absolutely no effect on the outcome of the election including the fact that there was no tampering whatsoever with voting machines,” Trump said in early January, prior to the release of ODNI’s report.
The House Intelligence Committee, the Senate Intelligence Committee, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation are all investigating what happened and who was involved. FBI Director James Comey told the House Intelligence Committee that its investigation includes looking into ties between Trump associates and Russia.
The White House, meanwhile, maintains that leaks of classified information—not Russia, which Trump called “fake news”—is the “real story,” as the president once put it.
That’s basically where we’re at as of the beginning of April 2017: Some concrete information about Russia’s efforts to screw with the presidential election, a lot of investigating, and the Trump administration’s efforts to deflect the conversation.
Trump’s ties to Russia
President Trump’s connections to Russia date back to 1987, but the president himself is generally at least one step removed from most of the activities people are talking about when they say “Trump’s ties to Russia.” (Yes, including me right here. See, I’m already failing.) However, no fewer than 14 people in Trump’s administration or inner circle have known connections to Russia, to one degree or another.
Three former Trump advisers—campaign manager Paul Manafort, foreign policy adviser Carter Page, and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn—all resigned due to various improprieties involving Russia and its interests. Attorney General Jeff Sessions, now head of the Department of Justice and national security adviser on Trump’s campaign, recused himself from all investigations involving Russia and Trump’s team on March 2 after reports revealed that he lied during his confirmation hearing about meeting with Russian officials prior to the inauguration. (A former U.S. senator from Alabama, Sessions met Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at least twice during the 2016 campaign season.) Other Trump associates linked to various Russian officials or oligarchs include: Son-in-law Jared Kushner, son Donald Jr., Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross, friend and adviser Roger Stone, former campaign adviser J.D. Gordon, campaign adviser Michael Caputo, Manafort business associate Rick Gates, and Trump attorney Michael Cohen.
For a detailed overview of how these Trump associates are linked to Russia, check out the Washington Post‘s excellent explainer.
Trump’s treatment of Russia and Putin
Amid Russia’s hack of the DNC and Podesta, WikiLeaks publishing their stolen emails, and multiple Trump advisers resigning for Russia-related scandals, Trump maintained a friendly view of Russia and Putin, whom he’s called both a “really, really bad guy” and a “strong” leader. When Putin praised Trump in 2015, Trump said it was a “great honor.” To see everything Trump has said about Putin and Russia over the past few years, check out CNN’s thorough timeline—it’s worth the read.
Trump has also spoken out repeatedly against the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), an international military alliance formed after World War II that Russia’s government opposes. And the Republican Party under Trump changed its official platform during the party’s convention in July 2016 to water down the GOP’s stance on defending Ukraine from Russian aggression.
When asked to explain why he departed from the GOP’s historically hardline stance on Russia, Trump simply says that it’s better to for the U.S. and Russia to work together than to be enemies.
The Nunes twist
Everything up to this point is well-trod territory, and a reasonable person can write off all of the above as the byproduct of a longtime real estate mogul with a knot of international business ties and no prior political experience running for president.
Enter Rep. Devin Nunes, chairman of the House Intelligence Committee.
Before the House and Senate Intelligence Committees began their investigations, Trump accused former President Barack Obama of having his “wires tapped” at Trump Tower ahead of Election Day—an explosive allegation of political corruption. To date, neither the White House nor Trump himself offered evidence that this is true. Instead, they called on Congress to investigate.
Soon after Trump accused Obama of spying on him, the House Intelligence Community began its investigation into Russia’s election meddling. On the first day of the hearing, March 20, FBI Director James Comey confirmed that the bureau was investigating Russia’s activities and that the investigation “includes any links between the Trump campaign” and “an assessment of whether any crimes were committed.”
Two days later, on March 22, Nunes—who, remember, is leading the House Intelligence investigation—announced that the intelligence community had “incidentally collected information about U.S. citizens involved in the Trump transition,” potentially including Trump himself. He said that this was not the wiretap of Trump Tower that the president mentioned, and that he believed the incidental surveillance was obtained legally but that it was not connected to Russia. However, he also mentioned that the names of American citizens, which are usually redacted from surveillance of foreign targets, had been “unmasked,” meaning they were uncensored for some reason. Why they were unmasked is part of what Nunes wanted to find out.
Regarding allegations of improper "unmasking" — US officials tell me the decision to unmask rests with the NSA and its lawyers. — Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) March 31, 2017
NSA Director Mike Rogers testified that 20 people at the agency have the authority to unmask. — Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) March 31, 2017
Former NSA Director Keith Alexander told me he turned down requests from both Bush and Obama officials to unmask. — Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) March 31, 2017
Nunes also said, in response to a reporter’s question, that “the administration isn’t aware of this, so I need to make sure I go over there and tell them what I know. Because it involves them.” Nunes later told a Bloomberg reporter that his sources did not work in the White House.
After the press conference, Nunes went to the White House to do just that—and he did all this without first briefing other members of the House Intelligence Committee. The surveillance of Trump associates and their unmasking would become the issue pushed by the White House as the most important.
Turns out, Nunes viewed the classified intelligence documents on the White House grounds (likely at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building) on the night of March 21, and his unnamed sources, according to the New York Times and Washington Post, were, in fact, White House staffers.
Nunes’ sources reportedly include Michael Ellis, a White House attorney who used to work with Nunes on the House Intelligence Committee, and Ezra Cohen-Watnick, the senior director of intelligence on the National Security Council (NSC), which serves the president. Ellis is the person who reportedly met with Nunes. Cohen-Watnick, who was brought on by Michael Flynn, is notable because National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster attempted to fire him but Trump wouldn’t allow it after Cohen-Watnick got the support of Kushner and Trump’s chief strategist, Steve Bannon. According to the Post, Cohen is the person who gathered the intelligence materials, which he reportedly discussed with top NSC attorney John Eisenberg.
This is where things get tough for us non-conspiracy theorists.
So, let’s just sum up what we know, assuming the relating reports are accurate: Nunes went the White House grounds, got handed classified intelligence compiled and shared by White House officials, held a press conference about what he found out without telling members of the House Intelligence Committee first, went back to the White House to brief President Trump on what the president’s own staff had revealed to him, and repeatedly lied to reporters about the sources of his information.
Oh, and right around the time that the Times and Post unveiled Nunes’ alleged sources on Thursday, the Wall Street Journal revealed that Flynn would testify before the House, Senate, and FBI if he received immunity—a move even Trump believes implies guilt.
This is where we stand as of Saturday. The House Intelligence Committee investigation has all but fallen apart as critics call for Nunes to recuse himself, the Senate Intelligence Committee’s investigation is ongoing, as is the FBI’s. Where this all leads next, well, we’ll just have to watch and see.In accusing the Environmental Protection Agency of trying to regulate “water itself as a pollutant,” Virginia Attorney General Ken Cuccinelli is not showing an excess of exactitude. But his looseness is rhetorical and harmless. The EPA’s is neither.
Last week federal judge Liam O’Grady sided with Cuccinelli when he ruled that the EPA had overstepped its bounds. As a measure of just how far the EPA had overreached, note that Cuccinelli’s suit against the EPA was joined by Fairfax County, led by Board of Supervisors chairman Sharon Bulova.
Bulova, a Democrat, is nobody’s idea of an environmental menace. A longtime advocate for commuter rail and mass transit, she started a Private Sector Energy Task Force to increase energy efficiency, sustainability, and “green-collar” jobs in the county. Nevertheless, she and other county leaders objected when the EPA tried to limit the amount of stormwater runoff into the 25-mile-long Accotink Creek, which empties into the Potomac. “When people talk about federal agencies running amok, this is exactly what [that] looks like,” said GOP Supervisor John C. Cook in July. “The EPA’s overreach is so extreme that the Democrats on the board realized that, even in an election year, they had to do this for the county.”
Concerned about sediment in the Accotink, the EPA had sought to cut stormwater runoff nearly in half—a proposal that would have added perhaps $200 million to the roughly $300 million cost of addressing sediment itself.
But as O’Grady noted, while the EPA can regulate sediment, which is considered a pollutant, it has no authority to regulate stormwater—which is not.
The EPA claimed—notably, “with the support of Virginia[‘s Department of Environmental Quality]”—that it could regulate stormwater as a proxy for sediment itself, even though it had no legal authority to do so, because nothing explicitly forbids it to do so. As Cuccinelli said, “logic like that would lead the EPA to conclude that if Congress didn’t prohibit it from invading Mexico, it had the authority to invade Mexico.”
Why would the EPA insist on regulating stormwater, which it has no authority over, instead of simply regulating sediment? After all, it has written rules for sediment literally thousands of times. That insistence makes no sense. But it does look like part of a larger pattern.
Last spring, the Supreme Court ruled against the agency in the case of Mike and Chantell Sackett. The Sacketts owned a piece of land, a little larger than half an acre, in a growing lakefront development in Idaho. They were building a vacation home on the spot when the EPA declared it might be a wetland and ordered them to cease construction, and restore the land to its prior state or face fines of up to $75,000 a day. The agency decreed that the Sackettshad no right to challenge the order in court.
The Supreme Court unanimously call that bunk. It’s not easy to get Justices Antonin Scalia and Ruth Bader Ginsberg on the same page, but the EPA managed to do so. The agency also drew the wrath of The Washington Post, which editorialized that “The EPA Is Earning a Reputation for Abuse.” The editorial began by condemning the now-infamous remarks of now-former EPA administrator Al Armendariz, who compared his enforcement philosophy to Roman crucifixions: “They’d find the first five guys they saw and they’d crucify them. And then, you know, that town was really easy to manage for the next few years.”
Troubling stories about the EPA just keep piling up. In Texas, the agency went after Range Resources Corp. for allegedly polluting two wells. The company racked up more than $4 million in fees defending itself before the EPA grudgingly admitted it had no proof Range Resources had contaminated anything.
In July, the federal district court in D.C. ruled that the EPA had overstepped its bounds regarding Appalachian coal operations. That ruling followed another concluding the EPA had no business revoking a waste-disposal permit, issued by the Bush administration, for a West Virginia mine. Judge Amy Berman Jackson—an Obama appointee—called the agency’s action “a stunning power for the EPA to arrogate to itself,” and accused the agency of “magical thinking.”
With the possible exception of a few anarchist cells, nobody questions the need for environmental regulation—or the EPA’s authority to enforce environmental laws. But those objecting to the agency’s abuses—Bulova, Ginsberg, The Washington Post, Judge Jackson—are hardly anarchists. They aren’t even Republicans. That ought to ring warning bells; this isn’t just a partisan vendetta. The EPA’s long train of abuses and usurpations suggests an institutional culture that sees the law as an impediment, rather than a guardrail. It also offers a reminder that those who wield power tend to push the boundaries of their authority. They will succeed, too—unless others push back.COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Ohio Democrat Ted Strickland says his run for the U.S. Senate seat held by Republican Rob Portman will focus on expanding job and educational opportunities for average people.
The former governor announced the run, as expected, on Wednesday. His entry adds a formidable statewide name to what is expected to be one of the most watched and expensive of next year’s Senate races.
In a statement, Strickland said he wants to “save the American Dream” by going back to basics, such as creating living-wage jobs, investing in job-creating local infrastructure projects and making college accessible and affordable.
Portman said voting for Strickland, whom Republicans have widely attacked for presiding over heavy job losses, would be a step backward.
Strickland would face 30-year-old Cincinnati councilman P.G. Sittenfeld in a Democratic primary.
Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.click to enlarge Photo via Cut the Cake bakery
A sample of a cake from Cut the Cake bakery in Orlando
A mother-and-daughter bakery did not discriminate against a potential customer when the owners refused to make a cake with an anti-gay slogan, an administrative law judge decided this week.Administrative Law Judge J. Bruce Culpepper's recommended order in favor of Cut the Cake comes nearly two years after the Central Florida bakery was targeted by Arizona evangelist Joshua Feuerstein for refusing to make a cake with an anti-gay marriage message.In the administrative challenge, potential customer Robert Mannarino accused Cut the Cake —- co-owned by Sharon Haller and her daughter, Cyndol Knarr —- of religious discrimination when the women refused to make a cake with the words "Homosexuality is an abomination unto the Lord."Mannarino turned to the administrative court after the Florida Commission on Human Relations last summer told the Pinellas Park resident the commission did not have jurisdiction to consider his complaint because the Longwood bakery —- which has since moved to Orlando —- was not a place of "public accommodation," which means anti-discrimination policies would not apply.Haller told the judge that her daughter believed Mannarino's was among the thousands of "harassing, sometimes threatening" calls they received in 2015 shortly after Feuerstein posted a video of his conversation with her on YouTube and urged others to contact the bakery.Believing Mannarino's request for a cake to be a prank, Knarr sarcastically quoted a price of $150 per letter, bringing the cost of the confection to nearly $6,000. She hung up when Mannarino told her he was recording the call.During the hearing, Mannarino maintained that he was a devout Christian and "reads the Bible often," according to the ruling issued Thursday. But, the judge noted, Mannarino was "unable to provide another biblical verse from memory" when pressed at the final hearing in October.The bakery owners testified that they are Christians and frequently make cakes with religious themes and biblical inscriptions but they ignored Mannarino's request because of the "mean" and "ugly" message he wanted on the cake.The administrative law judge agreed with the commission that the bakery is not a place of "public accommodation" because, unlike restaurants or cafeterias, Cut the Cake is not a facility principally engaged in selling food for consumption onsite.But Culpepper went much further in his 28-page recommended order, rejecting Mannarino's allegation that the bakery owners had discriminated against him.Mannarino "presented no direct or statistical evidence of religious discrimination," Culpepper wrote."Petitioner did not offer evidence or elicit testimony that Cut the Cake refused to provide him a baked good specifically because he was a Christian. (In fact, all Cut the Cake did was quote a price for the cake, then hang up the phone without completing his order)," he wrote.Culpepper noted that Mannarino's claim that he is a Christian "has several weaknesses" because he does not regularly attend church or belong to a specific denomination. And Mannarino "displayed questionable knowledge about the Bible," including the quote at the heart of the dispute, the judge found.Mannarino "emphatically declared" that the quote was "a direct quote" from the Bible, "however, the undersigned finds that it is not," Culpepper wrote.Culpepper's recommended order included several footnotes addressing the teachings of Jesus and the Bible, including a short inventory of verses dealing with homosexuality.Culpepper recommended that the Commission on Human Relations issue a final order finding that Cut the Cake is not a place of "public accommodation," or, alternatively, find that the bakery did not discriminate against Mannarino.In a telephone interview Friday, Knarr told The News Service of Florida it was "ridiculous that we got singled out and all that happened over something we thought wasn't even a real phone call," referring to the call by Feuerstein."I'm just ready for everything to be over with, honestly," she said. "We just want everything to go back to normal."She said the attention has had a negative impact on her business, which raised around $14,000 on the gofundme.com social media site after being targeted by Feuerstein.In the April 2015 telephone call, Feuerstein told the bakery he needed a cake "and I need it to say 'we do not support gay marriage.' " Haller first asked Feuerstein if it was a prank, then said that was something the bakery wouldn't do.Feuerstein —- who later that year created a furor over the plain red cups used by Starbucks during the holiday season —- then posted the video on his Facebook page, asking supporters to contact the bakery.The calls were so venomous that Haller and Knarr feared their lives were in danger."It's hurt our business not only because of what they've done but because of people writing false reviews on Google and Yelp," Knarr said.The bakery owners' objections to Mannarino's phrase had nothing to do with same-sex marriage, Knarr said."Why would people want something so hateful on a cake in the first place? If someone asked us to write something else that was hateful on a cake, we wouldn't," she said.Int. day. A YOUNG INTERN enters a HOLLYWOOD EXECUTIVE’S OFFICE carrying a TRAY of COCAINE and MINIATURE PROSTITUTES. The WALLS and FURNISHINGS are made of expensive MAHOGANY. The EXECUTIVE PRODUCER is lying underneath his EXPENSIVE LEATHER CHAIR. An unopened bottle of ANTI-PSYCHOTIC MEDICATION lies on the DESK.
EXECUTIVE: (screaming) ARGH! MEDUSA! MEDUSA HAS RISEN! INTERN: It’s me, sir. You called for me three minutes ago. EXECUTIVE: So it is. You know kid, you remind me of myself when I had snakes for hair. (ROLLS OVER and EMPTIES A MOUTHFUL OF VOMIT ONTO PRICELESS CARPETING) INTERN: Can I leave? EXECUTIVE: Just a minute, just a minute. (TIPS COCAINE INTO NOSTRILS) I’m gonna let you in on a little secret. Between you and me. I’m making a movie. INTERN: Are you actually making a movie or is this another of your opium dreams? EXECTUVE: Both. I’m going to make a movie about a bleak cyberpunk dystopia, with a corrupt dictator ruling over a thinly-disguised sham of a democracy. The population will be facing a desperate resource shortage, whilst the haunting presence of the former government slowly strangles the city. INTERN: That – that actually sounds good. EXECUTIVE: Starring the Super Mario Brothers. INTERN: What? EXECUTIVE: And dinosaurs. INTERN: Fuck.
And so the world’s weirdest piece of dystopian fiction was born. The Super Mario Bros. Movie had several ideas that could have made for a decent cyberpunk move, but which were then backed up by such relentless, ludicrous insanity that attempting to describe the plot has the same impact on the human brain as head-butting a falling satellite. Enjoy.
GOOD IDEA: An overpopulated city state running on almost no resources…
“A few miserable streets and an endless desert.” That’s the description from the city’s own ruler. It’s not so upbeat, but then he has no reason to be: the world of the Super Mario Bros. movie is a shithole. Aside form the obligatory graffiti and weird hairstyles, from the very outset we see streets which are extremely crowded, suffering from major water and food shortages – to the extent that vendors are serving insects and small lizards – and the only commodities in abundance seem to be leather jackets. The outskirts of the city have been turned into a giant landfill.
Wait – how are they generating so much garbage when they have no resources? Plus, somehow it’s indicated that these problems are the result of President Koopa’s inept leadership – a leadership so bad that he’s managed to turn the majority of the planet into a desert in just 20 years (putting him on a Scar-from-The-Lion-King level of managerial incompetence). And while we’re on the subject…
GOOD IDEA: A corrupt, authoritarian regime leeching from its people like a parasite…
Right away it’s established that the city is run by an evil Dennis Hopper. And believe me, there is no-one I would rather see play a corrupt despot than Dennis Hopper (aside from Ian McKellen, but that goes without saying). The nature of the government is revealed in the very first few shots of the city: propaganda posters abound, places and currency are named after the leader, orders are given over loudspeaker, political prisoners are kept in tiny batter hen-type cages then used for medical experiments, and people are arrested for singing songs which criticize the government. Standard stuff.
Of course every maniacal dictator needs a palace: President Koopa’s looks like a small-town 90s nightclub from the inside, and from the outside appears to be… a corrupted version of the world trade centre.
(This hasn’t aged well…)
Like all good petty dictatorships, the government keeps up a pretence of democracy – propaganda posters tell the populace to ‘Vote Koopa’, and even the very title of ‘President’ has democratic pretensions.
But why does Koopa need to keep up the pretence of elections? The previous government was an absolute monarchy – as far as we know the populace have absolutely no concept of democracy. So why maintain the charade? More importantly, why do they have their own statue of liberty when the only governments they’ve ever known are absolute monarchy and then dictatorship?
We’re supposed to presume the last monarch was benevolent and wise, but Koopa himself states that ‘[the king] always wanted to be everywhere’, so it sounds like he had some control issues.
Never mind, by the end of the film the dictator is deposed and democratic, liberal government brought to all. Just kidding, they replace him with the former king. I’m not certain how that’s any better than a president-for-life, but by this point I’m having to drink modelling glue to the verge of gut-wrenching unconsciousness just to keep following the plot.
GOOD IDEA: A cruel and anarchic populace with no concept of cooperation
No wonder the leadership is awful, because damn the public are unpleasant. Mario and Luigi are mugged after spending all of 5 minutes in the city, then there’s the fact that motorists seem to have absolutely no problem committing vehicular homicide against innocent cyclists – and then keeping the corpse on the bonnet of the car, presumably as some sort of death trophy.
All well and good – it wouldn’t be very dystopian if everyone was pleasant and friendly. Plus, the population appears to be a little more advanced than ours was in the year this horrifying abomination of a film was released (1993) – in a later scene involving the world’s blandest nightclub, we see women holding hands and what appear to be two men dancing together.
If only they weren’t all lizards. That has to be the dumbest plot point of any film I’ve ever seen, and I still get night terrors from Baby’s Day Out. Why does a Super Mario film need everyone to be descended from dinosaurs? Why does an urban dystopia need the Super Mario Brothers? Why, after downing enough modelling glue to kill a cannibalistic horse, can I still feel my thumbs?
Anyway, at least the film has a downer ending – the portal between our world and the city is closed, presumably condemning the entire resource-deprived population to starve to death. Or die of thirst. Take your pick.
But at least the trade towers are fi- oh.Photo by Jarrett Wrisley
"You want to eat local food?" said Annetta Fernandes, who runs the beautiful Siolim House, where I recently stayed.
"Yes, please. I want to eat where you eat."
"Ok...Around the corner there is a place," she said sheepishly, "it's called the Hotel Jack Inn. You can try there -- they have very good sausage..."
In India, restaurants have a strange habit of calling themselves hotels when they're not. I'm not really sure why, I should probably look into that. Anyway, the Hotel Jack Inn is a small, five-table spot just opposite the Cathedral in Siolim, Goa (those were my vague directions, and now they are yours).
This village is close enough to the beaches that you frequently see the naked red skin of well-fed, elderly tourists whizzing by on Enfield motorcycles. That, and the peculiar tribe of people who, regardless of gender, all seem to have dreadlocks, sleeve tattoos, linen Sinbad pants, and ride the economical scooter.
While walking to the Hotel Jack Inn, I saw an inebriated, cycle-riding Russian smack into an Indian man's parked motorbike, pushing it about 15 feet down the street. "How much do you want, baba?" he slurred, displaying his considerable cultural insight before offering him 200 rupees (that's $4). Ah, the joys of Western tourism.A permanent wound: How the slave tax warped Alabama finances
CLOSE James Marion Sims was a 19th century doctor who performed dozens of experimental surgeries on slave women in a backyard Montgomery hospital with no anesthesia. One slave alone endured 30 surgeries. Wochit
In the late spring or early summer of 1822, a man named Bolling Hall made a list of all his property before taking it to the Autauga County assessor and paying his taxes.
On the left side of a piece of parchment, Hall listed hundreds of acres of land he’d acquired since leaving Georgia four years before. He would pay |
as a wave. Both points of views have their advantages, offering different perspectives on the same physical phenomenon. The “correct” point of view — particle or wave — is determined solely by the nature of the question, not by the nature of the electron. The two sides of mirror symmetry offer dual and equally valid perspectives on “quantum geometry.”
Mathematics has the wonderful ability to connect different worlds. The most overlooked symbol in any equation is the humble equal sign. Ideas flow through it, as if the equal sign conducts the electric current that illuminates the “Aha!” lightbulb in our mind. And the double lines indicate that ideas can flow in both directions. Albert Einstein was an absolute master of finding equations that exemplify this property. Take E = mc2, without a doubt the most famous equation in history. In all its understated elegance, it connects the physical concepts of mass and energy that were seen as totally distinct before the advent of relativity. Through Einstein’s equation we learn that mass can be transformed into energy, and vice versa. The equation of Einstein’s general theory of relativity, although less catchy and well-known, links the worlds of geometry and matter in an equally surprising and beautiful manner. A succinct way to summarize that theory is that mass tells space how to curve, and space tells mass how to move.
Mirror symmetry is another perfect example of the power of the equal sign. It is capable of connecting two different mathematical worlds. One is the realm of symplectic geometry, the branch of mathematics that underlies much of mechanics. On the other side is the realm of algebraic geometry, the world of complex numbers. Quantum physics allows ideas to flow freely from one field to the other and provides an unexpected “grand unification” of these two mathematical disciplines.
It is comforting to see how mathematics has been able to absorb so much of the intuitive, often imprecise reasoning of quantum physics and string theory, and to transform many of these ideas into rigorous statements and proofs. Mathematicians are close to applying this exactitude to homological mirror symmetry, a program that vastly extends string theory’s original idea of mirror symmetry. In a sense, they’re writing a full dictionary of the objects that appear in the two separate mathematical worlds, including all the relations they satisfy. Remarkably, these proofs often do not follow the path that physical arguments had suggested. It is apparently not the role of mathematicians to clean up after physicists! On the contrary, in many cases completely new lines of thought had to be developed in order to find the proofs. This is further evidence of the deep and as yet undiscovered logic that underlies quantum theory and, ultimately, reality.
Niels Bohr was very fond of the notion of complementarity. The concept emerged from the fact that, as Werner Heisenberg proved with his uncertainty principle, in quantum mechanics one can measure either the momentum p of a particle or its position q, but not both at the same time. Wolfgang Pauli wittily summarized this duality in a letter to Heisenberg dated October 19, 1926, just a few weeks after the discovery: “One can see the world with the p-eye, and one can see it with the q-eye, but if one opens both eyes, then one becomes crazy.”
In his later years, Bohr tried to push this idea into a much broader philosophy. One of his favorite complementary pairs was truth and clarity. Perhaps the pair of mathematical rigor and physical intuition should be added as another example of two mutually exclusive qualities. You can look at the world with a mathematical eye or with a complementary physical eye, but don’t dare to open both.htmlol
htmlol is an HTML5-compliant structured HTML construction library for Python 3.
It is used for building an HTML document and outputting it in plain text.
All valid HTML5 elements are provided in the htmlol namespace.
Introduction
Constructing a simple, minimally correct HTML5 document and writing to stdout:
import htmlol as h doc = h. Document ( h. meta ( charset = 'utf-8' ), h. title ( 'Title' ), 'Hello, world!' ) print ( doc )
Generates the following HTML (newlines added for clarity):
<!DOCTYPE html> < meta charset = "utf-8" > < title > Title </ title > Hello, world!
Attributes can be added as keywords.
Reserved words must be prefixed with a single underscore ( _ ).
p = h.p( h.a('Visit my blog!', href = '/blog'), _class = 'content' ) print(p)
Standard attribute prefixes such as data- and xmlns: are also supported
by substituting an underscore ( _ ) for characters - or :.
p = h.p( 'Blah blah blah', data_my_data_attribute ='somedata', xmlns_lang = 'en' ) print(p)
Some attributes take boolean values. These will be rendered in abbreviated form
if True is given and omitted if False is given.
div = h.div( h.button( 'Click me!', type = 'button', disabled = False ), h.button( "Don't click me!", type = 'button', disabled = True ) ) print(div)
Any iterable object containing text or HTML elements, such as a list or generator,
can be used to initialize a new element object.
ul = h.ul( h.li(user.name) for user in users ) print(ul)
Here's a full document containing some of the previous examples:At present, the champions of F2, European Formula 3, Formula E, IndyCar and the World Endurance Championship's LMP1 class all receive the 40 points required to gain the superlicence necessary to race in F1.
If a driver does not win one of those series, they must have compiled at least 40 points over a three-year period to qualify for a superlicence.
Speaking at the launch of the new F2 car, the F2 2018, at Monza last week, Perrin explained that the superlicence system is going to be changed to promote the F2 category by offering more points to its successful competitors.
“The superlicence points system is going to be revised,” he told Motorsport.com.
“It's going to become almost compulsory to race in F2 – it won't be mandatory in theory, but it will be the preferred path to F1.
“It's very important – we want to give some value back to the driver's competitiveness rather than their wallet.
“It will promote F2 a lot, as it will be the category that gives the most points and the best technical preparation to go to F1.
“It will be published soon. I don't want to speak on behalf of the FIA, since the FIA is going to give it, but everything will be done for F2 to become almost a prerequisite for F1.”
The F2 championship was rebranded from GP2 ahead of the 2017 season and moved under the FIA’s regulatory control, which effectively completed the governing body’s aim of having a ‘pyramid’ for single-seater competition – from Formula 4 to F1.
The launch of the F2 2018 – the first new single-seater to feature the halo cockpit protection device – was attended by Ross Brawn and Charlie Whiting, who hinted at closer future ties between F2 and F1.
There were also suggestions that F1 is missing a MotoGP style Moto2-Moto3 progression system that would have potential commercial and sporting benefits to the two categories.
F2 to keep same performance level
The new F2 car is unveiled in the paddock Photo by: Zak Mauger / LAT Images
Perrin also explained that the F2 2018 has not be designed to be quicker than the GP2/11 car that the series has used for the last seven seasons.
It will maintain similar levels of performance in terms of laptime but will switch to a 3.4-litre turbocharged engine.
When asked if the new car would have more downforce than its predecessor, he said: “Marginally, but we did not seek to go faster.
“We think the performance and positioning of the current F2 car are very much what the drivers need to prepare for F1.
"Our goal was not to go quicker, we just want to have the same level of performance as the current car, but with a car which is closer to F1, so that the drivers are better prepared for F1.”Exciting news for our customers who use Metrotown Station: the first four of eight new escalators—two up and two down—entered service on Monday, July 24!
These escalators at the newly opened west stationhouse will significantly improve passenger flow and access for our customers who can now enter and exit the platform via two escalators, two elevators, or one of two staircases from Central Boulevard.
Compass fare gates and vending machines have been installed at the west stationhouse and are operational. Customers are reminded to continue to tap in and out.
What’s next?
This is a major milestone for the station. Although both the centre and west stationhouses are now open, upgrades continue at Metrotown Station. We thank everyone for their patience while we complete this essential work.
In summer 2018, two more pairs of escalators will go into service when the rebuilt east stationhouse opens. When fully complete, the upgraded station will include:
Rebuilt east stationhouse and addition of new centre and west stationhouses
New stairs and escalators
Replacement of the original elevator with three new elevators accessible via a new central entry
An upgraded bus exchange on Central Boulevard
New secure parking area for bicycles
We’ll make sure to keep you updated on all the upgrades as they are completed.
Explore inside the west stationhouse
Visit our website for more information on the upgrades at Metrotown Station.
Author: Jessica HewittCalifornia lawmaker introduces pot legalization bill Jeremy Gantz
Published: Monday February 23, 2009
Print This Email This If California Assemblyman Tom Ammiano has his way, the Golden State might become known as the Green State to pot smokers around the country.
During a press conference Monday morning in San Francisco, Ammiano introduced "The Marijuana Control, regulation and education act." The far-reaching bill would go well beyond decriminalization of marijuana to actually legalize the cultivation, sale, purchase and possession of the plant.
With the state in the midst of an historic economic crisis, the move towards regulating and taxing marijuana is simply common sense," Ammiano said. "This legislation would generate much needed revenue for the state, restrict access to only those over 21, end the environmental damage to our public lands from illicit crops, and improve public safety by redirecting law enforcement efforts to more serious crimes."
Ammiano and a group of speakers during the press conference described the bill as "a simple matter of fiscal common sense," according to the San Francisco Weekly.
The bill would remove "all penalties under California law for the cultivation, transportation, sale, purchase, possession, and use of marijuana, natural THC and paraphernalia by persons over the age of 21"; would "prohibit local and state law enforcement officials from enforcing federal marijuana laws"; and would create a $50 state fee for each ounce of marijuana sold, beyond whatever pot will cost once it becomes legal, the newspaper reported.
"Marijuana arrests actually increased 18 percent in California in 2007 while all other arrests for controlled substances fell," Steve Gutwillig, California's director of Drug Policy Alliance, said during the press conference. "This costs the state a billion dollars a year and taxpayers are footing the bill. Meanwhile, black marketers are laughing all the way to the bank."
Ammiano's bold legislation comes on the heels of a recent statement by three former Latin American presidents, who called for legalization of marijuana and described the U.S. "War on Drugs" as a failure. Former Colombian President Cesar Gaviria said there was no meaningful debate over drugs policy in the United States, despite a broad consensus that current policies had failed.
Last year, Rep. Barney Frank (D-MA) introduced a bill on Capitol Hill to decriminalize marijuana, which he called the "Make Room for the Serious Criminals Bill" on HBO's Real Time with Bill Maher. More than 10 U.S. states have decriminalized the possession of small amounts of the plant; Massachusetts did so last month. Oregon was the first to do so, in 1973.
Speaking Monday at the San Francisco press conference, a retired Orange County judge said "the most harmful thing about marijuana today is prison." Judge James P. Gray, who recently retired from his 25-year post and has run for Congress as a Republican, said prohibition of pot "clog[s] the court system."
"The stronger we get on marijuana, the softer we get with regard to all other prosecutions because we have only so many resources," Gray said. "And we at this moment, have thousands of people in state prison right this minute who did nothing but smoke marijuana."
According to recent polls, 41 percent of Americans support legalizing marijuana. That's a higher approval rating than that currently enjoyed by Rush Limbaugh, former President George W. Bush and Republican congressional leaders, according to PollingReport.com.
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Dawn of Humanity is a town-building strategy game that puts you in control as you experience the growth and development of your hunter-gatherer tribal settlement into a prosperous town fit for a modern civilization. Set for release on Steam Early Access in September 2016, the game will be available for Windows platform with a full release planned between Q4 2016 and Q1 2017.
Starting in 10,000 BC, you must ensure that you evolve and grow your village through the perils of prehistoric Stone Age to the challenges and opportunities presented by the late Middle Ages up to the Renaissance era. The player will have a choice of four different civilizations and cultures in which to develop their town that will be based on the climate and geographical location of the original settlement. To secure victory, the player must ensure that all available resources are used to their best potential in order to have a healthy, happy and productive population who will be the backbone of your success.
Factors such as food and water must be taken into account at all time, but especially in the early stages of your civilizations’ development, in order to maintain a healthy population, so being based close to a freshwater source will be vital. Once you establish your basic settlement you can commence the research of various technologies such as fire, the wheel and animal domestication along with agriculture, which will be done through specifically designated buildings. This technology research will be essential to the transformation of your small tribe into a sprawling town.
In order to domesticate the number of different animals featured in the game the player will have taken upon a perilous act of catching a small number of them to increase the odds of successful domestication. Chasing chickens may be required as part of gameplay but do note that not all members of the animal kingdom can be domesticated. Earlier historical records are full of failed attempts to domesticate various friendly mammals such as bears* (*that may not actually be true).
Once caught and placed in your newly built corrals and pens, the success of your domestication efforts will depend on a number of different game factors such as availability of resources that the animal requires their lifespan and season amongst many other factors.
Climate will play a major part in your settlement development and you will have a choice of 12 different selections ranging from the milder Oceanic and Mediterranean weather systems to the harsher desert locations and vibrant tropical lands. Each of these will come with a number of challenges with their own distinctive disasters and diseases as well as opportunities that will influence your agriculture output and consequent success. This will of course also have an effect on seasons within the game as well as the day and night cycle, so you have the complete freedom to choose a climate that suits your playing style.
Disasters will be location and climate specific so fret not about those earthquakes and tornadoes if your town is based in Europe, all you have to worry about is floods, hail, drought, and the odd fire, sometimes in that order.
Disease of course can strike at any point and prevention and treatment will rely on your town building skills, as you have to manage adequate food supplies, access to fresh water and avoiding sick or infected animals. More common diseases like flu can also strike and outbreaks will be up to you to manage as after all an ill population is neither productive nor happy. Let’s face it; plague is just damn right bad for business.
Like taxes, death is part of the game and your venerable subjects can die from a number of different ailments, accidents and even old age, should they survive the odd animal attack and bandit raid. Each stage of the life of your settler will have a different happiness, productivity and health level with a whole host of factors that can affect them, such as different needs for food and entertainment. Growing your population will require pregnancy that will affect the productivity of your female workers. Increasing vitality will also help your future success as your population adapts to the chosen climate and local food sources, not to mention the microbes and diseases of the local environment.
Finding and managing resources will be a key part of developing your civilization. While some can be produced from raw materials into things like tools, others will have to be discovered as you explore your surroundings on the map. More exotic resources will have to be acquired through other means such as trade. Remember, you will have to ensure that a variety of resources such as food, tools and clothing are available to your citizens in order for them to be at their most effective.
Once they are equipped with all the necessary goods, they can ensure that your civilization evolves and moves forward. Upon full release of the game, the player will have a choice of three different civilizations in which their town will develop. With a large choice of professions, you will have to make sure that no villager goes idle, if you are to create a thriving and bustling economic enclave in your part of the world. While the player can select each individual citizen and assign him or her to do a certain task, there will also be a task manager, where the player can select which jobs are more important and the citizens will do everything accordingly.
Offering both a story driven campaign as well as unlimited gameplay opportunities in the sandbox mode with our freshly coded and designed terrain generator, Dawn of Humanity will always provide opportunity for a unique gaming experience.
Gameplay spanning almost 12,000 years across multiple historic periods
Fully implemented moral, needs, health and aging systems for your villagers
Local economy and merchant system
Over 40 building types and 15 animals within the game
Over 20 different professions to choose from for your villagers
Over 30 different goods to find and create
12 climates and sub-climates, each with unique characteristics
Terrain generator with over 1,000,000 unique maps and sandbox mode
Historical ad story driven campaigns planned for full release
Concept Artist: George Brad - https://www.artstation.com/artist/georgecata93
Sample Song 1
Trailer Song 1 - Full Version
Trailer Song 2 - Full Version
A collective of university buddies, childhood friends and even family, we are a small independent studio operating out of UK and Romania. Based in not so sunny Sunderland here in England and nestled between the Carpathian Mountains of the Transylvanian region in Brasov, we are extremely excited to be developing our first title. Being proud members of the PC gaming race we are looking forward to making our small contribution to this great platform.
Having quit our day jobs and invested a considerable amount of time into this project which has been self-funded throughout, we are now looking to unveil our work to the public. We believe that Kickstarter is the perfect platform going forward, it will not only enable us to secure the remainder of the funds required to develop this game, but also gain invaluable community input into the development.
Skipping the traditional sources of finance allows us to avoid the associated pitfalls and pressures of lending from outside sources. A successful Kickstarter campaign will ensure that people who back our project are truly passionate about creating the best possible game rather than simply thinking about the bottom line.
We would like to make sure that Dawn of Humanity is a fully developed, well tested and optimised game for our players before its public release. Our highest priority will be creating a well-balanced title with solid gameplay and that is something that can be achieved with your help. By planning on working closely with our community and listening to your feedback we are confident in delivering a great title.
With pre-alpha build completed few weeks ago we have now entered the exciting stage of seeing our game come together. The plan for the coming months will be to streamline the gaming experience, create a friendly user interface and improve the visuals of the game. The release is currently set for September of 2016 on Steam via Early Access.
Why Early Access? Like any studio aiming to produce a great game we will require your feedback and help from fellow gamers to produce a truly community driven development. By this stage we are planning on having a well-balanced and technically stable game, with solid mechanics behind it.
The Early Access game will also only feature a single civilisation and additional funds will provide us with the resources to add the remaining cultures and civilisations, some of which will be chosen by you.
While the stretch goals will not affect the Early Access release date of the game due to the community driven nature of the development, reaching them will help us deliver additional content at a quicker pace. All content from the achieved stretch goals will be available for free for the final release of the game.A Boeing 787 Dreamliner accelerates down the runway while taking off on its long-waited first flight Dec. 15, 2009 at Paine Field in Everett, Wash. (Photo11: Stephen Brashear Getty Images) Story Highlights Boeing says it will spend $1B to expand its North Charleston, S.C., plant
It is expected to create 2,000 jobs over 8 years
The state could kick in $120 million worth of incentives
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) — Boeing announced Tuesday it is expanding in South Carolina, investing another $1 billion and creating 2,000 new jobs over eight years.
"Boeing is now a part of the fabric of South Carolina. So this is family and when family does well, we all get excited," Gov. Nikki Haley said at an aerospace conference along with Boeing and state officials.
The state is providing $120 million in incentives for upfront expansion costs such as utilities and site preparation at Boeing's North Charleston manufacturing complex that now employs about 6,000.
The first of the company's 787 Dreamliners built in South Carolina rolled off the assembly line about a year ago. The plant assembles one of the planes a month and within six weeks will be assembling two a month, said Jack Jones, the vice president and general manager of Boeing South Carolina.
The Boeing plant also builds mid- and aft-body assemblies for 787s that are made in South Carolina and Everett, Wash. Jones said seven assemblies are put together each month and the number will increase to 10 this fall.
"We feel that with the Boeing commitment for a billion bucks and an additional 2,000 jobs created, the incentive the state is offering is commensurate with our commitment," he said.
"With unprecedented demand for commercial airplanes — including a forecast of another 34,000 airplanes required over the next 20 years — Boeing is positioned for significant and sustained growth in the years ahead," said a statement released by company spokeswoman Candy Eslinger.
Incentive bills were introduced in both the state House and Senate in Columbia on Tuesday.
Senate Finance Chairman Hugh Leatherman said he's in awe of Boeing's expansion plans. "Our state could very well become the aerospace hub, when you bring all these suppliers in here to supply not only Boeing but possibly Airbus in Alabama," he said.
House Speaker Bobby Harrell issued a statement saying the state and Boeing have been good partners from the start.
"As a Legislature, it's our job to create an environment that fosters economic growth so the private sector can do what government can't, create sustainable new jobs," he said.
Commerce Secretary Bobby Hitt said the incentives are similar to those granted to BMW when its plant in Greer, S.C. expanded after opening in the 1990s.
"BMW made a big move about the same value we're talking about here. You had to be able to improve the infrastructure to be able to grow and expand," he said.
News of the expansion was first reported in The Post and Courier. Jones said the hiring will be spread over the eight years.
Last year, the Charleston County Aviation Authority began the process of selling 320 acres near the North Charleston assembly site. The agency also voted to give Boeing first rights of refusal on nearly 500 more acres, as well as an option to buy another 265 acres. Last year Boeing also bought the South Carolina Research Authority office site near its assembly plant.
"A lot of people are reading into that that it means we're going to bring other programs on down," Jones said. "There's no commitment to that. What it does open up is flexibility. We don't want to be landlocked."
The 787 has been grounded since mid-January because of a problem with smoldering lithium-ion batteries. The company has proposed a fix to federal regulators and last week conducted a final test on the new design that includes more heat insulation and a battery box designed so that any meltdown of the battery vents hot gases outside of the plane. None of the 787s that reported battery problems were built in South Carolina.
Associated Press Writer Seanna Adcox contributed from Columbia, S.C.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/10EBt3mIF you’ve been living under a rock the past week you probably haven’t heard about Lewis Young.
The Western Bulldogs defender made his debut against Carlton on the weekend at the age of 18 years, 208 days – the youngest player in the AFL. Do you see the hilarious coincidence? His name is Young, and he is young! Headline writers across the country certainly didn’t miss it. What a hoot.
But how close is young Young to being the youngest Young to ever young? The answer? Not even young.
CLAUD CLOUGH (St Kilda, 1900: 15 years, 209 days)
FOR 112 years Claud Hamilton Clough, born 1884, was denied his record as the youngest player to ever debut, until researcher Stephen Rodgers found that the history books had confused him with Claude Lindsay Clough, born 1880.
Who knew Claude Clough was such a popular name?
Playing just 23 games for the Saints, Clough’s first match was notable for the fact it was St Kilda’s first ever win in the VFL. However, the Saints were only awarded the points a week after the game.
With the match against the Demons finishing in a tie, a behind recorded to Melbourne at the end of the third quarter was eventually disallowed, handing St Kilda a 1-point victory.
Clough would eventually retire from the game as a 16-year-old, and died in 1922 aged just 37.
KEITH BROMAGE (Collingwood, 1953: 15 years, 287 days)
“BOY! Yes you. You’re up son,” the coach says as he tosses you the team guernsey.
Most young footy fans have dreamed of being picked out of the crowd to pull on the boots for their favourite team. For Keith Bromage, that was almost the reality of how his footballing career started.
First spotted by officials as a 13-year-old at Victoria Park kicking a paper football around after Magpies matches, Phonse Kyne and Jock McHale decided to keep an eye on the local kid for a couple of years before giving him a gig in the thirds in 1953.
That quickly became a gig in the seconds, before he was called up to play full-forward for the Magpie firsts in Round 17 against Richmond at Punt Road.
Kicking two goals in his first match, Bromage held his spot the next week and kicked another two against the Bulldogs, before losing his place in the team for the finals, which Collingwood would dominate on their way to the flag.
Bromage would eventually finish up at the Magpies in 1956 with 28 games and 30 goals to his name, before moving to Fitzroy where he would add another 41 games and 48 goals.
ALBERT COLLIER (Collingwood, 1925: 15 years, 297 days)
ANYONE who’s a younger sibling knows we’re better looking, more intelligent, and generally more affable than our older brothers and sisters. It’s a fact.
We also develop faster because we copy their successes and avoid their mistakes.
So it was in the case of Albert Collier who, despite being two years younger than brother Harry, debuted for Collingwood before his sibling, who would go on to become the Magpies’ premiership captain in 1935 and 1936.
While Harry would eventually play more games (253 to 217) and kick more goals (299 to 66), Albert’s career ended with the 1929 Brownlow Medal and three club best and fairests (compared to his brother’s two).
First spotted by Collingwood secretary George Connor playing cricket for the club, young Albert was invited to train with the footballers despite legendary coach Jock McHale’s misgivings.
When made aware of Albert’s age, McHale told the lad: “All right, sonny, you can go out on the ground, but keep away from the big fellows. You’ll get killed out there.”
Unsurprisingly, Collier ran headlong into little and big blokes alike in his first training session, and was handed a Magpies jumper not long after.
TIM WATSON (Essendon, 1977: 15 years, 305 days)
THE youngest player to debut this side of the Korean War, Tim Watson was picked up from Dimboola – 336km west of Melbourne – and dragged to the bright lights of the city to debut in 1977.
Retiring in 1991, before a brief comeback to win the flag in 1993, Watson finished his career with 307 games, 335 goals, four best and fairests and three premierships.
“It was exciting to play when I did. I didn’t reflect on how young I was until much later in life,” Watson would later say.
“It was probably too young but I didn’t and don’t feel it had any detrimental effect on me.”
Watson also had a brief stint of being “St Kilded” as the Saints coach from 1999 to 2000, before becoming one of the least worst ex-players to pursue a career in the media.
He is the father of world-class barista Jobe Watson.
WELS EICKE (St Kilda, 1909: 15 years, 315 days)
WELLESLEY Hastings Eicke, or Wels to his mates, debuted for the Saints in 1909 as a rover before becoming one of the best defenders of the early VFL – in part because the Saints were forced to do a lot of defending.
Playing 197 games for the Saints until 1924, Eicke crossed to North Melbourne to play 21 games as captain-coach from 1925 to mid-1926, before crossing back St Kilda that year to finish his career with 218 games.
Eicke is also remembered for being the first of three captains in league history to call a head count of the other team, doing so in Round 12, 1924, against Carlton when the Saints were being soundly beaten.
It turned out that the Blues had the right amount of players, and the Saints were just a little bit shit.
Eicke eventually died aged 86 in 1980, and was one of inaugural inductees of the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996.
MICK MAGUIRE (Richmond, 1910: 15 years, 328 days)
EVERYBODY knows of a Mick Maguire. He most likely ran your town pub at one stage, or was the footy club secretary when cash mysteriously went missing that one time.
This Mick Maguire debuted for Richmond in 1910 as a 15-year-old, winning their goalkicking for that season in the process. For good measure, he did it again in 1911.
While he’s not remembered as a VFL great, playing 67 games and kicking 95 goals for Richmond, Melbourne and Collingwood up until 1918, Maguire did do a bunch of stuff outside of footy.
He was a notorious welterweight boxer between 1912 and 1915, while also running the Bull & Mouth Hotel on Bourke St, roughly where Rebel Sport is now in the Bourke Street Mall.
Maguire eventually moved to Brisbane to run the Bellevue Hotel for a brief time, which was famously demolished in 1979 without any public notice, and was a favourite of comedian Barry Humphries.
Father to five daughters, two of his offspring would go on to marry English nobility after the family moved to London in the 1930s, while his youngest daughter, Lupe, married British hire car mogul Godfrey Davis.
His most famous daughter, Mary, became a Hollywood and British film star in the 1930s, starring alongside future US President Ronald Reagan in the film Sergeant Murphy.
With his daughters making a name for themselves, Maguire settled down in London to live the quiet life, only taking a short break to fight for the British Army in World War II – a great big up yours to Mary’s husband and Maguire’s (older than him) son-in-law Robert Gordon-Canning, a Fascist sympathiser.
Unable to ever really nail down the idea of chilling the fuck out, Maguire died in 1950 in London, probably whilst bedding the Queen of England and smoking multiple cigars.
LEN FITZGERALD (Collingwood, 1945: 15 years, 349 days)
COLLINGWOOD certainly had a knack for spotting talent early.
A few days short of his 16th birthday, Len Fitzgerald debuted for the Pies in Round 1, 1945, with future Collingwood champions Neil Mann and Bill Twomey.
Magpie legend Syd Coventry, who had watched Fitzgerald develop his footy as a Collingwood schoolboy, said at the time that Len was “a well set-up lad, and has already developed the poise and purpose of a veteran.”
Playing mostly as a defender, Fitzgerald delivered on his early promise, playing every game in his debut season as an integral part of the Collingwood machine. By the end of the 1950 season, he’d played 96 games and kicked 49 goals and was well on the way to becoming a Collingwood legend.
Then, in one of the most shocking moves in Australian Football history at the time, Fitzgerald joined SANFL club Sturt for the 1951 season, with rumours abounding that the move had happened thanks to Collingwood powerbroker and “colourful businessman” John Wren, who owed a favour to a political ally in South Australia.
With nothing to lose given Sturt was offering him more money and a better job outside of footy, Fitzgerald jumped on the opportunity and became one of SANFL’s greatest ever players.
After three games the Sturt hierarchy handed him the captaincy, and midway through the season they gave him the keys to the coaches’ box. By the end of his playing career, he had three Magarey Medals, three club best and fairests, and 22 games in State of Origin.
Fitzgerald was an inaugural inductee in the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 1996, and died aged 77 in April, 2007.The founders of Silicon Valley startup UploadVR landed on Forbes’ coveted 30 under 30 list this year. And now, they’ve reached another tech world milestone—being sued for rampant sexual harassment. The details of the lawsuit describe a company that seems to have looked at other startup’s workplace environments and decided they just weren’t hostile enough.
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UploadVR basically functions as a promoter of all things having to do with virtual/augmented/mixed reality. It has a news website, runs co-working spaces and throws events. The lawsuit alleges that the company’s employees and founders created a hostile work environment in which sexual harassment, gender discrimination, and retaliation occurred on a regular basis. The two remaining founders of the startup, Taylor Freeman and William Mason, are specifically named throughout the court documents as participants in the behavior.
In the suit documents, the former Director of Digital and Social Media for UploadVR claims that the office environment was a “boy’s club” that employees expressly referred to as a “boy’s club.” From the suit:
Specifically, the male employees of UploadVR, including Mason and Freeman, would discuss their sexual exploits in graphic detail at the workplace in front of Plaintiff and other female employees. For instance, UploadVR employee [name redacted]’s sex life was a frequent topic of conversation. The other male employees would talk about how he “refuses to wear a condom” and “has had sex with over 1000 people.”
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Gross. But the allegations just grow more and more jaw-dropping. The founders and other employees are accused of speaking “sexually” about female employees right to their face, and one employee would, allegedly, talk about having “a boner” and going to the bathroom to “rub one out” in order to maintain focus. The suit clarifies that to mean “he was going to the restroom to masturbate.”
In an echo of the accusations that Travis Kalanick took employees to an escort bar on a company trip to South Korea, UploadVR’s founders allegedly sent out emails to the staff searching for “Samurai Girls” while on a fundraising trip in Asia. “Samurai Girls” are defined in the suit as “submissive, Asian women.” After one executive went to Thailand, he is accused of sending an email of his STD results to the company.
It just goes on and on. Not content with talking about sex at work, the employees allegedly had a “kink room” in the office that contained a bed and was intended to “encourage sexual intercourse in the office.” Male employees allegedly used the room for its intended purpose and, often, “underwear and condom wrappers would be found in the room.”
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The documents also claim that employees were engaged in Silicon Valley’s hot new trend of “microdosing” and “using Marijuana in the office.” When female employees didn’t want to participate, they would be ostracized by the male employees and excluded from important meetings and lunches.
The plaintiff claims that she was wrongfully terminated after making complaints about the behavior. She alleges that the repulsive treatment of women was a companywide issue and outlines numerous ways in which female employees were treated differently. The list of violations include things like unequal pay and lack of opportunity for promotion. A section describing how women were expected to do “womanly tasks” describes an environment that was |
and help to build a fairer society for transgender people.’
And she said in a speech on Saturday: ‘While on my travels as a champion for women’s rights, I am and will be a champion for gay rights too. Britain must not get complacent. We are a world leader for gay rights, but… there is still more that we must do.’
Under existing rules, a ‘transgender’ person undergoing a sex-swap is free to change their identity to a new sex, once the procedure is complete and a gender recognition certificate has been issued.
While undergoing a sex change, a person can also nominate their intended new sex, and place that on their passport. They must produce a certificate from a doctor saying that is the gender under which they live their daily lives.
RIGHTMINDS JULIA MANNING: This is another example of well-meaning but narrow minded foolishness and relativism. To remove gender details from an individual's passport will further fuel the identity crisis that is already a significant issue for so many in our country. It's a simple equation. If you make things more uncertain, people feel more insecure and vulnerable. Knowing who you are - your self-awareness, how you relate to other people including your family - is vital for good mental health and personal development. Read more here
But people who are classed as intersex – a condition which people carry from birth, where they have male and female reproductive organs – are forced to make a choice.
Home Office officials say the review is wide-ranging and they are considering ‘all the gender options’.
The law in Britain could be changed in a matter of days. Passports come under the royal prerogative, so only a simple ministerial order would be required.
Last night, an Identity and Passport Service spokesman said: ‘IPS is considering the gender options available to customers in the British passport.
‘This is at the early discussion stage and no decisions have been taken. Any changes to the UK passport would need to satisfy our rigorous security requirements.’TORONTO – The mayor’s brother and most fervent supporter will not be running in the next election.
Councillor Doug Ford confirmed Wednesday he will be a one-term councillor telling reporters that he has no intention of running in the October 2014 municipal election.
“I’ll be working on [Rob Ford’s re-election], I won’t be running,” Ford said. “I’ll be running away from this place in 16 months.”
If he were to change his mind, however, the councillor can still register in early January.
Doug Ford serves as councillor for Ward 2 Etobicoke North. The ward was previously held by his brother, Mayor Rob Ford prior to becoming mayor of Toronto.
While Doug Ford won’t be returning to a seat at city hall after the 2014 election, he will play a role.
The elder Ford brother publicly committed to helping his brother run his mayoral election and wants to start the election early.
“I’d love to go to the polls tomorrow,” Ford said. “Sometimes when I leave this place, I ask, ‘how do all these people get elected?’”New Haven — BEFORE he fired the shot, the Einsatzgruppe commander lifted the Jewish child in the air and said, “You must die so that we can live.” As the killing proceeded, other Germans rationalized the murder of Jewish children in the same way: them or us.
Today we think of the Nazi Final Solution as some dark apex of high technology. It was in fact the killing of human beings at close range during a war for resources. The war that brought Jews under German control was fought because Hitler believed that Germany needed more land and food to survive and maintain its standard of living — and that Jews, and their ideas, posed a threat to his violent expansionist program.
The Holocaust may seem a distant horror whose lessons have already been learned. But sadly, the anxieties of our own era could once again give rise to scapegoats and imagined enemies, while contemporary environmental stresses could encourage new variations on Hitler’s ideas, especially in countries anxious about feeding their growing populations or maintaining a rising standard of living.
The quest for German domination was premised on the denial of science. Hitler’s alternative to science was the idea of Lebensraum. Germany needed an Eastern European empire because only conquest, and not agricultural technology, offered the hope of feeding the German people. In Hitler’s “Second Book,” which was composed in 1928 and not published until after his death, he insisted that hunger would outstrip crop improvements and that all “the scientific methods of land management” had already failed. No conceivable improvement would allow Germans to be fed “from their own land and territory,” he claimed. Hitler specifically — and wrongly — denied that irrigation, hybrids and fertilizers could change the relationship between people and land.Reading v Arsenal. Everyone’s opinion, the teams, the result
By Tony Attwood It has been a week for everyone and his dog to have their say. Collapse and decline are the main talking points in the press, and the AAA are lapping it up. But Jack Wilshere has bucked the trend with a lot of positive talk, and even George Graham has come in, talking in support of Wenger. He made a few errors did George, saying that Vieira and Anelka were bought for moderate prices (Vieira cost £3.5m and Anelka £250,000 which turned out to be dirt cheap, not moderate) but we can forgive the old boy that because he was generally supportive. Bob Wilson also took a swipe at S. Robson, who now plies his trade with ESPN, and I suspect both ex-player and Micky Mouse TV are happy with each other. Bob particularly commented on reports that Mr Wenger was a control freak. Since Bob was goalkeeper coach for many years and Robson merely sat in a critics chair for Arsenal TV, I suspect Bob knows more than Robson. Robson’s criticisms sound increasingly like a man bitter that his career has got this low. Anyway, to the game Theo is back and so is Giroud. Which by and large has to be excellent news for everyone. It might mean we could see a front line of Oxlade-Chamberlain Giroud Walcott In the defence Koscielny is back, but presumably we’ll see the same defence as before: Gibbs, Vermaelen, Mert., Sagna with Koscielny on the beach.
Returning to Jack for a moment, he has said he’ll sign a new deal which is more good news. During that interview he also said, of the Reading league cup game, “It was very hard watching that first half. First of all because I really wanted to play in it. It was just a few days after my first game back, against QPR, so the manager rested me. I was watching it with my mate and at 4-1 I said: ‘Listen, we could do this.’ He laughed at me but I said: ‘You watch, we can win this’. “To be fair, we showed great character in the end. The youngsters [this is old man Jack talking] all did really well – I think Thomas Eisfeld changed the game when he came on, he was brilliant. As was Olivier Giroud.” Kieran Gibbs also supported the manager in a similar way: “I don’t think many people in England had really heard of Thomas Vermaelen before he arrived and yet he became an instant fan favourite at the club. The manager has an eye for noticing the potential in promising players.”. In the midfield all will be much the same. Wilshere, Arteta Cazorla. with Jack at liberty to run forward and play like Dennis Bergkamp in terms of through passes. On the beach we will have Mannone, Gnabry, Jenkinson, Djourou, Koscielny, Ramsey, Rosicky, Coquelin, Arshavin, Podolski, Gervinho – well at least some of them.
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We currently have three players with four goals: Walcott, Giroud, and Podolski. In this game we’ll see Walcott move ahead as our top striker and then hopefully sign a new contract.
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The bad news is that all the omens point our way, and when that happens something usually goes wrong. We’ve beaten Reading every time we’ve met them, and Reading have only won one of their last 10 league games.
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But on the other hand we haven’t won any of our last six away games. I just hate it when all the omens go our way.
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We’ll outpass them certainly, and as long as you keep the sound of ESPN chatter turned down, I suspect you’ll enjoy this one.
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——————-LAKE ORION, Mich. — The bright-red Dodge Ram pickup truck weighs roughly two-and-a-half tons. All Zach Line has to do is move it, about 60 feet, with his bare hands.
“Make sure you take it out of park this time,” jokes an onlooker.
Line is crouched low, his forceful breaths sounding like a whistle, as he pulls at a rope attached to the truck’s hitch. Left, right, left, right. His face is flushed and his muscles are burning, but the truck rolls toward him on a clear, direct path. As long as he keeps pulling, he knows he’ll succeed.
What awaits him today in Mankato, Minn., is much less certain. One of about 500 undrafted rookies trying to make it in the NFL, Line’s job title as a fullback for the Vikings is tenuous, and his hope of earning a spot on the 53-man roster is controlled by an unforgiving numbers game.
Line is the type of NFL player few people ever get to know. He’s a long-shot in jersey number 48 who’s making a minimum salary and yearning for a chance to be a contributor on special teams. But from now until the Super Bowl, The MMQB will follow Line no matter where his journey takes him. If he earns a roster spot in Minnesota... if he’s consigned to the Vikings practice squad... if he gets cut and lands in another city... if he finds himself out of football and working odd jobs until the next tryout comes his way. Whatever happens, we’ll trace an NFL season through the eyes of an undrafted free agent chasing his NFL dream.
A year ago, Line was a star running back at Southern Methodist who chased Eric Dickerson’s school rushing marks. He passed him with 4,784 career all-purpose yards and tied his 47 career touchdowns. Now, “I just want to do the same thing I did in college, be a guy that kids can look up to and see that hard work does pay off,” the 23-year-old says. But he’s already learned that the NFL is a different kind of game.
Line expected to be drafted, and with good reason. An assistant coach from one AFC team called him during the fifth round, telling him he would be their next pick. They selected a lineman instead. The same coach called back in the sixth round, telling him the same thing. Nope, another lineman. In the seventh round, the team passed on Line yet again—this time for a different running back.
On the final day of the draft, Line spent most of his time outside his parents’ house in Oxford, Mich., playing catch with his younger brother in the side yard. His mother, Kathy, kept taking walks around the neighborhood, while his father, Joe, kept glowering at the TV. But as soon as the final pick was made, No. 254, Line had no time to dwell on his “undrafted” status.
Never a day to rest when you're chasing your NFL dream. (John DePetro/SI) Never a day to rest when you're chasing your NFL dream. (John DePetro/SI)
Within two minutes, he had to choose between six teams offering him a contract: the Vikings, Cowboys, Saints, Steelers, Texans and Titans. The money was comparable at that point, a small fraction of the approximately $200,000 signing bonus that fifth-rounders get. He chose the Vikings, believing general manager Rick Spielman truly wanted him, and then he and his family headed to Buffalo Wild Wings.
Line’s contract is technically for three years, but he’s under no illusion that he has any security. His yellow lab, named Addaline (get the pun?), will live with his parents during training camp. He and his fiancée, McKenzie Redman, stored most of their belongings in the garage of her family’s lakehouse in Clear Lake, Iowa. She recently graduated from SMU with an international studies degree, but it’s futile to look for a job without knowing where Line will be in September. “We’re just roaming right now,” he says. “Making a roster is a big thing. I want some stability in my life, because I haven’t had that since the end of college.”
It’s been a grind. Line hated the “Underwear Olympics,” as he calls the pre-draft prodding process, and needed to take a fast-acting nausea medication that dissolved under his tongue after picking up the stomach flu at the Combine. Perhaps worse, non-contact drills in the offseason aren’t designed to highlight the skill set of a fullback. Line figured his best chance of standing out would be to master the playbook, so he stayed up late each night, drawing up plays on a whiteboard.
The best advice he’s received so far came from a Vikings veteran, safety Andrew Sendejo, who told him he has to make “splash plays.” Line visualizes these: “Being a part of a tackle on kickoff... picking up the right block... picking up a block that you weren’t supposed to get, which made a play happen... something that is above what they expect you to do as a rookie.”
Line spent his last few days before training camp home in the quiet suburbs between Detroit and Flint. Joe, who works in financial securities, and Kathy, who helps special-needs adults find employment, don’t play the numbers game with him. “They tell me all the time, ‘Just be you,’ ” Line says. “They know it’s going to be tough. That’s all you need, a hug and a kiss and good luck.”
How to Make It Going undrafted makes it difficult to make your way in the NFL. But not impossible. Fifth-year Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen, once undrafted himself, offers the dos and don'ts to making it in the NFL despite long odds. One day, during an organized team activities session, the offense was practicing quarterback exchanges in warm-ups and Line looked back to see the NFL’s best running back in his rearview mirror. This is pretty cool, he thought. He and Adrian Peterson actually have something in common, the whole business of chasing Dickerson’s records, but Line hasn’t brought it up. He just hopes they’ll still be teammates in five weeks, or at least in the same league.
But five weeks from now isn’t his real focus. On July 19, after pulling the truck four times in 90-degree heat, his trainers at the Powerhouse Gym suggested a hard workout a day or two before camp opened “to get your jitters out.”
Line paused at the suggestion, unsure. He’s already trained himself to think one day at a time.Door bell ran and here it was my secret Santa package at my door. I have not been feeling well so this cheered me up some. I come inside and tear it open. Inside I find a scarf package of earrings and an envelope. In the envelope is a card in the shape of a tree. It reads here's a little something for you to enjoy! I'll be sending the other half soon! All the way from riverside Cali :) My boys asked if they could have the earrings to give to someone at church. My ears are not pierced. How could I say no when they said it was because they wanted to thank her for what all she has done. And my mother in law fell in love with the scarf and just kept saying how much she love love loved it and so I asked if she would like it and she said oh yes yes it matches my jacket perfectly. So I have the card at least :)Here is how a handbook of bad policy would read. First impose price controls. Then watch goods disappear from the market. And finally, threaten producers with punishment for the shortages that your price controls have created.
This is exactly what is happening in India right now. The Narendra Modi government first imposed price caps on coronary stents. Shortages began to develop as companies cut supplies since production costs are higher than revenues. The government has now thrown the oversized regulatory book at stent manufacturers. They have been directed to maintain domestic production as well as imports of coronary stents. And— hold your breath—to submit a weekly report on production and distribution of coronary stents, as well as a weekly production plan.
Welcome to India, 2017. Welcome to an India ruled by a regime that promised minimum government. Welcome to an India where officials swear they are working hard to make it easier for companies to do business. If the coronary stents policy is not Indira Gandhi-style statist meddling, what is?Luciana Berger, a member of British Parliament, has been receiving a stream of anti-Semitic abuse on Twitter. It only escalated after a man was jailed for tweeting her a picture with a Star of David superimposed on her forehead and the text "Hitler was Right." But over the last few weeks, the abuse began to disappear. Her harassers hadn’t gone away, and Twitter wasn't removing abusive tweets after the fact, as it sometimes does, or suspending accounts as reports came in. Instead, the abuse was being blocked by what seems to be an entirely new anti-abuse filter.
For a while, at least, Berger didn’t receive any tweets containing anti-Semitic slurs, including relatively innocuous words like "rat." If an account attempted to @-mention her in a tweet containing certain slurs, it would receive an error message, and the tweet would not be allowed to send. Frustrated by their inability to tweet at Berger, the harassers began to find novel ways to defeat the filter, like using dashes between the letters of slurs, or pictures to evade the text filters. One white supremacist site documented various ways to evade Twitter’s censorship, urging others to "keep this rolling, no matter what."
the harassers began to find novel ways to defeat the filter
In recent months, Twitter has come under fire for the proliferation of harassment on its platform—in particular, gendered harassment. (According to the Pew Center, women online are more at risk from extreme forms of harassment like "physical threats, stalking, and sexual abuse.") Twitter first implemented the ability to report abuse in 2013, in response to the flood of harassment received by feminist activist Caroline Criado-Perez. The recent surge in harassment has again resulted in calls for Twitter to "fix" its harassment problem, whether by reducing anonymity, or by creating better blocking tools that could mass-block harassing accounts or pre-emptively block recently created accounts that tweet at you. (The Blockbot, Block Together, and GG Autoblocker are all instances of third party attempts to achieve the latter.) Last week, the nonprofit Women, Action, & the Media announced a partnership with Twitter to specifically track and address gendered harassment.
Twitter has come under fire for the proliferation of harassment
While some may welcome the mechanism deployed against Berger’s trolls as a step in the right direction, the move is troubling to free speech advocates. Many of the proposals to deal with online abuse clash with Twitter’s once-vaunted stance as "the free speech wing of the free speech party," but this particular instance seems less like an attempt to navigate between free speech and user safety, and more like a case of exceptionalism for a politician whose abuse has made headlines in the United Kingdom. The filter, which Twitter has not discussed publicly, does not appear as if it's intended to be a universal fix for harassment that is experienced by less-important users on the platform, such as the women targeted by Gamergate.
Prior to the filter being activated, Luciana Berger and her fellow MP, John Mann, had announced plans to visit Twitter’s European Headquarters, to talk to higher-ups about the abuse. Parliament is currently discussing more punitive laws against online trolling, including a demand from Mann for a way to ban miscreants from "specific parts of social media or, if necessary, to the Internet as a whole."
Prior to the filter being activated, Luciana Berger had announced plans to visit Twitter's headquarters
In a letter to Berger that is quoted in part here, Twitter’s head of global safety outreach framed efforts over the past year as including architectural solutions to harassment. "Our strategy has been to create multiple layers of defense, involving both technical infrastructure and human review, because abusive users often are highly motivated and creative about subverting anti-abuse mechanisms." The letter goes on to describe known mechanisms, like the use of "signals and reports from Twitter users to prioritize the review of abusive content," and hitherto unknown mechanisms like "mandatory phone number verification for accounts that indicate engagement in abusive activity." However, the letter says nothing about a selective filter for specific words. To achieve that result, the company appears to have used an entirely new tool outside of its usual arsenal.
A source familiar with the incident told us, "Things were used that were definitely abnormal."
A former engineer at Twitter, speaking on the condition of anonymity, agreed, saying, "There’s no system expressly designed to censor communication between individuals. … It’s not normal, what they’re doing."
He and another former Twitter employee speculated that the censorship might have been repurposed from anti-spam tools—in particular, BotMaker, which is described here in an engineering blog post by Twitter. BotMaker can, according to Twitter "deny any Tweets" that match certain conditions. A tweet that runs afoul of BotMaker will simply be prevented from being sent out—an error message will pop up instead. The system is, according to a source, "really open-ended" and is frequently edited by contractors under wide-ranging conditions in order to effectively fight spam.
When asked whether a new tool had been used, or BotMaker repurposed, a Twitter spokesperson replied: "We regularly refine and review our spam tools to identify serial accounts and reduce targeted abuse. Individual users and coordinated campaigns sometimes report abusive content as spam and accounts may be flagged mistakenly in those situations."
"Things were used that were definitely abnormal"
It’s not clear whether this filter is still in place. (I attempted to test it with "rat," the only word that I was willing to try to tweet, and my tweet did go through. The filter may have been removed, the word "rat" may have been removed from the blacklist, or the filter may have only been applied to recently created accounts).
It’s hard to shed a tear for a few missing slurs, but the way they were censored is deeply alarming to free speech activists like Eva Galperin of the Electronic Frontier Foundation. "Even white supremacists are entitled to free speech when it’s not in violation of the terms of service. Just deciding you’re going to censor someone’s speech because you don’t like the potential political ramifications for your company is deeply unethical. The big point here is that someone on the abuse team was worried about the ramifications for Twitter. That’s the part that’s particularly gross."
What’s worrisome to free speech advocacy groups like the EFF about this incident is how quietly it happened. Others may see the bigger problem being the fact that it appears to have been done for the benefit of a single, high-profile user, rather than to fix Twitter’s larger harassment issues. The selective censorship doesn’t seem to reflect a change in Twitter abuse policies or how they handle abuse directed at the average user; aside from a vague public statement by Twitter that elides the specific details of the unprecedented move, and a few, mostly-unread complaints by white supremacists, the entire thing could have gone unnoticed.
The way they were censored is deeply alarming to free speech activists
Eva Galperin thinks incidents like these could be put in check by transparency reports documenting the application of the terms of services, similar to how Twitter already puts out transparency reports for government requests and DMCA notices. But while a transparency report might offer users better information as to how and why their tweets are removed, some still worry about the free-speech ramifications of what transpired. One source familiar with the matter said that the tools Twitter is testing "are extremely aggressive and could be preventing political speech down the road." He added, "are these systems going to be used whenever politicians are upset about something?"Nixon in China is an opera in three acts by John Adams, with a libretto by Alice Goodman. Adams' first opera, it was inspired by U.S. President Richard Nixon's visit to China in 1972. The work premiered at the Houston Grand Opera on October 22, 1987, in a production by Peter Sellars with choreography by Mark Morris. When Sellars approached Adams with the idea for the opera in 1983, Adams was initially reluctant, but eventually decided that the work could be a study in how myths come to be, and accepted the project. Goodman's libretto was the result of considerable research into Nixon's visit, though she disregarded most sources published after the 1972 trip.
To create the sounds he sought, Adams augmented the orchestra with a large saxophone section, additional percussion, and electronic synthesizer. Although sometimes described as minimalist, the score displays a variety of musical styles, embracing minimalism after the manner of Philip Glass alongside passages echoing 19th-century composers such as Wagner and Johann Strauss. With these ingredients, Adams mixes Stravinskian 20th-century neoclassicism, jazz references, and big band sounds reminiscent of Nixon's youth in the 1930s. The combination of these elements varies frequently, to reflect changes in the onstage action.
Following the 1987 premiere, the opera received mixed reviews; some critics dismissed the work, predicting it would soon vanish. However, it has been presented on many occasions since, in both Europe and North America, and has been recorded twice. In 2011, the opera received its Metropolitan Opera debut, a production based on the original sets, and in the same year was given an abstract production in Toronto by the Canadian Opera Company. Recent critical opinion has tended to recognize the work as a significant and lasting contribution to American opera.
Background [ edit ]
Historical background [ edit ]
During his rise to power, Richard Nixon became known as a leading anti-communist. After he became president in 1969, Nixon saw advantages in improving relations with China and the Soviet Union; he hoped that détente would put pressure on the North Vietnamese to end the Vietnam War, and he might be able to manipulate the two main communist powers to the benefit of the United States.[1]
Nixon laid the groundwork for his overture to China even before he became president, writing in Foreign Affairs a year before his election: "There is no place on this small planet for a billion of its potentially most able people to live in angry isolation."[1] Assisting him in this venture was his National Security Advisor, Henry Kissinger, with whom the President worked closely, bypassing Cabinet officials. With relations between the Soviet Union and China at a nadir—border clashes between the two took place during Nixon's first year in office—Nixon sent private word to the Chinese that he desired closer relations. A breakthrough came in early 1971, when Chairman Mao invited a team of American table tennis players to visit China and play against top Chinese players. Nixon followed up by sending Kissinger to China for clandestine meetings with Chinese officials.[1]
The announcement that Nixon would visit China in 1972 made world headlines. Almost immediately, the Soviet Union also invited Nixon for a visit, and improved US-Soviet relations led to the Strategic Arms Limitation Talks (SALT). Nixon's visit to China was followed closely by many Americans, and the scenes of him there were widely aired on television.[1] Chinese Premier Chou En-lai stated that the handshake he and Nixon had shared on the airport tarmac at the beginning of the visit was "over the vastest distance in the world, 25 years of no communication". Nixon's change, from virulent anti-communist to the American leader who took the first step in improving Sino–American relations, led to a new political adage, "Only Nixon could go to China."[1]
Inception [ edit ]
In 1983, theater and opera director Peter Sellars proposed to American composer John Adams that he write an opera about Nixon's 1972 visit to China.[3] Sellars was intrigued by Nixon's decision to make the visit, seeing it as both "a ridiculously cynical election ploy... and a historical breakthrough".[4] Adams, who had not previously attempted an opera, was initially skeptical, assuming that Sellars was proposing a satire.[5] Sellars persisted, however, and Adams, who had interested himself in the origin of myths, came to believe the opera could show how mythic origins may be found in contemporary history.[3] Both men agreed that the opera would be heroic in nature, rather than poking fun at Nixon or Mao. Sellars invited Alice Goodman to join the project as librettist,[5] and the three met at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. in 1985 to begin intensive study of the six characters, three American and three Chinese, upon whom the opera would focus. The trio endeavored to go beyond the stereotypes about figures such as Nixon and Chinese Chairman Mao Tse-tung and to examine their personalities.[3]
As Adams worked on the opera, he came to see Nixon, whom he had once intensely disliked, as an "interesting character", a complicated individual who sometimes showed emotion in public.[7] Adams wanted Mao to be "the Mao of the huge posters and Great Leap Forward; I cast him as a heldentenor".[3] Mao's wife, on the other hand, was to be "not just a shrieking coloratura, but also someone who in the opera's final act can reveal her private fantasies, her erotic desires, and even a certain tragic awareness. Nixon himself is a sort of Simon Boccanegra, a self-doubting, lyrical, at times self-pitying melancholy baritone."[3]
Goodman explained her characterizations:
A writer tends to find her characters in her self, so I can tell you... that Nixon, Pat, Mme. Mao, Kissinger and the chorus were all'me.' And the inner lives of Mao and Chou En-Lai, who I couldn't find in myself at all, were drawn from a couple of close acquaintances.[8]
Sellars, who was engaged at the time in staging the three Mozart–Da Ponte operas, became interested in the ensembles in those works; this interest is reflected in Nixon in China's final act.[9] The director encouraged Adams and Goodman to make other allusions to classical operatic forms; thus the expectant chorus that begins the work, the heroic aria for Nixon following his entrance, and the dueling toasts in the final scene of Act 1.[9] In rehearsal, Sellars revised the staging for the final scene, changing it from a banquet hall in the aftermath of a slightly alcohol-fueled dinner to the characters' bedrooms.[10]
The work required sacrifices: Goodman later noted that choruses which she loved were dropped for the improvement of the opera as a whole. The work provoked bitter arguments among the three. Nevertheless, musicologist Timothy Johnson, in his 2011 book about Nixon in China, noted "the result of the collaboration betrays none of these disagreements among its creators who successfully blended their differing points of view into a very satisfyingly cohesive whole".
Roles [ edit ]
Synopsis [ edit ]
Time: February 1972. Place: In and around Peking.
Act 1 [ edit ]
At Peking Airport, contingents of the Chinese military await the arrival of the American presidential aircraft "Spirit of '76", carrying Nixon and his party. The military chorus sings the Three Rules of Discipline and Eight Points for Attention. After the aircraft touches down, Nixon emerges with Pat Nixon and Henry Kissinger. The president exchanges stilted greetings with the Chinese premier, Chou En-lai, who heads the welcoming party. Nixon speaks of the historical significance of the visit, and of his hopes and fears for the encounter ("News has a kind of mystery"). The scene changes to Chairman Mao's study, where the Chairman awaits the arrival of the presidential party. Nixon and Kissinger enter with Chou, and Mao and the president converse in banalities as photographers record the scene. In the discussion that follows, the westerners are confused by Mao's gnomic and frequently impenetrable comments, which are amplified by his secretaries and often by Chou. The scene changes again, to the evening's banquet in the Great Hall of the People. Chou toasts the American visitors ("We have begun to celebrate the different ways") and Nixon responds ("I have attended many feasts"), after which the toasts continue as the atmosphere becomes increasingly convivial. Nixon, a politician who rose to prominence on anti-communism, announces: "Everyone, listen; just let me say one thing. I opposed China, I was wrong".
Act 2 [ edit ]
The Red Detachment of Women, witnessed by the Nixons on February 22, 1972 Scene from the ballet, witnessed by the Nixons on February 22, 1972
Pat Nixon is touring the city, with guides. Factory workers present her with a small model elephant which, she delightedly informs them, is the symbol of the Republican Party which her husband leads. She visits a commune where she is greeted enthusiastically, and is captivated by the children's games that she observes in the school. "I used to be a teacher many years ago", she sings, "and now I'm here to learn from you". She moves on to the Summer Palace, where in a contemplative aria ("This is prophetic") she envisages a peaceful future for the world. In the evening the presidential party, as guests of Mao's wife Chiang Ch'ing, attends the Peking Opera for a performance of a political ballet-opera The Red Detachment of Women. This depicts the downfall of a cruel and unscrupulous landlord's agent (played by an actor who strongly resembles Kissinger) at the hands of brave women revolutionary workers. The action deeply affects the Nixons; at one point Pat rushes onstage to help a peasant girl she thinks is being whipped to death. As the stage action ends, Chiang Ch'ing, angry at the apparent misinterpretation of the piece's message, sings a harsh aria ("I am the wife of Mao Tse-tung"), praising the Cultural Revolution and glorifying her own part in it. A revolutionary chorus echoes her words.
Act 3 [ edit ]
On the last evening of the visit, as they lie in their respective beds, the chief protagonists muse on their personal histories in a surreal series of interwoven dialogues. Nixon and Pat recall the struggles of their youth; Nixon evokes wartime memories ("Sitting round the radio"). Mao and Chiang Ch'ing dance together, as the Chairman remembers "the tasty little starlet" who came to his headquarters in the early days of the revolution. As they reminisce, Chiang Ch'ing asserts that "the revolution must not end". Chou meditates alone; the opera finishes on a thoughtful note with his aria "I am old and I cannot sleep", asking: "How much of what we did was good?" The early morning birdcalls are summoning him to resume his work, while "outside this room the chill of grace lies heavy on the morning grass".
Performance history [ edit ]
The work had been commissioned jointly by the Houston Grand Opera, the Brooklyn Academy of Music, Netherlands Opera and the Washington Opera,[14] all of which were to mount early productions of the opera.[12] Fearful that the work might be challenged as defamatory or not in the public domain, Houston Grand Opera obtained insurance to cover such an eventuality.[10] Before its stage premiere, the opera was presented in concert form in May 1987 in San Francisco, with intermission discussions led by Adams. According to the Los Angeles Times review, a number of audience members left as the work proceeded.[15]
Nixon in China formally premiered on the Brown Stage at the new Wortham Theater Center in Houston on October 22, 1987, with John DeMain conducting the Houston Grand Opera.[13] Former president Nixon was invited, and was sent a copy of the libretto; however, his staff indicated that he was unable to attend, due to illness and an impending publication deadline.[16] A Nixon representative later stated that the former president disliked seeing himself on television or other media, and had little interest in opera.[10] According to Adams, he was later told by former Nixon lawyer Leonard Garment that Nixon was highly interested in everything written about him, and so likely saw the Houston production when it was televised on PBS' Great Performances.
The piece opened in conjunction with the annual meeting of the Music Critics Association, guaranteeing what the Houston Chronicle described as a "very discriminating audience".[18] Members of the association also attended meetings with the opera's production team.[18] When Carolann Page, originating Pat Nixon, waved to the audience in character as First Lady, many waved back at her.[19] Adams responded to complaints that the words were difficult to understand (no supertitles were provided) by indicating that it is not necessary that all the words be understood on first seeing an opera.[16] The audience's general reaction was expressed by what the Los Angeles Times termed "polite applause", the descent of the Spirit of '76 being the occasion for clapping from both the onstage chorus and from the viewers in the opera house.[20]
When the opera reached the Brooklyn Academy of Music, six weeks after the world premiere, there was again applause during the Spirit of '76's descent. Chou En-lai's toast, addressed by baritone Sanford Sylvan directly to the audience, brought what pianist and writer William R. Braun called "a shocked hush of chastened admiration".[4] The meditative Act 3 also brought silence, followed at its conclusion by a storm of applause.[4] On March 26, 1988, the work opened at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, where Nixon's emergence from the plane was again met with applause.[21]
After the opera's European premiere at the Muziektheater in Amsterdam in June 1988, it received its first German performance later that year at the Bielefeld Opera, in a production by John Dew with stage designs by Gottfried Pilz.[22] In the German production, Nixon and Mao were given putty noses in what the Los Angeles Times considered "a garish and heavy-handed satire".[10] Also in 1988 the opera received its United Kingdom premiere, at the Edinburgh International Festival in August.[23]
For the Los Angeles production in 1990, Sellars made revisions to darken the opera in the wake of the Tiananmen Square protests. The original production had not had an intermission between Acts 2 and 3; one was inserted, and |
voter fraud in about one billion ballots cast. There is ample evidence of mass disenfranchisement though. And occasionally Republican officials obliquely acknowledge this. In 2012, Pennsylvania House Majority Leader Mike Turzai told a gathering of Republicans that their recently passed voter identification law would "allow Governor Romney to win the state of Pennsylvania." In 2011 alone, after the Republicans won control of many states in the 2010 midterms, 34 states introduced voter ID bills to require voters show a photo ID. Fourteen of those states already had voter ID laws, but legislators sought to make them stricter.
Turnout is also suppressed by reducing access to polling places. In the US elections are held on Tuesdays rather than on weekends. As a result employees with less control of their working lives – poorer workers who trend Democratic – find it harder to the get the polls. African-Americans waited about twice as long to vote in the 2012 election as whites – 23 minutes compared to 12 minutes, according to a study by the Brennan Center for Justice. Whites who live in nearly all-white neighbourhoods waited only seven minutes to vote in 2012. The poorer and more black a voting district is, the longer the wait time. South Carolina's Richland County, home to 14 per cent of the state's African-American voters, forced some people to wait more than five hours to vote. Expanding the voting period from one day to several weeks would boost turnout, but Republican-dominated states tend to restrict this. Florida, ruled by a Republican governor and Republican-dominated legislature, has fought hard to limit voting to just one day. The 2012 election study showed that long lines in Florida, almost always in poorer areas, kept 49,000 people from voting. Thirty thousand of those votes would have been cast for Barack Obama. The former Republican Party chair in Florida, Jim Greer, told the Palm Beach Post that the point of limiting early voting is suppression of the Democratic vote. "The Republican Party, the strategists, the consultants, they firmly believe that early voting is bad for Republican Party candidates. It's done for one reason and one reason only... 'We've got to cut down on early voting because early voting is not good for us'."
Voter turnout is generally lower at midterm elections, which lack the drama of presidential races. As Doherty explains, this too favours Republicans, because their constituencies – older, whiter, homeowners – are more likely to vote. This trend contributes to the recent seesawing effect in American elections – the 2008 surge for Obama, the 2010 Republican gains, Obama's re-election in 2012, the Democratic losses on Tuesday night. And even those voters who make it to the polls in the US may find that there vote has been rendered irrelevant by gerrymandering, which brings us back to those nine Democratic wins in Massachusetts. The Boston Gazette in Massachusetts created the term gerrymander in 1812 when governor Eldridge Gerry sought to hold his job by redrawing districts. When mapped the new districts looked, the newspaper wrote, like a salamander. Without independent electoral commissions to contain them, the first order of business for many new governors in America is to redraw districts to cement their hold on power. The typical tactic is bundle all one's opponents into one or two seats they were going to win anyway, while spreading your own support across a majority of winnable districts. Modern computer electoral mapping has made the process cheaper and even more effective.
Both parties excel at this dark art, though the Republican Party has virtually ensured its hold on the US House of Representatives until the next census in 2020 with the practice. In 2012, Democratic candidates received about 1.2 million more votes nationally than Republican candidates, but the GOP controls almost 54 per cent of the seats in the current House because the districts were drawn to maximise the impact of every vote in conservative areas. Republicans maintain control even in states where they were swamped by President Obama and the Democrats. Obama won Pennsylvania by five percentage points, but Republicans control 13 of the state's 18 Congressional seats. We see similar results in Ohio and Virginia, both won by Obama, but the GOP holds 12 of the 16 seats from Ohio and eight of the 11 from Virginia. The electoral advantages of holding office have become so overwhelming that it is increasingly difficult for American voters to remove incumbents of either party.
In 2013 the research outfit Public Policy Polling discovered that Congress had an approval rating of just 9 per cent. Shocked by the finding – and only partly in jest – the group then tested Congress's popularity against 26 specific items. It found Congress was significantly less popular than lice (by 67 per cent to 19 per cent), colonoscopies, Genghis Khan and even France (46 to 37). Despite this, since 1964 incumbents have won more than 80 pe rcent of their re-election campaigns in the House of Representatives and in some years over 95 per cent. Re-election rates in the Senate are not quite as high, but only in 1980 have incumbents won fewer than 60 percent of their campaigns since 1964. In 1990 and 2004, about 95 percent of incumbent Senators running for re-election triumphed. It is clear that the thousands of races held across America were free and legal, but it is not so obvious any more that all American elections are fair. Flushed with its success, the Republican Party has been quick to claim a mandate from its victories.
"The American people have made it clear they're not for Obamacare," the House Speaker, John Boehner on Thursday. "Ask all those Democrats who lost their elections Tuesday night." This is debatable. Despite relentless attacks on Obamacare by Republicans since 2010, the GOP fell silent issue this year as the new laws began to work and voters lost interest in the issue. But as the dust settles it is estimated that only 83 million Americans turned out to vote, or around 36.6 percent of those eligible, down from 58 per cent during the 2012 presidential elections. It is worth noting that also in 2012 Afghanistan enjoyed 58 per cent turnout despite the threat of suicide bombs. For American this was the lowest turnout since 1942, and that should be viewed as a problem, if not an embarrassment, by both parties.Tonight is the opening of the exhibition, featuring images from Golden’s book, at the Levi’s Fall Workshop in New York city. Click here for more info.
Reuel Golden, a former executive editor of PDN, has worked with art publisher Benedikt Taschen to produce New York: Portrait of a City. Setting out to be the visual encyclopedia of all things New York, Golden’s book collects hundreds of iconic images from early 1900 to present day. To find out more information about Reuel Golden’s book click here.
© Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company Collection. Above: Mulberry Street, 1900.
© Jack Delano, Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division. Above: A shot of Lower Manhattan, as seen from a departing ship, 1941.
© Esther Bubley/Courtesy of Esther Bubley Archive. Above: People getting on the Third Avenue elevated train (El) on the East Side of Manhattan, 1951.
© Courtesy of the New York Transit Museum. Above: The main concourse at Grand Central Terminal, 1929.
© Samuel H. Gottscho/Courtesy of Daniel Wolf, Inc., New York. Above: The opening day of the Empire State Building, 1931.
© Estate of Evelyn Hofer. Above: A series of highways flowing through the heart of Manhattan’s West Side, 1964.
© Steve Schapiro. Above: A film still from the classic 1970s movie Taxi Driver, featuring Robert De Niro and the director Martin Scorsese, 1976.
© Paul Himmel/Courtesy of Keith De Lellis Gallery, New York. Above: Brooklyn Bridge View, 1950.
© Phillip-Lorca diCorcia/Courtesy of the artist and David Zwirner, New York. Above: Philip-Lorca diCorcia: 42nd Street, 1996.With 14,000 miles of National Cycle Network across the UK, sustainable transport advocates Sustrans had a big job mapping the whole lot on paper. It's now finished its 56-volume Pocket Guides covering the whole country, issuing four maps for Northern Ireland earlier this week.
The maps also include major routes such as the London Cycle Superhighways, as well as more than 100 recommended day rides and inset maps of towns and city centres. Another feature that BikeRadar appreciates (especially on multi-day tours) is the inclusion of route profiles.
Martyn Brunt, head of mapping at Sustrans, told us that the hardest thing about the map series was getting them all to fit together like a giant jigsaw, so that there weren’t any sections of the UK that weren’t mapped, or any gaps between maps with nothing on. The team also had to check that the important details were still correct, like whether there really is a bike shop on a particular high street.
The last maps issued in the series were:
Belfast, Down and Armagh Pocket Cycle Map
The Fermanagh Lakelands & Tyrone Pocket Cycle Map
Derry Londonderry & The North West Pocket Cycle Map
The Causeway Coast & The Glens Pocket Cycle Map
You can buy the latest ones here
The move towards downloadable routes
Downloadable Sustrans routes for your bike computer are coming
Incredibly, the only similar series of maps covering bike routes in the UK came out in the 1950s, long before Sustrans started building the National Cycle Network, which began with the Bristol-Bath Railway Path.
Sustrans says that it’s sold more than 85,000 maps so far, with several reprinted after selling out. Cornwall is the most popular map, having been reprinted three times, with other top-sellers including the Dorset Downs, Kent, Hampshire and the Peak District.
Brunt says that the charity is moving towards offering the routes as files that you can download to a bike computer, like a GPX file or similar. “We are very keen on moving in this direction and are actively seeking ways in which we can do it.”
New Challenge maps
The next goal is to create a series of Challenge maps, which detail some of the best long-distance rides in the UK
So what’s next for the Sustrans mapping team? “We are now working on a series of ‘Challenge’ maps for many of the long-distance bike routes you can find on the National Cycle Network,” says Brunt. “A couple of these already exist, like the Sea-to-Sea (or C2C as it is better known), and Way of the Roses (Morecambe to Bridlington). However, we are updating and revamping them and then extending them to create a whole series.”
The first will be a new updated version of the Way of the Roses Map, followed by maps for Hadrian’s Cycleway, the Celtic Trail in Wales, the South Coast Way (Dover to Dawlish), Great Western Way (Bristol to London), Bath to Bournemouth, The Shakespeare Way, and others. Sustrans is also putting the final touches to a new Land’s End to John O’Groats guidebook that will be available before Christmas, and which will follow a 1,170 mile route on the National Cycle Network across the length of the country.George Novak Science & Environment Sandflies New Zealand’s most popular destinations are plagued by hordes of tiny marauders, hungry for blood. Like the vampires of bad television they tear holes in our skin and sup upon the blood which wells up. Yet, as in The Art of War, the secret of survival may be as simple as understanding the enemy.
Written by Claudia Babirat Photographed by George Novak
I used to tell people that New Zealand doesn’t have any dangerous animals, that they’re free to roam to their heart’s content. But after hearing the horror stories, counselling attack victims and being bitten myself, I now suggest they arm themselves with the most powerful insect repellent they can find.
The good folk of the South Island’s West Coast have a way of distinguishing a tourist from a local, even from a great distance. A local, they will tell you, is a “brusher”, while visitors are “slappers”. It’s not a description of the latter’s late-night conduct at the pub but their involuntary behaviour in response to meeting another type of local, the sandfly.
If you’ve never encountered a sandfly, you could be forgiven for not being overly impressed. It is, after all, just a minuscule insect. Six tiny legs. A pinprick of a body. Stumpy little wings. The only audible sound the little beast manages to generate is an indignant, high-pitched whirr—and that only happens when it gets hopelessly tangled in your hair. Yes, as far as first impressions go, the pint-sized critter could come across as a bit of an entomological runt.
Until it bites.
The pain is short, sharp and surprising. Short, that is, because our instinct is to extinguish it as rapidly as possible. Even as your head rotates in the direction of the target, the urge for vengeance has kicked in. Before reason has time to catch up, SLAP, the open palm of your hand comes down with a force many times greater than what is actually required to dispatch the little tyke.
The moment of triumph is short-lived, however. In fact, it lasts precisely as long as it takes to look up and realise that the splattered stain on your forearm has brought backup. Like errant electrons, hundreds of the critters are now—quite noiselessly—orbiting your air space, locking in on suitable landing pads, and touching down. Hands, ankles, eyelids, ears—no exposed dermal area is spared. In defence, you bat at the moving cloud in the immediate vicinity of your face. First with one hand, as if in loose rebuke to an insult, then more fervently with two. You try to yank down the legs of your three-quarter trousers. Realise with horror that your socks don’t go up past your ankles.
Take an illusive step backwards. Bat some more. Smack your cheek. Stomp. Twist. Swipe. Strike, whack, SLAP!
From a distance, I’m assured, this syncopated dance is rather fun to watch.
Which is why, when I arrived in the West Coast fishing community of Jackson Bay one overcast Saturday morning in early June, the locals greeted with me with big smiles.
I smiled too—though perhaps somewhat maniacally—because I was here to be bitten. Not in the name of science, nor as part of some masochistic ritual, but because of a dare.
It began with a visit to Australia. Here I fell victim to countless things that bite and sting, whereupon my unaffected partner Peter suggested I have “weak genes”. Filled with indignation, I rose to his challenge: a five-minute tête-à-tête with New Zealand’s most notorious sandfly species, baring all. So here we were, Queen’s Birthday weekend, hiking into the West Coast wilderness just north of Fiordland—one of the most sandfly-prone areas in the country—and not a drop of DEET in sight.
[Chapter Break]
To get a sense of how bad sandflies are in some areas of the lush West Coast, you need only surf the internet. Page upon page is devoted to personal stories of holiday horror, of tourists being forced to flee, claiming they were sucked dry by insects “hungrier than dehydrated vampires” and “big enough to rape turkeys”. Landmarks bear names such as Mosquito Hill and Sandfly Point, and had Captain John Lort Stokes of HMS Acheron not shown restraint as he was surveying places such as Doubtful (aka “Bloodsucker”) Sound in 1851, there would have been many more.
Even Maori, who had a much longer period in which to get used to the varmints, were overwhelmed by the ferocity of Fiordland’s sandflies and promptly incorporated the beasts into their rich mythology. They claimed that when Hine-nui-te-po (the goddess of the underworld) saw the fiords, she deemed them too beautiful to be modified by man. As a deterrent, she released a liberal dose of sandflies. Her ploy worked. Most Maori restricted their visits to the area to occasional hunting, fishing and greenstone-gathering trips. Even today, the human population density of Fiordland remains virtually zero. Unless you’re prepared to row at least 300 m offshore, or climb to an elevation of 1500 m—the sandfly’s uppermost limit—there’s simply no escaping the thirsty little devils.
The most sobering sandfly statistic, however, is hidden in a scientific article penned by a New Zealand entomologist—and a particularly dedicated one at that. While collecting the diminutive insects at Jackson Bay (the very locality I was now at), he was bitten a whopping 300 times in five minutes. That equates to one sandfly bite per second.
If I was going to survive my own imminent sandfly encounter, I clearly needed to find out more about my enemy.
[Chapter Break]
It turns out that unlike sandflies, people who devote their life to studying the little biters are a rare breed. My search eventually led me to Professor Douglas Craig, a retired Kiwi ex-pat living in Canada who, by a stroke of luck, had recently been recruited by Landcare Research to sort out New Zealand’s sandfly taxonomy. Craig was quick to grasp the reason for my correspondence. “I’d love to be there when you get your backside chewed up,” he wrote in support.
According to Craig, New Zealand is home to no fewer than 18 native sandfly species. While the majority are believed to feed either on honey dew and flower nectar or on the blood of birds, three species have developed a taste for human blood. “The most common of these scourges, Austrosimulium australense, is widely distributed throughout New Zealand,” Craig explained. “The second, A. tillyardianum, is found from south of Auckland to just north of Dunedin, and a third,” my nemesis A. ungulatum, “is restricted to the South Island, where it’s concentrated on the West Coast.”
It’s only the female that does the biting—though her lust for blood is far from wanton, Craig was quick to add. An unfed female can lay up to 12 eggs, but if she has managed to steal just one drop of our protein-rich fluids, she can produce ten times that number. On a full meal, she may leave behind many hundreds of successors.
What the males live on is mere speculation. “No one in New Zealand has ever seen a male sandfly feed,” admitted Landcare Research scientist Trevor Crosby (the very same who sustained the one-bite-per-second sandfly onslaught at Jackson Bay). Not many people have, it seems, seen a male sandfly do anything at all. Although they emerge from their pupae at the same ratio as their bloodthirsty female counterparts, they disappear shortly thereafter. Professor Craig isn’t surprised by this. “Too much screwing around,” he suggested, indicating that the only reason male sandflies are required is, perhaps, for their sperm.
Another myth is that sandflies suck. They don’t. “While mosquitoes have modified mouthparts that pierce the skin and draw up blood in much the same fashion as a hypodermic needle,” Craig informed me, “a female sandfly instead draws blood by using her knife-shaped mouth to slash your skin.” She then proceeds to lap up the resulting well of blood, a process scientists refer to as “pool-feeding”.
The most important implication of this is that no matter how long you wait, you will never be able to make a sandfly burst by stretching your skin as it’s dining on your arm.
The actual wound, which on the scale of things is pretty tiny, is not what causes the victim so much grief—it’s what the sandfly dribbles into it. To prevent her meal from clotting, a sandfly infuses the cut with a powerful anticoagulant called histamine, as well as agglutinins that prepare the blood for digestion in her stomach. It’s this chemical cocktail that we react to.
[Chapter Break]
A flick through the history books reveals that one of the first Europeans to discover the potency of sandfly saliva was Captain James Cook, the very person who most likely also gave sandflies their name (elsewhere in the English-speaking world they’re known as black flies). He used the term to describe the unknown plague that mercilessly tormented his crew during a six-week stay in Fiordland’s Dusky Sound. “Wherever they light,” Cook wrote in his journal in May 1773, “they cause a swelling and such intolerable itching that it is not possible to refrain from scratching and at last ends in ulcers like the small pox.”
I, too, have borne witness to the little varmint’s lasting torment. Three years ago, I was called to help locate an after-hours pharmacy for an Australian friend who’d spent several days on the West Coast. The attack hadn’t been severe, yet her arms were very swollen. The actual bites had turned into solid, raw lumps, plasma oozing from where she’d scratched in a vain attempt to subdue the effect of the allergens. By breaking the skin, she’d created the perfect conditions for secondary bacterial infections.
According to immunology expert Frank Griffin, such an allergic reaction is no surprise. Our bodies have evolved mechanisms to help us combat parasitic infection, and fluid-filled blisters followed by hard itchy nodules just happen to be the uncomfortable effects of those responses. After consistent re-exposure, however, the body’s reactions to the allergen diminish.
In light of my own current sandfly-oriented mission, this was music to my ears. Although I now live in Dunedin, where the biting varieties are deemed to be “seldom a nuisance”, I grew up near Nelson, where they certainly were. Perhaps I was desensitised.
Griffin was quick to burst my bubble. “It takes about 10,000 bites to desensitise an individual,” he told me. I doubt I’ve been exposed to that many. “Even if you were,” Professor Craig later added, “each sandfly species has its own unique combination of allergens. It might not have been Austrosimulium ungulatum, that nasty West Coast species, that you were exposed to.”
Craig also pointed out that any suffering I was going to face during my encounter depended not just on the extent of my allergic reaction, but also on the number of sandflies that would bite me on the day. “We’re getting into pretty messy territory here,” said the professor, “but there have been suggestions that sandflies prefer some people over others.” Could it be that my genes weren’t “weak”, as my partner Peter had claimed, but simply made me more desirable to things that bite?
[Chapter Break]
The walk into Stafford Hut from Jackson Bay isn’t long—it takes only four hours one way. Yet from the moment you leave the carpark, it’s like stepping into another world. The towering canopy of moss-laden beech trees, the ponga and blechnum ferns, everything is green, lush, dripping and wet—exactly the kind of conditions that a small insect such as Austrosimulium ungulatum thrives in. To avoid dehydration, A. ungulatum can be active only when the relative humidity exceeds 60 per cent—not uncommon in a place such as Fiordland, where it rains almost two days out of three.
Although A. ungulatum will find you almost anywhere in the western wilderness, there is one type of habitat it prefers over any other—and where the bite rate is higher than anywhere else. That is at the edge of the forest adjacent to a stream or river. Throw in a beach for good measure (seals and penguins are, after all, what the biters largely fed on before humans arrived) and you’ve found it’s prime real estate. Such as the location of Stafford Hut.
As soon as I stepped into the hut I knew I was in trouble. Someone had gone to the effort of installing insect mesh across the windows. Not that it worked—what I’d taken for black paint on the windowsills turned out to be hundreds of mummified sandflies. A flick through the visitors’ book didn’t allay my fears: a number of visitors had dedicated their precious little space in the “comments” column to frustrated complaints. “The sandflies have an extreme attitude problem,” a hiker from Christchurch noted, and “Trop de sandflies!” exclaimed another, emphasising her point with a frowny face.
It didn’t take A. ungulatum long to find me either.
I had no intention of baring my bare flesh to the scourge just yet, but the immediate necessity of removing wet boots and clothes did give me a chance to test Craig’s theory on differential attraction. Within minutes, a large sandfly entourage had gathered around me, landing on my clothes and biting me on the top of my head. In contrast, I could count on my fingers the number of sandflies buzzing around my partner. I was, it seemed, simply more appealing.
My results are similar to those of a much more rigorous experiment conducted in Canada, which involved a large group of scantily clad people standing in a big field in the heart of sandfly country. When the researchers crunched the numbers, they indeed found “significant differences” in the number of sandflies that landed on each person. While some scientists suggest that differences in people’s body heat or odour could be at play, the academics in charge of the study hypothesised that differences in attractiveness depend on how much carbon dioxide each of us exhales.
That’s because, to a hungry sandfly, carbon dioxide is like the smell of freshly baked bread. Just as we follow our nose to the oven, sandflies detect and locate their prey by following the carbon dioxide plume that we all leave behind us.
But there’s a twist. Once a sandfly gets to within about six to seven metres of its target, it switches to visual mode. To home in on a suitable landing site, a hungry female makes use of her ability to distinguish differences in contrast between her prey and its background.
Which is the very reason that travel guides suggest you pick your wardrobe carefully before you step outdoors. “Don’t wear dark-coloured clothing,” they warn. Others let you choose your own level of risk. “Certain colours are more attractive than others,” a particularly thorough advice page reads. “As a rule, black, blue and red seem to be the most attractive, followed by brown, purple, maroon and dark green.” In contrast, “white, yellow, mid-grey and green are not as attractive”. Another advice column goes a
step further, recommending you use your friends as decoys by enticing them to dress in dark apparel while you slip into something a little lighter.
“It sounds weird, but it works,” admitted Te Anau–based Department of Conservation officer Ross Kerr. A few years ago, he and a group of colleagues were flown in to a remote part of Fiordland between Dagg and Breaksea Sounds to control marram grass near the mouth of the Cole River. “From above, it looked so delightful, but it was so deceiving,” Kerr recalled. As soon as the wash of the helicopter was gone, the sandflies that descended on the group were so thick that one man ran straight into the surf. “I remember asking a crew member to pose so I could get a good photo of him. Within two minutes, the back of his green overalls were black. From then on we wore nothing but white—white overalls, white gumboots and white beekeepers’ hats. We looked like we were from another planet—but when you’re faced with that many sandflies you simply don’t care.”
Wearing light apparel is just one of a long line of weird and wonderful attempts at keeping sandflies at bay. The early Maori sought help from Mother Nature, rubbing ngaio leaves onto their skin. European settlers were a little more experimental. For example, in 1892, the Minister of Public Works—Richard Seddon, who would later become Premier—decided to smear himself with camphorated lard, which he claimed worked well. South Island lighthouse keepers painted their doors with kerosene, and some recommended that settlers swallow spoonfuls of the combustible liquid so that the oil could ooze from their pores and thus repel the biters.
Fiordland pioneer Richard Henry, whose camp was infested with sandflies “in such numbers that they could bleed a man to death in a few hours if he had a large surface exposed and neglected them”, designed a clever contraption he called his “sandfly miraculum”. Henry smeared fat on a warm chimney, trapping thousands of the little beasts, which then slid down to be duly eaten by weka.
Later, people noticed that sandflies had no major natural predators, and decided to put that right. The earliest attempt at biological control was carried out in the 1930s by André Tonnoir of the Cawthron Institute in Nelson. After 10 years of searching for a suitable candidate, Tonnoir found what he was looking for: a group of dragonfly larvae native to rivers near Canberra, Australia, which were known to feed on resident sandfly larvae. He arranged for about 1700 of these sandfly predators to be sent to him, the majority of which he released into the Matai River in Nelson. This location was something of a poor choice. Yes, the water contained plenty of immature sandflies, but few of them were of the species that trouble humans. Not that it mattered—the dragonfly failed to establish anyway.
In 1983 and 1985, two New Zealand scientists working independently of each other had another crack at biological control. This time, efforts were concentrated on the bacterium Bacillus thuringiensis israelensis (Bti), which forms crystals that destroy the sandfly’s stomach lining. Bti was already being used to effectively control biting insects in Africa, and researchers closer to home found that the bacterium worked equally well in killing sandfly larvae in the lab. Based on these results, they suggested that the control agent might be “economically feasible in sensitive tourist resorts”. Others didn’t think it would be, and it, too, fell by the wayside.
Which brings us to the present day. Walk into a camping store and a prospective tramper will be dazzled by the choice of sandfly repellents. Candles, coils, lantern-shaped zapping devices, vitamin B tablets, ointments, sprays, lotions, roll-ons, each catering for any season, skin type and expected level of insect exposure. The active ingredients contained in these miracle cures are just as mind-boggling: citronella, permethrin, neem oil, bog myrtle, DEET—many of which are often more harmful than the threat they protect against. DEET, for example, strips paint, melts plastic and can cause life-threatening allergic reactions.
But these sandfly deterrents were not invented just for us. More than 2000 sandfly species swarm the globe—and we’re certainly not the only ones with biters. In fact, our resident populations seem almost benign compared to the little critters elsewhere.
Spare a thought for Canada, home to no fewer than 165 sandfly species. In the northern provinces, the little beasts are often so thick and relentless that keeping livestock is impossible.
Bulls get their scrotum bitten so badly that they refuse to mate, and harassed cows will not let calves suckle their udders. Driven to desperation, the animals clump together, don’t feed, lose condition and die.
Humans, too, are often driven mad by the little blighters, and Canadian trade unions have gone so far as to negotiate contract clauses that allow workers to stay at home when sandfly densities reach epidemic proportions.
Even worse off are the inhabitants of Africa and Latin America. Here, millions of people suffer from river blindness, a disease caused by a parasitic worm of which sandflies are the main vector. Before widespread eradication programmes were put in place, thousands of square kilometres of fertile river land lay abandoned—not to mention the personal suffering of those affected by the disease.
In contrast, the worst sandfly populations in New Zealand are restricted to remote areas, and none of our species carry diseases that affect humans—although, interestingly, that rule doesn’t apply to all animals. Some native sandfly species (including A. ungulatum) act as vectors to Leucocytozoon, a type of avian malaria that affects Fiordland crested penguins.
[Chapter Break]
Back at the Stafford River, I was busy wading through knee-deep, glacially cold water looking for Coke bottle-shaped specks. This is, I’d been told, what immature sandflies look like.
Like mosquitoes, sandflies start life in water. But unlike their nocturnal brethren, which favour quiet backwaters such as puddles and brackish swamps, sandfly larvae like it rough, seeking out the most fast-flowing area of a river or stream. Once they’ve latched on to a suitable rock, they leech their way to the very top, stick their bottom firmly in place by secreting a special type of glue, and lie back into the current.
“Sandfly larvae are filter feeders,” stream ecologist Katha Lange had explained to me one afternoon in her lab. “They simply sit and wait for their food to flow past them. When it does, they capture it using these big fans. See?”
I was surprised to see that the two Austrosimulium larvae under the microscope bore an uncanny resemblance to the grass grubs I occasionally dig up in my garden, just darker and much, much smaller. To the untrained eye, the only other obvious difference seemed to be that their heads were adorned with two prominent, antler-shaped structures. “In the water, these fold out and act as a net,” Lange told me. “Once in a while the larva will bring its fans forward and clean them off.”
When it comes to their lifecycle, sandfly larvae are similar to butterflies. Just as caterpillars are the main feeding stage in the life of a butterfly, sandflies actually do the bulk of their feeding as larvae in the river before they metamorphose into adulthood. When they’ve had their fill, the sandfly pupates in a cocoon-like structure and undergoes a complete body transformation. A newly formed adult that is about to hatch from its cocoon will form an air bubble around itself and rise to the surface, ready to fly off. Most sandflies, it turns out, hatch at dawn. This also happens to be the time when they’re at their most ravenous—as I was about to find out.
Clenching my teeth, I stepped out of the hut into the early-morning cold and rolled up my long john legs and sleeves to expose a virgin ground of goose-pimpled limbs. It didn’t take the little bloodhounds long to find me. My partner and I had agreed that I could fend them off for four minutes until a suitably large entourage had sniffed me out and were buzzing around me, then let them do as they pleased for the final 60 seconds. Clothing out of the way, the first six-legged little ninja touched down and scampered around my leg before tipping forward to draw blood. It was soon joined by another. And another. It was like being pinned down in the dentist’s chair, enduring an uncomfortable and ongoing torture. By the time Peter called “Time!” 21 sandflies were firmly latched to my legs, having breakfast. About the same number were busily running around, about to do the same.
It took about half an hour for the swelling to appear, large unevenly shaped lumps. By midday, they’d reduced to modest red spots. The itching started in the middle of the night, just as intolerable as Captain Cook had described.
However, in the scheme of things it was a small price to pay for visiting one of New Zealand’s most beautiful tramping destinations. Better still, I now have an incentive to return—there are only 9979 bites to go before I’m fully desensitised to the scourge of the West Coast. Now that’s an incentive programme.The fluidity of Marvel’s Netflix Defenders schedule and reports of multiple new series in development for the ABC branch leaves plenty of Marvel characters to explore, but we won’t be heading across the pond just yet. Despite recent rumors suggesting “Captain Britain” might lead a new Marvel series, consider the idea officially debunked.
It all started with a few tweets from notable poster artist Ciara McAvoy, who claimed unequivocally that a new Captain Britain series was in development, awaiting an official star. McAvoy even followed up in recent days to imply that a co-producer might soon okay the formal announcement:
Apparently not so, according to TVLine, who say “Well-placed sources, however, assure TVLine that the rumor is ‘not true.’”
For what it’s worth, Captain Britain first arrived on the scene in 1976 under the Marvel UK imprint, as dying physicist Brian Braddock receives the Amulet of Right from Merlyn and his daughter Roma to become the namesake character. Braddock is also notable as brother to Betsy Braddock, also known as X-Men mutant Psyclocke.
McAvoy continues to insist on the project as real, but would Captain Britain work on TV anyway? What heroes should Marvel next court for a TV series?Todd Starnes is Angry That US Army Obeys the Constitution
On June 9th Fox News resident Christian alarmist Todd Starnes published an article detailing how the U.S. Army is snubbing a historic poor little Baptist Church in Georgia. According to Todd Starnes and the people he quotes, you’d think the Anti-Christ himself were running the U.S. Army and that patriotic displays at religious serves were all but outlawed. Like most of the tripe written by Starnes, nothing could be further from the truth. So let’s get down to rebutting this massive load of bovine excrement Mr. Starnes has dumped onto the internet.
For nearly two decades, the U.S. Army has provided an honor guard for an Independence Day celebration at a Baptist church that predates the founding of the nation. But this year – that tradition has come to an end.
Really, two decades, that’s like, OMG-FUR-EVER! This is the old appeal to tradition that Christian Nationalist love to trot out. The argument is meant to imply that nothing was wrong with the U.S. Army’s involvement for twenty years so why now. The fallacy here is the premise, assuming the |
Western Sydney expansion club. After some time in Sydney's west, SOS returned to Carlton to take over the Blues' list management duties in 2015. Stephen's son, Jack is now running around in the Navy Blue, having cemented himself in Carlton's senior side.
Peter Dean
Position: Back Pocket
Age now: 52
After starting his career as a goalkicker, 'The General' became a mainstay in the Carlton backline for a long time throughout the 80s and 90s. He was a player with amazing concentration and would play on opposition forwards of any size. Dean was one of the better defenders in the league for a long time, making the International Rules squad in 1990. In the years after retirement, he has stayed in football. He spent time as the Blues' runner, he coached suburban clubs, coached Carlton's VFL affiliate, and was an assistant coach at GWS Giants. Dean now is coach of Bullioh in the Upper Murray league. Show up on a good day and you may even see Dean running around in the firsts.Deenah Vollmer, the group's "pizza box" percussionist, said the idea for the Pizza Underground began as a joke in 2012.[4] "We soon realized you can replace most any word with slice or cheese," she told The Philadelphia Inquirer. Glockenspiel player Phoebe Kreutz stated they believed the Velvet Underground songs were written about pizza, but had to be reworded to accommodate the "standards of their day."[4]
On November 11, 2013, the group recorded a live demo at Macaulay Culkin's apartment.[1] That same month they performed a Lou Reed tribute show at the Sidewalk Cafe in the East Village.[5] In December, a viral video of Culkin eating a cheese pizza was uploaded to YouTube. He was parodying Andy Warhol consuming a Burger King Whopper in Jørgen Leth's documentary 66 Scenes from America.[6] Culkin was promoting the debut of the Pizza Underground.[7]
The group released its first music video in January 2014, parodying various Velvet Underground songs such as "All Pizza Parties" ("All Tomorrow's Parties"), "Pizza Gal" ("Femme Fatale") and "Take a Bite of the Wild Slice" (Lou Reed's "Walk on the Wild Side").[8] The video featured the group performing on a bed of pizza boxes, surrounded by pizza checkered walls, with members of the group wearing slices of pizza as masks.[9] Also in 2014, the cassette of the demo was released by Bitter Melody Records[10] on yellow, white, and red cassettes.[11][12] An 18-show North American tour entitled Fresh to Your Door took place that same year.[9]
In May 2014, the band was booed off the stage at the Rock City venue in Nottingham, England, while performing at the Dot to Dot Festival. A spectator later complained that the parody group were making a "mockery of one of the greatest bands of all time".[13] The band quit playing within 15 minutes, and in response to having pints of beer thrown at the band, frontman Macaulay Culkin exclaimed to the crowd, "why are you throwing those?...I'd rather drink them!"[14]
The initial cassette release was followed by Live at Chop Suey, also on Bitter Melody Records,[15] recorded at the Chop Suey[16] in Seattle, Washington.
In January 2018, Culkin revealed during an interview on the WTF with Marc Maron podcast that the Pizza Underground had broken up.[17]Who are you and what do you use Vim for?
My background? It is Vim.
I use Vim for writing Vim plugins. Of course, I use Vim for my work. But it is not the main purpose.
I have been using Vim for almost 10 years.
My main Vim usage is GVim. But I use terminal Vim (or Neovim) if needed like remote editing work. My main OS is Manjaro Linux with Xfce.
Current Vim version is 7.4.1219. It is the latest version currently. It is built with huge version with Python2 and lua and GUI.
I use other text-editing programs. For example, Firefox or LibreOffice if needed. My best is Vim though.
I choose Vim over other editors because, once I have lived in Windows environment. In Windows environment, Emacs is too bad. Although Vim is difficult editor, many good information is available. Easy to start. And many filetypes support is available.
Introduce us to your Vim config.
My configuration is full lazy loaded by neobundle.vim and split into the multiple files. People may be suprised.
Plugins
vimproc.vim
unite.vim
deoplete.nvim/neocomplete.vim
vimshell.vim
vimfiler.vim
My favorites are deoplete.nvim/neocomplete.vim, vimshell.vim, unite.vim.
unite.vim can do everything. To open the project files, I use unite.vim. But I sometimes use vimfiler.vim instead.
Plugin manager
I use neobundle.vim currently as my plugin manager. But it is too complex implementation. I will replace it to dein.vim after the development.
Mappings
I use sticky shift mappings originally.
Statusline
I don’t use staus line plugins. I like simple one.
What have been the most useful resources for you to learn Vim?
“:help”, especially “:help eval” and “:help vim-script-intro”. Vim is well documented.
Also, https://github.com/kana/config/blob/master/vim/personal/dot.vimrc
What’s the most recent thing you’ve learned about Vim?
In Vim, channel feature.
In neovim, remote plugin feature.
How did you get started writing Vim plugins?
I once used autocomplpop(acp.vim) plugin. https://bitbucket.org/ns9tks/vim-autocomplpop/
It is very useful, but it uses Vim builtin completions and cannot be customized.
So I created neocomplcache.vim. https://github.com/Shougo/neocomplcache.vim
neocomplcache is inspired from:
acp.vim
auto-complete.el
anything.el
Tell us about Unite, perhaps your most well-known plugin.
It is the ultimate interface. It integrates everything. It is like Vim. HeHeHe…
I need anything.el for Vim. Unite.vim is inspired from ku.vim and anything.el. So, unite.vim is not just the fuzzy finder.
I will rewrite unite.vim for neovim remote plugin in the future. Unite.vim is the best plugins for me. But the implementation is too complicated and slow (I think you know).
How would you explain your vimproc plugin to someone with no experience with Vim script?
vimproc.vim is the asynchronous library for Vim script.
If it is not asynchronous, it blocks your Vim. It is very irritated. Vim is improtant program like the Operating Systems. It is like the OS is freeze! No, it is not accepted!
I forked Yukihiro Nakadaira’s proc.vim to make vimproc.vim because I need proc.vim’s asynchronous feature to create vimshell.vim.
I use vimproc.vim in my plugins if possible. For example, unite.vim, neobundle.vim, vimfiler.vim etc. I need proc.vim’s asynchronous feature to create vimshell.vim. And other people use vimproc to implement asynchronous feature. But they may be replaced with Vim’s channel feature or neovim’s job feature.
Are you involved in a local Vim community?
Of course.
I talk about Vim/neovim at meetups every years. Dark side Vimmers have been grown… HeHeHe
$ echo "editor song" > shougo "Internal error: 'Editor songs' is not defined in Shougo..." vimshell exit 1
I think the text editor is the most important things in the world. So you can describe the world by the text editors things. “Battle editors” is one of them. Unfortunately, I cannot write “battle editors” in English. Sorry.
I should describe “battle editors world” in English….
[Shougo later sent the below follow-up.]
New BattleEditors novel repository is:
https://github.com/Shougo/BattleEditors
I will translate it in English.
What are your hopes for the future of Vim?
The asynchronous is implemented Vim and neovim. So, the next is to extend GUI features. For example, image support.
What have you been working on recently in Vim?
For Vim, to improve the completion behavior.
For neovim, to fix/improve the remote plugins implementation including Python3 support.Ten years ago today, Sony was caught red-handed in a flashpoint that galvanized popular resistance to Digital Restrictions Management (DRM). A security researcher named Mark Russinovich published a description of surveillance malware (in this case a technically sophisticated rootkit) that was secretly installed on users' computers by the DRM on Sony music CDs.
The rootkit's purpose was to spy on users and send information about their music use habits back to Sony. Adding to the privacy violation, the rootkit had the predictable secondary effect of opening a massive security hole in the thousands of affected computers, which malware developers took advantage of to inflict further abuse on users. You can read more background about the rootkit fiasco from the Free Software Foundation Europe.
Media coverage of the rootkit substantially raised public awareness of DRM issues. The year after, in 2006, the Free Software Foundation started Defective by Design to educate, organize and empower users to end DRM forever. In 2011, Sony demonstrated more disregard for computers users by prosecuting tinkerers for installing a different operating system on their PlayStation 3s, and Defective by Design hit back with our Boycott Sony campaign to highlight the moral bankruptcy of Sony's actions.
What has changed since Russinovich's revelatory 2005 blog post? We have grown into a strong, global movement against DRM that comes together yearly for the International Day Against DRM, supported the growing community of DRM-free media distributors, and pushed back against the DRM industry's propaganda in every public forum we can find.
Since DRM-peddlers have taken to governments to add legal barbs to their technical restrictions, we track their influence on the US government and organize the anti-DRM community to call them out. Defective by Design is also a promient voice demanding repeal of the laws that make circumventing DRM a criminal act. Further, we fight the spread of the worst DRM-supporting laws around the globe by vigorously criticizing the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade deal.
The fight against DRM also rages in the non-governmental standards bodies where important global technical decisions are made, like the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C). In 2013 we delivered a petition with tens of thousands of signatures to the W3C, opposing an industry plan to add an official DRM extension to HTML, the very fabric of the Web. Our sources tell us that there will likely be another opportunity for action on DRM in HTML soon, and we intend make the most of it.
We should not have to trust manufacturers like Sony not to do bad things with DRM. We should just end DRM. Running a proprietary black box program, specifically designed to restrict, will always be an invitation for its owners to take advantage of users. Even when their actions are not technically criminal, they are unethical in their unjustified control and restriction.
In the last ten years, computers have continued to play an ever more prominent role in our lives, our vehicles, our communications and even our bodies. Ten years from now, what will the state of our digital freedoms be? Will we have relegated DRM to an unsavory corner of history, or will another security researcher be disclosing a DRM-carried rootkit in a medical device embedded in someone's body? It's up to all of us.LWN.net Weekly Edition for September 11, 2015
Debian supports a lengthy list of hardware architectures—twelve on the official list, plus twelve unofficial ports and a variety of other "port-like" projects such as distributions based on non-Linux kernels. Nevertheless, starting a new architecture-support effort involves a lot of repetitive work that Helmut Grohne (and others) think could be automated. Grohne presented the topic at DebConf 2015 in Heidelberg, discussing the issues involved when bootstrapping a new architecture and what needs to be improved. The good news is that progress is being made and that the work benefits the rest of the project, even those not interested in architecture bootstrapping.
In fact, Grohne started the session by discussing why everyone in Debian should care about automating the architecture-bootstrap process. "Bootstrapping," he said, just means the process of getting the initial, core suite of Debian packages up and running on the new platform. Roughly speaking, that means getting the new architecture to the point where the build-essential metapackage can be used; at that point most other Debian packages can be built on the target system.
The project averages about one new bootstrap per year, he said; ARM64 and PowerPC64-EL are the most recently added architectures, while MIPS64-EL, RISC-V, and OpenRISC are on the horizon. Improving the bootstrapping process will only make Debian a more inviting distribution in areas like embedded development, he said, where Debian may not be the OS of choice. But it also forces the project to re-examine much of its build-from-source tool set, which might otherwise languish, and improving the process could encourage new projects like bootstrapping sub-architectures (for example, creating an x32-optimized port of Debian, or a port that uses the musl C library).
Grohne is the author of rebootstrap, a QA tool for bootstrapping a new architecture. It currently runs on Debian's Jenkins server, testing 20 different architectures about once each week. Each test tries to cross-build about 100 packages, which is only a subset of the packages build-essential pulls in or depends on. Nevertheless, rebootstrap has caught 190 bugs so far (120 of which have been fixed). Grohne plans to expand the package set covered by rebootstrap, but said that one of the lasting benefits of the process is catching and fixing bugs in the core package set.
Cross toolchains and cross-building
He then turned his attention to outlining the steps involved in bootstrapping an architecture, beginning with a description of the cross toolchains used in Debian. Two options are in common usage; both include a version of GCC that can cross-compile for the target architecture, plus target-architecture versions of binutils, glibc, glibc headers, and gcc-defaults. The two toolchains differ in how dependencies are handled: one expects multi-architecture builds to be available on the build system for all dependencies, while the other expects target-architecture versions of all dependencies.
Both of the approaches work, Grohne said. The toolchain packages are now in Debian unstable (which was not true as recently as two years ago). Today, though, most bootstrapping projects can begin with the back-and-forth GCC/glibc "dance." First the user cross-compiles a minimalist version of GCC for the new architecture, which is then used to build the glibc-header package. Then a bit more of GCC can be built, which in turn allows more of glibc to be built, and so forth.
There are, however, a few architectures where cross toolchain support is still problematic. Alpha and HPPA have glibc conflicts, while OpenRISC, RISC-V, armel, armhf, and SuperH have GCC bugs. Patches are available to fix each of these problems, but they have not yet been merged. Thus, anyone needing to bootstrap or cross-compile on those architectures will need to get the patches from the bug-tracking system and apply them before proceeding. Grohne encouraged anyone who saw their "favorite architecture" on the problematic list to get in touch after the talk.
He then described the process for cross-building an individual package. Thanks to the Emdebian team, some packages have supported cross-building for close to ten years. For the rest, most Debian packages can be cross-built using sbuild or dpkg-buildpackage, so long as the appropriate flags are set to build for the target architecture. What does cause problems, though, is satisfying a package's Build-Depends dependencies when cross-building.
Problems and solutions
A lot of packages in the Debian archive are multi-architecture, which should allow the build system's version to satisfy Build-Depends for a cross-build. But, in reality, the long chains of transitive dependencies can break down if just one package without multi-architecture support is involved. Grohne said that out of Debian's 20,000 packages, Build-Depends problems mean that only about 3,000 can be automatically cross-built. There is a web page available that monitors the status of the dependency issues; interested developers can check there for packages that need attention.
In many cases, he said, the fixes required to unstick a problematic Build-Depends chain are simple enough—such as rewriting dependency rules that inadvertently assume that the build architecture and host architecture are the same. For example, he said, the dependency rule:
Build-Depends: g++ (>= 4:5)
is probably meant to specify that the package should be built with a recent version of G++, but the rule is interpreted as a package that needs to be present on the target system. For now, bootstrappers usually solve these problems through a lot of manual effort. Better solutions have been proposed, such as special "compiler for host" packages, which could be specified in dependency rules:
Build-Depends: g++-for-host (>= 4:5)
A proof-of-concept package for this idea is in Debian experimental.
Interested Debian contributors can also make a significant difference by adding multi-architecture support to more and more packages in the archive. Most of the work required involves straightforward fixes, such as changing compiler references to use target triplets (which allow different build and host architectures).
There are a few "funky issues" that arise when working on multi-architecture support, however. The most common is encountered in interpreted languages. For example, a " Architecture: any " Perl application may depend on a " Architecture: all " Perl module, which in turn depends on a " Architecture: any " Perl extension. But " all " and " any " are not the same to the dependency resolver. Whereas " all " usually designates a package that will work, unaltered, on any processor (such as a collection of Perl scripts), " any " means that the package can be built for any architecture.
Unfortunately, due to that minor distinction, passing through the " all " architecture rule in the middle of the chain breaks the chain, since the build system's version of the package satisfies that dependency. At that point, the dependency resolver stops looking for packages in the target architecture. The bootstrapping team has not yet decided on a solution to this problem, he said, although there is a workaround: manually changing the all to an any and adding another rule ( Multi-Arch: same ) to every dependency in the chain.
There are, of course, quite a few other problems encountered when cross-building a large set of packages. Grohne gave multiple examples, some of which raise difficult-to-answer questions. For example, there are some packages that are their own build dependency (he noted cracklib2 and nss in this group) because they expect to access certain data files during the build process, and those files are shipped in the same package as the source code. Fixing that circular dependency without breaking native builds requires careful thought, he said.
Grohne closed the session with a brief status report and some ideas for future development. Bootstrapping a new architecture currently involves about 500 source packages. His rebootstrap tool only tests 100 of those, which means it would require a lot of additional work to be comprehensive. Instead, he has proposed implementing the Build Profiles specification, which would essentially allow developers to define a separate set of build dependencies and compilation targets to be used for cross-builds. If widely implemented, it can reduce the amount of manual tweaking required. The architecture-bootstrapping team has added Build Profile support to a number of core packages already, but more remains to be done.
At the conclusion of the talk, the audience had quite a few questions for Grohne, most of which focused in on the particulars of cross-compilation or of specifying build dependencies. On the whole, it seems as though the Debian community is interested in doing what it can to make cross-building packages more reliable. For developers interested in bringing Debian up from scratch on a new processor architecture, the long-term outlook may be good, but there is considerable work to be done in the days ahead.
[The author would like to thank the Debian project for travel assistance to attend DebConf 2015.]
Comments (7 posted)
Realtime virtualization may sound like an oxymoron to some, but (with some caveats) it actually works and is yet another proof of the flexibility of the Linux kernel. The first two presentations at KVM Forum 2015 looked at realtime KVM from the ground up. The speakers were Rik van Riel, who covered the kernel side of the work (YouTube video and slides [PDF]) and Jan Kiszka, who explained how to configure the hosts and how to manage realtime virtual machines (YouTube video and slides [PDF]). This article recaps both talks, beginning with Van Riel's.
The PREEMPT_RT kernel
Realtime is about determinism, not speed. Realtime workloads are those where missing deadlines is bad: it results in voice breaking up in telecommunications equipment, missed opportunities in stock trading, and exploding rockets in vehicle control and avionics. These applications can have thousands of deadlines a second; the maximum allowed response time can be as low as a few dozen microseconds, and it has to be met 99.999% of the time, if not... just always. Speed is useful, but guaranteeing this kind of latency bound almost always results in lower throughput.
Nearly every latency source in a system comes from the kernel. For example, a driver could disable interrupts and prevent high-priority programs from being scheduled. Spinlocks are another cause of latency in a non-realtime kernel, because Linux cannot schedule() while holding a spinlock. These issues can be controlled by running a kernel built with PREEMPT_RT, the realtime kernel patch set. A PREEMPT_RT kernel tries hard to make every part of the Linux kernel preemptible, except for short sections of code.
Most of the required changes have been merged into Linus's kernel tree: kernel preemption support, priority inheritance, high-resolution timers, support for interrupt handling in threads, annotation of "raw" spinlocks, and NO_HZ_FULL mode. The PREEMPT_RT patch, while still large, has to do much less than it used to. The main three things it does are: turn non-raw spinlocks into mutexes with priority inheritance, actually run all interrupt handlers in threads so that realtime tasks can preempt them, and an RCU implementation that supports preemption.
The main remaining problem is in firmware. System management interrupts (SMIs) for x86 take care of things such as fan speed, even on servers. SMIs cannot be blocked by the operating system and can take up to milliseconds to run in extreme cases. During this time, the operating system is completely blocked from running. There is no solution other than buying hardware that behaves well. A kernel module, hwlatdetect, can help detect the problem; it blocks interrupts on a CPU, looks for unexpected latency spikes, and uses model-specific registers (MSRs) to correlate the spikes to SMIs.
Realtime virtualization, really?
Now, realtime virtualization may sound implausible, but it can be done. Of course, there are problems: for example, the priority of the tasks in the virtual machine (VM) is not visible to the host and neither are lock holders inside a guest. This limits the scheduler's flexibility and prevents priority inheritance, so all of the virtual CPUs (VCPUs) have to be placed at a very high priority. Only ksoftirqd has a higher priority, since it delivers interrupts to the virtual CPUs. In order to avoid starving the host, systems have to be partitioned between CPUs running system tasks and isolated CPUs (marked with the isolcpus and nohz_full kernel command-line arguments) running realtime guests. The guest has to be partitioned in the same way between realtime VCPUs and those that run generic tasks. The latter could occasionally cause exits to the host user space, which are potentially long and—much like SMIs on bare metal—prevent the guest scheduler from running.
Thus, a virtualized realtime guest uses more resources than the same workload running on bare-metal, and those resources have to be dedicated to a particular guest. But this can be an acceptable price to pay for the improved isolation, manageability, and hardware compatibility that virtualization provides. In addition, lately each generation of processors has made more and more cores available within one CPU socket; Moore's Law seems to be compensating for this problem, at least for now.
Once the design of realtime KVM was worked out as above, the remaining piece is to fix the bugs. A lot of the fixes were either not specific to KVM, or not specific to PREEMPT_RT, so they will benefit all real-time users and all virtualization users. For example, RCU was changed to have an extended quiescent state while the guest runs. NOHZ_FULL support was extended to disable the timer tick altogether when running a SCHED_FIFO (realtime) task. In this case, that task will not be rescheduled, because anything with a higher priority would have already preempted it, so the timer tick is not needed. A few knobs were added to disable unnecessary KVM features that can introduce latency, such as synchronization of time from the host to the guest; this can take several microseconds and the solution is simply to run ntpd in the guest.
Virtualization overhead can be limited by using PREEMPT_RT's "simple wait queues" instead of the full-blown Linux wait queues. These only take locks for a bounded time so that the length of the operations is also bounded (wakeups often happen from interrupt handlers, so their cost directly affects latency). Merging simple wait queues in the mainline kernel is being discussed.
Another trick is to schedule KVM's timers a little in advance to compensate for the overhead of injecting virtual interrupts. It takes a few microseconds for the hypervisor to pass an interrupt down to the guest, and a parameter in the kvm kernel module allows for tuning the adjustment based on the guest's benchmarked latency.
And finally, new processor technology can help too. This is the case for Intel's "Cache Allocation Technology" (CAT), available on some Haswell CPUs. The combined cost of loads from DRAM and TLB misses can cause a single uncached context switch to add up to over 50 microseconds. CAT allows reserving parts of the cache to specific applications, preventing one workload from evicting another workload from the cache, and it is controlled nicely with a control-groups-based interface. The patches, however, have not yet been included in Linux.
The results, measured with cyclictest, are surprisingly good. Bare-metal latencies are less than 2 microseconds, but KVM's measurement of 6-microsecond latencies is also a very good result. To achieve these numbers, of course, the system needs to be carefully set up to avoid all kinds of high-latency system operations: no CPU frequency changes, no CPU hotplug, no loading or unloading of kernel modules, and no swapping. The applications also have to be tuned to avoid slow devices (e.g. disks or sound devices) except in non-realtime helper programs. So deploying realtime KVM requires deep knowledge of the system (for example, to ensure the time stamp counter is stable and the system will never fall back to another clock source) and the workload. Some new bottlenecks will be found as people use realtime KVM more, but the work on the kernel side is, in general, proceeding well.
"Can I have this in my cloud?"
At this point, Van Riel left the stage to Kiszka, who talked more about the host configuration, how to automate it, and how to manage the systems with libvirt and OpenStack.
Kiszka is a long-time KVM contributor who works for Siemens. He started using KVM many years ago to tackle hardware-compatibility problems with legacy software [PDF]. He has been toying with realtime KVM [YouTube] for several years, and people are now asking: "Can I have this in my cloud?".
The answer is "yes", but there are some restrictions. This is not something for a public cloud, of course. Doing realtime control for an industrial plant will not go well if you need to do I/O from some data center far away. "The cloud" here is a private cloud with a fast Ethernet link between the industrial process and the virtual machine. Many features of a cloud environment will also be left behind, because they do not provide deterministic latencies. For example, the realtime path must not use disks or live migration, but this is generally not a problem.
In going beyond the basic configuration that Van Riel had explained, the first thing to look at is networking. Most of QEMU is still protected by a "big QEMU lock", and device passthrough has latency problems too. While progress is being made on these fronts, it's already possible to use a paravirtualized device (virtio-net) together with a non-QEMU backend.
KVM supports two such virtio-net backends, namely vhost-net and vhost-user. vhost-net lies in the kernel; it connects a TAP device from the Linux network stack to a virtio-net device in a virtual machine. However, it does not have acceptable latency, yet, either. vhost-user, instead, lets any user-space process provide networking, and can be used together with specialized network libraries.
Examples of realtime-capable network libraries include Data Plane Development Kit (DPDK) or SnabbSwitch. These alternative stacks opt for an aggressive polling strategy; this reduces the amount of event signaling and, as consequence, latency as well. Kiszka's set up uses DPDK as a vhost-user client; of course, it runs at a realtime priority too. For the client to deliver interrupts to VCPUs in a timely fashion, it has to be placed at a higher priority than the VCPU threads.
Kiszka's application does not have high packet rates, so a single physical CPU is enough to run the switch for all the network interfaces in the systems; more demanding applications might require one physical CPU for each interface.
After prototyping realtime virtualization in the lab, moving it to the data center requires a lot more work. There are hundreds of VMs and many different networks, some of them realtime and some not; that needs to managed and accounted for flexibly. This requires a cloud-management stack, so OpenStack was chosen and extended with realtime capabilities. The reference architecture then includes (from the bottom up): the PREEMPT_RT kernel, QEMU (which has to be there for the guest's non-realtime tasks and to set up the vhost-user switch), the DPDK-based switch, libvirt, and OpenStack. Each host, or "compute node", is set up with isolated physical CPUs as explained in the first half of the talk. IRQ affinities also have to be set explicitly (or through the irqbalance daemon) because, by default, they do not respect the kernel's isolcpus setting. But, depending on the workload, little tuning may be needed and, in any case, the setup is easily replicated if there are many similar hosts. There is also a tool called partrt that helps to set up isolation.
Libvirt and OpenStack
Higher up comes libvirt, which doesn't require much policy, as it only executes commands from the higher layers. All required tunables are available in libvirt 1.2.13: setting the scheduling parameters (policy, priority, pinning to physical CPUs), asking QEMU to mlock() all guest RAM, and starting VMs connected to vhost-user processes. The consumer for these parameters is OpenStack's compute-node-handling Nova component.
Nova can already be configured to enable VCPU pinning and dedicated physical CPUs. Other settings, though, are missing in OpenStack, and are being discussed in a blueprint. While it is not yet complete (for example it doesn't support associating non-realtime physical CPUs to non-realtime QEMU threads), the blueprint will enable the usage of the remaining libvirt knobs. Patches for it are being discussed and the target is OpenStack's "Mitaka" release, due in the first half of 2016. Kiszka's team is integrating the patches into its deployment; the team will come up with extensions to the patches and to the blueprint.
OpenStack also controls networking through the Neutron component. However, realtime networks tend to be special: they might not use TCP/IP at all, and Neutron really wants to manage its networks in its own way. Siemens is thus introducing "unmanaged" networks (which do no DHCP and possibly even no IP) into Neutron.
All in all, work in the higher layers of the stack is mostly about standardizing the basic setup of realtime-capable compute nodes, and a lot of the work will be about improving the tuning process in tools such as partrt. As mentioned during the Q&A session, tuned is also being extended to support a realtime tuning profile. However, Kiszka also plans to take another look lower in the stack; the newest chipsets have functionality that eliminates interrupt latency introduced when assigning devices directly to VMs by directly routing the interrupt without involving the hypervisor. In addition, Kiszka's older work [PDF] to let QEMU emulate realtime devices could be brought back sometime in the future.
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The Tor project gained an important piece of official recognition this week when two key Internet oversight bodies gave their stamp of approval to Tor's.onion top-level domain (TLD). While.onion has been in use on the Tor network for several years, it was always as a "pseudo-domain" in the past. Its official recognition should make wider interoperability possible (as well as shield the domain from being claimed by a domain registrar).
To recap, Tor first introduced.onion in a 2004 white paper that described how hidden services on the Tor network could be accessed. A application designed for Internet usage (such as a web browser) needs the hostnames of servers to be looked up through a DNS-like mechanism that returns an IP address. The.onion TLD serves the corresponding purpose for a server running on the Tor network rather than on the Internet, but.onion hostnames are substantially different.
The server has a foo.onion hostname, where "foo" is the hash of the server's public encryption key. When the browser sends an HTTPS request to foo.onion, rather than performing a DNS lookup, the Tor proxy looks up the hash in Tor's distributed hash table and, assuming the server is online, gets the address of a Tor "rendezvous" node in return. Tor then contacts the rendezvous node and establishes the connection. The end result is functionally the same as the DNS case—the client gets a working connection to the server—but the.onion protocol makes the connection happen without either endpoint learning about the other's location.
Informalities
The.onion mechanism works reliably enough that recent years have seen several high-profile service providers add Tor hidden-service entry points. Facebook famously crunched through a massive set of hash calculations before it stumbled onto its easily remembered Tor address, facebookcorewwwi.onion [Tor link]. Search engine DuckDuckGo, news outlet The Intercept, and several other well-known web sites have followed suit (albeit without Facebook's easy-to-memorize hash).
Nevertheless, as long as.onion remained an unofficial TLD, nothing would formally prevent a new registrar from applying to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to register and manage a.onion TLD on the public Internet. ICANN opened the doors to applications for new TLDs in 2012, and has received several thousand.
There have been other well-known pseudo-domains in years past—readers with long memories may recall.uucp or.bitnet—but those pseudo-domains were never formally specified. ICANN's new policy for accepting open submissions for new TLDs means that such informal conventions are a risky proposition. For example, RFC 6762 lists several TLDs "recommended" for private usage on internal networks, including.home,.lan,.corp, and.internal. Of those,.lan and.internal still seem to be unclaimed, but the ICANN site lists six registrar applications to manage.corp and eleven for the.home domain.
Consequently, Tor's Jacob Appelbaum (along with Facebook engineer Alec Muffett) submitted an Internet Draft proposal to the IETF to have.onion officially recognized as a "special-use domain name." The proposal specifies the expected behavior for application software and domain-name resolvers, and it forbids DNS registrars and DNS servers from interfering with Tor's usage of.onion. Specifically, it requires registrars to refuse any registrations for.onion domain names and it requires DNS servers to respond to all lookup requests for.onion domains with the "non-existent domain" response code, NXDOMAIN. Application software and caching DNS resolvers need to either resolve.onion domains through Tor or generate the appropriate error indicating that the domain cannot be resolved.
On September 9, the IETF approved Appelbaum and Muffett's proposal as a Draft RFC, and ICANN's Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) added.onion to the official list of special-use domain names. That list, unlike RFC 6762, is a formal one; apart from the reverse lookups for the reserved IP-address blocks, only a few domains are included (such as.test,.localhost,.local,.invalid, and several variations of "example").
What's next
The most immediate effect of the approval will likely be that general-purpose software can implement support for.onion, since there is now no concern that the TLD could be "overloaded" in the future by being adopted in a non-Tor setting. Appelbaum, of course, has lobbied the free-software community in recent years to start building in support for Tor as a generic network-transport layer. He proposed the idea at GUADEC 2012, and raised it again at DebConf 2015. Implementing system-wide Tor support would not be trivial, but it is perhaps now a more reasonable request.
In the longer term, though, the official recognition of.onion may have other ripple effects. Facebook's Tor team |
with a TV crew to seek Mandela's reaction.
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Nelson Mandela thanks the people of Glasgow for their support during his imprisonment.
He was resting in his room and came down a short while later.
Ever the joker, he apologised for keeping us waiting and said with a twinkle in his eye: "When the BBC calls, everyone must come."
We wondered what he would say about Mrs Thatcher, who had once denounced the African National Congress, to which he belonged, as a "typical terrorist organisation".
There was not a word of criticism. He was generous and thoughtful, praising the role she had played in building pressure for change in South Africa.
Nelson Mandela had 14 years on the world stage before he retired from public life in 2004.
He had become one of the great figures of the 20th Century, a statesman who combined humanity and humour.
Even as he brought the curtain down on his years of public engagements, he did so with a quip: "Don't call me, I'll call you."A Delhi court Friday discharged Rajya Sabha member and former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Amar Singh and three Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders involved in the cash-for-vote scam of 2008.
The court held that three BJP MPs — Faggan Singh Kulaste, Mahavir Bhagora and Ashok Argal — had enacted a drama to expose horse-trading.
Special Judge Narottam Kaushal also discharged Sudheendra Kulkarni, close aide of BJP senior leader LK Advani, and BJP activist Sohail Hindustani.
The court said the facts that have emerged from the record do not create sufficient grounds for proceedings against Amar Singh, Kulkarni, Hindustani, Kulaste, Bhagora and Argal.
However, the court framed corruption charges against Sanjeev Saxena, Amar Singh's former aide, saying that sufficient ground exists for presuming that Saxena has committed offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
On July 22, 2008, Kulaste, Bhagora and Argal waved wads of currency notes in the Lok Sabha ahead of a confidence vote, alleging they were given the money to vote in favour of the Manmohan Singh government.
In its first charge sheet filed in August 2011, Delhi Police accused Amar Singh and Kulkarni of conspiring and masterminding the cash-for-vote scam to bribe some MPs ahead of the confidence vote.
The case was registered in 2009 on the recommendation of a parliamentary panel which had probed the scam.
All the accused were booked under various provisions of the Prevention of Corruption Act and for criminal conspiracy under the Indian Penal Code.
Argal, Kulaste and Bhagora had earlier claimed it was a sting operation to highlight horse trading in parliament, ahead of the trust vote.Thousands of websites are still hosted on Windows XP computers, despite the operating system reaching the end of its extended support period today. After today, Microsoft will stop providing automatic security updates for Windows XP, and Microsoft Security Essentials will also no longer be available for Windows XP.
Originally released in 2001, Windows XP is currently used by more than 6,000 websites in Netcraft's April 2014 Web Server Survey. Although China is often regarded as one of the most prolific users of Windows XP, only 3% of these sites are hosted there, suggesting that Windows XP has a predominantly desktop role in China. The largest share (nearly a third) of all Windows XP-powered websites are actually hosted in the United States.
Distribution of Windows XP-powered websites (logarithmic scale)
Notably, there are 14 US government websites still running on Windows XP, including a webmail system used by the State of Utah. Unsupported web-facing Windows XP servers are likely to become prime targets for hackers, particularly if any new Windows XP vulnerabilities are discovered, as no security updates will be available to fix them. To afford some breathing space, the UK Government recently struck a £5.5m deal for Microsoft to provide it with an extra year of support for Windows XP, although there are currently no Windows XP-powered websites under the gov.uk top-level domain.
One of the busiest sites still using Windows XP is TransFerry.com. This site was previously using Windows 2000, and perhaps more worrying is the significantly larger number of websites which still use Windows 2000. This version of Windows reached its extended support end date in July 2010, yet nearly half a million of today's websites are hosted on Windows 2000 servers, most of which are using the Microsoft IIS 5.0 web server software they were shipped with. This version of IIS is practically identical to that used by Windows XP (IIS 5.1).
Netcraft's April 2014 survey also found 50,000 websites which are hosted on even older Windows NT4 servers running Microsoft IIS 4.0, although three quarters of these sites are served from the same computer in Norway. One of the busiest sites still running on Windows NT4 is the Australian Postal Corporation's post.com.au, which has been using the same operating system for at least 13 years. Window NT4 and IIS 4.0 are also still used by Australia Post's Postbillpay bill payment service, airindia.co.in and by the French government's Ministère de l'Économie, des Finances et de l'Industrie.On January 25, 2011, Wang Qing, a Chinese spy disguised as a TV reporter, was arrested and deported after she reportedly visited the headquarters of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim (Isak-Muivah) or NSCN-IM—one of India’s largest and most troublesome insurgent groups. Indian authorities said Qing admitted to being a spy for the People's Security Bureau, a Chinese intelligence agency, and that she had conducted a secretive four-hour-long, closed-door meeting with Thuingaleng Muivah, a key rebel leader of the NSCN-IM who is currently holding reconciliation talks with the Indian government. The rebel group, however, insisted that it was holding talks with the Indian Government in good faith and that it has had ‘no relations with China.’
While the news attracted little attention, it’s hard to see the incident as inconsequential for Sino-Indian relations, as it suggests potential links between China’s intelligence agencies with insurgent groups in India’s volatile Northeast region. More worrisome for New Delhi, though, is the fact that Qing’s case is only one of several recently that suggest an attempt by Beijing to step up efforts at undermining peace and increasing leverage over India as both countries grapple with sensitive border negotiations.
Such dealings were recently revealed in detail in a 100-page Indian government report, accessed by Outlook India. The report pertains to the October 2010 arrest by Indian authorities of Anthony Shimray, a key official and major arms procurer of the NSCN-IM, who had been operating out of Bangkok. During his interrogation, the report alleged that the NSCN-IM was offered the chance to purchase surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) by Chinese agents working on behalf of the Chinese intelligence agencies.
The negotiations for the deal reportedly took place in Chengdu in December 2009, with the agents asking $1 million for the missiles as part of a package that included training the rebels in the technical know-how to use them. However, the deal reportedly fell through as the rebel groups couldn’t raise the money. Shimray also admitted that in return for Chinese support, Naga insurgents had been giving away details of Indian army deployments in the China-India border region of Twang in Arunachal Pradesh, including positions of Indian aircraft and missiles.
If substantiated, Shimray’s revelations would mark for Indian officials a clear and troubling increase in covert Chinese intelligence activity in India’s internal affairs. China has maintained that it doesn’t interfere in India’s internal affairs, adhering closely to the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence—a series of agreements in 1954 put forward by Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai governing relations with India. But China also remains deeply distrustful of Indian intentions along the sensitive southern tip of the Sino-Indian border, and may perceive India’s complex web of insurgent groups in that area as an opportunity to undermine India’s grip on power there.Cold Case: Who killed the 'Girl in the field'? Copyright by KOIN - All rights reserved Miriam Orta Gomez in an undated photo provided in May 2017 [ + - ] Video
Jeff Gianola - WOODBURN, Ore. (KOIN) --- She was known as the girl in the field until Dr. Nici Vance with the Oregon State Police Medical Examiner's Office gave her a name.
On January 12, 2004 a farmer found the body of a young woman in his field near Woodburn. The medical examiner determined she was murdered and had been dead for several months.
"As we performed the autopsy... our state medical examiner Dr. Gunson and I were looking at this young girl from head to toe and we quickly realized that she had a very distinct feature on one of her upper leg bones," Vance said. "That was a 14-inch titanium rod that was inserted within the shaft of that leg bone."
The rods are used to repair bone fractures, and each rod has a lot number stamped on it. Sometimes, the numbers can be traced back to a particular hospital or patient.
"In this case we did find the lot and realized there were thousands of these titanium rods that were produced," Vance said. "We could not narrow it down to one person."
The lot number revealed the rod had been shipped to Mexico, but it didn't indicate which hospital. Vance's best clue to the woman's identity had hit a dead end.
Using the skull, the FBI was able to create a facial reconstruction. Detectives in Marion County helped distribute the information to authorities in Mexico, hoping someone would recognize her. But that, too, hit a dead end.
That's when Vance listed the woman on the National Missing and Unidentified Persons Website. It's her job to make sure Oregon cases on the website are constantly updated with the latest information, in the hopes that someone, somewhere will reach out. And one day a few months ago, someone contacted her.
"I received a message from a woman in Mexico that said she believed the unidentified remains from Marion County... were potentially her sister," Vance said.
The woman said her sister was missing, and that her family had last heard from her in 2003. They believed she had been living in Seattle and confirmed she had fractured her leg in a motorcycle accident.
Detectives then traveled to Mexico to take DNA samples from the family.
"It ended up being a match," Vance said.
Twelve years after the remains were found, they were identified as Miriam Orta Gomez. She had been living in Lynwood, Washington. Her family in Mexico said they last heard from her in June 2003 when she called to say she had given birth to a baby. It's believed she was murdered a few months later.
No one knows what happened to the baby.
Now that the victim has been identified, detectives are looking for whoever killed her.A man sweeps on Friday in a market where shelves were looted of every scrap of food in the El Valle neighborhood of Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: IC
Chinese trading companies are staying away from Venezuela as the crisis in the country deepens, a businessman who declined to be named told the Global Times Tuesday.
The businessman, who started a business in Venezuela in 2014, has recently pulled out of the market, and he said that his company is not alone.
"Many firms could not get their overdue payments. As for those who have completed the contracted projects there, they are only leaving several people in the country in a bid to get the final payment," he said.
An executive with LiuGong Dressta Machinery, a heavy construction equipment subsidiary of State-owned Guangxi LiuGong Machinery, also said the business environment in Venezuela has become difficult.
"Venezuela's market has basically stagnated," He Dawei, sales manager with LiuGong Dressta, told the Global Times Tuesday.
Many engineering equipment distributors are heading toward bankruptcy amid weak demand following the suspension of major local projects, said He. "Besides, it is hard for firms to get foreign currency," as the Venezuelan government is strictly tightening up on capital outflows, he noted.
Venezuela's foreign exchange reserves decreased to $10.402 billion in March from February's $10.421 billion.
Multinational firms are also getting out of the country. US automaker General Motors reportedly shut down its operations in Venezuela after local government authorities seized one of its factories there on April 19.
Venezuela, which has the world's largest oil reserves, is suffering an economic crisis described by a report in The Guardian as the worst in its history. The global drop in oil prices is widely perceived as one of the major causes.
Brent crude, the global benchmark oil price, extended last week's fall, ending at $52 per barrel on Monday. This is down by more than half from a high of about $113 in June 2014. The IMF predicted last October that the economy in Venezuela would shrink by 4.5 percent in 2017 and that inflation would skyrocket by 1,660 percent.
Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang said on Friday that China hoped and believed that Venezuelan people can properly handle domestic affairs and maintain stability in the country's social and economic development.
Chen Fengying, director of the Institute of World Economic Studies under the China Institute of Contemporary International Relations, said he thought the Venezuelan economy had reached the bottom and that things will improve from the second half of this year, as the economic recovery is picking up in countries nearby and globally.
But Wang Jun, deputy director of the Department of Information at the China Center for International Economic Exchanges held a pessimistic attitude.
"High inflation would bring a risk of social turmoil, which may even lead to regime change," Wang told the Global Times Tuesday. "If the oil price keeps hanging around $50 a barrel, the economic situation in Venezuela will not change in the short term."
Wang advised businesses to get out of the crisis-ridden market.
Rising interest
In recent years, Chinese firms have shown great interest in the Venezuelan market. This was partly because China and Venezuela signed a series of agreements including one for a joint investment fund in 2007, according to the businessman.
The fund can guarantee Chinese firms get their payment for construction work, but now the fund has adopted a more stringent review and approval system for new projects, he noted.
The joint fund was set up with $4 billion in loans from China while Venezuela pledged $2 billion, to support Chinese firms building infrastructure in Venezuela, Wu Zhifeng, a research fellow with a research center under China Development Bank, wrote in an essay published in 2014.
There is no official data to show publicly how much money in total China has invested in Venezuela so far. But data from Washington-based research group Inter-American Dialogue showed that by the end of 2016, China Development Bank and China Export-Import Bank had provided $62.2 billion in loans to Venezuela, a larger amount than the loans offered to other Latin American countries.
The loans mainly went to the energy and infrastructure sectors. In a daily news briefing in February, Lu, the Foreign Ministry spokesman, pointed out that currently Venezuela's repayments of the loans to China by providing oil are "basically normal."
Before inking deals and making investments abroad, Chinese firms and government officials should keep a clear head and conduct thorough analysis about potential political and economic risks, Chen told the Global Times Tuesday. In the case of Venezuela, Chinese firms just focused on the short-term benefits, said Chen.Somali regional officials say the Iranian captain of a fishing boat was killed and another sailor was injured after security forces opened fire during an operation in the Indian Ocean.
Officials said the shooting occurred after Puntland Maritime Police Forces spotted two boats suspected to be fishing illegally Friday in Somali waters.
Colonel Mohamed Abdi Hashi of Puntland police told VOA Somali the two boats ignored orders to stop and attempted to escape.
“Our security forces were conducting an operation on October 6, they encountered two illegal fishing boats off Ras Hafun coast. When they tried to stop them in order to check their permits they escaped,” he said.
“They managed to seize one of the boats, the other one escaped.”
Colonel Hashi said during the shooting captain Haydar Abdalla Sabiil of the vessel Al-Sa'idi was killed and a second sailor was injured, 16 others are unharmed and were apprehended, he said.
The boat carrying the sailors have arrived at Bosaso port for questioning. The boat is carrying two tons of fish illegally caught in Somali waters, officials said.
“The boat is now docked at Bosaso port, the body of the captain is in the freezer of the boat, and according to the law we transferred the case to the courts.”
Officials did not release the name of the dead sailor.
Colonel Hashi says he wasn’t sure if Somali political leaders have made any contact with Iran about the incident.
"We are just soldiers, it’s possible that Puntland leadership have contacted Iran but I’m not aware of contact.”
Recurring problem
Illegal fishing in Somali waters occurs often according to maritime organizations. Most of the boats illegally fishing in Somali waters come from Iran, Yemen, China and number of Southeast Asian countries, according to the organizations.
A 2015 report by the U.S.-based watchdog, Secure Fisheries, says foreign fishing boats caught more than 132,000 metric tons of fish off Somalia in each of 2013 and 2014, while local fishermen caught only 40,000 metric tons. In monetary terms, foreign vessels have out earned their Somali counterparts by nearly $250 million per year, the report said.
Other maritime organizations have often warned illegal fishing sparks increases of piracy activities in Somalia waters.
In late 2015, Puntland seized six boats and dozens of sailors from Iran and Yemen. They were all released after heavy fines and confiscation of their catch.
Last year, Somalia received a $65,000 fine from the owners of Belize-flagged vessel, Greko 1, which was found guilty of fishing illegally in Somali waters.
The European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), which combats piracy activities off the coast of Somalia, tipped the Somali authorities and international watchdogs about the fishing activities of Greko 1.
Jacqueline Sherriff who is a spokesperson for the EUNAVFOR tells VOA Somali an important part of its mandate is to monitor fishing activities off the coast of Somalia.
“That vessel, the only reason that we could successfully prosecute that vessel is because the EUNAVFOR provided photographic evidence and location evidence that it was actually illegally fishing in Somali waters,” she said.
Sherriff said the EU office in Brussels works with the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, an intergovernmental organization responsible for the management of tuna and tuna-like species in the ocean, to investigate illegal fishing cases.
She said if EUNAVFOR naval ships see a vessel that is not Somali actively engaged in fishing they take a note of the vessel, its location, its name, the color of the vessel, what type of fishing gear it has deployed and then pass on the information to the maritime watchdogs.
Fadumo Yasin Jama contributed to this report.(CNN) The Veterans of Foreign Wars blasted Donald Trump Monday and a group of Gold Star families of fallen service members demanded he apologize for comments about the parents of a slain Muslim U.S. solider.
"Election year or not, the VFW will not tolerate anyone berating a Gold Star family member for exercising his or her right of speech or expression," said Brian Duffy, who was elected July 27 to lead the nation's oldest and largest major war veterans organization.
"There are certain sacrosanct subjects that no amount of wordsmithing can repair once crossed," added Duffy, the national commander of the near 1.7 million-member Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Auxiliary.
"Giving one's life to nation is the greatest sacrifice, followed closely by all Gold Star families, who have a right to make their voices heard."
The VFW statement came just hours after a group of Gold Star families wrote to Trump.
Read MoreDespite reassuring announcements from the government, Italy’s Treasury is already peering closely at the terms of an assistance plan. Its goal: to find a painless solution that will prevent the third-largest economy in the eurozone from getting the Greek treatment.
Après Spain, le Italy. This is the idea that has taken hold in the financial markets, and not just there. “We have come up with three different scenarios, including a possible rescheduling of outstanding public debt”, a source in the Italian Treasury, who requested anonymity, has revealed to Linkiesta. The goal is to “be ready for anything, even the worst-case scenario.” That includes the arrival on the scene of the Troika (the International Monetary Fund, European Central Bank, and the European Commission) which would both monitor public accounts and intervene through funding. “There are still no precise figures, but it is certainly more than what was spent on Greece, Ireland and Portugal put together,” the official confirms. In other words, more than 350 billion euros.
“Italy has not asked for help. But if it did, Europe would be ready.” That recent declaration from Maria Fekter, Austria’s Minister of Finance, has rekindled the controversy over the next victim of the European crisis. Comments by Fitch ratings agency head Edward Parker, who highlighted the differences between Italy and the Iberian Peninsula in terms of financial risks – “Italy is unlikely to need a bailout” – were of little help.
The Treasury has outlined three scenarios, our source revealed. The first, and the most optimistic, gives Italy a glimmer of hope: an European banking union, a Community Fund guarantee on bank deposits, Eurobonds and, subsequently, full fiscal union. These are the steps that could calm the situation in the eurozone. If everything were to play out according to this scenario, Italy could yet save itself. The obstacles, though, are many. A possible Greek exit from the eurozone, a deepening of the Spanish crisis and a further downgrade to Italy’s credit rating are not considered in this scenario, which relies on a static vision of the situation as it was back in late April. That is, when yields on Italian ten-year bonds were around 5.5 percent – since then, they have gone past six percent.
The most interesting scenario is the second: “If at the end of September the yield on ten-year bonds is still near six percent or greater, Italy’s refinancing difficulties – already grave – could become insurmountable,” says the Treasury official. If this were to happen the Troika would be paying a visit to Italy, just as it has already stopped in on Greece, Ireland and Portugal. At the same time, financial assistance would begin to come in to meet the basic needs of the country, whose access to bond markets would be reduced – if it still had any access at all. That means that, as a basic framework, roughly 770 billion euros would have to be made available to Italy to cover the necessary funding in the country’s 2013 to 2016 budget.
Nobody wants to hear about the Greek solution
However, one doubt remains. Will Italy need to restructure its debt, which has reached almost two trillion euros? The answer is given by the most extreme scenario, the third. It foresees, among other things, a Greek exit from the eurozone, potentially driving up interest rates on Italian ten-year bonds to above 11 or even 12 percent. In that event, a restructuring of the Italian debt would become possible. If this were to come about, however, the Treasury’s working hypothesis foresees a postponement of the deadlines for repaying the bonds rather than an invasive and disorderly intervention like that seen in Greece in March and April just past.
As in Spain, nobody wants to hear about the Greek solution. All differences considered, however, this is precisely what it is being discussed with the IMF. For the time being the action plan does not anticipate a request for support. “Right now, that would be fatal to us. The EU summit in late June will be a very significant date for figuring out where Europe is headed,” says our source. And, as expected, there is no precise figure for the scale of any intervention. “As everyone knows, Italy is too big to be saved and too big to fail. But we also know that every effort should be made to avoid the worst,” one analyst in the Fixed Income department at Credit Suisse told us.
The means for staunching a possible Italian haemorrhage come half from Europe, half from abroad. On one side we have the European Financial Stability Fund (EFSF), the European Financial Stabilisation Mechanism (EFSM), and the European Stability Mechanism (ESM), which together could come up with just under 700 billion euros. On the other side we have the IMF, which has stated its readiness to boost its own contribution to be earmarked for the European crisis to about 335 billion euros. That brings the total to around a trillion euros.
Financial support to Italy could be multilateral and structured at various levels. It will largely depend on the actions that Europe will manage to get underway in the next three weeks. Politically and economically, these decisions could be a knock-out blow on financial investors, with unknown side-effects. As noted by the Treasury official, “If we continue down this path, the question is not ‘Will Italy be bailed out?’ but ‘When’?”Those who follow my exploits know I dance Bollywood, so it is not surprising that this news clip would catch my interest:
Indian newspapers have been gushing about the incoming governor of the central bank, Raghuram Rajan, in terms usually reserved for Bollywood film stars: his trim physique, his long-distance running, even his “rather photogenic appeal,” as The Mumbai Mirror tabloid wrote this week.
Why would a central banker get such an enthusiastic media reception? It seems that while the world’s eyes are on Syria and the Middle East, the subcontinent has been undergoing significant economic reversals. For example, the value of the rupee has slid to the point that late last week the prime minister publicly attempted to calm fears:
India’s prime minister, Manmohan Singh, has made a rare speech in parliament in an attempt to restore investors’ confidence in the Indian economy and halt the slide of the rupee. Singh, an economist credited with leading a crucial wave of reforms in the early 1990s but recently widely criticised for inactivity, said India was not facing a repeat of a balance of payments crisis that shook the country in 1991 and said fears that economic growth could slip to as low as 3% were unfounded.
The American Interest editor Walter Russel Mead explains why this story should command far more news attention than it is currently getting.
What’s so important about India’s economic problems? It’s more what they tell us about the state of the country than the severity of the problems themselves. The stock market jitters, the currency crash, the GDP slowdown and the government deficit aren’t enough in themselves to sink India. All economies go through rough patches every now and then, but the question isn’t about a downturn. The question is whether the Indian political system has what it takes to get the economy back on track. Two horrible things happened in India this week: an inept government reeling from serial corruption scandals and mounting evidence of economic failure pushed two bad bills towards enactment. There’s a wasteful “food security law” that will do much more to nourish India’s rich world of government corruption than to help the poor on a sustainable basis, and a poorly designed “land reform” law that could be even more crippling.
As Mead points out, Indian economic health impacts the happiness and economic security of billions of people, which is extremely significant to the prospects for world peace. The best path towards prosperity is a free market system that encourages industrialization, and the proposed reforms take the opposite direction.
A recent Canto Talk discussion featured India. History expert Barry Jacobsen pointed out that despite both its large population and economy, the nation took a very insular approach to foreign affairs by paying more attention to Pakistan than China, Russia or the United States.
In fact, if really smart diplomacy on America’s part were implemented, a partnership with a successfully industrializing India would be a great counterweight to China.
And while smart diplomacy from our country may have to wait a while, smart money is on paying attention to what India’s new central banker may be able to accomplish.If you’ve tried to move to — or within — Santa Monica recently, it should come as no surprise to you that it’s not easy.
While the entire Los Angeles region is enduring the consequences of a chronic 30-year-long housing shortage, Santa Monica’s shortage is particularly acute, and it’s dramatically driving up the cost of living.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey (ACS), over the last five years, the vacancy rate for rental units in the city has averaged about 2.8 percent, meaning that at any given time in the city less than three percent of rental units are on the market for new tenants. The rest are either occupied or have been taken off the market for other reasons. By comparison, San Francisco’s vacancy rate in 2014 was 2.5 percent, Los Angeles’ was 3.4, and Detroit was 7.5, according to the ACS.
“Such a low vacancy rate tends to signal a very tight rental market, with high demand for apartments and more latitude for apartment owners to increase rents,” said Andy Agle, Santa Monica’s director of housing and economic development.
“Anyone who has been in the rental market in Santa Monica recently has likely experienced the high demand and high rents,” he said. “The 2015 median market rent for a two-bedroom apartment built before 1979 was $2,750 per month. A household would need an annual income of $110,000 per year to afford the apartment without being burdened by the rent.” Burdened by rent is defined as spending more than a third of your income on rent.
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Said Agle, “Rents for newer apartments are even higher and require even higher incomes to avoid rent burdens.”
Recently, supporters of the Residocracy-backed L.U.V.E. initiative, which would create a de facto height limit on most new construction over 32 feet by requiring a popular vote on most such projects, have argued that the vacancy rate in Santa Monica is actually as high as eight percent. While that’s true if you include both apartments and homes for sale, what matters for renters — and Santa Monica is 70 percent renters — is the vacancy rates of rentals. While there are also almost always vacant rental units that landowners have taken off the market, those do little good for people looking for a place to live.
The most recent data available through the ACS actually shows that, in 2014, the estimated rental vacancy rate in Santa Monica was 0.1 percent, which is eye-poppingly low. If that figure is correct, and Agle cautioned that it seemed too low to be accurate because it may have been drawn from a low sample size, it would mean that in 2014 there were nearly no rental units on the market.
Even so, it remains clear to anyone house hunting in Santa Monica that the rental market is incredibly restricted and has been for some time.
In his recent op-ed piece for The Los Angeles Times, urban planner Shane Phillips writes, “Most experts agree that a 5% vacancy rate is the point where the power dynamic between tenants and landlords shifts. Above 5%, landlords need to offer incentives or lower rents to be competitive; lower than that, landlords know if a tenant leaves, there are half a dozen more clamoring to take her place. According to reports from the USC Lusk Center for Real Estate, multifamily vacancies in Los Angeles have been under 5% for nearly five years.”
In Santa Monica, the power has been in the hands of property owners for at least five years, if not longer.
Phillips argues that it is, in fact, not the building of new, luxury housing that is the problem, since he compares communities in L.A. County with wildly divergent new housing growth rates and finds that places where virtually no new housing is getting built housing costs are skyrocketing.
As a recent study by the nonpartisan Legislative Analyst’s Office shows, housing growth can actually help keep housing costs down, but only if the growth helps increase the local vacancy rates. Even if new apartments rent at high rates when they first come online, rents in older buildings can be stabilized or even lowered.
As buildings built today age and even newer buildings continue to be built, the rents in the once-luxury housing begin to drop off.
While even older building stock in Santa Monica will cost you, as Agle noted, it will still cost you less than an apartment in a newer building. The older apartments would likely cost even less if the vacancy rate were higher, but according to the ACS, the median rental unit was built in 1967, nearly 50 years ago during Santa Monica’s last significant housing boom. The high age of the median rental building illustrates just how little new housing has been built in the city in recent history.
Still, Santa Monica has been building some housing in its downtown in recent years, which should help alleviate the upward rent pressures on older units in existing neighborhoods, and the city plans to continue to allow modest growth outlined in the Downtown Community Plan.
However, Santa Monica has also had no lack of opposition to new housing growth, even where new housing would not have displaced existing tenants. And, if housing growth is somehow restricted in its ability to allow more new housing to be built, it’s likely that the city housing shortage will escalate and our future — along with our vacancy rates — may begin to look a lot more like San Francisco’s.Results. Increased real cigarette-pack price over time was associated with a marked decline in smoking among higher-income but not among lower-income persons. Although the pre–MSA association between cigarette pack price and smoking revealed a larger elasticity in the lower- versus higher-income persons (−0.45 vs −0.22), the post–MSA association was not statistically significant ( P >.2) for either income group.
Methods. We used data from the 1984–2004 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System surveys linked to information on cigarette prices to examine the adjusted prevalence of smoking participation and smoking participation–cigarette pack price elasticity (change in percentage of persons smoking relative to a 1% change in cigarette price) by income group (lowest income quartile [lower] vs all other quartiles [higher]) and time period (before vs after the Master Settlement Agreement [MSA]).
The remarkable decline in cigarette smoking over the past 40 years has been more marked in higher- than in lower-income persons, creating a sizeable income-based disparity.1 Contributors to the overall decline include increasing public awareness of the dangers of smoking,2 changing societal views about smoking,3 public health tobacco-control programs,4 and rising excise taxes on tobacco.5 The role of cigarette excise taxes, “passed through” to consumers as higher cigarette prices,6 remains both controversial and salient to income-based disparities in smoking participation.
Earlier studies from the United States5,7–14 and United Kingdom15 suggest that lower-income individuals are more sensitive than are higher-income individuals to cigarette pack prices, implying that, for a given increase in cigarette price, more lower- than higher-income individuals would stop smoking cigarettes. If this were so, then the substantial increases in cigarette pack prices of recent years6 should have helped narrow the disparity in smoking participation between lower- and higher-income groups. Thus, even though cigarette taxes are regressive (because all smokers pay the same tax, the money spent on cigarettes represents a greater proportion of the income of lower- than of higher-income persons), lower-income individuals may benefit more through higher quit rates in response to rising cigarette taxes than higher-income individuals.
Yet observational studies from the United States,1,16 United Kingdom,17–19 and other developed countries20–24 suggest that the gap in smoking participation between lower- and higher-income groups has not lessened and may be widening. Furthermore, a second grouping of econometric studies from the United States,25,26 United Kingdom,27 and elsewhere28 have found that smokers in general and low-income smokers in particular may be relatively insensitive to cigarette pack prices. Thus, rising cigarette taxes may represent a particular burden for low-income persons who continue to smoke.29
The contradictory nature of these 2 groupings of studies is striking and not satisfactorily explained. We therefore sought to examine the relationship between cigarette pack price and smoking participation to inform future tobacco-control policy aimed at lessening income-based disparities in smoking. We analyzed data from 1984 to 2004 drawn from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), a large, nationally representative telephone survey that includes data on smoking participation among adults, and The Tax Burden on Tobacco,30 an annual compendium that includes cigarette tax and price data. In our analyses, we included data collected for 14 years before and 6 years after the tobacco Master Settlement Agreement (MSA) of 1998.31 Data from the period after the MSA has been limited in prior studies, yet this data may be helpful in reconciling the studies’ disparate findings—the dramatic rise in cigarette pack prices around the time of the MSA represents a natural experiment in the possible effects of price on smoking.32 Thus, we examined the adjusted relationship between price and smoking participation by income group (<25th percentile vs ≥ 25th percentile) and by time period (before vs after the MSA).
METHODS Section: Choose Top of page Abstract METHODS << RESULTS DISCUSSION Conclusions References CITING ARTICLES The BRFSS is an ongoing collaborative project of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and US states and territories that is designed to collect uniform, state-specific data on preventive health practices and risk behaviors. The BRFSS telephone-administered questionnaire includes questions about key personal health behaviors. The BRFSS uses a multistage cluster design based on random-digit dialing to select a representative sample from each state’s noninstitutionalized civilian residents aged 18 years or older. Data from each state may be pooled to produce nationally representative estimates, but not all questions are asked by all states each year. Detailed survey information is available at http://www.cdc.gov/brfss/index.htm. We used data from the 1984 through 2004 BRFSS surveys, including sociodemographics and smoking participation (current smoker or not). State participation in the BRFSS increased from 15 states in 1984 to all states in 1995; the total sample included more than 2.6 million respondents. The data sets included weights to adjust for nonresponse (which varied by state and year) and selection criteria to enable nationally representative estimates of parameters of interest. We calculated analyses with Stata version 9.2 (StataCorp, College Station, Tex). We used the weights provided to yield nationally representative parameter estimates and Huber–White robust standard errors to account for possible difference in variance and clustering of observations within states. We performed |
, but my friend, Lee Smith, that I went to high school with and that was a much bigger seller of drugs than I was, was killed in Gainesville, Florida in a drug deal gone bad, just two bullets in the head, and the police barely investigated it. "This was a drug deal gone bad, I wish they'd all been killed," was the police line.
I escaped a pretty bad situation through no merit of my own. I can understand why for many of the kids who went to my high school, particularly the black kids, they failed through no fault of their own. They were in such a difficult situation that just getting through the day was difficult. I have a lot of sympathy for the idea that there's a big inequality of opportunity in school. I got out because I was lucky.
Gillespie: Did that drive a libertarian sensibility in you, that equality of opportunity is one of... I mean for myself and I think for a lot of the libertarians I know, that's one of the goals of a freer society. Where did the libertarianism as an explicit philosophy come from in your life?
Munger: Well, I studied economics. I got an undergraduate degree, master's degree, a PhD in economics at Washington University that had a sort of Chicago-ish kind of flair, and so my interest was largely in the study of markets. I worked as a staff economist at the US Federal Trade Commission, and my experience in working in Washington made me a bit more skeptical about even the capacity much less the desire of regulatory agencies to do all of the wonderful things that in economics we study about market failures.
A market failure is a legitimate criticism. These are things that markets may not be very good at, but then you invoke magic and say, therefore, this thing of the state should fix it. Well, why would you think the state will be better since consumers is worse in voters?
Studying economics and then actually working for a regulatory agency in Washington made me think at least I'm on the kind of free market side of republicanism, but this was 1984, the end of Reagan's first term, when I started working for the Federal Trade Commission. We were Reagan revolutionaries. Reagan was going to lead the deregulation, he was going to change the very position of the state.
I was a Republican until 2003. I often would hold my nose and say, "I was a Republican," but the combination of the continuing war on drugs and the attack in March 2003 on Iraq by George Bush commanding American troops, and I have to say, also in March 2003, I had a dinner that changed my life. I had dinner with Rick Santorum, the senator from Pennsylvania. He came to Duke to give a talk, and people said, "Munger, you're a Republican. Go to dinner with him." "Okay."
Listening to Rick Santorum talk about the fact that we're really going to make the government smaller and they were going to change the state, when he was actually in the Senate and we were doing exactly the opposite. I finally got angry and said, "When? When are you going to do any of that? My adult life I've been listening to this and I've gone along with it." He said, "Well, now's not the right time." I realized it was never going to be the right time, and I was not a Republican, I was a libertarian.
Gillespie: As a final topic of conversation, in your caustic review and comprehensive review of Nancy MacLean's Democracy in Chains for the Independent Institute, you do praise the book actually and say it's interesting and illuminating. Can you give an example where she illuminated something that you had not really thought of before and share that?
Munger: Well, there's a passage that she quotes about a meeting that took place in the Virginia Mountains where they were going to start a new movement of libertarianism. I had not been aware that any of those things had happened, and she described the conversation that people had. She talked about a bunch of documents that she found in little tidbits of public choice and libertarian history that I didn't know about.
Apparently, one of the things that was said in this mountain readout, she really does make Buchanan sound like a Bond villain. There's this cabin in the mountains with a roaring fire. They're presumably eating large chunks of meat and drinking expensive wine and scotch, and she said Buchanan said, "When the history of public choice is written, then this is going to be one of the most significant events."
It turns out nothing changed at all. There was no result of this, but MacLean points to this as being a significant thing that was a secret. But she found this in the archives, and Buchanan himself was saying, "I really hope history pays attention to this."
What she did, in spite of her intention, was write that history. She wrote that history of public choice. Now her interpolation of it, I think, is entirely incorrect. Her understanding of basic political science and public choice is wrong, but her illumination to the strobe-like effect of, "Here. Here was this thing that happened," that's really interesting, and she deserves credit for doing some difficult archival research.
Gillespie: Do you have a personal relationship or a professional relationship at all? Do you end up in the cafeteria, bumping into each other, knocking over each other's trays, things like that?
Munger: I, as far as I know, never met Professor MacLean. I expect that we may meet in the faculty dining room, which is quite a pleasant place at Duke. I look forward to hearing from Professor MacLean. I've not heard directly about her reaction to my review. I would say this: I think that some of her reactions to the reactions have been poorly considered because her claim is that the only reason people are writing negative reviews is they're getting paid.
I published my review in a refereed academic journal. Now it may not be a very good refereed academic journal, but it's a refereed academic journal. I didn't get paid. She published, instead of with an academic press, with a trade publication and then managed to get Oprah Winfrey to name this as one of the 20 most important books of the summer. If anybody's getting paid, it's professor MacLean.
Gillespie: Yeah. Well, it is also comforting, is it not, to wake up and read a book in which libertarianism, which is constantly being discounted for having no influence at all in American politics, culture, and the history of ideas, is actually at the white-hot center of everything that happens, even the weather it seems.
Munger: It's the single most important factor in the book. I only wish that that were true.
Gillespie: Yeah. Well, we will leave it there. I want to thank Michael Munger, a political scientist at Duke, who has written deeply and meaningfully about Democracy in Chains, a new book by his Duke colleague, Nancy McLean, which posits libertarianism at the center of all things evil and rotten in America, and particularly the work of James Buchanan. Mike Munger, thanks so much for talking.
Munger: Thanks for having a conversation.
Gillespie: This has been the Reason Podcast. I want to thank you for listening. I'm Nick Gillespie. Please subscribe to us at iTunes and rate and review us while you're there.OpenCPU » R-bloggers, and kindly contributed to (This article was first published on, and kindly contributed to R-bloggers)
Last years UseR 2012 conference in Nashville had an interesting discussion session titled “What other languages should R users know about?“. General consensus was that multilingualism is inevitable in modern computing, and panel members presented various languages that complement R in different ways. Some of the usual suspects included SQL, python, and of course C++, of which one panel member with unpronounceable German name seemed to be particularly fond. But perhaps most surprising was R-Core member Douglas Bates pushing for a new language called Julia, which is actually more of a competitor than companion to the R language. Confronting an audience of 500+ emotionally and physically (over) invested useR’s that our beloved baby is perhaps up for replacement demonstrates great courage, and could easily have turned the discussion in an episode of Jerry Springer (but it didn’t). So what is this Julia all about?
If you are willing to find out, I highly recommend watching these recordings from a two day Julia tutorial at MIT in January 2013, published recently through the fantastic MIT OCW. They introduce Julia, but also talk more general on the problems that scientific computation is trying to solve and how programming techniques and languages are evolving in this area. In one video Bates compares specifically Julia to R, explaining some of the major improvements. Some spoilers:
Julia interpreted code is fast. So fast that there is usually no need for C++.
Julia uses reference by memory, like any other modern language. Resulting in more speed.
Julia has great native support for parallel computing, i.e. even more speed.
The package repositories are managed entirely through github. Although I am not convinced yet it fully solves R’s problems with dependency versioning at this point.
P-values are back, with three stars and everything
All in all, Julia seems like a very promising project, but it needs a lot more work. The question at this point is probably not if Julia is better than R, but if the difference is large enough to attract the critical mass of developers needed to reimplement all of our beloved statistical methods and find wide adoption among current users of R. Time will tell.
Related"Lord Grenville" redirects here. It is not to be confused with Lord Granville
William Wyndham Grenville, 1st Baron Grenville, PC, PC (Ire), FRS (25 October 1759 – 12 January 1834) was a British Pittite Tory and politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1806 to 1807, though he was a supporter of the British Whig Party for the duration of the Napoleonic Wars.
Background [ edit ]
Grenville was the son of Whig Prime Minister George Grenville. His mother Elizabeth was the daughter of Tory statesman Sir William Wyndham Bart. He had two elder brothers Thomas and George—he was thus uncle to the 1st Duke of Buckingham and Chandos.
He was also related to the Pitt family by marriage; William Pitt, 1st Earl of Chatham had married his father's sister Hester, and thus the younger Grenville was the first cousin of William Pitt the Younger.
Grenville was educated at Eton, Christ Church, Oxford, and Lincoln's Inn.[1][self-published source?]
Political career [ edit ]
Grenville entered the House of Commons in 1782. He soon became a close ally of the Prime Minister, his cousin William Pitt the Younger, and served in the government as Paymaster of the Forces from 1784 to 1789. In 1789 he served briefly as Speaker of the House of Commons before he entered the cabinet as Home Secretary. He became Leader of the House of Lords when he was raised to the peerage the next year as Baron Grenville, of Wotton under Bernewood in the County of Buckingham.[2] The next year, in 1791, he succeeded the Duke of Leeds as Foreign Secretary. Grenville's decade as Foreign Secretary was a dramatic one, seeing the Wars of the French Revolution. During the war, Grenville was the leader of the party that focused on the fighting on the continent as the key to victory, opposing the faction of Henry Dundas which favoured war at sea and in the colonies. Grenville left office with Pitt in 1801 over the issue of Catholic Emancipation. He did part-time military service at home as Major in the Buckinghamshire Yeomanry cavalry in 1794 and as Lieutenant-Colonel in the South Buckinghamshire volunteer regiment in 1806.[3]
In his years out of office, Grenville became close to the opposition Whig leader Charles James Fox, and when Pitt returned to office in 1804, Grenville did not take part. Following Pitt's death in 1806, Grenville became the head of the "Ministry of All the Talents", a coalition between Grenville's supporters, the Foxite Whigs, and the supporters of former Prime Minister Lord Sidmouth, with Grenville as First Lord of the Treasury and Fox as Foreign Secretary as joint leaders. Grenville's cousin William Windham served as Secretary of State for War and the Colonies, and his younger brother, Thomas Grenville, served briefly as First Lord of the Admiralty. The Ministry ultimately accomplished little, failing either to make peace with France or to accomplish Catholic emancipation (the later attempt resulting in the ministry's dismissal in March, 1807). It did have one significant achievement, however, in the abolition of the slave trade in 1807.
In the years after the fall of the ministry, Grenville continued in opposition, maintaining his alliance with Lord Grey and the Whigs, criticising the Peninsular War and, with Grey, refusing to join Lord Liverpool's government in 1812. In the post-war years, Grenville gradually moved back closer to the Tories, but never again returned to the cabinet. His political career was ended by a stroke in 1823. Grenville also served as Chancellor of the University of Oxford from 1810 until his death in 1834.
Legacy [ edit ]
Historians find it hard to tell exactly what separate roles Pitt, Grenville, and Dundas played in setting war policy with France, but agree that Grenville played a major role at all times until 1801. The consensus of scholars is that war with France presented an unexpected complex of problems. There was conflict between secular ideologies, the conscription of huge armies, the new role of Russia as a continental power, and especially the sheer length and cost of the multiple coalitions. Grenville energetically worked to build and hold together the Allied coalitions, paying suitable attention to smaller members such as Denmark and Sardinia. He negotiated the complex alliance with Russia and Austria. He hoped that with British financing they would bear the brunt of ground campaigns against the French. Grenville's influence was at the maximum during the formation of the Second Coalition. His projections of easy success were greatly exaggerated, and the result was another round of disappointment. His resignation in 1801 was due primarily to the king's refusal to allow Catholics to sit in Parliament.[4]
Dropmore House [ edit ]
Dropmore House was built in the 1790s for Lord Grenville. The architects were Samuel Wyatt and Charles Tatham. Grenville knew the spot from rambles during his time at Eton College, and prized its distant views of his old school and of Windsor Castle. On his first day in occupation, he planted two cedar trees. At least another 2,500 trees were planted. By the time Grenville died, his pinetum contained the biggest collection of conifer species in Britain. Part of the post-millennium restoration is to use what survives as the basis for a collection of some 200 species.[5]
Personal life [ edit ]
Lord Grenville married the Honourable Anne, daughter of Thomas Pitt, 1st Baron Camelford, in 1792. The marriage was childless. He died in January 1834, aged 74, when the barony became extinct. Lady Grenville died in June 1863.[1]
Ministry of All the Talents [ edit ]
Changes
September 1806 – On Fox's death, Lord Howick succeeds him as Foreign Secretary and Leader of the House of Commons. Thomas Grenville succeeds Howick at the Admiralty. Lord Fitzwilliam becomes Minister without Portfolio, and Lord Sidmouth succeeds him as Lord President. Lord Holland succeeds Sidmouth as Lord Privy Seal.
Notes [ edit ]
Further reading [ edit ]Ted Cruz and Megyn Kelly tangled over immigration. (Yuri Gripas/Reuters)
This post has been updated
Fox News's Megyn Kelly -- whom Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked on Twitter this week -- tangled with a different presidential candidate over immigration Tuesday: Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.). Kelly repeatedly pressed Cruz on a question that Trump was asked on the network Monday: If a husband and a wife were undocumented immigrants and had two children who were born in the United States and citizens, would you deport the citizen children?
Cruz did not answer the question, but instead launched into an explanation of how he thinks the immigration system should be changed, starting with finding areas of bipartisan agreement such as securing the border, and then streamlining legal immigration.
"But that doesn't sound like an answer," Kelly said. "Mr. Trump answered that question explicitly last night on 'The O'Reilly Factor.' Will you do so now?"
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump released a detailed immigration plan, and its "great, great wall" is just the beginning. (Gillian Brockell/The Washington Post)
Cruz would not and instead discussed how he thinks Congress should fix the immigration system.
"You've outlined your plan, but... you're dodging my question. You don't want to answer that question?" Kelly asked.
No, said Cruz, who both smiled and sounded irritated at points, adding: "But Megyn, I'm not playing that game."
Trump -- whose immigration plan Cruz has said falls into step with his own -- said that he would deport the children. Cruz would not say how he would handle the situation.
"Megyn, I get that's the question you want to ask. That's also the question every mainstream media liberal journalist wants to ask," Cruz said.
"Is it unfair?" Kelly asked.
"It's a distraction from how we actually solve the problem. You know it's also the question Barack Obama wants to focus on," Cruz said.
"But why is it so hard?" Kelly asked. "Why don't you just say yes or no?"
Cruz did not say yes or no. Instead he pivoted back to the idea that "we need to solve the problem" of illegal immigration. "Once we solve that problem, then we can have a debate. Then we can have a conversation."
Trump attacked Kelly after she aggressively questioned him during this month's Republican presidential debate over his history of offensive statements about women.
"She gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions," Trump said in a CNN interview earlier this month. "You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever. In my opinion, she was off base."
Trump again attacked Kelly on Twitter Monday and Tuesday, including saying she was "off her game" after coming back from vacation.
[Read: Donald Trump keeps bullying Megyn Kelly on Twitter, because Donald Trump]
Fox News Chairman and CEO Roger Ailes issued a statement Tuesday calling Trump's most recent attacks on Kelly "bullying" and said it is "as unacceptable as it is disturbing."
1 of 53 Full Screen Autoplay Close Skip Ad × Ted Cruz exits the presidential race View Photos Looking back at the Texas senator’s presidential bid. Caption Looking back at the Texas senator’s presidential bid. May 3, 2016 Sen. Ted Cruz speaks with his wife, Heidi, by his side during a primary night campaign event in Indianapolis. Cruz ended his presidential campaign, eliminating the biggest impediment to Donald Trump’s march to the Republican nomination. Darron Cummings/AP Buy Photo Wait 1 second to continue.
Businessman and Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump continues to defend himself after his controversial comments about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly. (Alice Li/The Washington Post)
Correction: An earlier version of this post had the word "liberal" missing from the following quote: "That's also the question every mainstream media liberal journalist wants to ask." The quote has been amended.Tripoli: A Libyan court sentenced Muammar Gaddafi's most prominent son, Saif al-Islam, and eight others to death on Tuesday for war crimes including killing protesters during the 2011 revolution that ended his father's rule.
The former Gaddafi regime officials sentenced to die by firing squad included former intelligence chief Abdullah al-Senussi and ex-prime minister Baghdadi al-Mahmoudi, said Sadiq al-Sur, chief investigator at the Tripoli state prosecutor's office.
The trial outcome drew swift criticism abroad, with Human Rights Watch and a prominent international lawyer saying it was riddled with legal flaws and carried out amid widespread lawlessness undermining the credibility of the judiciary.
Eight ex-officials received life sentences and seven jail terms of 12 years each, Sadiq said. Four of the 37 defendants were acquitted, while others received shorter jail terms.Boys grow up by getting bigger, stronger, louder. The things that a male child is encouraged to be good at are, by and large, things esteemed in the male adolescent too. But for girls, adolescence is a time of loss. Becoming a woman means giving things up, explains Deborah Cameron in The Myth of Mars and Venus, and taking up new and feminine occupations: “In particular, [girls] abandon physical play: instead of using their bodies to do things, they start to focus on adorning them.” Somewhere in the passage between being a child and becoming a grown-up, girls learn that our bodies are not ourselves, but a portable property that we must cultivate, display, and trade for the best bargain we can make.
I stopped climbing trees. I learned to shave my legs. The grazes on my knees faded. The scabs on my shins bloomed where my clumsy razor peeled away ribbons of skin. I was embarrassed to sweat. There were no lunchtime games of netball for girls at my school – just the option to walk circuits of the field, talking, looking, always wary of a rogue shot from the boys’ football game. I decided I was not a physical person. It would be undignified to run – and so began a long career of dodging PE, which got even easier once I was at secondary school and could claim period pains. I was not a physical person, I was just rendered physically incapable of taking part by my female physiology.
I was lying when I dolefully clutched my belly and pleaded cramps, but it was true that my body was the thing stopping me: my flesh so pale and so horribly fleshy, striated with stretch marks and all the bits the wrong shapes. It felt unthinkable that I would have to go through life represented by this grotesque object. I stopped idolising the capable, outdoorsy girls of Arthur Ransome’s novels. One day I heard a reading of a short story by Janet Frame, about a young man “so bedevilled by the demands of his body that he decided to rid himself of it completely”. I listened, rapt. It seemed such an attractive solution (the story is called “Solutions”) to the problem I had with myself, and such a shame that it did not work out better for the young man: in the end, some mice mistake his disembodied brain for a prune, and eat him, or what’s left of him.
The insistence that women are no more than our bodies has historically been a means to limit us, tying us to the supposed power of our hormones like dogs chained to stakes, extending the symbolic nothingness imposed on the holes and hollows of our bodies to void our claims to humanity. A clever girl can answer that by declaring “I am not my body”, but it is a bad answer. Only women are asked to choose between being our bodies and being a person. The male body is uncontroversially a human body, conferring human status. A female one is a liability, a disgrace. Safer not to see yourself within it, but to set yourself apart, and imagine your body as a thing to be improved and exploited.
There are several fields open to the woman who accepts the escapologist’s vision of her body as object. Prostitution, for example: a frequent defense of prostitution is that the women within it “don’t sell themselves, they sell a service”, as if that service didn’t involve the most intimate access to the body, as if our bodies were not ourselves. Or commercial surrogacy, where a fertile womb is simply a warehouse that can be leased over and over. These things are perfectly consistent with a society that treats the female body as a thing, and so too is the dull grind of obligation sex, where women dutifully make their bodies available for their partners’ satisfaction, with no expectation of their own pleasure.
It’s only possible to believe all those things are harmless if you believe there’s no one at home in the female body to be harmed. It’s a useful fiction for those who find women’s humanity an inconvenience, but it is a fiction. The young man of Janet Frame’s story, finally rid of his hateful body, “could never any more proclaim his identity… nor could he see that he was lying in a dustbin; nor could he feel anything except a roaring, like the sound in an empty shell which houses only the memory of the tide”. You cannot escape your body; there is no you without it. Our being resides in our limbs, our skin and all our senses.
Which is why I cried at Caitlin Moran’s letter to troubled teenage girls. “Pretend you are your own baby,” she says. “ Your body wants to live – that’s all and everything it was born to do. Let it do that, in the safety you provide it. Protect it.” I wished that I had thought of those words at 12, at 16, at 22, at all the times I’d made my body my adversary. But I wished also that I and every other girl had never been pushed through that brutal border crossing which makes you an alien in your own skin. I wish that girls would never have to pretend they are their own baby, because they were never forced into exile from themselves. You are your body, and your body – tender, needy, sticky and vulnerable – is a beautiful and human thing.This evening's statistics on U.S. monetary statistics show that MZM fell sharply in the week to October 6, from $8693.3 billion to $8638.6 billion (My own calculations based on numbers available here. To calculate MZM, you subtract small time deposits from M2 and then add Institutional Money Funds). That's a decline of more than 0.6% in a week. It is now down 1.2% from its peak in July.Even M1 and M2 fell back last week, though they (particularly M1) are unlike MZM still up significantly compared to late July.This provides an explanation of the massive combined stock- and commodity price sell-off in recent weeks. As long as this monetary contraction continues, we will likely see a continued bear market in stocks and commodities.This decline has happened despite the record fast expansion of the monetary base created by the Fed's various schemes to prop up the banking system. It thus seems that at least for now, the inflationary effects of the Fed's various schemes have been overwhelmed by the deflationary effects of the increased risk premiums created by the recent financial distress.One thing interesting to note is that even as the quantity of deposit money is declining, traditional paper and metal money (aka cash aka currency in circulation) is increasing at a record fast pace, being up nearly $10 billion or 1.25% in 3 weeks. This mirrors the development during the Great Depression when currency in circulation increased rapidly even as overall money supply fell fast, as popular mistrust in banks caused people to withdraw their deposit money and hold them as notes and coins. These numbers indicate a similar development (although so far much less dramatic, but that might change).Select Page 1 - Introduction 2 - Test Setup 3 - Deus Ex: Human Revolution 4 - F.E.A.R. 3 5 - DiRT 3 6 - Dragon Age II 7 - Battlefield: Bad Company 2 8 - Overclocking 9 - Power - Temp - Fan Noise 10 - Conclusion
Date: Monday, September 19, 2011 Author: Grady McKinney Editor: Brent Justice
GIGABYTE HD6770 Silent Cell CFX Video Card Review Today we'll find out if two of GIGABYTE's HD6770 Silent Cell cards can match the performance of a Radeon HD 6950. We were impressed with how this no-fan silent configuration CrossFireX setup performed. However, is it worth $280 against the falling prices of the Radeon HD 6950?
Introduction
Gigabyte is a hardware manufacturer and one of the most respected PC component builders in the business today. The company was established in 1986 in Taipei, Taiwan, and is best known for its motherboards. Gigabyte has a vast product line, including motherboards, graphics cards, notebooks, LCDs, mobile devices, tablet computers, computer cases, and many other PC peripherals.
On our test bench today are two of GIGABYTE's HD6770 Silent Cell cards sporting GIGABYTE's Silent Cell cooling system that includes no fans, just one huge heat sink. It is currently the only silent solution for an HD 6770 on the market. We want to know if two off these in a CrossFireX setup can be a silent solution to a Radeon HD 6950. We will also see how they do against a Radeon HD 6950 and NVIDIA GeForce GTX 570 which are both in the comparable price range. This is the most powerful silent CrossFireX solution possible.
AMD Radeon HD 6770
The AMD Radeon HD 6770 is based on the same hardware as the ATI Radeon HD 5700 series. The only real difference between the HD 6700 and HD 5700 series is the sticker on the cards and a few BIOS changes that were made after AMD integrated the ATI brand name.
The Radeon HD 6770 is comprised of 1.04 billion transistors, providing 800 streaming processors, 40 texture units, 16 color rasterizers, and 64 Z/Stencil ROPs. It boast 1.36 TFLOPS of computer power on the GPU, texture fill rate of 34.0 Gigatexels per second, and a pixel fill rate of 13.6 Gigatexels per second. The HD 6770 has 1024MB of GDDR5 memory clocked at 1200MHz (or 4.8GHz DDR) on a 128-bit bus. Its memory bus boasts a maximum theoretical throughput of 76.8 Gbps. There are three output ports, including one DVI port, one DisplayPort, and one HDMI port.
GIGABYTE HD6770 Silent Cell
The GIGABYTE HD6770 Silent Cell card features many of GIGABYTE's trademark features. These include their Ultra Durable VGA components. On board you will find Japanese Solid Capacitors, Tier 1 Samsung/Hynix memory, and Ferrite Core chokes. GIGABYTE claims these will increase overclocking ability by 10%-30%. The Ultra Durable VGA components also reduce power switching loss by 10%-30%, and reduce GPU core temperatures by 5%-10%. GIGABYTE Also built the card from the ground up on their custom 2oz Copper PCB. Double the copper than runs through a normal graphics PCB, which helps spread heat evenly across the card. You can read more about GIGABYTE's Ultra Durable VGA components here.
The most interesting, and unique part of this particular HD 6770, is the Silent Cell cooling system from GIGABYTE. When we first took this card out of the box we were surprised with how light the card was with such a huge heat sink. The reason being, the heat sink is made Ultra-thin layered Aluminum fins with an extremely large surface area. This particular card has four high performance heat pipes that spread to four areas on the heat sink. Directly contacting the GPU is a copper base, that also has four thermal heat pads that sit on top of the memory. The full idea behind the Silent Cell cooling system involves case fans which help move heat out of the case. You can read more about Silent Cell cooling here.
One GIGABYTE HD6770 Silent Cell card is currently going on Newegg for $138.99, putting the cost of two of these at $278. Newegg has 2-day free shipping available. This video card has a 3 year limited parts and labor warranty and a copy of DiRT 3.
The front of the box has a cutout window with a clear piece of plastic over it so you can see the card inside. There is a second, thicker clear piece of plastic inside the box that helps keep the card safe from damage. The front also talks about the Ultra Durable VGA components, and mentions the 3 year warranty. The back of the box gets more detailed talking about each individual Ultra Durable VGA component. It also talks about the Silent Cell cooling, with a picture of the case and airflow intended for this card.
The card did not come wrapped in an antistatic bag like we have grown accustomed to. One of the cards also came loose of its packaging during shipping. There was no damage done to it, because the foam packaging inside would not let it move too much, but it would bounce around some if you shook it. The accessory bundle with one 6-pin PCI-E to dual-Molex connector and a CrossFireX bridge. The soft bundle came with a multi language user manual/installation guide, and a driver installation disk.
As you can see, most of the card is covered in an enormous heat sink. As we mentioned above the heat sink is compromised of several Aluminum fins with a large surface area for heat to spread to. We took the heat sink off by removing the four mounting screws on the back of the card. There are four thermal heat pads that sit on top of the memory. The thermal paste in the middle of the copper base sits on the GPU.
The only annoying thing that we dealt with on this card was plugging in and removing the 6-pin PCI-E power connector. It is in an extremely difficult spot to get to and the sharp aluminum blades made it a bit painful to get in and out. Dimensions of the card are 10.75 inches in Length, 6.25 in Height, and 1.5 inches in Width.
The Competition
Right now Newegg has the GIGABYTE HD6770 Silent Cell available for $138.99. The total cost of two of these would be $278. We want to find out how it will compete against a Radeon HD 6950, which can be had for as low as $244.99 after MIR, while most HD 6950's range between $240 and $280. Also in this price range is NVIDIA's GeForce GTX 570 which can be had for as low as $289.99 after MIR, while most of the GTX 570 market ranges between $330 and $370.
It is worth noting here that the Radeon HD 6950 has 2048MB (2GB) of memory on-board, while the GeForce GTX 570 has 1280MB (1.25GB). Each of the GIGABYTE HD6770 Silent Cell video cards have 1024MB (1GB). Remember that in a CrossFireX configuration, the video memory of each card contains copied data. This means the 2GB present in our GIGABYTE HD6770 Silent Cell CFX can only be effectively utilized as 1GB.David Cameron has been attacked by a cabinet minister who said his 'luxury lifestyle' meant he couldn't understand real people's EU fears over the effects of mass migration.
Employment minister Priti Patel said the Prime Minister and other top Remain campaigners who went to public schools were 'insulated' from how working people felt about immigration.
She doesn't name Mr Cameron or the Chancellor George Osborne but has made clear her targets in the broadside are the leaders of the Remain side.
The MP for Witham said only a vote to leave the European Union would lead to lowering immigration numbers.
Employment minister Priti Patel said the Prime Minister and other top Remain campaigners who went to public schools were 'insulated' from how working people felt about immigration levels
She doesn't name Mr Cameron or the Chancellor George Osborne but has made clear her targets in the broadside are the leaders of the Remain side
Speaking to The Telegraph she said: 'It's shameful that those leading the pro-EU campaign fail to care for those who do not have their advantages.
'Their narrow self-interest fails to pay due regard to the interests of the wider public.'
A Downing Street spokesman said Ms Patel was trying to take voters' attention from the economic consequences of leaving the EU.
Criticism from both the Remain and Leave side has become more personal in recent days with less than a month to go until the referendum on June 23.
This week migration has featured heavily in EU debates.
Net EU migration to the UK reached a record 184,000 during 2015 - against a government target of 'tens of thousands'.
A total of 333,000 more people arrived in the country than left, when also including migrants from outside the EU.
Many in the Leave side think migration is the key to winning the referendum as they look for an advantage to overcome consistent polling which places them behind Remain.
Mr Cameron told Muslim News the language used by the Leave side when describing foreigners was harmful to minority groups.
He said Muslims were offended by claims Turkish criminals and terrorists would come to the UK if the country voted to remain in the EU.
John Whittingdale, Theresa Villiers, Michael Gove, Chris Grayling, Iain Duncan Smith and Priti Patel attend the launch of the Vote Leave campaign at the group's headquarters in central London
Michael Gove warned that David Cameron's 'apocalyptic warnings' on Brexit will harm his credibility if they turn out to be false
Turkey as well as Albania are looking to join the EU which Leave campaigners say would increase migration to the UK.
'Many British Muslims will be offended by the way they are trying to frighten people,' he said.
'I think it's a sign of desperation.'
Ms Patel, who herself is the daughter of Indian Gujaratis, added: 'For many of those arguing for Remain, the day-to-day consequences of this loss of control are pretty much all gain and no pain: inexpensive domestic help, willing tradesmen and convenient, cheap travel.
'So when Remain campaigners talk about the economy, they don't think about working people's personal finances – the potential hit to their pay packets.'
According the The Telegraph, a Number 10 source said Ms Patel's attack was attempting to take the focus away from economists and experts who back the Remain side.
Tory warfare on Europe has seen new levels of personalised attacks as Brexit heavyweights turned on the Prime Minister with Justice Secretary Michael Gove warning David Cameron's credibility is now on the line.
Boris Johnson addresses members of the public in Parliament St, York during the Brexit Battle Bus tour
Prime Minister David Cameron delivers a speech campaigning to stay in the EU at Luton Airport
The onslaught included Boris Johnson insisting the PM is having a 'corrosive' impact on public trust in politicians.
Tory tensions exploded as Mr |
by an ideological crusade than the desire to emerge on top – not unlike the candidate who now employs him.
To some, the Trump-Bannon partnership simply marks the consummation of a long, happy rapport. During his tenure as the executive chairman of Breitbart, Bannon spent the greater part of the last year promoting Trump’s candidacy: where others fled or scolded Trump’s declaration that Mexican immigrants were “rapists” and “killers”, Breitbart News echoed the call.
Bannon was a presence in the newsroom, often hopping on daily editorial calls and making his views clear. Staff present for the discussions, including Shapiro and Kurt Bardella, who previously served as a media consultant to Breitbart, said Bannon aggressively pushed stories against immigrants, and supported linking minorities to terrorism and crime.
It was catnip for the site’s growing audience of the so-called “alt-right”, a far-right group that merges race and nationalism and has largely embraced Trump. For all his antagonism toward the media, the Republican nominee has publicly lavished praise on Breitbart, even though his former campaign manager Corey Lewandoski was charged with battery against one of the website’s reporters, Michelle Fields, when she tried to ask Trump a question.
Bannon, rather than defend Fields, used Breitbart as a vehicle to discredit her story and her character. Fields resigned, as did Shapiro and Bardella.
“That was really a crystallization of how his pursuit of a relationship with Trump superseded the welfare of his reporters,” Bardella said. “It was that moment of clarity where they’re so in for Trump that they’re willing to throw one of their own overboard even when that person is the victim of the situation.”
Shapiro soon rebranded Breitbart as “Trump Pravda”, and said that many staffers were increasingly concerned about their future. The site was spinning away from its crusade to hold liberal media and establishment Republicans to account, they felt. They worried about instead turning into shills for the Trump campaign.
It was not just the obvious support for Trump that troubled employees, but also the clear objective of Bannon to diminish the former reality TV star’s opponents in the Republican primary. The website ran overwhelmingly unfavorable coverage of Marco Rubio and Jeb Bush, both established Florida politicians, especially with articles about the bilingual candidates’ support for immigration reform.
“His whole mindset in general was: ‘We need to go after Rubio, we need to go after Bush,’” said Bardella.
The focus on Rubio was particularly relentless, as the Florida senator emerged as one of the final candidates in the race. Stories ran near daily with headlines asserting that, if Rubio were elected president, immigrants and terrorists would stream across the US border.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Marco Rubio: a friend to immigrants and terrorists, according to Steve Bannon’s Breitbart. Photograph: Lynne Sladky/AP
“He hates Marco,” said one former employee, who requested anonymity to speak freely. “There was definitely a decision to promote the work of writers with an extreme anti-Rubio bent.”
Similar treatment has been directed toward House speaker Paul Ryan in recent months, with Bannon working behind the scenes to push his long-shot primary challenger, Paul Nehlen. One story criticized Ryan for having a fence around his home in Wisconsin, with the implication that the speaker was willing to wall off his own house but not the US border.
Bannon was “absolutely fuelling the energy” behind Nehlen, a former staffer said.
Spokespeople for Ryan and Rubio declined to comment.
Even Ted Cruz, an ultraconservative senator once covered favorably by Breitbart, was not spared the site’s acidic treatment of Trump’s opponents. A report published by the Hill detailed how Bannon slowly turned against the Texas senator. In particular, Breitbart seized on Trump’s attacks on Cruz’s citizenship – the senator was born to an American mother in Canada – much in the way it spread false “birther” ideas against Barack Obama.
It was a remarkable turnaround, given that just under a year prior, Breitbart reporter Matthew Boyle had been invited to observe Cruz’s bedtime ritual with his children – and subsequently produced a report portraying the senator in a glowing light.
Although they criticized his methods, those who worked under Bannon acknowledged a tireless devotion to creating an empire too influential to ignore, and his success so far.
Given its popularity among grassroots conservatives and Bannon’s “take-no prisoners” approach, few Republican candidates or lawmakers are brazen enough to pick a fight with the website.
Both Rubio and Bush continued to engage with Breitbart during the Republican primary, for example, even as they were targeted by much of its coverage.
At the height of the primary, a visibly frustrated Rubio mocked Breitbart’s credibility on Fox News, accusing them of publishing “conspiracy theories”. He has nonetheless continued to provide at least some of their reporters with interviews dubbed exclusives.
Bannon “has taken where the Breitbart brand essentially was before the election – considered by many as outliers – and made it a sheer force of will”, Bardella said. “He’s been able to advance an agenda.
“And now he’s the right-hand person to a would-be president.”
Though Bannon has only had a few days in charge of Trump’s campaign, his former employees said he would stand in stark contrast to former chairman Paul Manafort, who resigned on Friday. While Manafort tried to steer Trump toward a more moderate general election strategy, little will be off limits for Bannon, they said.
His motto, as Shapiro put it, will be simple: “Let Trump be Trump.”How Much is Too Much? : Flawed and Outdated Daily Values, Industry Marketing, Put Children at Risk
FDA’s Daily Values are outdated
Most consumers are familiar with the Nutrition Facts panel detailing the nutritional content of packaged foods. Most consumers are also familiar with the percent Daily Value numbers the panels listed for many nutrients. What most consumers don’t realize, however, is that these Daily Values were calculated only for adults, or that they were set in the 1960s and have never been updated.
The FDA’s goal at that time was to help consumers avoid nutritional deficiencies. Over the last 50 years, however, such deficiencies have become uncommon, and the opposite problem has emerged. Today, the FDA’s Daily Values exceed the Tolerable Upper Intake Levels for children 8 and younger calculated by the federal Institute of Medicine (Table 8). (For a complete analysis, see Appendix C).
Table 8: FDA’s current adult Daily Values for vitamin A, zinc and niacin exceed IOM’s Tolerable Upper Intake levels for children 8 and younger
Fortified nutrient FDA Daily Value for adults and children 4 or older The IOM Tolerable Upper Intake Level for 4-to-8-year-olds FDA Daily Value for children less than 4 years The IOM Tolerable Upper Intake Level for 1-to-3-year-olds Vitamin A* 5,000 IU (1500 mg RAE) 900 mg/d RAE 2,500 IU (750 mg RAE/d) 600 mg/d RAE Zinc 15 mg/day 12 mg/d 8 mg/day 7 mg/d Niacin 20 mg/day 15 mg/d 9 mg/day 10 mg/d
* Current FDA Daily Value for vitamin A is expressed in the outdated form of international units (IU). 5,000 IU corresponds to 1,500 μg (microgram) of Retinol Activity Equivalents (RAE).
FIGURE 1: Examples of 3 cereals that have displayed Daily Values for adults and children
Source: This sample Nutrition Facts panel, rendered by EWG, is based on the Nutrition Facts from Post C is for Cereal.
There are two major reasons that children are consuming excessive fortified nutrients in food. The first is that food manufacturers discovered that adding nutrients and putting health claims on packaging sells products, which has made voluntary fortification of certain types of foods ubiquitous. The second reason is simply that the FDA’s outdated dietary Daily Values on Nutrition Facts labels are based on adult dietary needs. They were set in 1968 – more than 40 years ago – when the primary concerns were still nutritional deficiencies (NRC 1968). The current disconnect between current Daily Values for nutrition labeling and children’s actual nutrition needs puts millions of American children at risk of excessive exposure to vitamin A, zinc and niacin.
The Daily Values for nutrition labeling, used on a vast majority of products, are defined by the FDA as “reference values, based on a 2,000 calorie intake, for adults and children 4 and more years of age.” The FDA also publishes a table with Daily Values for infants, children younger than four and pregnant and lactating women, but these are almost never used on product labels (FDA 2007).
The current FDA Daily Value for adults and children 4 and older is 2.5-to-3.75 times the recommended dietary allowance for the 4-to-8-year-old group for vitamin A, zinc, and niacin. The FDA Daily Values for children less than 4 years are 1.5-to-2.7 times the Institute of Medicine’s recommended dietary allowances.
The FDA tried to update its Daily Values in 1991-1992 in the process of implementing the Nutrition Labeling and Education Act of 1990 (IOM 2010). At the time, the FDA proposed to reset the Daily Values to the IOM’s Recommended Dietary Allowances, which would have brought the Daily Values on nutrition labels in line with then-current science. However, on Oct. 6, 1992, under heavy lobbying by the vitamin and supplement manufacturers, Congress passed the Dietary Supplement Act of 1992 that instructed the FDA not to promulgate for at least one year any regulations based upon updated Recommended Dietary Allowances (IOM 2010).
As a result, the window of opportunity provided by the law’s implementation was lost and the 1968 Daily Values remained the basis of the Nutrition Label. In the absence of political will, FDA has never implemented any of the Institute of Medicine recommendations, particularly recommendations on protecting children from excessive exposure to fortified vitamins and minerals (IOM 2003; IOM 2005). The FDA’s fortification policy dates back to 1980 and has not been revised based on new science, even as fortification of food products has expanded significantly (Dwyer 2014; FDA 1980; Yamini 2012).
Despite the evidence of potential risks, manufacturers of vitamins and fortified food continue to advocate for fortification. Publications by manufacturers and industry-supported scientists overemphasize the nutritional deficiencies of some groups and downplay the reality that young children today are at greater risk from excessive intake from fortified foods and dietary supplements (CRN 2014; McBurney 2013; Murphy 2013; Yates 2006).
FDA’s proposed changes to nutrition labels must go further
In order to protect children from the risks of excessive intake of fortified nutrients, it is urgent to update the dietary values used for nutrition labeling to reflect the latest science. It is also important for Nutrition Facts labels to list the actual amounts of micronutrients added, rather than only the percent Daily Values, since dietary needs vary significantly by age and gender. A single set of dietary values cannot address this diversity. Products specifically developed for children should be required to list age-specific Daily Values.
In March 2014, the FDA proposed revisions to the Nutrition Facts label (FDA 2014b). These revisions are a good start but are insufficient to protect children’s health from exposure to excessive fortified nutrients. Under the proposed rules, the Daily Value for nutrition labeling for 1-to-3-year-old children would be set at the Institute of Medicine’s Recommended Dietary Allowance for this age. This is an important step forward, and EWG strongly supports FDA’s decision to update the Daily Values for 1-to-3-year-olds based on the Institute’s recommendations.
In contrast, the FDA’s proposed Daily Values are inappropriate for 4-to-8-year-old children. The proposed vitamin A Daily Value for adults and children 4 or older is the same as the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for 4-to-8-year old children. The proposed Daily Value for niacin is higher than the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for this age group (Table 9).
Table 9: Proposed FDA Daily Values do not protect 4-to-8-year-olds
Fortified nutrient Tolerable Upper Intake Level for 4-to-8-year-olds Current FDA Daily Value for adults and children 4 or older Proposed FDA Daily Value for adults and children 4 older Vitamin A 900 mg/day RAE 1,500 mg/day RAE 900 mg/day RAE Zinc 12 mg/day 15 mg/day 11 mg/day Niacin 15 mg/day 20 mg/day 16 mg/day
FDA. Food Labeling: Revision of the Nutrition and Supplement Facts Labels. Fed. Reg. Vol 79, No. 41, 11879 -11987, March 3, 2014.
The Daily Values used for nutrition labeling must be age-specific for 1-to-3-year-olds and 4-to-8-year-olds. Children 4-to-8-years-old cannot be grouped with adults, as is currently the case. They eat a different diet than adults do; their bodies are smaller; their vitamin and mineral needs are different; and their tolerance for excessive intake of vitamins and minerals is much lower. Combining 4-to-8-year-olds with adults for the purpose of nutrition labeling makes no scientific sense and leads to potentially harmful over-exposures to fortified vitamins and minerals.
For 17 vitamins and minerals, the FDA’s recently proposed Daily Values are at least twice the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDA) for 4-to-8-year-old children. This is clearly problematic. (See Appendix C for a detailed analysis.)
EWG’s review of 1,556 cereals found that the vast majority of Nutrition Facts labels reflect only the adult Daily Values, including on products clearly marketed to children. A few products do list daily values for children younger than four. For example, Post Foods Sesame Street C is for Cereal and some General Mills’ Cheerios products (original formulation) list both adult and daily values on the label and display Nutrition Facts based on FDA’s Daily Values for children under four (General Mills 2014; Post Foods 2013). EWG also found a Kellogg’s Sesame Street Rice Krispies cereal from late 1990s that listed daily values for children under 4. Such practices are entirely voluntary, however, and are rare.
FIGURE 2: Examples of 3 cereals that have displayed Daily Values for adults and children
Source: Products purchased by EWG. General Mills Cheerios cereal was bought in Washington, DC in April 2014. Post C is for Cereal and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies were bought online, as cereal boxes. While the original purchase date for these two products is not available, the dates stamped on the box indicate that Post C for Cereal is a current formulation (expiration date Jan 22 2014) and Kellogg’s Rice Krispies is a formulation from 1990s (expiration date Feb 05 2001).
The FDA has also proposed to change the portion sizes listed on nutrition labels for some foods and beverages to more accurately reflect the amounts that Americans, including children, actually eat (FDA 2014c). For cereals, however, the agency did not propose any changes for serving sizes. FDA’s own data show that the average American eats 30 percent more than the labeled serving sizes for the most popular category of cold cereals, medium-density cereals weighing between 20 and 43 grams. The FDA’s reference serving size amount for these cereals is 30 grams, but its analysis of food consumption data from the 2003-2008 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) showed that the
medium amount eaten is actually 39 grams. The 30 percent difference between the amount actually eaten and the reference serving size exceeds FDA’s 25 percent bar for updating serving sizes (FDA 2014c).
Given that many American children eat more cereal at a sitting than the unrealistically small serving sizes listed on labels, children are getting even more nutrients than it appears. EWG calls on the FDA to update the cereal serving sizes cited on Nutrition Facts labels to accurately reflect the larger amounts that Americans actually eat.
FDA should curb the use of excessive fortification as a marketing tool
The FDA’s non-enforceable food fortification policy was published in 1980 and has not been updated since, despite the growth of the fortified food market (Dwyer 2014; FDA 1980; Yamini 2012). There is no official guidance in the United States today on how much fortification is safe in foods eaten by various age groups.
With no legal limits for fortification of most products, manufacturers are essentially allowed to add virtually any amount of vitamin A and zinc to breakfast cereals or snacks. And many add much higher amounts of niacin than the FDA requires in enriched grain-based products. The lack of food fortification regulation in the United States contrasts with official policy in other developed countries. For example, Germany’s Federal Institute for Risk Assessment recommends against vitamin A fortification of foods other than margarine and butter spreads and against any food fortification with zinc (BfR 2005; BfR 2006).
In August 2013, the FDA announced that it would study how nutrient content claims affect consumers’ attitudes about food products, saying that the agency “does not encourage the addition of nutrients to certain food products (including sugars or snack foods such as [cookies] candies, and carbonated beverages). The agency said it wants to examine whether “fortification of these foods could cause consumers to believe that substituting fortified snack foods for more nutritious foods would ensure a nutritionally sound diet” (FDA 2013). The newfound concern over this now common practice is welcome, but it is also “too little, too late.”
As a result of unregulated food fortification, heavy industry marketing using added nutrients and associated health claims, and frequent use of dietary supplements, American children 8 and younger are getting too much vitamin A, zinc and niacin, which could lead to negative health effects (Bailey 2012b; Butte 2010; Fulgoni 2011; IOM 2003; IOM 2005). Consuming too much vitamin A from fortified food and supplements could also pose health risks to pregnant women and to older adults.
Some important dietary inadequacies still exist, such as insufficient intake of vitamin A, C, D and E, calcium and magnesium among adults and teenagers (see Appendix B). But with the exception of vitamins D and E and calcium, dietary inadequacies are rare among children 8 and younger.
EWG compared the prevalence of vitamin and mineral insufficiency among Americans with fortification levels in two of the most commonly fortified foods, ready-to-eat breakfast cereals and snack bars. It reveals a clear disconnect between what Americans actually need and the amounts found in the most heavily fortified foods. (See Appendix B)
EWG also identified 20 cereals that contain multiple vitamins and minerals added at 100 percent of the current adult Daily Value in a single serving. (See Table A3 in Appendix A for the full list.) Nineteen feature a claim advertising their vitamin and mineral content. Two cereals use the number “100” in the product name itself (Food Lion Whole Grain 100 and Stop & Shop Source 100). Four products highlight the 100 percent Daily Value per serving for specific nutrients such as vitamin C, vitamin E or iron. Fourteen highlight the presence of multiple fortified vitamins with terms such as “100 percent Daily Value”, “Excellent Source,” “Good Source,” “With/Provides Essential Vitamins and Minerals” or “Antioxidants.”
Such marketing strategies, fully legal under the FDA’s outdated policy, drive excessive fortification and pose a risk of over-exposure for some age groups, particularly children 8 and younger. In its 2003 report on the Guiding Principles for Nutrition Labeling and Fortification, the prestigious Institute of Medicine wrote, “Manufacturers often adjust the quantities of particular ingredients or discretionary fortificants so that their products can be shown in the Nutrition Facts box to have a higher percent DV for some nutrients and a lower percent DV for others.” The report highlighted that some manufacturing practices may result in unnecessary, excessive intake of fortified nutrients. The potential harmful effects are of greatest concern for nutrients for which the Daily Value used on nutrition labels is close to or exceeds the Tolerable Upper Intake Level for young children (IOM 2003).
The concern over excessive fortification of food as a marketing tool is not new. As far back as 1990, the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on the Nutrition Components of Food Labeling wrote that “the use of [Daily Value] percentages creates undesirable incentives for manufacturers to over-fortify foods in order to achieve ‘100 percent of your [or the government’s] requirements’” (IOM 1990).
EWG believes the FDA should update its food fortification policy to bring it in line with current science and with the Institute of Medicine’s recommendations on the necessary and safe intakes of added vitamins and minerals. The agency should also rein in the use of excessive fortification as a marketing tool. So long as food fortification remains at the discretion of manufacturers, EWG recommends that parents give their children 8 and younger foods with not more than 20-to-25 percent of the adult Daily Value for vitamin A, zinc and niacin.Nearly a year ago, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) decided to stop funding research in a promising area of stem cell science. Scientists eager to find new ways to generate desperately needed human organs or tissues to replace damaged or diseased ones have been excited by the possibility of inserting a specific type of human stem cell, which has the potential to turn into any type of tissue, into animals, where they could develop and eventually be transplanted into humans. The process creates human-animal chimeras, similar to those highlighted in science fiction, where humans take on animal-like features and animals take on human characteristics. The NIH decided to stop funding such research over concerns about the unpredictable consequences and ethically unresolved questions that such chimeras raise.
But the agency now says that it will lift the ban and put in place a review process that would require two types of chimera studies to get further review. These include experiments in which human stem cells are added to very early embryos of other animals, and studies in which the human stem cells are injected into the brains of mammals other than rats and mice.
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The decision could reinvigorate the next phase of stem cell research, which has always been plagued by controversy and ethical concerns over how such powerful cells, which can theoretically seed new human beings, are handled. The NIH will continue to ban studies in which chimeras are allowed to reproduce, or in which human stem cells are injected into early embryos of our closely related primates.
But for researchers like Juan Carlos Izpisua Belmonte at the Salk Institute, it represents an opportunity. Belmonte is studying ways to produce human tissues for transplant but has been working a collaborators in Spain since his studies are not permitted in the U.S. “The possibility of NIH supporting our current program of research will enhance and accelerate our goals toward function integration of patient derived cells into a developing embryo from a different species,” he said to TIME in an email. Such studies will not only potentially provide new sources of human tissues for transplant but also help expose some of the still mysterious ways that diseases like cancer develop.
Contact us at editors@time.com.Sgt. Scott Lunger who was fatally shot during a traffic stop in Hayward on Wednesday is remembered by many in the local community. Bob Redell reports. (Published Thursday, July 23, 2015)
More than 100 people gathered late Wednesday for a vigil to honor a California police officer who was fatally shot.
The officer, identified as 48-year-old Sergeant Scott Lunger, was shot during a traffic stop earlier in the day, police said.
Speaking at a press conference, Hayward Police Capt. Mark Koller said: "[Scott] was always out there, eager to get involved. He was engaged in the community."
Crime Scene Photos: Hayward Police Officer Killed
Koller deemed Lunger's death a "tremendous loss" and Wednesday a "dark day for the community of Hayward, the Hayward Police Department, the family of [the] department and the men and women of law enforcement."
The shooting occurred at 3:14 a.m. in the vicinity of Myrtle and Lion streets, police said.
Lunger stopped a vehicle whose driver was "observed driving erratically," police said. But when he got out of his car and approached the driver's side of the vehicle, its occupant opened fire without warning, they added.
A second officer, who was present at the scene and did not sustain injuries, fired back. But the suspect fled despite being struck, police said. The entire exchange lasted about 45 seconds, they added.
Police also said that the suspect vehicle, believed to be a white GMC pickup truck, was later recovered in Oakland. Abandoned at an intersection, the car was reportedly riddled with bullet holes on the driver's side door.
Based on information found in the vehicle, police were able to identify a "person of interest" and ensure that he no longer posed a "threat to the community," Koller said.
The suspect, 21-year-old Mark Estrada, was arrested Wednesday afternoon when he was admitted to San Leandro Hospital and then transferred to Highland Hospital to be treated for a gunshot wound, police sources told NBC Bay Area.
Authorities said they are not searching for any other suspects at this time.
Citing the active investigation, which is in its early — and most "crucial" — stage, Koller declined to furnish additional details. Providing information prematurely could "jeapordize" ongoing police work, he said.
But Koller didn't hold back when talking about Lunger.
He said the 15-year veteran who was promoted to sergeant in 2009 was "well liked" and "well respected" — in short, an "ideal" police officer. The pair were "close [friends]," Koller said, noting that Lunger was an "accomplished" member of the police department's gang and SWAT teams, and also helped train young police officers.
There was an emotional procession outside Hayward City Hall following the shooting death of Hayward Police Sergeant Scott Lunger, Wednesday, July 22, 2015.
Photo credit: NBC Bay Area
"Scott loved this job," Koller said. "He did it eagerly. It is a tragedy that this has happened, that someone has done this. … The department is devastated but we are pulling together and we will get through this."
The California Highway Patrol, Alameda County Sheriff's Department and District Attorney's Office, and San Jose, San Leandro and Union City police departments are assisting Hayward police.
Thanking all those who have come forward to support the department, Koller said the "outpouring is overwhelming."
Earlier in the day, Lieutenant Eric Krimm deemed the shooting "devastating to the officers involved and to the community."
“No officer comes to work wanting to be involved in something like that so [officer-involved shootings are] very difficult,” he noted. “They’re difficult for those involved, they’re difficult for the families, they’re difficult for the communities.”
According to the Hayward police department's "Officer Down Memorial Page," three officers have been killed in the line of duty — most recently in 1987.
"Unfortunately, a police officer’s job is very dangerous and as we can see today... there's nothing routine about what our officers do," Koller said. "There are times [when] they have no idea who they’re stopping … Tragedy happens immediately and without warning."
NBC Bay Area's chopper showed heavy police presence at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley where Lunger was taken. Law enforcement officers saluted as a casket carrying the slain officer's body was loaded into a vehicle.
On Wednesday, news of Lunger's death rocked Bay Area's law enforcement agencies.
Captain Christopher Sherry, commander of the CHP in San Francisco, wrote on Twitter: "My thoughts and Prayers are with the Hayward PD. This is a very sad day for all law enforcement. #GodSpeed"
Mountain View police echoed the same sentiment.
"We mourn with our brothers + sisters of the HaywardPD + family of the fallen," they tweeted. "Rest peacefully Sgt. Scott Lunger."
Police said anyone wishing to make a donation for the Lunger family can contact the Hayward Police Officers Association at 510-293-5010.
NBC Bay Area's Ian Cull, Stephanie Chuang, Bob Redell and Shawn Murphy contributed to this report.Hacktivist group Anonymous has finally turned its attention to the People’s Republic of China, claiming to have defaced more than 480 web sites over the past few days including government sites, whilst urging Chinese hackers to join its cause.
The group apparently began its campaign in the region with the launch of its AnonymousChina Twitter account, which seems to have begun tweeting on 30 March.
In a list posted to Pastebin, the group claimed to have defaced over 480 sites, including several belonging to regional Chinese government organisations in areas such as Chengdu and Dalian.
In several separate posts Anonymous also claimed to have hacked and leaked user names, password details, phone numbers and emails from various government sites.
All the sites on the list we tried now appear to have been taken down, although the Wall Street Journal managed to take a screen grab showing the following message in English:
Dear Chinese government, you are not infallible, today websites are hacked, tomorrow it will be your vile regime that will fall. So expect us because we do not forgive, never. What you are doing today to your Great People, tomorrow will be inflicted to you. With no mercy.
According to the WSJ, the message also contained a link to an Anonymous site detailing how Chinese web users can bypass the Great Firewall, although at the time of writing this site appears to have been killed.
Not content with that, the group also posted another message to Pastebin, urging the Chinese people to revolt.
“So, we are writing this message to tell you that you should protest, you should revolt yourself protesting and who has the skills for hacking and programming and design and other ‘computer things’ come to our IRC,” the note read.
This is the first major Anonymous campaign targeting China, which is somewhat strange given the government’s hardline stance on web censorship and human rights - two issues guaranteed to get the group's attention.
In fact, the hacking of several minor regional government sites is unlikely to cause much consternation at Communist Party headquarters, and the group’s messages on Pastebin and posted on the defaced sites will largely have failed to reach their audience given that they were written in English.
Anonymous seems to be working on the latter issue, however, having sent a tweet out calling for help from would-be translators.
Given China’s strict web controls on social media, it’s unlikely that the group will be able to broadcast its message on platforms such as Sina Weibo and Tencent Weibo, so for the time being it’ll have to stick to Twitter – banned in China – and defacing web sites. ®Hussen Abase, Amira’s father, urges her to come home as UK counter-terrorism officers face scrutiny over girls’ possible online radicalisation
The father of one of the London schoolgirls feared to be on her way to Syria has said her family “cannot stop crying” as he urged her not to fall into the clutches of Islamic State (Isis) militants.
As British counter-terrorism officers were accused of failing to pick up on signs that the teenagers may have been radicalised online, the father of Amira Abase, 15, said she had never discussed an interest in jihadism with him but “maybe with friends”.
Hussen Abase, 47, revealed that Amira had claimed she was going to a wedding on the day she went missing, but instead secretly met up with her Syria-bound friends.
We love her and she’s our baby. We don’t want her to do anything stupid. She’s a sensible girl Shamima’s sister, Renu Begum
In a tearful video message to his daughter, Abase said: “We are depressed, and it’s very stressful. The message we have for Amira is to get back home. We miss you. We cannot stop crying. Please think twice. Don’t go to Syria.”
Amira is feared to be heading towards Isis territory after catching a flight from Gatwick airport to Istanbul, Turkey, on 17 February with Shamima Begum, 15, and Kadiza Sultana, 16, all her schoolfriends from Bethnal Green Academy in east London.
Abase said Amira had been behaving “in a normal way” with “no sign to suspect her at all” before she disappeared.
“She said ‘Daddy, I’m in a hurry’,” he said. Later that morning, she texted her father, who assumed she was going to the wedding. “She said, ‘Dad, the place is a little bit far. I pray my midday prayer and I get back’. She didn’t come home,” he said. The family reported her missing at midnight on Tuesday.
UK in 'ever-losing battle' over online radicalisation, says Lady Warsi Read more
Abase described his daughter’s actions as “completely nonsense” and said it had caused untold upset to her mother and younger brother and sister. He said his daughter had never spoken about an interest in jihad with him but “maybe with friends”.
“She doesn’t dare discuss something like this with us. She knows what the answer would be,” he said.
“If anyone doesn’t have hope, life would be miserable,” he said. “We don’t despair. We struggle. It’s stressful. We hope, of course.”
The emotional video appeal came as British counter-terror agencies faced scrutiny after it emerged that Begum is thought to have made online contact with a Scottish woman who left Britain to marry an Isis fighter in 2013.
The contact with Aqsa Mahmood, whose social media use is supposedly under surveillance by counter-terror agencies, came two days before Begum slipped out of her east London home and met up with her two schoolfriends.
A Twitter account thought to be linked to Begum shows that she contacted Mahmood, a prominent online advocate of Isis, on 15 February, saying: “follow me so i can dm you back”.
Aamer Anwar, a lawyer for Mahmood’s family, said on Sunday they were “incredulous” that the contact could go unnoticed by Scotland Yard and other counter-terror agencies.
“We are aware from contact with Special Branch and the police that her social media contact is regularly checked and regularly monitored,” he told the BBC.
“The idea that a young 15-year-old should make contact with Aqsa, who’s regarded as a terrorist, yet no action is taken – the family of that young girl do not have the customary knock on the front door.
“The fact that these three girls manage to reach the airport – the common sense approach of Special Branch at the airport, the UK border agencies, don’t notice the fact that two 15-year-olds [and] a 16-year-old are unaccompanied, going on a flight to Turkey, the staging post to Syria, which is what Aqsa did herself and they aren’t stopped.
“Obviously the family are deeply distressed and angry and they want answers because they’re thinking ‘how many other families is this happening to?’”
Mahmood, who travelled through Turkey to Aleppo in Syria in November 2013, was criticised in a message from her family released on Sunday. “You are a disgrace to your family and the people of Scotland, your actions are a perverted and evil distortion of Islam,” it said. “You are killing your family every day with your actions, they are begging you stop if you ever loved them.”
Shamima’s sister, Renu Begum, broke down in tears as she described how the teenager had been upset when her 15-year-old friend, who also went to Bethnal Green Academy, fled to Syria via Turkey in December.
Shamima Begum and her two friends were interviewed by counter-terror officers at the time but Scotland Yard has said there was no sign the girls were intending to follow their other friend to the warzone.
“We just hope that … maybe she’s gone to see her friend, talk some sense into her,” Renu said, adding that Shamima “knew that it was a silly thing to do” and that she did not know why her friend had done it.
“We’re hoping she’s gone to bring her back. We’re hoping that it isn’t what has been said in the media, that she hasn’t been influenced in any way to do anything out of the ordinary.”
She described Shamima as a “kind and caring person” who was “really, really intelligent”. “She was the most intellectually advanced out of all of us but she’s only young and young minds can easily be swayed,” she said.
Breaking into tears, Renu Begum went on: “We love her and she’s our baby. We don’t want her to do anything stupid. She’s a sensible girl. We’re hoping she wouldn’t do anything that’s going to put her in any danger. We want her and her friends to be safe.”
Scotland Yard said on Friday its interviews with the three missing girls were part of a routine inquiry and they were not put under any kind of surveillance. “There was nothing to suggest at the time that the girls themselves were at risk and indeed their disappearance has come as a great surprise, not least to their own families,” a Scotland Yard spokesman said.
Detectives are investigating whether the girls have been in contact with their schoolfriend in an effort to cross the Turkish border into Syria. They are working closely with Turkish authorities in the hope that the snowy conditions in Istanbul may have disrupted their travel overland.
On Saturday night, the families of the three girls issued emotional appeals for them to return home.
Begum’s family said: “We miss you terribly and are extremely worried about you. Please, if you hear this message, get in touch and let us know you are safe. We want you home with us. You belong at home with us. Syria is a dangerous place and we don’t want you to go there. Get in touch with the police and they will help to bring you home. You are not in any trouble.
“We understand you have strong feelings and want to help those you believe are suffering in Syria. You can help from home, you don’t have to put yourself in danger.”
Kadiza’s family released a similar statement, which said: “We are not angry with you and you have not done anything wrong. We miss you terribly, especially Mum, and things have not been the same without you.”
Amira’s family named the missing girl for the first time in a statement in which they also appealed for her to return home.
The Abase family said: “Amira, we miss you so much, everyone, your family and your friends.
“We want you to come home as soon as possible; all we are hoping for is you to come home safe, we love you so |
a musical side project created by Heart’s Ann Wilson and Nancy Wilson).
The first edition of the Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack was originally released on June 30, 1992 and became a chart-topping best-seller three months prior to the theatrical release of the film. The soundtrack included music from key bands from the Seattle music scene–including Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden–while Paul Westerberg, in his first solo recordings outside The Replacements–contributed two songs and provided the score for the film. Smashing Pumpkins were also featured on the soundtrack with the song “Drown.”
“The album itself was always designed to be sort of an anti-soundtrack, more like a souvenir and a simple mix-tape of some of Seattle’s finest,” said Cameron Crowe. “It really is and was a tribute to those hard-working bands that welcomed me to their city with open arms, and the music so many still love so much. Anyway, here we are now revisiting ‘Singles,’ the film, as well as the soundtrack you hold in your hands, expanded with a special tip of the hat to the fans of the original release. Included are unreleased and raw elements that helped shape the experience of making the movie back in 1991. Hope you enjoy the trip back as much as I did – Viva Seattle!”
25 years ago, the film “Singles” and its soundtrack worked together to bring the underground Seattle music scene to the forefront of mainstream consciousness. The album was among the first top-selling movie soundtracks of the 1990s to showcase new material from emerging contemporary bands. The expanded edition of Singles: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack is cause to celebrate anew the radical rock sounds that radiated out of the American Northwest a quarter century ago and changed pop music forever.
Album includes a digital download.PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- The military plans to examine hundreds of sites nationwide to determine whether chemicals from foam used to fight fires have contaminated groundwater and spread to drinking water, the Defense Department said.
The checks are planned for 664 sites where the military has conducted fire or crash training, military officials told The Associated Press this week.
Since December, tests have been carried out at 28 naval sites in mostly coastal areas. Drinking water at a landing field in Virginia and the groundwater at another site in New Jersey have been found to contain levels above the guidance given by the federal Environmental Protection Agency, the Navy said. Results of the other tests have either come up under federally acceptable levels or are pending.
The Navy is giving bottled water to its personnel at the Naval Auxiliary Landing Field Fentress in Chesapeake, Virginia, and began testing wells in a nearby rural area after the discovery of perfluorinated chemicals in drinking water, CBS affiliate WTKR reported in February.
The federal Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry says the chemicals may be associated with prostate, kidney and testicular cancer, along with other health issues.
The Navy found perfluorinated chemicals in the groundwater monitoring wells at Naval Weapons Station Earle in Colts Neck, New Jersey, but not in the drinking water supply. Test results from off-base drinking water wells are expected this month.
And several congressmen are raising concerns about the safety of drinking water near two former Navy bases in suburban Philadelphia. The lawmakers say firefighting foams might be the source of chemicals found in nearly 100 public and private wells near the Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Willow Grove and the Naval Air Warfare Center in Warminster.
Water
Pennsylvania state representative Todd Stephens was among those earlier this week calling on the Navy to fund an independent study of health risks stemming from past water contamination.
Stephens told CBS affiliate KYW in Philadelphia the water is currently safe to drink as the contaminated wells are no longer used, but that residents need more information.
"Is there additional screening that we should ask of our doctors?" Stephen asked. "Are there additional blood tests or some other medical testing or evaluations that we need to be aware of?"
The foam is used where potentially catastrophic fuel fires can occur, such as in a plane crash, because it can rapidly extinguish them. It contains perfluorooctane sulfonate and perfluorooctanoic acid, or PFOS and PFOA, both considered emerging contaminants by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
The Defense Department said that until foam without perfluorinated chemicals can be certified for military use, it is removing stocks of it in some places and also trying to prevent any uncontrolled releases during training exercises.
The military is beginning to assess the risk to groundwater at the training sites not only to determine the extent of contamination, but also to identify any action the Defense Department needs to take, said Lt. Col. Eric D. Badger, a department spokesman.
California has the most sites, with 85, followed by Texas, with 57, Florida, with 38, and Alaska and South Carolina, each with 26, according to a list provided to the AP. Each state has at least one site.
Knowledge about the chemicals' effects has been evolving, and the EPA does not regulate them. The agency in 2009 issued guidance on the level at which they are considered harmful to health, but it was only an advisory -- not a standard that could be legally enforced.
The EPA said then that it was assessing the potential risk from short-term exposure through drinking water. It later began studying the health effects from a lifetime of exposure. Those studies remain in progress.
The Navy started handing out bottled water in January to about 50 people at the contaminated Virginia site, and it worked with the city to set up a water station for concerned property owners after it found perfluorinated chemicals in on-base drinking water wells above the concentrations in the EPA advisory.
The Navy is testing private wells of nearby property owners; those results are due next week.
Chris Evans, of the Virginia Department of Environmental Quality, credited the Navy with being proactive but said he's concerned anytime there's a potential threat to human health and the environment.
Some states have established their own drinking water and groundwater guidelines for the maximum allowable concentrations of the chemicals; Virginia uses the EPA's.
"We'll follow EPA's lead as this develops," Evans said.
There's a lot of evolving science around perfluorinated chemicals, said Lawrence Hajna, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.
"The more that we hear, the more that we realize that this is a very important health concern," he said.Japanese mayor says he’ll end SF sister city status over comfort women statue
A San Francisco crowd admires the “Women’s Column of Strength” at its unveiling in Sep tember. The sculpture honors “comfort women” enslaved by Japanese forces in World War II. A San Francisco crowd admires the “Women’s Column of Strength” at its unveiling in Sep tember. The sculpture honors “comfort women” enslaved by Japanese forces in World War II. Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press Photo: Eric Risberg, Associated Press Image 1 of / 8 Caption Close Japanese mayor says he’ll end SF sister city status over comfort women statue 1 / 8 Back to Gallery
The mayor of Osaka, Japan, is making good on his threat to sever the sister-city relationship with San Francisco because of a Chinatown memorial honoring women forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese military before and during World War II.
The bronze sculpture that was placed in St. Mary’s Square in September shows three teenage girls holding hands next to an older woman. Though the artwork, known as the “Women’s Column of Strength,” was erected to honor female war victims, it’s seen by many Japanese citizens and government officials as an insult.
“This is highly regrettable,” Osaka Mayor Hirofumi Yoshimura told reporters in Japan on Thursday. “The relationship of trust has completely been destroyed.”
Yoshimura made his comments after San Francisco Mayor Ed Lee signed a resolution Wednesday accepting the transfer of the statue onto city property. Yoshimura said he will cut ties with San Francisco by the end of the year.
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Lee had sent a letter to Yoshimura on Oct. 2, saying he was “deeply disappointed,” after the Osaka mayor first threatened to end the sister-city relationship in response to the memorial.
The sculpture was the vision of two retired San Francisco Superior Court judges, Lillian Sing and Julie Tang, who wanted to memorialize the estimated 200,000 women from Asian-Pacific countries, known as “comfort women,” forced into sexual slavery by the Japanese Imperial Armed Forces from 1931 until the war ended in 1945.
It was the first sculpture to honor comfort women in a major American city and comes as historians gain a broader understanding of the atrocities perpetrated during the war. There are dozens of such statues in South Korea and a handful in small cities around the United States.
Tang said she was “outraged” after hearing Yoshimura’s comments.
“I think its a shame,” she said Friday. “They’re turning history on its head. Yoshimura is turning this into a geopolitical issue. It’s not. It’s a human rights issue. This is a global women’s issue to fight against sexual violence and using women as sex objects as a strategy of war.”
Many Japanese officials said they have apologized to former comfort women and feel their country is being unfairly singled out.
“The difficulty of this issue lies in the fact that there are wildly conflicting views, even today, as to what actually happened,” Jun Yamada, consul general of Japan in San Francisco, wrote in an opinion piece published on The Chronicle’s opinion page Sept 21, the day the statue was unveiled.
“Unfortunately, the aim of current comfort women memorial movements seems to perpetrate and fixate on certain one-sided interpretations, without presenting credible evidence, in the form of physical statues,” Yamada added.
Tang said that as more light is shed on comfort women, Japan is pushing back with a revisionist history.
“Yoshimura is doing this to play to his constituents in Osaka — especially the right-wing factions,” she said. “He’s continuing a policy of denial at the expense of the truth and history of the comfort women survivors.”
One such survivor, 89-year-old Yong-soo Lee, attended the memorial’s unveiling in front of a crowd of hundreds. She was kidnapped at age 15 from her home in Korea during the Japanese occupation and was forced to work in a brothel in Taiwan that served Japanese soldiers.
She and other survivors continue to demand further apologies and reparations from the Japanese government.
Osaka — Japan’s third-largest city — was the first of San Francisco’s 18 sister cities, which also include Barcelona, Paris, Shanghai and Seoul. The relationships began under President Dwight Eisenhower as a way to promote peace and economic prosperity between cities around the world. San Francisco and Osaka have been sister cities since 1957.
Kathleen Kimura, co-chairwoman of the San Francisco-Osaka Sister City Association, was part of a delegation to visit Japan last month. Her group met with Osaka’s mayor and knew he was considering severing the relationship, but avoided bringing it up.
“It’s too bad politics has interfered with the relationship between San Francisco and Osaka,” Kimura said. “The issue with the statue has caused a lot of hurt in Japan. A lot of the people are hurt that it is being put there now — 75 years after the war.”
Evan Sernoffsky is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: esernoffsky@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @EvanSernoffskyThose focal areas include deep-learning algorithms that can help neural networks move from single-use applications to more generalized performance. Not only will this make AI systems more versatile, it will improve their transparency as well, enabling them to explain how they reached the answer they did.
The IBM-MIT partnership will also study the intersection between machine learning and quantum computing. Interestingly, this focal area will aid both fields, with AI helping to identify and characterize quantum devices and with quantum computers helping to optimize machine learning methodologies.
The MIT lab will also collaborate extensively with the IBM Watson Health and Security office in nearby Cambridge, Massachusetts, to further develop applications in the existing AI healthcare and cybersecurity fields. But those aren't the only commercial fields being investigated, researchers will also look into the "economic implications of AI and investigate how AI can improve prosperity," according to an IBM press release.
This isn't the first time that these organizations have worked together. Just last year, IBM and the MIT Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences began orchestrating a machine vision study. What's more, IBM has also teamed with MIT's Broad Institute and Harvard for a multi-year study of AI's effects on Genomics.The two lead candidates in the race for the European elections have reacted vigorously to statements by Council President Herman Van Rompuy, who scorned the parties’ attempt to put forward candidates for the European Commission’s presidency.
Martin Schulz and Jean-Claude Juncker have denounced Van Rompuy’s statements over the weekend, saying he cannot circumvent voter choice, and that the new Commission President will need a firm majority in the next Parliament.
According to Jean-Claude Juncker, the former Luxembourg Prime Minister campaigning for the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP), “the democratic toothpaste is out of the tube with the election of a lead candidate”.
“The old days, when a Commission president was elected by diplomats in backrooms are finally over,” he told the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Earlier, Van Rompuy had scorned the parties’ attempts to put forward a lead candidate for the European elections in a bid to win the top seat at the Commission. “The difference between the Parliament and those who really decide is very clear to citizens,” the Belgian said.
The next president of the EU executive will be nominated by EU leaders, but the European Parliament will elect him or her through a vote, a novelty brought about by the Lisbon Treaty (article 17.7, TEU).
Over the past months, Van Rompuy has consistently objected to the procedure, in what is a surprisingly militant position for an otherwise abiding diplomat.
Martin Schulz, the candidate for the Socialists and Democrats, told the Süddeutsche that Mr Van Rompuy’s declarations were the expression of his “own opinion, based on his interpretation, to fit his job description. Many in the European Council see this issue [of a common candidate] differently. Most importantly, the European voters see this differently.”
“We were disappointed to hear this message from Mr Van Rompuy,” said Julian Priestley, the former secretary general of the European Parliament who leads Schulz’ campaign. “It seems he continues to deny the will of Europe’s voters and dismiss the democratic legitimacy of the upcoming elections,” Priestley told EURACTIV.
The five candidates for the job also include the Belgian liberal Guy Verhofstadt, the Greens’ Franco-German duo José Bové and Ska Keller, and the far-left Greek candidate Alexis Tsipras. All are currently touring EU member states, supporting national parties in their bid to get voters to the polls on 22-25 May.
“Mr Schulz and I are touring the whole of Europe, to make clear the stakes of the elections,” Juncker stressed, saying “Every citizen can co-decide the direction of Europe for the next five years.”
European parties have an informal agreement that the party winning the most seats can put forward its candidate for the EU Executive.
Latest polls put the EPP in the lead with 222 projected seats, followed by the socialists with 209 seats. The liberal ALDE party is credited with around 60 seats, the far-left GUE-NGL around 50 seats and the Greens and Conservatives with about 40 seats each.
Crunch time
Between 22 and 25 May, European citizens will elect a new European Parliament, made up of 751 members. For the EU executive however the 27th May will be the decisive date, with EU heads of states meeting in Brussels to designate the new Commission President.
In Parliament, the designated Commission chief will need the backing of at least 376 MEPs in order to get “elected”. Most likely, a grand coalition will support the winning candidate – whether Martin Schulz, Jean-Claude Juncker or someone else. A coalition of socialists, liberals, greens and the far-left could provide Schulz with a majority but polling shows that this is highly unlikely.
However, political parties have always kept the door open for coalitions to support a candidate. “We will then work to build the coalition which will have the necessary majority to elect Martin Schulz and to put the EU on a new path, strengthened by this new democratic underpinning,” Priestley said.
Ultimately, all will depend on the endorsements of the European Parliament and the 28 EU heads of states. So what will happen on 27 May?
Morning : The European Parliament’s conference of presidents meets in Brussels, in an extraordinary session. The meeting will include lead candidates Martin Schulz and Guy Verhofstadt, as well as political heavyweights like Joseph Daul (EPP) and Rebecca Harms (Greens).
: The European Parliament’s conference of presidents meets in Brussels, in an extraordinary session. The meeting will include lead candidates Martin Schulz and Guy Verhofstadt, as well as political heavyweights like Joseph Daul (EPP) and Rebecca Harms (Greens). Afternoon : Traditionally, the pan-European parties meet up in pre-election summits of their own member parties. These pre-election summits are attended by heads of state – a crucial moment for the parties’ leadership and the candidates’ entourage to get an endorsement on a potential deal in Parliament.
: Traditionally, the pan-European parties meet up in pre-election summits of their own member parties. These pre-election summits are attended by heads of state – a crucial moment for the parties’ leadership and the candidates’ entourage to get an endorsement on a potential deal in Parliament. Evening: The European heads of state are gathered by the European Council president, Herman Van Rompuy, for an “informal dinner” to discuss the elections. Key question: will the EU leaders stand by the process of ‘Spitzenkandidaten’ or not?
If all goes according to plan, political parties will first have to come to an agreement and gather the necessary votes in Parliament. Then, the heads of states will give their blessing to the candidate.
But ‘dark-horse candidates’ could also emerge at the last minute if none of the leading ones find the assent of EU leaders. These might include the managing director of the IMF, Christine Lagarde (centre-right) or the former president of the World Trade Organisation, Pascal Lamy (Socialist).
Those defending the single candidate procedure do not want to believe in such a scenario. “Already 27 out of the 28 Heads of Government have endorsed this system,” Priestley said. “It would be a travesty if they went back on their commitments in June.”
In case a ‘dark horse’ candidate emerges, it could bring the institutions into a deadlock and put Van Rompuy head-to-head once more with the pan-European parties.on •
LEXIE CANNES STATE OF TRANS — Is there a bathroom cop in your future? Although legislative efforts at enacting state bathroom bills in 2015 failed across the board, rumblings for 2016 have already begun.
Out of gate in Minnesota for a second try, state Sen. Warren Limmer: “... when you interview him [Caitlyn Jenner], he’s says, ‘Yes. I’m glad I’m now a quote-unquote woman but I still have the yearnings for women!’ And so think of that type of person, a young person who wants to play on a girls team because he thinks he is more likely going to be a woman in the future and he’s now going to share a locker room.... On a girls team and if Bruce Jenner still has yearnings for women… so would that young man who thinks he’s a girl in a girls’ locker room…”
“... [the] transgender issue is certainly going to be there front and center in the [Minn.] Senate as it is going to be in the House.”
Minnesota state Rep. Abigail Whelan: “... You know, you have two kids who are going to school together from kindergarten. Now, maybe they are 10 years old and one’s a boy and one’s a girl and we’ll say one of them says, ‘You know what? I no longer feel like a boy. I want to be a girl. Well, now this little girl who was with this child for you know 5 to 6 years is going to the bathroom with him and unfortunately, you know, that girl goes home and says, ‘Mom, dad, I don’t understand’ You know, ‘so and so was a boy and is now a girl, like am I still a girl or am I a boy now? You as a parent have to deal with that and it just… unfortunately it raises a lot of scary questions.”
“... the long term effects for example of a transgender operation, when they do studies on it, the suicide rates for those folks increases 20 times.” (sic)
“... you know, we need to be praying about this for sure.”
—–
There you have it folks: flat-out lies, fear mongering, made-up baloney and a bit of Jesus thrown in for good measure. With any luck at all, legislative efforts will fail in 2016 as they did in 2015. However, if the collective intelligence of YOUR state Republicans is dimmer than usual, a pat-down before peeing might be in your future until a judge decides the law needs a closer look.
FYI, studies show trans people have a 42% suicide attempt rate — this is generally BEFORE surgery, not AFTER surgery as claimed by Rep Whelan: https://lexiecannes.com/stats-on-transgender-discrimination-violence-and-suicide/
Round-up of bathroom bills in 2015: https://lexiecannes.com/2015/06/02/all-bathroom-bills-are-now-officially-dead/
Minnesota: http://thecolu.mn/19846/mn-senator-bathroom-bill-needed-because-caitlyn-jenner-still-likes-women
Watch LEXIE CANNES right now: http://www.amazon.com/Lexie-Cannes-CourtneyODonnell/dp/B00KEYH3LQ Or get the DVD: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0963781332
Read Lexie Cannes in The Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/courtney-odonnell/
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Categories: LegislativeThanks to all Kickstarter backers who forged the Treasure Chest with us! If you discover the Treasure Chest after the project ends, you can pre-order it and/or any of the add-ons (wooden stars and metal coins) through the Stonemaier Games website.
The creators of Viticulture, Euphoria, and Tuscany bring you the Stonemaier Games Treasure Chest, an assortment of premium-grade realistic resource gaming tokens (gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems). All tokens come pre-painted.
We love how realistic resource tokens add to any tabletop game experience, and we want to share that with fellow gamers around the world. We've already created the sculpts for these tokens--now we just need your help to make them a reality!
We will add 1 resource token for every 100 backers (+1 gold after the first 100 backers, then +1 wood after the next 100 backers, and so on). We'll update the total each morning.
Day 1 : 120 total tokens (20 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems)
: 120 total tokens (20 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems) Day 2: 131 total tokens (22 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 21 gems)
131 total tokens (22 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 21 gems) Day 3: 133 total tokens (23 gold, and 22 each of wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems)
133 total tokens (23 gold, and 22 each of wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems) Day 4: 135 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, and ore; 22 each of stone, clay, and gems)
135 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, and ore; 22 each of stone, clay, and gems) Day 5: 136 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, ore, and stone; 22 each of clay and gems)
136 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, ore, and stone; 22 each of clay and gems) Day 6-7: 137 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 22 gems)
137 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 22 gems) Day 8: 138 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems)
138 total tokens (23 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems) Day 9: 139 total tokens (24 gold; 23 each of wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems)
139 total tokens (24 gold; 23 each of wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems) Day 10: 140 total tokens (24 each of gold and wood; 23 each of ore, stone, clay, and gems)
140 total tokens (24 each of gold and wood; 23 each of ore, stone, clay, and gems) Day 11-12: 142 total tokens (24 each of gold, wood, ore, and stone; 23 each of clay and gems)
142 total tokens (24 each of gold, wood, ore, and stone; 23 each of clay and gems) Day 13: 143 total tokens (24 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 23 gems)
143 total tokens (24 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 23 gems) Day 14: 144 total tokens (24 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems)
144 total tokens (24 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems) Day 15: 145 total tokens (25 gold; 24 each of wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems)
145 total tokens (25 gold; 24 each of wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems) Day 16: 147 total tokens (25 each of gold, wood, and ore; 24 each of stone, clay, and gems)
147 total tokens (25 each of gold, wood, and ore; 24 each of stone, clay, and gems) Day 17: 149 total tokens (25 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 24 gems)
149 total tokens (25 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, and clay; 24 gems) FINAL: 156 total tokens (26 each of gold, wood, ore, stone, clay, and gems)
We'll round up at the end of the project to make sure the tokens are evenly distributed.
You can see a growing list of games that use these resources on BGG here.
Thanks to the worldwide fulfillment system explained on our Kickstarter Lessons blog here and here, we have very cost-effective ways of shipping the Treasure Chest.
Only pay the shipping fee once per pledge (any # of units, reward level, or country code). After selecting your reward level, add the shipping cost to your pledge total.
The following may be added to the $33 pledge level and above. After selecting your reward level, add this cost to your pledge total:
Any backer may pledge to the $290 level--you don't have to be a retailer.
Viticulture & Tuscany are available for pre-order through our website, as are the wooden stars and lira as stand-alone purchases. We also have a few copies of Euphoria.
Money-Back Guarantee: If you decide you don't like the Treasure Chest within 1 month of receiving it, you can return it for a full pledge refund (see FAQ).
If you decide you don't like the Treasure Chest within 1 month of receiving it, you can return it for a full pledge refund (see FAQ). Huge Discount: Based on the manufacturing cost, the Treasure Chest should have an MSRP of $60. We can keep the price much lower by only selling the first print run directly through Kickstarter, our website, and Amazon.
Based on the manufacturing cost, the Treasure Chest have an MSRP of $60. We can keep the price much lower by only selling the first print run directly through Kickstarter, our website, and Amazon. Make It Better for Everyone: The more backers we get, the better the Treasure Chest will be (see stretch goals). The Kickstarter price will remain the same, but the post-Kickstarter price will increase as we add tokens.
The more backers we get, the better the Treasure Chest will be (see stretch goals). The Kickstarter price will remain the same, but the post-Kickstarter price will increase as we add tokens. Localized Shipping: Our shipping prices for pre-ordered games are so low because we send games in bulk to fulfillment centers around the world. This is your chance to lock in the lowest possible shipping rate.
Our shipping prices for pre-ordered games are so low because we send games in bulk to fulfillment centers around the world. This is your chance to lock in the lowest possible shipping rate. We Need You: We need your financial support to be able to manufacture and ship these Treasure Chests to gamers around the world.
We need your financial support to be able to manufacture and ship these Treasure Chests to gamers around the world. Free Euphoria Recruits: We're including 16 updated and revised Euphoria recruit cards in every Treasure Chest. They'll also be available from BGG for $5 in December.
We selected the resources for this first Treasure Chest with the help of thousands of voters on our website. Thus the resources in this Treasure Chest are set--we won't be adding any more or it would significantly impact the production schedule.
However, we still want to hear your ideas for future Treasure Chests. We're particularly interested in resources that (a) can be represented in a "realistic" way, (b) aren't already produced by another company, and (c) apply to several popular games (not just one game).
The realistic resource tokens in the Treasure Chest are a great way to upgrade the retail version of Euphoria (shown here).
We anticipate that some backers may want a ton of a specific type of resource--for example, enough gold tokens to fill a swimming pool. There are companies that are really good at selling individual resource tokens...but we are not one of them.
Our supply chain is based on creating one cohesive version of this premium product, making it affordable for you, and shipping it to you quickly and cost-effectively.December 2016 (I)
Here are some of the latest news about Nxt over this past week in December.
DEVELOPMENT
NXT COMMUNITY
PRICE EVOLUTION
Below, are more details about these news pieces:
DEVELOPMENT
New Experimental Version NRS 1.11.1.e
Jean-Luc, Nxt Core Developer, has announced the launch of the new experimental version of the Nxt Reference Software (NRS), which includes a series of improvements and new features such as:
Implemented a “Store Remembered Passphrase” setting in the device settings page. When checked, the client stores the remembered passphrase in the local browser settings or mobile app settings so that the next time the client is launched,
it will log themselves in automatically. The stored passphrase is deleted when logging out of the wallet.
Desktop Application now supports request confirmations when running as lite or roaming client.
Sign Transaction modal now signs the transaction bytes on the client side.
When the mobile app cannot connect to a randomly selected remote node, it will popup the device settings modal to allow the user to configure a specific node.
When the mobile device is offline, the device settings modal allows for the signing of transactions and generating tokens to support cold storage functionality.
Given that this is an experimental or “testing” version, precluding the launch of a stable version, we recommend that you be careful when using this software and trying out the new functionalities as it may contain some small bugs. However, in order to speed-up the development of a stable version of the software, it would be good to have many users test the new functionalities, especially with the new mobile wallet, in order to check if it’s working properly.
Source: https://nxtforum.org/nrs-releases/nrs-v1-11-1e/msg227832/?topicseen#msg227832
(Back to the Index)
NXTBridge – Nxt Plugin for WordPress
Scor2k, a developer, with the support of NXTER Magazine, announced NXTBridge, a plugin that allows you to connect your WordPress site to the Nxt Network, giving you the opportunity to show real time information about Nxt on your website. This opens up a wide range of possibilities to over 35 million people who have used WordPress to build their site.
The plugin lets you show:
Some asset information (Name, Initial quantity, current quantity, owner account, ID, last ASK and BID information).
Proposals for purchase and sale
Graph for the price with single line
Graph with candlestick and volume
In case that we need a more global vision, and not just info about one asset, we can have a look at the TOP 20 shortcut, which will show the 20 most traded assets for the last week. https://nxter.org/ASSETHUB#top20
Skor2k says:
In addition, we have a small road map for development: NXTBridge – Wallet Login to WordPress with Nxt account ID.
View Nxt account balance in the Dashboard.
Create Nxt account for new users.
Send NXT tokens, place buy/sell orders.
Local signing of transactions – passphrase is never sent to a server or node. NXTBridge – Marketplace Show shop data on a post or page
If desired, NXT donations to the developer can be sent to: NXT-FRNZ-PDJF-2CQT-DQ4WQ
More information: https://wordpress.org/plugins/nxtbridge/
https://nxtforum.org/nxt-projects/(nxtbridge)-wordpress-plugin-for-nxt-users/msg227906/#msg227906
https://nxter.org/assethub
(Back to the Index)
NXT COMMUNITY
Under the Knife – Janus Project
Anyone who owns a bunch of NXT can issue their own asset on the Nxt platform and start promoting it. Since the creation of the Asset Exchange, there have been a considerable amount of good and profitable projects. But, there have also been some scams.
To help prevent and uncover these scams, Nxter.org presents Under the Knife, a new section that intends to provide in-depth and uncensored interviews with the asset issuers by asking them concise and, sometimes, awkward questions. These are the kinds of questions that some conventional media outlets usually don’t dare to ask. These questions will try to help the Nxt investor, usually skeptical about new projects because of some previous experiences that didn’t go well, clarify their suspicious about the legitimacy of a given asset or, at least, clarify some of the doubts presented.
The Janus team was the first to answer the questions in the very first interview in the series. It’s a really interesting interview that we recommend you read if you are interested in Janus.
UPDATE 1 – The threshold will be 3500 BTC. On November 30th, shortly after we published the interview, the Janus team released a statement in light of the current situation of the crowdfunding campaign.
bjorn_bb says:
Our team has reached an agreement after looking over several scenarios. We cannot properly justify allowing outside investors in Janus without proper funding.The threshold will be 3500 BTC or the project is not going to be available for the public. https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=1677509.msg17042198#msg17042198 Please read the post and thanks for your understanding in our reasoning. We’ve come to the reality that it would be unjust to investors to operate on budgets that would not allow us to meet deadlines. Launching a business and timing it to meet expectations of investors is something I take very serious. If underfunded I’d be held accountable for making deadlines without having the proper staff to deliver in said time frames. If the threshold is not reached by Dec 31st you will be refunded of course.
UPDATE 2 – The Asset Exchange will now be used for the ICO. On December 4th, Janus announced that it’s clear for them that they won’t meet their funding objectives with the current campaign and so a refund will be given to all investors and a new ICO method will be chosen.
bjorn_bb says:
…We have come to a decision that it’s best for all parties to end the token sale as it stands in it’s current form. We have added an option in your accounts to save a BTC or NXT address on the site that will be used to send refunds back to you… Those who wish to stay with our team and business goals can still share in our future to some degree. We’ll be actively in development of the sites described in our white paper, and as such will release Janus tokens on the NXT Asset Exchange in intervals. We will release 10,500,000 Janus (JNS) every 4 months. 31,500,000 yearly
Price initially is set to 1.5 NXT per 1 Janus token. You can purchase tokens right now in your NXT wallets on the asset exchange.
Asset Id: 4348103880042995903
Name: Janus
Issuer: NXT-QG74-VNQK-7FQ3-4KFBA
Link: https://www.mynxt.info/asset/4348103880042995903 One of the best suggestions from the community was to allow for a staggered investment cycle in order to show business progress and launch over time. This way will allow those who did not purchase Janus initially, to still have a chance to take part in our mainstream global business success. Instead of dividends, our team will use site revenue to perform unscheduled buybacks to reduce supply and help appreciate token value
More information: https://nxter.org/janus-btc-ico-cancelled/
https://nxter.org/ico-janus-on-the-nxt-ae/
https://nxtforum.org/index.php?topic=13032.msg228025#msg228025
Janus interview – Under the Knife
Janus ICO
(Back to the Index)
Initiative for Starting a Nuclear Regulatory Commission Using Nxt
User @Infinta has announced the launch of a Nuclear Regulatory Commission using Nxt. This association intends to show the current worldwide nuclear situation and to achieve the support of a large amount of |
, bleached white in spots and warped by the sun and rain, skin losing to gravity in big folds, those big basketball shoes just a foot off the ground. Bugs swarm and body fluids stain the trunk of the tree black. The corpse, no longer Tony Harris, hangs from a sturdy branch by a black shoelace. They notice that both of the shoelaces are in place. So he brought an extra shoelace with him from Brasilia, managed to keep it despite losing his computer, pants, wallet and ring? Could have happened.
The location of the pepper tree leads everyone who sees it to think suicide. This place seems too remote for anyone to have carried a body so far, and forensic evidence suggests Tony's life ended in this clearing, hanging from a monkey pepper tree, four miles from Bezerra, 6,000 miles from Seattle, totally and utterly alone.
It's the perfect tree. A short step up onto a low branch, an easy reach to tie the shoelace around a higher branch, then a quick step off. Death would have begun quickly, air cut off, the pressure on the spinal column beginning a domino effect, motor ability lessened or lost. Did his life flash before his eyes? Did he see a lost job and rejected applications? Did he see people chasing him and shadows and whispers? Or did he see other, happier things? Maybe a boy in Seattle pointing so many years ago and telling his mom: That's Tony Harris. He plays for Garfield. Maybe a bear hug with Kelvin Sampson after making it to the NCAA Tournament. Or did he see his 14-year-old son, who looks just like him, or his wife, or his mother, or his friends? Did he see his future?
No one knows. But the police do believe this: The very last act of Tony Harris on planet earth was to fight for his life. As he hung from that shoelace, his time now down to seconds, unable to use his arms and legs, he bit down on the tree, sinking his teeth into the trunk, as if to buy one inch of life-saving air. He failed, and he died there, hanging from the monkey pepper tree.
The day after cutting his body down, police found a hole burrowed deep into the bark of the tree. Laying on the ground below was a tooth, the last will and testament of a man struggling for light in a place consumed by darkness.
Courtesy of Lori Harris... But he did live, and he did amazing things with his life, things that will be missed. That's what his family tries to focus on. The good things, the happy times, back before the darkness.At a public hearing in Casper, Wyoming, this week, local coal miners and environmentalists squared off inside a spacious auditorium. Coal supporters slapped on stickers and bracelets reading “Friends of Coal” and hoisted posters saying “Coal = Jobs.” Coal’s critics dubbed themselves “Climate Voters” and passed out pamphlets warning that burning coal imperils “our lands, our future.”
The Wyoming standoff is part of a broader review process by the Obama administration that could transform a major slice of the U.S. coal industry. Officials are scrutinizing a decades-old program that allows private companies to mine coal on federal lands. The decision they make could ultimately raise the cost of extracting coal in certain regions and, as a result, encourage greater use of lower-carbon energy.
The Casper hearing on Tuesday was the first of six such events to be held in coal-rich states in May and June. The U.S. Interior Department’s Bureau of Land Management, which is leading the review, will use public comments for an environmental impact study — a process that could take up to three years to finish. The Obama administration — which ends in January — said it won’t issue new coal leases until the review is completed.
“We have an obligation to current and future generations to ensure the federal coal program delivers a fair return to American taxpayers and takes into account its impact on climate change,” Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in January when announcing the review and moratorium.
Coal companies, which largely oppose the program review, have argued that any revisions would only hurt an industry that’s facing its worst downturn in decades. At the meeting in Casper, Wyoming’s Republican governor, Matt Mead, railed against what he said was an attack on the U.S. coal sector.
“This administration is pursuing an unrealistic vision of a world without coal,” he said after two hours of public comments, local media reported. “Instead they should pursue a realistic vision that recognizes coal’s place in the world, and should invest to make it better.”
In the U.S., demand for the black rock is slowing and prices are plunging thanks to sluggish growth in China’s economy, stiff competition from natural gas and growing concerns about climate change and air and water pollution. Dozens of American mining companies, including industry giants like Peabody Energy Corp. and Arch Coal Inc., have filed for bankruptcy in recent months as their earnings declined and debt loads soared.
Most of the major coal firms operate mines on public land, primarily in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin and other Western states. Roughly 40 percent of U.S. coal, especially in the West, comes from federal property, meaning any changes to the BLM program would likely affect coal pricing and regulations across the overall market, said Mark Squillace, a law professor at the University of Colorado in Boulder and natural resources expert.
“Whatever the federal government decides to do will influence the market for coal generally, particularly in the Western U.S.,” he said. Mining companies still hold leases for roughly 20 years’ worth of recoverable coal reserves on federal lands, so a shortage isn’t likely, he added.
The BLM now manages more than 300 active coal leases spanning about 475,000 acres in 10 states. The coal lease program began in 1920 to enable the government to offer up selected tracts of public lands, with private companies placing competitive bids to lease that coal-rich acreage.
Over time, however, the program has largely transformed into a model of “lease by application,” in which an individual coal company submits its own proposal to mine on public land. Critics say this approach discourages competition and allows coal companies to secure prices well below what they would pay to mine on private property.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office found that about 90 percent of coal lease sales attracted only a single bidder, even though federal law requires multiple companies to compete for a lease, according to a December 2013 report. The Interior Department’s inspector general separately found that multiple deficiencies within the BLM program had “put the government at risk of not receiving the full value for coal leases.”
Beyond leasing, coal companies are also under scrutiny for what they do with the coal once it’s mined from public lands. A 2012 Reuters investigation found that miners sell some of those coal reserves to “affiliates,” which are wholly owned subsidiaries. The companies in turn can hide profits and avoid paying full government royalties on exported coal, since they technically sold the coal to a domestic affiliated company.
All told, taxpayers may have lost an estimated $28.9 billion in revenue from coal leases over 30 years, the Institute for Energy Economics and Financial Analysis, which favors use of renewable energy, found in a 2012 study.
The BLM has promised to address concerns about the leasing process and payments from coal companies. Officials are also considering whether to factor in the external environmental costs associated with mining and burning coal, including the costs to public health by polluting air and water and the effects on the climate by boosting greenhouse gas emissions.
“We ought to start looking at what those costs are and start insisting that at least part of those costs are captured in the bonus bid” that companies pay upon winning leases, Squillace said. “If somebody doesn’t want to pay those costs, then they don’t have to lease the coal.” He said the BLM should adopt a minimum bid price to ensure the government both earns the fair market value for coal and accounts for climate damage.
Environmental groups are urging the BLM to study two other areas: the cleanup of coal mines and federal support for ailing coal communities.
Connie Wilbert, who directs the Sierra Club’s Wyoming chapter, said she would like to see the bureau end the practice of “self-bonding” for coal mine reclamation. Before mining, coal miners are required by federal and state laws to post reclamation bonds to guarantee their ability to restore mine sites once activities are finished. With self-bonding, a coal company that meets certain financial standards can essentially give the government its word, without the backup of a third-party financial institution.
The practice has come under intense scrutiny in recent months with the bankruptcies of coal giants Peabody Energy, Arch and Alpha Natural Resources Inc. All three have used self-bonding to cover portions of their reclamation responsibilities, and their financial problems have raised anxieties that taxpayers might be left to clean up the mines, if they’re cleaned up at all.
Photo: REUTERS/Robert Galbraith
“In the future we want to avoid that,” Wilbert said. “No more self-bonding for public coal.”
She added that the BLM should use some of its earnings from the coal lease program to support the thousands of coal industry workers, their families and communities that are suffering economically as a result of the sector's downturn. She pointed to the Obama administration’s existing programs for job retraining and professional development in hard-hit areas.
“This is a really difficult transition for us [in Wyoming], and it will continue to be because so much of our state’s economy is dependent on fossil fuels,” Wilbert said. “We need a real and significant commitment to help the workers so they can transition to different economic opportunities.”
Coal industry supporters have said they back such programs — but not if they’re attached to reforms that would reduce the royalties coal companies receive, or discourage greater development of coal.
Richard Reavey, vice president of Cloud Peak Energy, a major player in Wyoming’s Powder River Basin, likened the BLM review to a “Soviet-style show trial.” Speaking at a pro-coal rally held before the Casper hearing Tuesday, he said coal would be found “guilty” of delivering reliable electricity, providing well-paying jobs and making the American economy stronger, the Associated Press reported.
“And the sentence? The sentence is keep it in the ground,” he said to a crowd of miners, who held up signs that read “No New Electricity Tax!” and “Coal Supports My Family.”
After Casper, the BLM held its second public hearing Thursday in Salt Lake City. Coming hearings will take place May 26 in Knoxville, Tennessee, June 16 in Pittsburgh, June 23 in Grand Junction, Colorado, and a date that's yet to be decided in June in Seattle.The Obama administration has given a lot of lip service to the idea of treating drugs as a public health problem, not a criminal justice issue. Most recently, White House drug czar Michael Botticelli said, "We can't arrest and incarcerate addiction out of people."
Finally, the Obama administration appears to be — and I'm sorry for the cliché here — putting its money where its mouth is.
As Chris Ingraham pointed out at Wonkblog, for the first time since the beginning of the escalation of the war on drugs in 1980s, the White House is asking to spend more money on the public health side of the drug war ("demand reduction") than law enforcement and interdiction ("supply reduction").
Here are the proposed budget numbers for the Office of National Drug Control Policy:
Congress will ultimately need to approve this budget, which certainly casts a lot of uncertainty about its chances of happening. But one reason for optimism is that much of this spending would go to Obama's plan to combat the opioid epidemic — an issue that both parties seem to agree needs serious attention.
The "supply reduction" side is what the drug war is traditionally about — going after drug cartels, drug users, and drug dealers. The idea behind these policies is that by limiting the supply of drugs, prices will go up and a drug habit will be much costlier.
But while this approach has very likely pushed the prices of drugs higher than they would be otherwise, illicit drug prices have still plummeted over the past few decades as drug use has remained roughly the same.
The "demand reduction" spending goes to all sorts of programs, mostly focused on preventing and treating drug abuse as a health care issue. The goal is to eliminate demand for drugs by either treating addiction or preventing it — and if there's no demand, there's going to be no market for illicit drugs.
The shift to a public health approach is in line with public and expert opinion
The budget numbers don't tell the whole story. Recent changes to federal law — the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, the 2008 Medicare Improvement for Patient and Providers Act, and Obamacare — imposed new rules on health insurers, requiring them to cover drug and alcohol treatment as an essential health benefit. So people with health insurance are more likely to have addiction treatment covered in their plans.
The shift to a public health approach is in line with public and expert opinion. Polls show that most Americans prefer treating drugs as a public health issue, not a criminal one. And many experts, including the International Narcotics Control Board, have asked for a greater focus on public health policies to curtail demand for drugs.
Still, there's been a massive gap in access to drug treatment for years. According to 2014 federal data, at least 89 percent of people who meet the definition for a drug abuse disorder don't get treatment. And that's likely an underestimate: Federal household surveys leave out incarcerated and homeless individuals, who are more likely to have serious, untreated drug problems. So the White House's new spending could address a big gap in the health care system.
But the Obama administration's proposal is also a big symbol of how much times have changed. A couple decades ago, both parties heralded tough-on-crime policies in the war on drugs. Today, there's a good chance the federal government will soon spend more on public health policies in the drug war than tough-on-crime measures.At 9:30 a.m. on a gray winter Monday, the State Department officials began certifying the names at a rate of one every two minutes and 23 seconds.
In rapid succession, they confirmed that 204 police officers, soldiers, sailors, and airmen from 11 countries had committed no gross human rights violations and cleared them to attend one of more than 50 training efforts sponsored by the U.S. government. The programs were taking place at a wide variety of locations, from Italy, Albania, and Jordan to the states of Louisiana and Minnesota.
Thirty-two Egyptians were approved for instruction in, among other things, Apache helicopter gunship maintenance and flight simulators for the Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk. Azerbaijanis were cleared for a U.S. Army course on identifying bio-warfare agents in Maryland and underwater demolition training with Navy SEALs in San Diego. Thirty-three Iraqis were certified to attend a State Department training session for bodyguards, held in Jordan. Bosnians were bound for Macedonia to prepare for deployment to Afghanistan. Ukrainian police were selected for peacekeeping training in Italy. Romanians would study naval operations in Rhode Island and counterterrorism in Skopje.
This was only the beginning of one day’s work of vetting security personnel for U.S. training. A joint investigation by The Intercept and 100Reporters reveals the chaotic and largely unknown details of a vast constellation of global training exercises, operations, facilities, and schools — a shadowy network of U.S. programs that every year provides instruction and assistance to approximately 200,000 foreign soldiers, police, and other personnel. The investigation exposes the geographic and political contours of a U.S. training system that has, until now, largely defied thorough description.
The data show training at no fewer than 471 locations in 120 countries — on every continent but Antarctica — involving, on the U.S. side, 150 defense agencies, civilian agencies, armed forces colleges, defense training centers, military units, private companies, and NGOs, as well as the National Guard forces of five states. Despite the fact that the Department of Defense alone has poured some $122 billion into such programs since 9/11, the breadth and content of this training network remain virtually unknown to most Americans.
The contours of this sprawling system were discovered by analyzing 6,176 diplomatic cables that were released by WikiLeaks in 2010 and 2011. While the scope of the training network may come as a surprise, the most astounding fact may be that it is even larger than the available data show, because the WikiLeaks cables are not comprehensive. They contain, for example, little information on training efforts in Colombia, the single-largest recipient of U.S. training covered by the human rights vetting process that produced these records. Other large recipients of U.S. security assistance, such as Pakistan, are vastly underrepresented in the cables for reasons that remain unclear.
“What you have stumbled across is a systematic lack of strategic thinking, a systematic lack of evaluation, but a massive commitment of people and money and time in a growing number of countries,” said Gordon Adams, formerly a senior White House official for national security and foreign policy budgets. “I think the word ‘system’ is a misnomer. This is a headless system,” he said.
The investigation raises serious questions about U.S. government oversight, safeguards, and accountability. The investigation found:
• A global training network without any coherent strategy, carried out by scores of agencies and offices with no effective oversight, centralized planning, or a clear statement of objectives.
• The lack of any means of testing and evaluation, let alone a comprehensive way to count or track foreign trainees.
• Vetting procedures designed to weed out human rights abusers that examine trainees so rapidly that experts question their worth.
Photo: U.S. Department of Defense
A Rand Corp. analysis from 2013 found that the Pentagon alone has 71 different authorities under which it provides foreign aid as a means of “building partner capacity,” or BPC — part of a system that the report criticized as akin to “a tangled web, with holes, overlaps, and confusions.” The Pentagon, for example, maintains no master list of the people it trains nor does it keep aggregate figures.
“The way we do security cooperation has been a patchwork that we’ve added to over and over,” said Rachel Kleinfeld, a senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former member of the State Department’s Foreign Affairs Policy Board. “There are more than 180 authorities and scores of agencies working in these areas, and the way it has evolved over time has made it absolutely impossible for anyone to know what’s going on. … There really is no oversight.”
Details on the U.S. government’s training programs have long been lacking. In 2012, the Obama administration submitted a one-time report to Congress on foreign police training that covered just two fiscal years — and it was never made public. Annual disclosures by the State Department about foreign military training programs cover many volumes but are often vague and difficult to analyze, with information frequently missing or reported inconsistently.
The diplomatic cables that were mined for this investigation were written between December 1999 and February 2010 and were among a far larger batch of documents leaked by Army Pfc. Chelsea Manning; a military court subsequently sentenced Manning to 35 years in prison. The cables provide the identities of nearly 60,000 trainees and units from 129 countries (today, the number stands at more than 150 countries) who were selected by U.S. government entities as varied as the FBI, the Defense Department Fire Academy, the Patent and Trademark Office, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, and the National Park Service. Only some of the cables contained enough information to appear on the accompanying map, which depicts the planned movements of just under 39,300 people and units between 2003 and 2010.
The cables also reveal that more than two-thirds of the State Department’s vetting approvals were granted for training programs carried out overseas rather than in the United States. Domestically, training was conducted in 39 U.S. states as well as Puerto Rico, Guam, and the District of Columbia. At least 57 domestic Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps bases were involved in these domestic training efforts. Additional research by The Intercept and 100Reporters indicates that little has changed in the years since the cables were released; the global U.S. training system remains sprawling, opaque, and in disarray.
William Hartung, a senior adviser to the Security Assistance Monitor, which tracks American military aid around the globe, said the scale of the training efforts was “just mind boggling.”
“It’s sort of a question of, ‘Where aren’t we training people?’” he said. “It’s hard to imagine any other country in the world being in a position to do all this and to do it with so little scrutiny.”
Photo: U.S. Army Central
T he WikiLeaks cables examined in this investigation were written to comply with the so-called Leahy Law — a vetting process meant to weed out foreign trainees or units implicated in “gross human rights violations.” While the Leahy Law has prevented some aid from reaching units in countries like Pakistan and Indonesia, it has been routinely criticized as ineffective and filled with loopholes that are used to circumvent the law’s intent. Its implementation has also been hobbled by a lack of funding. As Lora Lumpe, a senior policy analyst at the Open Society Foundations, has observed, the State Department office that controls the Leahy vetting operated on a budget of just $2.75 million in 2014, while the security projects it oversaw were worth as much as $15 billion. The number of cases it vetted in 2015 was astounding — 191,899. The total number of individuals trained is certainly higher: According to the State Department, a single case can comprise thousands of individuals.
“When you say we have to look at every individual and every unit and you actually have to do the vetting, you get far too many people who are technically vetted, but who we actually know very little about,” said Kleinfeld of the Carnegie Endowment. “So you build a haystack where you’re looking for a needle. And as you build that haystack, the vetting necessarily becomes worse.”
Questions about the vetting process are accompanied by concerns about the effectiveness of the training programs. Last year, a $500 million Pentagon effort to train and equip Syrian rebels, slated to produce 15,000 fighters over three years, yielded just a few dozen before being scrapped by the Obama administration. A 13-year effort in Afghanistan has resulted in an army filled with “ghost” soldiers, wracked by desertions and continuing to suffer setbacks and lose territory to a relatively unpopular insurgency. And then there was the spectacular collapse of the Iraqi army in 2014 to the much smaller forces of the Islamic State (though the territory lost at the time is beginning to be won back).
These failures call into question whether these far-flung programs “can ever achieve their desired effects,” according to a 2015 report by the Congressional Research Service. “Despite the increasing emphasis on, and centrality of, BPC in national security strategy and military operations, the assumption that building foreign security forces will have tangible U.S. national security benefits remains a relatively untested proposition.”
A 2015 report by the Center for a New American Security similarly concluded that many “security assistance and cooperation interventions fail to accomplish U.S. objectives as a result of both strategic and structural deficiencies.” It found that training goals are often poorly articulated and sometimes in conflict with each other. In 2013, a State Department advisory panel also found that American security aid had no coherent system of planning or evaluation and no overall strategy. It compared the “baffling” array of federal funding sources to “a philanthropic grant-making process by an assemblage of different foundations with different agendas.”
That year, the Obama administration attempted to bring order to foreign security assistance through a directive that, according to the Congressional Research Service, calls on national security agencies “to improve, streamline, and better organize” all American international security assistance and cooperation. According to the National Security Council, the administration directed the State Department to “synchronize” foreign security aid programs. The State Department, in response, has said it “continues to play a leadership role” in carrying out the still-unpublished 2013 directive, but the results have been murky and basic information from various agencies is still lacking. The Department of Justice, for example, said it does not track foreign training at the department-wide level.
The failure of the State and Justice departments to meaningfully manage and track their training programs is mirrored by similar deficiencies at the Department of Defense. Despite its claims that programs are “closely overseen,” the Pentagon can’t even say how many foreign troops it mentors. According to Lt. Col. Joe Sowers, a Department of Defense spokesperson, “Because training is provided through multiple authorities, appropriations accounts, and geographic combatant commands, there is currently no single database that provides a total figure for the number of foreign security forces trained.”
Kleinfeld, from the Carnegie Endowment, describes the situation as a strategic failure. “No one knows how many people are being trained because of the lack of centralization — because State does some training, National Guard does some, the FBI, the DOD,” she said. “No one has any idea what’s going on.”
This story was co-published with 100Reporters as part of its series investigating chronic failures in the U.S. training of foreign police and military personnel.
Story by Douglas Gillison and Nick Turse. Data visualization by Moiz Syed.
Research: Lewam Dejen, Aishvarya Kavi, Chloee Weiner, and Drew Williams of 100Reporters.PHOENIX (Reuters) - A 36-year-old Japanese tourist has died from apparent heat-related complications while hiking at Grand Canyon National Park amid scorching temperatures, a park official said on Friday.
The man, whose name was not immediately released, died after trying to make his way back out from the bottom of the canyon along the popular Bright Angel Trail with a small group on Thursday, said park spokeswoman Emily Davis.
Temperatures on the trail at the time exceeded 110 degrees Fahrenheit (43 Celsius), and an excessive heat warning had been issued by the National Weather Service, Davis said.
Authorities said a park ranger was called to the scene at about 3:45 p.m. on Thursday by members of the hiking group who told the ranger the man needed help. By the time helped arrived, the man had had no pulse for two hours and efforts to resuscitate him were unsuccessful.
Davis said the man was found at a spot known as the Devil's Corkscrew, the first switch-back he would have encountered on his way out of the crimson-hued gorge.
The incident is the fifth confirmed fatality at the park this year.
On May 26, an 82-year-old California man died from unknown causes after he fell unconscious outside the visitor center at the park's South Rim.
The canyon is one of the world's most frequented outdoor tourist venues, attracting more than 4.7 million visitors in 2014.
(Reporting by David Schwartz; Editing by Daniel Wallis and Sandra Maler)KIEV (Reuters) - Ukraine pressed NATO on Tuesday for Western weaponry to help defend itself against pro-Russian separatists but the head of the alliance resisted for fear of threatening a fragile ceasefire with Russian-backed rebels.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko (R) welcomes NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg before the meeting of national security and defense council of Ukraine in Kiev September 22, 2015. REUTERS/Gleb Garanich
In Kiev’s imposing Soviet-era government buildings, Ukraine’s political leadership told NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg that their armed forces were no match for Russia, and needed help.
“Our heroes, our warriors belong to an army that was neglected for decades...they face aggression and need defensive weaponry,” the speaker of the parliament, Volodymyr Groysman, told Stoltenberg making his first visit to Ukraine as head of NATO, 18 months after Russia seized Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula.
Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, sitting alongside Stoltenberg at a national security council meeting, was equally blunt in depicting a threat from Russia which, however, denies it has provided weapons to the rebels in the east.
“Defense capabilities are essential to us in the face of a nuclear country, which has spent tens of billions of dollars on modernizing its army,” Yatseniuk said.
Diplomats said the issue of weaponry was raised at the security council, but the tone was less strident than in public. Initially, defensive equipment, for the Ukrainians, could include more communication equipment, they said.
Hours earlier, Stoltenberg had signed agreements to help modernize the Ukrainian armed forces.
But Stoltenberg said that was as far as NATO would go, telling Reuters in an interview that “NATO does not provide or supply weapons.”
“The main focus now is the implementation of the Minsk agreement,” Stoltenberg said, adding that Monday was the first day since the peace deal was signed in February in which no violations of the ceasefire had been registered.
EUROPE’S OUTPOST
The ebb in violence in Ukraine’s east, where the West say Russia is supporting and arming separatists and has positioned its own heavy weapons, was an opportunity for new momentum for diplomacy, Stoltenberg said.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, while accepting that non-NATO Ukraine could not expect direct military aid, portrayed his country as a bulwark against Russian aggression that could one day threaten other parts of the continent.
“De jure we are not allies, but de facto we are much more than partners. Ukraine is the most eastern outpost of the Euro-Atlantic area,” Poroshenko said.
Stoltenberg sees Ukraine as the most complex of Europe’s many crises and backs the 11-step Minsk peace deal signed in February that set an end-year deadline for implementation.
He sees the alliance’s role mainly limited to helping rebuild the Ukrainian army after years of mismanagement that was reflected in defeats by the pro-Russian rebels.
Slideshow (2 Images)
Former president Viktor Yanukovich dropped a bid to join NATO in 2010 to please Moscow. When he moved last year to decline an EU partnership deal and draw closer to Moscow, he was toppled by protests dubbed by Russia a Western-backed coup.
The current pro-Western leadership under Poroshenko now sees NATO membership as the only way to protect its territory. NATO, however, wants to avoid provoking Moscow.
Russia opposes any potential expansion of NATO to former communist areas of eastern and southeastern Europe, part of a battle for influence that lies at the heart of the conflict in Ukraine.Photo
What really goes on in an operating room?
This week, the Annals of Internal Medicine published an anonymous essay recounting two appalling incidents that took place while gynecological patients were unconscious. The medical journal challenged doctors to call out colleagues who behave inappropriately, but so far the response has been polarizing. While some physicians and consumer advocates applauded the journal for shining a light on abhorrent behaviors, some doctors, mostly obstetrician-gynecologists who felt singled out by the essay, have criticized its publication, calling it inflammatory, unsubstantiated and sensationalistic.
The incidents described in the essay are troubling, and some of the details are too graphic to repeat. In one case, a male doctor made a sexual comment while prepping an anesthetized woman for vaginal surgery. In the other, a doctor had just performed a lifesaving procedure on a Hispanic patient who began bleeding after giving birth. While the sedated patient was still in a compromised position, the doctor began dancing and singing a popular Mexican folk song.
In both cases, medical students who observed the behavior were deeply disturbed, but feigned amusement and played along, reluctant to confront a supervisor.
The editors of Annals of Internal Medicine decided to publish the piece as an anonymous essay even though the author originally submitted it to the journal under his real name. As a result of the anonymity, the incidents could not be verified. The journal declined a request for an interview with the author. In an accompanying editorial, the journal editors said they published the essay to encourage physicians to call out colleagues who behaved inappropriately, and that they hoped it would “make readers’ stomachs churn,” and “gnaw” at their consciences. They opted for anonymity to protect the identities of the patients involved.
“These are extreme examples, but there is no reason to believe these weren’t true events,” said Dr. Christine Laine, the journal’s editor in chief. “When I said to our 15-plus editorial team to ‘raise your hand if you think this stuff never happens,’ nobody raised their hand.”
She said the decision to publish was not easy, but that the editors felt refraining from publishing would, in a sense, make them complicit in the behavior as well.
While it has long been known that doctors sometimes adopt gallows humor to defuse tension or make provocative comments when they think patients aren’t listening, it is unusual for a medical journal to highlight such behaviors. Earlier this summer a Virginia man won $500,000 in damages after the doctor was recorded making disparaging remarks during a colonoscopy.
But does publicizing the bad behavior help patients? Not everybody thinks so.
Dr. Mark S. DeFrancesco, president of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said in a statement that in his 31 years of practice, he had “certainly never witnessed activity like this.”
Dr. Sigal Klipstein, chair of the college’s committee on ethics, said in a telephone interview that she was concerned the piece would deter women from seeking medical care.
“What was the point of publishing this article?” she asked, adding that since both of the patients received sound medical care and were not physically injured, “No harm was done.”
Nancy Berlinger, a scholar at The Hastings Center who writes about ethical challenges in health care as well as issues of power between junior and senior clinicians, disagrees. “Doctors must be respectful even if a patient is sedated,” she said. And in these cases, she said, the supervising physicians also did harm to the medical students they were responsible for training and mentoring.
“This is the worst thing a role model can do: to suggest that wrong behavior is acceptable, to nudge junior people to be callous and to misuse power,” Dr. Berlinger said. In both cases, the senior doctors made a trainee student complicit in their abuse and “made them feel dirty at an early stage of their careers.”
The anonymous essay prompted one physician blogger to recall her own experience as a medical student who was uncomfortable with the way a physician conducted a pelvic exam on a young girl. The experience, she wrote, still haunts her today.
“Now as a mature women I would handle it differently,” said Dr. Valerie Jones, a physical medicine and rehabilitation physician.
In his essay, the anonymous author explained that he was prompted to write it after a discussion in a medical ethics class. He asked the students if anything had happened in their clinical experience that they needed to forgive or could not forgive. The ensuing conversation revealed that both student and teacher were haunted by the uncomfortable experiences described in the essay. The teacher noted that he had felt cowed into laughing along with the singing doctor, and it was only when the anesthesiologist in the room yelled at them that it stopped.
“We all need the strength to act like the anesthesiologist in this story,” the editors of the journal wrote, noting that doctors should call out colleagues for inappropriate behavior. They concluded, “We owe it to ourselves, to our profession and especially to our patients.”
Related:
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Ken Doherty (born 17 September 1969) is an Irish professional snooker player, commentator and radio presenter.
As an amateur, Doherty won the Irish Amateur Championship twice, the World Under-21 Amateur Championship and the World Amateur Championship. Having turned professional in 1990, Doherty has won a total of six ranking tournaments, including the 1997 World Snooker Championship in which he defeated Stephen Hendry, inflicting Hendry's first loss in a world final. This made him the first player, and so far one of only two (the other being Stuart Bingham) to have been world amateur and professional champion. The following year, he came very close to breaking the Crucible curse, reaching the 1998 final where he lost out to John Higgins. He reached a third final in 2003, in which he was defeated by Mark Williams. In other triple crown events, he is a three-time UK Championship runner-up and a two-time Masters runner-up.
An intelligent tactician and prolific break-builder, Doherty has compiled more than 300 century breaks in professional competition. Since 2009, he has combined his playing career with commentating and punditry work.
Career [ edit ]
After two semi-finals in the 1991/92 season (his second as a professional), Doherty reached the final of the 1992 Grand Prix, narrowly losing 10–9 to Jimmy White. In the same event a year later, he lost 6–9 to Peter Ebdon. His first ranking title was the 1993 Welsh Open, enough to take him into the top 16 in the world, where he remained until the 2007/08 season. In the 1994 World Championship he reached the quarter-finals, his only run past the first round before 1997.
Doherty became only the third player from outside the United Kingdom (after Australian Horace Lindrum in 1952 and Canadian Cliff Thorburn in 1980) to win the World Championship when he beat Stephen Hendry 18–12 in the 1997 final. Ken also reached the World Championship final in 1998 (losing to John Higgins) and in 2003, losing narrowly to Mark Williams. The latter run was noted for some outstanding comebacks, including final-frame wins over Graeme Dott and Shaun Murphy, a 13–8 win over John Higgins in a match where Doherty raced ahead 10–0 but Higgins fought back to 10–7, and a semi-final fightback from 9–15 to beat Paul Hunter 17–16. In that championship he played more frames than anyone before or since. In the final, Williams led 11–4 but Doherty fought back to 12–12 and 16–16. In frame 33, Doherty missed the penultimate red with a clearance easily available. Williams won that crucial frame and the next to prevail 18–16.
He is one of the few players to have won back-to-back ranking events—the Welsh Open and Thailand Masters in 2001—and also reached the final of the next, the Regal Scottish Open.[1]
He narrowly failed to achieve a maximum break when he missed a routine final black off its spot in the 15th frame of the 2000 Benson & Hedges Masters final against Matthew Stevens, which |
it's because it is both. The question right now is what are members of the U.S. Congress going to do about it?
This was published in The Guardian (UK) on March 30, 2013.We've been waiting on pricing details for Tesla's solar roof since last year. They're finally available.
Tesla officially started taking orders for its highly anticipated solar roofing system today. Since the public launch of the product last fall, Elon Musk has been dropping small details about warranties and performance -- but he's said nothing about how much consumers can expect to pay.
Tesla now has a website that allows homeowners to figure out how much it will cost them. Here are the most important details that we know so far.
Musk: "It's a better product at a slightly better price"
According to Tesla, the product will cost $21.85 per square foot for an average American home -- making it competitive with standard tile, metal or slate roofs. You can read more about Tesla's assumptions here.
Speaking on a briefing call with reporters, Musk said a solar roof covering 40 percent of the average-sized American home would generate 10 percent to 20 percent more electricity than a standard solar system.
"It's a better product at a slightly better price," said Musk, comparing the product to conventional roofs.
"It's the most affordable roof you can buy," said Peter Rive, SolarCity's chief technology officer, on the call.
In a blog post, Tesla provided a cost comparison to other roofing options: "As shown in the graph below, the cost of our non-solar tiles is comparable to regular roofing tiles. Although the cost of our solar tiles is more expensive upfront, it can be more than offset by the value of energy the tiles produce. In many cases, the reduction in a home’s electricity bill over time will be greater than the cost of the roof."
What is the product, exactly?
It's a fully integrated system -- tempered glass solar tiles, power electronics, and an "all-inclusive contract" for financing and maintenance. Oh, and the warranty is "infinity." Really.
"We offer the best warranty in the industry -- the lifetime of your house, or infinity, whichever comes first," wrote the company.
Musk said the roofing contract would be structured "much like we sell cars."
But here's an important caveat about the all-inclusive nature of the contract: "The estimated cost of your Solar Roof includes materials, installation, and the removal of your old roof. Taxes, permit fees and additional construction costs such as significant structural upgrades, gutter replacement, or skylight replacements are not included."
According to Tesla, the roof is "three times as strong as standard roofing tiles" and one-third the weight of a normal tile.
As Musk hinted on Twitter earlier this morning, Tesla will offer gray smooth glass tiles and black textured glass tiles. The slate glass and Tuscan tiles will be available in six to nine months.
Musk said that Tesla expects consumers to cover 40 percent of their roof with solar tiles on average. The calculator allows customers to price out their own roof with up to 70 percent solar tiles.
Tesla wants to upsell you batteries
If you price out your home, Tesla will encourage you to add a Powerwall. That'll add another $7,000 to the system.
"We recommend that every Solar Roof be installed with a Powerwall battery to enable you to use more of the solar power your roof produces and keep your home running during a grid outage. In states that do not have Net Energy Metering policies, we estimate and recommend a number of Powerwalls that will enable you to realize the full benefit of the energy your Solar Roof produces."
It's manufactured in America
Tesla plans to make the entire system in Buffalo, New York, with cells made from Panasonic. Peter Rive, the CTO of SolarCity, said the efficiency of the solar roof tile was equivalent to a standard solar PV module.
JB Straubel, the chief technology officer at Tesla, said it is "a very different approach to manufacturing solar modules." He added that the solar division had "leaned heavily" on the Tesla team -- particularly when it came to developing electrical connectors.
Musk said the strong tempered glass makes it easier to ship than conventional tiles. And because the product is one-third the weight, the cost of shipment is also much lower. "We save on logistics and breakage," he said.
Installations start this summer in California
It'll cost you $1,000 to reserve a system. Installations will occur on a first-come, first-served basis.
"We’re going to essentially custom-design the solar roof system for a homeowner," said Rive about the systems.
An important note: The product initially will only be available to California homeowners. Tesla will expand to other states in the future, depending on demand.
"Installations will start in June, beginning with California and rolling out to additional markets over time. When Solar Roof is rolled out in a particular market, Solar Roof customers will be installed based on when their order was placed," wrote Tesla.
Installations will begin this summer. More aesthetically appealing options will be released in 2018.
We'll have much more analysis on the value to consumers -- and how Tesla plans to integrate the product into its sales model -- in future coverage.Vietnamese Beef Noodle Soup
(See also: Phở Ga – Vietnamese chicken noodle soup)
It's pronounced "fuh." It's spelled "phở" but you speak it as "fuh." No kidding. Don't just take my word for it, find out for yourself.
The national dish of Vietnam, phở (full name phở bo to specify the beef flavored soup), is one of the most delicious foods in the world! It's wildly popular in Southeast Asia, to the point where you can find phở in Asia in the same way you can find pizza in the United States. However, few persons in the American mallrat crowd know about phở. That's their loss – and your gain. If you've never tried phở, then run (don't walk) to an authentic Vietnamese restaurant and have some right away! It's not especially expensive; a huge bowl of it typically costs $7 or less. But once you've had phở, you won't be satisfied with just one bowl – you'll be coming back for it again and again. People who’ve never tried Vietnamese food tend to shy away, as they’re afraid it could have spices so intense they might burn their tongues off. Phở actually starts out sweet and mild; but hot sauces are included as a garnish so you can add as much or as little as you like. When I first tried it, the sweetness was unlike anything I'd ever had before – it wasn't a sugary, syrupy sweetness, but rather a fresh one that likely came from the cilantro, mint, and ginger used to flavor this dish. This dish is served with lime wedges, bean sprouts, mint leaves, hoisin sauce, and Sriracha hot sauce so that people who like it hot and spicy can add as much heat as they wish.
That's why when I had my first bowl of phở, the first thought that came to me (well, the second thought after marveling at the taste) was, "I have got to make this at home!" And I found out that it's not as easy to make phở at home as you might think. My first attempts to make it resulted in a dark brown, greasy soup, which contrasted with the light color and taste of professionally made phở. If this happens when you make phở at home, the best advice I can give is to keep practicing. Even poorly made phở is still very tasty, and it's worth the effort of making it. In addition to its use in traditional phở, the phở broth itself is terrific for making rice. Boil jasmine rice in this stuff instead of plain water, and you'll have some of the most delicious rice you'll ever eat.
Many of the ingredients in phở are easy to find at your local supermarket, but a few key ingredients are more difficult to obtain, especially the beef knuckle bones. If you're fortunate enough to live near a genuine Oriental food market, you'll be able to pick up the beef bones at a low price; if not, you'll probably find beef bones to be hard to come by, and often much more expensive. Likewise, phở is so popular that Oriental markets sell packets of phở spices, especially so that you can boil up your own phở broth with little effort. There's even a "phở flavor paste" that's meant to be added directly to water, but this is seen as poor quality stuff. If you're going to make phở at home, go for the fresh spices and don't bother with the phở flavor paste.
If you can't get beef bones to boil, you can do a substitution by using four quarts of beef broth from the store, mixed in with two quarts of water. On its own, beef broth is too thick to serve as "genuine" phở broth, which is why it should be diluted with water.
Utensils needed: Large stock pot, fine strainer (for straining fat from the broth), second pot for the strained broth, large bowl for soaking rice noodles, cheesecloth pouch or bag (or a stainless steel tea diffuser if you can't get cheesecloth)
Phở broth:
(Note that this is the approximate amount of spices for 6 quarts of broth, or 1 1/2 gallons. Increase the amount of spice if you are making large amounts of broth.)
Phở broth spice packet, assembled as follows: 8 whole star anise (or 2 teaspoons anise seed) 2 cardamom pods 1 teaspoon whole cloves 2 cinnamon sticks, broken in half 1 tablespoon coriander seed 1 tablespoon fennel seed 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns 1 teaspoon whole white peppercorns (If you have access to an Oriental food market, you will be likely to find phở spice packets containing all of these ingredients for a cost of $2 or less.)
1 4-inch slice of ginger, sliced lengthwise into two halves
1 large onion, peeled and sliced into two halves
6 quarts water
3 pounds beef oxtail (knuckle bones) (If you can't get beef bones, use 4 quarts of beef broth and 2 quarts of water)
1 beef roast, uncookedm typically 1 to 3 pounds. Any cut of beef can be used, but brisket and chuck are the most popular.
4 cloves garlic, peeled and sliced in half
1 tablespoon salt
3 tablespoons sugar (or 3 ounces rock sugar – rock sugar is a traditional phở ingredient)
2 tablespoons Thai or Viet fish sauce
Garnishings for phở – to be added upon serving the finished soup. All of these are optional, but very popular. If you're only making the broth you don't need any of these, but if you're serving the soup you will need at least the noodles, plus the meat cooked in the broth.
1 package (12 to 16 ounces) banh phở: rice noodles, preferably thin noodles or rice vermicelli
1 pound beef sirloin, flank, or eye-of-round roast, uncooked, sliced extremely thin
Cilantro, chopped
Scallions, chopped
Side garnishings, to be added to the finished soup: Bean sprouts Mint leaves, usually on the stems Basil leaves, usually on the stems Lime wedges Chili peppers Hoisin sauce Sriracha or hot pepper sauce
A typical phở spice packet, sold at many Oriental food markets, containing a soaking bag plus various necessary dry spices. The exact amount differs with each bag.
Preparation
Prepare your phở spice packet using the listed ingredients. (If you have access to an Oriental food market, you will be likely to find phở spice packets there for a cost of $2 or less.) In a skillet or saute pan, heat up the
dry spices for the spice packet (star anise, cloves, cinnamon stick, cardamom pod, coriander, fennel seed, peppercorns) until the spices become aromatic and you can smell the aroma. Place the spices in a bowl (remember, they're hot) and prepare your spice packet. A traditional spice packet consists of a small cheesecloth bag or pouch, with the spices added and tied shut. If you can't get a cheesecloth to wrap up your spice packet, use one or more stainless steel tea diffusers (on sale at most supermarkets or other kitchen suppliers).
In the heated skillet, take the halves of onion and ginger and char them: heat them in the pan until just a little black char shows on the surface. The surface color will become slightly darker. Remove the onions and ginger from the heat, and place aside.
Many phở recipes call for one large stock pot, full of boiling water. I find it convenient to use two separate pots, one medium to large size and the second pot as big as you can get. This way you can place the blanched bones into the pot of boiling water. You won't have to drain the pot, wash it out, fill it up again, and bring the water to boiling a second time.
Put the beef bones into your smaller stock pot with boiling water, and boil the bones for ten minutes. The surface of the water will be covered in an ugly scum, as fat and impurities will cause a thick foam to form on the surface of the bubbling liquid. This fat needs to be removed to make the broth clear, thin, and tasty. Drain the stockpot (don't throw out the bones!), rinse the bones clean. This will remove much of the fat from the bones. Put the bones into the second big stockpot of boiling water, and add the beef roast to the water. Once the water is boiling, lower the heat down to a very low simmer. Add in the charred onions and ginger, garlic, salt, sugar, fish sauce, and the phở spice packet.
Simmer the broth
While the broth is simmering, rinse and clean out the first stockpot. This way we can use it later, to prepare the rice noodles, which must be made immediately before serving.
As the phở broth boils, more fat and impurities will cause a thick foam to form on the surface of the bubbling liquid. This fat needs to be removed to make the broth clear, thin, and tasty. To strain the fat from the water using this method, a small fine strainer with a handle is used to skim the fat from the surface of the broth, over and over, for as long as the broth is cooking. If you don't want to do this, use a second stockpot and a larger fine mesh. This way, after 90 minutes you will be able to strain the broth into the second pot, then return it to the original pot.
After about 60 minutes, the broth should be strained enough to cover the pot and let it simmer. The covered pot will trap heat and moisture, allowing the roast to thoroughly cook. Check the pot every 30 minutes, and strain off any additional scum that may accumulate on the surface of the broth. Continue to simmer the broth with its ingredients and spices for a total of three hours. (Some phở recipes call for simmering the bones for five hours or more, but the bones are completely used after three hours; there isn't much point to simmering them after that.)
Prepare the phở
As the phở approaches three hours of cooking, you can prepare the phở garnishings. Chop the scallions, and cilantro. These will need to be added to the phở bowl immediately before serving. The other garnishings can be laid out on their own plates or bowls for your guests, so they can pick and choose whichever ones they want to add to their soup. A typical plate of phở garnishings includes a pile of bean sprouts, sprigs of basil and mint leaves, sliced wedges of lime, sliced chili peppers, and bottles of hoisin and sriracha sauce on the side.
Fill the second, smaller stockpot with water once again, and bring it to a good roiling boil.
After three hours, remove the beef roast from the pot. Slice the roast into thin slices, and put aside to be served as part of the final soup. It's okay to let the cooked beef cool off while the other garnishings are prepared, because this is going to be added to the bowl of hot soup.
Rice noodles will congeal very quickly, so you should wait until you are almost ready to serve the phở. Prepare the noodles as follows: Place the dry noodles in a large strainer, and lower the strainer into the pot of boiling water. After only a couple minutes of soaking in the hot water, the noodles will be ready to add to your guests' bowls. Remove the strainer from the boiling water. Serve the rice noodles directly to the soup bowls. Add your slices of cooked beef to the soup bowls, on top of the noodles. If you are serving the additional uncooked beef sirloin, add the slices of beef to the soup bowls before the phở broth is poured into them. When the hot broth is added, it will instantly cook the beef slices.
Serve the broth by pouring it into your prepared soup bowls with rice noodles and uncooked beef slices. To each bowl of hot soup, add the cooked beef, chopped scallions, basil, and cilantro.
After this, your guests can add all other garnishings to their soup.
One more thing – in Far East culture, it's perfectly acceptable to slurp your noodles and drink right from the bowl!
See also: Phở Ga
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March 25, 2012: My third attempt at making phở bo (beef phở) produced the most satisfying results so far. My two main worries were that the corned beef brisket would be chewy and rubbery, as it was when I tried to fry it last week; and that the rice noodles would congeal into a gooey mass, as they've done each time before. But I overcame both of these problems, which is why I'm happy with this phở. The instructions for preparing the brisket said to remove it from the broth after 90 minutes, but my concern about it being tough and rubbery made me decide to let it simmer in the broth for the entire three hours – a good choice. The corned beef cut very easily with a knife, and the slices practically came apart in my mouth and weren't chewy at all…which is my favorite way to enjoy corned beef. As for the rice noodles, I managed to find a good way to bring them to the proper consistency: simply place the dry uncooked noodles in a bowl, cover them completely with boiling water, and let them soak in the hot water no more than five minutes before taking them out and placing them in the soup bowl.
It's still not restaurant-quality phở, and I daresay it will take years of practice before I can do anything that good; but this is a phở I would not be ashamed to serve to dinner guests.
Making phở requires a lot of preparation and work in terms of ingredients, effort, cooking time, and preparation. It's an all-day project, and you really need to prepare a huge pot of broth to make this all worthwhile. That's phở with all of the ingredients: rice noodles, broth, meat, garnishings, and spicy sauces. Otherwise, it's far easier to simply drive to the nearest metropolitan area (a 15 minute drive), go to an authentic Vietnamese restaurant, and pay $7 for a huge bowl of phở that will keep me satisfied for the rest of the day.
On the other hand, I have more phở broth now to make flavored jasmine rice. That also makes me happy. And the taste of this phở was definitely worth waiting all day for.
June 8, 2018: I'm not a heavy follower of most of the celebrity chefs, but I was saddened to hear of the passing of Anthony Bourdain in June of 2018. That's because Bourdain did indeed change my life in a small but meaningful way: he introduced me to Vietnamese phở, which is possibly the best noodle soup in the entire world. In 2011 I watched a video of Bourdain's TV series No Reservations (season 5, episode 6, "Food Porn"), in which he practically had an orgasm on camera when he ate this Vietnamese noodle dish. It was funny, and it inspired me to try pho myself, in Boston's Chinatown. And my life has never been the same. I will indeed go out of my way for a bowl of phở, and if you've been fortunate enough to experience phởyourself, you'll probably feel the same way.
Sadly, the initial news reports on Bourdain's death said he had unexpectedly committed suicide. This made his words in this video sadly and even painfully ironic: "For me, a good bowl of phở will always make me happy – take me to that special place where everything is beautiful, and nothing hurts." He died in France, on the far side of the world from his beloved Vietnam. Perhaps if he had been in Vietnam, he could have drowned his sorrows in a heaping bowl of phở.FRIDAY, OCTOBER 30
97.5 THE FANATIC LIVE BROADCAST
6 A.M. - 2 P.M. | STUDENT CENTER ATRIUM
Join Temple alum Anthony Gargano and the rest of the Morning Show team from6 a.m. - 10 a.m.at the Student Center. Then, stop by and check out Temple alums Rob Ellis and Harry Mayes as they broadcast live from10 a.m. - 2 p.m. Two lucky fans in attendance will win tickets to the Temple-Notre Dame game!
ESPN COLLEGE FOOTBALL LIVE
2 - 2:30 P.M. | INDEPENDENCE MALL
Don't miss your first chance to check out the GameDay set and show your Temple pride during this 30 minute live show! Buses will leave campus at 1 p.m. and transport students to Independence Mall. The buses will return to campus at the conclusion of the show at 2:30 p.m.
CHERRY ON PEP RALLY
3:30 - 4:30 P.M. | BELL TOWER
Come to the Bell Tower to send the team off to victory as they depart campus. As always, there will be FREE food, t-shirts, music and prizes while supplies last! This week you will also have the opportunity to listen to women's rowing talk about their season and put on a demonstration. GET YOUR SIGN ON...
3:30 - 4:30 P.M. | BELL TOWER
The Temple University Alumni Association and Temple Student Government will be providing a station for students to make their epic GameDay signs. How clever can you be?
AVENUE OF THE TREATS
5 - 7 P.M. | CECIL B. MOORE AVENUE
Temple student-athletes will take part in the Avenue of the Treats, handing out candy to Trick or Treaters as part of the annual safe trick or treat event for the North Philadelphia community.
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31
LIVE SPORTSCENTER LOOK-INS
6:30- 8:30 A.M. | FOUNDERS GARDEN
Temple's very own Kevin Negandhi (SCT '98) will be broadcasting live from Founders Garden on Temple's Campus. Join Temple Alumni for a sunrise pep rally, including breakfast, giveaways and raffle prizes!
From We the People, to We the T.
From the birthplace of anation, to the set of ESPN College Gameday, courtesy of the Temple Owls. Show everyone that Temple is Philadelphia's university, right in front of the historic Independence Hall! GameDay cameras will be capturing your Temple signs, spirit, and Philadelphia's iconic views for the whole nation to see.
It's GameDay.
Buses from campus will be en route to the GameDay set starting at 4:45 a.m on Saturday morning. Set your alarm, pour your coffee, and head to the LiacourasCenter to grab a seat. You've pulled all-nighters before to finish that paper that you procrastinated on, so you can sacrifice a few hours of sleep for this unique experience. Owl Nation needs YOU there!
Fun Facts About GameDay This marks the 300th GameDay road show. Notre Dame hosted the first one on November 13, 1993.
Temple is the 66th different school to host the show with the previous 65 going 40-25 in their debut home game.
Temple is the 82nd different team to be represented at a GameDay site game.
This is only the second GameDay road show on Halloween. In 2009, the show was in Eugene on Halloween for the Ducks 47-20 win over USC.
This is just the second time the show has been to Philadelphia (November 2002 for Harvard/Penn game at Franklin Field).
Corso is just 2-6 in headgear picks this year and a loss would mean the first time he has had two separate three-game losing streaks in the first nine weeks of the season. 2002 was the only other time Corso was 2-6 or worse through eight headgear picks. And that is also the only time he has been 2-7 or worse through nine headgear (was 1-8 in 2002). GET YOUR #CHERRYON FOR A CHERRY OUT!
It's Cherry, not red. Fight! Fight! Fight! For the Cherry and the White -- our colors look great on TV. Make sure you're rocking your Temple gear when you're right in the middle of GameDay's live camera shots! What better backdrop for College GameDay than a sea of cherry when Lee Corso is picking the Owls?
#GetUp4GameDay
So you were there when ESPN College GameDay came to Temple? Prove it. Tweet your score predictions, Instagram your selfies with Hooter, showcase your unmatched Temple fandom, and spread the Temple takeover. #GetUp4GameDay - Official College GameDay hashtag #WeTheT - Official Temple Athletics hashtag #LeaveNoDoubt - Official 2015 Temple Football hashtag #BeatND- Game-specific hashtag SOME RULES AND REGULATIONS FOR "THE PIT" NO FOOD OR DRINK
NO VULGAR SIGNS
NO.COM SIGNS
NO POLITICAL SIGNS
NO RELIGIOUS SIGNS
NO BAGS, NO PURSES
NO MARKERS, PENS, PENCILS, DRY ERASE BOARDS
NO THROWING OBJECTS
ALL PERSON'S ENTERING ARE SUBJECT TO SEARCH
WHAT WE'RE ALL HERE FOR.
#21 TEMPLE VS. #9 NOTRE DAME
8 P.M. | LINCOLN FINANCIAL FIELD
Be there as your #21 Temple Owls take on the #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. 1 p.m. - Parking Lots Open
5 p.m. - Buses leave campus
5:30 p.m. - The Fly I n
6 p.m. - Gates Open
8:14 p.m. - Kickoff
PARKING: Parking Lot K at Lincoln Financial Field is expected to open at 1 p.m. Please note, there is a possibility that the lot may open earlier due to expected high traffic on Pattison Avenue. Also, there will be no cash parking available in Lot K. Only those individuals who purchased pre-paid parking passes will be able to enter Lot K for the Temple-Notre Dame game. Prior to, during and shortly after the team Fly, the entrance to Lot K will be temporarily closed. Thank you in advance for your patience.
Owl Club Members with reserved passes for Lot K- please be sure to park in your assigned lot stated on your pass. The Cherry and White lots are marked with signs by the entrances of each lot. The map is below for your reference.
There are a number of other parking options around Lincoln Financial Field. Please click here for a parking map.with reserved passes for Lot K- please be sure to park in your assigned lot stated on your pass. The Cherry and White lots are marked with signs by the entrances of each lot. The map is below for your reference.
TICKETS: The Temple-Notre Dame game is officially sold out. Will Call windows at the stadium will open at 5 p.m.
THE FANATIC 97.5 LIVE BROADCAST: Stop by and check out Eytan Shander and Geoff Mosher as they broadcast live beginning at 4 p.m. The live broadcast will take place up against the fence next to the NE Gate in Lot K. While you're there, take a picture with the National Championship Trophy!
OWL CLUB MEMBER GIFT: Stop by the Owl Club tent on Tailgate Row in Lot K to pick up your Owl Club gift. You must have your Owl Club membership card to pick up your gift at this game! The tent will close at 7:30 p.m.
TAILGATE WITH TEMPLE ALUMNI:Celebrate Temple's prime-time showdown with Notre Dame by visiting the Temple University Alumni Association's Tailgate Row. Tailgate Row is FREE and opens at 5 p.m.! Join fellow Owls in Lot K as we get ready to cheer the Owls to victory. A limited number of walk-up registrations for the Temple Alumni Tent will be taken on a first-come, first-serve basis. The $20 registration includes a traditional tailgate buffet with all the fixings, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages, plus two drink tickets (beer/wine) for guests 21 or over. Owl Club members can show their membership card at the Alumni Relations tent and pick up their exclusive Owl Club Member gift (registration to the tailgate is not necessary to get your gift).
TEAM FLY IN: Be a part of the pageantry of college football during the team Fly In at approximately 6 p.m., as the Owls walk down Lincoln Financial Way into the stadium.
TEMPLE FOOTBALL TAILGATE SHOW: Don't miss the Temple Football Tailgate Show - hosted by sideline reporter Harry Mayes - LIVE from Lot K along Tailgate Row from 6-7 p.m. Hear from Temple coaches, former players and more - as Harry gets you set for kickoff! The show can be heard via stream by clicking here and will also be broadcast to those in the parking lot. GATES TO THE STADIUM: All gates to the stadium will open at 6 p.m. Also, as a reminder, fans in the Club Level or Suites are able to stay in the stadium up to one (1) hour following the conclusion of the game.
PROPER CONDUCT: All fans are expected to act in a proper manner inside and outside of the stadium. Those fans with offensive language on shirts and fans who are visibly intoxicated may not be permitted entry to Lincoln Financial Field. Click here for the stadium's fan code of conduct.
GUIDELINES FOR WEARING HALLOWEEN COSTUMES AND BRINGING CANDY INTO THE STADIUM:
No metal on costumes
No costume weapons
No masks or costume parts covering a guest's face when they enter the stadium (guest must be able to remove mask when they go through security)
No inappropriate costumes
No costumes that obstruct other fans' views
No costumes that consist of any part that is on our prohibited items list
All costumes subject to admission refusal
Candy is the same policy as food. It is allowed in the stadium as long as it is in a clear bag.
KIDS ZONE: Bringing kids to the game? Enjoy the Kids Zone - located on the concourse at the top of the steps after you enter the Xfinity gate. The Kids Zone - featuring inflatable games, clowns, face painters, arts & crafts stations and more - will open at 6 p.m. and will close at the end of halftime. Plus, kids can enjoy a trick or treating station in teh Kids Zone for the Temple-Notre Dame game!
HALFTIME RECOGNITION: Following the Diamond Owls Marching Band performance at halftime, Temple student-athletes will be recognized on the field for their academic success. Be in your seats for the halftime festivities!
TICKET ISSUES: Temple season-ticket holders - please be careful when separating tickets in your packets for respective games. Please make sure you DO NOT rip the bar code portion of your tickets.
TEMPLE-NOTRE DAME T-SHIRT: Click here to purchase the official Temple-Notre Dame game-day t-shirt.
TV/RADIO: The game will be televised on ABC (Channel 6 on DISH, Channel 506 on Verizon Fios, Channel 6 on DirecTV and Channel 806 on Comcast) and can be heard on 97.5 FM The Fanatic. Fans can also click here to listen to the game via stream.
CHERRY CONNECT: Use your smartphones to maximize your experience with social media and fan engagement apps. All Owls fans should download the CHERRY CONNECT App (connect.owlsports.com), updated for this season. It's the best way to follow the team with live scores, updates, trivia contests for great prizes, and the hottest gear in the team store.
EXPERIENCE APP: Take advantage of the new Experience App (owlsports.com/upgrade) to upgrade your game days with one click. Experiences this season include the opportunity to meet Hooter the Owl and representatives from the Temple Spirit Squad, take part in the pre-game high-five tunnel, sit in the Temple Radio booth for a quarter, and more!Reebok has added another rapper to its lineup of musicians, with Ohio's Machine Gun Kelly entering into a partnership with the sportswear brand. MGK joins the likes of other Reebok Classics-affiliated artists Future, Kendrick Lamar, and Teyana Taylor.
"All of them have been artists I've known throughout the come-up," Kelly told Sole Collector. "I always like being a part of something the homies are involved in."
Kelly will join the Reebok team as the spokesperson for a campaign surrounding its retro Club C sneaker. To hear the rapper tell it, the simplicity of the Club C's design is what drew him to it.
"You can wear it with anything," he said. "It's the perfect complement to whatever outfit you choose."
Image via Reebok
Over his career, Kelly has become known for his rebellious persona, which helped catch Reebok's attention. "His dynamism truly connects to our brand and really comes through in everything he touches," said Reebok's Director of Global Entertainment Marketing, Damion Presson.
Along with the campaign, Kelly also hinted at the potential for a future collaboration with the brand that would have him getting his own shoe. Ideally, he wants to create his own twist on the Club C in a matte yellow colorway. "That's all I talk about with them," he told Sole Collector.
The Cleveland native said that this is certainly not something that he ever expected would happen to him. He always felt that he could make it in the rap game, but thought a partnership with a major shoe brand like Reebok would be unattainable. Kelly has always repped heavily for his hometown, and hopes this partnership can be yet another accomplishment to inspire his city.
"I'm just going to continue to boss-up for the city, and show the next era of kids coming from 'The Land' how far their dreams can reach."Image copyright Phil Dibbs Image caption Enemies no longer: Phil and Caroline have since ironed out their differences
How do you relate to the people you work with? As friends you might go out for a meal with, or more as acquaintances you have to put up with in the workplace to get the job done?
Management consultant Phil Dibbs says he found it impossible to get on with one of his co-workers when they both worked for Westland Helicopters.
"Caroline was in procurement and I was working in sales, selling the helicopters to the Ministry of Defence. We should have collaborated but we hated each other, absolutely hated each other," he says.
"We did not work together very well at all. We had to get our assistants to talk to each other to get things done - otherwise discussions would go on well after it was time to go home.
"She thought I was arrogant. I thought she was aloof and standoffish - but gorgeous."
The two never considered meeting outside work at that point, says Phil, but later on a friend engineered a drink in a bar in York - and they revised their opinions of each other.
Image copyright Phil Dibbs Image caption Phil and Caroline have now been a couple for 14 years
"At that point there was no romantic interest, but it grew from there," says Phil. And their socialising outside of work was definitely more fruitful than their initial working relationship.
"We got married in Las Vegas and have now been together for 14 years!"
Phil and Caroline's experience shows that life outside of work can be very different from the "nine-to-five".
And their experience is not unusual. One in five of us (22%) have met our partner at work, according to a YouGov poll for the TUC, while a third of us have had a relationship with a colleague at some point.
Yet while some of us may thrive in the office social scene, others prefer to keep their work and personal lives separate.
Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption Some people would rather not go to those after-work drinks
IT consultant Peter Smith says though he gets on well with his co-workers, he does not meet them outside the office. "I spend 10-12 hours with the same people, why would I want to then go out with them in the evening?
"I need to be able to relax and unwind and I can't really do that with people from the office. I don't want to talk about work issues," he says.
"I have friends I see at the weekends and evenings, and my work colleagues who I might go for a quick lunch with, but I try to make sure the two groups don't meet."
But no matter how much we might try to compartmentalise our lives, some workplace events - like Christmas parties or leaving drinks - can be hard to avoid.
If you never go to any of them, your colleagues may wonder if you're rejecting them and then you might be seen as not one of the team, which could be counter-productive.
Image copyright Thinkstock Image caption Talking about that latest work project or the weekend football results can all boost productivity, say researchers
Indeed, talking to your colleagues may help your work rate. A study by Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) researchers found that workplace chatter, even the idle kind, can increase productivity.
The researchers fitted volunteers with badges containing radio transmitters and microphones, to monitor workers' interactions and see whether they were work or non-work related.
They found that those who interacted most with their co-workers had the highest productivity - whether or not they were talking about work or sport.
Adele Harman, a medical PA with the |
which comprised 10 million square feet of Manhattan office space; he struck a lucrative financial partnership with J.P. Morgan; and he entertained on his yacht and, along with his wife Klara, became a prolific fund-raiser for Jewish charities. Through it all, Mr. Silverstein kept a high public profile, chairing the Real Estate Board of New York for several years, helping to transform the organization from a staid networking group into a political force. And he helped to endow a new Real Estate Institute at New York University. Mr. Silverstein teaches a course there every semester; his lectures are always standing room only.
“It’s Socratic,” said Ken Patton, a former president of the Real Estate Board, who holds the institute’s Larry and Klara Silverstein Chair. In a typical lecture, he said, Mr. Silverstein will present a quandary–a difficult lease or a sticky zoning situation–and ask the students to work their way out of it.
Mr. Silverstein has had to work himself out of his own share of real-life jams. In 1981, he announced an ambitious gamble to build 7 World Trade Center, a two-million-square-foot office tower on Vesey Street, between West Broadway and Washington Street, without a tenant lined up to lease the building. In 1986, in a full-page newspaper ad that pictured the slight Mr. Silverstein as a football player crossing into the end zone, the identity of the tenant was revealed. It was a big one, too–the investment bank Drexel Burnham Lambert.
But Mr. Silverstein’s luck changed when Drexel collapsed beneath a load of scandal and bad debt. Seven World Trade Center was left nearly 90 percent vacant. Mr. Silverstein eventually found another brokerage firm, Salomon Brothers, to lease the space, but had to pay so much to refit the building that the pension fund which owned the mortgage was hit up for extra money in return for a large chunk of his profits.
The cash crunch soon hit other parts of his holdings as well. A shopping mall on 34th Street was abandoned. A residential development at 42nd Street and 12th Avenue was put on hold, and ownership of 120 Broadway was turned over to his lender, J.P. Morgan. Since Mr. Silverstein’s company is privately held, no one outside it knows for sure how badly he was hurt. But real estate sources say Mr. Silverstein was forced to turn over many of his buildings to his lenders, staying on to manage them.
By 1998, however, Mr. Silverstein was back in the acquisition game. He bought an office building at 140 Broadway from Leona Helmsley. The far-west 42nd Street project, which had languished for years, finally got done.
In the meantime, Mr. Silverstein started grooming a son, Roger, and a daughter, Lisa, to take over the company one day. Ms. Silverstein was recently the subject of a lengthy New York Times story on “developer daughters,” in which she first told the story of Mr. Silverstein’s car accident. “Am I going to be taking more responsibility from him? Yes,” she said.
Nevertheless, people who have seen him say that Mr. Silverstein is still spry and recovering well from his accident. “Larry’s a young 69,” said James Kuhn, an executive at the real estate brokerage Newmark and Company.
Over the last decade, Mr. Silverstein watched as Mr. Speyer bought Rockefeller Center and the Chrysler Building, and as Mr. Mendik sold his company for $656 million–to, ironically enough, Steve Roth.
Now it’s his turn. “If Larry gets it,” one man who knows both Mr. Silverstein and Mr. Mendik said of the World Trade Center deal, “Bernie’s not going to be able to look in the mirror.”En route to daycare from her Mission District apartment on a recent Tuesday morning, Stephanie Grant made a pit stop at Burger King at 16th and Mission streets to buy her 16-month-old son, Jackson, a French toast breakfast.
“At daycare, all he gets is cereal. I try to make him eggs or at least buy him some toast beforehand,” she said, tearing the toast into bite-sized pieces and placing them in the tray of her son’s stroller.
Two years ago, such daily routines with her son were nearly unimaginable for the 33-year-old, who arrived in San Francisco four months pregnant and homeless in early 2016.
Grant’s pregnancy with Jackson was the first that the mother of five, a recovering heroin addict, experienced while living in a tent — but she is certainly not the first mother in The City who has experienced this.
Admission into San Francisco’s family shelter system has been historically “problematic,” according to Jennifer Friedenbach, executive director of the Coalition on Homelessness.
“It was totally micromanaged and it had its problems. [There were] six pages of eligibility criteria for shelter and you had to verify your homelessness from two independent sources,” Friedenbach said. “There was a lot of stuff that needed changing.”
SEE RELATED: SF public schools to shift focus, resources on homeless students as numbers rise
This year, The City has attempted to address these hurdles by implementing new prioritization requirements for waitlisted families and by phasing in a new coordinated intake system this fall.
Still, advocates and service providers for the homeless say the new requirements could leave expecting homeless mothers like Grant and families seeking refuge in emergency shelters behind.
Grant said her pregnancy with Jackson was “hard.” She recounted living out much of it in sidewalk encampments in the Mission District with her former boyfriend, John Visor, who died in August.
“We were tented up in so many places. People would take our stuff — our clothes, the bikes we had outside,” Grant said. “We were getting some stuff ready for the baby, and somebody took all of that stuff.”
Unable to enter a family shelter with Visor, Grant said she quickly gave up on trying to secure a bed, despite efforts made by Homeless Outreach Team members to get her off the streets.
“I was in my [drug] addiction. I thought I’d be better off out here, even though I wasn’t,” Grant said. “I was in a tent, there were needles everywhere without caps on them. It was very stupid not to go into a shelter, pregnant and everything.”
During her pregnancy, Grant contracted Hepatitis C. “The street is nowhere for anybody with a family to be,” she said.
The City estimates that some 7,500 people are homeless in San Francisco on any given night. Pregnant women and families with children make up a growing portion of that statistic, but it is unclear exactly how large.
A Homeless Point in Time Count conducted in January identified 190 families with children under age 18 as homeless, with 97 percent of homeless families staying in shelters or transitional housing programs. The report identified 3 percent of the homeless families counted as unsheltered.
Not included in The City’s data are families that live doubled-up in rooms, apartments or motels. That population, however, is counted by the San Francisco Unified School District, which reported more than 2,100 students as homeless this year — a number that’s on the rise.
Across The City, four long-term shelters offer some 90 private rooms for families for up to six-month stays. In addition, 70 mats at two nightly shelters — as well as 46 beds and eight cribs at a third — offer temporary, emergency respite in a congregate setting.
On Tuesday, The City’s Department on Homelessness and Supportive Housing released its Five-Year Strategic Framework to tackle homelessness. Among the plan’s goals are ensuring that “no families with children are unsheltered by December 2018” and “ending family homelessness by December 2021.”
In line with that effort, the Homeless Department in January revamped existing prioritization policies for family shelters. The aim was to reduce waiting lists for long-term shelters that serve families for up to six months and offer private rooms.
The plan points out that the process for families to access shelters has “unintentionally encouraged many families with children to wait long periods for shelter prior to addressing their housing needs,” resulting in “assistance often going to the families who are most persistent, not necessarily those with the greatest needs.”
According to data from the Homeless Department, one family placed in a long-term shelter since the policy changes in January had waited a total of 462 days for placement.
Randy Quezada, a spokesperson for the Homeless Department, called the new Coordinated Entry System (CES), which prioritizes families’ living situations over shelter waitlists or medical condition and which will be implemented by next winter, a “game-changer.”
“We envision a system and a future where there aren’t waitlists,” Quezada said. “If people need a shelter, we will connect them to that route. But if there are other things we can do to help families maintain, we want to be able to do that, too.”
According to the plan, the system rollout will include “access points” connected to schools and social services in neighborhoods where “families with a housing crisis can be assessed and receive problem solving support.”
For a family that’s housed but threatened with homelessness due to an outstanding debt, for example, “a rental subsidy might go a long way,” he said.
Previously, families were placed in private rooms at long-term shelters on a first-come, first-served basis, or received prioritization based on medical conditions, said Kristen Keller, program director at Compass Family Services, a nonprofit service provider for low-income and homeless families. The new entry system, however, prioritizes families escaping domestic abuse and those who are deemed “unsheltered.”
Unsheltered families include those sleeping in tents on the streets, in cars, in laundromats — any place not meant for habitation, Keller said.
The designation does not include families living doubled-up without individual leases or those currently living in emergency shelters, nor does it give priority to medical conditions such as early-term pregnancies.
Some homeless service providers and advocates have voiced concerns about those priorities.
“Families in emergency shelters are deprioritized,” said Nick Kimura, a shelter client advocate supervisor with the Eviction Defense Collaborative. “The way The City is now prioritizing or considering people for long-term shelters is leaving families staying in a congregate settings [for long periods].”
Since the new entry priorities were implemented in January, waitlists for placement at long-term shelters averaged 110 days for sheltered families and 78 days for unsheltered families, according to data provided by the Homeless Department.
The department had no records for the number of families placed directly from emergency shelters.
“We are seeing families staying at [night-by-night] shelters, with no access to showers, for over a year,” said Kimura. “We also see people saying, ‘I’m sick of waiting, I’m going to go sleep in a tent so they see me out there.’ In a way, it incentivizes a worse situation.”
Under the new entry system, families with children are required to spend 60 consecutive days in emergency shelters — where beds must be renewed on a daily basis and that often do not provide showers — to receive priority placement.
“You have to be calling before everyone else, on a day-to-day basis, calling to reserve the beds you need on time not just for you, but for your family [members],” Grant said about the emergency shelters. “It wasn’t realistic for me at all.”
“The reality is that there are folks who need a break from that for a couple nights [and] spend money on a cheap hotel room. So they get knocked off that priority list,” Friedenbach said.
In addition, pregnant women must be in their third trimester or experiencing a high risk pregnancy in order to qualify for priority placement in family shelters. Apart from The City’s navigation center, couples are not admitted at regular adult shelters, even if a couple is expecting.
“We are in this situation where reality is we don’t have enough shelter for pregnant women who are developing a fetus, which is the essential time to have safe shelter,” Keller said. “The new system hasn’t allowed for promoting families [with medical conditions] over unsheltered families.”
While Keller said that the new prioritization comes with “pros and cons,” the real issue — one that the new entry system does not address — is that “there isn’t enough capacity in shelters.”
The shelter system may not have worked for Grant, for whom it took two life altering events to end her homelessness — a police shooting that thrust her into the media spotlight, and an ultimatum.
Following the officer-involved shooting of Luis Gongora, a homeless man who lived in the same encampment as Grant in April 2016, Grant said nearly all of the encampment’s residents received placement at the Mission’s navigation center, a homeless shelter that welcomes couples but not children.
“That was a moment I realized I couldn’t do the street life forever,” Grant said.
A month later, Grant gave birth to Jackson, but lost her guardianship after testing positive for drugs. Grant returned to the streets for several months, until a judge in July 2016 gave her an ultimatum.
“I was told by the judge that I have … to get into a residential program or I was going to lose my son,” Grant said. “July 20, [2016], is my sober date.”
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What did you do when the clocks went back this weekend and you were presented with the gift of a 25-hour Sunday?
Did you sleep in? Did you head for the DIY store? Or did you seize the moment by watching the worst movie ever made?
I settled down with some popcorn and a stiff drink to catch up with a recent release called United Passions.
The blurb announced it was a French film. In my in my mind that means subtitles, more smoking than necessary and some startlingly candid sex scenes to distract the viewer from the subtitles, smoking and the lack of any discernible a plot.
Imagine my disappointment, then, when I discovered United Passions is a film about FIFA, made by FIFA and, presumably, watched only by FIFA executives whenever Sepp Blatter has houseguests around.
The movie cost around £20 million to make and, having premiered at Cannes in June, it is now popping up in cinemas around Europe without warning or protection, like the Ebola virus.
The cast list had promised something almost bearable, since it stars Tim Roth, a Quentin Tarantino favourite of Pulp Fiction and Reservoir Dogs fame. But Roth plays Sepp Blatter, no less. That’s one hell of a casting call. I only hope Roth has found a new agent since then.
This Roth/Blatter character is handed some classic lines. At one point he cries: “Everything I have done at this point has been for the good of football”. And at another: “The slightest breach of ethics will be severely punished”.
Never has a script cried out for Pulp Fiction’s Mr Blonde to appear, armed with a razor. To make cuts in the script, obviously. Alongside Roth is Sam Neill, from The Piano, Jurassic Park and The Hunt For Red October. He plays Joao Havalange, the Brazilian superhero administrator - or the liver-spotted dictator who was FIFA president until resigning in a massive bribery scandal, depending on your view.
The plot is men in suits talk, the English are gits - racist gits, in fact - and three suave chaps save football for the world. There is the occasional cutaway to a goal by Pele but it ends with everyone being locked up for corruption.
That pretty much sums things up, apart from the last part. It seems Blatter was allowed to make amendments to the final screenplay, which could explain his depiction as human rights activist who is no way corrupt and wrote out those personal cheques only because FIFA’s bank account was empty. Yes, I laughed, too.
A proportion of the film also features Gerard Depardieu, the Vladimir Putin footstool and part-time barrage balloon. He plays the creator of the World Cup, Jules Rimet. We can only assume Roth and Neill trousered cheques so vast they would make even Blatter blush in order to put their names to this potentially career-ending guff. Since Depardieu has no career left to speak of, I’m guessing that’s payback for the fact that parts of this movie were filmed in his new, tax-exile home of Russia.
I’ve seen more objective party political broadcasts than this tripe. It is the most extraordinary vanity exercise; a vile, self-aggrandizing, sugar-coated pile of manure where Blatter and Co manage to make North Korea’s Kim Jong-un look self-effacing.
If you want proof that football is a preposterous circus, you must see this movie. You’ll have to be clever because it’s not available in the UK. But wait until the clocks go back next year, or use the spare day in the next leap year. Don’t waste any actual time on it.
Massimo the clown has turned Leeds into a managerial circus
TO acknowledge the stack of autobiographies heading for the Christmas market, I ran through a specially compiled list of “Sports Books We’d Like To See… But Probably Won’t” on the show last week.
There was Luis Suarez’s Vegetarian Cookbook. Pride and Prejudice.
The Cardiff City Story: where Vincent Tan was pride and Malky Mackay was... well, you get the picture.
But right up there near top of the chart was Massimo Cellino: Everything I Know About Football.
This was illustrated with an appropriately blank notebook.We gave him too much credit, it seems.
In 22 years at Cagliari, Cellino fired 36 coaches. He has been at Leeds since January and already he has sacked Brian McDermott - twice - and Dave Hockaday as well as shoving out caretaker boss Neil Redfearn to bring in Darko Milanic, only to sack him after 32 days and bring back Redfearn.
After his latest debacle, Milanic declared: “I want to apologise to the supporters, they deserve better results.”
They do. They also deserve a better owner, one blessed with more of an attention span than a goldfish.
Usually at this point I’d say Cellino should sack himself. But if his idiotic behaviour to date is any guide, the clown would only re-hire himself the next day.
After this soundbite,I’m glad Suarez is in Spain
Here's Luis Suarez on his vile habit of biting opponents. “Everyone has differing ways of defending themselves”.
Oh, that’s what he was doing - defending himself? I’m not sorry the unrepentant, deluded fool is now in Spain. It means we have to hear less of his tedious denials. And we can start counting the days until he sinks his teeth into someone else from a safe distance.
Allardyce’s new brand of football
Comedian Russell Brand hijacked Sam Allardyce’s post-match interview to give him a kiss after West Ham’s win over Manchester City. Just think what Brand might have done if Allardyce had kept a clean sheet? Not that Brand would know what they look like.Why protect whales and dolphins?
Whales and dolphins are remarkable. But why are they so important? Why do we need to end captivity, stop whaling, prevent deaths in fishing gear, and protect their homes, the oceans and rivers of the world? What is so special about whales and dolphins?
We have a moral obligation and a personal need to protect the culture and rights of whales and dolphins
Whales and Dolphins are just like us. Like us, whales and dolphins are intelligent beings, capable of feeling joy and suffering pain. Like us, they live in complex social groups, pass on culture through generations, engage in play and even grieve the loss of family and friends. Understanding and appreciating this social complexity is essential to ensure that whale and dolphin populations not only survive, but thrive. We need to save whales to save the planet.
Planet Earth needs healthy oceans. And healthy oceans need whales. It is not enough to conserve vulnerable species. We need to restore their ocean environment and allow populations to recover to levels that existed before industrial scale whaling and fishing devastated the oceans.
These reasons are at the heart of WDC. We are working to:
Integrate the ecological role of whales and dolphins into global policies on biodiversity, climate change, environment, conservation, fisheries and MPAs (Marine Protected Areas). Establish the recognition of whale and dolphin cultures into global and local conservation policy.
For an example of the kind of work we are doing in this field, please download and read our free report: The Ecological Whale.
We can only do this with your support. With your help we can:
Undertake much needed research.
Campaign to expose the threats facing whales and dolphins.
Give a voice to whales and dolphins when advising policy makers locally, regionally and globally.
PLEASE MAKE A DONATION TO SUPPORT OUR WORK
Whales and dolphins have culture and live in societies
There are compelling reasons why whales and dolphins are special and deserving of our respect, and protection. They have an intrinsic value; which WDC believes should be recognized in law.
There is clear scientific evidence that, like humans, many whales and dolphins are highly intelligent.
Just like us:
Different species of dolphins can recognize themselves in mirrors
They socializes and live in complex societies
They play for fun
They grieve for their dead
They pass cultural information between individuals.
Some species possess brain cells known as spindle neurons, believed to be associated with empathy and emotional intelligence. People used to think that these cells were only found in the brains of humans and some other primates.
Some individuals even have very specific roles to play within their communities as leaders, innovators, and even historians – just like us. And, like us, they have the right to live in a world where they are safe and free.
The more we discover, the more we are inspired and humbled. The more we learn, the more our human-centric view of the world is challenged as we realise our responsibilities towards other intelligent beings with whom we share our planet.
We hope that one day we will celebrate whale and dolphin rights being recognized in law. When they are; whaling will not be allowed, and no human will be able own a whale or dolphin, or cause them harm.
To help us achieve this, WDC played a key role in developing a ‘declaration’, which you can sign to show your support.
Save the whale, save the planet, save ourselves
The abundance of whales and dolphins and the stability of their societies are integrally tied to the health of the planet, and therefore to our own survival. ‘Save the Whales’ is not just a slogan but a global necessity.
Humans have done enormous damage to the planet including culling millions of whales and wiping out up to 90% of some populations. Yet few people, let alone governments, are aware that recovering whale populations can help fight the damage we cause. Whales play a vital role in the marine ecosystem where they help provide up to 50% of our oxygen, combat climate change and sustain fish stocks.
Whales recycle and move nutrients to surface waters where they act as the oceans’ gardeners, fertilizing the phytoplankton on which our planet depends.
Even in death, whales sustain life. When whales die naturally they sink to the seabed, where they become mini-ecosystems sustaining all manner of marine life. Taking huge amounts of carbon with them to the sea bed, whale carcasses fight climate change. Researchers estimate that as a direct result of whale hunting, large whales now store approximately nine million tons less carbon than before large-scale whaling.After targeting a north Indian vendor last week, the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) has now turned its attention on Navratri mandals that are usually dominated by the Gujarati community. The party has asked the Brihanmumbai Municipal Commission to recover rent on commercial rates from the mandals using civic grounds for Dandiya events or seek a 50 per cent revenue share from them.
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MNS corporator Sandeep Deshpande has written to Municipal Commissioner Ajoy Mehta demanding that the BMC give the civic grounds on commercial rates rather than nominal rates. “All these Dandiya mandals take BMC plots on nominal rates and earn lakhs of rupees on it. On the other hand, the civic body charges commercial rates from Ganesh mandals for putting up sponsors’ banners. Why the same rule is not applied to Dandiya mandals,” he said.
The MNS demand is being seen as a move to woo the Marathi population in Mumbai ahead of the civic polls next year. Deshpande said it was unjust on part of the BMC to have different norms for different communities celebrating their festivals. “The BMC should either charge commercial rates for the grounds on or take 50 per cent share in the profit earned by the Dandiya mandals,” he said.
The BJP, however, slammed the MNS for “politicising” the matter and “selectively targeting” the Gujarati community. “Navratri and Durga Puja festivals are celebrated by every Mumbaikar. Why was MNS silent when the slaughterhouses were erected on roads and maidans during Eid? This is an attempt by the MNS to divide Hindus. There are many other issues that can be raised for civic polls. Such issues can be kept aside,” said BJP corporator Manoj Kotak.
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Earlier this month, MNS workers had assaulted a vendor for allegedly not allowing a Nashik farmer to sell his veggies in Amrut Nagar area in Ghatkopar (W).Fionna (previously spelled Fiona and also known as Fionna the Human) is an in-universe fictional character and the gender-swapped version of Finn who was created by the Ice King in his fan-fiction from a strange red glowing inspiration during Ice King's sleep. In the real world, she was created by series character designer Natasha Allegri in a series of web comics and drawings. She and the other gender-swapped characters appeared occasionally in their own segment of the show. She is usually seen in the company of Cake, her own stretchy companion and also adoptive sister. Fionna's nemesis is the Ice Queen. She used to have a crush on Prince Gumball and shows signs of attraction towards Marshall Lee, but she's also shown to have a past with Flame Prince. Ice King fantasizes about one day making her real and marrying her.
Contents show]
Appearance
While usually appearing as black dots, her eyes are seen as blue when enlarged. She wears a rabbit-themed hat (similar to Finn's bear-themed hat) with exposed locks of blonde hair and also has teeth missing in a similar fashion to Finn. Unlike Finn, her neck and blonde hair are shown. When she is not wearing her hat, her hair goes down to between her knees and ankles. Her outfit includes a teal blue shirt with elbow-length sleeves, a dark blue skirt, and over-the-knee socks with two thin, light blue horizontal stripes at the top. Fionna is a heavier set than Finn (which Natasha referred to as "chubby cute"). She has a green backpack (similar to Finn's) and Mary Jane shoes.
Personality and character traits
Although Fionna is known to mostly keep her calm, she can be provoked to anger. She will often try to act like one of the guys, so she fits in easily with friends like Marshall Lee or Prince Gumball.
Fionna is a fearless, thrill-seeking, adventure-loving hero who will rescue any prince from the Ice Queen or do any task to better herself or help citizens. She, much like Finn, is also very hard-headed as shown when Cake wanted her to date Prince Gumball and she was stubborn about it.
During the events of "The Prince Who Wanted Everything," Fionna shows a rather ignorant personality towards Lumpy Space Prince. However, this trait may only exist in Lumpy Space Princess's stories, as LSP herself has a very similar personality.
So far, none of Fionna's fears have been introduced and she is known to be very courageous and brave.
Episode appearances
Major appearances
Minor appearances
Relationships
Cake
As housemates, adopted sisters, and best friends; Fionna and Cake share a very deep and strong bond. Having been raised together by Cake's parents, the duo share a relationship similar to that of siblings, with Cake watching over Fionna and giving her advice constantly as her older sister. Though they have an unconditional love for each other, Fionna can get frustrated with Cake because of her pushiness, shown especially in "Fionna and Cake." Though she sometimes leads Fionna down the wrong path, Cake genuinely means well for her companion and is usually an encouraging and protecting figure. It is shown in the Card Wars comics that the two would go to great lengths for each other, despite the fact that Cake initially ignored Fionna (to train for the Card Wars tournament- similarly to her counterpart, Jake.) to study for the competition.
Lord Monochromicorn
Prince Gumball
As the trusted steed of her crush Prince Gumball and the boyfriend of her best friend Cake, Fionna and Lord Monochromicorn are on good terms and are well acquainted with each other.
Prince Gumball was Fionna's crush. Fionna gets flustered if Prince Gumball compliments Fionna on being "beautiful." She acts in such a way as when Finn was in love with Princess Bubblegum. Although throughout the Fionna and Cake episodes, she no longer has feelings for him, but only sees him as a friend.
However, in the Card Wars comic series, it appears that Fionna still has feelings for Prince Gumball as she blushes several times. This continues until it is revealed that he is the Floop Master: and is on the verge of defeating Cake on a match of Card Wars. Fionna is surprised that he is the Floop Master, and Gumball tells her that the reason he never revealed his identity was because he didn't want to make her chose between Cake and himself. Fionna, however, says that that wasn't even a question and proceeds to help Cake win.
Marshall Lee
Fionna and Marshall Lee are good friends. In "Fionna and Cake," Marshall gives Fionna the sign of horns at Prince Gumball's ball. In "Bad Little Boy," he fakes a fatal wound and tells her that he might die, so she should just admit that she's in love with him. Fionna responds, crying and angry that he would ask something like that at a moment like that, to which he reveals he is faking and is punched by Fionna.
Lumpy Space Prince
Fionna has a good relationship with Lumpy Space Prince. He doesn't interact directly with her until "The Prince Who Wanted Everything", but appeared in the two previous Fionna and Cake episodes, 1 with only a single line and the other with no lines at all. In the episode, Fionna helped him adjust to a normal life after running away from home, and assisted him in defeating his monstrous parents. While dancing, Fionna becomes entranced by his "handsome spell" and called him "pretty", which Lumpy Space Prince reacts by pushing her away, stating that they would never marry. Later, when the prince's monster parents arrived, Lumpy Space Prince apprised her that it was then his end, and asked if she made her proud, to which Fionna replies that she did not care. It was unknown if this means that Fionna actually does not care about the prince at all, but after his parents' defeat, Fionna becomes enticed by his "hotness" again and served him dinner with Cake.
Flame Prince
Although Fionna seems to have some attraction toward Flame Prince in the Fionna and Cake comics, in "Five Short Tables", Fionna expresses either fear or nervousness when she sees him in the library. It can be assumed she was once in a relationship with him, but it ended up in a bad breakup, similar to Finn and Flame Princess's relationship, and that unlike their genderswapped counterparts, they are not on good terms.
Trivia
Appearance in other media
There is a licensed Halloween costume of Fionna.
In the then-popular Facebook game "Pet Society," there was a Fionna costume labeled "Odyssey Girl Outfit."
Fionna appears as a playable character in FusionFall Heroes.
Fionna is a playable character in Adventure Time Battle Party.
A robot ice version of Fionna created by Ice King appears as a boss, along with Cake and the Ice King in Adventure Time: Explore the Dungeon Because I DON’T KNOW!
Lisa is dressed as Fionna in The Simpsons episode "Treehouse of Horror XXV."
episode "Treehouse of Horror XXV." Germaine is dressed as Fionna and also has a figurine of her along with the other Adventure Time characters in the Neurotically Yours episode "Charlie Browned."
Quotes
See Fionna/Quotes.
Gallery
The full image gallery for Fionna may be viewed at Fionna/Gallery.While packing for travel homeward bound, a short Perl 6 Weekly from Orlando, FL again. The Perl Conference 2016 is over and all of the videos (except this one and this one) are now online. Here’s a list of the (perhaps vaguely) to Perl 6 related ones:
Core Developments
Map wasn’t considered a value type (which it should be, as it is immutable), and BagHash / MixHash were (which they shouldn’t be). This is now corrected.
wasn’t considered a value type (which it should be, as it is immutable), and / were (which they shouldn’t be). This is now corrected. The pod in Test.pm6 now refers to the language/testing section of the Perl 6 documentation.
now refers to the language/testing section of the Perl 6 documentation. Bind failures, e.g. because of is rw, now mention that reason for failure also, thanks to Timo Paulssen.
, now mention that reason for failure also, thanks to. Rakudo Perl 6 continues to build on Perl 5.10, thanks to Zoffix Znet.
. Handling of Mu in the REPL is corrected thanks to Salvador Ortiz.
in the REPL is corrected thanks to. And many other, smaller and larger optimizations.
Blog Posts
Ecosystem Additions
Pretty Topic by Zoffix Znet.
. Slang::Mosdef by Brian Duggan.
. ווו by Zoffix Znet.
Gems From The Backlog
Winding Down
And now, homeward bound! See you next week!
AdvertisementsIllinois' already reeling finances received another body blow last week, and though it's coming from a familiar source, the pain will be felt.
The new shot came from the state's largest pension fund, the 406,000-member Teachers Retirement System of Illinois, which provides for the state's public grade school teachers and high school teachers outside of Chicago proper.
On Oct. 28, TRS' board of trustees voted to seek a state contribution in fiscal 2018 of $4.56 billion—up a whopping $561 million, or 14.5 percent, over this year's $3.99 billion.
Just because TRS asks for the money doesn't mean that the state will provide it. But after a series of pension payment holidays in the past couple of decades, politicians on both sides of the aisle are under strong pressure to make at least the minimum contribution, and that is $4.56 billion.
The hit to the state budget will be immediate. Even in a great year, state revenues from existing sources rise only $1 billion or so, and the economy lately has been short of great. That means much—maybe all—of normal revenue growth will have to go just to this fund, leaving nothing for other pension systems, schools, state police, Medicaid or anything else.
In a statement, TRS blamed part of the hike on its recent decision to lower its assumed rate of return on investments from 7.5 percent to 7 percent. Doing so forces the state to put up more money to make up the shortfall.
But the real cause, TRS said, is "the perpetual underfunding of TRS by state government over the last 76 years," said TRS Executive Director Dick Ingram. "Decades of inadequate contributions for TRS mean that now—when investment returns are not great—big contributions must be made to secure the retirement promises made to generations of teachers.”
Ingram did not mention the 3 percent annual compounded cost-of-living benefit hike most annuitants get. In an era of 1 percent or so annual inflation, that means that the retirees are getting a raise every year. But the courts have ruled the state is stuck with that, and there's no question that pensions have been funded well short of the required level for many years.
Even with the hike, the state still won't be putting in the amount actuaries say is needed to bring TRS to a fully funded level. That figure is $6.88 billion for next year, Ingram said, but the state uses a different funding formula that comes short of the actuarial level.
Anyway, don't be surprised if other bad news comes from other pension funds later. Maybe it will put some pressure on Gov. Bruce Rauner and House Speaker Mike Madigan to work out a deal.
"This illustrates the need for comprehensive pension reform and underscores the urgency for the General Assembly to enact a long-term solution that stabilizes our pension systems," said Catherine Kelly, Rauner's press secretary, via email.
Hey, in a year when the Cubs are in the World Series, anything can happen.This is a print I designed for the amazingly nice folks running the Brony Thank You Fund. They're behind the commercial that will be airing on The Hub thanking Hasbro, The Hub, and the producers, staff, cast, and crew of My Little Pony Friendship is Magic. Beyond that, the fund is a charitable organization supporting Toys For Tots.This 11 x 17 inch print will be sent to anyone kind enough to donate $30 or more. For information, follow the linkage- [link] The ponies on the stage are (left to right) Daniel Ingram, Sibsy (her OC Wildfire), Lauren Faust, Jayson Thiessen, and Tara Strong.The presents are representative of Toys For Tots.So...many...ponies. Sleep now.EDIT- Hooray for sleep! I wanted to thank the amazing artists on whose work I based the cast and crew OC designs.Daniel Ingram's pony is a variation on a design by my friend (and the multi-brilliantly-talented) Wildfire is the background pony of the lovely and amazingly talented Lauren Faust's Alicorn is based on her own design and her page of awesomeness can be found at I created |
got the perfect sound. He said he's never been able to figure out how you did that.", in 2002 Scotty Moore indicated: "
I don't know either,"... "Ahh … I was actually pissed off to tell'ya the truth."... "It was just … Sometimes in the studio you do it too many times and you go past that peak. Like three takes before was really the one you should use. That was it. We had done the thing, ("Hound Dog"). I think it was printed somewhere that we did it about forty or sixty … I don't know, give or take. But if someone was counting it off, just a couple notes and we stop, that's a take. You know? 'Take Two.' But I was frustrated for some reason and in the second solo I just went, BLAH."[232]
Musicologist Robert Fink asserts that "Elvis drove the band through thirty-one takes, slowly fashioning a menacing, rough-trade version quite different than the one they had been performing on the stage."[233] The result of Presley's efforts was an "angry hopped-up version" of "Hound Dog".[234] Citing Presley's anger at his treatment on the Steve Allen Show the previous evening, Peter Nazareth sees this recording as "revenge on Steve ("you ain't no friend of mine") Allen, and as a protest at being censored on national TV."[235] In analyzing Presley's recording, Fink asserts that
"Hound Dog" is "notable for an unremitting level of what can only be called rock and roll dissonance: Elvis just shouts, leaving behind almost completely the rich vocal timbres ("romantic lyricism") and mannerist rhythmic play on added syllables ("boogification") that Richard Middleton identifies as the cornerstones of his art. Scotty Moore's guitar is feral: playing rhythm he stays in the lowest register, slashing away at open fifths and hammering the strong beats with bent and distorted pitches; his repetitive breaks are stinging and even, when he begins one chorus in the wrong key, quite literally atonal... And the Jordanaires, a gospel quartet who would provide wonderfully subtle rhythmic backup on the next song Elvis recorded at the session, 'Don't Be Cruel', are just hanging on for the ride during this one, while drummer D.J. Fontana just goes plumb crazy. Fontana's machine-gun drumming on this record has become deservedly famous: the only part of his kit consistently audible in the mix is the snare, played so loud and insistently that the RCA engineers just gave up and let his riffs distort into splatters of clipped noise. The overall effect could not be more different from the amuse, relaxed contempt of Big Mama Thornton; it is reminiscent of nothing so much as late 1970s white punk rage – the Ramones, Iggy Pop, the Sex Pistols.[236]
In the end, Presley chose version 28, declaring: "This is the one." During the day Presley's manager Colonel Tom Parker told RCA vice president Larry Kananga that "Hound Dog" "may become such a big hit that RCA may have to change its corporate symbol from the 'Victor Dog' to the 'Hound Dog'."[237] After this recording, Presley performed this "angry hopped-up version" of "Hound Dog" in his concerts, and also on his performances on The Ed Sullivan Show on September 9 and October 28, 1956.
Release and reception [ edit ]
"Hound Dog" (G2WW-5935) was initially released as the B-side to the single "Don't Be Cruel" (G2WW-5936) on July 13, 1956.[238] Soon after the single was re-released with "Hound Dog" first and in larger print than "Don't Be Cruel" on the record sleeve.[239] Both sides of the record topped Billboard's Best Sellers in Stores and Most Played in Jukeboxes charts alongside "Don't Be Cruel", while "Hound Dog" on its own merit topped the country & western and rhythm & blues charts and peaked at number two on Billboard's main pop chart, the Top 100. Later reissues of the single by RCA in the 1960s designated the pair as double-A-sided.
While Presley was performing "Hound Dog" on television and his record was scaling the charts, Stoller, who had been on vacation in Europe, was returning on the ill-fated final voyage of the Andrea Doria. On July 26, 1956, Leiber met the just-rescued Stoller on the docks and told him, "We got a smash hit on Hound Dog," Stoller said, "Big Mama's record?" And Leiber replied: '"No. Some white guy named Elvis Presley." Stoller added: "And I heard the record and I was disappointed. It just sounded terribly nervous, too fast, too white. But you know, after it sold seven or eight million records it started to sound better."[21]:90[240] Leiber and Stoller tired of explaining that Presley had dropped most of their lyrics.[11] For example, Leiber complained about Presley adding the line, "You ain't caught a rabbit, and you ain't no friend of mine", calling it "inane…It doesn't mean anything to me."[17][21] Forty years later, Leiber told music journalist Rikky Rooksby that Presley had stamped the hit with his own identity: "(A) white singer from Memphis who's a hell of a singer—he does have some black attitudes—takes the song over … But here's the thing: we didn't make it. His version is like a combination of country and skiffle. It's not black. He sounds like Hank Snow. In most cases where we are attributed with rock and roll, it's misleading, because what we did is usually the original record—which is R&B—and some other producer (and a lot of them are great) covered our original record."[241]
By August 18, 1956, Peacock Records re-released Big Mama Thornton's original recording of "Hound Dog", backing it with "Rock-a-Bye Baby" (Peacock 5-1612),[56] but it failed to chart.
Ed Sullivan Show [ edit ]
Despite refusing publicly to invite Presley to perform on his popular Sunday television evening program, after the ratings success of his appearance on The Steve Allen Show, Ed Sullivan agreed to pay $50,000 for Presley to appear three times. "Hound Dog" was performed during each of those programs. On September 9, 1956, with the song topping several U.S. charts, Presley appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show (hosted that evening by Charles Laughton). After performing "Ready Teddy", Presley performed an abbreviated version of "Hound Dog", introducing the song with the following statement: "Friends, as a great philosopher once said…" This performance garnered "a 43.7 and 82.6 rating and share, respectively, which meant 60–62 million were watching, the largest audience in history up to that time, although the share in itself has never been beaten, or even equalled, to this day."[242] In September 1956, Democratic congressman Emanuel Celler, chairman of the House Judiciary Antitrust Subcommittee was disgusted at "the bad taste that is exemplified by Elvis Presley's 'Hound Dog' music, with his animal gyrations, which are certainly most distasteful to me, are violative of all that I know to be in good taste."[243] In October 1956 Melody Maker critic Steve Race reacted negatively to Presley's rendition of "Hound Dog": "When Hound Dog was released—and believe me'released' is the word—I sat up and took rather special notice. Lo these many times I have heard bad records, for sheer repulsiveness coupled with the monotony of incoherence, Hound Dog hit a new low in my experience."[244] Race added: "My particular interest in Presley's 'Hound Dog' does not lie simply in the fact that I don't like it. The point about the whole thing is that, by all and any standards, it is a thoroughly bad record",[245] lacking in "tone, intelligibility, musicianship, taste [and] subtlety", through defying "the decent limits of guitar amplification".[246] During his second Sullivan show appearance on October 28, Presley introduced the song thusly (although unable to keep a straight face): "Ladies and gentlemen, could I have your attention please. Ah, I'd like to tell you we're going to do a sad song for you. This song here is one of the saddest songs we've ever heard. It really tells a story, friends. Beautiful lyrics. It goes something like this." He then launched into a full version of the song. Elvis was shown in full during this performance.[247][248] In the third and final show on January 6, 1957, Presley performed seven songs, including "Hound Dog". Despite Presley being filmed only above the waist, at the end of the show Sullivan looked to the audience, saying "I wanted to say to Elvis Presley and the country that this is a real decent, fine boy, and wherever you go, Elvis, we want to say we've never had a pleasanter experience on our show with a big name than we've had with you. So now let's have a tremendous hand for a very nice person!" This proved to be Presley's last live performance on American television.[249]
In 1957 Frank Sinatra supported US Senator George Smathers' crusade against "inferior music", including "Hound Dog", which Sinatra sarcastically referred to as "a masterpiece."[250] Oscar Hammerstein II had "a particular loathing of 'Hound Dog'".[251] In 1960, Perry Como told The Saturday Evening Post: "When I hear 'Hound Dog' I have to vomit a little, but in 1975 it will probably be a slightly ancient classic."[252] Albin J. Zak III, Professor of Music at the State University of New York, Albany, in his inaugural American Musicological Society/Rock & Roll Hall of Fame lecture, "'A Thoroughly Bad Record': Elvis Presley's 'Hound Dog' as Rock and Roll Manifesto", in October 2011 asserted: "In retrospect … we can recognize defining moments of crystallization … The record was widely scorned by music industry veterans and high-pop aficionados, yet in its rude enthusiasm it represents an emphatic assertion of aesthetic principle at the dawn of rock and roll."[253] In 1997 Bob Dylan indicated that Presley's record influenced his decision to get into music: "What got me into the whole thing in the beginning wasn't songwriting. When 'Hound Dog' came across the radio, there was nothing in my mind that said, 'Wow, what a great song, I wonder who wrote that?' … It was just … it was just there."[254]
Presley's "Hound Dog" sold over 4 million copies in the United States on its first release. It was his best-selling single and, starting in July 1956, it spent eleven weeks at number one—a record not eclipsed until Boyz II Men's "End of the Road" held at the top for 13 weeks in 1992.[255] It stayed in the number one spot until it was replaced by "Love Me Tender", also recorded by Elvis. Billboard ranked it as the number two song for 1956.[256] "Hound Dog" would go on to sell 10 million copies worldwide, including 5 million in the United States alone.[257][258] In 1958 the "Hound Dog"/"Don't Be Cruel" single became just the third record to sell more than three million copies, following Bing Crosby's "White Christmas" and Gene Autry's "Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer".[17]
Despite its commercial success, "Elvis used to say that 'Hound Dog' was the silliest song he'd ever sung and thought it might sell ten or twelve records right around his folks' neighborhood."[259] By the end of summer 1956, after Presley's recording of the song was a million-seller, Freddie Bell, who had introduced the song to Presley in April, told an interviewer: "I didn't feel bad about that at all. In fact, I encouraged him to record it."[260] However, after the success of Presley's recording, "Bell sued to get some of the composer royalties because he had changed the words and indeed the song, and he would have made millions as the songwriter of Elvis's version: but he lost because he did not ask Leiber & Stoller for permission to make the changes and thereby add his name as songwriter."[91]
Later notable performances [ edit ]
Presley's final performance on stage for almost 8 years was a benefit concert for the USS Arizona Memorial on Sunday, March 25, 1961, at the Bloch Arena in Pearl Harbor. During this concert, which raised nearly $65,000 the USS Arizona Memorial building fund, Presley closed the concert singing "Hound Dog".[261][262] Presley performed a high-energy version of "Hound Dog" in his legendary Comeback Special that aired on December 3, 1968, on the NBC television network. After the ratings success of this program, on July 31, 1969, Presley returned to perform in Las Vegas for the first time since his unsuccessful performances in April and May 1956. Booked for a four-week, fifty-seven show engagement at the International Hotel, which has just been built and has the largest showroom in the city, "this engagement breaks all existing Las Vegas attendance records and attracts rave reviews from the public and the critics. It is a triumph." Elvis' first live album, Elvis in Person at the International Hotel, Las Vegas, Nevada is recorded during this engagement and is soon released. During this concert, Presley introduced "Hound Dog" as his "special song."[263] "Never one to take himself too seriously, Elvis joked with the crowd about the old days and the old songs. At one point, he decided to dedicate his next number to the audience and the staff at the International: 'This is the only song I could think of that really expresses my feeling toward the audience', he said in all earnestness, before bursting into 'Hound Dog'."[264][265]
Presley performed "Hound Dog" in his historic Aloha from Hawaii Via Satellite concert that was the "first entertainment special to be broadcast live around the world," on January 14, 1973. Beamed via Globecam Satellite to Australia, South Korea, Japan, Thailand, the Philippines, South Vietnam and other countries, it was also seen on a delayed basis in around thirty European countries. An expanded version was broadcast on NBC in the USA on April 4, 1973, on NBC, attracting 51% of the television viewing audience, and was seen in more American households than the July 1969 Moon landing. Eventually it was seen in about forty countries by one billion to 1.5 billion people.
Awards and accolades [ edit ]
In 1988, Presley's original 1956 RCA recording was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. In December 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked it No. 19 on their list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time, the highest ranked of Presley's eleven entries. In March 2005, Q magazine placed Presley's version at number 55 of Q Magazine's 100 Greatest Guitar Tracks.[266] Presley's version is listed as one of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's "500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll".[69]
Charts and certifications [ edit ]
Responses [ edit ]
The commercial success of Presley's 1956 RCA version of "Hound Dog" precipitated a proliferation of cover versions, answer songs, and parodies. Additionally, "Hound Dog" was translated into several languages, including German, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and even Bernese German.
Other cover versions [ edit ]
By 1964, Presley's version of "Hound Dog" had been covered over 26 times, and by 1984, there were at least 85 different cover versions of the song, making it "the best-known and most often recorded Rock & Roll song".[280] In July 2013 the official Leiber & Stoller website listed 266 different versions of "Hound Dog", but acknowledged that its list is incomplete.[281] Among the notable artists who have covered Presley's version of "Hound Dog" are: Gene Vincent and His Blue Caps; Jerry Lee Lewis; Chubby Checker; Pat Boone; Sammy Davis, Jr.; Betty Everett; Little Richard; The Surfaris; the Everly Brothers; Junior Wells; the Mothers of Invention; The Easybeats; Jimi Hendrix; Vanilla Fudge; Van Morrison; Conway Twitty; John Lennon and the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band; John Entwistle; Carl Perkins; Eric Clapton; James Taylor; and (in 1993) Tiny Tim (in his full baritone voice). In 1999 David Grisman, John Hartford, and Mike Seeger included "Hound Dawg" on their 1999 album Retrograss, which was nominated for a Grammy in the Traditional Folk Album category in 2000.
Beatles and John Lennon cover versions [ edit ]
As Elvis Presley was a major seminal influence on Paul McCartney and John Lennon,[282] and "Hound Dog" was a favorite of the young Lennon and his mother,[283] during The Beatles' early career "Hound Dog" was one of the songs Lennon and McCartney as the Quarrymen later as the Beatles played from August 1957 through 1961. No recorded version is known to survive.[282][284] On August 30, 1972, Lennon performed the song with the Plastic Ono Elephant's Memory Band at Madison Square Garden, New York City, in one of his last charity concerts,[285] and was released on his Live in New York album on January 24, 1986. John Lennon also recorded "Hound Dog" during his huge rehearsal of early Rock and Roll classics (for the Madison Square Garden concert) that was released on the unauthorized album S.I.R. John Winston Ono Lennon. Tony Sheridan (who was asked to join the young Beatles) also recorded the Presley version of "Hound Dog".
Sherbet's version (1972-1973) [ edit ]
Australian band Sherbet released "Hound Dog" in 1973 as a non-album single. "Hound Dog" reached number 18 on the Kent Music Report,[286] and it also charted at number 21 on Go-Set.[287]
Track listing [ edit ]
Charts [ edit ]
Weekly charts [ edit ]
Chart (1973) Position Kent Music Report 18
Year-end charts [ edit ]
Chart (1973) Position Australian Go-Set Chart 21
Foreign language versions [ edit ]
Among those artists who have recorded non-English versions of "Hound Dog" are:[281]
Parodies [ edit ]
After the Presley version of "Hound Dog" became a commercial success, Homer and Jethro parodied it as "Houn' Dawg" (RCA Victor 47-6706; 20-6706),[291][292] including such lines as: "You look like an Airedale, with the air let out".[293] Several parodies emphasized the cross-cultural appeal of Presley's record. Lalo "Pancho Lopez" Guerrero, the father of Chicano music,[294] released a parody version in 1956 entitled "Pound Dog" (L&M LM1002) about a chihuahua.[295] In January 1957, Jewish American satirist Mickey Katz released a Yinglish novelty song version, "You're a Doity Dog" (Capitol F3607), singing with a Yiddish accent, and having a klezmer break between verses.[296] In this freilach-rock song, Katz sang "You ain't nothin' but a paskudnick".[297] By March 1957, veteran country singer Cliff Johnson responded to the popularity of Presley's "Hound Dog" by recording his self-penned "Go 'Way Hound Dog (Let Me Sing My Blues)" (Columbia 4-40865; Australia: Coronet Records KW-022),[298] described in Billboard as "rockabilly that professes satiation with rockabilly music."[299] In 1991, Elvis "translator" El Vez,[300] backed by The Memphis Mariachis, released "(You Ain't Nothin' But A) Chihuahua", a "Chicano Power parody"[301] that opens with: "You ain't nothin' but a Chihuahua/ Yapping all the time."[302][303][304][305]
Encouraged by the 1994 decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in Campbell v. Acuff-Rose Music, Inc. that "ruled that … musicians do not have to obtain permission from the original artists to perform and record parodies of those compositions",[306] other parodies of "Hound Dog" emerged subsequently. These include "Found God", a self-acknowledged parody of Presley's version by popular Christian band ApologetiX,[307] which, using the original tune, opens with: "I ain't nothin' but I found God/It took quite a long time".[308]
Litigation [ edit ]
Over the years "Hound Dog" "has been the subject of an inordinate number of lawsuits",[97] and "would eventually become one of the most litigated songs in recorded music history".[309]
Lion Music Publishing Company v. Sun Records (1953) [ edit ]
Background [ edit ]
On September 9, 1952, the copyright application for "Hound Dog" was lodged. On the application the words & music are attributed to Don Deadric Robey & Willie Mae Thornton, with the copyright claimants listed as: "Murphy L. Robey (W) & Willie Mae Thornton (A).[310] It was renewed subsequently on May 13, 1980, with the same details.[311]
By the end of 1953 at least six "answer songs" that responded to 'Big Mama' Thornton's original version of "Hound Dog" were released.[13][44] According to Peacock Records's Don Robey, these songs were "bastardizations" of the original and reduced its sales potential.[96] These included:
However, the most popular of the answer songs to "Hound Dog" was "Bear Cat (The Answer To Hound Dog)" (Sun 181) recorded by Memphis disc jockey Rufus Thomas (adopting the nickname, "Rufus 'Hound Dog' Thomas") at Sun Studios at 706 Union Avenue, Memphis.on March 8, 1953,[97] just two weeks after Thornton's original version was released,[98] and even before a review of "Hound Dog" had been published in Billboard,[99] While retaining the same melody as "Hound Dog", Sun founder Sam Phillips wrote new lyrics,[12] in which he altered the gender of the singer, who bemoaned that his woman was a "bear cat", a Jazz Age slang term for "a hot-blooded or fiery girl".[100][101] The record's spare electric guitar work by Memphis bluesman Joe Hill Louis was greatly influenced by that of Pete Lewis on the original.[97] According to James M. Salem: Template:Quoye By the end of March, "Bear Cat" was in stores, prompting Billboard to describe it as "the fastest answer song to hit the market".[97] It became both Thomas' and Sun Records' first hit,[104] eventually reaching number three on the R&B charts.[12] However, as Phillips claimed a writing credit for the song,[105] a copyright-infringement suit ensued that nearly bankrupted Phillips' record label.[106][107][108][109]
On March 28, Billboard reported that, "In an effort to combat what has become a rampant practice by small labels—the rushing out of answers which are similar in melody and/or theme to ditties which have become smash hits—many pubbers are now retaining attorneys. Common practice, of course is to regard the answer as an original. Currently publishers are putting up a fight to protect their originals from unauthorised or infringing answers."[97] In that same issue, Robey told Billboard he had notified the Harry Fox publishing agency "to issue Sun a license on 'Bear Cat' in order that Robey might collect a royalty".[97]
On April 4, 1953, Robey wrote to Phillips that, "unless contracts are signed and in the office of Mr. Harris Fox by Wednesday, April 8, 1953, I will be forced to take immediate steps with Court Actions",[97] hoping "this will not cause any unfriendly relations, but please remember that I have to pay when I intrude upon the rights of others, and certainly must protect my own rights."[97] On April 11 Bob Rolontz reported in Billboard: "The answers to r&b tunes, which have become prolific with the many replies to such smash hits as 'I Don't Know', 'Mama' and 'Hound Dog' are being given a serious scrutiny by the original copyright holders of the tunes on the original hit waxings. It appears they do not think too highly of writing an answer to a hit unless a license is obtained and permission to write a parody is given by the publisher."[312] On the prior page, Peacock Records placed an advertisement promoting Thornton's release as "The Original Version of 'Hound Dog'", warning: "Beware of Imitations – Follow the Leader for Good Results" before reminding the reader: "The Original – The Best".[313] Two pages later, Intro Records touted the version by Tommy Duncan and the Miller Bros. as "Best of them all!!!"[314]
Proceedings [ edit ]
Their requests for payment having been ignored, Robey and two other music publishers initiated unprecedented legal proceedings in April against the record companies that released these competing songs, alleging copyright infringement.[96] As a result, Chess Records withdrew Brim's "Rattlesnake" from sale.[13] In the Memphis courts, Lion Publishing Co. sought royalties and treble damages, claiming "Bear Cat" was "a dead steal". In May, Phillips responded: "There's a lot of difference in the words. As for the tune, there's practically no melody, but a rhythm pattern", adding that it is hard to differentiate between any two 12-bar blues songs.[315] By June 1953 in a "precedent-setting" decision the Court ruled against Phillips, and upheld the charges of plagiarism, finding the tune and some of the lyrics of "Bear Cat" to be identical to those of "Hound Dog".[12][316][317][318] Phillips was ordered to pay 2% of all of the profits of "Bear Cat" plus court costs.[319] As this amounted to $35,000 compensation, Phillips was reduced to near bankruptcy, ultimately forcing him to sell Elvis Presley's Sun contract to RCA for $35,000 to raise the funds to settle his debts.[320] On June 4, 1953, Jet reported that:
"The Sun Record Company of Memphis agreed to pay $2,080 to a Texas Recording firm because its blues tune, Bear Cat, is too similar to Hound Dog. Lion Publishing Company of Houston, Tex., won the out-of-court settlement after contending in a court suit that Bear Cat was a "conscious imitation" of their own recording with "only minor variations." Sam C. Phillips of Sun Record agreed to pay Hound Dog owners two cents per record for 79,000 waxings of Bear Cat already sold and two cents a record for future sales.[321]
On July 8 Robey wrote to Phillips again, thanking him "kindly for your co-operation in this matter",[97] but Phillips still refused to purchase a mechanical license for Thomas' "Bear Cat". Robey then instructed his company lawyer Irving Marcus to sue Phillips and Sun Records,[317][322] hoping to use this as a test case to determine the legal status of all answer songs.[323] While earlier pressings of Sun 181 bore the caption "(The Answer To Hound Dog)" above the A-side title, as a result of the legal action this was removed from all later pressings. In the 1980s, Sam Phillips conceded: "I should have known better. The melody was exactly the same as theirs, but we claimed the credit for writing the damn thing".[97]
King Records vs Lion Publishing Co. and Lion Publishing Co. vs King Records & Valjo Music (1953) [ edit ]
In late July 1953 Syd Nathan, president of King Records, took Robey and his Lion Publishing Company to court. The August 1, 1953 BillBoard reported: "Lion [Music] itself was in court defending the contention of Syd Nathan Records [sic] in Cincinnati that he had an interest in the song 'Hound Dog' and should have a fifty per cent share of its success."[97][318] Nathan claimed that Valjo Music, one of King Records' publishing affiliates, had legal rights to the song as Johnny Otis, who claimed to be a co-author, was under exclusive contract to them at the time.[318] An article entitled "New Howl Goes Up Over 'Hound Dog' Infringement" in The Pittsburgh Courier of August 8, 1953 reported:
You ain't nothin' but a hound dog" is becoming a battle cry faster than a pup can clean a bone. "Hound Dog" has been howling on the juke boxes for several months and all this time the record has been hounded by imitations and sundry other misfortunes. One thing is sure: this is the most profitable hound dog since Eliza slid across the ice. This is the latest episode: King Records joined the pack this week in the legal hassle over who's gonna get the profits from the current rhythm Dog."... Valjo, meanwhile, is complaining that one of the writers of the tune, Johnny Otis, was under exclusive contract to them when he wrote the tune in collaboration with others and they are claiming 50 per cent of the publisher's share of the tune. At any rate, on it goes and the big problem now seems to be, how much Is that "Hound Dog" In the juke box worth?[324][325]
In response, Robey counter-sued both King Records and Valjo Music over Roy Brown's answer record, and also over Little Esther's cover record (King 12126).[96][318][324][326] When the dust settled, the publishing for "Hound Dog" (in all variations) remained with Lion, and writing credit with Leiber and Stoller. In April, 1954, Billboard's Rolontz summed up the events thusly: "The year 1953 saw an important precedent set in regard to answer tunes … since the 'Hound Dog' decision, few record firms have attempted to 'answer' smash hits by other companies by using same tune with different lyrics."[97][141]
Valjo Music Publishing Corporation v. Elvis Presley Music (1956–1957) [ edit ]
The most protracted lawsuit involving "Hound Dog" was Valjo Music Publishing Corporation v. Elvis Presley Music that was initiated in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York in October 1956, after the commercial success of Elvis Presley's version of the song, and concluded in December 1957. It would be the first "legal spat" for Presley's publishing company, Elvis Presley Music.[327]
Background [ edit ]
Leiber and Stoller were introduced to Otis in July 1952 by Federal Records' Ralph Bass when Otis needed songs for artists he was recording for Federal,[328] including Little Esther, Little Willie Littlefield, and Bobby Nunn of The Robins. In exchange for Otis using their songs, Leiber and Stoller gave Otis a one-third interest in those songs and assigned the publishing to Otis' company, Valjo Music Publishing Company.[328] Similarly, on August 30, 1952, Leiber and Stoller signed a contract with Spin Music Inc.—another publishing company in which Otis held an interest—assigning it certain rights to "Hound Dog" and some other songs in exchange for royalties to be divided equally between Leiber, Stoller, and Otis.[329] When the song was copyrighted initially on September 9, 1952, words and music were credited to Don Deadric Robey and Willie Mae Thornton, with Lion Publishing Co. identified as the registered publisher.[330] However, on March 26, 1953, it was credited to Leiber, Stoller, and Otis; and Valjo Music—not Spin—was the registered publisher.[331]
According to the findings of the court in Valjo Music Publishing Corporation v. Elvis Presley Music: "Thereafter Otis, in apparent disregard of the contracts both with Spin Music Inc. and plaintiff, arranged to have 'Hound Dog' published by Lion Music Publishing Company of Houston, Texas, and released by its affiliate Peacock Records. Otis executed a writer-publisher contract on October 10, 1952, with Lion Music Publishing Company in which Leiber, Otis and Stoller were described as the writers of 'Hound Dog.'"[328] Thus, Otis received a co-writing credit with Leiber and Stoller on Thornton's Peacock Records release and on all of the 1953 cover versions. The court also noted: "Otis signed not only his name but also signed—or perhaps forged—the names of Stoller and Leiber to it. The president or proprietor of Lion Music Publishing Company noted the similarity of the handwriting of the signatures and made contact with Leiber and Stoller who advised him that Otis had no authority to sign their names to the agreement and that Otis was not a co-author of the song, although he was entitled to receive one-third of the royalties. Lion then arranged for a contract with Leiber and Stoller alone for the publishing rights."[328] In order for Leiber and Stoller to execute the contract with Lion—"which, because we were underage, had to be signed by our mothers"[21]—a court appointed Mary Stein (for Leiber) and Adelyn Stoller (for Stoller) as their legal guardians in late April 1953.[332] The contract assigned the publishing for "Hound Dog" to Lion. Otis' credit was omitted from all subsequent records.[21] Following on the popularity of Elvis' live and televised performances of "Hound Dog", Elvis Presley Music made the acquisition of half the publishing for the song from Lion Music a precondition to issuing a recording, to which Robey assented.
Proceedings [ edit ]
In October 1956, the success of Presley's version (sales at that time exceeded 2 million copies) prompted Valjo to sue Leiber and Stoller and Elvis Presley Music (an affiliate of Hill & Range Songs) for an accounting of profits and for damages and to have Otis restored as co-writer and recover damages for lost royalties.[333][334] In Valjo Music Publishing Corporation v. Elvis Presley Music, Otis as plaintiff alleged that he was the co-author of "Hound Dog" along with two defendants, Leiber and Stoller. The defendants denied that Otis wrote any part of the song.[335] On August 26, 1956, Otis signed a release of any claims to the song in exchange for $750.[328] In court, Otis claimed that he had done so because he had learned that the defendants were legally infants at the time of the original contracts in 1952, and would, therefore, disaffirm any contract that they had with him.[336] This made no sense to the United States Southern District of Court of New York: "Otis was a man who had many years experience in the music business. He must have realized that even though Leiber and Stoller were infants they could not disaffirm his co-authorship of a song, if in fact he had been a co-author."[337][338] Further, while Leiber and Stoller acknowledged that they had given Otis one-third of the mechanical rights for the original Thornton recording, they denied giving him one-third authorship credit.[339] On December 4, 1957, Federal Court Judge Archie O. Dawson dismissed Valjo's claim in the New York Federal Court,[340][341][342] on the basis that Otis was "unworthy of belief", that he admitted forging Leiber and Stoller's signatures on a declaration to third-party publisher Lion Music, that Leiber and Stoller were underage at the time, and that Otis had signed a release to any claims for $750.[329][343] As the evidence would not sustain Valjo's contention that Otis had collaborated in the writing of "Hound Dog",[344] the Court voided Leiber and Stoller's contract,[19] ordered Otis to pay the legal costs of the defendants,[345] and awarded 46.25% of the song to Leiber and Stoller, with Lion Music receiving 28.75% and Elvis Presley Music receiving the final 25%.[346]
Despite the Court's findings, Otis continued to claim that he wrote the third verse and rewrote some of the lyrics in the second verse[347][348]—including adding "You made me feel so bad. You make me weep and moan. You ain't looking for a woman. You're looking for a home"—and edited out what he described later as "derogatory crap".[346] In 2000, Otis claimed: "Leiber and Stoller brought me the song, 'Hound Dog,'" Otis recalls, of the time he produced Big Mama Thornton's recording of what was to become an R&B, and then rock 'n' roll, classic. "Parts of it weren't really acceptable. I didn't like that reference to chicken and watermelon, said 'Let's get that crap out of there.'... This came out and was a big smash, and everything was all right. I had half the publishing rights and one third of the song-writing. Then Elvis Presley made it a mega hit, and they got greedy. They sued me in court. They won, they beat me out of it. I |
karma Rating 179/89, Downloaded by 4816 Comments, bugs, improvements Vim wiki created by Herbert Sitz script type ftplugin description VimOrganizer version 0.31, November 8, 2011. Requires Vim version that
is compiled with support for folding and tabs. Conceal will
be taken advantage of if working with Vim73 supporting conceal.
(Also, I STRONGLY suggest that you apply a patch to Vim so that
folded headings can have level-dependent highlighting,
patch for Vim73 is in contrib directory of the download. If you're on
Windows contact me and I should be able to provide you with an
executable. If I hadn't been able to make Vim do this I would have
bitten the bullet and moved to Emacs, as much as I hate editing in Emacs.)
Video showing some of the new features is here:
http://vimeo.com/31531308 (showing colorscheme support, narrowing, links,
general document authoring support)
http://vimeo.com/31564708 (showing excellent export to
LibreOffice/MS Word format)
VimOrganizer is a Vim filetype plugin that attempts to clone Emacs' Org-mode.
It is currently (November 2011) in an alpha-stage, both in terms of (1) the
breadth and depth of Org-mode features it clones and (2) the stability of its
operation. It is nevertheless very usable.
Some of the ADDITIONS AND IMPROVEMENTS since previous (December 2010) version:
-- Adjusts to any colorscheme
-- Org menu in gvim.
-- "Dashboards" to assist with Date entry, Columns, Tables,
Agenda searches, and exporting.
-- VimOrganizer help file to install in Vim.
-- Better compatibility with Org-mode files. Open, edit, and save same
files in Org-mode and/or VimOrganizer with (some) of the functionality and
configuration-specific options of Org-mode supported in VimOrganizer.
-- Support for Org-mode style links (as well as use of 'Conceal' in Vim73
to hide link brackets and
descriptions)
-- Easy to use Org-like column mode, including column headings,
inherited columns, support for Org column blocks, and ability to
specify a list of custom column specs to apply in any buffer.
-- Org-like narrowing of code blocks and subtrees
-- Support for Org-like specifications of TODOS, tags, dates,
including support for Org-compatible config lines in a file.
-- Support for Org-like CATEGORIES, both in specification and in
their inherited behavior.
-- Search specification in Agenda searches is now nearly identical
to specification of searches in Org-mode.
-- User can specify list of commonly used custom agenda searches.
-- Clockin, clockout, and (when a running Emacs server is available,
clocktable block creation and updates.
-- Org-like "refiling"
-- Easy creation and editing of tables, as well as (when a running Emacs
server is available) manipulation and evaluation of tables, including
all spreadsheet functionality in Org-mode.
-- "Live" block evaluation (when a running Emacs server is available)
-- Support for nearly all the export types and export options
available in Org-mode (when running Emacs server is available)
-- Call out to an Emacs server to do "tangling" (literate programming).
-- Many bug fixes and small improvements
Org-mode, and thus VimOrganizer, is a text-editor plugin/application that can
be used for (1) keeping notes, (2) maintaining TODO lists, (3) planning
projects, and/or (4) authoring and publishing documents, including support for
literate programming and "reproducible research". Like Org-mode, VimOrganizer
does this by implementing a flexible plain-text system with a lightly
structured document format. Org-mode has been in constant development for
seven or eight years, and continues to be developed. Work on VimOrganizer is
likewise ongoing, but VimOrganizer is at present a smaller and less ambitious
project than Org-mode.
File formats and basic workflows for VimOrganizer and Org-mode are very
similar (files auto-convert as part of loading process) and VimOrganizer
actually calls out to an Emacs' Org-mode server to
implement important features, e.g., exporting to pdf format for printing.
Thus, to make full use of VimOrganizer you will want to have an Emacs'
server running alongside. In most cases this requires little knowledge of
Emacs other than how to start it up and add a few lines to the '.emacs' file,
Emacs' counterpart to Vim's '.vimrc'. (You can even edit the.emacs file in
Vim.) VimOrganizer is focused on leveraging Org-mode by accessing it via
an Emacs server, and re-implementing in Vim only what is necessary and makes
sense.
VimOrganizer also lets Vim users access Org-babel, a subproject of
Org-mode that allows execution of source-code blocks in org-format
documents. Uses for Org-babel range from writing technical research papers to
simply using a VimOrganizer document as a "language-scratchpad". Over
twenty languages are supported, including C, R, Lisp, Python, Perl, Ruby,
and others. VimOrganizer calls out to a running Emacs server for Org-babel
processing; functionality and speed are essentially the same as
when editing with Org-mode in Emacs.
VimOrganizer has a first draft of a Vim help file, but the best first step in
learning about VimOrganizer is to learn about Emacs' Org-mode. VimOrganizer
uses the same basic concepts but implements them within the context of Vim
(and with a reduced feature set). Org-mode's main documentation and
support newsgroup are found here:
Org-mode Main Manual: http://orgmode.org/manual/index.html
Org-mode Compact Guide: http://orgmode.org/guide/index.html
Org-mode support: http://news.gmane.org/gmane.emacs.orgmode
Org-babel information: http://orgmode.org/worg/org-contrib/babel/
VimOrganizer help can be found here:
https://github.com/hsitz/VimOrganizer/blob/master/doc/vimorg.txt
==========================
INSTALLATION INSTRUCTIONS
===========================
https://github.com/hsitz/VimOrganizer/blob/master/INSTALL.txt
QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS
================================
Questions, comments, and suggestions regarding VimOrganizer are always
appreciated. The preferred place for those is in the VimOrganizer newsgroup
here:
http://groups.google.com/group/vimorganizer/topics
VimOrganizer project files are maintained at github and the version
there may be more recent than the files at vim.org:
https://github.com/hsitz/VimOrganizer
----------------------------------------------------------------
NOTE: some code from other Vim plugins has been incorporated into the
VimOrganizer script files. Do NOT download these plugins to use them
with VimOrganizer; since VimOrganizer does not call out to them in any way:
1. Charles Campbell's great calendar utilities
2. Table editing routines from Maxim Kim's excellent vimwiki plugin.
These are really quite nice (seem to be inspired by Org-mode's
own table-editing stuff) and deserve to be offered as a separate
plugin of their own, not dependent on any larger project. (If
VimOrganizer is not quite the sort of plugin you're looking for then
vimwiki may be.)
----------------------------------------------------------------
VimOrganizer page at vim.org:
http://www.vim.org/scripts/script.php?script_id=3342
install details See:
https://github.com/hsitz/VimOrganizer/blob/master/INSTALL.txt rate this script Life Changing Helpful Unfulfilling script versions (upload new version) Click on the package to download. package script version date Vim version user release notes VimOrganizer_v0313.zip 0.313 2011-11-16 7.0 Herbert Sitz Fixed sample vimrc and vimorg.txt to reference g:agenda_files instead of non-existent g:org_agenda_files VimOrganizer_v0312.zip 0.312 2011-11-10 7.0 Herbert Sitz Fix for some dates with repeaters not getting found in agenda searches VimOrganizer_v031.zip 0.311 2011-11-10 7.0 Herbert Sitz 0.31-Fixed bug with opening agenda window on terminals when no g:agenda_files defined; added "todo dashboard" accessible by,t ; added support for auto log entries and date reset when changing date-repeater todos to done state, 0.311 -- fixed bug that could cause endless loop when cycling VimOrganizer_0304.zip 0.304 2011-11-05 7.0 Herbert Sitz Additions to install.txt file re: emacs setup, set g:org_command_for_emacsclient by default on Linux and OSX systems. VimOrganizer_v0302.zip 0.302 2011-11-03 7.0 Herbert Sitz Tweak to avoid error message when starting in terminal that has no Normal background color set VimOrganizer_v0301.zip 0.301 2011-11-03 7.0 Herbert Sitz fix for error message when starting up with no g:org_todo_custom_highlights defined;
fix to hide FoldColumn in terminal versions of Vim VimOrganizer_v030.zip 0.30 2011-11-03 7.0 Herbert Sitz Many changes, additions, improvements. See intro.txt and the included vim-format help file. ip used for rating: 128.148.231.11A small bar in Tokyo’s Nakano Ward is becoming popular with middle-aged men who like to make plastic models of characters from the “Mobile Suit Gundam” cartoon.
“It’s like a secret base,” said Kentaro Nonaka, 36, a company worker who lives in adjacent Suginami Ward and drinks there once or twice a week.
The bar, Professor TK, is filled with boxes of plastic Gundam models. It all got started with four men in their 30s and 40s sitting at the counter talking about the smash-hit animation series from the 1970s and 1980s. They all met at the bar and became regulars.
“Other customers can give me tips on how to make the models,” said Nonaka one night as he pulled out a model and started painting its small parts in black. “I can share my hobby with them.”
The owner, avid Gundam fan Takeshi Koyama, 48, opened the bar in December 2014. He said there are times when customers simply work quietly on their models rather than chat with others.
“Casual drinks at a place where they can share their hobby will allow them to enjoy them both in a comfortable manner,” said Takuya Kano of the Sakebunka Institute, which offers research on liquor and its culture.➥ Improve your mixes with our in-depth mixing tutorials
I recently read an article on UAudio.com by Dan Keller and Pete Doell about the most common mixing mistakes. And I just wanted to say it is wrong wrong wrong!
Just kidding, it’s actually a great article and points out a lot of technical errors that less experienced engineers (and sometimes even experienced engineers) frequently make. I’ll link to it at the end of this article.
Anyway, I felt I could offer my own perspective on what I have found to be the most common mistakes I see from other engineers — and from myself as well.
In fact, this article is very useful for me, I think I need to re-read it a few times.
1. Not having a decided direction
Mixing is vastly subjective. You have to decide what makes the mix “good” before you can achieve it.
The top mistake on this list goes to not having a vision, and just mixing.
If you don’t know your goals and what you want to hear, you’re shooting in the dark. You’ll probably hit a couple of targets but overall it won’t be great.
2. Thinking quantity, not quality
An early mistake in my career was thinking “how much low end” rather than “how can I get the low end to work right.”
If I need the low end to be focused, I should be working toward focus, not working toward proportion.
In fact, I can easily defer the idea of “quantity” to a mastering engineer like Pete (not that I would make a habit of it). Quantity really only comes into play when thinking about the relationship between instruments — and in that sense it’s really a qualitative concern: are these ideas supporting each other and allowing the important one(s) to shine?
3. Not enough time spent constructing ambience
Ambience is the back drop of every mix. Whether it’s through recorded room captures or synthetic reverbs (or both), the ambience has a large influence on how the sound fills out as well as the emotional quality of the mix.
Reverb/delay is a great tool for reinforcing the tone of a record: trashy, polished, tight, loose — all can be reinforced through the right choices (see #1).
Throwing reverb around haphazardly creates a discontinuous mix. And remember, leaving something perfectly dry is also a powerful creative tool. Be judicious!
4. Relying too much on effects
Mixing is a game of subtle relationships.
The amateur mixer seeks to make their mix “special” by loading every track with EQ and compression.
The experienced mixer gets the best mix with the least amount of processing, and seeks to reduce the degree of effect — staying truer to the original production. Unless the experienced mixer is making a creative decision. See #1.
5. Mixing without switching perspective
If you sit and mix a record on one set of speakers in one go, you have a limited perspective.
Switching to crappy computer speakers, headphones, or listening out of your mix position can give you a wider range of perspective.
Refreshing your ears by taking a sizable break, or even coming back to a mix the next day, will also give you a wider range of perspective.
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6. Relying on convention
Genre-lization tends to create conventions. This is a trap. Forward thinking artists and producers actively challenge conventions. So while your inexperienced client may want the predictable, this doesn’t mean everyone wants it that way.
My moment of enlightenment came from a very famous jazz pianist. He hired me to mix his trio. In one of my prouder moments, I mixed the drums with more punch and forwardness than a traditional jazz sound. He was very happy with the mix, particularly the drums. Turns out he didn’t want a conventional jazz mix (which makes sense, since at the time I didn’t have a lot of jazz on my reel).
Bottom line is we’ve been working together ever since. By approaching the records the way I felt them, rather than how convention dictated, I seized the day.
7. Not respecting convention
That said, a lot of convention exists for a reason. It’s a reflection of what the culture surrounding a style of music appreciates. To not at least acknowledge the expectations of the listener is actually disrespectful.
Too many times I’ve heard “you don’t need to know how to mix XYZ, you just need to know how to mix.” This is assuredly false and will ultimately inhibit your success.
The sound of a genre is rooted in the history and culture of that music, so respect it. If you want to reject conventions, do it with full awareness of how the end listener will be effected by that. #6 and #7 are ultimately an extension of #1: having a vision.
8. Forgetting context
Mixing a single is one thing. Mixing an EP or an LP is another.
Just because a song sounds great on its own doesn’t mean it’s going to work in context of the album.
An EP/LP should consist of songs that have a unique sonic identity, but still sound cohesive back to back. At least that’s the convention.
9. Being lazy with automation
Set and forget only works on records where the musicians are very accurate with their dynamics. And even then, it’s negotiable.
There’s a difference between treating source sounds and making a mix.
That difference is automation. Make it move!
10. Not having an intention
Seriously, this is the alpha and omega of mistakes. The mix is an extension of the production. The production has intention. Therefore the mix needs intention as well.
This doesn’t mean the direction can’t form as you go, but at some point you have to say to yourself “okay, what’s the end game?”
Having a direction really makes the whole process much faster and easier. So grab a notepad and write some ideas down about the song as you listen to the demo and the raw tracks. Breathe it in, get a game plan, and then start mixing.
Oh, and check out Pete and Dan’s article here, because they bring up a lot of great traps that engineers tend to fall into.
Missing our best stuff? Sign up to be the first to learn about the latest articles, videos, courses, freebies, giveaways, exclusive discounts and more. Awesome! Talk to you soon."Since it's on your way, can you drop this off?"
That's essentially what Walmart is asking some store workers, if they've opted to participate in a new delivery program.
More specifically, the retailer is testing out the concept of having employees deliver packages to customers' homes on their commute home.
In a blog post published Thursday, Walmart (WMT) touted the idea as a way to both speed up its delivery service and help employees make a little extra money.
Two stores in New Jersey and one in Arkansas have been trying it out over the past month, and Walmart insists "the response from associates and customers has been great." It's not clear when or if the program will expand.
The company says it's developed an app that allows employees to sign up for the program, and that participation is optional. The app can alert an associate when there's an order destined for a location that's on his or her way home.
Related: Walmart announces guaranteed pay for military workers
The company says "many" orders delivered in the testing program wind up arriving the day after they're placed.
By comparison, Amazon (AMZN) has rolled out same-day delivery services across much of the country.
Walmart's program is a sign that it's looking to compete.
"It just makes sense," the company said in the blog post. "Walmart has strength in numbers with 4,700 stores across the U.S. and more than a million associates. Our stores put us within 10 miles of 90% of the U.S. population."
The company declined to say how much employees are paid to take on the added responsibility -- but Walmart did say that workers are "fully in control of their experience."
"Associates choose how many packages they can deliver, the size and weight limits of those packages, and which days they're able to make deliveries after work," the blog post says. "It's completely up to them, and they can update those preferences at any time."Picking a web browser isn’t like selecting an operating system or smartphone ecosystem. Unlike choosing MacOS, Windows, or Chrome OS, where your choices are mutually exclusive, switching between browsers isn’t quite so jarring. You could download any one of the major browsers on the market today in the time it takes you to finish reading this paragraph. But how do you know which is the best browser for you?
To help you decide, we’ve broken down the best browsers on the market today and boiled them down to their bare bones.
At a glance
Product Category Google Chrome Best web browser overall Firefox Best of the rest Opera Best alternative to Chrome Microsoft Edge The default choice that still struggles
Google Chrome: The best web browser
Chrome is ubiquitous — and for good reason. With a robust feature set, full Google Account integration, a thriving extension ecosystem, and a reliable suite of mobile apps, it’s easy to see why Chrome is the gold standard for web browsers. Chrome even blocks some ads that don’t conform to accepted industry standards.
Chrome also boasts some of the best mobile integration available. With a mobile app available on every major platform, it’s easy to keep your data in sync, making browsing between multiple devices a breeze. Sign into your Google account on one device, and all your Chrome bookmarks, saved data, and preferences come right along. Even which extensions are active stays in sync across devices. It’s a standard feature you can find on other platforms, but Chrome’s integration is second to none.
Google recently released Chrome 69, celebrating the browser’s 10th birthday with a significant visual redesign and some nice new features. The user interface was rounded and smoothed out, losing all of its previous sharper edges and harsh angles for a gentler and more attractive aesthetic. Tabs are easier to identify thanks to more visible favicons, making it perfect for anyone who typically keeps open a large number of tabs. Note that as of Chrome 71, you can no longer go back to the old interface.
In addition, Chrome’s password manager now automatically generates and recommends strong passwords when a user creates a new account on a web page. The search bar, or Omnibox, now provides “rich results” comprised of useful answers to questions when they’re typed in, calculator results, sporting event scores, and more. Finally, favorites are now more accessible, and they’re now manageable on the New Tab page.
What’s the bottom line? Chrome is fast, free, light, and even better-looking. With a thriving extension ecosystem, it’s as fully featured or as pared down as you want it to be. Everything is right where it should be, privacy and security controls are laid out in plain English, and the browser just gets out of your way. That’s even more true as of Chrome 70, which doesn’t automatically log you in and which now sports picture-in-picture mode for videos on the desktop.
If you’re not sure which browser you should be using, you should be using Chrome.
Mozilla Firefox: The best of the rest
Firefox comes in a close second — a very close second. Mozilla has been taking real strides in making its browser a truly modern way to surf from site to site, thanks to efforts like its recent upgrade to Firefox Quantum and the VR-focused alternative, Firefox Reality. The latest version of Mozilla’s familiar old standby rebuilds the browser’s UI from the ground up, offering a cleaner, more modern take on what a web browser should be, and even introducing a password-free browsing experience.
The changes aren’t just skin deep, though. There’s some impressive engineering going on behind the scenes. Firefox Quantum is designed to leverage multicore processors in ways that its competitors just aren’t doing. It’s not going to make a huge difference in your day-to-day browsing, but the Mozilla Corporation hopes it’s going to give it an edge moving forward. By engineering for the future now, Firefox Quantum is in a better position to take advantage of quicker and quicker processors as they come out year after year.
Beneath those changes, it’s still the same Firefox we all know and love. It’s a capable browser, with a deep catalog of extensions and user interface customization. The new Firefox Mobile app also received the Quantum treatment, so it’s quicker and more streamlined than ever before. Grab the mobile Firefox app and you’ll be able to share bookmarks between devices, but you’ll have to sign up for a separate Firefox account. Unfortunately, managing settings across platforms isn’t as seamless as it is in Chrome.
Even with the recent overhaul, Firefox is a comfortable, familiar standby. There’s a bit of a fringe benefit, too. Because it’s been around longer than Chrome, some older web apps — the likes of which you might encounter at your university or workplace — work better on Firefox than they do on Chrome. For that reason, it never hurts to keep it around.
As a primary browser, Firefox doesn’t offer much that Chrome doesn’t, but its latest update is making it a very compelling alternative if you’re in the mood for something a little different.
Opera: An attractive alternative to Chrome
Also a venerable browser and popular alternative, Opera shares much of Chrome’s DNA. Both browsers are built on Google’s Chromium engine, and as a result, they have a very similar user experience. Both feature a hybrid URL/search bar, and both are relatively light and fast.
The differences appear when you start to look at Opera’s built-in features. Where Chrome relies on an extension ecosystem to provide functionality users might want, Opera has a few more features baked right into the browser itself. It also recently introduced a predictive website preload ability, and a new Instant Search feature isolates search results in their own window while the current page fades into the background — letting users more easily focus on the research task at hand.
As of Opera 55, you can also install the Chrome extension from the Chrome web store, meaning that not only can you run the same extensions as if you were using Chrome, but discovering and installing extensions is just as easy as on Google’s popular browser. If Chrome’s wide variety of extensions are important to you, then Opera becomes an intriguing alternative. With Opera 56, the browser was furthered refined, meaning that Opera might just be one of the best browsers for quickly navigating web pages.
Opera also features a built-in “Stash” for saving pages to read later. There’s no need to sign up for a Pocket or Evernote account to save a page for later reading. Similarly, Opera features a speed-dial menu that puts all your most frequently visited pages in one place. Chrome also does this but only on a blank new tab. Finally, Opera has a built-in unlimited VPN service, making it a more secure option.
You can see that we’re well into hair-splitting territory, which is why it’s important to remember that your choice of browser is, more than any other service or app you use on a daily basis, entirely dependent on your personal preferences — what feels most right for you. Opera has a unique look and feel, and it combines some of the best features of Firefox and Chrome.
Microsoft Edge: The default choice that still struggles
Edge resembles Internet Explorer 11, though with even smaller borders, fewer icons, and a streamlined toolbar designed to mirror Microsoft’s new Windows 10 UI aesthetic. A solitary address-search bar also runs the width of the page, along with a trio of headline features that include excellent PDF capabilities, ebook reader support with Windows Store tie-ins, Windows Ink support, reading view, and Cortana integration.
It’s ultimately the next generation of Internet Explorer, in that it’s the default Windows web browser. With Edge, Microsoft continues to roll out new platform-specific features, like support for its A.I.-assistant Cortana. Rather than just leaving it to languish and tossing out an occasional security patch, Edge receives a lot of TLC from Microsoft, especially when it comes to efficiency. Microsoft often claims it’s the best browser for maintaining laptop battery life.
On the downside, Edge has relatively slim extension support, and it doesn’t allow for much customization. While quick, its pared-down interface can feel a little too bare-bones at times. Note that Microsoft has increasingly robust iOS and Android versions, and so keeping your bookmarks and passwords in sync while you’re on the go is finally a possibility with Edge.
If you’re looking for something a bit more experimental than Chrome or Firefox, just fire up Edge and see what it can do. You might be surprised. And with each major Windows 10 update, such as the Windows October 2018 update, Edge gains new features that are worth a look. But get your fix in now, because Microsoft is switching Edge over from its own EdgeHTML engine to Google’s open-source Chromium Project.
Alternative browsers
While the preceding browsers will meet most users’ needs, other alternatives exist for anyone who’s looking for something different.
Apple Safari
If you run Apple platforms exclusively, then you might want to consider Safari if it’s not already your default choice. Safari might not be the fastest Mac browser around, with Chrome being significantly quicker, but it’s fast enough that you won’t feel too slowed down. And it’s the most integrated into MacOS, meaning you’re going to feel more at home and you’ll likely get better battery life thanks to some Mac-specific optimizations.
Safari also focuses a great deal on privacy and security. If you want to minimize how you’re being tracked and whetherBig Brother is looking over your shoulder, then Safari is a good choice. If you also use an iPhone and/or an iPad, then using Safari on your Mac will make for the most seamless transition between platforms.
Vivaldi
Vivaldi is truly unique. No two Vivaldi users will have the same setup. When you run it for the first time, you’re guided through a setup process that lays out your browser in a way that makes sense for you. You get to choose where your tabs and address bar go, and you get to choose if you want browser tabs displayed at the top of the page or in a separate side panel. This is a browser built from the ground up to deliver a unique user experience, and for the most part, it succeeds. Vivaldi 2.0 enhanced the customization features and made them easier to access. We certainly enjoyed Vivaldi when we gave it a go.
This browser excels at customization, and you can choose from a variety of tasteful themes that don’t feel dated or out of place on a modern PC, in addition to the aforementioned UI choices. It also has some stand-out privacy-enhancing features, like a recent team-up with DuckDuckGo, to make the non-tracking search tool the default option when in privacy mode. Finally, the latest version added more powerful tab management, enhancements like Web Panels that make for smarter browsing, and (as mentioned) even more powerful customization options.
Brave
One of the most unusual browsers around is Brave — or, perhaps, its Brave’s business model that’s the strangest. Brave blocks all ads on all web pages by default, which makes it arguably the fastest browser around. Ads are a huge portion of how many web sites make money. Block ads and suddenly the most important web financial tool is eliminated. That’s where the Brave Rewards program will come in. Users will receive “Basic Attention Tokens,” or BATs, when they view alternative ads that Brave places in the browsing stream. The users can pass along a portion of their tokens to publishers. In the future, Brave hopes that publishers will jump on board and offer premium content in exchange for BATs.
What’s in it for users? Simply put, if you’re not waiting for ads to download along with web site content, then your web experience is going to seem much faster. And, Brave performs no user tracking, making it a private browser as well.
Tor
The Tor Browser is a version of Firefox that serves one very specific purpose. It provides a simple entry point for Tor (The Onion Router), which is software combined with an open network aimed at making you invisible by routing your traffic through a number of anonymous servers. While it’s not absolutely foolproof, it’s very difficult for someone to identify you when you’re properly configured and using something like the Tor Browser to surf the web. Especially if combined with a VPN.
There are a number of legitimate uses of the Tor Browser and the Tor network, such as people who live in countries with repressive governments, as well as journalists and activists. The dark web is also one of the destinations for people using Tor, and that includes a number of nefarious and illegal sites. In any event, if you want to remain completely anonymous while you’re on the web, then the Tor Browser and network are for you.Galaxy Tech unveiled their latest GeForce GTX 780 HOF Edition graphics card at Computex 2013, the card looked amazing in terms of design and featured a white PCB but most of the details regarding clock frequencies weren’t unveiled to the public until now.
Image is courtesy of ChinaDIY!
GALAXY GeForce GTX 780 HOF Beast GPU Unveiled and Detailed
ChinaDIY got hold of the Galaxy GeForce GTX 780 HOF and provides a brief overview of Galaxy’s flagship GeForce 700 series offering. The GeForce GTX 780 HOF follows six principles – frequency, power, materials, PCB, cooling and overclocking. All these principles combine to form Galaxy’s highest tier Hall of Fame edition GPU offerings. In terms of specifications, the GeForce GTX 780 HOF comes with the GK110-300-A2 core that features 2304 cores, 192 TMUs, 48 ROPs and a 3 GB GDDR5 memory running along a 384-bit interface. The card makes use of custom designed PCB which is white in color and features memory chips from Elpida Memory. The core runs at an clock speed of 1006 MHz with a GPU Boost clock of 1058 MHz while the memory operates at the reference 6008 MHz or 6 GHz effective frequency.
The PCB design on the GeForce GTX 780 HOF is impressive in itself, featuring an 8+2 Phase PWM which is given power through dual 8-Pin connectors. The back of the PCB is equipped with the industry’s high-end Panasonic tantalum capacitors. In total, the core has its eight while the memory has four KEMET tantalum capacitors with a capacity of 330uF. On the back, six MDU3606 Mosfet from Magnachip can also be spotted. To deliver high-speed under overclocked specs, the memory is equipped with its own heatspreader. The PWM supply has its own set of heatsink. Its an incredible design for a PCB which would allow users to gain impressive overclock settings as seen previously when HKEPC overclocked the same GPU to 1900 MHz on core and 7.4 GHz memory clock as seen here.
Ofcourse, a GPU of such a design would require large amounts of cooling to keep the core and memory stable. Galaxy covers the cooling side with their flagship HOF series dual fan cooler which offers a much beefier heatsink design. The Galaxy GeForce GTX 780 HOF makes use of a densely packed aluminum fin array that’s conveyed heat through four 6mm heatpipes running through the copper base. The dual fans measure 9cm and have a total of 9 blades which are enough to handle some mighty overclocks. The shroud itself looks beast for the monster card that is the GeForce GTX 780 HOF.
A separate external power supply module also ships with the GeForce GTX 780 HOF which can be bought offering an 8 Phase PWM with its own set of voltage adjustment and tuning points powered via three 8 Pin connectors. A must have for LN2 overclocking.
Image is courtesy of Expreview!
As far as pricing is concerned, we don’t have any concrete details yet but it looks like the card would be limited to the APAC region for now just like the iGame Kudan GTX 780 models. Nevertheless, NVIDIA’s AIC partners did pop up some real cool looking GeForce GTX 780 models this round such as the GTX 780 DirectCU II OC from ASUS, MSI’s upcoming GTX 780 Lightning, Gigabyte’s WindForce GTX 780 and not to mention, the EVGA GTX 780 Classified with ACX cooler.For those who believed that the White House’s main problem was too many adults in the room, the appointment of Anthony Scaramucci is welcome news. Sean Spicer has resigned in protest, with little to show for his time other than sartorial upgrades. In brief, a role that normally goes to people with decades of experience in communications and government will go to a neophyte from Wall Street whose main qualification seems to be that he’s loyal to Donald Trump on cable TV and high-energy. As Scaramucci once told New York Magazine, “My middle name could be Shit-stirrer, except then my initials on my shirt would be A.S.S., and I can’t have that.” The phrase “death spiral” is starting to come to mind.
To be sure, you could argue that we’ve been here before. When Steve Bannon took over Trump’s campaign, conservative radio host Charlie Sykes compared it to entering a hospice phase with Trump wishing his campaign to die surrounded by loved ones. And we know how that turned out. So you could say that Trump is nothing but surprises. But Trump is also highly predictable. He promised repeatedly during the campaign that he could be presidential. But by early 2016 it was clear that he couldn’t, that no change would ever come. Chaos was going to be the norm. The question was always whether that chaos was controlled or not. More and more, “not” looks like the answer. Increasingly, Trump looks like Slim Pickens riding down with the missile, on the cusp of the final, sudden acceleration.
Trump appears to trust none of his staffers at this point, apart from close family, and that family gives dubious advice. Recall that son-in-law Jared Kushner was among those pressing for Trump to fire James Comey, while Bannon was among those counseling restraint. Following Kushner’s advice led Trump right into a prolonged date with Robert Mueller. This time, opposing the decision to hire Scaramucci were Spicer, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, and Bannon. Supporting it was, yes, Kushner, Ivanka Trump, and—according to reports—Hope Hicks.
WATCH: Sean Spicer’s 7 Best Moments as Press Secretary
If Trump insists on disregarding sound advice from his staffers in favor of dumb advice from family, his decisions will get worse, not that they were great to begin with, and more and more people will leave the White House only to be replaced by less competent hires. While the lure of the White House is huge and someone will always say yes to a job there, the quality of newcomers is going to plummet. People see how poorly Trump treats his hires. (This wasn’t so clear back when Trump was in the private sector, and employees had to sign onerous non-disclosure agreements.) When they displease him, he lets it be known in public. This week, he even told The New York Times that he regretted making Jeff Sessions attorney general.
As competence diminishes and the dependence on family increases, performance will get even worse, and Trump will increasingly follow his whims. Indications are strong that Trump itches daily to fire Mueller, which would set off a giant mess. “If Trump doesn’t fire Mueller, it will only be because every other day he’s talked out of following his instincts,” writes Rich Lowry in the National Review. And we can see now how much that advice matters. If Trump goes that far, even Republicans will start to sour openly on their president. Partisanship runs strong, and checks on the White House come far too late when the majority party is that of the sitting president, especially if it’s the Republican Party. But they come eventually. Republicans live here, too.
And the descent just feels speedier these days. Nearly every week of the Trump presidency has been dizzying. “He has trouble putting together two good days,” observed Axios’s Mike Allen back in May. “Some of his friends tell me they’d now settle for one. But today we’re fast approaching the point when the goal is becoming two good hours, and friends will settle for one. Or maybe zero. Zero is starting to look pretty good. You can blame the press or |
your life. But he needs to be kept in check.
Jokes aren’t funny when they’re explained. The magic trick doesn’t make you gasp when you’re told how it works. We don’t always need — or want — director’s commentary when we watch the movie of life. Sometimes we need to just be there in the moment.
Yes, you are now officially hearing voices in your head. But that’s okay. Just make sure they’re good ones.
Join over 255,000 readers. Get a free weekly update via email here.
This piece originally appeared on Barking Up The Wrong Tree.
Contact us at editors@time.com.By Shawn SmithAfter an incredible submission victory over Michelle Waterson in April, the mixed martial arts world was calling for Rose Namajunas to finally receive her elusive world title opportunity against UFC women’s strawweight champion Joanna Jędrzejczyk.According to coach Trevor Wittman, that’s exactly what they’ve got in mind as well.“At this stage in her career, given also how the UFC works, I don’t think it’s something we turn down or say ‘No’ to,” Wittman told FightersOnly.com on Tuesday. “I don’t think it’s an experience we want to pass on. I think she’s ready. If she goes out there with the right mindset, I believe she can win that fight.”While Namajunas has struggled at times to string together victories throughout her career, she has won four of her last five bouts with the loss being a split decision defeat at the hands of Karolina Kowalkiewicz.Wittman said that he believes in Namajunas’ defensive capabilities and footwork as two skills she would be able to use against Jędrzejczyk.“I would worry if we were not defensively in good shape, but Rose is a very good positional fighter,” Wittman said. “She fights on the outside and doesn’t take damage. When she forces things, and puts herself off balance, that’s when she gets caught with shots. I don’t worry so much about Joanna’s offence or how she consistently beats people up, though. I don’t think she’d be able to hit Rose as easily as she hits everybody else. And Rose would really confuse her with her footwork.”The timing for a bout against Jędrzejczyk matches up rather well, with Jędrzejczyk coming off a May 2017 victory over Jessica Andrade. In November, Jędrzejczyk made easy work of Kowalkiewicz.With much of the division’s top 10 having already had their opportunity, the door appears open for Namajunas to finally receive her chance at a world title.“Rose is 100% focusing on this fight and that’s where my confidence comes from,” Wittman said. “When she has something to look forward to and get her competitive, it brings the best out of her. She needs those get-up fights. I think given where Joanna is right now, and how everybody looks at her, it’s a no-lose situation in Rose’s mind. She wants to challenge herself and take that gold away from Joanna.”No fight has been announced yet, but a bout between the two strawweights could be announced in the coming months.A riding mower?! Come on, guys, you’re losing your focus! Ahh.. it felt good to get that out of the way.. This one may seem weird, but Barn Finds isn’t always about dusty, hidden muscle cars. No where in the definition of the website does it say that it’s limited to cars only, and this one also has a motor and a person can drive it around. Albeit on grass, but still.. This is a 1950s Fairbanks-Morse Ride-On Mower and it’s on Craigslist for $1,000 or best offer. It’s in Alba, Michigan and the seller says “Cash ONLY. Pick up only”, but they also say that they’ll deliver it within a 50-mile radius. I wish that was a 500-mile radius. Thanks to Clarke B. for sending in this cool find!
If you’re a true gear head, you like anything and everything that’s powered by something – engines, small motors, batteries, pedals, sails, chipmunks – anything. There are legions of collectors and restorers of vintage lawn implements and this is a super rare and solid example. The price, though, ouch. In 2015, Barrett-Jackson sold a totally restored one in like-new condition – although not in a factory color, unfortunately – for a mere $150 more than the seller is asking for this rusty project mower! I’m guessing that about half of the asking price is what most collectors would be willing to pay for this one. The seller would like “to see it gone, but I’m not it a hurry, so don’t throw a low amount at me.”
Fairbanks-Morse & Company was a huge industrial company in the late-1800s that originally made weighing scales, but they evolved into making a lot of various things, such as “pumps, engines, windmills, coffee grinders, farm tractors, feed mills, locomotives”. And, of course, lawn mowers. Actually, the company purchased Root Manufacturing Co., Inc. out of Kansas in order to get into the lawn care business. Here’s a similar mower in action on YouTube. You aren’t going to win any races with these but I’m sure that it would be popular at vintage garden tractor shows. Yes, there is such a thing and it’s as fun as any car show for those involved in the hobby. Restoring vintage tractors and similar equipment is a great learning experience, it can be a nice starter project for someone just getting interested in restoration.
These mowers were specifically marketed towards women, a fairly revolutionary concept for the conservative 1950s. The company made push mowers, too, va-va-voom! This mower for sale here appears to be in good condition, as far as the metal work goes. This is thick stuff so it would take a real concerted effort to dent those cool pontoon-like fenders.
This is a Briggs & Stratton 8B-H motor and believe it or not, lots of parts are still available, even from Sears! This engine is “free moving”, according to the seller. Most Barn Finds readers could rebuild and restore this engine to like new condition in a couple of weekends and I think it would be a fun little project. This whole mower would be a fun little restoration project. The price may be a bit ambitious, but hey, if you start too low you can’t go up! Are any of you into collecting and restoring vehicles other than cars and trucks, like vintage garden tractors, mowers, snowmobiles, chain saws, etc?ITV executives, brewery owners and stockbrokers watched England through their fingers on Saturday night, fearful that defeat by Australia could cost them millions of pounds.
Tournament organisers have insisted the damage from such an eventuality would be minimal but quantifying the financial pain of the hosts being eliminated early from their own World Cup has become a fraught business since England’s loss last week to Wales.
Of course, matters were made worse when Stuart Lancaster's men had their elimination confirmed following the 33-13 defeat to the Wallabies.
Australia's players celebrate at the final whistle after knocking England out of the World Cup
ITV sources say all advertising for the knockout stages has been pre-sold, but if viewing figures plummet, advertisers could be refunded up to £1million for each match England don’t play after the pool stage. Pubs and clubs could collectively be down by £5m a match, and, according to one academic, even share prices are threatened, with a multi-billion-pound hit.
England have been by far the biggest ratings draw for ITV in this World Cup. Their first two matches, against Fiji and Wales, drew the biggest audiences by a margin in the first fortnight of the tournament, averaging 8.7m and 10.4m viewers respectively.
The next biggest audience was for New Zealand v Argentina at Wembley on September 20 (4.1m viewers) but no other match attracted even 3.5m viewers, with non-England matches averaging 2.1m.
The pre-tournament expectation was England’s presence in the quarter-finals in a fortnight, the semi-finals in three weeks and the final (and third-place) weekend in four weeks’ time would give ITV three bumper ‘knockout nights’ on top of four big pool-stage audiences.
But the hosts’ absence from any one of those knockout games will see viewing figures fall by half or more compared to a match featuring England. And the cost in lost advertising revenue for such a fall is around £1m per match. That is the sum estimated by MediaCom, the UK’s biggest media buying agency. ‘It could be a disaster for ITV,’ said a spokesman of the prospect of England’s exit, pre-match.
One ITV insider told The Mail on Sunday that England’s exit, whenever it came, would downgrade interest in the tournament to ‘Six Nations levels, with only core rugby supporters watching’.
The fallout from England's elimination is likely to hit hard financially, as fan interest will dwindle
When England were in the tournament, a large amount of ‘swing viewers’ are added as the English viewing public are engaged.
By the same token, the country’s pub and club trade has feared an England exit, knowing that takings would be hit. Around 20,000 licensed premises have been showing games, with big crowds flocking to watch in communal surroundings. Using the most modest estimate of a £250 shortfall per pub for the loss of each ‘England night’, that equates to a £5m hit for the industry for each England match that doesn’t happen.
Losses of billions, from share prices, have been forecast by one academic, Professor Alex Edmans, of the London Business School. He oversaw a long-term study that examined the effect of defeats for 39 national teams in major sporting tournaments over a number of years. It found ‘investor mood is severely dented’, or in layman’s terms, that stock markets take a battering as the national mood dips.
Stuart Lancaster has since come out and refused to rule out stepping down as head coach
‘A rugby loss leads to a next-day [stock market] decline of 0.15%, which is roughly £3bn for the UK stock market,’ Edmans said.
Other experts insist an early England exit would have a negligible effect on the economy, or indeed on the tournament as a whole. Ernst & Young published an economic impact study saying the tournament was ‘expected to deliver up to £2.2 billion in output to the host economy’. This included huge spending in Britain by an expected 466,000 international visitors to the event.
Peter Arnold, a co-author of that report and an E&Y director, told Sportsmail that an early England exit ‘wouldn’t have a major impact on the economy’.
He added: ‘This is because the biggest economic benefit from any major sporting event comes from the number of international visitors it attracts, and we wouldn’t expect this to be affected by England’s exit.
Fan events, such as the MasterCard fan zone, are likely to suffer now England have been knocked out
‘Although there will, of course, be millions of disappointed English fans, we expect interest in the tournament will remain high. Tickets sales have been exceptionally strong, with most games pretty much sold out.
‘The English are also traditionally great sports fans, who have already attended matches in their thousands even where England were not involved, and so will continue to support the event to see the world’s best rugby players in action.
‘We should also remember that Wales and Scotland are still very much in the tournament, plus if Ireland and France do well that could result in a flood of visitors.’
ITV have also been buoyed by viewing figures that until this weekend have been at record levels compared to previous rugby World Cups. Including England games, matches have been averaging 3.3m viewers this time, against 1.2m for the 2011 event — albeit in New Zealand — and 2.5m for 2007 and 2.4m for 2003.
England's players look on after the realisation of failure to reach the knockouts hits home
The tournament is also attracting new fans to rugby in unexpected places. More than 200,000 viewers in the Netherlands watched England lose to Wales last week, for example. And in Germany, where Eurosport are showing the event, more than 5m different Germans have watched at least one match so far, according to a Eurosport spokeswoman.
The average audiences are low at around 132,000 people per game, but that represents a rise of almost 10 per cent on the 2011 World Cup, and the biggest audience, of 315,000 for New Zealand versus Argentina, shows there is a healthy niche appetite even in a nation with no team involved and little rugby heritage.
Arguably the biggest losers from an early England exit before the final would be the RFU, who went into the event expecting an upsurge in interest from potential players if England could triumph, but not if they flopped.
As Mike Ford, the father of England star George as well as the coach of Bath, told the MoS late last week: ‘This World Cup will go down as the best ever. The knockout stages are all already sold out so there’s no problem there.The winning car from this afternoon’s opening round of the 2016 FIA WEC at Silverstone, the Audi Sport R18 of Andre Lotterer, Benoit Treluyer and Marcel Fassler has been excluded from the results after its front skid plank was found to be worn outside the permitted tolerances in post race scrutineering.
Audi have until 23:55 tonight to appeal the decision but if it stands then the #2 Porsche 919 of Marc Lieb, Romain Dunas and Neel Jani will be elevated to the race win, with the #6 Toyota in second place and the #13 Rebellion Racing R-One making the final step on the podium.
(News from the race organisers last night was that no appeal was received from Audi and official results have been published. The Audi’s exclusion is confirmed)
However this morning this statement was received from Audi Sport:
“Audi Sport Team Joest has appealed against the exclusion of winners Marcel Fässler/André Lotterer/Benoît Tréluyer. Hence the result of the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) season opener remains provisional.
“The Stewards of the Meeting received a report from the Technical Delegate explaining that the thickness of the front skid block of car no. 7 doesn’t comply with article 3.5.6 a3 of the LMP1 Technical Regulations. Audi Sport Team Joest has appealed the decision to exclude the number 7 car from the results. Hence the race result will depend on the decision of a sport tribunal.”A server serves a draft beer in Sapporo, northern Japan, February 19, 2007. REUTERS/Toru Hanai
SYDNEY (Reuters) - An Australian man convicted of his seventh drink-driving charge was spending about A$1,000 ($972) a week on beer — enough to buy more than 2,500 small bottles a month, a newspaper said Tuesday.
The heartbroken construction worker began drowning his sorrows after breaking up with his partner five years ago, the Northern Territory News said, quoting his defense lawyer as telling a court in Australia’s remote, tropical north.
The magistrate declined to jail the father of four, Michael Leary, noting he had quit drinking since his latest arrest, but he banned Leary from buying or even holding a beer for 12 months.
The magistrate also poked fun at Leary’s favorite beer, Melbourne Bitter, in a part of the country where drinkers can be as loyal to beer brands as they are to football teams.
‘’(That is) poor judgment on two counts there — drinking that much and drinking Melbourne Bitter,’’ magistrate Vince Luppino was quoted as saying.When it comes to visual entertainment, we all know that K-dramas are the best — and who would dare to disagree on that? Beautiful romances, adorable heart-pounding moments, laugh-out-loud comedy, and an industry full of amazingly talented actors…add in the supernatural element, and you have a K-drama worth selling your soul for. Fans of the paranormal, superhuman, and magical, here are the dramas you should be watching!
The obvious pick is “Goblin.” It’s a new show that recently finished airing, and it received top ratings and applause from many viewers. If you like a beautifully poetic story and amazing visual effects, this K-drama is for you. It also features a goblin, a grim reaper, a chaebol, a girl who sees ghosts, a reincarnated queen, and two gods, so if you decide to watch it, you’ll be in for a fantastical show that will make you fall hard for the characters and cry-laugh at the many feel-good moments. The bromance alone makes the show a 10 out of 10. Bonus: It stars the handsome Gong Yoo, who just recently scored another big hit in the amazing zombie thriller “Train to Busan.”
Watch “Goblin” on Viki exclusively in Europe!
For all you mermaid lovers: we finally have a K-drama for that! “The Legend of the Blue Sea” is another K-drama high up on the chart, with a tone slightly similar to “Goblin” in its fairytale elements, except this show focuses mainly on a love that endures throughout multiple timelines and even between land and sea. If you’re a sucker for romance, then this drama is for you, as there are many adorable moments between the two main characters, played by Lee Min Ho and Jun Ji Hyun. For fans of comedy, the first few episodes also have a lot of slapstick humor, though it tones down to focus on the plot later.
Watch “The Legend of the Blue Sea,” exclusively on Viki!
In “W,” a handsome and intelligent webtoon character falls in love with the writer’s daughter. Hijinks ensue as the couple tries to outrun a webtoon villain who exists to destroy our hero and bridge the gap between both worlds. Warning: there are some sad and/or stressful moments.
Watch “W,” exclusively on Viki!
Horror rom-com is a unique type of genre that, unfortunately, has not shown up in too many dramas yet. However, I recommend trying it out, as these shows mix fright with laughter in a way that’s fun and perfect for a Halloween night, a cool summer thriller…or any night of the year, really. As a scaredy-cat myself, the elements of horror aren’t so strong that you won’t be able to sleep at night — just grab a friend before you watch.
The top drama in this category is “Master’s Sun,” by the Hong Sisters. The slapstick humor is strong in this one, but it’s a hilarious show about a girl driven crazy by her fears of the ghosts she sees and the heartwarming chaebol who slowly evolves into someone worthy of protecting her. Throughout the show, the characters come together to help the ghosts that appear to them with paranormal cases, all the while attempting to unravel a very strange mystery.
“Bring It On, Ghost” is kind of a teenage version of “Master’s Sun”: it has a sweet summer romance played out by Kim So Hyun and Taecyeon (Hint: Listen to My Heartbeat) and a ghost crime-fighting unit that’s often better at comedy. However, the show carries itself strong up until the last episode, which leaves viewers with a slightly unsatisfying and weak ending.
Watch “Bring It On, Ghost”:
“Oh My Ghostess” bears slight similarities to the above K-dramas; it’s more centered around one ghost — specifically, a very handsy ghost (Kim Seul Gi) that feels slighted over the fact she’s a virgin ghost. Add in a shy girl (Park Bo Young) who hopes for the attention of a handsome chef (Jo Jung Suk) and body possession, and you end up with a zany supernatural drama that finds its niche in slightly adult humor and a few well-meaning lessons of life. As usual, this rom-com also has an element of mystery to it.
Watch “Oh My Ghostess”:
“Arang and the Magistrate” is an older K-drama that also centers around a ghost…in the Joseon era. Arang (Shin Min Ah), our main character, is a sweet, tough spirit who manages to run into our hero, a handsome magistrate (Lee Joon Gi) who can see the dead. Throughout the show, our magistrate must use his detective skills to defeat some seriously creepy, supernatural killers. “Arang and the Magistrate” also opens an interesting window into classic Korean ghost beliefs, with the addition of an amusing portrayal of the gods of heaven and hell.
Watch “Arang and the Magistrate”:
If you run out of dramas to watch, a wonderful horror rom-com movie is “Spellbound,” in which a woman haunted by a ghost meets a cowardly magician willing to endure his fear of the supernatural in order to protect her.
“Gu Family Book” is an older drama starring a half-human, half-gumiho (a Korean creature of folklore) born out of about two entire episodes of tragedy, so if you have difficulty handling rough scenes, I’d advise against this show. However, there’s something so good about the main character, played by Lee Seung Gi, that makes you fall in love with him immediately. It’s the fantasy elements of this show that make it so interesting (plus the romance). However, the storyline does waver in places and the ending is semi-sad, so if you’re prone to weeping, you might want to try one of the other K-dramas on this list.
Watch “Gu Family Book”:
“My Girlfriend Is a Gumiho” is a slapstick comedy rom-com that deals with similar elements of Korean lore, also starring Lee Seung Gi, so if you appreciate the Hong Sisters’ humor, then K-drama fans may find this a fun watch.
“My Love From the Star” is another older, but top-ratings drama starring photogenic actors Kim Soo Hyun and Jun Ji Hyun. If you can imagine the American Superman as a handsome Korean drama man, then you understand why “My Love From the Star” is a must-watch. It’s a sweet, romantic show about a hallyu star that falls in love with an alien. It involves cool superpowers, many funny moments, and a psychopathic murderer worthy of going up against our beloved alien.
If vampires are your thing, then never fear; the K-drama world has produced a number of shows to satisfy your tastes:
“Blood” is an interesting vampire show; however, fans found themselves unsatisfied with the openly ended and depressing finale. Reasons to watch: it’s a fusion of a vampire show and a medical drama, and main actors Ahn Jae Hyun and Ku Hye Sun married in real life last May!
Watch “Blood”:
“Orange Marmalade” is a cute, high school romance adapted from a webtoon.
Watch “Orange Marmalade”:
“Scholar Who Walks the Night” takes vampires back to the Joseon era, complete with a cross-dressing girl who attempts to hide herself in the world of male scholars.
Watch “Scholar Who Walks the Night”:
“Vampire Prosecutor“: For those who like less romance and more crime-fighting every once in a while, this show is a compelling and hugely popular drama centered around a vampire himself. There are two seasons, plus a short spinoff show.
Watch “Vampire Prosecutor 2”:
Other Shows!
Other supernatural shows to watch are:
“I Hear Your Voice“: Following a noona romance between a lawyer and a boy who can read her mind, This drama is a must-watch if you’re a fan of Lee Jong Suk, who carries the show with his adorable cuteness.
“Queen In Hyun’s Man“: A sweet romance involving time travel.
“Touching You”: A short drama made up of web-isodes, “Touching You” is an interesting show to watch if you don’t have a lot of time. It stars Taecyeon, whose character can see people’s fates when he touches them. My only complaint is the female lead, who seems a bit weak and flat, but for about 15 minutes per episode, it’s worth a watch.
Ariana K. Welsh is a college student who spends most of her time obsessing over K-dramas with her sister, dancing to loud music, and writing into the wee hours of the night. Her current fave things in life are: snow, Waldeinsamkeit by R.W. Emerson, and Butterbeer.It is the first day in power for the new leader of Alberta's Official Opposition party and Brian Jean is primed for a fight, taking a hard jab at former leader Danielle Smith.
Jean, a former member of Stephen Harper's Conservative caucus defeated two challengers to become the leader of the Wildrose Party last night in Calgary.
The party has been without a permanent leader since Danielle Smith led eight other party member across the flood to join Jim Prentice's Progressive Conservatives. The move decimated Alberta's Official Opposition.
Jean, a 52-year-old lawyer from Fort McMurray, Alta. is ready to push the party out of the shadow Smith left behind, he says Smith made a decision he would never make.
"I don't believe in crossing floors, I don't believe in stabbing your family in the back," Jean said after Saturday night's victory. "This is a family, this is my family and I'm not going to betray my family."
During his campaign for leadership, Jean said if elected, he would immediately enter into a contract between himself and the party for $100,000 in liquidated damages if he crossed the floor.
The people in Smith's riding showed last night they were unwilling to forgive Smith for what she did to the party. Last night, Smith lost the PC nomination race in the Highwood riding to Carrie Fischer, a councillor from Okotoks.
"I'm a big believer in democracy and the rule of law, and we have in Alberta a situation where we had the governing body, the governing party, try to destroy democracy, tried to destroy the parliamentary democracy that makes Canada great," Jean said.
"We have to have a government but we also have to have a strong opposition and that's what Jim Prentice tried to destroy,"Students in a special needs program are no longer welcome at Apponequet Regional High School in the Freetown-Lakeville Regional School District.
The program has been cut because administrators say teachers have failed to adequately educate them.
"I don't see why there isn't an adequate teacher to be found anywhere," parent Heather Botelho said Tuesday.
Botelho's son, Danny, has attention deficit disorder and a processing disorder. He's one of the 12 students now being forced out. The children have gone through three teachers in a year-and-a-half. Administrators fired all three.
Parents were given a two-and-a-half week warning that they needed to enroll elsewhere. For Danny, that will likely mean a 30-minute commute to his new school.
One of many disputes at hand is timing. Parents argue that two-and-a-half weeks is not enough time. Administrators say when something is wrong they can't act quickly enough.
"If you have someone in the district that shouldn't be in front of students you don't say, 'Let me wait.' You have to do it," Superintendent Christine Nash said.
Nash said she sympathizes with parents but she stands by her decision. She said hiring a new teacher in the middle of the year would mean months without a permanent solution and that there's no guarantee the new teacher would last.
"The easy way out is to say nothing, to let it go status quo. We didn't do that," Nash said.
Botelho said these are the children who don't handle change well. She fears moving her son will keep him from graduating down the line. But for the time being she has no other choice.American negotiators are insisting Canada and Mexico will have to make all the concessions in the overhaul of the North American free-trade agreement while the United States will not give anything up, The Globe and Mail has learned.
A source familiar with the closed-door talks at the Hyatt Regency hotel in Mexico City, where the second round of the NAFTA renegotiation is unfolding, said the Trump administration has taken a hard line at the bargaining table.
The U.S. decision to dig in at such an early stage of discussions means there will be little fast progress, despite a packed agenda and compressed time frame: Negotiators are working on 25 different parts of the agreement, and the United States is pushing to have a deal done before the end of the year.
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Explainer: NAFTA, Trump and Canada: A guide to the trade file and what it could mean for you
Related: Canada demands U.S. end 'right to work' laws as part of NAFTA talks
The United States ratcheted up the tension even further on Saturday by demanding that Canada loosen its system of supply management for dairy, eggs and poultry, said the source, who spoke on condition of anonymity in order to reveal confidential details of the discussions.
This round of discussions, which began Friday, wrap up Tuesday. According to a schedule obtained by The Globe, the final day of talks will include a second day of talks on the rules of origin.
The rules of origin govern how much content in manufactured goods must be produced within the NAFTA zone to be exported between the three countries without paying tariffs. Negotiators will also discuss environment and government procurement, a subject that could include controversial Buy American provisions.
Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland arrived in Mexico City Monday and had dinner with her counterparts – U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer and Mexican Economy Minister Ildefonso Guajardo – before a series of meetings they will hold Tuesday. Two senior advisers from each country also attended the dinner.
The next round of talks will start later this month in Ottawa; future rounds will continue rotating between the three countries.
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Despite the United States' hard stand, the country did not give its negotiating partners many specifics on what it wants, government and industry sources said.
Washington has not, for instance, said exactly what it wants Canada to do with supply management, whether to loosen the rules or allocate a larger quota for U.S. farmers.
It was a similar story on the rules of origin. The United States signalled in the opening round of talks last month that it would demand more NAFTA-zone content in autos – as well as a quota of specifically U.S.-made content – but has not yet given Canada and Mexico the details on what that would be, the sources said.
One industry source said the United States' prime imperative on rules of origin appears to be helping the domestic steel industry. But the American government is still trying to figure out how exactly to rejig the rules of origin to make that happen.
Canada's apparent strategy has been to make large demands – including that climate change be written into the deal and that the Unites States bans states from adopting so-called "right-to-work" laws accused of gutting unions – knowing they will likely be dialled back as part of the give-and-take. Mexico, meanwhile, is tabling few detailed demands, two sources said, waiting for the United States to reveal its positions before responding.
Armando Ortega, a former Mexican trade negotiator, said the United States' intransigence is unusual at the early stage of talks: Normal negotiations usually begin with all sides putting their best foot forward and trying to reach common objectives. The tough American stand, he said, might be politically motivated posturing. President Donald Trump won last year's election largely by attacking Mexico on trade and border security.
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"If you are Lighthizer, you need to play to the audience. Your boss being who it is, you certainly would like to be very tough, especially if you're in the country that has been your pinata," he said in an interview.
Mr. Ortega, president of the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Mexico, said it is ironic that the United States – which demanded the negotiations and wants them done by the end of the year – hasn't laid out all the details of its demands.
"They're the demandeur, they should be putting things on the table," he said.
Flavio Volpe, president of Canada's Automotive Parts Manufacturers' Association, said rules of origin will be the key issue for the United States in talks because they will give it something straightforward to take back to its supporters.
He said he believed the United States is still trying to sort out how much North American content the domestic industry could realistically produce to figure out what it can ask for without inadvertently driving production outside of the NAFTA zone.
"That number is the most easily analyzed success or failure point for the U.S. administration. So I think we won't see a solid number until much later in the process," Mr. Volpe told The Globe in the lobby of the Hyatt.
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Mr. Volpe said the United States' hard line at the opening of the talks was likely an "on the moment tactic," and doesn't mean the negotiations are doomed.
"The waters are going to boil some times more than others," he said. "But it's just language."Policy Routing With Linux - Online Edition
by Matthew G. Marsh
Table Of Contents
Section I - Theory, Usage, and Utilities
This initial chapter provides brief coverage of standard TCP/IP routing as practiced under IPv4. The uses of the traditional Unix and Cisco IOS commands and syntax for simple setups will be mentioned. We will also touch upon the methodologies behind route costing such as Hop count and Link State. Finally we will illustrate a simple Internet connected network along with the needed routing commands to connect using Linux.
Traditional IPv4 routing Theory
Unix Configuration Commands
Cisco IOS Configuration Commands
IPv4 Dynamic Routing Protocols
Unix Routing Daemons & Cisco IOS Configurations
Here we will discuss the types of environments that led to the development of the concept of policy routing and the theory behind why you would want to use policy routing structures. We will only consider the policy structures themselves and how they solve these problems.
What do you mean by "Policy"
Common IPv4Routing Problems
PolicyRouting Structure
In this chapter we will now address how the Linux Policy Routing structure is implemented. We will cover how this structure interacts with the Packet Paths both native within the kernel and in conjunction with the packet filtering and network extensions.
Packet Paths through the Kernel
IPFWADM/IPChains Packet Pathing
NetFilter Packet Pathing
Routing Policy DataBase (RPDB)
Obtaining & Compiling IPROUTE2
General command structure
In this chapter we will cover how to implement standard networks, much as we had seen in Chapter 1, using the policy routing tools. We will introduce the extensions for use with the policy routing structures and how even relatively simple network configurations can benefit from implementation using policy routing structures.
Chapter 1 Example Revisited
Multiple IP Addressing
Multiple Default Routes
Loop Routing
Multiple Routing Tables
Rule and Table Interactions
In this chapter we will cover network configurations where the only complete solutions demand policy routing structures. We will cover multiple networks with disparate gateways, bandwidth and link state load balancing, and transparent routing structures. We will also mention several firewall type functions and interactions between the functions. In most cases we will illustrate several different solutions to solving the problems. This will show the flexibility and scope of the solution space for these functions.
Local Interfaces
MultiHomed, MultiAddressed
Transparent Routing
Policy Firewalling
Routing Load Balancing
Phantom Forwarders
Here we will take up the interactions between policy routing structures and dynamic routing protocols. This is an especially sticky subject as most dynamic routing protocols only understand traditional routing. There are many different points of potential conflict as we had discussed in Chapters 1,2, and 4, between a traditional routing structure and a policy routing structure. Here we will bridge the gap and show you how to use both methods. We will also note where to obtain various policy routing aware routing daemons and what you will have to consider to implement them within the Linux environment.
Realms and Information Bases
Gated and Zebra
Rules and Dynamic Structure
The origination of NAT is related to the origination of policy routing. And in Linux the first implementation of true one-to-one NAT was done as a policy routing structure. Here we take up this method and also discuss the various other ways that these functions may also be implemented within a Linux system. Some of the discusison within this chapter will touch upon utilities and methods we will not be covering in this book (REF: PakSecured Policy Routing Firewall) but are noted here for reference.
Basic NAT
FastNAT
Pseudo NAT
IPv6 Theory & History
Policy Routing Usage
Policy Routing Triad
The Protocols: IPv{4,6} & IPSec
Security & CommerceSenator Linda Frum says her husband, Howard Sokolowski, was wrongly accused of mischief by Texas Rangers manager Jeff Banister, after a baby was hit Wednesday night by the spray of a thrown beer during the American League Divisional Series final game won by the Toronto Blue Jays.
There's Howard Sokolowski pleading his case. <a href="http://t.co/C15MG6CiR6">pic.twitter.com/C15MG6CiR6</a> —@cselley
Frum took to Twitter to clarify the situation.
For record, husband wasn't actually tossed from game. Texas coach falsely accused him of mischief. Police saw it has way. Justice was served —@LindaFrum
David Frum, Sokolowski's brother-in-law and senior editor of The Atlantic, remarked on the controversy, prompting his sister to make light of the situation.
Can't leave him alone 😀 <a href="https://twitter.com/davidfrum">@davidfrum</a>: So apparently my brother in law was thrown out of the stadium on global TV... —@LindaFrum
In 2011, Sokolowski was appointed to the Order of Ontario for "his contributions to the arts, health care and education."
The atmosphere at the Rogers Centre was boisterous and at times unruly.
Fans tossed beer cans and other debris onto the field after a controversial call in the seventh inning that gave the Rangers a short-lived lead.
Toronto police Const. Victor Kwong says Albert Grummitt was arrested and charged with mischief. He has been released and is due in court on Nov. 24.If you’re not deep into internet culture, you may be unaware of the intensely devoted section of the Captain America fan base who consider Bucky Barnes (Sebastian Stan), not Peggy Carter (Haley Atwell), to be the true object of Steve Rogers’ (Chris Evans) affection. Oh but they’re out there. Just search Bucky/Steve and you’ll see what I mean. But make sure you have |
above. Not bad for a few minutes of work.
Thanks to Norbert Juffa for providing this Pro Tip.Photo by Mads Perch
Robert Plant is set to put out a new album titled, Carry Fire, on October 13th. Due through Nonesuch/Warner Bros. Records, the follow-up to 2014’s lullaby and… The Ceaseless Roar has been eased via early offerings, including “The May Queen” and “Bones of Saints”. A third track, “Bluebirds Over the Mountain”, has now been broken off and it features additional vocals from special guest Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders.
A soaring rocker, the original was penned in the late ’50s by Ersel Hickey and later covered by the likes of The Beach Boys and “La Bamba” musician Richie Valens. Along with Hyne, the former Led Zeppelin singer is accompanied by his backing band, The Sensational Space Shifters. Hear the cover below via a visual which stars a boy who flies through sky while riding a bird.
(Read: The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time)
Along with the new track, Plant has announced a leg of 2018 North American tour dates. The first leg of a much larger world trek, it kicks off mid-February and runs through early March.
Robert Plant 2017-2018 Tour Dates:
11/16 – Plymouth, UK @ Plymouth Pavilions
11/17 – Bristol, UK @ Colston Hall
11/20 – Wolverhampton, UK @ Wolverhampton
11/22 – Llandudno, UK @ Venue Cymru
11/24 – Newcastle Upon Tyne, UK @ Newcastle City Hall
11/25 – Liverpool, UK @ Liverpool Olympia
11/27 – Glasgow, UK @ SEC Armadillo
11/28 – Perth, UK @ Perth Concert Hall
11/30 – Manchester, UK @ O2 Apollo
12/02 – Belfast, IE @ Ulster Hall
12/03 – Dublin, IE @ Bord Gais Energy Theatre
12/06 – Sheffield, UK @ Sheffield City Hall
12/11 – Portsmouth, UK @ Portsmouth Guidhall
12/12 – Birmingham, UK @ Symphony Hall
02/09 – Raleigh, NC @ Raleigh Memorial Auditorium
02/11 – Charlotte, NC @ Ovens Auditorium
02/12 – Norfolk, VA @ Chrysler Hall
02/14 – New York, NY @ Beacon Theatre
02/16 – Boston, MA @ Orpheum Theatre
02/17 – Toronto, ON @ Massey Hall
02/20 – Chicago, IL @ Riviera Theatre
02/22 – Minneapolis, MN @ Orpheum Theatre
02/24 – Denver, CO @ Temple Hoyne Buell Theatre
02/26 – Phoenix, AZ @ Symphony Hall
02/28 – Oakland, CA @ Fox Theater
03/02 – Los Angeles, CA @ Orpheum TheatreUnless otherwise noted, changes described below apply to the newest Chrome Beta channel release for Android, Chrome OS, Linux, Mac, and Windows.
Dynamic module imports
Currently, importing JavaScript modules is completely static, and developers cannot import modules based on runtime conditions, like whether a user is logged in. Starting in this release, the import(specifier) syntax now allows developers to dynamically load code into modules and scripts at runtime. This can be used for lazy loading a script only when it’s needed, which improves performance of the application.
button.addEventListener('click', event => {
import('./dialogBox.js')
.then(dialogBox => {
dialogBox.open();
})
.catch(error => {
/* Error handling */
});
});
The code example above shows how to use the import(specifier) function to import JavaScript after an event.
Async iterators and generators
Writing code that does any sort of iteration with async functions can be inelegant. The new async generator functions using the async iteration protocol are now available to help developers streamline the consumption or implementation of streaming data sources. Async iterators can be used in for loops and also to create custom async iterators through async iterator factories.
async function* getChunkSizes(url) {
const response = await fetch(url);
for await (const chunk of streamAsyncIterator(response.body)) {
yield chunk.length;
}
}
The code example above shows how to use async iterators to writer cleaner code for streaming fetches, using the streamAsyncIterator function.
Device Memory API
It’s challenging for developers to create one user experience that can work across all devices, due to varying device capabilities. The new Device Memory JavaScript API helps developers with this challenge by using the total RAM on a user’s machine to provide insights into device constraints. This insight enables developers to tailor content at runtime in accordance with hardware limitations. For example, developers can serve a “lite” app to users on low-end devices, resulting in better experiences and fewer frustrations. The Device Memory API can also be used to add context to metrics, such as the amount of time a task takes to complete in JavaScript, through the lens of device memory.
Permissions UI changes
When websites need special permissions from a user, they trigger a permission request. Currently these permission requests appear in Chrome for Android as ignorable banners at the bottom of the screen, and developers often show them without considering whether the user has the appropriate context to grant the permission. This results in a distracting user experience, and users ignore or temporarily dismiss these permission prompts more than 90% of the time.
In Chrome 59, we started to address this problem by temporarily blocking a permission if the user dismisses the request three times. As a next step, in this release Chrome for Android now presents permission requests as modal dialogs. This change reduces the overall number of permission prompts by 50%. It also makes users 5 times more likely to accept or deny requests, rather than temporarily dismissing or repeatedly ignoring them. To ensure users understand the permission request, developers should present users with permission requests at an appropriate time, as we’ve found that users were 2.5 times more likely to grant permission to a site that ask for permissions with context.
Other features in this release
Blink > Bindings
To improve interoperability, a TypeError is now thrown for EventTarget.addEventListener and removeEventListener when the callback passed is not an EventListener, null, or undefined.
Blink > CSS
Developers can now make pixel-level adjustments using the new Q length unit, which is especially useful on small viewports.
Developers can now prevent apps from using Chrome’s pull-to-refresh feature or create custom effects using overscroll-behavior, which allows changing the browser’s behavior once the scroller has reached its full extent.
Blink > Fonts
font-variant-east-asian is now supported, allowing developers to control the usage of alternate glyphs for East Asian languages like Japanese and Chinese.
Blink > HTML
To improve interoperability, Chrome will fire beforeprint and afterprint events as part of the printing standard, allowing developers to to annotate the printed copy and edit the annotation after the printing command is done executing.
Blink > JavaScript
Using Promise.prototype.finally, a callback can now be registered to be invoked after a Promise has been fulfilled or rejected.
The Intl.PluralRules API allows developers to build applications that understand pluralization of a given language by indicating which plural form applies for a given number and language.
Blink > MediaStream
MediaStreamTrack.applyConstraints() is now supported for local video MediaStreamTracks, including tracks obtained from getUserMedia(), capture from media elements or screen capture.
Blink > Network
Version 2 of NT LAN Manager (NTLM) API is now shipped, enabling applications to authenticate remote users and provide session security when requested by the application.
Blink > Sensor
Thanks to contributors from engineers at Intel, an Origin Trial is now available that exposes the following sensors via the new Generic Sensors API syntax: A ccelerometer, LinearAccelerationSensor, Gyroscope, AbsoluteOrientationSensor, and RelativeOrientationSensor.
Blink > Storage
The localStorage and sessionStorage API's now use getItem() rather than an anonymous getter, so attempting to access a key using getItem() will now return null rather than undefined. Thanks to Intel for the contribution!
To improve developer experience, the methods on sessionStorage and localStorage such as getItem(), removeItem(), and clear() are now enumerable. Thanks to Intel for making this happen!
UI > Browser > Mobile (Android)
Deprecations and interoperability improvements
Blink > Bindings
To improve interoperability, instance properties with a Promise type now return a rejected promise instead of throwing an exception.
Blink > CSS
The /deep/ or >>>, selector, as well as ::shadow, are now removed from CSS dynamic profile, following their deprecation in Chrome 45.
Blink > DOM
To improve interoperability, HTMLAllCollection, HTMLCollection, HTMLFormControlsCollection and HTMLOptionsCollection are no longer enumerable, so they are now left out of calls to Object.keys() or for - in loops.
Sathya Gunasekaran, Lazily-Loaded EngineerThis story was updated at 10:30 a.m. on June 1.
MANHATTAN BEACH—All South Bay beaches between the El Segundo jetty down to the Redondo Beach-Torrance border were reopened to the public at 6:30 p.m. Friday, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
By then, crews had cleaned up the oil and tar balls that began washing ashore from 10 a.m. Wednesday, May 27, until noon the same day. Cleanup crews collected more than 40 cubic yards—or three garbage trucks’ full—of the substance.
The Unified Command—consisting of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, Los Angeles County Fire Department, Coast Guard, Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors and the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management, among others—will continue to monitor and patrol the area.
The Coast Guard and California Department of Fish & Wildlife have collected samples and are investigating the cause, composition and source of the oily substance. No possible sources, including the Refugio oil spill and natural seepage, among others, have been excluded.
Members of the public who see anything out of the ordinary on the beaches should call the National Response Center hotline at 800-424-8802. The NRC is the sole federal point of contact for reporting pollution in the environment.
Anyone who comes across affected wildlife should contact the Oil Wildlife Care Network at 877-823-6926.The Irish government in Dublin has taken a big risk. In calling a referendum on the latest EU treaty it runs the risk that currently faces most European governments – nearly all parties implementing "austerity" policies are being rejected by the electorate. An EU treaty that promises permanent reductions in government spending may not fare much better.
It is hardly surprising that "austerity" is unpopular. It is nothing other than a transfer of incomes from labour and the poor to capital and the rich. One of the greatest fallacies of the current crisis is that "there is no money left". This is wholly untrue. Companies are sitting on cash mountains all across Europe. And the profit share of national income has risen. This is why stock markets are rising – corporate incomes (profits) are rising.
In some cases, such as Ireland, the total level of profits is rising, even while household incomes are declining and the slump in business investment actually exceeds the total contraction in GDP.
But the Dublin government is not full of reckless gamblers. The coalition government initially resisted all calls for a referendum on the treaty. But it has had to succumb to popular pressure for a vote on another far-reaching treaty. Continued refusal of a referendum would probably have led to a legal challenge. Michael Higgins, the new Irish president, himself a product of the leftward shift in Irish politics, added to the pressure.
All recent history suggests that Irish voters will come under intense pressure to vote yes. They will be accused of wrecking the euro if they vote no, and that all sorts of calamities will follow.
But those wrecking the European economy and potentially the euro are the politicians who allow capital to flow freely within the eurozone when it is allocated by bondholders, and refuse to allow the state to reallocate capital on the basis of what is economically rational. The federal system in the US, or Germany, or even to some extent in Britain, means that if, say, Rhode Island is going bust, there is no danger to the US dollar currency union unravelling. Greece has little more weight in the eurozone than Rhode Island has in the US. The difference is that the majority of taxes and spending are collected and spent by the US federal government. It is the EU refusal to allow the fiscal transfers that match a currency union that is the cause of the structural crisis in the eurozone.
Instead, in return for bailing out Greece's creditors, the troika of EU, ECB and IMF insist only on more austerity, that is, more transfer of incomes from labour to capital. The treaty provides a clampdown on "structural deficits" whose nebulous existence allows unelected technocrats to impose any cuts they can get away with. Of course this will apply to all countries adopting the treaty. In this way, "austerity" will become the norm in the core as well as the periphery.
Yet these policies clearly aren't working and now the talk is of setting Greece loose, having imposed a policy of reparations that harks back to Versailles.
If Irish voters do reject the treaty, they will be performing a great service to the population of Europe. It could mark a turning point in the EU and beyond, pulling the brake on the austerity express before it hits the buffers.
At the other end of Europe, in Greece there has been a sustained opposition to the policies of the troika. Despite claims that protest doesn't work, Greece has had a debt write-off and the interest rate it must pay has been slashed.
In Ireland, political circumstances mean there is a possibility of a real political blow against the disastrous and undemocratic policies that have been pursued since the crisis began. A yes vote means the continuation of the nightmare. A no vote would be a blow in favour of all the victims of austerity and for all democrats across Europe.
• Follow Comment is free on Twitter @commentisfreeResults from an autopsy show that the Hamilton, Ont. man who collapsed during a late-night walk did not die as a result of a dog attack.
In a statement on Thursday, police said two men were walking a large dog along Burton Street in Hamilton late Wednesday night when the dog began to attack one of the men, who later collapsed.
Officers said the man was pronounced dead at the scene. He has not been publicly identified, but is believed to be in his 30s.
Hours after the incident, officers said the forensic pathologist examined the body and determined the dog attack was not the cause of the man's death. They have yet to reveal the cause.
A woman who witnessed the attack told CTV Toronto that her husband and another man intervened during the attack, trying to fend off the dog with baseball bats.
"Unfortunately the bat would only stun the dog for a few seconds and then the dog would go right back after the person," the woman told CTV Toronto's John Musselman.
The woman's neighbour told CTV Toronto that the other man, who was not attacked, was carrying the dog's leash, but the dog's collar was not attached to the leash when they intervened.
The neighbour said the dog attacked the man's torso, shoulder and neck, and said that the dog seemed only interested in attacking the one person.
Police and Animal Control officials were able to put an end to the attack by using pepper spray.
The dog is now in the care of Animal Control, being kept apart from other dogs. It's being held in a secure area with cameras. City of Hamilton officials say the dog is a Shar Pei-Fila Brasileiro mix, weighing approximately 45 to 50 lbs.
Anyone with more information is asked to contact Hamilton police at 905-546-3821.
With files from CTV Toronto's John Musselman and CTV News' Peter AkmanRock Candy Mountain is a book by Kyle Starks from Image Comics. Kyle carries the duties as both writer and artist, as he shows us the world of an ass kicking hobo named Jackson. This new series has action, humor and an appearance from….. Satan? With Issue #2 of Rock Candy Mountain hitting the stands today, I thought I would reach out to Kyle Starks, and ask him about the hobo book everyone should be reading.
Jonathan Aravich: What were some of your influences when coming up with the idea for Rock Candy Mountain?
Kyle Starks: The short version is that I wanted to make what I thought would be the American version of a wuxia film – which are these sort of softly fantastical martial arts stories. I had actually been reading about hobos at the time and it all sort of fell together.
Aravich: Without giving too much away, what can readers expect from their favorite homeless hero in issue #2?
Starks: In issue 2 we get a little bit of a hint on Jackson’s backstory as he and Pomona Slim go to a….UNDERGROUND FIGHT CLUB. So you expect a bunch of Jackson fighting some fight boys! I introduce two new characters that are going to be super important to the story and are, IMO, super great characters in general.
Aravich: I believe this is your first time back at image since Sexcastle. If so, how does it feel to be back?
Starks: I love Image. It’s great to be on such a big stage and for so many people to be aware of and get the chance to read a book I’m really proud of.
Aravich: Having worked on a few comic books based off cartoons such as Invader Zim, and Rick and Morty. What is your personal all time favorite cartoon, and would you like to one day write those characters in a comic?
Starks: Man, honestly, and this isn’t lip service, but I do REALLY love Rick and Morty. It’s one of the smartest things I’ve seen on TV in a very long time – it’s clever, it’s hilarious, and it has those moments of real emotional weight to give it all gravitas. I was thinking the other day about how I think the world needs a modernized version of ProStars – which was the cartoon where Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzy and Bo Jackson teamed up to fight crime. I have a forever soft spot in my heart for the Herculoids. I bet there’s an answer to this I just haven’t thought of in years.
Aravich: If Rock Candy Mountain was to be made into a feature film, who would you choose to direct and star in it?
Starks: Aw man, this is always the type of stuff I’m not good at. You know, I make my comics as comics and I hope that they have a cinematic quality to them and I hope honestly someone wants to make that happen so that even more people can experience my characters and story but when that time comes it’s going to be their thing then, not my thing.
Aravich: What other new stuff do you have going on?
Starks: Outside of Rick and Morty and Rock Candy Mountain, I’ve got a couple other pretty exciting things due out in 2017. I have an original graphic novel that is sort of the emotional follow-up to Sexcastle, a love letter to 90s action movies called KILL THEM ALL. Which is about an ex-cop, and the world greatest assassin teaming up to seek bloody revenge in what I call a “reverse Die Hard.” And in August I have DEAD OF WINTER which is based on a popular tabletop game – which is amazing that I love. You don’t need to know ANYTHING about the game to enjoy the book. All you need to know is that it’s basically Air Bud Vs. The Zombie Apocalypse. A dog fighting zombies! Both are from ONI and are going to be super good, I promise.About
"You've got a Home Run right here." -Bower's Game Corner
Nominated on BoardGameGeek for Box Art of the Year - 2014
The Game of Crowd Funding Draft Pick of Jeff King from All Us Geeks
In each game of CLASH! Dawn of Steam the players will either fight to tear a location to shreds one piece at a time, or stand up to protect it. Here are some highlights of the game that may pique your interest:
-Asymmetric game play. Meaning that within the game itself there are two different sides, each with its own separate win condition.
-Beautifully Illustrated Full-Art Cards. With a team of world class artists on board we opted to have our art on showcase, as such the card layouts feature the artwork proudly rather then hiding 80% of it behind filler design space.
-No randomized sets or packs. So you always know exactly what you're getting. No chasing rares or useless commons.
"I have to say, I wasn't expecting such a polished design right off the bat, easily the best prototype I've received." -WeaponsgradeTabletop
All Us Geeks Preview Video
WeaponsgradeTabletop Preview Video
Preview Video from backer Michael Forder
Enter the world of Asyria, a fantasy landscape that is suddenly ushered forward into a new era of technology, fueled by a recently acquired magical energy.
Even as the world is still becoming acclimated to this new energy, villains and heroes have already stepped up willing to harness this new fate altering magic!
You will become one of these gifted pioneers, but whether you choose to use this new power to aid the industrialization of this world, or to change it entirely is up to you.
Each backer who pledges at a level $10 or higher will also receive a FREE Making of CLASH! Dawn of Steam Artbook PDF. The Artbook includes a short story for each of the 8 Main Characters for Wave 1, fiction on the world of Asyria, concept art, and interviews. As a stretch goal we hope to print these and include one inside each box so share the project with friends to help us put more awesome product in each box!
"It was a close run game...pretty tense. The game was pretty much going to end one way or another on the following turn." -Havoc110 BGG Blind Tester
Bower's Game Corner Preview Video
We've spent the last 12 months ensuring that the game mechanics were as fun and balanced as possible, while slowly commissioning the art for the game out of pocket one piece at a time. This project is a labor of love, which is why we've had no problem locking ourselves in our homes, and living modestly in order to fund the game to the stage it's at now. We've self-funded all of the art for an entire 2-Player Boxed Set as a show of our passion and ever-growing belief in this evolving world of Asyria.
And so, the time has finally come to share our game with the world, and we need your help so that we can have our world class artists finish up the artwork, and send the game off to final production. Here at Mad Ape Games we take great pride in announcing that we've chosen to have the game manufactured right here in California. This will give us greater control over the process then having the game manufactured in China where we would have a huge language barrier in the way of us putting out the best product possible. Next stop, your front door!
Funding Usage
$10,306 Manufacturing
$3,000 Shipping & Handling
$3,294 Pay the Artists for the Remaining Artwork(this will finish the art for Wave 1, we've already paid close to this much out of pocket to show our passion and belief in this project).
$1900 Kickstarter & Amazon Fees
Take a look at some more of the card art for the game below, or in the preview videos above!Exactly how many code talkers served, and how many Native languages, like Mvskoke, were used is still largely unknown because of varying degrees of documentation, the existence of both official and unofficial code talker programs, and a dwindling population of actual participants. An estimated more than 600 code talkers from 33 tribes served in the two world wars, but some people suspect that others have been lost to history.
The legend of the code talkers is one that has, for the most part, been documented since the declassification of the program in 1968. However, there are only a handful of Native veterans who have had their stories chronicled. As part of an ongoing series, Al Jazeera America hopes to document the experiences of Native veterans and how war affects tribes, cultures and lives.
“Where the grass is green, there was a house there. This is where Andrew grew up,” said Rick Harjo, Edmond Andrew Harjo’s nephew, as he looked into a thicket of trees where only a dilapidated wood shack once used for storage remained.
“Right there, there’s a well lined with rock,” said Harjo as he peered deeper into the woods. “It had some of the coldest water. We would use it as a refrigerator — put the butter and the milk down in that well, and it tasted cold. So that’s the old home site.”
Nineteen years before the elder Harjo was born, two young Seminoles were burned alive by a mob of white settlers, who accused them of the murder of a white woman, a crime they most likely didn’t commit. The two men grew up on a land allotment adjacent to Harjo’s childhood home, which burned down around 1960. No trace of it remains today. Nearby, a cotton field once grew, as well as a cattle pasture. There’s also a school, where Edmond Andrew Harjo (to his family he was always Andrew) most likely learned the piano, which he played until his death.
“He just loved the music,” said Rick. “He worked on exercising his hands all the time because he was afraid of arthritis getting into his hands and then he couldn’t play anymore.”The 2012 Stanley Cup playoffs haven’t been very dramatic and the primary reason has been the utter dominance of the LA. Kings. Typically, Stanley Cup winners face a great deal of adversity on their way towards hoisting the Cup, but the Kings haven’t faced a shred of adversity since narrowly qualifying for the post season. A quick look at the numbers demonstrates the Kings have breezed through the playoffs with unbelievable ease.
Los Angeles is the first eighth seed in NHL history to eliminate the top three seeds of a Conference in a single playoff run. Not only that, they lost a grand total of two games to Vancouver, St. Louis, and Phoenix combined.
Through game two of the 2012 Stanley Cup finals, the Kings have an overall record of 14-2, and they are a perfect 10-0 on the road.
The Kings dominance can be attributed to their team defence which is yet to allow more than three goals in a single game these playoffs.
Jonathan Quick has allowed two or less goals in 14 of the Kings 16 playoff games. Perhaps even more impressively, L.A has held their opponents to a single goal or a shutout in eight of their 16 games.
When you consider the fact that Los Angeles limped into the playoffs after losing their last two regular season games, their post season success is truly unprecedented.
Look at how the Kings have fared round by round against every other Cup winner since the lockout in 2005.
CUP WINNERS SINCE THE LOCKOUT:
2005-2006, Carolina Hurricanes:
Regular season: Finished 2nd in the East with 112 points
First round: DEF. Montreal in 6 games. Carolina lost the first two games at home and then Peter Laviolette replaced Martin Gerber with Cam Ward.
Second round: DEF. New Jery in 5 games
Third round: DEF. Buffalo in 7 games. Carolina scored 3 goals in the third period to beat a Sabres team missing 3 of their top defensemen.
Cup Finals: DEF. Edmonton in 7 games. Edmonton lost their starting goalie Dwayne Roloson in game 1.
Total games to win Cup: 25
Total goals allowed in Playoffs: 60
2006-2007, Anaheim Ducks:
Regular season: Finished 2nd in the West with 110 points
First round: DEF. Minnesota in 5 games
Second round: DEF. Vancouver in 5 games
Third round: DEF. Detroit in 6 games
Cup Finals: DEF. Ottawa in 5 games
Total games to win Cup: 21 games
Total goals allowed in playoffs: 45
2007-2008, Detroit Red Wings
Regular season: Won the President’s trophy with 115 points.
First round: DEF. Nashville in 6 games
Second round: DEF. Colorado in 4 games
Third round: DEF. Dallas in 6 games
Cup Finals: DEF. Pittsburgh in 6 games
Total games to win Cup: 22 games
Total goals allowed in playoffs: 41
2008-2009, Pittsburgh Penguins
Regular season: 4th seed in the East. They had a record of 27-25-5 under Michel Therrien who was promptly fired. Once Dan Bylsma took over they went 18-3-4 to end the year. Finished with 99 points.
First round: DEF. Philadelphia in 6 games
Second round: DEF. Washington in 7 games. Won game 7 in Washington.
Third round: DEF. Carolina in 4 games
Cup Finals: DEF. Detroit in 7 games
Total games to win Cup: 24 games
Total goals allowed in playoffs: 64
2009-2010, Chicago Blackhawks
Regular season: Finished with 112 points and the 2nd seed in the West
First round: DEF. Nashville in 6 games
Second round: DEF. Vancouver in 6 games
Third round: DEF. San Jose in 4 games
Cup Finals: DEF. Philadelphia in 6 games
Total games to win Cup: 22 games
Total goals allowed in playoffs: 62
2010-2011, Boston Bruins
Regular season: Finished with 103 points, 3rd seed in the East
First round: DEF. Montreal in 7 games. Boston lost the first two games on home ice, and 3 of their 4 wins came in OT, including game 7.
Second round: DEF. Philadelphia in 4 games
Third round: DEF. Tampa Bay in 7 games
Cup Final: DEF. Vancouver in 7 games
Total games to win Cup: 25 games
Total goals allowed in playoffs: Despite Tim Thomas’ Conn Smythe performance, the Bruins allowed 53 goals.
HOW ABOUT THE KINGS?
Regular season: Finished 8th in the West with 95 points
First round: DEF. the two-time President’s trophy winning Vancouver Canucks in 5 games.
Second round: DEF. St. Louis in 4 games. The Blues had the best home record in the NHL at 30-6-5 during the regular season.
Third round: DEF. Phoenix in 5 games. L.A allowed just 8 goals in 5 games.
Cup Finals: So far they have remained perfect on the road winning the first two games in New Jersey and allowing just two goals in the process.
Total goals allowed so far in playoffs: 22
WHAT DOES IT MEAN?
Since the lockout, it has taken the Stanley Cup winner an average of 23.2 games to hoist the Cup. In the unlikely scenario that the Kings and Devils go to seven games, Los Angeles will have played just 21.
Since the lockout, Stanley Cup winners have allowed an average of 54.2 goals en route to hoisting the Cup. Despite being just two wins away from the championship, the Kings have allowed just 22.
In previous years, the storyline of the post season has been superstar players battling for the Cup. Last season it was Zdeno Chara shutting down the Sedins. In 2010 it was Chicago’s young superstars dismantling the Canucks and Sharks en route to beating the Flyers. Prior to that, the NHL had a dream matchup as Sidney Crosby and the Penguins battled Pavel Datsyuk and the Detroit Red Wings.
There has been no such drama in the 2012 playoffs. This year the playoffs will be remembered for the complete and utter dominance of the Los Angeles Kings.The campaign 200 for 40 is a grassroots funding effort for an organization that is something of a black sheep in the city’s social services family.
In the street culture of downtown Guelph everyone knows where you’re going when you say you’re going to “40.” The homeless and struggling want to keep going to 40 Baker Street, and 40 Baker Street wants to keep its doors open.
For the past few months, pale yellow building in the heart of the city has been asking its supporters to reach for their wallets.
For many years, the programs housed at the location have helped Guelph’s marginalized residents get something to eat, and get out of the cold.
The programs, some beginning in the early 1980s, have been offered out of other locations in the past. Now they are under a single roof on Baker Street.
The campaign 200 for 40 is a grassroots funding effort for an organization that is something of a black sheep in the city’s social services family.
Within the walls of 40 Baker Street a host of programs give “friends” (not clients) of the centre a sense of hope and community.
Ed Pickersgill is the centre’s coordinator. Fresh Start Housing Centre, Our Place Youth Centre, Our Place Youth Supper Club, Baker Street Art Gallery, and Making Room for Us, are all run out of here.
A place to get a meal or a new pair of socks, a place to explore art-making and friendship building, 40 attracts a small crowd every day. But unlike similar services in Guelph, its programs receive no funding from any level of government, Pickersgill said.
He and others associated with the place have a vision, and a stubborn belief that community services can actually be financially supported by the community in a direct way.
The people these services serve are more important than the bureaucratic rules and regulations that constrain other organizations, he said.
About $40,000, less than half of the organization’s roughly $100,000 in annual operational expenses, comes from United Way Guelph Wellington Dufferin.
The United Way money goes to pay for 40 Baker Street’s food. All other expenses, including rent, utilities, Internet costs, and salaries have been funded through community-based donations. Bringing in those donations is an ongoing struggle, Pickersgill said.
The campaign 200 for 40 seeks to build a grassroots sponsor group made up of 200 people who are willing to give $20 each month to ensure 40 Baker Street survives. Pickersgill said the $4,000 per month collected would cover operational costs.
So far, it appears there is a willingness to support the funding model. To date, 114 donors have signed on, all but a few of those are individuals. District 18 of the Ontario Secondary School Teachers Federation, and the Guelph and District Labour Council have also contributed. The money is already being used to support programs.
“If we find these 200 people this will give us a substantial community-based support that will keep all of these things that we do here at 40 Baker Street going,” Pickersgill said. If successful, the campaign would net $48,000 a year.
“If we’re successful, we will still be here next year, and we will be looking to do the campaign again next year,” he said. There is more to the campaign than money, he added.
“For me, what is more important is that right now we have 114 people who know what we do and are putting monthly money in to support us continuing to do what we do,” he said. “It is a real community base there. These are real people giving real support to what we do.”
The 200 for 40 Facebook group, a closed group, lists all the donors.
“We’re kind of an outside-the-box organization, and this is an alternative funding model,” he added. “We need the money. An alternative funding model is possible, and that is being demonstrated actively.”
The campaign has relied heavily on social media to generate support, and has not used conventional advertising or mainstream media to get the word out, he said.
“This gives people a chance to acknowledge what we are doing and why we are doing it, and why it is important to have something that is not government funded, something that is a classic non-governmental, non-professional organization, classic grassroots, handling a client population that we think of more as our friends and acquaintances than our clients,” he said.
“It is about having a safe, non-judgmental, community-based place for people to come,” he added. “You don’t have to have an appointment here. We help whoever shows up, but the people who show up are people who have been alienated, people with mental health problems, people with addictions, people who are homeless. When they come in, they are able to be here in safety.”
Crystal Cote, 30, comes to 40 for support. She said she is going through a difficult time in her life, separated from her family, unemployed and near homeless.
“They have helped me look for a place to live,” she said. “And there is dinner at 4:30, and I come in for that. Mostly it is about having somewhere to come, having people to talk to, and people showing you how to get the help you need. I feel supported by lots of nice friendly people.”
To donate to 200 for 40, visit 40 Baker Street in downtown Guelph, or connect via email at outofpovertyguelph@yahoo.ca.This is a guest post written by Wall St. Cheat Sheet Editor-in-Chief Damien Hoffman.
In 2008, I closely commented on the demise of Lehman Brothers and the hidden cancers on other balance sheets. At the time, the fraudulent real estate bubble found a poster child in Lehman investment McAllister Ranch: a three square mile development in which Lehman dropped a quarter billion dollars of loans … and the mega-community became a ghost town.
Now, a few weeks from the modern space odyssey 2010, video is surfacing that even more costly and extravagant real estate developments in China are following the Lehman model (which was probably 486 Excel sheets built by a 24-year old working 110 hours a week). Welcome to the real, yet imaginary, city of Ordos:
Ordos is a hyper modern city, full of brand new glass walled residential and commercial buildings, yet devoid of inhabitants. In its attempt to present a “growing” economy, and to “invest” its $585 billion stimulus into anything and everything, courtesy of comparable idiocy on the other side of the Pacific, China’s communist party is now ruling over ghost towns. One wonders just how many such “efficient” projects sustain China’s magical 8% growth. (Source: Zero Hedge)
So, there |
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Regardless of how you feel, your review would be greatly appreciated!Protests have exploded across Venezuela in recent days as citizens gather to demonstrate against the government's heavy-handed police tactics, its crackdown on political dissent, and the economic woes that have led to inflation and shortages of basic goods. These photos show just how large those protests have become — and the scale of the government crackdown they provoked, which this week led to the death of a 14-year-old boy during an anti-government rally.
The economic roots of the crisis
Large-scale protests began in 2014, and have continued since then. The falling price of oil, combined with longer-term economic problems, has crippled Venezuela's economy, fueling the political crisis. The country is now suffering from rampant inflation, as well as shortages of basic goods ranging from food to auto parts.
The February 19 arrest of a popular opposition politician inflamed the protests
President Maduro now has only a 20 percent approval rating, and has responded with a series of harsh crackdowns on political dissent, including arrests of opposition politicians. Caracas mayor Antonio Ledezma, a prominent critic of President Nicolás Maduro, was arrested on February 19 on charges of plotting an American-backed coup against the government. His detention sparked another round of major demonstrations in Caracas, adding to the unrest that has been increasing since early 2014.
Police shot and killed a 14-year-old boy on Tuesday, sparking further protests
Protests have flared again this week after 14-year-old Kluiverth Roa was shot dead by police during an anti-government rally on Tuesday in the city of San Cristobal. Demonstrators gathered in Caracas and elsewhere to protest Roa's death, though the worst unrest was in San Cristobal, where protesters gathered at Roa's public funeral.US officials are confirming that they are engaged in ongoing negotiations with Arab nations, particularly Jordan, in an effort to send Arab ground troops to Iraq and Syria to fight against ISIS.
With Iraq’s military a corrupt trainwreck and Syria’s military not much better off after years of war, the US coalition is keen to see some “boots on the ground” in the nations to fight ISIS, and are increasingly recognizing that neither nation’s military is really up to retaking territory from ISIS.
The US has been increasing its own ground presence across Iraq, though they continue to deny that they’re going to be involved in direct combat operations. Jordan seems to be keen to get an Arab army involved, and could be the first nation on board with the operation.
Selling the idea to either Iraq or Syria is going to be a tall order, however, as Arab troops really means in this context “Sunni Arab troops,” from nations not on particularly good terms with the Shi’ite governments of those nations.
Jordan and Syria have seen their relationship sour dramatically in recent years, with Jordan openly training US-backed rebels for the fight in Syria, and calling for the ouster of the Assad government.
Sending this army careening into Syria and Iraq without at least some acceptance from those governments would be hugely problematic, and would further complicate an already messy war.
In the meantime, the US continues to sell ideas like arming random Anbar Province tribes or training up whole new Syrian rebel factions as the way to increase the number of boots on the ground. Their denials notwithstanding, it seems like the US troops are also likely to get sucked into direct combat sooner or later.
Last 5 posts by Jason DitzOthers will be killed several months later, after they have been fattened up for veal. Female calves are retained to follow in the footsteps of their mothers or, if not viable as dairy cows, will also be swiftly consigned to the abattoir. Bobby calves endure long stretches of transport to regional abattoirs. This is a major stressor for any food animal, and even more so for calves, who are physiologically immature, with limited fat reserves, poorly developed ability to maintain body temperature and a lack of responsiveness to external stimuli. Trucks can be overloaded, without bedding or room to lie down. Calves are lifted and dragged by their tails or legs, or in some instances electrically prodded to get them moving. Many remain overnight, without sustenance, in the abattoir before they are slaughtered.
It is well established that cows, like humans, are sentient beings. They feel pain, distress, fear, vulnerability, loneliness, grief, hunger and thirst. Mother cows form a strong maternal bond with their babies from as little as five minutes of contact after birth. Early separation of mother cows from their young causes stress, which is often manifested by distressed calling. Calves are traumatised after being taken from their mothers shortly after birth. It is a forlorn picture. These newborn animals are utterly defenceless, and totally beholden to us. To serve our desire for cow's milk we bring them into being, with all their capacity to feel and their complex subjectivity, and then kill them pitilessly, as if they were the insensible by-product of an industrial machine. The bobby calf trade exemplifies all that is ethically perverse in animal agribusiness. Now, to make matters worse, the Australian government is proposing an amendment to livestock standards that will legalise the starvation of bobby calves for 30 hours before their slaughter.
Currently the unenforceable Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Land Transport of Cattle provides that calves should be fed within six hours of transportation and must not be left without appropriate liquid food for more than 10 hours. The arguments being used to support the amendment are just as wrong-headed as the trade itself. In the end, they boil down to reducing costs for the industry, and, as is so often the case, the government is onside with agribusiness. The problem with this amendment, as with all the abuse of farm animals sanctioned by the regulations that purport to protect them, is that the "costs" – and they are heavy costs indeed – are merely displaced. They fall to the vulnerable beings we farm intensively for food. Thirty hours without feed for bobby calves is barbaric. Calves are hungry from shortly after birth and become hungrier if not fed.
Internationally, transport standards require that farm animals be fed at least once or twice a day. In fact in the United Kingdom, the requirement is that farm animals be fed at intervals appropriate to their physiological needs (and, in any case, at least once a day). Calves' normal feeding habit is to suckle five times a day. In Europe, regulations prescribe that nine hours' transport is to be followed by one hour's rest to allow calves to feed. The amendment is now open for public consultation. However, if it wasn't for the media attention generated by animal welfare groups speaking out about the issue, the public would have been in the dark. The community now has an opportunity to let government know that the so-called "welfare" standard they are promoting for bobby calves is unconscionable. If the truth be told, the whole trade is unconscionable, and arguing about the number of hours a newborn calf can be deprived of milk before his or her slaughter fails to address the core issue: that the exploitation and commodification of animals like this is by definition unethical.
But surely, at the barest minimum, anyone with the slightest compassion for these doomed creatures, the forgotten wastage of the dairy industry, would not want their distress worsened by having them starved for their last hours on this earth. The Regulatory Impact Statement for Public Consultation is available at www.animalwelfarestandards.net.au. The deadline for submissions on the amendment is close of business on February 3. Written submissions addressing the amendment can be emailed to consultation@animalhealthaustralia.com.au or forwarded to: Bobby Calf TOF RIS Submissions Animal Health Australia
Suite 15 26-28 Napier Close DEAKIN ACT 2600 Brian Sherman and Ondine Sherman are co-founders and managing directors of animal protection think tank Voiceless.
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Loading“The children of this great wave of immigration are living in failure,” he says. “The failure of integration, the failure of schooling, the failure of employment.” Every day, Islamists are gaining ground in Saint-Denis. Militant Salafist and fundamentalist groups are active around the mosques, says the prefect, who finds the imams worryingly reluctant to speak to his officials. “The children of immigrants don’t recognise as their values those values that attracted their parents to France.” He remembers the first wave of North African immigrants: no veils, no beards, no Salafists. They came, he says, not just for French jobs but also for French liberty. “They were proud of those values. But I don’t think their children share the same pride.” Under his administration the prefect sees a generation in thrall to football, rap and Allah. And the old values? “They just don’t attach any value to them.”
He tells me that the secret services are currently monitoring 700 people at risk of radicalisation in Saint-Denis, and the police are too frightened to enter alone most areas under his control. So what, on the outskirts of Paris, has gone so wrong?
“Those same people who say there is a lack of authority,” snaps the 60-year-old prefect, “are the same ones who refuse the police access when they try and enter. Those from the Maghreb, by origin, permit themselves to behave in ways that would be unthinkable where they came from.”
How does the French state explain all this? I take the butcher’s accusation to the prefect. Grey-haired Philippe Galli is Saint-Denis’s most powerful official and the president’s envoy to the department of Seine-Saint-Denis. His throaty, gravelly voice is accustomed to power.
Saint-Denis feels stigmatised, disorientated and vulnerable. Muslim men talk as if they are all suspects. “They call us all terrorists,” says Mbraki, a 34-year-old halal butcher. “We’re not!” But they nearly all also lament the loss of authority. Mbraki leans on his metallic counter, dripping red mutton behind him. “The French are too scared to come and shop in Saint-Denis since the attacks. There’s fear. There’s less order — less police, more druggies, more dealers and more thieves. It’s getting worse. I tell you — ten years ago it was not this bad.”
I wander down Rue de la République. The bourgeois France of boulangeries, épiceries, boucheries and charcuteries is all but gone, replaced by Chinese bargain shops, gloomy halal butchers and cut-price urban fashion shops stuffed with glitzy trainers, most of them obvious fakes. I find Ahlam shy under a hijab, behind the till at GoldFoot Urban Clothing. She smiles: “The French are very rare here now.” She blinks, hesitating, over three boxes of Nikes. “And lot of them are converts to Islam.”
“People have gone back to religion,” smiles Idir Mazad over his euro-filled sack. He is a Salafist foot soldier. “And they have gone back hard. The French mistreated them. That’s why.” I flick a German euro into Idir’s sack and he begins to tell his story. Born in Tunisia, he is a 34-year-old security guard. Sometimes he moonlights as an Arabic teacher. “It all really started ten years ago.” As he talks I pick up his aura: one of calm, softness and distance. “Back in the 1990s people in Saint-Denis didn’t live and dress like true Muslims.” Everyone I speak to in the market keeps repeating this.
In swirls of black cloth, veiled women drift towards the market. Bartering at stalls, almost all the women are in headscarves, penny-pinching for Made In Bangladesh clothes. You hear more Arabic than French, and shaking jangling plasticated sacks, shouting the Arabic for charity — zakat, zakat, zakat — are the Islamists, dominating it, raising coins for the mosque.
The square is full of drug pushers, hustling in broad light. They are brazen in a way unthinkable in London. Dishevelled Arab men hawk parsley and fennel out of cardboard boxes where the escalators grind out from the Métro. A Roma beggar without one arm but instead three deformed fingers sprouting from her shoulder stump, chimes “Salaam Aleikum” at the hijabis outside a poky Islamic clothes shop.
The odd woman circumvents France’s ban on complete face coverings, by wearing a little anti-bacterial facemask under tight-fitting hijab. The Catholic faithful drifting out of the cathedral are uncomfortable. “Everything has changed,” says Maria, a 62-year-old cleaner. “Immigration changed everything. The people changed. You can just see it for yourself. The French have all left Saint-Denis. Look around you.” She has lived here for 37 years. “The real French have left. I’m a Portuguese immigrant, and I want to leave too. It’s their own fault they let themselves get screwed like this. But now France is no longer France.”
It was here after the Bataclan massacre that the police stormed the hideout of the terrorist mastermind, firing 5,000 rounds. Three jihadis were shot dead, minutes from the cathedral. Their stated ambition was to start a civil war.
The streets of Saint-Denis talk as if the authorities have lost their grip. Jihadists are waging a dirty war on the Republic, recruiting intensively in these banlieues. Since 2012, stabbings, shootings and car rammings have taken place every few months, punctuated by slaughters such as Charlie Hebdo and the Bataclan.
Last week one of the cathedral’s priests was savagely beaten here, thugs mistaking a long thin book for an iPad. Then they bolted, leaving him with a bleeding nose on the square. My notebook fills with stories like this: of thieves, hoodlums and pickpockets. This is nothing like poor London.
Bradford upsets the British less than Saint-Denis does the French. France has a far more virulent rejection of Muslim multiculturalism. The majority even find Islam itself incompatible with the values of French society. The word communitaire is only used with sharply negative connotations. This is because Saint-Denis clashes with the underlying French ideology — La République, the enlightenment scheme whereby there should be nothing between the will of a uniform, secular state and its citizens. No priests, no imams, no community elders.
This is Sunday morning. At the cathedral I count scarcely 500 faithful at Mass. They are almost all black. “This is a black church,” says the old white priest as I leave. Imagine Westminster Abbey in Tower Hamlets, a Tower Hamlets without jobs, which makes it more of a Bradford. This is the banlieue of Seine-Saint-Denis. In a country where ethno-religious statistics are illegal, this is seen as a Muslim-majority territory. To mention Saint-Denis is to start arguing about France’s greatest tension: Islam and the Republic.
Two hundred metres away, it is time for Friday prayers. The mosque is overflowing. Every week 3,000 believers come to pray here on Rue de la Boulangerie, in a dingy space that cannot hold more than 1,800. In tracksuits, jubbah, and the white tunics of Islamists it overflows. The road is crowded, blocked, as around a hundred fall to their knees towards Mecca. These hardline mosques are building a parallel Paris: segregated by faith.
A swirl of purple and blue light glows out of the rose windows of the cathedral of Saint-Denis and spills mystery over the silence of the nave. I am standing in a sacred necropolis: the burial place of the kings of France. Tombs surround me. Carved out of limestone, their faces calm, they look as if they are sleeping. The crypt holds their bones, from Dagobert I all the way to Louis XIII. This is the line of the Sun King. A man lies here who was not a king: Charles Martel, the Frankish warrior who Gibbon believed had saved Christendom by defeating the Arab invasion of France on the battlefield near Poitiers in 732.
If we get one more failed president then Marine Le Pen will win the presidency, says my uncle. My aunt wants a British passport. This is hysteria! Let’s be calm, tuts my cousin. But the killings have already started, says his wife. Round and round it goes. Optimists, turning into pessimists, and back again. Are we paranoid? I am on the Métro to find out.
My aunt lives on La Ligne 13. She, like most of my family is French. French and Jewish. She lives in the Paris that the tourists think can never change. But this is not the France we knew. Outside her apartment on the pavement someone has spray-painted in black “Too Many Arabs”, while inside our family has been arguing. Le Bataclan, les banlieues, Marine Le Pen, burnt police cars, jihadi assassinations, the HyperCacher — do we smell smoke?
You only really know Paris when you know the spots where women look behind themselves at night. Get out quickly from the tunnels at Stalingrad — watch out for your bag, they say, that’s where the Eritreans are sleeping. Don’t get yourself a commute on La Ligne 13, they joke, it may be light blue but it goes from Romania to the banlieue end of hell. And with this ticket this is where I am going. I have to see the new France for myself to ask: is this country in danger? This is not just any old question to me. This is about my family.
Y ou only really know Paris when you know the Métro. When you recognise the Roma rapping on La Ligne 13, when you know without needing to look which stations let the sleeping bags in at night, when you get that instinctive feel for the hour the homeless beggars do their rounds up and down the carriages — “Mesdames, Messieurs.”
Mme Saada is growing old, but her eyes are wide brown. “This future frightens us. We’re being marginalised.” Three children have moved to Israel, two to New York. Only one is left in Paris. “We didn’t even get one full generation in France.”
She turns round and calls to a veiled cleaner in Arabic — help me tidy up. This is typically French Jewish. Mme Saada was born in Tunis. France’s Jews are some 70 per cent Sephardic: they were once the Jews of French Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia. Theirs is a newer, bigger, poorer community than Britain’s. “We arrived speaking Arabic,” she says, “in the same banlieues as the Arabs. We used to wish each other happy holidays. But things turned violent.” Moving away from this is bankrupting many families.
“It’s traumatic, claustrophobic, to live every day,” she says, “with soldiers, seeing we are so hated we can’t be here without them. It’s particularly awful at the school gates, thinking that without the army our children would come home dead.” Many pious ones, who, praying daily, almost live in the synagogue, really struggle. At least in Israel the soldiers are not at the door.
Mme Saada looks at the troops. Every day she sees the uniforms and feels amazingly thankful and amazingly sad. It has come to this: that the Jews are, once again, so hated that they need the army patrolling their every building to keep them safe. It feels, almost, like a return to the Middle Ages, when the Jews were protected by the prince and would avoid those areas where the writ of their sovereign was weakest. French Jews with a sense of humour joke about their protector as le Prince Valls, Prime Minister Manuel Valls, and how they avoid banlieues where his rule is weak.
Since the jihadi slaughter at the HyperCacher after the Charlie Hebdo attack last year, 10,000 troops and 5,000 police have guarded all Jewish sites in France. The military has been brought in because there are now so many potential jihadist cells and lone wolves in the banlieue that there is simply no other way to protect them.
Madame Saada’s community is a refuge: in 2000 it was 800 families strong, now internal aliyah has enlarged it to 1,500. This crush makes the synagogue feel more like a home than a place of worship. And, like so many things Jewish, it is a cacophonic mess: someone is looking for a tennis racket, a flotilla of pastry boxes seems to be arriving, and the rabbi is nowhere to be seen. It seems so similar to Jewish life in London — but then 20 soldiers arrive. “I’m the next guard,” booms a tall white trooper with a buzz cut.
This is why they move: in 2014, 51 per cent of reported racist incidents in France targeted Jews. On average a Jew is assaulted in France every day. And this means it touches most families. A recent poll found that 74 per cent of Jews who wore traditional skullcaps and 20 per cent who didn’t reported being attacked.
The rise of Saint-Denis France means the flight of the Jews. Since 2000, when banlieue anti-Semitism began to flare alongside the Palestinian intifada, the number of Jewish families in Aulnay-sous-Bois fell from 600 to 100, in Le Blanc-Mesnil from 300 to 100, in Clichy-Sous-Bois from 400 to 80, and in La Courneuve from 300 to 80. French Jews call this flight internal aliyah.
“A Jew can’t live where he wants anymore,” says Mme Saada. “Bit by bit, everyone is moving from the banlieues. As soon as there are ethnic populations, and as soon as it gets, shall we say, problematic, the Jews move. The visible ones — they get constantly attacked.”
I have driven round Le Périphérique, the orbital motorway that divides Paris from the banlieues, to ask her a Jewish question. Can a Jew still live safely in a banlieue?
T he noise of children — 150, laughing, shouting, shrieking, sulking, spinning children — somehow it always reaches a single pitch. This is the sound of the basement of a synagogue in suburban Charenton as they line up for lunch. Somebody misbehaves, big boys promise extra helpings to the ones who eat their greens, and Madame Martine Saada fills up their little plates with a ladle. She is the co-president of the community.
France’s greatness just as suddenly turns to France’s disgrace in my family history. Nine years later my great-grandmother was arrested by the French police and deported by the French railways. Her crime was being Jewish, the destination Auschwitz, where she died in the gas chambers. My grandmother and my great-aunt went into hiding. They both narrowly survived the France — travail, famille, patrie — of Marshal Pétain. Does that history make me French, to the Republic? I don’t know.
My great-grandfather was naturalised French. The more I think about it, the more remarkable this is. This man, who had killed Frenchmen, who had killed either so many or killed them so well he was awarded the Iron Cross, suddenly becomes French, with the amazing magnanimity of the Republic, the creator of les Droits de l’Homme. Some time after arriving, he threw his Iron Cross into the Seine and decided his name was now Jean-Paul.
Then something changed. This man, Johannes-Paul, honoured to hold an Iron Cross, who celebrated Christmas, was told he was not German: he was a Jew. In 1933, after my 13-year-old grandmother started to be singled out by schoolteachers as a Jew, he emigrated to France.
My great-grandfather was a German. This may seem an odd thing to recall at the back of a banlieue lycée, but let me explain. In the muddy winters of 1914–1918 he fought in the trenches, for his country, Germany. I learnt at my lycée, what his army did to France. Every day at the battle of the Marne and the Somme, thousands of men — morts pour la France.
I finger my passport. On the front is an axe, wrapped in a wood bundle, stamped with “RF: La République Française.” It makes me French, a graduate of a (London) French lycée, or does it?
I ask myself what I’d have put at their age for Les Français. I don’t need to think for long. I’d have put whites too.
“I’m not asking you if others think you’re French, but do you feel French? How do you feel? French?”
“I’m not French because I’m not seen as French,” says Usama, a dark-skinned boy in a number-eight football shirt. “People don’t want to see me as French, because I’m not white, because I’m from a banlieue. They go: oh you’re an Arab, you’re not French. I was born here but I’m an immigrant to them.”
“Because they are all rich, they all used to be bankers, in the Middle Ages or something. So they have an inheritance. And they stick together.”
Mohammed, a cheeky boy with a brutal undercut, is asked to come to the blackboard to read out what his group wrote for Jew. He also presents a picture they drew for it.
“The French, it’s them,” says a black boy pointing at a white one. “The French, they’re not us,” says an Arab girl. “To be French,” says an Arab boy, “you have to have all your family French, all of them back to... the start of humanity.” Almost all of them were born in this banlieue.
The class is divided into four groups and handed blank sheets of paper marked with black headings: French, Blacks, Arabs, Jews, Muslims, Men and Women. The children are then told to fill in whatever words come into their heads. A group of eight fill in what comes into their heads for French. This is what they wrote: whites, whites, France, whites, whites, French blood, whites, born in France.
I sit at the back of a normal banlieue classroom. Bits of plastic and dust balls fleck the floor. Fifteen-year-olds yell and shriek. There are 28 of them: eight of them white, the rest black or Arab, and only one without an immigrant background. They don’t know it, but they are about to experience Coexist, a volunteer anti-racist project.
All lycées look alike: the textbooks the same; the lessons the same; the aquamarine frame chairs the same, everything making one Republic.
The French people were built by these lycées. This was how Paris colonised la France profonde which in the late 19th century mostly spoke dialects closer to Catalan and Italian. Has this system now broken down?
A re the French people, those loyal to the Fifth Republic, falling apart? The only place to test this is a lycée. I take La Ligne 13 south of Saint-Denis and get off at Saint-Ouen, a banlieue best known for its flea market, to find one.
At the edge of Seine-Saint-Denis, I am sitting in the functional, plastic-grey office of Jérôme Fourquet. This slight, dark-haired man is one of France’s most famous pollsters. Given that the state forbids ethno-religious statistics, he laughs that his work is skirting the edge of the law.
“Statistics show,” he says, “perceptions of anti-Semitic insecurity exploded in France in the early 2000s. This reconfigured where French Jews live.” They are not moving far. Half of France’s roughly 500,000 Jews live in the Paris conurbation. This aliyah is from one banlieue to another. “We found that the number of Jews in districts of Seine-Saint-Denis has plummeted in ten to 15 years.”
Fourquet’s research shows that French Jews are moving from areas run by Communist mayors — twinned with Palestinian camps, where Palestinian war heroes hold honorary citizenship, and regular exhibitions are held on the Nakba — to areas where there are right-wing mayors, and twinned with Israel. Internal aliyah — not to Israel, or English-speaking countries — is the largest movement of French Jews. “Are they trying to flee Muslim areas?” I ask. “Yes, clearly, very clearly,” says Fourquet. “What we found was that when the Jews moved, this was the canary in the coal mine. There is now massive flight of the non-immigrant population from these areas.Things that were previously felt by the Jewish community are now felt by the population at large.”
What do regular French families fear? Fourquet’s study found the answer was insecurité, a term that has a much wider meaning in French. His studies pick up the following examples: they range from anger that 15 types of veil are sold in the market but no pork, to reports of physical assault.
The rise of Saint-Denis France is also the rise of Le Pen Land. “But this has changed the Front National,” says Fourquet. Back in the 1990s many Front National voters used to live in immigrant areas. “The Front’s vote in Seine-Saint-Denis,” he says, “which was very high in the 1990s, has now collapsed to near- non-existent levels due to massive white flight.” This has changed Le Pen’s slogans. “France for the French” has been ditched for “This Is Our Home.”
“What does the slogan mean?” grins Fourquet. “It means we make the law here, and we say how you live. And if you have to go — ‘This Is Our Home’ — it means you have to remind people of it, because it’s no longer so clear.”
The pollster feels France is obsessed with Islam. “It may not sounds like it,” he says, “but areas like Saint-Denis are only small.” This obsession is paranoid. The French believe Muslims make up 31 per cent of their population. In reality, Fourquet estimates Muslims comprise only 7–8 per cent. The internet is filled with viral zombie demography, he explains. Predictions of a Muslim majority by 2050 are baseless. Only 13 per cent of French teenagers are Muslims, and Muslims are expected to reach only 10 per cent of the French population by 2030.
“Yet what we found in our interviews in the Jewish community,” says Fourquet, “was more and more Jews say, there is us, them and you — the ethnic French. Yet again, in our interviews with them, they talk as if they are canaries in the coalmine. This comes up a lot: you’ll see it when were gone and you’ll be left with them — les Arabes. This is dramatic. The sense of a common French destiny is vanishing in our surveys.”
“Enough Anti-French Racism: This Is Our Home.”
This new France is Marine Le Pen’s good fortune. Her rank and file call her Joan of Arc, France’s saintly heroine come to lance the Muslim peril and slay the Brussels Hydra. Marine is the leader of what she calls “the first party of France”. This claim is serious. Her Front now has more members than the governing Socialist party and came first in the first round of 2015’s regional elections with nearly a third of the vote. (In the second round, tactical voting kept them out.) Marine is becoming a serious contender for the presidency.
These are my first memories of the Front National. I was 14 in 2002 when Jean-Marie Le Pen, Marine’s father, got 17 per cent of the vote. There were millions of people in the street. I was in Nice with my mother, brother and sisters. We were visiting the tomb of my great-grandmother. Well, since she was gassed and burnt at Auschwitz, she doesn’t have a tomb — only her name carved onto a memorial on a hill overlooking Nice. This is where she was rounded up by the French police. I remember the heat and the barbed wire around our little monument. There was a fat, miserable guardian sitting there, with two huge dogs — without them the Jews’ stone would keep on being defaced.
Now I am 28, and in 2017 it is near-certain that Marine Le Pen will be in the second round of next year’s presidential election. She is polling around 40 per cent in the run-off — and anything under 35 per cent will be seen as a disappointment. There are no marches, no protests — just smiles and selfies.
I am watching a humdrum, 50-strong French protest. The protesters want tougher sentences for the bad drivers who killed their children. Holding portraits and wearing T-shirts printed with pictures of their dead sons and daughters, they gather under four plane trees in a small square just next to L’Assemblée Nationale, France’s parliament.
This is the France that the Front National claims as hers: the France that feels victimised, abandoned, ignored and simply unheard because, isolated, it can’t shout as loudly as a community of Muslims or Jews — the France that feels nobody gives a hoot about it. As they blare into the megaphone Gilbert Collard slinks out of the Assemblée Nationale and joins the crowd. Leftists label him one of the most dangerous men in France. Collard is one of only two FN members of parliament.
It is clear just watching this pink and puffy man how far Le Pen politics has entered the mainstream. Protesters hug him, then they take selfies with him, listen intently and implore him to help. Collard, a brilliant lawyer, smiles. He smells of cigars and in his trench coat radiates a manipulative intelligence. “The first to start our decontamination,” he says. “C’est moi.”
Marine’s MP thinks it was inevitable that France would start voting Le Pen: “For years you can see that we were correct in all our all judgments.” History, he says, has proved them right. Collard smokes with his right hand, and waves his left with dramatic effect. “Our whole diagnosis on immigration, sovereignty, the borders, the problems created by the euro, insecurité and the zones of lawlessness in the banlieues. Alas — it’s all come true. So maybe after all these years the people just want to pick the doctor that gave them the best diagnosis — ten years before the rest.”
The France of Saint-Denis and that of Le Pen are feeding off each other.
Marine Le Pen. The FN poster reads “Brexit: And Now France.”
How much larger can Le Pen Land grow?
Camus says that since Marine took over the party from her father the Front has made spectacular progress, increasing its electorate from some 20 per cent to about 30 per cent of the population. How could the FN achieve this, he asks, when the BNP never had a chance in the UK? The first answer Camus says is technology: the FN has conquered the internet. In Britain, trolling, Twitter and alternative news sites are a leftist thing; in France the FN has built and been echoed by its own alt-media. Websites like www.fdesouche.com — a play on Français de souche, or real, pure, Frenchmen with roots — pump out an alternative news agenda, with stories every day of migrant rapes and Arab knifings. It is among the most popular sites in France.
The second answer, Camus says, is cadres: Jean-Marie had a talent for picking managers and organisers. Marine, he says, has married this to a new talent — strategy. The Front has officially moved away from homophobia, Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism, while abandoning Jean-Marie’s free-market economics. Marine calls this la dédiabolisation — decontamination — and it has been spearheaded by her own new cadres, such as the FN’s new gay vice-president Florian Philipot. “Marine wants to rule,” says Camus. “Jean-Marie preferred to be a spoiler.”
Decontamination is about making the Le Pen name Marine’s and not Jean-Marie’s. At the heart of this is a new umbrella party — Le Rassemblement Bleu Marine — that lets hard rightists sign up to a party unassociated with Jean-Marie. Camus sees the strategy as half-working. Decontamination has brought establishment names to the Front. These include Robert Ménard, the former head of Reporters Without Borders, who is now the Mayor of Beziers, and Gilbert Collard.
“But decontamination is blocked,” says Camus. “Because the Front is still a party alone. It is only an extremely well- performing first-round party.” France’s two-stage electoral system means that a party can’t win an election on only 30 per cent of the vote. Camus thinks that the Front’s attempt to be simultaneously an anti-austerity, anti-Islam and anti-EU protest party has won it a large support base but one that cannot grow. “Swing any more to the centre and it will start to lose votes from the extremes. Swing any more to the protectionist Left it will start to lose votes from the Right.” The Front is also blocked by France’s professionals. For them, quite unlike for France’s poor, |
with the corpses of workers and peasants. While the CIA-backed military death squads rounded up all known PKI members and sympathisers and carried out their grisly work, Time magazine reported:
"The killings have been on such a scale that the disposal of corpses has created a serious sanitation problem in northern Sumatra where the humid air bears the reek of decaying flesh. Travellers from these areas tell us small rivers and streams have been literally clogged with bodies. River transportation has become seriously impeded."
How was this historic defeat able to be inflicted? The answer requires an examination of the history of the struggle of the Indonesian masses, the treachery of the national bourgeoisie led by Sukarno, the counter-revolutionary role played by the PKI, and the crucial part played by the Pabloite opportunists of the "United Secretariat" of Ernest Mandel and Joseph Hansen in aiding the treachery of the Stalinists.
The 'Jewel of Asia'
The bloody coup in Indonesia was the outcome of the drive by US imperialism to gain unchallenged control of the immense natural wealth and strategic resources of the archipelago, often referred to as the "Jewel of Asia".
The importance that United States imperialism attached to Indonesia was emphasised by US President Eisenhower in 1953, when he told a state governors' conference that it was imperative for the US to finance the French colonial war in Vietnam as the "cheapest way" to keep control of Indonesia.
Eisenhower detailed: "Now let us assume that we lose Indochina. If Indochina goes, several things happen right away. The Malay peninsula, the last little bit of land hanging on down there, would be scarcely defencible. The tin and tungsten we so greatly value from that area would cease coming, and all India would be outflanked.
"Burma would be in no position for defence. All of that position around there is very ominous to the United States, because finally if we lost all that, how would the free world hold the rich empire of Indonesia?
"So you see, somewhere along the line, this must be blocked and it must be blocked now, and that is what we are trying to do.
"So when the US votes $400 million to help the war (in Indochina), we are not voting a giveaway program. We are voting for the cheapest way that we can prevent the occurrence of something that would be of a most terrible significance to the United States of America, our security, our power and ability to get certain things we need from the riches of the Indonesian territory and from South East Asia.
Indonesia is estimated to be the fifth richest country in the world in terms of natural resources. Besides being the fifth largest oil producer, it has enormous reserves of tin, bauxite, coal, gold, silver, diamonds, manganese, phosphates, nickel, copper, rubber, coffee, palm oil, tobacco, sugar, coconuts, spices, timber and cinchona (for quinine).
By 1939 the then Dutch East Indies supplied more than half the total US consumption of 15 key raw materials. Control over this vital region was central to the conflict in the Pacific between the US and Japan during World War II. In the post-war period the US ruling class was determined not to have the country's riches torn from their grasp by the Indonesian masses.
Following the defeat of the French in Vietnam in 1954 the US feared that the struggle of the Vietnamese masses would ignite revolutionary upheavals throughout the South East Asian region, threatening its grip over Indonesia.
In 1965, just prior to the Indonesian coup, Richard Nixon, soon to become US president, called for the saturation bombing of Vietnam to protect the "immense mineral potential" of Indonesia. Two years later he declared Indonesia to be the "greatest prize" of South East Asia.
After the coup, the value of Suharto's dictatorship to the interests of US imperialism was underlined in a 1975 US State Department report to Congress which referred to Indonesia as the "most strategically authoritative geographic location on earth":
* "It has the largest population of any country in South East Asia.
* "It is the principal supplier of raw materials from the region.
* "Japan's continued economic prosperity depends heavily on oil and other raw materials supplied by Indonesia.
* "Existing American investments in Indonesia are substantial, and our trading relationship is growing rapidly.
* "Indonesia will probably become an increasingly important supplier of US energy needs.
* "Indonesia is a member of OPEC, but assumed a moderate stance in its deliberations, and did not participate in the oil embargo.
* "The Indonesian archipelago sits astride strategic waterways and the government of Indonesia is playing a vital role in the law-of-the-sea negotiations which are vital to our security and commercial interests."
Centuries of colonial plunder
The Dutch colonial powers mercilessly plundered Indonesia for 350 years, looting the natural resources, establishing vast agricultural estates, and ruthlessly exploiting its people.
In 1940 there was only one doctor per 60,000 people (compared to India, where the ratio was 1:6,000) and just 2,400 Indonesian graduates from high school. At the end of World war II, 93 percent of the population was illiterate.
At the beginning of the 19th century, the rising British bourgeoisie increasingly challenged the Dutch for domination over the region. In 1800 the Dutch East India company collapsed and the British occupied the region from 1811 to 1816. The Treaty of London of 1824 carved up the region between the two colonial powers: the British took control of the Malayan peninsula and the Dutch kept charge of the 13,000 islands in the Indonesian archipelago.
By the turn of the 20th century, the emerging imperialist power, the United States, began challenging the old European colonial power, particularly after the American occupation of the Philippines in 1898.
The US was locked into a trade war with the Dutch over oil and rubber. The Standard Oil Company began to contest the monopoly on the Indonesian oil fields by the Royal Dutch company. In 1907, Royal Dutch and Shell merged to combat the American competitor. Taking advantage of World War I, Standard Oil commenced drilling in central Java in 1914, and in the same year US corporations also moved into the rubber plantations. Goodyear Tyre and Rubber opened estates and US Rubber brought the largest rubber estates in the world under single ownership.
US strategy in the region during this period was summed up by Senator William Beveridge:
"The Philippines are ours forever... and beyond the Philippines are China's illimitable markets. We will not retreat from either. We will not repudiate our duty in the archipelago. We will not abandon our duty in the Orient. We will not renounce our part in the mission of our race, trustee under God, of the civilisation of the world... We will move forward to our work... with gratitude... and thanksgiving to Almighty God that he has marked us as his chosen people, henceforth to lead in the regeneration of the world... Our largest trade henceforth must be with Asia. The Pacific is our ocean... and the Pacific is the ocean of the commerce of the future. The power that rules the Pacific, therefore, is the power that rules the world. And with the Philippines, that power is and will forever be the American Republic." (Emphasis in the original)
The rise of Japanese imperialism and its expansion into Korea, Manchuria and China led to increasing conflict with US imperialism over control over the region, culminating in World War II. The drive by the Japanese bourgeoisie to contest US, British, French and Dutch hegemony brought into sharp focus the value of Indonesia as the South East Asian gateway to the Indian Ocean and as a source of natural resources.
In 1942 the Dutch colonialists surrendered control of Indonesia to the Japanese rather than allow the Indonesian people to fight for their independence. All the imperialist powers had good reason to fear the oppressed Indonesian masses.
As early as 1914 the best representatives of the Indonesian toilers had turned to Marxism when the Indies Social Democratic Association was founded on the initiative of the Dutch communist Hendrik Sneevliet. In 1921 it had transformed itself into the Indonesian Communist Party in response to the Bolshevik Revolution in Russia.
The PKI had won great authority among the masses by taking the lead of the struggle against Dutch colonialism, including the first major uprisings, in Java and Sumatra in 1926 and 1927.
While the Chinese masses were rising up in the second Chinese Revolution of 1926-27, the Indonesian workers and peasants also came forward in a rebellion, led by the PKI. However, the Dutch colonial authorities succeeded in quelling the revolts. They arrested 13,000 suspects, imprisoned 4,500 and interned 1,308 in a concentration camp in West Papua. The PKI was outlawed.
National liberation struggle betrayed
At the end of World War II the oppressed masses in Indonesia, India, Sri Lanka, China, throughout South East Asia and internationally came forward in revolutionary struggles to throw off the yoke of imperialism.
At the same time, the working class in Europe and the capitalist countries engaged in convulsive struggles. These were only contained through the treachery of the Soviet bureaucracy headed by Stalin and the Stalinist parties worldwide. The betrayal of the French, Italian and Greek workers in particular and the imposition of bureaucratically controlled regimes in Eastern Europe allowed imperialism to stabilise itself.
By the 1930s, the emergence of a privileged caste in the Soviet Union, which usurped political power from the Soviet proletariat, had destroyed the Communist Parties. From revolutionary internationalist parties they became transformed into counter-revolutionary organisations, suppressing the independent struggles of the working class.
In the colonial countries the Stalinised parties, including the PKI, systematically subordinated the masses to the national bourgeoisie led by figures such as Gandhi in India and Sukarno in Indonesia who sought to reach settlements with the colonial powers in order to maintain capitalist rule.
The post-war settlements did not achieve genuine national liberation from imperialism but imposed on the masses a new set of agents of imperialist rule. This was clearly the case in Indonesia where the national bourgeoisie, with Sukarno in the lead, entered into a series of reactionary deals with the Dutch.
Sukarno, the son of a Javanese school teacher of aristocratic family, was a young architecture graduate, part of a very thin layer of educated petty-bourgeois. He had been the founding chairman of the Indonesian Nationalist Party (PNI) in 1927 and had suffered imprisonment and exile at the hands of the Dutch for campaigning for national independence.
During World War II Sukarno and the national bourgeoisie worked with the occupying Japanese forces in the hope of achieving a degree of national self-government. In the dying days of the war Sukarno, with the reluctant support of the Japanese, declared the independent Republic of Indonesia on August 17, 1945.
The perspective of the national bourgeois leaders was not to lead a proletarian uprising against imperialism but to establish an administration and strengthen their hand for negotiations with the Dutch, who had no forces in the region.
But the response of the Dutch ruling class was to launch a brutal war to suppress the new regime. They ordered that Indonesia be kept under Japanese command until British troops could arrive. The British and the Dutch then used Japanese troops to attack the ferocious resistance of the Indonesian workers, youth and peasants. Thus all the imperialist powers united against the Indonesian masses.
As armed opposition erupted throughout Indonesia against the Dutch forces, Sukarno, backed by the PKI leadership, pursued a policy of compromise with the Dutch and signed the Linggadjati Agreement in March 1947. The Dutch nominally recognised Indonesian control over Java, Madura and Sumatra and agreed to evacuate their troops. But in fact the Dutch used this as a breathing space to build up their forces and prepare for a new attack of unsurpassed brutality in July and August 1947.
Throughout this period, hundreds of thousands of workers and peasants joined or supported the PKI because of their disillusionment with the bourgeois leaders and because they viewed the PKI as a revolutionary party. They were also greatly inspired by the advances of Mao Zedong's Chinese Communist Party in its war against Chiang Kai Shek. In the war against the Dutch, workers and peasants repeatedly seized property and mass unions were formed.
To head off this development, Sukarno's Republican government, led by the then Prime Minister Amir Sjarifuddin (a secret member of the PKI), signed the January 1948 Renville Agreement (so called because it was negotiated aboard the USS Renville in the harbour). This pact gave the Dutch control of half the sugar mills in Java, 75 percent of Indonesia's rubber, 65 percent of coffee, 95 percent of tea and control of Sumatran oil. Moreover, this US-imposed settlement provided for the withdrawal of guerrilla forces from Dutch-occupied territory and created the conditions for the liquidation of the PKI-led "people's armed units" in favour of the bourgeois "Indonesian National Armed Forces" controlled by Sukarno and his generals.
In 1948 a series of strikes erupted against the Republican government, now headed by right-wing Vice-President Hatta as Prime Minister, demanding a parliamentary government. These strikes were suppressed by Sukarno who appealed for "national unity".
At the same time, the exiled PKI leader Musso returned from the Soviet Union and a series of prominent leaders of the Indonesian Socialist and Labor parties announced that they had been secret PKI members for many years. The announcement revealed a far wider base of support for the PKI than previously realised by the imperialist powers.
In July 1948 the bourgeois leaders, including Sukarno and Hatta, held a secret meeting with US representatives at Sarangan where the US demanded, in return for assistance to the government, the launching of a purge of PKI members in the army and the public service. Hatta, who also held the post of Defence Minister, was given $10 million to carry out a "red purge".
Two months later, in an attempt to crush the PKI, the Maduin Affair was launched in Java. A number of army officers, members of the PKI, were murdered and others disappeared, after they opposed plans to demobilise the guerrilla units of the army that had been at the forefront of the fight against the Dutch.
The killings provoked an uprising at Maduin which was suppressed bloodily by the Sukarno regime. Prime Minister Hatta proclaimed martial law. Thousands of PKI members were killed, 36,000 were imprisoned and PKI leader Musso and 11 other prominent leaders were executed.
The US Consul General Livergood cabled his superiors in the US that he had informed Hatta that "the crisis gives the Republican government the opportunity (to) show its determination (to) suppress communism".
Encouraged by the anti-communist pogrom, the Dutch launched a new military attack in December 1948, arresting Sukarno. But widespread resistance forced the Dutch to capitulate within six months.
Even then, the 1949 Round Table conference at the Hague imposed a new betrayal on the Indonesian masses, involving still more concessions by the Indonesian bourgeoisie.
The Sukarno regime agreed to take over the debts of the former colony, and gave guarantees to protect Dutch investments. The Dutch were to keep control of West Papua and the Indonesian Republic was to continue to cooperate with the Dutch imperialists within the framework of a Netherlands-Indonesian Union. The Sukarno government kept all the colonial laws intact. A new army was formed by incorporating the former Dutch troops of Indonesian nationality into the "National Armed Forces". In other words, the old colonial state apparatus and laws were retained beneath the facade of parliamentary government in the new Republic.
The PKI leadership supported the betrayal of the national liberation struggle and determined to confine the working class and peasantry to "peaceful democratic" forms of struggle. This was a continuation of the PKI's position throughout World War II when the PKI leadership (as well as the Communist Party of the Netherlands) had followed Stalin's line of cooperating with the Dutch imperialist government against Japan, and called for an "independent Indonesia within the Commonwealth of the Dutch Empire". This call remained PKI policy even during the post-war fighting against the Dutch.
But for the Indonesian masses, the fraud of "national independence" under the continued domination of Dutch, American and world imperialism became ever more apparent. The natural resources, principal industries, agricultural estates and financial power remained in the hands of the foreign corporations.
For example, 70 percent of the inter-islands sea traffic was still controlled by the Dutch firm KPM and one of the big Dutch banks, the Nederlandche Handel Maatschappij, controlled 70 percent of all Indonesian financial transactions.
According to the Indonesian government calculations, in the mid-1950s, Dutch investments in the country were worth $US1.5 billion. The Sukarno government declared that even if it wanted to nationalise the Dutch possessions it did not have the money to indemnify the former colonial rulers. And to nationalise without compensation would be labelled "communism".
The growing disillusionment of the masses was reflected in the 1955 elections when the number of seats held by the PKI increased from 17 to 39.
Within two years the mass movement was to erupt in the seizure of Dutch, American and British factories, plantations, banks, shops and ships.
Table of contents | Chapter twoJared Waerea-Hargreaves avoids suspension with grade-one careless high-tackle charge
Updated
Sydney Roosters prop Jared Waerea-Hargreaves will be eligible to play this weekend despite being charged with a high tackle by the NRL judiciary.
Waerea-Hargreaves was hit with a grade-one careless high-tackle charge for his hit on Mike Cooper in the Roosters' win over St George Illawarra on Saturday.
The charge carries 95 points with an early guilty plea, meaning he will be free to take on Gold Coast at the Sydney Football Stadium on Monday night.
Waerea-Hargreaves has been suspended six times since 2011 and his charge carried an extra 50 per cent loading for a similar prior offence and another 20 per cent loading for a non-similar prior offence.
Earlier in the year he missed one week for a high shot on Manly's Glenn Stewart.
Canberra's Josh Papalii, Parramatta's Junior Paulo and Manly's Jesse Sene-Lefao will also be free to play with an early guilty plea to their respective dangerous contact charges.
AAP
Topics: nrl, rugby-league, sport, sydney-2000, nsw, australia
First postedShe's glamorous and brilliant, a mother and a social critic. She has appeared in Vogue and marched with Occupy Wall Street protesters. Her books have been international best sellers—and channeled the zeitgeist, illuminating issues we thought we knew about but didn't.
The New York Times has compared Naomi Klein's new book, This Changes Everything, to Rachel Carson's Silent Spring. In it, Naomi Klein rips up the rule book on climate change—and offers a radical new vision of hope for the future.
Talking from her home in Toronto, she explains how becoming a mother changed her perspective, why Canada's First Nations may be best placed to halt the Keystone XL pipeline, and what kind of world she hopes her son will grow up in.
Your previous books have been critiques of capitalism. What made you want to write about climate change? And how are the two linked?
It flowed quite organically from my last book, The Shock Doctrine, which was about how disasters of various kinds are used to push through unpopular policies that deepen inequality and consolidate wealth in the hands of the few.
I ended that book with Hurricane Katrina. So I was already focused on climate change in many ways, but I was in a state of despair about it. Then I had a conversation with a Bolivian government official who laid out a vision for how responding to climate change could be the antithesis of what I described in The Shock Doctrine—how it could lead to greater equality between nations and within nations. And that's when I decided to embark on this project.
Could you expand on that connection between economic injustice and climate change?
Anyone who has attended a climate change conference knows that the really pitched battles come down to economic justice—the right of developing countries to pull themselves out of poverty and the responsibility of wealthier nations, whose wealth was accumulated in large part by burning greenhouse gases, to help poor countries leapfrog over fossil fuels.
There are also issues of historical responsibility—how some countries have been burning fossil fuels for a lot longer than other countries—which will form the basis for who cuts when.
These issues of equality and historical responsibility were at the heart of our failure to respond to climate change. It's why the U.S. didn't ratify the Kyoto Protocol. It was seen as unfair for the U.S. and for other wealthy countries to lead the way on emissions reductions, while poorer countries were given more atmospheric space to develop and then transition. You really can't avoid the inequality question if you're serious about cutting emissions. It's at the heart of it.
View Images Native Americans, farmers, and ranchers, part of a group known as the Cowboy Indian Alliance, protest against the proposed Keystone XL pipeline in Washington, D.C., on April 22, 2014. Photograph by Gabriella Demczuk, The New York Times/Redux
You offer a radical critique of the way we approach climate change. What have we been doing wrong?
I think one of the things we've done wrong is to treat this as a technological challenge. Reams have been written about what technologies can get us off carbon and what is the precise policy cocktail that will transition us away from fossil fuels. But there's been very little attention paid to the ideological climate in which all of this is playing out. What my book brings to the discussion is a historical perspective.
A large part of the reason we've failed is that this crisis landed on our collective laps at the worst possible moment in our ideological evolution. That moment was the late 1980s. Climate scientists were aware of it well before then. But 1988 was a watershed. It was the year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change was convened, the year that James Hansen testified on Capitol Hill.
It was also the ascendant moment of what Joseph Stiglitz called market fundamentalism—the idea that governments should just get out of the way and unleash the powers of the market. If we look at the major barrier to decisive climate action, it's been this idea that there's something wrong with regulating markets, telling corporations what they should and shouldn't do. All of this has been denigrated as command-and-control regulation. That meant instead of regulation, you created emissions "markets" like cap and trade.
Instead of addressing people as political actors and talking about what we can do collectively in the face of this vast collective crisis, green groups emphasized individual consumption, because that also fits into the logic of just seeing people as consumers, as opposed to citizens. We were told, Just change your lightbulbs and buy green products.
But in the end, I think this made people feel helpless, because individual action in the face of such a vast problem is a drop in the ocean. Only when we act collectively can we make a difference.
You say that this is the hardest book you have ever written. Why?
It was hard on a personal level in the sense that it was just really depressing for the first while. [Laughs] I was also pregnant during part of it, and that probably made me extra tired. I write a new nonfiction book about every seven years. Part of that is just becoming familiar with the subject. And this was a new field for me, so there was a steep learning curve.
I also write books so they'll be useful to movements. For instance, my first book, No Logo, was picked up by the antiglobalization movement. But for the first three years I was writing this book, I didn't see a movement that was going to pick it up. I kept saying to this friend of mine, "I don't know who I am writing this book for."
Things started to shift as a more grassroots climate movement started to emerge, fighting projects like the Keystone XL pipeline. And I finally felt, OK, I know who this book is for, and I have to get it out. Then it just poured out of me.
View Images A First Nations protester raises a flag during the National Day of Resistance on Ottawa's Parliament Hill in May. Photograph by Chris Wattie, Reuters/Corbis
The country of your birth, Canada, is in a resources race to the Arctic. What's your view of this? And what can be done to safeguard the North Pole?
My country is really in trouble. One of the most important things to help it would be for Stephen Harper, our conservative prime minister, to lose the upcoming election. They have basically one idea how to develop Canada's economy—and that's to tear up the country. To dig lots and lots of holes. They don't deny climate change. They just see it as an opportunity to drill for more oil and gas or build a pipeline through the frozen north to get tar sands bitumen out of Alberta. They've also shredded Canada's commitments under the Kyoto Protocol.
Most Canadians are horrified about what our government is doing, but they feel helpless. This has lead to the realization that First Nations land rights, which have been very strongly affirmed by Canada's supreme court, are our best chance of standing in the way of our government's plans to push through these incredibly destructive extractive projects.
For instance, the planned expansion of tar sands mining is being challenged in the courts as violations of treaty rights. In the U.S, the Navajo's Black Mesa Water Coalition has managed to shut down a coal power plant and reduce coal mining on their land.
It's not just in North America. It's true in the Amazon. It's true in the Niger Delta. Indigenous people have always been at the forefront of fossil fuel resistance and protecting their land and culture.
Tell us a bit about the woman behind the polemics. Has becoming a mother changed your view of the world?
I think becoming a mother changes everyone's view of the world. But as I write in the book, I became a mother a few years into this project. It's not that becoming a mother made me care. I often hear this idea that we are doing this for our children. As someone who didn't have children until three years ago, I used to feel excluded by that.
There are a lot of people who choose not to have kids because they care about the environment or who can't have kids. But that doesn't mean they don't care about the future. So I never quite know how to answer this question, because I feel it's quite fraught, particularly for women.
But as I write in the book, I certainly have seen the world through the eyes of a toddler—his love of the natural world, his adoration of animals. [Laughs.] As well as trucks.
There's a new round of climate talks scheduled next year in Paris. How big a setback is the Republican victory in the midterm elections? Conversely, how important is the agreement on emissions between the U.S. and China that's just been announced?
I think it remains to be seen how much the Republican victory is a setback. It also depends how important a climate legacy is to Obama. And whether the climate movement that came out with such enthusiasm in September can keep up the pressure on Obama. He has the power to say no to Keystone and protect the EPA from political meddling. It's just a question of whether he wants to—especially in the face of Senator [James] Inhofe occupying one of the most important environmental positions in the country. It can't be left to a battle between Obama and his conscience. It has to be about counterpressure from this growing movement.
As to the deal with China, the emissions that the U.S. commits to in the China deal are completely inadequate from the perspective of what climate scientists are telling us we need to do if we want to take the two-degree target seriously. We need to be cutting emissions by 8 to 10 percent per year. What this deal promises is 2.8 percent per year by 2025. And that's not good enough.
The part of the China deal I'm most excited about is to have 20 percent of their energy mix coming from non-fossil fuel sources by 2030 and potentially earlier. We're already seeing huge investment in clean energy in the PRC. Now they're talking about doubling their share.
You end the book with an impassioned plea for a sea change in our values. Give us a vision of the future for your son.
What I've come to understand even more since I finished writing the book is that we're up against forces with a huge amount to lose. The fossil fuel industry is a very powerful, wealthy industry, with trillions of dollars in assets. If our governments ever decided to take climate change seriously and keep the vast majority of their fossil fuel reserves in the ground, they'd be stranded. Obviously, they're going to fight really hard to protect their interests.
On the other side of the equation there are people who care about climate change. Liberals care about climate change—but not that much. It's like last on the list of the issues you care about. So there's been this passion gap. If you're up against forces with a huge amount to lose, you need to have a movement made up of people who have a huge amount to gain from action. They have to fight with as much passion as the fossil fuel industry will fight to prevent action.
But I do believe we can get to 100 percent renewable energy. I do believe that that energy can be owned and controlled overwhelmingly by our communities, with the benefits of it going to help pay for our schools and health care.
I also believe that if we're going to have a safe future for our kids, it's going to have to be in a world that's much less unequal than the world we have now. I think part of the process of getting off fossil fuels will be a process of historical reconciliation. It will have to address some of the original sins of the founders of our countries. That would be a hopeful process for my son.WASHINGTON (AP) President Bush has marked the fifth anniversary of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and says it's hard to imagine that the country has reached this milestone without another attack against it. The president, in a speech at the department, says the danger to the country has not passed and that U.S. officials have been able to disrupt numerous planned attacks. He said one of them involved flying a plane into the tallest building on the West Coast and another called for blowing up passenger jets over the Atlantic. Bush says that in the face of this danger, the nation must never let down its guard. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Enlarge By Larry Downing, Reuters President Bush is introduced by Secretary of Homeland Security Michael Chertoff during the celebration of the fifth anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security at the DAR-Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., Thursday. Conversation guidelines: USA TODAY welcomes your thoughts, stories and information related to this article. Please stay on topic and be respectful of others. Keep the conversation appropriate for interested readers across the map.The Tasmanian Department of Education and Training has revealed over 30 iPads are being trialled in a number of schools across the state, with plans in the works to also examine the potential for Android- and Windows-based tablets to be used as an education device.
“There are about 30 iPads across 10 schools or thereabouts. We have a couple of primary schools that only have a couple each — they are just trying them in literacy programs,” said Trevor Hill, the department’s director of Information Technology Services. “We have a couple of high schools that have ten each that are trialling them a bit more across some of the other curriculum areas — not just literacy.”
“Everyone is trying to work out where it might fit and how it compliments the traditional computers used in schools,” Hill said in relation to where the iPad fit in with the rest of the established devices such as desktops, laptops and netbooks. “It is not a device that is easily shareable.”
The Tasmanian department is divided in four geographical locations, with each region represented by a technical IT consultant who works with the schools in their respective regions to coordinate IT support and desktop and ICT plans.
“I get my school IT Consultants to sit down with the school principals and actually discuss as to where the technology may be of benefit,” said Hill.
“We had our Apple account manager come along and do some presentations to a couple of our schools around potentially doing the digital education computers with the iPad. He discussed what was happening in the trial at [Victoria’s education department,” he added.
The department had a “really good account manager” from Apple who did presentations to a couple of the state schools about digital education computers from the point of view of the iPad.
Hill said that the Tasmanian schools were watching the Victorian DET iPad trial with much interest. The Victorian Department of Education and Training has distributed 500 iPads across the state as part of the $150 million Brumby Labor Government investment in government school IT programs.
The Tasmanian departments provides each school with annual grant money for ICT purchases. Each institution has the prerogative to purchase products that suit it from the DET web-based shop. The online store features equipment from two Windows PC suppliers — Lenovo and Acer — and Apple equipment.
“We don’t turn around and say you gotta have say five of these or ten of those, each school make their own local decision,” said Hill. “They then use the annual ICT grant money to pay for the equipment from. It’s all based on local decision-making.”
Hill said that Tasmania’s five year plan was that the students bring their own devices to school and use the school’s wireless network. A handful of Tasmanian schools are already trialling this method.
“We have two or three schools here that do that today and they run a open but secured wireless environment, so all the student has to do is use their network account and password to authenticate to the wireless network,” said Hill. “They can bring in their iPod touch and an Apple MacBook or whatever the case may be, and it’s supported on the network. So that would be our direction of choice.”
And other operating systems will be considered in future as well.
The IT director said that although Tasmania’s education department was trialling the Apple products, that line of products wasn’t its only focus — the department’s IT systems are predominately Microsoft with a few schools that run Linux. The department was open-minded, he said, about exploring other devices as they come to market and it encouraged schools “in looking at any technologies they want”.
“As the Android and the other Windows based tablets come about we would be certainly supporting our schools in reviewing those My gut feeling is schools are going to have a variety of devices which they would use for a particular task.”
Image credit: Matthew Packer, Creative commonsGetty Images/Win McNamee
Dan Akerson, who was the CEO of General Motors from 2010 through 2014, is skeptical about Apple getting into the car business, according to Bloomberg.
"If I were an Apple shareholder, I wouldn't be very happy," said Akerson. "I would be highly suspect of the long-term prospect of getting into a low-margin, heavy-manufacturing" business.
Akerson pointed to the iPhone's high profit margin. The gross margin on the iPhone 6 is about 73%. (Gross margin is the sale price minus cost of manufacturing. Actual margins are quite a bit lower because you have to add in sales and marketing and other costs.)
GM's gross margin in Q4 2014 was 14%, according to Bloomberg.
GM's ex-CEO said outsiders usually make the car business sound easier than it is.
"A lot of people who don't ever operate in it don't understand and have a tendency to underestimate," he said.
If Apple really wants to sell a car, it has probably considered the risks. It would have to sell to the luxury market (like it has with the iPhone) and deal with much longer replacement cycles than the iPhone has.
In fact, modeling its business after BMW's would be the easiest path to success. Unlike GM, which is huge but has relatively low margins, BMW is a mass-market luxury brand — both large and highly profitable.
It's not clear if Apple would manufacture the car, but Steve Zadesky — the man in charge of Apple's secret car project— has reportedly been looking for a manufacturing partner in Austria.
That's wise. Akerson suggested that a soup to nuts car business could be difficult for the iPhone maker.
"They'd better think carefully if they want to get into the hard-core manufacturing," he said. "We take steel, raw steel, and turn it into car. They have no idea what they're getting into if they get into that."The EU has unveiled plans to reduce its reliance on Russian gas, with increased imports from Norway and energy efficiency at the top of its wish-list.
Launching the European Commission's paper on European Energy Security on Wednesday (28 May), energy commissioner Gunther Oettinger told reporters that "in a time of crisis between Russia, Ukraine and EU … energy independence has risen up the agenda and is a concern to all."
The EU's energy consumption has actually fallen by 8 percent since 2006, but its security of supply is likely to be put under further pressure by increasing demand across the rest of the world, which the commission forecasts will rise by 27 percent by 2030.
Although EU countries import 88 percent of the oil that they use, as well as 42 percent of solid fuel, the main concern of the commission and governments is gas - 66 percent of Europe's gas is imported at a cost of more than €1 billion per day.
Of the 400 billion cubic metres of gas consumed in the EU each year, around 40 percent comes from Russia's state-owned Gazprom. The majority of this is piped through Ukraine, currently embroiled in a dispute with Russia over how much it owes Gazprom for its past and future gas supplies.
"We are better placed than we were during gas crises in 2006 and 2009," said Oettinger, in reference to when Russia temporarily shut off transmission of gas to Ukraine.
"[But] we have differing situations across Europe," he added.
Ireland, UK, Portugal and Spain import no gas from Gazprom, while 18 countries import from Russia and elsewhere. But Finland, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Slovakia import 100 percent of their gas needs from Russia.
"We want to complete the internal energy market … and move away from a monopoly, Russia in this instance," Oettinger noted.
The commission is also anxious to increase the amount of gas it buys from Norwegian company Statoil, which currently provides 33 percent of the bloc's gas compared to 39 percent from Russia's Gazprom.
But while Oettinger said a further 10 billion cubic meters per year could come from Norway in the short-term, EU officials have indicated that a larger increase in long-term supply will depend on whether Norway develops new gas fields in the |
-all, and what works for other people may not work for you, but it still is pretty dandy to have around. With a little bit of resourcefulness and a dash of creativity, you can find over one hundred everyday uses for coconut oil.
1. Moisturize Your Skin: The very first thing on this list, before even delving into the “edible” benefits of coconut oil, has to be moisturizing. In lieu of your regular lotion, coconut oil delivers a refreshing, healing, burst of moisture that penetrates your skin and works to truly heal it (not just soak in and dry up!) It can feel oily at first, but that’s why it’s important to only use a little-it goes a long way. Give it a minute and it will dry beautifully. Use as you would regular lotion.
2. Conditioner: When the teeny tiny overlapping plates that make up our outer hair shaft get rumpled and out of whack, coconut oil is there to smooth those tiny little cells right back into place, and hold them there. You can use it on your entire scalp/head for deep conditioning, but you can generally just use it on your ends, where it’s the hardest for the body’s natural oils to reach, and where the most breakage occurs.
3. Make Homemade Soap: If you’re interested in soap making, coconut oil serves as a wonderful pure base that can simplify ingredients, add hardness to the soap, and help break down grease and oils. It can break them down so effectively, in fact, that too much will have a drying effect (when in soap form.) To prevent this, you need to “superfat” your soap-that is, adding more oil than the lye turns to soap. All you need is coconut oil, water, and lye. Don’t be shy of lye. While it should be handled with care, I find it essential to soap making, and it eliminates a slew of other chemicals that you would need to add to recreate its effects.
4. Weight Loss: Coconut oil and weight loss-what’s really going on? Well, if you sit around eating coconut oil, you aren’t going to lose weight. However, if used to substitute other fats, it can help you drop the pounds by taking the place of those other calories. Unlike most saturated fats, it’s mainly comprised of medium chain fatty acids, versus long chain fatty acids. This difference in molecular structure means that it doesn’t get packed away as fat as easily and instead is sent straight to the liver to be metabolized, giving you a boost in energy. This energy in turn makes exercising easier, and the exercise in turn helps you lose weight. Another major factor that it plays is as an appetite suppressant. Craving something you shouldn’t be? Have a tablespoon or 2 of coconut oil, and that sensation won’t last long!
5. Energy Booster: If weight loss isn’t your goal, just run with the fact (no pun intended) that it gives you a great boost in energy-and who doesn’t need some help in that department every now and again? Some people also feel it helps boost their mental alertness.
6. Itchy Dogs: My pup has atopic dermatitis, also known as the world’s worst allergies. He gets goopy eyes, scabby ears from scratching them too much, and will literally scratch himself raw and bloody without treatment. In addition to his daily care regime, he gets coconut oil. From the inside out, coconut oil can help nourish the dry, irritated, or inflamed skin that is the result of the inappropriate response to various allergens. It did not cure him of his allergies, though there are people who say it has gotten rid of their dog’s allergies completely, but it does help reduce the itching. If your pup chews their paws and stains them red/pink/brown it can help in that department as well, as that is also a sign of allergies. Start with ½ teaspoon a day and work your way up to 1 tablespoon for 40+ pound dogs, and 1-2 teaspoons for dogs that weigh less. They usually go crazy for it!
7. Fungal Infections: The medium chain fatty acids found abundantly in coconut oil are incredibly effective natural fungicides. In a (coco)nut shell, they naturally insert themselves into the fungal membrane, which is crucial to maintaining the life of the fungus. This destruction of the membrane leads to the destruction of the fungus as a whole and voila! The fungus is eradicated. It is important to be diligent with applications of the coconut oil until your symptoms have cleared.
8. Cold Sores: Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex virus, generally type 1, and as such they have no cure. If you harken back to science class, you’ll recall that bacteria can be wiped out, while a virus cannot. So how can coconut oil possibly help? It doesn’t wipe out the virus, but it can inhibit its assembly and how it spreads. Coconut oil contains a substance known as lauric acid. When combined with glycerol, it creates a substance known as monolaurin. Studies done so far have shown that monolaurin affects the lipid envelope of the virus, and prevents the virus from reproducing how it normally would. In turn, it is not able to spread as efficiently and tends not to last as long. Apply a bit of coconut oil directly to the sore several times a day.
9. Coffee Creamer: In replacement of higher calorie coffee creamers (such milk and sugar) stir a little coconut oil into your coffee for a sweet (but not “too sweet”) and healthy touch. Make sure to stir it in well! If you notice it floating to the top, try stirring partway through your drink, or just add a little less next time. Make sure your joe is piping hot when you add it in, otherwise you might get some unwanted unmelted coconut oil popping up.
10. Healthy Wood Polish: Most wood polish coats surfaces in a slick layer of synthetic chemicals, which makes the wood look all sleek and shiny…for a little bit. Coconut oil, on the other hand, sinks into the wood and keeps it looking “healthy” longer. The appearance is much more natural, and it stays that way. It may not look as dramatic as a store bought polisher, but I find it a much more pleasant and effective option to keeping wood looking it’s best.
11. Lower Cholesterol and Risk of Heart Disease: Cholesterol is a waxy substance found your cells, which helps continuously build more vital cells. It goes about its way through your blood stream attached to proteins known as lipoproteins. There are low-density lipoproteins (LDL) and high-density lipoproteins (HDL.) HDL is the “good” cholesterol-you want to lower LDL, but raise HDL. LDL carries cholesterol throughout your body and delivers it to organs and tissues. The problem is, if you have too much cholesterol, the excess keeps circulating. The constantly circulating LDL will eventually penetrate blood vessel walls where they build up plaques and narrow blood vessels, sometimes to the point blocking blood flow, causing coronary artery disease. HDL, on the other hand, picks up excess cholesterol and brings it to your liver to be broken down. Coconut oil, probably due to its high levels of lauric acid, will boost HDL. There’s no solid evidence saying that coconut oil alone will prevent heart disease, but there is solid evidence that it boosts HDL, therefore lowering cholesterol, and hypothetically reducing the risk of heart disease. Take ½-1 tablespoon daily.
12. Reduce Risk (or effect) of Alzheimer’s : Alzheimer’s is devastating to all who experience it, whether personally or with a friend or family member. It is no wonder that we search so desperately for a cure. The word that coconut oil could possibly “cure” or prevent Alzheimer’s started circulating with vigor when a pediatrician published a book about feeding coconut oil to her husband, who suffered from Alzheimer’s, and got positive results. Other studies have confirmed that ketones, which are essentially “brain food” provided to keep the brain functioning when the body runs lower on glucose, can help improve memory, and potentially “reverse” the effects of Alzheimer’s. It’s a much more complex subject and process, but that’s it in a really wrapped up nutshell. The dosing that I have uncovered implies 2 teaspoons taken daily with food to help improve cognitive function.
13. Soothe Fly Bites: Oh the sweet relief of coconut oil. When the black flies start biting, it’s the first thing to reach for. I use it the most on my horse come summertime to soothe any nasty bites that she gets, but don’t hesitate to dab a little on myself (or the dogs.) Just get a little on your fingertips and apply it directly to the bite.
14. Oil/Butter Replacement: There’s no better way to get the benefits of coconut oil than to replace other less desirable fats with it. When cooking or baking, substitute it for butter or just about any oil. It lends moisture, freshness, and richness to baked goods, and a subtle complimentary flavor to savory dishes. How much you substitute will depend on the recipe you are making. For baking, most people will fall in the 1:1 ratio or 80% coconut oil 20% water when subbing for butter. For basic cakes, cookies, and brownies I find 1:1 to be sufficient. When it comes to more complex pastries that get their flaky puffiness when steam is escaping, you may find yourself tweaking the amount a little. For oil substituting, subbing 1:1 is a good route to go.
15. SPF Lip Balm: Lips are quite exposed to the elements, and it’s not like there are “lip scarves” or “mouth mittens” to protect them from the harsh world. One thing that’s especially over-looked is sun exposure. You should really apply sunscreen to your lips for full protection, but coconut oil also has a mild SPF protection. It can’t rival SPF 80 (indeed it has an SPF of about 4-6) but even that little bit can help. Apply some coconut oil just before heading out into the sun, and reapply every few hours. I like to melt mine down with just ¼ teaspoon or so of beeswax, as I find it easier to apply, and it has more staying power. Full Lip Balm Recipe
16. Exfoliating Body Scrub: One of my personal favorite uses for coconut oil is serving as a base for body or face scrubs. You can melt some down, stir in some sugar, let it cool, and then use as is. Or, for a fun little project, melt down about a half cup of coconut oil and pour into a muffin tin, soap mold, or anything of the like, and stir in 2-4 tablespoons of white or brown sugar. You can add more if you would like the texture to be coarser. I usually let it cool some before adding the sugar so you don’t just dissolve the grains. Pop it in the fridge and let it solidify and cool completely before removing from the mold. Slice off a piece when needed and use it to gently scrub and exfoliate your face/body (dampen your skin with water first.) Rinse off, apply moisturizer, and resist the urge to use it again until later in the week, otherwise you run the risk of drying your skin out.
17. Make-Up Remover: Make-up is on your face. Your face is something you would like to protect. So when it comes to removing make-up, don’t turn for harsher store bought products. Go instead to coconut oil, which gently and safely removes all traces of make-up (and leaves your face feeling healthy and refreshed.) Simply scoop some onto your fingertips (it will melt quickly as you use it) and rub it over make-up in a circular motion, rinsing with water afterwards to remove traces of makeup and patting your face dry. It works well with eye make-up, waterproof or not, as well. You can use a mild soap if you wish to remove all traces of the oil.
18. Massage Oil: The benefits of massage are countless, and we could all use one now and again. Rather than using a heavy lotion, simply use coconut oil. You can add essential oils for scent if you like, but I find the smell of coconut oil alone to be heavenly. It also leaves your skin truly moisturized and soft.
19. Nail and Cuticle Treatment: Cuticles get raggedy, nails get broken, chipped, or dull, and it’s not unusual for them to need some TLC every now and then. While there is a plethora of store-bought creams designed specially to miraculously make them look ready for a photo shoot, they are typically over-priced and filled with weird ingredients. This is where coconut oil comes in. Rub a little into your cuticles and over/around your nails to help smooth out flaws and encourage healthy growth.
20. Diaper Cream: Got a little one with a chapped or irritated bum? Look no further than pure coconut oil. I prefer it over the hodge-podge of ingredients found in store bought creams-I like to know what I am putting down there! With its antibacterial, antifungal, and antiviral actions, plus its soothing and moisturizing benefits, it makes the ideal “DIY” diaper cream. For a little extra soothing power, try melting it with a bit of shea butter and whipping the two together after they have solidified some. Apply only as much as needed to affected area as you would any other diaper cream.
21. Nipple Cream: There’s nothing more magical than breastfeeding…right?? As amazing as it is, you just can’t ignore the painful cracked or chaffed nipples that often times come with it. And if you need nipple cream, you sure as heck don’t want to be putting anything strange where your little one is going to be putting their wee mouth. After breastfeeding, and a couple of times a day as needed, gently rub a small amount of coconut oil on and around the nipple. After you finish breastfeeding, be sure to pat the area dry before applying the coconut oil.
22. Fight Inflammation : Coconut oil appears to have a direct effect on suppressing the natural chemicals responsible for mediating inflammation. The studies that have been done on this action so far point to lauric acid and capric acid as the biggest contributors, both of which are part of the magnificent medium chain fatty acids found naturally in coconut oil (capric acid alone makes up roughly 10% on its own.)
23. Leather Polish: Use a soft dry cloth to brush any excess dirt or dust off leather and apply a small amount of coconut oil, rubbing it in in a circular motion. There’s no need to go overboard here! Buff to a healthy shine with a soft cloth.
24. Remove Chewing Gum: Why does coconut oil remove chewing gum? I don’t know, but I don’t feel the need to question it. Whether its ground into your carpet or your kid is panicking because they think they have to chop off a big chunk of gummy hair, coconut oil has a weird way of getting the stuff out. Most likely, it sinks in and just makes it so the whole glob glides out over the fibers/hairs easily. This is one case where you can feel free to apply liberal amounts. Rub it thoroughly over the chewing gum and let it sit for 2-5 minutes (or longer, if you deem it necessary.) Use a soft, textured cloth to wipe the gum away. Follow up with a mild soap rinse (or shampooing) to remove any excess oil.
25. Shaving Cream : Nothing is more frustrating than lathering up with a bunch of shaving cream in the shower just to have to all melt off again as the water hits it. Luckily, water rolls right off oil, which means you have solid protection that allows your razor to glide smoothly over your skin. It also leaves it soft, moisturized, and safe from painful bumps and burns. Apply as you would any other cream before shaving. Here is our recipe for chemical-free shaving cream.
26. Get Rid of Soap Scum: Soap is alkaline, and most oils are acidic. This is part of why soap works so well against grease and grime, most of which is stuck to us with oil. Apply a thin layer coconut oil to the soap scum and let it sit for 10-20 minutes. Wipe away with the rough side of a sponge, if the surface allows. For a little extra kick, mist the coconut oil with some vinegar after applying it to boost the acidity.
27. Season Cast Iron Pans: “Seasoning” a cast iron pan is the act of creating a fatty layer that coats the pan, protects it, and also acts as a non-stick surface. Season with coconut oil the same as you would any other type of fat. Typically I will apply a generous coating of coconut oil to the inside of the pan and let it sit in a 250-350 degree (Fahrenheit) oven for an hour or so. Place a cookie sheet under it and let the pan lie upside down if you are worried about oil pooling and smoking. Remove the pan, let it cool, and wipe out any excess oil. Repeat as needed.
28. Deodorant : Sweat on its own typically doesn’t smell. In fact, most sweat doesn’t smell at all, since most sweat glands on our body are eccrine, which produces mostly water with some salt and maybe some uric acid. Apocrine sweat glands become active during puberty, and produce sweat from our underarms, around the genitals, etc. The sweat from apocrine glands has other stuff in it, such as lipids (fats.) When the bacteria on our skin feed on these fats, the byproducts smell. Like store-bought deodorant, coconut oil helps decrease the bacteria count that’s causing the odor. Mix about a tablespoon of arrowroot powder into 3-4 tablespoons of coconut oil for an easy homemade deodorant. Apply as needed; adding beeswax to solidify it some if you feel the coconut oil is too thin on its own.
29. Bath Oil: Soften your bath water, and your skin, with a bit of coconut oil. Enjoy its lovely aroma and gently swish it around now and then to swirl it through the water. It will naturally coat your skin, leaving it smooth and healthy.
30. Rash Soother: There are two things that come to mind when I think of discomfort caused by a rash of any kind-itching and painful swelling. Coconut oil, with its anti-inflammatory effects, is an obvious go-to for helping the swelling. It will also help take the edge off the dreadful itching, curbing the vicious cycle of scratching and further irritating your skin.
31. Cutting Board Conditioner : I used to buy these little bottle of some fancy oil marketed specifically for conditioning cutting boards…never again! Wipe down the cutting board with a damp towel and then dry it. Use a soft cloth to rub in some coconut oil, and let it sit for 10-15 minutes. Buff with a fresh cloth. For a little extra odor removing kick, add a few drops of lemon essential oil (or even just a small squirt of lemon juice.)
32. Go-To Carrier/Base Oil: Lotions, lip balms, massage blends, body butters, sugar scrubs…coconut oil is a great go-to carrier/base oil. Its texture and consistency helps hold whatever it is you’ve created together, while contributing all of its awesome moisturizing and healing benefits.
33. DIY Vapor Rub: Mix peppermint essential oil with coconut oil to make a vapor rub that you can apply beneath your nose/on your chest when you’re congested. It’s a simple, but effective, way to clear out stuffiness and help you sleep better at night.
34. Prevent Lice: I don’t know why lice wouldn’t like coconut oil, since it smells so dang good, but people have found it seems to keep them at bay, and even chase them away. If your little one comes home from school with lice, dip a fine toothed comb in coconut oil and run it through their hair. You can also use it as a precaution if there is an outbreak.
35. Frizz-Fighter: In the deathly dryness of winter, or on steaming humid days, hair can get a little wild. If your mane has a mind of its own, put a *small* amount of coconut oil on your fingers and run them through your hair to get a handle on the frizz. I recommend sticking to mostly the ends if possible, as it can get a little heavy otherwise.
36. On Toast: A simple way to replace butter. Spread some coconut oil on toast for a tasty (and filling) snack.
37. Popcorn Topping: Melt some coconut oil and drizzle it over your popcorn. Add a touch of salt, toss until each piece if coated, and enjoy a magnificent show time snack.
38. Wound Care: Antibacterial and antifungal properties make coconut oil an ideal salve for minor scrapes and scratches. Mix some up with a little bit of honey (also antibacterial) and apply a dab to the area, or just use on its own. Don’t slather it onto a great big gaping cut, but for little stuff it’s a great thing to have in your all-natural first aid kit.
39. Small Motor Lubricant : Use a small amount of melted coconut oil to lubricate small motors, such as on blenders. A little goes a long way. Too much and it can have the opposite effect of running smoothly when it solidifies.
40. Reduce Hair Balls : Strong anecdotal evidence supports using coconut oil to reduce hair balls. There are also those who feel medium-chain triglycerides aren’t the way to go with our feline friends, so do some research to decide what you are comfortable with. Rub a little on your cat’s paws to help improve digestive function and reduce hair balls.
41. Aromatherapy: Add your favorite blend of essential oils to some coconut oil to dab on your temples and the back of your neck when you feel stressed or nauseous. Peppermint and eucalyptus for headaches and tension, or lemon/lime/orange for nausea, are nice places to start.
42. Summer Day Dog Treats: Also known as “coconut cubes” these tasty chilled treats will help keep your pooch cool the glorious warm weather comes. Mix some peanut butter with coconut oil and freeze into an ice cube tray to feed as a special treat to your pups on hot summer days. Feed them outside or on a smooth floor to avoid getting your carpet messy!
43. Dry Nostrils: Dry nostrils feel like they need to be picked at. Picked at nostrils become sore and irritated nostrils. It’s a vicious cycle. Rub a little bit of coconut oil on the inside of each nostril to moisturize it. Use only a little bit. Because coconut oil melts rapidly at body temperature, too much can make you look (or feel) like you have a runny nose!
44. Constipation Relief: Take a tablespoon of coconut oil every morning on an empty stomach to keep your digestive track running smoothly. You can try 2 tablespoons to work out acute constipation as well.
45. Fade Age/Sun Spots: Coconut oil can help heal or lessen the appearance of a wide variety of skin blemishes, and people have found that daily application of it have helped fade sun or age spots. Rub coconut oil onto sun spots daily to help fade them.
46. Bags-Be-Gone: Put the beauty back in beauty sleep and use coconut oil to help get rid of those dark circles that make you look so exhausted. Every night, rub a little bit of coconut oil under your eyes to reduce puffiness and dark bags in the morning.
47. Soften Dry Elbows: Elbows are one of the hardest places to keep soft. Rub coconut oil onto them morning and night to help them stay supple. I don’t suggest doing this if you are going in for a big test and plan on setting your elbows on the desk. The horror if they slipped off and you ended up banging yourself against the table in the middle of a dead silent room.
48. Insect Repellant: I can’t imagine why bugs would find coconut oil repulsive but then, I also find some of the things they do rather distasteful myself. For whatever reason, some people find that slathering on coconut oil can help keep the bugs at bay. You can also try melting down the oil and stirring in some essential oils (such as peppermint or citrus) and then making a bug repellant bar of sorts that you can reapply.
49. Bee Sting Soother: As a beekeeper, bee stings are a reality that I face quite often. While honeybees are really quite gentle creatures, some stings are simply inevitable at times. To help reduce the swelling, heat, and pain that comes along with bee venom, rub a little coconut oil onto the site after the stinger has been removed. For an extra soothing kick, add a drop of lavender essential oil to it as well.
50. Cracked Paw Pads: Doggy paws are tough, and they should be a little rough, calloused, and thickened. Imagine how tender they would get if they were soft and smooth! That being said, when your dog starts to get really dry, cracked paws, rub some coconut oil into them to help them heal. Don’t overdo it though- your dog doesn’t want its paw pads to be as silky smooth as your skin. The hardest part about this is keeping them from licking it off. Make sure to keep your canine away from delicate floors if you are worried it might stain (I have yet to have a problem with this on carpet or wood, but everybody’s house is different!)
51. Metal Polish: Rub a bit of coconut oil over metal with a soft cloth. Let it sit for a minute, and then buff to a shine. It’s helpful to wipe the surface free of dust before applying the oil.
52. Moisten A Little One’s Chapped Nose: Youngsters seem to have a perpetually runny nose. That shiny upper lip that just won’t go away. This can result in a very chapped little nose. To help clear up that sore spot, gently wipe away any goobers with a washcloth dipped in warm water. Pat the excess water off and rub a little bit of coconut oil onto the skin to moisturize and heal the area. The antibacterial/antifungal benefits can’t hurt either!
53. Clean Your Retainer (or Mouth Guard): The antibacterial and antifungal constituents of coconut oil take center stage here. Rub a little bit of it onto your retainer after rinsing it at night to help keep it clean, and it doesn’t taste so bad either. You can also use this on a mouth guard as well. If you’re going to get tackled to the ground, you might as well have a pleasant taste in your mouth when you hit the dirt.
54. Use in Toothpaste: Add flavor, antibacterial action, and potential whitening benefits by adding coconut oil to some baking soda and using as a DIY toothpaste. For a little extra flavor, mix in a drop or two of peppermint or cinnamon essential oil.
55. Ease Arthritis Pain: Acute inflammation present with arthritis is responsible for quite a bit of discomfort and stiffness that accompanies this common malady, which can be eased by the anti-inflammatory effects of the coconut oil. Massage a bit of the oil into each joint thoroughly 1-2 times a day to relieve soreness.
56. Preserve Eggs: Paint a thin coating of coconut oil over the eggshell to preserve quality and extend shelf-life. The oil prevents degradation from exposure to oxygen, and studies have found that the oil coating maintained an AA grade up to 3 weeks after storage, as opposed to when a glycerol coating was used. The grade refers to the Haugh unit, which measures the quality of the egg protein in the white.
57. Treat Athletes Foot: The anti-fungal action of coconut oil helps fight off athlete’s foot when you apply it daily. Be sure to rinse your feet first and pat them dry, then thoroughly apply a thin layer of coconut oil, massaging it in well. Wash your hands before applying to the other foot to avoid spreading the fungus.
58. Say Goodbye to a Sore throat: Can’t ease that painful throat? Coconut oil provides a wonderful soothing coating, whether the discomfort is caused by dry air or an illness. Swallow ½-1 teaspoon up to 3 times daily to ease the pain, being sure to make one of those times right before bed. For an extra kick, melt the coconut oil down and stir in a little honey (its ok if it separates some.) When it is mostly room temp, mash up the mixture a little bit and use the same as above.
59. Lessen a Dry, Hacking, Cough: You don’t want to suppress your cough if it is productive, meaning you are coughing up phlegm. Your body needs to get rid of all that stuff. However, if you have a dry hacking cough, swallowing a teaspoon or so of coconut oil can help ease the itchy irritation. It is especially nice because it coats your throat and seems to protect it more from irritating things such as dust, whereas water only provides very temporary relief.
60. Prevent Stretch Marks: There is no magic method to prevent or get rid of stretch marks. Indeed, how noticeably you get stretch marks are based a lot on genetics. They are caused by, literally, a stretching of the skin. This may occur during pregnancy, puberty, during rapid muscle mass gain, etc. and tend to be more extreme when there is an excess of cortisol (a stress hormone produced by the adrenal glands) involved. Cortisol damages elastic fibers in the dermis. Put simply, the marks appear when the lower layers of the dermis tear for some reason or another. Anecdotal evidence suggest that keeping skin moisturized and supple can help prevent stretch marks, and what better moisturizer than coconut oil? Rub some onto the area twice daily (for example, your belly if you are pregnant) and massage it in well. You can also melt down some cocoa butter with the coconut oil for an extra moisturizing boost.
61. Ink Cleaner: Don’t cry over spilled ink. If you find yourself with irritating ink smears and smudges on your hand, simply rub a little coconut oil over it and let it sit for a minute or two. Wipe off with a dry, clean, cloth.
62. Personal Lubricant *not compatible with latex: Yup, coconut oil can be used as a natural and effective alternative to store-bought lubricant. It is not compatible with latex though, as it causes it to lose its elasticity and break down, so do not use it with condoms. Coconut oil + condoms = baby! Otherwise, enjoy on your own or with a partner the same way you would any other kind.
63. Clean Your Dogs Ears: Gently wipe surface dirt out of your dog’s ears with a cotton ball. A dog’s ear canal is shaped like an ‘L’ so don’t panic too much about jabbing your finger or cotton swab in too far. This is why you’ll see your vet take that super long cotton swab and stick it all the way into the ear for a sample. Afterwards you wipe it out, gently rub in some coconut oil into the skin to keep them healthy, itch-free, and comfortable.
64. Detail Your Car: Coconut oil provides a lustrous sheen to the inside of your car, be it the dashboard or leather seats. You can also use it to buff out little scratches that might be marking up the paint job. The best part(s) are that it soaks in, lasts a while, doesn’t attract dust, smells great, and is all natural.
65. Soothe and Prevent Hangnails: Fun fact-hangnails are also known as a “stepmothers blessing” in several parts of the U.K. as well as a “catchy” in other parts of the world.Whatever you call them, these little bits of torn skin seem benign, but cause major pain. Often times they end up creating a whole inflamed sore patch around your nail that’s tender for days. Rubbing some coconut oil around the outer edges of your nail can help keep the skin soft and pliable, making it less likely for it to “rip” and land you with a hangnail. When the little bits of skin get hard and stiff, rubbing some coconut oil on it will also help soothe the pain with its anti-inflammatory actions.
66. One Ingredient Udder Soother: Cracked teats are, as one can imagine, terribly uncomfortable for the cow. Not only that, but it provides an area for bacteria and infection to multiply, which is the last thing you want to happen. Just like coconut oil provides wonderful soothing moisture in the form of nipple cream for humans, it makes an awesome one-ingredient udder balm. Simply apply as you would any other udder balm.
67. Detangler: When you’ve got a nasty tangle, try using coconut oil to ease it out without any yanking, eye watering, or ripped out broken hairs. Dampen your hair well and then massage in coconut oil, letting it sit for 2-3 minutes. Starting at the bottom of the hair shaft, gently work your way up with a comb to get through the tangles.
68. Cracked Heels: Cracked, dry, heels? As a super moisturizer, coconut oil can help soften and smooth over that skin. Use a pumice stone first to slough off any excess buildup of cells, and then get a little bit of coconut oil on your fingertips. Massage into your heels well, and let dry. Repeat twice daily.
69. Breath Freshener: Make somebody feel like they’re lounging in the tropics when they get close to your face. If you suffer from bad breath, kick the problem with coconut oil by holding a teaspoon or so in your mouth until it melts, swishing it around a bit, and then either swallowing or spitting it into the trash. The antibacterial properties in coconut oil make it useful for ridding your mouth of odor causing bacteria.
70. Get Rid of Angular Chelitis (aka pesky little mouth sores): This sounds obscure, but it is a much more common occurrence than it seems. Angular chelitis is inflammation of the lips, technically, but often times appear as little “splits” or “cracks” in the corner of your mouth. When this happens, fungus can jump on the opportunity to infect the little area. Rub a little bit of coconut oil on the sore spots 2-3 times daily to keep yourself comfortable and to fight off fungi.
71. Use in the Sun: Coconut oil in and of itself is not sufficient as sunscreen. On its own, it has an SPF (sun protection factor) of 4-6. This helps a little, but not enough to make it a substitute. That being said, try applying coconut oil in between re-applications of sunscreen. It will help hydrate your skin and prevent it from drying out. Should you get burned, it can also help prevent peeling and itching.
72. Improve Circulation: We need proper circulation to not only function, but to heal as well. Not to mention feeling cold all the time (or having people shudder at your frigid touch) isn’t fun. Coconut oil, taken internally, may help improve blood flow. As it can raise the levels of HDL-or “good”-cholesterol, the ratio between HDL and LDL-“bad” cholesterol-are evened. Since LDL cholesterol can affect the viscosity of blood, and “thicken” it, lower levels lead to thinner blood which leads to better circulation. Start with a ½ tablespoon a day and work up to 1 tablespoon to give your circulation an energy boost.
73. Add to Baby Bath: Babies have wonderfully soft, smooth, healthy skin-and we want to keep it that way! Try adding a little bit of coconut oil to your little one’s bath to help keep skin soft and smooth. It will also help soothe any little rashes, scrapes, or bothersome bug bites that may be bothering them.
74. Get Rid of Cradle Cap: Cradle cap is typically a harmless condition that results in patches of yellowish, thick, sometimes greasy scales on your baby’s head (although it can occasionally be found on other areas of the body as well.) Like true adult dandruff, there could be several causes of cradle cap, including an overgrowth of yeast or over productive oil glands. To help loosen and remove the crusty flaking scales, dampen little one’s hair/scalp and gently apply enough coconut oil to cover the affected area-it doesn’t need to be thick. Leave it on for 15 minutes (or longer if needed) to soften the scales. Then use a soft bristled baby brush or very fine toothed comb to loosen and remove the patches. Follow up by rinsing with a regular mild baby shampoo to remove the rest of the oil from the hair.
75. Soothe a Dry Canine Nose: Rub a tad onto your dog’s nose if it is perpetually dry and cracked. This remedy is smoosh-faced breed approved.
76. Flaky Scalp Treatment: Different from dandruff, having a flaky or dry scalp simply results in those annoying snowy white flakes that you can seem to get rid of. With its super moisturizing prowess, coconut oil can help provide nourishing moisture to a thirsty scalp. Wet your hair, and then massage coconut oil over scalp, using just enough to cover the area. Let it sit for 10-15 minutes, and then rinse it out. Follow up with a small amount of very mild shampoo to ensure a non-greasy look when finished. Repeat this at least 3 times a week, or as needed, to prevent dry scalp.
77. Reduce Fine Lines: There are two main things that keep the skin supple but firm, collagen and elastin. Collagen is what gives skin it’s “firmness” while elastin is what allows it to stretch and then return to its original shape. Collagen production slows as we age, which is part of why wrinkles start to appear, and elastin production is stopped completely-hence your skin no longer snaps back into place if you pinch it. Coconut oil’s biologically active components (such as certain fatty acids) have been shown to increase collagen cross-linking, which is part of why it helps wounds heal faster. This same principle may be why it helps reduce fine lines/wrinkles. Apply twice daily, using as little amount as possible and rubbing in thoroughly, to reduce the appearance of fine lines.
78. Ease Osteoporosis : Coconut oil can help ease osteoarthritis in a number of ways. Trabecular bone is one of two types of bone structure-it is “spongy” and has a higher surface are to mass ratio. It is typically the most harshly affected type of bone in osteoporosis. The trabecular number refers |
the Church reminds me, as one old-time preacher once said, of Noah's Ark: sometimes it stinks really bad! However, for Christians, at least, it's the only thing (most happily) floating. Accordingly, I still have a measure of hope that the undercurrent of Christianity is still strong enough that its redemptive "spirit" can, once again, be revived in the West. Though, it is an uphill battle!Finally, or from a biblical-theological perspective, the concept of race, language and nationhood is not essentially a "social construct", which can be reconstructed at will, but rather a divinely created-ontological reality that stands under the determination of the eternal creative Word of God as creative act.More specifically, or from a Biblical Psychology perspective, the very nature of race itself is rooted and grounded, outside the physical-material universe of cause and effect relations, in the "soul" of DNA as a "micro" creative-evolutionary development over time. That is, as the "form" of the body. Or, the "form" of the body as dual elements of "spirit" and "matter" mysteriously and wondrously conjoined together (Gen. 2:7) in a profoundly deep and wholistic-interactive dualism that forms a single, human, racial-nature in this life.Multiculturalism, therefore, as an idol of our time, seeks to rebelliously "uncreate" this human-racial creative act and divine determination by, foolishly and destructively, attempting to return to a "primitive state" of Man where there was supposedly no "alienation" due to race, language and nationhood. I believe Dr. Bob Goudzwaard's thoughts on this matter says it all:Easy Way to Finally Read the Complete Holmes
Where does The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and I'd rate this one as above average. The story itself is wonderful--it's the original Sherlock Holmes, for heaven's sake! Not perfect, not infallible, but still a work of genius that inspires people more than a century later. I recently learned that some of the first movies ever made were Sherlock Holmes stories, such was their popularity, and obviously that popularity hasn't faded. The narrator, however, leaves something to be desired. He's good, don't get me wrong. As I said, I listen to a lot of audiobooks, and as narrators go, Charlton Griffin is somewhat above average, but he's not great. His range is a bit limited--he can do a variety of voices, but the variety isn't wide. He pronounces a startling number of words incorrectly, especially at the beginning of the book. He actually reads various phrases completely wrong, substituting language of his own. I've heard worse narrators, but I've also heard better.
What other book might you compare The Complete Stories of Sherlock Holmes to and why?
I'm not sure "comparable" is a fair word to use when the original Conan Doyle-written Sherlock Holmes is the standard of comparison. On the one hand, there are innumerable books today that are very comparable and even significantly superior; but when the fact that this is the original is figured into the equation, it becomes not a matter of comparability but of imitation. Everyone who loves this sort of fiction should read this book to see where it all began.
What do you think the narrator could have done better?
Read the book!! Sorry, don't mean to be hostile, but it's a bit exasperating that he read it so inaccurately at times. It's only the occasional flub; but I'm a stickler for accuracy, so the littlest thing annoys me. And he does it repeatedly, nor are his inaccuracies necessarily small ones. Sometimes he changes entire sentences, not just the odd word. On the other hand, I think he performs the accents and voices decently, on the whole; he's enjoyable to listen to, from the point of view of an American who very frequently listens to people with English accents of all sorts, on books and TV and movies. I think he sounds authentic, on the whole, though I've heard better performances.
Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?
I can't think of a particular moment; it was more the totality of the work that moved me, over and over again as I listened to it and realized how this one body of work has formed the foundation for not only the whole detective literary genre but also for our police forensic sciences of today. These days we tend to think more of the science fiction that has inspired our cell phones and computers and so forth and we forget that Conan Doyle's stories a century ago inspired a real revolution in police and forensic procedures. Quite literally, we would not have the crime-fighting abilities we do today without Sherlock Holmes. I found that profoundly moving.
Any additional comments?
For those who love detective stories, and in particular stories involving Sherlock Holmes, this book is invaluable as a reference and source material and as a foundation. The narration, while far from perfect, was enjoyable to listen to for its accents and voices, and fairly good for overall performance. Perhaps I would recommend another recording from a more scrupulously-accurate (and therefore Holmes-like) British actor who was also able to perform a wide range of characters, should one ever be made in the future, but this one is more than merely acceptable for now.
13 of 16 people found this review helpfulDescription
JollysFastVNC is a secure ARD and VNC client. Its aim is to be the best and most secure VNC client on the Mac. TaoofMac actually thinks it already has reached this goal.
To access remote computers simply enable ‘ScreenSharing’ on remote Macs, a vnc server like ‘UltraVNC’ on Windows machines or the inbuilt ones in the various Linuxes. Then you can access them with JollysFastVNC. If you want to access them via secure ssh-tunnel select the ‘ssh’ security type in JollysFastVNC and the ssh tunnel will be created for you automatically.
Features
•Fast.
•Secure - SSH tunneling, SSL, SOCKS support inbuilt.
•Mac login, keyboard, pasteboard, remote screen lock and monitor selection support.
•Windows login and domain login support.
•Multiple connections, fullscreen, multi-monitor support.
•SmartZoom for viewing large remote desktops.
•International keyboard support
•Reverse connections including automated Nat-PMP / UPnP port opening on routers.
•WakeOnLan support.
•Global/Specific hierarchical preferences.
•Bonjour including auto connection to Bonjour hosts.
•Remote cursor support - including smartzoom movement.
•Automatic pasteboard synchronisation.
•vnc:// and jfvnc:// url schemes for opening vnc connections from other programs.
•VNC encodings ZRLE, Tight, zlib, rre, hextile, raw, copyrect, resolution change, pixel format change, lastrect and some more.
Requirements
Normal Version: Mac OS X 10.4 - 10.11
AppStore Version: Mac OS X 10.6 - 10.11
Background
When I started ScreenRecycler I thought that there were enough VNC clients out there to support it. When the program started to get useful I realized that the VNC clients available on the Mac were pretty slow and people were complaining about the speed of ScreenRecycler. I was using VNCThing at the time which proved to be acceptable on PPC Macs but does not run on Intel Macs.
Without a proper viewer people can't access ScreenRecycler in the way I imagined. So I started programming JollysFastVNC to let people use the full power of ScreenRecycler. As I got a few mails about the VNC capabilities of JollysFastVNC I decided to enhance the program to be a fully functional VNC client. It’s fast as you can see here.
Some servers are not capable of handling the amount of requests JollysFastVNC sends them. I'm thinking about a solution which does not slow down high performance servers like ScreenRecycler.
Feedback
Feedback is very welcome if you have a truly new idea or found a bug. Read the Readme before submitting though. You can mail me by clicking on the mail link inside the ‘About box’ in JollysFastVNC.
JollysFastVNC for older OS versions
Mac OS X 10.6 - 10.9: JollysFastVNC.10.7.dmg
Mac OS X 10.6: JollysFastVNC.10.6.dmg
Mac OS X 10.4 - 10.5: JollysFastVNC.10.4.dmgNew music has been at the core of her repertory from the beginning, along with a smattering of Handel oratorios that she viewed more or less as drudgery, usually lacking the rehearsal time necessary for the ensemble to develop the cohesion she is always seeking. Her early career choices were also affected by sometimes crippling performance anxiety. She stuck to premieres because the weight of historical tradition was lighter, and she avoided the bel canto and Mozart roles she was offered; she waited until she was 40, for example, to sing Donna Anna in “Don Giovanni.”
“Still, I get so scared, it’s crazy,” she said. “So scared. For weeks or months or, in case of Lulu, for the entire two years before the first time. I don’t think, ‘Oh, this phrase could go wrong.’ It’s just the anxiety about letting people down, letting the composer down. Not being able to serve in the best way.”
Rock bottom came during an audition for Bach’s “St. Matthew Passion” in 1996, during which she thought she was going to pass out from nerves. Living in the Netherlands at the time, she began to work with a psychological coach who advised the Dutch Olympic team, focusing on visualizations and adroit recovery from perceived mistakes.
“I never allow the mind to go into ‘What if I crack? What if I forget the words?’” she said. “I don’t allow that in the brain at all.”
About 10 years ago, René Bosc, at the time the artistic director of Radio France’s Présences festival, witnessed a few run-throughs that Ms. Hannigan had as a singer, working with conductors who were less than fully in control of the material. “He’d seen one rehearsal,” she recalled, “where I didn’t move my arms, but it was clear it was going to fall apart if I didn’t lead more than usual.”Strain Name: White Haze
Grade: A-
Type: Indica
Looks: The bud is very crystallized with very light brown hairs that take up a good amount of most nugs. The bud itself is very light green and is very sticky and fairly dense.
Smell: The smell is very kush like and somewhat musky. As soon as i opened the container my whole living room was reaking of just dank strong medicine.
Taste: The taste is very earthy and smooth. The cure job was just done perfectly for this bud so the taste was very strong and stayed in your mouth and nose for a long time after taking your first hit.
Effects: The high was very relaxing and numb perfect for any pain you might have. Plus it drifted me to sleep very smoothly unlike some stronger indicas that knock your ass out hard. Overall the effects were very medical and it was a nice bud to smoke late in the day when you are ready to relax.
Potency: 2-3hrs
Reviewed by: str8bonginMonty Williams has been dealt with tragedy in his personal life to being once again reunited with Gregg Popovich and the San Antonio Spurs.
Williams, who is the Vice President of Basketball Operations, sat down with ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski to talk speak on numerous topics from his new role in the front office to, Tim Duncan, Pop and R.C. Buford.
In the hour long podcast, Williams was asked how his new endeavor differs from being a head coach in the league. Monty quickly starts talking about all the areas outside of being with your inner circle of your assistant coaches, players, trainers strength coaches, etc.
His new place with the team now has him believing there is more outside of just coaching within an organization.
“It’s given me confirmation that there is a lot more to the organization than just the players and coaches”.
He goes on to speak on how his new role with the team definitely challenges himself each and every day.
In the podcast you can hear how passionate that Monty is and how he goes above and beyond to learn more. He spoke on how he spent time with the analytics teams and also with physical therapy to just learn more about everything.
This sounds like a man that is willing to go beyond making calls and sitting behind a desk. Williams is the right person for the basketball operations for San Antonio and it seems as if he was meant for this position.
Woj quickly turns the table on Monty and asks him how much of his day to day is keeping Hall of Famer Tim Duncan entertained.
Monty jumps right into the conversation speaking on his 20-year relationship he has with Duncan and how after team’s practices the two play 1-on-1 where Williams states that it is ‘ugly’.
“I wish he would come back.. I think a lot of people wish he would come back”.
There are a few fans in San Antonio I am sure will agree with that statement.
“He never got the credit that I feel he should of gotten for his IQ. People knew he was a smart player but if they knew, or be in the conversations we had on a daily basis about the team and the league, they would be astounded how smart he is”.
Overall, this is a great interview that all Spurs fans need to tune into.
Twitter:It didn’t take a startling expose about mismanaged sexual assault claims for women to know that Uber is not the most female-friendly service in this, our sharing economy. But when BuzzFeed News got a hold of some leaked screen shots from Uber’s internal customer support interface, seeing the words “rape” and “sexual assault” appear more than 10,000 times in the “Subject” field of the search query window was still a sickening experience. Uber executives said some untrue things about how their Zendesk database locates search terms – which they later admitted were literally “imperfect and fictitious” – and decried the figures as “highly misleading.”
But aside from any leaked-data style smoking guns, one former Boston-based driver had seen enough in his own car to know that ride share services run the risk of being predator playgrounds. So the man, named Michael Pelletz, decided to create a female-run, fully female-staffed alternative exclusively for women and children. It’s called Chariot for Women, and it launches on April 19.
Pelletz was working long shifts to support his wife and children when, after one particularly tense experience with a belligerent male passenger that ended in him hailing a cop on the side of the road, he realized that female drivers and passengers were at potentially high risk of being attacked in ride-share environments. If he, a full-grown adult male, was frightened, what must a 23-year-old woman trying to make some extra cash feel like when some drunk asshole comes barreling into her car at 2 am?
Drivers for Chariot must be women, and must all be thoroughly background checked before being allowed to take passenger requests. The security protocols for rider and driver verification seem pretty rigorous, too. When a driver starts her shift she must answer a random security question that changes daily to verify her identity, and when a ride is requested, a “safe word” appears on both the driver and the customer’s phones. If the driver gives the passenger the correct word the ride can begin. If not, the passenger knows not to get in that car. And, like other ride share services, riders will see a photo of the driver along with the make, model and license plate number of their incoming car.
While Chariot was conceived of by Pelletz, he did promise a female-run enterprise, so the company’s president is his wife, Kelly. Kelly Pelletz is a former nurse, and she came up with the plan to divert 2 percent of all ride profits to local and national charities that benefit women. When riders get in the car, a popup in the app will display 10 charities that rotate each month. Passengers choose their preferred charity and the money goes straight to them.
With so many car sharing services available, it might be hard for Chariot to explode out of the gate like its Dark Overlord counterpart Uber did back when it launched in 2009. There’s Lyft. San Francisco has its own commuter-focused service called Chariot already, and Sidecar gave up the fight at the end of last year, ceasing operations in December.
But Chariot for Women does have the advantage of catering to a very specific demographic, and its entire pitch is rider safety, which is a pretty good one! The triggers that this could avoid for sexual assault survivors and peace of mind it could give to parents putting their children in cars – not to mention women generally who are getting into cars after dark – seems substantial. So here’s hoping that Chariot can make a dent in the profit margins of the more, let’s say, established parties in the on-demand driver game.
Update: This article originally appeared on April 08, 2016.24 of 24
Greg Fiume/Getty Images
The tragedy of Germany having so many great players in their talent pool is that there will inevitably be international-class players omitted from Low's final squad.
The Bundestrainer will call up 30 players initially and all will have a chance to prove themselves, but some will face a steep uphill climb if they are to survive the cut. This list was selected assuming there are no unfavored players who surprisingly dazzle Low before he makes his final selection.
Hamburg duo Rene Adler and Heiko Westermann, as well as HSV's loanee Dennis Aogo, are unlikely to make the cut. HSV's defense is the worst in the Bundesliga, while Marcell Jansen may well make the cut in part due to Germany's scarcity of qualified left-backs.
Aogo will make his return to training this month following cruciate ligament surgery, but Low will have already determined his left-backs.
Like Aogo, teammate Benedikt Howedes has been struck by injuries; the latter has barely played since early December. There is an alternative in Matthias Ginter who, despite his young age, has a considerable two-and-a-half years' experience as a professional.
Erik Durm is a final option for left-back, but the World Cup may come too soon for the 21-year-old. He was converted from forward only last summer and, despite some good recent performances, remains a risk.
If Low wants a physical, fast and tireless Dortmund attacker-turned-defender, Grosskreutz is the more reliable bet on either flank.
In midfield, Sven Bender is likely to miss out. He's been injured as of late and the fact that his twin brother, Lars, plays so similarly but with a bit more technical skill should see Sven miss out.
Lars' club mate, Sidney Sam, also is a doubt, his form at Leverkusen having waned after a strong start to the season. Assuming the likes of Muller, Ozil, Gotze, Reus, Schurrle and Podolski are fit, they should keep Sam out of the squad. The same goes for Julian Draxler, who has had a season to forget.
Germany's relative scarcity of top striker options is well known, but Low's squad may be especially thin this summer. Mario Gomez has hardly played this campaign due to a blight of injuries and won't play before season's end. A striker who thrives on rhythm, it's hard to see him making the squad.
Max Kruse has a much better chance of making the squad, and right now it's a toss-up between the 'Gladbach man and Lasogga.Get our daily newsletter Upgrade your inbox and get our Daily Dispatch and Editor's Picks.
IF YOU are a youngish man who sits on a European corporate board, you should worry: the chances are that your chairman wants to give your seat to a woman. In January the lower house of France's parliament approved a new law which would force companies to lift the proportion of women on their boards to 40% by 2016. The law would oblige France's 40 biggest listed firms to put women into 169 seats currently occupied by men. Spain has also introduced a quota at 40%, to be reached by 2015. Italy and the Netherlands are contemplating similar measures. This week Britain's government threatened to make companies report formally on their recruitment of female directors.
Compared with America, where women held 15% of board seats at Fortune 500 companies in 2009 according to Catalyst, a lobbying organisation, European countries have relatively few female board members. Britain is not too far behind at 12%, according to a survey of Europe's 300 biggest firms by the European Professional Women's Network (EPWN). Spain, Italy, France and Germany, however, all lag behind the European average of 10%.
The exception is Scandinavia, and in particular, Norway, where quotas for women on boards originated. In 2005 the government gave listed firms two years to put women in 40% of board seats on pain of liquidation. Businessmen howled. Riulf Rustad, a professional investor with stakes in several Norwegian companies, said 70% of the new recruits would fail. In fact, there have been no obvious disasters. But a close look at Norway nonetheless suggests that imposing high gender quotas with tight deadlines can be bad for companies.
The Norwegian government was interested in social justice; it made no claims that putting women on boards would improve corporate performance or governance. Finding qualified women in a country where only 9% of board seats were held by women in 2003 and the vast majority of senior corporate jobs are filled by men proved challenging. According to a study by the University of Michigan, Norwegian firms have lost lots of boardroom experience: the new, younger women directors have spent less time running companies on average, are less likely to sit on other boards and are more likely to come from middle management.
DNO International, a Norwegian oil firm, appointed two new female directors in 2007. The three men on DNO's board have a combined 66 years of experience in the oil business, but the new women directors have none; instead they have backgrounds in accounting and human resources. Schibsted, an international media group based in Oslo, selected all three of its new female directors from Sweden, one of its main markets. “If we hadn't had the Swedish pool to draw from, the law would have been far more difficult for us,” says a senior executive at the firm.
The usual arguments for adding women directors are that diverse boards are more creative and innovative, less inclined to “groupthink” and likely to be more independent from senior management. Numerous studies show that high proportions of women directors coincide with superior corporate performance. But there is little academically accepted evidence of a causal relationship. It may be that thriving firms allow themselves the luxury of attending to social issues such as board diversity, whereas poorly performing ones batten down the hatches.
Women do seem to be particularly effective board members at companies where things are going wrong. A 2008 paper on the impact of female directors by Renée Adams and Daniel Ferreira of the University of Queensland and the London School of Economics found that bosses of American firms whose shares perform poorly are more likely to be fired if the firm has a relatively high number of women directors. On average, however, the paper concluded that firms perform worse as the proportion of women on the board increases. There is certainly no shortage of companies capable of producing stellar results with few or no women on the board. LVMH, a successful French luxury-goods group whose customers are mostly women, has had just one female director over the past ten years: Delphine Arnault, daughter of the firm's chief executive and controlling shareholder.
Nor is there any doubt that in many cases low female representation also reflects a broader lack of meritocracy in corporate culture. In France, for instance, interlocking board memberships are common. Women, and many other deserving businesspeople, are excluded from the system. Emma Marcegaglia, head of Confindustria, Italy's main business lobby, says the dearth of women on boards and in management mainly reflects a controlling male elite at the top of business, the members of which have hardly changed for the past 30 years. (Silvio Berlusconi, Italy's prime minister and a prominent tycoon, last year referred to Ms Marcegaglia as a “velina” or showgirl.)
But what most prevents women from reaching the boardroom, say bosses and headhunters, is lack of hands-on experience of a firm's core business. Too many women go into functional roles such as accounting, marketing or human resources early in their careers rather than staying in the mainstream, driving profits. Some do so by choice, but others fear they will not get ahead in more chauvinist parts of a business. Getting men to show up at every board meeting—another effect of having more women on boards—is all very well, but what firms really need is savvy business advice. Yet according to EPWN, the pipeline of female executives is “almost empty”: women occupy only 3% of executive roles on boards, compared with 12% of non-executive ones.
That suggests that the best way to increase the number of women on boards is to ensure that more women gain the right experience further down the corporate hierarchy. That may be a slower process than imposing a quota, but it is also likely to be a more meaningful and effective one.Krzysztof Soszynski Meets Igor Pokrajac at UFC 140 in Toronto
A light heavyweight bout has been added to UFC 141 in Toronto with Canadian Krzysztof Soszynski battling Igor Pokrajac.
UFC officials announced the new bout on Thursday.
A winner of two fights in a row, a now healthy Krzysztof Soszynski returns to action to fight in his home country of Canada.
While he now trains primarily out of the Reign Training Center in California, Soszynski spent much of his career working in and around Canada, and will look to bring some home country pride with him when he fights in Toronto.
Facing Soszynski will be Croatian fighter Igor Pokrajac.
Pokrajac most recently put away Todd Brown at UFC on Versus 3 back in March, and will try to pick up his 3rd UFC victory when he fights in December.
The bout between Soszynski and Pokrajac is the latest addition to the UFC 140 card that goes down in Toronto on Dec 10.We've been waiting for Netflix to come to Android for a very long time. And it's finally here! Well, kind of.
At the moment, you can only use Netflix on Android if you have a Samsung Nexus S, Evo 4G, Droid Incredible, T-Mobile G2 or Nexus One. Remember, the LG Revolution was supposed to be the first phone with Netflix, but obviously, something changed because it's available in the Market right now.
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Interestingly, there's no Motorola phones on the list of'supported devices' and a bunch of other seemingly capable Android phones get no love either. Honeycomb tablets are being ignored too. Netflix, to their credit, says:
The Market download will initially be available only on select phones that currently have the requisite playback support. We expect to quickly add to the number of phones that can download from Android Market as we work with ecosystem partners to expand playback support.
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The tale of Netflix trying to get onto Android is long and winding, with twists and turns that depressed the hell out of Android users. At first Netflix complained about not being able to create a secure DRM system across all Android phones, then things looked promising when it was reported that certain phones with Qualcomm Chips could get Netflix but in the mean time we even had to find a workaround to play Netflix! But that's all water under the bridge now (for those with the lucky phones, at least).
As for how it works? It's Netflix. You can start your perfect 24 hour of Netflix streaming now. As for the rest of you with different Android devices, um, sorry? Check out some pictures of Netflix on Android here:
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[Android Market via Netflix]When it comes to New Mexico's legendary greenchile cheeseburger, this is one of the very best places to experience it. In fact, I fell in love with the green chile cheseburger at Owl Bar and Cafe!
A love story about the Owl Bar and Cafe (in San Antonio, New Mexico) Green Chile Cheese Burger I wrote over ten years ago. I am still in love…
I was not a burger lover. For me, eating a burger was largely a matter of convenience. It’s something to eat when you have no time for a real meal… I’ve never raved about the taste of a burger… Until now. On the way back from a day trip visiting White Sands, my travel buddy suggested that we stop in San Antonio, New Mexico, (about 83 miles outside Albuquerque on I-25) because he heard from a “friend of a friend” of a little place named Owl Bar Cafe that makes the best Green Chile Cheese Burgers. I agreed to stop as it was convenient and cheap.
The town of San Antonio (just outside of Socorro) is so small you that can hold your breath and pass through the entire downtown without exhaling. The Owl Bar and Cafe feels like an old western ghost town saloon on first entrance. However, as I was about to discover, it held the secret to changing my view of burgers forever. So we order two green chile cheeseburgers and sodas. My friend complains about it being too dark inside to see the food. “Is it worth seeing,” I thought to myself. “We’re just here for a quick burger.”
The waitress returns with our order in less than ten minutes. Too soon, I thought, for the meal to be of any great merit. As I observed the burgers being placed on our table, I got my first clue that this was something special. The burger patty was flat and wide and spilled over the sides of the bun. However, it was not a frozen patty, nor was it truly a patty at all. It had the loose texture of freshly ground meat. This was a freshly ground patty that had never seen the inner walls of a freezer!
After the first bite, I knew that I had arrived at a burger milestone in my life. This was a culinary melange of truly flavorful beef, perfectly balanced with cheese, and that heavenly green chile that took me to burger heights I never knew existed. Yes, it was that good. I ordered a second burger (the photo above shows my second burger, the first I consumed too quickly to photograph) which only confirmed what I found with the first.
I began contemplating ordering another burger “to go” to munch on later. But I was brought to my senses. “You can always come back,” said my friend.” Yes, I can. Yes, I will. This is the sort of burger I will not hesitate to drive 83 miles for. Of course, when I do drive to get a green chile cheeseburger at the Owl Cafe in San Antonio, I’ll do others things as well, like visit the Bosque del Apache, or Very Large Array to round out the trip …
Owl Bar & Cafe. From Socorro, take I-25 south about ten miles to the San Antonio exit. Proceed east to the flashing yellow light at the intersection with State Route 1; the Owl is on your left. For those of you who do not care for bar crowds, please rest assured that this is primarily an eating, not drinking place. It is very popular with families. Combine dining at the Owl Bar & Cafe with a trip to the Bosque del Apache Wildlife Reserve in the fall. The Owl Bar and Cafe is located near the entrance to the Bosque.
Owl Bar & Cafe
77 US-380, San Antonio, NM 87832
(575) 835-9946Feeling sad for one of the masters of Indian Cinema #KundanShah, who's victimised like others by one man's arrogance. pic.twitter.com/xsSdFfXSUe Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) May 28, 2015
In fresh trouble between the Censor Board and filmmakers, director Kundan Shah's new filmwill open on Friday after some 40-odd reported audio edits. Some of the cuts ordered are not banned cuss words from the Board's controversial list but references to public figures.The Mumbai Mirror reports that Mr Shah, director of Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro and Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa, was ordered to delete all references to actor Salman Khan, Tamil Nadu's newly re-instated Chief Minister J Jayalalitha and Sahara boss Subrata Roy. "I was asked to remove the names of all popular figures like Salman Khan, Jayalalitha and Subrata Roy even if they were not being used in a degrading context," Mr Shah is quoted as having said.On Twitter, Board member Ashoke Pandit blamed the edits on 'one man's arrogance,' possibly directed at Censor Board chief Pankaj Nihalani who Mr Pandit has publicly criticized for alleged high-handedness in the Board's decision-making process:In the Mumbai Mirror report, Mr Shah claims friendship with both Ashoke Pandit and Pankaj Nihalani.In P Se PM Tak, Bollywood debutante Meenakshi Dixit stars as a prostitute who eventually becomes Chief Minister and then Prime Minister, a role that Mr Shah wrote 20 years ago with Madhuri Dixit in mind.The Nihalani-led Censor Board has been divided by an internal rift with members publicly disagreeing with changes ordered in films such as Anushka Sharma's NH10 and Varun Dhawan's Badlapur. The public skirmishes led to a March meeting with Rajyavardhan Rathore, the Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting, who also met separately with a delegation of Bollywood actors, directors and producers. Just recently, Mr Nihalani was also accused by a member of the body's Revising Committee of having violated rules at a screening of director Anurag Kashyap's Bombay Velvet.As Lehman Brothers tried to find a way out of a liquidity death spiral, Henry Paulson, the Treasury Secretary, and Christopher Cox, the Chairman of the SEC, flew up from Washington for a six o'clock meeting with then-New York Federal Reserve chief, Timothy Geithner at the New York Federal Reserve Bank's Italianate palazzo in lower Manhattan. Going into the weekend, Lehman had two potential suitors - Bank of America and Barclays.With Geithner at his side, at 6:15 P.M, Paulson stood before CEOs and their top deputies from Goldman Sachs, Merrill Lynch, Morgan Stanley, JPMorgan Chase, Citigroup, Credit Suisse and other firms and delivered a harsh message, according to a source there. "There will be no bailout for Lehman," Paulson said, "The only possible way out is a private-sector solution." Wall Street's top execs had to come up with a plan in 48 hours to save Lehman from insolvency or suffer the consequences of a catastrophic unwind of the Gordian knot of Wall Street's complex and internecine financial relationships. Read more.Donations to the Committee to Protect Journalists surged after actress Meryl Streep used her Golden Globes acceptance speech to urge people to support the organization, Money Magazine reported Monday.
In her lifetime achievement award speech, Streep urged the audience to donate to the group as a means to hold President-elect Donald Trump Donald John TrumpREAD: Cohen testimony alleges Trump knew Stone talked with WikiLeaks about DNC emails Trump urges North Korea to denuclearize ahead of summit Venezuela's Maduro says he fears 'bad' people around Trump MORE accountable.
"...Our founders enshrined the press and its freedoms in our Constitution," Streep said. "So I only ask the famously well-heeled Hollywood foreign press and all of us in our community to join us in supporting the Committee to Protect Journalists, and we’re going to need us going forward and they’ll need us to safeguard the truth."
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Courtney Radsch, the Committee to Protect Journalist’s advocacy director, told Money the nonprofit received 700 online donations after Streep’s speech. On Sunday nights, the nonprofit usually receives about five.
Streep cited Trump’s imitation of a disabled New York Times reporter in one of his rallies while on the presidential campaign trail last year as the most devastating "performance" she saw in 2016. She said the imitation left her heartbroken.
“Disrespect invites disrespect. Violence incites violence,” Streep said. “When the powerful use their position to bully others, we all lose.”
Trump criticized Streep’s speech on Twitter on Monday morning, calling the three-time Oscar winner “overrated” and a “Hillary [Clinton] flunky who lost big.”The yearly flu shot could prevent most flu-related deaths among children and teenagers, a new U.S. government study estimates.
Researchers found that about three-quarters of U.S. kids who died of flu complications between 2010 and 2014 were unvaccinated before they fell ill.
If all children got their yearly flu shot, 65 percent of those deaths could be prevented, the researchers estimated.
Experts said the findings, published online April 3 in Pediatrics, bolster what health officials already recommend: Adults and children age 6 months and up should be vaccinated ahead of every flu season.
“This shows you, once again, that kids should get their flu shot,” said Dr. Paul Offit, chief of infectious diseases at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.
It also highlights a fact that many parents may not know: “Healthy children can, and do, die of the flu,” said Offit, who was not involved in the research.
Mom's powerful message after daughter dies from flu
Fortunately, that is rare. But when it happens, “it’s a tragedy,” said Brendan Flannery, a researcher at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention who led the study.
“People often don’t consider the flu to be very serious,” Flannery said. “But it can be, and even children can die.”
Kids who are perfectly healthy can become severely ill with the flu and develop complications such as pneumonia. But the risk is higher among children with certain medical conditions, including asthma, heart disease, diabetes, cystic fibrosis and sickle cell anemia.
Flannery’s team found that a flu shot can cut the risk of |
wanted to become again a part of Russia, ever since the Soviet dictator Nikita Khrushchev in 1954 arbitrarily transferred Crimea from Russia to Ukraine. And therefore Russia — not finding acceptable Obama’s soon-to-be seizure of their naval base — supplied protection for Crimeans to be able to hold a peaceful plebiscite on 16 March 2014 in order to exercise their right of self-determination on whether to accept rule by the bloody new Ukrainian coup-regime, or instead to accept Russia’s offer to regain membership (and protection) in the Russian Federation.
97% chose the latter, and Western-sponsored polls in Crimea both before and after the plebiscite showed similarly astronomically high support for rejoining with Russia. But that made no difference in Western countries, because their media never reported these realities but only the official line — as Obama put it:
The days in which conquest of land somehow was a formula for great nation status is [sic] over.”
Although he was there describing actually himself (in his ultimate plan to conquer Russia), he was pretending that it described instead Russia’s President, Vladimir Putin, who was merely protecting Crimeans, and, in the process, protecting all Russians (by retaining its key naval base), from an enemy (Obama) whose gift for deceiving the public might have no equal in all of human history.
And that ‘seizure of Crimea’ is actually the pretext upon the basis of which Obama’s NATO alliance is now mobilizing to invade Russia.
Here is how Sweden’s ‘defense’ minister, in his 25 May 2016 Stockholm speech, described his reasons for Sweden to join the Western forces surrounding Russia:
The upcoming NATO Summit will take place in a security environment that continues to be challenging. And these challenges affect us all. First of all, the security order that was established in Europe after the Cold War is challenged by Russia. The illegal annexation of Crimea is the first example in more than 70 years where one European state has occupied territory belonging to another state using military force. If we allow the annexation to become a status quo we make ourselves guilty of destroying one of the very pillars of the European security order as we know it. We see no signs that Russia has changed its position or have softened that. Moreover, there are no indications that Russia is planning to leave the Donbass region. Instead, Russia is building up its proxy army there, with 25,000 soldiers and more tanks than any EU Member State has. The intensity of the conflict in eastern Ukraine can be Increased or decreased depending on what best serves the interests of the Kremlin at any given moment.
He alleged that all violations of the Minsk agreement (the agreement regarding the war in Donbass) were from the Donbass side, and none at all from the Ukrainian side — the side that has actually been attacking Donbass — but the evidence clearly contradicts that lie. The residents of Donbass fire back when fired upon. What are they supposed to do? Then he listed Sweden’s military increases, and he said: “We do this from a platform of non-alignment.” He’s as much a liar as Obama is.
The U.S. doesn’t actually need additional military bases in countries such as Sweden. The U.S. already has around 800 military bases in foreign countries, according to researcher David Vine in his 2015 book, Base Nation. But when tightening the noose, every little bit of extra pull helps. And after the coup in Ukraine, America’s aristocracy has been giving an extra yank at every opportunity. And they (actually U.S. taxpayers) pay well for it. Hultqvist will get his. It’s a nice business.
Back in 1990 the precondition (and Western promise) on the basis of which the Soviet and then Russian leader Mikhail Gorbachev dissolved in 1991 both the Soviet Union and its NATO-mirror the Warsaw Pact, was the promise by the representatives of U.S. President George Herbert Walker Bush, that if that happened, then NATO would not expand “one inch eastward” — which also turned out to have been a lie.
And the same news-suppression that causes Western publics (such as in Sweden, where this article was even offered as an exclusive to Dagens Nyheter, and was turned down by them) not to know these facts, will now probably cause this news-report to be likewise rejected by virtually all Western ‘news’ media, to all of whom it has been submitted (after its having been declined there). The ones that don’t publish it are sharing in the blame for causing WW III. The few that do publish it will not be to blame for WW III. They all make their choices. (And, if any of them have any allegation to make against this news-report, then any who have honor will publish that allegation, so that the crucially needed public debate can begin, before WW III itself does. The utter lack of that public debate is what’s especially damning against The West.)Citigroup itself was known for an option-reload program that enriched executives by automatically granting options to those who cashed out their old ones.
Bank executives said they had notified federal regulators of the current option program earlier this year and believed it was consistent with best practices. “We have implemented a broad-based options program that links employee rewards to the long-term performance and success of the company,” a bank spokesman, Stephen Cohen, said.
Yet after months of heightened scrutiny over Wall Street’s pay practices, Citigroup’s program could draw criticism. It effectively helps Citigroup employees who lost significant amounts of money after the bank’s troubles led the government to bail it out, giving it $45 billion of taxpayer money and a federal guarantee on its riskiest assets.
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It also comes just months after the bank raised salaries by as much as 50 percent to offset smaller bonuses, feeding criticism that Citigroup’s pay practices encouraged the big bets that contributed to the financial crisis.
“It insulates you against the effects of excessive risk-taking, rather than exposing you to it,” Paul Hodgson, a senior compensation analyst at the Corporate Library, said, referring to the stock options and salary increases. “With stock options, you can make a lot of money if the stock price goes up, but you are not losing anything if it falls.”
Lifting compensation is one way that Citigroup’s chief executive, Vikram S. Pandit, may be able keep the very bankers and managers required to nurse the company back to health. Brian T. Foley, an independent compensation consultant, said issuing the options was a quick way to encourage employees to stay after several competitors stepped up recruiting.
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Firms like Barclays of Britain, Nomura Securities of Japan and Morgan Stanley have been luring away some of Citigroup’s top bankers and traders, as have many smaller firms. “It gives people a new piece of the action going forward,” Mr. Foley noted.
Under the program, for example, a typical employee, like a credit card division manager or midlevel investment banker, who had accumulated 3,000 shares would get an additional 3,000 options for staying. The options carry a strike price of $4.08, giving them a current value of about $11,000. Employees will be able to cash out the options in equal installments over the next three years.
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It is unclear if Kenneth D. Feinberg, the federal pay master responsible for monitoring compensation practices at Citigroup and six other companies that received multiple bailouts, will weigh in on the option program. In October, he clamped down on 2009 compensation for the 25 highest earners at those firms, and he is expected to rule on the next 75 highest-paid employees in a few weeks. Congress explicitly barred the use of stock options for those executives.
But Mr. Feinberg’s mandate does not extend to pay programs for the rank and file. He could, however, offer a nonbinding advisory opinion that could lead to a public showdown with the company. That possibility led Citigroup to sell its lucrative energy trading unit to avoid a controversy over the $100 million pay package of one of its traders.
Mr. Feinberg declined to comment on Friday.
In March, Citigroup shares briefly fell below $1 and several efforts to raise capital have caused the bank to issue so many new shares of stock that it has become almost impossible for the shares to return to their pre-crisis price levels.
Compensation analysts point out that replacing some of the lost wealth could turn out to be a good move by giving the rank and file a stake in the bank’s turnaround. And dispensing stock, not cash awards, allows Citigroup to give an extra bonus without hurting its capital levels.
Even Mr. Hodgson, a longtime critic of stock options, acknowledged that the program’s design was thoughtful. “They are trying to reward staff that had the guts to hold onto their stock during this turbulent period for the company,” he said.Article by Riot Jules, Design by nancymon The millions of players around the world that play League of Legends generate lots of data. If you visit sites that provide champion win rates and summaries, you are seeing a slice of this data in action. As a member of Insights at Riot, I help distill this raw data into digestible information that can be used to improve League of Legends. This is the first part of a recurring series on data for data’s sake, called Clairvoyance.
Wards are a curious thing.
Despite not providing any combat stats, they’re incredibly powerful. Wards provide vision, vision is information, and information is power. Warding allows you to take fewer risks: less face-checking, getting ganked, and throwing at Baron.
Wards Purchased % Per Player Per Game
So, wards are good, but how often do typical players buy them? Throughout the course of a game, the average player purchases 0.9 wards, which we define here as either a Stealth Ward or a Vision Ward. However, that figure is heavily skewed by the few selfless heroes buying multiple wards. The majority of players, 64%, never purchase a single ward, and only about one in ten purchases more than two.
Who’s buying, or not buying, wards?
Avg. Wards Purchased By Role
It’s not surprising that ward purchases vary across role. ADCs buy the fewest wards, averaging 0.3 wards per game, while Supports lead the pack with 1.8 wards per game. That figure doesn’t include Sightstone, which predominantly lends to support itemization. Before you yell at your team’s Vayne, keep in mind that it makes sense for some roles to purchase more wards than others. Supports, for example, don’t scale with items as well as other roles and typically invest more of their gold into team-centric items like wards. Junglers are more likely to roam the map and have the opportunity to ward strategic spots. On the other hand, Top Laners are often isolated from midgame objective control, which depends heavily on wards, and might spend more of their gold on dueling items.
Avg. Wards Purchased by Tier
With that said, most players could probably afford to ward more. Let’s take a look at warding patterns across different levels of play. Players in Bronze buy just shy of 0.6 wards per game, while players in Master and Challenger buy roughly four times as many. The upward trend is especially strong for Vision Wards, with the typical Bronze player buying less than 0.2 per game and the typical Master+ player buying over 1.2 per game. Disclaimer: while there is likely a causal link between your vision game and your ranking, doubling your ward purchases probably won’t suddenly bump you from Silver to Diamond. These trends show us correlation and don’t fully tell the story of how many wards you should buy. That sort of complex analysis is maybe a topic for another day.
How do Trinkets fit into all of this?
Trinkets % Per Player Per Game
Most players sit on their unupgraded Warding Totem. Specifically, 73% of players end the game with a Warding Totem, 12% with a Sweeping Lens, and 5% with one of the other five options.
Let’s condense the basic Trinkets and their various upgrades into three classes: Orb, Lens, and Totem. From there, we can more easily see trends across different roles and levels of play.
Trinkets by Role % Per Player Per Game
Totem is the Trinket of choice for all roles except Support, who favor Lens 54% of the time. Junglers are second mostly likely to have Lens, picking it up in 22% of games. Orb, being a more niche, situational choice, doesn’t get the same amount of love. Only among ADCs does Orb show up a significant amount of the time, but still only in 18% of games.
Trinkets by Tier % Per Player Per Game
Totem remains dominant in most levels of play, including 91% of games in Bronze and 50% in Diamond. Usage rates of Lens and Orb both gradually increase as you climb the ladder, with Lens overtaking Totem in Master+ tier games. Lens sees more action in these high skill games, in part, because players at this level are warding at a much higher rate. It only makes sense to buy a broom if you’ve got something to sweep!
So what?
If you want to up your vision game, start out small.
It can be tough to get into the habit of buying wards, but take our advice: If you want to up your vision game, start out small. Grab an extra Stealth Ward on your first back; you’ll thank yourself for spending 75 gold when you see the enemy Jungler coming. Get a Vision Ward out early and don’t get buyer’s remorse if it gets cleared. And don’t forget to upgrade your trinket; yes, it’s probably better than that fourth Long Sword. You’ll be going above and beyond most players.But the fund-raising drought has become a growing worry and lawmakers have not been reticent about noting that their political fate could be tied to the outcome on health care and how Senate Republicans handle other issues ahead.
Senator Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, who has been deeply involved in health policy for years, told reporters back home that he could count 10 reasons the new health proposal should not reach the floor, but that Republicans needed to press ahead regardless in order to fulfill their longstanding promise to replace and repeal President Barack Obama’s Affordable Care Act.
“Republicans campaigned on this so often that we have a responsibility to carry out what you said in the campaign,” Grassley said in a conference call with Iowa reporters. “That’s pretty much as much of a reason as the substance of the bill.”
Senator Pat Roberts of Kansas was even more blunt in a conversation with Vox. “If we do nothing, it has a tremendous impact on the 2018 elections, and whether or not Republicans still maintain control and we have the gavel,” he said.
Republicans say the fund-raising drop-off has been steep and across the board, from big donations to the small ones the party solicits online from the grass roots. They say the hostile views of both large and small donors are in unusual alignment and that the negative sentiment is crystallized in the fund-raising decline.
One party official noted that Senate Republicans had a lucrative March, raising $7 million — an off-year record for the organization. But in the aftermath of the failed health repeal effort before the August recess and other setbacks, the take dropped to $2 million in July and August — a poor showing for a majority party with a decided advantage on the midterm map.
The totals have left Republicans increasingly worried about having the funds they need next year. Mr. Gardner told his colleagues that a major Colorado contributor who played a role in his own campaign says party donors are reluctant to give any more money until congressional Republicans demonstrate results.The much hailed Senior Consultant arrived for his first day of work in a blinding wash of holy light. We could barely see through the glare, but with sunglasses we confirmed that his feet did not touch the carpet, nor did he have to operate doorknobs. He did, however, have to sign an NDA. After this small ceremony at the front desk, a bearded priest someone had hired for the occasion of this, the Consultant’s advent, preceded His Grace with a low chant and a smoking, swinging censor. Small children cast flower petals before them, a dozen maids in white gowns (presumably virgins) performed interpretive dances of their passage, and a grizzled old man followed them all, uttering portents (it was the Ides of February, or nearly, and Mercury was ascending while the moon was in wane). Ropes of incense twisted in the air, and yet somehow did not trip the smoke alarm. The receptionist complained that she was slightly sunburnt, but it turned out that her acne had been cured, and Jonas the Sandbagger stopped limping (though he turned out to be allergic to jasmine).
The Senior Consultant’s reputation had been built up by management over several weeks to the point that any other mere Consultant could have been Tom DeMarco, Ed Yourdon and Barry Boehm simultaneously co-habiting the body of Fred Brooks, and he still would have been a letdown. We did not know where they had found the fellow, but there were plenty of rumors; he have been delivered from on high to a rock on a mountain, or sprung full-grown from a crack in a volcanic island, or discovered in a fantastically decorated sacrophagus in a hidden South American valley. We never found out which.
—-
We put down stupid schoolyard bets about his engineering skills.
“He could beat Sedgewick.”
“Well, anybody could do that.”
“Rivest?”
“Blindfold, with a foot in a bucket of ice, unless it’s crypto math. Then this guy would be toast.”
“Schneier?”
We all laughed. Anyone knows that Bruce Schneier can just look dangerously at any consultant on the planet and they will simply wither away, not worth the effort for Bruce to flex even the tiniest muscle in his weakest finger. An eyebrow twitch of certain death.
—-
The Senior Consultant was stuck in meetings of a deeply secretive nature with nosebleed layers of management all the first week, and apparently he had his own manner of arriving and departing, likely involving an angelic host and bodily transport through the ceiling tiles, because we didn’t see him again until the next week’s regular engineering meeting.
More rumors flew over the cubicle walls. We were all going to be fired. Management was all going to be fired. They were going to replace us with contract programmers from Outer FORTRANistan and run all of our software on wicker effigies of copies of IBM 360 computers stolen from still-radioactive nuclear test sites located in the heart of Mother Russia. The truly paranoid amongst us thought that our project would be cancelled and that we’d be farmed out to write Visual Basic apps for tracking shipments belonging to humorless Columbian drug lords, or else work on a web site for some sock-puppet Internet company.
It was worse.
—-
Meeting Standard Time is five minutes past the hour, at any company I’ve ever worked for. I was doodling in my notebook, Dave was reading something about databases, Tim was staring into space thinking about XML and making the odd face twitches he always made when he was wrestling with Standardese, and the Kid Pirate was multi-booting yet another stolen OS on his laptop. As the clock ticked to 10:06 we made a silent accord and gave it another five minutes. Ten minutes, fifteen. Finally, on the half hour and just as I was finishing an awesome drawing of a evil alien octopoid consuming and then retching up our SourceSafe server (don’t get me started), our boss and the Consultant entered the room.
Our boss: Mid-forties, growing a belly, going a little bald. Afraid of his own shadow, and never kept to a schedule or shipped a successful product in his life.
The Consultant, fully visible now that his aura was on “dim”: Obvious, obvious ex-military hard-core type, with a no-nonsense attitude that owned the entire room the instant he set foot in it. He kicked ass with only one foot in the door and the other one still in the air.
I thought, This guy has probably killed people with his bare hands.
I heard Dave whisper to himself, “… with his bare hands.”
We looked at each other.
He’s fucking killed people with his bare hands. And now he’s our real boss.
—-
We made polite introductions around the room. Doodler, Dave-who-doesn’t-do-databases, Tim, Boy Pirate, the Three Amigas, Testy Betsy and her H1-B entourage. Oh, and our bulgy little boss, who didn’t matter much before and sure didn’t matter now. Pleased to meet you.
The Consultant smiled and seemed to communicate something private to each of us with very small little nods as we went around the room. He might have been counting internally. He could even have been silently farting. Each acknowledgement of our existence summed us up completely; we were beneath his notice before and after our successive turns under his gaze. We were all equally unworthy. We might, someday, if we worked eighty hour weeks for the next couple of decades, be competent to write a ten line program in a company that he used to consult for. But until that day we were microbes, simple animated meat puppets whose sole purpose was to type the curly-braces and semicolons that sprang from his vast, unimaginably competent, nearly incorporeal mind.
Then he got busy.
The next hour was a hell of Powerpoint and jargon about project management and technologies that were referred to only by three and four letter acronyms, often amended with slashes and version numbers. I clearly remember two things. First, I wanted out of the room so that I could throw up in the fake plants outside. Second, I was pretty sure the very highly paid Senior Consultant —
“The release team takes the weekly tear-down schedule, commits to each of the items by converting work-points to task management action checks, and then delivers estimates to the ARTS committee. Of course we follow the ISO-9001 protocol you’ll find on the new web site.”
— no, no, not just pretty sure, I was completely and absolutely fucking sure that he —
“… flush the coherent semi-idempotent transfer modules, with the release system using standard RESTful posts through the front-end server cache system. Right?”
Mumbled assent, mostly from shock.
“Get to it, please.”
— was a total fraud.
We nodded dumbly as we filed out. I went to my desk, put my notebook down next to my mouse, checked my email, then went outside and threw up in a planter.
—-
“I did a web search on this guy.”
“So?”
“I don’t think he’s ex-military at all. I don’t think he’s killed anyone with his bare hands.”
“So?”
“Do you have any idea how much we are paying this bozo?”
We were eating lunch in the crappy little deli that our start-up incubator ran. It was a poorly lit cavern made of dark-stained anonymous wood. The tables were deeply gouged and stained with years of accumulated grease, and the chairs were lightweight wicker things whose favorite trick was to catch your heels and tip over just as you were sitting down on them. The owner of the deli had been serving mid-eastern food for decades, and the smell of deep-fried falafels was forever embedded in the room, at the molecular level.
Dave considered a limp onion ring. “Look at this onion ring,” he said, flopping it back and forth in his fingers. Greasy crumbs from it fell onto the scarred table top, where they merged with the rest of the table’s history. “It’s not a very good onion ring, but it’s what I’ve got at the moment, and I’m going to eat it.”
“So?”
He ate the ring. “This basket of onion rings represents all the marginal, just-making-it startups in the valley. Here, I represent a rapacious predator who used to eat at all the best places in town, way better stuff than rancid onion rings from Farjahd’s grease pit, but I am now reduced to subsisting on junk food in Falafel Hell. Chomp, chomp, there goes Xibitive, chomp there goes Quarktech, and I’m going to choke down ZetaTech now.”
“ZetaTech laid off half their people last week.”
“Q-fucking-E-dee.”
“Well, sure this guy is a predator. We knew that.”
“The question is, why did he fall from grace, and what has he got that makes all these little barely-alive companies hire him just before they go out of business?”
I thought about it for a while. “I know who to call.”
“I beat you to it,” said Dave. “They want to see us Sunday morning.”
—-
It’s no accident that Bub’s Pancake Diner is next to some of the most successful Silly Valley financiers; the food is plentiful, cheap, and the customers are the tightest cheapskates to be found west of the Rockies. The air in the place hums with deals, with terms sheets plotted out on napkins and client-server architectures drawn and re-drawn in permanent pen on the table cloths. One set of linens had been used to design what later became a billion-dollar networking startup. Rumor had it that at least one of the VC firms in the area regularly swept the restaurant for listening devices, but was too cheap to buy Bub’s a better brand of bleach.
The place was crowded, with a half-hour wait out the door, but we were spotted by a gofer and were led in right away. Our hosts were a pair of six foot skinny cadavers with identical fountain pens, black notebooks and cell phones. They had already ordered us banana waffles, which arrived as we sat down.
The cadaver on the left poured syrup for us while the right-hand cadaver started right in.
“We understand that you have trouble with Zotar Dwibble.”
“Who?”
Left cadaver: “Some call him the Consultant of Doom.”
“Dwibble?”
Right cadaver: “He doesn’t make his real name common knowledge. Usually he’s Zotar Ubermensch or Drago Darko something equally dreadful.”
Dave: “I can’t say that I blame him.”
Left cadaver: “He gets something on one of the founders or officers, then gets hired for a while. Usually he’s involved in the shutdown of the company, recommending his security staff for help in layoffs, or his friends for selling off the equipment and supplies.”
Right Cadaver: “He makes more money selling cubies and furniture than he does selling any of the computers, can you believe that?”
It was a rhetorical question, Left Cadaver: “Eat your waffles.”
We ate, and they continued.
RC: “We need you to do something for us.” From under the table he produced a small paper bag, labeled in elegant script. Whatever was in the bag was well-packed, with fine paper poofing out the top. “We want you to place this on the front desk, where he is sure to see it when he arrives tomorrow morning.”
Dave asked, “Then what?”
LC: “Then you can take the rest of the day off, and everything will be better in the morning.”
RC: “And, as you leave the parking lot?”
“Yes?”
LC: “As many wise faerie tales are written, don’t look behind you.”
The two of them stood up. “Feel free to finish breakfast,” they said, and left. Later it turned out that they had paid for the meal, but had planned to stiff the waiter.
—-
Tuesday morning we were milling around in the parking lot. The trucks had arrived very early, perhaps six in the morning, and were loading what remained of the company’s furniture. Most of the computers were a total loss; the building’s fire sprinkler system was plumbed with iron and when the alarm had cut loose it had sprayed ancient, funky and rust-laden water over everything. Two vans from “damage treatment” companies were open, with fans roaring, and big tubes going into the office itself. We could hear deeply depressing squelching noises. All our data. I caught myself thinking remorseful thoughts of the SourceSafe server.
No sign of the consultant, upper management, or even our boss. But someone “had heard” that we were supposed to stick around for an announcement. Dave and I got out our phones and started calling up friends and old contacts, getting interviews for our next gigs in order.
Around nine o’clock a woman we had never seen before stood in front of this group of forlorn people who no longer had an office to work in, clapped her hands and called for attention. She was in her mid 40s, wore a shabby jacked and jeans, and would not have looked out of place at a Wal-Mart checkout stand.
“Hello there. Hello, everyone. Can I have your attention, please?”
Dave hung up his phone with a grim look. I’d already gotten a couple of replies; nobody wanted to talk to us. It was like we were pariahs.
“I’m Dorothy, and I’m your new CEO. In about half an hour you’ll get directions to the new office. This afternoon you’ll meet with the other new company officers, and you can settle in. Do that fast, because the release is still scheduled for next week.
“If any police officers come to talk to you, please refer them to Mister Bragg, here.” She gestured at a small smiling black man who had suddenly appeared at her side. “Our funders require us to carry fire insurance for precisely this reason, and the VCs are fully informed and behind us. We’ve contracted an IT house to do full restores onto your shiny new workstations.” She smiled. “See you at work in about an hour.”
We made a small caravan away from the blackened and damp shell of our old office. I did not look in my rear-view mirror.
—-
The new office was nice, but as befitting a start-up, not too nice. The air conditioning was either full-on or we were roasting. The choices for lunch were better, however.
Miracle of miracles, we had a new boss who actually knew what he was doing. Our releases weren’t the gut-wrenching, thirty-hour cluster fucks they had been; we were working fewer hours, having to fix fewer bugs, and it was clear that something had been unblocked and born anew in our group. Light at the end of the tunnel for a start-up can often be simply having more than three months of money left, but we had actual paying customers, and they seemed happy.
One morning I saw someone, a janitor or workman I didn’t recognize, doing something strange to the door frame. On the way to lunch I examined it; there was fine writing, in gold, all up and around and back down the inside of the door. Then I noticed the patterns on the carpet, and everything came into focus.
I mentioned it to Dave, and he got a little pale.
“You looked, didn’t you?”
“Yes. So did you.”
“They always tell you not to look when then really want you to look, but not too hard.”
Zotar had seen the paper bag on the receptionist’s desk and a whole sequence of emotions had played across his face: Puzzlement, delight, fear, anger. He went over to the bag, pawed in it and lifted out something bright and small. Then Dave and I had left, and we were well into the parking lot when the earth shook slightly and the screaming started.
“He was burning, and there was this hole in the air…”
There had been a wrenching crash and a gabble of voices, then more screaming as an entire management team had been dragged into a vortex, changing form as they flew through the air. Nobody from inside the office remembered anything more than the fire system suddenly turning on.
“These other places, the really successful companies, who do you think they’re run by?”
Dave munched his sandwich. “I dunno. But you notice a couple things about the servers we’re running now — no Oracle, for instance.”
“Oh, right. And our routers are... yeah, that makes sense.”
We finished lunch in silence, returning to the office through the wards and across the carpet covered in pentagrams. I swear that some bugs had fixed themselves while we were gone. Not, of course, the really hard ones…A post within the "straight to the meat" category :
There was a talk at Defcon 20 entitled "Defeating PPTP VPNs and WPA2 Enterprise with MS-CHAPv2", by Moxie and David Hulton - the talk announced the implementation of a tool that reduced the security of MS-CHAPv2 to the strength of a single DES encryption.
This post gives a quick rundown with references on what you need to know, enjoy - Thierry
History :
1999 - Bruce Schneier and Mudge document the vulnerability [2]
2011 - Sogeti releases POC performing the same attack against MS-CHAPv2 [4]
2012 - Defcon Talk detailing the flaw and release of SAAS to crack the key within 23hours [3]
Implications
Access to VPN
Decryption of Traffic
MS-CHAPv2 - Yes
Plain PPTP - Yes
MPPE (Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption) - Yes
(Microsoft Point-to-Point Encryption) - EAP-PEAPv0 and EAP-TTLS aka "EAP-TLS" as used in WPA-Enterprise - Depends (see "what now")
Microsoft PPTP Implementation does not require the password to be found, the recovery of the hash through the means above it sufficient. [3]
If you use PPTP VPN you should immediately migrate - As Moxie puts it "PPTP traffic should be considered unencrypted"
PPTP VPN you should immediately migrate - As Moxie puts it "PPTP traffic should be considered unencrypted" "Enterprises who are depending on the mutual authentication properties of MS-CHAPv2 for connection to their WPA2 Radius servers should immediately start migrating to something else."
TZO : I believe what Moxie implies here is that if you don't use TLS to authenticate Client to Server and Server to Client (mutual authentication), or at minimum authenticate the server, your setup should be considered vulnerable as well. "Fake AP". [5]
[1] https://www.cloudcracker.com/blog/2012/07/29/cracking-ms-chap-v2/ [2] http://www.schneier.com/paper-pptpv2.html [3] http://erratasec.blogspot.de/2012/07/the-tldr-version-of-moxies-mschapv2.html [4] http://esec-pentest.sogeti.com/challenge-vpn-network/decipher-mppe-breaking-ms-chap-v2 [5] http://revolutionwifi.blogspot.de/2012/07/is-wpa2-security-broken-due-to-defcon.htmlWe now have a date for when the HTC 10 will be officially unveiled, which is April 12th, and it'll be an online-only event. That's basically what the company did to unveil the HTC One A9 last fall as well, held the event in an empty stadium (where their Tidal concert was happening later) and announced the device in virtual reality. We're just a few weeks away from the HTC 10's unveiling and it looks like the leaks aren't stopping anytime soon.
Coming out of China, we have plenty of live images of the HTC 10, including one with the inside of the back panel. The HTC 10 appears to line up to all of the leaks we've seen thus far. Including having those chamfered edges on the device. In theory, that should help with holding the device more comfortably, as well as it not slipping out of your hand. Something that is usually an issue with metal smartphones like the HTC One M7, One M8 and One M9.On the back we have the round camera, making a return. Instead of a square camera with rounded corners that we saw on the HTC One M9 last year. We have dual LED flash on the back and what appears to be laser auto-focus. Which would be a nice addition to the HTC 10.
As far as specs go, they appear to lineup perfectly with previous rumors. So we have a 5.15-inch quad HD Super AMOLED display (that's a 2560x1440 resolution display) along with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 inside, 4GB of RAM and 32GB of storage. It does look like we're sticking with a 12-megapixel camera on the back of the device. Which may not be a bad thing, considering it's still rumored to be sporting the Sony IMX377 sensor which is what we have on the Nexus 6P and Nexus 5X. Both of which take some amazing pictures. HTC will be marketing it as an UltraPixel camera though. Boomsound is still there, but the front-facing speakers are not. There is said to be a pretty great amplifier inside which will still provide some great audio from the HTC 10.
We'll know all of the specs and details in just a few weeks when HTC unveils it on April 12th.Pakistan's UN Ambassador Masood Khan. –APP File Photo
UNITED NATIONS: “Those who deny women and girls their right to education, violate Islam,” Pakistan’s UN Ambassador Masood Khan told an audience at the world body on Monday. He said the religion was for all men and women without discrimination.
He observed that the terrorist attack on Malala Yousufzai showed that “the forces of darkness” were afraid of the education that gave courage to girls to stand up for their rights.
“Those who do so (deny girls’ education) violently, violate the right to life and the right to education,” he said while addressing a Unesco-sponsored discussion on the “Importance of education and sports in preventing gender-based violence” held at the UN Headquarters on the sidelines of the current session of the Commission on the Status of Women.
The Director-General of Unesco, Irina Bokova, presided. Emphasising that education is enlightenment, emancipation, empowerment and development, Mr Khan said Pakistan had always given priority to education for girls and boys, |
such as youth unemployment. Young people who can't get jobs are finding that joining extremist groups like ISIS and al Qaeda is a way out.
Up until now, these recruits have largely done their fighting away from home. Experts think that by taking the fight to Tunisia, they'll hurt their cause not just by hurting the tourism-reliant economy, but also by alienating most of their countrymen.
"They're already isolated and marginalized, and they further isolate and marginalize themselves by these actions," said Mubin Shaikh, a former undercover counterterrorism operative. "... This will just further isolate and alienate these groups from the rest of the public."by Ronnie Nathanielsz
Five division world champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” has picked Cuban Ismael Salas as “main trainer” for his fight against unbeaten Jessie Magdaleno at the Thomas & Mack Center on November 5.
Donaire informed The Standard that Salas will work with him in Las Vegas and told us that his new trainer who replaces his father/trainer “Dodong” Donaire who didn’t want to work in Las Vegas and wished to spend time with his family in San Francisco and concentrate on managing his gym will help out in “the physical part in the next eight to 9 weeks of training” since he is “mentally ready and have done what I need to do psychologically and mentally and will be ready to fight in a month or so.”.
Salas has trained such world champions as Guillermo Rigondeaux (who beat Donaire some years ago), Yuriorkis Gamboa, Danny Green, Jessie Vargas (Pacquiao’s opponent) and Jorge Linares.
Donaire who just returned to Las Vegas from a leadership seminar in San Diego conducted by Tony Robbins said “it was excellent and he had learned a lot in the seminar which taught people how to change their lives.”
Donaire told us he is “feeling great” and “excited to be on a Manny Pacquiao card in Las Vegas” which is something he’s always wanted and indicated he would be “ready to fight in a month or so.”
He said that since Magdaleno has had a history of problems making the 122 pound limit in his more recent fights “We made sure that he will be punished or penalized gravely if he doesn’t make weight.”
Nonito added “I did the same thing for me as well. I believe that integrity is key and I want to do a fair contract.”
We also spoke to Top Rank promoter Bob Arum who informed us that he’s been working with Magdaleno’s manager Frank Espinoza on the terms of the contract but that since Espinoza’s mother is very will Arum is hoping it will be finalized by next week.
Arum indicated that Magdaleno has a nutritionist “working with him full-time so he’d make the weight.”
Arum said putting Donaire on the same card as the Pacquiao-Jessie Vargas WBO welterweight title fight “really helps” and that he was “very surprised how many orders he has received already for tickets from Filipinos who wanted to see Donaire and Pacquiao on the same card. That’s good.”
He said he had seen footage of Pacquiao training and that “he looked terrific. He is surely amazing at his age” and maintained that Manny was “doing a good job in the Senate. I saw him in action and he’s very serious.”
Arum said “everything is fine and we are getting ready for next week’s big press conference in Los Angeles” even as he emphasized that Pacquiao “..can’t go to New York because he is so diligent (about his Senate duties) that he’s going back to Manila on Saturday.
He also revealed that Top Rank is working on then television coverage which should be “no problem.” He mentioned “what we’ll do is ABS-CBN (which has the rights to Donaire’ fights) will do the Zou Shiming title fight, followed by Donaire vs Magdaleno, then the Valdez featherweight title fight that leads to Manny’s fight against Jessie Vargas, the WBO welterweight champion.A record crowd turned up at Silverstone and most would have gone home happy after Lewis Hamilton's third British GP win. Value for money for them, then, but boy he made life difficult for himself. After set-up problems through practice and into qualifying before getting it right when it mattered on Sunday, Hamilton lost out again at the lights when both Williams cars shot past. But crucially for him, Nico Rosberg also made a poor start and after getting past Felipe Massa and Valtteri Bottas at the first stops, Lewis effectively used them as a buttress until the rain arrived and Rosberg suddenly woke up.
In the event, the result revolved around Hamilton's decision to pit for intermediates just as Nico caught him on lap 43. According to the man himself "it wasn't luck or genius, just the right call". Shall we just settle on a gut instinct about the vagaries of the British weather? The Silverstone crowd certainly seemed to approve - and Hamilton's home win was arguably precisely the 'Feel Good story' which F1 required this weekend.
Rating out of ten: 9
If Nico Rosberg did nothing wrong at Silverstone, it could just as reasonably be argued that he didn't quite do enough to claim the win. For the second race weekend in succession, Nico neglected to grasp the initiative on his final Q3 run after his team-mate had left the door open and until his sudden surge through the rain, rounding both Williams cars in the process, he was a rather anonymous presence in the race as well.
Still, after he suddenly closed in on Hamilton and the lead of the race, it was hard not to sympathise with Rosberg over what happened next. "His speed at that point played against him," argued Sky F1's Martin Brundle. "It wouldn't have even crossed his mind to stop then." In fact, the rain was so unexpected that Rosberg admitted afterwards he was pleased to see Hamilton duck down the pitlane for a set of intermediates. Sometimes in sport you make your own luck - and this weekend, Rosberg didn't quite do enough to make it happen.
Rating out of ten: 7.5
Speaking afterwards, Sebastian Vettel - grinning as always - said he'd like to add the weather to the list of English things he likes. And the Ferrari driver has good reason to, since it was the decision to follow Hamilton into the pits just as the conditions deteriorated that led to his opportunistic third-place finish.
It was a decision that turned his weekend around, what with Ferrari off the pace and Vettel himself struggling with a poor start that dropped him from sixth on the grid to ninth in the early laps. An early pit-stop put him ahead of Daniil Kvyat's Red Bull, while another place was gained when team-mate Kimi Raikkonen elected - wrongly as it turned out - to make an early stop for intermediates. Much like Hamilton, it's difficult to explain why some drivers always seem to be in the right place at the right time - or rather make the right decision at the right time - but it didn't come as a surprise to suddenly see Vettel up there. Luck, judgement - call it what you want, but he has it.
Rating out of ten: 7
Although Williams and Felipe Massa's weekend ended, on paper at least, in credit, there can have been no sense of celebration in the garage afterwards.
While Massa bemoaned the belated call onto intermediates that came too late to prevent Vettel stealing third, the team itself had to fend off accusations they had sabotaged their own race by initially instructing Valtteri Bottas to hold station when he clearly had more pace than his team-mate. In the circumstances, even after delivering the lap of qualifying, fourth must have felt a rather hollow achievement for the veteran.
Rating out of ten: 8
So could Williams have had a better race if Valtteri Bottas had passed Massa during the early laps? The team said not and unsurprisingly Massa said the same. Even more unsurprising was Bottas's assertion that they would have. This being Bottas, his assertion didn't really seem too assertive; more a calm expression of his opinion delivered with a half-smile and a bit of a shrug. But all in all, a disappointing result for the Finn considering what might have been.
The Williams team might not have been too chuffed if Bottas had ignored them and gone for it, but one suspects the glint in Sir Frank Williams' eyes might have betrayed them. And Ferrari would probably have taken notice too, because despite what teams say when the shoe is on the other foot and they decide to impose orders, a selfish streak is the type of characteristic they actually seek out.
Rating out of ten: 7.5
After a scruffy start to his Red Bull career, Daniil Kvyat has settled down to enjoy a steady stream of tidy - and profitable - race weekends. Not only has the Russian youngster out-qualified Daniel Ricciardo for every race since Monaco, but he has also scored points in five of the last six events.
It's been a quietly impressive performance from a driver whose inexperience is easily overlooked, with sixth place this weekend at the upper limits of what was achievable from the underpowered Red Bull-Renault package. "Dany drove a great race," noted team boss Christian Horner.
Rating out of ten: 8
So Nico Hulkenberg's good form continues with another top-ten result coming the German's way thanks to Force India’s B-spec car - and his own skill, of course. Running fifth in the early laps after a start he described as "sensational", the cork then went back in the bottle as his presence allowed the Williams and Mercedes cars to pull clear of the rest.
The Hulk eventually had to settle for seventh after switching to intermediates too late but it's another timely result for the Le Mans winner, who will no doubt continue to imitate Alastair Cook by meeting speculation about his future - Ferrari and Williams are the names being bandied about - with a dogged straight bat.
Rating out of ten: 8.5
For Kimi Raikkonen in 2015, it never rains but it pours. Ironically, the problem for Raikkonen this Sunday was that it didn't rain hard enough or early enough, rendering his decision - one of only four made by the entire field - to stop for intermediate tyres during the first but short-lived race shower a calamitous own-goal. "The strategy guys do a wonderful job, but when it rains, it's the driver who has the final call to the pits. In the case of Kimi, whose strategy was identical to Seb's, he thought it better to come in," ominously noted Maurizio Arrivabene, the Ferrari team boss, with finger pointed squarely at the Finn.
Until then, the weekend had mostly been positive for the former world champion, headlined by his qualifying defeat of Vettel. Instead, with his race wrecked by the erroneous call, to which insult was added to injury when his inters burnt out just as the rain finally fell, Raikkonen crossed the line five places behind his team-mate. In the context of Kimi's fight to save his seat, it was a poor result amounting to something of a disaster.
Rating out of ten: 6
Like Hulkenberg, Sergio Perez left it a bit too long before finally pitting for wet tyres but still finished in the points, helping Force India to their second double top-ten finish in a row. The team will clearly be hoping for more of the same now their new car has finally arrived; and no-one will be keener to put it through its paces than the Mexican, who has slipped into his team-mate's shadow during recent races.
Rating out of ten: 7
At last! Eight months after re-signing for McLaren, Fernando Alonso finally has a point to show for his endeavours after breaking his 2015 points-scoring duck with 10th place at Silverstone. A small step forward, but no more than that with only a Sauber and the two Manors behind the McLaren when the chequered flag was unfurled. "Race with many retirements today that helped us to score first point," Alonso acknowledged in a post-race tweet.
Indeed, the Spaniard was so underwhelmed by his result that he seemed more concerned after the grand prix with lambasting the quality of driving on the opening lap. "The start was unbelievable," complained an irate Fernando. "It was a big mess as we arrived at Turn Three. The two Lotus drivers were far too aggressive, and they touched each other and in avoiding them, I had a half-spin, and touched Jenson. There were a lot of retirements, and little common sense on display."
Rating out of ten: 7
And those finishing outside the top 10...
Like Raikkonen, Marcus Ericsson switched to intermediates too soon and was forced in again - not once but twice, for mediums and then a switch back to inters. And considering that he eventually finished just four seconds behind Alonso, it was a decision that probably cost the Swede, and Sauber, a point.
Given that twelfth place amounted, by a margin of two positions, Roberto Merhi's best result in F1, it would almost be churlish to point out that but for his team-mate's spin, he was set to cross the line last of the 13 runners who reached the chequered flag. "To be honest, this had not been the best weekend for me prior to the race, but it all came good when it mattered and I found the performance I needed to get ahead," Merhi said afterwards.
He made the chequered flag at his home race but the final result was, in the driver’s own words, "incredibly frustrating" as Will Stevens wound up behind Merhi in the timesheets. A premature stop for inters was the principal culprit, leaving Stevens to run a 15-lap final stint on intermediates tyres that were worn out long before he spun off into the barriers and tore off his front-wing.
Excluded from the ratings after retiring from the race:
Carlos Sainz
Daniel Ricciardo
Max Verstappen
Pastor Maldonado
Romain Grosjean
Felipe Nasr
Jenson Button
Don't miss the F1 Midweek Report for all the analysis of the British GP. Former FIA president Max Mosley and F1 correspondent for The Times Kevin Eason join Natalie Pinkham in the studio. Catch it at 8:30pm on Wednesday July 8 on Sky Sports F1."'Dunkirk' is not a war film. It’s a survival story and first and foremost a suspense film," the filmmaker said.
Although his highly anticipated next feature, “Dunkirk,” is set during World War II, director Christopher Nolan has been vocal that he does not see it as a war film, but more of a story of survival. That’s why it’s been rated PG-13 for “intense war experience and some language,” instead of the R-rating most war films tend to share.
READ MORE: ‘Dunkirk’: Christopher Nolan Explains Why the WWII Story Is in His ‘DNA’
In an interview with the Associated Press (via The Playlist), the director more fully explained the rating, and how it speaks to what he is trying to achieve with the new film.
“All of my big blockbuster films have been PG-13. It’s a rating I feel comfortable working with totally. ‘Dunkirk’ is not a war film. It’s a survival story and first and foremost a suspense film,” Nolan said. “So while there is a high level of intensity to it, it does not necessarily concern itself with the bloody aspects of combat, which have been so well done in so many films. We were really trying to take a different approach and achieve intensity in a different way. I would really like lots of different types of people to get something out of the experience.”
READ MORE: Christopher Nolan Teases Tricky ‘Dunkirk’ Storytelling: ‘The Film is Told From Three Points of View’
Based on a true story, “Dunkirk” chronicles the hundreds of thousands of Allied troops who were stationed on a beach and surrounded by the enemy German army during the early days of WWII. The film stars Nolan regulars Tom Hardy and Cillian Murphy, as well as Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh, One Direction singer Harry Styles, Aneurin Barnard, Jack Lowden, James D’Arcy, Barry Keoghan, Tom Glynn-Carney and newcomer Fionn Whitehead.
It opens in theaters nationwide on July 21.
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Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.Jones said his availability to Ganassi was a result of delays in re-signing with Coyne given that he no longer had the $1m Mazda scholarship fund for winning the 2016 Indy Lights title.
That prize money was key to him graduating to Coyne this past season, and IndyCar’s only fulltime rookie in 2017 finished third for DCR in the Indianapolis 500.
According to team boss Dale Coyne, the pair shook hands on a second season together, and in mid-September he told Motorsport.com that a new deal was close. However, Jones says the pair could not find a suitable compromise for his sophomore season.
“I don’t want to get into too much ‘He said that, I said that’”, said Jones. “No matter what has happened, I am really thankful for what Dale has done for me, we had a really good relationship with Dale and his wife Gail, who is a big part of the team.
“We wanted to do a deal, we had an idea that we were going to do one, but things were delayed so much that we never got there. [The delay] was in trying to come up with a deal that we could both agree on,” he said.
“Obviously I had the scholarship last year which really helped me out and without the scholarship for next year, it was going to be a lot more difficult for us.”
Jones added that turning down Ganassi would have been the biggest mistake of his career.
He said: “Things happen for a reason and the Ganassi offer was an opportunity and a target I had from when I first moved to the United States in 2015. The goal was to always get an opportunity like the one that I have at Ganassi now.
“It’s a scenario where if I was to turn down what I then got offered, it would have been the biggest mistake I would make in my racing career.
“It’s a sad thing that I am not with Coyne in one sense because I loved being with the team and we got on really well, but on the other hand, I am really looking forward to this opportunity with Ganassi.
“It is one of the top two teams, one of the most successful in IndyCar, and in addition to that it gives me a professional drive. I have been hired to drive.
“There are other factors in there which are really important and enable me to have a long-term professional career with them, which is the target, so it was a no-brainer really.”
Jones replaces Tony Kanaan in the #10 car, alongside incumbent Scott Dixon, as Ganassi reduces from four to two cars.
- Additional reporting by Jake NicholJoachim Ante said:
We used to have a very big feature delta between free & pro. It was always very difficult to balance what features should be in pro / free. For different customers different features were important.
On the one hand hand customers who are actually making money, paying employees full-time salaries find the value of Unity pro easily $125/mo.
For this reason with Unity 5 we introduced the free license. And put all features in it, the only differentiator being that if you are in fact making money, you are not allowed to use the free license. This way anyone can get started with Unity, without being held back by arbitrary feature limitations.
We also needed at least some differentiation, and we really didn’t want it to be features. Thus we chose the splashscreen + dark skin, on top of the $100k revenue limit.
So yes, you could look at it as “splashscreen + dark skin” costs $35. Thats crazy. But that is not the intent here.
The intent is that customers who can afford it, pay the cost of Unity Pro. For those who can’t it is important for the eocsystem that they can use the same features.
Click to expand...In a cramped Harvard University sub-basement, a team of women is working to document the rich history of their predecessors.
More than 40 years before women gained the right to vote, women labored in the Harvard College Observatory as “computers” — astronomy’s version of NASA’s “Hidden Figures” mathematicians.
Between 1885 and 1927, the observatory employed about 80 women who studied glass plate photographs of the stars, many of whom made major discoveries. They found galaxies and nebulas and created methods to measure distance in space. In the late 1800s, they were famous: newspapers wrote about them and they published scientific papers under their own names, only to be virtually forgotten during the next century. But a recent discovery of thousands of pages of their calculations by a modern group of women working in the very same space has spurred new interest in their legacy.
Surrounded by steel cabinets stuffed with hundreds of thousands of plate glass photographs of the sky, curator Lindsay Smith Zrull shows off the best of the collection.
“I have initials but I have not yet identified whose initials these are,” Smith Zrull says, pointing at a paper-sized glass plate crowded with notes taken in four different colors. “One of these days, I’m going to figure out who M.E.M. is.”
Each glass plate is stored in a paper jacket and initialed to show who worked on it, but for decades no one kept track of the women’s full names. So Smith Zrull started a spreadsheet about 18 months ago and adds initials when she discovers new ones and then tries to locate the full names in Harvard’s historical records.
“I’m slowly starting to piece together who was who, who was here when, what they were studying,” she says. Smith Zrull has about 130 female names and about 40 are still unidentified.
Curatorial assistant Anne Callahan inspects a plate before it is cleaned for scanning. She makes sure the metadata from the paper jacket is properly entered into the computer before the plate goes to be wiped down and then scanned. Credit: Alex Newman/PRI
Not all are computers. Her list has grown to include assistants and, in some cases, astronomers’ wives who helped with their husbands’ work.
“We know there were at least 80 women who worked in this space on these glass plate photographs, which is a pretty amazing number considering women were still trying to get social approval to go to college, let alone work in the sciences,” Smith Zrull said.
In the Plate Stacks at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics — the modern version of what was once called the Harvard College Observatory — Smith Zrull oversees a digitization project to make the glass plates available to the world. Since 2005, a custom-built scanner has been making its way through the collection of more than half a million plates from 1885 to 1993. The team scans 400 plates per day — they’re at about the halfway point now — and Smith Zrull estimates about three years of scanning remains.
‘People forgot they were there’
Last fall Smith Zrull turned her attention to about 30 notebooks in the plate stacks belonging to the women computers.
“I started to realize a lot of these books were missing,” she says. “I started doing a little bit of digging and eventually came across some proof that we might have boxes in storage off-site, which is very common for libraries around Harvard.”
Smith Zrull found 118 boxes, each containing between 20 and 30 books. Inside were more notebooks from the women computers and notebooks from astronomers who predated photography and made hand-drawn sketches of planets and the moon.
“People didn’t know they existed when they were in storage,” Smith Zrull says. “As different curators came and went here, I suppose people forgot they were there. Now that we know they exist, we can make them accessible to the public, they can be cataloged in a library so people can come across them.”
The books had moved from one library to the plate stacks to another library to a book depository, essentially lost to history until Smith Zrull began looking for more information on the women computers.
To resurrect their legacy, she enlisted the help of librarians from the Wolbach Library in the Center for Astrophysics. The librarians prepared to manually go through the boxes and begin the labor-intensive process of cataloging them. Project PHAEDRA (an acronym for Preserving Harvard’s Early Data and Research in Astronomy) was born.
‘OK, we’ve hit pay dirt’
Then Smith Zrull made another discovery in the plate stacks: a handwritten catalog of the books from 1973.
“At some point in 1973, someone who we assume is named ‘Joe Timko’ went through all of these boxes at an item level and recorded as much information as he could find,” says head librarian Daina Bouquin. “We have no sense of why this was done or what became of the person who did this, but we thought, ‘OK, we’ve hit pay dirt.’ ”
Then someone found a typewritten version of the 1973 catalog, adorned with a Post-it saying “Finally done! Rachel.” On the very last page was a handwritten path to a computer file, a spreadsheet on a Harvard server that hadn’t been accessed since 2001.
The discovery sped up the digitization project by months, if not years.
“We went from having absolutely no metadata, like 30 characters on each box, to having item-level, machine-readable, type-written metadata that we could then edit and clean up and turn into real records,” explains Bouquin. “Thank you Joe Timko and possibly Rachel, wherever they may be.”
The library has completed transcription of about 200 volumes. Right now, notebooks from two women are listed on the Smithsonian Transcription Center website. There are many more to come — nearly 2,300 out of a total 2,500 books — but the work has begun. Bouquin hopes the public will help transcribe the books, but anticipates it will still be years before everything is readable.
“You’ll be able to do a full-text search of this research,” Bouquin says. “If you search for Williamina Fleming, you’re not going to just find a mention of her in a publication where she wasn’t the author of her work. You’re going to find her work.”
Bouquin, left, and Smith Zrull, right, hold up an original image of Williamina Fleming posing in the plate stacks in a 1891 photo that was the first photo used in bestselling author Dava Sobell's 2016 book, "The Glass Universe." Smith Zrull says they know the 1891 image is posed because a window is closed and the tool Fleming is using to study a plate only works with window light. Credit: Alex Newman/PRI
‘She’s the one who really found it’
Fleming is the first famous woman computer. Fleming emigrated to the United States from Scotland in the late 1870s. While pregnant, she was abandoned by her husband and found work as a maid in the home of Edward Pickering, the observatory director. In 1881, Pickering hired Fleming to work in the observatory. She would go on to discover the Horsehead Nebula, develop a system for classifying stars based on hydrogen observed in their spectra and lead more female computers.
The display case in Wolbach Library includes pages from a journal kept by Fleming; a portrait of her that librarians chose because she describes buying a hat (but not necessarily the one pictured) in the diary; and one of the recently-discovered logbooks, opened to the page where she noted the Horsehead Nebula for the first time. Credit: Courtesy Daina Boquin, Wolbach Library
Wolbach Library unveiled a new display case in early July showcasing Fleming’s work. The case includes pages from her diary as well as her work on the plates showing the nebula and the log book containing that discovery.
“When the [Horsehead Nebula] was discovered, it was just a little ‘area of nebulosity in a semi-circular indentation,’” says librarian Maria McEachern, who has helped the team sort through the notebooks to find the more interesting pieces. “That’s how it was described at the time. It wasn’t until years later that it became known as the Horsehead Nebula and one of the male scientists at another institution who named it was the one who got credit for it. It wasn’t even until recently that people have been doing more scholarship and finding out that, yes, she’s the one who really found it.”
But Fleming was just the first of many to become famous.
Pickering hired Henrietta Swan Leavitt in 1895. She was tasked with measuring and cataloguing the brightness of the stars. Her major discovery: a way to allow astronomers to measure distance in space, now known as “Leavitt’s Law,” an attempt to give her credit for her work.
Annie Jump Cannon joined the observatory in 1896 and worked there until 1940. Cannon created the Harvard Classification System for classifying stars, which is the basis of the system still in use today.
Williamina Fleming stands in the center of the women in this 1891 photograph, overseeing their work as they study plates and mark their findings in logbooks. Credit: Courtesy Harvard College Observatory, Plate Stacks
Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin came to the Observatory in 1923 and earned a doctorate from Radcliffe in 1925, but she struggled to get recognition from Harvard. For years she had no official position, serving as a technical assistant to then-director Harlow Shapley from 1927 to 1938. It wasn’t until the mid-1950s that she became a full professor and later, the first woman to head a department at Harvard.
Payne-Gaposchkin’s notebooks will be the next set scanned and submitted for transcription. (Leavitt and Cannon’s notebooks are in the process of being transcribed.)
‘They’ve always been there’
“I like to think resilience goes a long way, but I think some of these women go a little above and beyond what we think of when we think of overcoming things,” Bouquin says.
Both Bouquin and Smith Zrull said they want to give young girls more role models like the Harvard computers — role models who weren’t well-known when they were young.
“Yes, look at Sally Ride, look at modern women who people associate with the space-based sciences, but go back further,” Bouquin says. “They’ve always been there. As long as they could be, they were there.”
Smith Zrull — who hated history as a teen — said she struggled to find women who encouraged her.
“It really took me a long time to start to find women who I felt were like me, who did important things,” Smith Zrull said. “I think more women need to know, you’re not alone, you can do it.”
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story spelled Williamina Fleming's name as Wilhelmina.About This Game
Building-sized Mechs: Drop into six different state-of-the-art war machines
13+ Weapon Systems: Rain hellfire in every direction with arm-mounted artillery
Unique Special Abilities: Singularity Beam, Invisibility Cloak, Death from Above… Use strategically!
4 Unforgiving Maps: Blast the destructible desert, mountain, farmland, and city into pieces and use the natural features of the landscape to your advantage.
Tactile cockpit controls: Roam free, and fight to win with full control of your mech
THE WAR NEEDS YOU! Archangel Hellfire is the unholy union of god-like mech weaponry and infernal team deathmatch gameplay. Pilot massive weapons of destruction, armed to the teeth, and war on post-apocalyptic lands in this free-roaming shooter. Think you have what it takes to battle mech-to-mech and win world domination for your faction in The Great Mech Wars? Enlist and get into a mech today!Why Democrats Will, at the End of the Day, Pass Health-Care Reform
"Democrats should, but almost certainly won't, listen to Jon Chait," writes Matt Yglesias. He's referring to this post Chait wrote on the way Americans will judge health-care reform:
People do not pay close attention to details...[I]f health care reform passes...it will have a Rose Garden ceremony, lots of commentary about the historical import, liberal celebrations and conservative apoplexy. If it fails, then the plan will be described as a "failure" -- a designation intended to describe the political prospects but which is certain to bleed into the public's estimation of the plan's substantive merits -- and produce endless commentary about liberal overreach, all of which will make people more prone to believe that the plan was a disaster. Democrats simply have to accept that health care reform is going to be polling badly when they vote on it. There's no mechanism in the current media configuration that would allow them to convey the details of the plan in a positive way without getting overrun by negative process stories. It's just not possible. What they have to focus on is which alternative is likely to make them better off: reform passing or reform failing. It's an easy call, which is why I think reform will pass.
First, a word on the bad "process stories" afflicting health-care reform right now: This sort of thing is inevitable. The final stage of a legislative fight is a bit confusing: It is very hard to tell a legislator who is voting against a bill apart from a legislator who is trying to maximize his influence over a bill. The two of them do the same thing, after all: Express concerns, point out a couple areas of disagreement, admit to overall ambivalence. But one of them doesn't want to vote for the bill and the other is positioning himself to vote for the bill. Reporters, however, can't read minds, so they take the statements at face value. That makes things look a lot grimmer than they are. As they say, it always looks darkest before the deal.
But there will be a deal. This is, in part, for the reasons Jon outlines. Importantly, however, the argument in his post is not some brilliant insight point he thought up during a particularly productive hour on the treadmill. It's just what happens. With all major pieces of legislation. And everyone knows it. Medicare Part D, for instance, barely survived the legislative process. It had a one-vote margin in the House of Representatives. Republicans almost broke the Congress securing the bill's passage. If it had failed, the ethics violations and angry Republicans and huge price tag would have launched a thousand editorials explaining the bill's failures and the deep inadequacies they demonstrated in the administration's policy process. But the bill didn't fail. Now it's law, and pretty popular law, at that.
Democrats know full well that there are two plausible outcomes to the health-care reform process. Health-care reform will fail, dealing a huge blow to the Democratic Party and giving Republicans tremendous momentum as we enter the 2010 campaign season. Or health-care reform will pass, and Democrats will criss-cross the country touting the largest legislative accomplishment in decades. Republicans may still attack them on the plan. But attacking a historic legislative success is a whole lot harder than attacking a historic legislative failure. Republicans know that, which is why they want to kill the bill. Democrats know it too, which is why they won't let them.
Photo credit: AP Photo/Evan Vucci.The Finance Minister has proposed to slash the tax rate for individuals in the lowest income tax slab – Rs 2.5 lakh to Rs 5 lakh –to 5% instead of 10%. The existing rebate under Section 87A (currently given to people with income up to Rs 5 lakh) is proposed to be reduced to Rs 2,500 from the existing Rs 5,000 for individuals earning between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 3.5 lakh. As a result of the combined effect of the new Section 87A rebate and the reduction in the lowest slab tax rate to 5%, the tax burden for those with income up to Rs 3 lakh would be zero and the tax burden for those in the Rs 3 lakh to Rs 3.5 lakh bracket would be Rs 2,500.Those earning, Rs 4.5 lakh, can, therefore, reduce their tax liability to zero by fully utilising the tax break under Section 80C, combined with these new proposals.Those falling in the higher income-tax slabs will also be eligible for this lower tax rate of 5% on income between Rs 2.5 lakh and Rs 5 lakh. Therefore, those in the higher tax slabs will pay lower tax by Rs 12,500 per person.Individuals earning between Rs 50 lakh and Rs 1 crore will have to pay a surcharge of 10% on the total income tax payable by them. Currently, there was no such surcharge on this category. Only those with income above Rs 1 crore were required to pay surcharge of 15%, which continues.The Red Cross has put out a call for more blood donations after storms have canceled more than 200 blood drives in March. (Photo: Shutterstock)
While the late-winter severe weather meant slow commutes and the burden of shoveling snow for most of us, the stormy weather made more than just a passing nuisance for the American Red Cross.
Canceled blood drives across the region and the country have disrupted blood collections for the organization, even as hospitals maintain the same demand for the lifesaving donations.
In March alone, storms forced the cancellation of more than 200 blood drives, resulting in nearly 7,000 uncollected blood and platelet donations, according to Cara Leyna Noble of the New York-Penn Blood Services Region.
For a better sense of the shortfall, consider that a unit of blood is equal to a pint, resulting in about 875 lost gallons in just the first two weeks of March. Since February, storms across 27 states left 26,400 blood and platelet donations uncollected, Noble said. Those missed donations would overfill an average swimming pool.
To keep hospital shelves stocked, the Red Cross depends on a steady supply of blood donations throughout the year. Late winter poses a problem with storms and missed appointments as flu season takes its toll on would-be blood-givers, Nobel said.
"If we have to cancel |
ish, noone can call you, too long v1c7r1x - too many letters replaced with numbers TheVaginaBorn - do you really want others to call you a vagina born? [ToCo][BTF]Thunder_BlaZe - too many clan tags [RLM_SUCKS] diskawrs - offensive towards other clan, not a good sport "402CdnFOX" - everything is wrong here...
2. Being a gentleman in chat
Things you should say in lobby:
Say hello If there is time, ask something nice ( "How are you guys?", "I am really looking forward to the new feature they announced in the last stream, what do you say?" ) When you going AFK, say so ( "brb 5 min", "brb bio" ), it may prevent you from being kicked too If you are the last one to be ready, at least say something why ( "Still rendering guys, hold on" ) If you are a beginner or newbie, don't be scared to admit it ( people are fine with that in Team games, unless you meet some elitist jerk )
Things you should say during the game:
Good luck, have fun ("gl hf") at the start - This is a good sport and you should always say this, when in FFA/Team game you should reply by "gl hf", when in 1v1 "thx, u2" Good Game ("gg") at the end - Say this whenever you or your team lost, always say it, it is a good sport. If you win, say this after your opponent said "gg" or at the same time, do not announce "gg" when you are about to finish him ( eg. launching a planet ), it is impolite. Read more about "gg" in guideline no.3 - Know when you lost.
General behaviour during game or when spectating:
Don't be rude, dirty, pervert etc. Try not to rage, don't whine (when you lose say "gg", not "f&#k you") In FFA games, you can share intel if you are still alive ( despite people won't like you sharing it; it is ok only if you are still alive!, definatelly not when spectating ) In Team games, write in team chat ( shift+enter ), do not embarass yourself by revealing something important to opponents in general chat ( enter ) Never ever share any intel, comment on game, advice or criticize when you are already dead. This is not a good sport, nobody will like you and you spoil the whole game. You have a privilege to stay in the game, so be silent and spectate, learn something new. You of course may talk, but use common sense ( which you already should have so why the hell are you reading those guidelines, this is all just common sense! ) When you lose, you lose, you don't loose
3. Know when you lost
Some examples:
During first 20 minutes you lost most of your energy plants and your metal expansion due to extensive raids of your opponent. You must rebuild your whole base to continue. This is a "gg" for you and you should know it. Nothing but your commander is alive, but you managed to escape and hide (undiscovered part of the planet, flying in space etc.). This is a "gg" for you and you should know it. There is no way you gonna win if you have nothing left and your opponent has a whole main planet (in 1v1), if you are in FFA, you are still good to go.
What to do, when you know you lost:
Say "gg", select your commander(s) and press "delete". You will kill your commander and lose the game. This saves time both for you and your opponent. Nobody does like chasing down running commanders or stretching the game for another 10 minutes so he can nuke you on the moon you just landed on with nothing left. This is a good sport if you know, when you lost and you can admit it. Never ever say "gg" and not delete your commander afterwards. Not a good sport and only stupid stretching of the game. If you want to continue, don't call "gg". Never ever leave the game before you delete your commander. The game is not lost/won unless there is a just one player or team left.
Hi guys,many of you remember so called "gentleman rules" we had in past, which are no longer valid. However, these rules were mostly aimed to balance the game in parts it wasn't yet balanced due to certain game build.This guide of "How to play like a gentleman" is different. First at all, these are not rules, but more of a guidelines or recommendations. It is aimed to give you a good understanding on how to play fair, how to interact with other players and how to behave in the game like a true gentleman, like someone, whose oppenents will always want to face again in battle.I would like to point out, that this is ongoing thread and some of you might have good suggestions of what should be added to these guidelines. I will edit the main post if such a suggestion appears in comments.Content:Ok so now you have a cool name, people can actually pronounce your name or remember you in future and your name doesn't offend anyone, we can progress!The most important things, I really mean super important, are in bold.I often meet players, that never give up. This is not a good sport. Of course some moments are not easy to call, but you must learn to know, when you lost.________I have written way too much now, there is certainly some topics to cover, but I will do this later and it is also a good moment to get some feedback from you guys. Start shooting some ideas!GUYS. In the promotional art of Death Stranding we can see Norman Reedus’ character wearing multiple dog tags. Two of these read out equations. What do these equations have in common? Black Holes.
One of these is the Schwarzschild Metric. It’s related to black holes. It describes gravitational fields outside of spherical masses or the assumption that electric charges of mass and momentum of the mass are all zero before calculating the stability of a black hole.
The schwarzschild black hole is a black hole that has no charge or angular momentum and is surrounded by an event horizon.
Though the equation itself relates directly more to the Schwarzschild radius, which is the maximum radius of a really fucking big thing which the escape velocity reaches the highest thingy it can. (See, the speed of light).
Basically there’s some crazy ass space/time shit going on here
This could be the most scientific way ever to explain “The light will escape from the darkness”.
The other equation looks like the Dirac equation, which relates to waves in quantum mechanics and particle physics. It usually covers the hydrogen spectrum. Considering antihydrogens are the most presumed type of element that would be used for the development of the warp drive, this could only go into further confirmation this is all in relation to wormholes and black holes.
Even with all of this involved, it’s still a mystery what the trailer could really be trying to portray. The baby/fetus in the trailer could very well represent himself, considering the space/time fuckery possibly involved. The C-section looking scar on his stomach could very well be something to do with himself as a variable.City auditors have found a trifecta of problems inside Portland's office promoting neighborhoods and civic engagement, including poor oversight, unequal funding and unfinished plans.
Portland's Office of Neighborhood Involvement is responsible for helping the city's 95 neighborhood associations, and it also gives grants to nonprofits that promote diversity.
But a city report released Wednesday by Auditor Mary Hull Caballero found the office lacks clear direction. Commissioner Amanda Fritz, an outspoken proponent of public involvement, has led the office for more than five of the past eight years.
Auditors found Portland spends about $4.8 million annually for community and neighborhood involvement, with more than half that money awarded as grants. But the office doesn't require groups that receive the money to provide annual plans documenting expected work or benchmarks for success.
"We found that the office does not provide adequate oversight of grant recipients," auditors wrote.
The office itself is also rudderless, according to the audit. Office leaders are supposed to create an annual action plan, but none has been written since 2005. Amalia Alarcon de Morris has directed the office since 2006.
"Without a plan, staff struggle to accomplish tasks and much remains incomplete," auditors wrote. "Many staff members said they were hindered by a lack of strategic planning or priority setting."
Auditors also found problems with funding decisions.
In the last fiscal year, officials doled out $2.1 million to the seven district coalitions that serve as umbrella groups for various neighborhood associations. Of that, the East Portland Neighborhood Office and the Central Northeast group each received nearly the same amount of money -- just under $300,000. But the east office represents nearly 150,000 people, three times as many residents as Central Northeast, meaning it received about $2 for every person in its dominion compared to about $6 for the other group.
The City Council could make changes. But a group of citizen budget advisers has said Portland should not take money from one coalition to fund another, and instead should provide more money overall.
"This approach effectively locks current disparities in place," the audit concluded.
Over the years, city officials have also lumped more responsibilities on the Office of Neighborhood Involvement, including Elders in Action and a New Portlanders Program to reach immigrants. But there's been no vision for how those programs fit together, auditors noted, and managers complained that employees are overworked.
The Office of Neighborhood Involvement has about 55 full-time employees and an annual budget of $10.3 million. It represents a small fraction of the city's $501.4 million discretionary general fund.
In a response letter, Fritz said she believes the office is making progress. But she generally agreed with the audit's findings and pledged improvements, although it's not clear if she'll maintain oversight of the office in 2017, when Mayor-elect Ted Wheeler takes over.
"Your recommendations can help improve our city's nationally recognized community engagement programs," Fritz wrote, "and have a real impact on Portlanders' lives."
-- Brad Schmidt
503-294-7628
@cityhallwatchSince becoming a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I’ve encountered a few cultural differences that took a little adjustment. For example, in the Baptist church, the same preacher delivers the sermon almost every Sunday, so it was strange to me that in this Church we didn’t have the same preacher every week. To make things even stranger, it was folks from the congregation that delivered the sermons!
Most people would rather go to the dentist than deliver public speeches. As members of the Church, however, it’s our responsibility to take our turn to speak in sacrament meeting. This truth makes it imperative for us to take the time to learn how to speak and communicate our thoughts and feelings to a congregation from the pulpit.
The way I see it, there’s always somebody in the Church audience that’s in need. If this weren’t true, nobody would be there in the first place. Every time I’ve stood at the pulpit to speak—whether as a Baptist preacher or Latter-day Saint teacher—I feel the congregation’s need. The members need me to follow the direction of the Spirit and to speak inspiring words from our Father in Heaven.
Recognize your sacred responsibility to prepare.
Preparing for the sacred responsibility of speaking in sacrament meeting is vital when we accept an invitation from the bishopric to address the ward. Think about it. When you’re in the audience, you don’t want to sit through a talk where it’s obvious the speaker did little to prepare. This is why praying, studying, fasting, and following the Spirit’s direction is so important when giving a talk in sacrament meeting.
Remember that practice makes effective.
Another key ingredient when preparing for a speaking assignment is practice, practice, practice! Did I mention you should also practice?
Do you think speakers who deliver a talk with the tongue of angels didn’t prepare and practice? I make it a habit to practice giving a talk, even when I don’t have an assignment to speak! I practice in the mirror while shaving. I practice in my car while driving. If I have some extra time to kill in the morning, I give a talk.
As I deliver these impromptu talks, I focus on how to communicate my thoughts and on what words are the best to use. When I do have a speaking assignment, the thoughts and words formed in these practice talks serve as the tools the Spirit uses to help me speak God’s words to my brothers and sisters.
Simply put, effective speakers practice.
I’ve never met a person who wasn’t afraid to speak in public at first. I’ve never met one who hit a home run with their first talk. We all start out scared, stuttering, and nervous. You know what I’m saying. “Uh, good morning brothers and sisters, uh...” Or “Ummm... my name is Wain Myers...”
Don't forget to prepare with the right perspective.
The difference between a good sacrament meeting speaker and a not-so-good sacrament meeting speaker is practice and perspective. If our perspective is that we have a sacred responsibility to prepare and speak the Lord’s word to the congregation—and we practice—we will become better speakers with each and every assignment.
The pulpit is a sacred place. As a Baptist preacher, I understood that the people sitting in the pews were in spiritual need. I understood that my role as a preacher was to be a conduit through which the Lord uplifted and edified His children. I admit that many of my motives at the time were less than pure, but that was due largely to a lack of light and knowledge. I always practiced and prepared, no matter what.
Never before has the world been in such need of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Preaching His gospel is a sacred responsibility that we, as members of the Lord’s true Church, must be willing and ready to do at all times and in all places. Whether we’re at the pulpit delivering a talk in sacrament meeting or taking part in a member-present missionary lesson, we have the sacred responsibility to be prepared to speak up when we’re asked to do so, and even when we’re not. Basically, we need to be ready to teach the gospel whenever the Spirit moves us to open our mouths.Legal to be naked in public in San Francisco
Public nudity has been in the news lately in San Francisco, as several men have been walking around the City, primarily in the Castro district, completely nude. You cannot watch the evening news without some sort of coverage of the event. Even I was shocked to learn that it is not illegal to be nude in public in San Francisco.
Apparently, simply being without clothing in public is not a crime. Engaging in lewd conduct, or being naked while aroused is a crime. Thus, the unassuming naked men wandering the streets and carrying about their business, are not committing an arrestable offense.
It is unclear the form this law takes, i.e. whether it is a positive law, stating "nudity is not a crime," or, what I believe is the case, there is simply no law addressing the matter, only ones outlining the above stated limitations regarding lewd conduct and arousal.
San Francisco supervisors considering regulations to address nudists
The proposal would require that naked persons place a garment or some other barrier between themselves and a seat, when they are in public. It would also require that they cover up before entering a restaurant, an iteration of the "no shoes, no shirt, no service," motto of the food industry.Interactive Music?
Music Heavy Mix?
Non-Player Dialog?
Sounds in Space?!
In our sixth dev diary video, which has just been released and can be found, David Braben provides his commentary on the development process for the recently released ‘Damocles’ capital ship battle video. The video was used as the test piece for selecting the game’s composer, and Erasmus Talbot’s ‘winning’ score is front & centre in the audio mix! If you haven't watched the ‘Damocles’ video yet, i) you are in for a treat and ii) you can do soFurther detail, about the art process behind that video, will be the subject of a future dev diary video that’s coming soon - make sure to catch it!Until then, there have been some ‘frequently asked questions’ on audio aspects of the ‘Damocles’ capital ship battle video so here is some further insight:The video was put together intentionally to prompt a cinematic approach to the score from all the composers who participated, to allow us to best gauge each composers’ range in a variety of on-screen situations in as short a time as possible whilst still supporting a coherent visual narrative. In game battle will use a very different musical treatment, allowing for a degree of interactivity while at the same time allowing in cockpit audio to cut through the mix. More on this topic can be found in the excellent interview between Erasmus Talbot and Jim CroftAs we were trying to showcase Erasmus' excellent score, the audio mix in the video was deliberately'music heavy'. The sound effects design is simply in there to support and inform, and intentionally takes something of a back seat in the mix. This will not be the case in the game itself.We used non-player character dialog as a mechanism with which to convey the video’s'mercenary' scenario. When you are playing the game you’ll be absorbed in the flow of your game and so will implicitly understand exactly what you are doing and why. For a short, sharp ‘snap-shot’ of a possible game scenario like this we used dialog to provide context for what was unfolding on screen. We do NOT have plans for NPC dialog such as this in the game itself, but you will be able to communicate with other players via voice chat if you want, so maybe this will have a similar flavour. Communication with game characters will be text-based via the messaging system.No sound is transmitted through a vacuum, and this is something we have been thinking long and hard about. We will be talking more about this in the future, but we have a solution that we think works well, and fits well with this. We wanted to convey the audio difference when entering an atmosphere or docking at a station, and were thinking how this would work.What we have come up with is a solution where audio is used to augment your sense while flying. Your ship's systems however, are capable of synthesizing and conveying sound from external data gathered via sensor clusters, heightening your intuitive awareness of your tactical situation. You will, as you would expect, be able to customize and filter the scope and detail of such supplementary auditory input you receive. This is mixed in with real sounds, like debris hitting your ship, the sound of your engines and other internal systems (which you can hear as your ship is pressurized – or at least is pressurized for most of the time…).
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It’s dog-eat-dog in the vast Elite: Dangerous galaxy, so you will soon develop a particular affinity for your weapons systems! Weapons in Elite: Dangerous are attached to standard hard-point mountings on your ship’s hull, and you have a great variety of choice as you get tooled up in the shipyards.Shipyards and weapons manufacturers are spread throughout human space and prices are dependent on which shipyard you are at, shipping costs from the manufacturer and so on. Of course there are some pretty-well standard universal options, but we think as soon as you’ve completed that first profitable trade run you’ll be shopping for some of the more specialist weapons tune-up services and exotic weapons types to maintain your combat advantage. And maybe will be motivated to seek out the more specialist manufacturers directly for a better deal on their latest wares.Initially kinetic weapons will be cost effective, like this rail gun.And you can customise the type of projectiles you’re using to suit particular purposes.Here is the beam laser:Some weapons can be gimbal mounted to aid tracking and targeting (generally you will have to fit a size smaller if you want a gimbal mount, for a given hard-point size):As well as weapons, defensive measures are of course important. Hard-points can also be used to improve defensive capabilities – in fact the smallest hard-points are best used this way. You’ll also notice that thermal management is an issue – the more you burn your engines and fire your weapons, the more heat you will need to vent. But of course this makes you shine like a supernova to those who are looking for your heat signature. Help is at hand, though – on both fronts. There are many ways of dumping heat - attach a heat-sink launcher like the one below, and when things get too hot (!) you can jettison a red-hot pellet that also acts as a great decoy for heat-targeted munitions as well as lowering your ship’s thermal signature.Work continues apace expanding the range of planetary archetypes. On this in-game screenshot of a rocky world with no atmosphere. The cratering is obvious, and evidence of early outflows are much like the maria on Earth’s moon:We also wanted to let you know about a feature we have started in the Private Backers forum. Every week we’re posting a new image from the game.Here is last weeks as a teaser, along with David’s comment."Here is a view of a profoundly cold, volcanic world, with the odd active volcano, surrounded by yellow, sulphurous deposits at the balmy temperature of -40 C. Maybe rare gems have formed in the areas of volcanism, if they haven't already been mined out?"Congratulations to those who have completed their first drafts – T James, Drew Wagar and Allen Stroud, as well as a few stories from the anthology crew.On the writer’s forums there’s some discussion about mysteries that are sprinkled throughout the galaxy.Internally we’re working through the various weapons and modules manufacturers as well as continuing to develop the galaxy layout.Next fiction diary will be a couple of weeks after the art breakdown video.Community member Marko Susimetsä has recently started writing a series of interviews over on hookedgamers.com that may be of interest to not only those who backed the Elite: Dangerous Kickstarter, but also those who helped fund any of the various fiction projects that were born out of it.Each week Marko will be talking with a different Elite fiction author, to ask them about their respective fiction projects and, of course, their history with Elite. So far interviews with Darren Grey and John Harper have been released and we look forward to reading the other interviews that will follow them.Elsewhere, several members of our community have been trying to drum up additional signatures to support the long-running BBC show ‘The Sky at Night’, which the BBC have recently suggested may be taken off-air. The Sky at Night is a show that inspired many people across multiple generations to take an interest in astronomy. If you would like to add your support to the thousands already petitioning to keep the show on-air, then you can do so by adding your signature to the following online petition We are about to complete the final round of physical funding reward add-ons (t-shirts, mugs and prints). Please place your final orders by October 31st. After this date, they will be removed from the available rewards packages. We will be announcing a new retail channel for merchandise in due course.
Once again we thank you for your continued support and enthusiasm for Elite: Dangerous!
Until next time..OBJECTIVE:
The aim of this study was to produce a validated satiety index of common foods.
DESIGN AND SUBJECTS:
Isoenergetic 1000 kJ (240 kcal) servings of 38 foods separated into six food categories (fruits, bakery products, snack foods, carbohydrate-rich foods, protein-rich foods, breakfast cereals) were fed to groups of 11-13 subjects. Satiety ratings were obtained every 15 min over 120 min after which subjects were free to eat ad libitum from a standard range of foods and drinks. A satiety index (SI) score was calculated by dividing the area under the satiety response curve (AUC) for the test food by the group mean satiety AUC for white bread and multiplying by 100. Thus, white bread had an SI score of 100% and the SI scores of the other foods were expressed as a percentage of white bread.
RESULTS:
There were significant differences in satiety both within and between the six food categories. The highest SI score was produced by boiled potatoes (323 +/- 51%) which was seven-fold higher than the lowest SI score of the croissant (47 +/- 17%). Most foods (76%) had an SI score greater than or equal to white bread. The amount of energy eaten immediately after 120 min correlated negatively with the mean satiety AUC responses (r = -0.37, P < 0.05, n = 43) thereby supporting the subjective satiety ratings. SI scores correlated positively with the serving weight of the foods (r = 0.66, P < 0.001, n = 38) and negatively with palatability ratings (r = -0.64, P < 0.001, n = 38). Protein, fibre, and water contents of the test foods correlated positively with SI scores (r = 0.37, P < 0.05, n = 38; r = 0.46, P < 0.01; and r = 0.64, P < 0.001; respectively) whereas fat content was negatively associated (r = -0.43, P < 0.01).
CONCLUSION:
The results show that isoenergetic servings of different foods differ greatly in their satiating capacities. This is relevant to the treatment and prevention of overweight and obesity.Memo to Jeremy Jacobs, Charlie Jacobs and Cam Neely:
We’re sure that smart fellows like you already know this, but just in case: Don’t do it.
Firing general manager Peter Chiarelli and/or coach Claude Julien would be a terrible mistake. Obviously the Bruins brass is deeply troubled and angered by the poor season that came to an end Saturday with the outcomes of games in Tampa, Philadelphia and Buffalo.
It was a flawed campaign from start to finish, and, yes, mistakes in salary cap management by Chiarelli were big reasons why.
Julien really didn’t warrant much blame. He was a busy guy all year, juggling lineups and lines, trying to find consistency in the team’s play. If anything, maybe he juggled too much. But that’s what coaches do when a team has such a terribly hard time shooting the puck into the net.
In many games, the B’s showed what they could be — including in the Game 82 shootout loss to the Lightning, a game that ultimately, because of events elsewhere, meant nothing.
But it was a reminder that the B’s were quite capable of delivering playoff-caliber performances. They just couldn’t do it consistently.
So, yes, Chiarelli and Julien could pay for it by getting the axe. The problem with that plan, alas, is that these two guys, more than anyone either Jacobs, Jeremy and Charlie, or Neely can come up with as replacements, give this team the best chance at dealing with salary cap problems, making needed roster changes and getting the B’s back into the NHL elite.
A Harvard grad and an attorney, Chiarelli has proven that he can solve problems — even ones of his own making — and turn a team around quickly.
The duo sure produced quick and impressive results after Jeremy Jacobs & Co. ruined a very good team by misreading the circumstances of the 2004-05 lockout and willfully let a slew of fine players walk away for nothing.
Consider the eight seasons with Chiarelli and Julien running the show: an average of 103 points (including a pro-rated total for the abbreviated 2012-13 season), two conference titles, one Presidents’ Trophy, two trips to the Stanley Cup final and one Stanley Cup.
Ya think these guys would have much trouble finding new jobs?
Recall Jeremy Jacobs’ glowing praise of Chiarelli last September: “Peter’s the best in the business right now, and we’re relishing in his success.”
This was well after Chiarelli traded away Tyler Seguin, a deal that looks bad only if one does not understand that it was not a hockey trade but a decision to move on from an unprofessional adolescent whose extreme nightlife habits, it was feared, would lead him into serious trouble. Chiarelli critics will always harp on Seguin’s point totals, but the B’s made a hard decision based on real concerns, and people have to understand that.
Or consider what the billionaire owner had to say about Julien in September: “He’s been (coach) — how many years back? Eight years. He’s been the best. It’s been the best experience I’ve seen from the Bruins. I think he’s a terrific coach and we totally support him. He’s been here and he’ll be around for quite a while. I think he’s the maximum confidence I can show.”
By any straightforward metric — and this is a view shared by innumerable hockey people, players and agents, who’ve addressed the B’s situation — it would be grossly unfair and also kind of nuts for Chiarelli or Julien to be dismissed.
Of course, the calculus here maybe isn’t entirely straightforward. And it’s the X-factor variables that should frighten every real Bruins fan — factors that could lead to very irrational decisions.
To sum them up simply:
No. 1 — Neely, as competitive and fierce a player as the Bruins have ever had, has long hungered to have more direct involvement in on-ice hockey operations. The team president doesn’t necessarily make a great administrator, but he surely believes he’ll have the answers to fix this team.
If Neely installs, say, assistant general manager Don Sweeney as the new GM, he’ll have more influence than he could exert with the vastly more experienced Chiarelli in charge.
No. 2 — Well, this year Jeremy Jacobs anointed son Charlie as CEO of Delaware North’s Boston holdings. It’s fair to assume Charlie Jacobs sorely wants to prove himself worthy of his august new title.
On his first day on the job, the son tried to assert himself as the new boss, saying, “Without question this has been a very disappointing year. It’s unacceptable the way this team has performed given the amount of time, money and effort that’s been spent on this team, to see it deliver the way it has is unacceptable.”
When the B’s proceeded to go on a 7-1-1 run, Jacobs took credit, assuming their surge was in response to his words. Or, maybe, it was just that the team, as was the case a few times, had a short-lived uptick in its play.
Neely and Charlie Jacobs, each for his own reasons, may be happy to wave goodbye to Chiarelli. Well, if it happens, if you think this year was a mess, you ain’t seen nothin’ yet.U.S. expatriates pursue American dream in China
JIANKOU GREAT WALL, China His sweat pools quickly as Carl Setzer carries another heavy sack of smoked malt into his farmhouse-turned-brewery beside the Great Wall of China near Beijing.
"I'm living the American dream, just not in America," says the Cleveland native, 29, who brews through the night with unusual ingredients like Sichuan peppercorn to produce craft beers unique in China, and the world.
Setzer typifies a new breed of young Americans, China-savvy and Chinese-speaking, who share the pluck, patience and grit necessary to pursue their diverse dreams here.
After South Koreans, U.S. citizens had formed the second-largest national group among the nearly 600,000 foreigners living on the Chinese mainland at the end of 2010, says China's national statistics bureau.
At a time when many Americans back home worry whether fast-rising China is out to eat their lunch, the number of Americans living on the Chinese mainland has reached a record high of 71,493, according to Chinese census bureau figures released in April.
In addition, more than 60,000 Americans live in Hong Kong, according to the U.S. State Department. A 2005 estimate of 110,000 Americans living in China included Hong Kong residents. Another 430,000 people from Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau lived in China at the end of 2010, but Beijing does not count them as foreign residents.
Those wishing to join them face challenges ranging from a lengthy licensing process, language barriers, intrusive government agencies and disrespect for intellectual property rights in which political concerns sometimes trump economic ones.
The 2011 China Business Climate Survey of American commerce in China conducted by the American Chamber of Commerce found China is a complex business culture where burdensome licensing procedures and indigenous innovation policies are seen as favoring Chinese companies over foreign ones. Yet 83% of those surveyed said they still planned to increase investment in China operations this year.
Some Americans in China have seen decades of dramatic change, from radical Maoism to cutthroat capitalism. Today, newbies arrive daily to take up jobs or hunt them down, in what has become the world's second-largest economy behind the USA's. Many work for Fortune 500 firms or U.S. agencies. Others come to teach, study, volunteer, travel, blog and party.
To boost mutual understanding in what is an often tense relationship between the nations, Washington and Beijing are ramping up people-to-people exchanges, including a drive to send 100,000 U.S. students to China over the next four years.
"There are a lot of really bright young Americans who are here in business or studying, and they are building great bridges between the USA and China," says Thomas Skipper, minister counselor for public affairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
Brewing ever-crazier beers
On a bus twisting through the mountains of western Sichuan province, Kristopher Rubesh, from Oregon, wonders when his Tibetan hostel, the first foreign-owned business on the long journey to Lhasa, can be reopened. A landslide had taken out the approach road, and regular travel bans hurt tourism.
"An American friend asked, 'Can't you buy business interruption insurance?'" Rubesh, 35, says laughingly. "Wouldn't that be a dream!"
Inside an old courtyard, down a back alley in Beijing, Californian Casey Wilson heads online to cut poverty in rural China.
"Young people here really want to create positive change," says Wilson, 27. Her pioneering microfinance project connects online donors worldwide to Chinese borrowers hoping to raise sheep, grow mushrooms or follow other money-making plans.
Independent of official efforts, brewer Setzer points proudly to his own cultural exchange spot: Great Leap Brewing, his popular microbrewery in Beijing. Local and foreign residents flock to its tap room and courtyard to quench their summer thirst, and enjoy live Americana music.
"Everyone around me told me I was crazy," Setzer recalls of his plan to ditch a well-paying job in IT security and create craft beers in a market awash with cheap but forgettable lager. Setzer first caught the China bug in 2004, when he worked for a year at a Chinese automaker in a remote Hubei town.
There were no dairy products, let alone fine ales, Setzer says, but he found a friend in Liu Fang. After studying and working outside China, Setzer returned to Beijing in 2008 to work for a U.S. company. He and Liu reconnected, fell in love and married within six months. They are parents to 2-month-old Robbie.
"Carl is the most dedicated person I've ever seen," says Liu, 27, recalling their struggle to transform a derelict courtyard home into a microbrewery, find quality materials — and learn how to brew. "Nothing will stop him from achieving his goal."
Setzer benefited from lower start-up costs than in the USA but faces a daily struggle to stay on top of suppliers. In China, "if you get taken advantage of, it's your fault, as you weren't smart enough. It's a tough lesson, but you either learn it or go out of business," he says.
Strong sales since the tap room's opening last fall pushed Setzer to convert a farmhouse near the Great Wall into another microbrewery so he can triple his output. Chinese make up 70% of his clientele, Setzer says.
"Some come, they think, 'That's a bit weird,' and leave after one drink. But then they come back the next day, the next week, and bring their friends, too," says Liu, who says Setzer may be changing the country's culture of drinking usually with meals only and with shots of firewater distilled from sorghum or other grains.
For Setzer, the weirder the brew, the better. His nine current brews include Honey Ma Blonde, pairing Shandong honey with Sichuan peppercorn. Another features Chinese tea.
"There are so many different spices and flavors in Chinese cuisine that have not been defined chemically yet," he says. "I want to do ever-crazier beers."
Yak burgers and rabid dogs
If the eyes and tongue are sticking out of a yak's severed skull, you know its meat is fresh, innkeeper Rubesh says.
Shopping is not for the fainthearted in the street markets of Kangding, in southwestern China. Back at the Zhilam Hostel, Rubesh and his American wife, Stephanie, turn out yak burgers, pizzas and spaghetti for visitors to this peak-framed frontier city, the gateway to eastern Tibet.
Besides caring for daughters Adalia and Indira, ages 4 and 2, the couple must rescue guests when trekkers break ankles on mountaintops or need rabies shots after dog bites, Rubesh says. The son of Christian missionaries, Rubesh grew up in Sri Lanka and India before the 1998 tourist trip to Tibet that changed his life. "I liked it so much I figured I needed a way to get back there," he says.
For four years, he led occasional tour groups of U.S. college students to Tibet — including the woman he would marry in 2002. The pair moved to Chengdu, the Sichuan capital, in 2003 to study first Chinese then Tibetan language. Educational work with a Hong Kong charity took them deep into ethnic Tibetan areas, but they dreamed of building something local.
The result is Zhilam Hostel, meaning "ancient peace road" in Tibetan, which opened in 2008.
He buys local produce and employs local labor. The first of five current employees told him during her interview that she was good at slapping handfuls of yak dung onto walls to dry into fuel. (Timber is scarce here and fossil fuels expensive.) Now she's assistant manager, "can make a beautiful chocolate cake with icing and get a job in any hotel," Rubesh says.
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Paul Robeson was a famous name on both sides of the Atlantic in the pre and post war era. He starred in Hollywood blockbusters and was a critical smash on Broadway, his distinctive baritone voice capable of mesmerising audiences.
Paul Robeson was prevented from travelling abroad by the US Government, but eventually returned to Scotland in 1958, where he met the press at the Caledonian Hotel. Picture: TSPL
But as a prominent black man working before the dawn of civil rights, Robeson encountered racism on an almost daily basis.
Rather than accept it, he chose to speak out. He was a passionate believer in equality and workers’ rights at a time when expressing such viewpoints was enough to end careers in the US.
He became a hero to trade unionists and miners in particular after starring in The Proud Valley, a 1940 Ealing production filmed on location in the South Wales coal fields.
Now the life and work of Robeson is being celebrated as part of the British Film Institute’s Black Star season.
The BFI has shared with The Scotsman rare newsreel footage of Robeson’s visit to Edinburgh in May 1949.
He performed a special concert for miners at the Usher Hall, as well as touring a Midlothian colliery.
The visit was arranged by the Scottish Area of the National Union of Mineworkers, and the concert attracted thousands of pit workers from across the country.
“All Scottish coalfields arranged parties to the capital that evening, by rail and by road they arrived in their hundreds,” the film’s narrator says.
“That evening, the miners came to see Robeson. But the same afternoon, Robeson had been to see the miners.”
The film follows Robeson as he visits Woolmet colliery near Danderhall, a short distance from Edinburgh.
As well as meeting with pit officials and union members, Robeson performed the folk standard ‘I Dreamed I Saw Joe Hill Last Night’ for miners in the canteen - a song about an American trade unionist who was allegedly framed on a murder charge and executed in 1915.
READ MORE: In pictures: Scotland’s lost coal mining industry
It was far from the star’s first visit to a working pit.
“Paul Robeson felt a strong affinity with Wales and the Welsh miners,” said Nathalie Morris, a senior curator at the BFI National Archive.
“In the late 1920s he joined in their hunger marches and performed in Wales many times from the late 20s onwards.
“When Robeson’s passport was revoked by the American authorities in 1950, the South Wales miners were among the protestors who lobbied the US government for its return.”
Robeson’s communist sympathies and criticism of the US Government eventually brought him to the attention of the FBI.
Unable to travel abroad, his income was severely reduced.
His passport was reissued in 1958 and he again returned to Scotland as part of a tour of the UK.
Robeson died in 1976 from a stroke at home in Philadelphia at the age of 77.
Woolmet colliery, which employed 960 miners at its peak, was closed in 1966.
The Mining Review newsreel is part of the BFI’s Black Britain on Film, a major new collection of over 150 film and TV titles that uncovers the heritage of black Britain and is available to view on the BFI’s VOD platform, BFI Player.Tonight’s looking great for music, movies, food, or any combination! The weather’s even going to be nice, as long as it doesn’t rain in the evening. We all have to have extra fun this week after being stuck inside for the last one. What did you guys get up to yesterday? I totally forgot it was President’s Day until I trued to go to the bank. Whoops.
The Plaza Theater is having another Splatter Theater presentation, this time it’s Cemetery Man, the ridiculously over-the-top ‘90s Italian horror film. The movie starts at 9:30 but if you get there at 9 there’s “an unbelievably realistic recreation of a scene from the film.”
If you’re a big baby who’s scared to be scared, 10th & Piedmont is also screening a movie on their giant TV at 8pm, for Big Table Big Screen Tuesdays. It’s $15 and you get a salad, two appetizers, and a dessert while you watch.
The Cannon Chapel on Emory Campus is hosting a slam poetry event called Café Unity: Sister Outsider Poetry. at 7pm. Sister Outsider Poetry are “the current top two female slam poets in the world” and their work “connects deeply personal stories to a diverse range of social and political issues.” This is part of Emory University’s Social Justice Week. The event is free and there will be cookies and coffee.
If you’re in the Emory area and aren’t in the mood for slam poetry, it’s Ladies night @ Quickshot Shooting Range. $30 gets you a gun, 50 rounds, and targets, along with complimentary coaching. I couldn’t resist putting this one on here.
For food, Yeah! Burger’s Feel Good Tuesday is benefiting Trees Atlanta today, so if you stop in and get a burger, 10% of it will go towards helping the city look awesome!
If burgers aren’t your thing, perhaps try the Wrecking Bar Brewpub’s Vegetarian Tuesdays, from 4pm onwards. They have a new vegetarian menu every Tuesday, and you can refill your growler while you’re there!
I love some cheap tacos, and Pure Taqueria over in Inman Park is doing $2 tacos all day today, shredded pork, chipotle chicken, or fish. If anyone makes it over there let me know how it is and I’ll add it to the regular Tuesday food stuff!
There might be all-you-can-eat sushi and all-you-can-drink sake at The Room at Twelve downtown near Centennial Olympic Park, from 5:30-7:30. Their sushi looks good, and it’s only $15, so I hope it’s true, but I’m seeing conflicting things online about when it is and whether it’s sushi or sushi and sake, so don’t travel out for this one unless you’re in the area. Maybe somebody out there knows?
SCAD’s Midtown campus (1600 Peachtree) is hosting the Atlanta branch of the deFINE Art 2014 show, which is the university’s “annual global contemporary art showcase,” and also has locations in Savannah and Hong Kong. Open until the 21st of February.
For more art, there’s an Eclectic Art Exhibit in the Defoor Center at Atlantic Station. “The art consists of an array of various styles. Some will be obvious and whimsical; the others abstract and subliminal.” This is going on until March 7th, and will be added to the ongoing events.
At the Fuse Arts Center there’s a collaborative Goat Farm/Eyedrum Writer’s Exchange. Anybody can go an read for ten minutes, and receive feedback afterwards. Starts at 7pm.
There’s an open mic at the Apache Café, $5 at the door, it starts at 9 but get there at 8 if you want to perform.
There’s free standup at Kat’s Café in Midtown at 8:30, no cover, plus there’s a Scoutmob deal!
The Midway in EAV has trivia at 8pm, has anyone been to this? I’m going to add it to the list of regular Tuesday stuff because I like the Midway, but I’ve never made it to their trivia. This may or may not be cancelled, somebody told me. I’ve sent them an email to see, and will update once I know.
There’s also a fantastic music scene tonight, lots of stellar bands playing in the city.
And as always, if that’s not readable, here’s a direct Imgur link.
On top of all that, there’s the regular Tuesday stuff and all the ongoing events, which had a few more things added to it today, so check that out!
Thanks to everybody who sent in their events through my ask box, I had a lot of them on my radar already, but you definitely let me know a few new things to keep my eye on. If you send them in anonymously I can’t reply, but I read them all. Please continue to do that!
Did anyone see the new street car yesterday?
I’d like to see White Lies, but they’re all sold out I’m pretty sure. If the weather keeps up I’ll be heading down to Hand in Hand for one of their $2 burgers. If the weather turns sour I’ll either hit up Apache or Kats because they’re both super close to my house and I’ve still never made it to either. I’ll probably go to the SCAD show later in the week though, that sounds like it could be pretty interesting.Hello Film Doctor friends.
Mike Hill has worked as a creature sculptor and more on films The Wolfman, Men in Black 3 and Apocalypto.
Here Mike joins us for a Film Doctor In Conversation to talk about his work as lead creature designer on Guillermo del Toro’s dark, fantasy drama The Shape of Water, working closely with actor Doug Jones and project supervisor – and Legacy Effects founder – Shane Mahan.
Mike also offers incredible advice to filmmakers hoping to follow in his footsteps – scroll down for our interview!
Tell us about how you became involved in The Shape of Water and what the challenges were.
I got a simple email from Guillermo asking me to be lead sculptor on his creature. I was extremely flattered to be asked. I asked why and he said he wanted me to do it from the soul because he’s not a monster – he’s the leading man.
From there, I set about designing a hybrid fish-man that was hopefully appealing and attractive. Kissable lips, strong jaw, a cleft chin and come-to-bed eyes. Anything that I figured would be appealing to Sally’s character.
That’s not a small challenge in itself because obviously the features of a fish are not that attractive. It was a challenge in that respect to try and get a good look out of that. The ladies could hopefully swoon after a while and find out that he’s not just this aquatic seaman but an attractive god.
What was the process, workflow and timeline like?
Initially I did just a loose sketch of what Guillermo and I thought he should look like. He responded very positively and from there I made a small scale sculpture of him. It was about a quarter scale bust of him. Guillermo loved it so we did a test on that which wasn’t quite right. It didn’t have the feel we wanted it so then I re-sculpted it.
What I actually did was I went up to Guillermo’s house and spent several days there. He would make notes, feed me and I would keep on sculpting. We achieved a balance of a face which was all the elements that was needed for this particular character.
The Shape of Water's Mike Hill, Doug Jones and Shane Mahan The Shape of Water's Mike Hill, Doug Jones and Shane Mahan
In the meantime, we’d moulded Doug’s body out of fibreglass. We started sculpting his whole suit from head to toe. The main direction was to keep this thing appealing, strong-looking and like a swimmer’s body – broad shoulders and a thin waist.
Just trying to keep him attractive – that was our main directive. I think we achieved that as people started responding to him and forgetting that he was a creature after a while. Responding to him just being the leading man which was our goal from the outset.
Was there a certain route you went down to make him look more human? Did you look at other monster movies?
When you’re making creatures, the worst thing you can do is look at past creatures: other fish-men and other gill-men. The Creature from the Black Lagoon being the most famous. Eventually you’re going to combine the fish with a man and certain designs are going to bleed over.
Anything that overlaps you can’t help – that’s the nature of mixing a man with a fish. It’s going to be a man with big eyes. There’s only so far you can go with it.
The main thing was keeping it original and not referencing anything else. One of my main designs came from me being at my local Thai restaurant where I saw a goldfish. It had a black/ blue neck, velvety and gold under. I thought there he is! I’d been looking at thousands and thousands of reference pictures and there, in my local restaurant, was the fish that I based the colour scheme upon. That worked nicely!
The only thing that Guillermo and I were influenced by was the Frankenstein monster played by Boris Karloff which we both have a crush on. We decided that the creature shouldn’t have all these heavy plates but we made his body very vascular and veiny.
It was literally because of our love for Karloff’s monster. Karloff was a skinny guy but he looks strong.
Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in The Shape of Water Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in The Shape of Water – photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight
Were you considering the underwater elements from day one?
Absolutely, because we knew that anything mechanical was going to be an issue. The gills were fully mechanical with a remote control. We knew that this particular character was going to be submerged in water for 14 hours a day so that was always an issue.
We didn’t want anything to explode under! Also, the trails used had to be taken into account because this thing was going to get waterlogged. We had to try and find a paint that the water couldn’t damage too much.
Every day we had to repaint it and touch up because unfortunately, water is the one element that will cause erosion. When you put a rubber suit in water for 14 hours a day for 12 weeks it’s going to cause some damage.
The water was a big element – but the name is in the title! It was pretty standard.
Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in The Shape of Water Sally Hawkins and Doug Jones in The Shape of Water – photo courtesy of Fox Searchlight
How did you end up doing creature design originally?
Initially, I was 4 years old in Warrington and I saw King Kong on TV. My gran said to me that it was made of clay and only 10 inches high, or so she thought. I took a bucket and spade and went to the local canal and dug up some clay and started from there really. I just liked making monsters.
About 13 years ago, I decided Warrington was not the best place for it so I packed a suitcase and flew to LA and I’ve been here ever since. I’d been flying back and forth for conventions so I knew people here.
I didn’t have any work nor was I allowed to work at that point. I just flew in and hoped for the best. I was fairly confident I could make my way.
What advice would you give to any aspiring creature designers?
Sculpting creatures and things has not died. In fact, there’s a surge in it. The amalgamation of making the creature practical – all those little tweaks like the blinks are very hard to achieve mechanically real. It’s the best of both worlds but it only works better if you’ve got a practical creature to base it upon.
Dennis himself admits it, the audience wouldn’t have bought it, if you know it’s not quite real. If we’d done the whole thing mechanically, they might not have bought it.
Learn to use ZBrush, don’t be a product of your surroundings – you don’t have to stay in Warrington just because you were born there. I say, get some clay and start making some monsters and move ship if you have to.
READ our interview with The Shape of Water’s VFX Supervisor Dennis Berardi here!
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Have a great week!
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Like this: Like Loading...Kelly calls on UK citizens in Ireland to register to vote in Brexit referendum
13 May 2016
Labour Party TD Alan Kelly has called on UK citizens living in Ireland to register to vote in the upcoming Brexit referendum.
Deputy Kelly commented: “The Brexit referendum has profoundly significant ramifications for Ireland, the UK and the rest of Europe. The Labour Party firmly believes in the UK remaining in the European Union.
“The European Union has been hugely successful at maintaining peace in our continent, creating prosperity and promoting geo-political cooperation.
“I believe it would be to the detriment of the UK and Europe if UK citizens voted to leave the European Union in the June referendum.
“I would encourage all UK citizens living in Ireland to register to vote in the Brexit referendum and to vote for remaining in the European Union.
“As an MEP I saw first-hand how it is within Ireland’s strategic interests to have our closet neighbour and our largest trading partner remain in the European Union. The European project has achieved a great deal since its inception and can deliver even more progress in the years ahead.”AIDS activist Sean Sasser has died, several of his friends announced Wednesday night.
The activist and black, gay man whose face and spirit became a part of the MTV generation's gay and AIDS awareness through his relationship with The Real World's Pedro Zamora had been a prominent part of the San Francisco season of the MTV show, which aired in 1994. Zamora, who was HIV-positive, died shortly after the season ended.
Sasser moved to D.C. in recent years as a result of a job his current partner, Michael Kaplan, took running AIDS United, a nonprofit group aimed at "end[ing] the AIDS epidemic within the United States."
Earlier this year, The Washington Blade talked with Sasser about his new job as the pastry chef at an area restaurant. Sasser's aim: "I want to serve desserts and pastries that people recognize and love to eat, but sometimes with an unexpected twist of surprise."
Dan Renzi — from The Real World's year in Miami — wrote of Sasser's death at Queerty:
According to his life partner, Michael Kaplan, Sasser died of mesothelioma, a rare cancer of the lungs. No other information was released immediately about his medical condition, but mesothelioma has been linked to a weakened immune system in some people with AIDS.TCF News Blast View this email in your browser Interior Sec. and Utah Congressman present fictional account of wild horses June 8, 2017
Dear Friends;
I just got back from a trip to the Pryors and to the Red Desert Complex of south central Wyoming. The horses all look so fabulous and the Red Desert is horse heaven with abundant forage and so much room to roam. Maybe that is why the Congressional Public Resource Sub-Committee hearing today threw me for a loop! Here is that section of the hearing with Chris Stewart of Utah questioning and commenting to Secretary Zinke. Secretary of the Interior testifies before Congressional Sub-Committee June 8, 2017. The Secretary is being questioned by Congressman Stewart of Utah. 5 minute clip. This Congressional conversation bears no resemblance to what I am seeing first hand on our ranges. After I left the Pryors, I visited four Herd Management areas in Wyoming called the Red Desert Complex, areas scheduled for devastating roundups this fall. BLM proposes to remove over 2,000 wild horses. (Above; three grulla horses Crooks Mountain HMA) They would leave less than1 horse per 1,000 acres in the 750,000 acre Red Desert Complex! Congressman Stewart contends that wild horses are devastating western rangelands and starving to death. Here's what is devastating rangelands. I happened on this site while looking for wild horses in the Stewart Creek HMA. When I turned off the dirt road onto a two track the acrid smell of cow manure hit me like a slap in the face. Then I saw the cattle and the land around the pond. The area was devastated, not by horses, but cattle. (Below; cattle at a waterhole-Stewart Creek HMA) The Secretary spoke of birth control methods that do not work. This too is completely inaccurate. PZP works in all the herds that use it but I can count those herds on the fingers of both hands. And Congressman Stewart chimed in that the cost was thousands of dollars (for a dose). The Secretary agreed. (Above; Bachelors spar in the Lost Creek HMA-note the forage.) I feel like I am living in an alternative reality. PZP is $27 a dose and PZP-22 is a couple hundred dollars a dose---but thousands?! Where do these gentlemen get their information? (Below; wild horse families-Lost Creek) It is critically important that you make your voices heard. The American public is the only thing standing between the death and destruction of our herds on the range and in holding. Please keep calling the White House and your Congressional Representatives and U.S. Senators and telling them that you want your wild horses to live in freedom on the range. (Right; wild horse family-Green Mtn. HMA) WHITE HOUSE: Call the President-- 202-456-1111. (not weekends) SENATE: https://www.senate.gov/senators/contact/. HOUSE: http://m.house.gov/representatives/. CALLING INSTRUCTIONS: Leave your name (spell it), and the town where you live. Give 2 or 3 short sentences on your explicit concerns for the preservation and protection of our wild horses and burros. Give your name again and express thanks for the opportunity to give comments. You will probably get a Voicemail—but that’s ok. These elected officials must understand how important this is to you, and phone calls are all logged. If 50,000 of The Cloud Foundation followers will call, that adds up to 200,000 phone calls to Washington DC! Thank you! Now let’s all get to work and make those phone calls for our wild horses and burros.
Our work relies on contributions from those that love wild horses and burros and want to see them live out their lives in freedom on their home ranges with their families.
If you can help us help our wild horses by making a donation today, please do so.
Thanks and Happy Trails!
Ginger Kathrens
Executive Director Support wild mustangs and burros:General manager Trent Baalke and other members of the 49ers have reached out recently to holdout Alex Boone, according to multiple sources, but the team's starting right guard remains resolute in his stance.
As it stands now Boone ranks 43rd in the NFL in average salary for guards. He signed his current deal in 2011 when he was a backup at tackle. He's seeking a new deal that will pay him commensurate with a starting guard, his role since the beginning of the 2012 season.
In meeting with reporters on Saturday, Baalke refused to talk about Boone's holdout, including whether the 49ers negotiate with players who are not in training camp. Boone, who went undrafted in 2009, has two years left on his current deal.
“Once again, nothing positive is going to come from discussing any of this, our strategy, how we deal with players, how we deal with this situation or others,” Baalke said. “I've never seen anything positive come from that.”
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The 49ers last week restructured outside linebacker Ahmad Brooks' contract, creating an extra $2 million in salary-cap space. Overall, the team has a little less than $10 million in cap space, which doesn't include Boone's $2.59 million cap figure.
That's enough room to extend another player's contract or it could roll over to next season's cap. The 49ers are not believed to be close to a deal with another player, although they will begin exploring their options. Two of their most prominent players, receiver Michael Crabtree and guard Mike Iupati, are in the final year of their current deals and likely want to see what their value is on the free-agent market in March.
Baalke said the team would try to work out extensions with Crabtree and Iupati. “But at some point you’ve got to stop negotiating deals and let these guys concentrate on football,” he said. “I don’t what point that is. We’ll make that determination as a club. But we’re going to certainly work toward that goal. Those are two very good football players and guys that we would love to have in this organization for a long time.”
Boone had been the team's starting guard and its top option at tackle if something happened to starters Joe Staley or Anthony Davis. Jonathan Martin has been filling in at right tackle for Davis while he recovers from a shoulder injury and has struggled at times. Adam Snyder, Ryan Seymour and Carter Bykowski are other options at tackle.
Joe Looney, meanwhile, has been filling in at Boone's former spot at guard and has looked good.
“I think he proved last year when he went in there in, I believe, it was the Ram game,” Baalke said. “Joe went down and Boone kicked over to left tackle and Joe (Looney) stepped in, he played against one of the better defensive linemen in the league and did a really nice job He showed he was more than capable. And now he’s a year better. So we’re very confident in his ability to step in there and play football at a winning level.”Iran’s police chief, Brigadier General Hossein Ashtari, said that the Law Enforcement plans to deploy 300,000 forces across all Iranian provinces to ensure that the May 19 presidential and local elections will be held safely with the assistance of the people and related domestic organizations.
According to a Farsi report by ISNA, he noted that obtaining permit from Iran’s police is the first prerequisite for holding any kind of rallies and public meetings in the country.
In case such events are held without such an authorization, the organizers and participants will be treated according to the law, he went on to say.
Ashtari said fortunately, following the announcement of the names of the final six presidential candidates, no effort or move to disrupt the country’s security have been reported.
Mostafa Aqa-Mirsalim, Mostafa Hashemi-Taba, Es’haq Jahangiri, Mohammad-Baqer Qalibaf, Hassan Rouhani and Seyyed Ebrahim Raeisi are going to compete in Iran’s presidential election due to be held on May 19.Harry Potter’s owl isn’t even his favorite Hedwig.
Daniel Radcliffe, who played Harry Potter in the movie adaptations of J.K. Rowling’s book series, said Friday that he would choose the musical Hedwig and the Angry Inch over Hedwig, Harry’s beloved snowy owl.
The question during a BuzzFeed event was admittedly ill-formed: What did it mean to “choose” one over the other? Were his options seeing a Broadway show starring Neil Patrick Harris once or owning a highly intelligent, mail-delivering, proud, loyal bird? If so, his choice seems inexplicable.
“They’re also hard things to compare,” Radcliffe conceded, after making his selection.
Fans disappointed by his choice were probably further saddened to learn that Radcliffe was not a big fan of the Harry Potter book series as a child. On the bright side, they just learned that the Diagon Alley theme park will open its doors early next month.
Daniel Radcliffe says he'd chose Hedwig on Broadway over Hedwig the Owl. — BuzzFeed Celeb (@BuzzFeedCeleb) June 20, 2014
https://platform |
what routes should be like.
The core principle should be to provide a coherent network of through-routes that can be delivered quickly to deliver maximum value.
5. Delivery of the BikeGrid project is going to be much too slow
£54.4 million has been allocated to delivering the BikeGrid, but there’s no clear spending timetable.
Transport for London says the first improvements will be delivered by late 2014, with at least half the Grid area in place by 2016.
This is much too slow: our city urgently needs a central London cycle network, and the Mayor should be adopting our low-intervention proposals - using bollards and such like to remove through motor traffic - in order to provide maximum benefit in the minimum time.
6. The BikeGrid and Superhighway projects are being conflated
Another problem with the Mayor’s proposal is that it mixes up the central London BikeGrid project with the Cycle Superhighways project.
Our vision of the Grid is for routes that are low intervention (bollards to remove through motor traffic), which can be delivered quickly and at low cost.
The Superhighways, because they’re on main roads, require a degree of high intervention in the form of protected lanes.
Mixing the two projects is a recipe for confusion of objectives, and is likely delay delivery.
Cycle-friendly treatments for existing mass cycling streets
There are several routes within central London that already have very high cycling flows, many bus routes, and heavy motor traffic
For example, on Theobald's Road cyclists make up 64% of the traffic in the morning peak hours (see below, credit Toby Jacobs).
Similarly, Shoreditch-Borough High Street has very high flows of cyclists in the morning peak
Despite the high cycling flows, these streets are hazardous, with high cycling casuality rates.
We’re calling for the creation of a separately funded project to deliver Space for Cycling on these major cycle flow routes, with Theobalds Road-Clerkenwell Road being used as a pilot.
We propose that through private motor traffic is removed or diverted on to other routes, creating Space for Cycling as well as buses.Telecommuting
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by SIOP Administrative Office
Scientific Affairs Committee Releases New White Paper
A new addition to the SIOP White Paper Series is now available on the white paper page.
“Telecommuting” by Kristen Shockley, Baruch College, City University of New York, describes the findings of empirical studies that examine how telecommuting relates to personal and workplace outcomes. Recommendations for appropriate implementation of telecommuting programs based on research findings are also provided.
The audience for the white paper includes organizational decision makers, general public, and policy makers, said Shockley.
“This paper covers a summary of research related to telecommuting as well as practical recommendations for organizations with telecommuting policies,” she added.
“Telecommuting” can now be downloaded from the SIOP white
paper page here. A “One-Pager” document is also available.
SIOP’s white paper page includes several papers from the SIOP Visibility, International Affairs, and Scientific Affairs committees on topics such as “Learning Agility,” “Leadership Development for Organizational Success,” and “Achieving Well-Being in Retirement.” Read and share them all!Hundreds of police departments in two states were found to have broken laws mandating police reports for in-custody deaths. Registries required by California and Texas were missing a total of 660 deaths from 2005 to 2015.
They are the only two states that require law enforcement to report all in-custody deaths, but it seems enforcing the law is trickier than anyone imagined. Research from Texas State University in San Marco found that the two states did not report hundreds of deaths that involved officers during a 10-year period.
READ MORE: Nearly 7k Texas detainees died while in custody from 2005 to 2015 – report
Texas was found to have failed to report 220 use-of-force fatalities, and California had 440 unreported deaths from 2005 to 2015, according to the Houston Chronicle.
Both Texas and California attorneys general confirmed that many hundreds of cases were missing. While failing to file such a report is a misdemeanor in Texas, there is no punishment for it in California.
Disabled people account for 1 in 3 of all excessive force claims against police – studyhttps://t.co/BcqalXHIxKpic.twitter.com/nFzmXj1vaD — RT America (@RT_America) March 16, 2016
“We’re not really blaming anyone – this is an incredibly complex problem,” Howard Williams, a professor who conducted the study, told the Houston Chronicle.
The study was conducted by Williams and Scott Bowman, with co-author Jordan Taylor. They found the missing reports by comparing the registries of reported fatalities to media reports and police press releases. Williams acknowledges there are a multitude of reasons for the discrepancies in reporting, but the lack of enforcement in California, he says, comes down to clerical errors.
“But it’s really hard for us to go back and change policy, improve training or purchase new equipment, when you simply lack the data to even know what’s going on,” he said.
California’s failure to report officer-involved deaths seems to have been a chronic problem in the state. Nicole Nishida, a Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department spokeswoman, explained that her department’s failure to file required forms from 2006 to 2011 could be chalked up to a “clerical error” that was related to the form.
However, that does not cover four deaths that were unreported by the agency from 2013 to 2014.
“We are currently undertaking efforts to systematically update the data to the [California Department of Justice] following their reporting protocol,” she said in an email to the Chronicle.
In total, 180 police agencies in California failed to file reports on civilian deaths, and Texas had 139 agencies that did not file use-of-force or in-custody deaths.Barack Obama’s research on US healthcare reform – the first academic article to be published by a sitting US president – has topped a list of the most popular online papers of the year.
The article, “United States health care reform: progress to date and next steps”, published in the Journal of the American Medical Association in July, took pole position in a top 100 list compiled by Altmetric, a London start-up that tracks and analyses the online activity around scholarly literature.
The paper from the outgoing US president resulted in the highest Altmetric “attention score” ever tracked, 8,063, compared with a score of 4,912 for the second-most popular article.
The term “altmetrics” describes the practice of rating papers using “alternative metrics”, such as mentions on social media networking sites, rather than, for example, citations in other journals.
Other research that caught the public’s attention in 2016 includes an article on medical errors being the third leading cause of death in the US (second), a paper on mastering the board game Go (ninth), and a report finding that the ease with which we tell lies grows with repetition (18th).
The top 20 most popular academic papers of 2016
The full top 100 list, along with more information about the methodology, is available at Altmetric.com.
ellie.bothwell@tesglobal.comBeth Ditto has been advocating for fat acceptance for the past decade, and while she is thrilled the movement has taken off, she wishes people would stop slamming curvy models like Ashley Graham for not being 'fat enough'.
Speaking with Vogue, the 36-year-old singer said the fat acceptance movement has spread in a 'beautiful way and it's really cool', recalling how she was having similar conversations ten years ago.
However, the self-described 'fat feminist lesbian' noted that there is still a long way to go as 'we are seeing a lot of conventional beauty ideas being put into the fat movement' — which isn't the point.
Growing movement: Beth Ditto is thrilled that the fat acceptance has spread in a 'beautiful way', but she said there is still work to do
Not helping: The singer sees conventional beauty ideas being put into the fat moment, and women like Ashley Graham (pictured) are facing backlash because of their hourglass figures
'It’s not about making fashion accept you,' she explained. 'Like, right now, Ashley Graham has gotten a lot of backlash because people say she’s "not fat enough" and that not everyone is an hourglass.
'But she is, and people should shut up. They blame her instead of the industry — it makes me so irritated! It’s like, just quit being mean to each other. It’s not hard to be decent.'
The singer, who is promoting 'Fake Sugar', the first album of her solo career, found fame with her band Gossip, an indie rock group that formed in Washington in 1999.
During her rise to fame, Beth rocked a black bob and red lips, and she never shied away from speaking about size and body acceptance. However, the star is now sporting a new look.
Styling: Beth donned a custom Gucci suit at the Gucci Cruise 2018 fashion show in Florence, Italy, last week
Rise to fame: Beth rocked a black bob and red lips when she was with her band, Gossip (pictured). She is now promoting her first solo album, 'Fake Sugar'
Instead of her jet-black hair, she has long chestnut waves. But she still refuses to grow out her short bangs.
'A stylist told me the other day that I should grow my bangs out, and I had to tell her, "It’s not always about being pretty. Sometimes it’s about looking bigger".
'As I’ve gotten older, the black hair made less sense on my face,' she said. 'But I miss being able to look like my weird punk self all the time, even on airplanes. That’s why I kept the bangs.'
Before she started working with her producer Jennifer Decilveo, Beth met with several male producers in Los Angeles, but couldn't connect with anyone of them. She even found herself being mansplained.
The Arkansas native admitted that with the exception of a few guys, she doesn't think'men listen in the same way' when they are discussing something they have knowledge of but don't necessarily have a ton of experience in.
Look of love: Beth has been married to her wife, Kristin Ogata (right), since 2013
Wedded bliss: Although the two have known each other since they were 18, Beth said 'there's just something that's solid' about being married
'That was the worst to me, being explained music by a 22-year-old who just got into it as an EDM producer,' she said, noting that she found someone she could trust and really talk to when she started working with Jennifer.
As for her home life, Beth has been married to her wife, Kristin Ogata, since 2013.
'When people say they married their best friend, well, I really did it,' she said of her wife.
Although they've known each other since they were 18, she said their relationship is different now they are married.
'There’s something that’s just solid, in a way that it was not solid before,' she explained.Apparently children as young as 4 are not too young to be told that gender and sex are different and that their genitals don't indicate their gender, according to new Planned Parenthood guidelines for parents.
On a page of its website titled “How do I talk with my preschooler about their body?” the abortion provider says if a child inquires why boys and girls have different bodies, a parent should introduce the concept of transgender identity.
“While the most simple answer is that girls have vulvas and boys have penises/testicles, that answer isn’t true for every boy and girl,” the organization says. “Boy, girl, man and woman are words that describe gender identity, and some people with the gender identities ‘boy’ or ‘man’ have vulvas, and some with the gender identity ‘girl’ or ‘woman’ have penises/testicles. Your genitals don’t make you a boy or a girl.”
Parents should then point out to their child, the page continues, that genitals do not definitively establish gender, and that their children “can make that decision based on your values and how you plan to talk with your kid about gender as they grow up.”
Critics, mainly from conservative ranks, say Planned Parenthood’s encouragement of parents to discuss gender identity with children who barely can string a sentence together and haven’t yet learned the alphabet is preposterous.
Some people with the gender identities 'boy' or'man' have vulvas, and some with the gender identity 'girl' or 'woman' have penises/testicles. You genitals don't make you a boy or a girl. — Planned Parenthood's new guidelines on discussing the body with preschoolers
“Gender is not fluid, either you have a penis or you don’t,” said Tim Wildmon, president of American Family Association, a Mississippi-based group that promotes conservative values. “What Planned Parenthood is promoting here is just stupidity masked as sensitivity. If you’re an adult and trying to talk to a child about whether they’re really a boy or girl, you’re at risk of harming them psychologically.”
“Unless a boy or girl is exhibiting behavior or says that they’re messed up about what they are, there’s no reason to bring something like that up” at such a young age, he said.
What Planned Parenthood is promoting here is just stupidity masked as sensitivity. — Ted Wildmon, president, American Family Association
Efforts to obtain a comment from Planned Parenthood were unsuccessful.
Critics also say that Planned Parenthood’s suggested talking points are misleading.
“Of all the things it is — absurd, irresponsible, pretentious — one thing it definitely is not is scientific,” New York Daily News columnist S.E. Cupp wrote about the guidelines. “If you do need help talking to your kids about gender and gender identity — and there’s no shame in that — please, use real science as a guideline, and not garbage propaganda.”
“The truth is, sex is more complicated today. But the conversations you’ll more likely need to have with your kids will center on technology — the dangers lurking on the internet, sexting, revenge porn — and not anatomy.”The Paris Review is a quarterly English language literary magazine established in Paris in 1953[1] by Harold L. Humes, Peter Matthiessen, and George Plimpton. In its first five years, The Paris Review published works by Jack Kerouac, Philip Larkin, V. S. Naipaul, Philip Roth, Terry Southern, Adrienne Rich, Italo Calvino, Samuel Beckett, Nadine Gordimer, Jean Genet, and Robert Bly.
The Review's "Writers at Work" series includes interviews with Ezra Pound, Ernest Hemingway, T. S. Eliot, Ralph Ellison, William Faulkner, Thornton Wilder, Robert Frost, Pablo Neruda, William Carlos Williams, and Vladimir Nabokov, among many hundreds of others. Literary critic Joe David Bellamy called the series "one of the single most persistent acts of cultural conservation in the history of the world."[2]
The headquarters of The Paris Review moved from Paris to New York City in 1973. Plimpton edited the Review from its founding until his death in 2003. Brigid Hughes took over as "executive editor" (she declined to use the title "editor" out of respect for Plimpton[3]) from 2003 to 2005.[4] She was followed by Philip Gourevitch from 2005 to 2010, Lorin Stein from 2010 to 2017,[5] and Emily Nemens since April 2018.
History [ edit ]
An editorial statement, penned in the inaugural issue by William Styron, stated the magazine's aim:[6]
The Paris Review hopes to emphasize creative work—fiction and poetry—not to the exclusion of criticism, but with the aim in mind of merely removing criticism from the dominating place it holds in most literary magazines. […] I think The Paris Review should welcome these people into its pages: the good writers and good poets, the non-drumbeaters and non-axe-grinders. So long as they're good.
The Review's founding editors include Humes, Matthiessen, Plimpton, William Pène du Bois, Thomas Guinzburg and John P. C. Train. The first publisher was Prince Sadruddin Aga Khan. Du Bois, the magazine’s first art editor, designed the iconic Paris Review eagle to include both American and French significance: an American eagle holding a pen and wearing a Phrygian cap.
The magazine’s first office was located in a small room of the publishing house Éditions de la Table ronde. Other notable locations of The Paris Review include a Thames River grain carrier anchored on the Seine from 1956 to 1957. The Café de Tournon in the Rue de Tournon on the Rive Gauche was the meeting place for staffers and writers, including du Bois, Plimpton, Matthiessen, Alexander Trocchi, Christopher Logue and Eugene Walter.
The first-floor and basement rooms in Plimpton's 72nd Street apartment became the headquarters of The Paris Review when the magazine moved from Paris to New York City in 1973.
Brigid Hughes took over as editor following Plimpton's death in 2003; her last issue was March 2005. She was succeeded by Philip Gourevitch in spring 2005.[4] Under Gourevitch's leadership, the Review began incorporating more nonfiction pieces and, for the first time, began regularly publishing a photography spread. The Paris Review also announced, in 2006, the publication of a four-volume set of Paris Review interviews. The Paris Review Interviews, Volumes I-IV were published by Picador from 2006–2009. Gourevitch announced his departure in the fall of 2009, citing a desire to concentrate more fully on his writing.[7][8][9]
In 2007, an article published by The New York Times supported the claim that founding editor Matthiessen was in the CIA but stated that the magazine was used as a cover, rather than a collaborator, for his spying activities.[10] In a May 27, 2008 interview with Charlie Rose, Matthiessen stated that he "invented The Paris Review as cover" for his CIA activities.[11] Matthiessen maintained that the Review was not part of the Congress for Cultural Freedom (CCF), an organization used by the CIA to sponsor an array of literary magazines; but the record shows The Paris Review benefited financially from selling article reprints to CCF magazines.[12]
Lorin Stein was named editor of The Paris Review in April 2010. He oversaw a redesign of the magazine's print edition and its website, both of which were met with critical acclaim.[13][14][15] In September 2010, the Review made available online its entire archive of interviews.[16][17] On December 6, 2017, Stein resigned amid an internal investigation into his sexual misconduct toward women he worked with at the magazine.[18]
In October 2012, The Paris Review published an anthology, Object Lessons,[19] comprising a selection of twenty short stories from The Paris Review's archive, each with an introduction by a contemporary author. Contributors include Jeffrey Eugenides (with an introduction to a story by Denis Johnson), Lydia Davis (with an introduction to a story by Jane Bowles), and Ali Smith (with an introduction to a story by Lydia Davis). It promises to be an "indispensable resource for writers, students, and anyone else who wants to understand fiction from a writer’s point of view".[20]
On October 8, 2012, the magazine launched its app for the iPad and iPhone.[21] Developed by Atavist, the app includes access to new issues, back issues, and archival collections from its fiction and poetry sections—along with the complete interview series and the Paris Review Daily.[22]
In November 2015, The Paris Review published its first anthology of new writing since 1964, The Unprofessionals: New American Writing from The Paris Review.[23] This collection includes fiction, nonfiction, and poetry from the last five years of the magazine under Lorin Stein's editorial direction. Including writing by well-established authors like Zadie Smith, Ben Lerner, and John Jeremiah Sullivan, as well as emerging writers like Emma Cline, Ottessa Moshfegh, Alexandra Kleeman, and Angela Flournoy, The Unprofessionals emphasizes “contemporary writers who treat their art not as a profession, but as a calling.”[24]
The current staff of The Paris Review includes Nicole Rudick (Managing Editor), Dan Piepenbring (Web Editor), Caitlin Youngquist (Assistant Editor), Sadie Stein (Contributing Editor), Robyn Creswell (Poetry Editor), Charlotte Strick (Art Editor), John Jeremiah Sullivan (Southern Editor), Adam Thirlwell (London Editor), Antonin Baudry (Paris Editor), Jeffery Gleaves (Digital Manager), Jessica Calderon (Development & Events), Janet Gillespie (Finance Manager), Irina Aleksander (Advertising & Promotions), and Andrew Jimenez (Circulation Manager).[25] They aim to continue the magazine's original goal of promoting "fiction, poetry, belles lettres, essays".[26]
In June we started an online arts gazette called The Paris Review Daily. […] But the core of our business, as long as I'm editor, is going to be putting out a paper magazine. […] We want the reader to be absorbed. It's not a thing to skim; it's a thing to read and to really get lost in. It's a refuge. Lorin Stein, September 2010 [27]
Emerging writers [ edit ]
The Review has published several emerging writers who have gone to notable careers, including Adrienne Rich, Naipaul, Philip Roth, T. Coraghessan Boyle, Mona Simpson, Edward P. Jones and Rick Moody. Selections from Samuel Beckett's novel Molloy appeared in the fifth issue, one of his first publications in English. The magazine was also among the first to recognize the work of Jack Kerouac with the publication of his short story, "The Mexican Girl", in 1955. Other works which made their first appearance in The Paris Review include Italo Calvino's Last Comes the Raven, Philip Roth's Goodbye Columbus, Donald Barthelme's Alice, Jim Carroll's The Basketball Diaries, Matthiessen's Far Tortuga, Jeffrey Eugenides's The Virgin Suicides, and Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections.
Interviews [ edit ]
"The interviews in The Paris Review […] are about as canonical, in our literary universe, as spoken words can be. They long ago set the standard […] for what well-brewed conversation should sound like on the page." —Dwight Garner, The New York Times[17]
An interview with E. M. Forster — an acquaintance of Plimpton's from his days at King's College, Cambridge—became the first in a long series of author interviews, now known as the Writers at Work series.
Prints and posters [ edit ]
In 1964, The Paris Review initiated a series of prints and posters by contemporary artists with the goal of establishing an ongoing relationship between the worlds of writing and art[28]—Drue Heinz, then publisher of The Paris Review, shared credit with Jane Wilson for initiating the series. In the half century since its inception, the series has featured notable New York artists of the postwar decades, including Louise Bourgeois, Willem de Kooning, David Hockney, Helen Frankenthaler, Keith Haring, Robert Indiana, Jimmy Ernst, Alex Katz, Ellsworth Kelly, Sol LeWitt, Roy Lichtenstein, Robert Motherwell, Louise Nevelson, Claes Oldenburg, Robert Rauschenberg, Larry Rivers, James Rosenquist, Ed Ruscha and Andy Warhol.[28]
The series, suspended after George Plimpton's death in 2003, was relaunched in 2012 with a print by Donald Baechler.
Prizes [ edit ]
Three prizes are awarded annually by the editors of The Paris Review: the Paris Review Hadada, the Plimpton Prize, and the Terry Southern Prize for Humor. Winning selections are celebrated at the annual Spring Revel. No application form is required. Instead, winners are selected from the stories and poems published the previous year in The Paris Review.
Spring Revel [ edit ]
The Paris Review Spring Revel is an annual gala held in celebration of American writers and writing.[31][32] The Revel "brings together leading figures and patrons of American arts and letters from throughout New York to pay tribute to distinguished writers at different stages of their careers".[33] Proceeds from the Spring Revel go directly toward The Paris Review Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization established by the co-founders in 2000 to ensure the future of The Paris Review.
The 2010 Spring Revel took place on April 13, 2010 and presented Philip Roth with the Hadada.[34]
The 2011 Spring Revel took place on April 12, 2011, chaired by Yves-André Istel and Kathleen Begala.[33] Robert Redford presented the Hadada to James Salter. The 2011 Revel also featured Ann Beattie presenting the Plimpton Prize for Fiction and Fran Lebowitz presenting the inaugural Terry Southern Prize for Humor.
The 2012 Spring Revel took place on April 3, 2012 and presented Robert Silvers with the Hadada.[35]
The 2013 Spring Revel took place on April 9, 2013 and presented Paula Fox with the Hadada.
The 2014 Spring Revel took place on April 8, 2014 and presented Frederick Seidel with the Hadada.[36]
The 2015 Spring Revel took place on April 7, 2015 and presented Norman Rush with the Hadada.[37]
The Paris Review Foundation [ edit ]
In 2001 the Paris Review became a foundation. The directors of the foundations are: Scott Asen, Clara Bingham, Jeffrey Eugenides, Stephen Gaghan, Mala Gaonkar, James C. Goodale, Lawrence H. Guffey, Drue Heinz, Bokara Legendre, Jeanne McCulloch, Sandy Gotham Meehan, Sarah Dudley Plimpton, Emmanuel Roman, Akash Shah, Robert Silvers, Mona Simpson, Rose Styron, Liza Wachter.Support us! GearJunkie may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn more
Did you know that K2 is thought to have a curse against women? Or that Mt. Washington in New Hampshire is more dangerous, by sheer quantity of casualties, than Denali?
Editor’s Note: This article was originally published in 2008. It has been updated for clarity and accuracy.
Take it or leave it, this morbid article on the climbing world’s most dangerous mountains has a few interesting nuggets. Read on for the full scoop of the world’s 10 most dangerous mountains for climbing, listed in no particular order.
10 Epic Long Distance Hikes Around The World Want to hike a long, long ways? At more than 500 miles long each, these are the 10 best long distance hiking trails in the world. Read more…
10 Most Dangerous Mountains
1. Annapurna in Central Nepal (26,545 feet)
On this mountain, the 10th highest in the world, 191 climbers have summited the avalanche-prone peak. About 63 have died climbing – making Annapurna’s fatality rate of 33 percent the highest among 8,000-meter mountains.
While Annapurna was the first 8,000-meter peak to be climbed, it remains a challenge and an attraction. The region surrounding Annapurna is popular for hiking and was the site of what many call “Nepal’s worst-ever trekking disaster.”
In 2014, a snowstorm struck, causing avalanches and the deaths of 43 people. Almost 6 feet of snow fell in 12 hours, and more than 500 people needed rescue.
2. Nanga Parbat in Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan (26,657 feet)
Known affectionately as Killer Mountain, this craggy monster in Pakistan is an enormous ridge of rock and ice.
Nanga Parbat is the ninth highest in the world, and its southern side is what many call the tallest mountain face on the planet. The Rupal Face rises 15,090 feet above its base.
This peak was the subject of German interest in the 1930s. When only Britain had access to Mt. Everest, German climbers saw Killer Mountain as the highest mountain reasonably scalable by climbers at the time. But that doesn’t mean it was easy.
Nanga Parbat claimed 31 lives before it was conquered by Austrian Hermann Buhl in 1953.
3. K2, Pakistan-China border (28,251 feet)
The second-highest mountain in the world, this peak has a grim reputation, especially when it comes to female climbers. The first woman to reach the summit was the legendary Polish climber Wanda Rutkiewicz, who got to the top in June 1986.
Over the next 18 years, all five female climbers who summited this peak were killed. Three died during the descent down K2, and two others on nearby mountains.
Rutkiewicz also perished close by on Kangchenjunga in 1992. The curse was finally broken in 2004 by Edurne Pasaban, a 31-year-old Spanish mountaineer, who remains alive to this day.
In 2017, Vanessa O’Brien became the first American woman to summit K2.
The remoteness and long approach of K2 make expeditions extremely resource intensive and lengthy. It’s known for bad weather and avalanches, claiming the lives of nearly 10 percent of those who attempt it.
4. Kangchenjunga, India-Nepal border (28,169 feet)
In 1999, a new James Bond novel found the superspy trekking up Kangchenjunga’s dramatic ridges. Bond may have stopped to admire the gorgeous view, but, as our hero knows well, looks can be deceiving. Avalanches and bitter cold have made this one of the deadliest mountains in the world.
Kangchenjunga is the third-tallest mountain in the world, with more than 200 summits and a 20-percent fatality rate, according to figures from 2010.
5. Matterhorn, Switzerland-Italy border (14,691 feet)
With its first ascent in 1865, the Matterhorn has since gained in popularity and development. Easy access to high points on the mountain lead to the serious dangers of inexperienced climbers on over-trafficked routes.
These days, the principal danger on the Matterhorn is its popularity, with overeager tourists sending loose rocks onto the heads of fellow climbers below.
Storms are also common during afternoons of summit season. This mountain sees an average of about 12 deaths per year, with more than 500 deaths since its first ascent.
Matterhorn Speed Record Set New record up the classic route eclipses old time by 10 minutes. Read more…
6. Mt. Everest, Nepal-China border (29,029 feet)
With its marquee status, it would be easy to assume that Mt. Everest is the deadliest mountain of them all. But, pound for pound, Everest claims a fairly small percentage of climbers considering the number of attempts every year.
Since 2000, it has seen 1.4 fatalities for every 100 summits. In its history, it has more than 7,500 recorded summits.
Shoes To 'Run' Everest: Kilian Jornet's Salomon Prototype Not many people would think to 'run' up Mt. Everest, but Killian Jornet isn't most people. His footwear, too, is one-of-a-kind. Read more…
7. Siula Grande, Huayhuash range of the Peruvian Andes (20,814 feet)
In 1985, the duo of Joe Simpson and Simon Yates, whose journey was chronicled in the book and film “Touching the Void,” attempted the western face of Siula Grande. It was a sheer, vertical ascent that had never been completed.
Siula Grande is an imposing mountain in the Andes, with sheer south and west faces.
Simpson and Yates made it to the summit, but Simpson fell during the descent, breaking his leg. Then Yates, lowering the injured Simpson down by rope, lost sight of him over a cliff.
After an hour passed, with his position slipping away and Simpson unable to secure himself, Yates cut the rope. Incredibly, Simpson survived the 100-foot fall into a crevasse.
Over the next three days, he subsisted on melted snow and hopped the 5 miles back to camp. He arrived shortly before Yates, who assumed Simpson had perished, was due to depart for home.
8. Mt. Washington in New Hampshire (6,288 feet)
To experience a deadly mountain a little closer to home, look no further than this New Hampshire peak. Rapidly shifting weather, hurricane force winds, and summer ice pellets scouring this slope have claimed more than 100 lives.
Temperatures at the peak can descend to -50 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact, the strongest wind ever measured on Earth was recorded on this peak, a gale of 231 mph.
9. Denali in Alaska (20,320 feet)
The highest peak in North America is also one of the most isolated and prominent in the world. A huge challenge of Denali is the time it takes to climb, with expeditions lasting two to four weeks. Denali is climbed yearly, but only around half of those who attempt it reach the top.
Denali is prone to earthquakes. And the combination of high altitude and extreme latitude also means altitude sickness kicks in much faster. (At the equator, a peak this size would have about half as much oxygen at the summit than at sea level; because of the latitude, the percentage on Denali is far lower.)
10. Mont Blanc massif (15,777 feet)
The tallest mountain in the Alps has a long history of climbing and climbing accidents. In 1786, its first summit by Jacques Balmat and Michel Paccard was hailed as the start of modern mountaineering.
Mont Blanc is among the most heavily trafficked mountains in the world, with about 20,000 people summiting yearly. But all of its routes have the hazards of falling rock and avalanches.
During peak season, rescue services have been known to average 12 missions per weekend. And it has the highest fatality rate of any mountain in Europe, with estimates at 100 deaths per year.
The Atlantic described the reason for the mountain’s deadliness as the frequent portrayal of Mont Blanc as a “long walk” and not a challenging climb.There was a suicide bombing in the city's main mosque as people finished praying, say officials.
KABUL: A suicide bomber killed at least 41 people, including five children, when he struck at a mosque in northern Afghanistan after Eidul Azha prayers on Friday, officials said.
Dozens more were wounded as the bomb ripped through the crowd of worshippers in Maymana city in Faryab province and there were fears the death toll could rise.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility, but suicide bombings are a favourite weapon of Taliban trying to topple the Western-backed government of President Hamid Karzai.
The attacker was wearing a police uniform when he blew himself up at the entrance to the city’s packed Eid Gah mosque, deputy provincial governor Abdul Satar Barez told AFP.
“Our latest death toll shows 41 deaths, and that might rise,” he said.
“Nineteen were members of the security forces, including police, army and intelligence agents. Seventeen were civilians and five children are also among the dead.”
Barez, like many other provincial officials, was at the scene at the time of the bombing and described the horror of the blast in the midst of a religious celebration.
“We had just finished Eidul Azha prayers and we were congratulating and hugging each other,” Barez said.
“Suddenly a big explosion took place and the area was full of dust and smoke and body parts of police and civilians were all over the place. It was a very powerful explosion.”
One eyewitness, Sayed Moqeed, described the bomber as appearing to be in his early teens.
“Suddenly I heard a very big explosion,” he said. “Everywhere were pieces of bodies, hands and limbs. The suicide attacker was in police uniform, he looked to be around 14 or 15 years old.”
Karzai strongly condemned the attack, calling the perpetrators “the enemies of Islam and humanity”.
“Those who take the happiness of Muslims during Eid days cannot be called human and Muslim,” he said.
Northern Afghanistan is relatively peaceful, with the Taliban, who were ousted from power in a US-led invasion in 2001, concentrating their operations in the south and east of the country.
Read full storyA suicide bomber has been killed in an attack targeting the ancient Karnak temple in the southern Egyptian city of Luxor, officials have said, the second attack in just over one week targeting Egypt's vital tourism industry.
Another attacker was shot dead by authorities during the attack on Wednesday, while a third was arrested, officials said, adding that a police officer was injured.
Officials said no civilians were injured in the attack. Luxor and its ancient sites are frequented by millions of foreign and Egyptian tourists every year.
Images from the scene of the explosion showed what appeared to be body parts on the ground in front of a tourist shop and atop a public restroom, the Reuters news agency reported.
Authorities said police have foiled two other suicide attacks also targeting the Nile-side temple, one of the country's main tourist attractions, rivalling the pyramids at Giza.
Antiquities Minister Mamdouh al-Damaty said he had, in coordination with the Interior Ministry, ordered security to be bolstered at ancient sites across Egypt.
The Karnak complex is a vast open-air museum, and the second largest ancient religious site in the world, after the Angkor Wat Temple of Cambodia.
It is believed to be the second most visited historical site in Egypt with only the Giza Pyramids receiving more visits.
The attack comes a week after two police officers were shot dead by gunmen on a road leading to the Great Pyramids of Giza, just west of capital Cairo.Monument Valley remains one of the best mobile games of last year, and likely ranks among the better titles of all time, in terms of unique design and imaginative gameplay mechanics. The ustwo games debut is getting even better today, thanks to the release of a special, visually updated version of the Ida’s Dream level pack released as part of a Project (RED) charitable |
FUQOpludY — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) May 3, 2014
Rachel Johnson just lost my endorsement. McKenna said what I expected him to. #LAUSD — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) May 3, 2014
Dr. McKenna tells the #NPIC that it is an administrator's job to evaluate teachers, not Ben Austin and his funder's job. #LAUSD — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) May 3, 2014
#ALEC, I mean Alex Johnson's rhetoric is standard, right-wing @dfer rhetoric. His hatred for public schools palpable. #LAUSD — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) May 3, 2014
Right-wing business banker Marshall Tuck debates professional educator Lydia Guitierez on Tuck's pRev turf. #LAUSD pic.twitter.com/clhVhDcjKJ — Robert D. Skeels (@rdsathene) May 3, 2014Over the past couple of weeks I’ve completely rebuilt my carbs. They were fairly dirty, but not too terrible all things considered. My rebuild kit included a new gasket for the bowls and new plugs for the fuel intake. Since it was my first time, a friend helped me to do the process.
One of the problems that I had was that one of the vacuum pistons stuck in its slider. I also had some fuel leakage when I bought the bike, so I’m hoping that this will fix that. There was a general amount of gunk all over everything, and one of the vacuum piston rings was broken because whoever had taken it apart before (it had quite obviously been taken apart before and many of the screw heads were stripped) had neglected to ensure the edge of the diaphragm was fully seated inside the seat. I patched it up with some liquid gasket sealer. I looked at replacing it, but it costs $150 to replace. At that point, I could simply purchase an entire set of carbs and pull the vacuum piston out of it.
The jets were fairly dirty, but they cleaned up well. Hopefully they’re in good enough condition that I won’t have to replace any of them. I also removed the plugs over the idle mixture adjustment screws so that I can fine tune the adjustment later. I’ve heard that they aren’t always perfectly adjusted from the factory.
I’ve been wanting to get 4-way flashers on my bike (it doesn’t have any stock), so I ordered a ZX600 left control cluster to replace the stock cluster. The switching to 4-way flashers is done inside the control. Apparently, this is supposed to be plug-and-play.
It’s not, at least not on this model. I know there’s an electrical change in the ’94 model, so I imagine at that point the harness matches what I have. Fortunately, Kawasaki didn’t change the wire colors in the harness, so all I had to do was take out the wires and re-pin the connector so that it matched up with the existing harness. For anyone trying to do this themselves, note that there is an blue/orange wire in the stock wiring harness that is not in the ZX600 harness, nor does it connect to anything on the bike side of the harness. It drove me nuts when my headlight didn’t work even after plugging it in correctly (turns out the switch needed some cleaning). The wire is from the ’86 and ’87 models which had a reserve lighting device. This device would automatically switch the headlight to the other filament if one burned out. It isn’t found on any of the other models, but it seems that Kawasaki thought it was cheaper to continue including the wire in the harness.
After installing the harness correctly and cleaning the switch, everything worked as expected except the 4-way flasher. Left and right worked correctly, though I noticed I could heard a very rapid clicking noise just before the blinkers started blinking. When I tried to use the 4-way button, all I could hear was a very rapid clicking and the lights all came on to maybe 30% brightness and would not blink. This didn’t make any sense, as the bike is supposed to have a solid state flasher and it was acting like a mechanical flasher. Either way, the flasher was clearly not helping so I replaced it with a digital one. Everything works great!
I took apart the old flasher and, lo and behold, it’s a mechanical flasher! The new flasher will work with LEDs, so that’s nice for future upgrades.
One of the problems I was having with my bike was that the throttle was binding somewhere. When I would engage the throttle, it wouldn’t automatically return to the start point. I wasn’t sure why this was as both throttle cables seemed to be in good condition. I had lubed them before I put the carbs back on. Once I got the carbs situated, I began reattaching the various control cables. When I put the throttle cables back on, the problem was worse! I also noticed, though, that there was very little slack in either cable, and the failsafe cable was especially tight. As soon as I disconnected that cable, the throttle worked perfectly. I adjusted the main throttle cable to have the right amount of slack, then reattached the failsafe cable and adjusted it to have slightly more slack. It’s perfect now, so it seems having too much tightness in the failsafe cable was causing the binding of the throttle control.
I also added a fuel filter in case any rust decides to come back in my tank. The cable is too long right now, so I’ll have to shorten it once I put the tank back on. I replaced the rear fairing and grab bar, but won’t put anything else back on the bike until I get it outside. It’s ready to come outside now; the only maintenance left to do is to sync the carbs, adjust my idle speed, change the oil and the coolant, and adjust my headlight. All this needs to be done outside and the bike needs to be running to do it properly. I should be getting it outside tomorrow, actually, which will be a lot of fun. Getting it up those stairs will be no joke.
Here’s the gallery. I took a lot of photos of my carbs, hopefully that will help someone!
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Tags: EX250F, Motorcycle, Ninja 250R, ProjectOne of the more drool-worthy aspects of the software from the Nexus 5 (and not necessarily Android 4.4) is the homescreen and launcher, which includes a ton of new features tied directly into Google Now and Google Search. But you might want to curb your enthusiasm: according to a report from The Verge, Google isn't interested in expanding that launcher to other devices at the moment.
Google tells us that the new Launcher on the Nexus 5 is exclusive to the phone — though the company may change its mind and offer it for the Nexus 4 and perhaps even put it on the Play store someday. For now, Google wants to see how users take to the Launcher on Nexus 5 before it offers it on other devices.
Android Police alumnus Ron Amadeo found that the core functionality in the Nexus 5 launcher is mostly contained in the Google Search app, which means that it would be easy enough for Google to bring the Now-centric features to other devices with a Search update. (At least some of those features, like the touchless voice command on the homescreen, are hardware-dependent.) I'm not sure how much credence I put in the idea that Google is using the Nexus 5 as a sort of testing ground for its new branded launcher... it seems to me that it's more likely to be a value add for the N5 itself. Just a few lines down in the Verge article, Matias Duarte refers to the launcher as "the single most exciting thing for Nexus 5."
There are already a few somewhat hacky solutions for getting the fancy new launcher on other phones, even those which are running older versions of Android. You can bet we'll be keeping an eye on Google's official offerings in the Play Store for any updated functionality.
Source: The VergeIn August a 40-year-old white man attempted to rob a bank in Corona, California while wearing blackface.
Police came to the scene after a silent alarm was triggered indicating a robbery. Police were not fooled by Jarred Schmittle’s blackface disguise.
When he entered the bank, he approached a teller and handed over a note that demanded money and claimed he was carrying a gun. He didn’t get any money because he ran off after a few seconds empty-handed.
— Restaurant owner allegedly chokes out woman over some cold fries —
It wasn’t until November that police got new leads that led them to Schmittle’s house in Lake Elsinore.
Why this man decided to disguise himself with blackface we might never know but it was an awfully racist way to rob a bank.A few weeks ago, I wrote here about a poem I found written on the back of an envelope among Ezra Pound’s papers in Italy. It is a small poem and it runs in full:
Hast thou 2 loaves of bread
Sell one + with the dole
Buy straightaway some hyacinths
To feed thy soul.
It does not look much like a Pound poem. It is perhaps too tender, too straightforward. Yet, I suggested, it is filled with Pound’s perpetual concerns: with economics, in a minor key; with the possibility of the spiritual in the world of capitalist trade; and with the eternal problems of exchange.
However, some sharp-eyed and well-versed readers soon wrote in to say that this sounded awfully like another poem, or other poems. (One subject line: “The Paris Review has been hoodwinked!”) This was, they reported, hardly a Pound poem at all, and in this they were right. Some expert sleuthing by Paris Review editors turned up the likely culprits. The following appeared in The Century magazine in August 1907, by James Terry White, under the title “Not By Bread Alone”:
If thou of fortune be bereft,
And in thy store there be but left
Two loaves—sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
Here, beneath the title, is the attribution “After Hippocrates,” as if this were a reworking of a cure dreamed up by the classical Greek physician. At Christmas of that year, these same lines appeared in a privately printed collection of White’s poems called In Saadi’s Rose-Garden. In this second printing, the lines lack the attribution to Hippocrates, but their presence in a collection inspired by the thirteenth-century Persian poet Saadi suggested that this is a reworking of an ancient poem.
The story does not end here, for White returned again to the poem. In his 1917 collection, A Garden of Remembrance, a lightly reworked version of these lines appears:
If thou of fortune be bereft,
And thou dost find but two loaves left
To thee—sell one, and with the dole
Buy hyacinths to feed thy soul.
There are now also extra verses, which continue in the same manner (“Only the heart, with love afire, / Can satisfy the soul’s desire”). But it was specifically the first stanza that proved popular, and in its revised form. When White died in 1920, one obituary noted that he was “well known as a publisher and at one time president of the Yost Typewriter Co. He was the author of the familiar quatrain, so often used in florists’ publicity.” From here, it resurfaces in treasuries and anthologies, of Christian worship and inspirational verse, through the twenties and thirties and after.
White always implies he was rewriting an older poem, by Hippocrates, or Saadi. Although it is in the style of something that might have been written by an ancient mystic, there is apparently not—or at least I have not been able to find—a definitive source. In the late nineteenth century, translations of Eastern poems—such as the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayam, translated by Edward FitzGerald—were hugely popular in America, so perhaps White wished for his works to share in this fashion.
The poem has had an afterlife as a vaguely remembered refrain. During his mayoral campaign speech in Los Angeles in 1911, the socialist Jeb Harriman said, “If you have two loaves of bread sell one and buy a hyacinth to feed thy soul.” Others repeated this quotation while attributing it vaguely to the Koran. The poem shifts in each new attribution. On the Internet, inevitably, its origins are variously given: as a saying of Mohammed or a nameless Persian poet. It is sometimes attributed to Elbert Hubbard, the philosopher and exponent of the late nineteenth-century Arts and Crafts movement, and sometimes in his version those hyacinths are specified as “white hyacinths”; and sometimes to the Quaker and abolitionist John Greenleaf Whittier.
So we have Ezra Pound, chief modernist, jotting down a hackneyed old all-purpose inspirational verse. The two White versions are too close to choose between, but we might imagine Pound working from one, cutting, rearranging; or perhaps he is, like so many others, simply remembering and lightly garbling an anyway uncertain original. What does he change? He speeds it up; he eradicates one of the rhymes, so that now the quatrain’s single rhyme—on soul and dole—draws together these two opposites. He adds the jaunty “straightaway” and cuts the apparent sadness in White’s suggestion of a loss of fortune. Both White’s versions include a hyphen; by removing this, Pound smoothes out the little stumble in the iambic measure. That “hast” added to the opening is deliberately archaic. By contrast, he turns the “two” and the “and” to a numerical figure and a plus sign, as if to stress that here is an act of accountancy more than poetry.
Some of this, in miniature, is classic Pound: he loved to spoof and to pastiche, as in—the most obvious example—the opening of the Cantos, which rewrites a section of the Odyssey in a deliberately archaic style. Some of it is old fashioned modernist recycling. “The poem which is absolutely original is absolutely bad” wrote T. S. Eliot, of Pound’s early poetry, and Pound happily pinched from Eliot in return. The opening of Pound’s Canto VIII runs: “These fragments you have shelved (shored).” This lifts the most famous line from Eliot’s most famous poem. “These fragments I have shored against my ruins” mourns The Waste Land. We might see these modernist poets as always thus, making new with the pieces of the past, on the edge of theft. Those hyacinths, of course, crop up near the opening of The Waste Land, too. “You gave me Hyacinths first a year ago” observes one of poem’s speakers, and: “They called me the hyacinth girl.”
The hyacinths are never new, but always something borrowed or a gift; they are not really Pound’s at all, nor Eliot’s. “Do you remember / ‘Nothing?’” demands another voice in The Waste Land, and in the manuscript, which was edited by Pound, is a reply which was subsequently cut from the final version: “I remember the hyacinth garden.”
Daniel Swift’s book The Bughouse: The Poetry, Politics and Madness of Ezra Pound will be published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux in November.The only way to carry your dice.
Welcome to the first post of hindsight learning. In these articles I’ll be taking a look back at a recent game of Malifaux I’ve played and together we can learn from my mistakes. So for today’s article we have Ironsides vs Misaki (Outcast).
The setup for our 50ss game was as follows.
Corner Deployment
Turf War
Convict Labor, Exhaust Their Forces, Hunting Party, Catch and Release, Detonate the Charges
Ironside’s Crew (opponent)
Ironsides (Arcane Reservior, Challenge the Crowd, Warding Runes) – 6ss cache
Mouse – 4ss
Gunsmith – 7ss
Johan (Imbued Energies) – 7ss
Oxfordian Mage (Blood Ward) – 6ss
The Captain (Patron’s Blessing) – 10ss
The Firestarter (Imbued Energies) – 7ss
Misaki’s Crew (mine)
Misaki (Oathkeeper, Stalking Bisento, Tally Sheet) – 2ss cache
Freikorps Librarian – 7ss
Hodgepodge Effigy – 4ss
Hodgepodge Emissary (Conflux of Thunder) – 10ss
Jorogumo – 9ss
Ronin – 6ss
Strongarm Suit – 10ss
My Choices (Misaki):
While I admit the scheme pool wasn’t an ideal match to the Misaki crew, I’ve wanted to get more playtime with her so I decided to try out the convict labor/detonate the charges combination. The idea is to drop markers for convict labor quickly and score it round 2, then on round 3 when they try to deny it by moving models close to the markers, you use the markers for detonate the charge. The game plan was to use the emissary to do most of the scheme marker dropping while the rest of the crew tried to clear out the Turf War area (but not before detonating the charge). As for the model by model breakdown….
Low Cache – I purposefully took a low cache with Misaki so I could benefit from her bonuses when she has no soulstones (gaining plus flips to Df and a built in crow to her attacks allowing her to do the assassination trigger).
– I purposefully took a low cache with Misaki so I could benefit from her bonuses when she has no soulstones (gaining plus flips to Df and a built in crow to her attacks allowing her to do the assassination trigger). H.Effigy – Most people know that Misaki can burn her last stone (for a crow) to get the assassination trigger on her attacks without needing a crow in hand. Well, with the Loyalty to the Coin buff (gain a soulstone when killing an enemy model) she can do this repeatedly if she keeps killing her targets. This model is primarily there for the buff, but it has the added benefit of being a tougher minion to kill for hunting party.
Most people know that Misaki can burn her last stone (for a crow) to get the assassination trigger on her attacks without needing a crow in hand. Well, with the Loyalty to the Coin buff (gain a soulstone when killing an enemy model) she can do this repeatedly if she keeps killing her targets. This model is primarily there for the buff, but it has the added benefit of being a tougher minion to kill for hunting party. H.Emissary – Two 0 AP pushes (one that drops a scheme marker) make this model fast and perfect for dropping a lot of scheme markers. Combine this with the bonus attack action it gives Misaki when she kills something near him and it makes for a solid choice.
– Two 0 AP pushes (one that drops a scheme marker) make this model fast and perfect for dropping a lot of scheme markers. Combine this with the bonus attack action it gives Misaki when she kills something near him and it makes for a solid choice. Jorogumo – He is another tough minion to help deny hunting party. He also can hit quite hard as well.
– He is another tough minion to help deny hunting party. He also can hit quite hard as well. Ronin – My opponent declared arcanists so I wanted something to get around armor in case he took a lot of it.
My opponent declared arcanists so I wanted something to get around armor in case he took a lot of it. Strongarm Suit – A tough model with Armor +2 and he can get around defensive triggers which many arcanist masters rely on to survive.
– A tough model with Armor +2 and he can get around defensive triggers which many arcanist masters rely on to survive. F.Librarian – Since this crew has several hard to kill models and an armor +2 Strongarm Suit, healing is going to synergize nicely with these sturdy models.
Deployment
I won the deployment flip so I choose to take the corner that was less boxed in and devoid of hazardous terrain. Also, in corner deployments, deploying second doesn’t matter nearly as much unless they are running from the shadows models and/or snipers.
I saw the bottom left of the board was going to be the safest place to place my markers for Convict Labor and decided to send the Emissary that way (perhaps a mistake as I’ll get to later) while the rest of my crew moved towards the middle.
Turn 1 (Ironsides activated first)
The mistakes began here with poor planning on my part. I forgot to use my Emissary to give out an upgrade or two before launching it off to the corner. Misaki downbursted my crew forward, but I didn’t realize it hits all models within 3” and could’ve pushed models backwards. Thankfully my flips worked out favorably and nothing got pushed backwards. What didn’t work out so well was my decision to have my Strongarm Suit shoot at the Gunsmith. I should have moved him into cover, but I took a shot at a minus flip, which of course missed, and this allowed the Gunsmith to hit its defensive trigger, giving it fast.
Turn 2 (Ironsides activated first):
This round ended up going well for the Ironside player as his cards were really working in his favor. He started by going with his fast Gunsmith and killed my Strongarm Suit because of a red joker damage flip, while ignoring armor. If I had kept him in cover, this could’ve been avoided. More mistakes were made this round as I goofed up my Emissaries action order and only dropped two scheme markers when I could’ve placed all three down in the corner. Then when my Effigy activated I could’ve moved and dropped another marker down, but instead just gave Misaki the Loyalty to The Coin buff and wasted his 2 ap. Finally, I foolishly moved my Jorogumo within charging range of Johan, forgetting he could go fast by discarding imbued energies, who then left my spider with 2 remaining wounds. My Ronin dropped my 3rd marker down for Convict Labor, which was denied by The Firestarter, and Misaki burnt Oathkeeper to charge in and kill the Oxfordian Mage. Killing the mage was helpful, but it took way more effort than it should have because he kept flipping high for the mage’s defense. The last activation he had was The Firestarter who discarded imbued energies for fast, went reckless, and flew across the board to drop a scheme marker to score 3 for detonate the charges, I forgot which model dropped the other marker for it.
Ironsides 4 VP; Turf War 1, Detonate the Charges 3, Exhaust Their Forces 0
Misaki 1 VP; Turf War 1, Detonate the Charges 0, Convict Labor 0
Turn 3 (Misaki activated first)
After two rounds of mediocre cheat hands, I finally drew a good one for turn 3 and started to swing the game back around. My Effigy went first to buff Misaki with Loyalty to The Coin and it moved into the Turf War zone. Misaki then chain activated to kill Johan and put the Gunsmith down to 2 wounds. At this point, I think he activated the wrong model here because he should’ve used the captain to kill my Jorogumo, but instead I think he shot with the Gunsmith and missed the attacks. This allowed my Jorogumo to take advantage of his mistake by killing Mouse so the Jorogumo could heal back to full health due to the ability Eat Your Fill. The rest of the turn was primarily models missing attacks or only doing little damage. My Emissary did drop the last scheme marker for Convict Labor and started to head towards the Turf War zone.
Ironsides 6 VP; Turf War 2, Detonate the Charges 3, Exhaust Their Forces 1
Misaki 3 VP; Turf War 2, Detonate the Charges 0, Convict Labor 1
Turn 4 (Misaki activated first)
The fourth turn began with the Effigy buffing Misaki with Loyalty to The Coin and chain activating into Misaki. She then quickly killed off the Gunsmith, but failed to kill anything else. My opponent, determined to not make the same mistake twice, brought down my Jorogumo this round with The Firestarter and The Captain. Ironsides missed her initial attack and just ended up exhausting Misaki. The only other key moment was the last activation of the turn when my Emissary finally pushed into the fight and dropped a marker in the middle of his crew. Unfortunately, this put me in an awkward spot since I could only score 2VP from Detonate The Charges if I did it this round and I needed to kill 2 models next round to stop him from scoring Turf War which meant that I would likely only score 1VP from Detonate The Charges if I waited till next turn. In the end I decided to score only 2VP and start playing for the tie.
Ironsides 8 VP; Turf War 3, Detonate the Charges 3, Exhaust Their Forces 2
Misaki 7 VP; Turf War 3, Detonate the Charges 2, Convict Labor 2
(Forgot to take a picture at the end of this round)
Turn 5 (Ironsides activated first)
So I incorrectly positioned my models on turn 4 and Ironsides activated gaining 4 adrenaline for the turn. This combined with my atrocious hand and bad flips allowed Ironsides to kill my Ronin and nearly full health Misaki. At this point I thought the game was over because I needed Misaki to kill the Captain, but I toughed it out to see if my models left could kill The Captain at 8 wounds and the Firestarter at 2 wounds. In the following activations I did managed to kill The Firestarter, but I was unable to hurt The Captain. Thankfully poor decisions were made by my opponent and I didn’t even need to kill The Captain because he forgot to move him into the Turf Zone area this round, leaving him with only one model in the zone which isn’t enough to score it. The game ended in a 9-9 tie after all.
Ironsides 9 VP; Turf War 3, Detonate the Charges 3, Exhaust Their Forces 3
Misaki 9 VP; Turf War 4, Detonate the Charges 2, Convict Labor 3
Closing Remarks:
I tied the game because my opponent misplayed 1 activation. I can’t complain about the results considering the sheer volume of mistakes I made over the course of the game. I think my biggest mistakes were the combination of my scheme selection and my decision on how to score it. I really needed my Emissary in the middle of the board for Detonate the Charges, but he was too busy in the corner setting up Convict Labor. I needed another scheme runner to assist him or I should’ve gave my Effigy the Emissary’s upgrade to give it Don’t Mind Me. I also need to spend Misaki’s 0 AP action more to stalk enemy models for plus flips to attacking and damage. I kept trying to save my 0 action for an extra attack, but without plus flips it was often only a 2 damage attack. That aside, I do really like this crew build for Misaki and it feels like a competitive list once I fine-tune my playing of it.
As for my opponents crew, Ironsides still feels a bit underwhelming, but her Hand-Picked Men ability which gives MS&U models plus flips to attack and damage can be a powerful offensive tool. The only problem is the MS&U models that benefit from this buff are easy to kill and when they die quickly her crew starts to fall apart. The crew also feels like it needs good flips to really work well and I think this game really showcased that fact. The couple turns where he was flipping well he was killing my models, but the rounds his flips weren’t hot, it felt like his models weren’t doing much to me.
I hope you enjoyed the first Hindsight Learning article, but if you didn’t let me know what didn’t work for you. If you loved it, then let me know that as well.During the second 2016 presidential debate Sunday night, Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton claimed that “what Donald Trump says about Muslims is used to recruit fighters.”
Fact-Check: MOSTLY FALSE
While one video published by the Al Qaeda affiliate Al-Shabaab in Somalia uses video of Trump calling for a “a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” Trump is largely absent from Al Qaeda, Islamic State, Hamas, and Hezbollah propaganda – the major jihadist groups who expend resources on producing propaganda to recruit fighters.
Much of the propaganda released by one of the most active jihadist groups in the world, the Islamic State, focuses largely on the Quranic theme of jihad (“holy war”) and cites both the Quran and the Islamic documents known as hadiths. At one time, half of the propaganda the group published sold potential recruits on constructing a jihadist utopia in Syria and Iraq. Much of the media that does not touch on the benefits of living in a society cleansed of infidels instead depicts graphic executions, including some performed by children, intended to intimidate the Western world.
One exception is a video in which an image of Bill Clinton captioned “fornicator” is used as a rallying cry to destroy America, “a secular state built on man-made laws whose soldiers fight for the interests of legislators, liars, fornicators, corporations, and for the freedom of Sodomites.”
The rise of groups like the Islamic State – formerly Al Qaeda in Iraq – has been fueled significantly by the growing chaos in the Middle East that followed the implementation of President Barack Obama’s foreign policy since 2008. The Obama White House’s approach to the Arab Spring, the Syrian Civil War, the fall of Muammar Qaddafi in Libya, the Houthi uprising in Yemen, and the teenaged war in Afghanistan have all left significant power vacuums from which jihadist groups have benefitted greatly – not just the Islamic State, but formerly moribund jihadist groups like Al Qaeda. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was critical in implementing these policies.15,000 vinyls on sale to the highest bidder
Liverpool's Hairy Records has put its entire stock up for auction on eBay, and with a starting price of £1,500 for the lot, it is an absolute bargain for so much vinyl.
The store, later renamed The Vinyl Emporium, was forced to close in early 2013, despite making a healthy profit from music sales. In a statement in March 2013, the owners blamed property matters 'beyond their control' for the closure. Now, nearly a year later, the stores entire stock of approximately 15,000 records is being sold on eBay. It's a music lover's treasure trove with classic pop, rock, metal and reggae among the records.. The reserve is set at £5,000.
Click here to see the listing and, if your pockets are deep enough, bid on the stock.
Hairy Records boasted a number of celebrity fans, with Dave McCabe of The Zutons and Oasis icon Noel Gallagher among them. The store even attracted the attention of Hollywood A-listers, with director Quentin Tarantino speaking of his love for the shop after a visit in 2007. "I found this great little record shop in Liverpool, Hairy Records," he said. "There's one record I've been hunting for worldwide for years, and they had it. I was on fire."
Hairy Records / The Vinyl Emporium's official closing statement in 2013 read:
'As many of you are aware, Hairy Records was a haven for vinyl junkies in Liverpool and all around the world. We at The Vinyl Emporium were happy to keep that tradition going and loved every minute that we did just that. However the truth is, even though we were doing alright financially, circumstances concerning the property were beyond our control. This meant that we had to make the difficult decision of quitting whilst we were ahead.
'The closing of any independent store is a sad day and a reminder of just how important it is to keep supporting them. When you believe the records on your shelves have their own unique tale to tell - not just about the music contained on it but the story of how it got there in the first place - then hopefully you will understand what an honour it has been to take on the legacy of one of the oldest record stores in the country. We haven't made a final decision on what we will do over the coming months, but when we do we will let you know. Thank you.'Christians should come together under one roof with the Pope as their Universal Shepherd, the Prior of the Taizé ecumenical community in France has said.
In an article in the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung on Maundy Thursday, Br Alois Löser said: “It is a fact that no Christian voice attracts as much attention as that of the Bishop of Rome. He is seen by many worldwide as Christianity’s spokesman.”
Although the Pope had often been seen as an obstacle to Christian unity in the course of the history of the divided Churches, “the surprisingly positive echo which Pope Francis has received from non-Catholic Christians is surely a sign of the times”, Br Löser said. “I would therefore like to pose the following question: shouldn’t the Christian Churches take a courageous step forward and come together under one roof – and do so before they have reached agreement on all theological questions?”
Just as each Christian community required a shepherd who led his sheep back to the fold, Christianity needed a universal shepherd, Br Löser said – “not at the top of the pyramid – and not as the head, as Christ is the head of the Church, but as its heart.”When the fight over the Affordable Care Act was at its height, both major parties effectively took a political gamble. Democrats believed that once “Obamacare” became law, and families started enjoying the benefits of the vastly improved system, the overheated controversy would fade and the ACA’s popularity would grow.
Republicans, meanwhile, bet on the opposite. The right believed, through a combination of lies, demagoguery, and ridiculous predictions, it could convince much of the nation’s mainstream that “Obamacare” would shred the fabric of American life. These attitudes, conservatives assumed, would be quickly ingrained, to the point that the reform law would never receive public acceptance.
Several years later, with the Affordable Care Act’s popularity reaching new heights, there’s every reason to believe Democratic expectations were more correct than their GOP counterparts. The New York Times has an interesting piece on the attitudes of voters in Doylestown, Pa., where locals didn’t like “Obamacare” – until recently.
[S]entiment here reflects the polls – and how they have shifted. Many people still have little understanding of how the law works. But Democrats and independents have rallied around it, and many of those who opposed it now accept the law, unwilling to see millions of Americans stripped of the coverage that it extended to them. “I can’t even remember why I opposed it,” said Patrick Murphy, who owns Bagel Barrel, on a quaint and bustling street near Mr. Brahin’s law office here in Doylestown.
He went on to tell the Times, “Everybody needs some sort of health insurance.” In apparent reference to Republicans, Murphy added, “They’re trying to repeal Obamacare but they don’t have anything in place.”
We have a pretty good idea, of course, why some folks like these opposed the ACA. After all, some powerful and wealthy groups spent many months and several million dollars to convince people of … all sorts of things. There’d be a “government takeover.” The country would go “bankrupt.” There’d be “death panels.” “Obamacare” would create “Armageddon.” Change can be scary, and assorted partisans and ideologues exploited that fear as best they could.
The trouble is, as ridiculous as this rhetoric was at the time, no sane person could believe the claims now. The predictions simply didn’t come true – to the point that some no longer remember why they were inclined to believe the nonsense in the first place.
And now, along come Republicans, who were wrong about pretty much every possible aspect of the ACA debate, telling people to trust them. Once their far-right alternative is in place, they say, glorious “freedom” will spread throughout the land. Tens of millions of Americans won’t be able to affordable medical care anymore, the costs for families will impose crushing new burdens, and people will pay more for worse coverage, but Republicans are staking their credibility on their regressive and unpopular plan.
I wonder how many articles we’d see in seven years with voters saying, “I can’t even remember why I supported it.”It's hard to beat old-school analogue displays when it comes to easy-to-read ways of displaying info. Reminiscent of the speedos on classic cars, the OMATA One speedometer puts cutting-edge GPS technology within a stylish, vintage display, and is now live on Kickstarter.
Featuring a display which shows speed, distance, ascent and time, the OMATA One translates digital GPS computer data into an analogue function using a custom mechanical assembly the company developed in partnership with watchmakers Seiko Precision Inc.
The information is also recorded and can be downloaded to the training and recording application of your choice, which includes Strava and Training Peaks.
Although the display only shows those four aforementioned metrics, the device will also record KOMs/QOMs, personal records and goals, and can export data in GPX format. Post-launch the company will work on direct pairing and integration with mobile applications.
The omata one is the first device by new cycling product design company omata:
A statement
"The OMATA One is as much a statement on the nature of modern product design and technology, as it is a statement on the essential character of cycling" said Rhys Newman, one of the founders of OMATA.
The company also boasts a high profile ambassador – none other than Spartacus himself, Trek-Segafredo rider Fabian Cancellara.
The aesthetics of the OMATA One go beyond the simple display: the company has also designed their own bespoke numerals. Named OMATA Numeral Regular, the |
?
These are hard questions with no single right answer, but one combined definition might be as follows:
A shape is a collection of points in space, and geometry is the study of properties of shapes.
For example, some common properties of shapes that a geometer (a mathematician who studies geometry) might study are length, area, angle, and dimension.
Mathematicians sometimes talk about shapes as abstract things, like “a circle of radius 2” and describe their properties without having any particular circle in front of them. But you can also think about the geometry of the world around you: What is the geometry of our world like?
To get students started, you might note that Earth is a sphere (roughly, but with mountains and valleys). Ask students to think about some of the specifics of this geometry, such as the size of that sphere (very big), and the dimension of the space we move around in (three, but stuck to a two-dimensional ground). They might even notice the fact that Earth is a finite thing, whereas outer space might very well go on and on forever.
There are many stories about characters who live in worlds whose geometry is very different from that of our own. Putting a character in a different sort of space is a way to present him or her with challenges (and sometimes, opportunities) that would not occur on Earth. In Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince, for example, we learn of a boy who lives on a very small planet, who worries that a few trees will overtake the entire surface of his world.
Size is actually a minor difference in geometry; there are much bigger ones. To get students thinking about different geometries, give them some modeling clay, and have them make a planet in a fun shape. Let them know that some of the craziest math is in the field of topology—a cousin of geometry. In topology, a circle and a square are the same thing because, roughly speaking, you can stretch and bend one into the shape of the other. However, a doughnut (mathematically called a torus) is not the same as a ball; you would have to squish the hole in the middle of the doughnut, and that's not allowed. Topologically you can bend and stretch one shape into another, but you're not allowed to close holes or cut out new ones. (Remember from the first session that definitions and rules are important!) Ask your students if they can stretch their shape into a ball—if so, topologically it's the same as the planet Earth. Challenge your students to create a shape that's topologically different from a ball, and then as many topologically different shapes as they can!
Edwin Abbott Abbott's Flatland offers another classic example of interesting geometry; this late-nineteenth-century novella describes a two-dimensional world where the inhabitants are all objects like lines and triangles and squares. Among the many difficulties faced by these two-dimensional inhabitants is the challenge of recognizing each other from afar, because any two-dimensional object looks just like a line segment when viewed head-on.
After they wrestle with that for a bit, bring up Vi Hart's Wind and Mr. Ug. Ask your students what's going on! (The quick answer is that Wind is Mr. Ug! Wind is on a Möbius strip, a special shape that has only one side.) It's fine if they don't understand; let their curiosity and wonder linger. If they do understand that they're seeing a Möbius strip, you can let them know that there's another crazy shape with only one side, the Klein bottle. It can only exist in four dimensions, and its inside is also its outside!
We've discussed a number of examples of weird geometry in fiction, but there's another great source of interesting geometries: video games. The Mario games have some awesome geometry; Super Mario Bros. and many of its sequels are great two-dimensional fun, and Super Mario Galaxy and Super Mario 3D World have amazing three-dimensional mechanics. (Super Paper Mario actually requires switching between 2-D and 3-D views of the world; if you can show a video of this, it's a really great example of how geometry and perspective are connected.) The game Portal shows you what might happen if jumping through one point in space suddenly put you at a different point somewhere entirely different. Ask students if they can think of other examples of video games (or examples from fiction that were missed earlier) in which geometry works differently from the way it does in our world.
Speaking of video games, here's a fun fact students may not have known: Pac-Man actually lives on a cylinder rather than a square. To see why, remember that when Pac-Man moves off the left side of the screen, he reappears on the right side, and vice versa. This suggests that his world operates as though its left side and its right side were glued together. A square with its left and right sides glued together, though, is nothing but a cylinder. The same kind of reasoning explains the shape of Asteroids, an arcade game that takes place on a doughnut. In that game, moving off the left side of the screen makes you reappear on the right side, but also, moving off the top of the screen makes you reappear at the bottom. So the world of Asteroids is a square with its left and right sides glued together and its top and bottom glued together. Try that for yourself (with a very flexible piece of paper or a piece of tinfoil) and you'll see that you get a doughnut-shaped world.
Shaping the World (20 minutes)
With this perspective in mind, it's time to start writing. Today, students are going to generate an idea for a story that takes place in a world with different geometry from that of our own. Geometry, in their stories, should be more than just a setting; it should be a source of conflict, presenting obstacles or opportunities to the characters that they wouldn't encounter in our world. (If it helps them think about geometry, let students manipulate modeling clay and foil.)
To come up with ideas, it can be helpful to think more about the aspects of our own world that we take for granted.
How does the shape of the planet Earth affect how we live?
What about its size?
As a group, you can try to answer these questions, and also to imagine how you might live if Earth's shape or size (or dimension, or some other property) were different. You may also want to keep in mind that the same world can look drastically different depending on your point of view:
How might a shape look different from the perspective of someone living on that shape, as opposed to someone looking on from the outside? In Abbott's Flatland, for example, the inhabitants see each other as line segments, but an outsider looking on from above sees full shapes. If you showed students Super Paper Mario in action, it helps a lot here!
Even the planet Earth demonstrates this idea of perspective; it took a long time for humans to realize they were living on a sphere, because a sphere this big looks just like a flat surface to a person walking around on it.
Equipped with these ideas to get them started, students should fill out the first part of the “Leaving Space and Time” handout to help them start thinking of a premise for a story that takes place in a world unlike ours.
Transitioning to Time (15 minutes)
Now's when things get really interesting. So far, we have been thinking about the space we live in as a three-dimensional space. It has length, width, and height. But what about time? Albert Einstein taught us that time is really just another dimension, the fourth dimension, of the space in which we live. Time works a little differently from other dimensions, though. We cannot move freely in time like we can along other dimensions, but instead our consciousness experiences time as always moving in the same direction at the same pace. Even more weirdly, time is relative: if you and I are moving at different speeds, time will pass differently for me than it does for you. Although you'd need much more time to explain how this works in detail, for interested students—and instructors!—the Wikipedia page on the theory of relativity is very good.
Just like they did with three-dimensional space, students can imagine time working differently than in the linear fashion we're used to. Our favorite examples come from a book of short stories by physicist Alan Lightman called Einstein's Dreams. In one story, called “14 May, 1905,” there is a center at which time stands still. As one approaches this center, time slows down. Characters wishing to stretch out a particular emotional moment move toward the center. However, spending time near the center means that one ages much more slowly than others farther away. This story, and perhaps several others from Einstein's Dreams, are worth reading if you have the time. Ask the class, “Can you think of other examples of stories that play with time?”
If students struggle to come up with examples, a whole host of stories they probably know involve time travel. Here are a few examples we like:
Back to the Future
Time Turners in the Harry Potter series
The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L'Engle
Groundhog Day
Another example a lot of students will know is the ability of the character Titan Kronos to manipulate time in Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. Kronos can slow down time to help him defeat his enemies. Being on the receiving end of this is very confusing. If you were slowed down by Kronos's powers, would you feel like you were moving in slow motion or like things around you were moving unnaturally quickly? Have your students ever been in situations where they felt like time was slowing down or speeding up, for themselves or for the world around them? For example, have any students felt like they suddenly slowed down when they passed a train or bus travelling in the same direction going almost the same speed as they were? What other examples can they think of?
Time permitting, if your students are really into video games, you can bring up examples of games with different time rules. Older examples include Chrono Trigger and Zelda games like Ocarina of Time and Majora's Mask; recent indie games include Braid and Super Time Force. (Interestingly, among other time mechanics, Braid has location-based time-slowing mechanics similar to those of “14 May, 1905.”) Ask your students if they're familiar with any video games in which time plays a role. What do these time powers allow you to do? What problems do they cause, and what are their limitations?
Time to Brainstorm (20 minutes)
Now we are ready to experiment with changing the rules of the fourth dimension of our world. The second part of the “Leaving Space and Time” handout guides students to think about time in new ways, inspiring a premise for a story.
If it helps students brainstorm, have them use a piece of string, a pipe cleaner, or a long strip of paper to create a simple time line. Then have them twist the string or paper around, maybe tangling things up in a knot or two. How would the time line be affected if different events collided?
Time and Space to Write and Reflect (35 minutes)
Now, ask students to pick one or both of the two ideas generated earlier on their handout, about a different kind of space or time, and flesh out as much of a story as possible, using the third part of the handout. Try to save enough time—five or ten minutes—to allow a few of your students to share some of their work aloud.
To end, after students have shared, conclude the lesson by revisiting the question with which the lesson began, What is math? Ask students whether their answer to this question changed over the course of the two sessions.
We think math is awesome. Students often think of math as a collection of facts and methods for solving math problems. Formulas are extremely important for you to be able to understand and use, but there's so much more to math! The formulas and methods students learn in class have not always been known by human beings. They are the fruits of countless hours of labor by people trying to figure out how the world works, in many cases thousands of years ago. These people imagined the world in tons of different ways until they stumbled on the right rules to describe it (and many other worlds besides). And mathematicians are still learning more all the time!
By studying math, we can learn to think logically about the world, to use reason and imagination to understand something in a completely original way. How cool is that?
FOR YOU TO KNOW (AND YOUR STUDENTS TO DISCOVER)
Here is some more information on a few of the mathematical ideas that arise in the lesson, in case you'd like to know more before discussing them with students.
Dimension
Dimension, roughly, refers to the number of degrees of freedom one has when moving about a geometric object. For example, a flat plane is two-dimensional because motion on it can occur in two basic directions: horizontally or vertically. The space we live in, in contrast, is three-dimensional because motion can occur forward and backward, left and right, or up and down. A four-dimensional universe would be one in which movement was possible in four different directions, which, of course, is nearly impossible to visualize.
It is slightly more difficult to understand the dimension of a geometric object that isn't as basic as the two- or three-dimensional spaces we're familiar with, but the trick is to imagine the perspective of a tiny person living on the object. When viewed up close in this way, almost any shape you can think of looks very simple. The surface of a sphere, for instance, is a two-dimensional object. To see why this is the case, pretend you are a tiny person living on the sphere; that shouldn't be hard, because we live on a very big sphere ourselves: Earth. From your point of view on the sphere, it looks just like a flat plane, and this is why we consider the sphere to be two-dimensional. For another example, a squiggly line is one-dimensional, because it looks just like a regular old straight line from the perspective of a really small person standing on it.
Using these ideas, one can make sense of what a four-dimensional or five-dimensional or hundred-dimensional object might look like, but what would it mean to say the dimension of a shape is something weird like? Fractals have fractional dimension. To see why, we'll need to think of dimension a bit differently.
Dimension dictates how the size of a shape changes when its side length doubles. Consider, on the one hand, the two-dimensional square. If the square has side length 1, its area is 1, whereas if it has side length 2, its area is 4. That is, doubling the side length yields a square that is four times the size of the original one. Cubes, on the other hand, are three-dimensional, and doubling the side length of a cube gives a new cube that's eight times larger. If you could visualize the four-dimensional analogue of a cube (which is called a tesseract), you'd see that when its side length is doubled, the resulting object is sixteen times the size of what you started with. To summarize in somewhat more mathematical terms: if doubling the side length of an object yields an object 2d times as large, then that object has dimension d.
To see why fractals have fractional dimensions, let's play with a relatively simple one: the Sierpinski triangle (see the first figure in this section). First, draw a triangle of side length 1 and subdivide it into a Sierpinski triangle by the procedure described in the “Fractals” section that follows. Then, do the same, but starting with a triangle with side length 2:
The larger Sierpinski triangle contains three copies of the smaller one. In other words, doubling the side length gives an object three times the size of the original.
This is bizarre, because we would expect the size to increase by a power of 2; remember, if the size increases by a factor of 2d, then the dimension is d. But 3 is a power of 2, it's just a really weird one: you can check on a calculator that 21.58 ≈ 3. The conclusion, then, is that the dimension of the Sierpinski triangle is approximately 1.58.
Fractals
Two examples of fractals that are easy to draw are the Sierpinski triangle and the Koch snowflake. They both have good Wikipedia pages, so you can go there to get a better idea of what they look like.
To draw a Sierpinski triangle, start with a triangle of any size. Subdivide it into a stack of three triangles like so:
Then, take each of the three triangles in the stack and subdivide them in the same way:
Repeat with each of the nine triangles that result, and so on.
The Koch snowflake also starts with a triangle. In the middle of each of its edges, draw a smaller triangle jutting out:
Then draw an even smaller triangle jutting out of each edge of the resulting shape:
Repeat forever. Which brings us to …
Recursion
As mentioned in the lesson, recursion occurs when something feeds back into itself. An example would be two identical mirrors positioned exactly across from each other, reflecting each other into infinity. Another example would be the box of cocoa that depicts a model holding the same box of cocoa, and so on, and so on. Fractals are also recursive; when you zoom in, you're led back where you started.
Topology
We'll say it: topology is crazy (cool), if a little mind blowing. Topology is similar to geometry, only geometry looks at rigid things (angles, lengths, area, volume, and so on), whereas topology looks at things that can be stretched, twisted, bent, and squeezed—but not torn.
For an example, think of a coffee cup and a doughnut. If you make the cup's handle fatter and its bottom thicker, eventually it would look like a doughnut. And although it would be different in some ways, in others, it would be the same—for instance, it would still have a path, or a “tour,” around the hole in the middle.
On a sphere, any tour that returns to its starting point can be retraced with shorter and shorter ones, until it shrinks to a point. But on the cup/doughnut, the tour around the hole is “noncontractible”—if you try to shorten it, you'll get stuck at some point, when it goes around the hole as tightly as possible.
You can also think of a tour as a closed loop; so a tour on a sphere divides it into a section inside the tour, and a section outside the tour (although you're free to decide which is which!). But the tour around the hole or handle of the cup/doughnut doesn't divide the surface into two parts—you can get from one side to the other without crossing it.
These sorts of things are topological properties: they stay the same as long as we don't cut the object, or punch new holes, or fill an existing hole in all the way.
One of the most important results in recent mathematical history in regard to topology was Grigori Perelman's proof of a nearly century-old problem—the Poincaré conjecture, which is about what three-dimensional shapes are the same as other three-dimensional shapes. The proof involved something called a “Ricci flow with surgery.”
Fun facts aside, it'll be more helpful for you to know a couple of cool world shapes used in science fiction. One of them, which we just discussed, is the torus (doughnut)—it features prominently in Larry Niven's Ringworld and in the Halo series of video games. The other is the Dyson sphere—essentially, the inside of a hollow surface surrounding a star—which was featured perhaps most prominently in an episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation.
The torus is definitely not the same topological shape as our world, remember, because there are two tours that cannot be shrunk to a point, and because there are tours that don't divide the torus in two. However, the inside of a sphere is the exact same thing, topologically, as the outside—mathematicians have found ways to turn spheres inside out.
Time Travel and Paradoxes
Some people hypothesize that time travel is impossible because we haven't seen any evidence of it. Now, absence of evidence is not evidence of absence, but time travel does have its problems. A lot of these come down to paradoxes—apparent contradictions. Many of these paradoxes follow a particular pattern:
1. Time travel into the past.
2. Change things in the past.
3. Prevent yourself from being born.
4. Prevent step 1 from happening (because if you're not born, you can't time travel into the past).
Rather grimly, one of the canonical examples of a time travel paradox is the grandfather paradox, where step 2 in the preceding pattern involves killing your grandfather. You absolutely don't need to share this with your students. A friendlier example comes from Back to the Future, in which Marty McFly accidentally prevents his mother from falling in love with his father, and he needs to fix the situation to ensure he'll be born.
Scientists and the like have hypothesized many ways to resolve these paradoxes, including parallel universes.
Time Travel and Relativity
Think about yourself standing, and think about what it's like for someone to zoom past you on a bike. That person seems fast. But if you're biking alongside the other person, she suddenly doesn't seem so fast, right?
So speed is relative, and it is for everything in the universe except one thing: light (generally speaking—this also includes other kinds of electromagnetic radiation). So, no matter how fast you go, light always goes at the ultimate speed, about 186,000 miles per second.
The consequences of speed's relativity are really, really cool. When you work out the math, you find that the faster you go, the slower time goes for you relative to anyone else who isn't moving very fast. The thing is, you have to be going very, very fast for time to slow down a lot. So far, experiments we've done have only been able to have fast clocks run fractions of a second slower than stationary clocks.
What does this mean for time travel? Some think that we can get time to slow down so much that it goes backward—the problem is, it means we have to figure out how to go faster than light.The Lazy Cosplayer
Home: Queensland, Australia
Age: 30
Links to The Lazy Cosplayer
Facebook … 2,603
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DeviantArt… 29
CosWeek: Where do you live?
Lazy: On the sunny Gold Coast in Queensland, Australia.
CosWeek: What got you started in Cosplay?
Lazy: I used to do a lot of themed dinners and every birthday was a themed party. Eventually my friends basically started asking ‘do we have to dress up?’ That’s when I knew I had a problem! Shortly after that I went to a local convention (in costume of course) and I discovered this amazing thing called cosplay. From then I went on to build my first real ‘cosplay,’ my The Dark Knight Rises Catwoman. After such a warm reception from the cosplay community, I wanted to set myself bigger and better goals and have been enjoying the cosplay journey ever since.
CosWeek: What conventions do you attend?
Lazy: I try to attend as many as possible (or that real life allows) In Queensland we are especially lucky to have a few major conventions. On the Gold Coast we have Supanova. In Brisbane, an hour drive away, we have OzComicCon and another version of Supanova with different guests to the Gold Coast one. I also travel interstate to go to Sydney Supanova. I really want to do more conventions though. The whole cosplay and Geek culture has exploded in Australia and it seems the general public are really embracing it.
CosWeek: Who influences you?
Lazy: I am especially drawn to Australian cosplayers. They go through the same struggles I go through – where to buy Worbla, how to get Arda wigs cheap, why can’t we have a Jo-ann, why does the Australian dollar buy nothing! My influences are close to home because I can relate to them more. Major Sam Cosplay is also a Queenslander and she’s just won the Crown Championships of Cosplay held at C2E2. She competed against the champions of several different countries to win the championships all in a sewn costume. Her sewing skills are incredible, so she’s a massive inspiration for me.
CosWeek: To give those of us not in Australia an Idea, what does Worbla cost down there?
Lazy: A 100 cm x 150 cm (39” x 59”) sheet of Worbla’s Finest Art is about $95. It’s hard to come by and not many stores in Australia sell it. Queensland cosplayers have to basically buy it from interstate, so you have astronomical shipping fees on top of that – thank you Australia Post! (*Edit* $95Australian = $70US, $90CAN or £48)
CosWeek: What does your family think of your Cosplaying?
Lazy: At first they thought it was silly. They had a lot of trouble comprehending the ‘why’ – why spend so much time on time, why waste your money on that, why do you enjoy ‘dressing up’ so much. Eventually, they came to terms with it being another creative outlet for me. My mum and I have always been artistic. I’m a graphic designer as an occupation so I work in the creative industry. Cosplay just allows so many more avenues to explore creatively. You can work with some amazing materials – fabric, wood, Worbla, wigs, metal, foam – the list is endless! The best part, is that you’re doing it for you. It’s also almost selfish in that sense, it takes time away from work, family life etc. It’s a pure escape from the norm.
CosWeek: What drives you to continue Cosplaying?
Lazy: People. Don’t get me wrong, there are times when I think ‘why am I doing this, it’s such a waste of time.’ I think every cosplayer goes through that internal struggle. But at the end of the day, all you need is one fan, one little girl or boy to smile at you and say that you’re their favourite character and you feel on top of the world. The feedback from fans and other cosplayers helps me keep on going. It’s a fantastic craft that offers so many rewards (and challenges too)
CosWeek: Can you give us a hint of what your next Cosplay is?
Lazy: I’m currently working on Ciri from the Witcher 3 – Wild Hunt and Buffy the Vampire Slayer cosplay. They haven’t been too challenging, so I’m looking forward to creating something way out of my comfort zone – ideas please?
CosWeek: What advice would you give to a first time Cosplayer?
Lazy: Don’t listen to the negative and enjoy the experience. You are putting yourself out there, expressing your fandom and sometimes it can draw negative opinions. Be prepared BUT remember who you are doing this for – yourself and the smiles you bring to the people who love what you love! Keep your head held high, remember to have fun and chat to some of the other cosplayers. We love welcoming people into the community and can provide valuable help and advice to newbies who want to pursue this passion.Tribesmen blew up Yemen’s main oil pipeline Saturday, halting deliveries from oilfields in the interior to the Ras Isa export terminal on the Red Sea, provincial and tribal sources said.
The pipeline, which carries some 100,000 barrels of oil per day from fields in the restive eastern province of Marib, has been repeatedly attacked by saboteurs, most recently in May.
The latest attack took place very early Saturday in the Habab district of Marib, which has been prey to violence by armed tribesmen seeking a greater share of oil jobs and revenues, as well as loyalists of Al-Qaeda.
The sabotage forced engineers to shut down the 320-kilometre (200-mile) pipeline to the floating Ras Isa terminal, north of the port city of Hodeida, an official said.
Yemen is a minor producer but relies on oil and gas exports for 90 percent of its foreign currency earnings.
Attacks on infrastructure cost the impoverished country $4.75 billion over the two years from March 2011 to March 2013, according to government figures.This article is over 2 years old
Nationwide, 62% now support same-sex marriage, but voters list key priorities for new government as health, national security and reducing unemployment
Support for marriage equality has increased since the federal election with the latest Essential poll showing strong national support at 62%, up four percentage points since July.
But nearly two-thirds of Australians do not want the federal government to provide funding for the “yes” and “no” campaigns in the lead-up to a same-sex marriage plebiscite, if one is held.
The latest Essential poll, released on Tuesday, found the most important issues for the Turnbull government to address over the next 12 months were the health system (45%), national security and terrorism (37%), unemployment (31%), tax avoidance by big companies (31%) and housing affordability (31%).
Essential poll finds support for Labor's carbon policy but backs negative gearing Read more
But it also asked a number of questions about issues that have dominated federal politics in recent weeks.
On foreign investment, it found the treasurer, Scott Morrison, may have broad public support for his decision to reject the sale of the New South Wales electricity distributor, Ausgrid, to Chinese bidders.
By a factor of more than two to one, respondents said foreign investment in real estate (54%), infrastructure (45%) and agriculture (44%) was bad for the Australian economy.
Respondents were also more likely to think foreign investment in Australian ports was bad for the economy (37% bad/23% good), while they were split on the benefits of foreign investment in mining (28% bad/27% good).
The survey, based on 1,002 respondents, was conducted online from the 19 to 22 August – just days after Morrison rejected the Ausgrid sale.
The survey was still being conducted on Monday when Morrison called on Australia’s superannuation funds to consider investing in Ausgrid now that he had stopped two Chinese bidders from purchasing the asset.
Malcolm Turnbull’s quest for power leaves him at odds with the electorate | Peter Lewis Read more
But the poll found there was growing support for marriage equality in Australia.
Alex Greenwich, the chair of Australian Marriage Equality, said it was good to see it had increased since the election.
“Politicians have a responsibility to reflect this strong support and legislate for marriage equality as soon as possible,” Greenwich said on Tuesday.
“This is an issue about people, not politics, and we must remember that this straightforward reform is about families, neighbours, friends and workmates and our shared Australian values of fairness for all.”
The prime minister’s office confirmed on Sunday the government had received advice from the Australian Electoral Commission not to hold a plebiscite on same-sex marriage this year.
The government now plans to hold a plebiscite in February 2017 to decide whether marriage equality should be legalised in Australia.
The poll also asked if respondents believed there was fairly conclusive evidence that climate change was happening and was caused by human activity.
Fifty-seven per cent of respondents said they agreed, down from 63% in March, but 26% said we may just be witnessing a normal fluctuation in the Earth’s climate, down from 27% in March.
The number of respondents who said they don’t know was 17%, up from 10% in March.The campus police
They live inside of my head
The campus police
They come to me in Middle Earth
The campus police
They’re coming to arrest me
Oh no
-Bastardization of Cheap Trick’s “Dream Police” in light of recent UCI BSU petition
According to an online petition, the Black Student Union at UC Irvine is demanding the abolition of the campus police department, calling contemporary police forces “modern incarnations of the antebellum plantation and slave patrols.”
The demand made via Change.org to UCI Chancellor Howard Gillman and the administrations of UCI and the University of California states, “The problem is that policing as an institution is unethical; it accompanies anti-Black violence.” There were 240 signatures as of Wednesday afternoon toward a goal of only 500.
The BSU demand was set off by alleged interrogations and forced confessions surrounding last year’s student government consideration of a ban of all flags, including the American flag, from the student common area.
“A non-deputized Black person could never do the following: hold six right-wing students hostage in an administration building, while violating their civil rights; make police protection from anonymous violence contingent upon them signing a document; and, force these students to apologize for refusing to fly red, black and green Black Liberation flags in their student organizations’ commons,” the petition reads.
Like Rage Against the Machine, the BSU claims some of those who join forces are the same who burn crosses. Today’s cops, as did yesterday’s KKK “intimidate, imprison, sexually assault, and murder Black people,” according to the petition. This “creates a violent space for students” who should be provided “safe spaces to learn, think, and intellectually grow.”
Besides UCI police, “any additional paramilitary force presence on campus” must “be dismantled,” states the petition, which you can read in full HERE or HERE.
Via UCI spokeswoman Cathy Lawhon came the following statement:
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, the Chancellor’s Office received a letter from UCI’s Black Student Union, demanding the abolition of the campus police force. The UCI Police Department comprises a highly respected team of officers who risk their lives to ensure the safety of our students, faculty and staff. We are proud of them and will continue to support the department. The letter also makes false, malicious accusations against several staff members, many of whom worked diligently to address the BSU’s earlier demands and advance a safe, comfortable environment for all students. We stand by these dedicated professionals. UCI’s administration, staff and faculty are committed to a diverse, inclusive environment. Significant progress has been achieved, as outlined in the summary linked here: http://inclusion.uci.edu/recent-campus-actions-support-inclusive-excellence. We continue to encourage an open, productive dialogue with BSU and remain dedicated to a campus that is safe, inclusive and celebrates diverse cultures and opinions.
The Weekly could find no contact information for UCI’s College Republicans after 2012, so hats off to Campus Reform, which managed to snag a reaction to the BSU petition from Peter Van Voorhis, a member of the conservative student group.
“I feel like they really push the narrative of victimhood to demonize the university,” Van Voorhis said of the black activists to Campus Reform, which describes itself as an American education watchdog and links directly to The Drudge Report. “They’re saying they were being pressured with the threat of losing their lives, so therefore we need to ban the police on campus.”
Labeling it “a pretty baseless attack,” Van Voorhis offered, “I think even left-wing students would realize that it’s a little bit insane to call for police to be banned in order to create a safe space for marginalized groups.”Passion: The Canterbury Bulldogs held talks to buy the Western Sydney Wanderers. Credit:Getty Images So what would that look like? Stadium designs are yet to be completed, though the club's successes and moments to remember will form part of their new home. One proposal put forward involves LED light screens around the stadium - similar to that of Allianz Arena in Munich. That would give the club a great opportunity to make Parramatta feel like a permanent Wanderers home. Images of iconic players and footage of triumphs could be broadcast across the exterior and interior of the ground. A potential match-winner on Sunday could form part of the club's long-term identity. It took Ray Price four rugby league titles to be immortalised outside Parramatta Stadium in bronze. The question is, how many will it take for the Wanderers to have a statue of their own outside the new stadium?
An A-League triumph could go a long way to making the strongest possible statement that the new Parramatta Stadium is as much their home as the Eels'. Would it be Tony Popovic? Nikolai Topor-Stanley or maybe Brendon Santalab? We'll see, but that remains a long way off. More pressing is getting safe-standing seats approved for their active fans, who Tsatsimas says played a role as big as the players in leading the club to the grand final. "Let's make no mistake, without those fans and that stadium, [the semi-final] would have been a long bow to get back in," he said. "We want standing areas, they have to be safe and compliant but we want you to come to Parramatta and know you're coming to watch the Wanderers."
The most pressing issues Don't underestimate the value behind of the champion's tag. It can add another zero on the end of the salary of a player once a foreign club becomes interested and make the Wanderers a more attractive employer. Already, the Wanderers have received a flurry of offers for key players this season, all of which were turned down or broke down before contract negotiations. The club has a policy of not selling players mid-season, allowing them to move only during the off-season. Mitch Nichols and Mark Bridge had moves to Asia blocked, while scouts from Beijing Guoan travelled to watch two games of Nikolai Topor-Stanley over the summer with instructions to break the A-League transfer record for the experienced defender. With an A-League winner's medal around their neck come Sunday, those three could again become some of the many Wanderers' on the shopping lists of clubs abroad at the end of the season.
Sources suggest the Chinese market remains interested in signing Australian players and a football economy that is excited as much about status as it is ability, the lure of signing a champion player could prove too strong to resist. Then there are those coming off contract. Spaniards Andreu and Alberto Aguilar are yet to re-sign despite being offered improved deals. Romeo Castelen's hat-trick last week upped his value and another performance like that on Sunday could see the Dutchman in demand. Merchandise The Wanderers are already selling grand final T-shirts commemorating their third decider in just four years of existence and should it prove third time lucky, champions memorabilia will be quickly snapped up. Jerseys sales are strong too, however, centralised revenue under the A-League means that the profits the Wanderers enjoy will also be shared by the FFA.
Under the current licencing deal, club's do not receive the same revenue streams from merchandising in the A-League as those abroad, so while their kit remains a popular item on the streets of western Sydney, it might not be enough to their margins from the red to the black. Members |
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The Montana-based National Policy Institute is run by Richard Spencer, who popularized the term “alternative right” about a decade ago. The so-called alt-right is a fringe movement that has been described as a mix of racism, white nationalism and populism.
Spencer’s group raised $442,482 in tax-deductible contributions from 2007 through 2012. More recent fundraising figures for the group aren’t available in online tax returns, but Spencer said Trump’s candidacy already has boosted his group’s fundraising.
Spencer hosted a postelection conference in Washington that ended with audience members mimicking Nazi salutes after Spencer shouted, “Hail Trump, hail our people, hail victory!” Spencer has advocated for an “ethno-state” that would be a “safe space” for white people.
The Georgia-based Charles Martel Society was founded by wealthy publisher William H. Regnery II, who also founded the National Policy Institute.
The group raised $568,526 between 2007 and 2014 and publishes The Occidental Quarterly. In an article last December, the journal’s editor applauded Trump’s campaign as a “game changer” for white people who oppose immigration and multiculturalism but said they “have a long way to go to really change the public discussion of race, Western culture, and Jewish influence.”
The Connecticut-based VDare Foundation is led by Peter Brimelow, founder and editor of an anti-immigration website. Brimelow, who spoke at the National Policy Institute’s conference last month, founded his nonprofit in 1999 and raised nearly $4.8 million between 2007 and 2015.
Brimelow has denied that his website is white nationalist but acknowledged it publishes works by writers who fit that description “in the sense that they aim to defend the interests of American whites.”
Brimelow received $378,418 in compensation from his nonprofit in 2007, accounting for nearly three-quarters of its total expenses that year. Brimelow says his salary that year was $170,000 and the rest reimbursed him for travel, office supplies and other expenses.
From 2010 through 2015, VDare Foundation didn’t report any compensation directly paid to Brimelow. But, starting in 2010, the nonprofit began making annual payments of up to $368,500 to Brimelow’s Happy Penguins LLC for “leased employees.” Brimelow disclosed his ownership of that company on tax returns.
Chuck McLean, a senior research fellow for the nonprofit watchdog Guidestar, said the IRS could view those “independent contractor” payments to Happy Penguins LLC as improper self-dealing unless the nonprofit can show they were “fair-market value transactions.” Brimelow says he set up that company to “protect” and pay his employees and himself.
Brimelow’s group reported modest fundraising increases for each of the past three years. He is confident that trend would continue during Trump’s administration.
“We have every reason to believe that it will,” he wrote in an email.
Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.TORONTO — The Ontario legislature is expected to pass a bill this afternoon that will make it illegal for employers to take a share of servers' tips. The Protecting Employees' Tips Act, a Liberal private member's bill that was introduced after several attempts from the NDP to get a similar law through, is set to pass third reading today. It would ban employers from withholding their employees' tips, except temporarily if they are pooling all of the gratuities to redistribute them among all employees. The idea was brought forward years ago by Michael Prue, an NDP MPP who lost in the 2014 election, and picked up by Arthur Potts, the Liberal MPP who defeated him. Potts says he has heard stories of employers taking 25 or even 50 per cent from the tip pool for themselves, and while he says it's not very widespread, this bill levels the playing field for everyone. NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says Potts has "watered down" the law by not banning employers from recovering credit card fees from the tip when a customer pays by credit card. Potts says that will be defined through regulations.In Game 2 against the Boston Bruins, Thomas Vanek came to life, scoring two goals and wiping away concerns about his play after four straight games without one.
In Game 6 against the Boston Bruins, Thomas Vanek came to life, scoring two goals and wiping away concerns about his play after three straight games without one.
In Game 3 against the New York Rangers … well, we’ll see.
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He’s gone three games without a goal, or a point for that matter, skating to a minus-3. His ice time dropped to a playoffs-low 11:41 in Game 2. Coach Michel Therrien then dropped him to the fourth line in practice, skating in a rotation with teammates like Danny Briere.
"In the Boston series, after the first [game] people started getting on him and he had a big game where he scored a couple goals," Briere said. "That's Thomas Vanek -- he can be dangerous at any time, he can come out and hurt you and make a big play. I'm not too worried about him. He seems to get it done when you least expect it."
Well, yeah, that’s the sunny side of Thomas Vanek, owner of hockey's most bipolar offense. He’s also the Adam Dunn of the NHL, one putting one over the fence for every six strikeouts.
That streakiness has defined him but it hasn’t ever crashed his stock, mainly because his highs are so high: Like that 20 points in 19 games for the Islanders from Dec. 20, 2013, through Jan. 25, 2014.
Also high: His salary. Vanek makes $7,142,857 against the cap (thanks Kevin Lowe) and is expected to be seeking as much (depending on term) when he hits the market as an unrestricted free agent this summer.
It used to be that “hits the market” meant “signs with the Minnesota Wild," as a prodigal son (well, at least for college) returns.
Story continues
But like Vanek’s offense, things can change in an instant. Consider what’s happened to the principals in the last two months:
1. Minnesota Proved It Might Not Need Him
The Wild produced a respectable 2.69 goals per game in the playoffs, totally eclipsing the anemic 1.40 GPG they had in five games under Mike Yeo in the 2013 playoffs. Twenty-eight of their 35 goals came from forwards.
What the Wild learned in the playoffs: The future is bright. Mikael Granlund (22), Charlie Coyle (22), Erik Huala (23) and Nino Niederreiter (21) all landed in the top six goal scorers on the team.
The problem was on the blue line and in goal. As Mick Hatten wrote, in bemoaning a Vanek signing: “It feels like there’s a need for another solid all-around defenseman who can move the puck for the Wild. Call me crazy, but that’s where I’d spend my money in free agency.”
Could they use Vanek’s offense? Any team could. But at what cost to other areas of need, and at what cost to the continued maturation of young offensive stars?
2. Vanek’s Stock Has, in Fact, Dropped
Perhaps the streakiness plays betting in a one-newspaper town like Buffalo or in Long Island obscurity. In Montreal, Vanek is being fitted for goat horns due to his inconsistent play; and more than a few pundits have called him out for having his mind on the money and Minnesota.
Gazette columnist Jack Todd wondered if Vanek was “suffering from a sprained Minnesota and a broken Wild” after Game 2.
Meanwhile, the venerable Eric Duhatschek writes:
When times were good in Montreal, there was some talk that the Canadiens might actually consider bidding for Vanek in free agency. Now, it seems highly unlikely, given what a negligible impact he’s had on their run to the semi-finals. But will Minnesota welcome him now, after making inquiries at the deadline, but ultimately settling for Matt Moulson, because the acquisition cost and the dollars out were more affordable? Moulson wasn’t a great fit in Minnesota and the New York Islanders would do well to try and kiss and make up, after dealing him for Vanek in the first place. Minnesota has the great good fortune of having Dany Heatley’s $7-million cap hit disappear after this season, but committing that money to Vanek, a player of questionable playoff pedigree, seems ill-advised at this stage. The Wild seem to have a good thing going, with the group they’ve assembled now. Sitting out free agency this summer makes the most sense for them.
That “good thing going” could be read a few ways, and one of them is that Vanek might not be the guy you want in that room as a leader of young players.
An inescapable part of the pedigree for Vanek was that drunken mess of an Austrian team that played in Sochi. As Austrian Ice Hockey Federation President Dieter Kalt said: “[Chosing] Vanek as team captain to have an experienced player and this obviously went wrong.”
Oof.
In fairness to Vanek, his struggles in the postseason might have some catalysts. There’s concern he’s injured, as Arthur Staple of Newsday writes:
“He briefly left Game 3 of the Bruins series after teammate P.K. Subban delivered a big hit on Boston's Reilly Smith and leg-whipped Vanek in the chest after the collision. Since that game, Vanek has two goals, but only seven shots on goal in six games.”
Vanek’s also complained about his usage in the playoffs, skating in a more counter-punch, defensive role with Tomas Plekanec’s line. “I think it’s a different role," he said, via the CBC. "We start a lot more in the [defensive] zone. But at this time of the year, it doesn’t matter where you’re at, you just want to be in the lineup and contribute."
(Vanek is starting 35.8 percent of his 5-on-5 shifts in the defensive zone through 13 games.)
In some ways, Vanek is experiencing what his former Buffalo Sabres teammate Ryan Miller experienced in St. Louis, after his own escape plan from Buffalo was executed. Neither of them were terrible – Vanek had 15 points in 18 regular-season games for Montreal after the Islanders trade, and is tied for the team lead with five playoff goals – but neither of them were the quintessential difference-makers they were acquired to be.
And hence, both of their stocks have fallen as free agents.
Again, it’s the streakiness that’s defined Vanek. One moment he’s the jewel of free agency, the next he’s a hot potato being tossed between St. Paul and Bell Centre. One moment he’s a leading scorer for Montreal, the next he’s skating fourth-line shifts with Brandon Prust.
One moment he’s scoreless in three games.
The next moment he skates into MSG, posts a multi-point game, the Canadiens are back in the series and Vanek’s stardom is lauded.
And no one would be surprised by it.
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In the behind-the-scenes battle over who will be Donald Trump’s pick for Secretary of State, most attention has been focused on former NYC mayor Rudy Giuliani and former GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
On Friday, though, a pro-Putin GOP Congressman now claims he, too, is on Trump’s short list.
In a statement released today, Republican Congressman Dana Rohrabacher says that he was informed by Trump’s transition team that he is “under consideration” to be the president-elect’s Secretary of State pick.
More of the statement:
I have been told that I am under consideration to join President Trump’s team as Secretary of State. While my present intention, of course, is to continue to fight for liberty and freedom as a member of the House of Representatives, as a strong supporter of President-Elect Trump’s vision for America, it would be a privilege and an honor to serve as his Secretary of State.
Rohrabacher also directed his supporters to Breitbart News – of course – where they can vote for him in an online poll, “Who should be Donald Trump’s Secretary of State?”
Despite the fact that the GOP congressman is probably a longshot to get the nod, he may align more closely with Trump than either Romney or Giuliani, particularly when it comes to sharing the president-elect’s love for Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Just days ago, in fact, Politico ran a story about Rohrabacher with the headline, “Putin’s favorite congressman,” reporting that Rohrabacher was previously considered an “outcast” but could play a more prominent role in “Trump’s Washington.”
The report also noted that Rohrabacher is “Putin’s top congressional ally,” and he allegedly met with a Putin crony who had been sanctioned by the United States.
It’s scary enough that a man like this would be on Trump’s Secretary of State short list, but it’s even more frightening that he would fit right in.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:The announcement was made on the latest episode of OpTic's "Vision" documentary series, with William "RUSH" Wierzba adding that Peter "stanislaw" Jarguz signed for another team in the aftermath of the ELEAGUE Major.
OpTic fans had high hopes for the event following impressive showings in ELEAGUE Season 2 and at the ECS Season 2 finals, but the team ended up being sent packing in the Swiss stage, with one victory from four matches.
stanislaw has decided to leave OpTic
RUSH admitted that the entire team was caught off-guard by stanislaw's decision, which leaves the squad without an ingame leader just two weeks before DreamHack Masters Las Vegas.
"We knew there were some talks going on, but we thought he would stay with us because we talked to him about it, [OpTic CEO] Hector talked to him, and we thought that thing was cool," Wierzba said.
"This comes out of the blue, and it hurts a lot. When he finally made this decision, he did not come to me so we could talk things through and see if we could fix them. I do not even know what issues he had.
"The worst part was that he was our ingame leader, and those are really hard to come by, especially in North America. I do not know what we are going to do. Maybe we will get someone within our team to fill that role."
"This comes out of the blue, and it hurts a lot. When he finally made this decision, he did not come to me so we could talk things through and see if we could fix them. I do not even know what issues he had.
"The worst part was that he was our ingame leader, and those are really hard to come by, especially in North America. I do not know what we are going to do. Maybe we will get someone within our team to fill that role."Uproxx
Welcome to EAT THIS CITY, your tour of the best restaurants in one of our favorite cities, as chosen by a world-class chef, celebrity, or local hero.
Get out your best duds (ladies, festive hats are mandatory) because we are going to the home of the Kentucky Derby, and we aren’t leaving until you have a bourbon buzz. Our guide for the week is David Danielson, who’s been the head chef of Churchill Downs (where the Derby is held) since 2011. Classically trained in France at the Duma Pere school and the Ecole Hotelier Tain l’ Hermitage, Danielson has a background in 4-star Chicago hotels — like the Ritz-Carlton and Four Seasons. But, he also served as the personal chef to the British Consulate General.
Over the course of his career, Danielson found a niche in events. As the chef at Rockefeller Center in New York City, he fed guests at the PGA and US Open. During this time, he began using his fine dining mindset as a foundation and learning how to build upon it for large groups. He has perfected the approach and now specializes in the authentic flavors of the South while remaining progressive and inventive. He’s inspired by contemporary culinary trends, global cuisines, and seasonal, farm-fresh ingredients. He works to surprise race fans with meals that acknowledge the past, but point very strongly to the future of cuisine.
Check out these amazing plates; the man is working magic.
Churchill Downs
Hungry? Great! Now we’re off to see Chef Danielson’s favorite food experiences in Louisville!(JTA) – The mysterious death of Argentine prosecutor Alberto Nisman seems ripped straight out of a crime thriller.
Nisman — the indefatigable prosecutor collecting evidence of culpability in the 1994 bombing of the AMIA Jewish center in Buenos Aires, which killed 85 people — was found dead in his apartment just hours before he was to present evidence to Argentina’s congress that he said implicated his country’s president and foreign minister in a nefarious cover-up scheme.
The charge? That the two agreed to whitewash Tehran’s role in the AMIA bombing in exchange for oil shipments to energy-hungry Argentina.
Nisman’s body was discovered late Sunday in his 13th-floor apartment with a single gunshot wound to the head.
Officials connected to the president, Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner, quickly said evidence pointed to suicide, noting that a.22-caliber pistol and spent cartridge were found near Nisman’s body.
But the suicide theory was dismissed out of hand on the streets of Buenos Aires and among people around the world familiar with Nisman and his work investigating the AMIA attack. Instead, they said Nisman, 51, was the victim of foul play. The suicide theory lost more ground Tuesday with the revelation by the prosecutor investigating Nisman’s death, Viviana Fein, that no traces of gunpowder were found on Nisman’s hand. There also was no suicide note.
“The idea of suicide I think is nonsense,” Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, told JTA.
“The Jewish community has lost a stalwart hero, and Argentina and all people who pursue the truth and justice with a passionate zeal have lost a great fighter,” Foxman said. “Throughout the years, all kinds of forces have tried to put him down, to destroy him. Every time he uncovered new stuff or exposed some interests that weren’t happy, they set the courts against him or they set the police against him. And every time they tried to put him down, he fought it, he got up and beat them.”
The investigation of the 1994 bombing — the deadliest terrorist attack in Argentine history and one of the worst incidents of anti-Jewish violence in the Diaspora since World War II — was seen as hopelessly inept and corrupt until Nisman took over the case in 2005.
There were no significant arrests for years after the AMIA bombing, which was preceded by the deadly 1992 bombing of the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires that killed 29. After 20 local men, including 19 police officers, were put on trial in 2001 on charges of involvement in the Jewish center attack, the investigating judge, Juan Jose Galeano, was caught on video offering one of the men a bribe in return for evidence. The case collapsed, the police were acquitted, and Galeano eventually was removed from the case and impeached.
Appointed to take over the case by then-President Nestor Kirchner, the late husband of the current Argentine leader who had called the handling of the case a “national disgrace,” Nisman launched a more professional investigation. He traced the links from the Iranian leaders who ordered the attack to the Hezbollah operatives who planned its execution, formally charging Iran and Hezbollah in 2006. Interpol eventually issued arrest warrants for six Iranian officials in connection with the bombing, including Iran’s defense minister at the time, Ahmad Vahidi. The Islamic Republic denied any connection and refused to hand over the suspects.
In 2013, when Argentina and Iran signed a joint memorandum of understanding to investigate the bombing, Nisman and Jewish community leaders in Argentina and abroad decried the deal as a farce. Many were particularly incensed that the deal was negotiated by Argentine Foreign Minister Hector Timerman, a prominent Argentine Jew whose father, Jacobo Timerman, had been a well-respected Argentine-Israeli human rights activist. The governments of Israel and the United States also denounced the deal.
Nisman challenged the arrangement in court as “wrongful interference” by the president in judicial affairs and the probe was never implemented.
All the while, Nisman and his investigating team continued to press forward with their effort to bring those responsible to justice. Last week, Nisman filed a 300-page complaint alleging that Kirchner, Timerman and others were seeking to “erase” Iran’s role in the AMIA bombing in exchange for establishing stronger trade relations, including oil sales to Argentina. He was slated to present his evidence Monday to Argentina’s congress.
A few years ago, during a 2009 visit to New York, Nisman said a trial of the AMIA bombing should be moved outside Argentina if it is to have any chance of success.
“We’re thinking of taking this case to a court in a third country due to the challenges of pursuing it in Argentina,” Nisman said at a briefing at ADL’s national headquarters. “There is a practical impossibility of doing it in Argentina because Iran has said it won’t deliver the people we have accused. It’s also been hard for Interpol to arrest those people because whenever they leave Iran, they do so under diplomatic immunity.”
Even outside Argentina, Nisman said, it was highly unlikely that Iran would submit suspects for trial, but the move could bring some closure to the families of the AMIA bombing victims.
“I’m following the wishes of relatives and looking for a way to get them some closure,” Nisman told JTA through a translator. “I cannot give up on ways of trying to get justice.”
Among Argentina’s 200,000 Jews — the largest Jewish community in Latin America — Nisman, who also was Jewish, was seen as a crusading hero.
So who could have wanted him dead? Many Argentines are pointing the finger at President Kirchner. By Sunday night, thousands had gathered outside the presidential palace to protest Nisman’s death, with some holding aloft signs reading “Cristina murderer.” The hashtag #CFKAsesina — Kirchner’s initials and the Spanish word assassin — was one of the top topics trending on Twitter in Argentina on Monday.
In Jewish and Israeli circles, some analysts speculated that Nisman may have been killed by Hezbollah, whose operatives were fingered for carrying out the AMIA bombing on behalf of Iran.
Just hours before Nisman’s death – he did not eat dinner on Sunday night, investigators said, suggesting he likely was shot before dinnertime – several Hezbollah fighters were killed in an airstrike in southern Syria attributed to Israel. Among the dead were Mohammed Allahdadi, a general in the Iranian Revolutionary Guard, and Jihad Mughniyeh, son of the late Hezbollah mastermind Imad Mughniyeh, who was killed in a February 2008 car bombing in Damascus. Mughniyeh was the one whom Nisman found had coordinated and oversaw preparations for the AMIA bombing.
Hezbollah accused Israel of being behind Sunday’s airstrike. Israeli officials, adhering to protocol in such cases, declined to comment. But an unnamed senior Israeli security source confirmed to Reuters that Israel was behind the strike but said it wasn’t meant to target a senior Iranian general.
“We did not expect the outcome in terms of the stature of those killed — certainly not the Iranian general,” the source told Reuters. “We thought we were hitting an enemy field unit that was on its way to carry out an attack on us at the frontier fence.”
Could Hezbollah have pulled off Nisman’s killing so quickly after the airstrike in Syria? It would be uncharacteristic for the Lebanon-based group, which typically has carried out its well-planned reprisals months or years after Israeli attacks. But some analysts noted Iran and Hezbollah have sleeper cells that can carry out operations on short notice.
The circumstances of Nisman’s death, assuming he indeed was murdered, certainly represent a failure of the Argentine authorities. Nisman had been under police protection, including the positioning of police guards outside the luxury high-rise where he was found dead.
Nisman had made several prescient references to the possibility of his untimely demise, saying as recently as Saturday, “I might get out of this dead.”
On Sunday, the guards assigned to protect Nisman said they hadn’t been able to reach him by telephone, and his newspaper lay untouched outside his apartment door. His mother was called and came with her spare key, but the lock was jammed with the key stuck in the other side. After a locksmith opened the door, Nisman’s body was found in the bathroom.
Jorge Kirszenbaum, a former president of the Argentine Jewish community’s political umbrella group, DAIA, told JTA that a cousin of Nisman who visited the crime scene found a note to the house maid with Monday’s tasks spelled out.
Rabbi Sergio Bergman, a Jewish leader and member of Argentina’s congress, called Nisman, who is survived by two daughters, “victim 86 of the AMIA attack.”
Argentine-Israeli journalist Roxana Levinson, whose uncle, Jaime Plaksin, was killed in the AMIA attack, said Nisman’s death was devastating.
“This death is like another bomb,” she told JTA. “It’s a death sentence for truth and justice in the AMIA case.”
Now that Nisman is gone, it’s not clear what will happen with the AMIA investigation or his accusations against Kirchner and Timerman.
In another one of his eerily prescient comments, Nisman told a TV interviewer last week after news of his accusations against the president made the papers, “With Nisman around or not, the evidence is there.”
(A JTA correspondent in Buenos Aires contributed to this report.)Story highlights Woman buys two dresses from Zara and waits a few weeks to wear one
When she does, she discovers a dead rodent sewn inside the dress' hem
(CNN) A New York woman says she found a dead rodent sewn into a dress from a Zara clothing store. She is accusing the company of negligence and is seeking money for damages, according to court documents filed Friday.
Cailey Fiesel, 24, who lives in Manhattan, bought two dresses from the Zara store in Greenwich, Connecticut, on July 5, according to court documents. She says she hung the dresses up and left them in her closet for a few weeks after buying them.
On August 16, Fiesel took one of the dresses out of her closet and wore it to work, according to court documents. While at work, Fiesel became aware of a "pungent odor," but wasn't able to figure out where it was coming from, according to court documents. She then noticed what felt like a string brushing against her leg. When she reached down to inspect, she found something else entirely.
"To her utter shock and disbelief, as she ran her hand over the hem of the dress, she felt an unusual bulge and suddenly realized that it was not a string that was rubbing against her leg, but was instead a leg rubbing against her leg," the court documents state. "The leg of a dead rodent, that is."
Fiesel, represented by Morelli Law Firm PLLC, says she has suffered "significant personal injuries and emotional distress," according to court documents. She also says she developed a rash that was later diagnosed as a rodent-borne disease, according to court documents. Fiesel is seeking money "in a sum that will fairly and adequately compensate her" in return for these damages, according to court documents.
Read MoreDean Nicholas
Alternative Tube Maps: London In 2100
The charity Practical Action has hit upon an interesting way of demonstrating how a rise in ocean levels would impact on London: they've created an alternative Tube map which shows the areas of the capital that would be flooded.
Bad news if you live in Docklands, Greenwich, or pretty much any riverside burg between Canary Wharf and Kew: you're unlikely to escape the flooding. Much of the Thames Embankment, including the Houses of Parliament, would also be hit. Barking, which isn't particularly near the Thames but does have a creek running near it, would also be flooded, while City Airport would also perish. If that doesn't make you turn your thermostat down by one degree, then nothing will.
For more on the Thames flood plain, see Diamond Geezer's list of endangered places from last year.
See previous alternative Tube maps.EDITOR’S NOTE: On December 23, 1913, Woodrow Wilson signed the act creating the Federal Reserve System. Now that Ron Paul is in a place to bring some light to the true dealings of the fed, the time is ripe to end the fed. But, the best way to get back to a proper monetary policy will likely come from a place far from Washington, D.C. – your own state.
The following article, “Ending the Fed from the Bottom Up,” by Dr. William Greene, was originally published here at the Tenth Amendment Center on 04-11-10. We’re proud to present it here again on this sad, but historic anniversary – with hopes that you will take action today to push your state to consider the Constitutional Tender Act, and start the process of bringing the Federal Reserve System to it’s much-needed demise.
*******
Ending the Fed From the Bottom Up
by William Greene
Since its inception, the U.S. Federal Reserve’s monetary policies have led to a decline of over 95% in the purchasing power of the U.S. dollar. As a result, there have been several attempts to curtail or eliminate the Federal Reserve’s powers (for example, the efforts of Rep. Louis T. McFadden in the 1930s; the efforts of Rep. Wright Patman in the 1970s; the efforts of Rep. Henry Gonzalez in the 1990s; and the efforts of Rep. Ron Paul since the 1990s); however, none have proven successful to date, due mainly to the constraints of strong political opposition at the national level.
In contrast to these attempts at the national level, a paper I recently presented at the Mises Institute’s “Austrian Scholars Conference†proposes an alternative approach to ending the Federal Reserve’s monopoly on money: the “Constitutional Tender Act,†a bill template (first introduced by Georgia State Rep. Bobby Franklin) that can be introduced in every State legislature in the nation, returning each of them to adherence to the U.S. Constitution’s “legal tender†provisions of Article I, Section 10.
Such a new tactic could achieve the desired goal of abolishing the Federal Reserve system by attacking it from the “bottom up†– “pulling the rug out from under it,†by working to make its functions irrelevant at the State and local level. Under this Act, the State would be required to only use gold and silver coins (or their equivalents, such as checks or electronic transfers) for payments of any debt owed by or to the State (e.g., taxes, fees, contract payments, etc.).
All contracts, tax bills, etc. would be required to be denominated in legal tender gold and silver U.S. coins, including Gold Eagles, Silver Eagles, and pre-1965 90% silver coins. All State-chartered banks, as well as any other bank that is a depository for State funds, would be required to offer accounts denominated in those types of gold and silver coins, and to keep such accounts segregated from other types of accounts such as Federal Reserve Notes.
Upon going into effect, the Constitutional Tender Act would introduce currency competition with Federal Reserve Notes, by outlawing their use in transactions with the State. Ordinary citizens of the State, being required to pay their State taxes in gold and silver coins, would find it necessary to open bank accounts in those denominations.
Businesses operating within the State, being required to pay their State sales taxes and license fees in gold and silver coins, would need to do the same; and in order to acquire such coins, they would begin to offer their goods and services in “dual currency†denominations, where customers could choose to pay in Federal Reserve Notes (which would still be necessary to pay Federal fees and taxes) or gold and silver coins (including checks and debit cards based on bank accounts denominated in such coins). Customers, having found the need to open such accounts in order to deal with the State, would be able to engage in commerce using those accounts.
Over time, as residents of the State use both Federal Reserve Notes and silver and gold coins, the fact that the coins hold their value more than Federal Reserve Notes do will lead to a “reverse Gresham’s Law†effect, where good money (gold and silver coins) will drive out bad money (Federal Reserve Notes). As this happens, a cascade of events can begin to occur, including the flow of real wealth toward the State’s treasury, an influx of banking business from outside of the State (as citizens residing in other States carry out their desire to bank with sound money), and an eventual outcry against the use of Federal Reserve Notes for any transactions.
At that point, the Federal Reserve system will have become unwanted and irrelevant, and can be easily abolished by the people’s elected Representatives in Washington, D.C.
I believe this “bottom up†approach to ending the Fed would have a greater likelihood of success than a “top-down†approach for a number of reasons. First, it is decentralized: rather than facing concerted political opposition at a single Federal level, it attacks the issue at the State level, where strategies and tactics can be adapted to the types and amount of political opposition they encounter.
Second, it is diffused: it can be attempted in any number of States, which can cause the opposition to spread its resources much more thinly than would be necessary at the Federal level. Finally, it is legally sound: it relies on the U.S. Constitution’s negative mandate in Article I, Section 10, that “No State shall… make any Thing but gold and silver Coin a Tender in Payment of Debts.â€
Under this Act, not only would the use of FRNs by the State be made illegal; the use of legal tender U.S. gold and silver coins would be encouraged amongst the general population as well, along with any other currency that parties mutually consent to using.
This will have three immediate effects: the elimination of Federal Reserve Notes from State transactions; the requirement of individuals and businesses to cease using FRNs in their transactions with the State; and the introduction of competition in currencies amongst the general population.
With all three effects working in tandem, the use of low-value pieces of paper issued by the Federal Reserve will become irrelevant, and an emaciated Federal Reserve system can be brought to a welcome, if inglorious, end.
You can download the full paper at this link (.pdf)
You can download the Constitutional Tender Act template here:
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/legislation/constitutional-tender/
Track Constitutional Tender legislation in the states at this link:
http://www.tenthamendmentcenter.com/nullification/constitutional-tender/
Bill Greene is a Professor of Theology at Miami Christian University, teaches Social Sciences at the Verity Institute, and is the founder of ConstitutionalTender.com.Rhianna Pratchett, scriptwriter for the original EA Digital Illusions CE release Mirror's Edge, won't be making a return to the game's upcoming reboot, according to a statement on her official Twitter account.
The game writer pointed to the poorly reviewed script among a variety of problems experienced in the development of the first title as reasons for the change in designers.
"It's really lovely that people care enough to ask whether I'm involved with Mirror's Edge 2, but I'm not & wasn't asked," she wrote.
"Let's face it ME1's story didn't review that great (for many reasons). So I consider myself a casualty of that development process.
"By all accounts it's a new team on it, so go with God, I say. Create cool stuff. We always need more of that."
Mirror's Edge was partially designed prior to Pratchett joining the team, she added. This limited the scope of the world and the ability to expand the narrative. The script was later edited in a way not envisioned by the writer.
The new Mirror's Edge will come to Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and Windows PC. According to publisher EA, the game "reboots the franchise for the next generation," and delivers an all-new origin story for Faith.Happy New Year! We'll be back at South Street this time.
First Wednesdays is a regular meetup of technologists and technology-interested folks local to the Charlottesville, VA area. We often like to talk about technology, business, and related matters -- but anyone is welcome to attend regardless of their profession, and we hope we see you there.
If you're looking for some conversational topics, here are some recent tech events that happened in the past month:
• Vulnerability in the client software for git, a popular distributed version-control system, is announced
• Shanley Kane, technology culture critic and diversity advocate, is profiled by MIT's Technology Review
• Yukihiro Matsumoto, the inventor of Ruby, announces Streem, a concurrent stream-based scripting language
• CoreOS announces a container runtime, Rocket (analogous to Docker plus an app container)
• Sony Pictures is hacked by self-titled Guardians of Peace
• Look, No Hands: designer Michelle Vandy uses a modified Apple Trackpad to craft designs using only her nose and mouthSizzling Mushroom Tikki – Mushroom Cutlet [Recipe]
Shares
Prep time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 20 minutes
Servings: 4
What is Sizzling Mushroom Tikki?
Sizzling Mushroom Tikkis are Indian cutlet. These are quick and easy to prepare cutlets. Sizzling Mushroom Tikkis are very famous Goan dish, made with mushrooms, onions, potatoes, and seasoned with some spices. These are awesomely crunchy, and fragrantly flavorful. These are very nutritious and healthy savory cutlets, which is a true delight for all mushroom lovers.
Let’s learn to make Sizzling Mushroom Tikki in 5 easy to understand quick steps.
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doors open for him, he can play for any number of programs. I think he deserves it and should get the options."
Recruiting-wise, Green said he plans on attending Baylor's "Friday Night Lights" spring showcase Friday. He also hopes to take an unofficial visit to SMU on Saturday and make April trips to Tulane, Ole Miss and Oklahoma State.
Damon Sayles is a National Recruiting Analyst for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained firsthand. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Damon via Twitter: @DamonSaylesAny atheist on the internet has probably seen a photo of a church sign with some variation of the following line: “Forgiveness is swallowing when you want to spit.” It’s funny because the double entendre seems obvious to everyone outside the church.
I’ve never read an article that followed up with one of those pastors, though.
The Daily Post (UK) caught up with Rev. Bob Marshall of Ebenezer Baptist Chapel in Wales to find out how he learned about the sign’s other meaning:
“It’s obvious to me what I meant but it never really entered my mind it had another meaning.” Rev Marshall, who has lived in Buckley for 30 years, joked there was some divine intervention when the British interpretation of the sign’s meaning became apparent. “The Lord helped me take it down because the wind blew it over,” he said.
At least he’s a good sport about it all.
As we’ve said many times before on this site, pastors should always run their church signs past a teenager first.
(Screenshot via YouTube. Thanks to Tom for the link)Illustration by Timo ter Braak
No matter how many hours of your life you've spent on yoga and mindfulness, sometimes the only thing that'll make a rough situation better is an honest curse—bellowed out, straight from the heart to God's ears. When you stub your pinky toe, when genitals collide with zippers, or when you're in traffic and other people seem to be too: Swearing and cursing is the answer. If it's at all possible, you'll want to blame others for your misfortune, but a fist in the face of the enemy is never the answer. A well put violent insult can hurt much worse.
Cursing is engrained in us all, and it's what unites us as human beings. But the way we curse can wildly differ from one country to the next. We asked our European VICE offices about their rich traditions when it comes to cursing, swearing, and insulting each other to the bone.
ITALY
One of the most fascinating things about Italian swearing is that the vocabulary is so rich, you could almost have a meaningful conversation with someone by only using curse words. Italian bad words are generally used in place of interjections or entire exclamatory sentences, covering a wide range of emotions: "cazzo" or "minchia" (dick), "merda" (shit), "figa" (cunt) can express anything from disappointment, to surprise, to extreme satisfaction. If you aim to offend, however, the vast majority of curses target family members: "figlio di puttana" (son of a bitch) or "mortacci tua" (which curses the enemy's dead loved ones).
Cursing God, the Virgin Mary, or the Lord is also a shared Italian experience, mainly by matching these names with any imaginable offensive word, name, or kind of animal. Contrary to other forms of Italian swearing, these blasphemous swears are generally complex, articulate, and wordy—the longer, the better.
The best curse in the Italian language, however, hails from central Italy and reads: "Li mortacci tua, de tuo nonno, de tua madre e dei 3/4 daa palazzina tua," which translates into "Fuck your dead relatives, and your grandfather's, and your mother's, and those of the three-quarters of your apartment block."
—Alice Rossi
All illustrations by Timo ter Braak
SERBIA
If Serbia is rich in something, it's swears. The renowned Serbian linguist Vuk Karadzic, who singlehandedly reformed the Serbian language and wrote the first dictionary and the first New Testament in this language, was also the first to recognize our swearing heritage by cataloguing all folky Serbian curse words.
The people closest to our hearts bear the brunt of our cursing: our family, particularly our mothers. "Jebem ti mater" or "I fuck your mother" is the mother of all swears, with all others deriving from it. Generally, many of our curses revolve around vaginas: "Pizda ti materina," for example, which translates to "I fuck your mother's rotten pussy." Variations on this theme include "I'll fuck your bloody child in a pussy" and "Let a dog fuck your mother's pussy." If you'd want to insult someone's manhood, you could take a homophobic turn with "You'll be disgusted with pussies and enjoy only dicks." Just calling someone a "stinky boob" is also an option.
If you want to do it right, though, you'll curse someone's entire bloodline: You could go with "I'll fuck everyone dead in your family, and your offspring and ancestors," a slightly classier "I'll fuck your blood, seed, and tribe," or "I will fuck the first row at your funeral."
More polite but also successful curses are "I shit in your mouth" or "I shit on your back." The greatest mind-bending curse in our language, though, would be: "I fuck your dick in a pussy." Generations of experts have tried and failed to understand how this could be done.
—Magda Janjic
FRANCE
French swear words these days are pretty lame compared to the ones we started using in the Middle Ages. From that time and up until about the 18th century, everyone from peasants to aristocrats would shout out words like "gourgandine" (prostitute), or "sacrebleu," which is hard to translate—it's old timey and more or less the French equivalent of " zounds." These were more exciting times, when French people would yell things like "jean-foutre" at each other, which means "vile," but in a very untranslatable way.
French people today are less creative with their cursing: They just use homophobic slurs like "fiotte," "tarlouze," or more basic things like "connard" (douchebag), "pute" (whore), or "salope" (bitch). Luckily, French people do still use some expressions that are a bit more eloquent, like "va te faire mettre"—which would translate into something like " go do yourself" and is generally used when you need someone to fuck off.
—Julie Le Baron
ROMANIA
Swearing culture in Romania is built on three pillars: oral sex, mothers, and Christ. The most common curse word in Romania is "muie," which roughly translates to "suck my penis." We also use "my dick" to emphasize stuff in normal conversations, like the Polish use "kurva" or "whore."
The most creative mother curse in Romanian is "Să mă fut în mă-ta," which translates to "I want to fuck myself in your mother." In light of this, it should come as a surprise to no one that according to Romanian PornHub statistics, "mom" has been one of the most commonly searched phrases on the site for years.
The most controversial Polish swears revolve around religion. Although 81 percent of Romanians consider themselves Christian-Orthodox, most people here use "futu-ți Cristoșii și Dumnezeii mă-tii," which translates to "I will fuck your mother's Gods and Christs." That's not a typo, by the way. That's a plural form of Christ.
—Mihai Popescu
THE NETHERLANDS
In contrast to most eastern and southern European countries, insulting one's mother isn't that big of a deal for the Dutch. We choose a more direct approach, by whishing an array of deadly diseases on the object of the curse. Over the years, curses and swears involving "klere" (cholera), "pest" (the plague), "tyfus," "tering" (tuberculosis), and "pokke" (smallpox) have all been popular.
More recently "kanker" (cancer) has become the swear word of choice in Dutch, although it also remains the most controversial, as cancer is more of a problem in today's world than, say, the plague is. It's a versatile curse, as it can be used when you realize you locked yourself out and your phone is still inside ("kanker!"), but it can also be combined with other words. A guy you don't like is a "kankerlul" (cancer dick) and his female counterpart is a "kankerhoer" (cancer whore).
These diseases can also be used to a superlative degree or even in a positive way. If it's extremely busy at the gym, you'd say it's "teringdruk" (tuberculosis busy), and if you've had a great time with someone, you could tell him or her it was "kankergezellig" (cancer fun).
—Twan Stoffels
AUSTRIA
In Austria, when something truly pisses us off, we yell "hure!," which translates to whore and is used in a similar way as "fuck."
An important category in Austrian swearing is the use of body parts. Sometimes we call people "beidl"—which means scrotum but is often used as synonymous to dick—and like many great nations in the world, we call people asses or assholes.
Many Austrians would call people they don't like a "schwuchtel" or "mongo"—slurs for gay and handicapped people, respectively. But these swears can be used for things as well, as Austrians feel things can be gay or handicapped, too. Obviously, Austrians are the worst and need to be told to fuck off. Or, as Austrians would say: "Geh scheißen!" (Go take a shit!)
—Markus Lust
DENMARK
All serious Danish curses involve getting eaten by scary things. Things like "satanedme" (Satan eat me) and "kraftedme" (cancer eat me). Say some guy bumps into you, causing you to drop your book of H.C. Andersen fairy tales. To this you'd respond: "This is way too Satan eat me!"
Then there's a whole array of sad Danish excuses for curse words: translations of actual English curses, as featured in movie subtitles. These include gems like "skidespræller" (shit wriggler), "kors i røven" (a cross up the ass), and "røvbanan" (ass banana), and they are apparently the closest the Danish language gets to simple yet effective words like "fuck," "shit," and "douchebag."
This is real, and we need help. World, if you're listening: Send us your far superior curse words. There are innocent Danish children in legitimate danger of thinking the actual Danish translation of Bruce Willis's iconic Die Hard line "Yippee ki-yay, motherfucker!" is "Thanks and goodbye, brother shit!" Please send help.
—Alfred Maddox
GREECE
Greece and swearing just belong together. One of our most common words is "malakas," which means "wanker" but is mostly used instead of "friend," "bro," or "dude." A less friendly expression would be "shit on your grave," which should not be used lightly, because Greeks can break out in fist fights over it.
Another common curse is "better spend it on doctors," which you'd use if you want to buy something in a shop but it's too expensive. You'd turn to the shop owner, and basically tell him that when another customer buys your object of desire from him, he should spend the money on some doctors to cure him from his madness. "Na se pane tesseris" is another expression that can't be translated exactly, but it refers to the moment you're laying in a coffin, while four people carry you to your grave. So basically it means "die."
And, lastly, a phrase that experienced great popularity in the 1980s and 1990s in Greece is "may your VCR burn." If you don't understand the gravity of this curse, you have no idea how cool and expensive VCRs were back in those days.
—Pavlos Toubekis
GERMANY
Most people would expect us to have good curse words, given the hard sound of our language, but our swearing traditions are relatively boring and tame. Classic German swear words or compositions often sound like an awkward kid who tries to say something bad but doesn't really know how to do it. Like "Dumme Kuh" (stupid cow), for example, or "Pissnelke" (a word for both a dandelion and a prudish, boring girl), or "Flachzange" (which refers to a flat plier and to an idiot).
Compared to other countries, Germany is more focused on fecal matter and butts than on sexual acts. The first German word anyone outside of Germany learns is "Scheiße" (shit), while "Arschloch" (asshole) is also rather popular.
That said, our best swear words have naturally found their way into our language through German rap music. Rappers have introduced Germany to the concept of fucking each other's mothers, with words like "Hurensohn" (son of a whore) and "Ich ficke deine Mutter" (I fuck your mother). They've also taken the German tradition of cutesy not-really-swears to a whole new ironical level by inventing insults like "Du Lauch!" (you leek). Yes, the vegetable.
—Barbara Dabrowska
SPAIN
Spain has been a deeply religious country since the day Jesus was born. That's why our swears all revolve around spitting in the eye of God, Jesus, his mother Mary, and their entire entourage. This great Spanish swearing tradition is slowly fading into political correctness, but you still can hear old guys on the street yell things like: "Me cago en la puta madre de Jesús, en su padre, y en toda su jodida corte celestial" (I shit in Jesus's whoring mother, in his father, and their whole fucking celestial court). I remember my grandfather being so angry with someone one day that he said, "Me cago en su corazón" (I shit in his heart), the memory of which gives me the chills to this day.
So basically, if you really want to insult someone in Spanish, you need to shit on, in, or near some kind of saint.
—Juanjo VIllalbaEXCLUSIVE So far, no one has shown up with a last will and testament for Prince.
I am told that it’s likely there is no will despite Prince’s great fortune and holdings. “He thought he’d live until he was one thousand nine hundred and ninety nine years old,” Prince’s long time former attorney and close friend Londell McMillan told me today.
McMillan never had a will with Prince. It’s unlikely any other lawyer drew one up either. “He didn’t think he would die. He couldn’t face it,” observed McMillan. “Some people are like that.”
This means Paisley Park must be in chaos this morning. Prince is dead, cremated. Vast holdings including real estate and a humongous song catalog are left behind.
Plus Prince had other business holdings as well. McMillan revealed to me that he and Prince were partnered in a company called NorthStar, born out of their dealings getting the “Emancipation” album to market through EMI Records 20 years ago.
As I wrote yesterday, “Emancipation” and several other Prince recordings exist outside his deal with Warner Music. Those include his recent “HitandRun” albums, the Black and the Gold albums, Musicology, and so on. His own label, NPG records, would be part of his estate.
Also in question would be things like ownership of Prince’s “Purple Rain” movie which was re-released over the weekend. It’s being shown on VH-1 Classics and is the number 2 download on iTunes movies this weekend.
All eyes will be on Minneapolis probate court this week to see what happens next.A strong woman says goodbye differently. She is not an ordinary woman. She is someone who doesn’t put up with any bullsh*t. She won’t feel devastated and cry for a long time.
She won’t start pointing fingers at you and blame you for your mistakes in the relationship, nor will she force you to stay with her. No – this woman knows that sometimes separation is inevitable and that’s why she is so strong.
This woman will not only let you leave, but she will encourage you to do it. If you decide to leave, she will respect your decision because she understands that everyone deserves to be happy and fulfilled.
She also knows that life goes on and that she will survive this separation because she is familiar with the process. She had to separate many times in her life with people she loved, so she never lets anyone be the only source for her happiness and emotional fulfillment.
A strong woman knows that affection and attention are things that shouldn’t be required from others because real love should be easy and simple.
A strong woman knows that the right people will stay always. And if someone decides to leave, they were not the right person to have in her life. She is also aware of the fact that an ending means a new beginning and she is not scared to start over.
She is a brave and fearless woman who rather than mourning her loss will rise again like a phoenix from the ashes and will open her heart for love again. She is someone who believes in love and won’t allow anyone to crash her hopes and destroy her dreams.
And not only that, but your absence will actually push her forward and inspire her to achieve her goals. She will not only survive the breakup but she will grow stronger and make her dreams come true.
So, instead of asking you to come back, this woman will focus on herself. She will love herself more. She will forgive herself and move on.
Because one thing is certain – when this strong woman decides to leave and say goodbye, there is no turning back.
And if someday you change your mind and realize that you want her back, it will be too late because she will be already moved on with her life. Because a strong woman always moves forward. She is never stuck in the past. You are in the past, and she’ll leave you there.
That’s when you’ll realize that she didn’t lose you – you lost her.When summer comes around, we try to find ways to make it last forever. So every day this week, we'll bring you a new guide to preserving the season's best herbs, fruits, and vegetables. Today: Pickles!
Think of crunchy, tangy, no-hassle quick pickles as the gateway to all things preserved. These aren’t the labor-intensive, put-up-for-the-winter kind that your great-grandmother used to make*—they’re easy, do-a-few-batches-in-a-summer-afternoon projects.
Step 1: Choose Your Veg
There aren’t many vegetables that wouldn’t taste great pickled, but there are a few guidelines to follow:
Consider the Crunch
Choose vegetables that are naturally firm. The fresher they are, the crisper they will stay (as vegetables age, they lose water and become softer). Tip: Always trim off stems and ends before pickling veg; enzymes in both can lead to mushy pickles.
Think Small(er)
There’s no rule against pickling produce whole, but it will absorb the brine faster if cut into pieces.
Look Beyond the Classics
We love kosher dills, but there’s a world of produce out there! Corn off the cob, pitted cherries, watermelon rind, and brussels sprouts are just a few examples of the territory waiting to be explored.
Illustrated by Julia Rothman
Step 2: Make the Brine
It’s what seasons and preserves; without brine your veg will never graduate to pickle status. A good one has the proper ratio of vinegar, salt, sugar, and water. Use this BA-endorsed formula for everything from dilly beans to tarragon-pickled purple cauliflower (the aromatics are where you can get creative): Bring 1 cup distilled white vinegar, 2 Tbsp. kosher salt, 2 tsp. sugar, up to 2 Tbsp. spices (e.g., peppercorns, coriander seeds, and/or mustard seeds), and 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Pour over vegetables in jars.
Eva Kolenko
Some of Our Favorite Combos
Fennel + Turmeric + Mustard Seeds + Fennel Seeds
Sweet Corn + Onion + Jalapeño + Cilantro
Carrots + Fenugreek + Fennel Fronds
Cauliflower + Tarragon Sprigs + Coriander Seeds
Troubleshooting: My Garlic Is Green!
Picklers love using (lots of) garlic, and sometimes it turns colors. Relax: It’s a science thing. See, garlic contains an enzyme that causes it to turn shades of green or turquoise when it comes into contact with acidic ingredients. The younger the garlic, the higher the enzyme levels, so look for drier, more aged bulbs if this weirds you out.
Get the Recipes:
Classic Dill Pickles
Jalapeño-Cilantro Pickled Corn
Lemon-Chile Green Bean Pickles
Tarragon Cauliflower Pickles
Indian-Spiced Fennel Pickles
*These pickles aren’t technically canned, but they will keep in the fridge up to two months. For a primer on real grandma-style canning, see our guide to homemade jams.
Now put those pickles on a big, messy sandwich:By Emma Young
If you want to know what a woman is really thinking, ask another woman. That’s the message of a new study, published in Frontiers in Psychology, which was designed to probe our ability to use other people’s posture, facial expressions and behaviours, as well our interpretations of ambiguous statements, to infer what’s going on in their mind – no matter what they’re actually saying.
The research team, led by Renata Wacker at the Free University of Berlin, Germany, recruited 304 women and 241 men, ranging in age from 17 to 70. The volunteers were put through possibly the most irritating – though potentially clinically useful – movie-watching experience imaginable.
The Movie for the Assessment of Social Cognition is a 15-minute fictional film that focuses on the social interactions between two female and two male middle-aged adults preparing for and getting together for dinner. The film pauses no fewer than forty-five times for the viewer to answer questions about the characters’ thoughts, intentions and emotions. (For example, “What is Cliff thinking?”, “Why is Betty saying this?”, and “What is Michael feeling?”).
Each question has four multiple choice answers, three of which are wrong – for instance, in one pre-dinner scene, Cliff and Sandra are enjoying chatting about Cliff’s recent holiday in Sweden, then Michael arrives and dominates the conversation, directing all his speech at Sandra. Slightly annoyed, Sandra looks at Cliff then asks Michael if he’s been to Sweden. Participants are asked why she did this: the correct answer is to help get Cliff back into the conversation; an example of an incorrect answer is to loosen Michael up.
Earlier work has found that this test can pick up mind-reading deficits in autism, borderline personality disorder and body dysmorphic disorders, and can measure individual differences in mind-reading ability in typical adults.
In this study, the researchers found that overall the female volunteers got significantly better scores than the men. This didn’t come as a huge surprise, as other work has found that, on average, women are better at inferring other people’s mental states and identifying facial expressions. But the analysis also revealed that women were better at mind-reading other women than they were at reading men. Men were also slightly better at reading women than men, but they still scored lower than the female participants (note that, unlike women, men didn’t show an own-sex mind-reading advantage – they weren’t any better at reading men than women were).
Part of the explanation for women being easier to read could be that they are more emotionally expressive than men, as suggested by some past research, although a recent study found that the true gender pattern is more complex.
When it comes to the superior performance of the female volunteers, this may be because women are simply better at mind-reading. Alternatively, they may be more motivated to do it.
Differences in male and female friendships may be one factor that contributes to greater mind-reading skills in women, the researchers suggested. Research has found that women are more likely to share emotions with, and simply to talk more with, their female friends than men do with their male friends.
When it comes to the women’s particular skill at reading other women’s thoughts, “the proposed social-cognitive mechanism and developmental factors of this bias have to be examined in following studies,” the researchers said.
The team also re-analysed their data, this time with a focus on the volunteers’ ages. They found that young adults were better mind-readers, overall. Performance started to decrease around the age of 30, and continued to get worse through middle and old age. It’s possible this is partly because of known age-related declines in cognitive performance, but again, this is something that will have to be explored in future studies.
—Women Know Better What Other Women Think and Feel: Gender Effects on Mindreading across the Adult Life Span
Image: Interaction effect of perceiver and target gender on mindreading performance, from Wacker et al, 2017
Emma Young (@EmmaELYoung) is Staff Writer at BPS Research DigestDC Comics has been doing theme month variants. October is Monster month, November is LEGO covers, and now we're ready to see what they have planned for December.
Darwyn Cooke is an amazing artist. We simply can't get enough of him. Now we'll get to drool and seek out the variant covers with his art on them. That's right, December is Darwyn Cooke Month.
We've been given the exclusive first look at some of the covers you can expect to see.
BATMAN #37
BATMAN/SUPERMAN #17
FLASH #37
GREEN LANTERN CORPS #37
JUSTICE LEAGUE #37
What other comics can you expect to see the groovy Darwyn Cooke art on?
December DARWYN COOKE variant cover list
Action Comics #37
Aquaman #37
Batgirl #37
Batman #37
Batman & Robin #37
Batman/Superman #17
Catwoman #37
Detective Comics #37
Flash #37
Harley Quinn #12
He-Man: The Eternity War #1
Grayson #4
Green Lantern #37
Green Lantern Corps #37
JLU #7
Justice League #37
Justice League Dark #37
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Sinestro #8
Supergirl #37
Superman #37
Superman/Wonder Woman #14
Wonder Woman #37
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From CBR: ACTION COMICS #37, GRAYSON #5, JUSTICE LEAGUE UNITED #7, and SUPERGIRL #37.
From IGN: BATMAN AND ROBIN #37, CATWOMAN #37, GREEN LANTERN #37, SINESTRO #8, and WONDER WOMAN #37.
From Newsarama: HE-MAN: ETERNITY WAR #1, HARLEY QUINN #12, SUPERMAN #37, and TEEN TITANS #5.
From HitFix: AQUAMAN #37, BATGIRL #37, DETECTIVE COMICS #37, JUSTICE LEAGUE DARK #37, and SUPERMAN/WONDER WOMAN #14.Six months into a long-awaited Republican administration with no major legislative accomplishments to show for it, GOP leaders in Congress are anxious to get a move on—so much so that senators are preparing to vote next week on a motion to proceed on a health care measure without knowing, exactly, what it will entail. Waiting for all the details ahead of time, Majority Whip John Cornyn told reporters, is a "luxury we don't have."
Republicans have spent the past seven years and multiple election cycles pledging to repeal and replace Obamacare. The election of a GOP president, they argued time and again, would be the final puzzle piece. Now, with Donald Trump behind the Resolute Desk, the health care debate has become a proxy for credibility and governance.
In other words, if Republicans can't make good on a signature promise—one that has been akin to an organizing principle for the base—how can they sell the party to voters?
As lawmakers consider voting for legislation that is unpopular and is projected to leave roughly 22 million uninsured, according to analysis by the Congressional Budget Office, they are also weighing the political fallout for the party if they don't proceed with it.
"Failure is not an option," Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who is up for re-election next year, said after a meeting at the White House with his colleagues.
Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who like Cruz also ran for president, insisted that Republicans would eventually replace Obamacare. "It may not happen this week or next week, but it’s going to happen," he said. "We have at least 51 people here who promised to do it, and we intend to keep that promise."
The health care measure is key to the GOP agenda, as it was designed to pave the way for tax reform. And while congressional committees are already at work on tax policy, a failure to resolve health care bleeds into the remainder of the party's agenda.
"There's no question this is a long held promise that virtually every Republican has made to voters, so it does have significant consequences if given the opportunity and they and can't get it done," said GOP strategist Josh Holmes, a former aide to Sen. Mitch McConnell, majority leader. "The biggest problem Republicans could face in 2018 is an ongoing narrative that they are unable to govern."
Conservative outside groups have banded together to pressure Republicans into fulfilling their campaign pledges, arguing that a failure to do so would depress the party base in the midterms. "They are going to need to call hospice because their control [of Congress] is not long for this world," Club For Growth President David McIntosh said.
Brent Bozell, president resident of the conservative Media Research Center, said conservative voters are going to blame Republicans—not the opposing party—for failure. "If they feel betrayed and have no reason to vote, they won’t vote," he said.
That prospect is also starting to weigh on House lawmakers, some of whom have expressed concern that Senate inaction might take a toll on members beyond the upper chamber.
“Senators have now wasted seven months doing nothing," said Florida Rep. Dennis Ross. "The American people are sick of the excuses from senators. I’m sick of the excuses."
Ross and other critics have argued that Republicans risk being inconsistent and dishonest after having voted multiple times to repeal the law while Barack Obama was president.
"I’m frustrated in general that my party wasn’t more consistent," Sen. Rand Paul, whose opposition to proceeding on the original Senate bill helped derail it, told Bloomberg News. "We ran and won in four elections—voters rewarded us saying you’re for repeal. Now we have a Republican president, they seem to have gotten a bit weak in the knees. "
Jenny Beth Martin of Tea Party Patriots said the reluctance on the part of a large handful of senators represents the politics Trump ran against. Supporters "voted for Trump because they wanted a wrecking ball in D.C.—for this reason," Martin said.
The president, meanwhile, is eager for a win and has said he would sign any health care-related bill Congress sends to his desk. But he has also been of little utility during the process and hasn't seized the bully pulpit to sell the bill.
At times he has complicated the conversation by adjusting his own opinions on the legislation, varying from complete repeal without a replacement to completing both simultaneously, to letting the current law fail. During a luncheon with Republican senators at the White House on Wednesday, Trump chided Dean Heller, one of the most vulnerable party lawmakers up for re-election next year. "He wants to remain a senator, doesn't he?" Trump said, urging the Nevada senator to support the legislation.
During a later interview with the New York Times, Trump returned to a previous line. "If we don’t get it done, we are going to watch Obamacare go down the tubes, and we’ll blame the Democrats," he said.
But Republicans on Capitol Hill don't think that option will work. "I don’t want to see that," said Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson, arguing for immediate steps to stabilize the insurance markets. Asked whether Republicans would suffer politically if they failed to keep their pledge to repeal the law, Johnson said the environment and challenges have evolved.
"We’re dealing with a really big mess, and it’s very complex, and we’ve got a big spectrum of people in our party," Johnson said. "The condition today is different than it was seven years ago, or four years ago. It does complicate things that these markets are collapsing, they’re in a further state of decay, so you are confronted with the reality of today and it’s just complex."
For his part, Trump has dismissed criticism of a stalled agenda, even though he pledged during the campaign to replace Obamacare quickly. "I am not in here six months, and they’ll say, ‘Trump hasn’t fulfilled his agenda.’ I say to myself, wait a minute, I’m only here a very short period of time compared to Obama," he told the New York Times, referring to the 14-month timeline to pass the Affordable Care Act.
The president has also argued that Democrats had a larger majority in the Senate during the passage of Obamacare and suggested voters would need to elect more Republicans in the midterms. The suggestion ignored the fact that Republicans only need a simple majority for passage of health care reform, given certain parliamentary procedure on the measure.
"We need to have some accomplishments and some wins, and if we aren’t able to do that it will be a drag in 2018," said a Republican operative familiar with congressional campaigns.
While Republicans are only defending two competitive Senate seats this cycle, they hope to expand their majority by defeating Democratic incumbents in states Trump won. That task becomes harder if Republicans have little to sell by way of governing. Vulnerable Democrats in the Senate, meanwhile, have stood opposed to the Republicans' health care reform efforts, signaling how potent they figure the issue will be in the midterms.
A Kaiser Health tracking poll this month found 71 percent of Americans would rather see Republicans work with Democrats to fix Obamacare without repealing it. While a majority of Republicans want the GOP to continue with its repeal plans, Trump supporters are split on the issue.
Elsewhere, there are mixed signs for Democrats. A Washington Post poll released this week found that registered voters would rather see the next Congress controlled by Democrats than Republicans by a 52-percent-to-38-percent margin. But by a 65-percent-to-57-percent margin, Republicans said they were more likely to vote in the midterm elections than Democrats. Additionally, 51 percent of voters said Trump would not factor into their midterm election vote.
These numbers, in addition to the high support Trump has among GOP voters, help explain why Republicans are pointing fingers at each other and not at the president—yet.
If congressional Republicans are unable to notch major accomplishments, including health care, GOP candidates running to challenge Democrats might start using the language of the president. "If Trump is still seen as a guy trying to make change,” the Republican operative said, "You’re going to run against Washington and run as closely to Trump as possible."Last month, Google released an open-source project called WebRTC which aims to enables Real-Time Communications capabilities in the web browsers through simple JavaScript APIs. Now, they have taken the first step towards having WebRTC built into Chrome.
Right now, real-time communication (video or audio) through the web requires proprietary technology either through a client or plugin. Even the video and audio chat in GMail requires a proprietary plugin to be installed to the web browser.
WebRTC is a result of Google’s acquisition of GIPS. After the acquisition, Google released the voice and video engine technology as WebRTC under a royalty free BSD license.
When we are done, any web developer shall be able to create RTC applications, like the Google Talk client in Gmail, without using any plugins but only WebRTC components that runs in the sandbox.
With WebRTC, developers will be able to build voice and video applications using nothing more than HTML and JavaScript. This is a powerful technology which can challenge services like Skype.
Before it lands in Chome, WebRTC will be built into Chromium – the open source version of Chrome. The part of WebRTC that is about to land in Chromium is not yet complete however. Right now, only the media processing capabilities will land in Chromium. The remaining such as the JavaScript API for handling the audio and video capture and rendering will land soon.
Google has a lot at stake with WebRTC. They are the main force behind web-based technology and with WebRTC, they are hoping to make yet another desktop application available through the web itself. To achieve this, they are betting on the other web browsers too adopting WebRTC. Google has already secured the support of Mozilla and Opera for this technology. So, expect WebRTC to be available in Opera and Firefox as well.
Further Reading:
1. WebRTC
2. Google building Skype-alike software into Chrome
3. Mailing list announcementI am a comic book geek and so is my seven-year-old daughter. Before we start pointing fingers, let me just say that I blame myself for her condition. When you raise a child in a house filled with comic books, where the living room bookcase has Two-Face book-ends and your art supplies are kept in Hellboy lunchboxes, a certain level of interest in the medium is bound to develop. So, it wasn’t a huge surprise when the concept of the “comic convention” stumbled onto my child’s cultural radar.
She’d seen pictures of Comic Cons online. She’d even seen conventions parodied in her favorite Simpsons comics. She knew what the word “cosplay” meant and she wanted to experience it for herself. Through the eyes of a child, pictures from a comic convention look vaguely like snapshots from a |
naturally just as if you had loosened your grip on the bulb of a dropper10. This happens in an instant but, as mentioned above, an incredibly large amount of air is inhaled.
On a slightly different topic, it is necessary to always keep the external sphincter muscle of the anus contracted. In kyudo they teach, “keep your hole closed.” However, focusing on the anus is an uncomfortable, animalistic feeling. Instead you should put strength into the lower abdomen and the sphincter will contract proportionally and unconsciously.
Laughter is an action of exhalation but humans can discover the location of the tanden through the action of inhalation as well. Try swallowing your saliva. When you do your muscles contract towards your navel but, immediately after the saliva enters the stomach, the lower abdominal muscles clench tight, stopping the saliva there. The place where these muscles contract is the tanden11.
Exhalation is Truth, Inhalation is Falsehood
All true human action is performed while exhaling. The exhaled breath is the breath of a human realizing an action and when breathing out one is in an active kamae. In budo and other arts, exhalation is truth, inhalation is falsehood. A human’s upright body is a body in action and, while awake, exhalation should be the principle form of breathing. Inhalation is a natural, unconscious state. It is a principle of budo that the change from stillness to action must start by breathing in and the principle movement must be brought to a finish while breathing out.
It is desirable to exhale for as long as possible. Breathing shallow breaths without strength in the hara, it is normal to take 17 or 18 breaths in one minute. The hurried breaths of a sick man are countless. When correct tanden breathing is practiced, one will take only seven or eight breaths in a minute, dropping to four or five with mastery. In zazen or budo, a person who has achieved complete harmony in his body will number one or two breaths per minute, or even less. It is said that in the Edo period, a famous spearman once walked the length of Ryogoku Bridge12 with just one breath.
One must not strain when breathing. In correct breathing there is no stopping or holding of the breath. The breath must flow out naturally. With the lungs full to the bottom from correct breathing there is more air available than one might imagine and even a big, unwavering exhalation will continue for a long time.
Each of us can discover whether our exhalation is correct and the entire body is in harmony or if our exhalation is in discord and out of harmony. The first step is to focusing our awareness inward. If there is no stiffness or strain in the body when breathing out, the nasal passage opens and an indescribable, pleasant strength fills the lower abdomen. The second step is to feel the breath with the palm of the hand. Correct breath comes out warm and gently. Discordant breath comes out cold and rough. In the past, practitioners of budo and zazen would place a candle in front of the nose and practiced tanden breathing so that the flame would not flicker.
When the method of correct breathing is mastered, neither the breath in nor the breath out should be able to be felt. There should be only the tension and relaxation of breathing in and out. If the breath can be felt or heard, there is still some stiffness or strain in the body (for example, the chin muscles or oral cavity).
In contrast to the tension of exhalation, inhalation is a relaxation and should be done in the shortest possible amount of time. This relaxation, however, must not be a complete relaxation but a relaxation supported by tension.
The act of exhalation starts from the natural state of inhalation. Inhalation, however, is the opposite; it is born from a state of human effort and the tension of exhalation. It starts with the lower back extended and strength filling the lower abdomen and the relaxing of that tension, but without releasing all of the strength. To understand this method it may help to consider how one breathes while sprinting. It is necessary to put strength into the lower abdomen to run but breathing in can only be done by slightly relaxing that tension.
The Principles of Breathing
Having understood the correctness of and realizing the depth of logic of tanden breathing, let us now provide some additional support.
Even in the middle of physical exertion budo masters do not become short of breath nor does their breathing become rough. This is because the muscles throughout their entire body are settled in the correct position and because they regulate their diaphragm correctly.
The Diaphragm
The Japanese term for the diaphragm is oukakumaku (横隔膜, horizontal separating membrane). It gets its name from the fact that it separates the chest and abdominal cavities. It is called a membrane but it is actually a thick, membrane-like layer of muscle. It is the only voluntary muscle among the internal organs and can be tensed at will. Those who aim to master correct breathing must first start by training the diaphragm. To do so, practice allowing the upper abdomen (solar plexus) to draw in as you exhale. It may help to place the hand on the solar plexus to feel the movement of the diaphragm.
If, as you breathe out, you tense the lower abdomen and relax the upper abdomen (solar plexus13), the lower abdomen will become round like a rubber ball. As the solar plexus depresses the navel will point upwards. As you continue to breathe in and out, this round shape should not change but as you breathe out it should become harder.
When breathing using the tanden, the diaphragm should first move down as you breathe in and the ribcage should rise as air enters the body. Next, as you breathe out, the ribs should lower as the diaphragm rises, pushing the air out of the lungs.
The Solar Plexus14 (Strengthening Character and Moral Sense)
Directly below the diaphragm in the abdominal cavity is the solar plexus nerve complex. his is a group of autonomic nerves the size of the thumb that receives instructions from the diencephalon15 to regulate the body. The solar plexus is such an important organ that, it is said that if the brain is the seat of knowledge, the solar plexus is the seat of moral sense.
Tanden breathing stimulates and trains the solar plexus, calming the nerves, and works to strengthen the character. This is one reason that budo and zazen aid in a person’s moral education.
In addition to the very real effects on efficiency of movement, as discussed above, focusing the whole body’s strength in the tanden invites a spiritual benefit as well.
The diaphragm is shaped like an arched ceiling. When one has put no strength in the abdomen and is, for example, surprised, the diaphragm contracts towards the chest cavity and presses up against the heart, pushing the apex of the heart against the chest wall causing the heart to beat faster. If the diaphragm can move up and down in a controlled manner the base of the heart can expand and the heart can pump slowly. This reduces mental states such as anxiety, surprise, and fear. It is important to note that a calm and composed mental state is not achieved by the mind alone, but by correct posture and correct breathing. It must be build on the strong foundation of the physical body.
The Second Heart
Some call the diaphragm the second heart. The heart in the chest pumps blood through the arteries but the contractions of the diaphragm are incredibly important in returning the blood from the veins of the lower body to the heart.
Normal breathing is a matter of controlling the lungs. As you inhale the chest expands and the upper abdomen inflates. As you exhale, the chest becomes empty and the upper abdomen collapses in. The lower abdomen is not involved at all. This is true of shallow breathing and surely also when sleeping laying down.
As mentioned above, when one wakes and stands upright, allowing tension to keep the body balanced, the tanden appears as the seat of the whole body’s strength. Because all true movement, without exception, must be generated from the tanden, the breath too must originate from the tanden.
Breathing from the chest and breathing from the tanden are completely the same. Breathing from the tanden, however, is incomparable with natural breathing in the amount of air that fills the lungs.
Tanden breathing is neither unnatural breathing nor reverse breathing. Rather, it follows natural breathing and takes the same form, but is one level higher and more efficient. It is the absolute correct way to breathe.
Because tanden breathing does not go against the natural order of breathing, with the exception of sleeping, it should be possible to do all day without issue. It is in fact the best thing you can do for your health.
The function of breathing is to absorb oxygen from the air and expel the carbon dioxide gas generated inside the body. If one’s breathing is shallow, the oxygen in the blood decreases and, carbon dioxide combines chemically with water and builds up inside the body, decreasing the life force of the body’s cells.
Focus on Breathing Out
Normal air is made up of over twenty percent oxygen and the air humans exhale is approximately sixteen percent oxygen. Our bodies absorb the four percent difference. The air we exhale, however, contains over 100% more carbon dioxide than normal air (0.04% in air and 4.4% in exhaled breath). We can induce from this that if we breathe a large amount of air into the lungs, as long as we are exhaling, the body continues to absorb oxygen. We should thus focus only on exhaling and expelling carbon dioxide. In budo and zazen it is unnecessary to think about inhalation and important to focus instead on our exhalation.
The Importance of Deep Breathing
The lungs are made up of millions of microscopic alveoli. The inner surface of the lung that makes contact with air is 56m2, twenty-five times greater than the outer surface area of the body. This is half the size of a tennis court. The greater portion of alveoli are unused in normal, shallow breathing and remain unexposed to fresh air. This is why it is important to breath deeply.
Deep breathing consists of an inhalation component and an exhalation component. A naturally occurring inhalation component of deep breathing is yawning. When yawning the lungs fill completely and there is a feeling of the kikai (below the navel) filling as well. Professor Sato gives this type of breathing the name kikai-soku16. Inducing yawns throughout the day, inhaling deeply into the lower abdomen and stretching the body, has health benefits.
Likewise, a naturally occurring exhalation component of deep breathing is laughter. Here air is pushed out by tension of the tanden, the point below the kikai. When the tanden relaxes, air is sucked in. This is called tanden-soku. It is the breath of budo, zazen, and seiza17. Tanden-soku is the same deep breathing as laughter but steady, without the convulsions.
Signed and sealed:
Kawakubo Takiji
Muso Jikiden Eishin Ryu Iaido, Hanshi 9th dan18
Third Month19, Showa 5320
Footnotes
“Kikai” is a term used in traditional Chinese medicine. It is a vital spot located 1sun below the navel.
“Tan” is the Taoist elixir of immortality; “den” is the earth that creates this elixir. The tanden is an acupuncture point 1sun5bun below the navel. The tanden is between the kikai and the ishi-mon, a point 2sun below the navel. back
Support kenshi 24/7 on Patreon!Map of exposed HDFS systems [via Shodan]
Improperly configured HDFS-based servers, mostly Hadoop installs, are exposing over five petabytes of information, according to John Matherly, founder of Shodan, a search engine for discovering Internet-connected devices.
The expert says he discovered 4,487 instances of HDFS-based servers available via public IP addresses and without authentication, which in total exposed over 5,120 TB of data.
According to Matherly, 47,820 MongoDB servers exposed only 25 TB of data. To put things in perspective, HDFS servers leak 200 times more data compared to MongoDB servers, which are ten times more prevalent. A report from Binary Edge from 2015 revealed that at the time, Redis, MongoDB, Memcached, and ElasticSearch servers put together exposed a tota of only 1.1 PB of data.
Most HDFS systems are located in the US and China
The countries that exposed the most HDFS instances are by far the US and China, but this should be of no surprise as these two countries host over 50% of all data centers in the world.
Top 10 Countries: +++++++++++++++++++++++++ US 1,900 CN 1,426 DE 129 KR 115 FR 91 SG 86 IE 82 IN 74 TW 66 CA 43
Earlier this year, attackers realized they could take over unprotected servers exposed online, steal their content, and demand a ransom. Attacks first targeted MongoDB, but they soon moved to CouchDB and Hadoop.
Initially, 124 Hadoop servers were ransomed, a number which eventually grew to almost 500. According to Matherly, there are still 207 HDFS-based clusters that still feature ransom demands, albeit it's unclear if these are leftovers from the January attacks, or servers are being hijacked even as we speak.
HDFS stands for Hadoop Distributed File System and is a distributed file system designed to run on cloud-based servers. It is the core technology that powers the Apache Hadoop technology, but it's also deployed with custom solutions. HDFS systems are usually found in cloud hosting environments and are used to store and process large quantities of user data.
Instructions on how to configure a Hadoop server to run in secure mode are available here. Matherly has published the necessary steps to reproduce his research.http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/video/virals/6943954/Spooky-hooded-monk-ghost-spotted-creeping-through-an-abandoned-church.html
Spooky 'hooded monk ghost' spotted creeping through an abandoned church
A GHOST-hunter has caught a 'hooded monk ghost' on camera roaming around a local abandoned parish church.
Dean Johnson, 48, and his paranormal investigating partner, Charlie Spalding, visited the eerie supernatural sanctuary last Wednesday.
Initially the pair didn't see the ‘ghoul’ but they were stunned to spot the dark cloaked figure in their footage roaming around St. Mary's church in Clophill, Bedfordshire.
The 'hooded monk ghost' was captured on camera roaming around St. Mary's church, Bedfordshire, by paranormal investigating partners Dean Johnson and Charlie Spalding SWNS
"When Charlie looked back at his camera footage there appeared to be a black hooded monk walking across the archway," Dean, from Daventry, recalled.
The ghost-hunting pair rushed back to the churchyard to see if anyone was still milling around, but they discovered that tower was locked.
"It’s still unexplained but I’m going back to get more evidence," he continued.
"I’m not sure if I believe in ghosts but I certainly believe in the multiverse where people can cross over into our time from different dimensions." After researching the parish, dad-of-one Dean, found that in the 1960s there were numerous satanic rituals taking place at the church.
These included, digging up bones, arranging them in satanic patterns and the area was also apparently linked to devil worship.Revealed: How Norfolk cannabis farms have doubled in five years
Cannabis seizures across the region since 2009. Archant
The clash has intensified between police and drug producers, with cannabis growing more than doubling in Norfolk in the last five years.
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More than £1m of cannabis and tobaccowas seized by Norfolk police at Gibbett Site Pig Farm in Hale Road, Bradenham, near Dereham. Picture: Ian Burt More than £1m of cannabis and tobaccowas seized by Norfolk police at Gibbett Site Pig Farm in Hale Road, Bradenham, near Dereham. Picture: Ian Burt
A prolonged crackdown by police in London has forced growers and dealers to shift their operations out of the capital and into the regions – with East Anglia increasingly on the radar.
The criminals are also moving from industrial-scale factories to smaller operations – often in homes or outbuildings.
And police are concerned about the increasing strength of the cannabis that is being produced – often four or five times as strong as a few years ago.
The intensity of the battle between police and criminals is shown by the fact that in Norfolk, the number of crimes relating to cultivating cannabis has gone up from 91 in 2007 to 195 in 2012. The problem has hit the headlines in a major way recently:
Earlier this month, a cannabis factory was uncovered, with more than 900 plants, worth £500,000, being grown at a former cigar storage building in Nethergate Street, Bungay;
More than £1m of cannabis and tobacco was seized by Norfolk police following the discovery of one of the county’s largest cannabis farms in recent years at Bradenham, near Dereham, in November last year.
The offence of cultivating cannabis can cover anything from one plant to hundreds.
Colin Pearce, drugs availability liaison officer for Norfolk, said: “The number of cannabis plants seized has increased generally, but the counter balance to that is it demonstrates our commitment to finding these set-ups and dismantling them and we would always encourage the public to ring in with information about cannabis farms.”
Mr Pearce said Norfolk and Suffolk, like many other parts of the country, had experienced cannabis farms and factories being set up in the past 10 years or so following a concerted effort by the Metropolitan Police to crackdown on cannabis factories in the capital.
He said: “Historically they started in London about 10 to 12 years ago but as the Met became aware of them they moved out of more urban areas into rural areas.
“It’s just been a gradual spread out from London and eventually reached Norfolk and Suffolk.”
As well as organised Vietnamese groups growing cannabis there are also home-grown operations.
In 2011 five people involved in money laundering and running a sophisticated drugs factory in Thetford were sentenced to a total of more than 11 years in prison.
Thermal imaging cameras had highlighted heat over factory units in Roman Way in early December 2009 and officers from the protective services tactical crime unit had conducted a raid later in the month.
As officers tried to gain entry there was a strong smell of cannabis and during the search they discovered more than 750 cannabis plants growing there.
A sophisticated hydroponics network had been set up with the plants in all stages of development set out in the rooms inside the units.
Mr Pearce said that while it was difficult to say whether there were more large-scale factories than there used to be the cannabis being grown – whether in small or large numbers – was stronger than it ever was, which was another reason police were determined to put an end to it.
Anyone who suspects a building near them is being used as a cannabis factory should call Norfolk police on 101.A new AARP study tells us what all of us Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPIs) already know. AAPIs are more likely than any other racial group to care for their elders. “Caregiving Among Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders” is the title of the first of three reports by AARP about issues affecting AAPIs age 50 and older.
The study found that 73 percent of AAPIs age 45-55 are expecting to care for their aging parents and/or older relatives. This compares with just under half of the total population of the same age (49 percent). Along with caring for elders, AAPIs are more likely to talk to doctors on behalf of their elders, contribute financially, and handle paperwork and bills for their elders.
And of course, many more AAPIs, age 50 and above, live in multi-generational households compared with the total population of Americans (17 percent versus 7 percent).
Like most Asian Americans I was raised with the expectation that I’d be caring for my parents as they got older. I’ve written about some of my experience with caring for my aging parents in a previous 8Asians article that focused on which child got to take care of their parents as they got older.
The AARP report though focuses on a few other aspects of caring for an immigrant parent that many children of immigrants take for granted, and for those who’ve never had the experience, probably never even realized was part of the immigrant experience. Since my mother never spent the time to perfect her English, my siblings and I were always the one to translate at the doctor’s office, and just about everywhere else starting from the time we were small kids. We also filled out all the paperwork for our parents even though we were just small children.
Translating and taking care of paperwork and bills was just something that continued on into adulthood and into elder care. By the time my parents moved into my home as senior citizens, so that I could care for them more easily, I was again taking them to doctor’s appointments, and also translating, and filling out paperwork. And this time around, I was also the main financial support for the whole family. I tell this story to my own elementary school age daughter, but she doesn’t get it.
Every night my daughter expects us to answer questions for her about her homework and help her figure out problems she doesn’t understand. I tell her I never had help with my homework. I mean really I had no one who would have understood the English in my homework to help. I say this and my daughter looks at me blankly, and my husband, just tells me, he’s heard it already, and enough, we’re helping our daughter with her homework. At the same time, we don’t set any expectations that our daughter will care for us when we’re older. I guess we’re too American for that. Instead my husband has purchased long-term care insurance, and tells us to put him in a nursing home when it’s time.
But secretly, inside my mind, I wish my daughter will remember and will be the one to care for me when I get older.by Paul Kennedy @pkedit, May 14, 2017
U.S. national team coachwas in Orlando to scout players in the Orlando City-Sporting Kansas City game on Saturday and promote the USA-Panama World Cup qualifier game on Oct. 6 that will be played at Orlando City Stadium, which he considers an example of an MLS venue he says is needed to give the USA a home advantage.
“When we entered 2017," Arena said, "it was critical that we were able to select venues that would help the U.S. team. We knew our last home game was going to be critical and perhaps the deciding factor in qualifying for the 2018 World Cup in Russia. There could not be a better venue, a better city to select than Orlando. We know when we come here in October, there are gonna be 25,000 people here supporting the U.S. team and giving us every chance to be victorious on the day and headed to Russia in '18."
For the first time, all five Hexagonal home matches are expected to be played in MLS soccer-specific stadiums:
2016-17 U.S. Hexagonal Venues:
Nov. 11 in Columbus (10th WCQ): USA 1 Mexico 2
March 24 in San Jose (1st WCQ): USA 6 Honduras 0
June 8 in Commerce City (3rd WCQ): USA vs. Trin. & Tobago
*Sept. 1 in Harrison (1st WCQ): USA vs. Costa Rica
Oct. 6 in Orlando (1st WCQ): USA vs. Panama
*to be confirmed.
In 2013, the USA played all five home games in MLS stadiums, but one of them was Seattle's CenturyLink Field that the Sounders share with the NFL Seahawks.
"The options are play in MLS stadiums or NFL-style stadiums," Arena said. "A lot of our opponents in Concacaf qualifying have huge support in the United States, so we want to be in venues that I think are much more supportive of the U.S. team. The bigger the venue becomes, the less favorable it is for the U.S. team although the stadiums would likely be filled. When we’re in the smaller stadiums the likelihood of it being largely a dominant crowd in favor of the U.S. team occurs. And we saw than in San Jose in March. And I think that's the right way to go. The example of that has traditionally been Columbus as a venue for USA-Mexico, which worked out so well until recently."
In 2009, only two of the five venues were MLS soccer-specific stadiums. In 2001 and 2005, the only MLS soccer-specific stadium that was used was the stadium in Columbus.
In 2001 and 2009, the USA played Honduras in large stadiums -- Washington's RFK Stadium and Chicago's Soldier Field -- before largely pro-Catracho crowds. The 3-2 loss to Honduras in 2001 was the last home loss in World Cup qualifying before the 2-1 loss to Mexico in Columbus, Ohio, in November 2016.He’s young and inexperienced, and hasn’t learned yet that adults call the grilled cheese hotline instead of calling their mothers.
—–
Folks: I want to say how much I appreciate everyone who had pizza with us for BSX last Saturday. We want BSX to be a time when everybody can relax and appreciate friends, family, and tasty food, and year after year it seems like you guys really get into that spirit. Every photograph we received from a BSX celebration warmed our hearts, and every pizza we saw… watered our mouths(?)
Also, extra shout outs to everyone who came and ate pizza with us in person. You are all super fun to talk to and discuss professional Starcraft with, and never once were we worried that any of you were planning on murdering us, which is a quality we appreciate in all the people we meet.
Thanks so much for making BSX such a fun day. We’re already looking forward to eating pizza with everyone in the world again next year!
-Alexhttp://io9.gizmodo.com/steven-universe-artist-quits-twitter-over-fan-harassmen-1785242762
It happened to Steven Fry, and now it’s happened to Lauren Zuke, and what has happened is harassment under the veil of “justice”. Let’s make one thing clear, I don’t care for labels in any capacity because calling someone an “SJW” or “problematic” doesn’t do anything other than strengthen the metaphorical castle either side has built up, and so nothing changes, just more insults and harassment. But I digress.
Steven Fry left Twitter quite some time ago after a joke failed to sit well with some people, a joke he shared with Jenny Beavan, whom he called a “bag lady”. Of course, Jenny and him are good friends and no offense was taken. However, this didn’t seem to stop others for feeling offended for Beavan, calling Steven a misogynist (a baseless insult if anyone actually knew Fry) and such.
And that is how Twitter managed to drive away a person beloved by many - by yelling at them incessantly, trying to make them see the error of their ways, of which there was none.
This has now happened to Lauren Zuke, a storyboard artist for one of my favorite cartoons in quite some time, Steven Universe. The show boasts as being one of the most (of not the most) inclusive shows currently on television, and being extremely and un-apologetically gay, consisting of mostly female-identifying characters.
And Lauren received harassment based on shipping two of her favorite characters.
As you can see, something is very wrong here. We’re currently in an age where being who you are is finally being accepted, and yet the very people who want this are pushing others out of the way in a misguided and hateful quest for… the same thing?
Both Fry and Zuke are gay and create things. These people spearhead the true cause for social justice; the fight for people to be not afraid of who they are - not the hateful charade that some would have you believe is the real fight. But if you need to harass people to get your view across, maybe you’re not on the side you thought you were.University of Alabama-Huntsville
There's a hierarchy of "Star Trek" inventions we would like to see become reality. We already have voice-controlled computers and communicators in the form of smartphones. A working Holodeck is under development. Now, how about we get some impulse engines for our starships?
The University of Alabama in Huntsville's Aerophysics Research Center, NASA, Boeing, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory are collaborating on a project to produce nuclear fusion impulse rocket engines. It's no warp drive, but it would get us around the galaxy a lot quicker than current technologies.
According to Txchnologist, the scientists are hoping to make impulse drive a reality by 2030. It would be capable of taking a spacecraft from Earth to Mars in as little as six weeks.
"The fusion fuel we're focusing on is deuterium [a stable isotope of hydrogen] and Li6 [a stable isotope of the metal lithium] in a crystal structure," Txchnologist quotes team member and aerospace engineering Ph.D. candidate Ross Cortez saying. "That's basically dilithium crystals we're using." Let's pause and savor that for a moment. Dilithium crystals. Awesome.
Plenty of obstacles will need to be overcome during the development process. The issue of harnessing fusion is prominent, but there is also the question of turning the power generated by fusion into thrust for an engine. The craft using the impulse drive would also need to be assembled in space, much like the International Space Station.
"Imagine using a 1-ton TNT equivalent explosive and putting it out the back end of a rocket. That's what we're doing here," Cortez says in a press release about the project. Now we can all practice saying "full impulse power" to our imaginary starship navigators.Recent CH 2 Cl 2 trends and future growth scenarios
Figure 1 shows the measured surface abundance of CH 2 Cl 2 from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) long-term surface monitoring network. Globally, CH 2 Cl 2 concentrations approximately doubled between 2004 and 2014 (Fig. 1a), although growth rates varied considerably during this period (Fig. 1b). The abundance of CH 2 Cl 2 at mid-latitudes in the NH is around a factor of 3 greater than in the Southern Hemisphere (SH), reflecting NH industrial sources. At present, it is unknown if a single industrial application of CH 2 Cl 2, or several, is contributing to the observed upward trend. As a common solvent, CH 2 Cl 2 has numerous applications, which include use in metal cleaning/degreasing, in paint remover, and use by the pharmaceutical industry for preparing drugs. It is also used as blowing agent in production of foam plastics. A specific use of CH 2 Cl 2, which seems likely to have increased in recent years, is in the manufacture of hydrofluorocarbons—the non-ozone-depleting chemicals used as replacements for CFCs and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs). Given these sources, it is probable that demand for CH 2 Cl 2 from developing countries now, and in coming years, will be relatively high. This is supported by elevated levels of CH 2 Cl 2 detected over Asia, where Indian emissions are estimated to have increased by two- to fourfold between 1998 and 2008 (ref. 23).
Figure 1: Observed trends and growth rate of surface CH 2 Cl 2 and simulated stratospheric loading of chlorine. (a) CH 2 Cl 2 surface mixing ratio in p.p.t. from 2004 to 2015 derived from NOAA measurements as the annual mean observed at 4 sites in the SH, and 5 sites in the NH between 30° and 60° N (ref. 36). The time series is an update of ref. 21, years 2014 and 2015 are new data. Error bars denote ±1 s.d. and the solid lines denote a linear fit to these data with the shaded regions representing ±1 s.d. uncertainty on the fit. (b) Corresponding CH 2 Cl 2 growth rates (% per year). (c) Observed surface CH 2 Cl 2 mixing ratio in the NH (green circles, as in a) and trend (black line), along with projections of surface CH 2 Cl 2 between 30 and 60° N latitude under future scenarios (dashed lines); CH 2 Cl 2 increases at the mean rate observed over the 2004–2014 period (Scenario 1, blue), CH 2 Cl 2 increases at the mean rate observed over the 2012–2014 period (Scenario 2, red) and CH 2 Cl 2 remains at 2016 levels (Scenario 3, no future growth, orange). (d) Modelled chlorine (p.p.t.) from CH 2 Cl 2 entering the stratosphere in the recent past and projections. This is derived by multiplying the simulated CH 2 Cl 2 mixing ratio at the tropical tropopause by 2, to account for the 2 Cl atoms in the molecule. Data between 2005 and 2013 are an update of ref. 22, while subsequent years and future projections are from this study. Annual means in decadal intervals (2020–2050) are shown (filled circles) with ±1 s.d. (error bars) for Scenarios 1 (blue) and 2 (red). Solid lines denote a linear fit to these data, dashed portions extrapolate this fit prior to 2020. The orange line (dashed throughout) represents Scenario 3 (no future growth). Inset; Enlarged model curve for 2004–2014 with observed estimates from NASA aircraft measurements (stars). Full size image
Based on the NOAA surface measurements presented in Fig. 1a, we estimate a global emission source of around 1 Tg CH 2 Cl 2 per year to sustain the observed CH 2 Cl 2 concentrations in recent years (Fig. 2). We note that this is a far larger source than that of individual CFCs and other long-lived ozone-depleting gases (for example, carbon tetrachloride) in the 1980s, when emissions of those gases peaked. For CH 2 Cl 2, and other VSLS more generally, relatively large emissions do not have the same impact on atmospheric concentrations, compared to say CFCs, as CH 2 Cl 2 is more rapidly oxidized in the troposphere and has a much shorter atmospheric lifetime.
Figure 2: Time trend in global halocarbon emissions. Emissions derived from a simple 1-box model for CCl 4 (dotted line), CFC-11 (dashed line) and CH 2 Cl 2 (crosses) in units of Gigagrams (Gg) of source gas per year. Calculation for CH 2 Cl 2 based on a parameterized global mean lifetime of 0.43 years. Also shown are recent independent estimates of CH 2 Cl 2 emissions (orange points) from the AGAGE 12-box model15. Error bars denote uncertainty range. Full size image
Two future scenarios encompassing potential surface CH 2 Cl 2 increases from 2015 to 2100 have been derived and are considered in our forward model simulations. Both are based on observed long-term surface trends (Fig. 1c), and are designed to test the sensitivity of ozone to potential future changes in chlorine derived from CH 2 Cl 2 growth. Scenario 1 assumes that surface CH 2 Cl 2 continues to increase at the mean rate observed during the 2004–2014 period: 2.85 parts per trillion (p.p.t.) per year at mid-latitudes in the NH. Scenario 2, a more extreme growth scenario to test the sensitivity of ozone to larger CH 2 Cl 2 increases, assumes CH 2 Cl 2 continues to increase at the mean rate observed in the 2012–2014 period only: 6.1 p.p.t. per year. This period saw comparatively large CH 2 Cl 2 growth compared to other recent years (Fig. 1b). In addition to the two growth scenarios, we also consider a third scenario in which no further CH 2 Cl 2 growth occurs post 2016 (Methods section). In this scenario (Scenario 3), surface CH 2 Cl 2 concentrations are fixed at 2016 levels throughout the forward simulation.
Constrained by the growth scenarios, our model simulations show a monotonic increase in chlorine from CH 2 Cl 2 entering the stratosphere (Fig. 1d) in coming decades, from ∼70 p.p.t. Cl in 2014, to ∼180 p.p.t. Cl or ∼360 p.p.t. Cl by 2050, under Scenarios 1 or 2, respectively. Critically, the model reproduces well observed levels of CH 2 Cl 2 around the tropopause in the recent past (Fig. 1d, inset) and, therefore, the stratospheric chlorine perturbation in response to increasing surface CH 2 Cl 2 concentrations is realistic in our simulations.
Impact of CH 2 Cl 2 growth on stratospheric inorganic chlorine
The dissociation of ozone-depleting compounds in the stratosphere liberates chlorine radicals which catalyse ozone loss. Owing to its relatively short stratospheric partial lifetime (of the order of 1–2 years in our model outside of the poles), CH 2 Cl 2 dissociates rapidly and thereby makes its largest relative contribution to the pool of inorganic chlorine (Cl y ) in the lowermost stratosphere, at low latitudes (Fig. 3a–c). At present, CH 2 Cl 2 accounts for <10% of stratospheric Cl y, although this contribution would increase significantly in coming decades if CH 2 Cl 2 growth continues and as chlorine from long-lived gases decreases. By 2050 |
IPR became part of IR. Therefore, as a legacy, IR started to operate narrow gauge trains along Shakuntala Railway (the train is known as Shakuntala Express).
Locomotives were initially steam, replaced with diesel in 1995. Usually, when one thinks of liberalising railways, one has in mind private train operations (and other forms of private provisioning of goods and services). Track is presumed to be owned by the government.
If you don't do that, there will be accidents and safety issues. There will be management and coordination problems. So runs the refrain. Therefore, the liberalised foreign direct investment and private investment policy don't contemplate private ownership of tracks and related infrastructure. When built by the private sector, it will have to be handed over to IR.
Shakuntala Railway is the opposite. The track is owned by a private company and trains are run by IR (meaning CR). Sure, this is a narrow gauge line, what might be called a branch line. Shakuntala Railway is still owned by CPRC, presumably because the government of the day simply forgot to nationalise it. Since GIPR was only an operator, who owns Shakuntala Railway? Killick Nixon (set up in 1857), the agent for CPRC, does, though Killick Nixon has now moved from British to Indian hands.
There is a contract between CPRC and CR, to be renewed in 2016. Under the contract, CPRC can keep 55 per cent of passenger revenue, giving the rest to CR. Naturally, CPRC is meant to maintain track.
But it doesn't possess the resources and CR has refused to give CPRC the 55 per cent, because CR was forced to spend on renewal and repairs. In fairness, CPRC disowns the contractual liability and this is now stuck in a judicial dispute. By the way, that 55 per cent is worth just over Rs 2 crore. Total annual passenger earnings (there is no freight) are hardly Rs 5 crore 9Rs 50 million).
Through a cotton cultivating tract, Shakuntala Railway once transported cotton to Manchester. But today, CPRC is not interested in it. In 2016, when the contract is renewed, IR can pick up the line for 10 years' revenue, say, Rs 50 crore (Rs 500 million).
Given the state CPRC is in, IR may get it for less. However, IR isn't interested. To rehabilitate 189 km of track, IR will have to spend at least Rs 1,890 crore. Once in a while, demands arise for nationalising the line, with little traction.
As of now, once a day, there is an irregular passenger train that runs on either side of Murtazapur, towards Achalpur and Yavatmal. If the train is irregular, what other choice for passengers? They travel by road, at five times the cost. Ipso facto, someone granted the flexibility of choosing fares should be able to tap the market better and modernise Shakuntala Railway.
It can't be IR and has to be someone other than CPRC. Why not hawk Shakuntala Railway, lock, stock and locomotive, to some other private player? That's sacrilege. Don't you know what happened when Margaret Thatcher privatised ownership of railway infrastructure in Britain? Private ownership of track and related infrastructure is taboo, unless it happens inadvertently, as with Shakuntala.
Those who resist change will argue Shakuntala is an exception, it's a "branch" line. A nuanced opposition is understandable. But why is there this blanket opposition to private ownership of track? Do people in IR not know about their own history and Shakuntala?
The writer is a member of the National Institution for Transforming India Aayog. The views are personal.Meet the Press host David Gregory helped Republican Governors Scott Walker (WI) and John Kasich (OH) take undeserved credit for the job recoveries in their states. In separate Meet the Press interviews, both governors took credit for an increase in jobs during their term, but Gregory did not point out that jobs were already on the upswing before either of them came into office.
Gregory Allows Kasich And Walker To Take Credit For Turning Around Job Losses In Their States
Gregory Let Kasich Claim That After Losing Jobs For Years, Ohio Is "Up 112,000 Jobs" Since Kasich Took Office. Gregory quoted Mitt Romney saying that unemployment is still high in Ohio. Kasich responded by claiming that "over the last four years, we had lost 400,000 jobs. And since January of '11, we're up 112,000 jobs." Kasich took office on January 10, 2011. From Meet the Press:
GREGORY: Let me ask you about unemployment because, as you know, whoever is responsible for the success in Ohio, Governor Romney doesn't seem very impressed. This is what he said speaking earlier this month to the Columbus Dispatch review board -- editorial board. 'I don't think 7.2 percent unemployment is something to write home about and celebrate.' That was before it was at 7.0. 'And if you consider the 200 [thousand] plus people who've dropped out of the work force in Ohio, the real number is closer to 10 percent. I don't find people here thinking happy days are here again.' What about unemployment nationally? What should we expect under a President Romney, if it comes to that? KASICH: Well, look. First of all, in terms of the unemployment numbers and who's in and who's out, I mean, I'm always concerned about what those numbers really mean. But what I do know is over the last four years, we had lost 400,000 jobs. And since January of '11, we're up 112,000 jobs. [NBC, Meet the Press, 10/28/12]
Gregory Let Walker Suggest That Because Of His Policies, Wisconsin Went From 9.2 Percent Unemployment To 7.3 Percent Unemployment. Asked by Gregory whether the federal government should enact some tax increases to cut deficits, Walker touted tax cuts in his state and suggested that they resulted in a decrease in unemployment from 9.2 percent unemployment to 7.3 percent unemployment:
WALKER: In Wisconsin's case, like Kasich and others did around the country, we lowered the overall tax burden. In fact, we lowered property taxes for the first time in 12 years. Our overall burden went down, and revenues went up. Why? Because we've promoted more growth. We went from a few years ago, having 9.2 percent unemployment down to 7.3 percent today. We went from losing hundreds of thousands of jobs to gaining jobs out there. Why? Because you've got to have a pro-growth agenda out there. When you do, that will help Washington grow in the right direction. That will put more people to work, and when more people are working, that'll help us balance the economy as well. [NBC, Meet the Press, 10/28/12]
But Unemployment Was Decreasing In Ohio And Wisconsin Well Before The GOP Took Over Governorships
Ohio Unemployment Rate Had Been Falling The Entire Year Before Kasich Took Office. The unemployment rate in Ohio had been falling the entire year leading up to Kasich's inauguration as governor in January 2011 after it had peaked at 10.6 percent in late 2009. The unemployment rate in the state declined throughout 2010 and by September 2012 had dropped to its lowest level since before President Obama was elected. From the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics:
[U.S. Department of Labor Statistics, accessed 10/28/12, via the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis]
Wisconsin Unemployment Rate Was Also Falling The Entire Year Before Walker Took Office. Likewise, the unemployment rate in Wisconsin reached its peak of 9.2 percent in January 2010 and then fell for the rest of the year leading up to Walker's inauguration as governor in January 2011. By September 2012 the unemployment rate was at 7.3 percent, 0.1 percent more than it was when Obama took office. From the U.S. Department of Labor Statistics:
[Bureau of Labor Statistics, accessed 10/28/12; Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis, accessed 10/28/12]Guest post by John Coleman
There is a story I heard that I keep thinking about. It really underlines the problem I have in trying to counter the bad science behind the global warming scare predictions. So here is the story:
A group of over 200 environmentalists were in an auditorium listening to a symposium about climate change, i.e. global warming or climate disruption. One of the speakers asked, “If I could instantly produce a genie with a magic wand to stand here before you today. And if, that genie could wave his magic wand and voila….carbon dioxide would no longer be a greenhouse gas that produced uncontrollable global warming….How many in this room would be happy, satisfied and pleased?” Two people out of two hundred hesitatingly raised their hands. Of the others, some smirked, some laughed and some yelled out, “No, no. Hell no.”
I cannot testify that this event actually occurred. But, I heard it as though it was a truthful report. In any case it haunts me because it demonstrates what I perceive to be something akin to the actual state of affairs in our efforts to quiet the Algorian scare predictions about the consequences of global warming. There are large segments of the population that believe the global warming pronouncements. They have heard them over and over again from people they trust and respect, in school, on television, in the news and in their communities.
They have become “believers”, not unlike those who believe in a set of religious beliefs. All good Democrats believe in global warming, after all, it is the science of one of their key heroes, former Vice President and Senator Al Gore. And all good environmentalists are aboard the global warming band wagon. And, for all of them, the Agenda is what is important. Their Agenda is to eliminate fossil fuels and the internal combustion engine from our civilization. The carbon dioxide, CO2, thing is simply the means to the end. And if the means is not true; who cares. It is only the Agenda that is important. To all of these people, my effort to debunk the CO2 greenhouse gas science is irrelevant.
When I present my scientific arguments in a speech, their common reaction, “so what” and they ask me, even if you are right, isn’t the change to clean energy still the best move for our society? When I make my argument in response, that I also favor alternate energy, but that it will be thirty to fifty years before it can replace fossil fuels as the primary source of power for our civilization and that alternate energy in its current state of development is not economically viable, they doubt my facts. They have heard the hype and bought the dream without stopping to absorb the reality.
Next, when they realize they have not persuaded me to join their point of view, they challenge me with “And, what if it turns out that you are wrong and Al Gore is right? Your argument could cost us everything as climate change makes the Earth unlivable. So let’s just eliminate the greenhouse gases as insurance.” I argue back that the insurance will financially destroy us, wreck our way of life and that because I am right about the science, the move to alternate energy will not make an iota difference in our climate.
At this point, they dismiss me a stupid, old heretic.
My only option is to keep trying. That is why I make the new videos like the one posted on February 22nd. But, I am frustrated and not optimistic about penetrating our scientific institutions and organizations that are in the control of their well paid scientists and persuading them to reconsider the role of carbon dioxide and accept climate reality. What are the odds they will “see the light” and abandon their richly rewarding global warming positions? Nil, I fear.
It appears, as of now, victory, if it were to come, would be on a political level, not a scientific one. Just as “the climate according to Al Gore” has become the Democrat Party mantra, “global warming is not real” has become the rally call of the Republican Party. As a Journalist (I am a member of the television news team at KUSI-TV) I try hard to avoid taking political positions. For instance, I pass on invitations to speak at political events even when handsome stipends are offered.
So I keep focused on the bad science behind global warming. If my team (There are over 31,000 scientists on my team) can make headway in correcting the science, then I will be happy to let the politics, environmentalism and alternate energy movement fight the policy battles without me.
John Coleman
=================================================================
Watch John’s video that accompanies this essay here at his web site
From comments, here is the link to the story about the group of 200 environmentalists that showed such a poor show of hands:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/nol/shared/spl/hi/programmes/analysis/transcripts/25_01_10.txtHow much money do you think you're wasting on paid advertising?
A new study from ANA, in which online ad purchases by 36 major U.S. brands were tracked between August and September 2014, found that 11% of online display ads and 23% of video ads aren't actually displayed to real people. And it's estimated that advertisers could lose more than $6 billion globally to ad fraud in 2015.
If your marketing team is paying for online advertising, you want and expect the views and clicks on your ads to be coming from humans -- real consumers who could potentially buy your product or service somewhere down the line. But in reality, a portion of those impressions and clicks you're seeing in your analytics may not be human at all: They could be bots, i.e. computer programs that mimic real users to defraud advertisers. The hackers create these bots to exploit the paid ad system, and they've been stealing billions of dollars of ad spend from businesses and agencies around the world. (And we're talking about organized criminals here, not tech-savvy twenty-somethings trying to make a buck on the side.)
How exactly are they doing this? In a nutshell, they build fake websites to host ads, sell ad space to businesses, agencies, and ad exchanges, and then send out robots to make fake impressions and clicks on those ads. And the potential for it "exists anywhere that media spending is significant and performance metrics are ambiguous and incomplete," writes IAB. That includes banner ads, video ads, search-based ads, and mobile search ads. So if you're going to spend budget on advertising, you'd better know the risks.
To learn more about digital ad fraud and how it affects marketers and agencies, we spoke to a leading digital strategy and social media marketing expert Dr. Augustine Fou, who earned his PhD from MIT and founded Marketing Science Consulting Group in New York City over 14 years ago. Dr. Fou focused on fraud associated with display ads (which can be affected by "impression fraud") and search-based ads (which can be affected by "click fraud") because they represent the largest portion of total ad spend. And since hackers follow the money, that's where the bad guys are spending the bulk of their time and effort.
In this post, we'll share with you what we learned from Dr. Fou about how impression and click fraud work, what incentivizes the hackers behind these schemes, how the industry is fighting back, and what marketers who advertise can do.
How Impression Fraud Works
Impressions measure the number of times an advertisement is displayed (i.e. viewed or seen), without taking into account whether or not the ad gets clicked. The types of ads typically measured this way include display ads (like banner ads), video ads, and a portion of mobile display ads. Any advertisements sold on a CPM (cost per thousand impressions) basis fall into this bucket and are potentially liable for impression fraud.
How Impression-Based Ads Are Supposed to Work
Businesses create advertisements, and then they pay third party website publishers to publish those advertisements on their websites. The businesses that created the ads then pay the website publishers an agreed-upon amount of money for every 1,000 times the ad is seen. While the businesses who make the ads hope the ads will expose their products and services to new audiences, ads also help the website publishers make money off their sites.
How Hackers Make Money From Impression Ads
But the "bad guys," as Dr. Fou calls them, have found ways to take advantage of the system. Here's how:
Hackers create fake websites, and then sell ad space on these websites.
You might be asking yourself, why do businesses and ad agencies sell to these sites if they know they're fake? It's because of what Dr. Fou calls "programmatic media buying and media placement." Nowadays, the process of buying and placing online advertisements is mostly automated. This means there are no humans involved in checking to make sure ads are placed on legitimate websites. Ad exchanges are particularly prone to fraud because they're the ones most likely to buy the enormous quantities of "ad impression inventory" for re-sale, says Dr. Fou.
"In the early days of the internet, a big advertiser might go to an established brand like Yahoo! or ESPN and say they want to place ads on their websites," says Dr. Fou. "But with the advent of Web 2.0 and then Web 3.0 came a slew of super longtail sites -- tiny, tiny websites that aren't big enough to matter to those big advertisers. Ad networks came about as a result, which aggregated tens of thousands of these longtail websites so they could aggregate the media buy of ad space on those websites."
The number of online display ads bought and placed using automated systems has been rising steadily for the past few days according to Dr. Fou's research, and it is expected to continue rising steadily.
Image from Dr. Augustine Fou's Webinar
"And as more digital ads are placed entirely programmatically, the opportunity for fraud continues to rise," warns Dr. Fou. And hackers always seem to be steps ahead of the industry's initiatives to detect fake websites and blacklist them.
Hackers load up their sites with tons of ads.
Once the hackers create their fake sites, they use a variety of tacts to load them up with a whole bunch of real ads they're selling to the ad exchange. For example, hackers have discovered ways to stack tons of ads above the fold on fake websites. This makes it easy for bots to "see" all of the ads at once without scrolling -- they can simply load the page, register all of the ad impressions on the page at once, and then repeat the process.
To make these ads be immediately viewable to bots, hackers will stack up to 72 hidden iFrame layers. Another tactic is to set the dimensions of each ad to be 1x1 pixels or 0x0 pixels, or setting the opacity of the ad to 100%.
Image from spider.io
While the industry is slowly learning how to detect these things, the bad guys continue to outsmart with new techniques.
Hackers use bots to visit and reload their webpages.
Once they've loaded up their fake sites with a whole bunch of real ads, they send bots to visit the sites and create impressions on those ads. But the bots don't just view these pages once or a few times -- they repeatedly load the pages, thereby clocking up tens of millions of ad impressions.
Hackers profit.
They sell a chunk of these ad impressions to the ad exchange, and the ad exchange then sells it to whichever advertiser placed the ad. In other words, these exchanges get some revenue when advertisers sell ads to the bad guys' websites.
Those are the basics of impression fraud. Now, let's move on to the basics of click fraud.
How Click Fraud Works
Clicks measure the number of times an advertisement is actually clicked on. The types of ads typically measured this way are primarily search-based ads, plus a portion of mobile search ads. Any advertisements sold on a PPC (pay-per-click) basis falls into this bucket and are potentially liable for click fraud.
How Search-Based Ads Are Supposed to Work
Businesses create advertisements, and then they pay search engines to publish those advertisements in response to users' search queries. Typically, search companies use auctions to sell these advertising slots -- and to participate in these auctions, businesses select a set of keywords and submit bids on each of them. When a user searches for that term, the search company runs an auction among businesses who have placed bids for keywords matching the query, and winners are arranged in the ad slots. Then, the search engines charge the advertising businesses for each click their ad receives.
How Hackers Use Search-Based Ads to Make Money
Unfortunately, hackers don't just know how to create bots that can load and reload webpages; they also know how to create bots that perform fake "mouse" movements and actually click on webpages. Alex Kantrowitz wrote in Ad Age, "So much for bots giving themselves away by acting like, well, bots. Turns out they can be made to act quite human, which is foiling efforts to detect them."
Hackers create fake websites to carry search ads.
These websites are super simple -- often, they're automatically created using basic templates. This is easy because of that programmatic media buying and media placement I touched on earlier. Before everything was done automatically, hackers used to rely on luring real humans to their webpages to click on stuff. They used algorithms to plagiarize webpages and trick humans into thinking they're a legitimate website. Then, when a human clicked an ad on the fake website, an affiliate cookie was planted. If the human ended up buying something via that ad (which, remember, is a real ad from a legitimate business), the hacker gets a revenue share.
"They found that wasn't a great way to make money," Dr. Fou told me. "Even if the human bought a $2,000 TV, the revenue share from the affiliate cookie would only give them a small percentage, like 5% or something. This didn't scale very well, so hackers moved on from relying on humans to developing more sophisticated bots that can click on ads themselves."
These new websites are designed to show search ads and then self-click on them to siphon CPC revenue.
Hackers target the biggest PPC spenders.
How do the bad guys choose which search ads to run on their sites? To get the most bang for their buck, of course the bad guys are going to go after the industries and companies that spend the most on PPC advertising. According to Dr. Fou, this includes insurance companies (they spend between $60-80 per click) and retailers (they spend between $20-60 per click).
Hackers send bots to their pages.
Hackers send their bots to their own fake sites. The bots then type in high-value keywords to cause the paid search ads to appear. Then, those same bots click on the ads. The advertisers pay for each click they receive on these ads, so hackers pocket the profit.
That's it for the basics of click fraud.
How Is the Industry Fighting This?
There are a number of tools available that ad exchanges and agencies use to detect fraud and start the mitigation process. When the ad exchange is able to detect that a website is fake, they add that website to a blacklist. When a website is on a blacklist, the ad exchange filters it and doesn't run ads on that website.
But Dr. Fou says the problem is that the fight against digital ad fraud depends on the reliability of these huge blacklists and how often they're updated. As soon as the bad guys become aware that their sites aren't making money anymore, they shut them down, "spin up" new sites, and continue the fraud. So, while blacklists are part of the solution, they are easily and quickly outwitted.
What's a Marketer To Do?
"[The ANA] study puts a stake in the ground," ANA President Bob Liodice told the Wall Street Journal. "It's a wake-up call for marketers to pay attention." So what's a marketer to do about it?
Dr. Fou suggests asking your media agencies for detailed reports on ad spend and activities, while simultaneously putting technologies or mechanisms in place to independently verify those numbers.
The adoption of inbound marketing is another, longer term way to fight fraud, says Dr. Fou. "As more clients focus on and evolve with inbound marketing, they'll begin asking their agencies questions like 'Did a human actually take an action here?' They'll insist their agencies think about the subsequent actions after that impression or that click: that the impression or click turned into a purchase, or at least a step toward a purchase. Once businesses focus on those metrics, as opposed to the number of ads served, we can optimize for fewer ads and more human interactions -- which is a good thing."This article is over 4 years old
US security staff reportedly unholster weapons during standoff in Jerusalem between US consular party and far-right settlers from illegal West Bank outpost
Israeli settlers have stoned two cars belonging to the staff of the US consulate in Jerusalem during an angry stand-off in which US security guards – according to conflicting accounts – reportedly unholstered their weapons.
The confrontation – unusual in seeing US diplomatic staff targeted – occurred between a US consular party and far-right settlers from the illegal Adei Ad outpost on the occupied West Bank on Friday.
While the initial details are sketchy it appears the US diplomats – accompanied by a security team – had been in the area after being invited by Palestinian farmers from the village of Turmus Aya, north-east of Ramallah, to examine olive saplings that had been uprooted overnight on Thursday by settlers.
The consular officials were asked to attend because some of the land owners affected hold US citizenship.
According to Palestinian reports quoting land owners, in recent days settlers uprooted more than 5,000 olive tree saplings, some of which had been planted to mark the recent death of senior Palestinian official Ziad Abu Ein, who collapsed and died after being manhandled by an Israeli soldier.
When the US vehicles arrived on the scene, close to the outpost, settlers exited the outpost and a confrontation ensued in which the American cars were stoned. It was during this confrontation that US security officers drew a side arm and a rifle.
Police spokeswoman Luba Samri said the settlers threw rocks at the officials who were forced to return to their vehicle.
She said that accompanying American security personnel did not use their weapons during the incident.
According to Israeli officials quoted by Israel Radio the US convoy had not coordinated with security officials before making the visit.
“The settlers attacked the cars of the US consulate in the town Turmus Aya near the settlement of Adi Ad,” a local Palestinian, Zakaria Sadah, posted on his Facebook page.
The US armoured vehicles were lightly damaged during the confrontation which saw the visit cancelled.
Vandalism by settlers of Palestinian olive trees is a persistent problem with prosecutions very rare.
There was no comment from the US embassy.Welcome to our picks of the best August 2015 Netflix releases, August is looking very good if you ask me! With top picks including Gotham and The Hobbit plus Netflix original series Narcos all lined up.
Remember to check back as this list may grow throughout the month.
1/8 – Utopia (Season 1)
When a group of strangers find themselves in possession of the manuscript for a legendary graphic novel, their lives brutally implode as they are pursued by a shadowy and murderous organisation.
1/8 – MouseHunt
A children’s comedy classic, follow the antics of mouse hunters Lee Evans and Nathan Lane with a particularly troublesome mouse.
2/8 – Gotham (Season 1)
Gotham is a prequel of Batman, delve into the origins of many of the characters who appear in the Batman films. The story begins with the murder of young Bruce Wayne’s parents, the case is investigated by Detective James Gordon who quickly finds himself investigating the mob and coming across many of Gotham’s most notorious villains.
9/8 – Kick-Ass 2
While not as good in my opinion as the first film, it is still worth a watch solely for some of the action scenes.
20/8 – The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
This is the final instalment in The Hobbit trilogy which is a prequel to The Lord Of The Rings trilogy, the evil dragon Smaug is now awake and laying waste to the town of Dale. Meanwhile the dwarves who have inherited the riches in the mountain discover there may be other parties who seek to claim the mountain.
28/8 – Narcos
This Netflix Orginal will be based on the famous Columbian drug lord and Cocaine trafficker Pablo Escobar, 10 episodes are due to be released. Pedro Pascal, familiar to many as Game of Thrones’ Oberyn Martell, plays DEA agent Javier Pena.THE BUZZ: Battlefield developer DICE is hiring for the next-generation of consoles, according to a recent job listing.
A listing for a senior software engineer reads: “We believe in tailoring the role for the individual but tasks might include implementing new features and workflows for content creators, keeping track of performance and memory and optimizing for current- and next-gen.”
EGM’s TAKE: Based on the Battlefield development cycle you would expect the next game to be a next-gen title, how else could the team push the game any further without more raw power. Many next-gen job adverts have been popping up at various developers, so they all must be gearing up for an announcement of some kind in the next year or so. All we can do is sit and wait for either Microsoft or Sony to end the suffering and announce the new consoles. Just imagine what DICE could do with even more power?Excessive speed limit signs and other “unnecessary clutter” will be removed from British roads in the biggest shake-up of traffic signs since the 1960s.
A new set of guidelines to be issued to councils next year will end the need for signs repeatedly reminding drivers of speed limits, among a host of changes being planned by ministers.
Rules around the placement of signs around parking bays will also be relaxed while private businesses could be prevented from using brown tourism signs to advertise theme parks and shopping centres.
Robert Goodwill, the roads minister, said he had been “alarmed” to learn that the number of road signs had doubled from two million in 1993 to more than 4.6 million today – a trend he said “cannot, and must not, continue”.
“This is causing unnecessary clutter in our towns and cities,” he added. “The proposed changes will mean greater flexibility for councils to cut the number of signs, whilst ensuring consistency and making sure our roads are even safer.”
Under the proposed changes, councils will be free to remove some unnecessary road signs while replacing others, such as those marking parking bays, with road markings.
A consultation document published on Thursday states that “over-provision of signs can have a detrimental impact on the environment and can dilute important messages”, and “contribute to driver distraction”.
Other provisions are aimed at reducing the need for sign lighting and making a range of road markings and upright signs clearer.
The document also details plans to improve safety for cyclists, such as introducing low-level traffic lights and larger “cycle boxes” at major junctions to give cyclists a head start on other vehicles.
Paul Watters, AA Head of Roads Policy, said: “Road signs are placed to warn, inform, regulate and direct drivers but they have multiplied almost uncontrollably over the last few decades.
“Getting the balance right will be difficult – sign clutter is a problem but we should not cut back on signs that stop drivers speeding or parking badly.”
Ralph Smyth of the Campaign to Protect Rural England added: “Signs and lines have grown up year after year into thickets that dominate many of our towns, villages and lanes … Despite this positive move we remain concerned by the failure to propose anything positive for the most minor roads.”The Yukon Trail is a 1994 computer game from MECC based on The Oregon Trail series set during the Klondike Gold Rush of the late 19th century. Players start out in Seattle and must make decisions concerning supplies, a partner, and travel plans as they head to Alaska before boating down a river to Dawson City and staking a claim.[1] The game features the famous author Jack London[2] and old 19th century photographs that show what life was life back then.[3]
Gameplay [ edit ]
Start [ edit ]
The game starts in Seattle in August 1897 (right before the actual Gold Rush). The player must first choose one out of four partners. Each partner has unique advantages over the others. Next the player purchases two tickets for a ship to Skagway or Dyea. Tickets are more expensive for ships that depart immediately, and less expensive for those departing later. The player can buy equipment, food and other items, or they can wait until they get to Alaska. The player's partner can offer their advice on making purchases, but their advice is sometimes unwise. Upon reaching Skagway or Dyea, the player can purchase any supplies, gamble or gather information. Gambling takes the form of a War card game or a Shell game, but can be unfair and lead to losses for the most part. Gambling can be disabled in the settings.
When starting the journey the player can choose the long and easy White Pass Trail or the short and difficult Chilkoot Trail. The player can also hire packers in the two cities that would haul their supplies to the respective routes.
The Trail [ edit ]
The Yukon Trail gives players plenty of opportunities to think about the situation, giving many options and many possible consequences for each event, thus building problem solving skills. The initial choice players make on the trail, which can be subsequently changed, is the load personally carried. A smaller load results in the ground moved each day to become shorter (as some of the supplies have to be left behind and then returned for). Moreover, the trail becomes much more difficult to travel when encroaching upon the winter months. However, a larger load will result in a higher probability of the player or partner being injured.
Midway down the trail, the player and partner stop at a camp. They can then buy or sell goods before climbing the mountain pass leading to the Canada–US border where they pay a toll to pass into the Yukon Territory. The North-West Mounted Police will not let them pass unless they have 1000 pounds of food per person. They are also required to pay a tax to bring goods into Canada. After the price for the tax is given, if the player does not have enough, the Mountie will simply take whatever money they have.
Along the trail, numerous random events can occur. Random events include: someone being injured (the player decides to continue at a slower pace or to rest), theft of food, rockslides, crowds of people or abandoned animals, and sudden inclement weather.
Periodically, the player stops at landmarks along the journey, where players can learn historical facts about each location. Some include the Dead Horse Trail, the totem poles, and the three rapids: Miles Canyon, White Horse Rapids and Five Finger Rapids.
The River [ edit ]
The Yukon Trail. This 2005 photo shows the Five Finger Rapids as viewed from the Five Finger Rapids is among the landmarks featured in. This 2005 photo shows the Five Finger Rapids as viewed from the Klondike Highway
The player and partner arrive at Bennett Lake after hiking into Canada. While there, they meet the legendary Mountie Sam Steele. During the winter they need to acquire a whipsaw if they do not already have one and then build one of three boats. Once the spring arrives and the ice has melted, the player and partner can embark with their boat. Depending on the date of their arrival at Lake Bennett, Sam Steele will let them depart right away, or have them wait two or four days before departure.
On the river, the speed is determined by the type of boat chosen, and how much damage it has sustained. The choices for boats include a dinghy, a raft, or a canoe. The dinghy is balanced, the raft handles well but is slow, and the canoe is fast but handles poorly. There are a few minigames, which involve guiding the boat away from rocks and whirlpools. After the minigame, if the boat has been damaged, the player can choose to repair the boat or build an entirely different one.
The player and partner will eventually reach Dawson City, where they are presented with a map of claims they can stake. There, they meet Nellie Cashman and author Jack London. Once they have staked a claim, they can begin searching for gold. With the arrival of winter, the game ends. The player's score is determined by the amount of money they have (from the entire journey, including gold). Most claims will yield small amounts of gold, but at least one claim can get you the high score.
One notable claim is Cheechako Hill, which is always available. Staking Cheechako Hill will always result in the player becoming rich. This is likely due to the word "Cheechako" being Inuit for newcomer.
Reception [ edit ]
Reception Review score Publication Score AllGame [4]
The game was used as a test product in schools for Analysis of covariance research.[5]screengrab from ABC Mark Cuban has seen all types of aspiring entrepreneurs in the past five seasons of ABC's reality pitch show "Shark Tank." He's seen idea people, sales people, and numbers people. But the only thing that actually gets his attention, and keeps it, is hard work and measurable business results. The billionaire investor and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, who himself has built several successful companies, recently talked with Business Insider about the best and worst pitches on the show, the fastest way to lose his interest, and the best advice he ever got. Below is a transcript of that conversation, edited for clarity.
Business Insider: What do you consider the all-time worst pitch on "Shark Tank?"
Mark Cuban: The worst was easily the two doctors that came on this season. They kept on throwing out buzzwords about social media as if that would wow us. They had no company. No business. No clue.
BI:What was the best?
MC: I actually liked the Plate Topper guy [in season four]. He was the longest deal we have ever had. It went on for two and a half hours. The entrepreneur was a J.D., Ph.D., and MBA, I believe. He knew every answer to every question. But he thought he was smarter than all five of us. Every time he thought he had an advantage one of us would tell him where he was wrong.
What I loved about him is that he never quit and kept coming back at us with confidence and eventually got a deal.
BI: What could a hopeful entrepreneur do to immediately get your attention?
MC: Have a real, operating company that has started to get real traction in a new industry that has a ton of upside.
BI: And what do they often do to lose it?
MC: The worst thing you can do is give a long backstory. It's not the time to talk about your struggles and |
sters stole our attention, our sympathy, and sometimes even our money, as was the case with the hoaxing waitress whose story generated several thousands of dollars in donations for her before it was debunked. And sometimes, the hoaxsters and their media enablers transferred our outrage to a group of people who didn’t deserve it.
Parents also want Morgan and Gov. Patrick held accountable for jumping the gun by blaming their kids.
“He is little man hiding behind his media status and freedom of speech,” one athlete’s mother said, of Morgan.
“How can he make such ignorant and unfounded assumptions and broadcast them on national television? How is this ok?” questioned the woman who sent her son to stand beside Isaac Phillips. She asked to remain anonymous.
“When the boys were exonerated, did he call the suspect a coward on national TV?” asked Laura Howes, whose 16 year-old son plays on the team. “I think not. I think Mr. Morgan is the coward by not publicly apologizing to these boys.”
“Mr. Morgan is an ass,” said Jeanette Leinson, bluntly. “Why have we not been vindicated by the media who threw us into this chaos?”
Blue Knights parents blame Gov. Patrick as well. The Democrat called the incident as reported by the Phillips family “disgusting” and offered them his support.
Blue Knights parents blame Gov. Patrick as well. The Democrat called the incident as reported by the Phillips family “disgusting” and offered them his support.
“But I hope that all of the people of the immediate community and around the Commonwealth as well rally around this family and send them their support and remind them what I know to be true, which is that we are better than this,” said Patrick, whose comments reminded some of President Obama’s statements in the aftermath of the Trayvon Martin shooting. The President’s statement that Martin “could have been my son” came days before evidence emerged that Martin had attacked Zimmerman.
“Why can he not rally behind us?” asked Leinson, who was frustrated enough by Gov. Patrick’s remarks that she contacted his personal secretary. “If it was an election year would it make a difference?”
“The governor should have stayed the heck out of it until he had all the facts,” said a small business owner whose son was a Blue Knight senior. The man also asked to remain anonymous for fear that his business would be targeted for speaking out.
But neither Patrick nor Piers Morgan have to circle back to revisit the story, even though they did not hesitate to weigh in on when it seemed to be in line with their political bent. Occupying their own powerful bully pulpits, both the pundit and the politician have the privilege of getting to weigh in on a story and then ignoring any developments that might undermine their initial stance.
A spokeswoman for Gov. Patrick told me that the governor would not be making any more comments on the case. A representative for Morgan waffled back-and-forth between saying that staff were conducting their own investigation on Brazier and Phillips to issuing a “no comment.”
But the parents wait and they worry about the long-term fallout from the false accusation.
Howes said that her son hopes to become a Marine. “He certainly doesn’t want the false allegations of a deranged woman to ruin his unblemished record.”
“Being accused of being a racist this day and age is awful,” said Howes who wonders if Knights football teams will be received kindly by other teams in the future.
The small business owner asked a similar question. “What’s going to happen when the team takes the field next year?”
Leinson also worried that the accusation would hinder the students’ collegiate hopes. “What if we are not vindicated nationwide and a college application is overlooked because of this incident?”
Lunenburg is a small town whose lone high school and football team is a central source of pride. It’s probably safe to say that these institutions and the kids and families at the center of them are less able to sustain accusations than people and schools in bigger cities. Or big TV talk show hosts and politicians. When you look at it like this and consider the new facts in the story, who seem like the bullies now – the Lunenburg Blue Knights or CNN, Piers Morgan, and Gov. Patrick?
Chuck Ross is a reporter for The Daily Caller News Foundation.FBI Director James Comey got Hillary off the hook but wants to put you on it. He is pushing hard for warrantless access to all of your Internet activity.
Comey, who would have fit in perfectly with Hitler’s Gestapo, tells Congress that the United States is not safe unless the FBI knows when every American goes online, to whom they are sending emails and from whom they are receiving emails, and knows every website visited by every American.
In other words, Comey wants to render null and void the Fourth Amendment of the US Constitution and completely destroy your privacy rights.
The reason Washington wants to know everything about everyone is so that Washington can embarrass, blackmail, and frame on felony charges patriots who stand up in defense of the US Constitution and the rule of law, and dissidents who criticize Washington’s illegal wars, reckless foreign policies, and oppression of American citizens.
Washington’s demand for power has nothing to do with our security. It has to do with destroying the security that the US Constitution gives us.
The security that Comey wants to protect is not our security or the national security of the United States. Comey’s intent is to make Washington secure despite its violations of statutory law and the US Constitution. The way Comey intends to do this is by intimidating, harassing, and arresting Washington’s critics.
Comey wants the unconstitutional power to demand from the providers of telephone and Internet services all records and information about you. These demands are not to be subject to oversight by courts, and the communication companies that serve you are prohibited from telling you that all of your information has been given to the FBI.
US Senators rushed to stick their swords into the Fourth Amendment. John Cornyn slapped an FBI-written amendment on the Electronic Communications Privacy Act Amendments Act of 2015. This caused the American Civil Liberties Union and Amnesty International to withdraw their support for the act, which caused the act to be withdrawn.
Senator John McCain rushed to the aid of the FBI. This Constitution-hating senator proposed an amendment to a criminal justice appropriations bill that would use a provision in the unconstitutional PATRIOT Act to grant the unlimited unaccountable power to the FBI to totally destroy your privacy.
McCain’s amendment failed, but Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R,KY) changed his vote so that he could negate the Senate’s vote with a vote to reconsider.
The FBI’s senators will continue with amendments to legislation, related or not, until they deliver to the FBI the power it wants.
Unfortunately, most Americans today, unlike their forebears, are too ignorant and uneducated to know the value of the privacy rights that our Founding Fathers put in the US Constitution. The imbeciles say nonsense such as: “I haven’t done anything wrong. I have nothing to fear.” God help the imbeciles.
If the American people were sufficiently sophisticated, they perhaps would wonder why such a large chunk of the US Senate had rather represent the FBI than the American people, their constituents who elected them to represent the people in the state, not a police power in Washington.
Why are so many US senators more responsive to the FBI’s desire for Gestapo police power than they are to the civil liberties embodied in the US Constitution?
As the Bill of Rights Defense Committee and the Defending Dissent Foundation show, the Orlando shootings, the Dallas shootings and whatever shootings, real or staged, next occur have nothing to do with the FBI’s demand to completely destroy all privacy rights of the American people.http://bordc.org/news/senate-rejects-amendment-expanding-fbi-surveillance-powers-by-narrow-margin/
What’s that I hear? You say you knew nothing about this? Little wonder. Your media consist of people well paid to deceive you and to deliver you into a Police State. To strip you of all constitutional protection and deliver you unprotected to a police state is the function of the New York Times, Washington Post, Fox “News,” CNN, the rest of the presstitute print and TV media and many Internet sites.
Adolf Hitler is alive and well in the United States, and he is fast rising to power.Student Loan Debt: The Tories seeking to sweeten deal for privateers
Roger C. Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 13, 2017
The Tories plan to increase Student Loan debt interest rates to 6% in September, it is the first phase in an experiment to test public reaction. If the Tories get away with the increase in September they will begin the process of untethering interest rates for Student Loan debt, effectively making a free market for the interest charges on student debt, and once they have established that precedent they plan to sell on the student debt to payday loan companies at a loss to the British taxpayer but built in profits for the purchasers. Essentially, the Tories will tie students to debts that they will be paying for for most of their working lives and will never be able to pay off.
What is the motivation for the Tories to make this move with Student Loan debt?
Having already uncoupled the size of tuition fee charges, the Tories (and their Lib Dem coalition partners from 2010 to 2015) have created a multi £billion pot of debt. The problem has been that the debt is unattractive to potential privateers because safeguards limited the interest on the loans. The size of the debt, alone, is not enough to attract vultures, there must be means to turn sizable profits from it. Hence the untethering of interest rates. The eventual goal will be to move student debt into the same bracket as all other household borrowing, with all the high risks for borrowers that that will involve.
I would expect that we will see an extremely hasty push by the Tories to tie British student debt to the private market before 2020, as they fear they may not be in a position to do so after the 2020 general election. A future Corbyn led Labour government could potentially address the failed experiment with tuition fees and wipe the system clean, denying profiteers their pound of flesh.
Student loans cost taxpayers more money than awarding grants because of costs administering the debts and they will soon become just another entirely privatised sector, inefficiently delivering a service to the public in the same failed way that we suffer the privatised transport network and the increasingly privatised NHS. Student loan debt will just be the latest method of transferring wealth from taxpayers to privateers.0 SHARES Facebook Twitter Google Whatsapp Pinterest Print Mail Flipboard
Donald Trump was enraged when he found out that it is illegal for US companies to pay bribes to heads of foreign governments.
There was an enlightening tidbit in The New Yorker’s profile of Sec. of State Rex Tillerson, “In February, a few weeks after Tillerson was confirmed by the Senate, he visited the Oval Office to introduce the President to a potential deputy, but Trump had something else on his mind. He began fulminating about federal laws that prohibit American businesses from bribing officials overseas; the businesses, he said, were being unfairly penalized.”
The exchange between Trump and Tillerson illustrates that the President Of The United States wants to encourage corruption. Trump has no ethical or moral compass. He doesn’t see why it is illegal for US companies to be handing out bribes.
It is unfathomable that a president is raging because his country can’t be more corrupt. Trump’s attitude on the issue should also perk up the ears of the Special Counsel as a businessman president who doesn’t think it is wrong to pay bribes to heads of foreign governments has probably broken the law and paid bribes himself.
As Russia investigators get closer to the truth, look for Trump to start complaining about how unfair the anti-bribery laws are, because he might be looking to change the law to cover-up his own crimes.
If you’re ready to read more from the unbossed and unbought Politicus team, sign up for our newsletter here! Email address: Leave this field empty if you're human:And I don't wanna miss a thing!
[Ed. note: Bumping our review from last week, as the game is available in stores today.]
When I finished Saints Row: The Third in 2011, I left the experience feeling somewhat sad. It was a good game, but it felt shallow, held back, and ultimately a little disappointing.
When I finished Saints Row IV in 2013, I left the experience feeling incredibly sad. This time, however, it was for very different reasons. I was genuinely depressed to see the credits roll, because Saints Row IV, in contrast to its predecessor, had given me so much to fall in love with, reaching its conclusion could only ever end in disappointment.
It is with a bittersweet heart, then, that I declare Saints Row IV perhaps one of the best open world sandbox games you could ever hope to play, and practically a culmination of everything the genre's worked toward this generation.
Is that an exaggerated, hyperbolic, perhaps even pompous statement? Maybe so... but does a series like Saints Row deserve anything less?
Saints Row IV (PC [reviewed], PlayStation 3, Xbox 360)
Developer: Volition
Publisher: Deep Silver
Released: August 20, 2013 (NA), August 23, 2013 (EU)
MSRP: $59.99
I was laughing out loud with actual noises emanating from my mouth within the first ten minutes of Saints Row IV, and the laughter rarely eased up for the rest of the adventure. Comedy in videogames is a tough nut to crack, but the loving parody, hyper-violent slapstick, and sheer audacity of Volition's latest makes it look effortless. Not only that, it tells an engrossing and surprisingly coherent story on top of all the silliness.
In a plot that proudly steals from The Matrix, They Live, and a bevy of other pop culture fixtures, Earth finds itself under attack by aliens, because of course it does. Though much has been made of The Saints taking the American Presidency, there's no actual time to enjoy running the country, as the Zin Empire kidnaps most of the cabinet and places our antihero -- the puckish rogue known predominantly as The Boss -- into a virtual reality designed and ruled by the deliciously affable Emperor Zinyak.
The Boss must break free of the simulation, rescue his or her crew from their own virtual Hells, and eventually strike back at the Zin. Full of constant surprises, gameplay switches that subvert expectations, and some cracking one-liners, Saints Row IV brings back the kind of satisfyingly deranged narrative that made Saints Row II so wonderful. Unlike The Third, there's a sense of pacing, structure, and conclusion that offsets the overall wackiness. It is aberration tempered with intelligence, something the series needed to return to.
Without that crucial sense of chaotic organization, the sheer level of ridiculousness in IV would risk running out of control. Placing players in a virtual Steelport has given Volition the excuse to truly push the boat out this time, leaning on the Matrix references to turn the Boss from hardy sociopath to full-on superhero. Enjoying a range of fresh powers drip-fed by story missions, the Boss gains access to super sprinting, super jumping, freeze blasts, fireballs, and more, with ideas liberally reaped from games such as Crackdown, inFAMOUS and Prototype.
Rather than simply rip off other games, however, Volition has carefully cherry-picked and refined the very best ideas from the leading sandbox games on the market -- the criminal freedom of Grand Theft Auto, the wall-running and super speed of Prototype, the energetic powers of inFAMOUS, the explorative collection quests of Crackdown, and Saints Row's characteristic nonsense have been beautifully distilled and mixed to create the ultimate tribute to everything open world games have been this generation.
Of course, Volition's not just lifted ideas from other games. A range of new abilities and weapons are on offer, from a ground stomp that shrinks surrounding people, to a gun that fires black holes, and the power to call down alien abduction beams from the sky, there's a ton of demented toys to play with. Telekinesis, mind control, a dubstep gun, giant mech suits, freeze blasts, electrified bullets, inflato-rays -- suffice it to say, there's a ton to use, and almost all of it can be upgraded and augmented.
As well the main story missions, all of which are fantastically varied and regularly make affectionate fun of other videogames and genres, each member of the Saints has specialized Loyalty missions, there are loads of activities and collectibles to find, and a whole host of extra challenges. New activities include a riff on the old Fight Club challenges (this time using super powers), Genki Bowl (in which you throw people, cars, and Genki items through floating rings), and special races through the simulation's virtual systems. Of course, classics like Insurance Fraud and vehicle thefts have been retained.
There are no rival gangs to fight with for control of the city, but the Zin influence over Virtual Steelport is there to be undermined by disrupting the system in various ways. Flashpoints can be cleared of alien guards, Zin towers can be climbed and conquered, Viruses can be injected by enduring wave-based enemy assaults, and stores can be hacked for access and extra money (drolly referred to as "Cache" in this particular game).
Describing everything you can do in detail would take forever and more words than most of you are prepared to read, but suffice it to say that while The Third felt a little shortchanged, IV lavishes content upon the player with wanton abandon. More importantly, it provides this content in stages, with a fantastic sense of build that keeps the player consistently invested and eager to discover the next wonderful toy. It doesn't simply start at the extreme end of "balls out" with nowhere further to go.
The game admittedly does begin with explosions and silliness, but by focusing on variety rather than simply scale, IV doesn't suffer from trying to continually top its own ludicrousness. The result is a game that's confident in itself, that doesn't seem like it's desperately trying to live up to its reputation as a "crazy" experience. It is a game that, despite being about aliens and superpowered virtual realities, sticks to a certain twisted sensibility, and ultimately is a better game for it.
Many of the story missions take place outside of the Steelport simulation, allowing Volition to experiment with fresh types of gameplay and a linear structure that provides a better environment for storytelling and humor. You'll get to engage in a funny Metal Gear Solid pastiche, bring ruin to a 1950s paradise, and even get some beat 'em action going on. Saints Row IV plays many different tunes, and it plays them all with a shocking level of competence.
Everything feels so much more dense this time around, and the cocktail of activities means things never feel too repetitive, even when performing the same activities. Rewards for completing sidequests and obtaining collectibles are generally excellent and worthy of the effort, meaning it can be hours of enthralling distraction before one even gets to the first main story mission.
Saints Row IV addresses many of my gripes with The Third, but a few lingering niggles remain in the woodwork. I still miss the pure villainy of the Boss as found in Saints Row II, since players continue taking on the role of a less morally corrupt antihero. The old gang dynamic has been totally discarded, and while the Zin make for interesting opponents, they lack the variety seen with such enemies as The Brotherhood and Ronin. A new annoying enemy type also puts in an appearance -- shielded Wardens, which need to be blasted with a superpower before they take bullet damage, and they hop and jump everywhere for maximum irritation.
These really are minor gripes in the face of all that IV gets right, however. While we'll never get the old Boss back, Emperor Zinyak is truly delightful as the Saints' new foil (just wait until he sings). Though the Zin are rather uniform in appearance, story missions often take players to entirely different worlds and even finds an excuse to resurrect some of the old Steelport and Stilwater gangs (albeit temporarily). While the Wardens are a pain in the ass, at least they don't appear frequently.
Despite returning to a replica of Steelport, the new aesthetic makes it feel like a totally new environment. Walls shimmer and pedestrians glitch out, the sky is an oppressive red in Zinyak territory and a calming blue in a Saint-controlled hood. Signs urging citizens to OBEY are littered throughout the city in a nod to that oh-so classic Roddy Piper movie. Sometimes the shimmering feels a little too much, but overall the game does a damn fine job of making Steelport feel fresher than it is, especially now that you can leap and glide from its digital rooftops. The new weapons all look and sound wonderful when in use, with some lovely explosive effects.
The game's soundtrack really hits the mark, though. Vehicles are practically useless this time around, so the radio can be played at all times, meaning Stan Bush's "The Touch" is liable to play wherever you go, making even the tiniest of actions feel like the most badass and celebratory of achievements. Some absolute belters are included on the radio stations this time around -- from Haddaway, to Thin Lizzy, to Aerosmith. Sometimes the game takes over the music for its own purposes, and does so to tremendous effect. Volition's exploitation of pop culture for cheap (but effective) laughs is bloody masterful.
IV's voice talent is just as good, too. All the voice actors for the Boss put in a solid performance (especially the obligatory "cockney" one), while the likes of Matt Miller, Shaundi, Kinzie, Pierce, and Jonny Gat are as amusing and pleasant as ever. J.B Blanc, however, smoothly steals the show as the suave Zinyak -- both charming and completely deserving of a vicious comeuppance.
Saints Row IV is, from start to finish, a pleasure. It's a pure pleasure to play. I was cynical, given my feeling let down by The Third, but Volition has worked hard to address almost everything wrong with its last outing, and provide something that delivers over and above expectations. What I love most about IV is how it puts the player first -- absolutely every new feature and ability gifted to the player seems designed purely to make the game more convenient to enjoy, and more fun to play.
And this is why I felt sad when the final credits rolled...
Cause even when I dream of you,
The sweetest dream will never do,
I'd still miss you babe,
And I don't want to miss a thing.
Don't want to close my eyes,
I don't want to fall asleep,
And I don't want to miss a thing.
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Saints Row IV reviewed by Jim SterlingUS authorities are seeking the extradition of a 28-year-old Irishman alleged to be involved in the distribution of online child pornography.
Eric Eoin Marques was described in the High Court yesterday by an FBI Special Agent as "the largest facilitator of child porn on the planet."
Mr Marques appeared before Mr Justice Paul Gilligan on foot of an extradition request by the FBI and was remanded in custody until next Thursday.
The court heard Mr Marques, who has both Irish and US citizenship was arrested on a Maryland, US warrant that records charges of distributing and promoting child pornography on the internet.
Mr Justice Gilligan refused to grant Mr Marques bail until the extradition request has been determined.
US authorities are seeking his extradition on four charges.
Mr Marques, with an address at Mountjoy Square in Dublin, is charged with distributing, conspiring to distribute, and advertising child pornography.
It was also alleged he aided and abetted a conspiracy to advertise child pornography and the court heard that if convicted he faces up to 30 years in prison.
The charges relate to images on a large number of websites described as being extremely violent, graphic and depicting the rape and torture of prepubescent children.
Barrister Ronan Kennedy, counsel for the Attorney General, said Mr Marques was arrested on Thursday on foot of an extradition warrant that was issued by a US court on 29 July.
Investigating gardaí and the FBI both objected to bail being granted.
It was claimed Mr Marques, whom it is alleged had travelled extensively, represented a flight risk and may try to interfere with evidence.
The court heard evidence that large sums of money had passed through Mr Marques' bank accounts, including large payments sent to accounts in Romania.
The court also heard that a search of Mr Marques's computer revealed he had made inquires about how to get a visa and entry into Russia.
He has no previous convictions nor had he ever come to the attention of the authorities before.
The FBI Special Agent referred to him as having been "anonymous."
Mr Marques told the court he was born in the US but has lived in Ireland since he was five.
He said his father is Brazilian and his mother is Irish. He said he had visited Romania a few times, and had friends and an ex- girlfriend there whom he was helping out financially.
Mr Marques said he was last in Romania a few weeks ago when he withdrew €6,000 from his credit card to help a friend start a business.
He also told the court that several weeks ago he searched online about Russian visas out of curiosity due to the issues surrounding former US spy contractor Edward Snowden,
Through his counsel, Remy Farrell SC, Mr Marques said he would abide by any bail terms and conditions set down by the court, and had surrendered both his Irish and US passports to the gardaí.
Refusing bail Mr Justice Gilligan said he accepted the evidence that Mr Marques was a flight risk.
He remanded Mr Marques in custody to a sitting of the High Court on 8 August.Muhammad Rabbani was held at Heathrow after returning from the Gulf where he was investigating a torture case allegedly involving the US
The international director of Cage, Muhammad Rabbani, has been charged under the Terrorism Act after refusing to hand over passwords to his laptop at Heathrow airport.
Rabbani, who regards it as a privacy v surveillance test case, said he intended to fight the charge. “I am innocent of these charges that have serious implications for journalists, lawyers and human rights,” he said.
He is due to appear at Westminster magistrates court on 20 June.
Rabbani, 35, from London, is involved through Cage in investigating torture cases. He said he was stopped at Heathrow in November returning from one of the Gulf states where he had been investigating a torture case allegedly involving the US.
He said he handed over his laptop and mobile phone but refused to provide his passwords. Although not a lawyer, he said the laptop contained information about the case and the client refused permission to release it. Rabbani was then arrested.
A spokesman for Cage said Rabbani was charged with wilfully obstructing or seeking to frustrate a search examination under schedule 7 of the Terrorism Act, which gives border officials sweeping search powers.
The case comes against the backdrop of a similar campaign in the US against proposals by the Trump administration to make entry by non-Americans conditional on handing over passwords.
In an earlier interview with the Guardian, Rabbani said he had been detained 20 times over the last decade by border officials and had handed over his laptop and mobile phone. On previous occasions, after refusing to hand over passwords, they were returned to him and he was allowed to go. But not on this occasion.
In 2013, the partner of journalist Glenn Greenwald, David Miranda, was stopped at Heathrow under the same legislation in the wake of the Edward Snowden case. Miranda launched a successful legal challenge.WASHINGTON — It’s mourning in America for broad swaths of the GOP.
Republican elected officials from across the political spectrum are struggling to come to grips as Donald Trump's cemented himself as the clear front-runner for their party's presidential nomination, openly fretting about what it would do to both the party and the conservative movement and openly questioning whether he can be stopped.
"He’s in a good position for himself, and I don’t think it would be good for the party at all," Illinois Rep. Adam Kinzinger told Mashable, warning that a Trump nomination would "do huge damage" to both the GOP’s chances at the ballot box and the conservative movement.
“Optimistically we can sell the conservative message but as you sell it as a heartless messenger, which I think Trump is representing, that does longterm damage to the conservative movement,” he said.
Trump's big head — of steam
Trump’s landslide victory in Nevada's caucuses Tuesday night, after earlier wins in South Carolina and Iowa, added an air of inevitability to his campaign that has the establishment panicked.
No presidential candidate has ever lost the party nomination after winning three of the first four states to vote. He has a big head of steam heading into the first big delegate grab next Tuesday, when more than a dozen states head to the polls — many of them anti-establishment conservative strongholds in the South.
That’s alarming both establishment Republicans who see him as an electoral time bomb and movement conservatives who see him as ideologically shallow, unprincipled and dishonest.
Illinois Sen. Mark Kirk, a centrist who is facing a tough reelection battle in a Democratic-leaning state, admitted he was very worried about the impact Trump’s nomination could have on his own chances.
"He’s such a controversial figure. There could always be a surprise with the Donald," he told Mashable.
Sen. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) faces a tough race and worries about Donald Trump's impact on his reelection chances. Image: Gabriella Demczuk/Getty Images
Michigan Rep. Justin Amash, a hardline conservative who backs Ted Cruz, warned that a Trump nomination could implode the party. He promised not to vote for Trump if he is indeed the party's nominee.
"You’ve got to consider him the favorite at this stage, so it’s concerning. It may lead to a realignment of the two parties," he said, arguing that Trump is "a populist and a nationalist" — but not a conservative.
"I'm really concerned that the reaction from a large segment from our party has been to support someone who doesn’t really care much about our constitution, who seems to believe that the ends justify the means," Amash said.
This race is Trump's to lose.
Unless he has a meltdown in one of the remaining 5 debates, @realDonaldTrump will be the 2016 GOP nominee. — Frank Luntz (@FrankLuntz) February 24, 2016
Mitt Romney, the 2012 Republican presidential nominee, told Fox News on Wednesday that Trump "has the clearest path to become the Republican nominee."
"I think for the other people their path is becoming a slimmer and slimmer opening and they’re having a difficult time communicating to their supporters just how they could become the nominee," he said.
Romney said that Trump needed to release his tax returns soon — an issue that dogged Romney’s own campaign for months — and warned there could be a "bombshell" in his reports without any trace of irony.
Trump fired back.
Mitt Romney,who totally blew an election that should have been won and whose tax returns made him look like a fool, is now playing tough guy — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2016
But Trump's big success also yielded his first Capitol Hill support, with Reps. Duncan Hunter of California and Chris Collins of New York endorsing him on Wednesday.
Can a winnowing field actually help?
Anti-Trump Republicans continue to argue that a shrinking field will make it easier to beat the billionaire businessman down the line, claiming he has a hard ceiling of support.
"I still think Marco Rubio has a very viable path to the nomination," Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey, who’s facing a tough reelection battle in a state where Trump could hurt him, said.
But they’re not as certain that will happen as they once were.
Montana Sen. Steve Daines, one of Rubio’s first backers on Capitol Hill, said he thought Rubio could still catch Trump if other candidates drop out fast enough — but that it isn’t clear whether that will happen.
"If we get this thing to a head-to-head battle Marco wins. The question is how you get it there," he said. "It becomes more problematic when we get to all-or-nothing [states] on March 15. It’s important that this field narrows itself before March 15."
But the other candidates and their supporters are making the same argument with hopes that they can become the anti-Trump, and the longer they stay in the harder it becomes to stop The Donald.
"What would be the incentive for either Ted Cruz or Marco Rubio to get out of the race? They’re both doing well enough to stay in it, they’re not really puling away from each other at this point," Amash said.
That could change after Tuesday.
If Cruz can’t show strength across the broad swath of southern states that should be his bread-and-butter and will vote on that day, he may decide that going on isn’t worth it. If he gets beat in his home state of Texas, which polls show might be possible, it’s hard to see how he continues on. But some of Cruz’s more conservative backers, especially those who have strong views against immigration, may be as likely to jump to Trump as Rubio.
John Kasich similarly may not keep campaigning forever if he can’t show some strength next Tuesday, even though he’s made it clear he wants to stay in until his home state of Ohio votes on March 15.
What Ben Carson does with his single-digit support is anyone’s guess.
Even if this does become a two-man race, Amash warned that doesn’t necessarily make it easier to beat down Trump. Amash said that the "dynamic process" of the race means Trump will pick up voters as well when candidates drop out, and train his attacks on whoever’s left.
Nevada’s results - where Trump won nearly a majority of voters and doubled his nearest competitors — indicate that if Trump has a ceiling he hasn’t hit it yet.
"Even if the race is winnowed down to one-on-one, I think that it’s presumptuous to think that one person would have an easy time against Donald Trump," he said.
Trump agrees.
When Ted Cruz quits the race and the field begins to clear, I will get most of his votes - no problem! — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2016
The polls show that I picked up many Jeb Bush supporters. That is how I got to 46%. When others drop out, I will pick up more. Sad but true — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 24, 2016
Where's the cavalry?
Even those who believe Trump can still be stopped admit that time is running out. A handful of groups have popped up to attack Trump, but none have done so in a sustained way.
Rubio has stuck to attacking Cruz rather than going after the front-runner. Cruz's attacks on Trump come only after months of bear-hugging him, and he still seems more focused on Rubio than the heavy front-runner.
Those candidates who did go after the front-runner did so from a position of weakness, with Graham, Bobby Jindal, Rick Perry and Scott Walker each taking a swing before getting knocked to the mat, as big-money donors mostly sat on their hands and did little to help pay for a campaign against Trump.
Jeb Bush waited too long as his team thought the billionaire would self-implode. By the time he attacked, Trump was rising and had effectively tarred him as "low energy." And as he lost onstage debate fights with Trump, has campaign refused to spend any of its huge war chest on ads to slow down Trump.
"I still think he can be defeated but it’s going to take what frankly should have been going on for the past eight months - some kind of effort to stop him," Republican strategist Doug Heye told Mashable. "There’s been this whole mentality of ‘I’m not going to attack Trump, you should attack Trump.’ It’s a collective problem."
And that early inaction could be disastrous down the road.
"Having a Manchurian candidate become our nominee and potentially president would be very damaging for the Republican Party and for the cause of conservatism," said Heye. "The impact would be severe… We’d probably lose the White House, we have vulnerable House and Senate seats that would be adversely impacted, and there is no moral compass that would tell us what Donald Trump would do in office."Anti-psychotic drugs commonly given to Alzheimer's patients often make their condition worse, a UK study suggests. Neuroleptics provided no benefit for patients with mild behavioural problems, but were associated with a marked deterioration in verbal skills. The research focused on 165 people with advanced Alzheimer's who were living in nursing homes in four British cities. Up to 60% of Alzheimer's patients in nursing homes are given the drugs to control behaviour such as aggression. The study appears in the journal Public Library of Science Medicine. CASE STUDY Rita Clark's husband was diagnosed with Alzheimer's seven years ago.
Rita, from Cleveland, said: "My husband developed a range of side effects while receiving anti-psychotic drugs.
"Since the drugs have been withdrawn, the side effects have gone and he generally seems much better and more settled.
"I'm not saying it's the same for everyone, but in my husband's case, withdrawing the drugs has led to a clear improvement in his quality of life." The researchers, from Kings College London and the Universities of Oxford and Newcastle, found the drugs offered no long-term benefit for most patients with mild symptoms of disturbed behaviour. But just six months of treatment was enough for patients to show a marked deterioration in their verbal fluency. Further preliminary analysis already under way on the data suggests the use of neuroleptics may also increase death rates. The research focused on patients living in nursing homes in Oxfordshire, Newcastle, Edinburgh and London. All patients had been taking neuroleptics for three months. They either continued on the same medication for a further 12 months, or took a dummy pill. Lead researcher Professor Clive Ballard, said: "It is very clear that even over a six-month period of treatment, there is no benefit from neuroleptics in treating the behaviour in people with Alzheimer's disease when the symptoms are mild. "For people with more severe behavioural symptoms, balancing the potential benefits against adverse effects is more difficult." Rebecca Wood, of the Alzheimer's Research Trust, said: "These results are deeply troubling and highlight the urgent need to develop better treatments." The trust says that neuroleptics should only continue to be prescribed long-term to dementia patients with severe behavioural problems, and then only as a last resort when non-drug methods have been tried and have failed. Stroke risk Neil Hunt, of the Alzheimer's Society, said previous research had also shown that anti-psychotic drugs raised the risk of stroke and death for people with dementia. "This widespread overprescription to people with dementia must stop," he said. "It is time we stop wasting money giving people drug treatments with no benefit and start investing in good quality dementia |
you may have from excess omega 6.
So even though EPA may have very little direct involvement in neurological processes, it may benefit the entire body – including the brain – by reducing inflammation. Perhaps now more than ever, EPA is especially important given the modern Western diet.
3rd reason: conversion process of ALA
Supplement advocates point to the slow and complicated way how our bodies first convert alpha-linolenic to EPA, which is a precursor to DHA and needs to undergo additional conversions to create it. Since DHA undergoes the most processes, it is the one people are most vocal about needing a supplement for.
Women vs. men
Perhaps women are the stronger gender, because they definitely beat men in conversion efficiency! Studies have shown that even in healthy young men, only about 8% of ALA is converted to EPA and just 0 to 4% as DHA (22).
Contrast that to young women who have over double the conversion efficiency; 21% of ALA converts to EPA and 9% to DHA (23). It has been speculated this may have something to do with estrogen vs. testosterone levels, with lower levels of estrogen adversely affecting the conversion process (24).
The keywords here are “healthy” and “young” males and females. As with just about all biological processes, the older we get the less efficient we are. That along with age-related cognitive decline is a reason why fish or vegan DHA supplements are especially recommended for older adults.
Genetic predisposition
Not only does gender play a role, but also your ethnicity may affect how well (or not) you can convert.
Known as the fatty acid desaturase gene (FADS1), it is though to play a role in conversion efficiency (25). Those who carry this gene are believed to have lower conversion rates. Research points to around 40 to 50% of Hispanics, Chinese, and Japanese as being carriers.
On the other hand, those of European, African, and Middle Eastern descent tend to be less affected and therefore, are more likely to have an easier time converting plant based omega 3 (ALA) to EPA and then DHA. It is believed that this trait may have developed over time as the diets in these regions lend themselves naturally to having more plant-based sources of ALA.
4th reason: omega 3 recommended intake
What is the recommended daily intake of EPA and DHA? The daily value dosage amounts vary among world governments. Here’s a look at what the USDA and EFSA recommend.
USDA and Department of Health and Human Services (26) (27):
General population – 8 ounces per week of seafood, which should provide an average of 250 mg per day of EPA and DHA
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding – 8 to 12 ounces per week of seafood from those which are specifically lower in mercury
EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) (28):
Infants and young children (7 to 24 months) – 100mg per day of DHA
Children (2 to 18 years) – 250 mg per day of EPA + DHA
Adults – 250 mg per day of EPA + DHA
Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding – 250mg per day of EPA + DHA, plus an additional 100 to 200mg per day of DHA
The vast majority of people in the United States do not consume enough seafood to get the recommended dosages listed above. Many argue that’s actually a good thing. Given how polluted the oceans and lakes, eating so much seafood can lead to heavy metal contamination.
Those on a vegan or vegetarian diet are not getting any direct sources of the two omega 3 converted forms (and getting it from marine plants would require excessive intake). The amounts of ALA in the vegetarian diet may not be adequate either, given how little of it actually gets converted in both genders, plus the role your genetics may play.
In short, there are good reasons why you should supplement regardless of whether you eat a typical Western diet, a healthier Eastern diet, or even a vegan diet.
Though not everyone is on the supplement bandwagon. Even when people have zero fish in their diet, there are many who argue that it’s not necessary as long as you are getting adequate amounts of alpha-linolenic acid. Much of the evidence to support that argument is even more recent than the earlier studies published during the 90’s and 00’s, which were largely responsible for generating the omega 3 buzz in the first place.
1st rebuttal: total ALA matters, not ratio
The prestigious American Journal of Clinical Nutrition published a human study in 2006 which looked at high and low ALA diets (29).
For the first 4 weeks, 29 people received a controlled diet with 7% of calories coming from omega 6 and 0.4% coming from omega 3, which created a 1:19 ratio for 3’s vs 6’s.
For the next 6 weeks, the same 29 people were split up into 2 groups:
Group 1 had a diet with 3% of calories coming from omega 6 and 0.4% from omega 3, which is a 1:7 ratio.
Group 2 had 7% of calories coming from omega 6 and 1.1% from omega 3, which is also a 1:7 ratio.
Both groups had a 1:7 ratio, but the group with 1.1% from omega 3 (vs. 0.4%) had much higher DHA synthesis.
These findings suggest that even with a poor omega fatty acid ratio from diet and without DHA food sources, what determines whether or not we get adequate DHA is how much plant-based or vegetarian omega 3 sources we have in our diet.
2nd rebuttal: vegans have higher DHA levels
Even higher than fish eaters! That’s from a 2010 study which was published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition (30).
The researchers looked at 14,422 people between the ages of 39 and 78. Among them were men, women, meat-eaters, vegatarians, and vegans.
Guess what? Even though omega 3 intakes were 57-80% lower in the non-fish eaters (vegans), the amount of DHA in their blood was actually found to be higher at 286.4 micromoles per liter versus 271 for the fish eaters.
If one needs fish for adequate DHA as many claim, then why do the vegans have the highest amounts, despite taking in no direct sources of DHA? It’s likely because they are taking in higher amounts of the precursor – ALA – and the ultimate effect that has even exceeds those who consume fish + lower amounts of ALA. It’s hard for the pro-fish crowd and vegan haters to brush this study aside given how large the sample size was – over 14,000 people.
3rd rebuttal: EPA and DHA side effects
Can you overdose on EPA and DHA? Fishy taste and bad breathe will be the most likely side effects when used in moderation.
Although it’s considered to be “possibly safe,” no one is certain whether or not large amounts of these are entirely safe. Even in moderate amounts, side effects can include nausea, gas, watery stools, plus increased bleeding and bruising (31).
While not officially recognized as side effects, we have read comments on forums and seen product reviews from customers who talk about undesired mental side effects with DHA supplements.
In amounts of 3 grams per day or higher, DHA is known to thin the blood and that can definitely be quite dangerous for those with certain medical conditions like warfarin (32).
The DHA side effect of lower blood pressure may be considered desirable for most people, but for those on blood pressure lowering medication it can wreck havoc. Likewise for those who have too low of blood pressure (hypotension).
Ultimately, this means the overdose level can vary greatly depending upon a person’s unique circumstances.
4th rebuttal: contaminated fish oil
Anyone who buys omega 3 supplements knows how the marketing goes. Manufacturers will say their cod are caught in remote arctic waters or it’s sourced from organic wild caught Alaskan salmon. A century or two ago, that would have been plenty sufficient for providing an absolutely pure source of fish oil. However we have now polluted the earth so badly, it’s hard to justify anywhere as being completely safe.
Estimates peg the pollution of mercury each year as growing by a staggering 5,000 to 8,000 metric tons (33). As if that’s not crazy enough, with all the corners cut by China, who knows what the real number is. It’s the reason why fish are some of our biggest dietary sources of toxic metals and other harmful compounds:
Mercury
Lead
Arsenic
Chromium
PCBs
Strontium and other radioactive substances
Going back to the marketing verbiage used by many fish oil manufacturers, they forget to tell you that contaminants rapidly spread. Yeah, obviously casting your fish nets in the China sea would be a disastrous idea, but even remote arctic regions are heavily polluted due to ocean and wind currents.
It’s the same reason why 29% of San Francisco’s air pollution is actually from China and Asian industrial pollution, coming all the way from the other side of the world (34). So do you really think your fish oil is automatically safe just because it comes from a distant location?
Even the U.S. government admits that any and all fish need to be consumed in limited moderation. It’s why for pregnant women, they insist on them only eating a cumulative max of 2 servings per week of fish/seafood and only from species with lower mercury levels. For canned albacore or chunk white tuna, the limit is only 1 serving per week, since those have more mercury than canned light tuna (35).
The reason fish are so problematic is that with many of these toxins – particularly mercury – once they’re in a body (human or animal) they’re hard to get out. With fish that’s a big problem, because it’s not just the mercury from that specific one fish on your dinner plate, but all the other smaller fish it ate over its lifetime. It’s not just mercury from the one fish, but all the smaller fish it ate over its entire lifetime.
That’s why as tiny as a fish may be, it can contain such high amounts of mercury. It’s also the reason many people are opting for non fish oil omega 3 supplements, even though they cost a lot more. Those made from algae don’t have the “the fish and all the fish it ate” problem.
5th rebuttal: the vitamin A analogy
Vitamin A found in plants is beta-carotene. It’s not actually vitamin A, but rather a precursor to it. Our body converts what we need and disposes of the rest.
A few decades ago scientists thought the superior form was the final form, preformed vitamin A. They began synthesizing it in labs and using it in multivitamins and dietary supplements. The logic was that it’s better to get the final form than have our body go through processes to make it.
With beta carotene, you could literally take in 1,000% more than you need and your body will excrete it. The worst side effect may be temporary yellowing of the skin and nails. But with preformed vitamin A (as found in many supplements) even if you take in 150% of what you need, you may be in trouble. This is because our body can’t get of excess if it’s already in the converted form.
It’s why U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services strongly warns against the risk of possible birth defects when a pregnant women takes a supplement with more than 5,000 IUs of preformed vitamin A.
Will the same thing happen if you eat too many carrots? The NIH says this: “High intakes of beta-carotene do not cause birth defects or the other more serious effects caused by getting too much preformed vitamin A” (36).
Is it possible that a decade or two from now, we will come to discover the same may be true with DHA and EPA, that too much may actually be bad for you? Is it possible the same logic with vitamin A applies to alpha-linolenic acid… our body converts what it needs and forcing more isn’t necessarily healthy? Is it possible that while it’s true many (or most) people have DHA and EPA deficiencies, the best solution is more omega 3 in the form of ALA?
As with all things in nutrition, only time will tell which theory is right. But one thing you can take to the bank now is that you might not be getting enough omega 3’s. Evidence from the latest research definitely supports the use of supplements for people who aren’t consuming enough omega 3 from plants, especially during pregnancy. But everyone should consult their doctor prior to taking a supplement.
Adding dietary sources like chia seeds and flax oil can be great, but even with those, a high quality ALA supplement may still be a good idea. Or if supplementing with the final forms, vegetarian EPA DHA coming from algae may make sense even for meat eaters, in order to circumvent the heavy metals and other toxins associated with fish oils.
These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.“The problem is Israeli bureaucracy,” Mr. Sharon said. “I think it would be better for him to be at home.” He added that his father had been visited every day since his stroke by him, his wife, Inbal, or his brother Omri. “We haven’t missed a single day,” he added.
He said that in recent times there had been no improvement in his father’s condition.
The book asserts that doctors and nurses urged the family to let Mr. Sharon die after his stroke in January 2006 because, as it paraphrases one doctor as saying, “Based on the CT scan, the game was over.” The Sharon brothers would not hear of it and insisted on an operation and other efforts to keep their father alive.
“I told them about a dream I had had many years ago,” Mr. Sharon recounts in the book, speaking of his discussions with the medical staff of Hadassah University Hospital in Jerusalem. “In that dream I was with my father in the hospital. He was lying in bed, surrounded by medical staff, and they had all either given up or lost hope and were about to leave, and my father didn’t say a thing, but he stared at me with this look, with those green-gray eyes of his, and I knew I would never give up, and that I simply would not leave him. This was a dream I had when my father was healthy and strong and the scenario was completely divorced from reality. I did not tell a soul about the dream at the time, but now I shared it with them and my fear that it was happening now and that I would never be able to forgive myself if we did not fight to the end.”
Photo
While it has long been assumed in Israel that Mr. Sharon was kept alive due to his sons’ insistence, the book offers the first public acknowledgment and detail of the decision. Mr. Sharon was widowed twice, and his sons are in charge of his farm and his care.
Gilad Sharon adds in the book that while he insisted on not letting his father die more out of instinct and sentiment, it turned out he also had medicine on his side: the CT scan had been misread. Doctors acknowledged after the operation that his father was healthier than they had realized, according to Mr. Sharon.
Ariel Sharon was elected prime minister in 2001 and was at the height of his power when he had the stroke. Having spent his career as a hawk and a champion of the settler movement — amply documented in the new biography — he shocked his political base by removing Israeli settlers and soldiers from Gaza only months earlier, in the summer of 2005. He then left his political home in the rightist Likud party and established the centrist party, Kadima.
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In the book, Gilad Sharon says he gave his father the idea of Israel’s unilaterally withdrawing from Gaza, saying that it had become impossible to protect the Jewish settlers there adequately and that most Israelis did not want to pay the price to keep the territory.
Two months after Mr. Sharon’s stroke, his deputy, Ehud Olmert, was elected prime minister.
Gilad Sharon, who was a confidant of his father’s and had access to his private papers, is not kind to his father’s longtime rival Benjamin Netanyahu, Israel’s prime minister and Likud leader. Mr. Sharon says in the book that in 1997 Mr. Netanyahu promised to make his father finance minister but then reneged.
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“Netanyahu summoned my father to a meeting in his office,” he writes. “Standing at the entrance to the room and putting an end to the shortest meeting in the history of the prime minister’s office, my father said to Netanyahu, ‘A liar you were and a liar you have remained.’ ” (Mr. Netanyahu’s office denied that Mr. Sharon said that.)
Recounting his father’s decision to withdraw from Gaza, Mr. Sharon says that Mr. Netanyahu — who was by then his father’s finance minister — hesitated and demanded that the withdrawal be subject to a referendum. Mr. Sharon refused, and Mr. Netanyahu walked out of Parliament as the vote on the withdrawal was taking place. At the end, according to the book, Mr. Netanyahu returned to the floor and voted in favor.
“This was a true manifestation of Netanyahu’s character,” Gilad Sharon writes. “Not only was he subversive, but he was also a coward.”
A spokesman for Mr. Netanyahu’s office said, “Gilad Sharon has a long history of being highly critical of Prime Minister Netanyahu, and these charges are neither new nor surprising.” The spokesman, who spoke on the condition of anonymity, added that the parliamentary vote in question was a procedural one and that when the real decision about the Gaza withdrawal took place the following summer, Mr. Netanyahu voted against it and left the government.
Gilad Sharon joined the opposition Kadima Party last year and is thought to be interested in entering politics. He said, however, that having just finished the book, he was still contemplating his next step.The UK Independence Party will come second in next week's Wythenshawe and Sale East by-election, according to the party's leader Nigel Farage.
The poll is the first major electoral test of 2015 for Ukip, which is hoping a strong showing at May's European elections will be a springboard to next year's general election.
The party has thrown a lot of resources behind getting the vote out in Wythenshawe and Sale, following the death of its respected long serving MP Paul Goggins last month.
Mr Farage told The Telegraph: "Our support in this by-election is coming from all the parties, and none.
"Despite a low base, I am confident we can beat the others apart from the Labour postal machine."
In 2010 Mr Goggins won the seat with a 7,500 majority, with the Tories second and the Liberal Democrats third. Ukip's candidate came in a distant fifth, behind the British National Party.
Thousands of postal ballots have been sent out this week, a move which Ukip thinks gives Labour an in-built advantage because a large proportionm of the electorate will have voted well ahead of polling day, February 13.
John Bickley, Ukip's candidate, said he had been "stunned" by the number of former Labour voters who had told him that they were going to vote for him next week.
He said: "I have people walking up to me unsolicited and saying 'I will vote for you'. These are people I would put a fair chunk of money on would never vote for anyone apart from Labour.
"There is a sense of betrayl. People are starting to see through the political class. If you look at the frontbench of the Labour party - most of them have never had a real job. Most of them are paper millionaires with fancy houses."
Ukip on Tuesday held a press conference to unveil its plans for the Department of Culture, Media and Sport to be relocated to Manchester, leaving just the Royal Parks in London.
The party said it would create 700 jobs and build on the presence of the BBC in Salford.
Labour certainly appears up for the challenge. The party has sent shadow Cabinet ministers to the constituency - including party leader Ed Miliband last Friday - to meet voters and local media every day for the past 10 days.
Mike Kane, the Labour candidate, dismissed concern about a Ukip surge next week as a "Westminster bubble story".
He said: "What people are really talking about to us is that we have a big A&E crisis here in Wythenshawe.
"Do you hear any of the other parties talking about what is affecting people? I am not sure they are."HRT has announced that it has signed India driver Narain Karthikeyan, thereby completing the 2012 grid.
The Chennai-born driver, who will partner Pedro de la Rosa, was dropped by the Spanish team after the European Grand Prix in favour of Daniel Ricciardo, but subsequently returned for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix, the only Indian driver on the grid.
According to the Spanish outfit, the extension of the relationship between Karthikeyan and HRT is based on the principle of continuity contributing to the stability and reliability of the team and, at the same time, offering him the necessary confidence to progress. This progression and teamwork will be vital for the growth and establishment of the renewed HRT F1 Team.
The team returns to action next week at the first official pre-season tests, where Pedro de la Rosa will take to the wheel. Karthikeyan will join the team for the second tests in Barcelona.
"It has taken a lot of hard work to make this happen," said Karthikeyan, "but I am absolutely elated to feature on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team. I was pleased with our strong performance at the Indian Grand Prix, in front of my passionate home fans and I look forward to building on this result in 2012. I have been training hard since the end of 2011, ensuring I was ready for the rigours of F1 if an opportunity arose. I am delighted to have signed with HRT F1 Team. With the new management, Pedro, and the team, there is definite potential for progress. We need to understand that F1 is new to India, we hosted our first race only last year which was a resounding success. To build on that momentum, an Indian driver will certainly keep the interest engaged throughout the season. I am proud to secure an opportunity to forge a stronger connection between India and Formula 1 once again".
"I am pleased to count with Narain for this season, as he will contribute continuity and stability," added team principal, Luis Perez-Sala. "He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year. Of the eight Grands Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in. I'm sure that the fact that he will continue to work and drive on a regular basis will help him take a step forward this season. And if he advances, so does the team. This is a year in which you could say that the team starts from scratch and everyone's input will be fundamental."Photo
Ted Cruz’s long-anticipated Iowa surge came a step closer on Tuesday with a new poll showing him just behind Donald J. Trump and leaping ahead of Ben Carson, as terrorism and foreign policy now drive the 2016 nominating race.
Mr. Cruz, the Republican Texas senator, was the choice of 23 percent of likely Republican caucusgoers in the new poll, from Quinnipiac University, following Mr. Trump at 25 percent and ahead of Mr. Carson at 18 percent. Senator Marco Rubio of Florida was in fourth with 13 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus four percentage points.
Just a month ago, Mr. Carson seemed to be running away with the Iowa nominating contest with support from the Christian right, polling at 28 percent in a Quinnipiac poll in late October, followed by Mr. Trump at 20 percent.
But Mr. Cruz, who in the wake of the terrorist attacks in Paris has aggressively criticized President Obama’s handling of the rise of the Islamic State in the Middle East and who has rejected letting Syrian refugees into the country, has more than doubled his Iowa support since last month. Four out of five Iowa Republicans said Syrian refugees should not be allowed to settle in the state.
The survey was taken Nov. 16-22, entirely after the Paris attacks. Terrorism and foreign policy together were the two most important issues for voters, cited by 30 percent of Republicans in deciding whom to support. Jobs and the economy followed.
Voters who named foreign policy and terrorism the most crucial issues chose Mr. Cruz as their top preference.
He was also named the most capable of handling foreign policy by voters over all, winning 24 percent of support, compared with 18 percent for Mr. Trump, 15 percent for Mr. Rubio and 6 percent for Mr. Carson, who was openly questioned last week by his own advisers in a New York Times article.
Only 49 percent in the poll said Mr. Carson had the right experience to be president, compared with 81 percent for Mr. Cruz, 68 percent for Mr. Rubio and 62 percent for Mr. Trump.
Mr. Trump, who created a stir with comments about a federal database for Muslims, was cited as the best able to handle terrorism. He was also seen as the most capable of dealing with economic issues. Mr. Carson was deemed best on social issues like abortion, and he also scored high for caring about “the needs and problems” of voters.
The poll suggested that 2016 caucus turnout would be driven by very conservative voters and those without a college degree. Majorities of both groups said they were more enthusiastic to vote than in past presidential years. Only 41 percent of voters with college degrees were more excited.
Mr. Cruz, who was endorsed last week by Representative Steve King of Iowa, one of the most hard-right members of the House, was by far the top choice of voters who called themselves “very conservative.” Mr. Trump has been shown in many polls to draw more strength from those without a college degree.
Four years ago, an establishment Republican, Mitt Romney, was in the top tier of candidates two months before the caucuses and went on to finish in a near-tie for first. Jeb Bush was supposed to own that lane this year, but he has never gained traction in the state. Mr. Bush was the choice of just 4 percent of Republicans, down from 5 percent in October. Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky was at 5 percent, and Carly Fiorina was at 3 percent. No other candidate was above 2 percent.Ulster Unionist leader Mike Nesbitt has announced he is to step down after his party's poor showing in the Assembly election.
His announcement comes after the UUP failed to make any ground on the Democratic Unionists and after losing a number of high-profile seats.
In a news conference this evening, he said he had been reflecting on the results and said the "buck stops here".
Mike Nesbitt steps down as leader of the Ulster Unionist Party https://t.co/fNy2zGBTWC pic.twitter.com/EByZzGBjDh — RTÉ News (@rtenews) March 3, 2017
For the past three months, he said, he had been criticising another party leader for not taking responsibility for actions that occurred on their watch.
He said it would be the "height of hypocrisy" if he did not take full responsibility for his party's poor election performance.
Mr Nesbitt said: "I led into this election. I was the one who argued it should be a referendum on RHI and on ten years of the DUP and Sinn Féin leading our Executive government.
"I am the one who suggested in a normal society people would vote on performance and that the DUP and Sinn Féin did not earn another mandate.
"And I'm the one who said this should be Northern Ireland's first post-sectarian election based on the economy and education, health and housing, and that I had a different vision."
He added: "But the electorate disagreed. They certainly did not give me a mandate big enough for me to feel justified in continuing in this position, so I shall not continue in this position."
He said he will stay in the post until a successor is elected and Mr Nesbitt will remain an MLA for Strangford.
Mr Nesbitt said his real regret was that Northern Ireland society appeared to have emerged from the election more polarised.
He reflected that his vision of a society where unionists could voice support for a nationalist without suffering at the polls had yet to be realised. "But we will get there," he insisted.
"Someday Northern Ireland will vote as a normal democracy. We will vote in a post-sectarian election but it's now clear it will not happen during the duration of my political career."
He had led the UUP since 2012 and pledged to deliver a new middle-ground politics for the people of Northern Ireland.
He attempted to build a cross-community coalition in opposition to what he felt were the failed politics of the DUP and Sinn Féin alliance.
But on a night of disappointments his party lost stalwart former Stormont minister Danny Kennedy as well as other senior members and failed to close the seats gap with the Democratic Unionists.Warriors Forward Harrison Barnes Named To BBVA Rising Stars Challenge Roster
Second-Year Forward Joins Stephen Curry At 2014 NBA All-Star Weekend
Golden State Warriors forward Harrison Barnes has been selected to participate in the BBVA Rising Stars Challenge at NBA All-Star Weekend on February 14 in New Orleans, the league announced today.
Barnes, the seventh overall selection of the 2012 NBA Draft, is averaging 10.1 points and 3.9 rebounds in 42 games this season, while shooting 41.7 percent from the field and 40.2 percent from three-point range. In 15 starts, Barnes is averaging 14.3 points, 4.7 rebounds and 2.2 assists. A First Team All-Rookie selection in 2012-13, the North Carolina product was voted by the fans to start in the Rising Stars Challenge last season, tallying 12 points in 19 minutes for TEAM SHAQ.
Barnes will be the third Warrior to participate in the Rising Stars Challenge as both a rookie and sophomore, joining Stephen Curry (2010 & 2011) and Jason Richardson (2002 & 2003), giving the Warriors at least one representative in the game in four of the last five seasons. Barnes will join Curry at NBA All-Star Weekend after Curry was voted to start the All-Star Game, becoming the first Warrior to start the game since Latrell Sprewell in 1995.
The 18 selected rookies and sophomores, who were chosen by vote of NBA assistant coaches, will be mixed together on teams for a third-straight year. The BBVA Compass Rising Stars Challenge Draft is scheduled for Thursday, February 6, televised on TNT at 4 p.m. PST. General Managers for the two teams will be announced at a later date.
Following the announcement of each team on February 6, fans will be able to vote online from both their computer and mobile device for the starters of each team. The starting lineups will be determined by the players garnering the top votes for their respective positions, with two backcourt and three frontcourt spots for each team. The announcement of the starting lineup will be made in broadcast and in-arena on the night of the game.
The BBVA Rising Stars Challenge will be played on Friday, February 14 at 6 p.m. PST at the New Orleans Arena, site Sunday’s NBA All-Star Game. The game will be televised nationally on TNT and broadcast live on ESPN Radio.Steven Gerrard has confirmed his Liverpool departure this summer – we look back at five memorable moments from the skipper that don’t always get the plaudits they deserve.
EVERTON (1998/99)
Gerrard had made his Reds debut just a few months prior to this Merseyside derby at Anfield in April 1999, and although he didn’t come on until 71 minutes into the game, he turned out to be the hero on the day.
Having led 3-1, Francis Jeffers’ goal six minutes from time made things nervy for Gerard Houllier’s side. The Toffees threw everything at the Reds looking for a late equaliser.
In the dying seconds, the then 18-year-old Gerrard twiced cleared off the line, one of them a courageous block from Danny Cadamarteri’s shot, to help preserve the Reds’ lead.
His fist-pumping celebration following that incident, normally associated with scoring a goal, outlined his sheer will to win even at that age.
INTER MILAN (2007/08)
This Champions League last-16 clash with the Serie A giants in 2007/08 was an extremely tight affair, but it was Gerrard who turned the tie completely in Liverpool’s favour after a frantic first-leg showdown on Merseyside.
Rafa Benitez’s side had taken a long time to break down 10-man Inter, who had seen Marco Materazzi sent-off in the first-half, but Dirk Kuyt fired home after 85 minutes. Just when it looked as though that would be the only goal of the game, ‘Captain Fantastic’ struck.
Picking the ball up on the right-hand side, 30-odd yards from goal, most players would simply loft a hopeful cross into the penalty area. Not Gerrard though, who thundered a brilliant effort past Julio Cesar and in off the post.
Liverpool eventually reached the quarter-finals with relative ease, but it was Gerrard’s typically inspirational goal that put the Reds in total command.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC (2002/03)
By the end of the 2002/03 season, Gerrard was starting to become the most influential player at Anfield. A win at home to Charlton, in their fourth-last game of the campaign, was vital in keeping their Champions League qualification hopes alive.
Sami Hyypia had levelled Shaun Bartlett’s opener with an 86th-minute effort, and Houllier’s men were desperately pushing for a dramatic winner.
In stoppage-time, Gerrard twisted and turned past numerous Charlton challenges on the left, before firing a low shot past Dean Kiely and into the corner of the Kop net. Anfield went bezerk, and it epitomised the soon-to-be skipper’s ever-increasing genius.
NAPOLI (2010/11)
The Europa League may not be the most beloved competition to football fans, which is perhaps why Gerrard’s fantastic second-half cameo back in November 2010 is not often talked out.
Ezequiel Lavezzi’s first-half strike was the difference between the two sides with 15 minutes remaining, which is when the captain, on as an emergency half-time substitute, decided to produce a majestic one-man show.
He pounced on former Red Andrea Dossena’s loose pass to make it 1-1, nervelessly converted a penalty to give his side the lead, before impudently dinking a wonderful finish past Morgan De Sanctis to complete his hat-trick. Gerrard was the sole reason Liverpool won the game.
TOTAL NETWORK SOLUTIONS (2005/06)
Ok, so this may be a little bit ludicrous, considering just how poor TNS were as a side, but Gerrard still showed that there was a chasm in class between himself and anybody else on the pitch back in 2005.
The Reds had to play the Welsh side in the early qualifying rounds of the Champions League in 2005/06, having won the competition the previous season but finished fifth in the Premier League, and it was all about Gerrard in both legs.
He scored a hat-trick in the 3-0 first-leg win at Anfield, which was more hard-earned than expected, and in the return fixture he scored two goals, one of which was a sensational solo effort. It was like watching a man play football against a bunch of 11-year-olds.
Can you think of any other forgotten Steven Gerrard masterclasses? Let us know in the comments section.Tom Davies.
Kieran Dowell.
Liam Walsh.
Or as they are better known by some of the coaches around Finch Farm: The Holy Trinity.
The significance of such a bestowed name is well understood by any Evertonian worth his salt. The bursting levels of optimism held within the club for these three midfield prospects is real. Now, with Tom Davies transitioning from the kid invited to train with the first team to the latest Toffees’ treasure, in just a few short months, people are starting to believe that the footballing Gods may have blessed Everton once again and that one day soon we may see three central midfield academy graduates gracing the hallowed Goodison Park turf.
Howard Kendall, Colin Harvey, and Alan Ball was a triumphant midfield partnership worshipped by the blue faithful during the late-sixties. As a midfield unit they were a revelation, thrilling football fans far and wide. Between them they possessed the full range of midfield skills and had a telepathic understanding. It is on these similarities that coaches have baptized their own nurtured trinity with one of Everton’s most sacred names.
Consisting of the composure of Davies, the eye for goal of Dowell, and the insane passing ability of Walsh this mini trinity has been the substratum to the success of Everton’s youth sides for a while. All the components of a dynamic footballing midfield triangle are there - it has chemistry. Or it did. Now that Davies has left for the first team we won’t be seeing them play together again until the others follow in his footsteps. But the hope and belief is that they will and a path is being made for Dowell and Walsh to get their chances too.
Case in point: Ryan Ledson. Once Everton’s next big thing, Ledson had captained the England Under-17s to Euro 2014 glory before being called up to the senior side by Roberto Martinez. The Blues boss went on record saying that the holding-midfielder had a certain future in the first team, but this summer the 19-year old was allowed to leave the |
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And this wasn’t long after Darnold first stepped on campus. He’d had the option of enrolling early and joining USC for spring practice, like most quarterback recruits, but demurred. Injuries had cost him much of his junior year at San Clemente (Calif.) High School and Darnold wanted to chase a state basketball title with his friends. Go for it, USC coaches said.
“I just thought that was the coolest thing ever,” Helton said. “You rarely see that.”
It helped that the staff had a five-star quarterback signee — Ricky Town — in the same recruiting class, though Town transferred not long after arriving on campus. Another former five-star prospect, Max Browne, started the first three games of last season before Darnold’s ascension to the starting job. He has also since transferred.
Years earlier, while growing up in San Clemente, Darnold would attend several USC home games a year with his father, Mike. Night games were their favorite: Father and son playing catch outside of the Coliseum before kickoff, then again under streetlamps as they walked back to their car.
Could they have known? Could anyone? Darnold was a legitimate prospect, but not even the most ballyhooed quarterback recruit in his own program’s signing class. He didn’t enroll early. He had played in just three games and attempted only 22 passes before his first career start. He’d lost the competition for the starting job during the preseason — a choice Helton called “the toughest decision of my career.”
USC dropped Darnold’s debut, at Utah, and hasn’t lost since. He tossed five touchdowns to lead USC past Penn State in the Rose Bowl. He caused not just teammates to stand up and take notice but all of college football — not to mention NFL scouts and executives, who already are drooling over the young sophomore. He’s the brightest young star in the sport.
So who saw this coming? Maybe Helton. Maybe his friends in San Clemente. Certainly his family: Mike, a former offensive lineman at the University of Redlands; his mother, Chris, who played volleyball at Long Beach City College; and his sister, Franki, a two-time all-conference volleyball player at the University of Rhode Island.
And Darnold himself.
“I kind of expected it out of myself. I kind of expect to win a lot of games,” he said. “The stuff that comes with it, the sword and the ‘Fight On’ and all that? That’s all great. But I don’t like to get surprises mixed up with expectations. I think I expect that out of myself, if that makes sense.”
Confidence, but not cockiness, bubbles to the surface. Others heap praise. “He’s such a dope talent,” said former offensive tackle Zach Banner. “His feel for the game is insane,” said Smith, the linebacker. “He’s a unique dude,” said former USC wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster. “It’s like he’s been there, done that.”
The quarterback who nonchalantly led USC to a last-second Rose Bowl win has only once lost his temper, his father recalled: Darnold broke his pinky punching a locker following a loss in basketball during his junior year at San Clemente.
After tossing the game-tying touchdown against Penn State with little more than a minute left, as teammates roared and raced toward the sideline, Darnold stood calm, holding his fingers aloft as he looked toward Helton: Kick to tie or go for two?
“I would definitely say I’m reserved and shy. I’ve always been that way,” Darnold said. “I’ve definitely broken out of my shell a little bit, but I don’t think I’m going to change that much at all.”
He hasn’t changed, even if the circumstances have. Though noticeably different than his predecessors at the position — far more mobile, a dual-threat passer and runner, and certainly ahead of the curve — Darnold, like others before him, enters his sophomore season hyped as a Heisman Trophy contender. After last year’s torrid close, his team will begin September ranked inside the top five of the Amway Coaches Poll. There will be immense pressure, both individually and as a team, to match these expectations.
“I’m not worried about the hype or anything like that,” he said. “But yeah, I definitely realize that there is hype. I’m not blind to that. You’ve really got to put that in the rearview mirror and focus on what’s ahead of you.”
Darnold will meet those expectations “right in the middle,” Smith-Schuster said. Not too high and not too low, Darnold has always “been just a flat line,” his father said. He’s like a great golfer or pitcher, Helton said: “Whether it’s a strike or a ball, on the green or off, whether it’s good or bad, he’s onto the next one.”
Sam Darnold threw for 3,086 yards and 31 touchdowns as a freshman. (Photo11: Kirby Lee, USA TODAY Sports)
This isn’t normal. Tossing 31 touchdowns and leading USC on an active nine-game winning streak as a first-year starter isn’t routine. Dominating the conversation at the NFL combine as a redshirt freshman isn’t typical. That the Trojans now follow Darnold’s lead — leaning away from glitz and glamour to embrace their quarterback’s steadiness — isn’t ordinary.
It’s unique. But so is Darnold. From his first days on campus, USC sensed something special. Even when sitting third on the depth chart as a true freshman, teammates knew he’d eventually be a first-round draft pick, Smith-Schuster said. Even in the beginning, when he dominated on the scout team, the Trojans wouldn’t marvel at what Darnold just did — they’d poke and nudge and smile, wondering just what he’d do next.
What does come next? Hype and acclaim in equal measure. His face on billboards in Hollywood. Promise and potential. An auspicious debut eclipsed only by a bright future. Remember: Darnold’s only a sophomore. The legend is growing but far from complete. It’s enough to make anyone stand up and take notice.
“He’s making his own way,” Helton said. “He’s following a great lineage of quarterbacks, but he’s kind of putting his own stamp on the position, of the new-age quarterback that’s out there. It’s been redefined.”
HIGHLIGHTS FROM SPRING GAMESAdam Hurrey looks back with an irreverent eye at the season that was in England's top flight and hands out some tongue-in-cheek prizes.
Most beleaguered manager: David Moyes
Once again, the Premier League was littered with exhausted, discarded managers. Swansea managed to go through two beaten-looking men -- the dignified but doomed Francesco Guidolin and the confident Bob Bradley, who went down wasting his time defending the abbreviation "PK" -- before the earnest authority of Paul Clement guided them so safety.
Hull's Mike Phelan took the first Manager of the Month award, only to be gone by January, while Watford's Walter Mazzari did well to make it to the penultimate week before having his forgettable spell in charge brought to an official end; making him carry out his duties for a final-day thrashing by Manchester City just seemed cruel.
But, above all, and including fallen hero / everyone's back-up grandfather of choice Claudio Ranieri, it's Moyes who cut the most sorrowful figure. Having waved the white flag at Sunderland almost from the start, his attempt at a January rallying cry left something to be desired: "I'd be kidding you if I said the players we're hoping to bring in this month are going to make a big difference."
It's been quite a fall from his appointment as Manchester United boss in 2013. Moyes is still searching for his level, but it may be a downward journey.
Most mystifying signing: Simone Zaza
Of the 16 shots that Simone Zaza took for West Ham in the Premier League, just two were on target.
The litany of sorry-looking figures extends beyond managers to those on the pitch. Moussa Sissoko, whose name cannot be mentioned without a reminder that Tottenham committed £30m for his services, remains one of Mauricio Pochettino's rare errors of judgement, for example.
For Manchester City, Claudio Bravo failed to qualify for even that most backhanded of goalkeeping compliments -- "good shot stopper" -- regardless of the other qualities that made Pep Guardiola dispense unceremoniously with Joe Hart. Elsewhere, Wilfried Bony's quiet but swift descent from ice-cool goalscoring grace to the Stoke sidelines seems to have drifted under everyone's radar.
West Ham, though, can always be relied upon for some maverick transfer-window activity. Their record of signing certifiable non-events to solve their perennial striking problems extends back about a decade, but last summer's increasingly panicked search took things to a whole new level.
£5 million was the initial outlay to secure Zaza on loan from Juventus, with something close to £20m due to sign him permanently once he'd clocked up 14 Premier League appearances. Eight goalless games -- and one shot that went for a throw-in -- was all Slaven Bilic needed to see. To his credit, Zaza acknowledged his failure to adapt before heading off to Valencia, where he had slightly better fortunes.
Unsung hero: Anyone interviewing Pep Guardiola
In many ways, Guardiola has lived up to his reputation: A ball of furious touchline energy, a man astronomically hard to please, a micromanager of the most imperceptible details and, above all, an unwavering idealist.
And a combination of all those things has made him a spectacularly awkward interviewee. Even before games, when questions about starting line-ups get no more probing than "What's the thinking there?" Guardiola has steadfastly refused to play ball.
If one passive-aggressive highlight has to be selected, how about Guardiola's post-match thoughts following Manchester City's 2-1 win over Burnley in early January?
Interviewer: "You don't seem that happy that you've won."
Guardiola: "More than you believe, more than you believe I'm happy. I'm so happy, believe me, I'm so happy. Happy New Year."
There isn't a more terrifying smile in the Premier League. One season in, we are no closer to untangling exactly what's going on behind that unsettling glare.
Surprise package: Wing-backs
Since tactics are essentially a never-ending search for space and territorial advantage, most formations will never completely die; there's always the prospect of them cycling back into fashion.
Nevertheless, a team winning the Premier League title with a pair of wing-backs was an unexpected novelty. The role had never quite bedded into English football, despite bursting onto the scene in the mid-90s, when adventurous full-backs or unfortunate wingers suddenly found their workload double overnight. But the wing-back is, well, back.
If you'd told Chelsea fans last season that Marcos Alonso and Victor Moses would patrol the flanks in 2016-17, you would have been met with a heavy sigh. Instead, Alonso -- another £20m solution to Chelsea's post-Ashley Cole dilemma -- and Moses -- for whom four clubs in four years couldn't find a purpose -- took to their roles almost instantly.
Next season? Ruben Loftus-Cheek will reinvent himself as a libero.
Sheer persistence: Adama Traore
A lowlight of 2016-17 was the all-pervading meekness of Middlesbrough, who only just scraped their way to a total of 100 shots on target on the final day of the season; for scale, Gylfi Sigurdsson managed 50 on his own. Amid that collective dearth of endeavour, though, one player stood out.
Adama Traore is a unique spectacle, In all of Europe, Neymar is the only player to have successfully dribbled past more opponents per game; Traore treats a short pass like some sort of insult and, though he offers rather a one-dimensional experience, what a dimension it is.
Once they eventually fizzle out, each of his fearless surges through opposition shirts is followed by Traore down on his haunches, his virtual Energy Meter almost visibly recharging back to light green in time to do it all over again.
His quite exceptional lack of end product -- Jesus Navas looks like David Beckham in comparison -- is mitigated by the fact Traore only turned 21 in January. Given that and despite his shortcomings, you suspect there will be no shortage of top-flight takers for a player, who has been part of back-to-back relegations.
Official tweet: Victor Anichebe
It was only October, but Anichebe got this category sewn up with what was, by all measures, a masterpiece.
Victor Anichebe scored the social media equivalent of an own goal with this tweet.
All of the Sunderland forward's hard work -- standard platitudes about the fans' support and his teammates' effort in defeat, plus the obligatory look towards their next one -- is undone (or has its glorious insincerity magnified) by the errant "Can you tweet something like" at the top: The five, unmistakable words of a professional footballer's "people."
Ridiculous statistic: West Ham
The sheer range of data sets available these days means that statistics can be dragged out to support any narrative but, sometimes, the numbers speak for themselves. On the final day of the season, as the Premier League let down its collective hair, West Ham's social media department delved deep into their spreadsheets and came up with this beauty:
It might not match his Argentina call-up, but it's still a notable achievement!
�� #COYI pic.twitter.com/HuqazJtSTR - West Ham United (@WestHamUtd) May 21, 2017
Lanzini -- and what a moment it must have been -- took fewer than four minutes against Burnley to "pass" that landmark. History was made and 21,634 lucky souls at Turf Moor will forever be able to say: "I was there."
Adam Hurrey analyses the language of football. You can follow him on Twitter: @FootballCliches.City in Alabama, United States
Bessemer is a city southwest of Birmingham in Jefferson County, Alabama, United States.[4] The population was 27,456 at the 2010 Census.[5] It is within the Birmingham-Hoover, AL Metropolitan Statistical Area, of which Jefferson County is the center. It developed rapidly as an industrial city in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
History [ edit ]
The town was founded in the postbellum era by the Bessemer Land and Improvement Company, named after Henry Bessemer and owned by coal magnate Henry F. DeBardeleben. He had inherited Daniel Pratt's investments.[6] The mayor and councilmen voted to incorporate the city of Bessemer on September 9, 1887.[7] Located 16 miles southwest of Birmingham, Bessemer grew rapidly and its promoters believed that it might overtake the other city in economic power.
Given the iron ore, coal and limestone deposits in the area, the city became a center of steelmaking from about 1890 through the 20th century. It attracted rural migrants from across the South, as well as European immigrants. By the 1950s, the city was majority African American in population.[8]
The industry went through considerable restructuring in the late 20th century, and jobs moved out of the area. Steel is no longer made here.
Geography [ edit ]
Bessemer is located approximately 18 miles (29 km) southwest of Birmingham.
According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 40.8 square miles (106 km2), of which 40.7 square miles (105 km2) is land and 0.1 square miles (0.26 km2) (0.17%) is water.
Bessemer is situated in the midst of the iron ore and limestone district of Alabama, in the southern part of Jones Valley (about 3 miles (4.8 km) wide).[9] Iron ore was mined on the hills on the city's southeast side, coal was (and still is) mined to the north and west, and limestone deposits were also nearby. All three ingredients were necessary for steelmaking, which led to the area becoming a major steel center from about 1890 through the twentieth century. Steel is no longer made within the city limits, but is still manufactured in the neighboring city of Fairfield.
Climate [ edit ]
The climate in this area is characterized by hot, humid summers and generally mild to cool winters. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Bessemer has a humid subtropical climate, abbreviated "Cfa" on climate maps.[10]
Climate data for Bessemer, Alabama Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year Average high °F (°C) 55
(13) 60
(16) 68
(20) 76
(24) 83
(28) 90
(32) 93
(34) 92
(33) 87
(31) 77
(25) 67
(19) 58
(14) 75
(24) Average low °F (°C) 31
(−1) 35
(2) 41
(5) 48
(9) 58
(14) 65
(18) 69
(21) 68
(20) 62
(17) 50
(10) 41
(5) 34
(1) 50
(10) Average precipitation inches (mm) 5.6
(140) 4.9
(120) 6
(150) 4.9
(120) 5.2
(130) 4.5
(110) 5.1
(130) 3.7
(94) 4.2
(110) 3.7
(94) 5.1
(130) 4.9
(120) 57.6
(1,460) Source: Weatherbase [11]
Demographics [ edit ]
Historical population Census Pop. %± 1890 4,544 — 1900 6,358 39.9% 1910 10,864 70.9% 1920 18,674 71.9% 1930 20,721 11.0% 1940 22,826 10.2% 1950 28,445 24.6% 1960 33,054 16.2% 1970 33,663 1.8% 1980 31,729 −5.7% 1990 33,497 5.6% 2000 29,672 −11.4% 2010 27,456 −7.5% Est. 2017 26,386 [3] −3.9% U.S. Decennial Census[12]
2013 Estimate[13]
As of the 2013 American Community Survey, there were 27,336 people residing in the city. 72.0% were African American, 24.0% White, 0.1% Native American, 0.2% Asian, 0.1% from some other race and 0.4% from two or more races. 3.2% were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
As of the census of 2000, there were 29,672 people, 11,537 households, and 7,868 families residing in the city. The population density was 729.0 people per square mile (281.5/km2). There were 12,790 housing units at an average density of 314.2 per square mile (121.3/km2). The racial makeup of the city was 69.55% Black or African American, 28.93% White, 0.28% Native American, 0.18% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.30% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 1.14% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race.
There were 11,537 households out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 34.6% were married couples living together, 29.2% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.8% were non-families. 29.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 13.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.52 and the average family size was 3.12.
In the city, the population was spread out with 26.8% under the age of 18, 9.6% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 21.1% from 45 to 64, and 16.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 82.9 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 75.8 males.
The median income for a household in the city was $23,066, and the median income for a family was $28,230. Males had a median income of $29,413 versus $21,552 for females. The per capita income for the city was $12,232. About 24.2% of families and 27.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 37.8% of those under age 18 and 24.7% of those age 65 or over.
Economy [ edit ]
[14] The Bright Star in Bessember is Alabama's oldest restaurant
In 1900, Bessemer ranked eighth in population in the state, second in amount of capital invested in manufacturing, and fourth in the value of its manufactured product for the year. By 1911, ore mining, iron smelting, and the manufacture of iron and coke were the chief industries of Bessemer. Truck farming was also an important industry, dating from the area's agricultural past.
Both blacks and whites from rural areas were attracted to the city for its new work opportunities. Gradually African Americans moved into industrial jobs and became part of integrated unions; such jobs enabled many working-class families to enjoy middle-class incomes.
Today, ore mining has ended, as supplies were exhausted. Manufacturing remains a factor, with the U.S. Pipe and Foundry ductile pipe plant on the city's north side. On May 9, 2007, U.S. Pipe announced that it would be building a new $45-million foundry near the current plant. The site was selected, among other reasons, for having available space for potential future expansions. U.S. Pipe is the largest domestic producer of Ductile Iron pipe in sizes 4 inch through 64 inch.
The city was once home to a large railroad car manufacturing factory, operated by Pullman Standard for many decades and later by Trinity Industries. With railroad restructuring in the late 20th century and other manufacturing moving offshore, this plant ceased most production in the 1990s. Other industries have relocated to this facility.
The decline of mining and exodus of the steelmaking and railcar manufacturing industries resulted in extensive loss of jobs. The city has lost population since a peak in 1970. It faced an economic crisis in the early to mid-1980s, as unemployed workers constituted more than one-third of the workforce. Since that time the city, through the efforts of the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce and the Bessemer Industrial Development Board, has been successful in diversifying its economy. It is recognized for its business growth. In June 2018, Amazon announced that it would build a new 800,000 square feet (74,000 m2), $325 million fulfillment center in Bessemer which will initially create 1,500 new jobs.[15]
Crime increased following the rise in unemployment and social disruption from the decline of manufacturing industries in the area. As of 2019 Bessemer ranks first in terms of violent crimes for US cities with 25,000 or more people.[16] But this is within a context of violent and other crime decreasing across most of the nation since the early 21st century.
Arts and culture [ edit ]
The performance center Bessemer Civic Center provides multiple performance spaces for music and theatre.
Government [ edit ]
Bessemer uses the mayor–city council form of government. The council has seven members, elected from single-member districts. As of 2016, Kenneth Gulley is mayor, a position elected at-large.[17] He was first elected in 2010 and reelected to a second term in 2014.[18]
A satellite Jefferson County courthouse is located in downtown Bessemer. There is a special county government district, known as the "Bessemer Cutoff", which was established in the middle of the 20th century when Bessemer was a major city in its own right. A separate county government was considered a possibility, but there was not sufficient land area to meet legislative requirements for a county. The "Cutoff" had a separate series of Alabama license plates, with a different numeric prefix than the rest of the county.
Bessemer has since been surpassed in size by Birmingham suburbs such as Hoover. But Bessemer retains the branch county courthouse to this day. The term "Bessemer Cutoff" continues to be used regularly by area residents.
The United States Postal Service operates the Bessemer Post Office.[19]
The state Alabama Department of Corrections operates the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility, a prison for men, in unincorporated Jefferson County, Alabama, near Bessemer. The prison includes one of the two Alabama death rows for men.[20]
Education [ edit ]
Public schools [ edit ]
Bessemer operates its own school system independent of Jefferson County schools. The system includes:
Hard Elementary
Jonesboro Elementary
Greenwood Elementary
Abrams Elementary
Westhills Elementary
Bessemer City Middle
Bessemer City High School (formally Jess Lanier)
The Board of Education also operates the Quitman Mitchell Opportunity Center, which includes an adult learning center, Even Start child care center, and New Horizon Alternative School.
Private schools [ edit ]
K–12 private schools in the Bessemer included Bessemer Academy and Rock Christian School.
Community college [ edit ]
Lawson State Community College operates the former Bessemer Technical College campus. The two schools merged in 2005 as a cost-saving measure.
Media [ edit ]
The Western Star is a weekly newspaper which covers Bessemer and nearby communities.
The Birmingham News is published three days per week, and also publishes a weekly section devoted to news from Bessemer and nearby communities.
One radio station, WZGX (1450 AM), operates within the city; it broadcasts some Spanish programming and music to appeal to the growing Mexican-American population of Jefferson County. It also continues a tradition of broadcasting high school football games on Friday nights. All of metro Birmingham's stations are heard in Bessemer, as well as several stations broadcasting from Tuscaloosa.
Television station WDBB (channel 17) is licensed to Bessemer, but broadcasts from studios in Birmingham, simulcasting with WTTO (channel 21). All of Birmingham's television stations may be viewed in Bessemer, and some have established news bureaus there.
Infrastructure [ edit ]
Transportation [ edit ]
In 1911, the town was served by five railroad lines: Alabama Great Southern (Queen & Crescent route), the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, the Kansas City, Memphis & Birmingham (St. Louis & San Francisco Railroad system), the Birmingham Southern Railroad, and the Atlanta, Birmingham & Atlantic railways. Passenger service decreased after people started choosing to travel by automobiles, increasingly so after World War II. In addition, there was widespread restructuring in the railroad industry that also applied to freight lines.
By 2006, the companies noted above had consolidated to CSX Transportation, which has lines to Birmingham and Brookwood; and the Norfolk Southern Railway, with lines to Birmingham, Mobile and New Orleans; Birmingham Southern continues in service. A major railroad feature is the "High Line", constructed by Tennessee Coal & Iron (predecessor to U.S. Steel) to ship iron ore from the mines on the city's south side to the steel works in nearby Fairfield. This elevated line traverses the eastern side of the city. Though tracks were removed over much of the High Line when the mines closed, part of the line is still used by the Birmingham Southern. All of the roadbed and bridges remain in place.
Bessemer is served by the small Bessemer Airport to the southeast of the city. Commercial service in the region is provided by the much larger Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, located 5 miles (8.0 km) north of downtown Birmingham (about 21 miles away in total).
Major highways in Bessemer include I-20/59, I-459, U.S. Route 11, and State Route 150, which connects Bessemer with Hoover.
Notable people [ edit ]
Notable animal [ edit ]
Matilda (chicken), Guinness World Record holder
See also [ edit ]
SS Bessemer Victory - a World War II cargo ship named for Bessemer.This post was contributed by a community member.
Several days ago in my Facebook news feed I saw a photo of a most unlikely pair, right-wing Christian evangelist Pat Robertson and left-wing comedian Bill Maher. The caption superimposed onto the photo read: What do Bill Maher, Pat Robertson, and most Americans agree on? It's time to legalize marijuana.
It's true that for the first time since the cannabis plant was made illegal in 1937, according to recent Gallup polls, a record-high majority of Americans (50 percent) now supports the complete legalization of this botanical mischief maker, and a full 86 percent support its medical use.
Despite the U.S. government's stubborn and draconian policy on marijuana, cannabis legalization supporters are now the majority.
This powerful collective voice was demonstrated in the recent elections, when Colorado and Washington became the first two states to legalize, tax and regulate cannabis for recreational use.
A record number of people — about 125 million to 203 million — around the world now use cannabis, and support for its legalization has never been higher, as, hands down, cannabis users are the single-most persecuted minority on the planet.
Nonetheless, more and more truthful information about the herb's safety and accurate information about its medical properties are replacing years of government propaganda, and scientific discoveries about the newly-discovered medical properties of cannabis are frequently make the headlines.
It seems that that long-awaited end of cannabis prohibition is finally within sight. If we were living in a true democracy, instead of representative government, cannabis would be legal in America today.
The "War on Drugs," which now appears to be politically or racially motivated, to even the dullest of minds, has largely been a war on marijuana users and growers, especially those who are of African or Hispanic descent, and the Drug Enforcement Agency has systematically attempted to block any scientific studies on cannabis that demonstrate the herb's safety or medical merit.
Despite the findings from three government investigations into the safety, dangers, and medical efficacy of cannabis, which demonstrated that cannabis represents no health threat and has valuable medical benefits, every occupant of the Oval Office since Richard Nixon (with the exception of Jimmy Carter) has ignored these findings, and has sought to increase legal penalties for cannabis users.
As a result, America has now imprisoned more of its own citizens than any other nation on Earth. The U.S. has 760 prisoners per 100,000 citizens, and there are currently 6 million Americans in jail. According to "Incarceration Nation" columnist Fareed Zakaria, this is more prisoners than there were in Stalin's Gulag.
However, it seems that the viscous and barbaric war on marijuana users may finally be coming to end. There are hopeful signs everywhere that cannabis prohibition is following alcohol prohibition into the trash bin of failed government policies.
Despite the fact that U.S. government currently lists marijuana as a drug with "no medical use," 17 states and the District of Columbia have legalized cannabis for its medical properties, and six more states have pending legislations or ballot initiatives to do so.
Dozens of scientific studies have now demonstrated the safety and medical efficacy of cannabis. It appears that a critical mass, a tipping point, is about to be reached, and the black iron prison bars surrounding the giggly cannabis blossoms are starting to crack and crumble.
Here in beautiful California, it seems that the future has already arrived. Medical cannabis is easily available to all who need it, and patients' rights are respected by local law enforcement. Nearby, Santa Cruz residents voted to make marijuana crimes the lowest priority for our city's police department, and with a medical marijuana card one can even smoke the herb at some of the outdoor cafes.
Civilization as we know it hasn't yet collapsed in Santa Cruz and other California towns like it, so hopefully, the rest of the world will soon follow suit. When that magic day arrives, we can all spark up our jumbo spliffs, inhale deeply, and cheerfully celebrate to our heart's content.
If you enjoy my column, and want to learn more about psychedelic and cannabis culture, "like" my Facebook page: www.facebook.com/pages/David-Jay-Brown/115740098445882?ref=ts and follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/DavidJayBrownDesigns of the Times
Yasmin Sulaiman
17 August 2016
A tiny container outside Edinburgh Airport has become one of the most talked-about exhibits in the city this month
Move over Royal Mile: one of Edinburgh's buzziest attractions this month is happening way out west – at the city's airport no less. Just outside the main terminal, you'll find a wee container filled with bright objects: an umbrella, a backpack, a blanket. These are the designs of Local Heroes, an exhibition that aims to showcase the artistic flair of Scotland's designers at a time when the world is playing in its capital and passing through its doors.
'The name came from the film Local Hero,' explains curator Stacey Hunter, 'which is about people getting their head around the intrinsic value of something rather than the market value. Those principles are at the heart of this project.'
Hunter is a design curator, and Local Heroes is perfectly timed, falling within Scotland's Year of Architecture, Innovation and Design – whose programme, by and large, has focused on that first category.
Hunter's exhibition is a wonderful contribution to the design strand, though, with each designer commissioned to create their own contemporary take on the'souvenir'. There are nine pieces in Local Heroes: Hilary Grant's Geelong lambswool blanket; Laura Spring's screenprinted travel pouch; a necklace from Tom Pigeon; two backpacks from Glasgow's Trakke; Warriors Studio's take on a classic souvenir poster; Rebecca Torres' one-shoulder swimsuit; RISOTTO director Gabriella Marcella's tropical beach towels; a playful umbrella from Karen Mabon; and a sleek, minimalist watch designed by Instrmnt.
'We played with the idea of what a souvenir could be,' says Hunter, 'thinking about place and tradition and how modern day Scottish designers are being playful with traditions. On the Royal Mile, there is a souvenir shop every two yards, so there's not much differentiation in what you can get. You can get things made by local designers, like a nice Harris Tweed purse, but we wanted to do something that was a really colourful, vibrant snapshot that would stop people in their tracks.'
'I travel a lot,' she adds, 'and it always annoys me when I see other airports, like Helsinki Airport with their beautiful Marimekko pieces. We've got people doing work like that but you just don't see it.'
The result of Hunter's project is a delightfully playful addition to Edinburgh Airport's landscape. And unsurprisingly, attention to detail has been paid in every quarter. 'The watch even comes with a little screwdriver because it's part of the Instrmnt brand that you have to build it,' explains Hunter. 'We've had that go through the security scanner just to make sure that it's alright.'
Importantly, there's a shop at the airport alongside the exhibition and it's essential to Hunter that people are able to buy these designs too. And through Local Heroes, she's helped make these designs much more widely accessible to design enthusiasts, and consumers.
'I love the world of design,' she says, 'the democracy of it. A beautiful teacup that's really well made might cost just £5 or £10, but means you look forward to getting up and making a cup of tea. It's such a small thing but also huge. If you came over to my house you would probably see lots of objects you didn't expect to see. I'm not a design snob, I get excited about going to IKEA and then later think "why did I buy that?". I love vintage stuff, I love bad taste. I don't think design is about trying to be perfect. It's about taking pleasure in an object that someone has put a lot of love and thought into.'
Local Heroes, Edinburgh Airport, until 31 Aug.Google is releasing a new video calling app later this summer. It's called Duo, and it's probably the fastest and simplest video calling app I've ever seen. Like its companion chat app, Allo, Duo is mobile-only. It uses your phone number as an identifier, and it will work on both iOS and Android.
The interface for Duo is so simple and sparse it almost seems silly to describe it, but here goes. When you open it, you're greeted with a selfie-cam video preview of yourself. Check your hair, then tap one of the giant circled photos below to start a call — or scroll up on the panel to see more contacts. You call, the person on the other end of the line answers, and you're having a video chat. You can mute your microphone, you can flip the camera. You can't do a video conference, though.
And that's really it. It took all of five minutes for Google to show me the app last week. When it was over, Erik Kay, director of engineering, communications products, couldn't help but point that out |
SAYREVILLE – A Parlin man has filed a lawsuit against the Sayreville Board of Education, claiming a teacher made racist comments and hurled threats at him during his senior year in high school.
Isaiah Roberts, now 18, claims auto mechanic teacher Richard Bates called him a “gangbanger” in front of other students in class during the 2012-2013 school year at Sayreville War Memorial High School.
Roberts is black.
According to the lawsuit, the teacher also said “You steal cars in Newark” and “You’re going to be dead before you’re 21, just like Chris Cortes.”
Cortes was a 20-year-old Old Bridge man who died in March 2013 when the car he was working on fell on him, according to the lawsuit, which was filed in Middlesex County Superior Court. The comment was made four days after Cortes died, the suit states.
The suit claims the teacher stated “I hate your f---- guts,” and that Roberts became “apprehensive of a possible imminent battery because it is so inappropriate and extreme for a teacher to yell at a student.”
After one of the comments, Bates pulled Roberts out of history class to apologize. “During the conversation, Mr. Bates admitted he had been called a racist and a skinhead in the past,” the lawsuit states.
Roberts’ attorneys claim the BOE has video of the conversation.
The suit – which also names the teacher as a defendant – accuses the Sayreville Board of Education of “intentionally, recklessly and willfully failing to take disciplinary actions against Mr. Bates.”
Reached by phone Monday, Bates said the allegations “are not true.” He declined further comment.
Attorneys for the Sayreville Board of Education were not immediately available for comment.
As a result of the alleged statements, Roberts claims his civil rights were violated, he was discriminated against and suffered emotional distress.
The suit states Roberts’ father complained to Vice Principal Richard Gluchowski, who told him “forget about the situation, the school will handle it.”
The board of education removed Roberts from Bates’ classroom but no further disciplinary action was taken, according to the lawsuit.
The suit seeks unspecified monetary damages, attorney’s fees and court costs.HALIFAX—Canada’s immigration minister has granted permanent residency to an ill woman who was born in Britain but grew up in Canada under difficult circumstances, citing compassionate grounds in an unusual case that raised questions about what it means to be a Canadian. The Canada Border Services Agency wanted to deport Fliss Cramman after she was convicted of a drug offence in 2014 and served 27 months in prison.
Fliss Cramman, shown here in October at Dartmouth General Hospital in Halifax, will return to the hospital to continue her recovery from colon surgery. ( Aly Thomson / THE CANADIAN PRESS file photo )
But in an unexpected move, Immigration Minister John McCallum intervened in the high-profile case Friday, saying the 33-year-old mother of four could stay in Canada as a permanent resident, based on humanitarian considerations. “I feel overwhelmed and happy — really, really happy,” Cramman said at the conclusion of a brief Immigration and Refugee Board hearing at the Dartmouth General Hospital. “It surprised me big time... To be honest, it shocked me.” Having lived in Canada since she was eight years old, Cramman said the deportation order never made sense to her because she didn’t know she wasn’t a citizen. At the age of 11, she was moved into foster care, where her status as a citizen was never resolved.
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“I’ve been here so long, it’s my life,” she said, a tear rolling down her cheek. “If I had gone back to England, I’d be feeling like I was getting sent to Africa or something.” Cramman has long struggled with abuse, anxiety and chronic pain. And she is recovering from surgeries she needed after she was rushed to hospital from a prison facility on Aug. 12 suffering from a perforated bowel. Her physician, Dr. Alex Mitchell, told a recent deportation hearing that Cramman has significant addiction and mental-health issues. At the time, he said it would be “inhumane” to ship her back to a country where she would have no support. Cramman’s case attracted national attention when her supporters revealed that while awaiting deportation on Dec. 16, she remained shackled to her hospital bed and under guard.
Julie Chamagne, executive director of the Halifax Refugee Clinic, said she was stunned by McCallum decision. “I have never seen it happen at this stage (and) I’m... relieved and so happy that the minister... realized how unfair and horrific it was,” she said after the hearing.
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Chamagne suggested Canada’s year-old Liberal government appears to have taken a more charitable approach to immigration issues than the previous Conservative government. “I don’t think this would have happened a year ago,” she said. “It is a reflection that we’re a little bit more compassionate, more understanding and able to see the big picture.” Cramman has long-standing mental health issues, and a drug addiction that set in following years of physical and sexual abuse. In the worst instance, Cramman said she was sexually assaulted and tortured for hours on Christmas Day when she was 16. Cramman said she was exposed to heroin a few years ago and quickly developed a taste for it, leading her to become part of a Facebook scheme to sell the potent drug. Cramman has four young daughters living in Ontario, where she spent most of her time growing up. “I can reconnect with them down the road,” she said. She is expected to leave the hospital within a few days and move to a halfway house in Cape Breton, where she will be on parole. “I can’t wait to just step out of the hospital and touch the grass... For me to just move around, I’m just ecstatic.” When asked what she hopes to do once she is feeling better, Cramman said: “I’m going to be giving back to society big time.” She said she wants to work as a counsellor for women caught in the legal system. Emma Halpern, a lawyer and volunteer with the Elizabeth Fry Society of Cape Breton, called McCallum’s decision “a hopeful moment” Friday. “It was a refreshing response from the minister of immigration and, hopefully, a sign of a government that really cares for the women that we work with.”
Read more about:The next time you hear a group of schoolchildren talking, take a moment to tune in to their accents. Is it possible to tell what part of Ireland they come from? What do you think are the influences on their speech patterns? Do they actually sound Irish, in a way that our grandparents would have recognised?
The global entertainment industry, instantaneous digital communications, social change and economic pressures are changing the way we Irish speak English.
There’s nothing new about this; our relationship with the English language has been richly ambiguous and contradictory for many centuries. But, if anything, the pace of change seems to be accelerating as regional differences are flattened out and a homogenised, largely American form of spoken English takes hold.
Raymond Hickey is professor of linguistics at the University of Duisburg and Essen’s Institute for Anglophone Studies. For decades he has been studying how the Irish speak English.
He says there are always periods when there is a transformation in the way we talk, and other times when things remain relatively static.
He points to the last 25 years as a time of rapid social change. “People thought they were rich and trendy,” he says of the boom years, which he believes were the direct cause of a more ostentatious way of speaking – the much-derided “Dartspeak”.
But things have moved on considerably since then, Hickey says. “At the start of the boom you had things which have since disappeared. You don’t really hear people saying ‘Dort’ anymore, for example.”
Paul Howard agrees. The creator of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly was the first to take “roysh”, “loike” and “fock” out of the mouths of the rugby-playing classes and put them on a page. He’s currently writing the foreword for a new edition of the very first Ross book, The Miseducation of Ross O’Carroll-Kelly, and notices significant changes in speech patterns over the years since it was published in 2000.
‘Every sentence ends with a question’
The most obvious was the arrival in the early 2000s of the high rising terminal, also known as upspeak, whereby every sentence ends with an upward inflection, so it sounds like a question?
“What’s really surprised me is that adults have started to talk like that now,” says Howard.
“Micheál Martin talks like that. It’s become the language of media discourse, which makes sense because it’s constantly looking for affirmation. It’s pleading for you to nod and agree with what I’m saying.”
Where did upspeak come from? Some say Australia, others point to the Valley Girl speech patterns of 1970s southern California, which in turn drew on surfing and skateboarding subcultures (most obviously in the relentless sprinkling of the word “like” across every sentence at every opportunity).
There’s no doubt that Americanisms are becoming more prominent in our language. It’s not just in the Lego Movie that everything is awesome these days. Howard recalls a student coming up to him after a talk he gave in UCD.
“She said ‘Oh my God, I love your books. They are so awesome.’ I asked if she had any problems understanding the books, being from America. And her friend said ‘Oh she’s not American, she’s from Douglas.’
“She wasn’t a dummy,” Howard says. “She was smart, studying pharmacy. She had just decided she wanted to speak with that accent, because she liked it. Young people are much less self-conscious about that than [people of my age] were. I know if I’d gone to school with an American accent, I’d have been frogmarched from the building.”
Hickey points to accent changes such as the growing use of the flat “t” in “party” (so it sounds like “pardy”). Some of this can clearly be put down to changes in pop culture, which is much more Americanised, or at least couched in an Americanised “globishness”, than it was 20 years ago.
“I suppose our exposure to American culture and that homogenised teen accent is far more than when I was a kid, watching Grange Hill,” says Howard.
But there’s something else going on. That young woman from Douglas was comfortable with adopting an accent she liked, as if it were an outfit or a hairstyle. In an age when most people produce a version of their own lives for public consumption on social media, does your accent become part of that role-playing process?
“There is a sense in which people decide to project their own personas, and to have control over that,” says Hickey. “People are very conscious of their accent now, of their voice being heard and how it comes across,” says Howard. “Maybe it’s part of that obsession with self. I think people define themselves more now. I’m this kind of a person, this is how I talk and this is how I dress.”
It’s interesting that the two examples Howard gives are of people from outside Dublin. The changing accent is by no means confined to the capital, though it is usually where changes first occur.
Twenty years ago, journalist Kevin Myers wrote in The Irish Times about the slow death of the local regional accent. “I recall with horror the convent schoolgirl in Kerry who thought I was complimenting her when I told her I could detect no trace of a Kerry accent,” he wrote. “Soon, the ability to speak Dort will be the cherished ambition of every upwardly mobile child in the land. It is an appalling prospect and I have not the least idea how to stop such popular cultural movements.”
The capital effect
In an essay, Hickey points out that Ireland is a highly centralised country with almost a third of the population living in the Dublin metropolitan area, which outweighs all the other cities put together.
“Most prestigious organisations are located in the capital, as are the government and the national radio and television service, along with three universities and numerous colleges,” he wrote. “For these and other reasons, the status of Dublin English is greater than that of any other city or region in the country.
“In the context of the recent changes, this has meant that the new pronunciation has spread rapidly to the rest of the country. For all young people, especially females, who do not identify themselves linguistically with their own locality, the new pronunciation is their phonological norm.”
The result is a mode of speech spread out from the capital and increasingly adopted as a standard around the country.
In years gone by, a very significant part in this was played by RTÉ, says Hickey. “For a long time Ireland was a special case, with one channel based in Dublin 4. And the people who worked there would have had a self-perception of being the most sophisticated in the country.”
Before the current proliferation of media players, this dominant broadcaster had a huge influence on speech patterns throughout the country.
Trying to sound English
Similar patterns were evident elsewhere. In Britain, the highly clipped diction known as received pronunciation (RP) gradually fell out of favour in the 1960s and 1970s. It was replaced by a less formal speech pattern, popularly known as Estuary English, which was heavily influenced by Cockney – Jamie Oliver is a typical exponent. These days, RP has not only disappeared from the BBC; not even the younger members of the royal family use it anymore.
In Ireland, we never had RP, as such. But BBC English had an influence. If you listen back to RTÉ archive recordings from 40 or 50 years ago, you can clearly hear its influence on the newsreaders and continuity announcers of the day.
“Charles Mitchell had a nice, plummy south Dublin accent, which didn’t sound very Irish at all,” says Hickey of RTÉ’s popular newsreader of the 1960s and 1970s.
“Going further back, there used to be a thing called the Rathmines accent, which looked more towards England. Listening now to recordings of James Joyce and Seán O’Casey, it’s extraordinary how English they sounded.”
The idea that to be posh you had to sound English is a longstanding one that hasn’t entirely gone away. Why else would so many voiceovers on ads for financial products and expensive cars sound more Anglo than Irish?
“We had speech and elocution classes in school,” says Paul Howard. “They brought this posh woman in once a week to teach all us kids from council estates in Ballybrack how to speak like a posh English person. Of course we went out the door and forgot about it, but the aspirational thing then was to sound like an English person.”
The social pretensions of the aspirational Dublin middle classes were being lampooned by the likes of Maureen Potter long before Ross O’Carroll-Kelly put on his first pair of rugby boots.
Two decades on, that original Dart accent sounds like the last gasp of old-fashioned Dublin Anglophilia. If it looked anywhere for inspiration it was to the “Okay, yah” verbal stylings of Thatcher-era Sloane Rangers.
“There’s something about those very Dorty accents that they’re very strangulated, they’re not free,” says Andrea Ainsworth, dialogue coach at the Abbey theatre. She says that speech has become much less formal in recent years, reflecting social changes which go well beyond Ireland.
The real Dublin
But what about the “real” Dublin accent, the working-class accent which, according to Hickey, goes back several centuries at least?
“The local Dublin working-class accent has been very stable for a long time,” says Hickey, who distinguishes between the traditional local accent and non-local “advanced” English, spoken by the middle-class, where all the changes are happening. He describes that process as dissociation as it is motivated by the desire of speakers to hive themselves off from vernacular forms of a variety spoken in their immediate surroundings.
The public idea of what a Dublin accent sounded like used to be largely based on the theatrical voices of Jimmy O’Dea and Noel Purcell. It was a self-conscious, oratorical, sometimes self-mocking way of speaking, something you can hear also in recordings of Brendan Behan. It seems to be slowly disappearing.
“I love that accent,” says Howard wistfully. “I love Imelda May. I used to talk like Imelda May.”
He points out that there’s a tradition of mockery of West Brit accents that runs up to the present day with comedians such as Ding Dong Denny O’Reilly. He also talks about a particularly Dublin way of speaking in public.
“It’s that thing, when you hear Roddy Collins talking on radio, every consonant is enunciated. I know Roddy, and when I talk to him, he talks completely differently. I would have a bit of that, where my mother told me to make sure to pronounce my Ts.”
How Saoirse Ronan talks
Roddy Collins’s formalised speech on radio is at odds with the latest trends, as dialogue coach Andrea Ainsworth notes. “One thing about the younger generation of film actors is they are much more casual,” she says diplomatically, when I ask about some of the accents in the recent RTÉ series Rebellion, which seemed jarringly contemporary to me.
Ainsworth’s job is to work with performers to perform a text in a way that is both true to the writer’s intention and meaningful to a contemporary audience. That’s always a balancing act.
As some have pointed out, Saoirse Ronan’s accent in Brooklyn hews closer to 21st-century south county Dublin than 1950s Enniscorthy, but that works perfectly well for the purposes of the drama.
The actor’s own Dublin accent came in for some heckling lately, but seems, to me anyway, to be a perfectly reasonable way for a young Irishwoman in her 20s to speak in 2016.
Saoirse Ronan’s changing accent is proof of an important truth. Our accents are not governed only by social trends and external influences. They are ultimately personal to their users, who may alter them at will. Many people adjust their accents to fit their circumstances, sometimes several times in the course of a day.
Certain left-wing TDs who attended fee-paying Dublin schools now have accents designed to fit better with their political position. This is sometimes seen as somehow inauthentic or shallow. But most of us do it at some stage.
“We start off talking like our parents. We end up speaking like our peers,” says Ainsworth.
How important is social class? “The whole thing about class is you define it for yourself,” says Hickey. “You decide what class you are. And it has broadened out a lot. The established middle class where I grew up in Waterford were incredibly snobbish and superior. The working class could never get a loan from the bank, or move beyond their station. That’s changed a lot now.”
So it seems as if several things are happening simultaneously. One is an ongoing adjustment in the Dublin middle-class accent since the late 1980s. Another is the adoption of that accent by an increasing number of younger people around the country.
Add to that an increase in prosperity and a dramatic rise in the number of people entering third-level education. Finally, you have an all-pervasive globalised mass media which trades in a homogenised, informal American English.
“I think what the Celtic Tiger did was it took huge numbers of people like me,” says Howard. “And it processed them into people who speak with this total abdication of an accent. Which is nothing, it’s a nowhere accent. I suppose my accent is nowhere at the moment, which reflects my own circumstances.”
My bland accent
Howard’s accent and mine are now pretty similar – bog-standard, middle-class and blander than bland. He and I did meet many years ago, when both of us were still at school.
“I almost needed subtitles to understand you then,” says Howard. “But you do seem decidedly less posh now. Maybe I know more people like you and it’s less of a novelty.”
The Hiberno-English of the future will not be decided by middle-aged men in any case. The agents of change, says Hickey, are young women. They’re the ones who pick up on new styles in language as they do in fashion. They’ll try things on for size, keep some bits and discard others.
So does this mean that Irish English will disappear under a wave of homogenisation? “The answer is no,” says Hickey. “They’re not adopting American accents, they’re adopting certain elements of speech.”
Language and accent are powerful signifiers of national and regional identity, economic and educational status, and sometimes of beliefs and values. Language is also fluid and ever-changing.
Changes in how people around us speak can be unsettling. “People have been complaining about language decay for at least 1,000 years,” says Hickey, who is sanguine about the changes happening now. “Language is overladen with all these emotions, but it’s really not all as bad as people think.”
So don’t panic. Keep talking. And keep changing.Penn State football commit Isheem Young has been accused of robbing a convenience store in Philadelphia over the summer, according to a media report.
A Philadelphia court official told The Philadelphia Inquirer that Young was charged Friday with robbery, conspiracy and firearms violations after he and two accomplices allegedly stole $13,600 from a Wawa in July.
According to a police report obtained by the Inquirer, Young was armed with a revolver when he allegedly robbed the store with the help of his brother -- the manager of the store -- and a getaway driver.
Bail for Young was set at $150,000. The 18-year-old has been cooperating with police, the court official said.
Young, the No. 170 recruit in the Class of 2018, according to ESPN, committed to the Nittany Lions on July 18, about two weeks before the robbery occurred.MIAMI - Florida has the best drivers.
Florida has the worst drivers.
All the proclamations are enough to make your head spin, which is fine as long as it's not while you're behind the wheel.
But now there's yet another survey that claims drivers in the Sunshine State are the second best in the entire country.
Yes, the same drivers who mastered the technique of cutting off others on I-95, changing lanes without signaling and offering up obscene gestures are considered to be the gold standard of vehicular piloting in 2017.
QuoteWizard came up with the most recent rankings which were based on accidents, speeding tickets, DUI's, citations and fatalities.
According to the rankings, Florida performed well in every category except fatalities, where the state ranks... gulp... 21st worst.
Only Rhode Island fared better than Florida, and for them it was a back-to-back championship, having won in 2016.
The worst in the country was none other than California, followed by Minnesota and Utah.
So go out and celebrate, Florida drivers. You're No. 2... until you use your skills and drive Rhode Island off the road and out of the competition.
Copyright 2017 by WPLG Local10.com - All rights reserved.TWO footballers have been punished for peeing in their pint glasses at the Cheltenham Festival in front of thousands.
DAILY STAR MK DONG: Love Island winner Jessica Hayes, model Katie Salmon and footballer Samir Carruthers
MK Dons midfielder Samir Carruthers and Northampton Town's James Collins – on loan from Shrewsbury – were both snapped slipping their todgers in their glasses while in a packed VIP box. Carruthers has been docked two weeks' wages – thought to be around £12,000 – which will be donated to charity, and has been suspended for at least this Saturday's Brighton match. Collins meanwhile was also fined two weeks' wages after he appeared to go one step further by pouring the contents over the box's balcony. "I just want to say I'm sorry to everyone, my family, the club, chairman, the gaffer," said Carruthers, speaking to Sky Sports. "I've not been raised up to do something like that and I've let everyone down."
Twenty-two-year-old Carruthers was surrounded by merry colleagues, including Norwich-loanee Josh Murphy, Brighton-loanee Jake Forster-Caskey and Bristol City's Luke Ayling. MK Dons chairman Peter Winkelman said: "I came to the meeting very angry and concerned as we have put huge effort into building a family-friendly reputation at MK Dons. "However, it was clear Samir was sincere, contrite and all-encompassing with his apology. "He has also taken full responsibility for his behaviour and understands the damage he has caused to his own and the club's reputation.
DAILY STAR SNAPPED: Ex-Villa star Samir takes a chance
"Obviously, his actions are still unacceptable and, as a result, he has been disciplined. "Samir has received a warning, been fined two weeks' wages and handed a suspension by the club, which is inclusive of this Saturday's Sky Bet Championship fixture with Brighton & Hove Albion." The club says Carruthers requested that his fine go to charitable causes. The cash will go to one of Cheltenham Festival's choice, Rickley Park School, the Football League's official partner Prostate Cancer UK, and the Dons' charity Willen Hospice.
DAILY STAR TAKING THE P***: Northampton defender James Collins was also pictured urinating in a glass
Racecourse bosses also moved quickly to ban the group. In a tweet, Cheltenham Racecourse said: "In regards to images of inappropriate behaviour from yesterday, we have cancelled their booking from today." The girlfriend of Ayling appeared to hit out at the pictures, tweeting: "Don't believe everything you read." Republic of Ireland international Carruthers played three times for Villa, making his debut as a substitute for Barry Bannan against Liverpool in 2012. The flat-capped lad's little episode on the VIP balcony was also mirrored by Northampton Town's Collins. Collins, donning a grey suit, can also be seen taking a leak in a glass (above) while sheepishly looking over his right-hand shoulder.
Don't believe everything you read ������������ — ♡ Poppy Weller ♡ (@Miss_Weller) March 16, 2016
DAILY STAR TOP TIP: Katie Salmon follows suit
Northampton chairman Kelvin Thomas said: "James knows full well of our disappointment in him and fully accepts that his actions have damaged the reputation of the two clubs and football in general. "We cannot control what players do in their spare time, however we do expect a level of behaviour becoming of being a professional footballer and that has been made very clear to James." Red-head Love Island TV winner Jessica Hayes and model Katie Salmon meanwhile both took turns to pop out a boob for the cameras from the same VIP box. The skin-slipping celebs were just some of thousands quick out the blocks yesterday – as scores of crowds were snapped larking about shoulder to shoulder with the racing elite at Cheltenham.
DAILY STAR MERRY MADNESS: Josh Murphy with Samir Carruthers
TIM MERRY BRAZEN: Players huddle around Samir as he takes a quick pee
TIM MERRY UNPLEASANT: Samir appears to pop the pint of urine on the balcony ledge
TIM MERRY LARKING: Jessica Hayes screams and Katie Salmon flashes a smile
In regards to images of inappropriate behaviour from yesterday, we have cancelled their booking for today. — CheltenhamRacecourse (@CheltenhamRaces) March 16, 2016
The Queen's granddaughter Zara Phillips, footie pundit Jamie Redknapp and ex-jockey AP McCoy's wife Channelle all graced the floor at day-one of the four-day meeting in Gloucestershire. Telly duo Ant and Dec's horse Augusta Kate is set to feature on Tuesday meanwhile. Former England striker Alan Shearer and golf star Lee Westwood also have a share in the hotly-tipped favourite.Illustration: Jude Buffum
Voltaire once wrote, “The best is the enemy of the good.”
That’s just one of the many ways of saying that perfectionism is not always a virtue. Yet computers today are relentless perfectionists, because even rare flaws in their output can be expensive, if not disastrous. A bug in Intel’s P5 Pentium chip, for example, cost the company almost half a billion U.S. dollars, even though it caused only slightly inaccurate answers in about one in 9 billion computations.
The extraordinary reliability of computers makes them useful for many tasks, especially ones that we error-prone humans would never be able to do well. But this wonderful quality comes at a price—energy. You see, to ensure that errors are so rare that you can safely assume they never happen, computers consume gobs of energy.
That near-perfect correctness was a foregone conclusion by 1971, when the first commercial microprocessor, the Intel 4004, hit the market. For the next three decades, the main goal of microprocessor designers was to maintain that attribute while stuffing ever more transistors onto each chip; energy efficiency was, if anything, an after thought. Today, however, energy use is front and center in chip designers’ minds, for several reasons.
First off, the processors that go into the mobile computers we’ve all grown so fond of, like smartphones and tablets, must be energy efficient to conserve battery life. Those found in supercomputers and data centers need to be similarly thrifty with power, because the electricity to run these facilities often costs their owners millions of dollars a year. And in contrast to the situation in 1971, designers can no longer count on advances in semiconductor technology to bring drastically better per-transistor energy efficiency year after year.
Indeed, they now face the “dark silicon” problem: While Moore’s Law remains intact, consistently delivering more transistors per chip with each new generation of manufacturing, microprocessors can’t use all these additional transistors at the same time. Only a portion of them can be powered up before the chip becomes impossible to cool. So chip designers must arrange things to leave much of the microprocessor unpowered, or “dark,” at any given moment—the rolling blackouts of the silicon world.
In this energy-constrained era, computer scientists of all stripes need to reexamine each of the things computers devote power to—including error-free operation. Absolute correctness was a great attribute when energy didn’t matter. But now it’s time to embrace the occasional slipup.
Compromising on correctness may seem to be a dangerous strategy. After all, when computers make mistakes, the results can be catastrophic. So if you let them make more mistakes, wouldn’t they run the risk of becoming useless? Not really. The trick is controlling when the goofs can happen. Sometimes they won’t pose a problem, because many of the things we use computers for today don’t demand strict correctness.
Let’s say you’re on a long flight, watching a movie on your tablet computer. When the original movie file was compressed, the software that encoded it threw away unimportant details from each frame to produce a file that’s a lot smaller. If the software decoder running on your tablet messes up a few pixels while playing the movie back, you probably won’t object—especially if it means more battery life remains by the time the credits roll.
This situation is not unique to media players. For many kinds of software—speech recognition, augmented reality, machine learning, big-data analytics, and game graphics, to give a few examples—perfection in the output isn’t the goal. Indeed, completely correct answers to the problem at hand may be impossible or infeasible to compute. All that’s desired is an approximate answer. And when today’s perfectionist computers execute these fundamentally approximate programs, they squander energy.
To seize the opportunity this extravagance presents, computer designers could build machines that can switch into an energy-saving—albeit somewhat error-prone—mode on demand. The machine might turn down the CPU voltage, for example, at the expense of causing arithmetic errors every once in a while. Reducing the refresh rate on dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips could also save energy, with the trade-off being a few unwanted bit flips. And wireless devices could cut back on the power they draw if some communication errors were allowed.
Many researchers are working on such energy-saving hardware modifications. We have been exploring how programmers could make use of them. To that end, our research group at the University of Washington, in Seattle, has developed a computer language that lets benign errors occur every now and then while preventing the catastrophic ones. We call it EnerJ. It’s our contribution to a new approach for boosting energy efficiency called approximate computing.
The key difficulty with approximate computing is that even an approximate program sometimes needs to produce absolutely correct results. Consider a photo-manipulation program. While a handful of incorrect pixels won’t mar a large image, a single wrong bit in the file’s JPEG header could render the output useless.
This dichotomy is common to many kinds of software: Some parts of a program can tolerate occasional mistakes or imprecision, while other parts must always be executed precisely and without error. Approximate computers need to support both modes, and approximate programs must be written to use the energy-efficient mode wherever possible while avoiding errors that would lead to catastrophic failures.
But how does a computer distinguish between the parts of a program that can tolerate approximation and those that can’t? At this stage at least, the programmer needs to instruct the computer to do that, using a language that offers some mechanism for making the distinction.
Our prototype language, EnerJ, works by letting the programmer mark data as either approximate or precise. Note that we’re using those terms somewhat loosely here. The two kinds of data could differ in just numerical precision—that is, in the number of bits devoted to holding a value. Or they could differ in how prone they are to errors: An “approximate” datum would have a small but non-negligible chance of being garbage, whereas a “precise” datum can for all practical purposes be considered error free. Some of the hardware we’ve been investigating mix these two energy-saving approaches, allowing occasional errors in the least significant bits while making sure that the most significant ones are always correct.
EnerJ is an extension of the Java programming language, but its overall design can be applied to most languages with data types that the programmer declares explicitly. Such declarations are used to indicate whether a data element is meant to hold a Boolean (true/false) value, a byte, a 32-bit integer, a 64-bit integer, a 32-bit floating-point number, a 64-bit floating-point number, or various other possibilities. Everywhere the programmer declares a Java data element, he or she can mark it as approximate by writing “ @Approx ” before the declaration. Data types declared without such an annotation are implicitly made precise. In other words, the system uses approximation only where the programmer has specifically allowed it.
Illustration: Jude Buffum
As a concrete example, imagine that you want to write some code that calculates the average shade of a black-and-white image that measures 1000 by 1000 pixels. Your code might start with the first pixel of the first row and note its value. It would then go on to the second pixel in the first row and add its value to the first. Then it would do the same with the third pixel, and so on, each time adding the pixel’s value to a running sum it’s maintaining in some variable—let’s call it TOTAL. When it gets to the 1000th pixel in row one, the program starts all over on the second row of pixels and continues in that manner until it finishes up with the 1000th pixel of the 1000th row. At the end, it divides TOTAL by 1 million to calculate the average pixel value. Easy enough.
In addition to the variable TOTAL, the code requires two counter variables: one to keep track of the row number and one for the column number of the pixel it’s adding to the sum. After the column counter gets to 999, it resets to 0 and progresses to the next row. When both row and column counters reach 999, the program can divide by a million to get the average.
If along the way one of the million pixel values is a little off or doesn’t get added correctly to the sum, well, it’s no big deal: The answer will be affected, but not by much. If, however, one of the row or column counters doesn’t increase correctly, the program might throw an error, terminate prematurely, or even go into an infinite loop.
With EnerJ, the programmer simply marks TOTAL and the array holding the pixel values with “ @Approx ” when he or she declares them. The two counter variables—let’s call them I and J —remain precise.
Illustration: Jude Buffum
The yet-to-be-built energy-saving computer this EnerJ program runs on would then be allowed to use approximate computation indiscriminately—as long as it didn’t affect the program’s precise data. For example, the computer might store the individual pixel values in unreliable, low-refresh-rate DRAM, but it would have to use the normal, reliable part of its memory to store I and J. Or the addition operations that add the pixel values to TOTAL could be run at a lower voltage level because both of the operands are approximate, but the operations that increase the two counter variables would have to be run at the normal voltage so that they were always computed exactly. That is, just by annotating the type declarations in the code, the programmer specifies where approximate storage and operations can be used and where such approximation is forbidden.
EnerJ also helps programmers avoid bugs that would let approximate computations contaminate data that need to stay precise. Specifically, it forbids the program from putting approximate data into precise variables. Continuing with our example, this assignment would be illegal:
I = TOTAL;
Because I is precise, EnerJ guarantees that no approximation can be used to compute it. TOTAL is approximate, so copying its value into I would introduce approximation into a part of the program that the programmer wants to keep precise and free of errors. On the other hand, the opposite assignment has no such issues:
TOTAL = I;
Precise-to-approximate assignments like this one do not violate any guarantees of precision because they affect only approximate data.
By allowing one kind of assignment while prohibiting the other, EnerJ ensures that data move in just one direction. This constraint acts like a one-way valve: Precise data can flow freely into the approximate part of the program, but not vice versa.
The researchers who pioneered systems for enforcing unidirectional data movement, called information-flow tracking, were not interested in saving energy. They were concerned about software security. They wanted their programs to distinguish between low-integrity (possibly compromised) |
# file, and the support for it is not great. The folder structure for Pinstripe is ridiculous and bizarre because of UnityScript. I have a folder called “Zippy Scripts”.
Yes, it’s called “Zippy Scripts".
I needed a folder labeled with a Z so that it was at the bottom of my project hierarchy (for sanity), and I also needed a folder that was compiled fast and last. The explanation here is likely convoluted, but by year four I had so many UnityScript classes that the compile time was taking F-O-R-E-V-E-R. I ended up moving all my scripts into a folder that didn’t compile every time I hit “save”. The problem here was in order to reduce compile times I had to move my UnityScripts next to C# scripts in relation to their compilation, meaning any C# classes could not access the UnityScripts. At this point, I was desperate, and created “translation” classes. Ones that were in a folder that allowed for variables to be passed between classes written in different languages. I know, this makes no sense. But it worked. Metaphor: it's as if I placed the final card onto a house of cards and for some reason, the card itself stood up straight and didn’t fall over. At this point, I just said “I don’t know why it works but it works” and left it. So now the compile times are faster, but if I could do it again I’d use C#. Hands down. It’s just faster.
5) Development Environment
Pinstripe was initially developed on my MacBook. I think at some point I started using a small monitor for more screen space. Once I had enough money to purchase better equipment, shifting from Apple to Windows was actually a bit of a hassle. I recall the first time I opened Pinstripe in Unity on my PC, half of the game's sprites were purple. For some reason, PCs didn't recognize this kind of shader. Problems like this persisted for a month of so, and certainly backed up the production schedule. I'm can confidently say building games on a PC is your best bet, mainly because the majority of gamers play your games on a PC.
Conclusion
I feel a sense of relief, a sadness, and a sudden spirit of adventure — I have no idea what lies ahead, but I have a feeling it’s going to be really fun. I can’t say right now what that whole experience was about. Lately, I've been wondering if it was just some silly teenage dream that manifested into an obsession. Who knows. Time will tell. As for future projects, I have this game idea in my head, and I can’t wait to get it out. I’m excited to start and tell no-one. The secret feeling of starting a project and it being only yours is very special. I guess that was really the fuel for Pinstripe: a feeling of making something awesome, with 100% of it coming straight from my heart, and no-one could tell me no.Dramatic changes are coming to the old power grid. As infrastructure ages and policy dictates a move away from fossil fuels, utilities and governments are looking at Distributed Energy Resources (DERs) as potential alternatives to continually building out a centralized grid.
DERs include all kinds of hardware that the utility may not necessarily own directly—solar panels, natural gas-fired microturbines, stationary batteries, and alternative cooling. Demand-response schemes, where a grid operator shifts electricity consumer use (usually through incentives) away from high-demand times, are also considered DERs.
Planning for DERs makes grid management trickier than it was when a company simply built a huge new plant and connected a power line to it. Without a lot of data, it’s hard to know what kinds of energy resources will have the most impact economically and environmentally and what will be most cost-effective for utilities. But a trio of researchers from Stanford University is attempting to make this planning easier for utilities and policy makers to solve. The researchers published a paper in Nature Energy this week describing a program they built to model DER deployment in a way that will result in the lowest cost to grid operators.
The program, called “ReMatch,” uses smart grid data to match groups of consumers with different kinds of distributed resources based on the customers' energy use and the ability to construct resources in that area (like solar panels, batteries, and so on). If a business district uses a lot of power around mid-day, for example, it might be worthwhile to offer incentives for that area to install solar panels. If a row of restaurants is open until 9pm, perhaps offering those businesses a solar-plus-battery option would be more cost-effective.
The modeling program can also break down customer energy use by the hour. The software can, for example, pick out customers who use a lot of solar in the morning and customers who use a lot of solar in the afternoon. The utility can then use that information to balance the enrollment of each kind of customer, thereby evening out the demands on the grid.
The researchers applied ReMatch to a 10,000-customer sample in California, using real hourly data gleaned from smart meters. The model found that constructing DER infrastructure in a targeted way reduced the Levelized Cost of Electricity (that is, the present value of the resource over its lifetime costs) by nearly 50 percent. This was, the paper states, due to a dramatic reduction in operating costs incurred by the utility.
By offering detailed data on intermittency, customer demand, and operating costs, utilities can take a targeted approach to incentivizing DER infrastructure, which will help them meet renewables goals and reduce costs associated with indiscriminate buildout. “[O]ur results suggest that in order for DER infrastructure to become a reality we must design smart and targeted policies, programs, and incentives that facilitate the balancing of consumer type enrollment in DER plans and programs with the existing grid,” the researchers concluded. “Under such smart policies, the optimal mix of consumers could be selected to become part of emerging utility models of organized ‘prosumer’ community groups to preserve the cost effectiveness of model-derived DER infrastructure plans.”
Nature Energy, 2017. DOI: 10.1038/nenergy.2017.112 (About DOIs).Editor’s Note: Massive Spoilers. Read at your own risk.
Breaking Bad is one of the most ethically complicated dramas on television today. The series explores themes of sin, guilt, forgiveness, and damantion through the transformation of Walter White, a high school chemistry teacher turned meth kingpin. Calling the series’s thematic landscape a philosophy fails to fully appreciate its religious dimensions; in this essay, I will sketch a few tenets of what we might call the theology of Breaking Bad.
In the beginning, Walter could hardly be a more sympathetic character. He is passionate about his subject (if not about his frequently inattentive students). But one day, he receives a diagnosis of advanced lung cancer that forces him to confront his mortality. With a disabled son and pregnant wife, Walter worries that his death will leave his family impoverished. As he runs the numbers, he realizes that to keep his family comfortable after his death, he would need to make more than a million dollars in just a few months. When he sees a drug bust on television, Walter realizes his best option to make fast cash is to put his chemical expertise to use manufacturing methamphetamine.
Over the course of five seasons, Walter descends deeper and deeper into evil, becoming the ultimate anti-hero. So how does one go from a common chemistry teacher to a murderous drug lord? Or as series creator Vince Gilligan puts it, “What if it was essentially me— in other words—a guy who has never broken a law, barely littered or jaywalked, who has never broken the law in any serious way suddenly finding himself being a meth cook, doing something reprehensible?” Gilligan’s answer takes three primary forms: Walter’s evil deeds are motivated by pride, rationalized with good intentions, and lead him slowly but surely into total depravity.If approved by the court, the settlement announced on Friday will resolve that case and some others. The government is still negotiating with plaintiffs in other cases, which unlike the Ontario case also involve provinces and include accusations that the plaintiffs were abused by foster or adoptive families.
The government is also still working out the amounts for individual settlements and the wording of an official apology. The settlement announced Friday will include 50 million Canadian dollars for a foundation to educate adoptees about their native languages and cultures.
In an earlier ruling in the case, Justice Edward P. Belobaba of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice called the adoption program “well intentioned but profoundly uninformed” and found that it had a profound effect on the children throughout their lives.
“There is also no dispute about the fact that great harm was done,” he wrote in his February decision. “The ‘scooped’ children lost contact with their families. They lost their aboriginal language, culture and identity. Neither the children nor their foster or adoptive parents were given information about the children’s aboriginal heritage or about the various educational and other benefits that they were entitled to receive. The removed children vanished ‘with scarcely a trace.’ ”
The program was, in some ways, a successor to the residential school system, which was winding down during the 1960s.
While the federal government was responsible for the welfare of indigenous children — something that is a provincial obligation when it comes to all other children — it had no cohesive plan for delivering such services. So in 1965, it began giving provinces money to handle the job through their children’s aid societies and other organizations.
Government officials, at least during the planning stages, made efforts to ensure that the new system did not erode indigenous culture and identities — unlike the practices in the earlier residential school program.Ukraine mobilized for war on Sunday and Washington threatened to isolate Russia economically, after President Vladimir Putin declared he had the right to invade his neighbour in Moscow's biggest confrontation with the West since the Cold War.
"This is not a threat: this is actually the declaration of war to my country," Ukraine's Prime Minister Arseny Yatseniuk, head of a pro-Western government that took power when Russian ally Viktor Yanukovich fled last week, said in English.
Putin secured permission from his parliament on Saturday to use military force to protect Russian citizens in Ukraine and told U.S. President Barack Obama he had the right to defend Russian interests and nationals, spurning Western pleas not to intervene.
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry called Russia's military incursion into Ukraine "an incredible act of aggression." Kerry will travel to Kyiv, Ukraine, on Tuesday to stress U.S. political and economic support.
Russian forces have already bloodlessly seized Crimea — an isolated Black Sea peninsula where Moscow has a naval base. On Sunday, they surrounded several small Ukrainian military outposts there and demanded the Ukrainian troops disarm.
'Dangerous course of actions'
Canada's Foreign Minister John Baird condemned Russia's moves and called on Putin to stop his "provocative and dangerous course of actions," urging the Russian leader to withdraw his troops in the Crimea back to their bases. He reiterated that Canada had recalled its ambassador in Moscow and is boycotting the G8 preparations in Sochi, in a news conference Sunday from Toronto.
The minister sidestepped questions about a boycott and when questioned about sanctions, he spoke about Canada talking to allies, NATO and the UN about further steps.
"Non-participation in the G8 will hurt Russia," said NDP Leader Tom Mulcair at a Sunday news conference. "Having the international community condemn as one this totally illegal invasion of a sovereign country will help send a signal even to the most obtuse regime like the Putin regime."
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In Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital, Yatsenyuk said there was no reason for Russia to invade Ukraine and warned that "we are on the brink of disaster."
But so far, his new government and other countries have been powerless to stop Russia's military tactics. Armed men in uniforms without insignia have moved freely about the peninsula, occupying airports, smashing equipment at an air base and besieging a Ukrainian infantry base.
"Ukraine is calling up all army reservists, getting this country combat ready," CBC News correspondent Susan Ormiston said, reporting from Crimea. "We were at a naval base not far from the capital of Crimea, where hundreds of Russian troops have surrounded the base. They blocked the gates with the Ukrainian army inside, but no violence."
Ormiston said there are reports the Ukrainian army is trying to protect its own caches of munitions.
"The city feels like it's still functioning. The doors are open," CBC News correspondent Nahlah Ayed reported from Western-sympathetic Kyiv. "But there's definitely apprehension here. They don't know where it's going. But this isn't really tangible on the ground as you are travelling around Kyiv."
The BBC is reporting that Russian soldiers are digging trenches where the Crimea peninsula meets the mainland.
Ukrainian officials announced Sunday that the head of the country's Black Sea fleet has been removed and is under investigation for treason. They say Denis Berezovsky did not provide resistance when the Russian army seized the port of Sevastopol, the headquarters of Ukrainian naval forces.
Russia has long wanted to reclaim the lush Crimean Peninsula, which was part of Russia until 1954. Its Black Sea Fleet is stationed there and nearly 60 per cent of Crimea's residents identify themselves as Russian.
Ukraine's population of 46 million has divided loyalties between Russia and Europe, with much of western Ukraine advocating closer ties with the EU, while eastern and southern regions like Crimea look to Russia for support.
Unidentified troops pulled up to the Ukrainian military base at Perevalne on the Crimean Peninsula in a convoy that included at least 13 trucks and four armoured vehicles with mounted machine guns. The trucks carried 30 soldiers each and had Russian licence plates.
Standoff at Ukrainian military base
A dozen Ukrainian soldiers placed a tank at the base's gate, leaving the two sides in a tense standoff.
Ukraine's acting president, Oleksandr Turchynov, announced late Saturday that he had ordered Ukraine's armed forces to be at full readiness because of the threat of "potential aggression."
Turchynov also said he had ordered stepped-up security at nuclear power plants, airports and other strategic infrastructure.
But the U.S. and other Western governments have few options to counter Russia's military moves.
Countries pulling out of pre-G8 meetings
In Brussels, NATO's secretary general said Russia had violated the UN charter with its military action in Ukraine, and he urged Moscow to "de-escalate the tensions."
Unidentified armed men patrol Sunday around a Ukrainian infantry base in Perevalne, a village in Crimea. (Darko Vojinovic/Associated Press) NATO chief Anders Fogh Rasmussen spoke before a meeting Sunday of the alliance's political decision-making body to discuss the crisis and asked "all parties to urgently continue all efforts to move away from this dangerous situation."
Ukraine is not a NATO member, meaning the U.S. and Europe are not obligated to come to its defence. But Ukraine has taken part in some alliance military exercises and contributed troops to its response force.
Kerry, interviewed on Sunday news shows in the U.S., raised the possibility of boycotting the G8 summit, which is to be held in June in Sochi, the Russia resort that just hosted the Winter Olympics. He also discussed visa bans, asset freezes, and trade and investment penalties.
U.S. President Barack Obama spoke with Putin by telephone for 90 minutes Saturday and expressed his "deep concern" about "Russia's clear violation of Ukrainian sovereignty and territorial integrity," the White House said. Obama warned that Russia's "continued violation of international law will lead to greater political and economic isolation."
In Moscow, thousands marched Sunday in a pro-invasion rally one day after Russia's parliament gave Putin a green light to use military force in Ukraine. At least 10,000 people bearing Russian flags marched freely through the city, while dozens of people demonstrating on Red Square against an invasion of Ukraine were quickly detained by Russian riot police.
The new Ukrainian government came to power last week following months of pro-democracy protests against a pro-Russian president, Viktor Yanukovych, and his decision to turn Ukraine toward Russia instead of the European Union.
Yanukovych fled to Russia after more than 80 people died, most of them demonstrators killed by police. He insists he's still president.
Since then, tensions have risen sharply between the two capitals.
Referendum planned on Crimea's future
The Interfax news agency reported the speaker of Crimea's legislature, Vladimir Konstantinov, as saying the local authorities did not recognize the government in Kyiv. He said a planned referendum on March 30 would ask voters about the region's future status.
The White House said the U.S. will suspend participation in preparatory meetings for the Group of Eight economic summit planned.
CBC correspondent Susan Ormiston is in Ukraine. Follow her reports on CBC News Network during the day and each night on CBC's The National. You can follow her on Twitter @Ormistononline
Canadian athletes will still compete in the upcoming Paralympics in Sochi, the Prime Minister's Office said late Saturday. The games are set for March 7 to March 16.
Also on Saturday, Prime Minister Stephen Harper said Canada supports the United Nations sending international monitors to Ukraine and is also involved in multilateral talks to put together a financial aid package for the beleaguered country.
On Sunday, Britain said it will suspend its participation in preparations for a G8 meeting in Sochi. British Prime Minister David Cameron said U.K. cabinet ministers will stay away from the Sochi Paralympics due to the conflict in Ukraine.
French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius said on Europe 1 radio that planning for the summit should be put on hold. France "condemns the Russian military escalation" in Ukraine, and Moscow must "realize that decisions have costs," he said Sunday.
"We are on a very dangerous track of increasing tensions," German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said in a statement. "[But] it is still possible to turn around. A new division of Europe can still be prevented."Yeah, but can she bring the drama? The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills has added a new cast member, sources tell Us Weekly. The Bravo series has selected Kathryn Edwards to join the cast.
PHOTOS: Former Real Housewives stars
The ex-wife of NFL legend Marcus Allen will be one of the replacements for Kim Richards and Brandi Glanville, who will not be returning this season. She joins newbie Erika Jayne, a singer from Atlanta, Ga. Bravo would not comment on the casting.
PHOTOS: Real Housewives' pets
Edwards is currently married to retired NFL linebacker Donnie Edwards.
Glanville announced her exit from the show after four seasons back in June, saying, “After a lot of careful thought and deliberation I have decided not to return to RHOBH as a full time cast member this season. The past four years have been amazing, a complete roller coaster of a ride.”
PHOTOS: Real Housewives weddings
Richards is not returning to the show in the wake of her recent arrests and struggles with sobriety. After briefly attending rehab following her April arrest for public intoxication, Richards was sentenced to three years summary probation, 30 days of community labor, and 52 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings earlier this month. She was also hospitalized in August after being arrested for allegedly shoplifting more than 100 items from a Target store in L.A.’s San Fernando Valley.
Sign up now for the Us Weekly newsletter to get breaking celebrity news, hot pics and more delivered straight to your inbox!
Want stories like these delivered straight to your phone? Download the Us Weekly iPhone app now!This map shows the approximate route taken by a pair of suspects during an incident that police say involved three stolen cars, dangerous driving, attempted robberies and police evasion on Saturday, Jan. 28, 2017. (Google Maps)
On Saturday, West Vancouver police spent more than six hours on the trail of suspects they say stole three cars, drove dangerously, eluded officers, attempted robberies, and snarled traffic across the North Shore and Sea to Sky corridor before finally being apprehended.
It took four different police agencies, including a police plane, helicopter and a canine unit to arrest the suspects.
"West Vancouver police appreciate public patience with traffic disruptions and delays necessary to bring this investigation to a safe conclusion with suspects in custody," said the force in a release,
It all began in Lions Bay around noon when Squamish RCMP received reports of a suspicious vehicle that was reported stolen in Burnaby.
Second stolen vehicle
"Within minutes the suspect vehicle was found abandoned at Kelvin Grove Beach in Lions Bay and a second vehicle [was] reported stolen," said West Vancouver police.
It was then seen near the 3100 block of Marine Drive and soon afterwards collided with an unmarked police vehicle, but the officer was not injured according to West Vancouver police.
The suspects in the car were able to get away but by this time North Vancouver RCMP and Vancouver police moved in to cut off several roadways to try and contain the vehicle.
Two people robbed
Meanwhile, around 1:30 p.m. PT two people reported being robbed of their purse and a wallet in the 1000 block of Inglewood Avenue in West Vancouver.
"That was followed quickly by reports of a vehicle abruptly making a U-turn and driving the wrong way in the eastbound lanes of the Trans-Canada Highway," said police.
About an hour later, a silver Porsche 911 was reported as stolen from the 900 block of Cross Creek Road in West Vancouver while the vehicle reported stolen earlier in Lions Bay was recovered at the scene.
<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/westvanpatrol?src=hash">#westvanpatrol</a> is searching for a silver Porsche 911 w front end damage. Please call police if you notice a vehicle matching this descrip. —@WestVanPolice
The Porsche was later located in a residential area near Cypress Bowl Road.
"Officers deployed a spike belt, and despite contact with the belt, the vehicle still managed to flee the area," said police.
With the assistance of Air One and several sighting reports, the vehicle was found in Whytecliff Park where police say a further robbery attempt was reported.
Finally the suspects were apprehended with the assistance of a VPD canine unit shortly before 6:30 p.m. PT according to police.
PSD Rocco apprehended both suspects and assisted as did other members of VPD K9. Stolen veh recovered. Invest on-going. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Teamwork?src=hash">#Teamwork</a> <a href="https://t.co/J6QO5CN8cC">https://t.co/J6QO5CN8cC</a> —@VPDCanine
"Investigators are recommending multiple charges against a 31-year-old man of no fixed address and a 28-year-old Coquitlam woman," said police.
Both suspects remain in custody and will appear at North Vancouver Provincial Court.
Recommended charges include:
Possession of stolen property.
Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle.
Robbery.
Flight from police.
Assault causing bodily harm.
Theft charges.Status update: Facebook has filed papers for what's expected to be the largest initial public offering ever to come out of Silicon Valley and one of the largest in U.S. history.
Ending months of breathless speculation, the 8-year-old social networking company has submitted registration documents with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission that set preliminary goal of $5 billion.
Facebook had discussed raising as much as $10 billion. Final pricing will not be set for months, and the size of the IPO probably will increase with investor demand.
The filing sets the stage for an IPO in May.
The important stats right off the bat: 845 million users; 483 million daily users; annual revenue of $3.7 billion; $1.8 billion in operating income and $1 billion net income.
Facebook selected Morgan Stanley as its lead bank to handle the IPO with assistance from four others. Morgan Stanley's resume of recent Internet IPOs includes Groupon and Zynga. Investment banks will receive as much as $500 million in fees depending on the valuation.
Now the frenzy to own a piece of Facebook, already off the charts on private trading exchanges, promises to get even more clamorous.
Facebook, one of the world's best-known brands, is an international phenomenon, touching the lives of more than 800 million people around the globe.
The IPO was inevitable. Facebook had tripped the regulatory wire that forces companies with more than 500 shareholders to disclose almost as much information as publicly traded companies.
The registration documents spell out how much the company intends to raise and what it intends to do with the money and gives the first official glimpse into the company's financial performance.
The IPO will create enormous wealth in Silicon Valley and more than 1,000 new millionaires among the company's 3,000 employees, which many hope will give a boost to the local economy including the housing market and car sales.
Everyday investors are also hoping that as friends of Facebook they will get a chance at a piece of the IPO.
Young technology companies like to say they do things differently. In June when Groupon filed for an IPO, founder Andrew Mason said: "We are unusual and we like it that way."
Google's owner's manual for investors contained a letter to investors from co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin offering a similar warning. "Google is not a conventional company. We do not intend to become one."
Page and Brin thumbed their noses at Wall Street by demanding an IPO that would be open to all investors. Google used a Dutch auction, which meant that the general public had a better shot at buying the stock before the shares began trading, rather than giving access only to the investors handpicked by the investment bankers.
Facebook is unlikely to hand over control to its Wall Street bankers and is expected to stay true to the vision that founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg dreamed up in his Harvard dorm room.
Facebook created a dual-class stock structure that ensures that Zuckerberg, a hands-on leader, will remain in firm control of Facebook and continue to make key decisions.
RELATED:
Wall Street clicks 'like' on Facebook IPO
Facebook settles into new home just days before expected IPO filing
Heads are turning to Internet's golden child
-- Jessica Guynn
Photo: A spray-painted image of founder and Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg at Facebook's Menlo Park, Calif., campus. Credit: Mark Boster / Los Angeles TimesKali Linux is the best penetration testing OS of all time. In April 2017, Kali Linux 2017. 1 rolling was released which came up with a so many updates and features which include support for some new Wireless Card Injection, support for CUDA GPU and Amazon AWS and of course Microsoft Azure Availability. Two months ago, Kali Linux 2017.2 was released which included some awesome new tools for enumeration and attacking.
Kali Linux have now released the next updated version – Kali Linux 2017.3. This version includes all the patches, bug fix and so many new updates and improvements. This version is now available for download.
Features
In Kali Linux 2017.3, the kernel version has been updated to 4.13.10. In addition to the kernel, WiFi testing tools such as reaver, pixie WPS, web application security testing tools such as Burp Suite, Cuckoo and the Social Engineering Toolkit have also been updated and various bugs have been fixed.
New tools include Inspy, Cherry tree, Sublist3r, OSRFramework and Massive Maltego Metamorphosis have also been added to the repository and are available for download.
Tools
Inspy
Inspy is a python based tool which can perform enumeration in linkedin. This tool has mainly has 2 roles; TechSpy, which crawls the job lisitings for technologies used by the company and EmpSpy, which searches for employees working at the company.
Installation
You can Simple Install this tool by running the below command.
apt update apt install inspy
Cherrytree
Cherrytree is a hierarchical note taking software which features rich text and syntax highlighting and can be used for storing data in a single xml or sqlite file.
Sublist3r
Sublist3r is another awesome python based tool that can enumerate subdomains with in webpages. This script uses various search engine such as yahoo, bing, google, baidu and various tools and services such as ReverseDNS, Netcraft, Threatcroud and DNSdumpster as to gather information about the domains and subdomains.
OSRFramework
OSRFramework contains a group of libraries and scripts that performs Open Source Intelligence Gathering. The tools include usufy.py, mailfy.py, searchfy.py, domainfy.py, phonefy.py and so much more. Using these tools, we can perform efficeint DNS lookups, information leak research, deep web search and much more.
Installation
apt update apt install osrframework
Downoad
The new version is now available for download, follow this link and grab the latest image of Kali Linux 2017.3. You can easily dual boot along with windows.
Click below link to download Kali Llinux 2017.3 Download
This version is also available for Virtual Machines, so that you can directly download the disk image and add it to Virtual Box. ARM images are also available for devices like Raspberry Pi, ODROID, Beagle Bone etc.
Upgrade
If you have a previously installed version and you don’t want to lose all the data, you can simply upgrade the current version to the new one. For a complete upgrade, simply execute the following commands in the terminal.
apt update && apt full-upgrade
Click Here For More Information
Source: https://www.kali.org/news/kali-linux-2017-2-release/
Rate the Project
Did you find this page useful? Help us to improve by rating this page.
RatingMayor Brian Bowman's inner circle has approved a $6.5-million grant that would help Winnipeg's tallest building rise above Graham Avenue.
In September, city property officials proposed to offer Richmond Hill, Ont., developer Fortress financial assistance to build SkyCity Centre, a 44-storey, $200-million tower proposed for the surface parking lot north of Winnipeg's police headquarters.
That offer was made after Fortress informed the city it could not meet the construction deadlines of a downtown-housing incentive program that would have made SkyCity eligible for $6.5 million from the city and $8 million from the province.
The old program offered up the money as soon as the building was complete. The new grant offers Fortress $6.5 million over 10 years in the form of an economic incentive grant.
Fortress initially balked at the new grant because of the payout over 10 years, city property officials said. But the company is now OK with the plan because it has secured a new development partner in Edenshaw Developments, said planning, property and development director John Kiernan.
"They had some concerns, originally, about nine months ago, about it not being a lump-sum payment," Kiernan said. "In fact, they get more money over a 10-year period by amortizing it out."
Executive policy committee voted 6-1 to approve the grant. It still needs to be approved by council next week.
St. Vital Coun. Brian Mayes voted against the grant because he said he's concerned city planners are mistaken in their contention infill development in downtown Winnipeg comes with fewer costs than developments in other areas of the city.
"Frankly, there's some people in the department who seem to want to demonize the suburbs," Mayes said.
Winnipeg Mayor Brian Bowman said he will meet with Mayes to attempt to understand his concerns.A passionate Donald Trump supporter told CNN that she’s sticking with her candidate: “I believe Donald. I’m telling you, he says what I’m thinking.”
The supporter, Susan DeLemus, said during a focus group — which aired on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday — “As far as the truth goes, we’ve got people in positions of power who I know for a fact are liars. Liars!”
“I watched the TV,” DeLemus explained. President Obama “comes on the TV and he lies to me. I know he’s lying. He lies all the time. I don’t believe any one of them, not one.”
“I believe Donald,” DeLemus proclaimed. “I’m telling you, he says what I’m thinking. I’ve never been involved in politics. Never had an interest in any of it. Now suddenly he is resonating. He is resonating with the people and he’s speaking our minds, our minds.”
DeLemus also took shots at the pundit class: “When the pundits and the ‘experts’ and all of the people who are supposed to be in the know and know all of this stuff and they are so great. I know some of them, maybe not all. But some of them are lying to me, straight to my face and I am so sick of it.” (RELATED: Black Pastor: ‘The Liberal Media’ Doesn’t Know The Real Trump [VIDEO])
Follow Steve on TwitterThe time has come to bring this series to a close. The seventh essay in a series written across most of three years, it’s safe to say that this has been a long time coming. In the words that lie ahead I would like to cast a bit of reflective light on the series, beginning with why I chose the name that I did, and then move on to my final topic, the reasons that Orthodox Jews should be grateful for Biblical Criticism.
I began this series in response to a critique of a lack of nuance in the acceptance of Biblical Criticism in part of the Orthodox community. More specifically, I was responding to the people who used this critique as a jumping-off point to be just as lacking in nuance in their bashing of this part of the Orthodox Community. My overall goal throughout this series has been to attempt to find a place in between these nuance-less extremes.
In the service of this goal, I undertook to create a basic introduction to some key issues in Biblical Criticism. My basic assumption in this was that extreme (read: lacking in nuance) responses to something usually flow from a lack of familiarity with that thing. More intimate knowledge of Biblical Criticism and its constituent parts made more accessible via a simple introduction might help to create a communal discourse that was more than the rapid trading of ad-hominems. This assumption led me to an obvious parallel to my project in the field of English literature, No Fear Shakespeare, a line of easily accessible guides to Shakespeare’s plays. The name, beyond being a clever rhyme, alludes to the way that Shakespeare’s looming presence in Western culture makes his writings much more intimidating than they really needs to be. Enabling readers to become more familiar with Shakespeare’s writings helps them to see from the inside that there is nothing for them to fear. Biblical Criticism has a similarly looming presence — in Modern Orthodox culture at the very least — and I thought a parallel project in this area was in order.
The logical starting place for such a project was the Documentary Hypothesis. This idea, that the Torah originated as independent documents that were later redacted together, is what most people think of when they hear the term “Biblical Criticism,” and is the alternative most people see to believing in the divinity of the Torah.1 The first real essay of the series, and likely also the most polemical, was therefore dedicated to discussing how Biblical Criticism is a broad field that encompasses much more than just the Documentary Hypothesis, and how those different fields often critique one another. I argued that Literary Criticism, the careful application of literary study methodology to the Biblical text, provides reason to be ambivalent about, if not to reject outright, the Documentary Hypothesis.
As this was, I believe, the most polemic part of this series, I think it’s worth dwelling for a moment on the nature of my polemic. Most religious polemics against trends in secular thought focus on the unacceptable nature of that thought from a religious perspective. This type of argument works better the more a person is firmly and solely rooted in their religion. The more a person is immersed in modernity and secular thought, however, the more these types of arguments feel like attempts to hide from the truth. This is why such polemics often include arguments for why a person should shun modernity with all their heart. Modern Orthodoxy, ever concerned about contiguity with the community as it extends to the right, is particularly susceptible to claims that it has lost a proper sense of balance between its Modernity and its Orthodoxy.
I quite consciously chose to take a different approach in my polemic. My argument was not that people need to be more Orthodox, even or perhaps particularly at the expense of being Modern. Instead, I argued that uncritical acceptance of the Documentary Hypothesis isn’t being bad at being Orthodox, it’s being bad at being Modern. Modern Orthodoxy means a lot of things to a lot of people, but to whatever degree it means involvement with secular thought, it should mean the best of that thought. That the Documentary Hypothesis is the most popular and well-known aspect of Biblical Criticism does not mean that we should simply accept it, particularly when much of secular thought has criticized, qualified, or moved past it. If we’re going to be Modern, and I do believe we should, we should be the best kind of Modern we can be.
I presented a similar argument in the fifth installment of this series, where I argued that we need to incorporate postmodern theories about hermeneutics and reading rules into our understanding of how we read the Biblical text. I then claimed that Biblical Criticism, particularly the Documentary Hypothesis, does not always take this into account properly, and that there are plenty of sources within the Jewish tradition that resonate with these theories. I went a step further than this in the third installment, where I discussed Lower Criticism and textual emendations, arguing that Modern Orthodox Jews should accept the basic Lower Criticism concept that the Biblical text as we have it is not 100% what it always was, small changes having crept in here and there. I supported this approach with Rabbinic texts, but it was from a literary perspective that I rejected textual emendation, based on scholars who argue that we generally can’t be certain enough to change our texts. I then used some of the same scholars to argue that religious and critical approaches to reading Tanakh are based on fundamentally different axioms about the nature of the text, an idea I will return to at the end of this piece. Finally, from an entirely internal perspective, I discussed the nature of archaeology, an approach to how it might improve our understanding of Judaism and the Torah based on Rav Kook, and some traditional sources for this improvement.
In hindsight, this series was certainly more polemic than I had originally intended it to be. It was both an introduction to some important issues, and arguments about how I think we, as Modern Orthodox Jews, should approach them. But I never claimed, nor would I, not to have a position regarding any of |
's hands wrapped around her waist, stopping her fall. Their mouths locked together, and time was measured in the breaths they stole, each gap between their lips closing more fiercely than the last. Elsa was lost in the heat of her sister's body, her scent, her saliva. The world didn't matter. Kristoff didn't matter. Anna was everything.
Anna pulled back from the kiss. "Yes." Her finger shot forward, sliding into the ring. She grabbed the other ring and slid it over Elsa's finger. Anna's laughter was like music.
They held their hands up next to each other. A perfect, matching pair.
"We can go shopping for new rings afterwards–" Elsa bit her lips. "–when no one's looking."
Anna closed her fingers over hers. "No. I prefer these."
"But they are ice."
"I know."
"They will melt!"
"Exactly! We would never have taken them off then." Anna caressed her cheek. "So we are married forever."
The breath hitched in Elsa's throat. She sprang up, pulling Anna to her feet. "Stay still."
"Elsa? What– OH!"
Her hand fluttered over her sister's feet and swept up. The hem of Anna's dress glowed white, then her magic rushed up, glazing over every thread of the fabric with frost. When she was done, Anna was clad in a snowy gown. Elsa snapped her fingers, and a glittering veil fell over Anna's face.
"You're gorgeous," Elsa breathed. You're wonderful. You're perfect. I don't deserve you.
Anna squealed as she stood before the mirror. "Elsa, this– this is amazing! I didn't know you could do this!"
"I was saving it for a special occasion. Like this. Wait, do you feel cold?"
Anna twirled several rounds as she examined her dress from every angle. "Nope. Feels real good actually. Like you know, when you press your face against the window after a snow." She wheeled on Elsa. "What about you?"
"Me?"
"What? You don't expect me to be the only one in a wedding dress, do you?"
"So… you want me in a suit?"
"No!" Anna chewed on her lips, eyes roving up and down over Elsa's body. "Well, that wouldn't be bad actually. I mean, you're tall, you're fair…I think you'd look really handsome– but I still prefer your dress. Um, make it white maybe?"
Elsa swung her arms down dramatically, and her heels glowed. She curled her fingers up, and the light danced up her body. Magic swirled around her, enveloping her dress in glittering snow. She spread her hands out, and the snow dispersed into the air. Where her gown was once crystal-blue, now it was pure white.
"Done!" Elsa glanced. "Anna?"
"…You're an angel," Anna whispered behind cupped hands.
"No, you are the angel," Elsa said.
"No! You!"
Elsa shrugged. "Okay, we can argue about who's the angel after we–" Her words trailed off. She had not thought this far. "Now what?"
Anna rubbed her palms. "Now we say our vows!"
"Do you know any?" Elsa said.
"Just the good parts! Follow my lead."
Their fingers entwined. Anna began first.
"You're my light in the darkness. I know with all my heart that you're the one that I'd entrust my future to. Will you, Elsa of Arendelle, take me to be your lover, friend, soul mate and bride? Through sickness, pain and…um, sorrow, will you promise to love and– wait, wait, I got this–and cherish me for the rest of our lives together?"
Elsa met her sister's eyes. "I will."
Anna had probably read that off a books or something. It was perfect. That she'd memorized this so we could get married one day… Elsa felt her tears well up again.
"Your turn!"
Elsa sucked in a breath. "You're my light in the darkness. I know with all my heart that you're the one that I'll entrust my future to. Will you, Anna of Arendelle, take me as your lover, friend, soul mate and bride? Through all sickness, pain and…" Elsa forgot the words. But one look at the younger girl and she didn't need any recited lines.
"You're my warmth in the winter. You've seen me at my best, and loved me at my worst." Tears hung on the edge of eyelashes. "Every day since we found each other again has been the happiest of my life. I love you."
Anna's hand flew to her mouth as she nodded.
With trembling fingers, Elsa lifted the veil, drinking in the sight of her sister's blue eyes and freckled cheeks. She had never seen anything so beautiful.
They came together, letting their lips do the rest of the talking. Stars burst behind closed eyelids as their hands curled over each other, sliding under fabric, mapping out skin, groping at the curves of the other's body. Anna's tongue forced its way into her mouth, exploring and tasting; Elsa reciprocated. Their bodies pressed tighter and tighter, until Elsa was too aware all that separated them was sheer fabric. She yearned to melt their clothes right there and then.
But where was the fun in that?
They parted at last, panting for breath. Anna's skin was flushed. "This wasn't how I expected my wedding to be like."
"Better or worse?" Elsa said.
"Better. Way, way better–" Anna's eyes widened. "I forgot a line."
"You may kiss the bride," Elsa teased, pulling her wife back in.
A/N: Thank you for reading this. Wrote this for Elsanna week. Hope you enjoyed it!Ukraine’s otherwise pro-Russian president says association with the European Union will modernize his state.
Ukraine’s president, Viktor Yanukovich, on Saturday reaffirmed his commitment to signing a trade agreement with the European Union later this year, despite threats of retaliatory measures from Russia, its biggest commercial partner.
In an Independence Day speech on Saturday, Yanukovich called for “deepening” relations with Russia but insisted that “association with the European Union must become an important stimulus for forming a modern European state.”
Ukraine is due to finalize a political association and trade agreement with the bloc in November.
Such an agreement would preclude it from also joining a customs union with Belarus, Kazakhstan and Russia which is seen as the precursor to an “Eurasian Union,” modeled on Europe’s but including the countries of the former Soviet Union. Without Ukraine, the most populous of former Russian satellite states, such a union would be more Asian than European.
The association treaty would also compel Ukraine to further liberalize its economy and put it structurally on par with other European Union states, enabling more foreign investment in the country to the likely detriment of Russian companies.
In a move apparently designed to dissuade Ukraine from signing, Russia last week enacted discriminatory border checks on all Ukrainian cargos, delaying exports and thus driving up costs. It ended the extra customs checks a few days later when Russian president Vladimir Putin nevertheless warned that a free-trade deal between Europe and Ukraine might “squeeze out” Russian goods and would compel the Eurasian customs union states to take “protective measures.”
Ukraine’s economy relies heavily on coal, fuel, grain and steel exports. More than 60 percent of its exports go to other former Soviet republics while the country imports some 60 percent of its natural gas and more than 90 percent of its oil.
By keeping supply just below demand and both resources overpriced, Russia hopes to force Ukraine to trade more of its industrial assets for energy and accelerate a process of economic reintegration that stalled under the previous, pro-Western government.
While Yanukovich was elected in 2010 with the Kremlin’s blessing when he was seen as more pro-Russian than his opponent, former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko, his administration has continued a policy of waning Ukraine off its dependence on Russian imports by developing Black Sea and shale gas reserves in cooperation with Western companies like ExxonMobil and Shell instead of Russia’s Lukoil.
It is not certain, however, that an association agreement will be signed in November. Many European countries are disappointed that democratic reforms have apparently stalled since Yanukovich was elected and are appalled by the jailing of Tymoshenko who was convicted to a seven year prison sentence in late 2011 for abuse of office.Authored By Staff Report
Chattanooga Holistic Animal Institute opened on the Southside’s Main Street May 10, and “the response has been overwhelmingly positive,” said Dr. Colleen Smith, CHAI’s founder.
“Many new clients are saying they have been looking for a holistic vet for years, and knew I was on Signal Mountain but couldn’t make the drive,” she said.
To celebrate CHAI’s reception by the community, the institute will have an official grand opening on Friday, June 22 from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring facility tours, food, giveaways, prizes, free pet tags and many local and veterinary vendors with free gifts.
“Our massage therapist will even be giving away a free treatment session,” Smith said.
Plan to attend What: Grand opening celebration of CHAI Grand opening celebration of CHAI When: Friday, June 22, 9 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: 918 E. Main St.
How much: Free
For more information: Call 423-531-8899 or click here
Regular CHAI opening hours: 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
CHAI offers veterinary acupuncture, veterinary chiropractic services, nutrition therapy, laser therapy, green grooming, awake dental procedures, digital X-rays, vaccinations and vaccine titers, general medicine, canine massage therapy and nutritional supplements.
“Most of our appointments right now are for acupuncture, chiropractic and nutrition consultations,” Smith said.
The effectiveness of these treatments is sometimes apparent quickly.
“We had a sweet schnauzer that that couldn’t walk on her hind legs. She had been treated with many medications and even had an MRI to figure out what was wrong with her. After a few treatments with acupuncture and chiropractic therapy, she was not only walking, but running short distances down the owner’s driveway,” Smith said.
“Holistic veterinary medicine is the art and science of healing that addresses care of the whole animal: body, mind and spirit,” Smith said. “The practice of holistic veterinary medicine integrates conventional and complementary therapies to promote optimal health and prevent and treat disease by addressing contributing factors. Each animal is seen as a unique individual rather than an example of a particular disease. Disease is understood to be the result of physical, emotional, social and environmental imbalance. Healing, therefore, takes place naturally when these aspects of life are brought into proper balance.”Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood on Feb. 3, 2015 in Washington, D.C. The spat between Google and Hood is only the most recent manifestation of disputes over the role of online intermediaries. Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images
This article originally appeared in New America’s Weekly Wonk.
A courtroom drama pitting search giant Google against Mississippi Attorney General Jim Hood is unfolding this summer in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals. Fundamentally, the spat between Google and Hood is only the most recent manifestation of disputes over the role of online intermediaries. But Hood himself has referred to the details of Google v. Hood as a “salacious Hollywood tale.” The facts are stranger than fiction: A high-profile public official stands accused of colluding with the film industry in a secret industry plot to censor the Internet, thanks to information uncovered in emails released during the North Korean hacking scandal.
The story begins in October 2014, when Hood’s office issued a hefty 79-page subpoena to the tech giant, requesting “141 specific documents, 62 interviews, and a catch-all request for any information relating to ‘dangerous content’ hosted on Google’s network.” Ostensibly, the request was part of an ongoing crusade by several states against online illicit drug sales, which Hood argues have led to a windfall of advertising dollars for Google. Google challenged the discovery request, alleging that compliance would be so onerous that it constituted a penalty in and of itself.
As outlined in an amicus brief filed by the Electronic Frontier Foundation and co-signed by New America’s Open Technology Institute, Hood’s punitive subpoena alone violates the express protections for Internet intermediaries outlined in a 1996 federal law called the Communications Decency Act, specifically Section 230. (I work for OTI; Future Tense is a partnership of Slate, New America, and Arizona State University. Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, is also a member of New America’s board, and New America has received money from Google and Schmidt.)*
The Internet as we know it today is a fire hydrant of online expression and creativity, and in part, this is because Section 230 shielded it from a crush of regulation and litigation that in its early days could have reduced that flow to a trickle. The law immunizes websites and other interactive Web services—known as online intermediaries—from excess liability for linking to or hosting third-party content. For nearly 20 years, Section 230 has been held to be a core pillar of Internet law, enabling it to become what Congress termed a “true diversity of political discourse, unique opportunities for cultural development, and myriad avenues for intellectual activity.” In fact, its protections were considered so central to the flourishing at the Internet that when the rest of the CDA was struck down as unconstitutional in the 1997 Supreme Court ruling in Reno v. ACLU, Section 230 survived.
If prosecutors are allowed to enforce overly broad subpoenas like Hood’s, companies like Google would be forced to start limiting the speech of their users to avoid receiving such subpoenas in the first place. This kind of trickle-down censorship, exactly what Section 230 was designed to prevent, would threaten the First Amendment protections of both Google and its users.
But of course, in this “Hollywood tale,” the plot thickens.
A few months after Hood’s original subpoena went out, the Sony hack rocked Hollywood. Thousands of files were released, but a select few of these leaked messages revealed multiple exchanges between Hood and representatives of the Motion Picture Association of America. While the major Hollywood studios and a Mississippi public official might seem like strange bedfellows, “smoking gun” messages uncovered by the Verge reveal that Hood’s offensive against Google may have originated with the MPAA. Further analysis by the New York Times even showed that one letter sent out by Hood’s office on the subject of Google had mostly been written by MPAA lawyers.
These emails situate the AG’s actions within a convoluted, multiyear strategy against the search engine, planned and paid for by the MPAA. The attack on Google, which is consistently referred to in the messages with the code name “Goliath,” would be twofold. First, the MPAA laid out plans for a legal campaign would be run out of various state AG’s offices, and second, proposed a simultaneous “media blitz” aimed at harming Google’s stock and add pressure for the company to remove all file-sharing links. The studio execs seem to have had little concern for censorship risks. A message sent by MPAA general counsel Steven Fabrizio reads, “We start from the premise that site blocking is a means to an end.”
Actions taken by Hood’s office and the MPAA as the scandal unfolded suggest that they knew they’d been caught red-handed. Hood called a “timeout,” and when from the watchdog blog TechDirt asked for the release of emails exchanged between Hood’s Office and members of the MPAA, the AG’s office refused to do so unless TechDirt agreed to pay $2,103.10 in advance to cover “estimated costs” of fulfilling the request. Similarly, Hood’s alleged co-conspirators at the MPAA resisted requests to turn over documents related to their own exchanges with Hood’s office, expressing their shock and dismay when Google subsequently sued Hood and filed its own counter subpoenas of the MPAA in New York Federal Court.
While outside observers can only speculate over the extent to which Hood and the MPAA are in cahoots, it’s clear that they have similar interests. Both parties were seeking to exert control over the Internet by ganging up on Google, one of the biggest online intermediaries out there.
Beyond its melodrama, Google v. Hood also embodies a deeper ideological clash that persists between those who believe that Internet content must now be technologically and legally controlled and those who argue that it remain as open as possible in the service of free expression. Organizations like the MPAA and its analogue in the music industry, the Recording Industry Association of America, advocate for strict control, while technology companies (many of whom are the online intermediaries who would likely bear the costs of any control regime) and civil liberties activists want to preserve an unhindered atmosphere.
Despite the clear provisions of Section 230, those attempting to exert control over online content and speech consistently target intermediaries like Google more than anyone else, and often do so through back channel lawsuits, which explains the triangulation of Hood, the MPAA, and Google. While the movie studios do not necessarily share Hood’s interests in the world of online drug sales, they are in a perpetual tizzy over the online piracy. From their perspective, by providing links to pirate sites (or links to sites that link to pirate sites), Google is a piracy enabler, and thus, the archenemy.
While a market dominant search engine like Google might make the headlines with this kind of lawsuit, its core issue of Section 230 protections is even more critical for smaller entities throughout the Web. A smaller site might balk when confronted with legal action, realizing that hefty legal expenses could actually drive it out of existence. Robust free expression is so essential to the functioning Internet that overbroad efforts to control such speech, including procedural ones like subpoenas, are both illegal and detrimental.
Hood may have initially envisioned his role as one of a crusading David against “Goliath,” as the ensuing legal proceedings between Google and the MPAA get uglier, but at the moment, he seems cast as a hapless extra in Clash of the Titans. This unproductive lawsuit is undoubtedly distracting in his duties as a public official of Mississippi. In the words of Hood himself, hopefully “cooler heads will prevail” in this latest fight over the Internet.
Update, Aug. 17, 2015: This article has been updated to clarify a disclosure made by the author. Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt is a member of New America’s board; New America is a partner with Slate and Arizona State in Future Tense. New America has also received money from Google and Schmidt.
This article is part of Future Tense, a collaboration among Arizona State University, New America, and Slate. Future Tense explores the ways emerging technologies affect society, policy, and culture. To read more, visit the Future Tense blog and the Future Tense home page. You can also follow us on Twitter.During GDC last week, we were able to sit down with representatives from Warner Bros. and NetherRealm Studios to take a quick peek at Mortal Kombat X for mobile. It was a brief demo and there are still many questions left to be answered, but we did have a chance to play for ourselves and came away pretty impressed. As pretty much everyone speculated, Mortal Kombat X on mobile is essentially the same formula as Injustice (Free) on mobile, just with Mortal Kombat characters thrown in. That’s simplifying things a bit though, as once you spend a little time with Mortal Kombat X, you can tell that it feels like an in-house NetherRealm game and has a level of polish that WWE Immortals (Free), another Injustice re-skin with WWE characters, just doesn’t have.
First of all, the graphics are several steps above Injustice, which strangely still looked better than the newer WWE Immortals. Background and character details are top-notch, as are the sounds and music. The camera is also in a slightly different spot. In Injustice and Immortals, it’s somewhere in-between a side-view and a behind-the-back view. In Mortal Kombat X the camera is distinctly more side-view like a traditional fighting game. All of these types of differences are small details, but they definitely stand out to someone who has played Injustice everyday for the past two years. While basically the same overall game, this is definitely a step forward from Injustice and much more than a sidestep like Immortals. (I should probably clarify that I love Immortals to death, but it doesn’t have the same level of polish that Injustice has. That’s not a problem at all with Mortal Kombat X.)
So for whatever reason we weren’t allowed to take any video of our demo, which had the game running on an iPad, but the fine folks over at DroidGamers apparently were allowed to capture footage of the mobile Mortal Kombat X running on an Android tablet. It should give you a very good idea of what the combat in the game is like, including special moves and fatalities.
So what other new things are in Mortal Kombat X for mobile? Well there’s the Faction Wars, which is a feature that’s also in the console and PC versions of the game, and it’s pretty much what you’d expect. Join up with a Faction and then compete online to be the best Faction in the world. What’s cool is that the mobile version’s Faction Wars work with the console and PC versions of the game, so you can contribute to your Faction winning even while playing on the go. Another new feature is the Champion character, which is a character you choose that your friends can call on and utilize during their time playing and vice versa. It’s a pretty cool idea, but I’ll need to play much more to see how impactful this feature will be.
As for what we don’t know? Well, we don’t know the exact roster, but that’s something that can always be added on to and expanded in the months and years to come. I expect it’ll be a bit thin at first but that’s okay. We do know there are fatalities in the game, obviously, and at least some of them (or most likely all of them) are the same ones from the console and PC version of the game. However, the reps demoing the game would not confirm if characters have multiple fatalities or if the Brutalities, Babalities or Friendships will be in the mobile version. There was a strong hint that they will, but nothing was confirmed.
Anyway, if you like Injustice or Immortals, I’m certain you’ll love Mortal Kombat X for mobile. For hardcore Injustice fans it’ll feel like a step up for sure, but if you’ve already tired of Injustice then there’s likely not enough new here to pull you back in. Unless you’re a huge Mortal Kombat fan, that is. Personally? This is like the dream come true game for me, I’ve been dying for a Mortal Kombat-ized version of Injustice forever. Look for the mobile version of Mortal Kombat X to launch sometime next month, most likely around the time of its console and PC big brother on April 14th.
[DroidGamers]Syriza leader under fire as radical left goes to war over austerity before electoral campaign gets under way
Greece’s pre-election campaign has turned ugly before it has even officially commenced, with senior figures – including the former finance minister Yanis Varoufakis – rounding on the prime minister, Alexis Tsipras, for his governance of the crisis-plagued country.
Yanis Varoufakis: ‘If I’m convicted of high treason, it would be interesting’ Read more
Breaking the wary truce since his surprise resignation the day after Greeks voted to reject austerity in a referendum last month, Varoufakis has lashed out at the leftwing leader’s policy choices, saying in an interview in the New Review that Tsipras had decided “to surrender” to the punitive demands of international creditors keeping Athens afloat. Instead of remaining faithful to the anti-austerity platform on which his radical left Syriza party had been elected, the young prime minister had allowed his ego to get the better of him and made a conscious decision to become the “new De Gaulle, or Mitterrand more likely”.
In the wake of Tsipras’s unexpected move on Thursday to call early elections, Varoufakis said: “Tsipras made a decision on that night of the referendum not only to surrender to the troika but also to implement the terms of surrender on the basis that it is better that a progressive government implement terms of surrender that it despises than leave it to the local stooges of the troika, who would implement the same terms of surrender with enthusiasm.”
As a result, Syriza once the hope of Europe’s anti-austerity movement, had not only betrayed the cause but mutated into the very thing it had set out not to be. “This mutation I have already witnessed. Those in our party/government who underwent it, then turned against those who refused to mutate, the result being a split in the party that our people, the courageous voters who voted No, did not deserve,” he wrote.
The criticism is the closest Varoufakis has come to distancing himself from the man he did much to mentor in the nearly six months that he oversaw often fraught negotiations with the eurozone and the International Monetary Fund.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Alexis Tsipras, the prime minister of Greece, announces his resignation on Thursday, paving the way for snap elections next month
Tsipras’s rash decision to resign and call elections – the third poll to be held in Greece this year – the MP argued, amounted to a concerted effort by the leader to purge the party of dissent. “For it is clear,” he continued, “that once you start implementing policies it becomes untenable to say constantly: ‘I am passing law X through parliament even though I think it is toxic.’ At some point either you resign or you remove the cognitive dissonance by beginning to believe that law X ain’t that bad; perhaps it is what the doctor ordered.”
The broadside echoed the mounting criticism among leftists of Tsipras’s conversion to an advocate of tough reforms and fiscal policies since the country signed up to a third bailout of nearly €86bn in rescue funds last week. The terms of the accord, which foresees almost €13bn of savings and reforms being implemented over the course of the next three years, are the toughest Athens has been forced to accept since the eruption of its debt crisis in late 2009.
In July 62% of Greeks, at the behest of Tsipras, voted to reject policies that have been blamed for the nation’s extraordinary loss of GDP and economic depression in recent years. The prime minister’s last-minute U-turn ensuring Greece’s continued eurozone membership was the last straw for hardliners, who formally broke ranks with Syriza with the creation of their own political movement, Popular Unity, last week.
The party – with 25 MPs now the third-biggest political group in the 300-seat parliament – has already signalled that it will try to forge alliances with other anti-austerity forces, if, as expected, it receives an exploratory mandate to form a government on Monday. The main opposition centre-right New Democracy party was locked in talks over the weekend after receiving such a mandate on Friday in line with the Greek constitution, which gives every party the chance to form a government after an administration resigns.
Addressing reporters on Friday, Panagiotis Lafazanis, the veteran Marxist who now heads the breakaway party, said Popular Unity would not be afraid to pursue euro exit, insisting that the new movement would offer a “realistic alternative to the memorandum [bailout accord]”.
“We will become a major and decisive political force [whose MPs] will try to express the spirit and substance of the 62% who voted no to austerity,” he added referring to the 5 July memorandum. “The No of the referendum will not be an ‘orphan’ in these elections.”
Yesterday, the rebels were reinforced when Zoe Konstantopoulou, a prominent Syriza MP who is also the president of parliament, appeared to back the new force. “Of course we will exhaust the mandate [to form a government],” said Lafazanis after holding talks with Konstantopoulou.
But while the hardliners have the support of Syriza’s organised apparatus – and its youth wing – they lack the personal appeal of Tsipras, 41, who is still perceived to have taken on Greece’s creditors as no other leader before.
“He still has the power of momentum that has come with the perception that like David he tried to take on Goliath and did his best,” Aristides Hatzis, associate professor of economics and law at the University of Athens, said in an interview. “A third election in seven months could backfire on anyone, including someone as popular as Tsipras, but this is also an ideal time for him to ask for a new mandate before austerity measures begin to be felt and before rebels have the time to make alliances on a nation-wide level.”
But while Hatzis, like many, believes Tsipras’s gamble is likely to pay off, it is less likely that the new-look Syriza will be able to clinch an overall majority, once again paving the way to a coalition government and the prospect of renewed political instability. Whatever government emerges will have to enforce unpopular reforms and tax rises ranging from new levies on properties, road and income taxes. Few believe that Syriza will be able to implement such policies if it is not in a power-sharing arrangement with reform-minded pro-Europeans.
“By October, when the measures begin to bite and thousands of companies go bust, it is going to be very difficult for any government, especially one of the left,” said Aristides Hatzis. “Varoufakis is wrong. The good scenario would be if Tsipras does become a Mitterrand and makes the policy U-turns that the late French leader made. This is what Greece needs if it is to avoid the perfect political and economic storm in the future.”Reviews from Google-owned Zagat are, predictably enough, going to be popping up in your restaurant searches above those from Yelp (and Trip Advisor), as a new mobile search function highlighting the best food and drink in various cities. Google announced the new "best of" search functionality in a blog post Saturday, and Recode notes that this is just the latest salvo in the long-standing war between Yelp and Google which Yelp argues is inherently anti-competitive, monopolistic behavior.
The SF-related search for Gary Danko highlighted by Yelp CEO Jeremy Stoppelman demonstrates how the results display, with "Critic Reviews" from Zagat and Michelin coming up first, and Yelp reviews buried on a second page of results.
Google monopolist not satisfied with above the fold they've now claimed "page 2" cc @kaufer #byeorganic pic.twitter.com/qGXmt2Z5K5 — Jeremy Stoppelman (@jeremys) August 5, 2016
Here's the thing though: I would inherently trust both Zagat and Michelin ratings and reviews over Yelp, myself, and would prefer to see those first. I see the argument, though, that Zagat reviews are no more "critic reviews" than Yelp's are both are crowdsourced from diners, though Zagat's are hand-curated by an editorial staff.
But Yelp turned down an opportunity to be acquired by Google a few years back for $500 million, and subsequently positioned itself as a rival prompting Google to make the acquisition deal with Zagat back in 2011. That was likely a wise move on Yelp's part, in that the company was valued last year at between $2.9 billion and $3.5 billion, but they remain in questionable shape, financially, given losses posted last year of $8.1 million. Having hit rock bottom in February at $15 a share, Yelp's stock has been bouncing back in 2016 thus far, and is now double that price at $31.68.
And meanwhile Google is facing several antitrust lawsuits in the European Union, as CNBC recently reported, with both Yelp and Trip Advisor serving as complainants in at least one.
Previously: Yelp Revenues Are Actually Up, But They're Still Losing MoneyFor many years there has been one overwhelming rule for people who wanted to be considered serious inside the Beltway. It was this: You must declare your willingness to cut Social Security in the name of “entitlement reform.” It wasn’t really about the numbers, which never supported the notion that Social Security faced an acute crisis. It was instead a sort of declaration of identity, a way to show that you were an establishment guy, willing to impose pain (on other people, as usual) in the name of fiscal responsibility.
But a funny thing has happened in the past year or so. Suddenly, we’re hearing open discussion of the idea that Social Security should be expanded, not cut. Talk of Social Security expansion has even reached the Senate, with Tom Harkin introducing legislation that would increase benefits. A few days ago Senator Elizabeth Warren gave a stirring floor speech making the case for expanded benefits.
Where is this coming from? One answer is that the fiscal scolds driving the cut-Social-Security orthodoxy have, deservedly, lost a lot of credibility over the past few years. (Giving the ludicrous Paul Ryan an award for fiscal responsibility? And where’s my debt crisis?) Beyond that, America’s overall retirement system is in big trouble. There’s just one part of that system that’s working well: Social Security. And this suggests that we should make that program stronger, not weaker.
Before I get there, however, let me briefly take on two bad arguments for cutting Social Security that you still hear a lot.Washington (CNN) The managers of Hillary Clinton and Mitt Romney's presidential campaigns are teaming up to protect American elections from cyberattacks.
Robby Mook, Clinton's 2016 campaign manager, and Matt Rhoades, Romney's 2012 campaign chief, will co-lead the Defending Digital Democracy Project at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, the Harvard Kennedy School announced on Tuesday.
The initiative will focus on developing "concrete solutions" to address the threat of hacks on political organizations and election infrastructure. It will seek to develop and share best strategies with organizations involved in the electoral sphere. The announcement marks the first major effort to explicitly organize regarding the growing concern over election-related cybersecurity threats.
"Cyberattacks on campaigns and elections are a threat to our democracy and affect people of all political stripes," Rhoades said in a statement, adding that, "Foreign actors could target any political party at any time, and that means we all need to work together to address these vulnerabilities."
Eric Rosenbach, co-director of the Belfer Center and former chief of staff to former Secretary of Defense Ash Carter, will join Mook and Rhoades and serve as director of the project. Defending Digital Democracy has recruited two top election lawyers on the Democratic and Republican side to help steer the effort. The initiative has brought on additional experts with backgrounds in technology, national security and cybersecurity to serve on a senior advisory group. Facebook's chief security officer and Google's director of information security and privacy are among the members joining the group.
"Many foreign countries, and even terrorist organizations, exploit digital technology to advance their agendas and influence public narratives abroad," Mook said.
America's intelligence agencies have concluded that Clinton's campaign was the target of an "influence campaign" ordered by Russian President Vladimir Putin to hurt Clinton and boost Trump in last year's election. Mook said the new project "will find practical solutions to help both parties and civic institutions that are critical to our elections better secure themselves and become more resilient to attacks."Some of you might know Brock Lesnar as an unstoppable UFC heavyweight, but since his MMA retirement he's made a return to WWE.
He's still gigantic, meaty and terrifying, as evidenced recently by a moment on Raw where he tore a passenger door off a Cadillac. In all of his rage and theater, Lesnar then whipped it through the air. Part of that throw didn't go quite as planned: The door sailed into the stands striking a young fan and flattening him.
It's hard to see in the original broadcast because of when the camera cut away, but a fan sitting behind the young boy had his phone camera rolling as the door was launched into the air. It's still difficult to see, but you can see a boy in a blue shirt who gets hammered by the door.
JESUS, took me a couple times to see it, but that kid got CLOCKED. pic.twitter.com/Yk27MIF4mh — Bill Neville (@BillNevilleNAI) July 7, 2015
As dangerous as it looked, everything turned out okay. According to PWInsider.com, the boy was tended to by WWE paramedics, and then he was brought backstage for a brief period of time.
He finished the WWE Raw show from his seat in the stands -- most likely bruised, but probably happy to have had such an intimate experience.Planetary Resources, the Redmond company that aims to mine rare metals and scarce water on asteroids, has raised $12 million in new capital, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday.
Planetary Resources of Redmond has raised $12 million in new capital for its quest to mine rare metals and water on asteroids.
The money raised this month from 16 investors is part of a targeted $20 million financing, according to a regulatory filing Wednesday.
It’s the first time Planetary Resources has filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission to report raising funds, but when the company launched in 2009 it announced a list of founding investors that included Larry Page and Eric Schmidt of Google, Virgin’s Richard Branson, and Microsoft millionaire Charles Simonyi. Hollywood director James Cameron is listed as an adviser.
The company, part of a growing constellation of space ventures in the Puget Sound region, says water harvested from asteroids could be separated into hydrogen and oxygen using solar power and then utilized as rocket fuel. Asteroids whose paths come relatively close to Earth also hold valuable rare metals.
Planetary Resources is currently working on low-cost robotic exploration vehicles to begin identifying asteroids that could be future mining targets.Share Pin +1 Share Shares 623
Today is my birthday – so if anyone is looking for any last minute gifts… this house will do! Haus am Weinberg, located in rural Stuttgart, Germany, is a modern villa designed with a literal twist in mind. The inner circulation of the structure supports an elegant staircase to which the rest of the house revolves. Fluid curves and diagonal movements can be found at each turn; a stark contrast to the stepped terraces and ancient hillside vineyard outside.
The unique spiral form is enabled by the building’s load bearing concrete structure which is reduced to a minimum. Roof and slabs are supported by four elements only: elevator shaft, two pillars and one inner column. |
unfair treatment of workers, health care costs and hostility toward unions. The HEI Workers Rising website serves as a clearinghouse for those complaints.
Wade Gates, a spokesman for the fund, said Unite Here has been trying to organize workers at various HEI properties for four years, and that “we always said we would welcome an election. They’ve never called one.”
That may be true on a technicality: Lang and Nichols said workers are focused on first finding out whether a majority want to unionize, but that HEI is blocking the process.
“We’re technically not trying to form a union, we’re arguing for rights to a fair process,” Nichols said.
There have also been no cutbacks in staff, Gates said, calling it “more of the union’s efforts” at riling workers. The fund has 5,000 workers nationwide, and HEI gets high scores for job satisfaction, he said.
Nichols paints a different picture, starting with her own experience as a housecleaner starting about a year ago. She often worked 40 hours a week but was paid part-time, she said, before being promoted to working the front desk. Those who carry on as housecleaners can handle up to 30 rooms a day instead of the industry norm of 10, while other staff can be called upon to perform the roles of six or seven workers at a time. “There’s no concierge, no hotel operator,” she said, “no security days or evenings, even at times like New Year’s,” and at any given time there will be either a doorman or bellhop. The cuts in positions extended to the restaurant, she said.
Housekeepers are scheduled to clean 16 rooms per day on a normal basis, or 14 per day on Friday and Saturday, Gates said, but “if they finish their rooms early, they can pick up extra rooms for additional income.” Nichols said housecleaners earn about $12 an hour.
Until late 2007, the hotel was known as Hotel @ MIT — it is in University Park, the area near Central Square created by developer Forest City for the Massachusetts Institute of Technology — but HEI acquired and converted it to the Le Méridien brand, giving it an extensive makeover that included renovating guest rooms, updating the lobby, “reconcepting” the restaurant space and and converting an existing library into multifunction space, Gates said. The reviews collected by Google are mixed, with the hotel getting an overall 19 out of 30 points.
While visitors appreciated the location and “clean modern decor” with “super comfy [beds] and nice bathrooms,” there were also complaints it had “three-star rooms and two-star service disguised as a four-star hotel.”
Unite Here’s Local 26 also led protest efforts against the Hyatt chain, including the Cambridge site, for its 2009 layoff of housecleaners — some 130 among the three Hyatt properties in Cambridge and Boston — in favor of outsourcing the work for lower pay. Some were allowed to continue cleaning for Hyatt, but through a secondary company, causing their pay to go to about $8 an hour from $15 or $16.
The issue appeared several times before the council, with resolutions and policy orders requesting bans on city business with the Hyatt, investigating ways to dissuade the hotel’s use and even threats against its license, since the city defines what business practices warrant a license to business here.China's environment ministry has dealt a rare blow to the country's ambitious dam builders by blocking the construction of a controversial hydropower dam that would have disturbed one of the last remaining habitats for some endangered river fish.
The proposed Xiaonanhai dam, upriver from the large municipality of Chongqing in southwest China, has been a rallying point for environmentalists ever since a disgraced former party chief redrew the boundaries of a protected nature preserve to make way for the project.
Environmentalists contended that the dam would have flooded a free-flowing section of the Yangtze river's lower reaches, damaging an important spawning ground for many fish.
But a victory seemed unlikely as they were pitted against China's powerful dam-building lobby. The country is under pressure to reduce smog from coal-fired power plants and is seeking cleaner ways of producing electricity.
The planned Xiaonanhai hydropelectric plant - 700 kilometers upstream from the landmark Three Gorges Dam - would have generated 1,680 megawatts of electricity, according to Chinese media.
Inconspicuously tucked away in approval documents for another dam, the written response from the Ministry of Environmental Protection to the Chinese hydropower firm Three Gorges Corp said the dam would have crossed an "ecological red line" and done irreversible damage to the river's biological diversity.
"In the last 10 years, two investigations have been carried out into construction in precious and unique national protection zones for fish in the lower reaches of the Jinsha river, and the structure and function of the zones have already been heavily impacted," the ministry said in its letter to Three Gorges.
"Your company as well as other units cannot plan or build the Xiaonanhai hydropower plant," it added.
cjc/hg (dpa, Reuters)The Middle Ages were truly not for the faint of heart. Most people were peasants and dirt poor. They lived short, brutal existences, and the peasants had few rights to speak of. And did we mention the torture? I’m not talking about waterboarding here. This stuff was brutal. Some people got really creative in figuring out innovative ways to cause as much slow agony as possible in human beings.
We judged our torture devices on a 30 point scale, with a maximum of 10 points given in the following categories:
Originality – How much imagination did it take for the sickos to devise the given torture?
– How much imagination did it take for the sickos to devise the given torture? Pain – Merely terrible or absolutely agonizing and worse?
– Merely terrible or absolutely agonizing and worse? Duration – Would the torture cause death in mere hours, or days?
10. The Breast Ripper
Originality: 6
Pain: 7
Duration: 4
Total: 17
This was used as a particularly horrific torture for sinful and/or deceitful women. The claws of this horrific instrument were put on the subject’s breasts. They often were heated to be red hot. They were then yanked to either tear off or shred the woman’s breasts. If the victim didn’t perish, she was horribly disfigured for life.
9. Impaling
Originality: 5
Pain: 9
Duration: 8
Total: 22
The typical technique of psychos such as Vlad the Impaler was to have your buddy sit on a very sharp pole. The pole would penetrate the anus and the abdomen. The pole would be put upright and the poor SOB would slide down the pole. Sometimes, the pole would rip through the breast plate. The tip of the spear might lodge under the chin so that the person could slide no more. It’s reported it could take 1-3 days for the person to expire.
8. The Breaking Wheel
Originality: 7
Pain: 9
Duration: 7
Total: 24
The idea here was to tie the poor victim to a wooden wheel. The wheel would be turned and the torturer would crush the victim’s limbs and joints with an iron hammer or club. They would be completely shattered. After that, the victim was left to die on the wheel. For extra fun, often the wheel would be put on a pole so the birds would flutter down and have a meal of the victim’s eyes and other soft parts. 2-3 days was the normal time to death.
7. Torture By Saw
Originality : 9
Pain: 10
Duration: 5
Total: 25
The big advantage of the saw torture was that it didn’t require special equipment. All one needed was a two-man saw, a rope, and a tree to hang someone from by their feet.
The victim was tied upside down, in part so that the blood would rush to his or her head. This would make sure the person stayed conscious for the maximum time. It also would slow the loss of blood. Typically, the person was cut as far as the abdomen so that it took longer to die. Death normally came in mere hours.
6. Knee Splitter
Originality: 9
Pain: 10
Duration: 6
Total: 25
The idea of this sadistic invention was to destroy the knees and other joints. As the torturer turned the handle, the sharp points destroyed and mutilated any part of the body that was placed there. It didn’t often cause death, merely horrific pain and terrible disfigurement. But it often was just the appetizer for more awful and deadly forms of torture.
5. Judas Cradle
Originality: 10
Pain: 9
Duration: 8
Total: 27
This may not be quite as bloody and violent as impalement, but it gets major points for originality and the all-around agony factor. The anus or vagina of the unfortunate victim was put over the point of the cradle. Then the person was lowered onto it with ropes. The idea here is to slowly stretch the orifice over hours or days. The victim usually had on no clothes and sometimes for extra fun they would put some weights on his or her ankles. For extra cruelty, the cradle wasn’t washed. That way the victim could catch a really terrible infection.
4. The Rack
Originality: 10
Pain: 10
Duration: 7
Total: 28
This hideous machine had a wood frame with two ropes on the bottom and two more at the top. As the torturer would crank the handle, the ropes would pull the victim’s arms and legs. This would cause them to dislocate terribly and would eventually be ripped off the body. Later editions of the rack had steel spikes added on the bed. This would ensure that the victim’s spine also would be torn apart, causing paralysis.
3. Head Crusher
Originality: 9
Pain: 10
Duration: 9
Total: 28
This horrible device was used frequently during the Spanish Inquisition. The victim’s chin was put on the bar on the bottom and his head beneath the cap on the top. The torturer would then turn the screw and press the bar and cap together. This would compress the skull, shattering the victim’s teeth. The compression would continue for hours. Eventually the eyeballs would pop out of the sockets.
2. Rat Torture
Originality: 10
Pain: 10
Duration: 8
Total: 29
What could be so terrible about some rats? They’re cute, right? Well, imagine this: your hands and feet are tied down, and your stomach is covered with a metal container with a rat inside. The container is slowly heated, and the rat rips through your digestive tract to escape.
1. Brazen Bull
Originality: 10
Pain: 10
Duration: 10
Total: 30
What a horrible way to go: the victim is placed inside a large, hollow, metal bull and locked inside. A fire is lit beneath it, and the victim slowly burns to death. The ancient Greeks also used this device. They created a bunch of tubes around the head so that the agonized screams of the victim would sound somewhat like an angry bull.
Written By Joseph Pickett
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Other Articles you Might LikeCarbon dioxide in Earth's troposphere 2011 carbon dioxide mole fraction in the troposphere
Atmospheric constituent; greenhouse gas
Mosaic sample of reconstructed CO2 concentrations during the past 420 million years, visit Nature for full graph.
Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is an important trace gas in Earth's atmosphere. It is an integral part of the carbon cycle, a biogeochemical cycle in which carbon is exchanged between the Earth's oceans, soil, rocks and the biosphere. Plants and other photoautotrophs use solar energy to produce carbohydrate from atmospheric carbon dioxide and water by photosynthesis. Almost all other organisms depend on carbohydrate derived from photosynthesis as their primary source of energy and carbon compounds. CO 2 absorbs and emits infrared radiation at wavelengths of 4.26 µm (asymmetric stretching vibrational mode) and 14.99 µm (bending vibrational mode) and consequently is a greenhouse gas that plays a vital role in regulating Earth's surface temperature through the greenhouse effect.[1]
Concentrations of CO 2 in the atmosphere were as high as 4,000 parts per million (ppm) during the Cambrian period about 500 million years ago to as low as 180 ppm during the Quaternary glaciation of the last two million years.[2] Estimates based on reconstructed temperature records suggests that the amount of CO 2 during the last 420 million years ago was with ~2000 ppm highest during the Devonian (∼400 Myrs ago) and Triassic (220–200 Myrs ago), with a few maximum estimates ranging up to ∼3,700±1,600 ppm (215 Myrs ago).[3] Global annual mean CO 2 concentration has increased by more than 45% since the start of the Industrial Revolution, from 280 ppm during the 10,000 years up to the mid-18th century[2] to 410 ppm as of mid-2018.[4][5] The present concentration is the highest in the last 800,000[6] and possibly even the last 20 million years.[7] The increase has been caused by human activities, particularly the burning of fossil fuels and deforestation.[8] This increase of CO 2 and other long-lived greenhouse gases in Earth's atmosphere has produced the current episode of global warming. About 30–40% of the CO 2 released by humans into the atmosphere dissolves into oceans, rivers and lakes,[9][10] which has produced ocean acidification.
Current concentration [ edit ]
A model of the behavior of carbon in the atmosphere from September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2015. The height of Earth's atmosphere and topography have been vertically exaggerated and appear approximately 40 times higher than normal to show the complexity of the atmospheric flow.
This visualization shows global carbon dioxide concentrations (colored squares) in parts per million by volume (ppmv).
Carbon dioxide concentrations have shown several cycles of variation from about 180 parts per million during the deep glaciations of the Holocene and Pleistocene to 280 parts per million during the interglacial periods. Following the start of the Industrial Revolution, atmospheric CO 2 concentration increased to over 400 parts per million and continues to increase, causing the phenomenon of global warming.[11] As of April 2018, the average monthly level of CO 2 in Earth's atmosphere exceeded 410 parts per million.[12] The daily average concentration of atmospheric CO 2 at Mauna Loa Observatory first exceeded 400 ppm on 10 May 2013[13][14] although this concentration had already been reached in the Arctic in June 2012.[15] It currently constitutes about 0.041% by volume of the atmosphere, (equal to 410 ppm) [16][17][4][18][19] which corresponds to approximately 3200 billion metric tons of CO 2, containing approximately 870 billion metric tons of carbon. Each part per million by volume of CO 2 in the atmosphere thus represents approximately 2.13 billion metric tons of carbon.[20] The global mean CO 2 concentration is currently rising at a rate of approximately 2 ppm/year and accelerating.[16][21][22] There is an annual fluctuation of about 3–9 ppm which is negatively correlated with the Northern Hemisphere's growing season. The Northern Hemisphere dominates the annual cycle of CO 2 concentration because it has much greater land area and plant biomass than the Southern Hemisphere. Concentrations reach a peak in May as the Northern Hemisphere spring greenup begins, and decline to a minimum in October, near the end of the growing season.[22][23]
Since global warming is attributed to increasing atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases such as CO 2, scientists closely monitor atmospheric CO 2 concentrations and their impact on the present-day biosphere. The National Geographic wrote that the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is this high "for the first time in 55 years of measurement—and probably more than 3 million years of Earth history."[24] The current concentration may be the highest in the last 20 million years.[7]
Past concentration [ edit ]
2 concentrations over the last 400,000 years COconcentrations over the last 400,000 years
Carbon dioxide concentrations have varied widely over the Earth's 4.54 billion year history. It is believed to have been present in Earth's first atmosphere, shortly after Earth's formation. The second atmosphere, consisting largely of nitrogen and CO
2 was produced by outgassing from volcanism, supplemented by gases produced during the late heavy bombardment of Earth by huge asteroids.[25] A major part of carbon dioxide emissions were soon dissolved in water and incorporated in carbonate sediments.
The production of free oxygen by cyanobacterial photosynthesis eventually led to the oxygen catastrophe that ended Earth's second atmosphere and brought about the Earth's third atmosphere (the modern atmosphere) 2.4 billion years before the present. Carbon dioxide concentrations dropped from 4,000 parts per million during the Cambrian period about 500 million years ago to as low as 180 parts per million during the Quaternary glaciation of the last two million years.[2]
Drivers of ancient-Earth carbon dioxide concentration [ edit ]
On long timescales, atmospheric CO 2 concentration is determined by the balance among geochemical processes including organic carbon burial in sediments, silicate rock weathering, and volcanism. The net effect of slight imbalances in the carbon cycle over tens to hundreds of millions of years has been to reduce atmospheric CO 2. On a timescale of billions of years, such downward trend appears bound to continue indefinitely as occasional massive historical releases of buried carbon due to volcanism will become less frequent (as earth mantle cooling and progressive exhaustion of internal radioactive heat proceed further). The rates of these processes are extremely slow; hence they are of no relevance to the atmospheric CO 2 concentration over the next hundreds or thousands of years.
In billion-year timescales, it is predicted that plant, and therefore animal, life on land will die off altogether, since by that time most of the remaining carbon in the atmosphere will be sequestered underground, and natural releases of CO 2 by radioactivity-driven tectonic activity will have continued to slow down.[26] The loss of plant life would also result in the eventual loss of oxygen. Some microbes are capable of photosynthesis at concentrations of CO 2 of a few parts per million and so the last life forms would probably disappear finally due to the rising temperatures and loss of the atmosphere when the sun becomes a red giant some four billion years from now.[27]
Measuring ancient-Earth carbon dioxide concentration [ edit ]
2 (green), reconstructed temperature (blue) and dust (red) from the Vostok ice core for the past 420,000 years Graph of CO(green), reconstructed temperature (blue) and dust (red) from the Vostok ice core for the past 420,000 years
The most direct method for measuring atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations for periods before instrumental sampling is to measure bubbles of air (fluid or gas inclusions) trapped in the Antarctic or Greenland ice sheets. The most widely accepted of such studies come from a variety of Antarctic cores and indicate that atmospheric CO 2 concentrations were about 260–280 ppmv immediately before industrial emissions began and did not vary much from this level during the preceding 10,000 years.[28] The longest ice core record comes from East Antarctica, where ice has been sampled to an age of 800,000 years.[6] During this time, the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration has varied between 180–210 ppm during ice ages, increasing to 280–300 ppm during warmer interglacials.[29][30] The beginning of human agriculture during the current Holocene epoch may have been strongly connected to the atmospheric CO 2 increase after the last ice age ended, a fertilization effect raising plant biomass growth and reducing stomatal conductance requirements for CO 2 intake, consequently reducing transpiration water losses and increasing water usage efficiency.[31]
Various proxy measurements have been used to attempt to determine atmospheric carbon dioxide concentrations millions of years in the past. These include boron and carbon isotope ratios in certain types of marine sediments, and the number of stomata observed on fossil plant leaves.[32]
Phytane is a type of diterpenoid alkane. It is a breakdown product of chlorophyll and is now used to estimate ancient CO 2 levels.[33] Phytane gives both a continuous record of CO 2 concentrations but it also can overlap a break in the CO 2 record of over 500 million years.[33]
There is evidence for high CO 2 concentrations between 200 and 150 million years ago of over 3,000 ppm, and between 600 and 400 million years ago of over 6,000 ppm.[7] In more recent times, atmospheric CO 2 concentration continued to fall after about 60 million years ago. About 34 million years ago, the time of the Eocene–Oligocene extinction event and when the Antarctic ice sheet started to take its current form, CO 2 was about 760 ppm,[34] and there is geochemical evidence that concentrations were less than 300 ppm by about 20 million years ago. Decreasing CO 2 concentration, with a tipping point of 600 ppm, was the primary agent forcing Antarctic glaciation.[35] Low CO 2 concentrations may have been the stimulus that favored the evolution of C4 plants, which increased greatly in abundance between 7 and 5 million years ago.[32] Based on an analysis of fossil leaves, Wagner et al.[36] argued that atmospheric CO 2 concentrations during the last 7,000–10,000 year period were significantly higher than 300 ppm and contained substantial variations that may be correlated to climate variations. Others have disputed such claims, suggesting they are more likely to reflect calibration problems than actual changes in CO 2.[37] Relevant to this dispute is the observation that Greenland ice cores often report higher and more variable CO 2 values than similar measurements in Antarctica. However, the groups responsible for such measurements (e.g. H.J. Smith et al.[38]) believe the variations in Greenland cores result from in situ decomposition of calcium carbonate dust found in the ice. When dust concentrations in Greenland cores are low, as they nearly always are in Antarctic cores, the researchers report good agreement between measurements of Antarctic and Greenland CO 2 concentrations.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide and the greenhouse effect [ edit ]
A pictogram of the greenhouse effect
Earth's natural greenhouse effect makes life as we know it possible and carbon dioxide plays a significant role in providing for the relatively warm temperature that the planet enjoys. The greenhouse effect is a process by which thermal radiation from a planetary atmosphere warms the planet's surface beyond the temperature it would have in the absence of its atmosphere.[39][40][41] Without the greenhouse effect, the Earth's temperature would be about −18 °C (-0.4 °F)[42][43] compared to Earth's actual surface temperature of approximately 14 °C (57.2 °F).[44]
Carbon dioxide is believed to have played an important effect in regulating Earth's temperature throughout its 4.7 billion year history. Early in the Earth's life, scientists have found evidence of liquid water indicating a warm world even though the Sun's output is believed to have only been 70% of what it is today. It has been suggested by scientists that higher carbon dioxide concentrations in the early Earth's atmosphere might help explain this faint young sun paradox. When Earth first formed, Earth's atmosphere may have contained more greenhouse gases and CO 2 concentrations may have been higher, with estimated partial pressure as large as 1,000 kPa (10 bar), because there was no bacterial photosynthesis to reduce the gas to carbon compounds and oxygen. Methane, a very active greenhouse gas which reacts with oxygen to produce CO 2 and water vapor, may have been more prevalent as well, with a mixing ratio of 10−4 (100 parts per million by volume).[45][46]
Though water is responsible for most (about 36-70%) of the total greenhouse effect, the role of water vapor as a greenhouse gas depends on temperature. On Earth, carbon dioxide is the most relevant, direct anthropologically influenced greenhouse gas. Carbon dioxide is often mentioned in the context of its increased influence as a greenhouse gas since the pre-industrial (1750) era. In the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report the increase in CO 2 was estimated to be responsible for 1.82 W·m2 of the 2.63 W·m2 change in radiative forcing on Earth (about 70%).[47]
The concept of atmospheric CO 2 increasing ground temperature was first published by Svante Arrhenius in 1896.[48] The increased radiative forcing due to increased CO 2 in the Earth's atmosphere is based on the physical properties of CO 2 and the non-saturated absorption windows where CO 2 absorbs outgoing long-wave energy.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide and the carbon cycle [ edit ]
This diagram of the fast carbon cycle shows the movement of carbon between land, atmosphere, and oceans in billions of metric tons of carbon per year. Yellow numbers are natural fluxes, red are human contributions in billions of metric tons of carbon per year. White numbers indicate stored carbon.
Atmospheric carbon dioxide plays an integral role in the Earth's carbon cycle whereby carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere by some natural processes such as photosynthesis and deposition of carbonates, to form limestones for example, and added back to the atmosphere by other natural processes such as respiration and the acid dissolution of carbonate deposits. There are two broad carbon cycles on Earth: the fast carbon cycle and the slow carbon cycle. The fast carbon cycle refers to movements of carbon between the environment and living things in the biosphere whereas the slow carbon cycle involves the movement of carbon between the atmosphere, oceans, soil, rocks, and volcanism. Both carbon cycles are intrinsically interconnected and atmospheric gaseous carbon dioxide facilitates the carbon cycle.
[49] RF values are for year 2005, relative to pre-industrial (1750).[49] The contribution of solar irradiance to RF is 5% the value of the combined RF due to increases in the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.[50] Contribution of natural factors and human activities to radiative forcing (RF) of climate change.RF values are for year 2005, relative to pre-industrial (1750).The contribution of solar irradiance to RF is 5% the value of the combined RF due to increases in the atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide.
Natural sources of atmospheric carbon dioxide include volcanic outgassing, the combustion of organic matter, wildfires and the respiration processes of living aerobic organisms. Man-made sources of carbon dioxide include the burning of fossil fuels for heating, power generation and transport, as well as some industrial processes such as cement making. It is also produced by various microorganisms from fermentation and cellular respiration. Plants, algae and cyanobacteria convert carbon dioxide to carbohydrates by a process called photosynthesis. They gain the energy needed for this reaction from absorption of sunlight by chlorophyll and other pigments. Oxygen, produced as a by-product of photosynthesis, is released into the atmosphere and subsequently used for respiration by heterotrophic organisms and other plants, forming a cycle.
Most sources of CO 2 emissions are natural, and are balanced to various degrees by natural CO 2 sinks. For example, the natural decay of organic material in forests and grasslands and the action of forest fires results in the release of about 439 gigatonnes of carbon dioxide every year, while new growth entirely counteracts this effect, absorbing 450 gigatonnes per year.[51] Although the initial carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the young Earth was produced by volcanic activity, modern volcanic activity releases only 130 to 230 megatonnes of carbon dioxide each year.[52] These natural sources are nearly balanced by natural sinks, physical and biological processes which remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere. For example, some is directly removed from the atmosphere by land plants for photosynthesis and it is soluble in water forming carbonic acid. There is a large natural flux of CO 2 into and out of the biosphere and oceans.[53] In the pre-industrial era these fluxes were largely in balance. Currently about 57% of human-emitted CO 2 is removed by the biosphere and oceans.[54][55] From pre-industrial era to 2010, the terrestrial biosphere represented a net source of atmospheric CO 2 prior to 1940, switching subsequently to a net sink.[55] The ratio of the increase in atmospheric CO 2 to emitted CO 2 is known as the airborne fraction (Keeling et al., 1995); this varies for short-term averages and is typically about 45% over longer (5 year) periods.[55] Estimated carbon in global terrestrial vegetation increased from approximately 740 billion tons in 1910 to 780 billion tons in 1990.[56]
Atmospheric carbon dioxide and photosynthesis [ edit ]
2, and fixes CO 2 into sugar. Photosynthesis changes sunlight into chemical energy, splits water to liberate O, and fixes COinto sugar.
Carbon dioxide in the Earth's atmosphere is essential to life and to most of the planetary biosphere. Over the course of Earth's geologic history CO 2 concentrations have played a role in biological evolution. The first photosynthetic organisms probably evolved early in the evolutionary history of life and most likely used reducing agents such as hydrogen or hydrogen sulfide as sources of electrons, rather than water.[57] Cyanobacteria appeared later, and the excess oxygen they produced contributed to the oxygen catastrophe,[58] which rendered the evolution of complex life possible. In recent geologic times, low CO 2 concentrations below 600 parts per million might have been the stimulus that favored the evolution of C4 plants which increased greatly in abundance between 7 and 5 million years ago over plants that use the less efficient C3 metabolic pathway.[32] At current atmospheric pressures photosynthesis shuts down when atmospheric CO 2 concentrations fall below 150 ppm and 200 ppm although some microbes can extract carbon from the air at much lower concentrations.[59][60] Today, the average rate of energy capture by photosynthesis globally is approximately 130 terawatts,[61][62][63] which is about six times larger than the current power consumption of human civilization.[64] Photosynthetic organisms also convert around 100–115 thousand million metric tonnes of carbon into biomass per year.[65][66]
Photosynthetic organisms are photoautotrophs, which means that they are able to synthesize food directly from CO 2 and water using energy from light. However, not all organisms that use light as a source of energy carry out photosynthesis, since photoheterotrophs use organic compounds, rather than CO 2, as a source of carbon.[67] In plants, algae and cyanobacteria, photosynthesis releases oxygen. This is called oxygenic photosynthesis. Although there are some differences between oxygenic photosynthesis in plants, algae, and cyanobacteria, the overall process is quite similar in these organisms. However, there are some types of bacteria that carry out anoxygenic photosynthesis, which consumes CO 2 but does not release oxygen.
Carbon dioxide is converted into sugars in a process called carbon fixation. Carbon fixation is an endothermic redox reaction, so photosynthesis needs to supply both the source of energy to drive this process and the electrons needed to convert CO 2 into a carbohydrate. This addition of the electrons is a reduction reaction. In general outline and in effect, photosynthesis is the opposite of cellular respiration, in which glucose and other compounds are oxidized to produce CO 2 and water, and to release exothermic chemical energy to drive the organism's metabolism. However, the two processes take place through a different sequence of chemical reactions and in different cellular compartments.
Most organisms that utilize photosynthesis to produce oxygen use visible light to do so, although at least three use shortwave infrared or, more specifically, far-red radiation.[68]
Effects of increased CO 2 on plants and crops [ edit ]
A 1993 review of scientific greenhouse studies found that a doubling of CO 2 concentration would stimulate the growth of 156 different plant species by an average of 37%. Response varied significantly by species, with some showing much greater gains and a few showing a loss. For example, a 1979 greenhouse study found that with doubled CO 2 concentration the dry weight of 40-day-old cotton plants doubled, but the dry weight of 30-day-old maize plants increased by only 20%.[69][70]
In addition to greenhouse studies, field and satellite measurements attempt to understand the effect of increased CO 2 in more natural environments. In free-air carbon dioxide enrichment (FACE) experiments plants are grown in field plots and the CO 2 concentration of the surrounding air is artificially elevated. These experiments generally use lower CO 2 levels than the greenhouse studies. They show lower gains in growth than greenhouse studies, with the gains depending heavily on the species under study. A 2005 review of 12 experiments at 475–600 ppm showed an average gain of 17% in crop yield, with legumes typically showing a greater response than other species and C4 plants generally showing less. The review also stated that the experiments have their own limitations. The studied CO 2 levels were lower, and most of the experiments were carried out in temperate regions.[71] Satellite measurements found increasing leaf area index for 25% to 50% of Earth's vegetated area Earth over the past 35 years, providing evidence for a positive CO 2 fertilization effect.[72][73]
A 2017 article states that increased CO 2 levels have a negative impact on the nutritional quality of various human food crops, by increasing the levels of carbohydrates, such as glucose, while decreasing the levels of important nutrients such as protein, iron, and zinc. Crops experiencing a decrease in protein include rice, wheat, barley and potatoes.[74]
Atmospheric carbon dioxide and the oceanic carbon cycle [ edit ]
2 Air-sea exchange of CO
The Earth's oceans contain a large amount of CO 2 in the form of bicarbonate and carbonate ions — much more than the amount in the atmosphere. The bicarbonate is produced in reactions between rock, water, and carbon dioxide. One example is the dissolution of calcium carbonate:
CaCO
3 + CO 2 + H
2 O ⇌ Ca 2+
+ 2 HCO −
3
Reactions like this tend to buffer changes in atmospheric CO 2. Since the right side of the reaction produces an acidic compound, adding CO 2 on the left side decreases the pH of seawater, a process which has been termed ocean acidification (pH of the ocean becomes more acidic although the pH value remains in the alkaline range). Reactions between CO 2 and non-carbonate rocks also add bicarbonate to the seas. This can later undergo the reverse of the above reaction to form carbonate rocks, releasing half of the bicarbonate as CO 2. Over hundreds of millions of years, this has produced huge quantities of carbonate rocks.
Ultimately, most of the CO 2 emitted by human activities will dissolve in the ocean;[75] however, the rate at which the ocean will take it up in the future is less certain. Even if equilibrium is reached, including dissolution of carbonate minerals, the increased concentration of bicarbonate and decreased or unchanged concentration of carbonate ion will give rise to a higher concentration of un-ionized carbonic acid and dissolved CO 2. This, along with higher temperatures, would mean a higher equilibrium concentration of CO 2 in the air.
Anthropogenic CO 2 emissions [ edit ]
While CO 2 absorption and release is always happening as a result of natural processes, the recent rise in CO 2 levels in the atmosphere is known to be mainly due to human (anthropogenic) activity.[80] There are four ways human activity, especially fossil fuel burning, is known to have caused the rapid increase in atmospheric CO 2 over the last few centuries. 1) Various national statistics accounting for fossil fuel consumption, combined with knowledge of how much atmospheric CO 2 is produced per unit of fossil fuel (e.g. liter of gasoline).[81] 2) By examining the ratio of various carbon isotopes in the atmosphere.[80] The burning of long-buried fossil fuels releases CO 2 containing carbon of different isotopic ratios to those of living plants, enabling distinction between natural and human-caused contributions to CO 2 concentration. 3) Higher atmospheric CO 2 concentrations in the Northern Hemisphere, where most of the world's population lives (and emissions originate from), compared to the southern hemisphere. This difference has increased as anthropogenic emissions have increased.[82] 4) Atmospheric O 2 levels are decreasing in Earth's atmosphere as it reacts with the carbon in fossil fuels to form CO 2.[83]
Burning fossil fuels such as coal, petroleum, and natural gas is the leading cause of increased anthropogenic CO 2 ; deforestation is the second major cause. In 2010, 9.14 gigatonnes of carbon (GtC, equivalent to 33.5 gigatonnes of CO 2 or about 4.3 ppm in Earth's atmosphere) were released from fossil fuels and cement production worldwide, compared to 6.15 GtC in 1990.[84] In addition, land use change contributed 0.87 GtC in 2010, compared to 1.45 GtC in 1990.[84] In 1997, human-caused Indonesian peat fires were estimated to have released between 13% and 40% of the average carbon emissions caused by the burning of fossil fuels around the world in a single year.[85][86][87] In the period 1751 to 1900, about 12 GtC were released as CO 2 to the atmosphere from burning of fossil fuels, whereas from 1901 to 2013 the figure was about 380 GtC.[88]
Anthropogenic carbon emissions exceed the amount that can be taken up or balanced out by natural sinks.[89] As a result, carbon dioxide has gradually accumulated in the atmosphere, and as of 2013, its concentration is almost 43% above pre-industrial levels.[13][14] Various techniques have been proposed for removing excess carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in carbon dioxide sinks. Currently about half of the carbon dioxide released from the burning of fossil fuels is not absorbed by vegetation and the oceans and remains in the atmosphere.[90]
Excess CO 2 emitted since the pre-industrial era is projected to remain in the |
eye, proud in the knowledge that we are in the vanguard of efforts to reduce the climate pollution instrumental in causing their problems, we are the freeloaders of Europe. John Sweeney is a climatologist and emeritus professor of geography at Maynooth UniversityAdrian Mutu tells a comedy story about a Zlatan Ibrahimovic nightmare at Juventus [Costin Desliu]
Romanian website Costin Desliu have recorded an quality interview with former Chelsea striker Adrian Mutu.
Perhaps the highlight of the interview was Mutu’s story about his former Juventus teammate Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
Mutu and Zlatan were both in Turin from 2004 to 2006.
According to Mutu, the strikers often bunked together on away trips, and one night Zlatan woke up from a nightmare. Mutu’s story was as follows:
Zlatan’s the best. When we were team mates at Juventus, we used to sleep in the same room before games. One night, he woke up.
Ibra told me: ‘Adi, wake up! I had a nightmare. I dreamed Ronaldo was better than me!’
He only went back to sleep after I’d tell him: ‘No, Zlatan, no! You are the best in the world! Calm down!
Elsewhere, Adrian Mutu claimed that his favourite footballer is Ronaldinho, while he said that Cesare Prandelli was the manager who understood him the best during his career.
Finally, when asked to say who is better, Cristiano Ronaldo or Lionel Messi, Mutu replied:
If it were me I would ban any comparison between them!
(Credit to @Emishor for the tip off.)The Boss joins in with Jimmy Fallon on Neil Young parody
Bruce Springsteen has covered LMFAO‘s hit single ‘Sexy And I Know It’, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click to watch it.
The Boss, who released his 17th studio album ‘Wrecking Ball’ today (March 5), joined Jimmy Fallon on his late night chat show Late Night With Jimmy Fallon to perform the cover.
Fallon, playing a parodied version of Neil Young, sings most of the song himself with Springsteen joining him around halfway through.
‘Wrecking Ball’, which is the followup to 2009’s ‘Working On A Dream’ and 2010’s outtakes collection ‘The Promise’, features an appearance from Rage Against The Machine‘s Tom Morello.
Bruce Springsteen tours the UK this summer, playing a total of four shows on a short tour. The dates begin at Sunderland Stadium of Light on June 21 before moving on to Manchester Etihad Stadium (22), Isle Of Wight Festival (24) and London Hard Rock Calling (July 14).
To read NME‘s review of ‘Wrecking Ball’, visit NME.COM/reviews.Conservative James O'Keefe during an interview on Fox Business (Screenshot)
Project Veritas president James O’Keefe—whose organization was humiliated Monday when it botched a “sting” operation against the Washington Post—will speak as a purveyor of “real news” at Southern Methodist University on Wednesday, the Dallas Morning News reports.
According to the Washington Post, Project Veritas dispatched a woman who offered reporters a false story about GOP Senate candidate Roy Moore impregnating her when she was a teen. The Post’s rigorous fact-checking process noted numerous inconsistencies in the woman’s story, and eventually connected her with O’Keefe’s organization.
O’Keefe was booked by the SMU Young Americans for Freedom, a conservative group that booked the controversial conservative activist before Monday’s Washington Post expose. In a statement Tuesday, the group defended its decision to host O’Keefe.
“SMU Young Americans for Freedom invited Project Veritas founder James O’Keefe to speak at SMU because his experience in investigative journalism and holding organizations and media outlets accountable makes him noteworthy,” the group said. “Among the goals of Young Americans for Freedom is seeking to provide the SMU community with opportunities to hear from relevant individuals about important topics in political and civil discourse. We view this event as a platform for our peers and Dallas community members to engage in first-hand dialogue with Mr. O’Keefe by hearing his perspective directly, and, if they desire, asking him challenging questions during the Q&A session.”
“In what manner Mr. O’Keefe chooses to engage in his work at Project Veritas is up to him,” the group continued.”SMU YAF invited him to speak to provide our community an opportunity to hear and respond to his perspective. We look forward to an open, robust exchange of ideas at our event tomorrow evening.”
As Dallas News reports, previous advertisements for the event praised O’Keefe as a source of “real news.”
“In a time fraught with fake news, come hear from a man seeking to bring Truth to light,” an SMU Young Americans for Freedom Facebook post read.
The groups founding chairman Grant Wolf likewise argued O’Keefe “has made some valuable contributions to journalism.”
“Despite the fact that what came out yesterday might be dubious, some of Mr. O’Keefe’s work in the past has been noteworthy,” Wolf told Dallas News.
In a statement, SMU backed the group’s right to host O’Keefe.
“This speaker was invited to campus by a student organization, and we respect our students’ right to do so,” the statement said. ”Please do not misinterpret our support for that freedom as an indication of official University agreement on any particular issue.”Teruto Tsubota in 2007
Teruto "Terry" Tsubota (July 28, 1922 – May 22, 2013) was a second-generation Japanese American (Nisei) and a former United States Marine. Born in Pahoa, Hawaii, Tsubota was credited with valiantly saving hundreds of civilian lives[1] while serving as a Military Intelligence Service (MIS) combat translator with the 6th Marine Division during the Battle of Okinawa in 1945, when he was attached to the 4th Marine Regiment.
After the war, Tsubota stayed in Okinawa Prefecture. In 1947, he married Kiyoko, a young local woman who had survived being conscripted by the Imperial Japanese Army as a nurse and whom he met in a refugee camp.[2] Together, they raised three children. He retired from the U.S. government service in January 1993. Tsubota remained a hero to the Okinawans as the man who personally prevented many combat deaths and civilian suicides during the battle.[3] The Japanese Army forces had misled the native Okinawan population that they would suffer rape and violence from the invading Allied forces; they urged Okinawans to kill themselves or others in advance of defeat.
He accompanied Okinawa's governor and other officials during Bill Clinton's visit to the prefecture in 2000,[1] and was one of the honored guests at the 59th anniversary of the battle held in the Okinawa Prefectural Peace Memorial Museum in 2004.[4]
In 2007, the story of Tsubota and his fellow Japanese-American translators was told by James C. McNaughton in Nisei Linguists: Japanese Americans in the Military Intelligence Service During World War II.[5]
Teruto Tsubota died in Lihue, Hawaii, at the age of 90.[6]WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Of the big donors helping propel the fundraising of U.S. Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney, fewer than 1 percent have hit the limit they can donate to his election bid, suggesting cash is likely to keep pouring into his coffers.
Only 40 donors have given $75,800 — the maximum individuals are allowed to give before the November 6 election — to the joint Victory fund that Romney shares with the Republican National Committees, according to a Reuters analysis of the fund’s first campaign finance filing submitted late on Sunday.
That is a drop in the bucket of some 19,000 named donors — those who have given a total of at least $200 and so triggered the threshold for federal disclosure. About 2,000 of those named donors to the Victory fund have given at least $25,000 but can give more before hitting the limit, the analysis showed.
Joint funds allow candidates to rake in much bigger checks than are allowed for campaigns on their own.
Romney formed his Victory joint fund with the Republican National Committee in April when he first emerged as the presumed party nominee. Since then, the fund has received $140.3 million, almost all of it from donors giving more than $200.
Democratic President Barack Obama has seen 29 donors give the maximum amount this year to the fund he shares with the Democratic National Committee, out of a total of about 38,000 donors who had given at least $200 to the fund before the end of May, according to the latest available data.
In contrast with the prolific small-donor driven campaign that put Obama into the White House in 2008, the 2012 race is marked by a chase after contributors capable of five- or six-figure donations, as Democrats and Republicans are expected to invest some $1 billion each in this year’s campaigns.
Obama’s total haul of $552.5 million so far still has him ahead of Romney’s $394.9 million but the Republican challenger has drilled deep into the ranks of Wall Street and the wealthy, where many are disgruntled by what they see as Obama’s anti-business rhetoric and policies.
That reach has aided Romney’s fast-paced catch-up to Obama’s fundraising. Usually, the advantage in this area is held by an incumbent over the presidential challenger.
The president’s campaign has been sounding alarms that he could be the first incumbent to be outspent.
And the Victory Fund is one of the venues Romney has to make that happen. While campaigns can take only up to $5,000 from one donor, split between the primary process and the general election, a fund used jointly with the national party can accept up to $70,800 in addition to that.
CASH IN THE BANK
The Victory fund, holding most of Romney’s cash potency, has so far dispersed only a fraction of its money.
The Romney campaign has received $15.8 million and $53 million has been transferred to the RNC, Sunday’s filing with the Federal Election Commission showed. State Republican parties in Vermont, Oklahoma, Massachusetts and Idaho each got $20,000.
That and money paid out mostly for travel, consulting and payroll has left $57.7 million sitting in the fund by the end of June, ready to be funneled for Romney’s or the party’s needs.
Combined with the rest of Romney’s and the RNC’s money at the end of last month, the Republican had $160 million in cash on hand, his campaign has said.
Obama, his Victory Fund, and the DNC have not released their June cash on hand data but at the end of May had a total of about $144 million in the bank.
Monthly disclosures from both campaigns are next due July 20.
At the end of May, 11 percent of Romney’s donations had come from those who gave $200 or less, according to analysis by the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute. By comparison, 41 percent of the Obama campaign’s donors had given $200 or less.
Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney speaks at the NAACP convention in Houston July 11, 2012. REUTERS/Richard Carson
LOBBYIST BUNDLERS
Sunday’s reports also showed 15 lobbyists “bundling” —gathering large amounts of cash — for Romney Victory, and raised $2.2 million since April. A third of them are also bundling for Romney’s campaign itself.
Unlike Obama, Romney has not disclosed his bundlers who are not registered lobbyists; disclosure of bundlers who lobby is required by federal law.
The 15 bundlers disclosed on Sunday include lobbyists for Barclays and Goldman Sachs banks, insurer Aflac, hotel operator Marriott International Inc, tech giant Microsoft Corp and brewer Anheuser Busch.Join Clarence Vaughn, III for a discussion of The Black and the Blue: A Cop Reveals the Crimes, Racism, and Injustice in America's Law Enforcement by Matthew Horace, Wednesday, February 27, noon–1:00 in the East Tennessee History Center auditorium at 601 South Gay Street.
The Black and the Blue is described by reviewers as a brilliantly researched examination of policing. Authors Matthew Horace and Ron Harris posit that many of today's police tactics are built upon decades of toxic internal policies and the post-civil rights era War on Drugs. The author started his career in local policing and eventually ascended to the Department of Justice’s Senior Executive Service. After a personal encounter with racial profiling by a white officer, Horace sought to understand the very system he represented.
"Horace provides a riveting and portentous view from differing perspectives regarding community engagement with law enforcement," Vaughn said. "The Black and the Blue sheds light on the importance of maintaining certain key principles of the civil rights movement and transitioning those principles into a human rights movement, with a concentrated emphasis for all humankind to be treated equally and fairly."
Vaughn is Executive Director of the Police Advisory and Review Committee for the City of Knoxville, where he ensures that citizens have a voice in police matters. He is also a member of the National Association of Civilian Oversight of Law Enforcement focused on improving relationships between law enforcement and citizens. Recognized by Knoxville Business Journal as a “40 under 40” honoree, Vaughn’s passion for service and philanthropic activities motivate him to serve in leadership roles in citizen academies at the federal and local level.
Books Sandwiched In is made possible by the generous support of the Friends of Knox County Public Library. Bring a sandwich or pick up something at a downtown restaurant. Drinks will be available for 50 cents.ANCHOR.
(1) TO CAST ANCHOR.
(a) Fit float gear hand crank into anchor reel socket on port side of bomber’s compartment. Station one man here to operate crank.
(b) Detail second man, equipped with safety belt, to outside of ship to perform following operations:
(c) Open door of anchor box at latch in up position with webbing strap and dot fastener provided.
(d) Hook safety belt in forward snap, facing aft.
(e) Take out anchor. Set it upside down on walk rail in handhole slot.
(f) Unfold anchor while in upside-down position.
(g) Place anchor cable in guide eye in walk rail.
(h) Drop anchor overboard. (Man inside must release ratchet of reel.)
(i) When anchor hits bottom, release pendant from stowage and secure clamp to anchor cable. Throw pendant overboard and slack off anchor cable until pendant cable is taking pull of the anchor line.
(j) Man inside must secure anchor reel with latch.It isn’t entirely clear whether Warg Franklin is asking: How does NRx think? Nevertheless, his introduction to postrationalism cannot but contribute to such a question (whether the latter is taken descriptively, prescriptively, or diagonally). The excellent onward links merit explicit mention (1, 2, 3).
How NRx thinks is a critical index of what it is.
Outside in is probably ‘postrationalist’. What it certainly is, however, is disintegrationist. It translates the caution against rationalist hubris — dubbed reservationism by Moldbug (in the link provided) — as a general antipathy to global solutions (and their attendant universalist ideologies). To be promoted, in the place of any Great Answer, is computational fragmentation. Whenever the research program meets an obstacle, divide it. “When you come to a fork in the road, take it.” Or at least, since selection is inescapable, defend the fork (as such) first, and the chosen path only secondarily.
Delegate selection to Gnon. To do so not only husbands resources, but also maximizes overall experimentation. Intelligence is scarce. It is needed, above all, for tinkering well. Global conceptual policing is an exhausting waste, and an unnecessary one, since territorial distribution, or some effective proxy, can carry it for free. Security capacity is needed to fend off those determined to share their mistakes. Using it, instead, to impose any measure — whatsoever — of global conformity is a pointless extravagance, and a diversion.
Whether articulated as epistemology, or as meta-politics, NRx is aligned with the declaration: There is no need for us to agree. Refuse all dialectics. It is not reconciliation that is needed, but definitive division. (Connect, but disintegrate.)
Think in patches. Eventually, some of them will work.Editor’s Note: The following does not necessarily reflect the views of This Week in Mormons.
Like many others this week, I happened upon a raw video clip of a fast and testimony meeting where a 12-year-old girl named Savannah stood and read a written testimony about her experience with same-sex attraction, using her moment at the pulpit to come out to the congregation. This has set off various opinions online about who was out of line, Savannah or the church leader? I generally avoid controversial topics on LeadingLDS but since this is important and we are within the thoughtful confines of TWiM, I’d like to highlight some possible leadership lessons that we can take away from this.
The reality is, in this fast and testimony meeting episode, nobody was completely the victim and nobody was completely the hero. My heart goes out to Savannah, and I can only imagine what she must be going through. From her point of view it sounds like she was striving to reach out to others that might be experiencing feelings of alienation or difference. This is a valiant effort and we should all strive to reach out to SSA members in our local wards and communities to make sure they feel they have a place in the pews of our church. But at some point her message got out of her control when it evolved from a simple testimony about inclusiveness and the love of God, to remarks centered on her and an opposing agenda. You won’t necessarily find that message by only reading her written words, but when you address a sensitive topic in a public church meeting without notifying those that are presiding, they will feel blindsided.
This doesn’t even mention the parent or friend that recorded the event and released it publicly. Before you know it, you have an insincere media that dog-piles on the event and paints the picture that Mormon priesthood leaders enjoy picking on a kind child, and are “who we thought they were” in regards to how Mormons show love to the LGBT community. This dismisses the fact that the majority of those actively attending LDS services want individuals like Savannah to feel welcome and loved at church. It also dilutes the incredible impact of efforts like mormonandgay.lds.org, not to mention the remarkable progress of organizations like NorthStarLDS.org.
Again, my heart goes out to Savannah and her process of discovering who she is and how she was made. I pray she has a forgiving heart and realizes she, her parents, and her friends also have plenty of reason to say, “I’m sorry.”
What about the presiding priesthood leader, said to be a member of the stake presidency? My heart goes out to him as well. He has a heavy responsibility on his shoulders to guide the meeting toward a focus on Jesus Christ and His Atonement. I’ve sat in the presiding chair countless times and when something like this happens you can feel every eye on you, wondering if you are going to intervene. Can I think of a long list of other responses that would have shown more love to Savannah and potentially avoided the awkwardness that lingered during the rest of the meeting? Yes. But this good leader didn’t have the luxury of weighing all the options and making a more measured decision. We are a lay ministry and we make mistakes. I have no doubt that this leader has run this scene through his mind countless times since it happened considering a better approach. Or maybe he feels increasingly confident in his actions, and that’s fine too. Either way, he now faces the reality that his choice of action, good or bad, may influence Savannah to feel unwelcome. Now, of course, he has no control over who is offended and how they respond, but these are still sleep-depriving thoughts local leaders wrestle with. Just as Savannah has to make difficult choices as she develops in mortality, leaders have tough calls to make as well, and no time to write out their statement. I’m not weighing them against each other or stating they are equal, but hard decision they are nonetheless.
The Leadership Lesson – The Tyranny of the Moment
When a lay leader is called, nobody can easily prepare them for these tyrannical moments; moments when there is not perfect decision to take nor a perfect outcome to achieve. Do I save the meeting or save Savannah? Do I show more love towards the agenda of the meeting or to this young girl? Do I offend those in attendance or do I offend her? Should I say something or ride it out? Am I not supposed to say something? How am I supposed to show love when anything I do will offend someone?
These moments are cruel! Every bishop called wants to be Bishop Smiley, the bishop that everyone loves, the bishop that everyone speaks so highly of and remembers for the rest of their life for being an influence for good. But when the moment of tyranny blindsides you, you quickly realize the road to Bishop Smiley is a difficult one.
My intent in writing this message is not to state who was right and who was wrong. My hope is that leaders reading this will realize you too will face moments of tyranny. These moments will take quick analysis, muscle memory, and ability to execute them effectively. Those in church leadership have been ordained and blessed with priesthood authority—and many times keys—to decide. It is our role to prepare ourselves so that our ability will match our authority.
This article was taken from the weekly LeadingLDS newsletter. You can sign up for it here. For more LDS Leadership content, visit LeadingLDS.org.JEK is the most famous alliance in Challenge history and it is one that has still affected the way the game is played for better or worse. We have seen certain alliance be successful, with others failing. Let’s look at some famous second tier alliances post JEK’s formation:
Wes-Evelyn alliance
This duo played the game together on Fresh Meat 2 with the intent of getting each other to the final. This rag-tag duo was famous for taking on the whole damn house to win Challenges. Wes won the Duel and made the final of Fresh Meat 1 by winning 6 eliminations and taking it to the end. Evelyn was the dominant female competitor of her time and took on JEK, winning the Island. FM2 was the example of people not realizing what to do once in a power. They were so used to fighting for their lives that they made poor decisions trying to maintain it. They finished 6th and 7th respectively, a failure for two strong players in their primes.
Jordan-Zach-Johnny alliance
Possibly a more douche-y and misogynistic trio than JEK, however, this trio did stack up pretty well for their era. In 9 seasons between the three (the first 3 of each) they totaled 2 Challenge wins, 5 finals, 10–4 elimination record, and 18 daily challenge wins is pretty damn good. Compare that to JEK’s first 9 seasons: 1 Challenge win, 4 finals, 3–4 elimination record, and the daily challenge records are not comparable as there used to be more dailies in the past.
During Free Agents this group made Banana’s life tough for once by throwing him into two eliminations and forcing him to compete everyday to win. On Free Agents, 2/3 of them made the final. Jordan followed up missing the final by winning the next season.
Lavender Ladies
This alliance happened last season and consisted of Ashley, Amanda, Shane L, and Sylvia. Their game-plan was built upon their strengths: talking shit, using their brains, and taking advantage of the numbers. Nicole, Jenna, and Kailah were the 3 strongest female underdogs from a physical standpoints. They finished 3rd, 6th, and 11th. Ashley, Amanda, and Sylvia finished 1st, 5th, and 9th. They made friends with the boys and made girls like Jenna and Kailah the public enemy.
Shane was an X factor in this group as him eliminating Tony was crucial to their success in the game.
Failed Alliances:
Rookie Guys Bloodlines: Cory/Mitch, Thomas/Stephen, Dario/Raphy
Wes’s losers Rivals 3: Wes/Nany, Devin/Cheyenne, Dario/Nicole
Anti Laurel alignment Free Agents: Theresa, Aneesa, Devyn
How good is this new alliance?
Let’s take it one by one.
Nelson
We are going to start with the person who has been closest to winning a Challenge. Nelson won 3 eliminations on Invasion to make it to the final. After mostly average performances during the daily missions, Nelson truly brought it during the final. He killed it besides the swimming portion (which may have cost him the win). Since then he has brought it during the Dirty 30, showing major improvements in dailies and seems to be more cool and confident.
The best part about this scene is Nelson talking to Hunter about how he knew they would be on different team. Cory walks in and says: “that’s because you’re trash bro.” You can’t visually see it, but you can tell by Hunter’s reaction that Nelson is not super happy about the comment. After finishing second, Nelson wants respect and he wants a win. Seconds later they are all laughing.
Nelson’s strengths are eliminations, endurance, core strength, and speed.
Hunter
So far, Hunter has possibly been the best male from a physical standpoint. He’s won 2/3 daily missions, and was seconds away from being 3/3. Last season on Invasion, Hunter set the physical pace for the Underdogs, and consistently beat some of the Champs during missions as well.
For those who are not the biggest fan of his arrogance, let’s get this straight — Hunter is a beast. Never have we seen a 5'6 guy who is 205 lbs of muscle and might be the fastest guy in the house. He’s a multi-sport athlete who has proven to be good at everything physical. His weaknesses come with the mental and social game. Hunter and Nelson’s biggest female allies (Amanda and Ashley) are gone. It means he will need to win most daily challenges to succeed.
Hunter’s strengths are speed, strength, upper body, muscle endurance.
Cory
He is the face of the alliance and the person who has made two finals. Cory has done terribly in the daily missions. He lost the first two parts of the purge and was one of the first to fall down the wall on the Wall mission. In the clutch he has brought it, which is a major improvement to seasons prior. Cory has crumbled under pressure in the past, but he’s sent 4 people home already, and won when it matters.
Cory may be the best of three when it comes to competing in short distance anaerobic activities. He needs to improve his swimming and cardio to become a more well-rounded competitor.
What is their potential?
The second that two of them are eligible for the same elimination, you know they will throw both in. The veterans are going to be taking as many shots at them as they can. Expect at least one of these three guys to be in every elimination until there is one or none of them left.
They need to absolutely dominate the dailies and come back from eliminations in order to go far. What would be success?
It’s hard to define what success is for these guys. All three of them desire to win, but under the current circumstances that is tough to foresee. In a game that’s been made for the veterans to dominate, if one of the young guys makes the final, it would be a major success.
They might not be the next JEK, but they’re trying.With the goal of replacing a four-member senior class, Cornell men’s hockey has announced its freshman class for this upcoming season — a talented group of five skaters.
Corey Hoffman, Noah Bauld, Jeff Malott, Yanni Kaldis and Connor Murphy make up the incoming class of 2020, with Kaldis serving as the lone defender in the group. The five represent the smallest class on the team; the other three classes are all at least seven skaters strong.
Four of the five skaters are under six feet tall and only one hits the 200-pound plateau. However, head coach Mike Schafer ’86 welcomed the players’ smaller stature, citing the alternative physical prowesses that they will add to the team.
“Gone are the days where you can physically punish teams, so now you have to intimidate with speed,” Schafer said to Cornell Athletics. “With this class, they’re all tremendous skaters and have great skills and offensive instincts. They’re going to increase our team’s speed and skill level and improve our ability to play at a faster pace.”
In terms of hometowns, four of the five incoming Cornellians are native to Canada, with only one skater — Hoffman — hailing from within the United States. After the addition of the incoming class, the roster is split exactly in half between American and Canadian players, 14 from each country.
Hoffman spent the past year on two teams in the British Columbia Hockey League, amassing 39 points in 56 games between his two clubs, leading the Cowichan Valley Capitals in playoff scoring with 10 points in six games.
Bauld averaged just under one point per game with the Lloydminster Bobcats in the Alberta Junior Hockey League, helping lead the team to the RBC Cup, the championship game for Canadian Junior A teams.
Malott joined Bauld in the AJHL on the Brooks Bandits, recording a total of 80 points in 99 games, including 60 points in 46 games this past season. Malott was named the Bandits’ most valuable player and was selected to be on the AJHL South Division All-League Team.
“They’re going to increase our team’s speed and skill level and improve our ability to play at a faster pace.” — Head Coach Mike Schafer ’86
The lone defender, Kaldis, spent his past two years with the Nanaimo Clippers as a major playmaker, as evidenced by his 110 assists in 112 games, placing him second in scoring in the league last season among defensemen.
Murphy spent the past two seasons on two different teams in the United States Hockey League, notching 57 regular season points in that span. Before that, he was the Ontario Hockey Association Junior B Player of the Year and was honored with the OHA top prospect award.
While each incoming skater has his own personal collection of accolades, all-star selections and hardware won on previous teams, they now begin a shared future in Ithaca come August.Frank Hayes (1888–1923) was a jockey who, on June 4, 1923,[1] won a steeplechase after suffering a fatal heart attack halfway through the race[2] at Belmont Park in New York State, USA.
The accident [ edit ]
The thirty-five-year-old Hayes had never won a race before[3] and in fact by profession was not actually a jockey but a horse trainer[4] and longtime stableman.[5] The horse, a 20-1 outsider called Sweet Kiss, was owned by Miss A.M. Frayling.[2] Hayes apparently died somewhere in the middle of the race, but his body remained in the saddle throughout. Sweet Kiss eventually crossed the finish line, winning by a head[6] with Hayes technically still atop her back, making him the first, and thus far only, jockey known to have won a race after death.[7]
Aftermath [ edit ]
Hayes' death was not discovered until Miss Frayling and race officials came to congratulate him shortly after the race. It was suggested that the fatal heart attack may have been brought on by Hayes' extreme efforts to meet the weight requirements[8], possibly followed by the excitement of riding to the front of the pack.[2] The newspaper reported he had slimmed down from 142 pounds to 130 pounds in a very short time.[9]
After the discovery of Hayes' death, all further post-race formalities were waived by the Jockey Club, the result being declared official without the customary weighing in.[10] Hayes, dressed in his colorful racing silks, was buried three days later.[3] The horse was never in a race again.[6] It was claimed that Sweet Kiss was nicknamed "Sweet Kiss of Death" for the rest of her life.[11]
References [ edit ]Gay marriage group Freedom to Marry on Thursday announced a campaign to fund fights in five 2012 marriage battleground states, with the first $250,000 coming from Chris Hughes, a founder of Facebook, and his husband-to-be, Sean Eldridge.
The group hopes its Win More States Fund will raise at least $3 million dollars to push for the New Jersey Legislature to override Governor Chris Christie's veto of a gay marriage bill and win ballot initiatives in Maine, Minnesota, New Hampshire and Washington. (The New Hampshire House on Wednesday killed a proposed ballot initiative.)
Eldridge told The New York Times that securing marriage rights is “a top priority” for the couple.
Evan Wolfson, founder and president of Freedom to Marry, said in a statement announcing the campaign that winning even one state referendum would change the course of the national debate.
“Winning marriage at the ballot in even one state will take away the last desperate talking-point our opponents use to disparage the gains we are making across the country,” Wolfson said. “In each of our battleground states, Freedom to Marry is taking a lead role alongside local families and leaders, adding talent and resources on the frontlines to do the critical work necessary to win.”A crumbling, borderline unliveable weatherboard house in Northcote has sold for $1.1 million, almost $300,000 above its reserve price.
Owner Stjepan Gotvajn, an elderly gentleman who has called 190 Bastings Street home for half a century, had set the reserve price at $810,000.
But with an opening bid of $800,000, Mr Gotvajn’s expectations were quickly exceeded.
“He was a little bit excited,” said Nelson Alexander agent Grant Leonard after the auction.
It was one of 1066 properties scheduled to go under the hammer in Melbourne on Saturday. By evening, Domain Group recorded a clearance rate of 76 per cent from 819 reported results.
A total of six bidders — a mix of investors, renovators and young couples — competed for the keys in front of a crowd of more than 100 people.
The property was particularly appealing because there are very few completely unrenovated, freestanding houses in Northcote left, Mr Leonard said.
“It was almost falling down,” he said. “Twenty years ago, we sold a house like that every month but these days they don’t come up very often.”
The successful bidders plan to knock the house down and build a family home to live in.
Renovated or new freestanding houses in Northcote typically sell for around the $1.5 million mark, depending on the size of the home and block, Mr Leonard said.
Meanwhile in South Yarra, an elegant three-bedroom residence sold for $3.46 million, more than $200,000 above its reserve price.
The Domain Road property was once a grand single mansion but was converted into four homes in the 1980s.
The auction opened with a $2.9 million bid, before three bidders fought it out in $25,000 increments.
It sold under the hammer to a couple downsizing from the Boroondara area. Listing agent Grant Samuel from Kay & Burton said the Domain precinct was highly sought after for downsizers leaving the eastern suburbs.
Mr Samuel said the vendors were thrilled with the result, which was significantly above their expectations.
Title records show they purchased the property in 2005 for $1.8 million.
In Fitzroy, an architect-designed warehouse conversion passed in on a single bid.
The luxurious Napier Street property, once a farriers building and a panel beaters’ workshop, proved popular with the public as dozens of people relished the opportunity to inspect the house before the auction.
But the auction didn’t last long — the property was passed in on a bid of $3.55 million.
Auction results show it sold later in the day for $3,575,000.Economist Xia Yeliang [AFP]
An outspoken Chinese scholar has arrived in the United States, he told AFP, after his university sacked him over what he argued were his political views.
Economist Xia Yeliang was an early signatory of Charter 08, a high-profile document calling for democracy in China backed by hundreds of intellectuals, dissidents and journalists.
He was fired last October from the prestigious Peking University after a 13-year tenure for what he said were his political stances but the university attributed the dismissal to poor teaching.
“I was originally worried that I would be arrested at the airport. But so far, everything has gone all right,” he told AFP at the airport in Beijing on Sunday before leaving for the United States. He later confirmed his arrival at Newark by email.
“I don’t know whether I’ll have any problems when I try to return to China.”
He added that he may take positions with Wellesley College, Harvard University or at a think tank in Washington.
Outspoken figures have previously been prevented from boarding international flights, including two activists preparing last year to participate in a United Nations review of human rights, and Uighur academic Ilham Tohti, a critic of government policy towards the minority, who was detained this month.
Xia’s sacking drew criticism from professors overseas, who argued that China’s already limited academic freedom was at stake.
Speaking to AFP last month after finishing his final class, he said: “I’ve been teaching at Peking University for more than a decade. No student has ever told me I’m a terrible teacher.”
China’s ruling Communist Party takes a hard line against dissenters who might threaten its power, and new leaders under party chief and President Xi Jinping have cracked down on activists since taking office about a year ago.
Several activists have gone on trial in recent days, including Xu Zhiyong, a prominent legal campaigner and central figure in the New Citizens Movement seeking to uphold individual rights, who was sentenced to four years in prison.
Xia said the sentence “makes completely no sense”.
Liu Xiaobo, who co-authored Charter 08 and won the 2010 Nobel peace prize, is serving an 11-year jail sentence.
[Image via Agence France-Presse]Designing a game that manages to be both tough and fun is a difficult task, but Cuphead designers Chad and Jared Moldenhauer, along with |
’ll discuss that later), it was still effective in keeping Liverpool defenders and midfielders in deeper areas, giving his team-mates more space to play with.
As seen on the right, Negredo has taken a position right in the centre of Liverpool’s box, as he did on various occasions, it naturally kept all of Liverpool’s defenders at bay as they identified Negredo’s threat from inside the box. It meant that, crucially, City’s other attacking players were left unmarked. Unfortunately for the home side, they didn’t take enough advantage of this as they would have liked; Liverpool’s defenders were able to scramble away any openings for the likes of Silva and Nasri. It, however, did ensure that Liverpool’s defenders were on their toes.
Liverpool adopt a more discipline and defensive approach
A key feature that has helped Liverpool spring to the top and have a serious claim there, is their ‘defend from attack’ feature. They are seen constantly closing down opponents in their own-half, forcing the ball back and winning possession from forced errors. It’s an approach that can leave the side short at the back, especially with the likes of Sterling and Coutinho pressing from the wings, and Henderson from the centre, it can be easily exploited. Given that City possess a pacy winger in the form of Jesus Navas, any gap will be pounced upon to run into.
Brendan Rodgers identified this short-fall and adopted a more disciplined and defensive approach. The Liverpool players were seen playing generally more deeper, looking to win possession in their own half, rather than that of their opponents. A safer approach, but one that puts less pressure on the opposition; but again, it’s pressure that Man City’s World Class players can deal with. Luis Suarez was often the only man in the City box; he was unable to effectively close down the City players without the help of his team-mates.
Where does this leave them?
Manchester City are only a point of the top and despite their poor away form, are looking good. They have the best squad in the Premier League and immense strength in depth. Brendan Rodgers said it was City’s title to lose, he probably wasn’t far off. Except them there or thereabouts, they can prove to be the most consistent side in the league, and ultimately that will separate the contenders from the pretenders.
A disappointing result for Liverpool after a superb performance, Vincent Kompany wasn’t wrong in labeling this as their toughest home game of the season. The Reds have surprised many, including their own fans, but a shot at the top 4 is still definitely on. Chelsea next week is another difficult game, one that they will believe they can get points from, but more dropped points would see them fall further behind going into the new year.
What did you think of the game? Did you notice anything else tactically? Have we missed out on something? If so, do leave a comment below.
Follow us on Twitter @OOTB_football and like us on Facebook, to keep up to date with the latest from Outside of the Boot. We’re on Google+ and Tumblr as well for those interested.2010 was a big year for desktop and laptop PCs, but not in a good way. For the first time, smartphones outsold PCs, according to IDC, and that downward trend continues to this day. In the first quarter of 2016, global PC shipments were at 64.8 million units—down 9.6 percent compared to last year, Gartner says.
That means you might own a soon-to-be-over-the-hill personal computer. Maybe you want to junk it, because it's slow and frustrating and has made you want to pitch it out a window for months, maybe years.
We're here to tell you: no. Don't do that. If that laptop or desktop is from the last 10 years, you'd be surprised by how much life you can get out of it. Not just limping along like you were in the last few years of its pathetic attempts to run Windows 7, 8, or even 10—we're talking about ways to bring an old PC back to useful life. You may need to do some light upgrades here and there; more RAM and a big new hard drive may benefit some of these projects. But all you need in most cases is separate access to the Web and the ability to get software written to a USB flash drive to install on that old junker.
Take a gander at the options. You'll be glad you kept that old PC around.
Try a New, Lighter OS
You like to try new things? Nothing will seem newer than a freshly installed operating system on your old PC—even a downright elderly computer will feel brand new. Most alternative operating systems (translation: not Windows or MacOS) are based on Linux, which comes in a variety of options called "distros." Popular examples include Ubuntu, elementary OS, and PinguyOS. You'll find interfaces similar to Windows, and they come with a ton of included software packages. They work pretty great on PCs with 4GB of RAM or more. If you want to hand the laptop off to the kids, there are distros designed for toddlers, like Qimo (recently retired, but still available), DouDou, Sugar, and Edubuntu.
You might want to try creating your own version of a Chromebook—a computer that's essentially running Google's Chrome browser as the OS. Sadly, Google doesn't give Chrome OS away, or even sell it. There is, however, the "open source" (but still Google-controlled) Chromium OS project based on the same code. Even that's not simple to download and install. Consumers are told to buy a Chromebook laptop. However, you can download Chromium OS from ArnoldTheBat. Here's a video to help you through the whole process.
Another Chromebook software provider making the rounds now is Neverware with CloudReady, which is free for individual use.
If you want to repurpose that machine into a gaming rig, try SteamOS. It's a version of Linux built exclusively to run games purchased and download from Steam. Be aware that because it's Linux-based, not every Steam game is going to run on it. Plus, your PC has to support certain hardware to run SteamOS: Intel or AMD 64-bit processor, 4GB RAM, 250GB hard drive, and Intel, Nvidia, or AMD graphics, at minimum.
Make a NAS/Home Server
Network-attached storage—a server for your home or small business network, used for storing files that you share with all the PCs on the network—are big. We review lots of them (here are the 10 best) with prices from a pittance to the hundreds. If you've got an old PC with lots of storage drive space, you don't need to buy a NAS: make one.
FreeNAS is a software program for doing just that. It's accessible by any OS on your network—Windows, MacOS, Linux, you name it. That's a perfect way to make a shared backup of your computers. FreeNAS will also stream media to mobile OSes like iOS and Android phones. You control which users get access. You need at least 8GB RAM to run it properly.
Tonido is a different kind of storage—it turns your PC into a NAS that's more about remote access. In other words, make your own private cloud. Your PC becomes a website for accessing files from anywhere, on any device. Do it at home over DLNA to stream media, or remotely from a smartphone browser (there are Tonido apps for iPhone, iPad, Android, Windows Phone, and even BlackBerry. Tonido also offers file syncing across computers (up to 2GB of data). They say to put it on your primary use computer, but if you put it on an old secondary computer, it's instantly part of your backup routine. Note that it's not an operating system in and of itself—you'll still need Windows, Mac, or a version of Linux running on the PC to use Tonido.
Make an Anonymous PC
Everyone's worried about privacy in a post-Snowden world. There are many tools for making your working computer into a more anonymous tool for surfing the Web, but if you've got a long-in-the-tooth PC that needs new life, turn it into a dedicated privacy PC with The Amnesic Incognito Live System, or TAILS. It's based on a Linux offshoot called Debian. TAILS can run off a USB flash drive, SD card, or DVD to take it with you. While running, it routes all your Internet traffic and requests though the TOR Project. All the integrated applications with TAILS come pre-configured for security, including the office suite, IM client, email software, and of course the Web browser.
Serve Up Some Media
On a home network, there are plenty of devices and many are hungry for media to play. Even if you're a streaming service addict, you might have hours of music, podcasts, movies, or TV shows and need a way to watch them on other PCs, game consoles, or mobile devices. For that, you need a media server. Note, all of these work with another operating system, so to get the best performance, you'll want to put them on a system with a clean OS install and make the device dedicated to playing audio and video.
Software like Kodi (formerly the XBMC media center) will take care of that. You can install the server software on any device running Linux, Windows, Mac OS, jail-broken iOS devices, or rooted Android devices; there are "remote control" apps for iOS or Android users not willing to go for broke(n). There's even an app for Kodi for playback on the Amazon Fire TV and Fire TV Stick.
Plex has most of the same features. The server can install on PCs running Windows, MacOS, Linux, FreeBSD, and even on NAS devices from companies like Synology, Netgear, QNAP, and Drobo, to name a few. The playback software comes for streaming devices like Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV, Google Chromecast, and most smart TVs, game consoles, and mobile devices.
Spy on People
If that laptop has an integrated webcam—and most of them do—or you've got an elderly desktop with a stray webcam you can attach, put that eyeball to use. Reinstall Windows and grab a copy of iSpy. Set the PC up and let it run—you'll get remote access on the webcam to view whatever's happening (and if you've got a microphone, whatever is said). Use it to monitor the house, employees, babysitters, kids, pets, wildlife, and more. You can covertly or overtly watch the goings-on via a Web page or apps on iOS and Android. It's free to watch locally (in your own home) with ads; remote viewing will cost you $7.95 a month, more if you set up multiple computers.
Create a Starter PC for Distant Family
This one is for a machine that's not too old. Everyone has that one family member who just can't handle the tech! Worse, they can't handle it and ask for your help. All the time. You may not even live in the same state. Troubleshooting over the phone is for the birds, so what do you do?
Take that old laptop, nuke the drive, and reinstall Windows. Then lock it down so they can't install any software without your permission—to do so, you'll need to get Windows 7 Pro or better, and create a user account with very limited privileges. Before you send it off, install a remote-control program like TeamViewer or Splashtop so you can occasionally take over the PC and do updates and, better yet, show them on their own screen how to perform functions they can't fathom. When you do use their computer remotely, make sure to create restore points for future restoration of the PC when it inevitably gets screwed up.
Fire Up a Hotspot
Nothing is worse than limited wireless network access. So turn that PC into a hotspot for sharing an Internet connection via Wi-Fi. Naturally, you'll need a PC with Wi-Fi capability, and to be honest this is probably a job better left to a router. But the option exists via Connectify. If you've already got a router with Wi-Fi, run Ethernet to the laptop and with Connectify, create a secondary network using the same Internet backhaul connection. (It's a must even on your main, working laptop, especially if you travel a lot and don't want to pay extra for Wi-Fi for your tablet or phone, for example.) It's $35 for lifetime use or $20 a year.
With Windows 10, as with previous versions of Windows, it is possible to change some settings to turn the PC into a hotspot that's still connected to your home Internet without extra software. Do a search on YouTube and you'll turn up plenty of videos spelling out the process, like this one.
Contribute CPU Cycles
Even the oldest, crappiest PC has plenty of computing power going unused in its idle moments. Distributed computing projects—where software ties together a huge number of PCs to work on computationally massive problems—can put those cycles to good use. For example, you've probably heard of SETI@home (the Search for ExtraTerrestrial Intelligence), a distributed computing project that goes back to the 1990s. It was spawned at Berkeley and uses volunteer PCs to analyze signals from space. The software, which allows anyone to contribute to the SETI computation, is called BOINC. It is also the backbone for projects to cure disease, predict the climate, even to model the universe. Find one you want to back, set up BOINC on that old PC, and let it run in the background, helping others while it doesn't help you.
Turn that PC Up to 11
This is for a select few, the proud, the string-strummers. Turn that ready-to-be-abandoned PC into a guitar amplifier. You'll need a special cable to hook the guitar up to the PC via a USB port (try Ubisoft's Rocksmith Real Tone Cable) and a downloaded copy of Guitar Rig 5, an amplifier modeling program. It comes in a free version with 17 cabinet emulations, or you can pay $199 for the big guns that do it all. It's available for MacOS or Windows.
Make a Tablet
Do you have some mad DIY skills you want to put to the test? One of the favorite projects of the tech set with a down-on-its-luck laptop is to take it apart and convert it—into a "tablet." You're not going to get a touch-screen-quality experience, as the smarts of the system still reside with the keyboard, which you'll have to tether to the screen in some way. Take a gander around the website Instructables and you'll find many step-by-step instructions on how to pull it off, including one that will turn any screen into a touch screen. Honestly, it's probably cheaper and definitely easier to just buy a tablet...but where's the fun in that?
Make Art
Even if you can't find a useful way to put the PC to use, consider cannibalizing it for something else. You'll see some interesting ideas on Pinterest under the "computer repurposed" heading.
Save it for Skype
A laptop or desktop can be dedicated to one function that even the weakest PC can probably do well with a fresh operating system install. For example, if you're big into video conferencing with the family and haven't yet updated to an Xbox One so you can chat on the big, big screen in the house, consider dedicating your old PC to Skyping on the small screen. A fresh install of a Linux OS (Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, or OpenSUSE specifically) and Skype for Linux will give you instant access to everyone's fresh face. It's also an option for a PC with Windows or MacOS (Snow Leopard or higher). With Windows 10, you could even use the "kiosk mode" to ensure that only one app—Skype—is even allowed to run, though it'll have to be the Windows Store App version of Skype.
If you've got an old Mac, you can still set up for Skype, plus have the option to use Facetime to talk to people on iOS devices.Sgt. James Spurlock leads an outreach session for the sheriff’s office on the dangers of cyberbullying and online sexual exploitation. (Nikki Kahn/The Washington Post)
The sheriff’s deputy paces slowly at the foot of the school auditorium stage, a gold badge pinned to the pocket of his polo shirt, a gun holstered at his hip. His expression is somber. He would look right at home leading a DARE or gang-resistance program, warning teenagers against ruining their lives with drug use or street crime.
But his audience members this morning are fidgety, pint-size 11- and 12-year-olds, and his warnings are about the threats lurking in their laptops, gaming devices and smartphones — such as grown-ups who send messages or photos to kids they don’t know, trying to get them to respond. Child abusers have a name for this technique.
“They call it bunny hunting,” the deputy says, and the hundred-or-so tweens sitting before him grow very quiet.
The original version of this class was offered only to parents, with an emphatic content warning. But as perils such as sexting, sextortion, cyberbullying, sexual predation and identity theft have grown, the sheriff’s office in Loudoun County, Va., expanded its outreach to include sessions for sixth-graders and ninth-graders — the kids transitioning to middle or high school, still figuring out how to navigate their teen years, even as the devices in their pockets place a world of adult content and consequences at their fingertips.
And so the deputy, Sgt. James Spurlock, a 26-year law enforcement veteran who oversees the sheriff’s Crime Prevention and Juvenile Resource Unit, has come to Stone Hill Middle School in Ashburn, Va., to lead a program called “Technology Safety for Teens”— an anodyne title that belies its disturbing material — because police know that the need to teach kids about sexual exploitation online starts younger and younger.
Spurlock begins by asking the middle-schoolers a question.
“If someone threatened you online or sent you something inappropriate, how many of you would immediately go tell your parents?”
[How can parents protect their children online?]
Several dozen kids raise their hands right away. A few of their classmates visibly hesitate, then do the same. Other students sit with their arms pinned firmly to their sides.
“Okay, not everyone’s hand is up,” Spurlock says. He doesn’t sound surprised. “So let’s talk about that.”
Educating young people about the dangers of the digital realm has become a growing priority for law enforcement agencies and schools nationwide. Some jurisdictions use specific curriculum or training programs — i-SAFE, a leading technology safety training program employed by officials in the United States, is used in 4,000 school districts across the country — while others conduct their own outreach.
Spurlock has been leading Loudoun’s technology safety classes since they began in 2012. He always tells the students that he’s not only a deputy, but also a dad, and also a weapons designer for the video gaming industry (the Stone Hill crowd is impressed by this revelation). His goal is to connect with kids and leave a lasting impression, which means he doesn’t sugarcoat the material.
This intense public service announcement from the Justice Department warns teenagers about the dangers of sharing private moments online. “Sextortion” is a growing problem and has led some kids to take their lives. (U.S. Department of Justice)
And he also wants to hear what the kids have to say. So he asks the Stone Hill students why they wouldn’t tell their parents if something upsetting happened online — a friend was mean to them, or a stranger contacted them, or someone asked them to send a picture.
“They might take away your phone,” one girl says.
“You might just think it’s a joke,” another girl says.
“Maybe you think you can just handle it yourself,” a boy volunteers.
Spurlock explains how important it is for kids to tell an adult if something — anything — makes them feel unsure or uncomfortable online. When he teaches these classes to parents, he says, he always tells them that they shouldn’t get angry or punish a kid for telling the truth.
After all, their parents are probably the ones who brought them into the digital world, posting childhood photos and videos. “For most of you, your Internet presence started long before you touched your first device,” Spurlock says.
A few rows back from the stage, two girls are raptly focused on a paper fortune-teller game.
The session is about an hour long and slightly gentler than the version presented to parents; Spurlock doesn’t tell the students about the worst cases — the ones where a teen committed suicide because of bullying, or a child was killed by someone who stalked them online. He avoids mentioning the lives cut short, focusing instead on those who were irrevocably changed.
Like Cassidy Wolf, a onetime Miss Teen USA whose laptop webcam was hacked by a 19- year-old student who took nude photos of her: “Forever, this will follow her, because there’s no way to know where those pictures went,” Spurlock says. Or Axelle Despiegelaere, a pretty Belgian teen who lost a lucrative modeling contract with L’Oréal after a photo of her posed with a hunting rifle beside a dead oryx antelope surfaced online.
He tells them about a girl who posted a photo online with a “geotag,” which meant that an online stalker figured out where she lived and showed up on her front porch. He talks about voice-modulating software that can disguise someone’s age and gender — adults often use it when they contact kids through video games. There is a large community of predators out there, he says, and now the two girls with the fortune-teller game are staring at him.
In a recent case in Loudoun, investigators arrested a man who had used Skype to send sexual solicitations to more than 70 children. The man was a government official, Spurlock says, making the point that predators are often seemingly trustworthy figures: “Judges, law enforcement officers, teachers,” he says. “It’s not the creepy old guy in the basement.”
A girl with a curly ponytail raises her hand. “Why would someone work so hard just to hurt a kid?”
For the first time, Spurlock hesitates for a moment. He explains that predators have a range of motivations — “every person is a little different” — but offers no specific examples.
He changes the topic, focusing next on what kids can do to protect themselves. Dozens of iPhones are pulled out of pockets when Spurlock explains how to disable the geotag function on Instagram and check that their accounts are set to “private” instead of “public.” He explains that they should never share their family’s wireless router password with anyone else (about a dozen raise their hands to admit they already had).
He also reminds the students that they themselves could be considered predators: “If you have nude pictures of a person under the age of 18, you are going to prison,” he says. “How old do you have to be in Virginia to be prosecuted as an adult?”
A confident chorus answers: “Eighteen!”
“Fourteen,” Spurlock says. This gets the reaction he was looking for; the kids gawk and gasp.
“I know this might all seem unbelievable,” he says, “but don’t ever think it can’t happen to you.”
He surveys the grim-faced children in front of him and recites a statistic from a 2014 FBI report about children between ages 12 and 18 who receive unwanted sexual solicitations online.
“One in 5 of you will be a victim before you turn 18,” he says. He repeats: “One in 5.”
The room is mostly quiet. Some tweens stare at their phones, or at the wall-mounted clock over the auditorium door, ticking down the final minutes of the school day.
Others glance uncomfortably at each other’s faces, doing the math, wondering when and how and who.
More from The Screen Age series:
And everyone saw it.
The Disconnected
13, right now
Who are these kids?HOBOKEN — The body of a man was found on a fence in front of an apartment building on Third Street near Jefferson Street shortly after 6 p.m. tonight.
Although initial reports said the man was impaled on a fence, an Emergency Services worker said the man was found with his face between two spikes of the fence.
“His neck was broken,” said Geovany Sepulveda of the Hoboken Volunteer Ambulance Squad, the first to arrive on the scene.
Police coverged on the area and covered the man’s body with a blue tarp, closing off the intersection of Jefferson and Third streets with police tape as scores of residents gathered on the corner and in the street in the early evening air.
Tania Narine, a Hoboken resident, told a reporter, “I was driving and I looked to my left and I saw a body slumped over a fence,’’ pointing at a short wrought iron fence running along the front of a large multi-unit building,, on Third Street.
“He was on his knees and he was slumped over it and it looked like the fence went through his neck. My body froze,” she said.
Several unmarked cars from the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Squad arrived at 6:45 and a female homicide detective went under the tarp to examine the body about 7 p.m.
Numerous residents of the Third Street building were out on their balconies looking down at the scene.
No information was immediately available from police, although one police source at the scene termed the death “definitely suspicious.’’
Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office spokesman Gene Rubino could not immediately be reached for comment.
Sepulveda described the victim as a man about 35-year-old, whom EMT workers had encountered before. He said the man was homeless. When Sepulveda arrived, he said he saw the man’s hat about 6 feet from his body. He said the victim had a scratch on his face.
“I thought there’d been an assault,” he said.
An SUV from the state Regional Medical Examiner's Office in Newark arrived at the scene at 8:15 p.m.You’ve probably seen or heard about the discussion between Sam Harris and Graeme Wood over at Sam’s website, a discussion called “The true believers.” Wood, of course, has become famous—and notorious—for his analysis of ISIS’s theological background in a piece that appeared in The Atlantic (see my post for the link). Wood’s thesis, which he supported by interviewing ISIS supporters outside the Middle East (the man is no fool and didn’t want to be beheaded), was that ISIS represents an apocalyptic strain of Islam, justified by the Qur’an, that aims to establish an ever-expanding Caliphate and longs for a final battle with the West, during which Jesus will appear and save Islam.
Wood was taken to task for the usual things: neglecting “other motivations” for ISIS’s behavior, failure to interview members of ISIS in the Middle East, and for his “un-nuanced” interpretations of theology. By and large, he took as truth what his subjects told him, and when that largely revealed religious motivations, the “Islamophobia-decriers” had to find reasons to discredit him.
In his long discussion with Sam, they go over these motivations again, and I recommend that you read the piece. I’ll highlight just three things:
1. Motivations: religious or otherwise? There is a slight disparity between Harris and Wood here, with Harris taking the religious motivations espoused by ISIS sympathizers at face value, while Wood says that some people might not be expressing other motivations, like resentment of Western colonialism. By and large, though, both men are on the same page; but Wood is a tad more cautious:
Wood: Yes. However, the countervailing current in social science is the tradition in ethnography and anthropology of taking seriously what people say. And this can lead to the exact opposite of the materialist, “root causes” approach. When Evans-Pritchard, for example, talks about witchcraft among the Azande, he’s describing exactly what they say and showing that it’s an internally consistent view of the world. This is something that anthropology has done quite well in the past, and it gives us a model for how we can listen to jihadis and understand them without immediately assuming that they are incapable of self-knowledge. What I’m arguing for in the piece is not to discard either type of explanation but to remember the latter one and take the words of these ISIS people seriously. Even though at various points in the past we’ve ignored political or material causes, this doesn’t mean that ideology plays no role, or that we should ignore the plain meaning of words. Of course, we don’t know what people actually think. Maybe they’re self-deluded; maybe they don’t really believe in the literal rewards of martyrdom. We can’t know; we’re not in their heads. But this lack of knowledge cuts both ways. Why do so many people instantly resort, with great confidence, to a material explanation—even or especially when the person himself rejects it? It’s a very peculiar impulse to have, and I consider it a matter of dogma for many people who study jihadists. Harris: Yes, especially in cases where a person meets none of the material conditions that are alleged to be the root causes of his behavior. We see jihadis coming from free societies all over the world. There are many examples of educated, affluent young men joining organizations like al-Qaeda and the Islamic State who lack any discernible material or political grievances. They simply feel a tribal connection to Muslims everywhere, merely because they share the same religious identity. We are seeing jihadis travel halfway around the world for the privilege of dying in battle who have nothing in common with the beleaguered people of Afghanistan, Syria, Iraq, or Somalia whose ranks they are joining, apart from a shared belief in the core doctrines of Islam.... Again, the fact that most jihadis are generally rational, even psychologically normal, and merely in the grip of a dangerous belief system is, in my view, the most important point to get across. And it is amazing how resolutely people will ignore the evidence of this. Justin Bieber could convert to Islam tomorrow, spend a full hour on 60 Minutes confessing his hopes for martyrdom and his certainty of paradise, and then join the Islamic State—and Glenn Greenwald would still say his actions had nothing to do with the doctrine of Islam and everything to do with U.S. foreign policy.
I’m perfectly prepared to accept that some of these militants have motivations other than religion. Many may simply long for excitement, or to feel part of something larger than themselves. But what I’m not prepared to accept is that every one of them has nonreligious motivations. It’s curious to me—and this the one thing I think I’ve contributed to Sam’s thinking—that Western apologists like Greenwald and Karen Armstrong will question people’s motivations when they explicitly say their motivations are religious, but will not question them when they say their motivations are based on economics or resentment of Western imperialism. This is the double standard of Western liberals that so infuriates me.
2. So why the double standard? I think both men agree, and I agree too, that holding ISIS to standards different from those to which we hold, say, the Israelis, reflects a kind of paternalism: a tendency to give a break to people considered oppressed.
Harris: Do you have other ideas about why it’s so tempting for liberals to ignore the link between jihadism and religious belief? Wood: There’s also a deep urge to deny agency to the Islamic State, and I think it’s fundamentally connected to a reluctance to see non-Western people as fully developed and capable of having intelligent beliefs and enough self-knowledge to express them. These people articulate well-thought-out reasons for what they do. And yet ignoring what they say somehow gets camouflaged in the minds of liberals as speaking up for them. It’s delusional.
I think this is on the mark, though liberals are notably reluctant to admit it, for it’s expressing a kind of reverse racism that they deplore. I consider myself a liberal, and am deeply distressed by the view that different groups should be held to different standards of behavior, with some groups excused or overlooked for performing barbaric acts.
3. The false notion of objective morality. Wood’s interview with ISIS sympathizers convinces me even more that there are no universal moral truths. Listen to what he says about some of his subjects:
Wood: Anjem Choudary is a fixture on Fox News. He talks to Sean Hannity, and many people would say that those two deserve each other. He’s known for screaming about the greatness and supremacy of shari’ah. But I had no interest in the screaming. Instead, I wanted details. We had a lucid, friendly exchange about what he believed a fully shari’ah-compliant caliphate would look like. I found him articulate, informed, and pleasant company in this regard. When I say “informed,” I mean he had answers to all my questions. They might not have been the right answers, but he was able to answer pretty much everything I could come up with about the Islamic State, about how it looks and why it’s so wonderful. And he did this unflinchingly, even when he was endorsing what I would call rape or slavery—what even he would call slavery, in fact. This was not a tough call for him. If he has any compunction about these practices, it was completely undetectable. That was not true of some others I’ve interviewed who have literalist views of Islam. To be in the presence of someone who can say, in this modern day, that slavery is a good thing and that to deny its goodness is an act of apostasy was a very unsettling experience.
Most moral objectivists would say that slavery is objectively wrong. I say it’s “wrong” because a society that condones it is a dysfunctional society that promotes the subjugation and unnecessary suffering of individuals. But Choudary would say it’s fine, justifying it on Quranic grounds, or even on consequential grounds. How do you convince someone like him that he’s objectively wrong? Such people appeal to divine sanction, and although you can say that there is no god, and he should be appealing to something else, the fact is that many people hold religious dogma as the arbiter of morality.
I have seen attacks on the internet of my views that there are no objective moral truths, but I don’t find them convincing. Slavery is an example that most reasonable people would agree on, but there are other and harder issues, like abortion, that defy any objective “moral solution.” One must, at bottom, express some kind of preference, like for “overall well being,” that can be neither quantified not objectively justified.SAN JOSE — One man is dead and two are injured after a shooting at a motel on The Alameda early Saturday, according to San Jose police.
About 3:25 a.m. officers responded to reports of shots being fired at the Motel 6 in the 1000 block of The Alameda near Race Street. They found three men suffering from gunshot wounds.
One of the men was pronounced dead at the scene, and the other two were rushed to the hospital and were expected to survive, police said. The man who died was not immediately identified, pending notification of his relatives.
Police on Saturday did not release a motive or information about any suspects. The death marked the city’s eighth homicide of the year. At the same point in 2016, San Jose tallied 14 homicides on its way to recording a 25-year high of 47.
Anyone with information about the shooting can contact the San Jose Police Department’s homicide unit at 408-277-5283 or leave a tip with Silicon Valley Crime Stoppers at 408-947-STOP or at svcrimestoppers.org.Contrary to popular belief, slavery was never outlawed in the United States. This statement is not a debatable, half-twisted analysis or a cynical opinion. It is a fact.
The 13th Amendment to the Constitution does not outlaw slavery; it only prohibits slavery in certain situations. It is entirely constitutional to turn drug dealers, gangbangers and thugs into slaves. It is perfectly legal for corporations to use legions of slaves to increase their profit and pass them along to shareholders. Even though it seems like the opposite of freedom, America is totally cool with it.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction. —the 13th Amendment to the Constitution of the United States of America
When Hillary Clinton stood at Keene University and called black men “superpredators” in January 1996, it was only a few days after the New Year’s Day release of her book It Takes a Village. In the book, Clinton spoke about her days in the Arkansas governor’s mansion and the long-standing tradition of using convicted felons as free labor.
Clinton could relax and have her dark-skinned dishwashers clean the mayonnaise residue off her finger-sandwich plates because Arkansas is one of the few states that still use prison labor without compensating the prisoners. She was cool with it, though—except when she was forced to send “back to prison any inmate who broke a rule.” Clinton lovingly referred to the felons as “emotional illiterates,” which is a little demeaning, but apparently not as much as the ones she hadn’t locked up yet, whose powers allowed them to grow into “superpredators.”
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America has the largest prison population in the world. According to the Washington Post, about half of the 1.6 million people in state or federal prisons are black, even though African Americans make up roughly 13 percent of the population. “Black Americans were incarcerated in state prisons at an average rate of 5.1 times that of white Americans,” The Guardian reported last year, “and in some states that rate was 10 times or more.” Even when convicted of the same crime as whites, black convicts, according to a 2014 study (pdf), were even more likely to serve time in private prisons.
The untold, secret story of America’s criminal-justice system is that there are large corporations benefiting from free black labor, and under the Trump administration, business is booming.
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The Profit in the Policy
In August 2016, former President Barack Obama announced a push by his administration to end the federal use of private prisons. This directive sent private-prison stocks into a downward spiral. One of the first decisions Jeff Sessions made as the current attorney general under President Donald Trump was to reverse this order. The second move by the Sessions-led Department of Justice was to end the Obama administration’s practice of not seeking mandatory minimums for nonviolent drug offenses. When the DOJ released the memo rescinding this policy, private-prison stocks soared to an all-time high.
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Perhaps Sessions’ decision was based on Republican ideals |
The bill will also likely establish numerous reporting requirements including mandating that all Internet providers disclose their technical surveillance capabilities within six months of the law taking effect. Follow-up reports will also be required when providers acquire new technical capabilities.
The requirements could have a significant impact on many smaller and independent Internet providers. Although the bill may grant them a three-year implementation delay, the technical capabilities extend far beyond most of their commercial needs. Indeed, after years of concern over the privacy impact associated with deep-packet inspection of Internet traffic (costly technologies that examine Internet communications in real time), these bills may require all Internet providers to install such capabilities.
Having obtained customer information without court oversight and mandated Internet surveillance capabilities, the third prong will create a several new police powers designed to obtain access to the surveillance data. These include new transmission data warrants that would grant real-time access to all the information generated during the creation, transmission or reception of a communication including the type, direction, time, duration, origin, destination or termination of the communication.
Law enforcement could then obtain a preservation order to require providers to preserve subscriber information, including specific communication information, for 90 days. Finally, having obtained and preserved the data, production orders can be used to require the disclosure of specified communications or transmission data.
While Internet providers would actively work with law enforcement in collecting and disclosing the subscriber information, they could also be prohibited from disclosing the disclosures as court may bar them from informing subscribers that they have been subject to surveillance or information disclosures.
Lawful access raises genuine privacy and free speech concerns, particularly given the fact that the government has never provided adequate evidence on the need for it, it has never been subject to committee review, and it would cost millions to implement yet there has been no disclosure on who would actually pay for it. Given these problems, it is not surprising that every privacy commissioner in Canada has signed a joint letter expressing their concerns. Canadians need to speak out to ensure that any lawful access package maintains appropriate oversight and reporting requirements. There is enough to worry about in the real lawful access proposals that critics don’t need to focus on problems that don’t exist.The company behind the popular Adblock Plus software has acquired Flattr, the micropayment service co-founded by Pirate Bay's Peter Sunde. With the deal the two companies hope to take their partnership to the next level, offering publishers a way to get paid without having to show annoying ads.
After Pirate Bay co-founder Peter Sunde cut his ties with the notorious torrent site he moved on to several new projects.
The micropayment system Flattr is one of his best-known ventures. With Flattr, people can easily send money to the websites and services they like, without having to enter their payment details time and time again.
Last year Flattr partnered with Adblock Plus to launch a new service Flattr Plus, allowing publishers to generate revenue directly from readers instead of forcing ads upon them.
Flattr Plus is built on the existing micropayment platform that was launched in 2010. Through a new browser add-on it allows users to automatically share money with website owners when an ad is blocked.
Today, the cooperation between the two companies is strengthened even further after eyeo, the parent company of Adblock Plus, aquired Flattr.
“Over the past ten months, we collaborated closely and in fact, became one team with a joint vision. So it was just natural to remove the remaining structural barriers and make it official,” Sunde says, commenting on the announcement.
“We’re excited to continue our work on the Flattr project to give back control to the users of the internet. They should decide how they want to use the internet and how they want to support the content they enjoy.”
Talking to TorrentFreak, Sunde says that he’ll stay on as an unpaid advisor. He has no official stake in Flattr so Hollywood shouldn’t expect to see any of the proceeds of the deal.
That said, he’s put a lot of work in the company over the past eight years, building it from the ground up, so it’s a big step to let someone else take over.
“It’s just that Flattr is my baby and she got married to someone who will take care of her from now,” says Sunde, summarizing his feelings.
Flattr co-founder Linus Olsson will stay on to lead the Flattr operation, and other staff members will keep their jobs as well. Sunde will have an advisory role in the company, and continues to work on various side-projects, including a new privacy service he’ll launch soon.Indigenous ATM fee burden revealed
Updated
A new study has found some people in remote Indigenous communities are spending between 10 and 20 per cent of their income on ATM fees.
In some cases, the fees are much higher than they would be in the city, but there is no competition, so locals have no option but to pay.
The author of the study says the government should act to eliminate fees in the poorest communities.
Australian Financial Counselling and Credit Reform Association executive director Fiona Guthrie says ATM fees in one community are as high as $10.
"ATMs will always charge sometimes $2, sometimes $2.50, and there's one community where it's up to $10 and you can't avoid the fee because you can't go and use EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) because the stores also charge fees," she said.
The manager of Money Management Services for Lutheran Community Care in Alice Springs, Judy Woolcock, says the realities of life in remote communities aggravate the problem.
"They don't have fridges and they don't have a lot of places to do cooking and storing of food. So they go and buy food on a daily basis and that then incurs a fee," she said.
She says the sometimes irregular nature of government payments means many people cop fees just to see if they have any money at all.
"Often they're waiting for Centrelink payments to come through so they keep checking the ATMs. So they might have used the ATM between five and 10 times that day just waiting for the money to come through," she said.
Withdrawal limits
Aaron Davis is the CEO of the Indigenous Consumer Assistance Network, based in North Queensland.
He recently visited one ATM on the Torres Strait Islands, which was particularly expensive.
"Every time you took out money you'd be charged $5, but you were only able to take out $100 at a time," he said.
He said many of his clients appear to be spending a large portion of their income simply to access their own money.
"On average they paid $2,300 annually in bank fees," he said.
Some store operators say they are trying to do the right thing.
Rodney Matuschka is the acting manager of the Finke River Mission Store at Hermannsburg, west of Alice Springs.
His store does not charge for EFTPOS.
He says the stores have little say in ATM charges, although they do earn a small dividend if they reach a certain number of transactions.
"Pretty much every month, with the size of this community here and the number of transactions that go through the machine, we would pretty much invariably make a small dividend out of that machine," Mr Matuschka said.
He says his own store allows withdrawals of up to $400 and there are some options for local residents to minimise fees.
"If they're drawing money out and doing some shopping, the smart customer will say 'well I'll just use my EFTPOS card through the EFTPOS machine and I'll save myself the cost of withdrawing from an ATM'," he said.
Fiona Guthrie says it is unacceptable that some of Australia's most disadvantaged people are being charged fees, and the Government needs to act.
"Competition is not going to do it," she said.
"There has to be some sort of intervention, either through the Reserve Bank mandating that the fees are not to be charged, or by asking the banks themselves to come good on their obligations to provide banking services to all Australians and actually putting in ATMs into those communities so people can access them free of charge."
Indigenous Health Minister Warren Snowdon says ATM operators are exploiting remote customers.
"If people understood how to use the ATM perhaps we wouldn't have these level of charges being applied to them because they wouldn't be using," he said.
"Nevertheless, as reported on AM this morning that people were being charged $10 to use an ATM, well that's just way out of court."
Topics: indigenous-aboriginal-and-torres-strait-islander, banking, alice-springs-0870, australia, nt, qld
First postedWhile there are plenty of areas where I disagree with my side of the aisle, nothing stands out as much as the troubled relationship that conservatives have with science. This includes a refusal to even entertain the possibility of climate change and a casual endorsement of intelligent design that I find reprehensible. But this post isn’t about those two items. This post is about science in the broader context. Why does this dysfunctional relationship exist?
According to a recent article in USA Today:
A recent survey by economics professor Daniel Klein revealed that Democrats outnumbered Republicans by a whopping 30-to-1 ratio in anthropology; 28-to-1 in sociology; nearly 10-to-1 in history; and nearly 7-to-1 in political science.
I was curious to investigate if this had always been the case. My searching took me to a study by Gordon Gauchat in the American Sociological Review titled, “Politicization of Science in the Public Sphere: A Study of Public Trust in the United States, 1974 to 2010”. Gauchat found that in 1974 conservatives had the highest trust in science of any group, including liberals and moderates, and by 2010 they had the lowest amount of trust of any group. That represents a huge shift. The obvious question asks what drove this change. It appears the pressure came both from within conservative circles and from outside.
The New Right, which coalesced in the years after Goldwater’s defeat, pushed conservatism in a new direction. Social issues and nationalism were the two main planks of their platform and this culminated with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980. Religious conservatives and big business gained power with Reagan taking office and science represented a direct threat to their interests. From Gauchat:
Mooney also stresses two key constituencies of the NR, the religious right and transnational corporations, that each have vested interests in scientific outcomes.
At the same time science was undergoing a change of its own.
Chief among these is the growth of regulatory science, which has been a central theme in STS for the past few decades. In Jasanoff’s (1990) research, regulatory science refers to the institutionalization of science’s legitimization role through the formation of a science advisory community. Her main examples of regulatory science are the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), organizations that are considered adversarial to corporate interests. Regulatory science directly connects to policy- management and, therefore, has become entangled in policy debates that are unavoidably ideological.
So we have a scenario where science is allowing itself to be politicized and at the same time we have the rise of political interests that feel threatened by science. This produces a perfect storm of mistrust. To complicate matters further, Gauchat’s research indicates that distrust of science was most profound among two groups. The first was the religious right which isn’t surprising. The second group was less obvious. According to Gauchat, educated conservatives were the most likely to distrust science. He explains:
This implies that educated or high-information conservatives will hold hyper-opinions about science, because they have a more sophisticated grasp about what types of knowledge will conform with or contradict their ideological positions, and they will prefer to believe what supports their ideology.
On the surface this strikes me as a self-damaging process, but that assumes the science was always correct. I am not prepared to go that far, even with my deep respect for the scientific community as a whole. My hesitation comes at least in part from my own experiences with science and academia. One of the challenges I found as an archaeologist was engaging in the speculative part of academia. I always believed in applying Occam’s Razor to my analysis but the criticsm I heard most often was that my conclusions were too simple and that I was thinking too small. Having spoken to some of the admittedly few conservatives in the field of anthropology this is a common complaint. It reminds me of a quote I once heard that some people have a tendency to pass up a good solution in search of a brilliant one.
It is important at this point to differentiate between science as an experimental pursuit grounded in the scientific method and science as an academic pursuit that engages in educated analysis and a certain amount of speculation. It is the latter that often draws the condemnation of some on the Right. What is not in dispute among intelligent conservatives is the reliability of the scientific method. The dispute comes from the interprative part of science and for good reason. It is that part that is most vulnerable to politicization. In recent years there has been some tension within the scientitifc community itself as members of the hard sciences fight with social scientists over the definition of science. According to the same USA Today piece quoted above:
Columnist Charles Lane argues that the foundation shouldn’t fund any social science at all. Why? Because even “though quantitative methods may rule economics, political science and psychology, these disciplines can never achieve the objectivity of the natural sciences. Society is not a laboratory.” He is largely correct. Though the social sciences are important, informative and interesting, they often fail to meet the five characteristics of rigorous science: clearly defined terminology, quantifiability, highly controlled experimental conditions, reproducibility and predictability/testability. These characteristics are linked by a unifying theme — a true theory, in the scientific sense. For biology, that is evolution; for chemistry, atomic theory; for physics, the laws of motion. Scientifically rigorous? Not all studies within the hard sciences measure up. The majority of studies do, though. However, while there are notable exceptions, a substantial proportion of studies in the social sciences are not considered scientifically rigorous because the human experience is highly subjective and changeable across culture and time.
I hold degrees in two social science disciplines so believe me when I say that I want to dispute what they are saying here, but I can’t. During the three years I spent as a historical archaeologist, the work we did during that time was mostly anthropology, some history and a little bit of sociology. In short, we were working as social scientists. While there are certain aspects of these fields that are scientifically rigourous, for example the methodology used to excavate an archaeological site and capture contexual details, it is nearly impossible to draw conclusions from those findings that are as indispute as the theories arrived at by the hard sciences. That is not to say that the hard sciences aren’t willing to draw speculative conclusions, but ultimately they seek to arrive at answers that are based on provable data.
There is one last part of the equation concerning the relationship of conservatives and science. That is the hostility conservatives face within academia. The under-representation of conservatives in among science academics is statistically incompatible with the political leanings of our general population. This becomes a chick or egg scenario as it is hard to determine if conservatives left because they felt unwanted or if conservatives stay away because they perceive a lack of acceptance. My own experience in college was that our history department was more conservative (we had one ancient professor that still referred to the Civil War as the War of Northern Aggression) and the anthropology department was extremely liberal. While my politics were well-known, I found it much smarter to keep my opinions to myself among my anthropology friends. I don’t know if a professor would have felt comfortable doing that.
The conclusion I draw from all of this is that the problems with conservatives and science are complex and both sides are to blame, however the lion’s share rests with certain conservatives. Their open hostility does more harm than good and it only deepends the mistrust on both sides. Can this relationship be repaired? Gauchat’s study suggests no. Because I have relied on him so heavily for this post, I will leave him with the final word:Image copyright PA
Tens of thousands of people have used an official voter registration online portal, breaking previous records, the Cabinet Office has said.
Some 81,015 people used Gov.uk to apply to be put on the electoral register, the Cabinet Office tweeted.
Events were held across the UK to encourage online registration.
Meanwhile, MPs called for to be able to register to vote on an election day itself to help address the growing deficit in democratic engagement.
The Commons Political Reform Committee said such a step should be considered by 2020 to "re-energise" elections.
Registration push
Campaign group Bite The Ballot hoped to register 250,000 people on a single day, either through the online system or by post, by holding a series of rallies in workplaces, universities and schools.
People have to be on the electoral register by 20 April to be able to vote in the general election on 7 May.
Campaigners have warned that the move to individual voter registration last year - in which people have to sign up individually and cannot be registered by another member of their household or student halls - risks disenfranchising a million people.
On Thursday, the previous record for the number of voters registered on Gov.uk website - 51,449 - was smashed.
People have been able to use Gov.uk to apply to be on the electoral register since June, a Cabinet Office spokesman said.
'Radical change'
Research carried out last summer - before the switch to the new system - found that 7.5 million people eligible to vote were not on the electoral register although ministers have said millions have signed up since online registration was introduced last year.
How to register to vote
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption How to make sure you can vote
You can register once you are 16 although you will only be able to vote on 7 May if you are 18 or over on the day.
If you are a citizen of another EU member state or Commonwealth country living in the UK, and unsure whether you are entitled to vote in the general election or local elections check the Electoral Commission website.
You can register to vote online through the government's gov.uk portal. The process takes five minutes and you will need your national insurance number.
If you are unsure whether you are already registered or want to update your details, contact your local electoral registration officer to find out. You can also register to vote by post.
Election 2015: Can registration drive help turnout?
The Commons Political Reform Committee also called for votes for 16 and 17 year olds, online voting and general elections to be held at weekends to help boost turnout.
The cross-party committee said the government should consider making registration automatic or allowing people to sign up close to or even on polling day.
Ways of increasing registration among target groups, such as 18-24 year olds, UK citizens living abroad and people with disabilities must also be a priority, it said.
"We are recommending that the government consider some radical changes, like online voting, holding elections at the weekend and letting voters register to vote on election day, because we believe a serious problem needs serious answers," Graham Allen, the Labour MP who heads the committee, said.
"If we do not take urgent action to make elections more accessible to the public and convince them it is worth voting, we will be facing a crisis of democratic engagement."
Although overall turnout increased at the 2010 election, the proportion of 18-24 year olds voting was much lower than other groups, prompting calls for online voting to be piloted - a move backed recently by Commons Speaker John Bercow.
'Democratic rights'
Bite The Ballot said National Registration Day was an opportunity for people to show that "they wanted more from their democracy".
"As this year's campaign is taking place during the handover from 'head of household' to individual registration, it's never been more important to make people aware of the power they hold as engaged, active, registered citizens," said Michael Sani, the co-founder of the organisation.
"It's a day for all of us, as citizens, to celebrate our democratic rights. But it's also a chance to prove to decision-makers that we hold a stake in society."
The Electoral Commission, which is holding its own registration drive, said 40% of people were not aware they could register online in about five minutes.
"Online registration has made it much easier for people to register to vote, so it's vital everyone knows it exists," said Jenny Watson, who chairs the commission.
"Don't let your friends and family miss out from having their say in May's election because they didn't know how to register or missed the deadline."
The watchdog has joined up with technology giant Facebook to send a notification to the social media site's 35 million active UK users to alert them about online registration.Two striking features of Navi Mumbai, a city half-built so far, are: most of its civic leadership has come from the villages sidestepped by the city’s planning authority, City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO); and thanks to residual rights exercised by former owners of acquired lands, slums grew.
An exact estimate of lands lost to slums is not officially determined or disclosed. But it points to a flaw in the process of building the city. CIDCO monetises lands in its possession to fund infrastructure. Any erosion of land bank means infrastructure would take a hit, if not immediately, surely later.
The Census of 2001 had shown how Navi Mumbai’s municipalised part, the area under Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, had about a third of its population living in slums, which is astonishingly high for a new, arguably planned city not even forty years old. Though cleared in 1970s, significant work started only around 1980.
Thus, the population in the 29 villages—as distinct from the 52 in the other, southern part of the larger Navi Mumbai—and those living in the slums would account for about half of the city’s headcount. The villages, as discussed in the previous two articles on Firstpost, are themselves slumming and slummed.
Some teeming slums, as in Turbhe, predate the new city, since they started with the industrial activity intensifying and the acute drought across Maharashtra in 1972. But Turbhe, bang opposite the swank railway station, has so consolidated that it also has an active red-light zone.
In Rabale, the prime land, also right across the road where commercial property would have been prized by anyone, has a slum colony. It is a surprise that the CIDCO did not audit or prevent the slums before municipalising of the 162 sq km between Digha, Vashi, and Belapur though such huge land patches were a rich resource.
There is apparently a link between the villages and the formation of slums. When haphazard construction of additional residential space to accommodate the flood of the poor looking for a livelihood—maids to drivers to many other service providers—ran out, they encouraged slums.
The concept that though lands were no more in their titles, the original owners presume a residual right on it exists. These meant their old lands acquired for the city were easy targets to build shanties and let them out, or even sell them as demand soars. They mushroomed and spread. The CIDCO, and later the NMMC, only had a Nelson’s eye.
No one likes to openly speak about it but the choice of leaving the Navi Mumbai villages virtually unattended seems to have stemmed from the desire not to get under the skin of the original residents of what is now Navi Mumbai. That conferred a kind of freedom not healthy for a city; a city with unregulated parts is an invitation for disaster.
After having acquired all their valuable lands, leaving only the habitats behind, CIDCO may have opted for what some insiders describe was ‘benign neglect’. Acquisition had not been easy at all. The preference was "not to tangle with an already aggrieved community" which had lost a traditional asset even as it saw new towers rising and bringing in outsiders to reside in them.
Over time, some moved into such apartments.
It is in this context that the para-statal city builders’ decision to leave the villages as deliberate blind spots could be charitably viewed but it does not help. It had the task of building a new urban space instead of getting mired in the nitty-gritty of regulating the villages. Tasks outside were enormous enough, even then.
This created new pressure points in a nascent city. The planners had not bargained for and from the experience that came from this philosophy with the 29 villages now under NMMC jurisdiction, learnt nothing. It is being replicated in the yet to be municipalised southern part of Navi Mumbai, with no regrets, in other parts of Navi Mumbai.
Even today, some cases of compensation are pending though the rule of thumb policy practice was to return 12.5 per cent of land acquired to the owner and largely implemented. He or she could hold it for higher profits later as the city grew or encash it at a time of owner’s determination on the basis of compulsions.
Sumptuous returns led totally different, even flashy, lifestyles – cars, now SUVs, improved homes, and a whole lot of cash as capital. Colleges in Airoli node would show first generation but poorly motivated students on their rolls.
But interaction with the new city, with some even moving into apartments they owned following the compensation scheme and experience of involvement in gram panchayats politics, and free time gave rise to a new class of leaders, some of whom have graduated to the state legislature. But they form the bulk of the civic political leadership.
That everyone else in Navi Mumbai happens to be an outsider, either from Mumbai itself which met the purpose of the new city, of decongesting the neighbouring city, did not exactly prompt any ownership of the new urban space. Their reluctance—an initial common feature among migrants—left a gap which was readily filled by the villagers. And yet, it leaves much to be desired in the villages.
Firstpost is now on WhatsApp. For the latest analysis, commentary and news updates, sign up for our WhatsApp services. Just go to Firstpost.com/Whatsapp and hit the Subscribe button.Until recently, the difference between Apple's iOS mobile devices and the plethora of companies making Google's Android phones and tablets was easy to describe: More people may use the cheaper Android devices, but a majority of the revenue from mobile devices came from Apple. Across the board, iPhone and iPad users downloaded more apps, paid more for them, were more lucrative targets for mobile advertising, and bought more stuff on their devices than Android users.
To put it bluntly, Android is for poor people, iPhone is for rich people.
That may be about to change.
New data shows that in addition to overtaking Apple's mobile market share, Android is also catching up in terms of its share of mobile revenue. The change explains in part why Google wants to create an "Android Silver" class of superior smartphones with major manufacturers: to eliminate iPhone's superiority in terms of platform quality and the wealth of its users.
According to data from mobile ad company Opera Mediaworks, Android users are now for the first time a greater percentage of users seeing mobile ads than Apple users are.
While Apple is still ahead in the monetization of those users, its lead is shrinking there also. Here are Opera's market share numbers, based on 64 billion ad impressions served to 500 million consumers:
Percent of traffic:
Android 42.83% (up from 31.26%)
iOS 38.17% (down from 44.53%)
Android 42.83% (up from 31.26%) iOS 38.17% (down from 44.53%) Percent of revenue:
Android 33.46%
iOS 52.7%
Opera CEO Mahi de Silva believes Android will catch Apple by the end of the year:
"Last year at this time, agencies were still saying, 'Hey, I prefer iOS users,'" said Mahi de Silva, CEO of Opera Mediaworks. He said Apple's operating system delivered deeper engagement and a glossier platform. That's no longer the case. "The quality of the advertising that we can deliver on a Samsung and Android device is pretty much on par with an iOS," Mr. de Silva added.
The catchup comes after Android recently surpassed Apple in app downloads, according to app download measurement company App Annie. iPhone's dominance in apps used to come from the fact that Apple insisted on higher-quality standards for apps, and because the users were more lucrative, app developers made more apps for them, and the app experience on Apple was richer. Thus there were more apps, and more downloads happening on iOS than on Android. But for some time now there have been more apps available in the Google Play store than in the iOS App Store, and now more downloads occur from Google Play than in the App Store.
Again, revenue from those apps is less on Android than Apple. But it's another area where the gap is closing.
And now there is even one area where Android has surpassed Apple in terms of revenue: mobile phone shopping.
Android still has some way to go before it reaches dominance in e-commerce and mobile payments. Generally, shopping revenue per user on Android is far behind Apple in terms of retail. But data from Monetate - which measures e-commerce referrals on mobile devices to online stores - has found that the average order value on Android was $136 in Q4 2013, but it was only $126 on the iPhone in the same period.Welcome to the Denali puppy cam! The puppy-cam is offline, as of January, 2019. The litter of pups born in summer 2018 are old enough now to join the big dogs out on the trail, and live on their own individual dog houses, rather than in a communal pen.
Each year, we turn on the camera when that year's pups are able to walk and move about outside the doghouse. The exact date the camera goes online varies, depending on when the litter is born.
Please keep in mind that, when on, the puppy-cam does not provide a complete view of the entire double puppy pen. The pups or mom may move out of the camera range, water buckets, food dishes, and even kennels rangers may also be out of view even though they are right there in the pen. Not to worry, all of the pups and dogs are getting all the love and care they need and deserve every single day.
We encourage you to watch "The Puppy Paws" video series to learn more about how we raise and train our pups. This video series answers some commonly-asked questions, like why do we breed our own dogs instead of adopting, and how do we prepare the pups for the work they'll do once they mature. You can also read more about the parents of this litter on our blog. Waiting at a threshold in Savage Camp, 1936 Courtesy Candy Waugaman Collection More Than Cute Mushing is a cultural tradition across Alaska that dates back many thousands of years. It also provides the National Park Service the most effective available means to patrol vast areas of designated Wilderness during the long winter season. Managers of the historic Denali sled dog kennels take great care in breeding for qualities suitable for the challenges and responsibilities of a Denali sled dog. Physical traits include long legs to break trail through deep snow, compact paws to resist build up of ice between toes, and sturdy coats and puffy tails to keep warm in the depths of sub-arctic winter. Character traits include tenacity, an unbridled love to pull and run as part of a team, and social skills that tolerate attention of many thousands of admirers to visit the kennels each summer.Headline in the Watauga Democrat (North Carolina), November 6:
Schools Decline ‘In God We Trust’ Posters
Headline in the same newspaper, eight days later:
Schools Accept ‘In God We Trust’ Posters
As regular readers of this site may remember, the posters in question are framed photos of an American flag with the motto “In God We Trust” superimposed on it. They are being offered by American Legion Post 130.
The placards are now welcome in the public schools after all. Why the yo-yo-ing?
The school system [in Watauga County] originally rejected the gifts on the advice of attorneys … that the posters could be construed as a promotion of religion. … [But] Interim Superintendent David Fonseca said this week that the school system will accept the gifts after considering N.C. General Statute 115C-81(g)(3a). The statute says school boards shall “allow and encourage” the reading or posting of documents reflecting U.S. history, such as the Declaration of Independence, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the national motto. “Local boards, superintendents, principals and supervisors shall not allow content-based censorship of American history in the public schools of this state, including religious references in these writings, documents, and records,” the statute says.
Ah. It’s totally not about the promotion of religion, you see — however did you get that idea? It’s about teaching kids history.
Clever.
How far back do you reckon Watauga kids will be encouraged to go in their mastery of historical facts? Congress didn’t pick “In God We Trust” as a national motto until 1956, at the height of the Cold War. If the American Legion consists of such committed history buffs, who wish to impart historical facts to captive schoolchildren, how about they present posters with the beautiful motto E Pluribus Unum, in official use in the U.S. since 1782? There’s nothing historical about “In God We Trust” that isn’t roughly four times historical-er* about E Pluribus Unum (“Out of Many, One”).
The obvious explanation is that E Pluribus Unum wisely includes all Americans, and American Legion chapters now put much time and effort into religious advocacy, seeking to paint non-theists as less-than-patriotic outsiders.
The most remarkable reaction I’ve seen — a physical threat wrapped in velvet — came from “In God We Trust” supporter Keith Honeycutt, who wrote:
What day and time will the NAACP and all the rest of the socialist suits show up with the lawsuits? I am sure there are several folks that would like to say hello to them and escort them right back out the way they came in.
I’m not certain why Honeycutt would see an organization of African-Americans — whose unofficial hero is the most famous U.S. reverend who ever lived — as hostile to religion. Perhaps Honeycutt committed a (Freudian) slip of the pen, and he meant to refer to the ACLU. Even so, especially for a controversy in a Southern state, the comment is a bit chilling.
(*May not be an actual word.)The latest twist in the prolonged farce that is the Cassidy-Graham-Johnson-Heller-Dracula healthcare “reform” plan comes to us in the pixels of The Hill, where we learn that it may be possible that Drs. Cassidy, Barrasso, and Price are the only medical professionals on the planet who approve of this bill. (The opposition at this point probably also includes Doctor Jimmy, Doc Marten and Dr. John, The Night Tripper.) Here is an appeal from another group of people whose expertise on healthcare surpasses that of Lindsey Graham, and who are not a herd of goats, the expertise of which also would surpass that of Lindsey Graham.
"Taken together, the per-capita caps and the envisioned block grant would constitute the largest intergovernmental transfer of financial risk from the federal government to the states in our country’s history," NAMD's board of directors wrote in a statement Thursday. The NAMD, which is a coalition of Medicaid directors from every state, noted that while the proposal is intended to create maximum flexibility, it does not provide the statutory reforms necessary "commensurate with proposed funding reductions."
"The scope of this work, and the resources required to support state planning and implementation activities, cannot be overstated," the directors said. "States will need to develop overall strategies, invest in infrastructure development, systems changes, provider and managed care plan contracting, and perform a host of other activities. The vast majority of states will not be able to do so within the two-year timeframe envisioned here, especially considering the apparent lack of federal funding in the bill to support these critical activities."
This comes from the organization of the people in every state who are in charge of Medicaid programs. These people generally can’t agree on a breakfast order. Not that they know as much about it as a senator from South Carolina who argued for his dog’s breakfast of a bill with his customary blend of nuance and medical expertise. From Josh’s joint:
“You can have different opinions about the quality of this bill. At the the end of the day, this is the only process left available to stop a march toward socialism,” Graham, the lead author of the bill, told reporters in the Capitol. Asked whether the bill’s supporters planned to address Sen. John McCain’s (R-AZ) concerns about regular order, which sank Republicans’ last effort to repeal Obamacare, Graham said the Senate Finance Committee had a hearing scheduled for Monday to discuss the proposal. “There will be a public hearing, what John has been asking for,” he said. Graham said Republicans who vote against the bill are voting “against federalism.”
“At the end of the day we need 50 votes, and if you’re a Republican, chances are you believe in federalism, because if you don’t you probably are not a Republican,” he said. “If you’re a Republican and you vote against federalism, you’ve got to explain to people back home why Washington knows better.”
Today’s Question: Does Lindsey Graham know less about socialism than he does about federalism? Our lines are open. This is a free call.
Getty Images
Graham is in the lead on this because he was perceived to be what passes for a reasonable Republican in the era of the prion disease. (This was always a crock. Graham made his bones originally as a torch-bearing anti-Clinton fanatic in the Great Penis Hunt of 1998. You don’t tamp those demons down forever.) They wanted what passed for a friendly face. The fact that this required Graham to double back on virtually everything he’d said about healthcare over the past seven years was irrelevant. Regular order? What’s that? Senator-specific carveouts? Hated them once, love them now.
(As to the latter, the state of Montana is getting the same deal that Alaska did. Namely, that it is getting a waiver to the bill that eliminates Obamacare that will allow Montana to keep Obamacare. Lewis Carroll died too soon.)
The other problem is, of course, that Graham doesn’t know fck-all about the subject. It also has not helped that Bill Cassidy, an actual doctor, regularly behaves as though the bill bearing his name has been written in Tagalog. And then there’s Dean Heller, Republican of Nevada, who took another shot below the waterline from his state’s Republican governor on Thursday night. From The Nevada Independent:
“Flexibility with reduced funding is a false choice,” Sandoval said in the statement. “I will not pit seniors, children, families, the mentally ill, the critically ill |
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Check out my review here.
For beer lovers, you can enjoy a bottle or two of Desperado’s or Chang in their respective “beer gardens”.
3. Shop till you drop.
Stalls to watch: Blanc Studios, Chou Chou Studios, Box Green, Human Nature, TeddyThotz, Freda’D
Withered bouquets are all the rage now. Get one for $12-15 from Blanc Studios, a bespoke wedding planner in Singapore. Apparently they last about 1 year so you don’t have to worry about changing them out.
Quirky, handmade hats are also on sale at Chou Chou Studios.
A number of vendors from Asia For Good by DBS Foundation, including TeddyThotz, Human Nature, and Box Green will also be setting up shop at Artbox – the latter in the form of a turquoise vending machine.
While handicraft and clothes stores were aplenty, I found my attention caught by Freda’D, a local artisanal fragrance house. Their 30ml bottles are selling for $50 at Artbox (retail price $63)!
4. Freebies, freebies, freebies.
Stalls to watch: DBS Live Fresh Zone, HonestBee, Wantedly
DBS and POSB card holders, you’re in luck – flash any DBS or POSB card to gain entry to the lush, free seating area next to the Artbox stage. You can even print your Instagram photos for free by using the official hashtag, #LiveFRESH.
For tertiary students, the first 50 to show their card will be entitled to an Artbox tote bag.
New to HonestBee? Download their app, add your details and you get a complimentary pack of tissue and a choice of one food or drink item or an inflatable pillow. I chose a bottle of craft beer from Spain for obvious reasons.
Wantedly, a social job app, was also giving out free popcorn for every sign up when I visited. If only all job searches came with a snack, amirite?
5. Artbox Activities
It’s not just about eating, drinking and shopping at Artbox Singapore; visitors can check out some cool activities in between.
Play the ultimate trust game with your mates at the MTV Just Tattoo booth, where you can register to get inked for free. The only catch is: your friend will be choosing what to brand your skin with, and vice versa.
If you’re looking for something relatively tame, try the virtual reality booth (approx $8 per game). I say relatively because, well… you’ll know why when you find out what games are available.
Kombi Rocks is also running a photo booth next to the Artbox stage if you’re keen on taking your memories with you (minus the unwanted run ins with several sweaty arms and the occasional bulky backpack, of course).
Come nightfall, Artbox takes on a more whimsical atmosphere as around 3000 fairy lights lit up above the stalls. The stage will also feature a handful of local acts.
It’s almost a pity that Artbox Singapore has been marred with space constraints and general misses on the logistics side, especially with such hype resting coming from its Bangkok counterpart. Hopefully the organisers would have taken everyone’s feedback into account and return with some improvements over the next four days.
On the bright side, with NETS enabled at the stalls, there’s no need to go scurrying back to MBS for the nearest ATM to draw more cash – that is, if you can even hang around long enough.
Would you still go down to Artbox Singapore?
Address: Marina Bayfront Event Space
Opening hours: 3pm – 11pm (14-16 & 21-23 April 2017)
Map
NETS: Yes
chueonit.This post is part of a series in which LinkedIn Influencers analyze the state and future of their industry. Read all the posts here.
The old 80's party tune from Timbuk 3 aptly describes the state of the accounting profession in 2014 - "The future's so bright, I gotta wear shades."
Accounting was ranked as the third best career by US News and World Report's 2014 Best Jobs issue. With an unemployment rate of half the national average (3%) and a growth rate of 13% for the next ten years, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics's most recent report, demand for accounting professionals is at an all time high and projected to continue into the future.
Jeannie Patton, AICPA vice president, academics, professional pathways and inclusion, sums it up well in the AICPA's 2013 Trends in Supply & Demand for Accounting Report: “A strong supply of accounting graduates is essential to serve the complex demands of a rapidly changing business environment and meet the needs of CPA firms of all sizes for top quality talent. It’s well known that the U.S. capital markets also rely on the work of CPAs to ensure that investors have access to reliable and transparent financial statements.”
This bright future is backlit by the increasingly complex and rapidly changing world. The biggest issue from CPAs is information overload and the challenge of keeping up. The last decade has brought massive federal laws and regulations in Sarbanes-Oxley, Dodd-Frank, and the Affordable Care Act along with a proliferation of taxes and regulations at the state and local level. Many of these new rules and regulations are implemented through the tax system and the IRS, creating a constantly changing maze that CPAs need to stay on top of.
The next biggest issue is actually a series of major shifts in the business landscape -- I call it the "shift change" -- as the largest generation in the workforce (baby boomers) begins to retire and hand over their leadership to the next generation(s). The environment has changed to the point that it reminds me of a quote by President Woodrow Wilson in 1912: “We are in the presence of a new organization of society.... The old formulas do not fit the present problems; they read like documents taken out of a forgotten age.” In other words, what got us here won't get us there. These five fundamental shifts are causing us to rethink business (and accounting) as usual:
Technology - The rise of social, mobile, analytics/big data, cloud (Thornton May's SMAC Stack) Generations - A generation gap, generation lap, and 2 for 1 (Boomers to Xers). Workplace - Work is no longer a place we go, but what we do; it's open, collaborative, and flexible. Leadership - A recent Harvard Business Publishing study found 68% of business leaders believe that their organizations DO NOT have the right leadership to achieve their strategic goals and cope with the current business environment. Learning - L > C (rate of Learning must be greater than the rate of Change). Flipped classrooms, participation and engagement are the new normal.
Of these shifts, the primary driver is without question, technology. This was confirmed in the massive future research we participated in with the AICPA and the CPA Horizons 2025 Project. This project looked at the major trends and issues for the future and identified a vision, purpose and values for the future CPA. The CPA of the future will be the most trusted advisor that helps people and organizations shape their future, assuming that they can master the pace of change, specifically the changes in technology.
The exponential growth of technology (remember Moore's law) is causing a "Cambrian explosion" of sorts as hundreds of new accounting and business applications show up on the accounting landscape at a dizzying pace.
So, is technology and the shifts underway an opportunity or threat to the accounting profession?
Yes!
Technology truly changes what is possible in accounting and yet is requiring the rapid learning, unlearning, and re-learning of new applications and new skills as these systems move from stagnant, historical systems of record to dynamic, future-focused systems of engagement. In fact there is a whole new breed of "digital CPAs" emerging who are leveraging these technologies and other business applications to add value to businesses in many new ways.
Chris Ekimoff, manager of investigations and forensics for the internal audit department at Hilton Worldwide put it this way: "The advance of technology has taken a lot of the executing of tasks... out of the hands of accountants and into the hands of machines. That has made accountants fit more into the role of trusted business advisors."
Many accountants who are struggling to keep up are finding success from the collaborative nature of the CPA Profession and its organizations. Many of the software solutions providers are working together with the profession to help accountants get the knowledge and skills needed to be successful in this period of rapid change.
In addition to the new technology skills, the skills needed for CPAs in the future from the research are:
Leadership: The ability to develop and share insights and the aptitude to mobilize and inspire others to action. Leadership is about finding possibilities and developing people, utilizing their strengths, and shaping the future. Communications: Able to give and exchange information with meaningful context and appropriate delivery and interpersonal skills. It includes the ability to make thinking visible to others in a way they can easily grasp. Strategic thinking: A future-minded and flexible mindset that thinks critically and creatively. The ability to link data, knowledge and insights together to provide quality advice for strategic decision-making. Collaboration and synthesis: Being effective at engaging others and working across boundaries to turn challenges into opportunities, including the ability to consider the whole picture (past, present, and future context) and create alternatives and options for the future. Being tech savvy: Anticipating technology changes and how they can benefit others. Being adept at standardizing data for transparency, efficient exchange, and visualization.
So, the future for accounting is indeed bright. As for those who are struggling with keeping up, the bad news is that like waves, the rapid pace of change will continue. As Jon Kabat-Zinn once said, "You can't stop the waves, but you can learn how to surf."
If we stick together as a profession and collaborate and share, we can learn how to ride these waves and continue our journey as the most trusted advisors to businesses and individuals. Now put on those shades!
What do you think about the state of the profession?
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Photo: Tom HoodChapter 2: The Next Morning
When Yang returned to the land of the living the next morning, or was it noon? She could never tell, not that it really mattered, she wished so desperately that she could stay where she was lying for a bit longer. It was so soft and warm, a far cry from the rickety beds or the ravaged couch that she usually fell into after a long night of fetching and bandit hunting.
Wait… that meant that this wasn't any of the beds or the couch, which meant….
She opened her eyes to the sight of Blake, who just started to open hers as well, leading Yang to the realization that she was on top of Blake. Okay, Yang had briefly entertained fantasies similar to this, but she was never serious about it, especially not with Blake. Not that she didn't want to, Yang thought Blake could use a cuddle given her rough upbringing, but Blake was just as likely to pull out some hidden sharp thing and stab Yang out of reflex as she was to scream out of surprise, getting abducted from your home to be raised as an assassin for Atlas kind of does that to you.
Thankfully Blake didn't stab her, but she did scream and pull out a knife.
"WAITWAITWAIT! BLAKE STOP IT'S ME! YANG!" Yang shouted out in haste while clumsily getting herself off of Blake and backing into the wall.
"…Yang? Oh. Uhhhh, sorry. That was just… reflex" Blake murmured sheepishly before sheathing the knife. "Just… reflex", she said again under her breath, more for herself than for Yang.
The air was tense for a moment. Yang knew Blake didn't want to be reminded of her past, but things like this, which no one had control over, still opened old wounds for the ex-assassin. The moment was short lived however, as a voice that would normally be shrill and grating if it weren't drowsily slurring half its words cut in.
"Yang Xiao Long what on Pandora is so important that you had to scream while I was sleeping AGAIN?!" Weiss inquired, now livid at the blonde lummox having interrupted her slumber twice within twenty four hours.
"Blake startled me, but it's fine now. She said it was just reflex", Yang replied evenly, hoping to defuse the situation
"Reflex? What do you…. oh." Weiss and Yang now both looked at Blake, who was deflated in shame, her eyes downcast. This wasn't the first time something like this had happened, and Blake predicted it would be far from the last.
"I didn't mean…." was all Blake could get out before Weiss and Yang sat on either side of her, arms around her and both of them shushing her
"We know you didn't. It's no big deal. Besides, you're gonna need more than that dinky thing if you wanna take me down! Yang replied, first tenderly as she was comforting Blake, then proudly as she boasted about her apparent durability
"What Yang said, you've more than shown that you want this to be behind you. There's no sense in faulting you for this." Weiss added, much more softly than she had been speaking before"
"Thanks, you two. I don't know where I would be without you." Blake replied, smiling softly.
"Oh pfff, it's nothing, that's what friends do-" Yang started her reply, and was promptly cut off by a red and black boot kicking open the door to the bedroom followed by its owner who dashed into the room.
"GOOOOOD MORNING TEAM RWBY!" Ruby yelled out loud enough to wake up the other three a little more. With her exuberant yell, the heavy feelings of the moment before were swiftly shot down and left in a ditch to rot, a similar fate to the one the bandits they confronted last night faced. "As leader of the team I have compiled a list of wonderful activities for us today!", she said cheerfully as she hefted a binder up and onto the table of the room with some text on the cover scratched out and replaced with a red, hastily scrawled "BEST DAY EVER".
"Is that my binder?" Weiss asked suspiciously
"Uhhh ye-no, no it's not" Ruby answered hastily.
"Okay, what's first on that list?" Weiss asked again, deciding not to bother calling out Ruby's disregard for private property.
"A visit to the gun show!" Ruby said excitedly, pointing to the scribbles next to the written number one on the inside of the binder
"Ohhh no, none of us are awake enough to drive, and besides. We got one right here", Yang replied as she flexed her arms ostentatiously. "Eh? Ehhhh?" she urged, hoping for a smile or a giggle. Instead all she got was a collective groan and Ruby, of all people, slapping a palm to her face in annoyance. "Ugh, everyone's a critic" Yang spat, pretending to be offended.
"I think she means the one just outside town", Blake chimed in helpfully, also diverting the topic from Yang's awful attempt at bragging about her muscles.
"Well what're waiting for let's go!" With that, Ruby tried to dash out of the room before Weiss yanked her back into the room by her cape.
"Not so fast, we still need a bite to eat, and I am not going out looking like this" Weiss ranted. As if to illustrate her point, Blake's stomach growled like an overgrown stalker, and Ruby got a look at Weiss's normally prim and proper stark white hair in a frazzled mess.
"Uh, oh, yeah, uh… right! I'll be waiting in the workshop then." Ruby stammered sheepishly and dashed out of the room, leaving no evidence of her presence save for a few rose petals.
"How can you be so sure that you two are sisters?" Blake asked
"Easily" Yang replied nonchalantly, "Well, half-sisters, she takes after her mom a lot more if I were to guess".
END OF CHAPTER 2
A/N: All the teenaged characters of RWBY are in about their early 20's, because… REASONS!, and faunus exist here because I'm too lazy to think up the equivalent of that in the borderlands universe.The FBI says an Oregon woman accused of sex trafficking a minor has been arrested a month after she removed an ankle monitoring device and failed to show for a court hearing.
Agency spokeswoman Beth Anne Steele says San Francisco police arrested 19-year-old Julia Lynn Haner on Monday. She's charged in California with sex trafficking and possession of a concealed weapon.
In Oregon, the former competitive cheerleader was indicted in April on accusations that she recruited for prostitution a 17-year-old girl with whom she used to ride the school bus to Lake Oswego High School.
Haner pleaded not guilty and was allowed to live at home while wearing the monitoring device as the legal proceedings continued.
The FBI did not release details about her arrest in San Francisco.The Real Ricky Rubio Is Finally Ready to Stand Up The point guard has been many things in his 13-year professional career: prodigy, ghost, fan favorite, outcast. Now with a Utah team on which he feels fully wanted, Rubio is ready to stop trying to fast-forward to what’s next and instead embrace being something else: himself.
Ricky Rubio looks confused. He’s standing near midcourt on a Wednesday night in November at Vivint Smart Home Arena in downtown Salt Lake City, surrounded by teammates and screaming fans, and he is staring blankly, registering the weight of the moment. His Utah Jazz teammates are high-fiving each other and body-bumping Rubio. The fans are standing and clapping. On the other side of the court, the Portland Trail Blazers are walking to their huddle, heads down.
All of this commotion has developed because just seconds ago, Rubio did something he is not supposed to do: He put the ball in the basket. Deep in overtime, with the Jazz up four, he dribbled around a screen from Rudy Gobert, stepped into a top-of-the-key 3 over the outstretched arms of Damian Lillard, and buried the shot and the Blazers all at once.
Rubio after hitting a 3-point shot against the Portland Trail Blazers on November 1, 2017
Chris Nicoll-USA TODAY Sports
This is not the kind of play we’ve come to expect from Rubio. Long before Utah traded a first-rounder to Minnesota for him in June, Rubio’s reputation had been established as one of basketball’s best-ever passers and worst-ever shooters. But on this night against Portland, Rubio finishes with 30 points and only one assist. “Who was that?,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder says to me, laughing, a couple of days after Rubio’s scoring explosion. “I thought we had a pass-first point guard!”
Years before he ever showed up in Utah, Rubio’s existence felt like a myth. His first highlight tape appeared on YouTube in August 2006, showing him with the Spanish youth national team making round-the-back passes and spin moves through helpless defenses when he was only 14. His name showed up on a DraftExpress.com report from the Under-16 European Championships that same month. Still half a decade from making his NBA debut, Rubio was already sealing his place in basketball prospect lore. He was the next Pistol Pete. He was White Chocolate with defense and leadership skills. He could become the greatest passer the game had ever seen. He still barely needed to shave.
“He was like the Spanish Justin Bieber.... People were always screaming for Ricky. It was like everyone just needed to see him or wanted to touch him or say hello to him. It was like he was bigger than the world at that time.” —Joe Ingles
Now 27, Rubio has been a professional basketball player for nearly half his life. He is still better known for being a former prodigy than for his solid-but-unspectacular NBA career. As a boy, he seemed to progress on fast forward, always years ahead of expectations. Once he reached the NBA, he quickly downshifted from phenom to flawed-but-solid starter, and he’s remained there ever since. Now, as he enters what should be the prime years of his career, the Jazz are banking on the possibility that their new point guard can still improve. “A lot of guys at his age, you think they’ve maybe reached a ceiling in their careers,” Snyder says. “Either you’ve just developed all you can develop or you’re not hungry enough to try. With Ricky, we have a guy who’s already a veteran and has had success in this league but who still has a strong desire to take coaching and improve. He’s someone who’s not necessarily at his ceiling.”
Rubio has been many things in his 13-year professional career: prodigy, ghost, fan favorite, outcast. Now, sitting in a nondescript office one morning this month, in the practice facility of the team that has made him finally feel fully wanted, he leans back and says, “I feel ready to do something special. I feel ready to take the next step.” He pauses for a moment. His hair has grown long, his beard unruly. His voice carries a quiet confidence. “I’ve played with a lot of doubts the last few years. I don’t have any doubts anymore.”
He likes Utah. Correction: “I love it,” Rubio says. He left the only NBA home he’d ever known to come here. At first, emotions were mixed. “It’s like moving to a new school,” he says of the trade. “You’re sad because you’re leaving all your friends. But when things are not working well in one school, you want to move on, but you’re still not sure. You go to unsure-land.” Trade rumors had surrounded Rubio throughout his last two years in Minnesota, but from the day the Jazz acquired him, he says, “It felt like this is the right place, and the right time.”
When we spoke, eight games into the season, Rubio seemed to be clicking well with his new team. He was averaging 17.5 points per game on 44 percent shooting, and the Jazz were off to a 5-3 start. Since then, though, the wheels have come off. Star center Gobert went down with a knee injury and will be out four to six weeks. The absences of Gordon Hayward, who signed with Boston in the summer, and Joe Johnson, who went down with a wrist injury seven games into the season, have grown more acute. The offense has sputtered, falling to 24th in the league. Rubio is a point guard built to serve the skill sets of scorers placed around him. Increasingly, though, he’s had to look to players like explosive-but-erratic rookie Donovan Mitchell and currently slumping Rodney Hood. When those options fail, he’s tried to take on more of a scoring load himself, and as the season has worn on, his ability to shoulder that responsibility has seemed to wither. He’s shooting 28 percent over his last eight games.
Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images
“I don’t want to overanalyze his shot,” Snyder told reporters before the Jazz played Minnesota last week. “I think Ricky’s value to our team first and foremost is his leadership and his mind and his ability to get people involved. I don’t want him to define himself by his shot. I want him to get people involved, and when he’s got a shot, make the right read. Those are the things he’s really good at doing.”
Right now, he’s in a slog. Rubio, though, has recently been working to embrace the reality of any given moment, good or bad. For so long, he seemed to progress through his life and career on a timeline all his own. Whether rocketing through the youth ranks in Spain to make his professional debut while still a child or sitting in Minnesota awaiting a trade he knew would someday come, Rubio has always had an eye on whatever’s next. Now, even as the Jazz struggle, Rubio is working to embrace his daily work for its own sake—not for whatever future it may portend. “I have to tell myself,” Rubio says, “it’s only today that matters.”
It’s a lesson he’s spent his entire lifetime trying to learn.
“Don’t cry.”
That was the only instruction Rubio received the first time he stepped onto a basketball court. He was about 4, he says, a quiet and gentle boy and the son of a basketball coach in El Masnou, Spain, a beach town just up the coast from Barcelona. The local club, El Masnou Basquetbol, did not allow kids to start playing organized basketball until age 6, so Rubio had to sit in the stands, quietly holding a basketball of his own, to watch his older brother, Marc. Desperate to join his brother’s team, Rubio begged his mother to find a way to get him on the court. The coach told her that Ricky was too young. Until their sixth birthday, he said, children were liable to drop down to the floor at any moment—despondent over a missed shot or a stolen dribble or a light nudge from a teammate—and derail an entire practice or game as they cried.
As long as Rubio kept his tears inside, though, the coach said he could play as long as he wanted. He managed to survive his first practice with no tears, and then another and another, and within a few weeks, a young Ricky Rubio was among the best players on his local club’s 6-year-old team.
“I had no idea what I was doing. When you’re 14 years old, everything is sunshine and flowers.” —Ricky Rubio
This would establish something of a pattern. A decade later, at age 14, Rubio found himself sitting in the gym of his new club, DKV Joventut. Rubio had emerged as a star for the club’s youth teams, but now he sat in the gym watching its senior team practice. Several of the team’s players had been called away on national team duty, leaving the remaining team shorthanded. Coaches wanted to scrimmage five on five, but they had only nine players available. A coach called for Rubio, by then a star on the club’s U-16 team.
“Do you have shoes?” he remembers the coach asking.
Rubio looked at his feet. He was in flip-flops, just back from the beach.
The coach yelled again. “Go get shoes!”
Rubio ran to find a friend in another part of the practice facility and begged to borrow his sneakers. Minutes later he was laced up and on the court, a scrawny child running the point on a team full of grown men. Then, he did what he has done in the many years since: exploit angles other players never would have known existed. Gamble for steals at the exact moment an opponent’s dribble turned sloppy. Whip passes through cracks in the defense that seemed to appear as if by his own design. At the end of the practice, head coach Aíto García pulled Rubio aside. The team was leaving for training camp in the mountains the next morning. García wanted Rubio to join them.
“I’m like, ‘Oh, man,’” says Rubio. “Really?! But I wasn’t thinking, ‘This is crazy,’ or anything like that. I was thinking, ‘I have school tomorrow! I can’t!’” Once again, Rubio begged his mother to let him play. Again, she said yes. Rubio played his way into a spot on the opening-night roster, and then, there in the opening-night layup line on the road in the southern Spanish city of Granada, an assistant told Rubio to be ready. He wasn’t just here to be an end-of-bench seat-filler. At 14 years old, he was going to make his professional debut in the world’s best league outside of the NBA.
“I had no idea what I was doing,” Rubio says. “When you’re 14 years old, everything is sunshine and flowers. I just thought, ‘OK, I guess I’m playing in the ACB League.’ But I didn’t realize it was something that was not normal, really. I felt just like I was anywhere else, playing with my friends. I was thinking, ‘It’s basketball. I love it. It’s what I do. So tonight I guess I will do it in the ACB League.’ That was all.” This established the pattern that defined Rubio’s adolescence: showing up on stages built for men much older than he, and proving, time and again, that he belonged.
Marc Gasol remembers where he was the first time he heard Rubio’s name: with the Spanish national team in Hiroshima, playing in the group stages of the 2006 FIBA World Championships. In a couple of weeks, the Spaniards would win the tournament, ahead of an American team that included LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, and Dwyane Wade. But on that day in Japan, Gasol, his brother Pau, current Cavs guard Jose Calderon, and the rest of the Spanish national team were all talking about a stat line from another tournament, thousands of miles away.
Back in Spain, Rubio had led the Under-16 Spanish national team into the gold medal game of the European Championships against Russia. Now 15, Rubio had hit a half-court shot to send the game to overtime, and then he’d sealed a 110-106 win. The victory, though, wasn’t the reason for Gasol’s disbelief. It was Rubio’s 51 points, 24 rebounds, 12 assists, and seven steals. “We were all together reading about that game, and we were like, ‘Who is this kid? Is this real? Can that be right?’” Gasol remembers. “It just seemed so outrageous, like there was no way it could be real.”
That game made Rubio an instant sensation in European basketball and on the draft-obsessed corners of the NBA internet. DraftExpress referred to his “appointment with destiny” and his “amazing winning character.” Two years later, at age 17 and already a seasoned pro, Rubio earned a place on Spain’s Olympic roster in Beijing. After Calderon went down with a leg injury, Rubio found himself starting in the gold-medal game, a child going head-to-head with Chris Paul and Kobe Bryant. “At that age,” Rubio says, “there’s no doubts in your mind. Whether you’re 14, 15, 16, 17, you don’t really get how big it is. You think it’s just a game. I thought, ‘OK, that’s Chris Paul. I’m guarding him.’ Somehow it felt normal to me.”
“We were like, ‘Who is this kid? Is this real? Can that be right?’” —Marc Gasol
Rubio held his own, finishing with six points, three assists, and three steals. He managed one highlight-worthy drive and layup past a helpless Jason Kidd, and his defense on Kidd and Paul helped disrupt an almost-flawless USA offense. With the Gasol brothers and Rudy Fernandez carrying the Spanish offense, they nearly pulled off the upset before falling, 118-107. “It was shocking how much he could affect the game defensively at that time,” Gasol says. “His activity, for a player that age, was unparalleled. He knew how to disrupt what they wanted to do.”
Rubio drives to the basket against LeBron James and Carlos Boozer at the Group B preliminary basketball game at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games
Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images
For NBA fans, Rubio’s existence was no longer a myth. On one of the sport’s grandest stages, he’d shown that he belonged. There was only one more step to be taken. “At that time at the Olympics,” Paul told the St. Paul Pioneer Press last year, “... everybody was talking about him. For us, playing on the USA team, we have to take our individual game down a little bit for the greater good of the team. So we were messing with him, like, ‘Hey, you’re going to have to come over here (to the NBA).’”
Rubio left that game desperate for more like it. “I always try so hard to live in the moment,” he says. “But after the Olympics, my only thought was, ‘I have to play against the best. I have to play in the NBA.’”
Still, he waited. Minnesota picked Rubio fifth overall the next summer (alongside Syracuse point guard and eventual bust Jonny Flynn, whom the Timberwolves took at no. 6, in one of the more baffling draft moves of the last decade). Still only 18, Rubio reportedly wanted more seasoning in Spain, and the buyout clause in his contract at Joventut complicated his potential transition to the NBA. FC Barcelona bought out his contract, and he joined them in 2009. There, he played for one of the top teams in Europe, alongside Spanish legend Juan Carlos Navarro, 2005 lottery pick Fran Vazquez, and former Rockets and Magic forward Terence Morris. His roommate at the time? A left-handed Australian import who would share the floor with Rubio again years later and many miles away: current Jazz wing Joe Ingles.
“He was like the Spanish Justin Bieber,” says Ingles. “All I heard was all Ricky Rubio all the time. There was just this fascination with him.... Everywhere we went, there would be hundreds of people at a hotel waiting and welcoming us. If it was a big city or a small city or in another country—it didn’t matter. People were always screaming for Ricky. It was like everyone just needed to see him or wanted to touch him or say hello to him. It was like he was bigger than the world at that time.”
In Barcelona, Rubio struggled at times, never fully supplanting Navarro as the team’s star guard. “It’s different over there,” says Ingles. “When you run a play for Juan Carlos Navarro, the shot is going to Juan Carlos Navarro—no one else. Everything is more structured. And the coaching is different, too. I remember Ricky sometimes would take an open shot, and if he missed, he would get pulled. Just for shooting! That’s no way to build confidence as a young player.”
Though Rubio struggled to score, Ingles saw flashes of what he could become. “I always liked to think of myself as a high-IQ guy,” Ingles says, “but with him, at 17 years old, it was like, ‘Holy shit.’” Alongside NBA players past and future, sharing a backcourt with a Spanish legend, Rubio had moments when he took full command of the team. “I remember stepping onto the floor with him, and he’s ordering guys around,” says Ingles. “He’s on the floor with 34- and 35-year-olds, and they’re listening to him. Within our offense, he’s telling guys, ‘If you do this instead of this, you’ll get a shot right here.’ And they’re listening to him, and it works. You could just tell right away that he saw the court differently than other people.”
The NBA seemed better suited for Rubio’s skill set. “Pace and space” was slowly becoming the preferred style of play around the league, and Rubio could envision himself fitting in far better than he did in Barcelona’s plodding half-court sets. “Playing five-on-five in half court is sometimes hard for me,” Rubio says. “I’m getting better at it, but I know I’m at my best when I’m in the open court and I can be creative. I can see more. I can use my advantages easier.”
He finally arrived in Minnesota in 2011, racing up and down the court under then-coach Rick Adelman, showing every bit of the skill Wolves fans had long been promised. He was a disruptor on defense and a facilitator on offense. His jumper remained busted, but somehow it barely seemed to matter. He delighted fans and they rewarded him with chants of “Olé!” as if cheering a matador. “Everything,” he says, “was perfect.”
“I kind of felt like the adopted child. I’m thinking, ‘They like me, but they don’t like me as much as if I was one of their own.’” —Ricky Rubio
But perfection couldn’t last. Soon came the torn ACL in March of his rookie season. Also the coaching instability, the team cycling through four coaches in four years. And the roster turnover, with the Wolves shipping out All-Star forward Kevin Love and rebuilding around the youth of Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. Rubio never developed a consistent jumper or finishing ability to round out his offensive game. He was, by some metrics, perhaps the worst shooter in modern NBA history. Minnesota hired Tom Thibodeau to mold its young talent, and from the moment he arrived in 2016, he brought rumors of a Rubio trade with him. “When someone new is in charge, you always know they might want to bring in their own people,” Rubio says. “So I kind of felt like the adopted child. I’m thinking, ‘They like me, but they don’t like me as much as if I was one of their own.’”
Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Rubio had moments under Thibodeau when he seemed on track to hit his ceiling. After the All-Star break last season, he averaged 16 points and nearly 11 assists per game. Still, he knew his time in Minneapolis was almost over. “At some point, you stop feeling comfortable when you keep hearing so many rumors,” he says. “I mean, of course we gotta be professionals and understand that this is a business, but at the end of the day, we have feelings. I loved that city. I had so many attachments to it. But at the same time, it’s tough to live with rumors for two years. It’s hard not to think, ‘Where is my future?’”
Meanwhile, Snyder had turned the Jazz into a stealth Western Conference contender, a team built on defense and toughness and the overall excellence of star wing Gordon Hayward. As a free agent last summer, Hayward reportedly told the Jazz he wanted them to trade for Rubio. “When we made the trade, we didn’t know what our roster was going to look like,” says Snyder. “But we thought that regardless of how the rest of the roster took shape, Ricky was an exciting player to get to coach. He’s someone who we knew, defensively, he could bring our level up even higher. Offensively, when you have someone who’s sure of himself and can direct and settle a team, that’s going to bring your level up, too, no matter who’s playing around him.”
After the trade, Rubio traveled with Gobert and others to San Diego to meet with Hayward, trying to convince him to re-sign. They failed. Hayward went to Boston, and the Jazz |
people carrying legs over their shoulders to the sink to wash out the feces just turned my stomach, and I was done.” Of his feeling about the patients: “I wanted to help people—but not really.” He was genuinely interested in computers, not for their own sake but for their service to a lifelong obsession: the inner workings of the stock market. Ever since grade school, when his father had shown him the stock tables at the back of the newspaper and told him that the stock market was a crooked place and never to be trusted, let alone invested in, the subject had fascinated him. Even as a kid he had wanted to impose logic on this world of numbers. He began to read about the market as a hobby. Pretty quickly he saw that there was no logic at all in the charts and graphs and waves and the endless chatter of many self-advertised market pros. Then along came the dot-com bubble and suddenly the entire stock market made no sense at all. “The late 90s almost forced me to identify myself as a value investor, because I thought what everybody else was doing was insane,” he said. Formalized as an approach to financial markets during the Great Depression by Benjamin Graham, “value investing” required a tireless search for companies so unfashionable or misunderstood that they could be bought for less than their liquidation value. In its simplest form, value investing was a formula, but it had morphed into other things—one of them was whatever Warren Buffett, Benjamin Graham’s student and the most famous value investor, happened to be doing with his money.
Burry did not think investing could be reduced to a formula or learned from any one role model. The more he studied Buffett, the less he thought Buffett could be copied. Indeed, the lesson of Buffett was: To succeed in a spectacular fashion you had to be spectacularly unusual. “If you are going to be a great investor, you have to fit the style to who you are,” Burry said. “At one point I recognized that Warren Buffett, though he had every advantage in learning from Ben Graham, did not copy Ben Graham, but rather set out on his own path, and ran money his way, by his own rules.... I also immediately internalized the idea that no school could teach someone how to be a great investor. If it were true, it’d be the most popular school in the world, with an impossibly high tuition. So it must not be true.” Investing was something you had to learn how to do on your own, in your own peculiar way. Burry had no real money to invest, but he nevertheless dragged his obsession along with him through high school, college, and medical school. He’d reached Stanford Hospital without ever taking a class in finance or accounting, let alone working for any Wall Street firm. He had maybe $40,000 in cash, against $145,000 in student loans. He had spent the previous four years working medical-student hours. Nevertheless, he had found time to make himself a financial expert of sorts. “Time is a variable continuum,” he wrote to one of his e-mail friends one Sunday morning in 1999: “An afternoon can fly by or it can take 5 hours. Like you probably do, I productively fill the gaps that most people leave as dead time. My drive to be productive probably cost me my first marriage and a few days ago almost cost me my fiancée. Before I went to college the military had this ‘we do more before 9am than most people do all day’ and I used to think I do more than the military. As you know there are some select people that just find a drive in certain activities that supersedes everything else.” Thinking himself different, he didn’t find what happened to him when he collided with Wall Street nearly as bizarre as it was.
Late one night in November 1996, while on a cardiology rotation at Saint Thomas Hospital, in Nashville, Tennessee, he logged on to a hospital computer and went to a message board called techstocks.com. There he created a thread called “value investing.” Having read everything there was to read about investing, he decided to learn a bit more about “investing in the real world.” A mania for Internet stocks gripped the market. A site for the Silicon Valley investor, circa 1996, was not a natural home for a sober-minded value investor. Still, many came, all with opinions. A few people grumbled about the very idea of a doctor having anything useful to say about investments, but over time he came to dominate the discussion. Dr. Mike Burry—as he always signed himself—sensed that other people on the thread were taking his advice and making money with it. Once he figured out he had nothing more to learn from the crowd on his thread, he quit it to create what later would be called a blog but at the time was just a weird form of communication. He was working 16-hour shifts at the hospital, confining his blogging mainly to the hours between midnight and three in the morning. On his blog he posted his stock-market trades and his arguments for making the trades. People found him. As a money manager at a big Philadelphia value fund said, “The first thing I wondered was: When is he doing this? The guy was a medical intern. I only saw the nonmedical part of his day, and it was simply awesome. He’s showing people his trades. And people are following it in real time. He’s doing value investing—in the middle of the dot-com bubble. He’s buying value stocks, which is what we’re doing. But we’re losing money. We’re losing clients. All of a sudden he goes on this tear. He’s up 50 percent. It’s uncanny. He’s uncanny. And we’re not the only ones watching it.” Mike Burry couldn’t see exactly who was following his financial moves, but he could tell which domains they came from. In the beginning his readers came from EarthLink and AOL. Just random individuals. Pretty soon, however, they weren’t. People were coming to his site from mutual funds like Fidelity and big Wall Street investment banks like Morgan Stanley. One day he lit into Vanguard’s index funds and almost instantly received a cease-and-desist letter from Vanguard’s attorneys. Burry suspected that serious investors might even be acting on his blog posts, but he had no clear idea who they might be. “The market found him,” says the Philadelphia mutual-fund manager. “He was recognizing patterns no one else was seeing.” By the time Burry moved to Stanford Hospital, in 1998, to take up his residency in neurology, the work he had done between midnight and three in the morning had made him a minor but meaningful hub in the land of value investing. By this time the craze for Internet stocks was completely out of control and had infected the Stanford University medical community. “The residents in particular, and some of the faculty, were captivated by the dot-com bubble,” said Burry. “A decent minority of them were buying and discussing everything—Polycom, Corel, Razorfish, Pets.com, TibCo, Microsoft, Dell, Intel are the ones I specifically remember, but areyoukiddingme.com was how my brain filtered a lot of it I would just keep my mouth shut, because I didn’t want anybody there knowing what I was doing on the side. I felt I could get in big trouble if the doctors there saw I wasn’t 110 percent committed to medicine.” People who worry about seeming sufficiently committed to medicine probably aren’t sufficiently committed to medicine. The deeper he got into his medical career, the more Burry felt constrained by his problems with other people in the flesh. He had briefly tried to hide in pathology, where the people had the decency to be dead, but that didn’t work. (“Dead people, dead parts. More dead people, more dead parts. I thought, I want something more cerebral.”) He’d moved back to San Jose, buried his father, remarried, and been misdiagnosed as bipolar when he shut down his Web site and announced he was quitting neurology to become a money manager. The chairman of the Stanford department of neurology thought he’d lost his mind and told him to take a year to think it over, but he’d already thought it over. “I found it fascinating and seemingly true,” he said, “that if I could run a portfolio well, then I could achieve success in life, and that it wouldn’t matter what kind of person I was perceived to be, even though I felt I was a good person deep down.” His $40,000 in assets against $145,000 in student loans posed the question of exactly what portfolio he would run. His father had died after another misdiagnosis: a doctor had failed to spot the cancer on an X-ray, and the family had received a small settlement. The father disapproved of the stock market, but the payout from his death funded his son into it. His mother was able to kick in $20,000 from her settlement, his three brothers kicked in $10,000 each of theirs. With that, Dr. Michael Burry opened Scion Capital. (As a teen he’d loved the book The Scions of Shannara.) He created a grandiose memo to lure people not related to him by blood. “The minimum net worth for investors should be $15 million,” it said, which was interesting, as it excluded not only himself but basically everyone he’d ever known. As he scrambled to find office space, buy furniture, and open a brokerage account, he received a pair of surprising phone calls. The first came from a big investment fund in New York City, Gotham Capital. Gotham was founded by a value-investment guru named Joel Greenblatt. Burry had read Greenblatt’s book You Can Be a Stock Market Genius. (“I hated the title but liked the book.”) Greenblatt’s people told him that they had been making money off his ideas for some time and wanted to continue to do so—might Mike Burry consider allowing Gotham to invest in his fund? “Joel Greenblatt himself called,” said Burry, “and said, ‘I’ve been waiting for you to leave medicine.’” Gotham flew Burry and his wife to New York—and it was the first time Michael Burry had flown to New York or flown first-class—and put him up in a suite at the Intercontinental Hotel. On his way to his meeting with Greenblatt, Burry was racked with the anxiety that always plagued him before face-to-face encounters with people. He took some comfort in the fact that the Gotham people seemed to have read so much of what he had written. “If you read what I wrote first, and then meet me, the meeting goes fine,” he said. “People who meet me who haven’t read what I wrote—it almost never goes well. Even in high school it was like that—even with teachers.” He was a walking blind taste test: you had to decide if you approved of him before you laid eyes on him. In this case he was at a serious disadvantage, as he had no clue how big-time money managers dressed. “He calls me the day before the meeting,” says one of his e-mail friends, himself a professional money manager. “And he asks, ‘What should I wear?’ He didn’t own a tie. He had one blue sports coat, for funerals.” This was another quirk of Mike Burry’s. In writing, he presented himself formally, even a bit stuffily, but he dressed for the beach. Walking to Gotham’s office, he panicked and ducked into a Tie Rack and bought a tie. He arrived at the big New York money-management firm as formally attired as he had ever been in his entire life to find its partners in T-shirts and sweatpants. The exchange went something like this: “We’d like to give you a million dollars.” “Excuse me?” “We want to buy a quarter of your new hedge fund. For a million dollars.” “You do?” “Yes. We’re offering a million dollars.” “After tax!” Somehow Burry had it in his mind that one day he wanted to be worth a million dollars, after tax. At any rate, he’d just blurted that last bit out before he fully understood what they were after. And they gave it to him! At that moment, on the basis of what he’d written on his blog, he went from being an indebted medical resident with a net worth of minus $105,000 to a millionaire with a few outstanding loans. Burry didn’t know it, but it was the first time Joel Greenblatt had done such a thing. “He was just obviously this brilliant guy, and there aren’t that many of them,” says Greenblatt. Shortly after that odd encounter, he had a call from the insurance holding company White Mountain. White Mountain was run by Jack Byrne, a member of Warren Buffett’s inner circle, and they had spoken to Gotham Capital. “We didn’t know you were selling part of your firm,” they said—and Burry explained that he hadn’t realized it either until a few days earlier, when someone offered a million dollars, after tax, for it. It turned out that White Mountain, too, had been watching Michael Burry closely. “What intrigued us more than anything was that he was a neurology resident,” says Kip Oberting, then at White Mountain. “When the hell was he doing this?” From White Mountain he extracted $600,000 for another piece of his fund, plus a promise to send him $10 million to invest. “And yes,” said Oberting, “he was the only person we found on the Internet and cold-called and gave him money.”
In Dr. Mike Burry’s first year in business, he grappled briefly with the social dimension of running money. “Generally you don’t raise any money unless you have a good meeting with people,” he said, “and generally I don’t want to be around people. And people who are with me generally figure that out.” When he spoke to people in the flesh, he could never tell what had put them off, his message or his person. Buffett had had trouble with people, too, in his youth. He’d used a Dale Carnegie course to learn how to interact more profitably with his fellow human beings. Mike Burry came of age in a different money culture. The Internet had displaced Dale Carnegie. He didn’t need to meet people. He could explain himself online and wait for investors to find him. He could write up his elaborate thoughts and wait for people to read them and wire him their money to handle. “Buffett was too popular for me,” said Burry. “I won’t ever be a kindly grandfather figure.” This method of attracting funds suited Mike Burry. More to the point, it worked. He’d started Scion Capital with a bit more than a million dollars—the money from his mother and brothers and his own million, after tax. Right from the start, Scion Capital was madly, almost comically successful. In his first full year, 2001, the S&P 500 fell 11.88 percent. Scion was up 55 percent. The next year, the S&P 500 fell again, by 22.1 percent, and yet Scion was up again: 16 percent. The next year, 2003, the stock market finally turned around and rose 28.69 percent, but Mike Burry beat it again—his investments rose by 50 percent. By the end of 2004, Mike Burry was managing $600 million and turning money away. “If he’d run his fund to maximize the amount he had under management, he’d have been running many, many billions of dollars,” says a New York hedge-fund manager who watched Burry’s performance with growing incredulity. “He designed Scion so it was bad for business but good for investing.” Thus when Mike Burry went into business he disapproved of the typical hedge-fund manager’s deal. Taking 2 percent of assets off the top, as most did, meant the hedge-fund manager got paid simply for amassing vast amounts of other people’s money. Scion Capital charged investors only its actual expenses—which typically ran well below 1 percent of the assets. To make the first nickel for himself, he had to make investors’ money grow. “Think about the genesis of Scion,” says one of his early investors. “The guy has no money and he chooses to forgo a fee that any other hedge fund takes for granted. It was unheard of.” By the middle of 2005, over a period in which the broad stock-market index had fallen by 6.84 percent, Burry’s fund was up 242 percent, and he was turning away investors. To his swelling audience, it didn’t seem to matter whether the stock market rose or fell; Mike Burry found places to invest money shrewdly. He used no leverage and avoided shorting stocks. He was doing nothing more promising than buying common stocks and nothing more complicated than sitting in a room reading financial statements. Scion Capital’s decision-making apparatus consisted of one guy in a room, with the door closed and the shades down, poring over publicly available information and data on 10-K Wizard. He went looking for court rulings, deal completions, and government regulatory changes—anything that might change the value of a company. As often as not, he turned up what he called “ick” investments. In October 2001 he explained the concept in his letter to investors: “Ick investing means taking a special analytical interest in stocks that inspire a first reaction of ‘ick.’” A court had accepted a plea from a software company called the Avanti Corporation. Avanti had been accused of stealing from a competitor the software code that was the whole foundation of Avanti’s business. The company had $100 million in cash in the bank, was still generating $100 million a year in free cash flow—and had a market value of only $250 million! Michael Burry started digging; by the time he was done, he knew more about the Avanti Corporation than any man on earth. He was able to see that even if the executives went to jail (as five of them did) and the fines were paid (as they were), Avanti would be worth a lot more than the market then assumed. To make money on Avanti’s stock, however, he’d probably have to stomach short-term losses, as investors puked up shares in horrified response to negative publicity. “That was a classic Mike Burry trade,” says one of his investors. “It goes up by 10 times, but first it goes down by half.” This isn’t the sort of ride most investors enjoy, but it was, Burry thought, the essence of value investing. His job was to disagree loudly with popular sentiment. He couldn’t do this if he was at the mercy of very short-term market moves, and so he didn’t give his investors the ability to remove their money on short notice, as most hedge funds did. If you gave Scion your money to invest, you were stuck for at least a year. Investing well was all about being paid the right price for risk. Increasingly, Burry felt that he wasn’t. The problem wasn’t confined to individual stocks. The Internet bubble had burst, and yet house prices in San Jose, the bubble’s epicenter, were still rising. He investigated the stocks of homebuilders and then the stocks of companies that insured home mortgages, like PMI. To one of his friends—a big-time East Coast professional investor—he wrote in May 2003 that the real-estate bubble was being driven ever higher by the irrational behavior of mortgage lenders who were extending easy credit. “You just have to watch for the level at which even nearly unlimited or unprecedented credit can no longer drive the [housing] market higher,” he wrote. “I am extremely bearish, and feel the consequences could very easily be a 50% drop in residential real estate in the U.S.... A large portion of current [housing] demand at current prices would disappear if only people became convinced that prices weren’t rising. The collateral damage is likely to be orders of magnitude worse than anyone now considers.”
On May 19, 2005, Mike Burry did his first subprime-mortgage deals. He bought $60 million of credit-default swaps from Deutsche Bank—$10 million each on six different bonds. “The reference securities,” these were called. You didn’t buy insurance on the entire subprime-mortgage-bond market but on a particular bond, and Burry had devoted himself to finding exactly the right ones to bet against. He likely became the only investor to do the sort of old-fashioned bank credit analysis on the home loans that should have been done before they were made. He was the opposite of an old-fashioned banker, however. He was looking not for the best loans to make but the worst loans—so that he could bet against them. He analyzed the relative importance of the loan-to-value ratios of the home loans, of second liens on the homes, of the location of the homes, of the absence of loan documentation and proof of income of the borrower, and a dozen or so other factors to determine the likelihood that a home loan made in America circa 2005 would go bad. Then he went looking for the bonds backed by the worst of the loans. It surprised him that Deutsche Bank didn’t seem to care which bonds he picked to bet against. From their point of view, so far as he could tell, all subprime-mortgage bonds were the same. The price of insurance was driven not by any independent analysis but by the ratings placed on the bond by Moody’s and Standard & Poor’s. If he wanted to buy insurance on the supposedly riskless triple-A-rated tranche, he might pay 20 basis points (0.20 percent); on the riskier, A-rated tranches, he might pay 50 basis points (0.50 percent); and on the even less safe, triple-B-rated tranches, 200 basis points—that is, 2 percent. (A basis point is one-hundredth of one percentage point.) The triple-B-rated tranches—the ones that would be worth zero if the underlying mortgage pool experienced a loss of just 7 percent—were what he was after. He felt this to be a very conservative bet, which he was able, through analysis, to turn into even more of a sure thing. Anyone who even glanced at the prospectuses could see that there were many critical differences between one triple-B bond and the next—the percentage of interest-only loans contained in their underlying pool of mortgages, for example. He set out to cherry-pick the absolute worst ones and was a bit worried that the investment banks would catch on to just how much he knew about specific mortgage bonds, and adjust their prices.
Once again they shocked and delighted him: Goldman Sachs e-mailed him a great long list of crappy mortgage bonds to choose from. “This was shocking to me, actually,” he says. “They were all priced according to the lowest rating from one of the big-three ratings agencies.” He could pick from the list without alerting them to the depth of his knowledge. It was as if you could buy flood insurance on the house in the valley for the same price as flood insurance on the house on the mountaintop. The market made no sense, but that didn’t stop other Wall Street firms from jumping into it, in part because Mike Burry was pestering them. For weeks he hounded Bank of America until they agreed to sell him $5 million in credit-default swaps. Twenty minutes after they sent their e-mail confirming the trade, they received another back from Burry: “So can we do another?” In a few weeks Mike Burry bought several hundred million dollars in credit-default swaps from half a dozen banks, in chunks of $5 million. None of the sellers appeared to care very much which bonds they were insuring. He found one mortgage pool that was 100 percent floating-rate negative-amortizing mortgages—where the borrowers could choose the option of not paying any interest at all and simply accumulate a bigger and bigger debt until, presumably, they defaulted on it. Goldman Sachs not only sold him insurance on the pool but sent him a little note congratulating him on being the first person, on Wall Street or off, ever to buy insurance on that particular item. “I’m educating the experts here,” Burry crowed in an e-mail. He wasn’t wasting a lot of time worrying about why these supposedly shrewd investment bankers were willing to sell him insurance so cheaply. He was worried that others would catch on and the opportunity would vanish. “I would play dumb quite a bit,” he said, “making it seem to them like I don’t really know what I’m doing. ‘How do you do this again?’ ‘Oh, where can I find that information?’ or ‘Really?’—when they tell me something really obvious.” It was one of the fringe benefits of living for so many years essentially alienated from the world around him: he could easily believe that he was right and the world was wrong. The more Wall Street firms jumped into the new business, the easier it became for him to place his bets. For the first few months, he was able to short, at most, $10 million at a time. Then, in late June 2005, he had a call from someone at Goldman Sachs asking him if he’d like to increase his trade size to $100 million a pop. “What needs to be remembered here,” he wrote the next day, after he’d done it, “is that this is $100 million. That’s an insane amount of money. And it just gets thrown around like it’s three digits instead of nine.” By the end of July he owned credit-default swaps on $750 million in subprime-mortgage bonds and was privately bragging about it. “I believe no other hedge fund on the planet has this sort of investment, nowhere near to this degree, relative to the size of the portfolio,” he wrote to one of his investors, who had caught wind that his hedge-fund manager had some newfangled strategy. Now he couldn’t help but wonder who exactly was on the other side of his trades—what madman would be selling him so much insurance on bonds he had handpicked to explode? The credit-default swap was a zero-sum game. If Mike Burry made $100 million when the subprime-mortgage bonds he had handpicked defaulted, someone else must have lost $100 million. Goldman Sachs made it clear that the ultimate seller wasn’t Goldman Sachs. Goldman Sachs was simply standing between insurance buyer and insurance seller and taking a cut.
The willingness of whoever this person was to sell him such vast amounts of cheap insurance gave Mike Burry another idea: to start a fund that did nothing but buy insurance on subprime-mortgage bonds. In a $600 million fund that was meant to be picking stocks, his bet was already gargantuan, but if he could raise the money explicitly for this new purpose, he could do many billions more. In August he wrote a proposal for a fund he called Milton’s Opus and sent it out to his investors. (“The first question was always ‘What’s Milton’s Opus?’” He’d say, “Paradise Lost,” but that usually just raised another question.) Most of them still had no idea that their champion stock picker had become so diverted by these esoteric insurance contracts called credit-default swaps. Many wanted nothing to do with it; a few wondered if this meant that he was already doing this sort of thing with their money. Instead of raising more money to buy credit-default swaps on subprime-mortgage bonds, he wound up making it more difficult to keep the ones he already owned. His investors were happy to let him pick stocks on their behalf, but they almost universally doubted his ability to foresee big macro-economic trends. And they certainly didn’t see why he should have any special insight into the multi-trillion-dollar subprime-mortgage-bond market. Milton’s Opus died a quick death. In October 2005, in his letter to investors, Burry finally came completely clean and let them know that they owned at least a billion dollars in credit-default swaps on subprime-mortgage bonds. “Sometimes markets err big time,” he wrote. “Markets erred when they gave America Online the currency to buy Time Warner. They erred when they bet against George Soros and for the British pound. And they are erring right now by continuing to float along as if the most significant credit bubble history has ever seen does not exist. Opportunities are rare, and large opportunities on which one can put nearly unlimited capital to work at tremendous potential returns are even more rare. Selectively shorting the most problematic mortgage-backed securities in history today amounts to just such an opportunity.” In the second quarter of 2005, credit-card delinquencies hit an all-time high—even though house prices had boomed. That is, even with this asset to borrow against, Americans were struggling more than ever to meet their obligations. The Federal Reserve had raised interest rates, but mortgage rates were still effectively falling—because Wall Street was finding ever more clever ways to enable people to borrow money. Burry now had more than a billion-dollar bet on the table and couldn’t grow it much more unless he attracted a lot more money. So he just laid it out for his investors: the U.S. mortgage-bond market was huge, bigger than the market for U.S. Treasury notes and bonds. The entire economy was premised on its stability, and its stability in turn depended on house prices continuing to rise. “It is ludicrous to believe that asset bubbles can only be recognized in hindsight,” he wrote. “There are specific identifiers that are entirely recognizable during the bubble’s inflation. One hallmark of mania is the rapid rise in the incidence and complexity of fraud.... The FBI reports mortgage-related fraud is up fivefold since 2000.” Bad behavior was no longer on the fringes of an otherwise sound economy; it was its central feature. “The salient point about the modern vintage of housing-related fraud is its integral place within our nation’s institutions,” he added.
When his investors learned that their money manager had actually put their money directly where his mouth had long been, they were not exactly pleased. As one investor put it, “Mike’s the best stock picker anyone knows. And he’s doing... what?” Some were upset that a guy they had hired to pick stocks had gone off to pick rotten mortgage bonds instead; some wondered, if credit-default swaps were such a great deal, why Goldman Sachs would be selling them; some questioned the wisdom of trying to call the top of a 70-year housing cycle; some didn’t really understand exactly what a credit-default swap was, or how it worked. “It has been my experience that apocalyptic forecasts on the U.S. financial markets are rarely realized within limited horizons,” one investor wrote to Burry. “There have been legitimate apocalyptic cases to be made on U.S. financial markets during most of my career. They usually have not been realized.” Burry replied that while it was true that he foresaw Armageddon, he wasn’t betting on it. That was the beauty of credit-default swaps: they enabled him to make a fortune if just a tiny fraction of these dubious pools of mortgages went bad. Inadvertently, he’d opened up a debate with his own investors, which he counted among his least favorite activities. “I hated discussing ideas with investors,” he said, “because I then become a Defender of the Idea, and that influences your thought process.” Once you became an idea’s defender, you had a harder time changing your mind about it. He had no choice: among the people who gave him money there was pretty obviously a built-in skepticism of so-called macro thinking. “I have heard that White Mountain would rather I stick to my knitting,” he wrote, testily, to his original backer, “though it is not clear to me that White Mountain has historically understood what my knitting really is.” No one seemed able to see what was so plain to him: these credit-default swaps were all part of his global search for value. “I don’t take breaks in my search for value,” he wrote to White Mountain. “There is no golf or other hobby to distract me. Seeing value is what I do.” When he’d started Scion, he told potential investors that, because he was in the business of making unfashionable bets, they should evaluate him over the long term—say, five years. Now he was being evaluated moment to moment. “Early on, people invested in me because of my letters,” he said. “And then, somehow, after they invested, they stopped reading them.” His fantastic success attracted lots of new investors, but they were less interested in the spirit of his enterprise than in how much money he could make them quickly. Every quarter, he told them how much he’d made or lost from his stock picks. Now he had to explain that they had to subtract from that number these … subprime-mortgage-bond insurance premiums. One of his New York investors called and said ominously, “You know, a lot of people are talking about withdrawing funds from you.” As their funds were contractually stuck inside Scion Capital for some time, the investors’ only recourse was to send him disturbed-sounding e-mails asking him to justify his new strategy. “People get hung up on the difference between +5% and -5% for a couple of years,” Burry replied to one investor who had protested the new strategy. “When the real issue is: over 10 years who does 10% or better annually? And I firmly believe that to achieve that advantage on an annual basis, I have to be able to look out past the next couple of years.... I have to be steadfast in the face of popular discontent if that’s what the fundamentals tell me.” In the five years since he had started, the S&P 500, against which he was measured, was down 6.84 percent. In the same period, he reminded his investors, Scion Capital was up 242 percent. He assumed he’d earned the rope to hang himself. He assumed wrong. “I’m building breathtaking sand castles,” he wrote, “but nothing stops the tide from coming and coming and coming.”
Oddly, as Mike Burry’s investors grew restive, his Wall Street counterparties took a new and envious interest in what he was up to. In late October 2005, a subprime trader at Goldman Sachs called to ask him why he was buying credit-default swaps on such very specific tranches of subprime-mortgage bonds. The trader let it slip that a number of hedge funds had been calling Goldman to ask “how to do the short housing trade that Scion is doing.” Among those asking about it were people Burry had solicited for Milton’s Opus—people who had initially expressed great interest. “These people by and large did not know anything about how to do the trade and expected Goldman to help them replicate it,” Burry wrote in an e-mail to his C.F.O. “My suspicion is Goldman helped them, though they deny it.” If nothing else, he now understood why he couldn’t raise money for Milton’s Opus. “If I describe it enough it sounds compelling, and people think they can do it for themselves,” he wrote to an e-mail confidant. “If I don’t describe it enough, it sounds scary and binary and I can’t raise the capital.” He had no talent for selling. Now the subprime-mortgage-bond market appeared to be unraveling. Out of the blue, on November 4, Burry had an e-mail from the head subprime guy at Deutsche Bank, a fellow named Greg Lippmann. As it happened, Deutsche Bank had broken off relations with Mike Burry back in June, after Burry had been, in Deutsche Bank’s view, overly aggressive in his demands for collateral. Now this guy calls and says he’d like to buy back the original six credit-default swaps Scion had bought in May. As the $60 million represented a tiny slice of Burry’s portfolio, and as he didn’t want any more to do with Deutsche Bank than Deutsche Bank wanted to do with him, he sold them back, at a profit. Greg Lippmann wrote back hastily and ungrammatically, “Would you like to give us some other bonds that we can tell you what we will pay you.” Greg Lippmann of Deutsche Bank wanted to buy his billion dollars in credit-default swaps! “Thank you for the look Greg,” Burry replied. “We’re good for now.” He signed off, thinking, How strange. I haven’t dealt with Deutsche Bank in five months. How does Greg Lippmann even know I own this giant pile of credit-default swaps? Three days later he heard from Goldman Sachs. His saleswoman, Veronica Grinstein, called him on her cell phone instead of from the office phone. (Wall Street firms now recorded all calls made from their trading desks.) “I’d like a special favor,” she asked. She, too, wanted to buy some of his credit-default swaps. “Management is concerned,” she said. They thought the traders had sold all this insurance without having any place they could go to buy it back. Could Mike Burry sell them $25 million of the stuff, at really generous prices, on the subprime-mortgage bonds of his choosing? Just to placate Goldman management, you understand. Hanging up, he pinged Bank of America, on a hunch, to see if they would sell him more. They wouldn’t. They, too, were looking to buy. Next came Morgan Stanley—again out of the blue. He hadn’t done much business with Morgan Stanley, but evidently Morgan Stanley, too, wanted to buy whatever he had. He didn’t know exactly why all these banks were suddenly so keen to buy insurance on subprime-mortgage bonds, but there was one obvious reason: the loans suddenly were going bad at an alarming rate. Back in May, Mike Burry was betting on his theory of human behavior: the loans were structured to go bad. Now, in November, they were actually going bad. The next morning, Burry opened The Wall Street Journal to find an article explaining how alarming numbers of adjustable-rate mortgage holders were falling behind on their payments, in their first nine months, at rates never before seen. Lower-middle-class America was tapped out. There was even a little chart to show readers who didn’t have time to read the article. He thought, The cat’s out of the bag. The world’s about to change. Lenders will raise their standards; rating agencies will take a closer look; and no dealers in their right mind will sell insurance on subprime-mortgage bonds at anything like the prices they’ve been selling it. “I’m thinking the lightbulb is going to pop on and some smart credit officer is going to say, ‘Get out of these trades,’” he said. Most Wall Street traders were about to lose a lot of money—with perhaps one exception. Mike Burry had just received another e-mail, from one of his own investors, that suggested that Deutsche Bank might have been influenced by his one-eyed view of the financial markets: “Greg Lippmann, the head [subprime-mortgage] trader at Deutsche Bank[,] was in here the other day,” it read. |
othavong showed Laura Robson and Heather Watson what might be possible. "She only officially retired from playing at the end of last year, just before marrying her former coach Nino Severino, who helped her develop the Elena Baltacha Academy in Ipswich."
Baltacha's agent and friend Eleanor Preston told Sky News: "It was part of Bally's emotional make-up to be very stoic. She never once asked 'why me?' or 'why is this happening?' She was incredibly strong and determined and that was who she was.
"She achieved an awful lot - and in the context of having a serious liver condition that she struggled with since the age of 19. This is why she should be held up as a role model.
"She went through it all without the slightest bit of self pity or ego."
A host of stars, including Navratilova, Robson, Murray, Ross Hutchins, Tim Henman, Greg Rusedski, Jamie Murray, Jonny Marray, Anne Keothavong and Heather Watson have agreed to take part in a fundraising event, The Rally Against Cancer - Rally For Bally, which will now be held in her memory on 15 June.
The mixed doubles exhibition matches at the Aegon Championships at Queen's Club, the Aegon Classic in Birmingham and the Aegon International in Eastbourne will raise money for the Royal Marsden national cancer charity and the Elena Baltacha Foundation.
Great Britain Davis Cup player and Queen's Club tournament director Hutchins, who is in remission from Hodgkin's lymphoma, a form of cancer, told BBC Sport: "We all wanted the Rally for Bally to lift Elena, but now this special event will be held in memory of Elena.
"She was a special person who will be remembered for positive things; a hard worker, a true professional and someone who gave so much back to the sport of tennis."
Tributes from across the sporting world
"What sad news to wake up to today. My thoughts and prayers are with Elena's family on their tragic loss." Former world number one Maria Sharapova.
"Very sad to hear that Elena Baltacha has passed away. RIP." Men's world number one Rafa Nadal.
"I have no words to describe my sadness. RIP @ElenaBaltacha." Current Wimbledon champion Marion Bartoli.
"Impossibly sad. Forever a team-mate. Sweet dreams Bally." British number one Laura Robson.
"Such sad news about Elena Baltacha. My thoughts go out to her family and friends." Olympic cyclist Sir Chris Hoy.
"The Club is saddened to learn of the death of Elena Baltacha. Truly inspirational woman, a sad loss. RIP 'Bally'." Ipswich Town football club, where her father Sergei played from 1988-90.
Current world number one Serena Williams: "My deepest prayers, thoughts, concern and love goes out to Elena Baltacha's family. I am deeply sorry for your loss. Revelation 21:4."
"Really sad to hear the news of Elena Baltacha. My thoughts are with her family and friends." World number three Agnieszka Radwanska.
"Sad to hear about Elena Baltacha. She was a true leader for England's tennis players. She always gave 100%." Nick Bollettieri, former coach of Andre Agassi, Jim Courier and Monica Seles.
"Words can't describe... you inspired and humbled everything you touched. I know you're in heaven because that's where angels belong. Rest in peace Bally. You will never be forgotten." British number two Johanna Konta.
"We've lost our lovely Bally, too young. Rest in peace. My thought are with Nino and all of her family xx" British number three Heather Watson.
So sad to hear of Elena Baltacha's passing - my thoughts are with her family and loved ones, gone much much too soon..." Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles winner Martina Navratilova.
"It is tragic that Elena Baltacha died so young and with so much yet to do and give and offer. Thoughts and love to family and friends." Former British number one Andrew Castle.
"Genuinely jolted by the sad news of Elena Baltacha's death, aged just 30. Thank you for your 11 years for GB in the Fed Cup - RIP." Former England rugby international Brian Moore.
"What a sad start to the day as Elena Baltacha loses battle with liver cancer :(" Former rower and four-time Olympic gold medal winner Matthew Pinsent.
"So sad to wake up to the terrible news of Elena passing away! RIP Bally! Thinking about her loved ones..." Former world number one Kim Clijsters.
"Rest in Peace, beautiful Elena Baltacha...No words...Thoughts and prayers..." Eighteen-time Grand Slam singles winner Chris Evert.
"Thoughts of everyone connected to Team GB & British Olympic Association are with the Baltacha family at this time." Team GB.At long last we’re ready to release all the videos from the Moving Naturalism Forward workshop from October. We recorded every session, so we’re talking about ten videos of about an hour-and-a-half each. Not something anyone will watch in one sitting, but we’ve tried to indicate what the general topic of discussion was in each case. (If I find the time/energy, I will try to distill down some “greatest hits” moments into shorter videos — suggestions welcome from those who watch them.) And here they are:
Thanks to Keith Forman for doing such a great job with the recording and editing.
The format of the meeting was a relatively small group of people sitting around a table and discussing things. Each session had someone say something to kick things off, but in general the discussion was central, not formal presentations. Participants included Jerry Coyne, Richard Dawkins, Terrence Deacon, Simon DeDeo, Daniel Dennett, Owen Flangan, Rebecca Goldstein, Janna Levin, Massimo Pigliucci, David Poeppel, Nicholas Pritzker, Alex Rosenberg, Don Ross, Steven Weinberg, and me. A good cross-section of philosophers, physicists, biologists, and assorted other specialties. From start to finish the conversation was lively, informative, and at a very high level.
Here’s one session, picked out to give you a taste of the meeting. It’s the one where we started talking about morality and meaning. Rebecca Goldstein kicked things off, and Steven Weinberg gave a short talk.
I’ve been promising a substantive report from the meeting myself, to join those by Jerry (one, two, three) and Massimo (one, two, three). Other obligations have made it very hard to find time for that, so let me instead just offer an overview of the issues we discussed. Take this as more a reflection of my personal views than a perfectly fair summary of the meeting itself; we have the videos for that.
What is naturalism? Coyne thought that it was a problem that we didn’t have a consensus cut-and-dried definition, but I don’t really share his concern. (He also bemoaned that we wouldn’t agree on anything, whereas I was struck by how much we did agree on — before quickly moving on to dwell on the points of, shall we say, incomplete agreement.) Naturalists think that there is a single reality, the natural world, without any supernatural component. We can argue about whether worldviews with a supernatural component are internally coherent, but that argument doesn’t really prevent us from recognizing who is a naturalist and who is not. The world is made of “things” (very broadly construed), obeying the laws of nature.
Emergence and reductionism. This is an absolutely crucial issue; we talked about it quite a bit, and the topics kept popping up throughout the workshop. There is only one world, we naturalists say, but there are many ways of talking about it. We can talk about the world using the language of fundamental physics, “fermions and bosons” in Rosenberg’s terminology, but we can also talk about tables and chairs, and Einstein’s equation, and human desires and thoughts. There are boring (to me) questions about which levels are “real,” but also very interesting questions about how the levels fit together. One one side, Weinberg emphasizes the comprehensive role of the fundamental-physics description, claiming that it “explains” phenomena at higher levels. On the other side, Ross and Pigliucci want to emphasize that we can very rarely derive higher-level descriptions from lower-level ones. Simon DeDeo offered an explicit simple example of where such derivation is possible, but made the point that asking whether two theories have the same underlying structure can be an undecidable problem. Most people in the room seemed to be willing to use a language of emergence and accept that higher-level descriptions had a kind of autonomy (you don’t need to know lower-level details to understand higher-level truths), but they also seemed to accept that higher-level happenings were in some sense entailed by lower-level happenings. Personally I prefer to think of parallel vocabularies rather than lower and higher levels, but it’s clear that some vocabularies are more comprehensive than others. These abstract-sounding issues have important consequences; for example, there was a very interesting exchange between Dawkins, Dennett, and Coyne about the validity of ever speaking of “design” when we refer to the products of natural selection. I think it’s fine to use words like “design” or “purpose” as long as they are explicitly confined to a specific higher-level vocabulary, without danger of implying that there is some fundamental design or purpose in the universe. [As (non-naturalist) Scott Derrickson puts it: “The universe is not indifferent. How do I know this? I know because I am part of the universe, and I am far from indifferent.”]
Morality. Obviously a crucially important subject for naturalists (and everybody else), worth of much more attention than we were able to give to it. Interestingly, I thought there was a good degree of consensus about the topic lurking among the participants. Nobody present seemed willing to sign on to a program that subsumed morality completely within the domain of science, as has been advocated in different forms by E.O. Wilson, Sam Harris, and others. (We did invite defenders of that point of view, who unfortunately couldn’t make it.) Rather, we seemed ready to accept that moral feelings come from a variety of sources, and that even though they cannot be scientifically justified they can be rationally discussed. There was some range of opinion on the worthwhileness of moral philosophy; Weinberg questioned the entire idea of trying to build a logically-based moral framework, while Goldstein argued that empirical advances in moral behavior very often could be traced back to the efforts of philosophers laying the appropriate groundwork. I suspect that Weinberg was thinking of moral philosophy as too close to utilitarianism, but you can watch the above video and decide for yourself.
Meaning. This sneaky word has two, um, meanings, relevant to this workshop. There is the question of how a committed naturalist can find meaning in life, when the universe doesn’t offer any in and of itself. Goldstein emphasized the importance of this question as a practical matter for naturalists, and suggested that “mattering” to others lay at the heart of a naturalist account of meaning. Flanagan discussed his approach of “eudaemonics,” the study of human flourishing and virtues. There was some discussion of how secular institutions could rise to this challenge; Flanagan dubbed these hypothetical institutions “Mosques of Meaning.” Overall, we all agreed that this was an important problem, but I didn’t have the feeling we had any very effective programmatic suggestions on the table. The other notion of “meaning” involves the question of “aboutness” — how one part of the universe can be about something else. This was the one point at which my naive physicist’s background failed me, and I couldn’t quite see why this was such a problem.
Free Will. Here, again, I thought there was much more consensus than I expected coming in. We all know there is an ongoing debate among naturalists as to whether or not it’s useful to use words like “free will” in a world ultimately governed by the impersonal laws of physics. Dennett gave a stirring defense of the usual compatibilist position (free will is perfectly compatible with physics), while Coyne gave an equally stirring defense of incompatibility. The issue, as everyone recognized, is not how the world works, but how best to think about it. I’m a compatibilist myself, on the grounds that I can’t imagine talking sensibly about human beings without thinking of them as agents who make (somewhat) rational choices. But the incompatibilists make a good case that you can’t use phrases like “free will” without many people thinking you’re referring to some sort of mental dualism and spooky life forces. So we contemplated other possible phrases, like Dennett’s “morally responsible volition.” Poeppel injected some real neuroscience into the discussion, and there was lively talk about the ramifications (or lack thereof) of the Libet experiments. Once again, these abstract-sounding considerations have very important real-world consequences; Nick Pritzker, who helped support the meeting, was very interested in the ramifications of neuroscience for our theories of punishment and rehabilitation in the penal system.
Philosophy and science. Partly sparked by a number of recent articles and blog posts about “scientism,” we had an interesting discussion of the proper relation between science and philosophy. Yet again, I thought there was more agreement than I would have expected. Pigliucci gave a nice talk to kick things off, in which he brought up various recent crimes of scientists against philosophy, and also of philosophers against science. Within this crowd, most disagreements seem pretty cosmetic to me. Are there “other ways of knowing?” Well, sure; math is a way of knowing that is separate from the empirical domain of science. Literature and meditation can give you insight into your emotional state using tools that seem quite different from conventional scientific inquiry. But everyone agreed that if you want reliable knowledge of the workings of the actual natural world, science is the way to go. Philosophy offers a kind of meta-analytic approach that in some ways is continuous with science where applicable. Nobody in the room seemed eager to reduce everything worthwhile to science, nor to deny the unique power of science to discover things about the world.
So I’ve managed to write a description that is simultaneously quite long-winded, and falling enormously short of covering all of the interesting points that were made during the meeting. It was an exhilarating and provocative couple of days, and just a tiny part of a much larger ongoing conversation. If I wasn’t completely comprehensive in my recap, I’m sure that much of what was said will be informing other things I think and write about in the future. I anticipate a lot more moving forward.
Note that the videos make for excellent holiday, since Dan Dennett is the spitting image of Santa Claus.Fetal Psychology
Janet L. Hopson
Psychology Today, October 1998
Source: Psychology Today, Sep/Oct98, Vol. 31 Issue 5, p44, 6p, 4c.
Behaviorally speaking, there's little difference between a newborn baby and a 32-week-old fetus. A new wave of research suggests that the fetus can feel, dream, even enjoy The Cat in the Hat. The abortion debate may never be the same.
The scene never fails to give goose bumps: the baby, just seconds old and still dewy from the womb, is lifted into the arms of its exhausted but blissful parents. They gaze adoringly as their new child stretches and squirms, scrunches its mouth and opens its eyes. To anyone watching this tender vignette, the message is unmistakable. Birth is the beginning of it all, ground zero, the moment from which the clock starts ticking.
Not so, declares Janet DiPietro. Birth may be a grand occasion, says the Johns Hopkins University psychologist, but "it is a trivial event in development. Nothing neurologically interesting happens."
Armed with highly sensitive and sophisticated monitoring gear, DiPietro and other researchers today are discovering that the real action starts weeks earlier. At 32 weeks of gestation - two months before a baby is considered fully prepared for the world, or "at term" - a fetus is behaving almost exactly as a newborn. And it continues to do so for the next 12 weeks.
As if overturning the common conception of infancy weren't enough, scientists are creating a startling new picture of intelligent life in the womb. Among the revelations:
By nine weeks, a developing fetus can hiccup and react to loud noises. By the end of the second trimester it can hear.
Just as adults do, the fetus experiences the rapid eye movement (REM) sleep of dreams.
The fetus savors its mother's meals, first picking up the food tastes of a culture in the womb.
Among other mental feats, the fetus can distinguish between the voice of Mom and that of a stranger, and respond to a familiar story read to it.
Even a premature baby is aware, feels, responds, and adapts to its environment.
Just because the fetus is responsive to certain stimuli doesn't mean that it should be the target of efforts to enhance development. Sensory stimulation of the fetus can in fact lead to bizarre patterns of adaptation later on.
The roots of human behavior, researchers now know, begin to develop early - just weeks after conception, in fact. Well before a woman typically knows she is pregnant, her embryo's brain has already begun to bulge. By five weeks, the organ that looks like a lumpy inchworm has already embarked on the most spectacular feat of human development: the creation of the deeply creased and convoluted cerebral cortex, the part of the brain that will eventually allow the growing person to move, think, speak, plan, and create in a human way.
At nine weeks, the embryo's ballooning brain allows it to bend its body, hiccup, and react to loud sounds. At week ten, it moves its arms, "breathes" amniotic fluid in and out, opens its jaw, and stretches. Before the first trimester is over, it yawns, sucks, and swallows, as well as feels and smells. By the end of the second trimester, it can hear; toward the end of pregnancy, it can see.
Fetal Alertness
Scientists who follow the fetus' daily life find that it spends most of its time not exercising these new abilities but sleeping. At 32 weeks, it drowses 90 to 95% of the day. Some of these hours are spent in deep sleep, some in REM sleep, and some in an indeterminate state, a product of the fetus' immature brain that is different from sleep in a baby, child, or adult. During REM sleep, the fetus' eyes move back and forth just as an adult's eyes do, and many researchers believe that it is dreaming. DiPietro speculates that fetuses dream about what they know - the sensations they feel in the womb.
Closer to birth, the fetus sleeps 85 or 90% of the time: the same as a newborn. Between its frequent naps, the fetus seems to have "something like an awake alert period,' according to developmental psychologist William Filer, Ph.D., who with his Columbia University colleagues is monitoring these sleep and wakefulness cycles in order to identify patterns of normal and abnormal brain development, including potential predictors of sudden infant death syndrome. Says Filer, "We are, in effect, asking the fetus: 'Are you paying attention? Is your nervous system behaving in the appropriate way?'"
Fetal Movement
Awake or asleep, the human fetus moves 50 times or more each hour, flexing and extending its body, moving its head, face, and limbs and exploring its warm, wet compartment by touch. Heidelise Als, Ph.D., a developmental psychologist at Harvard Medical School, is fascinated by the amount of tactile stimulation a fetus gives itself. "It touches a hand to the face, one hand to the other hand, clasps its feet, touches its foot to its leg, its hand to its umbilical cord," she reports.
Als believes there is a mismatch between the environment given to preemies in hospitals and the environment they would have had in the womb. She has been working for years to change the care given to preemies so that they can curl up, bring their knees together, and touch things with their hands as they would have for weeks in the womb.
Along with such common movements, DiPietro has also noted some odder fetal activities, including "licking the uterine wall and literally walking around the womb by pushing off with its feet." Laterborns may have more room in the womb for such maneuvers than first babies. After the initial pregnancy, a woman's uterus is bigger and the umbilical cord longer, allowing more freedom of movement. "Second and subsequent children may develop more motor experience in utero and so may become more active infants," DiPietro speculates.
Fetuses react sharply to their mother's actions. "When we're watching the fetus on ultrasound and the mother starts to laugh, we can see the fetus, floating upside down in the womb, bounce up and down on its head, bum-bum-bum, like it's bouncing on a trampoline," says DiPietro. "When mothers watch this on the screen, they laugh harder, and the fetus goes up and down even faster. We've wondered whether this is why people grow up liking roller coasters."
Fetal Taste
Why people grow up liking hot chilies or spicy curries may also have something to do with the fetal environment. By 13 to 15 weeks a fetus' taste buds already look like a mature adult's, and doctors know that the amniotic fluid that surrounds it can smell strongly of curry, cumin, garlic, onion and other essences from a mother's diet. Whether fetuses can taste these flavors isn't yet known, but scientists have found that a 33-week-old preemie will suck harder on a sweetened nipple than on a plain rubber one.
"During the last trimester, the fetus is swallowing up to a liter a day" of amniotic fluid, notes Julie Mennella, Ph.D., a biopsychologist at the Monell Chemical Senses Center in Philadelphia. She thinks the fluid may act as a "flavor bridge" to breast milk, which also carries food flavors from the mother's diet.
Fetal Hearing
Whether or not a fetus can taste, there's little question that it can hear. A very premature baby entering the world at 24 or 25 weeks responds to the sounds around it, observes Als, so its auditory apparatus must already have been functioning in the womb. Many pregnant women report a fetal jerk or sudden kick just after a door slams or a car backfires.
Even without such intrusions, the womb is not a silent place. Researchers who have inserted a hydrophone into the uterus of a pregnant woman have picked up a noise level "akin to the background noise in an apartment," according to DiPietro. Sounds include the whooshing of blood in the mother's vessels, the gurgling and rumbling of her stomach and intestines, as well as the tones of her voice filtered through tissues, bones, and fluid, and the voices of other people coming through the amniotic wall. Fifer has found that fetal heart rate slows when the mother is speaking, suggesting that the fetus not only hears and recognizes the sound, but is calmed by it.
Fetal Vision
Vision is the last sense to develop. A very premature infant can see light and shape; researchers presume that a fetus has the same ability. Just as the womb isn't completely quiet, it isn't utterly dark, either. Says Filer: "There may be just enough visual stimulation filtered through the mother's tissues that a fetus can respond when the mother is in bright light," such as when she is sunbathing.
Japanese scientists have even reported a distinct fetal reaction to flashes of light shined on the mother's belly. However, other researchers warn that exposing fetuses (or premature infants) to bright light before they are ready can be dangerous. In fact, Harvard's Als believes that retinal damage in premature infants, which has long been ascribed to high concentrations of oxygen, may actually be due to overexposure to light at the wrong time in development.
A six-month fetus, born about 14 weeks too early, has a brain that is neither prepared for nor expecting signals from the eyes to be transmitted into the brain's visual cortex, and from there into the executive-branch frontal lobes, where information is integrated. When the fetus is forced to see too much too soon, says Als, the accelerated stimulation may lead to aberrations of brain development.
Fetal Learning
Along with the ability to feel, see, and hear comes the capacity to learn and remember. These activities can be rudimentary, automatic, even biochemical. For example, a fetus, after an initial reaction of alarm, eventually stops responding to a repeated loud noise. The fetus displays the same kind of primitive learning, known as habituation, in response to its mother's voice, Fifer has found.
But the fetus has shown itself capable of far more. In the 1980s, psychology professor Anthony James DeCasper, Ph.D., and colleagues at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, devised a feeding contraption that allows a baby to suck faster to hear one set of sounds through headphones and to suck slower to hear a different set. With this technique, DeCasper discovered that within hours of birth, a baby already prefers its mother's voice to a stranger's, suggesting it must have learned and remembered the voice, albeit not necessarily consciously, from its last months in the womb. More recently, he's found that a newborn prefers a story read to it repeatedly in the womb - in this case, The Cat in the Hat - over a new story introduced soon after birth.
DeCasper and others have uncovered more mental feats. Newborns can not only distinguish their mother from a stranger speaking, but would rather hear Mom's voice, especially the way it sounds filtered through amniotic fluid rather than through air. They're xenophobes, too: they prefer to hear Mom speaking in her native language than to hear her or someone else speaking in a foreign tongue.
By monitoring changes in fetal heart rate, psychologist JeanPierre Lecanuet, Ph.D., and his colleagues in Paris have found that fetuses can even tell strangers' voices apart. They also seem to like certain stories more than others. The fetal heartbeat will slow down when a familiar French fairy tale such as "La Poulette" ("The Chick") or "Le Petit Crapaud" ("The Little Toad"), is read near the mother's belly. When the same reader delivers another unfamiliar story, the fetal heartbeat stays steady.
The fetus is likely responding to the cadence of voices and stories, not their actual words, observes Fifer, but the conclusion is the same: the fetus can listen, learn, and remember at some level, and, as with most babies and children, it likes the comfort and reassurance of the familiar.
Fetal Personality
It's no secret that babies are born with distinct differences and patterns of activity that suggest individual temperament. Just when and how the behavioral traits originate in the womb is now the subject of intense scrutiny.
In the first formal study of fetal temperament in 1996, DiPietro and her colleagues recorded the heart rate and movements of 31 fetuses six times before birth and compared them to readings taken twice after birth. (They've since extended their study to include 100 more fetuses.) Their findings: fetuses that are very active in the womb tend to be more irritable infants. Those with irregular sleep/wake patterns in the womb sleep more poorly as young infants. And fetuses with high heart rates become unpredictable, inactive babies.
"Behavior doesn't begin at birth," declares DiPietro. "It begins before and develops in predictable ways." One of the most important influences on development is the fetal environment. As Harvard's Als observes, "The fetus gets an enormous amount of 'hormonal bathing' through the mother, so its chronobiological rhythms are influenced by the mother's sleep/wake cycles, her eating patterns, her movements."
The hormones a mother puts out in response to stress also appear critical. DiPietro finds that highly pressured mothers-to-be tend to have more active fetuses--and more irritable infants. "The most stressed are working pregnant women," says DiPietro. "These days, women tend to work up to the day they deliver, even though the implications for pregnancy aren't entirely clear yet. That's our cultural norm, but I think it's insane."
Als agrees that working can be an enormous stress, but emphasizes that pregnancy hormones help to buffer both mother and fetus. Individual reactions to stress also matter. "The pregnant woman who chooses to work is a different woman already from the one who chooses not to work," she explains.
She's also different from the woman who has no choice but to work. DiPietro's studies show that the fetuses of poor women are distinct neurobehaviorally-less active, with a less variable heart rate--from the fetuses of middle-class women. Yet "poor women rate themselves as less stressed than do working middle-class women," she notes. DiPietro suspects that inadequate nutrition and exposure to pollutants may significantly affect the fetuses of poor women.
Stress, diet, and toxins may combine to have a harmful effect on intelligence. A recent study by biostatistician Bernie Devlin, Ph.D., of the University of Pittsburgh, suggests that genes may have less impact on IQ than previously thought and that the environment of the womb may account for much more. "Our old notion of nature influencing the fetus before birth and nurture after birth needs an update," DiPietro insists. "There is an antenatal environment, too, that is provided by the mother."
Parents-to-be who want to further their unborn child's mental development should start by assuring that the antenatal environment is wellnourished, low-stress, drug-free. Various authors and "experts" also have suggested poking the fetus at regular intervals, speaking to it through a paper tube or "pregaphone," piping in classical music, even flashing lights at the mother's abdomen.
Does such stimulation work? More importantly: Is it safe? Some who use these methods swear their children are smarter, more verbally and musically inclined, more physically coordinated and socially adept than average. Scientists, however, are skeptical.
"There has been no defended research anywhere that shows any enduring effect from these stimulations," asserts Filer. "Since no one can even say for certain when a fetus is awake, poking them or sticking speakers on the mother's abdomen may be changing their natural sleep patterns. No one would consider poking or prodding a newborn baby in her bassinet or putting a speaker next to her ear, so why would you do such a thing with a fetus?"
Als is more emphatic. "My bet is that poking, shaking, or otherwise deliberately stimulating the fetus might alter its developmental sequence, and anything that affects the development of the brain comes at a cost."
Gently talking to the fetus, however, seems to pose little risk. Fifer suggests that this kind of activity may help parents as much as the fetus. "Thinking about your fetus, talking to it, having your spouse talk to it, will all help prepare you for this new creature that's going to jump into your life and turn it upside down," he says--once it finally makes its anti-climactic entrance.Now that I have your attention… (there won’t be an anime any time soon. I’ll get into subbing if it ever happens I guess.)
I’ll try this way since it’s more permanent than trying to do it on the chonz or somewhere else for an uptime of 3-4 minutes until nobody cares anymore.
I have the translation for Volume 8 done since June, and they’re lying around unavailable to you folks and I regret that and blame only myself having no time for this anymore. I still want to get it done by any means, hopefully in 2016.
All that’s missing is someone to put the text on the pages, and maybe remove some other text.
So if you know anyone, any group willing to help, any stray typesetter you’ve talked to, or even if you are just willig to pass my E-Mail around on the chonz (it’s toyone@tfwno.gf) – I would be truly grateful.
I’ll delete this post once we got someone for the job, and will come back with good news once we find a kind soul to work for nothing but his name on a credit page.
Thank you for following this daily or having subscribed to the newsletter/followed me on Twitter. As long as people are so much to actually speak out, that means a lot on the internet already – I know that from rarely doing anything other than leeching because lol fuck it.
There still won’t be an anime any time soon I guess. Sorry for the clickbait, I made 0 Euros from that.
WerbeanzeigenThat is among the major findings of a new survey of 1,076 HR-management professionals across a broad range of industries and organization sizes by Virgin Pulse in collaboration with the Human Capital Media Research and Advisory Group.
“Well-being” programs typically cover not only programs and benefits that help employees increase physical activity but also those that help manage employee stress and assess employee engagement, Virgin Pulse said. They can include weight-loss programs, meditation resources, healthy on-site food resources, and flexible work arrangements such as telecommunications.
“More senior executives than managers believe that better employee morale should be a desired outcome for well-being programs.”
Other key findings of the Virgin Pulse study included that more senior executives than managers believe that better employee morale should be a desired outcome for well-being programs across the board, rather than just targeting cost savings. “This emphasis on productivity and morale over cost savings,” study authors said, “highlights senior executives’ strategic thinking regarding well-being programs.”
In keeping with that, in fact, the survey found that respondents expect the top challenge next year for well-being programs will be to effectively communicate their offerings to employees.
WeddingWire, for example, an online marketplace for wedding planners and their customers, offers a $250 “treat yourself” reimbursement that employees can use for anything that either increases their knowledge or improves physical fitness, according to the Washington Post. And the staff of the Nuclear Energy Institute offers well-being perks ranging from on-site dance lessons to Weight Watchers meetings.
Overall, CEOs either are increasing or keeping stable their companies’ budgets for well-being programs, and they’re approving efforts to look for new ways to keep their workforces holistically healthy and thus more engaged, the Virgin Pulse survey found.
Its conclusions were largely in keeping with a greater appreciation for wellness programs by CEOs over the last several years, as they understand such efforts can become important to a company’s culture and overall appeal to employees—not just a cost-saver.
That said, cost savings can still be a hugely important benefit of wellness, and more comprehensively, well-being programs. A 2014 Harvard Business Review study of 20 companies found an average annual health-cost increase of just 1%-2% for companies with wellness programs, compared with a 7% national average, according to Fortune.
“There’s been a move away from just thinking about wellness as something that can lower health-care costs,” Jeff Levin-Scherz, a Harvard Medical School professor and Towers Watson consultant, told the Post earlier this year. “People are thinking about wellness programs more as a way to create an environment and culture that is more health conscious.”
Or, as the newspaper put it, in many CEOs’ views, “’wellness’ is giving way to ‘well-being.’”
With an ever-tightening labor market, expect CEOs to show more interest than ever in pursuing a well-being strategy for their companies.40 Years After The War – Celebrating The Vietnamese New Year With Cluster Bombs
Shock waves pulsate down the valley as another bomb is detonated less than 100 yards from where we are standing. A thunderous echo follows a half second later, raising the hair on our necks. We wait a moment with baited breath for grievous screams from victims of the disaster. Instead only jubilant cheers ring out in the explosion’s eerie aftermath. It becomes apparent that no casualties eventuated from this blast. Soon the sky flares up again, another cluster bomb erupts in the night. Will the revellers be so lucky this time?
The Vietnamese New Year, known as ‘Tet’, coincides with the Chinese festivities and is in every aspect the biggest event in the country’s calendar. For up to a week, family and friends gather to eat, drink, be merry and conduct religious blessings for their deceased ancestors. It is almost always a time for celebration and happiness, something that is much anticipated by everyone.
In the small rural village of Phong Nha in Central Vietnam, Tet is just as revered as anywhere else in the country. But here the nation’s turbulent history plays a distinctive role in the celebrations. Thousands of unexploded cluster bombs, grenades, mortars and missiles scatter the landscape as a dour reminder of previous wartimes. Some that are discovered are kept hidden in people’s homes until Tet, where they are detonated in delighted and perilous fashion; much in the same way fireworks are used in the West. This practice is as dangerous as it sounds. In 2014 two men died when the bomb they were igniting exploded before they could run to safety.
On the eve of Tet, one hour before midnight, I sit on the ground of Phong Nha’s expansive pastures with Hoang, a local friend. All around us we can hear laughter as intoxicated Vietnamese men cheers to good health and down shots of potent, home-brewed rice wine in the darkness. Hoang looks at me with carefree eyes. “Just a few months ago they found a bomb very close to where we are sitting now. Not a big one, but big enough. Some farmers found it and took it away. I don’t know what they did with it.” I ponder this and run my hand through the grass, wondering how many more lay hidden in this meadow waiting to fulfil their deadly purpose.
It has been 40 years since the official end of the Vietnam/American War on April 30th, 1975, and almost 42 years since the last American bomb fell on the communist nation’s soil. While the rest of the world has all but moved on, in Vietnam the effects from the 7.8 million tonnes of explosives dropped during the war are still felt by the entire population.
“The families here are very poor, so they need to find ways of making money to feed their children,” Hoang continues. “If they are caught with the bomb they will go to jail for seven years. But if they can sell it for scrap metal, they will put food on the table for many weeks.” He consciously avoids discussing the other, much more severe consequence of what may happen to those who are unsuccessful in defusing the explosives. An estimated 100’000 Vietnamese have been killed or injured from unexploded ordnance since the war |
become clear with longer testing. Windows RT 8.1 will add Outlook to its existing Office apps (Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and OneNote) and for me, the real test will be to see how well it copes with my quartet of inboxes and tens of thousands of preserved e-mails.
According to the spec sheets, the new device is a hair thinner (shrunk by two hundredths of an inch) and a fraction lighter (sub-1.5lb). Unsurprisingly, this difference wasn't perceptible when I actually held the thing.
Even with this better performance and marginal weight saving, battery life is estimated at around 10 hours, up from the eight hours of the first device.
We found the cameras in the first generation device extremely poor. They were barely acceptable for Skyping, and you'd never want to use the rear camera to take photos. They've been substantially upgraded in the Surface 2 (though peculiarly, not in the Surface Pro 2). The rear camera is now a 5MP device; the front one 3.5MP. Both are capable of capturing 1080p video. Picture quality appears to be better, as one would hope.
The cameras also support burst image capture. The Windows 8.1 camera app, on hardware that supports burst capture, will automatically capture multiple images when a picture is taken. This allows the best image from the bunch to be selected, potentially salvaging images otherwise ruined by an inopportune blink.
All that's left is the question of price. Microsoft is keeping the old model on sale at $349. The new one will be $449 for 32GB, $549 for 64GB. That still feels a bit expensive for a tablet.
If you look at it as being a robust, secure system that's ideal for students and home users who want or need to run Office (especially now that Outlook is included), I think it feels a bit less expensive. The build quality and general level of fit and finish remain ahead of netbooks or other cheap laptops. With Surface, Microsoft has always been aiming at creating "productive tablets" (where "productivity" spans a fairly full range of typical office tasks). If that productive aspect is important, then the price is reasonable.
A couple of promotional extras might make it even more compelling. Buyers of Surface 2 and Surface Pro 2 will also receive a year of "Best of Skype," which provides a year of free international calls and free Wi-Fi at any hotspots that can be paid for via Skype (which I believe in practice means Boingo hotspots). They'll also receive 200GB of SkyDrive storage for two years. Buying these would cost about $120 and $200, respectively. If you're going to make use of these extras, the Surface 2 looks like a decent value.
Surface Pro 2
If Surface 2 felt similar to its predecessor, it had nothing on Surface Pro 2. Surface 2 is, at least technically, lighter and thinner than the first model. Surface Pro 2 isn't even that. Externally, aside from the new logo and dual position kickstand, it's identical to the first model. The changes are all on the inside.
The cornerstone of that change is the use of Intel's 4th generation Core processors, which is to say, Haswell (specifically, an i5-4200 with HD Graphics 4400). The CPU runs at a base speed of 1.6GHz and can turbo boost up to 2.6GHz. This should improve lots of things at once: Microsoft claims that it's 20 percent faster in CPU workloads, 50 percent faster in GPU workloads, and that it has a whopping 75 percent more battery life. A tablet that lasted four to five hours before will now last, theoretically, eight to nine hours.
Just as with Surface 2, Microsoft wanted to make Surface Pro 2 a better Surface Pro. The major complaint leveled at Surface Pro was that its battery life was poor. The internal improvements made to Surface Pro 2 substantially address that.
That change is, however, basically invisible. The device looks and feels almost identical to the old one. It just goes faster and runs for longer. In practical terms, those are huge improvements that will make the new device far better than the old one. In a few minutes of hands-on time at a launch event, however, you'd never notice the difference.
Further strengthening its productivity credentials are additional RAM and storage. Four models of Surface Pro 2 will be offered: 64GB storage with 4GB RAM at $899, 128GB with 4GB at $999, 256GB with 8GB at $1,299, and 512GB with 8GB at a rather eye-watering $1,799.
Overall, it's clear that Microsoft isn't going to abandon its productivity tablet idea any time soon. If the Surface concept appeals, the new devices are in every sense better. They address the major shortfalls of their respective predecessors. In so doing, they become a lot more appealing.
If, however, the productivity tablet idea has no appeal—if you just don't care about Office or just can't give up the laptop form factor—then the new devices won't fundamentally change that. For that, Microsoft will need to take another step down its path to becoming a Devices and Services company. They'd need to develop, for example, an eight inch "Surface Mini" and perhaps even a Surface Ultrabook.
Both of Microsoft's new tablets will be available to buy on October 22 with preorders starting on September 24.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
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Like the icy Fortress of Solitude where Superman goes to meditate this iceberg seems to have an intergalactic secret.
Hovering above the it is an ominous looking Unidentified Flying Object.
Sceptics say it could it just be a mirage or even a flag - but Youtube user 235FireFly who originally posted the video says he could clearly see the object spinning.
He recorded: "While driving around Salvage, Newfoundland and Labrador looking at all the icebergs, I noticed what appeared to be a chunk of ice just barely attached to an iceberg.
"Hoping to catch it collapse I took out the camera and zoomed in.
"What you can see is a white object not attached to the iceberg, but rather spinning around and changing shape."
One conspiracy theorist reckoned: "It's a UFO with its cloaking device on. Its blocking the middle part of the iceberg."
Even more strangely around 45 seconds in there is another floating object that sinks and splashes into the water.
The truth is out there...Today, Lyft announced that it will be rolling out the ability to schedule rides ahead of time in San Francisco at no extra cost. No, Lyft isn't departing from its "on demand" roots; it still works pretty much the same, just with a scheduling option.
Essentially, a rider schedules a pickup (24 hours in advance max) but the platform won't request the car until just before the scheduled time. So drivers will still have the ability to accept or reject a ride. If one rejects it, Lyft's routing algorithm will send the request to the next available driver.
The ride request will go out an undisclosed amount of time before the scheduled pickup time in order to leave enough room for drivers to accept and then arrive on time (the company wouldn't specify how much time before the pickup the request goes out because they're testing what works best).
The company is still testing what to do during prime time — Lyft's version of surge pricing — to see whether the increased fare will affect scheduled rides.
"We're looking at all the possible scenarios to see what the best experience for passengers and drivers will be," Lyft spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt told Recode.
It's a feature that passengers have asked for in the past, he said. And one that Gett, which is only available in New York in the U.S. but operates all over Europe and Israel, has offered for more than a year. Advance booking, according to Gett CEO Shahar Waiser, is a major advantage when it comes to business-to-business services.
The new feature stands in stark contrast to many of Lyft and Uber's other services. With carpool imitators like LyftLine and UberPool — which are cheaper than personal rides — Uber and Lyft have looked more and more like public transportation or shuttle services. The scheduled ride, on the other hand, is a staple of black car and limo services that often cater to people traveling for business, to the airport, or for corporate accounts in general.
Update: This post was updated to include details on how the service will work during "prime time.Evidence-Based Medicine: Hard For Some To Swallow
Enlarge this image toggle caption Rui Vieira/AP/PA Wire Rui Vieira/AP/PA Wire
This week two panels of medical experts recommended fewer screening tests for breast and cervical cancer. And recently, men got similar advice about prostate cancer screening.
The recommendations come from something called evidence-based medicine, and are being met with resistance from some consumer groups and physicians.
Evidence-based medicine is a pretty simple concept. "The basic principle of evidence based medicine is that clinical decisions that are made between doctors and patients should be driven by data," says Peter Bach, now a physician at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and once an adviser to the head of the Medicare system.
"What it means is the careful application of information from well-designed studies to decide what medical practices work, and how well they work," says Alan Garber, head of the Center for Health Policy at Stanford University.
People Don't Always Listen To Data
Evidence-based medicine can be used to determine how often someone should be screened for cancer, and it can be used to determine what sort of treatment is best. But people don't always want to do what the data say to do.
As a family physician in North Carolina, Lori Heim sees that a lot. It comes up all the time with sinus infections, she says. She remembers one patient who demanded antibiotics for her viral sinusitis, even though multiple studies show that's the wrong thing to do.
"The previous doctors gave her antibiotics and she got better," Heim says. But that's probably because she would have gotten better anyway, even without the antibiotics.
Heim is president of the board of directors of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and she says her group will take a close look at the mammography recommendations announced by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force earlier this week. New information and new ways to analyze it mean that guidelines often change.
That can make patients nervous, Heim says. "They want medicine to be absolute, and perfect, and unfortunately it's not."
Decisions Based On Science
Insurers already use evidence-based medicine to some degree. The current health overhaul bills under consideration encourage it without any strict requirements. The Senate bill, for example, uses the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force as a baseline, but not as a limit, for some parts of Medicare. Both bills provide money for more research.
Economist Uwe Reinhardt of Princeton University says the U.S. ought to pay more attention to evidence-based medicine. "You cannot have a health system where every doctor, every patient is completely free to use their imagination and hunches to make clinical decisions," he says.
Researchers estimate that anywhere from one half to two-thirds of current medical practice is based on concepts that have not yet been proven. And there's a history of procedures turning out to be useless. Years ago, many doctors periodically X-rayed smokers' lungs, thinking that detecting lung cancer early and starting treatment right away would reduce the death toll. But research showed that periodic X-rays didn't reduce the mortality of lung cancer among smokers.
Resisting Change
So what if people insist on mammograms in younger, lower-risk women, or lung cancer screening for smokers, or other procedures of questionable value?
"Then I would say but please why don't you go ahead and buy it," says Reinhardt, and don't depend on your health insurance or the government to pay for it.
The pushback against the mammography and pap smear recommendations shows that getting people to accept change is difficult, says Alan Garber of Stanford University. "If you come out with a study that says that something that people thought worked well maybe doesn't, that message may not go down so well," he says.
Garber is not as discouraged as some of his colleagues about the public confusion and reluctance regarding the new recommendations. He says what's needed is public education, which suggests some long study sessions and talking with your doctor.Samsung has launched a new flavor of the popular Galaxy S4 mini - it's called Samsung I9195I Galaxy S4 mini plus, or Galaxy S4 Value Edition depending on the market. It improves on the chipset, while keeping everything else pretty much the same.
The I9195I Galaxy S4 mini plus features a 4.3" Super AMOLED qHD screen and runs on the Snapdragon 410 chip with a quad-core 1.2GHz Cortex-A53 CPU, Adreno 306 GPU and 1.5GB of RAM. Besides the power boost everything else stays the same - the 8MP cam with 1080p video recording, a 1,900 mAh battery and Android KitKat.
The upgraded version was quietly listed on several Samsung regional sites in the EU last month and it's already on sale.
We managed to find sellers for it in many EU countries, including Germany, Austria, Czech Republic, Romania and Bulgaria. The Galaxy S4 mini plus / S4 mini VE is priced at 239, but we were able to find it on as low as 190.
SourceIn 1996, astronomers snapped a shot of W75N(B)-VLA 2, a protostar about 4,200 light years from Earth. Then, three years ago, they did the same. What they caught in the intervening 18 years was the extremely slow process of a massive star being born. Even at this young age, its already 300 times brighter than the sun.
The formation of a massive star is a chaotic and violent event. As dust coalesces in a ring around the protostar’s gravity well, it forms a barrier of sorts that funnels jets of ionic gases out the ring’s holes. Over the 18 years witnessed so far, those fiery winds have grown from a small bolus into a tremendous expanding oval that appears to be as tall as the dust ring is wide.RB Leipzig currently sit joint on points with Bayern Munich at the summit of the German top flight, having played their first ever ten Bundesliga games.
The hate and disdain aimed at RBL by fans has been raucous at times with many displaying their disgust, at this ‘corporate club’ who are just here to sell a ‘product’ and ‘lifestyle’ rather than football, in the most palpable ways. Fans of opposing clubs have paraded banners slandering the club since their inception in 2009 and the debate continues to resonate among German football’s top brass.
Returning to on field matters, they have conceded seven goals, only one more than Bayern this season, thanks to a defensive system farmed in the agricultural fields of the German second division, marshalled by the impressive veteran Marvin Compper (there’s an adjective and noun combo that Bundesliga fans never thought would be used together in the same sentence) and Willi Orban.
However, it is their impressive tally of 20 goals in their inaugural Bundesliga season that has turned heads throughout Europe. The tall, rangy Danish forward Yussuf Poulsen has led the line providing the base to allow the dynamic trio of Emil Forsberg, Marcel Sabitzer and former Nottingham Forest man Oliver Burke to garner the plaudits.
Forsberg in particular has been a revelation but it is his scarily telepathic on-field connection with a seasoned Bundesliga veteran that has the fans stirring.
Timo Werner, still only 20 years old is fast becoming the star of this unlikeliest show. For so long a footballing wasteland, East Germany now has a footballing presence that has the capabilities, and crucially the financial backing, to outlast many of their deep-seated traditional Western counterparts with Werner at the forefront.
The forward was relegated to the 2. Bundesliga with Stuttgart after last season and it must have been difficult to leave his boyhood club for another first-division club in the summer. Nonetheless when the opportunity came to make an instant return with Leipzig it was easy to predict this exciting talent would build on his fledgling reputation.
When replacing goal scorer Oliver Burke in Leipzig’s 1-1 draw with FC Köln in September, Werner became the youngest player to reach 100 Bundesliga appearances, surpassing ‘wunderkind’ Julian Draxler.
It may be a bit harsh to say that Draxler hasn’t fulfilled his potential yet – he is of course an established German international, but with the form of his current club Wolfsburg being so inconsistent, you’d imagine the majority of people would rather be in Werner’s position right now with the world at his mesmeric feet.
The youngster was the complete contradiction to his almost robotic and politically correct post-match interview as he led his side to a 3-1 victory over plucky Mainz 05 last weekend.
His directness and pace ran the Mainz defenders ragged as he netted two and assisted the other for his creative sidekick Forsberg (sorry Marco and Pierre-Emerick, Batman and Robin may have some worthy challengers after all).
This progressive club led by the enterprising Austrian manager Ralph Hasenhüttl and forward-thinking Ralf Rangnick seem like the perfect fit for the enigmatic yet unequivocal talents of Werner.
Last weekend took RB’s record signing to five goals in 10 appearances this campaign with two assists to his name after scoring only 13 goals in 95 league matches with Stuttgart over three seasons. His finishing was subpar when with the Swabians — now he will be hoping to at least treble this tally if his club are to maintain a challenge near the top of the division.
Whether RB can continue this extraordinary form for the remainder of the season and Werner, Forsberg, Burke and co. replicate their scintillating attacking play is a story still to be told.
But it will come as no surprise when we finally here Tony Britten’s immortal Champions League anthem ringing out, not just around the Red Bull Arena but as an iconic battle-cry reverberating across the whole of Europe.
Photo from RBL Facebook pageDIYPC Cuboid Series Gaming Micro-ATX Mid Tower Computer Case
Don’t be fooled by its compact size. The DIYPC Cuboid Series Gaming Micro-ATX Mid Tower Computer Case comes in a stylish, small design, but doesn’t make any compromise – whether on hardware compatibility, expandability or cooling performance. Coupled with a bevy of innovative designs – including clear panels on both sides, magnetic switch on the top panel, two-layer horizontal structure, and more, it’s a great case for any gaming enthusiast. The DIYPC Cuboid Series is available in Black/Red (with red LED fans), Black/Blue (with blue LED fans), and Black/Green (with green LED fans). Take one home today and build yourself the "coolest" rig around.
CLEVER DESIGNS
Clear side panels on both sides, along with built-in LED fans, allow you to show off your gaming system.
Magnetic switch on the top panel allows for easy opening.
1. Top full mesh design 2. Removable 102mm dust filter at bottom for easy cleaning and maintenance
High quality and high standard craftsmanship
Rubber protected surface (soft touch) with mesh front and top panel
The I/O ports are conveniently placed on the top panel, providing you with added convenience. One SuperSpeed USB 3.0 port lets you transfer large amounts of data in seconds.
Two USB 2.0 Ports
SD/MMC/TF Card Reader
HD Audio Ports
Two-layer horizontal structure is excellent for heat dissipation and compatibility. It keeps no extra vertical pressure to the motherboard (compared with regular ATX tower case). Advanced cable management design helps you manage cables in your chassis to create a neat inner look and enhanced, smooth airflow.
GENEROUS INTERIOR SPACE FOR PC COMPONENTS
Although small in size, the DIYPC Cuboid series provides roomy interior space to accommodate your high-end desktop components.
Support for full size ATX PSU and standard Mirco-ATX/ Mini-ITX MB
Supports up to 340mm long VGA card
Supports up to 210mm high CPU cooler
The DIYPC Cuboid series computer case provides multiple bays to install your 3.5" and 2.5" HDDs/SSDs, and offers the perfect level of expandability you desire.
Three internal 3.5" drive bays
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Tool-free installation design for 3.5”/2.5” HDD/SSD makes swapping drives a snap.
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With the ability to support up to four fans, the DIYPC Cuboid series creates heavy duty airflow to cool down even the most extreme system.
Rear: One 120mm LED Fan (pre-installed)
One 120mm LED Fan (pre-installed) Top: Two 120/140mm Fans (optional)
Two 120/140mm Fans (optional) Front: One 140mm LED Fan (pre-installed)
Water Cooling Ready
The top panel can support up to one 240mm radiator, so you can choose to quiet down your hottest components - the GPU and CPU, with liquid coolers.Actor Yeo Jin Goo is considering a role in tvN’s new drama titled “Circle” (tentative title)!
Previously, a news outlet reported that Yeo Jin Goo was confirmed to appear in the drama as the character Blue Bird, a mysterious computer hacker.
However, a source from tvN denied the reports saying, “Yeo Jin Goo is looking over the role of university student Woo Jin, who appears in the 2017 part of the story. We will give updates at a later date when the cast is confirmed.”
“Circle” is a sci-fi mystery drama that is set in both the present year 2017 and in the future, in 2037. The broadcast date has not been decided yet.
Meanwhile, Yeo Jin Goo’s last drama appearance was in last year’s “Jackpot.”
Source (1) (2)Two gardening events, two carnival events and a beach clean-up demonstrate that winter is fleeting. The borough also hosts a disability film festival, dragons, symphonies, dance, art and a group that claims to be the world’s best Beatles tribute band. Here’s the rundown, broken down into arts, dance, music, food, volunteer and educational events. If you have an event you’d like to see featured here, email emily@brownstoner.com.
ARTS
March 6, The Act of Killing, 7:30 pm. The Queens World Film Festival screens the world premiere of the 159-minute director’s cut of The Act of Killing. Director Joshua Oppenheimer will be on hand for a special Q&A session. P.S. 69, 77-02 37th Ave., Jackson Heights, www.queensworldfilmfestival.com.
March 7-9, New York Disability Film Festival, times vary. This annual festival promotes awareness and appreciation of the lives, stories, and artistic expressions of people with disabilities. Among the films showing is Cinemability, a documentary on representations of disability in film with interviews with Ben Affleck and Jamie Foxx. Photography exhibit and movies at Central Queens Y, 67–09 108th St., Forest Hills, www.cqy.org and movies at Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
March 7, Opening Night: Uncertain Worlds, 6 pm to 10 pm. French artist Philippe Boissonnet’s art encompasses drawing, photography, sculpture, holography, video and digital imagery. After the opening, his work is on display Fridays and Saturdays, 2 pm to 6 pm or by appointment until May 3. Holocenter @ the Clock Tower of LIC, 29-27 41st Ave., Queens Plaza North, www.holocenter.org.
March 8-9, Hotels on Film, times vary. The Museum of the Moving Image screens six features and two shorts set in hotels: Barton Fink (1991) preceded by Hotel Chevalier (2007), The Silence (1963), Lost in Translation (2003) preceded by Life without Zoe (1989), Grand Hotel (1932), Beware of a Holy Whore (1971) and The Shining (1980). MMI, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria, www.movingimage.us.
March 8, Cinema En Español: Innocent Voices, 7 pm. A Better Jamaica presents a film on the bloody civil war which tore apart El Salvador in the 1980s. Free. Jamaica Center for Arts & Learning, 161-04 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica, www.jcal.org.
March 9, Imagine Dragons, 1 pm. WT McRae and Tiny Giraffe Theater collaborate with Flushing Town Hall to develop a new play, Dragon Story. These workshops are an opportunity for students to meet and play with writer, director, and performers, and help them shape the world of dragons that will be created in Dragon story. Free, but ticket required. FTH, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.
DANCE
March 6, Cha-Cha-Cha Lessons, 7 pm. Dance instruction for all ages and levels with renowned instructor Paul Ru Bao of Farrington Ballroom Dance School. After an hour lesson there is an hour of open dance. $10 single class/$45 for five classes. Skip the class and join open dance at 8 pm for $5. QT, 14 United Nations Ave. S., Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.queenstheatre.org.
March 7, Amy Marshall Dance Company, 8 pm. AMDC’s new dance “Kadogo” responds to how children across the world are being stripped of their childhood and moral psyche and handed guns. $15 advance/$20/$10. LaGuardia Community College Main Stage Theatre, 31-10 Thomson Ave., LIC, www.laguardia.edu/LPAC.
MUSIC
March 7, Carnival Party: A Tribute to Harry Belafonte, 8 pm. Jeff Zúñiga and his band play a tribute concert to Harry Belafonte, whose songs include “Matilda,” “The Banana Boat Song” and “Day-O.” $15 members/$10 students. Flushing Town Hall, 137-35 Northern Blvd., www.flushingtownhall.org.
March 8, The Fab Faux, 8 pm. Join the Fab Faux as they celebrate “The Beatles on Ed Sullivan” and perform a mixed set of favorites. They will be joined by Creme Tangerine Strings and Hogshead Horn. $45-$65. Kupferberg Center at Queens College, Kissena Boulevard and Horace Harding Expressway, Flushing, www.kupferbergcenter.org.
March 9, Forest Hills Symphony Orchestra, 2 pm. This talented group plays Weber, Mozart, Mendelssohn and Dvorak. $12 adults/$10 seniors and students/free children under 13. Forest Hills Jewish Center, 106-06 Queens Blvd., www.fhjc.org.
EDUCATION
March 8, Caribbean Carnival Celebration for Families, 1 pm. Learn about the festivity, create cool masks, and dance to steel drums as you march around Queens Museum in true Carnival style. Free. QM, Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, www.queensmuseum.org.
March 8, Wilderness Survival, 11 am. Do you know how to build a shelter or start a fire without matches? Do you have what it takes to survive in the wild? On these fun, family friendly programs you learn tips and tricks that enhance your knowledge of the natural world and might just save your life. Free. Alley Pond Environmental Center, 228-06 Northern Blvd., Oakland Gardens, www.alleypond.com.
March 8, Start Your Summer Veggies Indoors, noon. Queen Botanical Garden Director of Education Emeritus Fred Gerber teaches an introductory workshop on starting summer vegetables indoors. $6, advance registration and payment required at education@queensbotanical.org or (718) 886-3800 ext. 230. QBG, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
March 8, Storybook Discovery Day, 11 am. In the cozy parlor setting, Karyn Mooney makes reading fun. Suggested for children six and under, the session includes an art or nature discovery activity. Suggested donation $5 per family. Voelker Orth Museum, 149-19 38th Ave., Flushing, www.vomuseum.org.
March 8, Intergenerational Garden Open House, 10 am. Queens Botanical Garden launches its intergenerational garden. At this open house, gardeners learn more about the program, walk through the facility, and meet coordinator Maureen Regan. QBG, 43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org.
FOOD
March 10, Moveable Feast Artist Dinner Series, 6:30 pm. With performing artist Emily Berry and chef Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, diners enjoy a multi-course meal with dancers, a violinist and a chef. Funds raised support scholarships for students in the Queens Council on the Arts High School to Art School Portfolio Development Program. $150. Manducatis Rustica Restaurant, 46-33 Vernon Blvd., LIC, www.queenscouncilarts.org.
VOLUNTEER
March 10, Rockaway Community Park Coastal Clean-Up, 9 am to 1 pm. Remove debris from the shoreline with Natural Areas Volunteers. This work will protect Jamaica Bay’s natural habitat. Come dressed in sturdy boots or shoes and warm clothing. Registration is required at (212) 360-3318 or nav@parks.nyc.gov. Free. Meet the NAV technical leader at the corner of Almeda Avenue and Beach 58th Street, Rockaway Community Park, Far Rockaway.
MISCELLANEOUS
March 8, The Love Affair Showcase, 1 pm to 5 pm. Brides and potential brides can enjoy an afternoon of performance, tastings, and networking with top trend-setters in bridal fashion, accessories, planning, floral design, decor and entertainment. Renaissance Event Hall, 27-34 21st St., LIC, http://bit.ly/1dh8PNu.
The “It’s In Queens” column is produced by the Queens Tourism Council with the hope that readers will enjoy the borough’s wonderful attractions. More info at www.itsinqueens.com."Businesses are job creators, so we can't [tax them more, regulate them to protect consumers or the environment, etc. etc. ad nauseum]"...
This is a self-serving post hoc rationalization by those who own or run businesses, and the legislators and public officials who depend on them for campaign contributions. It is reliably invoked every time the possibility is mentioned of raising taxes on these people, who by and large are the wealthiest among us, in order to scare the electorate into believing that this class of people makes its hiring decisions based upon how much they are taxed (they don’t). It is invoked no matter how much money businesses are already sitting on (collectively about $1.6T at the moment for corporate America, which is somewhat less than the Iraq and Afghanistan wars combined have cost us, to date). It is invoked no matter how low their tax rate already is (the lowest in about 60 years, they tell me). It is a post hoc rationalization, because it is invoked only after business owners have decided they simply don’t want to pay any more in taxes, and want to make sure that they have friends in high public places who will insure that they don’t have to. Therefore, they need an argument that will sway the opinions of those who don’t own or run businesses but who (a) vote and (b) need jobs.
Business is good for society. A healthy economy is known by a thriving business climate. Many, many positive things can be attributed to businesses, but there is one property that a business owner can never claim: businesses (and by extension those who own businesses) do not create jobs, and never have.
What businesses create are profits for their owners. That is their function, and there is nothing inherently wrong with that, so long as they are making an honest profit and not doing it by externalizing their costs for others to pay, or by exploiting workers or consumers. But businesses do not create jobs. Demand for what a business sells – that’s what creates jobs, or at least, it can. Only if there is unmet demand in the market for what a business sells will the business owner(s) contemplate hiring someone to help fill the demand, but that’s not the first thing they will try. This can be understood by reference to the fact that labor costs are nearly always the biggest drain on the bottom line profitability of a business. Indeed, all the incentives line up against hiring someone for a real, decent-paying, full-time position with adequate benefits unless all other options for meeting unmet demand have first been exhausted. And there are plenty of options for the business owner.
First, they will try to increase the productivity of their existing work force. Higher quotas, longer hours. Then they might turn to technology – automation, software, and such, to boost productivity. If that’s not sufficient and they need more actual human labor, they may try to outsource that labor abroad, where it costs much less. Failing that, they will take on temps, hire people as independent contractors, and/or hire only part-timers to avoid having to pay benefits. They will push out older, more experienced workers to offset the cost of younger new hires.
If, and only if, all of these options (and more I have not mentioned) have been exhausted, and there remains unmet demand in the market which the business can profitably satisfy, then a business owner might create a job or jobs. Real, full-time, living-wage jobs with benefits. And – surprise! – these jobs will last just as long as that demand does. And once demand fluctuates back downward (an inevitability of the business cycle), here come the layoff pink slips. This calculus and no other is responsible for job creation, and applies not only to entrepreneurs or existing businesses, but also those looking for investment opportunities in the business world. Indeed, hiring someone is less an act of “job creation” by business owners than an act of investment in the likelihood of future profitability.
To top it all off, if a given business is incorporated, the directors in fact are legally bound by a fiduciary duty to behave in exactly this way, if doing so is in the best interest of the company (which is defined as return on shareholder investment, i.e., profitability).
The argument is also absurd in terms of tax policy, which coincidentally is the primary forum where this myth rears its ugly head (the others being discussion of regulations on business). A business that has to pay more in taxes is by definition a business that is making more profits. By definition, it’s a good problem to have. Given all the ways that businesses can write off expenses, if after exhausting all of them a business owner still has a substantial tax liability on the profits, it can only mean that there are substantial profits being made in the first place. Continuing to complain about the tax burden in such circumstances, especially using such a disingenuous argument as the “job creator” myth, is evidence simply of greed and a contemptible aversion to giving something back for the upkeep and improvement of the societal structures and institutions that made that business owner’s success possible in the first place.
Psychologically, it’s also evidence of narcissism, specifically the portion of that character flaw that posits an inflated sense of self-importance. What I mean is, the “job-creator’ myth goes hand in hand with the “self-made man/woman” myth indulged in by those who amass fortunes in business that would not have been possible without the contributions of the society they live in - contributions that are paid for by everybody via taxes. Some examples of these might include roads, free public education, state-subsidized college, a stable currency, public safety officers, and a judicial system. All of these things and many more make it possible to operate a successful business in this country; without them businesses and the economy cannot possibly thrive (see Somalia for evidence of this). But there are those who are psychologically incapable of crediting the contributions of anyone but themselves for their success in business. This is one side of the famous Fundamental Attribution Error, a cognitive bias in reasoning and attribution that finds its ultimate expression in the detestable pseudo-philosophy of Ayn Rand so popular among Republican politicians and CEOs. There is no such thing as a self-made man. I have never yet failed to be able to demonstrate that this is true, no matter whose name is offered. Certainly, success in business requires the business owner to work hard, and I’d never say otherwise. The fallacy lies in the assumption that the hard work of the successful business owner is not only necessary to achieve success (it is), but by itself sufficient (it isn’t).
To recap: Businesses don’t create jobs. Demand creates jobs. Money in people’s pockets creates demand.
I know I’m preaching to the choir here, and the ideas I’m presenting are hardly original even on these pages. If you’re reading something in this diary that sounds like a regurgitation of something you wrote, or have read here before, you’re probably right, and I’ll gladly update link back to anyone’s work on this topic that predates this diary. What’s different this time is the urgency and salience of the topic. John Boehner is about a week and change away from crashing the full faith and credit of the United States of America, and probably the world economy along with it, and is justifying doing so by invoking this stupid, and demonstrably false argument, with a straight face no less. Folks, he’s getting away with it. This “job creators” rhetoric is crystallizing as the conventional wisdom, even among Democrats, at precisely the time when real, reality-based, job creation initiatives are desperately needed and being ignored. We can’t let that happen. It’s time for progressives, Democrats, and people with calculators to start pushing back on this argument aggressively every time |
, roared to the forefront Sunday night when the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel reported that the supposedly financially imperiled state had enough money to hire State Senator Randy Hopper’s mistress.
Valerie Cass, a former Republican legislative staffer, was hired Feb. 7 as a communications specialist with the state Department of Regulation and Licensing. She is being paid $20.35 per hour. The job is considered a temporary post.
A lot of things in Wisconsin – especially those pertaining to one of Governor Walker’s State Senate henchmen – appear to be temporary:
His estranged wife, Alysia, issued a statement to WTMJ-TV (Channel 4) accusing Hopper, 45, of beginning an affair with Cass, 26, last year. He filed for divorce in August.
Oh but this gets better and better. How did Ms. Cass wind up being hired by the state with no money, away from a Madison firm called “Persuasion Partners.” Surely Governor Walker with his dedication to saving the Koch Brothers Wisconsin’s residents every dollar he could find, could not have known about this!:
But who exactly recommended her for the post? Cullen Werwie, spokesman for the governor, confirmed that it was Keith Gilkes, Walker’s chief of staff. She was then interviewed by the Department of Regulations and Licensing’s executive assistant and deputy and hired by Secretary Dave Ross, a Walker cabinet member.
You can hear the hamsters running extra fast in that wheel inside Scott Walker’s otherwise empty head. ‘What? I can’t hire this woman as payback for this guy’s support in the Senate? Just because I’m telling everybody we don’t have any money?’
And when you thought this couldn’t get any sleazier, the saga of the hiring of the married Senator’s young girlfriend during a supposed fiscal crisis of biblical proportions, manages to reach to…the election of the new chairman of the Republican National Committee!:
Werwie said Cass spent part of January in Washington, D.C., helping Reince Priebus with his bid to become the chairman of the Republican National Committee. He was elected to the post midway through the month. She brings up this duty in her note to Gilkes. “Things are really heating up with Reince’s campaign and shaping up nicely,” she wrote. “ With the RNC vote coming up in a few weeks and Governor-elect Walker’s inauguration this week, I was wondering if you had any more details about when you would have a spot ready for me? ”The latest effort by McDonald's to adapt to the local culture: adding the iconic baguette to its menus in France. An article in French newspaper Le Figaro says that McCafe locations in the country will add freshly-baked baguettes with butter and jam to the menu. The jam will of course come in apricot, raspberry, and orange varieties and will be made "artisanally by a producer in the Pyrenees." Baguette sandwiches are due in the first half of 2012.
Introducing a large-scale fast food version of a signature French artisanal foodstuff supposedly makes economic sense. According to Reuters, which picked up the story, "French people eat nine sandwiches for every single burger they tuck into."
The Le Figaro article, by the way, begins with the rhyming phrase "Cocorico chez McDo." As some wiseass noted on Twitter, this translates to "Cock-a-doodle-do at McDonald's." Some things just sound better in French.
· La Baguette Fait Son Entrée Chez McDonald's [Le Figaro]
· McDonald's Bets on Baguette to Lure French [Reuters]
· All McDonald's Coverage on Eater [-E-]The conservative House Freedom Caucus has gotten much of the credit – or blame, depending on your point of view – for yesterday’s passage of the American Health Care Act. But one caucus member has admitted that he attempted to read the entire bill, but ended up glossing over a lot of it.
Rep. Mark Sanford (R-SC) appeared on CNN this morning to discuss his vote; he admits he had some concerns, but voted for it anyway. Host Alisyn Camerota pressed Sanford on whether or not he had read the entire bill before voting. Sanford admits:
“Yes, I turned through every page. As to whether or not I got through some of the details, some of the pages … no. But, yes, I attempted to read the entire bill.”
When pressed by Camerota, he further admitted to glossing over some of it. But, hey, he has “political staff” who went through it for him. This is standard operating procedure on Capitol Hill, of course. Staff does the bulk of the work and advises the Member on how to vote.
But healthcare should be handled differently by every single Republican, regardless of their vote.
Back in 2010, when Obamacare was first passed, Republicans rightly made a stink over the fact they had been shut out of crafting the bill and that they had to “pass the bill to find out what was in the bill.” Healthcare is the hill on which Republicans have chosen to die. There is no room for glossing over this particular and letting staff do the heavy lifting.
Mark Sanford, and each of his Republican colleagues, should know AHCA inside out. It’s a slap in the face to the millions of conservative activists who have worked insanely hard to fight against Obamacare that they do not.
Our friends at RightScoop have the video of Mark Sanford here.Bitcoin started off as an alternative to regular fiat currency. But over time, the underlying Blockchain technology has gained more prominence. While Bitcoin as a digital currency offers a viable alternative to fiat currency, Blockchain technology is on its way to change the whole FinTech industry. Symbiont is one such company that is leveraging upon the power of Bitcoin and Blockchain technology to offer smart securities and market solutions to Wall Street.
Symbiont offers smart contract solutions for various financial instruments to ensure better transparency, accountability, automation and reduced risks at a significantly lower cost. The company uses the Bitcoin Blockchain to create and execute these smart contracts and smart instruments.
Symbiont’s technology uses multiple layers of protocols integrated by the company’s proprietary translator software – Babel Fish to create and execute smart securities. These smart securities are smart contracts at the core, with additional information and commands included to make it a unified digital financial instrument. The unified structure of financial instruments created by Symbiont begs to differentiate from other blockchain based FinTech solution providers like OverStock which uses multiple token system.
Symbiont’s choice of Bitcoin Blockchain over other smart contract protocols like Ethereum and RootStock can be linked to stability and levels of trust associated with the underlying distributed ledger. Both Ethereum and RootStock are relatively new. Ethereum uses its own version of Blockchain and tokens whereas RootStock is built upon the Bitcoin Blockchain.
According to the CTO and co-founder of Symbiont Bitcoin Blockchain, unlike Ethereum and RootStock has been around for over seven years and it has proven its worth. For a company that is dealing with sensitive financial data using specialized IT infrastructure, experimenting with other unproven alternatives can be dangerous. As the company opts for a trusted protocol, the recent revelation by Mike Hearn about Bitcoin’s impending demise doesn’t seem to have affected much. Also, since the revelation Bitcoin has not shown many signs of stress (except for some recent price fluctuations).
Smart instruments created by Symbiont are stored on the Bitcoin Blockchain. These entries can be verified by anyone using a Bitcoin Blockchain explorer tool. These smart instruments created by Symbiont are versatile in nature and can be published on Ethereum and other Blockchains as well. Also, Symbiont’s contracts can be periodically updated with inputs on relevant market data, terms and conditions etc. in order to ensure proper flawless execution of tasks in accordance with the timeline.
Being an early mover, Symbiont is way ahead of its competitors as various new smart contract based platforms including Nasdaq’s Linq play catch-up. The importance of Blockchain technology and its applications in banking and FinTech sector is further proven by the banking consortium’s initiative to create a Blockchain based inter-bank network.
Some of the other well-known entities currently involved in the FinTech and smart contracts projects includes Digital Assets Holding, HyperLedger, R3CEV etc.
Symbiont prefers Bitcoin Blockchain due to its stability, but that doesn’t mean other platforms are not going to get there. Ethereum and RootStock are being developed with smart contracts as the main focus and in due time they will be as good as or even better than the Bitcoin protocol when it comes to FinTech applications.A TSA agent blamed for letting one man carrying a loaded handgun and another with a flip knife board Phoenix-to-London flights on the same day last month is out of a job, FoxNews.com has learned.
Both passengers flew the more than 10 hour flights to London with the weapons in their carry-on bags, sources told FoxNews.com. Neither passenger tried to use the weapons while aboard the flights, though the shocking security lapse raises obvious questions about whether passengers with bad intentions might slip through security.Both weapons were found by security officials at London's Heathrow Airport as they attempted to transfer onto connecting flights.
In the more serious of the two June 22 incidents, William Joseph Richardson was going through transfer screening at Heathrow Airport to board a British Airways flight to Paris when airport security discovered his loaded Glock handgun, according to a document reviewed by FoxNews.com.
London Special Police responded, confiscated the firearm and ammunition and detained Richardson, 34, for further investigation. Checks with two law enforcement databases revealed that Richardson has a criminal record, according to the document.
Seven hours later, British airport security discovered the knife on another passenger going through transfer screening to board a British Airways flight. That passenger had arrived on a different flight from Phoenix and had traveled with a 3.9-inch flip knife, which London Aviation Police confiscated, the document said.
In response to FoxNews.com's request for comment, TSA spokesman Ross Feinstein said: "TSA employs multiple layers of security to protect the traveling public," Feinstein said. "On board aircraft, these layers include reinforced cockpit doors, Federal Air Marshals, armed pilots and a vigilant public, as well as many others, both seen and unseen.”
A TSA official with knowledge of the incident said the agent responsible for the breach is no longer employed by the agency.
Earlier this week an airline passenger was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after being found with a knife concealed inside the bottom lining of one of his shoes, according to authorities.
The TSA says approximately 1.8 million passengers and their luggage are screened every day for prohibited items, including weapons and explosives. The TSA uses imaging technology to safely screen passengers for any items which may be concealed under clothing, while Advanced Technology (AT) X-ray units screen all carry-on baggage.
Last week Secretary of Homeland Security Jeh Johnson directed the Transportation Security Administration to implement enhanced security at certain foreign airports operating direct flights to the U.S. In a statement released on Sunday, the TSA added that travelers may be asked to power up some devices, such as cellphones, warning that powerless devices will not be allowed onboard the aircraft.
To contact this reporter email jana.winter@foxnews.com'If there is a time for the Philippine media community to set aside our differences and unite to oppose any and all attempts to silence us, it is now,' the NUJP says, reacting to Duterte's threat to ABS-CBN
Published 5:42 PM, April 28, 2017
MANILA, Philippines – The National Union of Journalists of the Philippines (NUJP) labeled as tyrant-like the pronouncement of President Rodrigo Duterte about his intent to block the franchise renewal of TV network ABS-CBN.
"What we do know is the last time a president actually shut down the press, it did not end well for him, like it almost always never ends well for tyrants," the NUJP said in a statement on Friday, April 28.
The NUJP was referring to the late dictator Ferdinand Marcos who ordered the closures of several news organizations during Martial Law.
Duterte issued the warning on Thursday, April 27, after meeting with Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei who is among the heads of state presently in the capital for the ASEAN Summit on Saturday, April 29.
House committee on legislative franchises chairman Franz Alvarez clarified that ABS-CBN's franchise is still valid until 2020 and is not up for urgent renewal, but the NUJP nevertheless took Duterte's warning seriously enough to issue its own call to the news industry.
"If there is a time for the Philippine media community to set aside our differences and unite to oppose any and all attempts to silence us, it is now. Not to do so is to seal our doom and to betray our role as the Fourth Estate, the people’s watchdogs against bad and abusive governance," the NUJP said.
Duterte has been relentless in hitting ABS-CBN and broadsheet Philippine Daily Inquirer in a series of speeches, accusing both media outfits of serious offenses – Inquirer, for supposedly having tax liabilities through another Prieto-owned company, Dunkin Donuts.
ABS-CBN has been hit for supposedly not airing Duterte's television ad during the 2016 presidential campaign even though he had already paid for it. Duterte also warned ABS-CBN he would slap them with a swindling case.
Duterte has also been vocal in his criticism of the news media, focusing also on ABS-CBN and Inquirer for supposedly being biased.
"By issuing such threats, Mr Duterte is blatantly dangling the powers of the presidency and of the state, signaling his willingness to use these to stifle freedom of the press and of expression," the NUJP said.
Media coverage of Duterte's public statements has been tricky in the sense that his spokespersons have, on many occasions, clarified the President's words mainly by saying he was just joking.
"Lest his mouthpieces attempt to excuse him by invoking hyperbole or his peculiar sense of humor, he was clearly not joking," said the NUJP.
The media group added: "Just as he was not joking when he declared human rights and due process anathema to his brand of governance and now, it seems, so are a free and critical media."
In March, Duterte hurled a barrage of expletives against ABS-CBN and Inquirer which prompted the NUJP to call out the President for a "brazen abuse" of power. – Rappler.comLast week Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined the ongoing rhetorical debate on the state of the Indian economy with a strong defence of his government’s actions over the last three years. Among other things, his intervention put the spotlight on the Indian economy—something long overdue, but not for the rhetorical charges that are being flung around on both sides.
If indeed there is a pithy way of summarizing the state of affairs suffice to say that the country’s economy has transitioned from a state of policy paralysis (which identified the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance or UPA) to one of investment paralysis.
Both are cause for worry but for entirely different reasons. One was the outcome of a government which, for whatever reasons, went into a policy funk with disastrous consequences.
The other is the result of structural disruptions—some of which, like spiralling bad loans with banks, are a legacy of the UPA regime and a few induced by policy changes, like the rollout of the goods and services tax (GST) and demonetization of high value currencies, undertaken over the last three years.
So while one arose from inaction, the other is largely a fallout of not anticipating or reacting in time to address the disruptions arising from hitting the reset button on the economy.
It is important to grasp this distinction. Alternatively, there is a risk of being overwhelmed by the rhetorical claims and counterclaims on the economy; and missing the woods for the trees as it were.
As such the economy is not doing as badly as the opposition is claiming—especially with almost every agency forecasting a rebound in economic growth, albeit marginal, in subsequent quarters. Most importantly, macroeconomic stability has been restored. On the other hand, it is certainly not performing to potential—which some argue is around 8-8.5%—as the government’s spin doctors are arguing.
This potential can be tapped only if the investment levels, which have dropped to worrisome lows, recover. But this is easier said than done. The legacy of bad debts or what Arvind Subramanian, chief economic adviser, describes as the twin balance sheet problem (because it affects the books of both companies and the banks who extended the loans) is not something that can be resolved overnight.
Alongside the disruptions caused by structural policy responses like GST are causing considerable pain. As the old business structures built over seven decades are replaced, rather abruptly in some cases, the new systems are not up and ready to take over—indeed, execution of ideas is where this government has erred. It is the fallout of this transition, which is lending hope to critics and a cause for worry to the government.
In a column published in Mint last week, Indira Rajaraman, alluded to this phenomenon very succinctly. According to her, GST has completely recast the existing risk-sharing mechanism, dealing a death blow to retail trade volumes. The solution, like Rajaraman argued, is not to backtrack on GST (as some political parties are suggesting), but instead to fix the anomaly through tweaks (one of which was accepted by the GST Council on Friday by putting in place quarterly filing of returns, instead of every month).
Similarly, the government’s anti-corruption initiatives are forcing a transition to a more transparent transactions framework—exactly why real estate, which thrived on unaccounted cash, is in such doldrums. Here too, the alternative framework has been slow to evolve and the government and other institutions like the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) are guilty of not pushing hard on walking the country through the required behavioural change.
The Economist Intelligence Unit in a note issued last week said as much.
“The deceleration in bank credit growth to industry is partly attributable to the RBI’s initiatives and the Bharatiya Janata Party’s efforts to reduce corruption at higher levels of business and government. However, the difficult business environment and slow-moving judicial system will make the transition to a more market-driven financial system extremely difficult," and then added, “We believe that a revival in private investment depends on the government injecting additional capital to banks’ balance sheets, but also on companies readjusting their business models to the new financial system."
In the final analysis, it can safely be said that the attention to the economy is welcome, but reducing it to a political blame game is not. And looking at a new and rapidly transforming India through a conventional lens is a bad idea.
The Union government, which has visibly begun its countdown to the 2019 general election as well as elections to key state assemblies like Gujarat, may be tempted to hit the panic button.
Even though politically expedient, it would be very myopic in terms of the long-term health of the Indian economy.
Anil Padmanabhan is executive editor of Mint and writes every week on the intersection of politics and economics.
His Twitter handle is @capitalcalculus.
Respond to this column at anil.p@livemint.com.Garlic has the charisma of a potent remedy and holds its repute of a therapeutic panacea since the dawn of civilization. An integrated approach was adopted to evaluate the genetic diversity among Chinese garlic cultivars for their antifungal potency as well as allicin content distribution and, furthermore; a bioassay was performed to study the bio-stimulation mechanism of aqueous garlic extracts (AGE) in the growth and physiology of cucumber (Cucumis sativus). Initially, 28 garlic cultivars were evaluated against four kinds of phytopathogenic fungi; Fusarium oxysporum, Botrytis cinerea, Verticillium dahliae and Phytophthora capsici, respectively. A capricious antifungal potential among the selected garlic cultivars was observed. HPLC fingerprinting and quantification confirmed diversity in allicin abundance among the selected cultivars. Cultivar G025, G064, and G074 had the highest allicin content of 3.98, 3.7, and 3.66 mg g(-1), respectively, whereas G110 was found to have lowest allicin content of 0.66 mg g(-1). Cluster analysis revealed three groups on the basis of antifungal activity and allicin content among the garlic cultivars. Cultivar G025, G2011-4, and G110 were further evaluated to authenticate the findings through different solvents and shelf life duration and G025 had the strongest antifungal activity in all conditions. minimum inhibitory concentration and minimum fungicidal concentration of Allicin aqueous standard (AAS) and AGE showed significant role of allicin as primary antifungal substance of AGE. Leaf disk bioassay against P. capsici and V. dahliae to comparatively study direct action of AGE and AAS during infection process employing eggplant and pepper leaves showed a significant reduction in infection percentage. To study the bioactivity of AGE, a bioassay was performed using cucumber seedlings and results revealed that AGE is biologically active inside cucumber seedlings and alters the defense mechanism of the plant probably activating reactive oxygen species at mild concentrations. However, at higher concentrations, it might cause lipid peroxidation and membrane damage which temper the growth of cucumber seedlings. At the outcome of the study, an argument is advanced that current research findings provide bases for cultivar selection in antifungal effectivity as well as genetic variability of the cultivars. Allicin containing AGE can be used in specialized horticultural situations such as plastic tunnel and organic farming as a bio-stimulant to enhance cucumber growth and attenuate fungal degradation of agricultural produce.Don’t you just love mini desserts? There seems to be a little less guilt, right? {hee-hee} While making these, I remembered making the Banana Pudding Shots. One just didn’t quite seem like enough. I recently got a new cookbook (recommended by my sister-n-law) called The Cupcake Bible. I couldn’t wait to try a recipe or two, bringing us to this recipe, Mini Boston Cream Pies.
Have you ever started a recipe and suddenly realized that you were short ONE ingredient? Yep! Then your left to try to figure out if you might have a substitute in your pantry without having to run to the grocery store. Been there. Done that. What did we do before the internet?
Well, I used a yellow cake mix for this recipe, calling for vegetable oil (of course). I was delighted to find that I could use Extra Virgin Olive Oil instead. Did you know that you could do that? It’s actually recommended for extra moist, fluffier cakes! So, now you can imagine how extra moist and fluffy these mini treats are!
Print Mini Boston Cream Pies Ingredients 1 package yellow cake mix
3 eggs for cake mix
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil for cake mix
1 cup cold milk
1 package vanilla flavor instant pudding & pie filling
1-1/2 cup thawed whipped topping
4 semi-sweet baking chocolate squares Instructions Preheat oven to 350 For the Cupcakes Prepare cake batter and bake in muffin pan (as directed on package) Cool 10 minutes in pan. Allow to completely cool on wire rack For the Filling Beat milk and dry pudding mix with wire whisk until well blended. Let set 5 minutes. Gently stir 1/2 cup of the whipped topping into pudding. Cut cupcakes horizontally in half. Spoon pudding mixture onto bottom half of each cupcake; cover with top of cupcake. For the Chocolate Frosting Microwave remaining 1 cup whipped topping and chocolate in small bowl for 1-1/2 minutes or until chocolate is melted (stirring after 1 minute) Stir until chocolate is completely melted and mixture is well blended. Spread onto cupcakes Refrigerate 10-15 minutes before serving. Store leftovers in refrigerator.
These Mini Boston Cream Pies are super easy and delicious. If you have a sweet tooth, you’re in for a real treat. Enjoy!
I’ll be partying {here and here}.
Subscribe to Updates | Like on Facebook | Follow on PinterestIf Ethan Lavallee lined up with the Maple Leafs for a picture he’d be in the back row. At six-foot-five-and-a-half, he would be the tallest player but one, centre David Steckel. At just 12 years of age, though, he’s a long way from the grinding game of the NHL. Lavallee plays forward for the peewee AAA Nickel City Sons in the outskirts of Sudbury. He’s a top scorer on the team, which is ranked third overall in the competitive Ontario league, just behind the Mississauga Rebels and the Toronto Marlboros.
Some people at the rink call Ethan Lavallee the "gentle giant," and his "parents are thankful for that." ( Steve Russell / Toronto Star )
Lavallee is impossible to miss on the ice or the bench, rising head and shoulders above the other players and even his coaches. At tournaments, he routinely draws a crowd of gaping spectators. He wears number 5, but not because he wanted that number, particularly. His favourite player, Eric Lindros, wore 88, after all. “It was the biggest jersey,” says Lavallee in the matter-of-fact way of a kid used to his height deciding things in life for him. His jersey, a men’s XXL, fits perfectly.
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It’s easy to see why he feels a kinship with the now-retired Lindros. As a teenage hockey phenom, Lindros was able to take advantage of his imposing size and strength to dominate players in minor hockey and on into his NHL career. But for Lavallee, playing in the first age-group where bodychecking is even allowed, his size is something to be wary of at all times for fear of drawing penalties or, worse still, hurting a much smaller opponent. “He’s the 16-year-old playing out with the little kids, that’s what the comment always is,” says his dad, Jason Lavallee. Given his advantages, it’s easy to wonder whether Lavallee will, in a few years, be touted as the next great thing in hockey. Right now, he’s just a bundle of long-limbed potential. With his enormous stride, he’s always been fast and could find the back of the net, but he’s becoming an adept playmaker, too, says his coach, Dan Giroux. If he continues to develop his game, Giroux says, it won’t be long before junior teams start taking a look at this “unique player.” He’ll be eligible for the OHL in 2016, unless he’s exceptional enough to be granted a rare exemption and allowed in a year early as current hockey phenom 15-year-old Connor McDavid has just been.
If that day comes, Lavallee’s size will be a real asset. But, right now, being more than a foot taller than most players in peewee AAA and, at 192 pounds, heavier too, isn’t without considerable challenges. First come the questions — “Is he really 12 years old?” — then, the problems. “He becomes a target,” says Giroux. “Being that big, a lot of kids want to say they knocked him down. He takes a lot of abuse from the fans and even other coaches. Any time he runs into a child they think he’s trying to kill them.”
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Bodychecking has been banned at this level of hockey in the U.S. and Quebec but it’s allowed in Ontario. But, with increasing awareness about the dangers of concussions, any contact with a head leads to a two-minute spell in the penalty box. It’s four minutes if it’s deliberate. “Sometimes I’ll hit, but whenever I hit I make sure I’m down low and never shoulder to head,” says Lavallee. And while the referees are watching Lavallee like a hawk, he’s watching out for the other players. “There are people gunning for me on the other teams,” he says. It’s not just the players. Fans start shouting “head shot” and “goon, kick him out” at the drop of the puck and, if he ever falls, the other team’s fans “cheer like they just won the game,” says coach Giroux. He’s been working with Lavallee on patience — he is only 12 after all — and ignoring taunts from players or the crowd. He’s learning that when he positions his body effectively, players just can’t get around him and he can scoop the puck and be off. “He doesn’t have to finish off the checks and see the kid fly 60 feet into the air,” Giroux says. Coaches and parents on the regional teams who have long known Lavallee as the tall kid have come to appreciate how he plays, says his dad. He’s called the “gentle giant” and “parents are thankful for that.” Lavallee started out on defence, naturally, because that’s where all the biggest players tend to be. Boston Bruins’ defenceman Zdeno Chara is the NHL’s tallest player at six-foot-nine. But Lavallee liked to score and when he switched to forward last year more of his game fell into place. As he continues to improve, there will be increasing pressure for him to play with older kids. When he was 7, he played with 9-year-olds. Last season, he played up a year and “was scoring hat tricks,” says Mike Rocha, president of the Nickel City Hockey Association. Rocha thinks Lavallee should move up again. But his coach and his mother aren’t so sure. “If he plays up, it’ll be bang, bang, bodycheck, bodycheck, but we want him to develop his skill level,” says Giroux. “There’s a lot more to the game.” For Kelly-Anne Lavallee, keeping Ethan with his friends and age group in hockey is part of a constant battle the family wages to remember that, despite his towering height, he’s just a boy. She may be the one who puts her head on his shoulder but she’s still the one who does the comforting. She’s also the one who scours the racks at Mr. Big and Tall — hardly the outfitter of choice in grade 7 — looking for jeans that don’t announce the next flood. Just like the rest of his team, and most young Canadian hockey players, Lavallee has NHL dreams. “Unless,” he says, “I grow too tall and have to play basketball.” Lavallee could palm a basketball years ago, but until he moved to a bigger school this year that actually has a team, hockey was the only option for him. He’s looking forward to playing other sports but says hockey will “definitely” remain his priority. To know his true potential as a hockey player, he needs to stop growing. His size, and the speed and slapshot he gets with it, is a real benefit to his game. But “constantly growing really doesn’t help,” he says. “I get used to skating and then I grow one-and-a-half inches in one month and I kind of lose the feel for it,” Lavallee says. His size 14 feet haven’t grown in a while so he’s hoping his growth spurt, steady since he was a baby, is coming to an end. His parents have crossed their fingers as well. It’s an odd sensation to look up at your 12-year-old son, especially for a father who is six-foot-two himself. “We tell him it’s more good than bad,” says Jason Lavallee. “He takes it all in stride.” Big Strides • 6-foot-5-and-a-half inches’’ • wingspan 77’’ • 192 lbs • shoe size 14; skate size 12 • adult stick 110 flex with up to 5-inch extensionAfter listening to a tale of how a Columbia police officer with little evidence jailed a popular University of South Carolina-Lancaster professor for DUI, a Richland County jury awarded the professor $200,075.
It took just 41 minutes for the jury to settle on a verdict for false arrest after a three-day trial in state court last month, said Columbia lawyer Paul Reeves, who represented Darris Hassell.
Hassell’s case involved a night police traffic stop in downtown Columbia in February 2014, one of hundreds of such city police stops each year.
Unlike most DUI arrests, the lack of evidence in Hassell’s case was a potpourri of bungles – a missing urine test, a missing police dashcam video, as well as a breath test that showed Hassell’s blood alcohol content was 0.0, meaning none at all, Reeves said.
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Nonetheless, the officer decided to charge Hassell with DUI and had him transported to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention Center, where he spent the next 16 hours, the lawsuit in the case charged.
Hassell, 47, grew up in Columbia, graduated from Keenan High School, then Wofford College in 1991. He’s a natural musician who plays piano by ear and for 20 years has led hymns and the choir at Brown Chapel AME Church near Columbia.
Hassell lives in Columbia and commutes to Lancaster, where he has taught Spanish at the University of South Carolina-Lancaster for 20 years and coaches the women’s volleyball team.
“He is a beloved professor on our campus,” said Ron Cox, dean for academic and student affairs, who has been at USC-Lancaster for 15 years. “He’s a very popular and personable professor – his No. 1 goal is the success of the students.”
The city declined to comment.
The arresting officer is no longer with the city, according to court documents, and was not identified in court records viewed by The State newspaper.
Trial Judge Casey Manning is to hold a hearing Friday morning on a motion for a new trial in the case by city of Columbia attorney Natalie Ham.
“The amount of the verdict was clearly an attempt to punish the city for the former employee’s actions,” Ham wrote in her motion to Manning.
Police chief Skip Holbrook, who was hired as chief one month after Hassell’s arrest, has been credited with upgrading the force’s professionalism. He said Thursday that because of the pending legal hearing, he could not comment.
‘Kept his cool’
Hassell is African-American; the arresting officer was white. The jury that heard the case was made up of eight white members and four African-Americans.
“I don’t think this was a racial issue – it was an issue of an officer who was not trained to do his job,” Hassell told The State in an interview this week.
Throughout the arrest, he recalled news accounts of African-Americans being shot to death in police custody.
“At no time did I get belligerent or angry to try to fight back or run, because I knew that things were kind of touchy-feely with police in one-on-one situations,” he said. “So I kept my cool. I’m not going against anything that he’s saying, because it’s just me and him. And that’s a bad spot to be in.”
The “bad spot” started innocently enough.
On the night of Feb. 19, 2014, he was using the computers at USC’s main campus, at Thomas Cooper Library, to check students’ work. Feeling hungry, he drove to the McDonald’s at Elmwood Avenue and Assembly Street. On the way home, at Taylor and Sumter streets, he noticed flashing blue lights behind him and pulled over and stopped.
The officer told Hassell he stopped him for making an improper turn and asked for ID. Hassell gave it to him.
Then the officer ordered Hassell out of the car, told him he smelled alcohol on Hassell’s breath and was going to charge him with driving under the influence. Hassell told the officer he had not been drinking and, in fact, never drank.
At that, the officer told Hassell to submit to field sobriety tests in front of the police car. The officer kept referring to a small instruction book on how to give the tests.
“The arresting officer was completely unfamiliar with the procedures... and stumbled through the instructions,” the lawsuit said.
Hassell said the officer told him he had flunked the tests, Hassell told The State.
The officer then told Hassell he had one more test. But it was a “ruse” to have Hassell place his arms out so he could be handcuffed.
The officer took Hassell to police headquarters, where Hassell blew a 0.0 on a breath alcohol analyzing machine.
The arresting officer began insisting that Hassell had taken drugs. Then the officer took Hassell to Palmetto Health Richland, where he walked him through the emergency room in handcuffs, in front of the medical staff and patients.
The officer didn’t know how to take the urine sample and had to call a supervisor.
Then the officer had Hassell transported to the Alvin S. Glenn jail.
‘Could have been anybody’
Once out of jail, Hassell asked for a jury trial on his DUI charge. The city dropped the charge.
Hassell felt better. But he still felt the city had put him through a needless ordeal, putting him in jail, causing him to miss a day of work and embarrassing him before friends, family and co-workers.
“No one bothered to say they were sorry,” he said.
Reeves eventually filed suit, alleging false arrest, malicious prosecution and negligent supervision. But he said he didn’t sue the city for money. He said he believed the city needed to be sent a message and citizens given a warning.
“This officer was obviously untrained and out on the streets alone,” Hassell said. “What happened to me could have been anybody. What happens to the guy who can’t speak up for himself? What happens to the guy who doesn’t know he will eventually be vindicated?”
“Now that the trial’s over, there’s a sense of relief. But it never leaves me,” Hassell said. “Everything I tried to reason with the officer about, he just would not listen.”
And the $75 in the $200,075 verdict? Hassell can only speculate that the jury gave him that because that’s how much he had to pay to get back his impounded car.
“I love the city of Columbia, but this makes the city look bad,” Hassell said.
Still, he said, his faith in the system is justified. “Here in 2017, things have finally been set right.”A man was shot and killed Friday night in what law enforcement indicated may have been an act of self-defense.
Pierre O’Neal, 31, of Victorville was shot multiple times about 8:05 p.m. in the 15300 block of Foal Court. He was taken to Arrowhead Regional Medical Center in Colton where he was pronounced dead, according to a statement from the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department.
“Through investigation, detectives determined that Pierre O’Neal came to the location with a loaded handgun and began threatening to shoot several people that were in the garage area of the residence,” the sheriff’s statement said. “As the suspect was brand |
”.
Asked whether Ms May had raised any difficult issues with Mr Trump face-to-face at all, the senior UK government official said: “It depends on your characterisation.”
Later in the day after the omission had become clear the official said Ms May had informally raised the issue with Mr Trump outside the meeting.
“She’s raised Paris and said to him face-to-face that she hopes the US will re-join the Paris Agreement,” the same official said.
Ahead of the G20 summit a senior UK government official had said Ms May “will say that we don’t see any need for renegotiation” and that “we support the Paris agreement because it delivers.”
Speaking from north east England, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said that if he had been attending the summit “I would be very strongly challenging Donald Trump on his wish to walk away from the Paris Climate Change accords.”
He added: “They are crucial for the future of all of us and I hope he will understand that unless all the nations of the world get together to reduce emissions and try to preserve and protect our planet then the next generation are going to have more climate disasters, more extreme weather conditions and there’s going to be more environmental refugees around the world.
“I think these are serious times and it requires serious attention to them.”
It comes amid reports that Mr Trump’s US delegation has held up the agreement of a joint G20 communiqué over the inclusion of a line about climate change and fossil fuels.
The Paris agreement on reducing greenhouse gas emissions comes into force in 2020 and mandates signatories to plan to reduce their emissions and report on their progress in doing so. It has been ratified by 153 United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change members and signed by 195.
Elsewhere in the bilateral talks between Ms May and Mr Trump the US President spoke of his country’s closeness with Britain and pledged a post-Brexit trade deal would be concluded “very quickly” after the UK left.
At the talks the two leaders agreed that they would look at areas the UK and US could deepen their trade ties before Brexit – though no specifics were discussed on what this might entail.
Ahead of the meeting Mr Trump said: “There is no country that could possibly be closer than our countries.
“We have been working on a trade deal which will be a very, very big deal, a very powerful deal, great for both countries and I think we will have that done very, very quickly.”
Shape Created with Sketch. G20 Protesters take Hamburg Show all 8 left Created with Sketch. right Created with Sketch. Shape Created with Sketch. G20 Protesters take Hamburg 1/8 German riot police use water cannons against protesters during the demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 2/8 German riot police clash with protesters during the demonstrations during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 3/8 Riot police move in through the smoke from a smoke bomb during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images 4/8 Riot police use water cannon to put of burning bins as a protester runs off after the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images 5/8 Protesters throw beer bottles as they shield themselves from water cannon spray during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images 6/8 A firefighter works at the scene where a number of cars burnt down during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 7/8 The interior of a burnt down car is seen as firefighters work in the background during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 8/8 German police remove a protestor who is blocking a street at a demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 1/8 German riot police use water cannons against protesters during the demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 2/8 German riot police clash with protesters during the demonstrations during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 3/8 Riot police move in through the smoke from a smoke bomb during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images 4/8 Riot police use water cannon to put of burning bins as a protester runs off after the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images 5/8 Protesters throw beer bottles as they shield themselves from water cannon spray during the "Welcome to Hell" rally against the G20 summit in Hamburg, northern Germany AFP/Getty Images 6/8 A firefighter works at the scene where a number of cars burnt down during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 7/8 The interior of a burnt down car is seen as firefighters work in the background during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS 8/8 German police remove a protestor who is blocking a street at a demonstration during the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany REUTERS
He added: “Prime Minister May and I have developed a very special relationship and I think trade will be a very big factor between our two countries.”
There was no further visible progress on the question of Mr Trump’s planned state visit to Britain – which has been dogged by the threat of mass protests. Asked about the trip the President said he “will be going to London”, but asked when, he replied: “We’ll work that out.”
Asked about when the visit would happen a senior UK government official could not say whether the meeting would take place days, weeks, months, or years into the future, adding: “There’s no date being announced today.” The official said he was not aware of any plans for a flying short-notice visit by Mr Trump in the near future.
We’ll tell you what’s true. You can form your own view.
At The Independent, no one tells us what to write. That’s why, in an era of political lies and Brexit bias, more readers are turning to an independent source. Subscribe from just 15p a day for extra exclusives, events and ebooks – all with no ads.
Subscribe now.What follows here will probably prove very, very wrong in spots. Starting pitching, by nature, is a fickle thing: Sometimes great pitchers get hurt or suddenly prove ineffective, sometimes guys emerge as aces seemingly overnight. And there’s enough parity in Major League Baseball in 2016 that it’s not unreasonable to expect some team ranked in the bottom 10 here will wind up with one of the Majors’ 10 best rotations in 2016, and vice versa.
Plus, it’s worth noting that plenty can and will change before opening day. Some solid starters lingering on the free-agent market, like Yovani Gallardo, will eventually find homes and improve the outlook of their new clubs’ rotations. A few guys teams are counting on will suffer significant injuries in spring training, and a couple of reclamation projects will turn heads in March and wind up important contributors by June.
The following is informed by recent stats and 2016 projections, but it is on the whole a subjective list. This is my best effort at ranking all 30 MLB clubs’ starting rotations from 1-30, as they stand on Monday, Jan. 25. I look forward to being shamed for my misses come September:
30. Atlanta Braves
That man in the photo above is Julio Teheran, and he’s notable because he’s basically the only legit Major League starter set for the 2016 Braves rotation. Atlanta is in rebuilding mode, and there’s some upside to the pitchers likely to follow Teheran. But unless guys like Matt Wisler and Williams Perez develop better and faster than expected, the last season in Turner Field will be a very long one.
29. Philadelphia Phillies
Like the Braves, the Phillies have collected some intriguing young arms during their rebuilding phase. But also like the Braves, the Phillies will need a whole lot to go right to have a halfway decent rotation in 2016. Young starters Aaron Nola and Jerad Eickhoff look like the best of the bunch in Philadelphia, and Jeremy Hellickson will look to return to his excellent 2011-2012 form before he hits free agency following the 2017 season.
28. Milwaukee Brewers
There’s not a whole lot to be excited about in the Brewers’ rotation. Jimmy Nelson, a 26-year-old coming off his first full big-league season, is probably the de facto ace. Milwaukee owes Matt Garza at least $25 million through the end of the 2017 season, and Garza sported a 5.63 ERA in 2015.
27. Los Angeles Angels
This seems bad: The Angels have, in Mike Trout, a guy who might very well prove to be one of the sport’s all-time greats, at a cost that’s a total steal given his production. But they’ll run him out behind a starting rotation that appears totally meh: Garrett Richards, their best, is pretty good, and none of the four guys slated for behind him look likely to be horrible. But front to back, the Angels’ rotation just doesn’t stack up to those of other hopeful contenders.
26. Colorado Rockies
The Rockies’ rotation is probably better than you think it is: Jorge De La Rosa has actually been one of the most successful starters in the franchise’s history, in that he hasn’t been totally destroyed while pitching at mile-high altitude. And there’s promise in guys like Jon Gray and Jordan Lyles, and enough depth behind them to allow the Rockies to keep trying to find the right formula for success at Coors Field. It might not exist, but they’re working on it.
25. Minnesota Twins
The Twins enjoyed surprising success in 2015 thanks in part to depth in capable — if unspectacular — big-league pitchers, but none of the team’s cast of holdovers owns much potential for breakout success in 2016. For that, the Twins will have to wait on the development of impressive young arms like Jose Berrios and Kohl Stewart.
24. Baltimore Orioles
Wei-Yin Chen, the Orioles’ best starter in 2015, joined the Marlins in free agency this offseason and left the rotation situation in Baltimore looking fairly dire. At 25, righty Kevin Gausman still has time to make good on his prospect pedigree. Dylan Bundy is still only 22 and boasts world-class potential, but has missed the bulk of the last three seasons with arm injuries.
23. Cincinnati Reds
Even with Johnny Cueto and Mike Leake now long gone, the Reds’ rotation looks surprisingly solid for 2016. Cuban import Raisel Iglesias posted gaudy strikeout numbers in his first big-league season and could improve in his sophomore year. Behind him, the Reds have a nice combination of capable, high-floor Major League starters on the brinks of their primes, stud prospects like Robert Stephenson and Cody Reed, and Homer Bailey on the way back from Tommy John surgery.
22. Kansas City Royals
The Royals won the World Series with an unspectacular starting staff and will look to repeat in 2016. Yordano Ventura’s ERA jumped nearly a run from 2014 to 2015, but his peripheral numbers improved and he still throws otherworldly stuff. Behind Ventura, a group of sturdy veterans including Edinson Volquez and newly signed Ian Kennedy will look to get games into the hands of Kansas City’s incredible bullpen.
21. Detroit Tigers
The good news: Justin Verlander looked far better in 2015 than he did in 2014, and free-agent acquisition Jordan Zimmermann is a reliable and perhaps underrated front-of-the-rotation starter. The bad news: Whatever happens after that. But Anibal Sanchez, coming off the worst season of his career, was good every season from 2010-2014 and could bounce back to form, and lefty Daniel Norris, recovering from thyroid cancer, could yet prove an ace.
20. Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays need their rotation to be good enough to keep their excellent offense in games, and it should do that. A full season of health from Marcus Stroman should go a long way toward replacing the production they lost from departed starters Mark Buerhle and David Price, and Aaron Sanchez — used primarily as a reliever in 2015 — offers tantalizing potential if he can rein in his control issues.
19. Oakland Athletics
The presence of Sonny Gray separates Oakland from the back of the back — most teams from here forward on the list boast a bona fide and somewhat reliable ace. Behind Gray, the A’s have a handful of guys in their mid-to-late 20s who outpitched their peripherals in 2015 and offseason acquisition Rich Hill, a 35-year-old lefty who spent part of 2015 in independent ball and part of it making four astonishingly dominant starts for the Red Sox.
18. Miami Marlins
If this list ranked every team by the abilities of its top two starters, the Marlins — with Jose Fernandez and Wei-Yin Chen — might land inside the Top 10. But there’s a steep drop-off after that pair in Miami, with no stud prospects on the immediate horizon.
17. Texas Rangers
The Rangers will open the season with a solid rotation fronted by Cole Hamels, but the potential for an excellent rotation whenever Yu Darvish returns from the Tommy John surgery he endured in March of 2015. Darvish was one of the game’s most dominant pitchers when healthy, and his return should have a huge impact on the Rangers’ postseason aspirations. Look out for former A’s starter A.J. Griffin, who missed all of 2014 and 2015 after his own Tommy John procedure, but made four rehab starts to finish 2015 before signing a minor league deal with the Rangers in December.
16. San Diego Padres
Tyson Ross, James Shields and Andrew Cashner make for a sneaky-good top trio of starters, but the Padres have little in the way of certainty after that. Brandon Maurer will look to build on a solid 2015 season in the Padres bullpen with a move into the rotation. One of Robbie Erlin, Colin Rea and Odrisamer Despaigne will likely open in the fifth spot.
15. New York Yankees
I entered this exercise expecting to put the Yankees near the bottom of the list, and ended it tempted to rank them in the Top 10. Truth is, it’s easy to envision them landing on either end of the spectrum: Their top four starters all come with great stuff and huge question marks. How they fare will depend on the health of Masahiro Tanaka and Michael Pineda and the success of Luis Severino in his first full big-league season.
14. Tampa Bay Rays
The Rays will fly up this list if and when Matt Moore finds the form he showed before the Tommy John surgery that cost him most of the 2014 and 2015 seasons. Until then, Chris Archer will be excellent, and Jake Odorizzi makes for a fine mid-rotation starter. The Rays should start the season with enough depth that they won’t need to force the promotion of 22-year-old lefty Blake Snell, who sported an astonishing 1.41 ERA across three minor league levels in 2015.
13. Boston Red Sox
Amazing what adding a guy like David Price can do. After a season in which Boston’s starting pitching seemed existentially bad at times, the outlook appears significantly sunnier now that one of the game’s most reliable frontline starters is in the fold. Eduardo Rodriguez looks like a capable Major Leaguer, Clay Buchholz was good whenever he was healthy in 2015, and Rick Porcello cannot possibly be as bad as he looked in his first season in Boston. Long-heralded top prospect Henry Owens could join the Red Sox’ rotation for good at some point in the 2016 campaign.
12. Pittsburgh Pirates
Gerrit Cole and Francisco Liriano give the Pirates a very potent 1-2 punch, but the departures of A.J. Burnett to retirement and J.A. Happ to free agency leave the Pirates’ rotation with far more uncertainty and far fewer guys who go by their initials. Pitching coach Ray Searage has earned a reputation for saving or revitalizing veterans’ careers, which bodes well for new acquisitions Jon Niese and Ryan Vogelsong. One of the game’s biggest prospects, Tyler Glasnow, finished the 2015 season with eight strong starts at Class AAA and could join the big-league staff by early summer.
11. Seattle Mariners
Felix Hernandez feels like one of the safest bets in any rotation, with eight straight seasons of over 200 innings pitched and a history of excellence. Behind him, the Mariners return Hisashi Iwakuma on a team-friendly deal, and 23-year-old former top prospect Taijuan Walker, who recovered from a brutal start to the 2015 season to pitch well down the stretch in Seattle.
10. Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona committed a ton of resources in terms of money and prospects to revamp their rotation this offseason, and they may ultimately end up regretting giving up the package they traded for Shelby Miller. But for 2016, at least, the additions of Zack Greinke and Miller to a staff that already included good young starters Patrick Corbin and Robbie Ray gives the Diamondbacks a great group. And top prospect Archie Bradley is ready to compete for a full-time job in the Arizona rotation after a 2015 season derailed by injuries.
9. San Francisco Giants
Every club from this point forward on the list can make some reasonable claim at having the game’s best rotation, as the Giants can for adding Jeff Samardzija and Johnny Cueto to a rotation that already includes Madison Bumgarner. But it’s hard to guess what the Giants can expect from Matt Cain or Jake Peavy at this phase in their careers, and Samardjiza’s nightmarish 2015 campaign should be at least mildly concerning.
8. Houston Astros
The Astros’ rotation appears a bit top-heavy thanks to reigning AL Cy Young Award winner Dallas Keuchel, but the group behind him is at least solid. Lance McCullers made his big-league debut in 2015 after only 32 innings above Class A ball, then pitched very well in 22 Major League starts. Collin McHugh, Mike Fiers and Scott Feldman are all solid-to-good mid-rotation types when healthy.
7. Los Angeles Dodgers
Speaking of top heavy: Clayton Kershaw is the difference between the Dodgers and a second-division starting rotation, but Kershaw’s so good that the Dodgers land squarely within the Top 10 here. The lefty should open the year as the obvious favorite to win the NL Cy Young Award even after finishing third in 2015 because no pitcher in baseball can match Kershaw’s recent track record. Behind him, the Dodgers will hope for good health from Scott Kazmir, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brett Anderson. They’re all good pitchers when healthy, but all have struggled at times to stay healthy.
6. Chicago White Sox
Chris Sale might be the world’s most dominant pitcher not named Clayton Kershaw, Jose Quintana is criminally underrated, and Carlos Rodon looks like a potential stud. The White Sox’ remarkable ability to keep their pitchers healthy brightens the outlook on the South Side, enough to overlook the shakiness in the back end of their rotation.
5. St. Louis Cardinals
The Cardinals had the best starting rotation in baseball in 2015, but last season’s top performer — John Lackey — joined the rival Cubs in free agency, and rotation stalwart Lance Lynn will miss all of 2016 following Tommy John surgery. The return of Adam Wainwright and the remarkable depth in the Cardinals’ rotation means they won’t fall far: If Wainwright, at 34, can be the pitcher he was before the Achilles tear that ruined his 2015 season, St. Louis could own the best starting staff in baseball again in 2016. Michael Wacha and Carlos Martinez are both still young and very good, and Mike Leake gives the Cardinals some much-needed durability.
4. Cleveland Indians
This one will come as the big surprise to anyone who hasn’t been paying close attention: The Indians are loaded with good starters. Corey Kluber did not quite match his 2014 Cy Young heights in 2015, but his peripherals suggest he’s still every bit that good. Carlos Carrasco is quietly awesome. Danny Salazar made good on his great stuff with a great 2015 season. And oft-frustrating former megaprospect Trevor Bauer, at 25, still has time to put it all together.
3. Washington Nationals
The Nats own a pair of true aces in Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg, a duo good enough to give them a top-half starting rotation even if they trotted out three total scrubs behind them. But they don’t: Gio Gonzalez makes for a strong No. 3 starter, Joe Ross offers big upside, and top prospect Lucas Giolito could join the group by the All-Star Break.
2. New York Mets
This one you’ve probably heard about: The Mets have young fireballers for days and days, as last seen powering the club to the 2015 World Series. The lack of longer resumes keeps the Mets from the top spot on this list: Jacob deGrom, Matt Harvey, Noah Syndergaard and Steven Matz have a combined total of zero Major League seasons with more than 200 regular-season innings pitched. If all four can stay healthy for the length of 2016, look out. Folk hero Bartolo Colon should fill the fifth slot in the team’s rotation until Zack Wheeler returns from Tommy John surgery.
1. Chicago Cubs
I’m going to be honest: I did not begin this list expecting to name the Cubs’ as the top starting rotation in baseball. The Mets, Nats and Indians can all probably match the excellent top three of Jake Arrieta, Jon Lester and John Lackey, but the Cubs’ depth sets them apart. Only the Cardinals have Nos. 4 and 5 starters that stack up to Jason Hammel and Kyle Hendricks, but St. Louis can’t match the Cubs in the front end of the rotation. Astoundingly, the Cubs’ starting pitching isn’t even the most notable thing about their 2016 team, given their remarkable core of young position players.
The Cubs: It’s happening, y’all.Valve Time - the term coined by fans to describe the seemingly endless development of the Half-Life maker's games.
But what does Valve itself think of Valve Time? Is it happy about it? Sad? And how did it become a thing?.
At the Develop conference in Brighton business development chief Jason Holtman told Eurogamer Valve loves the Valve Time tag - so much so that it values it.
"Valve Time is interesting," Holtman said. "To my mind, an interesting thing about being on the inside of Valve and working there quite a while is, what we're always concerned with is doing what's right for the customer; doing what's right for the product. And people get an idea of Valve Time because they're very used to how maybe other people work and bring things out. Other people have much more formalised schedules. They have dates they have like lines in the sand because of their structures.
"When we get up to that, we may fully say at an E3 or a GDC, here's a game coming out and here's when we think it is. And then it doesn't come out for a year. Or it doesn't come out in the fall, it comes out in the spring. Hence we get tagged with Valve Time.
"The reason for that is because it's odd. It's an oddity. In other cases what it means is people are usually slipping and it drives people nuts, because they're so used to being able to predict when that comes out. In our minds we say, that's not important. It's actually not super important if this thing comes out on the Christmas where we said it would come out last year and we thought that's when it was. What's actually more important is we build it right and it comes out in spring."
Holtman described Valve Time as "charming" and "kind of a compliment". "We like it," he continued.
"We also value it. If the end result is, we get tagged a little bit of like, we can't tell when you're coming out or you take longer, that's okay with us. Because we're trusting the fact that when it takes longer, it will be better. The thing that is ultimately consumed and played with, customers will like it better - like it better than the thing we could have shipped them a year ago.
"We would infinitely rather have happy customers for decades, rather than a happy batch of customers at one Christmas.
"We try as hard as we can to make the best thing possible in the right time frame and get people content they want to consume. And if that takes longer, that's fine."
What fans don't see, Holtman said, is that sometimes products or features take less time than Valve expected. "Sometimes we'll have a feature and it'll surprise us how quickly we can get something built and out to the community, or get an update out and out to the community.
"So there's no mandate or, we're just going to take longer, everything takes longer, like a fine wine mandate in the old commercials. I don't think that's what it is at all. What we're just saying is, we're going to do it when it's ready, and we're going to do it when we think you're going to like it, and we're going to do it when we think it's best.
"Hence Valve Time."
The concept of Valve Time applies most to Half-Life 3 (or, Half-Life 2: Episode 3, we're not sure at this point). It's been five long years since the release of Episode 2. A trilogy of episodes was promised some six years ago.
With nary a whiff of a status update on the future of the series in so long, comment threads and forums are littered with requests for the game. So much so, that you often see fans call for news on Half-life 3 in response to announcements for other Valve games or features.
Does it grind Valve down?
"It's a high compliment," Holtman said. "Having customers consistently looking at our property or something you've done and saying, can you give me more? Can you do that thing again? Every time we hear it we say thank you. I don't think it grinds us down at all. We're constantly saying, are you happy? Are we making the best things we can? Are we working with the best partners to bring you what you want?
"When people keep saying, yeah I want that too, that's how we hear it. We hear it as, that is people saying they want tickets to their favourite concert. They want to see that again. We hear it all the time. I don't think it grinds us down at all. I do think we take it as a very serious, very heartfelt compliment from folks. They're cheering for us. That's what that is."
So, what's taking so long?
"No. See now I'm being cagey."Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) warned an audience of supporters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa Monday that Hezbollah could build "missile sites" in Cuba. "Why would you normalize trade with a country that sponsors terror?" said Bachmann, in response to a supporter's question asking her to explain her position on trading with Cuba.
"There are reports that have come out that Cuba has been working with another terrorist organization called Hezbollah. And Hezbollah is looking at wanting to be part of missile sites in Iran and, of course, when you are 90 miles offshore from Florida, you don't want to entertain the prospect of hosting bases or sites where Hezbollah could have training camps or perhaps have missile sites or weapons sites in Cuba. This would be foolish."
Bachmann was apparently referring to an unsourced report in the Italian newspaper Corriere Della Sera, which was picked up by conservative blogs like Glenn Beck's The Blaze and Andrew Breitbart's Big Peace.
Bachmann later opined how the United States would soon be paying for China's military through debt spending. "We're told by 2020, nine years from now, we'll be paying for all of their army," she said. "We'll be paying for their military weaponry."
China's military spending is thought to be less than $100 billion, while the Pentagon budget for Fiscal Year 2011 was $549 billion.Researchers make human tissue out of seaweed
SCIENCEALERT STAFF 16 MAY 2014
The marine plant is so versatile that now researchers at the University of Wollongong are using it to regenerate bone and human tissue in medical trails.
Seaweed cells don’t have vascular tissue, instead they have a slime that holds them together. And it is this gel-like substances what scientists are mixing with human stem cells to make 3D printed tissue.
The researchers believe that seaweed components are an “untapped source of biomaterials” and that these can also be used to treat arthritis, schizophrenia and cancer.
So far the researchers have regenerated knee-cap cartilage using a concoction of stem cell and seaweed gel.
And it gets even better.
The seaweed use in the study is an Australian variety. “Just as we have unique gum trees, kangaroos and things on our continent we have equally unique seaweed,” explained marine biologist Pia Winberg, who is now developing a commercial seaweed farm, to ABC.
This means that Australia could become a key player in the seaweed market, producing medicine, 3D-printed tissue and other products that could make our lives better.Gloria Steinem’s new book, “My Life on the Road,” recounts her life’s journeys and travels. Early reviews and profiles reveal incredible detail of Steinem’s barrier-breaking feminist role, liberal politics, romances, proclivities and style.
What is often missed, or mischaracterized, however, is the work she did as a CIA agent: Steinem was a spook.
CIA agents are tight-lipped, but Steinem spoke openly about her relationship to “The Agency” in the 1950s and ‘60s after a magazine revealed her employment by a CIA front organization, the Independent Research Service.
While popularly pilloried because of her paymaster, Steinem defended the CIA relationship, saying: “In my experience The Agency was completely different from its image; it was liberal, nonviolent and honorable.”
Less cloak and dagger and more a young, energetic, global representative for American values and freedom, Steinem leveraged her underwriting to attend international youth festivals organized and otherwise ideologically dominated by America’s adversaries.
Long before the formalized concept of soft power, Steinem personified and promoted abroad the vigor and progressive nature of the U.S. youth movement.
Strange as it may seem, Steinem’s personal views and CIA political goals aligned. Her brand of social revolution, promoted by American tax dollars, was meant to counter Soviet-sponsored revolutionary messaging. Public funds were intended to slow the Soviet scourge while showing America’s alternative democratic face.
Drone-launched bombs carry a less subtle American message to today’s targets. Given global challenges and threats, the CIA is put into a more difficult and militarized role than in the past. The agency’s own overreach and mistakes have created a new vulnerability, further exacerbated by the publishing of Edward Snowden’s stolen files.
Perhaps, Steinem’s 1960s characterization of a “liberal, nonviolent and honorable” CIA was idealistic and self-serving, but there is no question that today’s Agency is still necessary and wildly different. The 6,700 page U.S. Senate torture report is a good place to start when seeking to understand how different.
Agency problems do not end with enhanced interrogation techniques and spying on Sen. Dianne Feinstein’s Intelligence Committee’s computers, or former CIA Director David Petraeus’ personal mistakes and failed weapons of mass destruction analyses.
Heaped on to all the evidence of misdeeds are popular entertainment programs like “Homeland” which reveal the moral complexity and actionable ambiguity of intelligence operations and analysis.
It is no wonder that the CIA has detractors at home and abroad. The public is keenly aware of CIA missteps. The CIA itself is also aware. Former CIA Deputy Director Michael Morrell recently apologized publicly for the WMD debacle, and last year CIA Director John Brennan told senators he was sorry.
It is easy to focus on failures and forget the dangers and drudgery of intelligence gathering, or to take time to celebrate the varied, but mostly secret victories of a service working hard to defend America.
It is rare for the public to see a dramatic success like “Operation Neptune Spear,” the code name for the Abbottabad raid that killed Osama bin Laden.
The world is in a dire period of greater global instability and conflict, with threats and challenges from Southeast Asia to Syria to borderless crime syndicates. In this environment, America needs more credible, analytic, insightful, accessible, high level and grassroots deep intelligence.
The American public may prefer to criticize or ignore the CIA’s work, but it is better served by understanding the labor and limits of intelligence.
Political leaders need to support foreign intelligence activities, but assure they are checked and controlled. Mistakes will be made, and made worse by cover-ups or reactionary calls for excessive restraint.
Steinem chose to do an honorable duty. She used her brilliance, networks, access, clarity of thought, communication skills and charm to work for the CIA.
She is celebrated anew for her personal and professional achievements, and she deserves recognition for her unapologetic service. Steinem doesn’t regret her time as a spook, saying, “If I had a choice I would do it again.” Would today’s CIA have a place for someone like Gloria Steinem?
Tribune Content Agency
Markos Kounalakis is a research fellow at Central European University and visiting fellow at the Hoover Institution.Controversy erupted earlier this month when the Downtown Business Improvement Area (DBIA) announced a new initiative to address perceptions that the downtown is unsafe and uncomfortable. The initiative is a four- to six-week pilot project, and will see privately contracted security guards called “Ambassadors” patroling the streets. They’re meant to provide support and a friendly presence to people using the downtown, but also act as “eyes and ears,” monitoring any dangerous, illegal, or violent activity.
This security function has some people worried, and voicing concerns about a private (and thus, unaccountable) company providing security services in public space.
The DBIA and Kawartha Guard Service (the company hired to provide the security) are assuring critics that the ambassadors will only use a “soft glove” approach to dealing with what they call “anti-social” behaviour, though on private property (i.e., in stores), they will be able to remove people at the owner’s request. Despite the assurance of a gentle and polite approach, it’s not clear how the public will be able to hold the ambassadors to account. Those assurances also don’t address the implicit intimidation that the ambassadors could cause simply by being present.
The downtown, it should be noted, does have an image problem among some segments of the Peterborough community. There is a perception that the area is undesirable, even unsafe, because of the presence of panhandlers, people with visible mental illnesses, and people in conflict with each other. Some people with these perceptions are simply intolerant, but many just feel unsafe in the unpredictable situations that can sometimes arise downtown.
For example, seniors have identified safety as one of the reasons they avoid the downtown, according to the coordinator of Peterborough County’s Age-Friendly Plan, Sarah Cullingham.
“We did hear from some seniors about feeling unsafe, scared, or uncomfortable in the downtown area,” Cullingham said. “But it’s important to keep in mind those concerns were expressed as perceptions.” Cullingham also stressed that seniors were just as concerned about physical accessibility and general cleanliness as they were about safety.
Given the downtown’s image problem, the DBIA isn’t totally misguided to consider something like an ambassador program.
The presence of someone to animate the downtown, to help to build better relationships between shoppers and the marginalized, and to help challenge the stereotypes that generate perceptions of danger in the first place could be a very positive thing. But this person should be an experienced community-builder with a history working with vulnerable populations, and should be chosen with community input. Privately hiring a security team might appease and pacify people’s prejudices about the marginalized, but it won’t challenge them.
DBIA Executive Director Terry Guiel has been responding to criticisms of the program by emphasizing the ambassadors’ less controversial functions.
“They will have an ambassador role, not a security role,” Guiel told Electric City Magazine.
When pressed why the DBIA chose professional security guards for a non-security role, he said it was because “they’re trained in conflict resolution, they have first aid, they have their Smart Serve.… They have an ability to de-escalate issues.” All good training to have, but certainly not anything exclusive to the security profession.
In the first week the ambassadors were deployed, they responded to an incident in which a shoplifter threatened a George Street business owner with scissors. The ambassadors were across the street at the time, and they followed the shoplifter when she fled the store. A few minutes later, the police arrested the shoplifter.
The owner of Kawartha Guard Service, David Lavallee, imagined a more gruesome ending to this incident: “Now change that around, but while she [the shoplifter] is heading [north] she grabs a kid on a bike, stabs him in the neck, grabs the bike and takes off. The kid’s lying there, whether he’s dead in a pool of blood, or paralyzed, who knows,” Lavallee said to emphasize the need for intervention from security in some situations.
That Lavallee would engage in exactly the kind of speculative fear-mongering that downtown ambassadors, or any similar initiative, should be discouraging suggests that the Kawartha Guard Service is not equipped for this role.
Further comments made by Lavallee suggest that the guards chosen to be ambassadors have had little training for their new position beyond what would have been required of them to become security guards and private investigators. Lavallee did say KGS employees are “taking mental health training as we go along,” but he also seemed to dismiss that training as unnecessary and ineffective.
“What training do you need other than being nice to people?” Lavallee asked. “We know the downtown. We know the stores. What are you going to go for, the mental health training? It doesn’t work.… I’m just being truthful. You need kind-hearted people. We’re killing them with kindness.”
Let’s start by acknowledging that people are scared of the downtown, and not blame them for it. There are all sorts of ways we are socialized to distrust and fear the poor. Then, let’s design a program that communicates that the marginalized aren’t a threat, but rather members of a vibrant community that can include everyone.
Read Will Pearson’s longer discussion of panhandling in downtown Peterborough: “Panhandled.”
Photo by B Mroz.I Heard or seemed to hear the chiding |
up to 60 cell lengths per second.[27] The rotary motor at the base of the flagellum is similar in structure to ATP synthase.[19] Spirillum bacteria have helical bodies with flagella at either end, and they spin about the central axis of their bodies as they move through the water.[28]
Archaea, a group of prokaryotes separate from bacteria, also feature flagella – known as archaella – driven by rotary motor proteins, which are structurally and evolutionarily distinct from bacterial flagella: whereas bacterial flagella evolved from the bacterial Type III secretion system, archaella appear to have evolved from type IV pili.[29]
Some eukaryotic cells, such as the protist Euglena, also have flagella, but eukaryotic flagella do not rotate at the base; rather, they bend in such a way that the tip of the flagellum whips in a circle.[30]:1105 The eukaryotic flagellum, also called a cilium or undulipodium, is structurally and evolutionarily distinct from prokaryotic flagella.[31]
Biological barriers to wheeled organisms [ edit ]
The absence of wheels in nature is frequently attributed to constraints imposed by biology: natural selection constrains the evolutionary paths available to species,[32] and the processes by which multicellular organisms grow and develop may not permit the construction of a functioning wheel.[33]
Evolutionary constraints [ edit ]
Illustration of a fitness landscape, indicating genetic flow of populations toward local optima. Potentially beneficial changes requiring descent into a fitness "valley" are foreclosed by natural selection.
The processes of evolution, as they are presently understood, can help explain why wheeled locomotion has not evolved in multicellular organisms: simply put, a complex structure or system will not evolve if its incomplete form provides no benefit to the organism.[32]
According to neo-Darwinism, adaptations are produced incrementally through natural selection, so major genetic changes will usually spread within populations only if they do not decrease the fitness of individuals.[32] Although neutral changes (ones which provide no benefit) can spread through genetic drift,[34] and detrimental changes can spread under some circumstances,[35]:728–729 large changes that require multiple steps will occur only if the intermediate stages increase fitness. Richard Dawkins describes the matter: "The wheel may be one of those cases where the engineering solution can be seen in plain view, yet be unattainable in evolution because it lies [on] the other side of a deep valley, cutting unbridgeably across the massif of Mount Improbable."[32] In such a fitness landscape, wheels might sit on a highly favorable "peak", but the valley around that peak may be too deep or wide for the gene pool to migrate across by genetic drift or natural selection. Stephen Jay Gould notes that biological adaptation is limited to working with available components, commenting that "wheels work well, but animals are debarred from building them by structural constraints inherited as an evolutionary legacy".[33]:48
Natural selection therefore explains why wheels are an unlikely solution to the problem of locomotion: a partially evolved wheel, missing one or more key components, would probably not impart an advantage to an organism. The exception to this is the flagellum, the only known example of a freely rotating propulsive system in biology; in the evolution of flagella, individual components were recruited from older structures, where they performed tasks unrelated to propulsion. The basal body that is now the rotary motor, for instance, might have evolved from a structure used by the bacterium to inject toxins into other cells.[36][37][38] This recruitment of previously evolved structures to serve new functions is called exaptation.[39]
Molecular biologist Robin Holliday has written that the absence of biological wheels argues against creationist or intelligent design accounts of the diversity of life, because an intelligent creator—free of the limitations imposed by evolution—would be expected to deploy wheels wherever they would be of use.[40]
Developmental and anatomical constraints [ edit ]
Using human manufacturing processes, wheeled systems of varying complexity have proven fairly simple to construct, and issues of power transmission and friction have proven tractable. It is not clear, however, that the vastly different processes of embryonic development are suited to—or even capable of—producing a functioning wheel, for reasons described below.[Note 1][23][32][33][41]
The greatest anatomical impediment to wheeled multicellular organisms is the interface between the static and rotating components of the wheel. In either a passive or driven case, the wheel (and possibly axle) must be able to rotate freely relative to the rest of the machine or organism.[Note 2] Unlike animal joints, which have a limited range of motion, a wheel must be able to rotate through an arbitrary angle without ever needing to be "unwound". As such, a wheel cannot be permanently attached to the axle or shaft about which it rotates (or, if the axle and wheel are fixed together, the axle cannot be affixed to the rest of the machine or organism).[33]:44 There are several functional problems created by this requirement.
Power transmission to driven wheels [ edit ]
Skeletal muscle, attached at each end to bone
In the case of a driven wheel, a torque must be applied to generate the locomotive force. In human technology, this torque is generally provided by a motor, of which there are many types, including electric, piston-driven, turbine-driven, pneumatic, and hydraulic. (Torque may also be provided by human power, as in the case of a bicycle.) In animals, motion is typically achieved by the use of skeletal muscles, which derive their energy from the metabolism of nutrients from food.[2]:406 Because these muscles are attached to both of the components that must move relative to each other, they are not capable of directly driving a wheel. In addition, large animals cannot produce high accelerations, as inertia increases rapidly with body size.[41]
Friction [ edit ]
Reducing friction is vital for minimizing wear on mechanical components and preventing overheating.[43]:1 As the relative speed of the components rises, and as the contact force between them increases, the importance of friction mitigation increases.[43]:2–3 Various types of bearing and/or lubricant may be used to reduce friction at the interface between two components.[44] In biological joints such as the human knee, friction is reduced by means of cartilage with a very low friction coefficient, as well as lubricating synovial fluid, which has very low viscosity.[45] Gerhard Scholtz of Humboldt University of Berlin asserts that a similar secreted lubricant or dead cellular material could allow a biological wheel to rotate freely.[5]
Nutrient and waste transfer [ edit ]
Another potential problem that arises at the interface between wheel and axle (or axle and body) is the limited ability of an organism to transfer materials across this interface. If the tissues that make up a wheel are living, they will need to be supplied with oxygen and nutrients and have wastes removed to sustain metabolism. A typical animal circulatory system, composed of blood vessels, would not be able to provide transportation across the interface.[32][2]:405 In the absence of circulation, oxygen and nutrients would need to diffuse across the interface, a process that would be greatly limited by the available partial pressure and surface area, in accordance with Fick's law of diffusion.[33]:48 For large multicellular animals, diffusion would be insufficient.[23] Alternatively, a wheel could be composed of excreted, nonliving material such as keratin, of which hair and nails are composed.[5][23]
Disadvantages of wheels [ edit ]
Wheels incur mechanical and other disadvantages in certain environments and situations that would represent a decreased fitness when compared with limbed locomotion.[32] These disadvantages suggest that, even barring the biological constraints discussed above, the absence of wheels in multicellular life may not be the "missed opportunity" of biology that it first seems.[5] In fact, given the mechanical disadvantages and restricted usefulness of wheels when compared with limbs, the central question can be reversed: not "Why does nature not produce wheels?", but rather, "Why do human vehicles not make more use of limbs?"[23] The use of wheels rather than limbs in most engineered vehicles can likely be attributed to the complexity of design required to construct and control limbs, rather than to a consistent functional advantage of wheels over limbs.[46][47]
Efficiency [ edit ]
Rolling resistance [ edit ]
N, which has a component that opposes the motion
(W is the weight of the wheel plus the portion of the vehicle being supported; F is a propulsive force; N is the r is the radius of wheel.) A hard wheel rolling on—and deforming—a soft surface, resulting in the reaction force, which has a component that opposes the motionis the weight of the wheel plus the portion of the vehicle being supported;is a propulsive force;is the reaction force from the surface;is the radius of wheel.)
Although stiff wheels are more energy efficient than other means of locomotion when traveling over hard, level terrain (such as paved roads), wheels are not especially efficient on soft terrain such as soil, because they are vulnerable to rolling resistance. In rolling resistance, a vehicle loses energy to the deformation of its wheels and the surface on which they are rolling. Smaller wheels are especially susceptible to this effect.[2]:401 Softer surfaces deform more and recover less than firm surfaces, resulting in greater resistance. Rolling resistance on medium to hard soil can be five to eight times greater than on concrete, and on sand it can be ten to fifteen times greater.[23] While wheels must deform the surface along their entire path, limbs induce only a small, localized deformation around the region of foot contact.[48]
Rolling resistance is also the reason at least one historical human civilization abandoned the use of wheels.[23] During the time of the Roman Empire, wheeled chariots were common in the Middle East and North Africa; yet when the Empire collapsed and its roads fell into disrepair, wheels fell out of favor with the local populations, who turned to camels to transport goods in the sandy desert climate. In his book Hen's Teeth and Horse's Toes, Stephen Jay Gould explains this curiosity of history, asserting that, in the absence of maintained roads, camels required less manpower and water than a cart pulled by oxen.[49]
Efficiency of aquatic locomotion [ edit ]
When moving through a fluid, rotating systems carry an efficiency advantage only at extremely low Reynolds numbers (i.e. viscosity-dominated flows) such as those experienced by bacterial flagella, whereas oscillating systems have the advantage at higher (inertia-dominated) Reynolds numbers.[50]:5451 Whereas ship propellers typically have efficiencies around 60% and aircraft propellers up to around 80% (achieving 88% in the human-powered Gossamer Condor), much higher efficiencies, in the range of 96%–98%, can be achieved with an oscillating flexible foil like a fish tail or bird wing.[2]:398[23]
Traction [ edit ]
Wheels are prone to slipping—an inability to generate traction—on loose or slippery terrain. Slipping wastes energy and can potentially lead to a loss of control or becoming stuck, as with an automobile on mud or snow. This limitation of wheels can be seen in the realm of human technology: in an example of biologically inspired engineering, legged vehicles find use in the logging industry, where they allow access to terrain too challenging for wheeled vehicles to navigate.[51] Tracked vehicles suffer less from slipping than wheeled vehicles, owing to their larger contact area with the ground[52]:354—but they tend to have larger turning radii than wheeled vehicles, and they are less efficient and more mechanically complex.[52]:419
Obstacle navigation [ edit ]
mountain goat navigating a rocky landscape. Mountain goats illustrate the versatility of legs in challenging terrain.
Work by engineer Mieczysław G. Bekker implies that the distribution of irregularities in natural terrains is log-normal; that is, small obstacles are far more common than larger ones. Thus, obstacle navigation presents a challenge to locomotion in natural terrains at all size scales.[2]:400–401 The primary means of obstacle navigation are to go around obstacles and to go over them; each has its attendant challenges.[23]
Going around [ edit ]
Anatomist Michael LaBarbera of the University of Chicago illustrates the poor maneuverability of wheels by comparing the turning radii of walking and wheelchair-using humans.[2]:402 As Jared Diamond points out, most biological examples of rolling are found in wide open, hard packed terrain, including the use of rolling by dung beetles and tumbleweeds.[23][53][54]
Going over [ edit ]
Wheels are poor at dealing with vertical obstacles, especially obstacles on the same scale as the wheel itself, and may be unable to climb vertical obstacles taller than about 40% of the wheel height.[53]:148 Because of this limitation, wheels intended for rough terrain require a larger diameter.[2]:400
In addition, without articulation, a wheeled vehicle can become stuck on top of an obstacle, with the obstacle between the wheels, preventing them from contacting the ground.[54] Limbs, in contrast, are useful for climbing and are equipped to deal with uneven terrain.[2]:402–403
With unarticulated wheels, climbing obstacles will cause the body of a vehicle to tilt. If the vehicle's center of mass moves outside of the wheelbase or axle track, the vehicle becomes statically unstable, and will tend to tip over.[55] At speed, a vehicle can become dynamically unstable, meaning that it can be tipped over by an obstacle smaller than its static stability limit, or by excessive acceleration or tight turning.[56] Without articulation, this can be an impossible position from which to recover.
Versatility [ edit ]
Limbs used by animals for locomotion over terrain are frequently also used for other purposes, such as grasping, manipulating, climbing, branch-swinging, swimming, digging, jumping, throwing, kicking, and grooming. With a lack of articulation, wheels would not be as useful as limbs in these roles.[2]:399
In fiction and legend [ edit ]
Legends and speculative fiction reveal a longstanding human fascination with rolling and wheeled creatures. Such creatures appear in mythologies from Europe,[57] Japan,[58] pre-Columbian Mexico,[1] the United States, and Australia.[6]
Rolling creatures [ edit ]
The hoop snake, a creature of legend in the United States and Australia, is said to grasp its tail in its mouth and roll like a wheel towards its prey.[6] Japanese culture includes a similar mythical creature, the Tsuchinoko.[58] Buer, a demon mentioned in the 16th-century grimoire Pseudomonarchia Daemonum, was described and illustrated in Collin de Plancy's Dictionnaire Infernal as having radially-arranged arms on which it rolled.[57][59]
The Dutch graphic artist M. C. Escher illustrated a rolling creature of his own invention in a 1951 lithograph.[60] Rolling creatures are also featured in works written by comic author Carl Barks,[61] science fiction writers Fredric Brown,[62] George R. R. Martin,[63] and Joan Slonczewski,[64][65] and in the Sonic the Hedgehog video game series, which first appeared in 1991.[66][67]
Wheeled creatures [ edit ]
Toy animals with wheels dating from the Pre-Columbian era were uncovered by archaeologists in Veracruz, Mexico, in the 1940s. The indigenous peoples of this region did not use wheels for transportation prior to the arrival of Europeans.[1]
Several twentieth-century writers explored possibilities of wheeled creatures. L. Frank Baum's 1907 children's novel Ozma of Oz features humanoid creatures with wheels instead of hands and feet, called Wheelers.[68] Their wheels are composed of keratin, which has been suggested by biologists as a means of avoiding nutrient and waste transfer problems with living wheels.[5][23] Despite moving quickly on firm open terrain, the Wheelers cannot cross sand, and are stymied by obstacles in their path that do not hinder creatures with limbs.[68]
In the latter half of the twentieth century, wheeled or wheel-using creatures featured in works by fantasy and science fiction writers including Clifford D. Simak,[69] Piers Anthony,[70] David Brin,[71] K. A. Applegate,[72] Philip Pullman,[73] and writing partners Ian Stewart and Jack Cohen.[74] Some of these works address the developmental and biomechanical constraints on wheeled creatures: Brin's creatures suffer from arthritic axles,[71]:109 and Pullman's Mulefa are not born with wheels, but roll on seed pods with which they coevolved.[73]
See also [ edit ]
Biomimicry, which includes biologically inspired engineering
Projectile use by living systems, another adaptation commonly associated with human technology
Robot locomotion, in which locomotive issues faced by living systems are addressed in a technological context
Suspension (vehicle), a key element in the design of wheeled systems
Notes [ edit ]
^ part of an organism, they do not preclude the use of foreign objects as "wheels", either instinctively (as in the case of the dung beetles discussed above), or through intelligently directed Although evolutionary and developmental constraints may preclude the possibility of a wheel asof an organism, they do not preclude the use of foreign objects as "wheels", either instinctively (as in the case of the dung beetles discussed above), or through intelligently directed tool use (as in human technology). ^ [42] Wheels can be considered to fall into two types: passive and driven. A passive wheel simply rolls freely over a surface, reducing friction when compared with dragging. A driven wheel is powered, and transmits energy to the surface in order to generate forward motion.Zoning rules can mean the difference between a thriving urban farm and an illegal business. What a struggle in California says about the need for reform.
You might think that turning a deserted and trash-filled empty lot into an urban farm would please city officials, but not in Oakland, California.
Monday's San Francisco Chronicle has a sobering article on the efforts of Novella Carpenter, author of the terrific Farm City (a book I use in my classes), to make her working farm legal.
To continue running her farm, Novella needed a conditional use permit that would cost about $2,500. She got the money by raising it through her Ghost Farm blog.
The good news is that city officials are listening:
Oakland planning officials said they are about to embark on an ambitious plan to revamp the zoning code to incorporate the increasing presence of agriculture in the city.
The plan is to develop rules and conditions allowing anyone to grow vegetables and sell produce from their property without a permit. The Oakland plan would go beyond that of other cities, including San Francisco, because it would also set up conditions for raising farm animals without a permit....Oakland's rules have always allowed the growing of vegetables and raising animals for personal use on residential property. But selling, bartering or giving away what you grow is not legal without a permit. The new rules will establish limits on distributing food, including food byproducts like jam, without a permit.
Animals are likely to be the most contentious issue because neighbors tend to be more bothered by bleating, honking, clucking and crowing. Complaints about vegetables are rare.
I'm guessing other cities will have to start dealing with these issues if they haven't done so already, not least because so many people want backyard chickens.
I'm growing salad and blueberries on my Manhattan terrace, but not enough to sell, alas. Maybe next year!
This post also appears on Food Politics.
Image: Brian Snyder/ReutersPosted 01 February 2013 - 08:55 AM
Recently it was announced that more capabilities the Beagle Active Probe should have are going to be released as stand alone modules to try to counter the cries for balance against ECM -- however, the extreme cost ratio of modules makes any sort of new module much more expensive in both C-bill cost. Modules also cost a large amount of another currency, GXP, which can only be earned by play time or real money.PGI has announced that Modules are their end game equipment. By balancing a piece of equipment like ECM, that is available to all players with no cost of GXP with systems that do cost GXP, I propose a simple fix would be to strip most the ability of ECM, then make its more powerful effects available only through modules.Guardian ECM, when originally purchased, should only have the effects that it was described to have in the base rule set, much like Beagle Active Probe. Beagle Active Probe's current implementation follows the base rules in books like Total Warfare, but it has additional uses described in books like Tactical Operations, such as 360 degree targeting, advanced target info, and sensor range, that are only available in the form of Modules.By the base, tournament rules found on page 134 of Total Warfare, Guardian ECM would have the following effects:An ECM suite has an effect radius of six hexes that creates a“bubble” around the carrying unit. The ECM’s disruptive abilitiesaffect all enemy units inside this bubble, as well as any line of sighttraced through the bubble. It has no eff ect on units friendly to theunit carrying the ECM.Within its eff ect radius, an ECM suite has the following effectson the following systems. The ECM suite does not affect otherscanning and targeting devices, such as TAG and targetingcomputers.Active Probe: Active probes cannot penetrate the ECM’s areaof effect. The probing unit would notice that it is being jammed,however.Artemis IV FCS: ECM blocks the eff ects of Artemis IV firecontrol systems. Artemis-equipped launchers may be fired asnormal missiles through the ECM, but they lose the Cluster HitsTable bonus.Narc Missile Beacon: Missiles equipped to home in on anattached Narc pod lose the Cluster Hits Table bonus for thatsystem if the pods themselves lie within an ECM “bubble.” TheNarc launcher itself (standard and iNarc) is not affected by ECM.C3 and C3i Computer: ECM has the effect of “cutting off ” any C3-equipped unit from its network. If a C3 master unit is isolated fromthe network because it ventures inside the ECM radius, the entireportion of the network below it is eff ectively shut off (all unitssubordinate to it on the diagram on p. 132). Only those C3 units ableto draw an LOS to the master unit that does not pass through theECM radius can access the network. If the master unit that connectsthe lances of a company lies inside the ECM effect radius, the linkbetween the lances is lost, though each lance’s network functionsnormally (unless the ECM also interferes with them individually).At its basic level, ECM exists solely to counter Artemis, Narc, Beagle, and sharing information through C3.However, much like Beagle, ECM could be improved by purchasing additional Modules based on advanced rules from Tactical Operations to further enhance its capabilities.Sensor Obscure 1: Prevents enemies farther than 400 meters away from gaining any targeting data against 'Mechs (ie Chassis Variant, Loadout, Damage Readout) in an ECM bubbleSensor Obscure 2: Prevents enemies farther than 200 meters away from gaining any targeting data against 'Mechs (ie Chassis Variant, Loadout, Damage Readout) in an ECM bubbleRadar Obscure 1: Prevents enemies farther than 600 meters away the ability to detect a 'Mech in an ECM bubble on radarRadar Obscure 2: Prevents enemies farther than 400 meters away the ability to detect a 'Mech in an ECM bubble on radarLock Scrambler 1: Increases the lock time for units firing on 'Mechs in an ECM bubble by 50%Lock Scrambler 2: Increases the lock time for units firing on 'Mechs in an ECM bubble by 100%Lock Scrambler 3: Increases the lock time for units firing on 'Mechs in an ECM bubble by 100%, and prevents locks against 'Mechs in an ECM bubble if the firing unit is within the bubble as well ('Mechs with Beagle Active Probe may still lock on inside the bubble, with a 100% lock on time modifier)Ghost Target Mode: Allows an ECM 'Mech to switch to Ghost Target Mode. Generates false target signatures for the enemy to target to confuse the enemy (Beagle Active Probe can identify Ghost Targets as false signals)Counter: Allows an ECM 'Mech to switch to Counter Mode: Counters any other ECM effect within its radiusThese modules should require the base ECM equipment to be installed on the 'Mech, or the modules have no effect. PGI has made the things ECM is suppose to counter available only in the form of end-game modules, why is ECM itself not part of those end game modules?
Edited by DocBach, 21 February 2013 - 09:35 PM.Submitted by Mike Krieger via Liberty Blitzkrieg blog,
Police confiscating Americans’ hard earned cash, as well as a wide variety of other valuables, without an arrest or conviction is a disturbing and growing practice throughput these United States. Since cops get to keep the seized funds and use the money on pretty much anything they want, the practice is becoming endemic in certain parts of the nation. The theft is often referred to simply as civil forfeiture, or civil asset forfeiture. Incredibly, under civil forfeiture laws your property is incredibly “guilty until you prove it innocent.”
The extent of the problem came to my attention last summer after reading an excellent article by Sarah Stillman in the New Yorker. The article struck such a chord with me, I penned a post highlighting it and addressing the issue, titled: Why You Should Never, Ever Drive Through Tenaha, Texas. That article ended up being one of my most popular posts of 2013.
Fast forward a year, and many mainstream publications have also jumped on the topic. Most notably, the Washington Post published an excellent article last month titled, Stop and Seize, which I strongly suggest reading if you haven’t already.
Fortunately for us all, the issue has also caught the eye of the always hilarious, John Oliver of Last Week Tonight. The following clip from his show is brilliant. Not only is it hilarious, but it will hopefully educate a wider audience about this insidious practice so that it can be stopped once and for all.
As one officer admitted in an affidavit justifying his confiscation of an innocent driver’s cash:
“Common people do not carry this much U.S. currency.”
Enjoy:A sore right knee will likely force Washington star Markelle Fultz to miss Wednesday's game at No. 3 UCLA, which would be the fourth time he's sat out in the past six games.
Will Markelle Fultz play again this season?
Did the Washington Huskies star come back too soon from a knee injury that’s forced him to miss three of the past five games?
Can the UW men’s basketball team snap its 10-game losing streak, the longest in school history, on Wednesday and somehow capture an upset at No. 3 UCLA against the nation’s highest-scoring team that handed the Huskies a 41-point defeat in their last meeting?
Those were the questions facing Lorenzo Romar on Tuesday.
For starters, the UW coach isn’t sure if Fultz will play Wednesday and couldn’t guarantee the dynamic point guard will ever suit up for the Huskies again.
“He’s feeling a little bit better, but not to the point where the doctors have cleared him,” Romar said. “So we got to wait. We’ll see.”
Fultz missed the Feb. 9 game at Colorado and Feb. 11 contest at Utah due to what’s been described as right knee soreness.
He returned the following week for a pair of games against Arizona State and Arizona. During his last appearance, Fultz finished with 26 points and six assists during a 76-68 loss to the Wildcats in the home finale in front of 9,462 at Alaska Airlines Arena, including a handful of family members and friends from his hometown Upper Marlboro, Md.
The game was billed as Senior Night and a chance for UW fans to say goodbye to senior center Malik Dime.
It retrospect, it may have been the last college game for Fultz, who is projected to be a top three pick in this summer’s NBA draft.
He sat on the bench Sunday during Washington’s 79-71 defeat at Washington State and barring an unexpected change in diagnosis in the past 24 hours, Fultz will miss Wednesday’s game at UCLA.
“The doctors have to just be in a position where they would have to clear him and that hasn’t happened,” Romar said.
Fultz leads the Pac-12 with a 23.2 scoring average. He’s also second in the conference averaging 35.7 minutes per game, which may have exasperated his knee soreness.
Before the season, Romar kept Fultz out of practice for several days citing a need to rest the 18-year-old star – he turns 19 in May – after a busy summer that included playing for Team USA in international competition and three prep all-star games.
“He definitely is a gym rat,” Romar said. “He loves to play. He’s played a lot of basketball – working out, playing for teams and practicing – all of that last year. But who knows if that’s the cause.”
With Fultz, Washington lost 107-66 to UCLA on Feb. 4 at Alaska Airlines Arena. It was the Huskies most lopsided defeat in 15 years and the most points they’ve allowed in 19 years.
After the game Romar said: “We just didn’t seem to have the fight in us tonight to really fight back and challenge a very potent offensive team in UCLA.”
If Fultz is unavailable for the rematch, UW will likely start freshman Carlos Johnson, who made his first start Sunday while scoring 17 points at WSU. He’s averaging 14 points in the past three games, including a career-high 19 points against Arizona.
“I think we’re a little different team with a little different mindset than the last time we played them,” Romar said. “I think we’ll fight.”
At stake for Washington (9-19, 2-14) avoiding historic lows for the program. With a loss, UW ties a school record for the most Pac-12 defeats in a season. The conference began playing 18 league games in 1978-79. If the Huskies fail to win another game, they’ll finish with more losses in a season than any UW team.
“I believe in sports and situations you have to find different ways to push people’s buttons and team’s buttons – motivate them,” Romar said. “But just to say ‘Alright we got to stop this losing streak.’ OK. Good. So what do you do to stop it? I’m more interested in what we have to do as opposed to let’s just go do this. We have to find a solution. We’ve been working towards that and like I said I think we’ve been getting better.”Apple created the new Swift programming language as a better way of building apps for the iPhone, and it was a welcomed thing. Today, about 18 months after it was first unveiled—much to the surprise of the digerati—the language is finding a home on real-world mobile devices.
Richard Plom, who oversees iPhone app development at Vine, says the company's six-second-video app now uses Swift, and other big names, such as LinkedIn and Yahoo, have embraced it as well. The Tiobe Index, a measure of coder mindshare, ranks Swift as one of the Internet's 15 most popular languages—notable heights for a language so young.
The idea is that coders can now use Swift to build both a mobile app and the server code that drives the app from afar.
But Sean Stephens wants to take Swift further still. He wants to take it into the massive computer data centers that drive our mobile apps and websites across the Internet. This week, Stephens and his new company, PerfectlySoft, released a version of Swift that runs not just on the iPhone and other personal devices, but on the computer servers that deliver data and services to these devices.
This creation is called Perfect. The idea is that coders can now use Swift to build both a mobile app and the server code that drives the app from afar. "For anyone building an app, it's in their best interests to use one language—and the same code—on the front end and the back end," Stephens says.
It's an intriguing idea—though it's still a long way from fruition. Today, Perfect only runs on Apple's Mac OS X operating system, and although OS X is occasionally used on servers, this is far from the norm. But Apple has said it will soon open source Swift, freely sharing the underpinnings of the language with the world at large. Once that happens, Stephens and the rest of the developer community can port the language onto other operating systems, including Linux, which dominates the modern data center.
If nothing else, the Perfect project shows why an open source Swift is so meaningful. The language that drives most iPhone apps today—Objective C—is not open source, and for the most part, it remains limited to Apple devices. An open source Swift could grow to compete with other languages on other devices—and even inside data centers. That's good for the developer world, and well, it's good for Apple. It will bring more people to the language that drives apps on the iPhone. Open source had come to dominate the heart of the software universe, and if it hopes to keep pace with rivals, Apple must expand its thinking accordingly.
Building at Speed
With Perfect, Stephens and company have augmented Swift will the extra tools you need to deploy and run Swift software on the server. Many of these tools were previously built under the aegis of another company overseen by Stephens called Lassosoft. Lassosoft helps coders built applications in a language called Lasso—based on another project that originated inside Apple, back in the '90s—and Stephens has now applied this work to Swift.
This particular project is only just getting started—and it won't really get going until Apple open sources Swift. But one way or another, Swift will end up as a server-side language. That's the way the coding world is moving.
More and more, coders are using the same language on the server as they use on client. A tool called Node.js, for instance, lets you build server software in Javascript, the language originally designed for building applications inside web browsers. Java—not to be confused with Javascript—is the primary means of building apps on Android phones, and it has risen to new importance in data centers.
Meanwhile, in a larger sense, coders are increasingly using languages that let them not only build server software that can efficiently juggle myriad tasks at the same time, but build this software at a rapid pace. After all, that's what the Internet is all about: building apps that can handle lots o' traffic, and building them quickly. That's the only way to keep up with the competition. With this in mind, coders are turning to languages like Google Go and Erlang and Rust. With Erlang, the Facebook-owned WhatsApp serves over 900 million people with only 50 engineers.
According to Adam Jacob, chief technology officer at Chef, a company that helps businesses build and deploy data center software, a server-side Swift would play into this same trend. It's designed for building code at speed, and this code is suited to running modern online services. "This is super-interesting, from a language point of view," Jacob says. "Swift feels similar to Rust. They give you a pretty expressive foundation that compiles to pretty low-level code."
In other words, you can easily express what you want to do—easily build the app you want to build—and the software will operate at a level that is very close to the hardware, that provides extreme speed. Other languages—including Go and a language called D as well as Rust—give you much the same opportunity. But there are always trade-offs. Coders will find one language more comfortable than another. A server-side Swift can appeal to those who build Swift apps on the phone. And perhaps others.
That's why Stephens is building Perfect. Now, all we need is an open source Swift. And according to Chris Lattner—the man who dreamed up the language—that day is only weeks away.Rafael is eligible to play for England but was put off by the row over Januzaj Julian Finney/Getty
Rafael Da Silva seriously considered defecting from Brazil to play for England before the controversial “nationality” debate exploded around Adnan Januzaj, his Manchester United team-mate.
Rafael, who could be eligible to represent England under a five-year residency rule, told his United team-mates in September that he was mulling over the idea of declaring his allegiance for his adopted country.
Although the defender, 23, has played twice in friendlies for Brazil and represented his country’s under-23 team at the Olympic Games in London last year, he could qualify for England on the grounds that he has spent at least five years at United — whom he joined from Fluminense in 2008 — though Fifa would have to ratify the move.
The idea is thought to have…A former Israeli soldier posted photos on Facebook of herself in uniform smiling beside bound and blindfolded Palestinian prisoners, drawing sharp criticism Monday from the Israeli military and Palestinian officials.
Israeli news websites and blogs showed two photographs of the woman. In one, she is sitting legs crossed beside a blindfolded Palestinian man who is slumped against a concrete barrier. His face is turned downwards, while she leans toward him with her face upturned. Another shows her smiling at the camera with three Palestinian men with bound hands and blindfolds behind her.
The incident was a reminder of the fraught relations between Israeli soldiers and the West Bank Palestinians under their control.
Israeli soldiers have run into trouble on the social media sites like Facebook and YouTube before. Most recently a group of combat soldiers were reprimanded for breaking into choreographed dance moves while on patrol in the West Bank town of Hebron. The dance featured prominently on YouTube.
Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khatib condemned the photos and said they pointed to a deeper malaise - how Israel's 43-year-old occupation of Palestinians has affected the Israelis who enforce it.
"This shows the mentality of the occupier," Khatib said, "to be proud of humiliating Palestinians. The occupation is unjust, immoral and, as these pictures show, corrupting."
The Israeli military also criticized the young woman, who Israeli news media and bloggers identified from her Facebook page as Eden Aberjil of the southern Israeli port town of Ashdod. No official confirmed her identity.
"These are disgraceful photos," said Capt. Barak Raz, an Israeli military spokesman. "Aside from matters of information security, we are talking about a serious violation of our morals and our ethical code and should this soldier be serving in active duty today, I would imagine that no |
is an important piece of consumer law. It says that once you buy something, it belongs to you, and you should have the freedom to do anything you want with it, even if that hurts the vendor's income. Opponents of DRM like the slogan, "You bought it, you own it."
Property rights are an incredibly powerful argument. This goes double in America, where strong property rights enforcement is seen as the foundation of all social remedies.
[private property]
This goes triple for Silicon Valley, where you can't swing a cat without hitting a libertarian who believes that the major — or only — legitimate function of a state is to enforce property rights and contracts around them.
Which is to say that if you want to win a nerd fight, property rights are a powerful weapon to have in your arsenal. And not just nerd fights!
That's why copyfighters are so touchy about the term "Intellectual Property". This synthetic, ideologically-loaded term was popularized in the 1970s as a replacement for "regulatory monopolies" or "creators' monopolies" — because it's a lot easier to get Congress to help you police your property than it is to get them to help enforce your monopoly.
[Human rights fist]
Here is where the civil war part comes in.
Human rights and property rights both demand that computers not be designed for remote control by governments, corporations, or other outside institutions. Both ensure that owners be allowed to specify what software they're going to run. To freely choose the nub of certainty from which they will suspend the scaffold of their computer's security.
Remember that security is relative: you are secured from attacks on your ability to freely use your music if you can control your computing environment. This, however, erodes the music industry's own security to charge you some kind of rent, on a use-by-use basis, for your purchased music.
If you get to choose the nub from which the scaffold will dangle, you get control and the power to secure yourself against attackers. If the the government, the RIAA or Monsanto chooses the nub, they get control and the power to secure themselves against you.
In this dilemma, we know what side we fall on. We agree that at the very least, owners should be allowed to know and control their computers.
But what about users?
Users of computers don't always have the same interests as the owners of computers— and, increasingly, we will be users of computers that we don't own.
Where you come down on conflicts between owners and users is going to be one of the most meaningful ideological questions in technology's history. There's no easy answer that I know about for guiding these decisions.
[Blackstone on property]
Let's start with a total pro-owner position: "property maximalism".
• If it's my computer, I should have the absolute right to dictate the terms of use to anyone who wants to use it. If you don't like it, find someone else's computer to use.
How would that work in practice? Through some combination of an initialization routine, tamper evidence, law, and physical control. For example, when you turn on your computer for the first time, you initialize a good secret password, possibly signed by your private key.
[Random number]
Without that key, no-one is allowed to change the list of trusted parties from which your computer's TPM will accept bootloaders. We could make it illegal to subvert this system for the purpose of booting an operating system that the device's owner has not approved. Such as law would make spyware really illegal, even moreso than now, and would also ban the secret installation of DRM.
We could design the TPM so that if you remove it, or tamper with it, it's really obvious — give it a fragile housing, for example, which is hard to replace after the time of manufacture, so it's really obvious to a computer's owner that someone has modified the device, possibly putting it in an unknown and untrustworthy state. We could even put a lock on the case.
[computer that has had its lid ripped off]
I can see a lot of benefits to this, but there downsides, too.
[Self-driving car]
Consider self-driving cars. There's a lot of these around already, of course, designed by Google and others. It's easy to understand, how, on the one hand, self-driving cars are an incredibly great development. We are terrible drivers, and cars kill the shit out of us. It's the number 1 cause of death in America for people aged 5-34.
[Mortality chart]
I've been hit by a car. I've cracked up a car. I'm willing to stipulate that humans have no business driving at all.
It's also easy to understand how we might be nervous about people being able to homebrew their own car firmware. On one hand, we'd want the source to cars to be open because we'd want to subject it to wide scrutiny. On the other hand, it will be plausible to say, "Cars are safer if they use a locked bootloader that only trusts government-certified firmware".
And now we're back to whether you get to decide what your computer is doing.
But there are two problems with this solution:
First, it won't work. As the copyright wars have shown up, firmware locks aren't very effective against dedicated attackers. People who want to spread mayhem with custom firmware will be able to just that.
What's more, it's not a good security approach: if vehicular security models depend on all the other vehicles being well-behaved and the unexpected never arising, we are dead meat.
Self-driving cars must be conservative in their approach to their own conduct, and liberal in their expectations of others' conduct.
[Defensive driving driver's ed sign/scan]
This is the same advice you get in your first day of driver's ed, and it remains good advice even if the car is driving itself.
Second, it invites some pretty sticky parallels. Remember the "information superhighway"?
Say we try to secure our physical roads by demanding that the state (or a state-like entity) gets to certify the firmware of the devices that cruise its lanes. How would we articulate a policy addressing the devices on our (equally vital) metaphorical roads—with comparable firmware locks for PCs, phones, tablets, and other devices?
After all, the general-purpose network means that MRIs, space-ships, and air-traffic control systems share the "information superhighway" with game consoles, Arduino-linked fart machines, and dodgy voyeur cams sold by spammers from the Pearl River Delta.
And consider avionics and power-station automation.
[Nuclear towers]
This is a much trickier one. If the FAA mandates a certain firmware for 747s, it's probably going to want those 747s designed so that it and it alone controls the signing keys for their bootloaders. Likewise, the Nuclear Regulatory Commission will want the final say on the firmware for the reactor piles.
This may be a problem for the same reason that a ban on modifying car firmware is: it establishes the idea that a good way to solve problems is to let "the authorities" control your software.
But it may be that airplanes and nukes are already so regulated that an additional layer of regulation wouldn't leak out into other areas of daily life — nukes and planes are subject to an extraordinary amount of no-notice inspection and reporting requirements that are unique to their industries.
Second, there's a bigger problem with "owner controls": what about people who use computers, but don't own them?
This is not a group of people that the IT industry has a lot of sympathy for, on the whole.
[Encrufted desktop]
An enormous amount of energy has been devoted to stopping non-owning users from inadvertently breaking the computers they are using, downloading menu-bars, typing random crap they find on the Internet into the terminal, inserting malware-infected USB sticks, installing plugins or untrustworthy certificates, or punching holes in the network perimeter.
Energy is also spent stopping users from doing deliberately bad things, too. They install keyloggers and spyware to ensnare future users, misappropriate secrets, snoop on network traffic, break their machines and disable the firewalls.
There's a symmetry here. DRM and its cousins are deployed by people who believe you can't and shouldn't be trusted to set policy on the computer you own. Likewise, IT systems are deployed by computer owners who believe that computer users can't be trusted to set policy on the computers they use.
As a former sysadmin and CIO, I'm not going to pretend that users aren't a challenge. But there are good reasons to treat users as having rights to set policy on computers they don't own.
Let's start with the business case.
When we demand freedom for owners, we do so for lots of reasons, but an important one is that computer programmers can't anticipate all the contingencies that their code might run up against — that when the computer says yes, you might need to still say no.
This is the idea that owners possess local situational awareness that can't be perfectly captured by a series of nested if/then statements.
It's also where communist and libertarianis principles converge:
[Hayek]
• Friedrich Hayek thought that expertise was a diffuse thing, and that you were more likely to find the situational awareness necessary for good decisionmaking very close to the decision itself — devolution gives better results that centralization.
• Karl Marx believed in the legitimacy of workers' claims over their working environment, saying that the contribution of labor was just as important as the contibution of capital, and demanded that workers be treated as the rightful "owners" of their workplace, with the power to set policy.
[Coalface]
For totally opposite reasons, they both believed that the people at the coalface should be given as much power as possible.
The death of mainframes was attended by an awful lot of concern over users and what they might do to the enterprise. In those days, users were even more constrained than they are today. They could only see the screens the mainframe let them see, and only undertake the operations the mainframe let them undertake.
When the PC and Visicalc and Lotus 1-2-3 appeared, employees risked termination by bringing those machines into the office— or by taking home office data to use with those machines.
Workers developed computing needs that couldn't be met within the constraints set by the firm and its IT department, and didn't think that the legitimacy of their needs would be recognized.
The standard responses would involve some combination of the following:
• Our regulatory compliance prohibits the thing that will help you do your job better.
• If you do your job that way, we won't know if your results are correct.
• You only think you want to do that.
• It is impossible to make a computer do what you want it to do.
• Corporate policy prohibits this.
These may be true. But often they aren't, and even when they are, they're the kind of "truths" that we give bright young geeks millions of dollars in venture capital to falsify—even as middle-aged admin assistants get written up by HR for trying to do the same thing.
The personal computer arrived in the enterprise by the back door, over the objections of IT, without the knowledge of management, at the risk of censure and termination. Then it made the companies that fought it billions. Trillions.
Giving workers powerful, flexible tools was good for firms because people are generally smart and want to do their jobs well. They know stuff their bosses don't know.
So, as an owner, you don't want the devices you buy to be locked, because you might want to do something the designer didn't anticipate.
And employees don't want the devices they use all day locked, because they might want to do something useful that the IT dept didn't anticipate.
This is the soul of Hayekism — we're smarter at the edge than we are in the middle.
The business world pays a lot of lip service to Hayek's 1940s ideas about free markets. But when it comes to freedom within the companies they run, they're stuck a good 50 years earlier, mired in the ideology of Frederick Winslow Taylor and his "scientific management". In this way of seeing things, workers are just an unreliable type of machine whose movements and actions should be scripted by an all-knowing management consultant, who would work with the equally-wise company bosses to determine the one true way to do your job. It's about as "scientific" as trepanation or Myers-Briggs personality tests; it's the ideology that let Toyota cream Detroit's big three.
[GM v Toyota earnings]
So, letting enterprise users do the stuff they think will allow them to make more money for their companies will sometimes make their companies more money.
That's the business case for user rights. It's a good one, but really I just wanted to get it out of the way so that I could get down to the real meat: Human rights.
[Another Human Rights Now fist]
This may seem a little weird on its face, but bear with me.
Earlier this year, I saw a talk by Hugh Herr, Director of the Biomechatronics group at The MIT Media Lab. Herr's talks are electrifying. He starts out with a bunch of slides of cool prostheses: Legs and feet, hands and arms, and even a device that uses focused magnetism to suppress activity in the brains of people with severe, untreatable depression, to amazing effect.
Then he shows this slide of him climbing a mountain. He's buff, he's clinging to the rock like a gecko. And he doesn't have any legs: just these cool mountain climbing prostheses.
Herr looks at the audience from where he's standing, and he says, "Oh yeah, didn't I mention it? I don't have any legs, I lost them to frostbite."
He rolls up his trouser legs to show off these amazing robotic gams, and proceeds to run up and down the stage like a mountain goat.
The first question anyone asked was, "How much did they cost?"
He named a sum that would buy you a nice brownstone in central Manhattan or a terraced Victorian in zone one in London.
The second question asked was, "Well, who will be able to afford these?
To which Herr answered "Everyone. If you have to choose between a 40-year mortgage on a house and a 40-year mortgage on legs, you're going to choose legs"
So it's easy to consider the possibility that there are going to be people — potentially a lot of people — who are "users" of computers that they don't own, and where those computers are part of their bodies.
[Cochlear implant]
Most of the tech world understands why you, as the owner of your cochlear implants, should be legally allowed to choose the firmware for them. After all, when you own a device that is surgically implanted in your skull, it makes a lot of sense that you have the freedom to change software vendors.
Maybe the company that made your implant has the very best signal processing algorithm right now, but if a competitor patents a superior algorithm next year, should you be doomed to inferior hearing for the rest of your life?
And what if the company that made your ears went bankrupt? What if sloppy or sneaky code let bad guys do bad things to your hearing?
These problems can only be overcome by the unambiguous right to change the software, even if the company that made your implants is still a going concern.
That will help owners. But what about users?
Consider some of the following scenarios:
• You are a minor child and your deeply religious parents pay for your cochlear implants, and ask for the software that makes it impossible for you to hear blasphemy.
• You are broke, and a commercial company wants to sell you ad-supported implants that listen in on your conversations and insert "discussions about the brands you love".
• Your government is willing to install cochlear implants, but they will archive everything you hear and review it without your knowledge or consent.
Far-fetched? The Canadian border agency was just forced to abandon a plan to fill the nation's airports with hidden high-sensitivity mics that were intended to record everyone's conversations.
Will the Iranian government, or Chinese government, take advantage of this if they get the chance?
Speaking of Iran and China, there are plenty of human rights activists who believe that boot-locking is the start of a human rights disaster. It's no secret that high-tech companies have been happy to build "lawful intercept" back-doors into their equipment to allow for warrantless, secret access to communications. As these backdoors are now standard, the capability is still there even if your country doesn't want it.
In Greece, there is no legal requirement for lawful intercept on telcoms equipment.
During the 2004/5 Olympic bidding process, an unknown person or agency switched on the dormant capability, harvested an unknown quantity of private communications from the highest level, and switched it off again
Surveillance in the middle of the network is nowhere near as interesting as surveillance at the edge. As the ghosts of Messrs Hayek and Marx will tell you, there's a lot of interesting stuff happening at the coal-face that never makes it back to the central office.
Even "democratic" governments know this. That's why the Bavarian government was illegally installing the "bundestrojan" — literally, state-trojan — on peoples' computers, gaining access to their files and keystrokes and much else besides. So it's a safe bet that the totalitarian governments will happily take advantage of boot-locking and move the surveillance right into the box.
You may not import a computer into Iran unless you limit its trust-model so that it only boots up operating systems with lawful intercept backdoors built into it.
Now, with an owner-controls model, the first person to use a machine gets to initialize the list of trusted keys and then lock it with a secret or other authorization token. What this means is that the state customs authority must initialize each machine before it passes into the country.
Maybe you'll be able to do something to override the trust model. But by design, such a system will be heavily tamper-evident, meaning that a secret policeman or informant can tell at a glance whether you've locked the state out of your computer. And it's not just repressive states, of course, who will be interested in this.
Remember that there are four major customers for the existing censorware/spyware/lockware industry: repressive governments, large corporations, schools, and paranoid parents.
[Kid-tracking software]
The technical needs of helicopter mums, school systems and enterprises are convergent with those of the governments of Syria and China. They may not share ideological ends, but they have awfully similar technical means to those ends.
We are very forgiving of these institutions as they pursue their ends; you can do almost anything if you're protecting shareholders or children.
For example, remember the widespread indignation, from all sides, when it was revealed that some companies were requiring prospective employees to hand over their Facebook login credentials as a condition of employment?
These employers argued that they needed to review your lists of friends, and what you said to them in private, before determining whether you were suitable for employment.
[Urine-tests]
Facebook checks are the workplace urine test of the 21st century. They're a means of ensuring that your private life doesn't have any unsavoury secrets lurking in it, secrets that might compromise your work.
The nation didn't buy this. From senate hearings to newspaper editorials, the country rose up against the practice.
But no one seems to mind that many employers routinely insert their own intermediate keys into their employees' devices — phones, tablets and computers. This allows them to spy on your Internet traffic, even when it is "secure", with a lock showing in the browser.
It gives your employer access to any sensitive site you access on the job, from your union's message board to your bank to Gmail to your HMO or doctor's private patient repository. And, of course, to everything on your Facebook page.
There's wide consensus that this is OK, because the laptop, phone and tablet your employer issues to you are not your property. They are company property.
And yet, the reason employers give us these mobile devices is because there is no longer any meaningful distinction between work and home.
Corporate sociologists who study the way that we use our devices find time and again that employees are not capable of maintaining strict divisions between "work" and "personal" accounts and devices.
[Desktop covered in mobile devices]
America is the land of the 55-hour work-week, a country where few professionals take any meaningful vacation time, and when they do get away for a day or two, take their work-issued devices with them.
Even in traditional workplaces, we recognized human rights. We don't put cameras in the toilets to curtail employee theft. If your spouse came by the office on your lunch break and the two of you went into the parking lot so that she or he could tell you that the doctor says the cancer is terminal, you'd be aghast and furious to discover that your employer had been spying on you with a hidden mic.
But if you used your company laptop to access Facebook on your lunchbreak, wherein your spouse conveys to you that the cancer is terminal, you're supposed to be OK with the fact that your employer has been running a man-in-the-middle attack on your machine and now knows the most intimate details of your life.
There are plenty of instances in which rich and powerful people — not just workers and children and prisoners — will be users instead of owners.
Every car-rental agency would love to be able to lo-jack the cars they rent to you; remember, an automobile is just a computer you put your body into. They'd love to log all the places you drive to for "marketing" purposes and analytics.
There's money to be made in finagling the firmware on the rental-car's GPS to ensure that your routes always take you past certain billboards or fast-food restaurants.
[burger]
But in general, the poorer and younger you are, the more likely you are to be a tenant farmer in some feudal lord's computational lands. The poorer and younger you are, the more likely it'll be that your legs will cease to walk if you get behind on payments.
What this means is that any thug who buys your debts from a payday lender could literally — and legally — threaten to take your legs (or eyes, or ears, or arms, or insulin, or pacemaker) away if you failed to come up with the next installment.
[Slimy collection notice]
Earlier, I discussed how an owner override would work. It would involve some combination of physical access-control and tamper-evidence, designed to give owners of computers the power to know and control what bootloader and OS was running on their machine.
How would a user-override work? An effective user-override would have to leave the underlying computer intact, so that when the owner took it back, she could be sure that it was in the state she believed it to be in. In other words, we need to protect users from owners and owners from users.
Here's one model for that:
Imagine that there is a bootloader that can reliably and accurately report on the kernels and OSes it finds on the drive. This is the prerequisite for state/corporate-controlled systems, owner-controlled systems, and user-controlled systems.
Now, give the bootloader the power to suspend any running OS to disk, encrypting all its threads and parking them, and the power to select another OS from the network or an external drive.
[Internet cafe]
Say I walk into an Internet cafe, and there's an OS running that I can verify. It has a lawful interception back-door for the police, storing all my keystrokes, files and screens in an encrypted blob which the state can decrypt.
I'm an attorney, doctor, corporate executive, or merely a human who doesn't like the idea of his private stuff being available to anyone who is friends with a dirty cop.
So, at this point, I give the three-finger salute with the F-keys. This drops the computer into a minimal bootloader shell, one that invites me to give the net-address of an alternative OS, or to insert my own thumb-drive and boot into an operating system there instead.
[Three finger salute]
The cafe owner's OS is parked and I can't see inside it. But the bootloader can assure me that it is dormant and not spying on me as my OS fires up. When it's done, all my working files are trashed, and the minimal bootloader confirms it.
This keeps the computer's owner from spying on me, and keeps me from leaving malware on the computer to attack its owner.
There will be technological means of subverting this, but there is a world of difference between starting from a design spec that aims to protect users from owners (and vice-versa) than one that says that users must always be vulnerable to owners' dictates.
Fundamentally, this is the difference between freedom and openness — between free software and open source.
Now, human rights and property rights often come into conflict with one another. For example, landlords aren't allowed to enter your home without adequate notice. In many places, hotels can't throw you out if you overstay your reservation, provided that you pay the rack-rate for the rooms — that's why you often see these posted on the back of the room-door
Reposession of leased goods — cars, for example — are limited by procedures that require notice and the opportunity to rebut claims of delinquent payments.
When these laws are "streamlined" to make them easier for property holders, we often see human rights abuses. Consider robo-signing eviction mills, which used fraudulent declarations to evict homeowners who were up to date on their mortgages—and even some who didn't have mortgages.
The potential for abuse in a world made of computers is much greater: your car drives itself to the repo yard. Your high-rise apartment building switches off its elevators and climate systems, stranding thousands of people until a disputed license payment is settled.
Sounds fanciful? This has already happened with multi-level parking garages.
Back in 2006, a 314-car Robotic Parking model RPS1000 garage in Hoboken, New Jersey, took all the cars in its guts hostage, locking down the software until the garage's owners paid a licensing bill that they disputed.
They had to pay it, even as they maintained that they didn't owe anything. What the hell else were they going to do?
And what will
you
do when your dispute with a vendor means that you go blind, or deaf, or lose the ability to walk, or become suicidally depressed?
[Phrenology bust]
The negotiating leverage that accrues to owners over users is total and terrifying.
Users will be strongly incentivized to settle quickly, rather than face the dreadful penalties that could be visited on them in the event of dispute. And when the owner of the device is the state or a state-sized corporate actor, the potential for human rights abuses skyrockets.
This is not to say that owner override is an unmitigated evil. Think of smart meters that can override your thermostat at peak loads.
[Smart meter]
Such meters allow us to switch off coal and other dirty power sources that can be varied up at peak times.
[Dirty coal]
But they work best if users — homeowners who have allowed the power-company to install a smart-meter — can't override the meters. What happens when griefers, crooks, or governments trying to quell popular rebellion use this to turn heat off during a hundred year storm? Or to crank heat to maximum during a heat-wave?
The HVAC in your house can hold the power of life and death over you — do we really want it designed to allow remote parties to do stuff with it even if you disagree?
The question is simple. Once we create a design norm of devices that users can't override, how far will that creep?
Especially risky would be the use of owner override to offer payday loan-style services to vulnerable people: Can't afford artificial eyes for your kids? We'll subsidize them if you let us redirect their focus to sponsored toys and sugar-snacks at the store.
Foreclosing on owner override, however, has its own downside. It probably means that there will be poor people who will not be offered some technology at all.
If I can lo-jack your legs, I can lease them to you with the confidence of my power to repo them if you default on payments. If I can't, I may not lease you legs unless you've got a lot of money to begin with.
But if your legs can decide to walk to the repo-depot without your consent, you will be totally screwed the day that muggers, rapists, griefers or the secret police figure out how to hijack that facility.
[TV remote, labelled "legs" "arms" etc]
It gets even more complicated, too, because you are the "user" of many systems in the most transitory ways: subway turnstiles, elevators, the blood-pressure cuff at the doctor's office, public buses or airplanes. It's going to be hard to figure out how to create "user overrides" that aren't nonsensical. We can start, though, by saying a "user" is someone who is the
sole
user of a device for a certain amount of time.
This isn't a problem I know how to solve. Unlike the War on General Purpose Computers, the Civil War over them presents a series of conundra without (to me) any obvious solutions.
These problems are a way off, and they only arise if we win the war over general purpose computing first
But come victory day, when we start planning the constitutional congress for a world where regulating computers is acknowledged as the wrong way to solve problems, let's not paper over the division between property rights and human rights.
This is the sort of division that, while it festers, puts the most vulnerable people in our society in harm's way. Agreeing to disagree on this one isn't good enough. We need to start thinking now about the principles we'll apply when the day comes.
If we don't start now, it'll be too late.
Video: Google. Photos: Cory Doctorow. Layout: Rob BeschizzaCongress has been far too compliant as President Bush undermined the Bill of Rights and the balance of powers. It now has a chance to undo some of that damage — if it has the courage and good sense to stand up to the White House and for the Constitution.
The Senate should reject a bill this week that would needlessly expand the government’s ability to spy on Americans and ensure that the country never learns the full extent of President Bush’s unlawful wiretapping.
The bill dangerously weakens the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, or FISA. Adopted after the abuses of the Watergate and Vietnam eras, the law requires the government to get a warrant to intercept communications between anyone in this country and anyone outside it — and show that it is investigating a foreign power, or the agent of a foreign power, that plans to harm America.
The FISA law created a court to issue those warrants quickly, and over 30 years, the court has approved nearly 20,000 while rejecting perhaps a half-dozen. In any case, the government can wiretap first and get permission later in moments of crisis.
Advertisement Continue reading the main storyAMD released their FX-9590 and FX-9370 processors at E3 2013 which brought 5 GHz native clock speeds to consumers for the very first time. The new AMD FX 5 GHz processors are supposed to be limited edition and would only be available through OEM PCs manufacturer’s.
AMD Centurion FX-9590 Processor Gets Previewed
VR-Zone forum member “MacClipper” acquired a retail sample of the FX-9590 and provided a brief preview of the 5 GHz beast from AMD. But before we get into the benchmarks, we would like to tell our readers a bit of the details about the FX-9590 itself. The processor is based off the same 32nm HKG process used on Piledriver and Bulldozer. It features 8 cores and 8 threads and features 8 MB of cache. Specifically, the CPU doesn’t comes with a 5 GHz clock speed but its the Turbo core 3.0 technology that pushes its clocks higher from the base clock of 4.7 GHz. Retail samples have been appearing on several retail sites since the launch of the new lineup and we are estimating a price range of the processor around the $800 mark which is around the same as the Core i7-3960X.
There are some intresting details regarding the FX-9590 provided by the user, the chip runs at idle on 1.4GHz at 0.875V while at 5 GHz turbo clock speed, it pushes to an 1.513V. This could be quiet high for some cases and would require heavy cooling and power supply requirements for usage. Only a limited amount of high-end AM3+ motherboards would be able to support the 5 GHz lineup such as the GA-990FX-UD7 from Gigabyte or the ASUS Crosshair V Formula. The processor features the same size and die as the older FX-8350 and the only difference between the two chips is that the 5 GHz chip is highly binned and comes with higher clock speeds. The user tested it with the ASRock 990FX Extreme9 motherboard which is considered as the flagship AM3+ motherboard in their lineup.
NOTE: The user had disabled AMD’s Turbo Core 3.0 technology to enable 5 GHz clock speed for all eight cores. This would result in an enormous boost over the stock FX-9590 performance.
The performance of the chip came out close to the Core i7-4770K at stock clocks. It would be nice to see how the processor compares to the Core i7-3960X since both processors fall within the same price range but its obvious to see that AMD’s has not only upped the core count of their CPUs but also the clock speed. FX-8350 itself runs at an impressive 4.2 GHz clock which is impressive in itself. Now only if the IPC and compute side of performance was as great or atleast par on Intel’s offerings. Hopefully, the upcoming Steamroller and Excavator core architecture’s would change that and bring AMD back in the game. You can check out the performance results below:
AMD FX-9590 Performance:
CineBench R11.5 – 8.62 Points
WinRAR – 9249 KB/s
7-ZIP – 28860 MIPS
Fritz Chess – 15678 Kilonodes/S
3DMark Vantage – 27127 KB/s
3DMark 11 – 8529 Physics Score
3DMark FireStrike – 9571 Physics Score
x264 HD – 29
AIDA64 – 26751/17515/22754 MB/s (58.3 ns)
AMD FX-9590 AMD FX-9370 AMD FX-8350 Architecture Piledriver Piledriver Piledriver Family Vishera Vishera Vishera Manufacture 32 nm SOI HKMG 32 nm SOI HKMG 32 nm SOI HKMG Cores 8 pcs. (4 pcs. Modules) 8 pcs. (4 pcs. Modules) 8 pcs. (4 pcs. Modules) CPU Clock Base 4.7 GHz 4.4 Ghz 4.0 GHz CPU Turbo Core 5.0 GHz 4.7 GHz 4.2 GHz L2 cache 4 x 2 MB 4 x 2 MB 4 x 2 MB L3 cache 8 MB 8 MB 8 MB Max. DDR3 1866 MHz 1866 MHz 1866 MHz TDP 220 W 220 W 125 W Base AM3 + AM3 + AM3 +
AMD FX-9590 Benchmark Screenshots:Hundreds of buffalo from America's last great remaining wild herd could be sent for slaughter after being driven from Yellowstone national park by high snow and harsh temperatures, conservationists warned today.
Nearly 400 buffalo have been captured and penned on the northern boundaries of the park after wandering in search of food during an unusually severe winter.
Authorities were testing the animals for exposure to brucellosis, a disease that can cause pregnant cattle to abort. Those that test positive will be sent for slaughter under a controversial programme intended to protect Montana's cattle industry.
"It's a nightmare that is going on here," said Jeff Welsch, a spokesman for the Greater Yellowstone Coalition. "One third of the herd was slaughtered under the same scenario in the winter of 2007-2008, and now we are going back to a similar situation."
News reports said today 53 of the 161 buffalo tested so far were positive for brucellosis.
Meanwhile, conservation groups were seeking court injunctions to stop the authorities from shipping the corralled animals to a slaughterhouse on Monday.
Welsch said hundreds more buffalo were lined up at the borders of the park. If park officials do not succeed in driving them back, those animals too were at risk of slaughter.
There are about 3,900 buffalo left in Yellowstone national park, the last genetically pure herd remaining of the millions that once roamed the American West. Their existence has come into conflict with Montana's billion-dollar cattle industry. Montana has a zero-tolerance policy for buffalo that wander out of the park – in part because of pressure from ranchers who fear the animals will infect their cows.
Conservationists argue there is little justification for the government's brucellosis regime. Although the disease is endemic to the Yellowstone herd there has never been a documented case of transmission from wild buffalo to cattle.
They say the prevention programme has taken a terrible toll on the buffalo. In 2008, after another unusually harsh winter drove the animals out of the park in search of food, some 1,600 were captured and killed, including 1,400 carrying brucellosis.PUBLIC OPINION Masses aren't buying bailout
Indignant Americans stage protests, deluge congressional offices.
Rep. Linda T. Sanchez (D-Lakewood) was also hearing it from her district, which includes parts of the city of Los Angeles and unincorporated L.A. County. "My constituents are telling me loud and clear that they aren't convinced," she said in a statement.
A spokesman for Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) said her five offices had doubled staffing to deal with the constantly ringing phones. Through late Thursday, Feinstein's offices had received a total of 39,180 e-mails, calls and letters on the bailout, with the overwhelming majority of constituents against it. The spokesman said the volume was as great as during the immigration debate and at key points during the war in Iraq.
Numerous opinion polls taken this week came to wildly varying conclusions about the level of support among Americans for the Bush administration's $700-billion plan. But the increasingly loud roar coming from all corners of the nation shows that the idea of a bailout has touched a particularly sensitive nerve among the public.
As congressional leaders struggled to craft a bailout plan for the nation's troubled financial system Thursday, angry protesters mobbed Wall Street, telephones rang off the hook in House and Senate offices and a group of prominent economists sent off e |
the ground I knew there was nothing in it.
"My heart hit my feet and I did not know what to say.
"It is devastating to know that all years I have been coming here to honour my son and he's not been here.
"He is my son and he deserves the respect of a proper burial."
She said someone must know what happened to him.
"Even if he has been incinerated I want to know," she said.
"Even if he is lying in a jar in a hospital somewhere I want to know. If it is possible to get my son back, I want my son back.
"If it is not possible then at least tell me and let me have peace."
Ms Reid said she knew from her time in the organ scandal campaign that there would be other cases like hers.
Dame Sue said: "If I was a betting woman I would say this is not an isolated incident and the reason is that it seems too incredibly well executed."
She said: "There will have to be an investigation of some sort."
"I've never come across anything like this before."
Contacted the police
Funeral directors Scotmid Co-operative Funerals said as soon as they heard of the allegations they informed Police Scotland.
A statement said: "We also recently met with Mrs Reid and close members of her family to offer our full support in what has been an extremely distressing situation for them.
"We hope that our actions in contacting the police will help give Mrs Reid the answers to the questions she has raised about her son's funeral."
NHS Lothian deputy chief executive Jim Crombie said: "Our condolences are with the family of Gary Paton. This matter is now being looked into by the police and we are unable to comment further."Greetings fellow Citizens, and welcome to INN’s coverage of Reverse the ‘Verse, including notes!
NOTES
By: Myself and Erris
– This is Ben Lesnick, director of stuff.
– James manages community and stuff.
– They’re all introducing themselves.
– Vanguard: Nothing to announce about it yet, but soon.
– The thread asking for Vanguard questions is for next week.
– They’ll know more about 1.1 more today, new build last night that they’re testing today, hoping they have no more blockers. If not today, they’ll do the same process tomorrow. It’s very close.
– The ending credits on AtV were a parody of something James has in his head.
– Bug Moderator – Tiberius – is looking for additional bug mods. Send him a message if you want to be one.
– Updates on FPS release: Nothing yet. Going to give it a couple of weeks to polish, character animations are a big thing right now.
– Constellation updates: Not quite finished, they were still working on them Friday. Doens’t mean it’s massively changing, it’s making things modular, it’s making characters can sit down, stuff like that. It’s not a total redesign
– Herald update pics: the second version we were shown, the more symmetrical one, is the one they’re working with. They’re porting it into CryEngine now.
– AC Ship Huds: Zane works about 26 hours a day, and we’ll get unique ship huds for all AC ships…eventually.
– There’s a meet-up in LA, Will might be attending.
– Updates on 64big: 1.1 contains a lot of 64 bit stuff, mostly under the hood. Won’t have an impact on gameplay yet, but it’s mostly there. There’s still some work to be done, but it’s going very well.
– Zane can’t get help because there’s no-one as good as him.
– Star Map updates: Not a technical blocker, it’s a Lore one. The tools to show it exist, but the Universe is still being designed, and they want to put something out that’s pretty reasonably complete. It’s both in-engine and in-website.
– Carrack interior: That’ll be with 2.0 ships. Multicrew.
– Sensitivity for 360 controller: Balancing controllers is a constant process. You’ll see improvements upon improvements over the next year.
– Weapon mounts: long been a claim that Freelancer (the game) style guns are OP, so the new system is reacting to things like that, hopefully in a way that makes sense.
– Mustang mousepads are shipping now.
– CitizenCon Tickets: sitting down to figure out some details about CitizenCon. Last couple events haven’t been as fancy as they should be, so they want to give more details about the event before tickets will be available. ‘A whole new style of SC event’
– Community Team refused to read the Spoiler interview Chris gave.
– It’s not as big a spoiler as people think. We don’t know as much about the game as we think we do.
– Happy Birthday Wulf Knight!
– If you have Alpha, you get the FPS pass. If you don’t have Alpha, you’ll need an FPS pass.
– Tried FPS play test yesterday, but didn’t work. Trying again today.
– Gladius free flight starting in about a week or so.
– Hull series coming along well – Jim Martin working on it. (Designed Freelancer and Defiant from DS9.)
– Ben bought a CD player shaped like the USS Defiant.
– The ability to mess with XML files won’t be a thing in the finished game.
– MISC Reliant (3rd starter ship) is in concept – artist they’ve used before but they’re not saying who.
– If you had to buy an AC pass to play Arena Commander, you’ll have to buy a Star Marine pass for Star Marine.
– They are considering having game packages with just FPS (no Arena Commander) for people who want such a thing.
– Two Xi’An ships in development (Bomber and Transport are in concept for Squadron)
– Don’t want to stagger launch of FPS, like Arena Commander was staggered. Will do so if necessary though.
– No info yet on Audio Chat in game – they’re talking to tech partners about it though, they’ll make an announcement when ready. So many people have expertise with it that aren’t’ CIG, it’s easiest to work with someone who’s already done it.
– SQ42 will be launched fully formed, so you will need SQ42 in your package (but almost every single game package has it.)
– Everyone ever has Beta access (except for the most basic game package). If you want access to alpha modules and don’t have Alpha Access in your package, you need passes for those modules (Arena Commander, Star Marine, etc).
– No updates on Cutlass (still at Foundry 42).
– Player and NPC law enforcement is in.
– No pre-orders for FPS module pass.
– No price for Vanguard yet.
– Yes to melee combat and it will work in EVA.
– 1.1 is a hard maybe for today.
– Extremely sexy F8 Lightning is ready but it’s a special ship (“reward fighter”) for Squadron 42 and there’s no reason the UEE Military would sell them to civilians… so they won’t be selling it.
– You’ll be able to find them in the PU, and they’ll be out there, but they’re not being sold in advance. (might have to steal them from the UEE Navy)
– Do not go steal an F22.
– July – August for the new Santa Monica office. Plenty of new room and stuff.
– Jenny moving in April to Santa Monica.
– As with any ship in Star Citizen, the Retaliator will undergo changes. The interior is NOT FINAL.
– Every ship will be different when the game launches from what they are now.
– Hull series will likely be launched at the same time.
– For the Hull series, it’s not really variants, they’re different ships.
– Idris is not actually bigger… but when they could actually get in it and move around with all of the NPCs it seemed huge. 72 NPCs and it still felt kind of empty.
– Turbulent has finished REC system. Will launch with 1.1.
– Turbulent have been working on REC rather than Org 2.0
– Ben confirms that new modes are being worked on for Arena Commander.
– New modes, new maps, lots of new stuff coming to AC.
– Foundry 42 employee asked if he could work on an idea he has for a new Arena Commander mode that he had an idea for, in his spare time. Shows their passion for the project.
– Possible Linux support: Linux support has been announced. CryEngine supports it, and so can SC. If CryEngine ever supports Mac, then so would Star Citizen. Those things are beyond CIG, they rely on CryEngine support
– They won’t be at E3 officially, but some of them will hang out on the floor.
– Not sure what kind of matchmaking vs server browsers there will be in Star Marine.
– Should work similar to Arena Commander but with the proviso that Arena Commander is constantly changing.
– Working on DK2 support. Engine work is being done in Germany.
– Update on Banu ships: There will be some in the finished game, but we can’t see them yet.
– Can’t see REC-rented ships in hangar.
– The Prowler is Tevarin, not Banu.
– CIG Santa Monica is in an outdoor shopping mall. People walk by their door from the parking area to the stores.
– Snub fighters will not be able to jump independently from their mothership.
– Herald took priority over the Xi’An Scout. Foundry 42 needed the Herald, so it moved ahead.
– Once the Herald is done, the Xi’An will take priority again.
– 3rd Street Promenade (name of mall where CIG Santa Monica lives). It’s in Grand Theft Auto.
– Still no HOTAS update.
– Vanguard is the next concept sale. Not entirely sure when. Soon hopefully.
– The Retaliator will be available for sale once 1.1 drops. It’ll come with a brochure.
– Mark Abent joins the crew. He is working on fixing something on the Retaliator that got broke… and multiplayer issues.
– mobiGlas progress: Just basic design. It will come after there’s a better game for it to work off of.
– Endeavour has a concept artist.
– Snub fighters DO have a quantum drive, so can travel in-system.
– Two mount adapters in store when 1.1 launches. Can be rented with REC.
– Get REC’d with EA.
– No more stretch goals with each million, but if they think of something they want to do they will make it a stretch goal.
– Manned Turrets: Manned turrets can maybe be replaced with unmanned turrets? It would require a piece of kit that has not been built yet. But maybe not, since it might give a big advantage. So unclear.
– The Merchantman has a bridge, not a cockpit. An aaaalien bridge.
– Starfarer news: no
– Gladiator hopefully be in before 2.0, with the second crewman locked to the second seat.
– SXSW – might not be an additional video. There was an in person Q&A rather than a full presentation, so no additional video from the event.
– Jump Point for tomorrow.
– Watch the Forums and Reddit for when 1.1 might launch.
– And done.On December 18, Netflix released a 10-episode documentary that became America's next true-crime obsession. Making a Murderer, a series that took 10 years to film, followed the imprisonment, exoneration, then second arrest, trial, and murder conviction of Steven Avery. Through interviews with defense attorneys, the series painted Avery as a victim—a man targeted by the Manitowoc County investigators, who could have allegedly planted evidence to secure his imprisonment. Of course, today nearly five months after the series's release, Avery remains in jail despite the petitions, essays, articles, and worldwide attention to the case.
If anything, Making a Murderer has so far done very little other than draw public scrutiny to people and their actions nearly a decade ago. While the victims and Avery have been subject to widespread sympathy, the Manitowoc County officials handling the case have become the villains—specifically prosecutor Ken Kratz. Appearing smug and immoral in Making a Murderer, Kratz resigned from his position in 2010 after a scandal broke that he had been sexting a 26-year-old victim of domestic violence whose ex-boyfriend he was prosecuting.
Kratz told Dr. Drew in an interview that this public outrage directed his way put him in a dark place. Kratz said that (Correction: After the Avery trial and texting scandal) he became suicidal. "I actually put a gun in my mouth and was really, really having a hard time with having kind of gone from very well-respected and obviously very into my job to really vilified within maybe a 48- or 72-hour period," Kratz said. And the case itself, Kratz said, brought on a number of other hardships, including anxiety, insomnia, and a dependency on prescription drugs.
"With the pressures I was under after the Avery case, this all began, I would suspect, as a result of the Avery case. It was a case that I was very much in the public eye, very much in the limelight for 18 straight months. We were on the front page and really in a very, very high-profile case," Kratz said. Though Making a Murderer is presented to us as entertainment, it's important to remember that the subjects of this documentary are actual people.
[h/t: FusionI am thrilled to announce that my book Confident Ruby is now finished. I even hit my target of releasing by September 1st… if by “September 1st” I had meant “of the following year”.
So what is this book and why should you buy it? Confident Ruby is, first and foremost, a book about joy. It’s about the joy I found when I first discovered how elegantly and succinctly I could state problems in Ruby code. It’s about the joy I gradually lost as the “real world” snuck in and gradually cluttered my code with distracting edge case scenarios, error handling, and checks for nil. And it’s about how I came to recapture that joy, by employing small patterns and stylistic choices to make each method tell a coherent story.
The structure of the book is that of a patterns catalog. But these are not the large, heavy-weight architectural patterns of a Design Patterns or a Patterns of Enterprise Application Architecture. These patterns are small, most of them taking place at the level of an individual method or even a single line of code. They are related by a single organizing principle: removing the uncertainty that leads to code that is riddled with conditionals, and constantly second-guesses itself; and replacing it with a confident, clear focus on the task at hand.
In these pages you’ll find:
32 patterns for writing confident code.
How to avoid the “MacGyver method”–a step-by-step guide to thinking about methods in terms of the story they tell rather than the building blocks that happen to be lying around.
The most comprehensive coverage anywhere of Ruby’s conversion methods and protocols. You’ll learn not just how to convert built-in objects from one to another, and when to use #to_a vs. #to_ary vs. Array() ; but also how to adopt Ruby’s conversion conventions to make your own objects powerfully extensible.
vs. vs. ; but also how to adopt Ruby’s conversion conventions to make your own objects powerfully extensible. How to streamline your code and eliminate repetitive conditionals with the Special Case and Null Object patterns… and how to avoid the gotchas that can come with naive implementations of these patterns.
Simple habits to eliminate the dreaded “NoMethodError for NilClass” exception.
How to make your methods more flexible by passing in behavior instead of data.
How to helpfully deliver results from your methods when the possible outcomes are more nuanced than “success” or “failure”.
An applied demonstration of refactoring two Open-Source Ruby projects using patterns from the book.
And much, much more… nearly 300 pages of material and hundreds of code listings.
Want a taste of the book? Click here for a PDF sample, containing the introduction and three patterns.
Confident Ruby is is available in three different editions.
Buy Confident Ruby Gold Label Edition ($55)
The Gold Label edition comes with:
Confident Ruby in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle formats.
in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle formats. A 30 minute Confident Ruby companion screencast, in which you can watch “over my shoulder” as I apply concepts and patterns from the book to the Discourse codebase.
A, in which you can watch “over my shoulder” as I apply concepts and patterns from the book to the Discourse codebase. Much Ado About Naught: An Adventure in Metaprogramming. This ebook follows the step-by-step, test-driven development of the “Naught” gem for constructing Null Object classes. It covers most of the metaprogramming techniques, tricks, and gotchas I’ve picked up over the years, and comes complete with whimsical Paintbrush illustrations by Lauren Shepard! (aka my mom)
Buy Confident Ruby Black Label Edition ($45)
The Black Label edition comes with:
Confident Ruby in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle formats.
in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle formats. The Confident Ruby companion screencast.
Buy Confident Ruby Red Label Edition ($35)
The Red Label edition comes with:
Confident Ruby in PDF, EPUB, and Kindle formats.
Finally, as always if you don’t have the scratch for any of these editions, you can still send me a postcard!
(Beta buyers: keep an eye on your inbox for a way to get the Gold Label extras at a special discount.)
Oh yeah, one more thing. One of the things that held up the release of this book was that I wrote a completely new publishing toolchain called Quarto. It’s still early days, but it already has a number of unique capabilities. It’s written in Ruby and is open source, so if you’re a Ruby programmer and interested in publishing ebooks, feel free to check it out and start hacking on it.Harry Atwater thinks his lab can make an affordable device that produces more than twice the solar power generated by today’s panels. The feat is possible, says the Caltech professor of materials science and applied physics, because of recent advances in the ability to manipulate light at a very small scale.
Solar panels on the market today consist of cells made from a single semiconducting material, usually silicon. Since the material absorbs only a narrow band of the solar spectrum, much of sunlight’s energy is lost as heat: these panels typically convert less than 20 percent of that energy into electricity. But the device that Atwater and his colleagues have in mind would have an efficiency of at least 50 percent. It would use a design that efficiently splits sunlight, as a prism does, into six to eight component wavelengths—each one of which produces a different color of light. Each color would then be dispersed to a cell made of a semiconductor that can absorb it.
Atwater’s team is working on three designs. In one (see illustration), for which the group has made a prototype, sunlight is collected by a reflective metal trough and directed at a specific angle into a structure made of a transparent insulating material. Coating the outside of the transparent structure are multiple solar cells, each made from one of six to eight different semiconductors. Once light enters the material, it encounters a series of thin optical filters. Each one allows a single color to pass through to illuminate a cell that can absorb it; the remaining colors are reflected toward other filters designed to let them through.
Another design would employ nanoscale optical filters that could filter light coming from all angles. And a third would use a hologram instead of filters to split the spectrum. While the designs are different, the basic idea is the same: combine conventionally designed cells with optical techniques to efficiently harness sunlight’s broad spectrum and waste much less of its energy.
It’s not yet clear which design will offer the best performance, says Atwater. But the devices envisioned would be less complex than many electronics on the market today, he says, which makes him confident that once a compelling prototype is fabricated and optimized, it could be commercialized in a practical way.
Achieving ultrahigh efficiency in solar designs should be a primary goal of the industry, argues Atwater, since it’s now “the best lever we have” for reducing the cost of solar power. That’s because prices for solar panels have plummeted over the past few years, so continuing to focus on making them less expensive would have little impact on the overall cost of a solar power system; expenses related to things like wiring, land, permitting, and labor now make up the vast majority of that cost. Making modules more efficient would mean that fewer panels would be needed to produce the same amount of power, so the costs of hardware and installation could be greatly reduced. “Within a few years,” Atwater says, “there won’t be any point to working on technology that has efficiency that’s less than 20 percent.”Real IRA commander Aidan O'Driscoll shot dead in Cork ambush attack BelfastTelegraph.co.uk Gardai fear dissident Republican reprisal attacks after a Real IRA commander was shot dead in Cork. https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/republic-of-ireland/real-ira-commander-aidan-odriscoll-shot-dead-in-cork-ambush-attack-35277057.html https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/incoming/article35278450.ece/836aa/AUTOCROP/h342/Aidan%20ODriscoll
Email
Gardai fear dissident Republican reprisal attacks after a Real IRA commander was shot dead in Cork.
Aidan O'Driscoll (37), nicknamed 'The Beast', died during emergency surgery just over an hour after being shot three times in an ambush style attack in Blackpool.
Just three years ago the Ballyvolane native had survived another gun attack.
Mr O'Driscoll was shot in the legs during a 2013 Cork attack after what Gardaí believed was a punishment operation carried out by fellow dissident Republicans.
At one point, he was suspected to have served as chief of staff for the Real IRA in Munster.
The fatal shooting took place in a quiet residential area.
He was shot outside an apartment complex off the Commons Road in Blackpool in Cork, not far from a local church.
The attack took place shortly before 5pm and is understood to have involved a lone gunman and an accomplice who acted as a getaway driver.
Locals reported hearing several loud bangs and seeing a man, apparently masked, running from the scene.
He is then believed to have fled the area in a waiting car driven by another man.
Initial reports are that Mr O'Driscoll realised he was being ambushed and attempted to flee, only to be shot in the back with a handgun.
He was then shot a number of times as he lay wounded on the pavement.
A vehicle was later found a short distance away, close to the North Monastery, having been set on fire.
Mr O'Driscoll was treated at the scene by paramedics before being rushed to Cork University Hospital (CUH).
It is understood he suffered at least three gunshot wounds to the back.
He died while undergoing emergency surgery at CUH.
Mr O'Driscoll was convicted before the Special Criminal Court in 2005 of being a member of the Real IRA.
He received a three year prison sentence for being a member of the dissident group on December 13 2003.
Four other men were also convicted of Real IRA membership in a combined trial.
However, Mr O'Driscoll's conviction was subsequently overturned by the Court of Criminal Appeal in May 2008.
The court quashed the convictions on the basis the Special Criminal Court did not have jurisdiction in the matter because the men were not charged "forthwith."
Mr O'Driscoll was the only one of the five who had been in custody.
During the 2005 trial, a senior garda gave evidence that Mr O'Driscoll was part of a feared active service unit of the Real IRA in Munster.
It was also believed Mr O'Driscoll had been closely allied to Alan Ryan who was shot and killed in Dublin in 2012.
On Wednesday night, Gardaí sealed off the scene in Blackpool to allow for a detailed investigation by forensic experts.
Officers also began door-to-door inquiries in the area to determine if anyone witnessed anything suspicious or may have seen the gunman as he fled the scene.
Gardai stressed that they are keeping an open mind as to the possible motive for the attack.
However, the primary theories are that it was either a revenge attack against Mr O'Driscoll linked to an earlier feud or part of a deadly escalation in a turf war within the dissident Republican ranks.
Gardai are appealing for witnesses and anyone with information, particularly those who may have been in the vicinity of Great William O’Brien Street and or The Church of the Annunciation, Blackpool on Wednesday between the hours of 3.30pm and 5.30pm to contact them at Mayfield Garda Station on 021 4558510, The Garda Confidential Line 1800 666111 or any Garda Station.
Irish IndependentA few months have passed since the initial openHAB 2 release and the community has been incredibly active meanwhile. It is therefore time to push out a new stable release, so here it is: openHAB 2.1!
You can go through the official Release Notes to get a detailed idea of what is in this release, but as usual I will mention some of my personal highlights.
New Device Integrations
First of all, there are of course again very interesting new bindings available. Just right for the season, we have now support for two connected lawn mowers through the Gardena binding and the Bosch Indego binding. Finally you can tell Alexa to mow your lawn!
Looking at more widespread use cases, there are some good news for all connected light fans: There is not only support for all the new products from LIFX like the LED strips or the LIFX+, which comes with an extra infrared channel to light up rooms for IP cameras, while they still appear dark for humans. Much more important for the mainstream is the support for the brand new IKEA Trådfri system, which will for sure quickly gain a significant marketshare with prices of less than 10€ for a dimmable bulb.
IKEA Trådfri and LIFX+
Talking about affordable home automation hardware, a very popular example is the chinese Xiaomi Mi Smart Home product suite which ranges from wallbuttons. temperature sensors and plugs to curtains, human body sensors and smart cubes - all of which are now covered by openHAB as well.
There are further interesting integrations, which are not directly smart home related: Think of things like [email protected] through which you can use your computer as electric heating while helping to fight diseases - a pretty cool thing to do for everyone who heats electrically anyhow. Another example are the traffic-related integrations of OneBusAway for live information of public transport and Tankerkönig for the fuel prices of nearby gas stations.
Last but not least, I am happy that we eventually also have an initial version of a ZigBee binding through which it is already possible to access Philips Hue lights without requiring a Hue bridge and to use plugs from SmartThings with openHAB - many more devices to come!
Eclipse IoT Marketplace
For everyone who is longing for even more integrations than the official openHAB distro can offer, the new Eclipse IoT Marketplace integration comes in handy: The Eclipse Marketplace provides a catalog of add-ons from third parties, which can be browsed and installed easily - there might be many reasons for add-ons not being part of the official distro: Closed source, incompatible licenses, alpha versions, etc. The Eclipse IoT Marketplace is a wonderful service to make them visible to our users and to have a central place where everybody can publish add-ons easily.
Third Party Add-ons from the Eclipse IoT Marketplace
System Administration
Many improvements are available for the overall system administration. We not only released a new version of the hassle-free installer openHABian for the Raspberry Pi and PINE A64 that provides many new options for tweaking the system setup. It certainly also offers the option to smoothly upgrade a 2.0 installation to the new 2.1 release (using the APT upgrade mechanism, which is also available to all other Linux setups).
For the first time we now also offer upgrade scripts for manual installations, which should make the upgrade process pretty straight-forward.
Another cool new project is the openHAB Extension for Visual Studio Code. This is a viable alternative for editing configuration files to the Designer or plain text editors. The VS Code extension supports syntax highlighting for all openHAB configuration files, code snippets, documentation search integration and a live preview using the Basic UI.
VS Code Extension with Live Preview in Basic UI
This is just the start and the development of this extension is very active - so expect many more cool features to become available soon!
Summary & Outlook
I would recommend to browse the release notes in detail in order to find out many more interesting changes. Also note that there are many more contributions in the pipeline, which did not make it into the release, but will appear soon in the nightly development snapshots. To account for the fact that we see a growing number of contributions, we plan to increase the release frequency in future and thus we put efforts into automating the release process. As always, please remember that openHAB is a project that is run by volunteers - so every help is welcome and highly appreciated! A very simple first step could be to give us a like at alternativeTo - thanks!Esteban Ocon (born 17 September 1996) is a French racing driver who currently is a reserve driver in Formula One for Mercedes. He made his Formula One debut for Manor Racing in the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, replacing Rio Haryanto. Ocon is part of the Mercedes-Benz driver development programme.[1] He holds the all-time record for most consecutive finishes from start of career, with 27.
Early life [ edit ]
Esteban Ocon was born in Évreux, Normandy to Sabrina and Laurent Ocon. Laurent Ocon is a mechanic who owns a garage in Évreux. He is of Algerian and Spanish descent as his maternal family is originally from Málaga.[2]
Career [ edit ]
Karting [ edit ]
Ocon entered karting in 2006, when he finished eighth in the French Minime Championship,[3] subsequently winning the championship in the following year.[4] His success continued in 2008, as he won the French Cadet Championship.[5] On the back of that victory, Ocon began the first of his three seasons in the KF3 kart category. He would ultimately win the French KF3 title and finish as runner-up in the WSK Euro Series in 2011, his final season before stepping up to cars.[6]
At the age of 14, Ocon was signed by Gravity Sports management, a sister company of Renault F1 team.[7]
Formula Renault (2012–2014) [ edit ]
Formula Renault 2.0 Series [ edit ]
In 2012, Ocon made his début in single-seaters, taking part in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 with Koiranen Motorsport.[8] He finished fourteenth with four-point-scoring finishes, including podium at his home round at Le Castellet.[6] He also contested a partial campaign in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps with Koiranen,[9] finishing seventh with two podiums, both of which came at the Red Bull Ring.
For 2013, he decided to switch to the ART Junior Team.[10] He took three podiums, as well as his first victory at Le Castellet and finished season on the third position in the standings.[11]
Formula Renault 3.5 Series [ edit ]
Ocon joined the World Series by Renault's 3.5 category for Comtec Racing at Hungaroring and Le Castellet, scoring two points in his first race.[12]
Formula Three (2014) [ edit ]
Esteban Ocon in F3 – Hockenheimring 2014
Ocon made his Formula Three début at the Macau Grand Prix, racing for Prema Powerteam.[13] In 2014 he expanded his collaboration with Prema into FIA European Formula Three Championship.[14] He was on top position of the standings since first round at Silverstone and won the championship with a round to spare.[15]
GP3 Series (2015) [ edit ]
On 11 March 2015, it was announced that Ocon would enter the series with ART Grand Prix. He claimed the championship despite only scoring one victory (two other victories were denied due to penalties) and pressure from Luca Ghiotto.
DTM (2016) [ edit ]
Ocon drove for Mercedes-Benz in the first 10 races of the 2016 DTM season, alongside his reserve driver role at Renault Sport F1. He was subsequently replaced by Felix Rosenqvist, following his promotion to Manor.
Formula One (2016–present) [ edit ]
Ocon driving the Mercedes W07 Hybrid
Ocon took part in the first free practice session of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on 21 November 2014, driving for Lotus F1. He also took part in post race testing in Barcelona with Force India. Prior to his claiming of the GP3 title, it was announced that he would enter the junior programme of the Mercedes F1 team. In February 2016, it was announced that Ocon would act as reserve driver for the Renault Sport F1 team.[16]
Manor (2016) [ edit ]
On 10 August 2016, it was announced that Ocon would drive for Manor Racing in the second half of the 2016 season, replacing Rio Haryanto[17][18] who became the team's reserve driver. Ocon made his Formula One debut at the 2016 Belgian Grand Prix, classified second-last. He earned his best result of 12th in the chaotic Brazilian Grand Prix, dropping out of the points on the final lap.
Force India (2017–2018) [ edit ]
On 10 November 2016, Force India announced that they had signed Ocon for the 2017 season as part of his multi-year contract with Mercedes.[19] He scored his first Formula One point in his first race for Force India in Australia.[20] He finished 10th in the first three races of the season. He then finished 7th at the Russian GP, and continued the points streak with an impressive 5th place at the Spanish GP. He stood at 8th in the drivers' championship, following the Austrian Grand Prix. Following that, he recorded 8th place in front of his teammate. He followed up with 9th in Hungary. His streak of 27 consecutive races without a DNF ended at the Brazilian Grand Prix where he had an accident with his fellow countryman Romain Grosjean when they clashed on the first lap of the race. He finished his first full season with 87 points and 8th in the championship after an 8th-place finish in the season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
At the 2018 Brazilian Grand Prix, Ocon hit race leader Max Verstappen while trying to unlap himself, pushing Verstappen off track and damaging both cars. Both drivers were able to continue racing,[21] and Ocon received a 10-second stop-and-go penalty for the incident.[22] They argued just after the race (which Verstappen finished in second place) and Verstappen pushed Ocon several times. Both drivers were summoned by the FIA[23] and Verstappen was given two days of "public service at the discretion of the FIA" for making "deliberate physical contact" with Ocon.[24]
Mercedes (2019) [ edit ]
It was announced on 23 November 2018 that Ocon will join Mercedes as their third and reserve driver for 2019.[25]
Racing record [ edit ]
Career summary [ edit ]
Complete FIA European Formula 3 Championship results [ edit ]
(key)
Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results [ edit ]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete GP3 Series results [ edit ]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters results [ edit ]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete Formula One results [ edit ]
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicates fastest lap)
Formula One records [ edit ]
Ocon holds the following Formula One records:
References [ edit ]President Donald Trump listens as Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, April 20, 2017. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik) The Associated Press
By JOSH LEDERMAN and JILL COLVIN, Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — Iran is failing to fulfill the "spirit" of its nuclear deal with world powers, President Donald Trump declared Thursday, setting an ominous tone for his forthcoming decision about whether to pull the U.S. out of the landmark agreement.
As he often had during the president campaign, Trump ripped into the deal struck by Iran, the U.S. and other world powers in 2015 and said "it shouldn't have been signed." Yet he pointedly stopped sort of telegraphing whether or not the U.S. would stay in.
"They are not living up to the spirit of the agreement, I can tell you that," Trump said of the Iranians, though he did not mention any specific violations. Earlier this week, the administration certified to Congress than Iran was complying — at least technically — with the terms of the deal, clearing the way for Iran to continue enjoying sanctions relief in the near term.
In a news conference alongside Italian Premier Paolo Gentiloni, Trump also said:
— The U.S. is committed to a strong Europe, though he didn't say directly whether he prefers that the European Union stay intact.
— He sees no military role for the U.S. in stabilizing Libya.
— It's possible he may soon be able to strike deals with Congress on both health care and funding legislation to head off a government shutdown.
On Iran, Trump and his top officials have been walking a narrow line as they seek to show an aggressive stance. While disparaging the nuclear deal and accusing Iran of fomenting violence and terrorism throughout the Middle East, Trump has avoided committing to abandoning the agreement, a move that would be staunchly opposed by U.S. |
upon which inference must base itself.
He later adds:
To the open mind, nature and social experience are full of varied and subtle challenges to look further.
Our ability to cultivate the powers of curiosity and reap its fruits, however, is predicated on our fragile willingness to embrace uncertainty and welcome the unknown. Lamenting “the open-minded and flexible wonder of childhood and of the ease with which this endowment is lost,” Dewey considers the various channels of this loss and how education, at its best, can rekindle curiosity:
If germinating powers are not used and cultivated at the right moment, they tend to be transitory, to die out, or to wane in intensity. This general law is peculiarly true of sensitiveness to what is uncertain and questionable; in a few people, intellectual curiosity is so insatiable that nothing will discourage it, but in most its edge is easily dulled and blunted. […] Some lose it in indifference or carelessness; others in a frivolous flippancy; many escape these evils only to become incased in a hard dogmatism which is equally fatal to the spirit of wonder. Some are so taken up with routine as to be inaccessible to new facts and problems. Others retain curiosity only with reference to what concerns their personal advantage in their chosen career. With many, curiosity is arrested on the plane of interest in local gossip and in the fortunes of their neighbors; indeed, so usual is this result that very often the first association with the word curiosity is a prying inquisitiveness into other people’s business. With respect then to curiosity, the teacher has usually more to learn than to teach. Rarely can he aspire to the office of kindling or even increasing it. His task is rather to keep alive the sacred spark of wonder and to fan the flame that already glows. His problem is to protect the spirit of inquiry, to keep it from becoming blasé from overexcitement, wooden from routine, fossilized through dogmatic instruction, or dissipated by random exercise upon trivial things.
Bemoaning education’s focus on mindless memorization rather than true understanding, Dewey pulls into sharp focus the central system failure that still plagues us today:
Pupils who in matters of ordinary practical experience have a ready and acute perception of the difference between the significant and the meaningless, often reach in school subjects a point where all things seem equally important or equally unimportant; where one thing is just as likely to be true as another, and where intellectual effort is expended not in discriminating between things, but in trying to make verbal connections among words. […] The depth to which a sense of the problem, of the difficulty, sinks, determines the quality of the thinking that follows; and any habit of teaching which encourages the pupil for the sake of a successful recitation or of a display of memorized information to glide over the thin ice of genuine problems reverses the true method of mind training.
In the remainder of How We Think, an immeasurably lucid and necessary read in its entirety, Dewey goes on to explore the most reliable strategies for cultivating the essential “mental discipline” of intellectual development and self-expansion, both in public formal education and in our private journeys of lifelong learning. Download it as a free ebook here, then revisit Kio Stark’s modern manifesto for lifelong learning beyond the classroom.TOKYO (Reuters) - Damage to a gas cylinder caused a loud noise outside a reactor building at Japan’s quake-hit Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant as rubble was being cleared away, plant operator Tokyo Electric Power Co (Tepco) said on Tuesday.
There was no change in radiation levels at the plant’s monitoring posts and no one was injured, Tokyo Electric officials told reporters.
“We found out that a heavy machine caught a gas cylinder in the rubble, like a crab uses its claw, and damaged the gas cylinder,” Tepco spokesman Junichi Matsumoto told a news conference.
Clearing rubble is a pressing task for Tepco as it tries to avoid any further spread of radiation, including that from the debris, in its struggle to regain control of the Fukushima plant.
Three of six reactors suffered meltdowns within days after the massive quake and tsunami on March 11 knocked out the power to the plant, triggering the world’s worst nuclear accident since Chernobyl in 1986.Bill O'Reilly and Laura Ingraham clashed on Tuesday's "Fox and Friends" over what strategy Mitt Romney should employ during Wednesday's debate.
Ingraham is O'Reilly's regular guest host, but the two diverged over how Romney should go after President Obama.
Initially, though, the two seemed in agreement. O'Reilly said Romney should shrug off any potential press criticism and "smack the president like Laura Ingraham would smack him." Ingraham heartily endorsed this.
Co-host Brian Kilmeade then said he had a "fascinating point": that Romney will have an easier time than John McCain because he is fighting an incumbent with a record. O'Reilly agreed, and said that Romney should take a page from Ronald Reagan's playbook against Jimmy Carter.
"The way that Reagan did it was authoritative but kind of folksy," he said. "You gotta take the edge off a a little bit... you gotta do it with more of a twinkle in your eye than a malice." This got Ingraham on edge.
"No, no," she said off-camera. She then said, "Bill, why is 'The O'Reilly Factor' and 'Fox and Friends' so popular?"
"But I don't show malice," O'Reilly said. "One of those crazy right wing talk show hosts is off the air, I understand. Savage? Isn't he off the air? Because he's malicious."
"You call him crazy and right-wing?" Ingraham said. "Oh, I mean, what is -- first of all, Michael Savage, you might not like him, he has millions of people who follow him because he's a talented broadcaster."
"He's malicious, that's what he is, and if Romney starts to do that, if people start to sense that it's personal --" O'Reilly said.
"We're not talking about [talk radio]," Ingraham said. "I'm sorry, Laura. You're wrong," O'Reilly cut her off. "Come on."
"You're creating paper tigers, Bill!" Ingraham said.
Ingraham has been a strong critic of Romney's in the past, but on Tuesday, she said she had recently seen him give some "amazing" speeches in New York.A group of bicyclists ride past the cornfields on DeWitt Road as DALMAC riders began their journey Wednesday morning after leaving East Lansing. Photo taken 8/27/2014 by Greg DeRuiter/Lansing State Journal (Photo: Greg DeRuiter)
When Dick Allen and a handful of companions staged the first Lansing-to-Mackinaw bicycle tour more than four decades ago, Michigan roads were anything but bike-friendly.
"We had encounters with people," the former longtime state legislator recalled Tuesday. "At that time, it was very unusual to see other bicycles on the roads. We had people blowing their horns. Somebody threw a banana peel at us."
One sheriff's department even offered to give them a ride across the county because it didn't want bicycles clogging up the roadways, he said.
From those loosely planned beginnings grew the Dick Allen Lansing to Mackinaw bike tour, now one of the better-known bicycle tours in the country.
More than 1,630 riders from 30 states and Canada depart from East Lansing today and Thursday from the MSU Pavilion to begin their trek and are pedaling their way to the Mighty Mac.
"People come back year after year because they see the same people," said Patricia Trudgen, events director for the Tri-County Bicycle Association, which sponsors DALMAC. "They come from all walks of life. They are out there because they love the idea of riding a bike."
This year, riders will use four routes ranging from 290 to 411 miles, including two that cross the Mackinac Bridge and one that continues on to Sault Ste. Marie.
The 5-day east route is new this year. It was expanded from four days and runs up the center of the state, much like the original DALMAC tour.
Riders on the 5-day Upper Peninsula route will get a rare opportunity: The route includes a 15-mile stretch of Interstate-75 that remains closed to vehicle traffic because of construction. That's never happened before, organizers said.
DALMAC Fund has raised $1.2M for biking-related causes
The DALMAC tour isn't one of the longest in the country or even the Midwest. But it's one of the least expensive tours of its type, Trudgen said. The most expensive route costs $230.
Riders camp at schoolyards along the routes. Their gear is ferried in trucks driven by volunteers, which also transport bikes back to East Lansing. Riders can travel back home by bus or arrange other transportation.
"We've been doing it so many years, we have it orchestrated quite well," Trudgen said.
Part of the proceeds from the tour go into the DALMAC Fund, which has awarded more than $1.2 million in grants to biking-related causes over the past 29 years. More than $80,000 was awarded to local groups this year.
Most riders are men, and the average age is a shade over 50, the TCBA said.
On any given year, about a fourth of all participants are first-timers. But many have been been riding on the tour for years and have plenty of stories to share around camp.
"There was the time when we got seven inches of rain in one night," said Katie Donnelly, who is riding in her 21st DALMAC and serves as the tour's media coordinator.
"That's part of the culture of the bike tour — the war stories. They'll talk about what happened back in such-and-such a year, when they had to sleep in the school or their tent went floating down the parking lot."
Darryl Burris, the current president of TCBA, has more than 30 DALMAC tours under his belt.
"We've had everything from hypothermia-inducing cold to extreme heat, strong head or tail winds, rain storms, even a little bit of sleet," he said.
"Everything that can happen during an event has happened. One year, a route got into camp and the caterer had been given the wrong day and there was no food. We have a crew to deal with those kinds of things, and they got on the phone and called (restaurants) and said,'start sending over food.'"
Tour had humble beginning
The 81-year-old Allen, who still rides in the DALMAC, said he hatched the idea in 1971 after he introduced legislation to create a Great Lakes shoreline route and took flak from colleagues who said bikes couldn't co-exist with motor vehicles.
"We decided to demonstrate (bikes) belong on roads," he said. "We picked up a few friends, set out from the Capitol and rode to Mackinaw. My wife brought along a little camper. We went up Old 27. That was the only way I knew. We just took off."
Fewer than a dozen people did the inaugural tour, he said.
"It was a casual, friendly type of thing," he said. "We thought we were doing something significant, in a way. But in another way, it was just a group of people out for fun. The second year, it got picked up by the Ann Arbor paper and some people from Ann Arbor showed up. By the third or fourth year, we had a big parade through town."
Last year, DALMAC riders wore jerseys that said, "The Legend Turns 80." Allen rode with a group of more than two dozen people, including his children and grandchildren.
Forty-four years after he started DALMAC, bicycles have become more accepted on roads, but there is still a ways to go, he said.
"Sometimes, I'm amazed at the progress and sometimes I'm disgusted by the lack of it," he said. "We need more bicycle lanes. I think it's particularly a problem in communities where you cannot ride your bike to school safely. We need designated routes."
Allen said he has always viewed bicycles as a form of transportation. But many people use them for recreation. And that's become a big part of the DALMAC experience.
"You see a Michigan that many people don't get to see," said Burris. "If you get on your bicycle on a rural road, you see things you don't see in your car. There's beautiful country around Boyne Mountain. You see and experience a lot of things that you don't if your only goal is to get from here to there."
Read or Share this story: http://on.lsj.com/1tKwhJHIn 2010 Carmen Reinhart and Kenneth Rogoff published Growth in a Time of Debt. It’s arguably one of the most influential economics papers of the decade, convincing the IMF to push austerity measures in the European debt crisis. It was a very, very big deal.
In 2013 they shared their code with another team, who quickly found a bug. Once corrected, the results disappeared.
Greece took on austerity because of a software bug. That’s pretty fucked up.
Programming is now essential to scientific research. Pretty much every policy, econ, and sociology grad student I know has used Python or Excel at least once, to say nothing of the hard scientists out there. For most them coding is not interesting. Their job is research, not fighting weird computer bullshit. Knowing shell arcana is as little a part of their world as grantwriting is to me. They want to hammer out some code, get some results, and get back to their work.
In 2015 a well-known fintech company accidentally introduced hundreds of mock applicants into their production database. For months their credit models were completely wrong and nobody noticed. This was a disciplined engineering team who documented carefully, practiced TDD, and ran rigorous code reviews. Even with all of that, serious bugs can slip through. Software engineers know this.
How many bugs happen when you don’t use any of that? Hell, how many bugs happen when you don’t use functions, descriptive variables, or comments?
So how do we fix this? No clue. Obviously we have the technical tools: tests, code reviews, etc. But how do you convince everyone to make a boring, frustrating part of their work more boring and frustrating for such a nebulous benefit? Most researchers don’t worry about this. Neither did Reinhart.
This is a social problem, not a technical one. Which is why I don’t have a good answer. Watching engineers try to solve social problems is either tragic or hilarious, depending on how far you are from the explosion.
The only thing I can think of is to have all papers include their source code. That way other people can help you find any bugs. Not a great solution, but at least it’s something. This is something a lot of researchers want and many are quite happy to share their code. There’s no way to do it simply and at scale, though. Every journal has different means of distributing code, if they require open code at all. I don’t think this would be an easy fix, or even a painless one.
If you have any ideas, feel free tell me about them. Being paranoid about science isn’t fun.
Thanks to Daiyi, Elliot Abrams, and Sasha Ayvazov for their feedback.News in Science
Scientists study evolution of 'Little Red Riding Hood'
Tracing fable origins Little Red Riding Hood may have been heading to her grandmother's house - but anthropologists wanted to know where she came from and just how her story spread.
By applying a mathematical model more commonly used by biologists to study the evolution of species, the researchers were able to create a sort of "evolutionary tree" for the popular folk tale, according to a new study in the scientific journal PLOS ONE.
The project, led by Jamie Tehrani, an anthropologist at Durham University, England, was able to show that "Little Red Riding Hood shares a common but ancient root with another popular international folk tale The Wolf and the Kids."
"This is rather like a biologist showing that humans and other apes share a common ancestor but have evolved into distinct species," says Tehrani.
The Wolf and the Kids, which tells of a wolf that impersonates a nanny goat and eats her kids, apparently came first, originating in the 1st century AD. It is popular in Europe and the Middle East.
Little Red Riding Hood, in which the big, bad wolf eats a little girl after disguising himself as her grandmother, diverged 1000 years later.
The tale was one told by Germany's Brothers Grimm in the 1800s, but its roots trace back to oral stories passed down in France, Austria and northern Italy, Tehrani found.
And a number of variants of the story are told in Africa and Asia, including The Tiger Grandmother, in Japan, China and Korea.
To uncover the history, Tehrani used a method called phylogenetic analysis on 58 variants of the stories, focusing on 72 variables, including whether the main character was a girl or a boy or a group or siblings, whether the villain was a wolf, a tiger, or something else, what tricks the villain used and whether the main character is rescued or not.
The process involves giving scores to each variable based on the likelihood they have a shared origin. These scores can then be used to craft a tree showing the most likely pathways by which the stories branched out.
"There is a popular theory that an archaic, ancestral version of Little Red Riding Hood originated in Chinese oral tradition" before spreading west, says Tehrani.
But "my analysis demonstrates that, in fact, the Chinese version is derived from European oral traditions, and not vice versa," he says.
He says he is using the same technique on other folk tales and hopes the information could shed light on ancient human migration patterns.Gov. John Kasich took office complaining that not enough money spent on public education was going towards classroom instruction. The implication was that Ohio’s public schools instead are spending too much on administrator salaries and slighting schoolchildren.
Well, he’s not implying anymore, he’s now saying as much.
"We are in the bottom 10 in dollars in the classroom and the top 10 in dollars in the bureaucracy and red tape," the governor told a national television audience on May 12 during a live interview on FOX News cable television.
The governor has made similar claims in the past, but his statement also contained something new, so Politifact Ohio decided to take a look.
It has been well documented that Kasich’s first operating budget released in March suggested putting the squeeze on public school education, proposing to cut funding to local school districts by 11.9 percent next fiscal year and another 4.9 percent the year after.
It would seem contradictory to cut funding to schools and yet chide them for not spending more in the classroom, school officials say. At the same time, Kasich wants to increase the number of charter schools, direct competition to school districts.
But the Republican governor insists he is giving the districts choices for how to save money and compete and yet still boost classroom spending all while drawing down fewer state dollars.
One is with controversial Senate Bill 5, the collective bargaining reform law that is suspended while a challenge is mounted against it by labor groups, including teachers unions. The law sharply curtails collective bargaining power of teachers and other public union workers, bans strikes and eliminates binding arbitration.
The other option the governor says districts can turn to is cutting their administrative and overhead costs by trimming the number of administrators they employ and looking for ways to consolidate their services.
PolitiFact Ohio checked a variation of the first part of Kasich’s statement last November when the new governor complained that Ohio was 46th in the country in classroom spending. We rated that claim Mostly True.
New this statement is the claim that Ohio ranks in "the top 10 in dollars in the bureaucracy and red tape."
It turns out the governor based his most recent statement, including the new part of the claim about administrative costs, on the same information as his previous comments, a 2010 report from the Greater Ohio Policy Center and Brookings Institution.
The report, ‘Restoring Prosperity: Transforming Ohio’s Communities for the Next Economy,’ focused on ways to improve Ohio’s economy by strengthening the state’s urban cores. Revising how education dollars are spent was one of the report’s conclusions.
"Ohio ranks 47th in the nation in the share of elementary and secondary education spending that goes to instruction and ninth in the share that goes to administration," the report states. A spokesman for Kasich said it was that line in the 76-page report that the governor is referring to with his comments.
It’s important to note, though, that the statistics, from the National Center for Education Statistics, are from a state-by-state analysis of data from the 2007-2008 school year, meaning they are about three years old.
The Dayton Daily News, which reviewed U.S. Department of Education statistics, recently reported that Ohio was 12th highest in terms of the amount of money spent on administrative costs and 46th lowest for spending in the classroom.
While those statistics do not perfectly match Kasich’s statement of Ohio being in the top 10 for administrative spending, they were close enough that the administration highlighted the story in support of Kasich’s position.
We agree. That the Education Department’s data has Ohio slipping to 12th on administrative spending is not enough to make the governor’s underlying point inaccurate. Knowing it provides clarification.
On the Truth-O-Meter, we rate the governor’s statement Mostly True.Author(s): Bruce Byfield
Krita [1] is well known for having evolved from a toy to a tool for professional artists [2]. In late May, the Krita Foundation announced Krita 3.0, the Animation Release, after the conclusion of a successful crowdfunding campaign [3] to support ambitious last-minute features. The campaign raised more than £42,000 (~$47,500), with a third of its £30,000 goal pledged in less than two days. I talked with Krita maintainer Boudewijn Rempt about the introduction of animation, improved text tools, and revision of vector graphics – three of the major features that debuted in version 3.0 [4].
"Feature requests are a tough thing to get right," Rempt observes. Sometimes, new users ask for something that is obscure or fits poorly with the other features. Other times, a developer might want a feature for themselves. However, usually, that's not how the project develops its roadmaps.
"Usually it's pretty clear from discussions that artists have on the chat channel or the forum, or even in our bug tracker, where the real problems are. And, of course, we have many artists in the development team. They join us at sprints, and they are always around on the #krita IRC channel. So, gradually, a sort of consensus about the priority of different feature requests arises, and we start asking people to do mock-ups and user-experience designs."
Another way features become priorities is what Rempt calls the "organic" method. Over time, the general dissatisfaction or demand for a feature increases, until a consensus is reached that it needs to be improved or rewritten. "Right now," Rempt says, "we're getting people who ask whether it isn't time to start improving the brush engines again, [so] next year, it might be time to spend some really focused time on them again."
Artwork by Wolthera van Hövell tot Westerflier (http://wolthera.info) CC BY-SA 4.0 [11]
Introducing Animation
One of the major goals that developed organically is animation. According to Rempt, four different people tried five different times to implement animation, "which shows it's something people really want." In the original planning, basic animation features were scheduled for v3.1, but they were ready for v3.0 after extensive work was done in 2015.
Animation features for v3.0 include importing and exporting an image sequence, dragging and dropping frames, and onion skinning [5], or working on multiple frames at the same time. Still to come in v3.1 are integration with sound and export to movie formats.
The v3.0 release, Rempt says, is "usable for short clips of hand-drawn animation. But we're not yet in a stage where professional animators actually know about Krita. The professional world is dominated by closed-source software like Toon Boom [6] or TVPaint [7], but with the recent opening up of OpenToonz [8], I hope that free and open software will become more accepted."
"Merida" by Ramon Miranda (http://www.ramonmiranda.com) CC BY-SA 4.0 [11]
Text Tools
The crowdfunding page gives a long list of improvements to Krita's text tools, ranging from improving the basic interface and working with text on a path to using ligatures and composition overlays – essentially, frames within frames that are formatted separately. Many of the improvements will help work with multiple languages, including changing the direction for text flow and making translation easier. At the same time, as Krita becomes more independent of Calligra Suite, "we're going to drop the weird office stuff like the bibliography tool, the paragraph sections, and the semantic markup."
The page also states that changes to Krita's text tools will focus on "creating poster layouts, comics, or game cards." Asked whether such a goal means that Krita is moving toward desktop publishing, Rempt replies, "Well, … not really desktop publishing. We're now firmly focusing on the need to add occasional, but beautiful text to an image for comics or webcomics, or playing cards or designs – not tables, or headers or footers, or text that's connected through different shapes."
Typographical layout as done in Scribus [9] is apparently not under consideration for now.
Artwork by David Revoy (http://davidrevoy.com/) CC BY-SA 4.0 [11]
Rendering Objects Using SVG
Krita has supported saving in scalable vector graphics (SVG) [10] for years. However, the new release also sees Krita rendering objects using SVG instead of Open Document Graphics (ODG), the format that is also used by LibreOffice.
The use of ODG originated because, when Calligra Suite was KOffice, Krita was more closely associated with the rest of Calligra Suite. Given that Calligra Suite was pioneering the use of ODG, at the time it made sense to have graphics displayed as ODG rather than SVG.
When KOffice was ported to the Qt4 toolkit, each application was organized around basic objects, such as a page or a spreadsheet, and documents were built from the addition of such objects.
"It worked, but never really well," Rempt recalls. "When we ported KOffice, renamed to Calligra Suite by then, to Qt5, we decided that it was time to cut the cords and make sure that the office applications would be focused on office needs and the art application, Krita, on art needs." Because ODF has "some odd limitations," Krita would transition to using vector graphics for its basic objects. ODF, Rempt says, "just isn't the right format" for a graphics application, whereas using SVG would improve interoperability with Inkscape and web browsers, "and even with LibreOffice, which has also been emphasizing the importance of SVG recently."
Some work on this transition was done in 2012 but never finished. Now, "we'll have to do a lot of design first," but Krita developers hope that Krita will be stronger for not having to support word processors or presentation applications.In sports news that doesn’t involve Eminem trolling Brent Musburger or the NFL’s opening week, Tokyo was awarded the 2020 Summer Olympics over the weekend, after a atypically peaceful IOC vote in Buenos Aires. Cursed with extended Groundhog Day-esque fallout, we’ve now got seven years to look forward to of articles questioning whether it's safe to hold the games so close to the site of the Fukushima nuclear reactor meltdown.
But as Kotaku pointed out, manga and anime fans already knew this day would come—ever since 30 years ago, when Akira imagined a future Neo-Tokyo during the months leading up to the 2020 Olympics. A British architectural firm will design the new national stadium that forms the centerpiece of the games in Tokyo, which will now be the focus of all underground cryogenics lab and secret military base jokes. It’s nothing more than an eerie coincidence, but one that will hopefully inspire some bootleg Akira-related Olympics merchandise leading up to the games.Just how central are universities to advancing the practice of sustainability? Most professionals would say, "Very." Universities create knowledge relevant to sustainability, they train sustainability practitioners and they often act as beacons of sustainability leadership in their communities or even nations. A good example of this would be the ambitious climate commitment, to which more than 90 colleges and universities in the United States have signed on, facilitated by the nonprofit organization Second Nature.
Given that universities play such a central role, how much do we know about how universities pursue sustainability, in a whole-systems way?
The answer: Not much.
How much do we know about how universities pursue sustainability, in a whole-systems way? But now we know a little bit more, thanks to a new academic research paper on sustainability in higher education, co-authored by myself and three colleagues, and published in the Journal of Cleaner Production this summer. Lead author Dana Kapitulčinová, a researcher from Charles University in Prague, led a two-year process that involved a broad literature survey on tools and methods being used in university sustainability programs, followed by a deep dive into the use of one specific set of tools for integrated sustainability planning: AtKisson Group’s Accelerator suite. (The other two authors were Joanne Perdue, chief sustainability officer at University of Calgary in Canada; and Marcus Will, a researcher at the University of Applied Sciences Zittau/Görlitz in Germany.)
To continue with full disclosure, we initiated this study first and foremost to find out how universities were using Accelerator — in their sustainability program offices as well as in their classrooms — so that we could improve it. We surveyed university-based users from 17 institutions in 13 countries across four continents. We crunched the numbers on their answers and looked for patterns we could learn from.
But one thing led to another and soon we also found ourselves broadening our research. We wanted to understand the tools and methods being used to affect every dimension of sustainability in higher-education (HE) institutions, including teaching and learning, research, campus operations, outreach and administration, including assessment and reporting. We wanted to put our specific findings about the Accelerator tools into a general context.
The fact that no one else had performed this type of general review before is what ultimately got our study published in a major international journal.
TFMAs in the SCATs
We started by highlighting the documented importance of key individuals — "change agents" — in university sustainability processes. These processes usually involve significant organizational transformation, which means they require careful planning and facilitation. Then we asked, how were these change agents — who typically operate with very limited resources — approaching the challenge of facilitating a transformation, especially given the extremely complex nature of large higher-education institutions? What tools and methods were they using?
To deal with our results, we had to invent a new acronym: SCAT — the "sustainability change agents’ toolbox." But just one new acronym was not enough. People promoting sustainability in universities come at this daunting challenge in so many ways, using so many terminologies, that we invented another acronym: TMFAs, for "Tools, Methods, Frameworks/models and Approaches."
When we catalogued all the TMFAs in the SCATs that we could find, in the context of higher education and sustainability, here’s what we found:
So many TMFAs were in use — from various kinds of footprinting, to formal sustainability management and reporting systems, to tailored processes with complex names such as "the Cleaner Production Infused Academic Program for Sustainable Development" — it was impossible to list them all. Some TMFAs were used in just one institution; some were used in hundreds. We could provide only examples for illustration purposes, otherwise our very long academic paper would have become a multi-year Ph.D dissertation.
Most TMFAs we looked at were single-purpose, focused on just one dimension of university life, such as teaching or reporting. They usually did not get applied across multiple dimensions in an integrated way. But we did find a few exceptions, including environmental footprinting methods (carbon footprints and ecological footprints) and participatory assessment and reporting methods (such as the widely used STARS program of the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education). Fortunately for us, our Accelerator training and planning tools also made this list.
The choice of TMFAs in the SCATs were all over the map, meaning it was difficult to find any simple recurring pattern. HE institutions tended to develop their own tailored toolbox of TMFAs, depending on the kind of institutions they were, as well as on the specific change agents who were driving sustainability. The choice of TMFAs also seemed to be influenced by the institutions’ participation in various national or international initiatives. Here’s how we summed it up in academic language:
Integration of sustainability principles in higher education therefore happens on different levels and along various pathways including via international as well as national channels (sustainability-specific projects or programs), via sustainability-aware university leaders (establishing sustainability leadership positions within institutions) or via committed individuals (including faculty, researchers or students).
After describing this rather turbulent marketplace of tools and approaches, our research article moved on to the question of how people were using our tools, known as the Accelerator. The Accelerator is an integrated toolset that includes the Sustainability Compass for orientation and assessment; the Pyramid Workshop for planning and teaching sustainability; the Amoeba Model for training and supporting change agents; and a 360-degree strategic planning module called StrateSphere. The tools are undergirded by a generic sustainability methodology that we also developed called VISIS, which stands for Vision, Indicators, Systems, Innovation and Strategy. The VISIS method is open source, and it has been used by the U.N. Secretariat as well as being included by the U.N. Development Group in a new, recommended catalog of tools and methods to support implementation of the SDGs.
Accelerator, based on VISIS, has been around in its current form for 15 years, but we never actually had gotten around to documenting these tools, as an integrated package, for the academic press. The toolset is proprietary, but we make a simplified free version available to educators, NGOs and individuals for non-commercial use.
We especially wanted to know if they were using the tools as intended: to support an integrated approach, infusing sustainability throughout management, operations and classroom teaching. Despite this long history, we did not have a clue about what people in universities were doing with the Accelerator tools once they acquired them. We especially wanted to know if they were using the tools as intended: to support an integrated approach, infusing sustainability throughout management, operations and classroom teaching, using similar tools, methods and symbols (such as the Sustainability Compass).
Why did we think that universities might be using our tools this way? Because a number of primary and secondary schools — mostly in Asia, and mostly associated with the prominent International Baccalaureate (IB) network — already had been doing so. The Sustainability Compass formally has been integrated into the IB’s global curriculum for middle-year students. Demand among IB educators for our integrated approaches to sustainability had proven strong enough that a new organization had formed and spun off from our commercial enterprise. Compass Education, a non-profit based in Thailand and the United States, provides training on the Accelerator tools (and other systems-based approaches to sustainability) to hundreds of teachers and administrators from dozens of countries every year. The program has spread from Asia to other continents as well.
But success at the primary and secondary levels of education did not automatically imply that the tools would work similarly at universities. Compared to secondary schools, universities are much larger and much more complicated. Universities also have a culture of individual autonomy that touches every level of institutional life.
Compasses, pyramids and amoeba
Secondary schools, in sharp contrast, are quite regimented organizations. There is often a specific curriculum that all must follow and a relatively tight command structure that flows from rectors to teachers, administrators and operational staff. It is quite possible for schools to adopt our "Sustainability Compass" as a framework at the management level, use our "Sustainability Pyramid" workshop to plan action at the operational level, then mirror that process all the way out into the classroom and even into the early grade-levels, supported by "Amoeba"-trained change agents.
We know that it’s possible, because it has already happened.
But that scenario is decidedly not a description of how a university works. In the academic culture, models are meant to be questioned. Pre-packaged tools and methods are met with skeptical criticism. The idea that a university president or chancellor simply could instruct professors, administrators and operational staff to use a common sustainability framework is unlikely in the extreme.
Were our tools helping them? The answer was a resounding'sometimes.' The deeply democratic and inherently critical nature of university culture creates special challenges for sustainability change agents. They cannot rely on a chain of command. They must convene, convince, facilitate, instruct and lead people in highly participatory and inclusive ways. Our Accelerator tools are designed to support such inter-disciplinary, participatory processes. But were they helping university change agents achieve their goals? Additionally, was Accelerator being used in the integrated fashion we intended, across multiple parts of the institution?
The answer to both questions was a resounding "sometimes" — and certainly not as often as we would like. We were gratified to receive a lot of positive feedback on the effectiveness of the tools. In the situations where Accelerator tools were being used, they clearly worked. But we were surprised to learn that classroom teaching was the most common setting for the use of our tools (we had expected to see planning and operations dominate). At the same time, in those institutions where tools such as the Sustainability Compass or Pyramid Workshop were being effectively used in management, they had not spread much into teaching.
Or perhaps it is more accurate to say, they had not spread very quickly from one type of use to another. There were exceptions to the rule, and the cut-off for our data gathering was 2014 (that’s an indicator of how slow the process of getting academic papers published can be). We know anecdotally that in several institutions, use of these tools has continued to spread into other dimensions of those universities — out of the office for sustainability setting, for example, and into student engagement programs or graduate research applications.
What’s next? First, given the importance of universities, our paper concluded that — brace yourself — more research is needed in this area. We think there is a general need for better knowledge about change processes within institutions of higher education, and about how their integration |
Michel Foucault and I was closer to Jacques Lacan and Louis Althusser then I was to Jacques Derrida. I wrote a book on the truth Les aventures de la vérité in which I explore the murkiness of the truth and my meaning of universality is actually closer to Foucault’s.”
In fact, Gilles Deleuze thought nothing of BHL as he’s known in France and of the New Philosophers that he thought were ‘useless’.
“What about Heidegger?” I said, “Do you see Being and Time as one of more important books of the 20th century?”
“Yes, of course,” he answered, “and this is one of the incomprehensible tragedies of philosophy that such a book could have been written by a card-carrying member of the Nazi party. I just gave a lecture at a symposium on Heidegger, it’s easily found on YouTube.” (Here it is, in French.)
“Did you call your literary review La Règle du Jeu in honor of the Jean Renoir movie?” I asked.
“Yes,” he replied, “and also in honor of Michel Leiris. We actually just published an interview he gave me just before his death. Do you know him?”
“Yes,” I said, “he was against colonization but he had a past of beating up African porters during his trips there. It’s interesting because you are Marcel Dalio from the Renoir movie, a rich guy bored out of his mind.”
“Come with me to Libya and Darfur. I dare you to come, this is actually a lot of work,” he replied. As an admirer of Ingmar Bergman’s Through a Glass Darkly, I will.
Additional reporting by Emily Lembo.With only nine months to go, in the fashion of modern presidents, Barack Obama is already planning his post-presidential library, museum, and foundation complex. Such institutions only seem to grow more opulent and imperial as the years and administrations pass. Obama’s will reportedly leave the $300 million raised for George W. Bush’s version of the same in the dust. The aim is to create at least an $800 million and possibly billion-dollar institution. With his post-Oval Office future already in view and his presidency nearly history, his “legacy” has clearly been on his mind of late. And when it comes to foreign policy, he definitely has some accomplishments to brag about. The two most obvious are the Iran nuclear deal and the opening to Cuba. In their own ways, both could prove game changers, breaking with venomous relations that lasted, in the case of Iran, for more than three and a half decades, and in the case of Cuba, for more than half a century.
You can already imagine the exhibits celebrating them at the Barack Obama Presidential Center to be built on the south side of Chicago. But it's hard not to wonder how that institution will handle the three major foreign policy promises the new president made in the distant days of 2008-2009. After all, he was, in part, swept into the presidency on a blunt promise to end George W. Bush’s catastrophic war in Iraq. (“So when I am Commander-in-Chief, I will set a new goal on Day One: I will end this war.”) Nine years later, he’s once again taken this country into the Big Muddy of an Iraq War, either the third or fourth of them in the last five presidencies (depending on whether you count the Reagan administration support for Saddam Hussein’s war with Iran in the 1980s). At this moment, having just dispatched B-52s, the classic Vietnam-era carpet-bombing plane of choice (Ted Cruz must be thrilled!) to Qatar as part of that war effort, and being on a mission-creep path ever deeper into what can only be called the Iraq quagmire, we're likely to be talking about a future museum exhibit from hell.
But it won’t begin to match the special exhibit that will someday undoubtedly explore the president’s heartfelt promise to work to severely curtail the American and global nuclear arsenals and put the planet on a path to -- a word that had never previously hovered anywhere near the Oval Office -- nuclear abolition. The president’s disarmament ambitions were, in fact, significantly responsible for his 2009 Nobel Prize, an honor that almost uniquely preceded any accomplishments. Now, the same man is presiding over a planned three-decade, trillion-dollar renovation and modernization of that same arsenal, including the development of an initial generation of “smart” nukes, potentially first-use weapons. It’s certainly been a unique path for our first outright anti-nuclear president to take and deserves a special place of (dis)honor at the future Obama center.
Barring surprising developments in the coming months, however, no exhibit is likely to be more striking or convoluted than the one that will have to be dedicated to the "closing" of Guantánamo, the notorious offshore, Bush-era prison camp. After all, as TomDispatch regular Karen Greenberg, author of Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State, a striking soon-to-be-published anatomy of post-9/11 national security state mania, points out today, the closing of Guantánamo within a year represented one of the president’s first promises on entering the Oval Office. Unless somehow he succeeds in shutting Gitmo down over fierce Republican congressional opposition in these final months, it could prove the pièce de résistance of his future museum. Tom
Can you believe it? We’re in the last year of the presidency of the man who, on his first day in the Oval Office, swore that he would close Guantánamo, and yet it and everything it represents remains part of our all-American world. So many years later, you can still read news reports on the ongoing nightmares of that grim prison, ranging from detention without charge to hunger strikes and force feeding. Its name still echoes through the halls of Congress in bitter debate over what should or shouldn’t be done with it. It remains a global symbol of the worst America has to offer.
In case, despite the odds, it should be closed in this presidency, Donald Trump has already sworn to reopen it and “load it up with bad dudes,” while Ted Cruz has warned against returning the naval base on which it’s located to the Cubans. In short, that prison continues to haunt us like an evil spirit. While President Obama remains intent on closing it, he continues to make the most modest and belated headway in reducing its prisoner population, while a Republican Congress remains no less determined to keep it open. With nine months left until a new president is inaugurated, the question is: Can this country’s signature War on Terror prison ever be closed?
The “Forever Detainees”
Here then is a little dismal history of a place most Americans would prefer not even to think about.
In January 2002, President George W. Bush opened the Guantánamo Bay Detention facility. It was to hold, in Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld’s phrase, the “worst of the worst” in the War on Terror. Over time, its population rose to nearly 800 prisoners from 44 countries, some captured in Afghanistan, some traded for bounty payments by vindictive neighbors or hostile tribesmen, and some seized by CIA operatives in countries far from Taliban territory. The prison then held more al-Qaeda and Taliban followers than leaders, but many prisoners were neither: they had simply been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Recognizing this, within a few years the Bush administration sent more than 500 of the detainees back to their countries of origin or to other countries willing to accept them.
Then, in 2006, Bush made the lie of Guantánamo a reality. His administration finally transferred “the worst of the worst” to the by-then-notorious island prison. Those 16 individuals included five who stood accused of participating in the 9/11 conspiracy, and others who were believed responsible for devastatingly lethal attacks against American targets in the 1990s, including the American Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania in 1998 and the USS Cole in the Yemeni port of Aden in 2000. All had been held for years in CIA custody in “black sites” in countries around the world. All had been subjected to “enhanced interrogation techniques,” which was, of course, the administration's (and, in those years, the media's) euphemism for some of the oldest torture practices known.
That move would prove a game changer. Instead of Guantánamo’s population shrinking into irrelevance and dwindling into obscurity, as it should have, the prison for the first time became exactly what Rumsfeld had promised it would be: a place for the most notorious al-Qaeda “high value detainees” (HVDs) that the U.S. held. Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the “mastermind” of 9/11, and four others allegedly involved in planning or carrying out the attacks on New York and Washington were among them.
That same fall, Congress passed the Military Commissions Act aimed at assuring that Guantánamo would be a site not only for offshore detention, but for offshore justice as well. At some future point, Mohammed and the others were to be tried by the U.S. military in Cuba, not in American civilian courts in the U.S. For the first time, the military commissions, like the high value detainees, seemed to give Guantánamo definition (other than simply as a site of abuse, mistreatment, and injustice) and the possibility, in the context of the war on terror, of forward momentum. Those not released could now be tried. And yet by the end of the Bush years, only three prisoners, none of them HVDs, had been successfully convicted -- fewer, in other words, than the five who died in custody there in those years.
That should have been revealing enough for conclusions to be drawn. It turned out that even a secretive, militarized, legally compromised system of “justice” couldn’t successfully bring to trial individuals involved in the crime that launched the new century, when the major evidence against them often came from brutal forms of torture. As a result, most of the Guantánamo detainees had settled into a familiar state of limbo by the time Barack Obama took office in January 2009. At the time, 242 detainees were still in custody there and those military trials were going nowhere fast. The new president arrived on a white horse, full of promises about ending the stasis at Guantánamo and ready to make sense of things. He promptly promised to close the prison for good and suspended the military commissions.
That left the problem of somehow resolving the unsettled status of the various detainees then in custody at Gitmo, individuals who essentially fell into three categories: those deemed not to pose a danger to the U.S. who were to be released; those considered too dangerous for release but -- thanks to tortured testimony -- not prosecutable even in military courts and were to be kept in indefinite detention (a group Miami Herald reporter Carol Rosenberg aptly termed “forever prisoners”); and those who would someday be tried by some version of the suspended military commissions.
By the summer of his first year in office, Obama had announced that he would accept the distinctly un-American reality of indefinite detention and the military commissions as well, although in a new form still to be legislated by Congress. From then on, his presidency would remain eerily locked in the embrace of the Bush administration on Guantánamo and, promises or no, one thing was quickly clear: the president was not about to go out on a limb for the Gitmo detainees; he had other things to tend to (like a health-care proposal). Meanwhile, a task force appointed by the president determined that 48 detainees should indeed be kept in indefinite detention, 36 prosecuted, and the rest released via transfers to other countries.
Shrinking Gitmo
Given his promises, it was not exactly a record to feel proud of, but in his seven years in office, President Obama has at least made some headway in terms of the sheer size of the Gitmo population. Admittedly, the pace of releases has been abysmally slow. Dozens of prisoners have been declared no longer dangerous and yet left to languish in their cells. Meanwhile, diplomatic negotiations for their resettlement in countries neither so fragile that terrorism is a daily reality, nor likely to abuse them further dragged on (while congressional Republicans continue to fight on tooth and nail to keep them in place). Still, today there are “only” 80 remaining detainees, a third of the population in January 2009. Twenty-six of those have been cleared for release but are still awaiting transfer years later, while 44 continue to be held without charges in indefinite detention. Nine face actual charges before the military commissions.
Whatever the reduction in numbers, however, the camp stands essentially as it did under Bush, a monument to bad memories. It still has dozens of individuals locked away in a grim state of hopelessness, some cleared for release but doubting their transfers will ever occur, others having given up entirely and on hunger strikes -- essentially trying to commit suicide.
Theoretically, the pace of resettlement for those already cleared for release could be speeded up and the Periodic Review Board, charged with deciding if an individual no longer poses a danger to this country, could meet more frequently to agree on releases among the relatively small number of detainees whose futures are still undetermined. Were that to happen (and it might), within months the population of Gitmo could be reduced to a relatively few detainees.
It’s worth noting that U.S. taxpayers continue to ante up a pretty penny to maintain Gitmo and its shrinking group of inmates in its present state. The cost to keep a detainee there in 2015 is estimated at between $3.7 million and $4.2 million a year. Were that population to be reduced significantly, those millions of dollars per detainee would only skyrocket up. The smaller the number remaining there and the higher the cost per head, the more likely that even a reluctant Congress might eventually agree to move them to the U.S., although “closing Guantánamo” will then mean bringing Gitmo practices -- indefinite detention without charges, the most fundamental violation of due process imaginable -- to the mainland.
Regressive Justice
That would leave one thing and one thing alone standing in the way of Guantánamo’s official end: the military commissions, and that would indeed be ironic. After all, unlike indefinite detention or torture, those commissions are a recognizable, if flawed, part of the American legal tradition, used during both the Civil War and the Second World War.
They have been marked by failure from the outset. The commissions were not initially on the minds of the Bush administration lawyers and officials who organized the war on terror, set up that Cuban outpost, and enhanced those classic torture “techniques.” In fact, offshore detention was meant to skirt the U.S. justice system almost entirely and get information from the captured men by any means necessary. The goal was clear enough: to fill in for the unfortunate lack of knowledge American intelligence services had about Osama bin Laden, the al-Qaeda network, their hideouts and training camps.
To give themselves leeway in terms of prisoner interrogation and treatment, the administration refused to consider those held there as prisoners of war (POWs), for fear that methods of interrogation would be restricted by the Geneva Conventions. Instead, they coined a term, “enemy combatants,” to create a category beyond the bounds of legality. To this day, U.S. officials speak of the remaining detainees at Gitmo as neither “prisoners” nor POWs.
Soon after the prison was set up, the Bush administration referred 24 of those “enemy combatants” to an ad hoc process which they began to call “military commissions” -- until, in June 2006, the Supreme Court declared them invalid unless authorized by Congress (which then dutifully and hastily passed the Military Commissions Act of 2006).
All these years later, only eight prisoners have been convicted under the commissions that were suspended and then revived by Obama. Three of them, convicted before he took office, have since had their charges vacated or overturned. Put another way, you could say that the commissions are regressing in their goal to clear Gitmo’s cases. Once able to claim eight convictions, they can now count only five, and in the months to come, depending on a future decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals in Washington, that number may be reduced further. In sum, the commissions have shown not the slightest progress when it comes to the mission of closing Gitmo.
There are, of course, federal courts in the U.S. with much experience in trying terror cases and a 100% conviction rate when it comes to major ones. To give Obama administration officials some credit, they did initially want to dump the military commissions for trials on the mainland and even moved one high value detainee, Ahmed Ghailani, to the federal courthouse in New York City. While his trial did result in a jury conviction on a single charge and a sentence of life without parole, the trial itself was seen by those who prefer to keep Gitmo open as proof that terrorists do stand a chance of going free in federal courts. Much of the evidence against Ghailani, tainted by torture, was excluded from the trial. While the jury knew neither about his torture nor the fact that he had been held at Guantánamo, Ghailani was acquitted on 283 of 284 counts. In a situation in which the phrase “courage of your convictions” would never be brought to bear, President Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder backed down amid a torrent of criticism, and the military commissions continued at Guantánamo.
And yet for anyone hoping to see that prison closed in our lifetimes, sooner or later the idea of transferring those formally charged with terrorism to the federal courts will have to be revived. The place of choice, were this to happen, should probably be a courthouse relatively close to the White House: the Eastern District Court of Virginia (EDVA). It has, since 9/11, overseen a variety of high-profile terror cases, including those of Zacarias Moussaoui, John Walker Lindh, and Abu Ali.
It is also an inside-the-Beltway courthouse; its judges and prosecutors are familiar with using intelligence-related classified information. It is near the Department of Justice and can call on the expertise of officials at the FBI, CIA, and elsewhere who have been working on these cases for years. Finally, it has earned a reputation as the “rocket docket,” a fast-paced venue that tries such cases with speed -- and given how long these trials have been postponed, speed is an important consideration.
Closing Gitmo?
There are a variety of ways that the EDVA could receive cases from the military commissions, ranging from a presidential act in defiance of a Congressional ban on transferring any Gitmo prisoners to the U.S. to actual congressional authorization. There is, however, one man who could make all of this far more likely and that’s Brigadier General Mark Martins, the chief prosecutor of the Office of Military Commissions since 2011. With soldierly loyalty, a sharp legal mind, and a charismatic public demeanor, Martins has for six long years defended the ability of the Guantánamo commissions to succeed as constitutionally and legally valid courts with built-in protections and procedures that approach those of federal criminal courts. He has the power to declare the commissions no longer viable, leaving the administration with little choice but to close them. Were he to do so, it would be a game-changer.
A former adviser to General David Petraeus in Iraq and Afghanistan and co-chair of the task force that revived the commissions after Obama came into office, he has suffered one setback after another. In these years, he has been blindsided by the CIA’s attempts to spy on the commission’s Gitmo courtroom, as well as on the rooms where attorneys meet the defendants they represent. He’s been stopped in his tracks by federal courts that declared the main charges against the detainees he was trying “unlawful”; embarrassed by the mysterious transfer of defense counsel materials to the prosecution’s computers; and humiliated, month after month, by the failure to deliver on the promise he made that the commission’s procedures in their “fundamental guarantees of a fair and just trial” would be “comparable to trials in federal courts." Those procedures have instead proven to be a farce.
Were General Martins to finally accept the reality of Gitmo -- that, given its history, nothing there can truly resemble justice -- he might be able to lead even a recalcitrant Republican Congress, the administration in its last days, and the American public to the only realistic conclusion: that the military commissions will never work and it’s finally time to shut Gitmo down. After all, it is hard to imagine any system that would do worse than the one that, for a decade, has failed even to begin the trials of the men charged as perpetrators of 9/11.
Those attacks left an open wound that will not heal, not without actual justice. For the sake of the victims’ families, for the ability of the country to move on, for the very confidence of the nation in its judicial system, those defendants need to be tried and Guantánamo has proven itself incapable of doing so.
Still, all of us have to face another possibility: that the prison will not be closed in what’s left of the Obama years or in the presidency to follow; that this country will instead be left in the twilight zone of Gitmo and in a world where its values are the ones eternally associated with America; and that we will continue to be known as a nation willing to avoid justice, if not deny it outright. Even at this late date, closing Gitmo and moving the military commission trials back to federal court would help heal the wound that the war on terror inflicted on the country’s deepest identity -- as a nation of justice for all.
Karen J. Greenberg, a TomDispatch regular, is the director of the Center on National Security at Fordham Law School and author of The Least Worst Place: Guantánamo’s First 100 Days. Her latest book, Rogue Justice: The Making of the Security State (Crown Publishers), will be published in May. Andrew Dalack, a research fellow at the Center on National Security, helped with this article.
Follow TomDispatch on Twitter and join us on Facebook. Check out the newest Dispatch Book, Nick Turse’s Tomorrow’s Battlefield: U.S. Proxy Wars and Secret Ops in Africa, and Tom Engelhardt's latest book, Shadow Government: Surveillance, Secret Wars, and a Global Security State in a Single-Superpower World.
Copyright 2016 Karen J. GreenbergI’m real confused guys. The Titans have become one of the most fun teams in the NFL right under our noses without anyone realizing it. It doesn’t make any sense, but that is what has happened. The Titans just dunked hardcore all over the Packers and got a few people to notice them this past weekend, but really, it’s been this way most of the season. The Titans are fun! I don’t want to say good, at least genuinely good, not yet, but they are close, and they are playing fun football as they rise.
I don’t know how this happened. By all accounts it shouldn’t be happening. The Titans were the worst team in football last season. They replaced Ken Whisenhunt with Mike Mularkey, a coach who’s best known for getting fired from the cursed Jaguars after one season. He vowed to play “exotic smashmouth” and looked to waste the talent of a young QB who was built for anything but that. The offensive line, despite several first round picks, was bad. They picked up Demarco Murray, who was considered a product of the Dallas O-line after failing hard in Philly. The defense had basically no recognizable names on it besides Brian “More or less mediocre” Orakpo. The only other names on that D that anyone knows are the corpse of rapist Perrish Cox and Jason McCourty, I guess. By all accounts, this team should be terrible.
But they are fun! They are arguably good!
Is..is…Mike Mularkey a good coach? Or at least not the complete joke we thought he was? (Oh shit)
Is Marcus Mariota a secret star? He’s perfect in the Redzone! Have people only written him off because Titans? (Yes)
Is Delanie Walker awesome? (He is)
Is Demarco Murray actually good (Looks like it!)
Has the O-line finally come together? (Maybe!)
Can the average NFL fan name a defender on that roster now? (I highly doubt it!)
I really can’t say the Titans are truly good yet. Their wins so far have been against:
The Lions (Controversy in that win too)
Dolphins (Pre-figuring out Jay Ajai is good)
Browns (lol)
Jaguars (lol)
Packers (wait what? Oh, hold on, the Packers are bad this season. But still, a slaughter)
But missing in these somewhat unimpressive wins are the fact that they’ve also been competitive in their losses. Only the Vikings loss strikes me as truly what everything expected from this team, and even that game wasn’t too bad. Mariota had 2 TDs on that Defense. They played the Texans, Colts, Chargers, & Raiders fairly close. The Titans aren’t quite playoff caliber yet, but they might be next year, and could be this year if the Texans collapse (highly possible, kind of stunned the Texans have that many wins as it is).
But they lead the entire league in rushing. Top 10 in passing (only 2 teams have more passing TDs!). top half in receiving yards! They are #2 in total offense! The defense needs work, but this team is actually kind of good!
I started TheDrawPlay back after the Jeff Fisher era, around Mike Munchak (remember him?), so the Titans have been a joke as long as I’ve done this site. This is the first season when the Titans have been worth watching in the DP era, and I’m kind of excited about it.RSPCA removes 132 animals removed from house
Updated
RSPCA inspectors have removed 132 animals from a Maylands property that were living in unhygienic conditions.
The property, which cannot be identified, housed significant numbers of cats, rabbits and birds.
Inspectors say many of the animal required immediate veterinary attention.
RSPCA chief executive David van Ooran says a team worked through the day and night to rescue the animals.
"It was brought to our attention by a concerned member of the public," he said.
"Our inspectorate team visited the site mid-morning and spent the next 16 to 18 hours working through the investigation, which included collecting up the animals.
"There's a significant impact on our site here, it probably takes the tally of animals at our Malaga shelter to over 300, so we unfortunately have to close our adoptions and retail services as our staff are very busy managing the animals."
Topics: animals, animal-welfare, maylands-6051
First postedMastodon has been known for their “Making Of…” documentaries ever since they released Blood Mountain back in 2006. The band has continued this trend and now has released a 75 minute documentary for their latest album Emperor of Sand. The documentary will feature the 12 part-series the band previously posted prior to the album release, as well as 30 minutes of new footage. The band provided a nice little statement:
Earlier this year we released a 12-part series showing the making of our album ‘Emperor of Sand.’ We’ve cut it all together, added over 30 minutes of never before seen footage and turned it into a documentary! This is a deep look into the making of the album and the inspiration behind the music. With the GRAMMY nominations Emperor of Sand has received this week, we thought it was the perfect time to release it. We hope you enjoy the documentary. If you do, feel free to share it! Thanks to Jimmy Hubbard helping us put this together!
Mastodon has been superb at making and releasing mini-docs. One of my favorite “Making Of…” documentaries of all time is probably Crack The Skye, so it’s safe to say that this doc will be lights out. Check it out below:
[via Metalinjection]America’s top personal computer maker, Hewlett-Packard, was dumped today from the Dow Jones Industrial Index, the list of 30 blue-chip stocks picked to reflect the essential makeup of U.S. economy.
That’s a sign of just how fast computing is changing. But technological change may also be shortening the lifespan of all great companies. (Also off the Dow Jones list today are Bank of America and Alcoa. The new additions are Nike, Visa, and Goldman Sachs.)
Someone who has looked at this question is Richard N. Foster, a consultant who helped popularize of the idea of “creative destruction” (also the cover line for our latest issue). That’s the process by which large companies eventually get crushed by innovations made elsewhere.
HP is a case in point. It sells PCs, notebook computers, and printers. And people just aren’t buying as many of those as before. Instead, they’re shifting to the fastest-spreading consumer technologies ever, smartphones and tablets (see “Are Smart Phones Spreading Faster than Any Technology in Human History?”). HP’s business—though still huge—has started to shrink.
To get a handle on whether the rise and fall of great companies is speeding up, Foster looked at another, more inclusive stock index, the S&P 500, which is a list of the 500 most valuable companies traded on the U.S. stock market.
What Foster found is that the rate at which companies get bumped off the S&P 500 has been accelerating. Back in 1958, a company could expect to stay on the list for 61 years. These days, the average is just 18 years.
Companies can fall off the S&P 500 when they get too small, or get acquired. No one really knows why the rate of turnover is speeding up, but technological disruption could be one big reason. Since 2002, Google, Amazon, and Netflix have joined the S&P 500, while Kodak, the New York Times, Palm and Compaq have all been forced off, essentially by changing technology.
Today’s S&P 500 includes many familiar firms, like Apple, AT&T, Corning, Ford, Intel, and Yahoo (and Hewlett-Packard, too). Yet at today’s fast rate of turnover, three out of four names on the list will be banished into obscurity within the next fifteen years.
Foster’s view is that big companies can’t ever out-innovate the market. Instead, he thinks that to stay big, companies need to be willing to exit old businesses and enter new ones—and do it quite boldly. (HP, by contrast, can’t decide whether to jettison its PC business.)
Foster’s data do tell us which company is America’s greatest corporate survivor. It’s General Electric, the only company that’s remained on the S&P Index since it started in 1926.Police in the Netherlands have reportedly arrested a gang they say stole over 500,000 euro (around $590,000) worth of iPhones from the back of a moving truck.
According to the Associated Press, five men allegedly removed the Apple devices from the back of a truck by driving up behind the vehicle on a highway late at night and clambering over the hood of their modified van.
Police say the men were arrested on Saturday at a holiday park in the Netherlands. The cops said they also found iPhones and the van said to be used in the theft. The gang is due to appear in court tomorrow.
Mashable reports that this isn't the first time the gang has attempted the "Fast & Furious"-style stunt -- officials say the men are allegedly wanted in connection with 17 similar incidents.
Apple and the Netherlands police did not respond immediately to CNET's request for comment.Liquid levels in the lakes on Saturn’s biggest moon Titan are falling fast, space scientists have discovered. It means that if there were any alien Titanites (which sadly is not terribly likely), they might be facing a hosepipe ban.
The lakes, discovered by NASA’s orbiting Cassini spaceprobe, are dropping by around a meter a year in its southern hemisphere.
Titan is the most-Earthlike body in the solar system, with lakes, rivers, seasons and rainfall. But it is too cold for water with temperatures as low as -300F (149C) at the poles, and the liquid on Titan is a mix of methane, ethane and propane. Some scientists reckon the chemistry is right for alien life to develop in the future.
Scientists at the California Insitute of Technology studied data gathered by Cassini over four years. They blame the observed drop in lake levels on seasonal evaporation as Titan’s lake district enjoys what amounts to midsummer 890 million miles out from the Sun.
Caltech student Alexander Hayes said: “It’s really exciting because, on this distant object, we’re able to see this meter-scale drop in lake depth. We didn’t know Cassini would even be able to see these things.”
One of the lakes, Ontario Lacus – named after North America’s Lake Ontario – is the largest lake in Titan’s southern hemisphere’s. Hayes, Caltech associate professor of planetary science Oded Aharonson and colleagues report that its shoreline receded by about six miles from June 2005 to July 2009. A year on Titan lasts 29.5 Earth years so summer is a long time coming.
Cassini used a form of radar to produce images of Titan’s lakes. The results suggest that the liquid in the lakes is transparent, like liquid gas sold on Earth, rather than dark like tar.
The radar was able to penetrate the liquid to a depth of several meters. Hayes said: “Then the radar hits the floor, and bounces back. Or, if the lake is deeper than a few meters, the radar is completely absorbed, producing a ‘black’ signature.” Noting changes in how far offshore they could “see” the lakebeds allowed their slopes to be measured and liquid loss to be gauged.
Space scientists from the UK and US have proposed that NASA send a new probe to land a “boat” in one of Titan’s lakes to tell us more about their properties. In January 2005, as it arrived at Saturn, Cassini landed a European probe called Huygens on Titan. It landed on a slushy surface that UK scientists suggest could be a lake bed where the liquid has evaporated.
Is there life on Titan?
• Discover space for yourself and do fun science with a telescope. Here is Skymania’s advice on how to choose a telescope. We also have a guide to the different types of telescope available. Check out our monthly sky guide too!Nearly 1.5 million new cases of cancer were expected to be diagnosed last year–while 559,650 people were expected to die from the disease, according to the American Cancer Society. That’s more than 1,500 people a day–such a startling statistic. In the book Cancer: 101 Solutions to a Preventable Epidemic (New Society Publishers, 2007) the authors write that the Number 4 solution is to “Eat a Healthy Diet.” Listed within are the 10 Foods and Drinks to Limit or Eliminate:
1. All charred food, which create heterocyclic aromatic amines, known carcinogens. Even dark toast is suspect.
2. Well-done red meat. Medium or rare is better, little or no red meat is best.
3. Sugar, both white and brown–which is simply white sugar with molasses added. (See Care2′s Directory of Natural Sweeteners for great, healthy alternatives.)
4. Heavily salted, smoked and pickled foods, which lead to higher rates of stomach cancer.
5. Sodas/soft drinks, which pose health risks, both for what they contain–sugar and various additives–and for what they replace in the diet–beverages and foods that provide vitamins, minerals and other nutrients.
6. French fries, chips and snack foods that contain trans fats.
7. Food and drink additives such as aspartame.
8. Excess alcohol.
9. Baked goods, for the acrylamide.
10. Farmed fish, which contains higher levels of toxins such as PCBs.
Now that you know what not to eat, see the Top 10 Foods and Drinks for Cancer Prevention.Passive SSL
CIRCL Passive SSL is a database storing historical X.509 certificates seen per IP address. The Passive SSL historical data is indexed per IP address, which makes it searchable for incident handlers, security analysts or researchers.
How do you collect the SSL certificates?
The CIRCL Passive SSL database uses public scanning datasets like the excellent scans.io project.
For more information, Passive SSL was presented at FIRST 2015 in Berlin.
How to use the service?
CIRCL Passive SSL is accessible via a REST API and the output is in JSON format.
The REST API is accessible via the following URLs. ‘query’ is to query IP address or CIDR blocks (/32 up to /23). ‘cquery’ is to query per certificate fingerprint and find where the certificate is used per IP address. ‘cfetch’ is to fetch and parse a specified certificate from the Passive SSL store by its fingerprint.
https://www.circl.lu/v2pssl/query/<CIDR block> https://www.circl.lu/v2pssl/cquery/<SHA1 certificate fingerprint> https://www.circl.lu/v2pssl/cfetch/<SHA1 certificate fingerprint>
Query values can be IP addresses or CIDR blocks between /32 up to /23:
https://www.circl.lu/v2pssl/query/172.228.24.0/28
and a sample JSON output:
1 " 172.228.24.7 " : { " certificates " : [ " 37221925980c05deefac014f9a72b4765e716341 ", " 3209cc3ce4f1c22ab64b2e4284100b0022ad2739 ", " 4d34ea92764b3a3149119952f41930ca11348361 ", " 6ad2b04e2196e48bf685752890e811cd2ed60606 ", " c43b30bf08bfb0b92c070f42f51b6980c8ada064 ", " 30d1fd4a296ab1a8831cd56b4110a227f557bfff ", " 79068f16776372aa6b12b83dd2b7288298727f54 " ], " subjects " : { " 37221925980c05deefac014f9a72b4765e716341 " : { " values " : [ " C=JP, ST=Tokyo, L=Minato-ku, O=Sony corporation, OU=NPS, CN=psn-rsc.prod.dl.playstation |
the name be changed to something more gender neutral and more indicative of Douglass’ brilliant mind, successful career and vision for equality and to send a message to all students that they are respected and valued.”
The school, slated to open next fall, is named after abolitionist Frederick Douglass, and several folks who complained about the Stallions mascot on social media believe it conflicts with his legacy of equality. Local resident Diane Cahill told the Lexington Herald-Leader she presented the petition to Caulk, principal Lester Diaz, and school board members after Monday’s announcement because it allegedly sends the wrong message, particularly in the context of girls sports.
“How did they come up with this? The connotation of stallions pertaining to a girls’ softball team or basketball team just seemed really, really strange to me — a male breeding horse,” Cahill said.
Others seem to agree with her take, and said the issue is about “gender equality.”
“Using stallions as the mascot for the Frederick Douglass High School seems wrong on so many levels,” Lexington resident Anita Courtney told the Herald-Leader. “It leaves out 50 percent of the student population — girls — and is and not in keeping with the spirit of Title IX that promotes gender equity in sports. Calling the female athletes Lady Stallions doesn’t make any sense. We should get our horse terms right in the Bluegrass. And even if it were an all-male high school, would we want to promote an image that has to do with breeding?”
Caulk said officials ultimately decided to keep the horse logo and school colors, but will allow incoming students to select a different mascot when classes begin next school year.
“Moving forward, we will keep the Keeneland green and orange colors and horse image in the school logo to pay homage to Lexington’s rich history in the horse industry, but we will allow the incoming students of Frederick Douglass High School to choose their mascot,” Caulk wrote. “We’ve already received suggestions of Thoroughbreds or Racers as possible alternatives to Stallions and we will solicit additional ideas from our students before they choose a horse-themed mascot grounded in the land’s equestrian heritage.”
Several people who commented about the situation in the Change.org petition’s comments seemed to think the issue was overblown.
“This petition is stupid as hell,” commenter “Grow up” wrote. “You honestly have to whine and complain about this. Grow the hell up …”Photo by Hillary Olson
The moment is burned into my memory. It was Easter morning. I had worked a very early shift at the restaurant and come home for a little bit before heading out for Easter dinner. I had just showered and was planning on taking a nap, but I wanted to spend some time with my then-partner. I was in bed wearing just my boxers. I still didn’t spend all that much time shirtless, still getting used to my new, correct body and chest. I called her over and it was at that moment that she decided to tell me that she was no longer attracted to me. That she hadn’t been for some time. I immediately felt the urge to cover up. To put on a shirt, to pull the blankets up to my chin. To hide my body. The body that was clearly unattractive, undesirable, unworthy. One of my biggest fears when I was considering if transitioning was what I needed to do was that no one would ever find me attractive. I knew there was a chance that the transition would make my then-partner not want to be with my anymore and I worried that I would never be enough for anyone else. That my transition would somehow wreck me. Because I knew that no straight woman would ever be attracted to or want to date a transgender man. I mean, how could they? I was missing the most important part. I had scars. I was less than. And no lesbian would want to date me because I was a man. Or they would be willing to date me because “I wasn’t really a man, I mean, not really, you know. You’re a man but a different kind of man so that makes it okay.” Why did I think this? Because everywhere I turned people were telling me it was true. Queer friends who considered themselves trans allies said these things. Media and the church told me that I was just fooling myself, that I was delusional, that I was worthy of ridicule and scorn.
I was already dealing with my own sense of shame about my body. My own dysphoria over what I wanted to be but couldn’t. My own fears of being undesirable and everywhere I turned, including to the person who I thought loved me, those fears were loudly reinforced. So I shrank into myself. I hid my body away. I hid my new body away, a body that I was more proud of than I had ever been before. But I still felt like it wasn’t good enough.
It has taken me years to even unpack all of this. I am still unpacking all of it. But I’ve had some experiences recently that have been scary and healing and empowering and vulnerable.
Dating someone who is attracted to me has been an amazing revelation. Dating someone who loves my body. Who doesn’t see me as less than or missing something or a consolation prize. I know we need to love ourselves and our self worth can’t depend on another person, but when you live in a world that so routinely and loudly denounces your body as ugly and gross and unworthy it sure helps to have some outside validation.
Writing about transgender lives and bodies and the importance of allowing transgender people to embody their own stories has also been helpful. In a sense I have been writing my way into believing my own worth. Before I was writing about it because it mattered (and it does matter) but I wasn’t allowing that message of mattering to sink in to the marrow of my own bones. But the more I write about it, the more I talk about it, the more I see marginalized bodies on stage embodying their own stories the more I believe in it, even for myself.
Writing and acting in this current show Sex In The Dark has been another piece of the puzzle. While this story isn’t my story (not in the same way the last two shows were) it is my anxieties and fears. It is my grappling with my own feelings of inadequacy, shame, and fear of intimacy. Putting those words on the page and then saying them out loud has made me realize how much shame I have carried for so long; shame that was forced on me by other people. Shame that has been inflicted on me.
The other day Ashley and I did a photo shoot with an art photographer for the new show. The tagline of the show is “Your Skin Is A Story Of Resistance” and we wanted to take photos that would emphasize that theme. That would tell a story of skin claiming our beauty. The photographer works a lot with nude models and skin. We spent a lot of time talking about our own comfort levels. I said that I would be okay being photographed shirtless and wearing boxer briefs. But as the day approached I was feeling nervous about it. I still have not been shirtless outside of my home and was feeling anxious about it. I knew I would be around safe people but still. It’s an act of risk, of vulnerability to take off your clothing. To allow yourself to be photographed.
We were there for a little over two hours and through it all I was comfortable (which is a testament to the photographer and the people in the room) but after we were done the reality of it began to set in. Not only had we been photographed wearing very little clothing, but we had also put our intimacy on display. That is intensely vulnerable. I started to think through why I was feeling the way I was. What was I worried about? There’s the simple stuff: it’s vulnerable to put photos like that out there. I wonder what my friends will think. What will old acquaintances and random Facebook friends think. That stuff is there but when I get past it that doesn’t matter all that much. I’m an adult, this is art. We’ll be okay.
Then I started to think about all of the messages I’ve received about my body and about queer sexuality over the years: That it is shameful and sick. That I am disordered and perverted. That I am a sex fiend. That I care more about sex than about love. That my body is shameful. That my body is disgusting. That my body is less than. That my sexuality is scandalous. Here’s the thing: none of these messages even had to be said directly to or about me for me to internalize them and take them on. And internalize them I have. It’s funny because we’re doing this show called Sex In The Dark but it’s pretty tame. We talk about sex but we don’t show much. There isn’t nudity other than some partially clothed getting ready scenes in the beginning. But the show itself is all about vulnerability and intimacy. And I found myself struggling with these photos we took because I didn’t want people to think of me as a sexual being. I didn’t want people to make judgements about me. I didn’t want people to judge my body.
But at the same time, it’s the invisibility and hiddenness of transgender (and fat and black and queer and and and) bodies that allow us to feel like we are less than. That we are undesirable. That we aren’t worthy of love or affection or really good sex. It’s the shame that keeps us hidden away and that in turn continues to perpetuate shame. (Not that we are in any way responsible for the shame or the perpetuation of it. No. That is on a society and culture that would shame us and then force us to take the blame for our own shaming.)
Your skin is a story of resistance. My skin is a story of resistance. These photos are resistance. Putting myself out there in all of my skin bared intimate glory is resistance. It’s saying that my body and my sexuality are good and holy. It’s saying that I don’t have to hide myself away. I don’t have to cover up. My skin is worthy of being seen. My love is worthy of being seen. It’s saying that even though these photos might be met with a voyeuristic gaze that wants to look at trans and plus size people with judgement or curiosity that these photos aren’t for those people. They are for me. They are for other trans men who feel invisible. They are for other former evangelicals who were made to feel like their bodies and sexuality are bad and sinful. They are for all of the people who have been told that they aren’t desirable or attractive or worthy of touch and love. This is how we resist. We refuse to carry the shame any longer. We get angry about the messages that have been written on our bodies. We refuse to hide or to shrink ourselves. We refuse to cover up. We show our bodies and our scars and our love boldly. We learn to love the places that we have been told are unlovable. We embrace the parts that we still have trouble loving. We cut ourselves some slack as we continue to deal with our own worth and value. We are gentle with ourselves when we aren’t quite there yet. We accept compliments. We accept love. We accept touch. We allow ourselves to feel good and to make others feel good. We take up space. We refuse to let people decide how we get to be in the world.
We resist. And we continue resisting. We love each other in our resisting.
We are good. We are holy. We are worthy. All of us.Pat Robertson has always been a very big fan of Right Wing Watch, so as we celebrate our 10th anniversary, we decided to reminisce about our many “favorite” moments with the “700 Club” host and conservative culture warrior.
Here are just 10 of our favorite Robertson moments of the last decade:
10) Divorce Your Wife With Alzheimer’s
Robertson fashions himself as a “pro-family” leader who is quick to scold anyone who he thinks is undermining the traditional family, but he apparently doesn’t mind recommending that a man divorce his wife who has Alzheimer’s since the disease “is a kind of death”:
On the other hand, Robertson once told a woman whose husband committed adultery to “stop talking about the cheating” and instead remember that “he’s a man” and to be proud that “you live in America.”
Robertson, after imagining vivid details about the husband’s affair, urged the wife to “make a home so wonderful that he doesn’t want to wander” and succumb to temptation.
9) Down on Adoption
When a viewer asked Robertson why men seemed hesitant to date her after finding out that she has three adopted children, his then-cohost Kristi Watts said that such men are “dogs” and “just wrong.”
But Robertson disagreed, saying that men who decline to date the women with adopted children just don’t want to “take on somebody else’s problems.”
“No, it’s not wrong,” he said. “I mean, man doesn’t want to take on the United Nations and this woman’s got all these various children, a blended family, I mean, what is it? And you don’t know what problems there are. I’m serious. I’ve got a dear friend, adopted some little kid from an orphanage down in Colombia, child had brain damage, grew up weird. You just never known what’s been done to a child before you get that child.”
8) ‘I Don’t Think We Condone Wife-Beating These Days But Something’s Got To Be Done’
Here is some more of that “pro-family” advice:
7) Gay People Don’t Exist
Robertson’s guidance on building relationships with gay family members is nothing short of appalling: recommending ex-gay conversion therapy; blaming homosexuality on demonic possession, movies and pedophilia; calling for the rejection of gay loved ones and denying that gay people exist.
As he explained, gays are just confused straight people who “just need to come out of that”:
6) Watch Out For Demons In Your Clothing
On rare occasions, Robertson gives some actually useful advice, such as counseling viewers to pray over clothing that they buy secondhand just in case a witch has placed a curse over it:
5) President Mitt Romney
Before the 2012 election, Robertson reported that God had revealed to him that Mitt Romney would not only defeat President Obama in November but also become a successful two-term president.
“Romney will win the election,” he said. “I absolutely believe it because the Lord told me.”
He recounted: “I told Mitt a long time ago, I called him and said, ‘Listen, I’ve been in prayer and number one, you’re going to win the nomination and number two, you’re going to win the general election.’ He said, ‘Well, what can I do for you?’ I said, ‘Give me a seat on the platform during your inauguration, give me a ticket to your inauguration.’ And recently the Lord said he’s going to have a second term.”
Oops.
4) Why Didn’t You Pray Away The Tornadoes?
Back in 2012, as tornadoes ravaged parts of the South and Midwest, Robertson gave some good advice to people who built “houses in a place where tornadoes are apt to happen”: Try asking God to stop them.
“If enough people were praying He would’ve intervened,” he said. “You could pray. Jesus stilled the storm, you can still storms.”
3) Earthquake In Haiti
He blamed Hurricane Katrina on legal abortion, 9/11 on liberals and a potential meteor collision on gay people.
So while it was revolting, it certainly wasn’t surprising when Robertson linked the deadly 2010 Haiti earthquake to what he claimed was a pact the country made with Satan centuries ago.
2) Gays Will Force You To Like Anal Sex
When gay people aren’t busy destroying the economy, they are trying to compel people to “say you like anal sex” and “like bestiality,” at least according to Robertson:
1) Secret HIV/AIDS Ring
In 2013, Robertson tried to warn his viewers that gay people wear sharp, special rings that they use to cut people in order to give them HIV/AIDS for no apparent reason.
However, Robertson’s Christian Broadcasting Network undercut his efforts by editing Robertson’s statements out of the “700 Club” program and then attempting to remove our videos of Robertson making the comments from the internet.
But CBN was unsuccessful in censoring its own founder and you can still watch Robertson’s bizarre outburst today:
BONUS: A Thanksgiving Special.
Robertson celebrates Thanksgiving the old fashion way: by asking family members awkward questions.
After “The 700 Club” aired an interview that Watts, Robertson’s then-cohost, had conducted with Condoleezza Rice, in which the two briefly mentioned that macaroni and cheese was their favorite Thanksgiving dish, Robertson was dumbfounded: “What is this ‘mac and cheese,’ is that a black thing?”
Fortunately, this eventually led CBN to produce a segment on Watts’ mac and cheese recipe.Albedo () (Latin: albedo, meaning 'whiteness') is the measure of the diffuse reflection of solar radiation out of the total solar radiation received by an astronomical body (e.g. a planet like Earth). It is dimensionless and measured on a scale from 0 (corresponding to a black body that absorbs all incident radiation) to 1 (corresponding to a body that reflects all incident radiation).
Surface albedo is defined as the ratio of radiosity to the irradiance (flux per unit area) received by a surface.[1] The proportion reflected is not only determined by properties of the surface itself, but also by the spectral and angular distribution of solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface.[2] These factors vary with atmospheric composition, geographic location and time (see position of the Sun). While bi-hemispherical reflectance is calculated for a single angle of incidence (i.e., for a given position of the Sun), albedo is the directional integration of reflectance over all solar angles in a given period. The temporal resolution may range from seconds (as obtained from flux measurements) to daily, monthly, or annual averages.
Unless given for a specific wavelength (spectral albedo), albedo refers to the entire spectrum of solar radiation.[3] Due to measurement constraints, it is often given for the spectrum in which most solar energy reaches the surface (between 0.3 and 3 μm). This spectrum includes visible light (0.39–0.7 μm), which explains why surfaces with a low albedo appear dark (e.g., trees absorb most radiation), whereas surfaces with a high albedo appear bright (e.g., snow reflects most radiation).
Albedo is an important concept in climatology, astronomy, and environmental management (e.g., as part of the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program for sustainable rating of buildings). The average albedo of the Earth from the upper atmosphere, its planetary albedo, is 30–35% because of cloud cover, but widely varies locally across the surface because of different geological and environmental features.[4]
The term albedo was introduced into optics by Johann Heinrich Lambert in his 1760 work Photometria.
Terrestrial albedo [ edit ]
Sample albedos Surface Typical
albedo Fresh asphalt 0.04[5] Open ocean 0.06[6] Worn asphalt 0.12[5] Conifer forest
(Summer) 0.08,[7] 0.09 to 0.15[8] Deciduous trees 0.15 to 0.18[8] Bare soil 0.17[9] Green grass 0.25[9] Desert sand 0.40[10] New concrete 0.55[9] Ocean ice 0.5–0.7[9] Fresh snow 0.80[9]
Any albedo in visible light falls within a range of about 0.9 for fresh snow to about 0.04 for charcoal, one of the darkest substances. Deeply shadowed cavities can achieve an effective albedo approaching the zero of a black body. When seen from a distance, the ocean surface has a low albedo, as do most forests, whereas desert areas have some of the highest albedos among landforms. Most land areas are in an albedo range of 0.1 to 0.4.[11] The average albedo of Earth is about 0.3.[12] This is far higher than for the ocean primarily because of the contribution of clouds.
2003–2004 mean annual clear-sky and total-sky albedo
Earth's surface albedo is regularly estimated via Earth observation satellite sensors such as NASA's MODIS instruments on board the Terra and Aqua satellites, and the CERES instrument on the Suomi NPP and JPSS. As the amount of reflected radiation is only measured for a single direction by satellite, not all directions, a mathematical model is used to translate a sample set of satellite reflectance measurements into estimates of directional-hemispherical reflectance and bi-hemispherical reflectance (e.g.,[13]). These calculations are based on the bidirectional reflectance distribution function (BRDF), which describes how the reflectance of a given surface depends on the view angle of the observer and the solar angle. BDRF can facilitate translations of observations of reflectance into albedo.
Earth's average surface temperature due to its albedo and the greenhouse effect is currently about 15 °C. If Earth were frozen entirely (and hence be more reflective), the average temperature of the planet would drop below −40 °C.[14] If only the continental land masses became covered by glaciers, the mean temperature of the planet would drop to about 0 °C.[15] In contrast, if the entire Earth was covered by water — a so-called aquaplanet — the average temperature on the planet would rise to almost 27 °C.[16]
White-sky and black-sky albedo [ edit ]
For land surfaces, it has been shown that the albedo at a particular solar zenith angle θ i can be approximated by the proportionate sum of two terms: the directional-hemispherical reflectance at that solar zenith angle, α ¯ ( θ i ) {\displaystyle {{\bar {\alpha }}(\theta _{i})}}, and the bi-hemispherical reflectance, α ¯ ¯ {\displaystyle {\bar {\bar {\alpha }}}}, with D − 1 {\displaystyle {D-1}} being the proportion of direct radiation from a given solar angle, and D {\displaystyle {D}} being the proportion of diffuse illumination.
Hence, the actual albedo α {\displaystyle {\alpha }} (also called blue-sky albedo) can then be given as:
α = ( 1 − D ) α ¯ ( θ i ) + D α ¯ ¯. {\displaystyle {\alpha }=(1-D){\bar {\alpha }}(\theta _{i})+D{\bar {\bar {\alpha }}}.}
Directional-hemispherical reflectance is sometimes referred to as black-sky albedo and bi-hemispherical reflectance as white-sky albedo. These terms are important because they allow the albedo to be calculated for any given illumination conditions from a knowledge of the intrinsic properties of the surface.[17]
Astronomical albedo [ edit ]
The albedos of planets, satellites and minor planets such as asteroids can be used to infer much about their properties. The study of albedos, their dependence on wavelength, lighting angle ("phase angle"), and variation in time comprises a major part of the astronomical field of photometry. For small and far objects that cannot be resolved by telescopes, much of what we know comes from the study of their albedos. For example, the absolute albedo can indicate the surface ice content of outer Solar System objects, the variation of albedo with phase angle gives information about regolith properties, whereas unusually high radar albedo is indicative of high metal content in asteroids.
Enceladus, a moon of Saturn, has one of the highest known albedos of any body in the Solar System, with 99% of EM radiation reflected. Another notable high-albedo body is Eris, with an albedo of 0.96.[18] Many small objects in the outer Solar System[19] and asteroid belt have low albedos down to about 0.05.[20] A typical comet nucleus has an albedo of 0.04.[21] Such a dark surface is thought to be indicative of a primitive and heavily space weathered surface containing some organic compounds.
The overall albedo of the Moon is measured to be around 0.136,[22] but it is strongly directional and non-Lambertian, displaying also a strong opposition effect.[23] Although such reflectance properties are different from those of any terrestrial terrains, they are typical of the regolith surfaces of airless Solar System bodies.
Two common albedos that are used in astronomy are the (V-band) geometric albedo (measuring brightness when illumination comes from directly behind the observer) and the Bond albedo (measuring total proportion of electromagnetic energy reflected). Their values can differ significantly, which is a common source of confusion.
In detailed studies, the directional reflectance properties of astronomical bodies are often expressed in terms of the five Hapke parameters which semi-empirically describe the variation of albedo with phase angle, including a characterization of the opposition effect of regolith surfaces.
The correlation between astronomical (geometric) albedo, absolute magnitude and diameter is:[33] A = ( 1329 × 10 − H / 5 D ) 2 {\displaystyle A=\left({\frac {1329\times 10^{-H/5}}{D}}\right)^{2}},
where A {\displaystyle A} is the astronomical albedo, D {\displaystyle D} is the diameter in kilometers, and H {\displaystyle H} is the absolute magnitude.
Examples of terrestrial albedo effects [ edit ]
Illumination [ edit ]
Albedo is not directly dependent on illumination because changing the amount of incoming light proportionally changes the amount of reflected light, except in circumstances where a change in illumination induces a change in the Earth's surface at that location (e.g. through albedo-temperature feedback). That said, albedo and illumination both vary by latitude. Albedo is highest near the poles and lowest in the subtropics, with a local maximum in the tropics.[34]
Insolation effects [ edit ]
The intensity of albedo temperature effects depend on the amount of albedo and the level of local insolation (solar irradiance); high albedo areas in the arctic and antarctic regions are cold due to low insolation, where areas such as the Sahara Desert, which also have a relatively high albedo, will be hotter due to high insolation. Tropical and sub-tropical rainforest areas have low albedo, and are much hotter than their temperate forest counterparts, which have lower insolation. Because insolation plays such a big role in the heating and cooling effects of albedo, high insolation areas like the tropics will tend to show a more pronounced fluctuation in local temperature when local albedo changes.[citation needed]
Arctic regions notably release more heat back into space than what they absorb, effectively cooling the Earth. This has been a concern since arctic ice and snow has been melting at higher rates due to higher temperatures, creating regions in the arctic that are notably darker (being water or ground which is darker color) and reflects less heat back into space. This feedback loop results in a reduced albedo effect.[35]
Climate and weather [ edit ]
Albedo affects climate by determining how much radiation a planet absorbs.[36] The uneven heating of Earth from albedo variations between land, ice, or ocean surfaces can drive weather.
Albedo–temperature feedback [ edit ]
When an area's albedo changes due to snowfall, a snow–temperature feedback results. A layer of snowfall increases local albedo, reflecting away sunlight, leading to local cooling. In principle, if no outside temperature change affects this area (e.g., a warm air mass), the raised albedo and lower temperature would maintain the current snow and invite further snowfall, deepening the snow–temperature feedback. However, because local weather is dynamic due to the change of seasons, eventually warm air masses and a more direct angle of sunlight (higher insolation) cause melting. When the melted area reveals surfaces with lower albedo, such as grass or soil, the effect is reversed: the darkening surface lowers albedo, increasing local temperatures, which induces more melting and thus reducing the albedo further, resulting in still more heating.
Snow [ edit ]
Snow albedo is highly variable, ranging from as high as 0.9 for freshly fallen snow, to about 0.4 for melting snow, and as low as 0.2 for dirty snow.[37] Over Antarctica snow albedo averages a little more than 0.8. If a marginally snow-covered area warms, snow tends to melt, lowering the albedo, and hence leading to more snowmelt because more radiation is being absorbed by the snowpack (the ice–albedo positive feedback).
Just as fresh snow has a higher albedo than does dirty snow, the albedo of snow-covered sea ice is far higher than that of sea water. Sea water absorbs more solar radiation than would the same surface covered with reflective snow. When sea ice melts, either due to a rise in sea temperature or in response to increased solar radiation from above, the snow-covered surface is reduced, and more surface of sea water is exposed, so the rate of energy absorption increases. The extra absorbed energy heats the sea water, which in turn increases the rate at which sea ice melts. As with the preceding example of snowmelt, the process of melting of sea ice is thus another example of a positive feedback.[38] Both positive feedback loops have long been recognized as important to the modern theory of Global warming.[citation needed]
Cryoconite, powdery windblown dust containing soot, sometimes reduces albedo on glaciers and ice sheets.[39]
The dynamical nature of albedo in response to positive feedback, together with the effects of small errors in the measurement of albedo, can lead to large errors in energy estimates. Because of this, in order to reduce the error of energy estimates, it is important to measure the albedo of snow-covered areas through remote sensing techniques rather than applying a single value for albedo over broad regions.[citation needed]
Small-scale effects [ edit ]
Albedo works on a smaller scale, too. In sunlight, dark clothes absorb more heat and light-coloured clothes reflect it better, thus allowing some control over body temperature by exploiting the albedo effect of the colour of external clothing.[40]
Solar photovoltaic effects [ edit ]
Albedo can affect the electrical energy output of solar photovoltaic devices. For example, the effects of a spectrally responsive albedo are illustrated by the differences between the spectrally weighted albedo of solar photovoltaic technology based on hydrogenated amorphous silicon (a-Si:H) and crystalline silicon (c-Si)-based compared to traditional spectral-integrated albedo predictions. Research showed impacts of over 10%.[41] More recently, the analysis was extended to the effects of spectral bias due to the specular reflectivity of 22 commonly occurring surface materials (both human-made and natural) and analyzes the albedo effects on the performance of seven photovoltaic materials covering three common photovoltaic system topologies: industrial (solar farms), commercial flat rooftops and residential pitched-roof applications.[42]
Trees [ edit ]
Because forests generally have a low albedo, (the majority of the ultraviolet and visible spectrum is absorbed through photosynthesis), some scientists have suggested that greater heat absorption by trees could offset some of the carbon benefits of afforestation (or offset the negative climate impacts of deforestation). In the case of evergreen forests with seasonal snow cover albedo reduction may be great enough for deforestation to cause a net cooling effect.[43] Trees also impact climate in extremely complicated ways through evapotranspiration. The water vapor causes cooling on the land surface, causes heating where it condenses, acts a strong greenhouse gas, and can increase albedo when it condenses into clouds[44] Scientists generally treat evapotranspiration as a net cooling impact, and the net climate impact of albedo and evapotranspiration changes from deforestation depends greatly on local climate [45]
In seasonally snow-covered zones, winter albedos of treeless areas are 10% to 50% higher than nearby forested areas because snow does not cover the trees as readily. Deciduous trees have an albedo value of about 0.15 to 0.18 whereas coniferous trees have a value of about 0.09 to 0.15.[8] Variation in summer albedo across both forest types is correlated with maximum rates of photosynthesis because plants with high growth capacity display a greater fraction of their foliage for direct interception of incoming radiation in the upper canopy. [46] The result is that wavelengths of light not used in photosynthesis are more likely to be reflected back to space rather than being absorbed by other surfaces lower in the canopy.
Studies by the Hadley Centre have investigated the relative (generally warming) effect of albedo change and (cooling) effect of carbon sequestration on planting forests. They found that new forests in tropical and midlatitude areas tended to cool; new forests in high latitudes (e.g., Siberia) were neutral or perhaps warming.[47]
Water [ edit ]
Reflectivity of smooth water at 20 °C (refractive index=1.333)
Water reflects light very differently from typical terrestrial materials. The reflectivity of a water surface is calculated using the Fresnel equations (see graph).
At the scale of the wavelength of light even wavy water is always smooth so the light is reflected in a locally specular manner (not diffusely). The glint of light off water is a commonplace effect of this. At small angles of incident light, waviness results in reduced reflectivity because of the steepness of the reflectivity-vs.-incident-angle curve and a locally increased average incident angle.[48]
Although the reflectivity of water is very low at low and medium angles of incident light, it becomes very high at high angles of incident light such as those that occur on the illuminated side of Earth near the terminator (early morning, late afternoon, and near the poles). However, as mentioned above, waviness causes an appreciable reduction. Because light specularly reflected from water does not usually reach the viewer, water is usually considered to have a very low albedo in spite of its high reflectivity at high angles of incident light.
Note that white caps on waves look white (and have high albedo) because the water is foamed up, so there are many superimposed bubble surfaces which reflect, adding up their reflectivities. Fresh 'black' ice exhibits Fresnel reflection. Snow on top of this sea ice increases the albedo to 0.9.[citation needed]
Clouds [ edit ]
Cloud albedo has substantial influence over atmospheric temperatures. Different types of clouds exhibit different reflectivity, theoretically ranging in albedo from a minimum of near 0 to a maximum approaching 0.8. "On any given day, about half of Earth is covered by clouds, which reflect more sunlight than land and water. Clouds keep Earth cool by reflecting sunlight, but they can also serve as blankets to trap warmth."[49]
Albedo and climate in some areas are affected by artificial clouds, such as those created by the contrails of heavy commercial airliner traffic.[50] A study following the burning of the Kuwaiti oil fields during Iraqi occupation showed that temperatures under the burning oil fires were as much as 10 °C colder than temperatures several miles away under clear skies.[51]
Aerosol effects [ edit ]
Aerosols (very fine particles/droplets in the atmosphere) have both direct and indirect effects on Earth's radiative balance. The direct (albedo) effect is generally to cool the planet; the indirect effect (the particles act as cloud condensation nuclei and thereby change cloud properties) is less certain.[52] As per [53] the effects are:
Aerosol direct effect. Aerosols directly scatter and absorb radiation. The scattering of radiation causes atmospheric cooling, whereas absorption can cause atmospheric warming.
Aerosols directly scatter and absorb radiation. The scattering of radiation causes atmospheric cooling, whereas absorption can cause atmospheric warming. Aerosol indirect effect. Aerosols modify the properties of clouds through a subset of the aerosol population called cloud condensation nuclei. Increased nuclei concentrations lead to increased cloud droplet number concentrations, which in turn leads to increased cloud albedo, increased light scattering and radiative cooling (first indirect effect), but also leads to reduced precipitation efficiency and increased lifetime of the cloud (second indirect effect).
Black carbon [ edit ]
Another albedo-related effect on the climate is from black carbon particles. The size of this effect is difficult to quantify: the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change estimates that the global mean radiative forcing for black carbon aerosols from fossil fuels is +0.2 W m−2, with a range +0.1 to +0.4 W m−2.[54] Black carbon is a bigger cause of the melting of the polar ice cap in the Arctic than carbon dioxide due to its effect on the albedo.[55]
Human activities [ edit ]
Human activities (e.g., deforestation, farming, and urbanization) change the albedo of various areas around the globe. However, quantification of this effect on the global scale is difficult.[citation needed]
Other types of albedo [ edit ]
Single-scattering albedo is used to define scattering of electromagnetic waves on small particles. It depends on properties of the material (refractive index); the size of the particle or particles; and the wavelength of the incoming radiation.
Acquisition [ edit ]
Albedo can be measured by an Albedometer.
See also [ edit ]Veteran Alberta MP and former cabinet minister Ted Menzies stressed the importance of honesty in public life as he announced his resignation after nearly 10 years on Parliament Hill.
The announcement from the well-liked Conservative MP quickly prompted best wishes from both sides of the increasingly fractious House of Commons.
Mr. Menzies had said earlier this year that he would not run for re-election. He told The Globe and Mail he is resigning now to take a job in the private sector and said the position will be announced in the coming weeks. He also said he has cleared the move with the federal ethics commissioner.
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Born and raised in Alberta, the former grain farmer is the last Alberta MP with formal roots in the Progressive Conservative side of the Conservative Party that was created in 2003 from a merger between the PCs and the Canadian Alliance, which had formed out of the Reform Party.
Over his four terms in office as the MP for Macleod, in southern Alberta, he was rarely the source of controversy. He was well-regarded by MPs of all political stripes for his friendliness and professionalism. The former junior minister for finance was often called on by the government to provide |
today celebrating Aboriginal and Torres Strait peoples and their culture across the nation."
The Western Bulldogs face St.Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday, May 27.The phrase ‘when one door closes, another one opens,’ could have been used to describe the businesses in Grand Junction. However, more doors have been closing rather than opening.
The town has experienced multiple business closures in the past two years. Grand Junction lost corporations like Aeropostale, Albertsons, GAP Outlet, Hastings, Hollister, Kmart, Safeway and Sports Authority. Some local businesses have closed or are currently in the process of closing, like Girlfriends, Page-Parsons, Tangle and Toys For The Fun of It.
The recent closing of Albertsons will leave 60 individuals unemployed. Many students are also affected, as Albertsons was located near the CMU campus. Another corporation, GAP Outlet, closed their Mesa Mall store back in February, due to its decrease in economic value.
“GAP closed because we weren’t making enough sales to keep the Grand Junction store open,” Colorado Mesa University business student Andrea Potter said. “Instead of making a profit out of the store, the company was actually losing revenue.”
CMU students are one small part of the equation affected by business closures.
“With a lot of company’s closing in Grand Junction, I am truly saddened because companies gained revenue from expanding the town,” Potter said. “And once the job is over, business that were gaining the revenue from the workers are now losing them because they either had to move or they lost their job (construction and oil field workers).”
After many years of serving Grand Junction, local businesses are shutting down their operations or trying to stay afloat. Toys For The Fun of It is a toy store owned by Mike Allen. The store is closing due to the competition of online sources.
“It’s sad, but I’ve had a really good run here,” Allen said. “My sales volume had dropped and it’s mainly due to people buying toys online. Essentially, you get to the point that you’re just not making it anymore. This past Christmas was the worst past Christmas.”
After 24 years of providing entertainment for children, the toy store is closing at the end of March.
List of businesses that have closed:
The Safeway
Kmart
Albertsons
Tangle
Page-Parsons
Girlfriends
Toys For The Fun of It
Sports Authority
GAP
Aeropostale
Hollister
HastingsCreated with NHL players and fans at the center of the experience, the NHL Centennial Fan Arena combines great NHL traditions with the latest in technology, and marks the first time any sport has produced a North American-wide, year-long, interactive traveling fan festival that will visit every League market.
NEW YORK / TORONTO - The National Hockey League (NHL) today announced the addition of six new stops on the NHL® Centennial Fan Arena traveling tour, including Florida, Colorado, Ottawa, New Jersey and Philadelphia. An interactive traveling fan experience that will visit all NHL markets across North America in 2017, the NHL Centennial Fan Arena is a main pillar of the NHL's Centennial festivities honoring a century's worth of extraordinary players, teams, remarkable plays and unforgettable moments. Each stop includes features and exhibits customized for the local club.
"In just 18 days, the NHL Centennial Fan Arena has visited Toronto, Arizona, Dallas and San Jose, and the response has been overwhelming," said Steve Mayer, NHL Chief Content Officer and Executive Vice President. "It truly is the ultimate fan experience - whether you want to immerse yourself in the history of the NHL, try your skill at the Virtual Reality Zamboni Experience, play some pick-up ball hockey or take a selfie with the Stanley Cup, the Fan Arena offers something for everyone. Over 50,000 fans have experienced it to date, and we're looking forward to continuing our west coast swing over the next ten days."
Further details on the six new stops on the schedule will be available on NHL.com/100 and through the respective teams in the coming weeks. The tour schedule through to April 9 is listed below; future stops will be announced as they are confirmed.
WHAT FANS WILL EXPERIENCE AT THE NHL CENTENNNIAL FAN ARENA
• MUSEUM TRUCK - The main attraction is a 53-foot museum truck with an innovative interior featuring more than 1,000 square feet of interactive digital displays, original video content, one-of-a-kind historical memorabilia, unique photo moments and a social media wall. Customized to each market, the Museum Truck will showcase the history of each host club.
• ENTERTAINMENT TRUCK - A second 53-foot trailer will host a giant video screen featuring team trivia and highlights, as well as a pop-out stage for special appearances and viewing parties.
• THE "RINK" - A pop-up ball hockey rink will give youth hockey players a chance to shine with programmed games and clinics.
• CLEAR THE ICE ZAMBONI® VR EXPERIENCE - This never-before-seen VR experience allows fans to compete against each other in a race to resurface the ice. Fans will take a seat in a mini-Zamboni® ice resurfacer, feel cool air on their skin and their seat rumble, as they are tasked with creating the perfect sheet of ice - in virtual reality. All races will be timed and shared on a leaderboard.
• STANLEY CUP® - The oldest and most revered trophy in all professional sports will make a special appearance in every NHL market.
• RSVP PROGRAM - Fans attending the NHL Centennial Fan Arena in their local market can RSVP at NHL.com/FanArena in advance of the event to receive up-to-the-minute notifications for their market including dates, times, locations, events, special appearances and more. Plus, fans will receive NHL event information and exclusive pre-sale offers, discount offers to Shop.NHL.com, news from their favorite team and around the League, and other info and content.
• HOCKEY IS FOR EVERYONE - NHL clubs will actively reach out in their respective communities to bring diverse audiences to the NHL Centennial Fan Arena, to further a positive connection between these groups and the game of hockey.
• RECYCLE THE GAME INITIATIVE - A special net will be available on-site at the NHL Centennial Fan Arena in each NHL market, where fans can donate used hockey equipment. This continues the NHL's League-wide commitment to improve hockey's environmental footprint while supporting youth hockey, particularly in underserved communities.
• NHL CENTENNIAL FAN ARENA JANUARY - APRIL CALENDAR - The NHL Centennial Fan Arena will visit the following NHL markets from January to April. Dates for the remaining NHL Clubs will be announced as they are confirmed. Details regarding specific events in each respective market will be available at NHL.com/100.
o Dec. 31 - Jan. 1: Toronto (2017 Scotiabank NHL Centennial Classic™)
o Jan. 7-8: Arizona
o Jan. 12-14: Dallas
o Jan. 18-19: San Jose
o Jan. 21-23: Anaheim
o Jan. 26-29: Los Angeles (2017 Honda NHL® All-Star)
o Feb. 3-5: St. Louis
o Feb. 11-12: Nashville
o Feb. 18: Kenora, ON (Scotiabank Hockey Day in Canada)
o Feb. 24-25: Pittsburgh
o March 3-4: Florida
o March 10-11: Colorado
o March 16-19: Ottawa
o March 25-26: New Jersey
o April 8-9: Philadelphia
• WHAT NHL ICON AND CENTENNIAL AMBASSADOR WAYNE GRETZKY IS SAYING ABOUT THE NHL CENTENNIAL FAN ARENA - "The truck is like a moving, mini Hall of Fame. I truly enjoyed my time in there and think kids and fans and players are going to enjoy the tours that they get through the truck. I learned something really new going through the truck. You used to be able to get four assists on a goal. I know a lot about the game of hockey and I didn't know that until today. I wish that was around in the '80s. Don't change the rule for (Jaromir) Jagr now!"Houston’s Plan to Make “Bicycle Interstates” Out of Its Utility Network
This post is part of a series featuring stories and research that will be presented at the Pro-Walk/Pro-Bike/Pro-Place conference September 8-11 in Pittsburgh.
Long lanes of grass alongside power lines are almost as ubiquitous in Houston as highways. There are roughly 500 miles of high-voltage utility rights-of-way criss-crossing the city, and they’re mostly just dead spaces, forming weedy barriers between neighborhoods.
What could the city do if it repurposed these underused spaces? Inspired by an article in Rice University’s Cite Magazine, Alyson Fletcher decided to write her master’s thesis at the Cornell University landscape architecture program on that question. She drafted a proposal to turn these linear, grassy areas into a “recreational super-highway” — and it’s starting to look like a real possibility.
In May, the city inked an agreement with CenterPoint Energy, owner of some 500 miles of utility rights-of-way across Houston. The agreement provides the city with free access to these spaces, some 140 of which are high-voltage lines with very tall towers and wide rights of way, which are well suited for trails.
For years, city and state leaders had struggled to overcome liability concerns on the part of the energy provider. Who would be responsible if someone was injured? CenterPoint didn’t want to be that party. So Texas lawmakers got together last year and passed a law resolving the liability issue for CenterPoint.
Designers at Rice University, the University of Houston, and SWA Design Group estimate the project could cost about $100 million to complete. Community activist Michael Skelly has been leading tours of the utility areas for people who want to learn more about the proposal.
Besides the low cost of land acquisition, the project has another important selling point: It complements the Bayou Greenways plan. As we reported last week, Houston plans to add 300 miles of trails and 4,000 acres of parkland along its 10 major natural bayous. But since most of the bayous are oriented east-west, the plan has limitations from a transportation standpoint.
Many of the utility rights-of-way, meanwhile, run from north to south. Developing trails along both the bayous and the utility lines would form a grid accessible to large sections of the city.
Tom McCasland, director of the Harris County Housing Authority, told the Houston Chronicle that the plan had the potential to change the way people get around the city. At the same time, he acknowledged that it won’t change the status quo on Houston’s car-centric major streets.
“What is so important about this is (that) these, along with the bayous, will serve as our bicycle interstates,” he said. “For those people who don’t want us out on the busy roads, this is the answer. Let us ride these, and then we’ll jump to the side roads to get to our final destinations.”
Most of the utility rights-of-way have design obstacles — road crossings, railroad crossings, or ditches — and overcoming them will take some investment in physical infrastructure, said Fletcher, who has completed her thesis and is now a consultant with Nelson\Nygaard.
But there are also some challenges that come with creating trails under high-voltage power lines. For one, CenterPoint insists these areas be free of trees. So supplying shade will be an important design element to make the paths comfortable in sultry Houston. There’s also some risk people could be exposed to slight electromagnetic or static shocks — so the trails will have to be designed to be as far from the power lines as possible.
Still, it looks like Houston leaders think those obstacles are surmountable. CenterPoint has committed $1.5 million toward the trails. This spring, the Chronicle announced that the first two segments will be built on a site near the University of Houston and near the Sims Bayou on the southwest side of the city.She's a pistol! Jennifer Ullery, 40, has been arrested and charged with firing a rifle at a TV in front of her three children
A suburban Chicago woman was arrested after police say she grabbed a rifle and shot at her flat-screen television because she was mad her children were watching too much TV.
Jennifer Ullery, a mother of three from Algonquin, pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of aggravated reckless discharge of a firearm, possession of a firearm without a firearm owner ID card and three counts of child endangerment in connection to the incident that took place back in January.
Police learned of the shooting about a month later and responded to the Ullery family's home on Talaga Drive February 9 to investigate.
Inside, responding officers said they found a 50-inch Panasonic TV with its screen shattered.
Police also recovered a Ruger.22-caliber rifle, which they believe Ullery used to fire at the device, reported Northwest Herald.
When interviewed by police, the 40-year-old mother admitted she was upset with her three children - ages 6, 11 and 15 - for indulging in TV-watching.
She said she also did not like the program that was on January 20 - a music video by the rock band Primus.
Algonquin Deputy Police Chief Andrew Doles said Ullery fired multiple shots at the TV screen as her children were sitting on the couch.
Evidence: Police responded to the Ullery family's home in Algonquin, Illinois, where they found a 50-inch Panasonic flat-screen TV with its screen shattered
Jenny, get your gun! Police say Ullery grabbed a Ruger.22-caliber rifle (similar to the one pictured in file photo) and squeezed off several rounds
Following her arrest, the children were placed in the custody of a relative. Ullery was released from jail after posting $1,500 bail. She is due back in court April 20.
Algonquin police said they were familiar with the Ullery family from past encounters involving domestic violence claims and custody disputes.
Officers were called to the family's home twice in January, and in March 2014 the woman’s estranged husband, 31-year-old Daniel Ullery, was arrested on domestic battery charges.Last week, House speaker Nancy Pelosi, whose hometown San Francisco Chronicle is in trouble, asked attorney general Eric Holder to consider loosening antitrust laws to help out struggling newspapers by allowing more media mergers. Holder responded by saying he is open to revisiting the rules.
Pelosi's request sounds innocuous at first – after all, struggling newspapers seem to need all the help they can get. But opening the door to more media consolidation is not the cure for the crisis in journalism. More of this bad medicine will only weaken reporting and worsen the health of our democracy.
As a few big companies swallowed up more local media outlets, they gutted newsrooms. The Project for Excellence in Journalism reports that the industry lost 5,000 journalists last year and has slashed 16% of its news staff since 2001. Is it any surprise that fewer people are buying newspapers when reporters are being taken off their beats and bureaus are being shuttered?
But media consolidation hasn't been a disaster only for dedicated journalists or the public who rely on reporters to keep an eye on their leaders. It's also been bad for business.
Just a few years ago, the average profit margin for newspapers was over 20% – with some bringing in twice as much or more. But that did not satisfy the newspaper executives or Wall Street. Instead of investing in the quality of their products and innovating for the future, the big media companies have been obsessed with short-term gains. Instead of bolstering their news-gathering or adjusting to the new media landscape, companies like McClatchy, Tribune and Lee Enterprises used these astronomical profits to buy up other properties.
While federal regulators rubber-stamped these mega-mergers, the media giants took on massive amounts of debt. Even though newspapers themselves are still profitable, their corporate bosses are drowning in IOUs.
A recent Advertising Age article reported that McClatchy's newspapers earned a 21% profit margin last year. But struggling under the $2bn it owes after acquiring Knight Ridder in 2006, the company has slashed its work force by nearly a third in the past year. The Tribune Company earned a 5% profit margin in its newspaper division for the first three quarters of 2008, but it still declared bankruptcy in December.
Gannett's newspaper holdings earned an 18% profit margin last year, with some properties earning as much as 42.5%. Nevertheless, Gannett slashed 3,000 jobs and required employees to take a week-long furlough. The company is also expected to sell off or shut down the 139-year-old Tucson Citizen this week. Despite taking pay cuts, Gannett's top executives still received sizeable six-figure bonuses.
Of course, poor leadership and debt aren't the only problems facing the newspaper industry. Ad revenue has been down 23% across the industry in the past two years. Today, advertisers have cheaper options online to reach their target audiences, a major problem for newspapers relying on print advertising for 90% of their revenue. Even though more people are reading newspapers online than ever before, online advertising still makes up just a small percentage of a newspaper's earnings.
We can't put the Internet back in the bottle or restore newspapers' monopoly on local advertising. Instead, what we need to figure out is how to support news-gathering, investigative journalism and beat reporting in a world in which Walmart coupons and car-dealership ads will no longer cover the costs of bureaus in Baghdad or Boise.
But if the same handful of conglomerates now coming to Washington for handouts had been held in check earlier, many of these newspapers and their employees would stand a better chance of weathering the economic storm. And if regulators hadn't looked the other way as these deals went through, newsrooms would probably have 10 years left to experiment, adjust and adapt – instead of what feels like 10 minutes.
Green-lighting more consolidation will only serve to prop up a failing business model. It won't create any new jobs – in fact, more reporters are sure to be sacked. And it won't add any new voices to the marketplace of ideas. Letting Dean Singleton, who already owns multiple dailies throughout the Bay Area, put out the same cookie-cutter content under the Chronicle banner won't bring back readers or help the industry.
If Pelosi and Holder believe that newspapers are critical to our democracy and worth saving, then they have to explore real structural alternatives that give media ownership back to local communities; figure out short-term ways to fund serious reporting during the bumpy transition to the Internet; and look for changes in tax or bankruptcy policy that might encourage local, diverse and non-profit owners who'd be happy to see the 10 to 15% profit margins that are still the industry average.
How to support serious journalism and local coverage in the new media landscape is a complicated question that surely requires a menu of answers, forward-looking policy ideas and lots of experimentation.
But we know what won't work: the exact same policies that got us into this mess in the first place. Media consolidation is the problem, not the answer.Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Cheaper fuel has helped to peg back inflation
UK interest rates have been held at a record low of 0.5% for another month by the Bank of England.
It also decided to maintain its quantitative easing programme, designed to stimulate lending in the economy, at the £375bn already spent.
The Bank's Monetary Policy Committee has held rates at 0.5% since March 2009 to try to help economic recovery.
Until recently rates were expected to rise early next year, but analysts now think this could be pushed back.
The Bank warned last month that the inflation rate could fall to as low as 1% in the coming six months, well below its 2% target rate.
One factor in keeping inflation low has been the 25% fall in the oil price since the summer, which has cut fuel prices at the pump for motorists.
Fierce competition between supermarket chains has also meant cheaper food for consumers.
Chris Williamson, chief economist at research firm Markit, said the downward pressures on prices gave the Bank leeway to keep rates low, "therefore increasing the likelihood of the current growth spurt being sustained".
Howard Archer, an economist at IHS Global Insight, said: "It would now be a surprise if the Bank of England raised interest rates before the latter months of 2015, especially given the disinflationary pressures coming from very low oil prices.
"It looks highly improbable that there will be an interest rate hike before the May 2015 general election."
Growth forecast
Economic surveys released earlier this week suggested that economic growth was holding up, with the dominant services sector strengthening in November.
The purchasing managers' surveys from Markit indicated economic growth of 0.6% in the final three months of this year, the research firm said, slightly lower than the 0.7% rate recorded in the third quarter.
The chancellor said in the Autumn Statement on Wednesday that the UK economy would grow by 3% this year, up from a previous forecast of 2.7%, with growth of 2.4% next year.
Last month, two of the nine MPC members, Ian McCafferty and Martin Weale, again voted for a rise in interest rates to 0.75%.
The minutes of the MPC meeting said that there had been a "material spread of views" on the committee on the risks to the outlook for inflation.
However, they added: "For most members, the outlook for inflation in the medium term justified maintaining the current stance of monetary policy."
Minutes of this month's meeting will be published on 17 December.The fraught relationship between the country’s leading tech executives and President Donald Trump is about to get even more tense.
The latest uncomfortable moment arrives Monday, when top tech CEOs are expected to sit down with Trump at the White House to talk about modernizing government technology. Many of the companies have refused to confirm their attendance publicly, in a sign of how sensitive their dealings with the Trump administration have become in a liberal Silicon Valley that loathes his policies on issues like immigration and climate change.
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It’s just the newest example of a dynamic that has ensnared some of the industry’s leading figures. In February, embattled Uber CEO Travis Kalanick backed away from a Trump economic council after critics of the president’s travel ban announced a boycott of the company. More recently, Tesla CEO Elon Musk quit his role as a White House business adviser after Trump abandoned the Paris climate accord.
Liberal activists are serving notice that other tech companies need to beware — and calling on Silicon Valley workers to pressure their employers to disengage from Trump.
“Trump has been in office for almost 150 days. There is no mistaking what this administration is,” said Nicole Carty, campaign manager for SumOfUs, an advocacy group pressuring executives to leave Trump’s advisory councils. “They are condoning an administration in a moment when the truth and intent of its agenda has been revealed.”
“This meeting doesn’t have to happen,” another group, Tech Solidarity, wrote in a blog post about Monday’s White House session. “Tech employees have the power to stop it.”
Even so, those expected to attend include Apple CEO Tim Cook, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella and Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google's parent company Alphabet, according to the White House. Also on the list are Oracle CEO Safra Catz, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, Qualcomm CEO Steven Mollenkopf, Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen and Palantir CEO Alex Karp. They will be joined by Peter Thiel, the billionaire investor and Trump adviser, and John Doerr of venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers.
Many in the tech sector enthusiastically backed Hillary Clinton during the campaign, criticized Trump’s rhetoric toward women and immigrants, and warned he posed a threat to the industry’s ethos of entrepreneurship. The feeling appeared to be mutual, with Trump regularly blasting Apple for manufacturing products in China and suggesting Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was using his ownership of The Washington Post to gain a tax advantage.
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After the election, though, tech executives made a December pilgrimage to Trump Tower and continued their standard practice of lobbying the federal government to advance their interests, regardless of who occupies the White House. Amazon, Google, Facebook and Lyft have all hired lobbyists with connections to Trump or his Cabinet members, as they seek to influence the administration on everything from taxes to immigration.
"No matter what industry you're a part of, it's critical to engage with the current administration,” said Gina Woodworth, senior vice president of public policy and government affairs at the Internet Association, which represents many of Silicon Valley's biggest brands. “While there may be differing opinions on some policy issues, there's also productive discussions to be had and room for positive collaboration."
Indeed, as the leaders of multinational corporations, tech executives have a financial obligation to shareholders to engage the federal government, which sets key industry regulations and, in many cases, buys their products. Some, including Apple CEO Tim Cook, have expressed a moral and patriotic responsibility to weigh in on public policy matters where executives have expertise.
But now companies face growing pressure from their liberal employees and chunks of their customer base to resist the White House over its actions on immigration, climate change and transgender rights. And even though the CEOs have become more vocal in their criticism of Trump — over the Paris pullout, for example — their argument for continued engagement is becoming riskier as Trump’s political agenda skews further and further away from the progressive worldview.
And that could have workforce implications. Technology workers, particularly engineers, hold special sway over their bosses compared to employees in other industries. They have in-demand technical skills that companies often struggle to find, and often have more leeway to speak their mind with less fear of reprisal.
Behind the scenes, tech companies have been snapping up lobbyists and policy staff with deep connections to Trumpworld.
Amazon was among the first clients for the Washington office of Ballard Partners, a firm run by Trump's longtime Florida lobbyist Brian Ballard. Facebook tapped Sandy Luff — a Trump transition staffer and former top aide to then-Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, now Trump's attorney general — as public policy director for the executive branch.
Google brought on Akin Gump's Geoff Verhoff, a Trump donor and member of the RNC's financial leadership team, to lobby on immigration issues and Trump's travel ban. And Lyft has retained Eris Group's Travis Johnson — a onetime senior aide to then-Georgia Rep. Tom Price, now Trump's head of Health and Human Services — to lobby on tax regulation.
In making such personnel moves, the tech sector is acting no differently than the cable and telecom industries, its frequent adversaries in Washington.
Just this week, T-Mobile added David Urban, a Trump campaign senior adviser, to its roster of lobbyists on telecom issues. Comcast signed former Rep. John Sweeney, who ran the New York arm of Trump’s presidential campaign. Verizon tapped McGuireWoods' Robert Wasinger, who served as the Trump campaign’s director of outreach to senators and governors and later did a brief stint as White House liaison to the State Department. And AT&T called upon Sextons Creek President Bill Smith, an ex-aide to Vice President Mike Pence, to lobby on behalf of its $85 billion merger with Time Warner.
But telecom and cable don’t have the same sensitivities when it comes to cultivating Trump ties. They're mostly headquartered outside the liberal tech centers, and their businesses are more heavily regulated than the dot-coms, which makes backing away from Washington a nonstarter. They tend to keep a low profile on the most divisive political issues.
For the internet industry, the Washington relationship wasn’t always so complicated. During President Barack Obama’s two terms in office, a virtual revolving door formed between the White House and Silicon Valley, with company executives accepting high-profile government jobs and ex-politicos making a soft landing at tech firms — like Obama press secretary Jay Carney at Amazon and Obama senior adviser David Plouffe, who jumped first to Uber and then to Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg's philanthropic initiative.
But those Democratic transitions were more palatable in an industry which, despite occasional run-ins with the Obama administration over national security, generally agreed with its stances on social and environmental issues.
Those simple days are gone in the age of Trump.
“At this point, there is a line in the sand and the CEOs that continue to cross it are doing it to the detriment of communities and of their employees,” said Brandi Collins, a senior campaign director at Color of Change, which advocates for racial and economic justice and pressured tech companies to withdraw support for the Republican National Convention last summer.This piece of limestone is incised with three lines that overlap to form a simple crisscross pattern. It is a fragment of what was once a larger decorated rock, the remainder of which has not yet been found at the site. Scale bar: 10mm. Source: Mark W. Moore, author-provided.
A CAVE dig in Indonesia has unearthed a unique collection of prehistoric ornaments and artworks that date back, in some instances, to at least 30,000 years ago. The site is thought to have been used by some of the world’s earliest cave artists.
Published today, our findings challenge the long-held view that hunter-gatherer communities in the Pleistocene (“Ice Age”) of Southeast Asia were culturally impoverished.
They also imply the spiritual lives of humans transformed as they encountered previously unknown species on the journey from Asia to Australia.
SEE ALSO: Two new bird species discovered in Borneo
The human journey beyond Asia
Modern humans had colonised Australia by 50,000 years ago. It was a journey that required people crossing by boat from continental Eurasia into Wallacea, a vast swathe of island chains and atolls spanning the ocean gap between mainland Asia and Australia.
Archaeologists have long speculated about the cultural lives of the first Homo sapiens to enter Wallacea, as part of the great movement of our species out of Africa.
Some have argued human culture in the Late Pleistocene attained a high level of complexity as Homo sapiens spread into Europe and as far east as India. Thereafter, culture is thought to have declined in sophistication as people ventured into the tropics of Southeast Asia and Wallacea.
But new research in Wallacea is steadily dismantling this view.
New findings from ‘Ice Age’ Sulawesi
In the latest addition to this rash of discoveries, we describe a suite of previously undocumented symbolic artefacts excavated from a limestone cavern on Sulawesi, the largest island in Wallacea.
The artefacts were dated using a range of methods to between 30,000 and 22,000 years ago. They include disc-shaped beads made from the tooth of a babirusa, a primitive pig found only on Sulawesi, and a “pendant” fashioned from the finger bone of a bear cuscus, a large possum-like creature also unique to Sulawesi.
Also recovered were stone tools inscribed with crosses, leaf-like motifs and other geometric patterns, the meaning of which is obscure.
Further evidence for symbolic culture was shown by the abundant traces of rock art production gleaned from the cave excavations. They include used ochre pieces, ochre stains on tools and a bone tube that may have been an “airbrush” for creating stencil art.
All are from deposits the same age as dated cave paintings in the surrounding limestone hills.
It is very unusual to uncover buried evidence for symbolic activity in the same places where Ice Age rock art is found. Prior to this research, it also remained uncertain whether or not the Sulawesi cave artists adorned themselves with ornaments, or even if their art extended beyond rock painting.
Early art and ornaments from Wallacea
Previous cave excavations in Timor-Leste (East Timor) have unearthed 42,000-year-old shells used as “jewellery”, as reported in 2016. In 2014, archaeologists announced cave art from Sulawesi is among the oldest surviving on the planet.
At one cave, a depiction of a human hand is at least 40,000 years old. It was made by someone pressing their palm and fingers flat against the ceiling and spraying red paint around them.
Next to the hand stencil is a painting of a babirusa that was created at least 35,400 years ago.
These artworks are compatible in age with the spectacular cave paintings of rhinos, mammoths and other animals from France and Spain, a region long thought to be the birthplace of modern artistic culture.
Some prehistorians have even suggested the presence of 40,000-year-old art in Indonesia means rock art probably arose in Africa well before our species set foot in Europe, although an Asian origin is also conceivable.
Based on the new evidence emerging from Timor and Sulawesi, it now appears the story about early humans in Wallacea being less culturally advanced than people elsewhere, especially Palaeolithic Europeans, is wrong.
The weird world of Wallacea
Owing to the unique biogeography of Wallacea, the first modern humans to enter this archipelago would have encountered a strangely exotic world filled with animals and plants they had never imagined existed.
Surrounded by deep ocean troughs, the roughly 2,000 islands of Wallacea are extremely difficult for non-flying organisms to reach. Because of their inaccessibility, these islands tend to be inhabited by relatively few land mammals. Endemic lineages would have arisen on many islands as a result of this evolutionary isolation.
Sulawesi is the weirdest island of them all. Essentially all of the island’s terrestrial mammals, except for bats, occur nowhere else on earth. Sulawesi was probably where human beings first laid eyes on marsupials (cuscuses).
SEE ALSO: Indonesian farmers find missing friend after cutting open python
The discovery of ornaments manufactured from the bones and teeth of babirusas and bear cuscuses – two of Sulawesi’s most characteristic endemic species – implies that the symbolic world of the newcomers changed to incorporate these never-before-seen creatures.
Our excavations have unearthed thousands of animal bones and teeth, but only a tiny fraction is from babirusas. The near-absence of babirusas from the cave inhabitants’ diet, coupled with the portrayal of these animals in their art, and use of their body parts as “jewellery”, suggests these rare and elusive creatures had acquired particular symbolic value in Ice Age human culture.
Perhaps the first Sulawesians felt a strong spiritual connection with these odd-looking mammals.
This ‘social interaction’ with the novel species of Wallacea is likely to have been essential to the initial human colonisation of Australia with its unprecedentedly rich communities of endemic faunas and floras, including many species of megafauna that are now extinct.
In fact, elements of the complex human-animal spiritual relationships that characterise Aboriginal cultures of Australia could well have their roots in the initial passage of people through Wallacea and the first human experiences of the curious animal life in this region.
By Adam Brumm, Principal Research Fellow, Griffith University and Michelle Langley, DECRA Research Fellow, Griffith University
** This article originally appeared on The Conversation. Read the original article.As is my new custom, I’m sitting at the table looking out the big window at the winter weather, and I’m sweating. The new stove is amazing, but way too large for my little cabin. A wealth of heat is not necessarily a bad thing, but having the cabin feel like a too-hot summer is a little disconcerting.
I open one of the windows a little more, since all the windows that can open, are already open. I’m greeted with sounds that are both welcome and unwelcome at the same time. The sound of snow and ice dripping off of the roof is nice, but the sound of freezing rain is unpleasant. I woke to a half-inch of ice covering everything. I can also hear the small rushing stream out back. It typically only flows in the spring, but now it sounds like constant traffic. It’s eerily out of place.
Around noon I went out and started my car. I wanted to get as much ice off as possible before the second round of sleet and freezing rain began. It was only a little below freezing, but because it was thick and took me most of an hour with the defroster and an ice scraper. The radio playing in the car told me to stay off the roads for unnecessary travel, but I was out of beer.
I had other reasons for making the four-mile trip to the store. The car only had a little gas, so in case I needed to use it as a generator for a few days, I figured I’d better fill up. I also wanted to get the paper, and get the gossip from whoever was working. I quickly discovered that the most dangerous part of my journey was the driveway. The main roads were fine, but I took it slow just the same.
I got back to the cabin, read the paper and did the crossword. Well, most of the crossword. Okay, some of the crossword. I found out at the store that we didn’t get the brunt of the storm. I’m glad for that, and that everyone around here seems to still have power. Not that it affects me, but everyone else I know relies on the power and phone lines.
It’s not that I got off scot-free. My firewood is wet. Not all of it, but a decent portion. The old metal roofing had holes in it when I put it up over the summer, but until now very little water leaked through. Now, eight inches of snow on top iced-up and couldn’t drain well enough. Every little hole started to leak. There’s nothing I can do at this point short of moving all three cord or so into another overcrowded shed.
I’ve been picking and choosing the dry pieces stacked below the wet ones on top. I’ve also brought a pile of wet wood inside and stacked it behind the stove where it should dry pretty quickly. The biggest problem is that the weather is going to be bitter cold again. That will freeze the water onto the wood, so I’ll be thawing firewood for the rest of the winter. That’s not something I look forward to.
You’d think that after a full two years out here, I’d have all this figured out. But I don’t, and I’m okay with that. It’s a process, a learning experience. I’ve made many, many things better out here, but there’s some things I just can’t control. Like the ridiculous temperature swings. It’s sixty degrees warmer than it was last weekend, and by the middle of the week, it’s supposed to be almost fifty degrees colder than it is now. At least now I don’t have to worry about the stove keeping the cabin warm enough; I |
, and psychiatry. This group has systematically reviewed the literature on the potential adverse health effects of marijuana and has provided recommendations on further improving surveillance efforts. Monitoring Prevalence of Use To monitor patterns of marijuana use, the department sought to use existing health behavior surveys to estimate prevalence by county or health district. The major issue with this strategy was a lack of validated surveillance questions related to marijuana. In the absence of validated questions on frequency and dosage, methods of use, behaviors while impaired, storage of marijuana products at home, cultivation and manufacturing of marijuana products, and more, the department relied on literature reviews and stakeholder feedback to outline initial surveillance questions. Because of a lack of funding sources before revenue collection, the department was unable to collect baseline data before the January 1, 2014, implementation of the retail production and sales system. Since that time, however, the department has added questions to a variety of population-based surveys that monitor behaviors. These include the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, which focuses on adult behaviors, the Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, which focuses on behaviors during pregnancy, and other population-based surveys that focus on behaviors in youths, such as the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, which is implemented through the Healthy Kids Colorado Survey. Annual or biannual data collection will allow the department to establish a delayed baseline for the prevalence of marijuana use and to monitor changes in use patterns over time. Monitoring these patterns will allow the state to better focus prevention efforts on populations at the highest risk for adverse effects stemming from marijuana use. The department plans to add questions in future surveys to further characterize the frequency and methods of marijuana use and evaluate unintended consequences of legalization. Monitoring Health Effects To monitor health impact, the department has started to analyze data on marijuana-related hospitalizations, emergency department visits, payer claims, mortality, and birth defects on an annual basis to identify possible trends in acute and chronic health effects. In addition, self-reported marijuana use has been added to the statewide trauma registry. The department is also working with other state agencies to explore better data sources for driving while under the influence of drugs and for blood test results that are higher than the recently established 5 nanograms per milliliter blood limit for delta 9 THC (tetrahydrocannabinol),4 the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana. Colorado has no current systematic method to collect accurate reports on the numbers of suspected and confirmed marijuana-related driving while under the influence of drugs cases in the state. The national Fatality Analysis Reporting System confirms only the presence of a drug in the driver of a fatal crash, not the level of impairment associated with the drug, and does not capture data on serious injury crashes.5 The department and local public health agencies have also started pilot surveillance sites around the state to monitor ski or recreational injuries related to marijuana use in resort communities and to monitor unintentional poisonings in younger children. Poisonings among younger children are of particular interest, because a recent Colorado study found an increase in such poisonings after the legalization of medical marijuana in the state in 2000,6 and recent reports from Children’s Hospital Colorado indicate an increase in the number of children hospitalized in 2014 over the previous year.7 Another surveillance concern is related to acute health effects through contamination or overconsumption. The medical literature reports that marijuana can be contaminated by bacteria, mold, and chemicals such as pesticides, lead, ammonia, and formaldehyde.8–22 The department is working with emergency departments, the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center, and local health agencies to explore real-time systems that can capture an “outbreak” related to contaminated marijuana products, which will enable state agencies to remove those products from the market as quickly as possible. Foodborne illness follow-up questionnaires have also been changed to routinely include questions regarding the consumption of edible marijuana products. After legalization, Colorado made national news related to residents’, tourists’, and newscasters’ overconsumption of edible marijuana products. Initial regulations for edible marijuana products sold on the recreational market specified a single serving size of 10 milligrams of THC and a maximum of 100 milligrams of THC per single packaged food item, such as 1 cookie.23 The resulting fact that 1 serving could only be one tenth of a cookie, combined with the delayed onset of the effects of THC after eating, contributed to overconsumption. This in turn led to increases in calls to the poison control center,24 increased anecdotal reporting of overdoses,24 and 3 high profile deaths.25,26 On the basis of these concerns, regulations were changed to ensure easier identification of serving size portions in a single edible or drinkable product.27 Additionally, the department developed an enhanced relationship with the Rocky Mountain Poison and Drug Center to monitor call volume on this issue. Challenges to Assessment There are numerous ongoing challenges to public health assessment related to marijuana. One challenge in Colorado is the lack of robust baseline data on adult marijuana use and attitudes before the implementation of legal recreational marijuana in 2014. Another major challenge has been the lack of validated survey questions and widely accepted definitions to capture prevalence, frequency, and type of marijuana use. This challenge has been further underscored by emerging methods of use in the legalized market, including edibles, vaporizing, and the use of concentrates. Monitoring for changes in marijuana-impaired driving has been hampered by the lack of a comprehensive database of blood THC measurements and a lack of consistency in testing when alcohol and marijuana are used together. With regard to monitoring for health impacts, Colorado has faced some challenges with using administrative data sets such as hospital discharge and emergency department data. One example is the lack of specific International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision28 codes for hospitalization records related to marijuana use and the inconsistent application of these codes. Another example is the lack of consistency in collecting marijuana use frequency, timing, and methods related to hospitalizations and emergency department visits.
POLICY DEVELOPMENT Section: Choose Top of page Abstract ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT << ASSURANCE CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES CITING ARTICLES Immediately after the legalization of recreational marijuana, the department was involved in developing policies and regulations to protect the public’s health and safety. The department was a member of the initial task force that developed recommendations and regulations that built on the successes of the past 50 years of public health progress to reduce the prevalence of tobacco use, exposure to secondhand smoke, and alcohol-related problems. The Guide to Community Preventive Services (or Community Guide) summarizes evidence-based strategies to prevent or reduce public health concerns. The key recommendations to reduce tobacco use include increased unit price, smoke-free policies, comprehensive control programs, community mobilization, mass-reach health communications, and strict retailer licensing and enforcement.29 The Community Guide also recommends increased taxes, limited hours of sale, regulating retail outlet density, and enhanced enforcement of licensed retailers.30 A recent article published in AJPH “Developing public health regulations for marijuana: lessons from alcohol and tobacco,”31 recommended that policymakers apply effective tobacco and alcohol prevention strategies to the legalization of marijuana, strategies similar to those listed in the Community Guide.29,30 Colorado policymakers and the public implemented many of those recommended policy strategies, including increasing the unit price of marijuana by passing a 15% excise tax on the wholesale product and a 10% sales tax to increase the price of marijuana. These taxes are applied only to marijuana that is sold for recreational use and not to sales of medical marijuana.32 Colorado lawmakers and voters passed policy strategies that promote healthy environments and prevent the modeling of substance use for children and adolescents by applying existing smoke-free policies and public consumption bans to marijuana. Policymakers added marijuana to Colorado’s Clean Indoor Air Act to prevent exposure to secondhand smoke from both tobacco and marijuana in public places.33 Additionally, public and open consumption of marijuana, including edibles, was explicitly prohibited by the voter-approved Amendment 64 to Colorado’s Constitution.34,35 Policymakers passed strict regulations of the retail environment that are closely aligned with the recommendations from the Community Guide and the AJPH article. Colorado restricted marijuana use, possession, and cultivation to adults aged 21 years or older.34 Colorado’s laws on youth access to marijuana were strengthened, making it a drug felony offense if an adult more than 2 years older than the minor gives or sells the minor any marijuana or related products.35 Furthermore, Colorado Minor in Possession laws for alcohol now include marijuana, ban the possession of drug paraphernalia, and apply Good Samaritan laws.36 In addition, age and other sales restrictions have been used. Colorado’s Marijuana Enforcement Division rules ban the presence of anyone younger than 21 years in the retail store and limit the hours of operation of retail marijuana licensees to 8:00 am to midnight. The law requires identification at point of purchase for proof of age, and it is illegal to sell marijuana to someone younger than 21 years.37 Local governments can restrict hours of sales even further and can restrict retail stores to limited locations in their communities far from schools and other youth centers, if local governments choose to allow the sale of marijuana at all.37 Furthermore, the Colorado Department of Revenue will implement a responsible vendor program to educate retail store employees about marijuana’s health impacts, safety practices, and the importance of restricting youths’ access to marijuana products.38 Additionally, with stakeholder and community input, Colorado established rules on packaging, labeling, and product safety requirements equal to or exceeding those of tobacco products for recreational marijuana products. Packaging cannot appeal to children or youths younger than 21 years or use cartoon characters. Strict requirements have been placed on advertising, including outright bans on Internet pop-up advertisements and any type of advertisement that targets minors. Advertising is only allowed via television, radio, print, Internet, or event sponsorship when it can be documented that less than 30% of the audience is younger than 21 years. Outdoor advertising is prohibited other than signs that identify the location of a licensed retail marijuana store.37 As recommended by the AJPH article,31 Colorado laws established a legal limit for marijuana-impaired driving. Colorado’s limit is set at 5 nanograms per milliliter of delta 9 THC in whole blood.39 The Colorado Department of Transportation has implemented a Drive High, Get a DUI campaign to educate the public on the law and to prevent impaired driving.40 Additionally, Colorado law enforcement agencies are assessing data collection and infrastructure modifications to better track trends in the rate of marijuana-impaired driving in the state. Education Lawmakers tasked the state public health department with implementing mass-reach health communications through the release of a statewide public awareness and education campaign on the recreational marijuana laws, which was launched January 2015.41 The Good to Know Colorado campaign’s targeted messages educate all Colorado residents and visitors about safe, legal, and responsible use of marijuana. Key messages educate the public about the health effects of marijuana and key laws that prevent youth marijuana initiation. Additional messaging promotes safe storage, warns about marijuana use during pregnancy and while breastfeeding, and educates on the dangers of underage marijuana use. Educational materials provide more information about safety concerns with eating or smoking marijuana products, reducing secondhand marijuana smoke exposure, and the harms of combining marijuana with other substances. Prevention messaging campaigns are one of the few evidence-based interventions shown to increase awareness of harms and reduce marijuana use at the population level when integrated with community-, school-, and family-based prevention efforts.42 In the first 5 months of the campaign, there were approximately 85 million media impressions across the state and more than 200 000 visitors to the campaign Web site (GoodToKnowColorado.com). The department has partnered closely with other state agencies that fund local substance abuse prevention coalitions and programs to integrate educational materials and youth prevention messaging into all Colorado communities. Additionally, the department is conducting statewide formative research to help craft media messages geared toward youths, pregnant and breastfeeding women, and Latinos. These culturally responsive and age-appropriate engagement efforts will launch soon. Lessons learned from tobacco prevention efforts will guide marijuana-related messaging, particularly with regard to preventing youth initiation.43 All campaigns will be closely evaluated for impact and efficacy. To ensure consistent statewide messaging, the department has created a Web portal (Colorado.gov/marijuana) that coordinates messaging across all state agencies, including the Department of Transportation’s impaired driving messages, the Department of Education’s messaging for adolescents and parents, the Department of Revenue’s information on licensing and enforcement, and the public health department’s own information on health impacts. The Web site also links to all health-related research and public education materials created for the use of parents, community agencies, schools, and health care providers. The department is also engaging in educational efforts targeted at specific groups. For example, the department offers producers of edible products access to its food safety trainings to help reduce the risk of foodborne illness. Although there is no way to guarantee safety when adding a drug to food, educating producers about food safety will, at a minimum, reduce the risk of contamination with certain bacteria and viruses. In addition, as the scale of marijuana cultivation, product manufacturing, and sales expands in Colorado, education to prevent occupational injuries and illnesses becomes increasingly important. As federal resources are limited, the department has taken the lead role in convening a multidisciplinary task force on occupational health to assess the physical and chemical hazards and potential health effects associated with this industry. This task force consists of industrial hygienists, safety professionals, and occupational medicine physicians as well as marijuana industry representatives. The goals of this task force are to establish policies and best practices to prevent adverse health effects and to disseminate this information throughout the marijuana industry. Challenges in Policy Development One of the most significant challenges for policymakers in Colorado is the discordant regulations for recreational and medical marijuana. Legalization proponents suggested that a legal recreational system would reduce the number of medical marijuana registrants. However, the opposite has been observed over the first year of legalization, with the number of medical marijuana registrants continuing to grow.44 There are several policy differences between recreational and medical marijuana that likely limit the transition of users, including higher possession limits, higher grow limits, the ability to designate a caregiver to grow the user’s plants, exemption from excise and sales taxes, and the ability to obtain a medical registration card for those younger than 21 years.45 For these reasons, it is likely that Colorado will continue to have a large medical marijuana program. The strong medical marijuana advocacy community and the increasingly blurry line between medical and recreational use will continue to make this a challenging environment for policy development. Current state policy priorities are to harmonize the packaging and laboratory testing requirements of medical and recreational marijuana. Policy development is also hampered by the unique patchwork of federal, state, and local laws on marijuana. Research to assess both the beneficial and the adverse health effects of marijuana is often difficult to conduct because of marijuana’s Schedule I drug designation applied by the US Drug Enforcement Agency.46 Public universities are reluctant to participate in marijuana-related research owing to concerns about federal funding and their ability to comply with the Drug Free Schools and Communities Act.47 Organizations providing prevention programming may be restricted from accepting marijuana tax funds because of ambiguity in federal funding requirements for other activities. Furthermore, some local governments in Colorado have chosen to restrict marijuana sales, possession, and use in their jurisdictions.
ASSURANCE Section: Choose Top of page Abstract ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSURANCE << CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES CITING ARTICLES Enforcement is a role that public health often plays, particularly in relation to restaurant and environmental inspections. With regard to marijuana, the major public health goals of enforcement are to ensure a product free of contaminants that is packaged in child-resistant packaging and properly labeled. To streamline the regulation of the marijuana industry, typical public health enforcement functions such as product and food safety have been incorporated into the overall inspection and enforcement strategy of the Colorado Department of Revenue, which also has the critical job of ensuring the seed to sale tracking of marijuana to prevent diversion.37 The Colorado Department of Revenue is inspecting all growers, infused product manufacturers, and retail outlets. Some of the public health-related aspects of these inspections will include food safety issues, pesticide use, proper product labeling, proper product packaging, and safe marijuana extraction procedures. Similar to the recommendations for tobacco and alcohol prevention of the Community Guide29 and the AJPH article on marijuana laws,31 the marijuana enforcement strategy will include periodic evaluations to ensure that retail outlets are not selling to individuals younger than 21 years.37 Although the Colorado Department of Revenue has regulatory authority on these issues, the department has worked with the Colorado Department of Revenue to apply standard food safety and food handler training recommendations to the marijuana-infused product industry. In addition, the department has provided assurance by inspecting and certifying recreational marijuana testing facilities. Recreational marijuana testing facilities are to perform potency and contaminant testing on marijuana plants, concentrates, and edibles. The department’s laboratorians have developed a testing facility certification process aimed at protecting public health by ensuring quality testing. Laboratory subject matter experts in molecular testing, food microbiology, and chemical testing are participating in testing facility inspections and providing recommendations to improve the reliability of testing. However, significant challenges remain, because of a lack of national standards on marijuana testing and a lack of proficiency testing and reference laboratories. Ensuring a Competent Workforce To ensure a competent and informed public health workforce, the department is establishing a network of local public health professionals. This process has started by identifying primary marijuana points of contact at each county or city health department. Frequent communications are sent to this network that outline local trends, resources, and research. The department also conducted key informant interviews with local public health officials to identify new or emerging issues around the state. Furthermore, the department has hosted a marijuana-specific educational conference for local and state public health professionals to learn about and discuss marijuana-related public health topics. In addition, the department is working to ensure that health care providers are well informed about marijuana-related topics. The department has convened panels of experts to develop clinical guidelines for screening pregnant and pediatric patients for marijuana use. The department will also engage with hospital emergency departments to inform them of potential acute events associated with contaminated products via informational alerts through the department’s emergency management system. Evaluation Finally, evaluation is another major component of the assurance function of public health. The department will closely evaluate all data collection and surveillance efforts for efficacy and benefit. The department has also contracted with a local university to evaluate the effectiveness of its marijuana education campaigns in increasing accurate knowledge of recreational marijuana laws, health impacts of marijuana use, safe storage practices, and preventive behaviors. Additionally, the evaluation will assess changes to Colorado residents’ perceptions of risk related to problematic use of marijuana across the state, including use during pregnancy or while breastfeeding, youths’ use of marijuana, secondhand marijuana smoke exposure in the home, marijuana-impaired driving, and public use of marijuana products. To evaluate these outcomes, the evaluator will use surveillance data, telephone surveys, community-based surveys to reach targeted populations, and analytics on postmedia buys and the Web site to determine reach across target audience subgroups. Challenges in Assurance Despite the work of public health to address marijuana surveillance and prevention since the legalization of recreational marijuana in November 2012, the department did not receive any funding until April 2014. At that time, the state provided minimal funding for staff time for surveillance and to convene the panel of health experts. The department received approximately $7 million from the marijuana tax cash fund beginning July 1, 2014, to fund personnel, surveillance, data purchasing, and media campaigns.41 In the absence of that funding, staff absorbed this work on top of their existing tasks and responsibilities. The department recommends that states considering legalization identify funding for surveillance and staff time as early as possible to begin establishing baseline data and convening stakeholders to address marijuana legalization from the public health perspective.
CONCLUSIONS Section: Choose Top of page Abstract ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSURANCE CONCLUSIONS << REFERENCES CITING ARTICLES The issues related to the legalization of marijuana require a robust regulatory and public health framework consistent with the core public health functions of assessment, policy development, and assurance. Because of the lack of a federal infrastructure for regulating marijuana, state health departments often find themselves in new roles with little resources or support. Furthermore, the breadth of public health issues associated with marijuana requires close collaboration among state agencies responsible for marijuana (and often liquor) enforcement, public safety, agriculture, and behavioral health. These issues also necessitate multidisciplinary collaboration among health department programs, including staff members who work in disease surveillance, behavioral risk factor surveys, the public health laboratory, injury and poisoning prevention, and food safety, among others. As other states confront these issues, it will be important to consider these public health roles in advance to align and preallocate future tax funding with anticipated needs. Particularly important lessons learned include the thoughtful collection of baseline marijuana use data through population-based surveys before legalization and the timely development of public health campaigns for youth prevention and responsible use for adults. A major success of the Colorado experience was the close involvement of public health officials during the development of marijuana regulations, allowing a proactive approach to implementing important public health policy interventions such as advertising and sales restrictions, child-resistant packaging, and protections to prevent secondhand smoke exposure. Finally, the first year of legalization in Colorado has demonstrated the need for the continued engagement of public health in marijuana-related issues to promote timely policy changes as new health issues arise.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS We thank Jeff Lawrence and Elyse Contreras of the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.
HUMAN PARTICIPANT PROTECTION No protocol approval was necessary because this study did not involve human participants.
REFERENCES Section: Choose Top of page Abstract ASSESSMENT POLICY DEVELOPMENT ASSURANCE CONCLUSIONS REFERENCES << CITING ARTICLES
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A Washoe Country District Court granted the Nevada Transportation Authority’s request for an injunction, saying the company’s refusal to comply with state laws on carrying passengers could threaten public safety, Reuters reported.
Uber spokeswoman Eva Behrend said that the court’s decision was “unfortunate” and would threaten 1,000 jobs in the state. She added that “we remain committed to working with Nevada’s leaders to create a permanent regulatory framework that affords Nevadans the flexibility and innovation offered by Uber.
The company has gathered nearly 18,000 signatures in an online petition to support its activities in the state.
Uber’s lawyers have been arguing that the company is a technology company, not a taxi company, and that therefore it isn’t covered by state law on passenger transportation. But the Las Vegas Review Journal reported Chief Deputy Attorney General Gina Session as saying that Uber is operating in all ways like a common motor carrier and so should be subject to the NTA’s regulations.
The company has lost similar battles in Europe and Asia– usually instigated by the established taxi companies that Uber is challenging–and was also banned last week by Toronto. However, this is the first time that a U.S. state has banned its operations, and the loss is substantial, given the allure of the Las Vegas taxi market.
The ban comes against a background of rising concern about the company’s business practices and culture. Public debate exploded last week after it was reported that a senior executive, Emil Michael, had advocated the use of investigators to dig dirt on journalists critical of the company. The ensuing PR storm forced Uber chief executive Travis Kalanick into a lengthy apology on Twitter.
At the same time, Uber is reportedly seeking a new round of funding to finance its international expansion. Bloomberg said the new round would value the company at between $35 and $40 billion, implying that its valuation had doubled in the six months since its last funding round.I’ve been having a great time recently using Osmium to write my own analysis code in C++ to look for anomalies in the PBF extracts. Today it found this very strange coastline in South Africa:
Perhaps, i thought, this is some rare geological formation, that makes an amazing wavy line? So let’s look at the data over aerial:
Uh…. what? I’ve seen a lot of weird and bad map data, like the mechanical grit of PGS and all the horrors of TIGER, but this was new. It’s as if some cartographer said… “yeah, it’s a coastline! Uh, what kind? Uh…. a wavy coastline? Yeah, wavy! Lots of waves…. I LOOOVE to draw WAVES, wheeeee!”
I should mention that this appears to go on for hundreds of kilometers.
The importer of this way is an “Adrian Frith” but it’s most certainly not his fault, the source tags says “Municipal Demarcation Board” so it was probably made by some government department, or maybe a contractor that was getting paid by the node?
I’m sorry to say I’ll be quickly tidying up this coast, so perhaps by the time you read this, you won’t be able to see the waves at, for example, here. On the other hand, coastline changes are special and take a while to process, so the blue ocean wobbles will probably stay for quite a while.Well Go USA has confirmed that certain Blu-ray discs created at a manufacturing facility for multiple theatrical and home media titles were pressed in error, and Well Go USA’s August 4th release of Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal contains a documentary feature, and not the feature film.
To their knowledge, this issue has only affected Wal-Mart retail store customers.
Well Go USA is working with their manufacturing facility and with their retailers to replace these Blu-ray discs. New shipments will be delivered within in the next week.
If you discover that your Blu-ray copy of Snow Girl and the Dark Crystal does not contain the intended feature film, please send Well Go USA an email at service@wellgousa.com. They will provide you with a postage-paid shipping label, so that you can send the Blu-ray disc only (no packaging, please) to their facility, and they will ship out a new replacement disc immediately.
Should the error be discovered through any other retail or online outlet, they will replace those discs accordingly. Well Go USA thanks their loyal fans and customers for their patience and understanding in this matter.Posted by admin on September 27th, 2013 at 7:42 am
Dhirajlal Hirachand Ambani (28 December 1932 – 6 July 2002) better known as ‘Dhirubhai Ambani‘ Indian business tycoon who founded Reliance Industries in Mumbai, India. Dhirubhai has figured in the Sunday Times list of top 50 businessmen in Asia.
The life journey of this most enterprising Indian entrepreneur is reminiscent of the rags to riches story. He is remembered as the one who rewrote Indian corporate history and built a truly global corporate group.
His life and achievements prove that backed by confidence, courage and conviction, man can achieve the impossible.
Read below the inspiring Quotes of Dhirubhai Ambani.
Think big, think fast, think ahead. Ideas are no one’s monopoly
Our dreams have to be bigger. Our ambitions higher. Our commitment deeper. And our efforts greater. This is my dream for Reliance and for India.
You do not require an invitation to make profits
Only when you can dream it, you can do it.
If you work with determination and with perfection, success will follow
Pursue your goals even in the face of difficulties, and convert adversities into opportunities.
Give the youth a proper environment. Motivate them. Extend them the support they need. Each one of them has infinite source of energy. They will deliver
Between my past, the present and the future, there is one common factor: Relationship and Trust. This is the foundation of our growth.
We bet on people
Meeting the deadlines is not good enough, beating the deadlines is my expectation.A day after celebrating his 69th birthday, the beloved manatee named Snooty has died, the South Florida Museum announced Sunday.
At 69, Snooty was the oldest known manatee living in captivity in the entire world. Manatees are fortunate to live into their teens in the wild.
Snooty was captive-born in 1948, before laws were passed to protect marine mammals.
The museum threw Snooty his annual birthday bash festival Saturday, with fans coming from all over to celebrate the famous manatee.
One 13-year-old boy and his family traveled all the way from North Carolina to see the elderly manatee.
Luckily, Douglas McAnulty was able to meet the lovable 1,300-pound manatee before he died.
McAnulty discovered Snooty online a couple of years ago and has been hooked ever since. Douglas said he was estactic to come to Florida to celebrate Snooty's birthday.
The South Florida Museum said his death was accidental and that the circumstances are being investigated.
In a release sent by the South Florida Museum, officials stated, "Snooty was found in an underwater area only used to access plumbing for the exhibit life support system. Early indications are that an access panel door that is normally bolted shut had somehow been knocked loose and that Snooty was able to swim in."
"Snooty's habitat undergoes a daily visual inspection and there were no indications the previous day that there was anything amiss. The Aquarium will remain closed while Museum staff continues its investigation and staff who worked with him have an opportunity to grieve."
The museum posted on their Facebook page saying, "We know that our community and Snooty fans around the world share our grief."
Highlights of Snooty's Life
July 21, 1948 Snooty is born on The Prinz Valdemar, a Danish warship that capsized in the Miami harbor in 1926 and later became a floating restaurant and the Miami Aquarium Tackle Company.
1949 'Baby Snoots' comes to Bradenton for the Desoto Celebration and later makes his permanent home in an exhibit inside The South Florida Museum's area at the Chamber of Commerce Pier Building.
1966 Snooty moves to the newly constructed South Florida Museum.
1979 Manatee County Commissioners declare Snooty to be the County's official mascot.
1982 Snooty gains even wider fame when the children's television show, Captain Kangaroo, films him as part of a documentary on manatees.
1985 A hydrophone placed in Snooty's tank reveals for the first time the high-pitched squeaks as Snooty's vocalization.
1987 Snooty begins training to aid researchers trying to determine how well manatees hear at different frequencies.
1993 Snooty moves into his newest home: a 60,000-gallon exhibit in the newly constructed Parker Manatee Aquarium.
1998 TheParker Manatee Aquarium joins the Manatee Rehabilitation Network and is introduced to his first tank mate, Newton. During his life, Snooty hosted 33 rehabilitating manatees.
2008 Snooty celebrates |
any of the events anticipated by the forward-looking statements will occur or, if they do occur, what benefits the Company will obtain from them. Readers are urged to consider these factors, and the more extensive risk factors included in the Company’s filing statement dated March 31, 2017 and MD&A for the three and six months ended June 30, 2017, which are available on SEDAR, carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements contained in this news release and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements, which are qualified in their entirety by these cautionary statements. The forward-looking statements in this news release are made as of the date hereof and the Company disclaims any intent or obligation to update publicly any such forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by applicable securities laws.(Newser) – It's not just "politicians and police spokespeople" who are allergic to newspapers, a longtime Baltimore Sun reporter says in a hilarious letter to colleagues explaining why he's going to be wearing gloves around the office from now. Michael Dresser, who covers the political beat in Annapolis, says that after 38 years with the paper, he has been diagnosed with an allergy to the pine resin in newspaper ink, which has caused him skin and eye problems. "People have been more amused than sympathetic, which is exactly what I would probably be," he tells the Wall Street Journal. "The irony just overwhelms anything else."
Dresser has also been diagnosed with an allergy to a dye used in dark clothing, so if "a new colleague asks why the old guy always wears white or cream even in winter, that's the reason," he told his colleagues. "This transition may take some time because of the expense involved. I'm looking at Mark Twain as a possible role model," he writes, suggesting that other newspaper-handling people with puffing or irritation around the eyes get tested for allergies. "I am relieved that this news comes at a time when I can consume the fine work my colleagues do in an electronic format," he writes. "And over-zealous editors take note: I won't leave fingerprints." (Read more allergies stories.)That pony sure does love apples.Applejack print for the upcoming vending season. Felt good to render something out like this again, been doing so many sketches over on tumblr that I had forgotten how nice it felt to get something substantial done. You guys can expect some more activity from me on here in the upcoming months, need more prints!I have but one regret on this one, and it's that when I gave the apples a little hue variety I accidentally got rid of a really nice color gradient that I had on them. They used to go from yellow to orange to red to purple and it all worked so nice, but then I threw a lumi/shade over it so they wouldn't all look so similar and bleh. I didn't notice the problem until it was too late, tried to bring that back but I couldn't get it back to that nice gradient again. Ah well, live and learn yeah? Maybe I'll figure something out and edit this post later. With how attached I get to these things I wouldn't put it past me. There are a few minor things I wouldn't mind changing either soAnyways, have some applejack bathing in apples.Like my art? Want to shove more of it into those eye things you got? Drop me a follow here on DA or other places tooThe Portuguese military is investigating the theft of a massive arms cache at one of its bases. A Spanish news outlet revealed the extent of the heist, reporting that the thieves got their hands on grenade launchers and a vast quantity of explosives.
Grenades, grenade launchers, 9mm ammo, explosives, and other military equipment disappeared from a Portuguese military base in Tancos, some 100 kilometers northeast of Lisbon, last Wednesday.
The Portuguese Army disclosed that the robbery had taken place the next day, but did not share the details with the public. On Monday, Spanish news outlet, El Espanol released an alleged list of the military equipment stolen.
Tiros disparados contra a base militar de Tancos https://t.co/09wVkYYNIF — Luís Delgado Oficial (@LuisDelgadolde) July 3, 2017
The extent appears to be staggering. According to the report, the perpetrators managed to get away with 1,450 rounds of 9mm ammunition, in addition to 150 hand grenades, 44 anti-tank grenades, and 18 tear gas grenades.
Also on the list were 264 units of plastic explosives and 102 explosive charges. The army refused to comment on the report in the Spanish newspaper after being contacted by Portuguese news agency Lusa.
The Portuguese army said earlier that the intrusion was detected on Wednesday night when soldiers noticed two entries that had been forced open along the perimeter of the military complex, where the CCTV cameras had been broken for over two years.
Read more
Military judiciary police were immediately sent to the military base in Tancos to investigate and recover the stolen weapons. At the same time, Army Chief of Staff Frederico Rovisco Duarte relieved five commanders there of duty in order to allow the investigation to proceed.
“Whoever stole the weapons knew what was in the stores,” he said, as cited by the Guardian. “When they chose the two stores… which aren’t the closest ones to the entrance, conclusions have to be drawn,” Duarte stressed.
The Portuguese authorities also instructed 14 other military depots to check their inventories and increase security at warehouses.
“There’s no doubt that this material is now on its way into the illegal arms market and could later be used for many different purposes, such as [terrorism],” Portugal’s defense minister, Jose Azeredo Lopes, was quoted as saying by the Guardian.
Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa demanded that the weapons be found and those responsible brought to justice, while stressing the need to coordinate recovery efforts with NATO countries
The US embassy in Lisbon beefed up security after the Tancos theft and called for increased policing near the embassy compound through July 4, which is a national holiday in the United States.
The robbery was only possible because of “a security breach, which should concern all,” General Jose Loureiro dos Santos was quoted as saying.
According to the general, the robbery was carried out with the help of military personnel who helped the thieves enter the facility.Theresa May greets European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker as he arrives at 10 Downing Street on April 26, 2017 | Carl Court/Getty Images May’s Brexit gambit leaves Brussels mystified British PM seeks to enlist Commission President Juncker and top negotiator Barnier as her new allies in Brussels.
LONDON — At least there was an agreement about no leaks.
When U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker last shared an intimate dinner focused on Brexit, it was a debacle. Leaks from the Brussels side claiming May was "deluded" about Brexit infuriated London, sparking condemnation on the steps of Downing Street by the PM.
This time, the two sides issued a joint statement that twice pronounced the dinner "constructive" while also agreeing divorce talks needed to "accelerate" over the next few months.
But it was a sign of just how badly the negotiations have gone that according to officials familiar with the dinner discussion Monday night, May and her advisers sought to enlist Juncker and his top negotiator, Michel Barnier, as Britain's new allies in Brussels.
Two senior aides, who spoke to POLITICO on condition of anonymity, said the prime minister hoped to convince Juncker to press the leaders of the EU27 to expand Barnier's negotiating mandate and to help convince them May could not make any more concessions after her speech in Florence last month. It comes after her efforts to lobby French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel appeared to hit brick walls in Paris and Berlin this week.
One U.K. official explained the goal of the dinner: "She doesn't have any more room for maneuver so they have to help create it for her."
But if May came to Brussels looking for Juncker to take a softer line, that approach left officials in the EU capital mystified. Even if Brussels is not quite "the enemy" as Chancellor Philip Hammond recently suggested, Juncker isn't in much of a position to extend a helping hand.
EU officials believe they have already created a path for May to secure a transition deal and start talks on the framework of a future trade relationship at the next European Council meeting — provided the divorce terms of Brexit are settled by December.
The EU27 leaders in the European Council seem prepared to draft conclusions at a summit meeting Friday that would make it clear the bloc is preparing for just that path. But May first has to do her part by clarifying what she meant in her Florence speech about the U.K. meeting its financial obligations and resolving differences over citizens' rights and Northern Ireland.
Brussels sees little reason for London to quibble over the issues — Juncker himself last week called the arguments over citizens' rights "silly."
Yet in Westminster there is growing frustration at the inability of EU leaders to grasp that the divorce settlement cannot be negotiated in isolation.
On Northern Ireland, in particular, the question of how a future border with the Republic will work is entirely dependent on the relationship Britain is able to negotiate with Brussels on customs, U.K. negotiators have sought to stress.
More politically, May and her team do not believe they can commit to a financial settlement with Brussels unless they have an idea of what will come at the end of the talks.
To Brussels this is a fundamental misreading of the situation. Juncker, Barnier, Council President Donald Tusk, Macron, Merkel and the rest of the 27 see simply a request for clarification about the financial obligations May said the U.K. was prepared to fulfill.
May could be forgiven for trying. Locked out of the Council's discussion on Brexit on Friday and battered by political critics at home, she correctly identified that Barnier, at least, is committed to finding a solution. Officials in Brussels have repeatedly expressed sympathy for May's political predicament, but stressed they cannot break EU treaty obligations to help her.
Senior Commission and Council officials said they had nothing to add to the joint statement by May and Juncker.
One official, asked if there was any further insight into May's goals in coming to Brussels, replied cheekily: "Nope, but it was a constructive and friendly dinner."
In the U.K. there was satisfaction with the joint statement, which hailed both sides' determination to progress the talks.
The text was drafted after an early evening dinner in the Commission’s Berlaymont building in Brussels involving the two leaders plus key advisers on Brexit and the EU’s chief negotiator Barnier.
May arrived in Brussels for the informal discussions — which also included the Iran nuclear deal, counterterrorism and preparations for the upcoming European Council summit — aiming to “stiffen the spines” of the European Commission.
With the prospect of moving the Brexit talks on to phase 2o — the U.K.’s future relationship with the bloc and trade — now off the table at this gathering of EU leaders, the U.K. is keen to ensure the green light does happen at the next summit in December.
May will return to Brussels Thursday to participate in the European Council summit.Researchers from RIKEN detail the first supercomputer simulations of ‘spin–orbit’ forces between neutrons and protons in an atomic nucleus, opening the door for numerical modeling of nuclear interactions.
Protons and neutrons are held together at the center of an atom by powerful nuclear forces. A theory that can describe the interaction between just two of these subatomic particles could potentially be extended to predict the existence and properties of more exotic particles, but simulations of such systems using conventional approaches are computationally intensive and have been hampered by a lack of available computing power.
A team of researchers including Keiko Murano and Tetsuo Hatsuda from the RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based Science have now developed a method to solve the equations that govern the interactions between particles in the nucleus.
Nucleons, which include protons and neutrons, are made up of fundamental elementary particles known as quarks and gluons. The three quarks that comprise each nucleon are bound together by a force known as the strong interaction, which only acts over distances of a few femtometers—on the scale of the particles themselves. The development of a complete theory that can explain how this force holds the nucleons together in a nucleus has been a long-standing problem in nuclear and particle physics.
Strong interactions are governed by a physical framework called quantum chromodynamics (QCD). “The properties of a single nucleon are now well simulated using QCD,” explains Hatsuda, “but the nuclear force—the interactions between two nucleons—is more difficult to simulate because nucleons are composite objects composed of quarks and gluons.”
Murano, Hatsuda and their colleagues approached the problem by dividing space and time into a four-dimensional grid of points, an approach called lattice QCD. Calculations with closely positioned points are more accurate, but require more computational power. The team applied this concept to nucleon–nucleon forces on a lattice of 16×16×16×32 points, with each spatial site separated from its neighbor by just 0.16 femtometers.
The key challenge was describing the energy landscape of the system, that is, how the energy or ‘potential’ of each nucleon varies with the distance between it and the next nucleon. The researchers attempted to recreate results from nucleon–nucleon scattering experiments by modeling repulsive central forces and attractive spin–orbit forces, “one of the most fundamental and important interactions in the nucleus,” explains Hatsuda (Fig. 1). Their results were qualitatively consistent with both theoretical calculations and experimental observations.
“We are now enlarging the lattice volume, making it about 40 times bigger,” says Hatsuda. “This work is underway using the K computer at the RIKEN campus in Kobe.”
Publication: K. Murano, et al., “Spin–orbit force from lattice QCD,” Physics Letters B, Volume 735, 30 July 2014, Pages 19–24; DOI:10.1016/j.physletb.2014.05.061
PDF Copy of the Study: Spin-Orbit Force from Lattice QCD
Image: 2014 Keiko Murano, RIKEN Nishina Center for Accelerator-Based ScienceThis article is about an Australian political party. For the activist collective, see Riseup
Rise Up Australia Party is a right-wing political party in Australia. The party's policy platform is focused on nationalist and Christian conservative issues, such as opposing any spread of Islamic doctrine in Australia and opposition to same-sex marriage in Australia. The party was launched in 2011 by Pentecostal minister Danny Nalliah. Its slogan is "Keep Australia Australian".
The Rise Up Australia Party received 0.4% of the nationwide Senate vote at the 2013 federal election and 0.3% of the nationwide Senate vote at the 2016 federal election.[1] It has one councillor in the City of Casey, in Victoria, Rosalie Crestani.
History [ edit ]
Nalliah launched Rise Up Australia on 22 June 2011.[2] He had been a candidate for the Australian Senate in the 2004 federal election for the Family First Party but was forced to leave the party due to demeaning statements about minority groups.[3] The launch date was picked as it was the anniversary of Nalliah's successful case in the Supreme Court. The party was launched with the help of Christopher Monckton, with Nalliah to run for a senate seat in 2013.[4] Nalliah has declared that former Prime Minister Julia Gillard is "living in sin" for cohabiting with a domestic partner, while attacking former Greens leader Bob Brown for being an "openly practicing homosexual"; Nalliah has stated that he felt sick to the stomach watching Gillard and Brown shake hands.[5]
The party has been involved in Glenn Druery's Minor Party Alliance.[6][7]
In 2015, the party's Facebook page had a following of 6,000. It was banned and suspended on Facebook for 24 hours because of its "hateful speech" content.[8] It was the first Australian political party page to have been temporarily banned from Facebook.
Electoral performance [ edit ]
Rise Up Australia received 49,341 votes or 0.37% of the nationwide Senate vote at the 2013 federal election.[9]
At the 2016 federal election Rise Up Australia fielded two senate candidates in each of the Australian Capital Territory, New South Wales, Northern Territory, Queensland, Victoria and Western Australia, and a total of 31 candidates for the House of Representatives, including 18 in Victoria. The party received 36,472 votes or 0.26% of the nationwide Senate vote and failed to gain any seats in the election.
Party policies [ edit ]
Aims of the party include opposition to multiculturalism, preserving Australia's "Judeo-Christian heritage" and cuts to Australia’s "Muslim intake", as well as the protection of freedom of speech, and freedom of religion.[11]
Following the 2009 Black Saturday bush fires in Victoria which claimed 173 lives,[12] Nalliah avowed to have been party to "a flash from the Spirit of God: that His conditional protection has been removed from the nation of Australia, in particular Victoria, for approving the slaughter of innocent children in the womb."[13] In a similar vein, he has also linked the catastrophic 2010–2011 Queensland floods to remarks Kevin Rudd made about Israel. Nalliah declared on his website "...at once I was reminded of Kevin Rudd speaking against Israel in Israel on 14th December 2010. It is very interesting that Kevin Rudd is from QLD. Is God trying to get our attention? Yes, I believe so."[14]
The party voices support for the state of Israel, stating in their policy platform "[we] support the right of the State of Israel to exist within secure and defensible borders, and with Jerusalem as its undivided capital".[15]
In a 2011 interview with Perth's Out in Perth, Nalliah stated that homosexuals can be turned back to heterosexual relationships through education and through Christ. "As a political party, while we love the homosexual community and want to get to know them better, we also have a stand where we say, children need to be protected. We would love to see every man and women come together, there's a time in life when you do things, and maybe you feel yes you are locked into an agenda.... [our position] is that homosexuality is not OK". He also said that "Children should not be exposed to [public displays of homosexual affection] and other practices that go beyond morality."[16] The party also states that there will be a "homosexual marriage onslaught in public schools across the state" if same sex legislation is passed.[17]
The Rise Up Australia Party's energy policy also claims that Australia's coal-fired power stations are 42% energy efficient. They have plans to repeal the carbon tax if elected.[18]
The Rise Up Australia Party also plans an overhaul of Australia's media content laws by restricting immoral content which their website describes as being "gratuitous violent and socially-degenerating themes".[15]
The Rise Up Australia Party supports animal welfare issues such as free range farming and banning animal testing.[19]
See also [ edit ]For the general environment, see Libraries.
The Forbidden Library is an upside down version of the Long Library in Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. A blue, dreamy flavor now cascades over every room, giving this area a melancholy appeal. Twisted versions of characters from the pages of books contained in this library come to life, including the Wizard of Oz trio (Lion, Scarecrow, and Tin Man), as well as the Schmoo, the enemy which drops the powerful Crissaegrim sword. There are no bosses in this area. The Forbidden Library is only accessible from the Reverse Outer Wall to the left.
The area is well-known for its excellent drops: the Muramasa, Fist of Tulkas, Crissaegrim and Mojo Mail are all found here. In addition, enemies in this area give excellent experience to Familiars.
The theme music of this area is Lost Painting.
Enemy Data EditAssistance exercises may serve many purposes. For one, they can help a lifter understand movement patterns to fix technical errors. Assistance exercises exist for every part of the lift and should be employed if needs be.
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For two, they can keep the lifter from getting bored. When a lifter has been lifting for so long, variety is crucial to keep the motivation. While the assistance exercise used in this context might or might not transfer to the lifts directly, the gain in motivation will translate in bigger results. Do not be afraid to do something different once in a while, especially far from competition.
Finally, assistance exercises are of extreme importance to build a strength foundation. I have written on this topic before and my opinion has not changed much. Strength training for weightlifting is done to increase a vast array of physiological parameters and the best methods and exercises tend to be very general ones.
I have often seen lifters focus only on snatch and clean and jerks (and squats) too early in their career. Typically (and this is especially true for lifters with 4-5 years of training or less), you would want to start your training cycle with a GPP phase (General physical preparedness). However, many coaches and lifters ditch assistance exercises and many strength exercises such as presses, muscle snatches, one legged movements, good mornings, and in some cases, even pulls.
Do not get me wrong, assistance exercises should not replace completely the lifts themselves even if far from competition (ie ; it should not be more than 40-50% of your training or so), but it should complement your training. It is an addition to what you are doing and should not replace what you are currently doing – especially if it works.
Generally speaking, variety should happen early in the training phase in order to balance the body, increase muscle mass and raw strength. Less injury risks, a balanced body, and more raw strength will transfer to bigger results if the following phases of training are planned correctly.
The king of strength assistance exercises for the weightlifters are no doubt the squats, the pulls, the presses or push presses, and good morning or RDLs (Snatch or Clean grip). These should be a staple of your training year round and they can’t really be replaced or ditched (unless they are too strong or you are injured). However, during a GPP phase, nothing is wrong with adding unconventional movements (movements that you don’t do often but can help with certain issues).
These exercises don’t carry over as directly to the lifts (like let’s say squats or pulls), but they can help with increasing stability (especially trunk and shoulder stability), work capacity, conditioning, muscle mass, flexibility, speed and balance the body.
Trunk and shoulder stability is so important. So many jerks and snatches are lost due to poor trunk stability or poor shoulder flexibility/stability. Many people think that conditioning does not really matter for weightlifting. Aerobic conditionning does not really transfer in terms of energy use but having a good conditioning base helps with recovery.
Light conditioning training flushes metabolic wastes and it is a technique that is employed usually once a week in training camps (they go out for a short run or a few sprints on Thursdays – videos can be found online). You can also find videos of many eastern European lifters playing team sports once or twice a week during camps. The idea is to get the body to move differently and to take your mind off weightlifting.
An increase in muscle mass is indicative of a future increase in strength. Strength gains are always higher when muscles have been hypertrophied first. More mass also helps with reducing injury risk, usually. Flexibility, body balance and speed are all important for the weightlifter and, for many people, it needs to be trained.
Kettlebells
Kettlebells are great because they load the body in a much different way. Many kettlebell exercises involve trunk rotation and/or a lateral bending of the trunk. This is very good for weightlifters who do everything up and down – that means we tend to be weak in rotation and laterally.
If you tend to have back pains or shoulder pains, then kettlebell exercises are very good at helping with that. Exercises like windmill, Turkish get up, 1 KB overhead squat, bent press and renegade rows will help making your core much stronger, your shoulders more stable and more flexible. They can’t replace weightlifting training, but they are fun to add at the end of a training session for a few sets to help with those issues.
Snatch grip RDLs
Now RDLs – romanian deadlifts – are a staple of many lifters’ training routine. Most people tend to do them with clean grip. It is a very good idea to do them with snatch grips for 4-5 sets of 5-8 reps.
The snatch grip RDL will target the back in a different way and help strengthen the upper back like nothing else. Beware if you have never done it, it tends to make you quite sore the first few times. Very good exercise for people who have troubles staying over or have very weak backs.
Presses in the split jerk stance
I have written about them before. The idea is to press in your ideal jerk stance without moving the feet, the torso, moving the front knee forward and straightening the back leg. This exercise is very hard on the lower body due to the long isometric contractions necessary to hold stable while the bar is moving up. Light weight should be used and I usually like 4 sets of 4+4 reps (yes, you have to do it on the other side too 😉 ).
Pause hyper extensions / back extensions
The hyperextension is a staple. However, it is easy to outgrow them and they start requiring a lot more weight to be effective. Truth be told, at that moment in time, it is probably wiser to do good mornings or RDLs.
I have found however that adding a 3 second pause at the top and removing all swinging motion to be very effective. People with weak trunks, weak hamstrings and weak glutes will get a lot out of this exercise. Start without any weight for 3-4 sets of 10 reps.
Clean sotts press
Most people do snatch sotts press, but clean sotts press are pretty good too. They help a lot with building a vertical torso for clean / front squat (prevents you from collapsing in the hole), build the upper back and it is a life saver for shoulders. It helps opening your shoulders a lot. Stay in the hole as you press. 4 sets of 5 – start light (ie : with a barbell).
Box squat
How dare I speak of the box squat to an audience of weightlifters? Truth be told, so many weightlifters, in my opinion, have weak posterior chains and very strong anterior chains (Ie : the quads are a lot stronger than the back, glutes and hamstring).
The box squat, done slowly with a significant forward lean will get your back and hamstring very strong. Not everybody needs this, but if you have some weaknesses there – it is a good idea to pay with them once a week for 4-5 sets of 3-5 reps. Stance should not be overly wide, shins should be a little bit past vertical but less than a traditional squat.
I used to think bad of this exercise until I tried it. It has enormous carry over to the lifts, especially the snatch. By the way, I thought only powerlifters did that exercise but turns out I saw that Coach Zygmunt Smalcerz of Poland (current US head coach at the OTC) programmed them from Jenny Arthur.
Hang pulls
These pulls are not often prescribed from what I saw in many athlete’s routines. I really like them and I think they are by far superior to block pulls. Block pulls require more load which is good if you are in a cycle where heavier loads than normal are used. I think hang pulls are better because they require less weight, puts the back in tension for a lot longer (helps a lot people with ”soft backs”) and it is one of the few pull variations where the eccentric motion can be trained (= more strength and more mass if done correctly).
Conclusion
None of those are really novel exercises. They are well known to the strength and conditioning world. However, many people don’t do them because they don’t look or feel weightlifting-y enough. I believe these exercises can make a huge difference in stability, flexibility, general strength and injury prevention. Do not replace your traditional work with these exercises – This should be added here and there to supplement your current training and to work on certain issues.
Here is the kicker, almost every lifters need to work on their back, core and shoulder strength and stability. You will be amazed at how easier squats are when youre back and core are much stronger. You’ll also be amazed at how easier overheads (snatch and jerks) are when your back, shoulder and core are stronger.
Don’t miss out on Updates : Make sure you follow First Pull on Facebook and Instagram for daily pictures and adviceNobody has to duck inside Kansas University’s McCarthy Hall.
With extra-lofty ceilings, tall doorways, high countertops and even shower heads mounted 9 feet off the ground, the new on-campus apartment building is constructed to scale for 7-footer types.
Just opened last week on Naismith Drive next to Allen Fieldhouse, Marie S. McCarthy Hall is home to the 16-member KU men’s basketball team plus 21 non-athlete upperclassmen — all male students. There’s also an extra apartment for guests, such as recruits or visiting family members.
The $11.2 million, three-story facility was built with private money, and KU Student Housing runs and staffs it.
A fireplace, television and seating fill the lobby of KU's new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
Construction fell a few months behind, and the basketball players and other McCarthy residents started the semester at Naismith Hall (in past years, the athletes have lived at Jayhawker Towers apartments).
But McCarthy was completed and the residents moved in Oct. 8 — just in time to show off the new hall to basketball recruits who came to town for Late Night in the Phog on Oct. 9.
Here’s what’s inside:
• Apartments: With full kitchens and private bedrooms. There are two layouts, two-bedroom with one bathroom or four-bedroom with two bathrooms.
Members of the Lawrence-Douglas County Fire Medical department tour a living unit at the new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
• A half-court basketball court: Adjacent to the lobby and visible through big glass windows, with a wooden floor and replicas of the national championship and “Beware of the Phog” banners that hang in Allen Fieldhouse.
Brandmeyer Family Court, a half-court basketball facility, is one of the highlights of the new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
• A multipurpose room: With a fully equipped kitchen, large round tables and a couple more TVs. KU Student Housing director Diana Robertson said the kitchen is available to any residents and that Coach Bill Self indicated he may use the space for home game day meals and a pre-game team meeting place.
Diana Robertson, director of KU student housing, right, introduces Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical personnel to a multipurpose room and kitchen inside the new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
• A movie theater: Or media room, with 25 plush recliners that each have their own cup holder.
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical personnel tour the media room inside the new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
• A barbershop: There won’t be a barber operating out of the shop, but the facility is there in case someone comes in from time to time, Robertson said. The room features a crimson leather chair (with a Jayhawk on it) and a counter and sink. The barbershop is adjacent to the game room.
McCarthy Hall, the new $11.2 million home of the Kansas men's basketball team, features a barbershop adjacent to the building's game room. by Mike Yoder
• Game room: With a pool table, ping-pong table and big window overlooking the basketball court.
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical personnel tour a recreation room at the new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
• An outdoor lounge: This balcony at the north end of the third floor has another fireplace, TVs and tables and chairs.
Lawrence-Douglas County Fire and Medical personnel tour an outdoor deck with fireplace and widescreen televisions at the new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
• Study rooms: One on each floor.
• Fingerprint scanners: In addition to keycard access at other KU residence halls, McCarthy has fingerprint scanners at the building entrance and all apartments.
Living in McCarthy costs $9,875 a year, Robertson said, though full scholarships for athletes cover their room and board. The second most expensive dorm at KU is Oswald/Self — also brand new this fall — which costs $9,230 for a suite with private bedrooms.
‘Words can’t describe’
KU envisions the new facility as both a good home for its basketball players but also a draw for new recruits.
Photo Gallery A look inside KU's new basketball dorm The $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, a new apartment complex that will house the Kansas men's basketball team and other non-athlete students, is located just to the southeast of Allen Fieldhouse on Kansas University's campus. Several media members and the Lawrence Douglas-County Fire Medical department recently toured the building. Read more at LJWorld.com/mccarthy
"We have the best venue (Allen Fieldhouse), and we will have the best housing,” Coach Self said in a KU Athletics press release prior to McCarthy’s construction. "These things are very, very significant for the benefit, development and overall experience of our student-athletes. We want them to be comfortable and have the same type of living conditions as the programs we're recruiting against."
Perry Ellis, a senior forward from Wichita, said he always thought Jayhawker Towers were great.
McCarthy is something else.
“Words can’t describe it,” Ellis said. “I think it definitely will help persuade kids. It’s just so nice.”
Ellis — who’s 6-foot-8, according to the KU basketball roster — cited McCarthy’s super-high ceilings and extra privacy as favorite features.
As for the basketball court, players obviously spend a lot of time already in formal practices — up to 20 hours in a typical week.
The court floor was still curing Wednesday but Ellis said he expected players would try it out as soon as they were allowed.
“It’s definitely still fun,” Ellis said. “You always want to get better and better.”
The other residents
In addition to the basketball players, McCarthy is open to male upperclassmen who are not athletes.
Cole Neville is one of those.
A junior majoring in political science and minoring in psychology, Neville transferred to KU this year from community college in his hometown of Scottsdale, Ariz. He said he got a scholarship that’s paying his room and board.
Neville called KU to inquire about campus housing and was told he qualified for a new dorm that was under construction. Neville — who has never been to a KU basketball game — said he realized only later that he’d be living with the basketball team.
At that point, he said he started getting excited because he knew “it was going to be really nice.”
Neville said he toured McCarthy for the first time about a week before moving in.
“Right when I walked in I was like, ‘Oh, wow, OK. This is pretty insane,’” Neville said. “I love it.”
A Jayhawk hangs on a wall inside the new $11.2 million McCarthy Hall, which houses the Kansas men's basketball team. by Mike Yoder
So far the place has been pretty quiet, Neville said. Residents have only been in McCarthy a week, part of which was fall break.
“I can’t wait to see what it’s like throughout the season,” Neville said.
Robertson said there currently are two open spots for non-athletes, after one man who had signed up left KU and another decided to move into a different residence hall.
Jim Marchiony, associate athletics director for public affairs, said it’s good to have both groups of students under the same roof, especially for the athletes.
“Interaction with non-athletes is vital to college life,” Marchiony said. “McCarthy gives them the best of both worlds — it gives them exposure, but it also provides them with a bit more security.”
Who's Marie S. McCarthy?
Kansas University alumni Kent and Missy McCarthy donated the lead gift to construct McCarthy Hall, which is named after Kent’s late mother and proud Kansan, Marie S. McCarthy.
Marie McCarthy was born in 1929 and attended KU on a math scholarship, a rarity for women in her day. She graduated in 1951.
“Mom was a Kansas girl who grew up during the dust bowl era,” Kent said in a Kansas University Endowment report. “KU and the basketball team were a big part of her life, and we wanted to honor her.”A friend and I went to a talk by Dr. John Faulkner of UCSC at the monthly Santa Cruz Astronomy club meeting. After his very entertaining lecture titled "A Life With the Stars" we headed over to the Cabrillo observatory. Cookies were eaten, hot chocolate was drank. Most importantly, Spock was booted and images were taken.
'Tis the season of galaxies. I decided to shoot NGC4565 (first brought to my attention by adamjl, thanks!) and B opted for the Eyes Galaxies.
This shot was taken it not the greatest conditions (local light pollution and clouds) but with 3x5 minutes exposures, it turned out ok. Terrible RGB noise caused a loss of detail once removed. I did not adjust any colors. I feel the striking beauty of this galaxy overshadows the shortcomings of the image so, in the end, success.
B ended up shooting something else entirely by mistake, but ended up with an image with at |
, with data showing the agency approved dozens of liberal and progressive organizations as tax-exempt while leaving conservative groups hanging.No tea party applications were approved in a 27-month period beginning February 2010. But numerous applications from liberal and progressive groups were given tax-exempt status during the same period, USA Today reported. Some of those approved:The groups, like the tea party organizations, sought tax reductions as social-welfare groups.The details come at the same time that it was revealed that the IRS expedited tax-exempt status for a charity run by President Barack Obama's half brother, despite numerous questions about how it is run. The application from the Barack H. Obama Foundation was even backdated, The Daily Caller reports.
Rep. Bill Flores, R-Texas, said the IRS actions show how the Obama administration puts politics ahead of anything else. Last year, Flores filed a complaint after the IRS asked the Waco Tea Party for information that he said was "overreaching and impossible to comply with."The IRS wanted transcripts of radio interviews, copies of social-media posts, and details on "close relationships" with political candidates as part of the process, claimed Flores, who says that when he asked questions, the agency failed to answer adequately."They did more than sidestep the issue," Flores said. "They flipped me the finger."Lois Lerner, the IRS official responsible for granting tax-exemption status, has admitted the agency was mistaken to subject tea party groups to additional scrutiny and has apologized. But she denies rejecting groups based on ideology, and said some progressive groups also were selected for further scrutiny.One such group is Action for a Progressive Future, which took 18 months to get approval, USA Today reported. Co-founder Jeff Cohen said he didn't mind answering intrusive questions, so long as they were fair."From my perspective, if the IRS can hold up legitimate tea-party applications today and get away with it, then who knows if progressive groups will be held up and specially scrutinized in a few years. It's utterly unacceptable, if that's what happened," he said.IRS records, obtained by The Daily Caller, show Lerner signed papers granting tax-exempt status to the foundation run by Obama's half brother Abongo "Roy" Malik Obama.She signed off on the organization's tax status in June 2011 -- right in the middle of the 27-month hiatus for tea-party groups -- and granted it retroactive status within a month of filing.Action for a Progressive Future has faced legal issues over the past few years.In the month before the foundation was granted tax-exempt status, the National Legal and Policy Center filed a complaint with the IRS, asking why the group was allowed to solicit tax-deductible contributions when it had not applied for a determination.That's when Lerner gave it the retroactive exemption back to December 2008."The Obama Foundation raised money on its web page by falsely claiming to be taxdeductible. This bogus charity run by Malik had not even applied and yet subsequently got retroactive tax-deductible status," complained Ken Boehm, chairman of the National Legal and Policy Center. He called the attempt to raise money "common law fraud and potentially even federal mail fraud."The Obama Foundation was set up ostensibly to help poor children in Kenya, where Roy Obama lives.However, the Caller says, it has not registered in Virginia, where it is said to be based.Lerner, a registered Democrat, has been slammed for the IRS handling of conservativegroups, but her colleagues defend her, saying she acts "apolitically."Larry Noble, FEC general counsel from 1987 to 2000, told The Daily Beast that Lerner "is really one of the more apolitical people I’ve met.""That doesn’t mean she doesn’t have political views, but she really focuses on the job and what the rules are. She doesn’t have an agenda."Please enable Javascript to watch this video
SHELBY COUNTY, Tenn. -- The marijuana ordinance is officially in effect in Memphis and another one is about to be proposed.
The ordinance went into effect on Monday in Memphis.
Keven Franks is a firm believer in second chances.
"I feel like all over the world deserves a second chance, second chances, ain't nobody perfect," said Franks. "Everybody deserves a second chance."
Which is why he likes the idea of the marijuana ordinance passed in Memphis.
It gives police options when punishing people caught with less than half an ounce of marijuana.
They can still get the misdemeanor or now can pay a fine or do community service.
Although a win for some marijuana supporters, it by no means legalizes it.
"I'm not going to smoke weed," said Franks. "I'm just going to let that law stay what it is because I don't trust that law."
The ordinance was officially signed Monday and is now in effect in city limits.
"This is really about giving some young person that's made a mistake another chance and it's about really not clogging up our criminal justice system," said Shelby County Commissioner Van Turner.
Commissioner Turner is proposing the same ordinance before county commission on Wednesday.
His is only meant for unincorporated parts of the county, not including suburbs like Germantown and Collierville.
"It would mirror what the city had done and only extend out to the unincorporated areas of the city of Memphis, period," he said.
It'll take three reads to need approval.
Even if approved, Commissioner Turner wants to make one point clear.
"This is not to make any sort of statement," he said. "This is not to become part of any sort of movement. This is just, I think, good policy."
He said his ordinance would affect roughly 40,000 extra people if passed.Heavy rains from the outer bands of Hurricane Matthew drenched Jamaica and Haiti on Monday, flooding streets and sending many people to emergency shelters as the Category 4 storm approached the two countries. Two deaths were reported in Haiti, bringing the total for the storm to at least four.
Matthew had sustained winds of 140 mph as it moved north, up from 130 mph earlier in the day. The center was expected to pass just east of Jamaica and near or over the southwestern tip of Haiti early Tuesday before heading to eastern Cuba, the U.S. National Hurricane Center in Miami said.
"We are looking at a dangerous hurricane that is heading into the vicinity of western Haiti and eastern Cuba," said Richard Pasch, a senior hurricane specialist with the center. "People who are impacted by things like flooding and mudslides hopefully would get out and relocate because that's where we have seen loss of life in the past."
Many were taking that advice. In Jamaica, more than 700 people packed shelters in the eastern parish of St. Thomas and the Salvation Army said there were about 200 people at its shelters in Kingston as it put out a call for mattresses and cots.
Still, many people chose to stick it out. Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said all but four residents of the Port Royal area near the Kingston airport refused to board buses and evacuate.
Major Basil Jarrett of the Jamaica Defence Force says the army is unable to return to Pedro Cays off the southwest coast for people who refused to evacuate Saturday. About 30 people live there. "We pleaded with them but they refused so we left some fuel with them," he said. "At this point we don't have the capabilities to return until after the hurricane."
Fisherman Carlos Smith in St. Catherine Parish said he realized the storm appeared to be dangerous but he couldn't abandon his property. "I want to leave anytime now and go to a shelter, but we can't leave our things because that's how we hustle and make a living," he said.
In Haiti, authorities went door to door in the south coast cities of Les Cayes and Jeremie to make sure people were aware of the storm. At least 1,200 people were evacuated to shelters in churches and schools.
"We are continuing to mobilize teams in the south to move people away from dangerous areas," said Marie Alta Jean-Baptiste, head of Haiti's civil protection agency.
In Port-au-Prince, schools were shuttered and residents lined up at gas stations and cleared out the shelves at supermarkets as a light rain fell in the capital. Some worried the city of roughly a million people would not fare well. "We are not prepared," unemployed mason Fritz Achelus said as he watched water pool on a downtown street.
At least two fishermen died in rough water churned up by the storm, Jean-Baptiste said. A boat carrying one of the men capsized early Monday off the tiny southwestern fishing town of Saint Jean du Sud as he was trying to bring his wooden skiff to shore. The body of the other was recovered a short time later off the nearby town of Aquin after he apparently drowned.
Their deaths brought the total for the storm to at least four. One man died Friday in Colombia and a 16-year-old in St. Vincent and the Grenadines on Sept. 28 when the system passed through the eastern Caribbean.
Forecasters said the storm was expected to dump as much as 40 inches of rain on some isolated areas of Haiti, raising fears of deadly mudslides and floods in the heavily deforested country where many families live in flimsy houses with corrugated metal roofs.
Matthew is one of the most powerful Atlantic hurricanes in recent history and briefly reached the top classification, Category 5, becoming the strongest hurricane in the region since Felix in 2007. The hurricane center said the storm appeared to be on track to pass east of Florida through the Bahamas, but it was too soon to predict with certainty whether it would threaten any spot on the U.S. East Coast.
"Although our track is to the east of Florida, interests there should remain vigilant and we can't rule out the possibility of impacts," Pasch said.
As of 2 p.m. EDT, the storm was centered about 250 miles southwest of Haiti's capital of Port-au-Prince and 195 miles southeast of Kingston. It was moving north at 6 mph.
A hurricane warning was posted for the southeastern Bahamas, where the storm was expected to move along the eastern length of the island chain starting early Wednesday. A hurricane watch was in effect for eastern Cuba, where the government declared a hurricane alert for six eastern provinces and removed traffic lights from poles in the city of Santiago to keep them from falling due to heavy wind.
After passing Jamaica and Haiti, Matthew's center was expected to pass about 50 miles east of the U.S. Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where authorities evacuated about 700 spouses and children of service members on military transport planes to Florida.
The U.S. installation has a population of about 5,500, including 61 men held at the detention center for terrorism suspects. Navy Capt. David Culpepper, the base commander, said emergency shelters had been set up and authorities were bracing for 80 mph winds along with storm surge and heavy rain that could threaten some low-lying areas, including around the power plant and water desalination facility.
"We have no choice but to prepare ourselves to take a frontal assault if you will," Culpepper said.Get the latest news and videos for this game daily, no spam, no fuss.
The excellent platformer Rayman Legends is coming to the Nintendo Switch in the form of a Definitive Edition, which Ubisoft calls the "ultimate edition" of the 2013 game. Today, Nintendo published a new video in which Rayman creator Michel Ancel talks about his reaction to the Switch and why he thinks it's a good fit for the platformer.
"Rayman Legends is like a board game," Ancel said. "It means playing with your friends in the same room, and this console is perfect for that. It's the concept of console we've been waiting for a long time. An HD console, powerful, portable."
Ancel went on to say that Rayman Legends for Switch is "like a love story between Nintendo and Rayman because of course the colorful universe and the Rayman spirit go perfectly with Nintendo's spirit."
Ancel went on to say that the Switch version of Rayman Legends will include "several surprises," in addition to the Kung Foot mode. He didn't reveal any of the surprises, but teased, "We are preparing other surprises because the console has a lot of qualities in the multiplayer area."
Rayman Legends is one of three games that Ubisoft has announced for the Switch. The other two are Just Dance 2017, which is a launch title for the Switch, and the open-world extreme sports game Steep. Release dates for the Switch version of Rayman Legends and Steep have not been announced.
The Switch goes on sale on March 3.Platform:PC Download
More Game, More Guns, More Power
Extend the narrative and adventure with the BioShock Infinite Season Pass.
BioShock Infinite: Clash in the CloudsThis first add-on pack puts an intense focus on BioShock Infinite combat. Combine weapons, Vigors, Gear, Tears, and Sky-Lines in ways you never thought possible as you square off against impossible odds. This pack features 60 challenges in four brand-new environments. Complete Blue Ribbon Challenges and unlock concept art, Voxophones, Kinetoscopes, and more in The Columbian Archeological Society. Climb the Leaderboards and earn new achievements.
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode OneCome back to Rapture in a story that finds Booker and Elizabeth on the eve of the underwater city's fall from grace. Developed by Irrational Games, the developer of the original BioShock and BioShock Infinite, this DLC features Rapture as you’ve never seen it before—a shining jewel at the bottom of the ocean, built almost entirely from scratch in the BioShock Infinite engine. Gameplay has been modified to give the player an original BioShock combat experience that merges the best parts of BioShock and BioShock Infinite: new weapons, new Plasmids/Vigors, Tears, Sky-Lines, and Big Daddies.
BioShock Infinite: Burial at Sea - Episode TwoIn this DLC pack, you become Elizabeth as she seeks to bring closure to her story, and to BioShock Infinite’s. Like Episode 1, this DLC features Rapture as you’ve never seen it before and gameplay has been modified to give the player an original BioShock combat experience that merges the best parts of BioShock and BioShock Infinite.
BioShock Infinite: Early Bird Special PackThis instant bonus pack contains four pieces of exclusive gear for BioShock Infinite, a Machine Gun Damage Upgrade, a Pistol Damage Upgrade, a gold skin for both weapons and five Infusion bottles that allow players to increase their health, their shield durability or their ability to use Vigors by increasing the quantity of Salts they can carry.
Requires Steam Client to activate.
Requires the base game BioShock Infinite to activate.Location: Gilimanuk, Bali – Cipatujah, Java, Indonesia
Distance: 814km
It was a wet morning to be leaving Bali. The rain never much more than a drizzle but that was enough to make a mess of the road for the short ride to the ferry terminal, carefully steering clear of the constant stream of trucks kicking up mud as they passed by.
From the grey Java slowly came into view, well the coast at least, nothing could be seen of the mountains above, which I’d soon be climbing. I stopped to stock up on some food before weaving my way through the streets of Banyuwangi to find the right road to take me up the mountain to Kawah Ijen, a beautiful lake in a crater know for the men who mine it’s sulphur.
The fickle weather was welcome at first keeping me cool on the lower slopes but some 4 hours and 2000m of climbing later I rolled into Pos Paltulding just on dusk and I was cold, tired and ready to crash. Although not overly steep, there’d scarcely been a moment’s break in the uphill run and the bad stretch of road as described by the Belgian cyclist Arnaudt was downright horrible – completely unrideable – which made for a fun hour or so of pushing. I had half expected to camp here but I was greeted by park ranger who told me officially the park was closed but I could have a room to sleep in for a small donation. I was warmly welcomed into a tiny shop and fed some noodles, eggs and all the rice I could eat in for next to nothing while I toasted myself by the fire and talked with the shop owners before finally retiring for the evening.
An early start saw me walking the rim of the crater just after 7am, arriving as the clouds decided part, letting the early morning sun shine on the brilliant aqua lake, wisps of sulphurous steam rising from its surface. Despite the early hour there were already miners making their way out from the crater under heavy loads of yellow sulphur. Some 430 miners in total work here but only about 150 on any one day. They carry out 3-4 loads of sulphur weighing 70-90kg each per day. I never found out exactly what they earn but I would guess close to not much. The ranger later told me that there was a man in his 70’s still mining sulphur albeit not as often anymore.
It was a rather sketchy walk/scramble down to the lake where the miners were at work. As strangely beautiful as it was the heat and pungent odour hanging in the air had me scrambling back to the rim soon enough.
Freewheeling out of Pos Paltuding was a nice change; quiet, smooth roads with zero traffic. The only interruption some kind of checkpoint where I had to sign a visitor book before being asked for a bribe of some kind, cue dumb tourist routine. Unfortunately the downhill wasn’t down the mountain but into a massive crater some 20km across which I had to climb out of again past endless coffee plantations before beginning the descent proper.
Because of its size and the limited visas – a one month visa I could extend only once – I had always known I would need to skip though some parts of Indonesia so the next day I caught a bus to about 100km to Probolinggo for the start of the climb to Cemoro Lawang which overlooked Indonesia’s most holy and famous volcano, Gunung Bromo.
I stayed in an overpriced hotel in Bondowoso but partly made up for that by the stupidly cheap food at the local night market, Rp5,000 meals!
Biting off more than I could chew is one way to put it. My legs were still getting over the 2 previous days climbing and I hadn’t made it half way up the 2300m mountain when it started getting dark. Slightly disappointed and with it starting to rain a bemo (mini-van) had stopped so threw my bike on the roof and squeezed in under a pile of backpacks. Fortunately in the bemo I met Dutchman Bart and his two daughters and together we found a hotel, some food and a beer to end a long day. We also arranged a Jeep for sunrise overlooking Bromo.
Early starts are never my thing but I somehow woke and found myself in the back of the Jeep by 4am for a rough ride up to Gunung Penanjakan overlooking the whole Bromo-Tengger-Semeru crater. Also, as an aside, there are no “Jeep”s, they’re all Toyota Landcruisers, I guess Jeep is simply easier to say. I had read Bromo sunrise was a popular event but this was something else. There was still a kilometre of parked Jeeps to walk past to get to the lookout at the top (unknown to us at the time we had arrived on some kind of holiday) where the crowd was crushing around the main lookout. We managed to find somewhere away from the mayhem and I set up the tripod and take in the views, which were, impressive, Bromo smoking and Semeru in the background spluttering ash once or twice as the sun bathed it all in warm, morning light.
We stopped at Bromo on our return which was just as busy. The staircase which climbs to the crater rim was at a never ending standstill so climbing up the volcanic sand slopes was a faster option. Although you can walk most of the way around the rim of Bromo, most people barely walk 10m from the top of the stairs which makes for a chaotic and dangerous balancing act. Fall one way and you roll back down the side of the volcano, dirty and bruised, fall the other and you will enjoy a bath in a boiling volcanic lake.
Although the practical way to get to Malang from Bromo is to backtrack to Probolinggo and then travel some 200km to Malang we decided to hire another “Jeep” to drive us across the Laotian Pasir (Sand Sea) to Tumpang and ride from there. I had originally planned to cycle this but from what I’d seen when we drove to Bromo that morning there would have been many a mile pushing through some very soft sand, plus I was able to split the cost of a Jeep between the 4 of us made it all the more affordable.
I took the day off in Malang, staying in a cheap but very noisy (next door to a mosque) dorm before jumping on a train to Yogyakarta. Unfortunately it was a later afternoon train so passing views of endless rice field and villages didn’t last too long.
Somehow I passed 4 days in Yogya, exploring the huge Pasar Beringharjo (market), stalls along Jalan Malioboro and eating dozens of different noodle dishes, sate meats and deep fried mysteries. With the help of a motorbike I visited both Borobudur and Prambanan, two of the grandest Buddhist and Hindu temples in the world. Despite the hordes of tourists their size made them both easy enough to find somewhere away from the crowds. Something I had experienced previously but hadn’t really taken notice of was the strange obsession Indonesians have of getting their photo taken with foreign tourists. I obliged often enough but eventually grew tired of it and there was always plenty of other unsuspecting victims close by. While in some small, off the tourist trail town I would understand this custom, doing this at Borobudur felt very odd.
Back on the bike I headed south and then west from Yogya along some very quiet roads, tiny paths and across some rice paddies. So far in Indonesia I’d taken it for granted that there was always somewhere to stay but upon arriving in Petanahan I learnt that was not always the case. With no hotel, guest house, homestay or any other official form of lodging I asked at a chemist hoping to find someone with a better grasp of English than I had of Indonesian. No luck there but my quandary was understood and I soon found myself at some local’s house – rather large by the town’s standards – and given a room. Eventually the daughter of the owner arrived and explained they rented out some ½ dozen rooms to locals who work in town but live somewhere else. I stayed two days and got to see a more personal side of Indonesian life, eat some home cooked meals and have more photos taken than I care to remember.
From Petanahan I road along the south coast of Java and the roads took a dive to the wrong end of the quality scale. The pot holed remains of a once flatish dirt road now embedded with fist sized rocks carefully positioned to make weaving around them all but impossible. At times I wondered how a road could possibly become so bad without it being some deliberate act. Brief interludes of freshly laid bitumen only my the returning to the rubble all the worse.
Riding into Cilacap I was greeted by a young student, Rudi who was eager to practice his English and show me a bit of his town. A nice change from some other approaches I’ve had who always want some kind of payment. Pangandaran proved a little disappointing due to its popularity with Jakartans as a weekend getaway; crowded, tacky and rather rough beach. The bad road continued and I had plenty of trucks for company now, kicking up clouds of dust and sand, but I was riding right along the coast so the views and a cooler breeze made it all ok. I passed the first machinery I can remember seeing on Java, a string of excavators filling the trucks I’d been following most of the day; a reminder of how much work here is still done by hand.
A string of guest house in the late afternoon was my cue to stop, eventually settling on a sad little room. It was half the price of the next closest offering but the desk fan required 3 jockey straps to bring its rattles under control. From here I’ll swing north to Bandung. My Visa is soon to run out so I need that sorted pronto.Turns out Richard Dawkins' watchmaker has 20/20 vision after all.
The simplest and easiest to understand of all the arguments ever offered by believers is the Argument from Design. The argument is remarkably simple. It goes as follows: The existence of a suit implies the existence of the tailor who made the suit. The existence of a poem on a piece of paper implies the existence of the poet who created that poem. In other words, the suit itself is the proof of the existence of the intelligent creator of the suit, no other evidence is necessary. There are levels of design, sophistication, and functional complexity that the human mind simply refuses to accept could be accounted for by any undirected process. How to precisely define such levels is not our topic of discussion. It is clear, however, that a suit and poem by Robert Frost, and a living bacterium, are certainly well over that line.
The entire plot of the classic film, 2001: A Space Odyssey is based on this obvious principle. At a dramatic moment in the film, when a rectangular monolith is discovered buried on the moon, it is clear to those who discover it (and accepted as absolutely logical and reasonable by everyone watching the movie) that this is unmistakable proof of alien life. After all, a precisely measured monolith couldn't possibly have made itself or "evolved naturally." The rest of the film is about the search for the aliens who constructed and buried the monolith in the first place.
Does the incontrovertibly true Argument from Design apply to living organisms?
The human body is an incredible piece of machinery; who put it together? It certainly required a great deal more sophistication to build a human being than to construct a rectangular monolith. The existence of highly sophisticated living organisms implies a highly sophisticated designer of these organisms. Believers call this designer, the Creator or God. What could possibly be the flaw in such an argument?
Nobody Disagrees With "The Argument from Design"
Before we actually deal with the objections raised by atheists and skeptics, I want to stress: Nobody disagrees with the Argument from Design. There is nobody in his right mind who does not understand that the existence of the suit itself proves the existence of the tailor who made the suit and that the poem itself proves the existence of the author of that poem. In the debate between skeptics and believers the disagreement is not about the validity of the Argument from Design. The argument itself is undeniably true. The point of contention is the following: Does the incontrovertibly true Argument from Design apply to living organisms? Skeptics raise two basic objections to applying the Argument from Design to the world of living systems:
1) ideas found in the writings of a highly influential 18th century Scottish philosopher by the name of David Hume, and
2) Darwinian Evolution. We will deal with both.
Related Article: The Origins of Life
David Hume and Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion
Dr. Frank Sonleitner and Dr. Julian Baggini claim that Hume's philosophy invalidates any attempt to apply the Argument from Design to the living world:
Hume, in his book Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, shows that the Argument from Design... is illogical and contrived. Norman Kemp Smith, late professor of metaphysics at Edinburgh, in his introduction to Hume, explicitly points out that organisms are not like designed, manufactured objects. (Sonleitner, NCSE Website)
Furthermore, as David Hume points out, we can only hypothesize [a designer of a watch], because we know by experience what the cause of watches are. We have no experience of causes of the universe, so we are not justified in making any assumption about who or what they might be. 1(Baggini)
Hume's argument is simple; we can know clearly that a suit is made by a tailor, because we have experience of suits being made by tailors. However:
Will any man tell me with a serious contrivance that an orderly universe must arise from some thought and art... because we have experience of it? To ascertain this reasoning, it were requisite, that we had experience of the origin of worlds...2 (Hume, Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion)
I find it hard to believe that any intelligent person could seriously consider Hume's argument as having any relevance to the matter at hand. We are not discussing the "causes of the universe" or the "origin of worlds," i.e., things of which we have no experience.3 We are talking about highly complex living organisms that are meticulously studied, catalogued, and experimented on day and night by scientists all over the world. Let me give a few simple examples.
The Filter and the Pump — Most Definitely Within Our Experience
Suppose someone is unfortunate enough to suffer from impaired kidneys and must be hooked up to a dialysis machine several times a week. In a moment of frustration he barges into the R & D department of a biomedical engineering firm and demands that they manufacture an artificial kidney that can be inserted where a normal kidney goes. The sympathetic engineer tells him that our current technology is unable to produce such a device and the best we have to offer is the dialysis machine.
Experience teaches us that highly sophisticated filtering devices do not make themselves, any more than suits make themselves.
It would be foolish to suggest that the construction of the filtering device we call a kidney is out of our experience when we actually build kidneys; we just call them dialysis machines. They perform the exact same function as real kidneys, which are essentially nothing more than highly sophisticated filters, except that we experience and understand them well enough to know that they are primitive compared to an actual kidney. Experience teaches us that highly sophisticated filtering devices do not make themselves, any more than suits make themselves. Clearly, Hume's argument is not applicable.
There is another mechanical device that is well within our experience: the electric pump. Electric pumps do not make themselves. The human heart is nothing more and nothing less than an electric pump. It operates on the exact same principles of physics as every other electric pump on the planet Earth. Our bio-medical engineering firms also build "primitive" pumps to replace the heart. It is absurd to invoke Hume's argument when we are discussing the heart.
The kidney and heart are just two of many examples of systems that exist in the living world of which we have experience. We could have mentioned the navigational systems of birds and sea turtles, the sonar of bats, and the electrical generating systems of eels and other animals to name just a few. The rational conclusion must be that these incredibly complex systems could only have been designed and constructed by a super-intelligent creator. Eliminating Hume from the picture brings us to the second argument that skeptics use to claim that the Argument from Design does not apply to the world of living systems: Darwinian Evolution. I do not want to spend much time on this topic. For argument's sake I would concede the fact of Neo-Darwinian Evolution. Done!
Before Darwin even Richard Dawkins could not deny the existence of a Creator
Before the theory of evolution, however, one needed an enormous amount of almost fanatical determination not to believe in a creator. Remember, Darwinian evolution does not invalidate the Argument from Design; it simply offers an alternative explanation for the functional complexity of living systems. Christopher Hitchens begrudgingly concedes that before Darwin, the "default position" of a creator was reasonable:
Before Charles Darwin revolutionized our entire concept of our origins... many scientists and philosophers and mathematicians took what might be called the default position and... professed... that the order and predictability of the universe seemed indeed to imply a designer... This compromise was a logical and rational one for its time...4
Richard Dawkins also admits to the obvious truth of this point. However, unlike Hitchens (a non-scientist) who downplays pre-Darwin belief in God by describing it as a "default position" and a "compromise," Dawkins states categorically that before Darwin he "could not imagine" being an atheist:
I feel more in common with the Reverend William Paley5 than I do with the distinguished modern philosopher, a well known atheist, with whom I once discussed the matter at dinner. I said I could not imagine being an atheist at any time before 1859, when Darwin's Origin of the Species was published. "What about Hume?" replied the philosopher. "How did Hume explain the organized complexity of the living world?" I asked. "He didn't" said the philosopher, "Why does it need any special explanation?" Paley knew it needed a special explanation; Darwin knew it, and I suspect that in his heart of hearts, my philosophical companion knew it too.6
Dawkins tells us that Darwin made it possible to be an "intellectually fulfilled atheist." 7 However, we shall soon see that just as Hume is irrelevant to our question, so too Darwin is irrelevant to our question (regarding the existence of a Creator).
The Amazing Microscopic Digital Information System
In River Out of Eden, Dawkins describes the intricate functioning of genetic coding in the living cell:
After Watson and Crick we know that genes themselves... are living strings of pure digital information. What is more they are truly digital, in the full and strong sense of computers and compact discs, not in the weak sense of the nervous system. The genetic code is not a binary code as in computers... but a quaternary code, with four symbols. The machine code of the genes is uncannily computer-like. Apart from differences in jargon, the pages of a molecular biology journal might be interchanged with those of a computer engineering journal. Our genetic system, which is the universal system for all life on the planet is digital to the core... DNA characters are copied with an accuracy that rivals anything modern engineers can do... DNA messages... are... pure digital code.8
Dr. Paul Davies on the same subject:
In a living organism we see the power of software, or information processing, refined to an incredible degree... the problem of the origin of life reduces to one of understanding how encoded software emerged spontaneously from hardware. How did it happen? How did nature "go digital?" 9
Microsoft CEO Bill Gates, echoes Dawkins' and Davies' description of the genetic coding in the cell, "DNA is like a computer program but far, far more advanced than any software we've ever created." 10
Darwinian Evolution simply begs the question
For the truth-seeking individual, the very best that Darwinian evolution can tell us is the following: Once you have in place a fantastically complex piece of molecular machinery called a living cell, which has at it's core an astonishingly sophisticated self-replicating system, which is based on the storage, retrieval, and decoding of enormous amounts of pure digital information – given enough time – the interactions between this nanotool filled organism, its "uncannily computer-like" genetic code and its environment (interactions we call "natural selection") are able to produce an astounding variety of forms of biological organisms. All varieties of life are possible – if, and only if – this amazing piece of machinery is in place. How did it get there?
All varieties of life are possible – if, and only if – this amazing piece of machinery is in place. How did it get there?
Lest anyone have the impression that the compelling and profoundly significant nature of this line of reasoning can only be appreciated by those with inclinations toward religion, here is distinguished philosopher Thomas Nagel (who describes himself as being "just as much an outsider to religion as Richard Dawkins"):
The entire apparatus of evolutionary explanation therefore depends on the prior existence of genetic material with these remarkable properties... since the existence of this material or something like it is a precondition of the possibility of evolution, evolutionary theory cannot explain its existence. We are therefore faced with a problem... we have explained the complexity of organic life in terms of something that is itself just as functionally complex as what we originally set out to explain. So the problem is just pushed back a step: how did such a thing come into existence?11
The Argument from Design does not disappear with Darwin; it is simply refocused with a vengeance
As it turns out, Darwinian evolution is not, as the skeptic would have us believe, a testimony to what can emerge from undirected processes; it is a testimony to the unimaginably awesome capabilities and potential contained in the first living cell and its genetic code. A paradigm-shifting insight emerges from all this: Contrary to popular belief, not only is Darwinian evolution not the cause or explanation of the staggering complexity of life on this planet; Darwinian evolution itself is a process which is the result of the staggering complexity of life on this planet. Human beings who are seeking the truth about the existence of a Creator should stop wasting their time and energy arguing about Archaeopteryx and the 2nd Law of Thermodynamics. It is all beside the point. Darwinian evolution most definitely does not provide an escape hatch from the challenge that Dawkins articulated to his atheist philosopher colleague: "How [do we] explain the organized complexity of the living world?" All existing life is nothing more than a variation on a theme. All the "organized complexity" of life is a variation on the "organized complexity" of the first living organism.
Darwinian evolution itself is a process which is the result of the staggering complexity of life on this planet.
This is what Professor Emeritus of Chemistry at New York University, Dr. Robert Shapiro, meant when he said that "The difference between a simple mixture of chemicals and a bacterium, is much more profound than the gulf between a bacterium and an elephant." The Argument from Design does not disappear with Darwin; it is simply refocused with a vengeance:
What stands out as the central unsolved puzzle in the scientific account of life – is how the first microbe came to exist. Peering into life's innermost workings serves only to deepen the mystery. The living cell is the most complex system of its size known to mankind... ingenious marvels of construction and control, with a fine-tuning and complexity as yet unmatched by any human engineering... The problem of the origin of life reduces to one of understanding how encoded software emerged spontaneously from hardware. How did it happen? How did nature "go digital?"... How did something so immensely complicated, so finessed, so exquisitely clever, come into being all on its own? How can mindless molecules, capable of only pushing and pulling their immediate neighbors, cooperate to form something as ingenious as a living organism? (Dr. Paul Davies)
The only relevant question is: How did life begin? Darwin has nothing at all to say on the subject. Darwinian evolution does not even pretend to address the issue. Chance, as we've seen in a previous chapter, is not |
his way through most locked doors and doesn’t require any setup time before doing so. He can handle his own in close combat too, but watch out for collateral damage.
Shield DEFAULT WEAPON: M&P.40 PISTOL Bearing a ballistic shield to cover his front arc, this trooper can gain ground on the bad guys without exposing himself – as long as his flanks are covered. He can hold and shoot a handgun one-handed, but don’t expect neither speed nor accuracy from him.Red Curry Tempeh Summer Rolls served with manchurian or tonkatsu sauce. Tempeh marinated and roasted in red curry paste + maple. Vegan Glutenfree Recipe
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I am getting better at rolling up Summer Rolls! They are a great way to finish up stuff from the refrigerator without spending too much time standing near the hot kitchen stove.
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I used 3 grain Tempeh for the rolls. Tempeh was steamed and marinated in red curry, maple, soy sauce marinade and cooked until the marinade thickened. Then I went to the fridge and shredded, sliced whatever I had.
Folded up in the roll and served with manchurian sauce pictured (sauce with veggie cabbage balls from the book). These rolls can also be served with a delicious tonkatsu sauce or Thai Peanut butter sauce.
More Tempeh Recipes from the blog.
In other news, ever wonder What happens to balloons that float away? Helium balloons or other colorful balloons? Everything that goes up, comes down.
Balloons, even though some are biodegradable, take years to degrade. In that time, they kill countless animals and cause dangerous power outages. Sea turtles, dolphins, whales, fish and birds have been reported with balloons in their stomachs and ribbons and strings can lead to entanglement, causing death.
Also, today is the release day of Unity. A film by the writer director of Earthlings. Unity takes an in-depth look at what it truly means to be human. The film presents a message of love, tragedy and hope, all set against the backdrop of some of the most compelling 20th and 21st century footage imaginable. Watch the trailer here, and find a screening near you here.View information about George Carlin's arrest and mugshot here on famouslyarrested.com George Carlin. You can view information about Larry King's arrest and other celebrity arrests. You can view by name or by category. We also have included George Carlin mugshots.
George Carlin
Name: George Carlin
George Carlin Field: Comedian
Comedian Arrest Date: July, 1972
July, 1972 Charge: Obscenity
Obscenity Result: Charges dismissed
The arrest of George Carlin:
He's one of the most influential and important counter culture comedians.
George Carlin grew up watching Lenny Bruce, Jonathan Winters and Ernie Kovacs, among others.
He influenced Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, Jon Stewart, Steven Colbert and Bill Maher.
And he's famous for the "Seven Words You Can Never Say on Television", which led to the famous Supreme Court obscenity ruling. (Here's the routine, for adults only.)
Carlin was also arrested for public indecency in Wisconsin for performing the routine on stage. A Milwaukee Judge dismissed the charges. For the full story on George Carlin's life and death, click his highlighted name in this sentence.
Please visit our social sites and you can let us know what specific person or celebrity you would like to read about who has famously been arrested.Each summer, nine million pounds of walrus flesh packs the beaches of Round Island, off the southwest coast of Alaska in the Bering Sea. Scientists aren't exactly sure why, but for a few months each summer, about 12,000 male Pacific walruses congregate on the two mile (3.2 km) long island. From the base of the cliffs to the bubbly surf, all you can see is walrus.
Arctic Animal Image Gallery
Known as rather gregarious creatures, the walruses may simply enjoy one another's company -- although they do occasionally jab a neighbor with their long tusks to assert dominance. Or, perhaps they are simply trying to stay warm. After all, temperatures can slip below zero degrees Fahrenheit (-32 degrees Celsius). Or maybe they're just chatting about the ladies; the female walruses are far away, in route back from their yearly migration north -- with calves in tow.
Whatever the reason for this months-long male bonding, it presents an ideal setting for scientists to study the mammal, whose name in Danish means "sea horse" or "sea cow." In the years since research began, biologists have learned much about this hardy creature of the arctic. For example, in just the last decade, scientists discovered that the walrus doesn't use its tusks to dig for food along the ocean bottom, as previously thought. It actually blows a stream of water at the sea floor to stir up the prey.
On the following pages, you'll learn even more about this tusked animal -- from how the walrus removes clams from shells (think vacuum cleaner) to how deep it can dive (hint: almost the full length of a football field) [source: Lanken].On Saturday night, the Memphis Grizzlies will not only host a conference finals game for the first time in franchise history but will also host, arguably, the biggest sporting event in the city's history. At 5-0 on their home floor so far this post-season and after recovering from a rough first seven quarters to force overtime in a Game 2 loss in San Antonio, the Grizzlies and their fans have plenty of hope for extending the series. But, down 0-2, the prospect of the team's season ending in Memphis on Memorial Day is a real one. And with culture-changing folk hero Tony Allen entering free-agency this summer, there's at least a small chance that we could be witnessing more than just the waning days of a playoff run.
Under Allen's manic influence, the Grizzlies and their fans have developed one of the league's more colorful cultures. For the benefit of those around the broader NBA community turning their full attention to Memphis for perhaps the first time, here's one reporter's alphabetical guide to Griz Land:
"All heart. Grit. Grind." — The origin of contemporary Griz culture, from February 8, 2011, in Oklahoma City:
This now-legendary interview came after a 105-101 overtime road win in which the Grizzlies were playing without ostensible stars O.J. Mayo and Rudy Gay. Tony Allen, new to the team and barely in the rotation for most of the first two months of the season, scored 27 points, had 5 steals, and sent the game to overtime with a three-point play in the final minute of regulation.
At the time, it was as much about performance as phraseology, and the best, if largely forgotten, moment — Marc Gasol interrupting Allen's courtside soliloquy for a little head tap of deep gratitude — is unspoken. But this is what launched Allen into the cherished Memphis continuum of subcultural characters and rough-edged raconteurs, with the likes of Sputnik Monroe, Dewey Phillips, and Rufus Thomas.
This was a man who emerged as a transformative on-court force, beloved teammate, and fan fetish object after beating up a teammate in a minor gambling dispute; who turns playing basketball — and, more so, cheering from the bench — into a form of expressive, lunatic performance art; who, obviously, delivers ridiculous, inspirational post-game interviews that evolve into citywide rallying cries; and who generally approaches everything in life with a loopy joie de vivre that reminds us why we enjoy this stuff so much.
Maybe a few dozen fans exulted in the moment on Twitter as it happened, with local radio's Chris Vernon Show turning the audio into a recurring soundbite the next day. But this cult classic didn't become best-seller until later in the season. (See: "Tony Allen T-Shirt") These days, "grit, grind" always seems on the verge of ossifying into a used-up cliché, but the man they now call the Grindfather won’t let it.
Allen Iverson — The only player in franchise history — league history? — to never play a home game and still have his jersey pop up in the playoff crowd.
"Ante Up" — Tony Allen’s self-selected theme song is Future’s “Go Harder,” which now emerges from FedExForum speakers at appropriate moments. But this 2000 ode to desperation and thievery from Brooklyn rap duo M.O.P. is the people’s anthem. On the court, Allen is known to kidnap fools.
Barbecue Nachos — Memphis can turn anything into barbecue: Pizza, spaghetti, salad, baked potatoes, even beer. The signature concession grub at the Grindhouse takes the basic sports-arena nachos and piles it high with smoked pork (or chicken, if you must), sauce, and dry spices. Provided by downtown institution Rendezvous.
Big Spain — The nickname by acclamation for the Grizzlies' DPOY man in the middle, though I prefer The Changeling. The team's owner (see: "Robert Pera") chooses to go with "The Most Interesting Basketball Player in the World":
"Blue collar player, blue collar town." — This was the moment Memphis fell in love with Zach Randolph. After scoring 17 fourth-quarter points in a home Game 6 against the Spurs to give the franchise its first playoff series win, Randolph greeted sideline reporter Doris Burke with a post-game paean to getting what you got the hard way and making it better each and every day that might have been written by Grizzlies' season-ticket holder David Porter, the songwriter behind “Soul Man.”
Memphis rallies around rough edges, sharp elbows, colorful personalities, and generous spirits. The city relates to bad reputations and bruising, bumping redemption stories like Z-Bo, who doesn't just seem like someone who's found a home in Memphis. He seems like someone who's from here. As he said to Burke, "It's a fit."
#busthisbuttmarc — The real origin of that early season tête-à-tête between Zach Randolph and Kendrick Perkins? Marc Gasol putting Perkins in the spin cycle, prompting Randolph's mocking exhortation, to which Perkins took offense. Now fans echo Z-Bo in hashtag form when Gasol applies advanced post technique to a hapless defender.
Celebrity fans — The Lakers have Jack. The Clippers have Billy Crystal. The Knicks have Spike Lee. The Nets have Jay-Z and Beyonce. The Heat even have Jimmy Buffett. If you really want to stretch it, the Grizzlies can claim minority owner Justin Timberlake, who made the scene at one game this season. And wrestling legend Jerry Lawler and Super Bowl quarterback Joe Theismann, both Memphians, might show up when they're in town. But the real courtside celebrities at most Grizzlies' games are a self-described Middle-Aged Cracker Rapper and his Trophy Wife, "Lil Country," and a used-car impresario who doesn’t care about your credit but cares about you. Classing up the joint of late: The Bongo Lady and Her Embarrassed Son — an attorney-by-day, with eye-rolling sidekick, who was discovered drumming her little heart out when the team tested out a "Bongo Cam" earlier this season.
The Conley Correlation — So declared for the tendency this season for the Grizzlies to go as their emerging-star point guard does.
"Demarcus" — For a few years now, a mysterious North Memphian named Demarcus has been a semi-regular caller to The Chris Vernon Show. At playoff time, he expresses himself in song on game days. During the 2011 run, he was on a Tom Petty kick. "I Won't Back Down" was his chosen war whoop, though he also encored with "Free Fallin'," which became "Freakin' Baller." This postseason, his song choice — Queen's "We Will Rock You" — is pretty hackneyed, but Demarcus has put his own guileless spin on it ("We will salivate you!"), and when he adds an encore, look out. A sports-talk yeti who has never been seen, Demarcus has uncomprehendingly fended off charges this season that's he's been "catfishing" the Griz faithful ("If I'm not me then who am I?"). But the results speak for themselves: The Grizzlies were 8-0 this postseason on days Demarcus has appeared and sang before Tuesday night's overtime loss finally broke his streak. Here's Demarcus giving a command performance live on-air before Game 3 against the Thunder.
#feed50 — The Twitter drumbeat when Z-Bo gets going, as in the fourth quarter of Game 5 against the Clippers.
The 5/5 Rule — My own attempt to impose order on Tony Allen's game early in his Griz tenure: No shots unless he's within five feet of the basket or there are fewer than five seconds on the shot clock. That three-point attempt in overtime Tuesday night? An illustration of the merits of the 5/5 Rule.
The Grindhouse — The moniker of choice for FedExForum, naming-rights be damned. Everyone says it now. Players, broadcasters, writers. The idea has been widely misattributed to Tony Allen. It actually came from a local fan, Ryan Hamlin, who tweeted Allen the suggestion and was conferred a blessing.
Growl Towels: The Grizzlies' spin on the old "terrible towel" conceit, with slogans growing bolder this postseason, from the original "Believe Memphis" to the separate "Grit" and "Grind" to the nervier "We Don't Bluff," which was used only because "I'll Beat Your Ass" was probably a bridge too far. (Though, as Tony Allen's grand Game 1 performance suggests, sometimes we do bluff.)
Hamed Haddadi —In retrospect, probably the biggest cultural casualty of the Rudy Gay trade. The NBA's first Iranian player, Haddadi became an unlikely cult hero in Memphis one night against Cleveland, where he laid out Lebron James with a pick, dunked on Shaq, gave the greatest locker-room quote in team history ("I drop-step. I go around Shaq. I dunk that shit."), and then walked into a downtown bar to a standing ovation. Victories were always a little sweeter with Haddadi celebrating on the sideline. Put it to a referendum, and Griz fans would probably award Haddadi with a playoff share.
"He wit us" — Indelible Tony Allen trash talk. In theory, when faced with an opponent whose shot you don't respect, you feign defense only to turn and head in for the rebound as their shot is going up, muttering "He wit us" as you do. Mostly apocryphal, but I swear I saw Allen do this to Tyreke Evans in a game once.
The Ibakas of the World — Code for all the role players in the league that must be contained in addition to their team's stars. (See "All heart. Grit. Grind.") In this series, Danny Green, Matt Bonner, and Kawhi Leonard are Ibakas of the World who have troubled the Grizzlies.
"It's just basketball." — Lionel Hollins' common, exasperated response to reporter questions he deems overly analytical. Hollins is one of the league's best coaches, but he may not follow predecessors Hubie Brown and Mike Fratello down the broadcaster trail. The battle-cry corollary Hollins submits to his on-court charges: "Go play."
The Norma Rae Moment — Their team down heading into the fourth quarter of Game 3 against the Thunder two years back, the Grindhouse crowd collectively got the idea to stop waiving their "growl towels," as had been the intended use, and instead hold them stretched out above their heads, defiantly displaying the slogan "BELIEVE MEMPHIS" like some kind of unintentional homage to the famous scene in the 1979 film Norma Rae, in which Sally Field's heroine stands on a workbench and holds a "UNION" sign up to her textile-mill co-workers. It was at once corny and touching, and when the Grizzlies came back to win that game — if not the series — in overtime, a tradition was born.
Ol' Man River — Charles Barkley’s more-brilliant-than-he-knows nickname for Zach Randolph, bestowed in tribute to Randolph's "old-man game" and the way he keeps rolling along against younger, more athletic competitors. (They get weary, and sick of trying.) Particularly appropriate given Memphis' perch on the river the song refers to as well as the song's own treasured local history.
Old-school Jams — The Grindhouse probably isn't the only arena that plays Tag Team's 1993 hip-hop hit "Whoomp! (There It Is)" when things are going well in the fourth quarter or the Gap Band's 1982 R&B banger "You Dropped a Bomb On Me" after big wins. But, in Memphis, we love that shit like it came out yesterday.
Robert Pera — The Grizzlies new, young engineer-turned-tech-entrepreneur controlling owner doesn't love the spotlight like his predecessor Michael Heisley did, but that doesn't mean he isn't a colorful character in his own, quieter way. Two hours after his first public introduction in Memphis, Pera and his pals were out on the team practice court, putting up shots. At his next press conference, later in the season, Pera and team CEO Jason Levien addressed the media in matching Griz track suits, in apparent tribute to Ben Stiller and his sons from The Royal Tennenbaums. Most recently, playoff fever has inspired Pera to tweet out his own photoshop creations. (See: "Big Spain.")
The Rudy Gay Trade — The NBA's version of a Rorschach test.
The Shane Battier Memorial Baseline Jumper — Since dealing Battier for Rudy Gay in 2006, the Grizzlies have made scant use of one of the game's most efficient shots or the corner three's mid-range counterpart, both Battier specialties in his Grizzlies days. Potential inheritors such as Dahntay Jones and Sam Young offered faint imitations, and the SBMBJ was coined in honor of this rarely seen and even more rarely made shot. It was a little disorienting to see Battier himself lofting SBMBJs in his 36-game 2011 return engagement. But, happily, this year reserve wingman Quincy Pondexter has become an emerging master of the SBMBJ, fulfilling the prophecy of Young MC — as Orange County Register beat writer Dan Woike nicely put it this spring — with his work from the corners.
Strotential — Potential destined to never be realized, coined in dishonor of former Vancouver Grizzlies #2 overall pick Stromile Swift, who tantalized through two tours of duty with the franchise. Strotential bit the team hard in the 2009 draft, when the Grizzlies passed on James Harden, Stephen Curry, Tyreke Evans, and Ricky Rubio to take Hasheem Thabeet. A current mystery is whether gifted teen guard Tony Wroten Jr. has potential or merely Strotential.
Thirsty Dog — Tony Allen's own description of his defensive style, and a justification for breaking the 5/5 Rule. Sometimes thirsty dogs gotta drink.
Tony Allen T-Shirt — For an agonizing little while, this could have referred to Allen’s miscue in Game 5 against the Thunder, when an errant warm-up shirt hit the floor, giving the Thunder an ill-timed four-point play. But the Grizzlies won that game, so now this still means the original gray grit grind. Tony Allen T-shirts are a cottage industry in Memphis. But this is the real one. Come to any Grizzlies' game and you will see them everywhere.
Tony Allen's Twitter — When Tony Allen writes his memoir, it will be in tweet form. And, like Allen's handle itself, it will be in its own, fully understood only by Allen code. Visit aa000g9 — "Anthony Allen, #9." You'll be forgiven for thinking the middle section means Allen's a "triple OG." It apparently really means he started from the bottom and now plays for the Grizzlies. — for live tweets of fender-benders with middle-aged white ladies ("She called her goons. Lol"), channel-surfing confusion (his mid-film discovery of Pulp Fiction is a personal fave), and other moments ripe for Allen's own Curb Your Enthusiasm-style sitcom.
Rick Trotter — The Grizzlies' growling public-address announcer has become a League Pass love-him-or-hate him for his spirited calls ("Shot clock: Violated!"). But can your team's PA guy knock out a strong national anthem and then live-tweet games while commanding the mic?
"Turn the water off." — Tony Allen's oft-used metaphor for shutting down his man. Solace for opponents who have had Tony Allen cut off their utilities? Z-Bo might be willing to help.
"Whoop That Trick" — The Grizzlies were heading into the final season of an initial three-year playoff run when Memphis filmmaker Craig Brewer's rap-scene parable Hustle & Flow was released. "Whoop That Trick," the would-be-rapper protagonist's signature song, courtesy of longtime local fixture Al Kapone, didn't quite fit the personality of what was then a Pau Gasol/Mike Miller/Shane Battier-led team. But the song's menacing three-note keyboard riff with skittering counterpoint has remained an in-game staple ever since; a Memphis shibboleth, recognized by many, but still under the radar.
For some reason — the ease of transforming the title chant into "Whoop That Clip?," the desire for vengeance the playoff rematch with the Clippers provoked? — the song materialized as an arena chant this postseason, crowd response growing game to game during the normal dispensing of the beat. Then, in Game 6 against the Clippers, the team's mascot, Super Grizz, climbed to the top of a ladder at center court, unfurled a banner that read "FINISH THEM," and the beat dropped, with now 18,000-strong chanting "Whoop That Trick" in unison. It was a little nuts, and now, nearly 13 years later, an unexpected playoff anthem.
At the next home game, a visiting writer asked me if there were people who took exception to the "Whoop That Trick" chant. I assumed he meant around the league or even within Grizzlies' organization. "No, in the crowd," he said. "This is the Bible Belt." This never occurred to me. In Memphis, even the church ladies are down for a little trick whoopin'. But as my man Kevin Cerrito pointed out, the Grizzlies have also discovered, in Game 1 down in San Antonio, that sometimes they can be the trick.Green Party presidential nominee Jill Stein pulled one of the oldest third-party candidate, get-noticed-on-debate-night stunts: Get arrested.
Yes, Stein — who we interviewed during her Green Party debate against Roseanne Barr (yes, THAT Roseanne Barr) in San Francisco — got arrested Tuesday outside along with her running mate….. if you can name her running mate without looking, you are a Political Geek Hero in our book. (Answer: Cheri Honkala.)
Stein’s beef: She’s on 85 percent of ballots on Election Day and qualified for $100,000 in federal matching funds as a genuine presidential candidate. So why isn’t she on stage with the other two guys?
Stein, a Harvard-trained physician, called Tuesday’s debate a “mockumentary” and said “We are here to bring the courage of those excluded from our politics to this mock debate, this mockery of democracy.”
Random aside: Mockery of Democracy=Good band name.
For Californians, this recalls Code Pink co-founder Medea Benjamin — then a Green Party candidate for U.S. Senate against Sen. Dianne Feinstein and Republican Rep. Tom Campbell in 2000 — getting arrested before a TV debate in San Francisco. Or Ralph Nader, the 2000 Green Party prez candidate not being allowed into a presidential debate — even though he had a ticket to the event.
Here’s some video of the arrest, courtesy of the Long Island Report. Our favorite part is when Stein and Honkala have to spell their names for the TV reporters in attendance. Ryan and Biden didn’t have to do that…well, not for MOST of the TV reporters.New gossip claims Sony Picture's parent company may finally force studio to share Spider-Man rights with Marvel
Sony Pictures' two biggest headaches (the hacking of its films and private documents and the ongoing disaster of its crumbling Spider-Man franchise) collided yesterday evening as still more hacked emails revealed that the financially-troubled studio failed to close a deal to share the franchise with Marvel Studios - a move which many industry analysts have long believed is the only hope of salvaging the series.
The deal, which could have seen Spider-Man appear as part of the blockbuster sequel Captain America: Civil War and given the Marvel brain-trust creative influence over the infamously-scattershot Amazing Spider-Man reboot series (even its star doesn't like them,) which will now instead by hashed-out at a high-level "Spider-Man Summit" among filmmakers and studio executives in January.
According to the Hollywood rumor-mongers at Latino Review (who also claim that the head-scratching Aunt May prequel wasn't a fake, after all), claims that that Summit may end up being an occasion for Sony's Japanese parent company to put it's foot down: According to LR's scooper, Sony Japan is both furious about the hack (and doesn't like how the Spider-Man movies have turned out), and may force the studio to both take Marvel's crossover deal and give up (to Marvel) their creative control over the main Spider-Man movies - which was supposedly the sticking-point that broke down the initial talks.
If correct, these maneuvers could well see Spider-Man finally coming home to the Marvel Cinematic Universe - though it's now unclear whether or not time remains for the character to take part in upcoming crossovers like Civil War.
Source:Latino ReviewSeptember 7, 2012 2:00 PM | John Polson
McPixel has just become the first game promoted on "The Promo Bay," a periodical event in which torrent site The Pirate Bay promotes independent artists. While historically developers have embraced piracy as a way to appeal to fans, it appears now piracy has embraced a developer.
The deal went down while Sos was heading up an IAmA thread on Reddit. Before this, Sos had left some promo codes in the comment section of the game's torrent on The Pirate Bay, which had ultimately caught the attention of the site administrators. They then contacted Sos to arrange this promotion.
For the next three days, visitors to The Pirate Bay can click on the pissing protagonist, which links to the game's homepage that is running a pay-what-you-can deal.
Sos told IndieGames that over 100 units have sold since the promo has started. The average per purchase now is $1.34. While this is much lower than the game's retail price of $9.99, this figure probably encompasses 100 people who wouldn't have seen, played, or paid for the game otherwise.
I suppose this makes McPixel a temporary freeware game pick. However, I don't want to point to the torrent, mostly because it's worth taking in McPixel on The Pirate Bay home page.CLOSE Shaun White arrived in Sochi trying to win two gold medals, but leaves with none. There was some good news for team U.S.A though as an American woman made Olympic history. VPC
Shaun White reacts after finishing fourth after his final run in the mens snowboard half pipe final at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park at the 2014 Olympic Winter Games in Sochi. (Photo11: Guy Rhodes, USA TODAY Sports)
KRASNAYA POLYANA, Russia -- Shaun White arrived in Sochi trying to win two gold medals. He leaves with none.
White finished fourth in the men's halfpipe competition Tuesday night at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, ending his reign as Olympic champion dating to the 2006 Games in Turin.
The new halfpipe king is Iouri Podladtchikov, a Swiss rider with some of the biggest tricks in snowboarding, including his trademark trick called YOLO, which he landed here on his gold medal run. Even before he saw his score of 94.75, Podladtchikov tossed his snowboard in celebration.
"It all was meant to be. I was in a position where I was throwing down my hardest tricks with ease, it was like … there is no word for that," Podladtchikov said.
LEITCH: Shaun White, the crushed tomato
FTW: White blew his chance at becoming legend
And this from a man who answered questions in Russian, English, German and Dutch in his post-victory press conference.
Five others couldn't top the rider more commonly known as IPod – who was born in Russia before moving to Switzerland with his parents at age 8. But White, the last rider to drop into the halfpipe, was the only one in the Olympic field with an arsenal of tricks that could keep up.
On this night, he couldn't do it.
White's final run was uncharacteristically sloppy, without a complete fall but with multiple bobbles, and received a score of 90.25, an improvement of his first run in which he fell twice, but only good enough for fourth place. White had been trying to become the first American man to win the same winter event in three consecutive Games. Speedskater Shani Davis will try to accomplish that feat in the 1,000 on Wednesday.
In White's first two Olympics, Torino in 2006 and Vancouver in 2010, he had laid down his winning run to open the finals, with his second run serving merely as a victory lap.
MORE: Internet reaction
BRENNAN: No shame for U.S. ski jumpers
Never before in an Olympics had White faced this sort of pressure. And he slid along the base of the course late Tuesday believing he could have done more.
"I didn't really get to break out everything, which is frustrating. Tricks are still in my pocket," White said. "I definitely knew what run I wanted to put down, and my dream scenario was I was going to land that first run and then maybe have the opportunity to do something that hadn't been done before. I tried to win. I went for it."
Japanese riders Ayumu Hirano, the youngest rider in the competition at age 15, and Taku Hiraoka won the silver and bronze. Americans had won eight of 12 previous medals awarded in men's halfpipe dating to its inclusion in the Olympics in 1998.
This is the first time the Americans have been shut out of the podium since 1998.
PHOTOS: AGONY OF DEFEAT IN SOCHI
"I think it's great the American public and the world now knows that there are other snowboarders besides Shaun White," said U.S. rider Danny Davis, who finished 10th. "Shaun's, don't get me wrong, one of the most talented, one of the best riders there are, but there are guys who are just as good if not better and today Iouri was the best rider."
Perhaps it was a fitting ending to the Games for White after nearly a week of controversy. White pulled out of the slopestyle competition less than 24 hours before qualifying rounds, prompting rivals to suggest White may have been scared to lose. White withdrew from the event too late for the United States to replace him.
In White's absence, American Sage Kotsenburg won the first-ever slopestyle gold and became the first breakout star of the Games.
White said late Tuesday night that he backed out of slopestyle because of concerns about the design of the course at Rosa Khutor Extreme Park, calling it a strategic move and a "better bet" to place all of his focus on the halfpipe, his signature event.
Yet when attention turned to the halfpipe by Sunday evening, riders were furious about the conditions of the pipe, from walls that were too vertical, to a flat bottom that on Monday was so bumpy that riders said it resembled a moguls course. White was among the many riders who were unable to practice their full Olympic runs and full complement of tricks in training, including one that was shortened by more than an hour Monday evening because of poor conditions in the pipe.
"To be honest, I woke up this morning not even knowing if I'd be able to land one run," White said.
The pipe was improved for Tuesday's competition, but not perfect, and the final session was sloppy as the best riders pulled out their best tricks. Several riders wiped out multiple times, including Americans Greg Bretz and Davis, each of whom failed to land a clean run in the finals. Bretz finished 12th.
Bretz and Davis received words of encouragement from fellow U.S. snowboarders, including Kotsenburg, who in a Tweet called Davis, "your favorite snowboarder's favorite snowboarder."
White's tumble from atop the Olympic podium might serve to further reveal the schism between White, whose off-snow endeavors include touring with his band called Bad Things, and the snowboarders like Kotsenburg who have rocketed to stardom here.
"I don't think tonight makes or breaks my career. I've been doing this so long. I love it. It's given me so much that you know I'm happy to take this for what it is and move on and continue to ride," White said. "I would always like to be remembered as so much more than just a snowboarder. I've got so much going on in my life, and this is one big part of who I am, but it isn't all of who I am."
Meanwhile, Podladtchikov was whisked away for the pageantry that comes with winning a gold medal in one of the Olympics' marquee events. There would be television appearances and the official medal ceremony and certainly one heck of a party.
Fellow Swiss rider David Habluetzel revealed part of Podladtchikov's plans.
"Vodka, caviar, and friends," said Habluetzel, who finished fifth.
PHOTOS: BEST SHOTS FROM SOCHI ON FEB. 114 Dead Easy Steps To Mac and Cheese in a Mug
All it takes is five simple steps, and it is so much better than the packaged stuff you can buy at the supermarket. This creamy, delicious mac and cheese in a mug will convince you never to return to the fluoro orange supermarket packets.
I love mac and cheese but what’s even better is that I can cook and eat it straight out of a mug. This easy to follow recipe takes you through everything you need to know on how to make mac and cheese in a mug.
There are a few things that you will need to keep an eye out for when cooking anything in the microwave. You can find a few cooking tips for this specific dish just below the recipe.
One of the best things about this recipe is that you only need just three ingredients to be able to make it. It makes it perfect for anyone who is short on cash and just want to make something extremely simple. It’s one of my favorite easy pasta recipes you’re able to cook.
Would you prefer to watch a video on how to make this amazing easy homemade mac and cheese? Then check out the video I have prepared below.
Mac and Cheese in a Mug Recipe
Prep time:
1 Minute Cook time:
5 Minutes Total time:
6 Minutes Serves:
1 Ingredients: ½ cup macaroni Pasta
½ cup milk (You can use water instead)
½ cup mozzarella or cheddar cheese Instructions: Combine pasta and Milk (or water) in a large mug. Microwave the pasta in the microwave for 1-minute intervals (Place a plate underneath the mug as there is a good chance it will overflow). Check the pasta every minute for consistency. It should take about 4 minutes before the pasta is soft, pour off the excess water/milk (optional). Add the cheese and stir in. Place back in microwave for about 30 seconds to a minute. Serve and Enjoy!
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Cooking Tips:
Adding herbs can change this recipe completely with many different flavors to choose from don’t be afraid to experiment.
You can use different cheeses, in this recipe I just used a basic tasty cheese but don’t be afraid to experiment trying all sorts of nice cheeses.
If you feel like a bit meat in your mac and cheese, try adding ham, smoked salmon and other deli meats that don’t require a huge amount of cooking.
Be extra careful when you microwave liquids as they can become superheated and explode when you go to remove it. Keeping a distance would be the best way to avoid any physical harm to yourself.
Nutritional Information:
If you’re wondering what the nutritional information for this mac and cheese recipe is, then you can find it right below. It’s obviously not going to be super great for you, but it’s still incredibly tasty.
Nutrition Facts Serving Size 231g Servings Per Container 1 Amount Per Serving Calories 311 Calories from Fat 54 % Daily Value* Total Fat 6 g 9% Saturated Fat 3 g 15% Trans Fat 0g Cholesterol 18 mg 6% Sodium 143 mg 6% Total Carbohydrate 47.5 g 16% Dietary Fiber 2 g 8% Sugars 7.5 g Protein 15 g 30% *Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. Your daily values may be higher or lower depending on your calorie needs.
There are so many different types of mug recipes that are just fantastic for anyone who is feeling lazy or only need to cook for one. They’re also great for anyone who is running low on money as most of the recipes tend only to require low-cost ingredients making them super affordable.
I hope that you both make and enjoy this delicious mac and cheese in a mug recipe.If you know of any additions to this recipe that could improve it tenfold then drop us a comment below!Faced with economic sanctions by the Western world and a retaliatory ban on import of agricultural commodities from there, Russia has evinced interest in buying a large quantity of and from India.
In a letter to the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (Apeda), one of Russia’s largest chains, Retain Chain Monetka, has sought import of potato, cabbage, carrot, marrow, garlic, tomato, onion, capsicum, radish and mushroom, |
offspring, and so already dominant religions (like those three) are likely to see faster growth than other religions. But it's a reminder that we're still a long way from a secular world.
Read more here.
36. The gap between men's and women's participation in the workforce is shrinking.
While labor force participation among women has stayed roughly constant in recent decades, male participation has fallen, so the gap between men's and women's participation rates has shrunk.
Read more here.
37. Though huge gaps in pay persist.
The U.S. isn't alone in paying women significantly less than men. Many other rich countries — including supposedly egalitarian ones like Finland and Germany — have even more severe gender pay gaps.
Read more here and here.
38. The center of the entertainment business is going eastward.
The above chart shows the percentage of box office receipts emanating from each region. The U.S. and Canada are seeing their share of receipts falling, while Asia's share is rising noticeably.
Read more here.
39. And despite the rise of Internet piracy, the entertainment sector is doing okay.
The entertainment industry — and in particular the music industry — underwent a collective freakout in the late 1990s and early 2000s as Napster, then Kazaa, then Gnutella and then BitTorrent made pirating songs, TV episodes, and movies increasingly easy. But their worst fears didn't come to pass. Revenue in the music industry — which, MP3s are so much smaller than video files, was hit first — remained roughly constant from 1998 to 2011, as you can see above. Sure, revenues from selling recorded music shrank, but that was offset by an increase in concert revenues.
Read more here and here.
40. Nuclear weapons are decreasing in numbers, but more countries than ever have them.
In the early 1960s, when American politicians worried that they suffered from a "missile gap" with the Soviet Union, the U.S. stockpile was much larger than the Soviets Union's. In the 1980s, by contrast, the Soviets pulled way ahead. And once the Cold War ended, both countries started disarming.
Read more here and here.Brown: Frustration fuels Rep. Kelly’s tears over gun violence
Rep. Robin Kelly, D-Ill breaks into tears while speaking during a luncheon June 7 at the Standard Club of Chicago. | Lou Foglia/Sun-Times
The tears came suddenly Tuesday in the middle of U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly’s speech, catching both her and her audience by surprise.
She was reading a passage about gun violence prevention and the need for more gun control laws — a topic on which she has probably spoken nearly every day since launching her first campaign for Congress in 2013.
“I’m so relentless on this issue because …” she began.
But this time the words caught in Kelly’s throat and the tears streamed down her face.
Ten seconds passed before she murmured, “It’s been a rough week.”
Ten more passed before she could finish the sentence.
“I am so relentless on this issue because moments of silence in Congress just aren’t going to cut it any more,” Kelly said.
The luncheon audience hosted by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform applauded.
Kelly regained her composure, finished her speech and even took questions from the audience.
OPINION
But the tears started flowing again as she slipped out of the room afterward to catch a plane while the event continued.
“Sorry,” she said between the sniffles.
Why this reaction, I asked.
“This is frustration,” she explained, choking out something about the 6-year-old girl from Logan Square “fighting for her life” after being shot overnight.
“I’m just so tired of talking about it, and I want to do something,” she said.
“If I were very wealthy, I would put my own money in. I would put the money in to send kids to camp or day camp or mentoring or job training. I know we can’t save everybody, but I just don’t know how people …,” the Matteson Democrat continued, her voice trailing off.
Kelly’s 2nd Congressional District includes some of Chicago’s most dangerous streets. She was elected to Congress on the promise to devote herself to stopping the gun violence, pitting herself during her campaign against the National Rifle Association.
But Congress isn’t budging, and Chicago’s violence has gotten worse.
Kelly said she’s been upset ever since reading a New York Times story last week about Chicago’s violence, followed by news reports tallying a rising May death toll.
“It just got to me,” she said.
Kelly said she keeps in regular contact with family members of Chicago murder victims, many of whom she has brought to Washington to help lobby for what she calls “common sense gun control.”
On that score, she seeks comprehensive background checks for gun buyers, reinstating the assault weapons ban, closing gun sales loopholes and lifting the ban on federal research about gun violence.
Kelly also advocates for more community policing and “sustainable community economic development” to lift young people out of the circumstances that give rise to violence.
During her speech, Kelly said: “The bloodshed on our streets is nothing short of a slow motion massacre.”
She said she’s proud of moving the gun violence conversation in Washington “from one largely focused on mass shootings to a broader look at the everyday toll of gun violence in America.”
Toward that end, she said she no longer stands when her colleagues in Congress call for a moment of silence in tribute to the victims of the latest mass shooting. She finds it hypocritical.
“I haven’t stood for a year because my colleagues just stand up and they sit down and we do nothing,” Kelly said. “I believe in honoring the victims of gun violence through action.”
Her stance has naturally made her a favorite target of gun rights proponents.
“I’m not anti-gun,” Kelly protests. “I come from a family of cops and hunters. I respect the Second Amendment. I just happen to believe we can balance our Second Amendment rights with the rights of all Americans to live free of the threat of gun violence.”
We’d be better off if more members of Congress were crying.The Guardian published an article on December 12 claiming that border crossings by illegal aliens are “near historic lows.” Actual numbers from U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) indicate the opposite, however.
The article features a U.S. Border Patrol agent who was born in Mexico and became a naturalized U.S. citizen who also served this country as a F/A-18 aircraft mechanic aboard the USS Nimitz in the Persian Gulf.
Unfortunately, the glowing profile of the agent is riddled with conflation; misleading information; outright factual errors about the real status of the border between Mexico and the United States; the numbers of people crossing that border and being deported; and comments made by President-Elect Donald Trump during the presidential campaign.
The article appears to be an ongoing effort by its writer, Rory Carroll, to discredit the U.S. Border Patrol and minimize the human crisis that has been caused by drug cartels and self-proclaimed humanitarians opposed to securing the border.
Carroll writes, “The numbers crossing the border are near historic lows.” This is simply not true. A report by Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson in November, reported by Breitbart Texas on November 11, revealed that 408,870 illegal immigrants were apprehended crossing the southwest border during the most recent fiscal year which ended on September 30. This number represents an increase of about 77,000 over the previous year–nearly a 25 percent increase over FY 2015. It was the third largest number of crossings during the past five years.
Further, the new fiscal year kicked off with a continuation of the surge that has been building for several months. October 2016 saw a 17 percent increase in total apprehensions over the previous month of September. The numbers for September, 39,501, were far and away the highest September for the past five years, the CBP report states. August 2016 was also the highest August for the past five years.
Carroll’s claim that border crossings are “near historic lows” – FALSE.
His article also uses the oft-touted number that the Obama Administration has deported 2.5 million people which is inaccurate as well.
The reason the number is inaccurate, or at best misleading, is the Obama Administration cooked the books in advance of the 2012 presidential election to make it look like he was tough on illegal immigration.
Jessica Vaughn, director of policy studies at the Center for Immigration Studies (CIS), reported in a detailed deportation analysis published in October 2013 that the Obama Administration was, for the first time, counting immigrants turned back at the border as “deportations.”
During FY 2012, two-thirds of aliens apprehended at the border “were processed as formal removal,” Vaughn reported, instead of the lower classification of “voluntary return.”
Historically, the vast majority of aliens apprehended by the Border Patrol were allowed to return rather than face removal. Programs that were set up in 2011 to process more border apprehension cases as formal removals were implemented with the stated purpose of deterring repeated crossing attempts. It had the side benefit of padding ICE’s removal statistics.
Another reason for the inflated numbers is Border Patrol’s being forced to re-deport aliens who have previously been removed because of the lack of a secured border.
“Once a tiny share of the Border Patrol case load, now about one-fourth of those arrested at the border are processed as reinstatements,” Vaughn wrote. “This could indicate that the rewards of illegal entry still are believed to outweigh the risk of apprehension, or the consequences of apprehension.”
Carroll’s claim that Obama deported 2.5 million people – MISLEADING or INACCURATE.
Carroll goes on to claim that Trump won the election by “conjuring an invasion of ‘illegals’ across an open border.”
CBP’s public numbers alone challenge this observation. There is a massive increase in the numbers of apprehensions, particularly in the numbers of Unaccompanied Alien Children “UAC,” and Family Unit Aliens (FMUA).
In the Breitbart Texas report of Secretary Johnson’s statistics, there was a 37 percent increase in the number of FMUAs apprehended compared to the previous month. UAC apprehensions were up by 19 percent when comparing the same periods. Part of this is the unsecured border that allows free migration from Mexico into the U.S. Another part is the push factor created by greedy drug cartels that used the 2016 presidential election as a marketing tool to get parents to turn their children over to them. A pull factor was also created by the Obama Administration’s policies of allowing thousands of illegal aliens to remain in the country after illegally crossing. Obama’s new Border Patrol Chief Mark Morgan admitted this pull factor when he testified before the U.S. Senate in November.
Carroll’s claim that Trump won the election by “conjuring an invasion of illegals” – FALSE
He went back to the fake news ploy of claiming that presidential candidate Trump called Mexicans “rapists” and “criminals.”
During a speech where he announced his candidacy in June 2015, Mr. Trump said:
The U.S. has become a dumping ground for everybody else’s problems. It’s true, and these are the best and the finest. When Mexico sends its people, they’re not sending their best. They’re not sending you. They’re not sending you. They’re sending people that have lots of problems, and they’re bringing those problems with us. They’re bringing drugs. They’re bringing crime. They’re rapists. And some, I assume, are good people. But I speak to border guards and they tell us what we’re getting. And it only makes common sense. It only makes common sense. They’re sending us not the right people. It’s coming from more than Mexico. It’s coming from all over South and Latin America, and it’s coming probably— probably— from the Middle East. But we don’t know. Because we have no protection and we have no competence, we don’t know what’s happening. And it’s got to stop and it’s got to stop fast.
Interested writers read this to mean that Trump was calling every Mexican arriving in the U.S. to be a rapist or a criminal. He later clarified these sentiments, breaking illegal immigrants into several groups–common criminals, rapists, drug smugglers, and decent people seeking a new home by any means.
A search outside of the echo chamber orbiting the pages of The Guardian easily exhibit a record of these daily episodes, when one chooses to look. Breitbart Texas has reported extensively on crimes, including drug smuggling, rape, and murder by previously deported criminal aliens, sex offenders and drug smugglers.
It’s not hard to find examples to illustrate this point. Most notably, the murder of Kate Steinle, the woman allegedly murdered in San Francisco in July 2015 by an illegal alien who had been deported several times, Breitbart News reported.
Last month, a 10-year-old girl in east Texas, Kayla Gomez-Orozco, was allegedly murdered by a Mexican national who was deported in 2014 for a “violent crime,” Breitbart Texas reported.
Many times, these previously-deported criminal aliens are caught at the border. Other times, they manage to trek deep into the country to commit other crimes. In September, Breitbart Texas reported that Nicondemo Coria-Gonzales, a Mexican national who had been deported five times, returned to Texas and allegedly committed a series of rapes and violent assaults against women in the Austin area.
Patterns of criminality perpetrated by those illegally present are often minimized by conflating crime statistics for all immigrants regardless of status, Breitbart Texas Managing Director Brandon Darby wrote shortly after these false attacks on Trump began. Darby wrote:
The recent Anderson Cooper interview with Trump began well, as Cooper used the term “illegal immigrants” to describe Trump’s comments and to set the parameters on the interview discussion. Though Cooper started the segment using the term “illegal immigration,” he quickly relied on a Pew Research Center study on “immigrants” and crime levels, not “illegal immigrants.” Trump missed the sly change, and the apples-to-apples debate morphed into an apples-to-oranges debate with one side unaware of the subtle, but significant, switch. Cooper appears to have based his argument off of a recent Salon article published a day prior to the aforementioned interview. The Salon article, “This proves Donald Trump is lying: Here are the actual facts on immigrants and crime,” also engaged in the deceptive sleight of hand to their readers. Their first sentence asserted, “Donald Trump opened his 2016 presidential campaign with an epic rant against Mexican immigrants.” A few sentences later and Salon doubled down on their dishonest assertion: “He went on to tell CNN that the threat lies not just with Mexican immigrants, but with immigrants in general.”
“Salon then tripled down,” Darby wrote:
Here is what you need to know: immigrants are less likely to commit crimes than people born in the United States. A 2013 Pew Research Center study found that across all people aged 12 to 24 (the teen and young adult years when almost all criminal activity first begins) immigrants were much less likely than the U.S.-born to have committed a crime in the last year.
Darby concluded that “by intentionally using the term ‘immigrant,’ Trump’s detractors battle a strawman. They cite studies focused on all immigrants, not just illegal aliens who enter the U.S. secretly and illegally. They mix statistics from legal immigrants with the far-fewer number of illegal aliens in the United States, causing the crime numbers to look better for illegal aliens.”
Carroll’s claim that Trump called all Mexicans rapists and criminals – FALSE
Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.Ocearch said its team of fishermen and scientists has found the first known birthing site for great white sharks on the North Atlantic Coast. After 26 expeditions, Ocearch said the nursery in the famous waters off Montauk, Long Island is the most significant discovery they've ever made, reports CBS News correspondent Jeff Glor.
As soon as the shark slides onto a hydraulic lift, scientists and researchers rush in. By now, the process of tagging is routine for Ocearch. But the particular goal of this trip is not.
"It's kind of like step two in the science," said Chris Fischer, founder of Ocearch and the expedition's leader. "When we started this work... back in 2012, 2013, the real question was where are these sharks in the North Atlantic giving birth? Because that's where they're most vulnerable."
For researchers, finding the North Atlantic nursery can lead to better protection policies and far more scientific knowledge.
"Why is this spot so important for you?" Glor asked veterinary pathologist Harley Newton.
"Because this is a really unique population of animals. I mean it's a life stage that really hasn't been studied very much."
Newton is with the Wildlife Conservation Society and has been studying sharks for 16 years.
"The first one was very exciting. And actually every single one so far has been very exciting," Newton said.
But for all the fear of sharks, she said the actual facts remain scant.
In addition to applying the tags, the team is also taking blood samples and conducting muscle biopsies, with the goal of having the shark on and off the lift in under 15 minutes. And now, the team said it's made history with the discovery of the birthing site.
"Definitely the nursery, likely the birthing site," Fischer said. "Probably the most important significant discovery we've ever made on the ocean."
Fischer's team will also determine if any of these sharks are the offspring of great whites they first encountered off Cape Cod.
"The strategy at the time was, get a tag out on big mature animals, and when you get one on a big female, 18 months later, she should lead you to the holy grail of the research, the birthing site," Fischer explained.
In 2012, "CBS This Morning" was there when a 2,000-pound female named "Genie" became the first-ever great white successfully spot-tagged in the North Atlantic.
"If we thought we were hurting these animals, we wouldn't do what we were doing," Fischer said, rejecting accusations that they may be hurting the young sharks. "We don't learn if we don't let them go in good shape. The fact of the matter is that we have to get some tracking devices on a handful of these animals so we can help them all thrive."
The team could go days without finding one shark, but on this trip, they seemed to be everywhere. This week alone, Ocearch has tagged and released nine great white sharks, including a female aptly named "Gratitude."
"She was anxious to get off," Glor said.
"She was, yeah. And she's gone, but now everybody can follow her," Fischer said.
The GPS locators now worn by the nine shark pups are only activated when the animal's dorsal fin breaks the surface. Five of them -- Gratitude included -- are now transmitting their locations off the coast of Long Island. They're expected to stay in the area until they reach adulthood at the age of 20.Deftones frontman Chino Moreno guested on the ‘Rock Show With Daniel P Carter‘ and revealed the tentative release date (in his own words) for the bands new studio album to be September 25th. Speaking on the bands current progress with the effort, Moreno said he’s currently finishing up the vocals for it:
“The record as far as music has been all recorded and I am currently working on the vocals. I’ve been recording from my home studio here in Oregon. Slowly but surely getting it done. It’s coming out really good, it’s another Deftones record, I feel like us reaching a little bit, getting more into… The song structures, trying to challenge ourselves a little bit you know what I mean? It’s sounding good, I think it’s gonna be a great record.”
Moreno also spoke about their upcoming full album performance of “Around The Fur“, which will take place at this years ‘Amnesia Rockfest‘ in Montebello, QC:
“One of these festivals we’re doing “Around The Fur” in its entirety, which should be fun. It might be a little bit of a challenge, cause there’s some songs on that record that we haven’t played for years. We’ve yet to really rehearse for that. That was before I started playing guitar too so, it’s just like all I gotta do is go out there and sing for like 45 minutes. It should be pretty easy, but who’s to say.”
The Deftones have also newly announced that they will be playing some select dates in Europe and the UK in November as well:
11/15 Paris, FRA – Bataclan
11/18 Berlin, GER – Columbiahalle
11/19 Cologne, GER – Koln Palladium
11/21 London, UK – The SSE Arena Wembley
Their summer plans will see them on tour in North America with Incubus and more as part of this trek.A new coach and general manager committed to a wide-open competition and to giving youth a chance makes predicting the 53-man roster an even perilous exercise than usual. However, that won’t stop U-T Chargers beat writer Michael Gehlken and columnist Kevin Acee from trying.
The following is their first attempt, and it is based on what they have seen and heard. They will refine their projected roster each Sunday.
Quarterbacks
Philip Rivers
Charlie Whitehurst
Brad Sorensen: Would be first time since 2010 Chargers have carried three QBs. Has the tools to be worthwhile project for Frank Reich.
Running backs
Ryan Mathews
Danny Woodhead
Ronnie Brown
Le’Ron McClain
Offensive line
D.J. Fluker: Had arguably his best practice so far on Saturday, but has a lot to learn in the next six weeks.
Jeromey Clary
Nick Hardwick
Chad Rinehart
King Dunlap
Max Starks
Johnnie Troutman
David Molk
Steve Schilling
Tight end
Antonio Gates
John Phillips
Ladarius Green
Receiver
Danario Alexander
Malcom Floyd
Vincent Brown
Keenan Allen
Eddie Royal
Robert Meachem: $5 million reasons he makes the roster. Working with Royal and Allen as kickoff returner.
Defensive line
Corey Liuget
Cam Thomas
Kendall Reyes
Kwame Geathers: Undrafted rookie is seeing steady reps behind Thomas at nose tackle.
Jarius Wynn
Damik Scafe: Getting lots of work, but Chargers are still monitoring the market for veteran DL depth.
Outside linebacker
Dwight Freeney
Jarret Johnson
Larry English
Tourek Williams
Thomas Keiser: He and T. Williams getting abundant reps with Dwight Freeney hampered by minor leg injury.
Inside linebacker
Donald Butler
Manti Te’o
D.J. Smith
Bront Bird
Andrew Gachkar: Bird the better option on defense, but Gachkar should make roster for special teams ability.
Cornerback
Derek Cox
Shareece Wright
Johnny Patrick: Can play outside or in slot and has more experience than other possible reserves.
Steve Williams
Safety
Eric Weddle
Brandon Taylor
Marcus Gilchrist: Probably starts season at strong safety. Can play corner and is excellent in the slot as well.
Jahleel Addae: Rookie making most of second-team reps at strong safety with Taylor rehabbing knee injury.
Darrell StuckeyPoker lobbyists are ramping up an aggressive push backed by millions of dollars to legalize Internet gambling in the United States this year, hoping to overcome passionate objections from social conservatives, sports leagues and other longtime opponents.
Partly bankrolled by offshore gambling companies, the campaign has already persuaded the Obama administration to delay enforcement of a 2006 law cracking down on Internet wagers.
Rep. Barney Frank (Mass.) and other Democrats are using the six-month reprieve to push ahead with legislation that would legalize and regulate poker, mah-jongg and other online betting games -- pastimes that have exploded in popularity in a country that accounts for more than half of the $16 billion global Internet gambling market. The federal government, which rarely prosecutes online gambling, would net billions of dollars in tax and licensing revenue if it were legalized, proponents say.
The legalization push has alarmed the National Football League, Focus on the Family and other Internet gambling opponents, who say that online betting would encourage criminal activity, threaten children and dramatically increase gambling addiction. Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) has placed a hold on six Treasury Department nominees to retaliate for the delay in the anti-gambling law, legislative aides said.
But those in favor are hoping with Congress in the hands of Democrats, who have historically been less opposed to gambling than Republicans, along with the growing popularity of recreational poker, that will work to their advantage. The list of backers includes Frank, a New England liberal who says the government should not bother gamblers, and former Republican senator Alfonse M. D'Amato (N.Y.), chairman of the Poker Players Alliance, which is leading the Capitol Hill push. With 1.2 million members, the alliance is funded largely by the Interactive Gaming Council, a Canada-based trade group for offshore gambling firms. Together, the groups have spent more than $4 million on Washington lobbying over the past year, and the alliance says its members have recently sent more than 300,000 mailings and e-mails to members of Congress.
"I think there's a growing realization in Washington that prohibition probably isn't going to work, just like prohibitions throughout history have not worked," said John Pappas, the poker group's executive director. "There needs to be a more common-sense approach, because it's not going away."
Among the backers is former House majority leader Richard A. Gephardt (D-Mo.), a lobbyist for PokerStars, a major Internet gambling firm based on the Isle of Man. Gephardt registered to represent the firm on Aug. 4 and earned $300,000 through December, disclosure forms show. His firm declined to comment on its work for PokerStars.
Organized opposition
Those opposed to legalized gaming include all four major U.S. sports leagues and numerous religious groups. Major casinos are divided on whether online gambling is a threat or an opportunity.
Chad Hills, a gambling research analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said opponents "are just trying to fortify the vaults" against the legislation, which they think would dramatically expand gambling in the United States. "This would go outside the walls of a brick-and-mortar casino, outside the walls of a convenience store lottery, and into the living rooms and homes of all Americans," he said.
The outlook on Capitol Hill, however, is uncertain given a slate of unfinished business on health-care reform, cap-and-trade legislation and financial market regulations, not to mention nervousness among Democrats about November midterm challenges. Gambling opponents say Democrats are unlikely to muster support during such a contentious year, but proponents say that changing mores and the prospect of new tax revenue give the effort a better chance than at any other time in recent memory.
The Justice Department views all online gambling as illegal under a 1961 law aimed at mob bookies using telephone lines, but it has prosecuted only a handful of Internet betting operations. The market is run by firms operating from Antigua, Malta and other foreign sanctuaries.
Any ambiguity was meant to be eliminated by the Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement Act of 2006, which bars U.S. banks from accepting payments from credit cards, checks or wire transfers to settle online wagers. Approved by the then-GOP-controlled Congress and signed into law by President George W. Bush, the measure was scheduled to take effect Dec. 1.
But as the enactment deadline approached, gambling interests joined by banks and other financial institutions urged a delay, saying that the statute was vague and unenforceable. Thoroughbred racing organizations also joined the fray after some credit card companies refused to process online parimutuel wagers, which were supposed to be exempt from the new restrictions.
The Treasury Department and Federal Reserve granted a six-month delay in December, citing efforts by Frank and others to draft new legislation. The Obama administration is officially neutral on the issue.
Key player
Key to the legalization effort is Frank, chairman of the House Financial Services Committee. He has become one of the top congressional recipients of gambling interests' money, collecting nearly $100,000 from the gambling and casino sector since 2007, according to contribution data.
Frank has become an unlikely hero to the politically conservative poker community. Last summer, Frank issued the ceremonial "shuffle up and deal" command at the World Series of Poker in Las Vegas, then took in more than $50,000 at a fundraiser hosted by the poker alliance.
"It was fun for me as a politician because I was there talking to and being cheered on by a lot of people who are probably on the conservative side politically," Frank said in an interview. "I think the Republicans are misreading the politics on this. People who are not ordinarily active in politics get very active in this."
Rich Muny, 41, an engineer from Union, Ky., is an avid online poker player and a state director for the poker alliance. He is also a die-hard Republican conservative who blogs about politics and disagrees with GOP leaders on Internet gambling.
"There's a part of the party that always believes this isn't something people should do," Muny said in an interview. "But I think it behooves the party to be a little more broad-minded on this issue."
Frank's proposed bill, which is set for committee markup in coming weeks, would establish federal oversight of online gambling firms in exchange for five-year licenses and would include protections aimed at weeding out underage players, compulsive gamblers and criminal activity. Online sports betting would remain illegal.
A companion bill sponsored by Rep. Jim McDermott (D-Wash.) would levy a 2 percent tax on gambling deposits, which supporters say could bring in $42 billion in tax revenue over 10 years. Similar Senate legislation would legalize betting on online poker and other "games of skill."
Opponents remain unconvinced, saying that safeguards will not stop abuses. Rep. Spencer Bachus (R-Ala.), the ranking member on Frank's committee, vowed in a statement to oppose the efforts, saying, "Internet gambling is a threat to the youth of our country.... Young people are particularly at risk because if you put a computer in their bedroom or dorm room, it's a temptation that many cannot resist."Ashley Hamer Thirteen-year-old Salim (far left) sits with his siblings in their temporary accommodation in Hargeisa, capital of Somaliland. Salim saw his friend's face blown off when he picked up a grenade in Yemen in 2015. Salim's mother Daifa says her son hasn't been the same since the incident. Daifa herself has a chronic blood pressure problem, but can't afford treatment in Somaliland.
Yemenis fleeing conflict are taking overcrowded livestock boats across the Gulf of Aden to Somaliland – an unrecognized country. Such is the magnitude of violence in one of the oldest centers of civilization in the Middle East.
HARGEISA, SOMALILAND – Last May, Sabrina Omar, 21 and mother to four-month-old Abdullah, fled her home in Taiz, a city in the Yemeni Highlands, at dawn.
The previous night a bomb or rocket had hit her home. She doesn’t know what exactly it was, or where it came from. All she knows is that one of her neighbors was killed, and that she and her mother, Said Mohammad Ali, 46, and her younger sister, eight-year old Shyak, left at first light. Shyak hadn’t been in school in months. All the schools in Taiz had closed.
Ashley Hamer In March 2016, the United Nations Children's Fund reported that thousands of Yemeni children are dying from direct and indirect causes of the brutal war. These children are amongst those who fled to Somaliland and are now living in Hargeisa.
Sabrina is just one of many people who have been sandwiched between the horror of Houthi snipers and American-supplied Saudi Arabian fighter jets, two of the daily threats in Yemen’s ongoing conflict.
She was six months pregnant when she left home, moving slowly and worried about the health of the baby. She sold her gold jewelry on the trip from Taiz to the port in Aden where they would get the boat. From Aden, they joined about 500 others on the 24-hour journey to Berbera, the central port in Somaliland.
Almost a dozen other family members joined the trio to make the crossing. But Sabrina’s husband wasn’t one of them. He was at work in another part of the city during the attack. She called to tell him they were leaving, but – stuck in the middle of the fighting – he couldn’t reach her in time.
Today Sabrina, baby Abdullah, her mother and her sister are in Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, a self-declared country, independent of Somalia. More than 10,000 refugees from Yemen left the nightmare of a war only to fall into hellish bureaucracy.
Reeling from the trauma of their forced migration, they wait in mind-numbing lines for basics such as plates and tampons, while navigating United Nations paperwork and the convoluted political system in a language they don’t speak, spending money they cannot afford.
Ashley Hamer The United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR) provides some assistance to refugees arriving in Somaliland from Yemen. Here, Yemeni women in Hargeisa wait to receive information and basic "dignity kits," which include sanitary products, clean underwear and basic toiletries.
Yemenis have been fleeing the bloody fracas at home for Somaliland since March 2015, when rebel Houthis began advancing on Taiz, Sabrina’s home, and quickly took the city from the government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi. Hadi is friendly to Saudi Arabia and the United States; his predecessor, Ali Abdullah Saleh, had a similarly favorable relationship and even supported the U.S. invasion of Iraq in 2003.
That was a political move that reignited the previously dormant Houthi opposition. Saleh remains politically influential and Yemeni security forces have split into those backing Hadi, others backing Saleh and yet others backing the Houthis. Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP) has strongholds in the south and southeast of Yemen, and has staged deadly attacks on all parties.
Ashley Hamer The oldest and youngest members of the Salim family fled Dubab, their native village near the Babal Mandab seaport in Yemen, by boat and live in the port city of Berbera, in Somaliland, with 16 other relatives.
An Arab coalition led by Saudi Arabia began airstrikes in March 2015, hoping to restore the former friendly ruling government. Ground forces followed last September, leading to continuing outflows of civilians.
Besides Somaliland, other countries in the region have also received refugees from Yemen. Nearly half of the 176,000 people who fled Yemen’s conflict have gone to the Horn of Africa. It is likely that there are well over 10,000 who fled Yemen for Somaliland, but many aren’t registered with the U.N.
For those who managed to flee, the memories have lived painfully on. Sabrina’s family had a mobile phone photo of their destroyed house in Taiz, but eventually she deleted it. Looking at the picture became unbearable for members of the family.
As the family started settling into their new life, worse news arrived. In Hargeisa, the capital of Somaliland, Sabrina received a phone call informing her that her husband and a close friend had been killed in an airstrike.
Ashley Hamer Yemeni and Somali women come together at a local community center in Hargeisa to equip themselves with skills that will lead to employment. Many are now fending for themselves in a country that is foreign to them.
Given her limited options for refuge and the fate of her husband, Sabrina’s decision to come to Somaliland was sensible. Yemen and Somalia have a centuries-old relationship of trade between the ports of Aden in Yemen and Berbera in Somaliland. Both Somalis and Yemenis attest to shared cultural values. Well before the war, educated, middle-class Yemenis had been coming to Somaliland for business.
“The relationship between Yemenis and Somalilanders is good because of the historical business and religious links,” the executive director of the Comprehensive Community-Based Rehabilitation in Somaliland (CCBRS), Abib Ahmed Hirsi, said. “There are no obvious security threats or problems faced by Yemenis since they’ve arrived in Somaliland, but small incidents can happen as usual in any place. CCBRS has observed that a number of Yemenis have already made self-integration after they open some businesses in Hargeisa.”
Despite lack of formal acknowledgment from the international community, Somaliland has its own government and currency. The security situation is much calmer than in Somalia, from which it seceded. Somalia is fighting the insurgent al-Qaida-affiliated al-Shabaab.
Ashley Hamer Mohammed Abu Bokar, a shop owner who named his ice-cream shop after his granddaughter Amira (pictured), traveled with his entire family from Yemen to Somaliland.
The smiling co-owner of the bustling Yemeni Chicken restaurant in Hargeisa, for example, moved from Yemen only four years ago. He had two restaurants back in Yemen, as well, but they closed permanently because of the war. Once it became clear that Yemen was in dire straits and not changing anytime soon, he brought his wife and five of his children to Hargeisa with him. His children cried and wouldn’t eat on the boat ride over. “The boat is not for a human being, it is for a goat, ” he said.Miguel Sano leaned back in his chair inside the Twins clubhouse Thursday, sounding like someone ready to change.
Sano is coming off a season during which his transition to right field was a disaster. Then his return to third base was dreadful. Then he landed on the disabled list once and battled injuries two other times. And the surge at the plate that the Twins expected never came.
One of the building blocks to the Twins’ future, Sano said Thursday that he’s thought a lot about what has happened this year and wants to take the necessary steps to be more than what he’s been.
“My plans for next year are to work harder during the offseason, try to lose weight and come back next year and play the whole season at third base,” Sano said.
If this sounds similar to what he said nearly a year ago, it is. Sano wanted to lose 20 pounds last offseason but only lost a few by the time he reported to spring training.
Teammates, from spring training into the regular season, have had to stay |
continental shelves, and to deploy much larger fish pens (closed net structures containing as much as 100,000 cubic meters of water) that could be floated below the surface and towed from one destination to another. This strategy would at least disperse the pollutants generated by fish farming, mitigating the environmental damage.
Marra also suggested taking advantage of the inclination of certain tunas to aggregate under an object that is significantly different from their surroundings. This propensity has already been exploited by fishers in the design and implementation of fish-aggregating devices, which are towed behind boats to attract schools of tuna. Instead of netting all the fish at once, though, fish farmers could create a sustainable business by feeding, maintaining and periodically harvesting some of the tuna in the school, handling the fish in much the same way that ranchers on land manage herds of cattle.
Unless tuna can be raised as if they were domesticated animals, their world populations will continue to crash. Breeding the bluefin in captivity, however, is a major challenge. One company that is attempting this feat is Clean Seas Aquaculture Growout, owned by the Stehr Group in Port Lincoln, South Australia. The Australian government has provided Clean Seas with a grant of 4.1 million Australian dollars ($3.4 million) to assist in the commercialization of southern bluefin breeding. The company has already raised captive-bred yellowtail kingfish (Seriola lalandi) and mulloway (Argyrosomus hololepidotus), which are now in significant commercial production. In October 2006 Clean Seas airlifted southern bluefin broodstock (sexually mature males and females) from their pens to a three-million-liter (790,000-gallon) tank that had been designed to replicate the optimum conditions for spawning. Hagen Stehr, founder of the company, said in a 2006 interview in The Australian, “We’ve got it all on computer, we can make [the tank] lighter or darker, we can leave the fish in a state of well-being, we’ve got the sun going up, the sun going down.... This is a world first, the Japanese won’t try it at all, the Americans have tried it and failed and the Europeans have failed too.”
During my February 2007 visit to Port Lincoln, Rob Staunton, the farm manager for the Stehr Group, drove me to Arno Bay, 120 kilometers north of Port Lincoln, on the western shore of Spencer Gulf. I was granted limited entrée into the holy grail of the tuna business, the giant enclosed tuna tank at the Arno Bay hatchery. I say “limited” because my visit, personally sanctioned by Stehr himself, came with severe restrictions, all of which are perfectly understandable. No photography is allowed in the facility itself, because the engineering, water processing, climate control and every other element in the design of this potential miracle must be carefully safeguarded to prevent corporate theft of the ideas. Along with the grant from the Australian government, the Stehr Group has invested millions in the innovative design of this facility, and it would be a disaster if someone borrowed or modified their designs and somehow beat them to the punch. It is hard to imagine anybody replicating this massive operation without all of Australia knowing about it, but of course, entrepreneurs in other countries—Japan, for instance—are also very interested in the business of captive-breeding bluefin tuna. Indeed, Japanese scientists at Kinki University have already hatched bluefin tuna from eggs and raised them to breeding age in the laboratory but not on the commercial scale being attempted by Clean Seas.
To begin our tour, Staunton and I had to change into special white rubber boots, sterilized to prevent the introduction of alien microbes into the tanks where the bluefin tuna are nurtured. Chaperoned by Thomas Marguritte, the Frenchman-turned-Australian who manages the facility, we exchanged our white boots for blue ones as we entered the sanctum sanctorum of the Arno Bay hatchery, the tuna-breeding tank. In a cavernous room illuminated by a battery of fluorescent lights, with the quiet hum of air-conditioning as the only background noise (the temperature outside was near 38 degrees C, or 100 degrees F), we climbed up to the concrete rim of the vast tank and looked down.
The tank is about 25 meters in diameter and six meters deep, and because the light level was fairly low, we could see very little until Marguritte tossed in a couple of small fish. Suddenly the surface broke with an ultramarine and chrome flash as one of the tuna charged at the baitfish. The tank came alive with froth, pierced by the sicklelike dorsal and tail fins of the tuna, which were anticipating a meal even though, as our docent explained, they had been fed only an hour before. As they circled excitedly underneath us, we could see that these were breeding-size bluefins: 300 kilograms of sleek, polished torpedo, pointed at both ends, with a dotted line of yellow finlets just before the tail, and the startling parentheses that mark the species’ horizontal keels, chrome yellow in the southern bluefin and black in the northern varieties. No one can tell a live male from a live female except another tuna.
Poised on the rim of the tank, we talked about the breeding program. “We can replicate the exact conditions in Indonesian waters where they are known to spawn naturally,” Marguritte said.
“If they usually spawn in the Southern Hemisphere summer when the days are longest and the water temperature is highest, we can make this tank conform to—pick a date, say, November 20—and set the length of daylight hours, air temperature, water temperature and even currents to conform to that moment in the Indian Ocean, south of the Indonesian archipelago.” The only variable they cannot duplicate is the depth of the water, and they are praying that it is not a critical factor in the breeding of the southern bluefin. Just south of the Indonesian arc of islands—Java, Bali, Flores, Sumba, Komodo, Timor—is the Java Trench, which descends to one of the deepest points in the Indian Ocean, nearly eight kilometers down. If depth is a factor, the Clean Seas project is doomed. The broodstock at Clean Seas did not produce offspring in 2007, but they will try again this spring.
Taming the Bluefin
At the Clean Seas conference room in the Port Lincoln headquarters, I met with Marcus Stehr, Hagen’s 42-year-old son and the managing director of the company. The day before, Marcus had been onboard one of the company’s purse seiners in the Great Australian Bight, the huge open bay off the continent’s southern coast, as a net cage containing perhaps 100 tons of tuna started on its journey to the pens off Port Lincoln. Like everyone else associated with this venture, Marcus is enthusiastic and optimistic about the potential for success and believes it is imminent. When I asked him if that success would completely change the way bluefin tuna are perceived in Australia, he said, “It’s not a question of if, mate—it’s when.”
Although the Aussies appear to be in the lead, it remains to be seen if they, the Japanese, or the Europeans will win the race to breed the bluefin in captivity. In 2005, for example, a research team at the Spanish Institute of Oceanography in Puerto de Mazarrón, Spain, successfully retrieved eggs and sperm from captive Atlantic bluefin broodstock, performed in vitro fertilization and produced larvae. (The hatchlings of bony marine fishes are called larvae because they look so different from the adults.) Somehow or other, it has to happen, because the survival of the species—and the tuna industry—depends on it.
The big-game fisher sees the bluefin tuna as a sleek and powerful opponent; to the harpooner, it is an iridescent shadow below the surface, flicking its scythelike tail to propel it out of range; the purse seiner sees a churning maelstrom of silver and blue bodies to be hauled onboard his boat; the long-liner sees a dead fish, pulled onto the deck along with many other glistening marine creatures; the tuna rancher sees the bluefin as an anonymous creature to be force-fed until it is time to drive a spike into its brain; the auctioneer at the Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo sees row on row of tailless, icy, tuna-shaped blocks; Japanese consumers see it as toro, a slice of rich red meat to be eaten with wasabi and soy sauce; to the biologist, the tuna is a marvel of hydrodynamic engineering, its body packed with modifications that enable it to outeat, outgrow, outswim, outdive, and outmigrate any other fish in the sea; and to those who wish to rescue Thunnus thynnus from biological oblivion, it has to be seen as a domesticated animal, like a sheep or a cow.
For some, such a shift is almost impossible to contemplate; the bluefin tuna, the quintessential ocean ranger, the wildest, most powerful fish in the sea, cannot be—and probably should not be—tamed. But if it remains wild, the future looks bleak for the maguro industry—and for the great bluefin tuna.Freedom-loving people are almost always nice and genial. I count them among my best friends, and in fact, I think of myself as one. Some of them have sharp intellects, publish great stuff, are brilliant discussants and all of them are prepared to take on the left-leaning, social liberal (for American readers: liberal) majority anytime. They never tire of pointing at the mistaken views of others. Yet at the same time, most libertarians (for sake of brevity I shall not go into the possible subdivisions and other definitional options when using this term) fail to recognize their own weird ideas about international relations. To quote Murray Rothbard: ‘thinking about international affairs is a weak point of libertarians’.
While I am not particularly impressed by Rothbard’s own ideas on international relations, he did make a valid point here. When searching for a particular quaint idea among libertarians, what comes up first is the idea that trade fosters peace. There are variations and the related idea that democracies allegedly do not fight each other will be left aside [which is hardly more convincing though, when closely scrutinizing the methodology and data used in this type of research], the basic idea is that international trade relations promote a peaceful world. There are several main mechanisms behind this. First, at the level of the individual, increasing numbers of international contacts lead to more international friendship and understanding, and consequently a diminishing wish to fight the trading partners. Second, businessmen and other citizens benefitting from trade (e.g. everybody) will act as domestic pressure groups, if need be forcing their leaders to refrain from international military action. Third, economic ties between countries mean these countries become interdependent. War between them would destroy this economic entanglement, therefore it is not the interest of leaders of states to initiate or maintain such destructive conflicts. The overall conclusion is: the more trade, the more peaceful the world becomes.
This is a fairy tale. Even though most libertarians do not go as far as to claim that trade has the capacity to eradicate all international conflict, it is nonsensical to claim that it fosters peace in any consistent way. A few objections. At the individual level, trade does not change human nature. While the rationality needed to preserve peace (acknowledging that war making is sometimes perfectly rational from an individual stance) may dominate the emotions once in a while, it cannot do so perpetually. Let alone in all people, everywhere at the globe. At the collective level, history shows that ‘citizen coalitions for peace’ hardly ever make a difference. Public opinion is often war prone, as for example free trade star Richard Cobden, who strongly argued trade would make public opinion more peaceful, painfully found out during the previous Crimea crisis in the 1850’s. At the political level economic interests are just one factor among many others (geopolitical, religious, domestic, personal, et cetera) when considering international military action. So perhaps sometimes a vital economic interest is too important to risk a war, yet at other times it does not count for much. Take the current Crimea crisis, where President Putin clearly prioritized the strategic objective of ensured naval capacity and access in the Black Sea above possible detrimental effects of economic sanctions.
There are also a number of other counter-arguments against the ‘trade-leads-to peace-hypothesis’. As for example David Hume and Adam Smith acknowledged and emphasized, trade also has the side-effect of promoting conflict. After all free trade make people and countries wealthier. Often this leads to increased defense expenditure, which may then lead to international belligerence, because previously poor states can for example make (renewed) territorial claims. Currently, China is a good example of this. Also, there is the completely neglected question of the nature and volume of trade. Does any amount of trade have peaceful effects, or is there some minimum? Also, does it matter what is traded? Does trade in oil and gas have more or less peaceful effects, compared to say textiles or fruit? Just to claim that ‘trade’ has peace enhancing effects is again unconvincing.
It is perhaps relatively harmless to foster fairy tale ideas in the study, at universities or to write them down in books and blogs. Yet in my mind these kind of ideas seriously hamper the appeal of libertarianism to other people. In a globalized world, people expect the ideas that guide their political behavior to have serious ideas about world politics. As is the case in for example economics or philosophy, libertarian ideas need to offer serious alternatives to make a difference and have the capacity to convince others. The idea that trade fosters peace is not a serious contribution to international relations discourse. It is high time the liberty loving people leave their fairy tale ideas on international affairs behind.In the course of a year and a half, Labour Party membership has increased massively. The number of full members has moved from 190,000 in May 2015 to 515,000 in July 2016 – an influx of 325,000 new members. Monica Poletti, Tim Bale and Paul Webb explore how we can explain the pro-Corbyn surge in this growth.
As part of our ESRC-funded Party Members Project (PMP), we fielded a first survey with existing Labour members in May 2015 and a second one with post-election members in May 2016. We now know that at the most recent leadership election those who were members before May 2015 voted predominantly for Owen Smith, whereas the new members opted mainly for Jeremy Corbyn. This prompts a key question: in what respects did the ‘new’ members differ from the ‘old’ members?
In order to find out, we compare these two groups: older members (pre-GE2015) and newer members (who joined after May 2015 but before January 2016 and were therefore eligible to vote in the leadership election). A number of features stand out: gender; left-wing identity; social liberalism; campaign activism; feelings about the leadership; and the possibility that the ranks of the newer members, and those that support Jeremy Corbyn, may have been swollen by what we call ‘educated left-behinds’ – people who, given their qualifications, might have been expecting to earn more than they currently do.
Slightly less well off – and a lot more women
First up, we find that new members are not significantly younger or more working class – but they are more likely to be slightly less well-off and female. The average age of both old and new members is 51 and more than half of them are graduates (56% and 58% respectively). Whereas three quarters of them live in households in which the chief income earner (CIE) has a ‘middle class’ (ABC1) occupation (76% vs. 75%), a third (34%) of old members’ household gross income falls below the national average of around £35,000 –something that’s the case for 41% of new members. Moreover, women make up a greater proportion of the new members than of the older members (52% to 38%). Corbyn, then, does not seem to have attracted a very different type of crowd in many socio-demographic respects, except insofar as it is slightly less well-off and more gender-balanced.
No necessarily more left wing – although some of them think they are
New members are certainly not very different from the old members when it comes to their views on the state vs the market. The overwhelming majority of members are pretty left wing, whether they joined prior to the 2015 GE or after: they are pro-redistribution (91% vs 94%), believe that ordinary people do not get a fair share (94% vs. 96%), think that the management tries to get the better of employees (92% vs. 96%) and think that spending cuts have gone too far (92% vs. 99%).
They do, however, self-position differently on a left (0) – right (10) scale, with new members seeing themselves as significantly more left-wing (1.95) than older members (2.39). And if we isolate only Momentum members (10%), this difference is even more accentuated, given that they self-locate a full point further to the left than older members (1.39). Thus, in terms of subjective self-image, which probably embraces more than just state-market opinions, the new members see themselves as something of a leftist vanguard.
They are decidedly more socially liberal
New members are, in fact, decidedly more socially liberal than older ones on a few central issues: they are considerably less keen than old members on introducing censorship of films and magazines (16% vs. 21%), stiffer sentences (16% vs 27%) or teaching children to obey authority (23% vs 40%).
The two groups seem, however, to have similar positions on considering immigration a good thing for the economy (5.7 vs. 5.8 on a scale running from bad (1) to good (7)) and for the UK’s cultural life (5.6 vs. 5.8).
More likely to restrict their activism to online clicktivism
Old and new members tend to participate similarly in online political activity: (Facebook 51% vs. 53%; Twitter 37% vs 33%). When it comes to offline participation, however, there is a striking difference: new members are plainly not as keen to get stuck in. While a third (31%) of the old members attended a public meeting during the GE campaign, less than a sixth of new members did so during the campaign for the 2016 local/regional/mayoral elections (15%). Although less was presumably at stake in 2016 than 2015, an even wider gap is registered when looking at activities such as leafletting (42.5% vs. 16%), displaying election posters (51% vs 26%) or – most notably of all – canvassing voters (35.7% vs 9.3%). The preference for clicktivism over other forms of activity, however, is much less pronounced for those who are Momentum members. Although these people do tend to participate more in online activities than everybody else (Facebook 67%; Twitter 50%), the gap with older members’ participation in offline activities is much smaller (displaying election posters 38%, leafletting 35%, canvassing voters 29%); indeed, Momentum members were actually more likely than old members to have attended public meetings (35%).
Feel more respected by the leadership
Whereas the new members are more likely to believe in general terms that politicians don’t care what people like them think (42% vs. 31%), they are much happier with what they’re getting from the Labour leadership than members in 2015. Not only did three quarters of them join the party because of belief in the party leadership (76.5%), as opposed to only 42.5% of old members – the difference between Corbyn and Miliband (and his predecessors). They are also much more inclined to believe than those we surveyed back in 2015 that the Labour leadership respects ordinary members (40.3% vs. 16%).
They are more likely to be ‘educated left behinds’
Relative deprivation theory suggests that people tend to make comparisons between what they expect out of life and what they actually experience, looking at people who are rather similar to themselves for cues as to what to expect. Thus, university graduates tend to derive their expectations from looking at other graduates and risk frustration if these expectations are not met. Did a sense of relative deprivation trigger some graduates to join Labour in the hope that the Corbyn leadership would help render their actual economic conditions closer to their professional expectations? Possibly so. The proportion of graduates among Labour members earning less than the average salary (around £25,000) is 10 points higher among new members than among older ones (51% vs. 41%). And a considerable gap also exists between pro- (54%) and anti- (41%) Corbyn new members.
In short, the Corbyn leadership has attracted similar people in terms of age, education and occupational class to those who were Labour members in 2015, although new members are slightly less well-off and more gender balanced than the past. New members are similarly left-wing on the state-market dimension, although they are more likely to regard themselves as further left and are certainly somewhat more socially liberal than older members. Although they tend to participate mainly online and not so much offline, this is less true for those who are also members of Momentum. Clearly, the new members are confident that the new leadership respects them and this is something that distinguishes Corbyn from most other politicians in their eyes. Finally, there is some evidence that the educated left-behinds might have been particularly moved to place new hope in Corbyn. How long they keep the faith, and what that means for the Labour Party, remains to be seen.
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Note: This blog is based on research from the ESRC Party Members Project: https://esrcpartymembersproject.org/, @ESRCPtyMembers, partymembersproject@gmail.com
About the Authors:
Monica Poletti is an ESRC Post-Doctoral Fellow in Politics working on the ESRC Party Members Project (PMP) at Queen Mary University of London, a Guest Teacher at the London School of Economics and a Research Fellow of the COST-Action ‘True European Voter (TEV)‘ project.”
Tim Bale is Professor of Politics in the School of Politics and International Relations at Queen Mary, University of London.
Paul Webb is Professor of Politics at the University of Sussex.If game critic and video-maker Jim Sterling has a nemesis, it's game developer Digital Homicide. That name might not sound familiar, as they're a small studio that has released a couple of games on Steam. But they may soon enter notoriety after this month's unprecedented actions. On March 16, Digital Homicide formally filed a lawsuit in Arizona District Court, accusing Sterling of "assault, libel, and slander" to the tune of US$10 million - that's $13 million in AUD. (The only reason "assault" is listed is because libel is, legally speaking, part of a broader category when filing a lawsuit. Ignore that.) The lawsuit was filed by Digital Homicide co-founder James Romine.
Digital Homicide claims Sterling, whose real name is James Stanton, has "falsely accused [Digital Homicide] and caused damage" to the company. According to court documents, the company is asking for US$2.26 million in direct product damage; US$4.3 million in emotional, reputational and financial distress; and $US5 million in punitive damage requests. That adds up to US$10.76 million, and it's nothing to scoff at.
Digital Homicide is representing themselves in the lawsuit, and do not have an attorney. They attempted to crowdfund support for additional help, saying all donations would be kept anonymous. However, Digital Homicide has since taken down its crowdfunding request "due to harassers donating amounts specifically to cause charges rather than donations and charge backs to cause financial fees...[W]e will be seeking another avenue for donations".
Co-founder Robert Romine told me the lawsuit has been in the works for roughly four months, and that Sterling crossed a line with "continued coverage and harassment of every single title we have ever posted". (Just yesterday, Sterling posted a six-minute video tearing apart their new games.) Romine also said he recently received a package full of faeces in the mail, despite "multiple requests private and public to the individual [Sterling] to inform his subscriber base to stop harassing me".
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Romine also said he recently received a package full of faeces in the mail
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Romine said he's been in discussions with "a premium online defamation law firm as they agree we have a case and are seeking funds to acquire their services." Thus, the (aborted) crowdfunding.
Besides a humorous tweet that may or may not reference the lawsuit, Sterling hasn't said much.
"It would be unwise to say much at this time," he told me. "All I can tell you is that I am dealing with this situation and that I am fully confident about it."
This isn't the first time I've written about Sterling butting heads with a developer, but it's the first time he's been hit with a lawsuit over it.
The tumultuous relationship between Sterling and Digital Homicide is not new. A number of Sterling's YouTube videos involve him playing through random games found on Steam, and many of them aren't very good. This is part of Sterling's bread-and-butter: making fun of bad games.
(It's is not all he does, obviously. Sterling's weekly Jimquisition video rants cover a number of other industry topics.)
The drama began when Sterling published a 10-minute video of Digital Homicide's first-person shooter Slaughtering Grounds in November 2014, dubbing it the "new 'worst game of 2014' contender" and a game where "the awfulness just doesn't stop". The game did not get much attention outside of Sterling's videos; in fact, one of Sterling's critical videos is the second Google result for Slaughtering Grounds and the first result when you do a search on YouTube.
In response to this criticism, Digital Homicide published two videos — both removed, though archived on Sterling's channel — where the developers call Sterling "a fucking idiot" and accuse him of not playing the game correctly.
In his video, Sterling had criticised the game for using generic art assets purchased online, which Digital Homicide defended as necessary from a production standpoint and part of the "cycle of cash flow that is the lifeblood of hardworking people in the indie community". The developers described Sterling as a "leech" who profits "from the hardwork [sic] of other people" and said his criticism "reduces sales which in turn reduces money that can be used to purchase more indie development assets". This impacts "the livelihood of many people with no risk or cost to yourself".
This back-and-forth resulted in Digital Homicide issuing a DMCA takedown to have Sterling's original video removed. The developers defended the move in a deleted Steam post that was archived here:
"The DMCA filed is not to censor review's [sic]" wrote the developers. "There are countless negative review videos posted (including multiple sterling videos) and only one in particular with a DMCA filed on it. The reason is we have a legitimate claim, we can prove a violation of our copyright (fair use is not blanket immunity) and damages."
In another — again, now deleted but archived here — post, Digital Homicide explained its position.
"In the sole instance of Jim Sterling's 'Squirty Play' video," said the developer, "We find the usage of the terms 'WORST GAME OF 2014 CONTENDER!' and 'Absolute Failure' to describe the entirety of our product while not actually evaluating it in its entirety unfair and unreasonable use of our copyright material. While the reader may disagree with our claim, we believe the unbiased perspective of a court will agree there has been a violation of our copyright and for this reason we will be pursuing an attorney and proceeding with our complaint."
The DMCA claim worked for a while, but Sterling eventually won and the video came back online.
These videos, tweets and posts culminated in a July 2015 conversation on Skype between Digital Homicide developer Robert Romine and Sterling that's equal parts awkward and contentious.
Romine viewed Sterling's video as an attack, while Sterling viewed it as criticism. Neither ever saw eye-to-eye. At one point, Romine mused on the idea of someone eventually suing Sterling.
"One day," he said, "you're gonna have enough subscribers, you're gonna make enough money on your Patreon thing and somebody's gonna get tired of your shit and they're gonna sue you. I'm not saying we are, I'm saying somebody's gonna have the money to do it and they're going to win."
Turns out that "somebody" was Romine himself, eight months later.
The lawsuit claims nine counts of "libel per se".
Libel per se, according to Law.com, is "broadcast or written publication of a false statement about another which accuses him/her of a crime, immoral acts, inability to perform his/her profession, having a loathsome disease (like syphilis) or dishonesty in business". In other words, lies.
In the lawsuit, Digital Homicide makes the following allegations:
In an article titled "Digital Homicide And The Case Of The Sockpuppet Developers," Sterling remarked that another Digital Homicide game, Galactic Hitman, had artwork taken from elsewhere. Specifically, it may have been lifted from an artist on DeviantArt. Sterling later edited the piece to say it "may" have been purchased from Shutterstock, an online repository of media.
In the lawsuit, Digital Homicide presented a July 2015 receipt for a Shutterstock subscription.
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Somebody’s gonna get tired of your shit and they’re gonna sue you.
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As Sterling dug into other companies Digital Homicide was connected to, he discovered that the people behind the studio had also started a company called ECC Games, which seemed to take its name from a different game publisher in Poland. Digital Homicide points to a line in Sterling's article where he argued it could lead to "potential legal trouble for folks who rebranded and accidentally defamed a completely different studio". In the piece, Sterling spoke with the Polish publisher, who said it had "already taken legal actions".
Digital Homicide then cites a line in which Sterling states that "apparently you don't need to prove your company's legitimacy or even existence, since it's all based on usernames". This references Digital Homicide publishing games under a different name, which Sterling perceived as disingenuous to players. Digital Homicide alleges that someone named Jim Stanton publishing videos under the name 'Jim Sterling' is no different. "[Sterling] makes the above statement in a negative way to make it seem to his audience that normal business practice is somehow being abused," they argue.
When Sterling pointed out how the Polish ECC Games' Twitter feed hadn't referenced games published by the American ECC Games, Digital Homicide perceived this as "posted to purposely cause controversy, damage, and portray [Digital Homicide] as having done something illegal". (It seems more likely Sterling was trying to bolster his theory that ECC Games was hiding its identity.)
A screen shot from Galactic Hitman, one of the games Sterling has criticised.
Digital Homicide again piggybacks on the previous libel claims connected to ECC Games, citing a line where Sterling says "chicanery may lead it into very real legal trouble". The developer says "this statement is false as there was no attempt to impersonate another company".
The developer later takes issue with Sterling referring to Digital Homicide as "being as sly as the Wet Bandits", a reference to the bumbling thieves featured in the movie Home Alone. They took similar offence to Sterling calling them the "Romino brothers", alleging it was a criminal reference, attempting to link the developers — brothers James and Robert Romine — to a mafia family. (So far as I can tell, there's no prominent criminal group called the "Romino brothers".)
They also reference a tweet where Sterling links to his article about the "Digital Homicide / ECC Games weirdness".
Then, another mention of the ECC Games incident. When Sterling tweeted about the legal action apparently being taken by the Polish developer, he joked there was "not enough popcorn on Earth". Digital Homicide writes that this was another false statement about their intentions, and that Sterling bringing up these incidents was meant to court controversy to drive views. They also claim to have been unfairly targeted compared to "most of the triple A multi-million dollar game companies".
Finally, the lawsuit discusses another tweet by Sterling, where he explains how the two ECC studios are not connected. Though it appears to be clarifying what's going on, Digital Homicide wrote that this was a disingenuous reaction made to "seem as if [Sterling] has discovered something - when in fact not enough research has been performed and no attempt to contact [Digital Homicide] has been made".
Digital Homicide says they view all of these incidents negatively, arguing "[Sterling will] post his material, the viewers see it and immediately form a riot/witch hunt where they go and attack the particular products page".
The confusing punctuation is straight from the court document, by the way. As the developer is representing themselves, it might explain some of the sloppiness and unclear statements. This haphazard approach characterises much of Digital Homicide's response since this drama began in 2014. Just last night, a reporter from another outlet contacted me about their own interaction with the studio. When that reporter asked Digital Homicide for comment about the lawsuit, the company forwarded them my email chain and told them to refer to that. In over 10 years of reporting, I've never seen that happen.
The developer also claims fallout with Valve over these repeated incidents with Sterling, reportedly prompting Valve to begin the process of removing all of Digital Homicide's games from Steam:
"The Plaintiff [Digital Homicide] begged The Distributor [Steam] not to delete the Plaintiff income and that the Plaintiff would give all of the Plaintiff's current future products on Greenlight up to avoid losing everything. The Plaintiff managed to convince The Steam Representative, Tom, that the Plaintiff had not done anything illegal and the Plaintiff was a victim of false statements. Tom Giardino accepted this sacrifice."
Digital Homicide currently has a number of games being sold on Steam, including the aforementioned Slaughtering Grounds and Galactic Hitman.
Besides $US10.76 million in damages, Digital Homicide also wants "apologies in place of every offending article and video for a period of no less than 5 years". They also want "an apology video in the primary youtube location on [Sterling's] channel front for a period of no less than 5 years".
Last year, Sterling was cited by YouTube as one of the creators it's looking to protect while overhauling its draconian copyright policies. It's unclear if that move will have any impact here, despite Digital Homicide resorting to DMCA takedowns. Digital Homicide's filing does not necessarily mean the lawsuit will move forward. Sterling tweeted yesterday that he's "in a very confident mood".Peruvian asparagus and Costa Rican pineapples illustrate the threats global agribusiness poses to the environment.
A recent study by the development charity Progressio found that asparagus production in Peru’s arid Ica Valley is depleting local aquifers so fast that water wells are running dry, the Guardian reports.
Irrigation for the asparagus beds in the desert area along the country’s Pacific Coast has dropped the water table as much as 8 meters a year in some places, threatening to trigger conflicts over natural resources and harm Peru’s agricultural boom.
“The rapid decline of the water table in Ica—almost certainly the fastest rates of aquifer depletion anywhere in the world—should set alarm bells ringing for governments, investors, agribusinesses and retailers involved in Ica’s asparagus industry,” said Nick Hepworth, the report’s lead author. “But the problem is broader. We need action now to develop a robust market-based standard to ensure water is managed and used sustainably in Ica and beyond.”
The asparagus beds, developed over the last 10 years thanks to millions of dollars in World Bank investments, have created 10,000 new jobs in the poverty-stricken region but led to a range of conflicts. A World Bank executive investigating the water shortage complaints in April was shot at when he came across illegal wells, Reuters reports.
According to the Guardian, the intensive water use by corporate farms has left smaller farmers struggling to obtain enough water for their crops and dried up two wells serving up to 18,500 people in the valley.
The development of export-oriented agricultural farms is part of a government strategy to diversify the Peruvian economy.
The Guardian report says that much of the asparagus production goes to the United Kingdom, which is the world’s third-largest importer of fresh Peruvian asparagus. Peru, meanwhile, has become the world’s top asparagus exporter, earning more than $450 million a year from the trade, with 95 percent of its production coming from the Ica Valley.
The country faces other water challenges as well. As Circle of Blue reported in September, high temperatures and reduced rainfall have left the Amazon River in Peru at its lowest level in 40 years, while severe water shortages along the country’s Pacific Coast and the uncertain future of its melting Andean glaciers threaten its agricultural boom.
Similar agricultural conflicts are arising in Costa Rica, which grows three out of every four pineapples on the shelves of U.K. supermarkets. The trade comes at a high cost to workers’ health and local water supplies, according to an investigative report by the Guardian.
The report was conducted in conjunction with Consumers International (CI), an umbrella organization for consumer groups across Europe.
Among the report’s findings:
Massive use of agricultural chemicals has contaminated drinking water in communities around the plantations, forcing one group of villages to get their water from tanker trucks for more than three years.
Repeated chemical spills have damaged the environment, with a June fire at a chemical dump used by Dole spilling toxic chemicals into the Batan River and killing fish and crocodiles for miles downstream.
Workers reported serious health problems from exposure to the chemicals used on pineapple plantations, including accidental chemical poisoning on Del Monte and Grupo Acon farms.
As Circle of Blue reported earlier this month, the U.K.’s own agricultural sector faces challenges from climate change in the coming decades that will reduce the water available for agriculture and require new farming practices across the country.
Sources: Progressio, the Guardian, ReutersJane Junn is Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California
In the wake of Donald Trump’s election as President of the United States, one piece of data from voter exit polls has been particularly surprising for Clinton supporters: |
ibi call after she’s already been there, hence the 4:35 call. She will never answer of course, so he doesn’t need the *67 feature for that last call. 8. Avery’s DNA (not blood) was on the victim’s hood latch (under her hood in her hidden SUV). The SUV was at the crime lab since 11/5…how did his DNA get under the hood if Avery never touched her car? Do the cops have a vial of Avery’s sweat to “plant” under the hood? 9. Ballistics said the bullet found in the garage was fired by Avery’s rifle, which was in a police evidence locker since 11/6…if the cops planted the bullet, how did they get one fired from HIS gun? This rifle, hanging over Aver’s bed, is the source of the bullet found in the garage, with Teresa’s DNA on it. The bullet had to be fired BEFORE 11/5—did the cops borrow his gun, fire a bullet, recover the bullet before planting the SUV, then hang on to the bullet for 4 months in case they need to plant it 4 months later???
Also Read: 'Making a Murderer': 5 Theories for Steven Avery's InnocenceA 400-year-old skull that researchers say belonged to celebrated French King Henri IV was donated Thursday to a descendant - the prince who heads the Bourbon dynasty that ruled France for two centuries.
The case caps the mysterious journey of the mummified skull: It was pillaged from a grave near Paris during the 18th-Century French Revolution that ousted the monarchy, and most recently spent decades in a tax collector's attic.
A team of 19 scientists revealed Tuesday in British medical journal BMJ that nine months of tests on the skull led them to believe it was that of Henri IV. The grandfather of the Sun King Louis XIV was an influential ruler credited with brokering peace between Catholics and Protestants at a time of religious upheaval, and building Parisian landmarks including the Pont Neuf bridge and Place des Vosges square.
On Thursday, researchers showed video of his alleged skull for reporters, with a white-gloved lab technician turning it repeatedly to show what appeared to be remains of skin or cloth used for embalming.
The scientists said they found in the skull features often seen in the king's portraits, including a dark lesion above his right nostril, and a healed bone fracture above his upper left jaw that matched a stab wound the king suffered during an assassination attempt in 1594.
Stephane Gabet, a TV production company journalist, said he and a colleague followed leads to track down the mummified skull in the attic of a retired tax collector, 84-year-old Jacques Bellanger, in January.
Bellanger on Thursday donated the head to Prince Louis de Bourbon, the Duke of Anjou, said Gabet, who spoke to The Associated Press after the news conference.
"The moment is very emotional... to have a head of my ancestor, so close to me physically, is something," the prince told reporters. "Now, I have a responsibility, familial responsibility and moral responsibility to bury this head in the best place for him."
He said he hoped to return it to the Basilica of Saint-Denis, north of Paris, where numerous French kings lie buried. Some 200 years ago, revolutionaries ransacked Henri's grave, lopping off his head and snatching it, before the trail went cold for another century.
A French couple bought the head at Paris auction house Druout in the early 1900s, Gabet said. Bellanger bought it from the wife in 1955 for 5,000 francs - equal to a few hundred dollars today.
"Having a mummified head, you know you've got an archaeological relic," said Galet. The journalist said Bellanger did not want to speak to the media, and declined to say where he lived or how he could be contacted.
Bellanger gave the head to Bourbon, out of respect for the family legacy, Galet said. A TV documentary on the case is planned for broadcast in France in February, said Galet's production company, Galaxie Presse.
Research team leader Philippe Charlier, a forensic medical examiner at Raymond Poincare University Hospital in Garches, west of Paris, say scientists don't have genetic proof - but the other evidence appears definitive.
"We don't have any DNA, but we can manage without it. We have so much proof supporting the identification, at least 30 factors, and none of it goes against the identification," he said. "This head is Henri IV's head."
Frank Ruehli, of the University of Zurich and the Swiss Mummy project, said Tuesday the research was credible, but that DNA evidence would have made it more persuasive.
The researchers created a digital facial reconstruction and ran computer tomography scans, showing the skull was consistent with all known portraits of Henry IV and a plaster mold made of his face after his death.Crazy question: What’s going to happen when the mainstream fiction crowd gets bored with the end of the world? When they’ve had enough of post-apocalyptic wastelands and hardened survivors fighting off zombies and super-vampires? Here’s my theory: Instead of indulging themselves in worst-case scenarios for the future, they’ll see what sort of damage they can do to the past.
Philip Roth’s The Plot Against America is an obvious early frontrunner in the mainstreaming of alternate history, with its exploration of how putting Charles Lindbergh on the Republican ticket in the 1940 presidential election could have led to the ascendancy of a fascist, anti-Semitic strain in American politics, with dire consequences for Europe as Lindbergh (widely considered to have been a Nazi sympathizer in real life) cuts a deal with Hitler. Now Stephen L. Carter turns up with The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, which does an even better job than Roth’s novel of doing exactly what it says on the tin. But, like Roth, Carter also tries very hard to put all the historical toys back exactly where he found them.
Carter begins with John Wilkes Booth and Ford’s Theatre—in this timeline, however, doctors are able to save Lincoln’s life. It’s the other assassination attempt that was supposed to take place that night, against Andrew Johnson, that succeeds, leaving the nation without a vice president. (There was also an attack on Secretary of State William Seward that night; Carter makes Seward’s injuries much graver and keeps him convalescing in his home for far longer than he did in real life.)
The real story begins two years later, as the Radical Republicans in Congress become fed up with Lincoln’s moderate Reconstruction policies, and the long-simmering resentments over wartime policies like the suspension of habeas corpus come out into the open. In his author’s note, Carter explicitly states that he doesn’t believe Lincoln should have been impeached had he survived, and he’s not 100 percent certain Congress would even have dared to confront the chief executive, “but it is the ‘what-ifs’ that make fiction such fun.”
Carter uses plenty of historical figures in telling the tale, including frequent visits to the Oval Office where Lincoln can spiel his humorous anecdotes. The impeachment trial, however, is a backdrop for the story of the fictional Abigail Canner, a black woman who’s been hired as a clerk at the Washington law firm Lincoln’s retained to defend him in front of Congress. The elites of (white) Washington society are fascinated with Abigail and her connection to the case; at the same time, her employers are unwilling to give her any actual responsibilities. It’s up to another of the law clerks, Jonathan Hilliman, to befriend her and form a tentative alliance—especially after one of the firm’s partners is found murdered in the streets of Washington’s red-light district.
The drama, then, is two-fold. Will Abigail be able to solve the murder, despite explicit orders from the firm’s surviving partner to leave it alone, and connect it to an alleged conspiracy against Lincoln? And while she’s poking around in that mystery, will Lincoln’s defenders be able to successfully fight the charges of tyranny being brought against him?
Well, it’s set in 1867, and a different 1867 at that, but The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln is still a straightforward legal thriller, so you can be pretty sure of the answer to the first question. And though I’m not going to tell you what the answer to the second question is, I’ll say this much: As I suggested earlier, Stephen Carter’s take on alternate history is in some crucial respects similar to Philip Roth’s.
If it’s not too nerdy, maybe I can use Conway’s Game of Life as a metaphor, particularly the ways in which its cellular patterns evolve over multiple turns and the interactions between “live” and “dead” cells. If you were to change even just one cell in an initial setup, you might find a radically different pattern forming over time. The way that science fiction writers tend to approach alternate history, from Keith Roberts’ Pavane up to Harry Turtledove’s various series, is to jump into an altered set-up after several turns have already taken place, so even if we recognize some of the players, the playing field around them has been radically altered.
Novels like The Plot Against America and The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln, on the other hand, stay much closer to the moment of historical divergence, so the field still looks an awful lot like the world to which we’re accustomed. Even more significantly, they appear to deliberately choose “moves” that mitigate, or even negate, as many of those divergences as possible. I don’t know why that should be the case; I could probably spin some theories about valuing character development over world building, but that’d just be speculation on my part.
Of course, when I say “novels like The Plot Against America and The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln,” that raises the question: Are there other novels out there like them? Who else among the non-SF crowd has been tampering with history? We’ll probably come up with some titles in the comments below, but my own hunch is that, as a literary trend, the mainstream alternate history is still in its beginning stages.
Ron Hogan is the founding curator of Beatrice.com, one of the first websites to focus on books and authors. Lately, he’s been reviewing science fiction and fantasy for Shelf Awareness.Date Location Industry Type of dispute Workers killed by authorities Notes
August 8, 1850 Manhattan, NYC, NY Garment Strike 2 At least two tailors died as police confronted a street mob of about 300 strikers, mostly German, with clubs.[2] These deaths stand as the "first recorded strike fatalities in U.S. history".[3]
July 7, 1851 Portage, NY Railroad Strike 2 Two striking workers of the New York and Erie Railroad were shot and killed by police officers. Strikers were dispersed the following morning by the state militia.[4]
May 17, 1871 Hyde Park section of Scranton, PA Coal Strike 2 Two strikers, Benjamin Davis and Daniel Jones,[5] were shot and killed by a single bullet fired in Scranton during the 1871 Workingmen's Benevolent Association union coal strike. The shot was fired under the command of William W. Scranton.[ dubious discuss ] Eight thousand people attended the strikers' funeral.[6]
July 20, 1877 Baltimore, MD Railroad Strike 10 During the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, first national strike in United States, National Guard regiments were ordered to Cumberland, Maryland, to face strikers. As they marched toward their train in Baltimore, violent street battles between the striking workers and the guardsmen erupted. Troops fired on the crowd, killing 10 and wounding 25.[7]
July 21–22, 1877 Pittsburgh, PA Railroad Strike 40 Great Railroad Strike of 1877: As militiamen approached and sought to protect the roundhouse, they bayoneted and fired on rock-throwing strikers, killing 20 people and wounding 29.[8][ unreliable source? ]The next day, the militia mounted an assault on the strikers, shooting their way out of the roundhouse and killing 20 more people.
July 21–28, 1877 East St. Louis, IL and St. Louis, MO Railroad, then general Strike up to about 18 1877 St. Louis general strike part of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877: The first general strike in the United States was ended when 3000 federal troops and 5000 deputized police had killed at least 18 people in skirmishes around the city.
July 23, 1877 Reading, PA Railroad Strike 10 In the Reading Railroad massacre, part of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877, a unit of the Pennsylvania State Police ventured into the Seventh Street Cut (a man-made railway ravine) to address a train disabled by rioters. They were bombarded from above with bricks and stones, harassed, and finally they fired a rifle volley into the crowd at the far end, killing ten.[9][10]
July 25–26, 1877 Chicago, IL Railroad Strike 30 Battle of the Viaduct, part of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877: Violence erupted between a crowd and police, federal troops, and state militia at the Halsted Street Viaduct. When it ended, 30 were dead.[11]
August 1, 1877 Scranton, PA Coal, Railroad Strike 4 Scranton General Strike, part of the Great Railroad Strike of 1877: The day after railroad workers conceded and returned to work, angry striking miners clashed with a 38-man posse partly led by William Walker Scranton, general manager of the Lackawanna Iron & Coal Company. When a posse member was shot in the knee, the posse responded by killing or fatally wounding four of the strikers.[12][13]
May 4, 1885 Lemont, Illinois quarry Strike 2 Troops of the Illinois state militia, pitted against "the most desperate and howling mob" of immigrant quarrymen and their women, throwing cobblestones, fired into the crowd. They killed two Polish strikers, Jacob Kugawa and Henry Stiller, and wounded several others with bayonets.[15]
April 28, 1886 St. Louis, Missouri Railroad Strike 1 Striker John Gibbons, fatally shot by a "non-union switchman and private watchman" in St. Louis, was among ten known casualties of the Great Southwest railroad strike of 1886.[16][ dubious discuss ]
May 3, 1886 Chicago, IL Machinery mfg. Strike 4 McCormick Harvester strike[14][ unreliable source? ]
May 5, 1886 Milwaukee, WI building trades Strike 15 Bay View Massacre: As protesters chanted for an 8-hour workday, 250 state militia were ordered to shoot into the crowd as it approached the iron rolling mill at Bay View, leaving 7 dead at the scene, including a 13-year-old boy. The Milwaukee Journal reported that eight more died within 24 hours.
November 5, 1887 Pattersonville, LA Sugar Strike as many as 20 10,000 sugar workers (90% of whom were black), organized by the Knights of Labor, went on strike. A battalion of national guardsmen supporting a sheriff's posse massacred as many as 20 people in the black village of Pattersonville, St. Mary Parish, Louisiana.[17]
November 23, 1887 Thibodaux, LA Sugar Strike 37 or more estimated Thibodaux Massacre: Louisiana Militia, aided by bands of prominent citizens, shot at least 35 unarmed black sugar workers striking to gain a dollar-per-day wage and lynched two strike leaders. "No credible official count of the victims was ever made; bodies continued to turn up in shallow graves outside of town for weeks to come."[18]
July 6, 1889 Duluth, Minnesota Laborers Strike 2 Several days of street riots and strikes by unorganized city laborers climaxed with an hour-long gun battle on Michigan Street with municipal police. Two Finnish strikers, Ed Johnson and Matt Mack, later died of their wounds. Another estimated 30 were wounded, and another young bystander was killed by a stray bullet.[19]
April 3, 1891 Morewood, PA Coal mining Strike 9 Morewood massacre: Miners struck the coke works of industrialist Henry Clay Frick for higher wages and an 8-hour work day.[20][21] As a crowd of about 1000 strikers accompanied by a brass band marched on the company store, deputized members of the 10th Regiment of the National Guard fired several volleys [22] into the crowd, killing 6 strikers and fatally wounding 3.[20]
July 6, 1892 Homestead, PA Steel Strike 9 Homestead Massacre: An attempt by 300 Pinkerton guards hired by the company to enter the Carnegie Steel plant via the river was repulsed by strikers. In the ensuing gun battle, 9 strikers and 7 Pinkerton guards were shot and killed.
July 1892 Coeur d'Alene, ID Hardrock mining Strike 4 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor strike of 1892: In July a union miner was killed by mine guards.[23] Company guards also fired into a saloon where union men were sheltering, killing 3.
June 9, 1893 near Lemont, Illinois Construction Strike 4 Dozens were injured and five were killed when quarrymen and canal workers clashed with replacement workers, local law enforcement, and two regiments of the Illinois National Guard during construction of the Chicago Sanitary and Ship Canal.[24] Four of the five were strikers: Gregor Kilka, Jacob (or Ignatz) Ast,[25] Thomas Moorski, and Mike Berger[24][26]
May 23, 1894 Uniontown, PA Coal Strike 5+ The Bituminous coal miners' strike of 1894 was organized by the United Mine Workers in multiple mid-Western states on April 21, ending in late June. Among many other violent incidents in Illinois, Ohio, and elsewhere, five strikers were killed and eight wounded by guards near Uniontown, Pennsylvania on May 23.[27]
July 7, 1894 Chicago, IL Railroad Strike 30 or more estimated Pullman Strike: An attempt by Eugene V. Debs to unionize the Pullman railroad car company in suburban Chicago developed into a strike on May 10, 1894. Other unions were drawn in. On June 26 a national rail strike of 125,000 workers paralyzed traffic in 27 states for weeks. By July 3 a mob peaking at perhaps 10,000 had gathered near the shoreline in south Chicago embarking on several straight days of vandalism and violence, burning switchyards and hundreds of railroad cars. Thousands of federal troops and deputy marshals were inserted over the governor's protests and clashed with rioters. The strike dissolved by August 2. Debs biographer Ray Ginger calculated thirty people killed in Chicago alone.[28] Historian David Ray Papke, building on the work of Almont Lindsey published in 1942, estimated another 40 killed in other states.[29] Property damage exceeded $80 million.[30]
1896–1897 Leadville, CO Silver mining Strike as many as 11 Leadville Miners' strike: The union asked for a wage increase of 50 cents-per-day for those making less than $3-per-day, to restore a 50-cent cut imposed in 1893. The county sheriff and his deputies supported the strikers. Leadville city police took the side of the mine owners, recruited new officers from Denver, and "apparently kept up a near-constant campaign of harassment and violence against union members throughout the strike." As many as six union men were killed during the strike, by strikebreakers, police, or under mysterious circumstances. Four more union men died when they joined about 50 strikers in a nighttime rifle and dynamite attack on the Coronado and Emmett mines; the attackers burned the Coronado shafthouse and killed a firefighter trying to extinguish the blaze.[31]
September 10, 1897 Lattimer, PA Coal mining Strike 19 Lattimer Massacre: 19 unarmed striking Polish, Lithuanian and Slovak coal miners were killed and 36 wounded by the Luzerne County sheriff's posse for refusing to disperse during a peaceful march. Most were shot in the back.
October 12, 1898 Virden, IL Coal mining Strike 8 Virden Massacre: The Chicago-Virden Coal Company attempted to break a strike by importing black replacement workers. After union workers stopped a train transporting non-union workers and a tense standoff, eight of the union workers were killed when guards opened fire from the train. Six guards were also killed and 30 persons were wounded.[32]
started May 1899 Coeur d'Alene, ID Hardrock mining organizing drive 3 Coeur d'Alene, Idaho labor confrontation of 1899: Following a mass attack in which a non-union ore mill was destroyed by dynamite, and two men were shot and killed by union miners, President McKinley sent in U.S. Army troops, who, upon the order of Idaho officials, arrested nearly every adult male. About 1000 men were confined in a pine board prison surrounded by a 6-foot barbed wire fence patrolled by armed soldiers. Most were released within a week, but more than a hundred remained for months, and some were held until December 1899. Three workers died in the primitive conditions.[33][34]
June 10, 1900 St. Louis, MO Streetcar Strike 3 or more St. Louis Streetcar Strike of 1900: The Police Board swore in 2500 citizens in a posse commanded by John H. Cavender, who had played a similar paramilitary role in the 1877 general strike. On the evening of June 10, men of that posse fatally shot three strikers returning from a picnic and left 14 others wounded. Between May 7 and the end of the strike in September, 14 people had been killed.
July 3, 1901 Telluride, CO Mining Strike 4 About 250 armed striking union miners took hidden positions around an entrance to the Smuggler-Union mine complex, and demanded that the nonunion miners leave the mine. One striker and two strikebreakers died in the ensuing gunfight. The strikers were more numerous and better-armed, and after several hours, the strikebreakers agreed to surrender, and assistant company manager Arthur Collins agreed to stop work at the mine. The following year, Collins was killed by a shotgun fired through a window into his home.[35]
July 30 through October 2, 1901 San Francisco, CA Multiple Strike 2 Waterfront workers struck beginning July 30, an action that triggered sympathy strikes from bakers, sailors and other sectors. The city was in a commercial standstill by late August, with hundreds of ships stacked up in the bay unable to unload, while a violent struggle played out on the streets. Four were killed (of whom two were strikers), and some 250 were wounded.[36][37]
July 1, 1902, and October 1, 1902 Pennsylvania Coal Strike at least 2 The Coal Strike of 1902 in Pennsylvania caused about eight known casualties, two of them confirmed as strikers. On July 1, Coal and Iron Police guarding a Lehigh Valley Coal Company colliery in Old Forge were attacked by nighttime gunfire. The guards returned fire, and the next morning immigrant striker Anthony Giuseppe was found dead by a gunshot outside the site.[38] On October 9, a striker named William Durham was loitering near a non-striker's house, which had been partly destroyed by dynamite the previous week, when a soldier ordered him to halt. He refused, and the soldier shot and killed him.[39]
February 25, 1903 Stanaford, West Virginia Coal Strike 6 In the so-called Battle of Stanaford a volunteer armed posse of 30 led by federal, county and labor detectives conducted a dawn raid against a houseful of black striking coal miners, shooting three of them to death. Another three white strikers were also killed in related violence.[40]
June 8, 1904 Dunnville, CO Hardrock mining Strike 1 Colorado Labor Wars: In December 1903, the governor declared martial law.[41] The Colorado National Guard, under Adjutant General Sherman Bell, took the side of the mine owners against the miners. Bell announced that "the military will have sole charge of everything..." and suspended the Bill of Rights, including freedom of assembly and the right to bear arms. Union leaders were arrested and either thrown in the bullpen, or banished.[42] The Victor Daily Record was placed under military censorship; all WFM-friendly information was prohibited. On June 8, 130 armed soldiers and deputies went to the small mining camp of Dunnville, 14 miles south of Victor, to arrest union miners. When they arrived, 65 miners were stationed behind rocks and trees on the hills above the soldiers. One of the miners shot at the troops, who returned fire. There were 7 minutes of steady gunfire, followed by an hour of occasional gunfire. Miner John Carley was killed in the gunfight. The much better-armed soldiers prevailed, and arrested 14 of the miners.[43][44]
April 7–July, 1905 Chicago, IL Garment mfg., Teamsters Strike as many as 21 1905 Chicago Teamsters' strike: Riots erupted on April 7 and continued almost daily until mid-July. Sometimes thousands of striking workers would clash with strikebreakers and armed police each day. By late July, when the strike ended, 21 people had been killed and a total of 416 injured.[45][46][47]
February 19, 1907 Milwaukee, WI Ironworking Strike 1 Strike leader Peter J. Cramer of the International Molders Union was targeted and severely beaten by "labor detectives" hired by Allis-Chalmers. He died of his injuries on December 10, 1907. His attacker was tried for assault, his wife reached an out-of-court settlement with Allis-Chalmers, and the killing exposed a pattern of armed intimidation of strikers.[48]
May 7, 1907 San Francisco, CA Streetcar Strike 2 to 6 San Francisco Streetcar Strike of 1907:As the strike loomed, United Railroads contracted with the nationally known "King of the Strikebreakers", James Farley, for four hundred replacement workers. Farley's armed workers took control of the entire streetcar system. Violence started two days into the strike when a shootout on Turk Street left 2 dead and about 20 injured. Of the 31 deaths from shootings and streetcar accidents, 25 were among passengers.
December 25, 1908 Stearns, KY Coal organizing 1 On Christmas Day U.S. Marshals battled a number of union organizers at the McFerrin Hotel in Stearns as they sought to arrest Berry Simpson. The hotel was set ablaze by order of the marshal,[49] leaving the hotel burned out, many wounded, and two shot dead: Deputy U.S. Marshal John Mullins and organizer Richard Ross. The employer was the Stearns Coal Company, and the organizers attached to the United Mine Workers.[50]
May 1, 1909 Great Lakes region Maritime workers Strike 5 Three maritime unions, primarily the Lake Seamen's Union, struck a multistate Great Lakes shipping cartel called the Lake Carriers' Association. By late November 1909 five union members had been "shot and killed by strikebreakers and private police." [51] The difficult and fruitless strike dragged on until 1912.
August 22, 1909 McKees Rocks, PA Railroad Strike 4 to as many as 8 Pressed Steel Car strike of 1909: At least 12 people died when strikers battled with private security agents and Pennsylvania State Police mounted on horseback.[52] Eight men died on August 22, including 4 strikers. By the time the rioting was over, a dozen men were dead and more than 50 were wounded.
March 9, 1910 – July 1, 1911 Westmoreland County, PA Coal mining Strike 6 (plus 9 miners' wives)[53] Westmoreland County coal strike of 1910–1911: 70 percent of the miners were Slovak immigrants. Employers used force to intimidate striking miners, partially paying the cost for the Coal and Iron Police, local law enforcement and the Pennsylvania State Police. May 8, 1910 – Yukon, PA: As 25 sheriff's deputies and state police vainly searched a boarding house, a crowd of striking miners gathered and ridiculed them. The deputies then fired into the crowd, killing one and injuring 30. [54] [55]
May 1910 – Export, PA: Miners who were walking home passed by coal company property, whereupon 20 sheriff's deputies and State Police attacked and severely beat them. One miner, trying to protect a child in his arms, was killed. [54]
May 1910 – State police stopped four immigrant miners who did not speak English to question them. A bilingual miner came by and told the four to leave, but the troopers chased, shot and killed the fifth man, allegedly in cold blood. [54] [55]
July 1910 – South Greensburg: Striking miners had obtained a permit to march, but as they began, deputy sheriffs on horseback stopped them. In defiance of the local police chief, the deputies charged with their horses, swinging clubs and then firing into the crowd, killing a miner.
A legislator's survey found that violence significantly increased after the arrival of the State Police, and that almost all acts of violence committed by state troopers were without provocation:[54] Mounted State Police routinely charged onto sidewalks or into crowds, severely injuring men, women and children. [55]
Severe beatings of citizens and striking miners for no reason were common, with troopers resisting local police attempts to stop them and breaking into homes without warrants. [54] [55]
State Police troopers shot up towns and fired indiscriminately into crowds and tent cities (killing and wounding sleeping women and children).[53]
July 28, 1910 Brooklyn, NYC, NY Sugar Mfg. Strike 1 A striking worker identified as Walla Noblowsky was shot multiple times and died instantly when a labor action against American Sugar Refining Company became a neighborhood melee, with outnumbered police dodging bricks thrown from tenement roofs. Thirty more were hurt.[56]
December 3 and 15, 1910 Chicago, IL Garment workers Strike 2 Two of the five people killed in the 1910 Chicago Garment workers' strike were strikers killed by private detectives. The first was Charles Lazinskas, killed by a private detective on December 3, and Frank Nagreckis was shot and killed by a special policeman while picketing on the 15th.[57]
January 29, 1912 Lawrence, MA Textile Strike 1 1912 Lawrence textile strike: A police officer fired into a crowd of strikers, killing Anna LoPizzo.[58][59]
March 28, 1912; May 7, 1912 San Diego, CA - free speech demonstrations 2 In the San Diego free speech fight, Michael Hoy died after a police assault in jail,[60][61] and Joseph Mikolash, was killed by police in the IWW headquarters in San Diego on May 7.[62]
April 18, 1912–July 1913 Kanawha County, WV Coal mining Strike up to 50 violent deaths (estimated) Paint Creek Mine War: a confrontation between striking coal miners and coal operators in Kanawha County, West Virginia, centered on the area between two streams, Paint Creek and Cabin Creek.[63] 12 miners were killed on July 26, 1912 at Mucklow. On February 7, 1913, the county sheriff's posse attacked the Holly Grove miners' camp with machine guns, killing striker Cesco Estep. Many more than 50 deaths among miners and their families were indirectly caused, as a result of starvation and malnutrition.[64]
July 7, 1912 Grabow, LA Lumber Strike 4 Grabow Riot: Galloway Lumber Company guards fired on striking demonstrators of the Brotherhood of Timber Workers, causing 4 deaths (including Decatur Hall) and 50 wounded.
April 24, 1913 Hopedale, MA Automatic Loom mfg. Strike 1 1 worker named Emidio Bacchiocci killed while picketing during strike at the Draper Company[65]
June 11, 1913 New Orleans, LA Banana Strike 1 Police shot at maritime workers who were striking against the United Fruit Company, killing one and wounding 2 others.[66]
June 29, 1913 Paterson, NJ Textile Strike 1 Two were killed in the 1913 Paterson silk strike: bystander Valentino Modestino fatally shot by a private guard on April 17, 1913, and striking worker Vincenzo Madonna fatally shot by a strikebreaker on June 29.[67]
August 14, 1913 Seeberville, MI Copper mining Strike 2 Copper Country strike of 1913–1914: Sheriff's deputies visited a boarding house with the intent to arrest one of the boarders who had trespassed on company property while taking a shortcut home. The suspect, John Kalan, resisted arrest and went inside the house. As the deputies prepared to leave, someone tossed a bowling pin at them. The deputies opened fire into the crowded home, killing Alois Tijan and Steve Putich and injuring two others. The people inside the house were unarmed.[68][69]p. 326
1913–14 Area from Trinidad to Walsenburg, southern CO Coal mining Strike up to 47 estimated (in addition to Ludlow) Amid escalating violence in the coalfields and pressure from mine operators, the governor called out the National Guard, which arrived at the mining towns in October 1913. After the Ludlow Massacre in April 1914, for ten days striking miners at the other tent colonies went to war. They attacked and destroyed mines, fighting pitched battles with mine guards and militia along a 40-mile front from Trinidad to Walsenburg. The strike ended in defeat for the UMWA in December 1914.
November 4, 1913 Indianapolis, IN Streetcar Strike 4 Indianapolis streetcar strike of 1913: The Terminal and Traction Company hired 300 professional strikebreakers from the Pinkerton Agency to operate the streetcars. When the strikebreakers attempted to move the streetcars into their carhouses, the crowd attacked the policemen who were protecting the strikebreakers. Strikebreakers then opened fire on the crowd, killing four.
April 20, 1914 Ludlow, CO Mining Strike 5 (plus 2 women, 12 children) Ludlow Massacre: On Greek Easter morning, 177 company guards engaged by John D. Rockefeller, Jr. and other mine operators, and sworn into the State Militia just for the occasion, attacked a union tent camp with machine guns, then set it afire. Luka Vahernik, 50, was shot in the head. Louis Tikas and two other miners were captured, shot and killed by the militia. 5 miners, 2 women and 12 children in total died in the attack.
January 19, 1915 Carteret, NJ Fertilizer mfg. Strike 5 Leibig Fertilizer strike: In an unprovoked attack, 40 deputies fired on strikers at the Williams & Clark Fertilizing Company after the strikers had stopped a train to check for strikebreakers and had found none.[70]
July 20–21, 1915 Bayonne, NJ Oil Strike 4 Bayonne refinery strikes of 1915–1916: During a strike by stillcleaners at Standard Oil of New Jersey and Tidewater Petroleum, armed strikebreakers protected by police fired into a crowd of strikers and sympathizers, killing four striking workers (John Sterancsak was one).[71]
August 2, 1915 Massena, NY Aluminum Strike 1 In 1915, workers revolted at the Mellon family's aluminum mill and took over every section of the plant. The sheriff of St. Lawrence County deputized businessmen to break the strike. New York Governor Whitman sent in three companies of the state militia, armed with bayonets, to disperse a crowd of hundreds of workers. The following day, striker Joseph Solunski died of a gunshot wound in an Ogdensburg hospital.[72][73]
January 1916 East Youngstown, OH Steel Strike 3 Youngstown Strike of 1916: When two trainloads of strikebreakers from the South were smuggled into the Youngstown Sheet & Tube Co. plant, angry strikers assembled at the mill gates. Mill guards fired into the crowd, killing 3 strikers. A riot then began that burned six square blocks of the city. A grand jury found that the guards had precipitated the disturbance.[74]: 239–240
May 1916 Braddock, PA Steel Strike 2 Strikers had arranged to parade outside the Carnegie Steel Co. plant, but the company had stationed an armed force inside the plant. When the paraders arrived, the guards opened fire, shooting strikers and bystanders. Two strikers were killed.[74]pp. 240–241
June−July, 1916 Area of Chisholm, MN Iron mining Strike 3 Mesabi Range strike of 1916: On June 22, 1916, in Virginia, MN, miner John Alar was shot and killed in a confrontation between police and a group of pickets.[75][76] Shortly afterward, a miner left his shift after being paid less than the contracted rate, helping to ignite the Mesabi Range strike of 1916. The IWW supported the strike for better pay and shorter hours. On July 3, a clash between guards and several strikers left a guard and a bystander dead.[69]: 331 [77]: 238
November 5, 1916 Everett, WA Shingle mfg. Strike 5 or more Everett Massacre: 200 citizen deputies under the authority of the Snohomish County sheriff waited for the arrival by passenger ship of IWW workers coming to support the strikers. A 10-minute gun battle ensued, with most gunfire coming from the dock. The IWW listed 5 dead[78] |
to generate heat in the vicinity of the PX1 or to affect airflow.
Meanwhile, now that we're revisiting the Samsung 950 Pro and its sensitivity to cooling, we've realized that some of the results reported in our original review reflected an inconsistent thermal environment for the drive, which we've gone ahead and corrected for with this article. In our original review, I added a fan mid-way through testing after experiencing some system instabilities in order to rule out overheating (it turned out to be power delivery). Consequently, some of the results from those runs with a fan were used in the final review and made the 256GB 950 Pro occasionally appear much faster than the 512GB model. So ahead of this review, I've gone back and corrected the scores in our SSD Bench database to consistently reflect a normal cooling environment without a heatsink or dedicated fan.
Finally, let's talk about pricing and availability. The Angelbird Wings PX1 has a MSRP of $75 USD/€66 EUR and comes with a 10 year warranty. RamCity is the initial distributor for the Wings PX1, which is currently listed on their website for AUD$100.90 and will also be sold through their Amazon storefront.Cairo Dock (Glx Dock) is a launcher / task manager that comes with a huge list of applets and configuration options.
It can be used with any desktop environment / shell, so it works with GNOME Shell, Unity, Xfce, KDE and so on. There's also a stand-alone Cairo Dock session - select "Cairo Dock" from the login menu to use it.
Among the applets included by default with Cairo Dock are: applications menu, appindicators, keyboard indicator, Ubuntu Messaging Menu, session control, mail, quick file browser, notification area, screen luminosity, screenshot, sound control, stacks, system monitor, desktop switcher, terminal, weather, weblets and more.
Multiple Cairo Dock instances (left, bottom) in GNOME Shell It can be used with any desktop environment / shell, so it works with GNOME Shell, Unity, Xfce, KDE and so on. There's also a stand-alone Cairo Dock session - select "Cairo Dock" from the login menu to use it.
Cairo Dock 3.2 has been released recently and it includes many changes:
improved multi-screen support: you can now choose the screen for each dock (or all screens), support for desktop names, more;
new applets: Screenshot and Indicator-Generic (a plugin to display all the available Ubuntu indicators into the dock; you can define a blacklist if you don't want some indicators to show up);
new Sound Effects plugin which adds sounds to some actions on the icons;
better GNOME Shell support (for instance, all windows with the same class are displayed);
GDM user switching support;
the note taking applet can now work without Tomboy or Gnote;
Systemd support (Arch Linux, Fedora, etc.) for session management;
icons and overlays should be less blurry;
improved most plugins/applets: Application Menu, Clock, Gvfs integration (you can now mount encrypted volumes that require a password, various fixes), Keyboard Indicator, etc.;
more!
If you want to see Cairo Dock in action before installing it, here's a video with version 3.1 (so it's not the latest Cairo Dock 3.2, but you should still get an idea on most of its features):
Install Cairo Dock
Ubuntu users can install the latest stable Cairo Dock using the following commands:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:cairo-dock-team/ppa sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install cairo-dock cairo-dock-plug-ins
Debian users can install the latest Cairo Dock from the official Cairo Dock Debian repository - installation instructions users can install the latest Cairo Dock from the official Cairo Dock Debian repository - installation instructions HERE
In Arch Linux, Cairo Dock can be installed via AUR
For other Linux distributions you can grab the Cairo Dock source from Launchpad
seen on lffl.org
For the official release notes, see THIS page.Every share makes Black Voice louder! Share To Share To
Fairborn Municipal Court said on Monday that a 911 caller involved in the wrongful death of John Crawford III in a Beavercreek Walmart will not be charged.
Fairborn Municipal Court, after a sitting, decided that a 911 caller, Ronald Ritchie, which led to the sudden death of the 22-year-old John Crawford in August 2014 at the Beavercreek Walmart will not be charged.
According to Atlanta Black Star, the Ritchie was walking down the aisle when he saw a black man with what he suspected to be a real gun; meanwhile it was a toy BB gun. A quick 911 call was made by Ritchie and officers were dispatched to the vicinity. Officers say they had no choice of gunning the 22-year-old man down because he refused to heed the command.
Attorney Mark Piepmeier on Monday decided that there was no probable cause to prosecute Ritchie for instigating the young man’s death, even though in his first interview 2014, with The Guardian, he admitted that he was not completely honest about the details leading to Crawford’s death.
Ronald Ritchie didn’t kill John Crawford III literally, but in fact, he was fully responsible for his death. Ronald Ritchie is even guiltier than police officers who kill Crawford because they acted according to the information Ritchie gave.
Nevertheless, someone who instigated a death of an innocent person should not have to go scot-free. There is every reason to blame Ritchie for Crawford’s death. We need a retrial, and he should be charged for making false report.
Ensure to visit this page for all exclusive updates and uncensored news. Kindly SHARE this article on any social media of your choice.Ethereum-backed gold tokenisation system DigixGlobal has partnered with software provider Monolith Studio to create the first ever gold-backed debit card using a blockchain. Monolith Studio recently unveiled the TokenCard: an Ethereum powered debit card that can hold ether and ERC20 tokens.
A Digix powered version will be a gold backed debit card, using the underlying Tokencard platform, that can be adopted by the general public. Digix will have the freedom to create a TokenCard experience that satisfies their current customers' needs, whilst also lowering the barrier of entry for new users to join, said a statement.
A basic implementation could include a custom UI with token specific functionality (such as the ability to redeem gold to one's home address), with further optimisations to ensure gold tokens can be spent efficiently at minimal cost.
This partnership came about due to the synergies between both companies. DigixGlobal is an asset tokenisation company on Ethereum, that puts digital gold ownership into your Ethereum wallet, making them the stablecoin of choice amongst the sphere of virtual currencies.
Monolith is a diverse team based all over the world working to create transformative Ethereum powered products for the general public. Monolith's first project, TokenCard, is a Visa debit card that aims to bring about a fundamental shift in how people manage their (digital) assets.
Currently to use services like banks and exchanges you need to deposit your assets into their control, exposing you to unwanted risks and limiting the use of your assets to their platform. TokenCard solves this by instead securing your assets with Ethereum smart contracts that are directly controlled by you. This means that funds remain in your possession and control until the moment they are used.
Mel Gelderman, Monolith co-founder said: "The long term vision for TokenCard is to provide a comprehensive banking replacement for the general public, on Ethereum. In this vision stable currency plays a key part; Digix Gold tokens are uniquely tangible and offer significantly more stability compared to other digital assets, making them a viable option for worldwide adoption. Together with Digix, we will be able to offer one of the only true commodity backed debit cards, and bring back the gold standard in a meaningful way. We're very excited about this partnership and the future possibilities it enables in taking Ethereum mainstream.''
Kai Cheng Chng, Digix's CEO, said: "The card will be available to users worldwide who might seek its unique properties. The partnership will focus on some specific markets namely countries with weak national currencies and large remittance flows. The partnership will also work to make it easy for the general public to acquire DGX tokens for use on their card."
Monolith Studio is holding a crowdfund for its TokenCard platform. The TKN token accrues a 1 per cent licensing fee on every transaction made with TokenCard. The crowdfund is set to commence on March 20th.UPDATE (10:45 am, EST): Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton addressed the news of Soros’ latest venture in comments made to the Daily Caller (below)
The latest efforts by George Soros to subvert President-elect Donald Trump involve taking a page out of the conservative playbook.
Soros and his allies have reportedly discussed launching a liberal version of the government transparency group Judicial Watch, which Politico reports “spent much of the past eight years as a thorn in the Obama administration’s side filing legal petitions under the Freedom of Information Act.”
In addition to keeping financial tabs on the executive branch, Judicial Watch focused its efforts over the past year on Hillary Clinton’s private State Department email server and worked with several publications to paint a full picture of the scandal for the public.
Notably, the group pressured Clinton to answer questions regarding emails deleted from her server and received the backing of District Court Judge Emmitt Sullivan toward achieving that goal. (RELATED: Citing ‘Campaign Business’ Hillary Asks For Extra Time To Answer Judicial Watch Questions)
Soros and other liberal donors met in Washington, D.C. on Sunday for the first day of the Democracy Alliance’s annual investment summit. (RELATED: Soros Prepares For Trump War)
Democracy Alliance, formed by Soros after John Kerry’s defeat in the 2004 presidential election, funnels millions of dollars toward liberal advocacy groups every year.
The organization dictates that its more than 100 members donate at least $200,000 a year to approved groups — a la Planned Parenthood and Media Matters — with the ultimate aim of mobilizing voters.
Though Democracy Alliance has raised over $500 million in the past 11 years, operatives noted that issues traditionally favorable to Democrats failed to pull support away from Trump in this year’s election.
Therefore, Soros and other Democratic leaders used this year’s summit to call for a shift in strategy in order to oppose Trump and the Republican controlled government.
Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton told the Daily Caller that the watchdog group welcomes Soros’ new venture, as long as it is “principled and non-partisan.”
“We’re always happy when there’s more government transparecny,” he explained. “The left and the right need to take that issue more seriously and commit to it.”
Fitton explained that “Judicial Watch had success because the [Obama] administration was lawless and secretive, and Mrs. Clinton committed misconduct and violated the law.”
Furthermore, he stressed that “no matter what happens under the Trump administration, Judicial Watch will be there.”
“We’re going to continue to do the work, and the American people can rely on us to be independent and non-partisan.”
Follow Datoc on Twitter and Facebook(Lane Erickson/Dreamstime)
Milk goes bad. So do laws, sometimes. Unfortunately, most laws stick around long after they’ve gone bad.
Over the past several months, the nation had a healthy discussion about the extent of the government’s snooping on Americans’ electronic communications. This contentious debate led to changes in the law. Congress actually did something useful.
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Why? Not because our elected representatives suddenly found their mojo, but rather because Section 215 of the Patriot Act — the section authorizing bulk collection of data and roving wiretaps — had an expiration date, which forced the issue. Instead of the eternal life bestowed upon most laws, these controversial provisions were subject to a “sunset clause,” which means they automatically expire unless specifically reauthorized. This meant Congress could not simply ignore Americans’ negative reactions to the revelation of massive federal surveillance — legislators had to actually do something rather than nothing, as is always their preference.
In a few more weeks, we’ll be debating whether the Export-Import Bank, a corporate-welfare program, should continue, and on a few occasions each year, the nation is forced to confront our exploding national debt. Why? Again, because the laws establishing the Ex-Im Bank and the Treasury Department’s power to borrow money were designed to expire unless specifically reauthorized by Congress.
If all of our elected officials have expiration dates, why shouldn’t their work product?
These forced conversations and confrontations are good things. But they would never happen if the authors of the laws in question hadn’t included sunset provisions.
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Unfortunately, most laws do not include such sunset provisions, and regulations almost never do, which means the vast majority of laws and regulations that currently govern the lives of Americans were put into place by previous generations. In some cases, we are governed by regulations that are 70 or 80 years old. How much sense does that make? Why are we still governed by rules put into place during the New Deal, or even earlier? How similar is today’s economy to the economy of 1934 — the year several major current laws, programs, regulatory structures, and even cabinet agencies were created?
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Granting so many provisions eternal life means we are piling up taxes, laws, and regulations that are outdated, ineffective, redundant, sometimes contradictory, and otherwise simply past their prime. This imposes costs on the economy, complicates the judiciary, grows the government, and creates an increasingly incomprehensible bureaucratic morass that innocent businesses and citizens must attempt to navigate.
Surely, every generation should have a say in the laws that govern it. Even the drafters of the U.S. Constitution recognized the need to regularly update governing structures, which is why they created not one but several means for amending the Constitution. Yet the momentum needed to pass new amendments has been hard to come by in recent decades — our current 23-year amendment drought is the third-longest in American history.
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At both the state and federal level, every new law and regulation should have an expiration date. Why not give every new law or regulation a five-year sunset, and every new agency a ten-year sunset? Wouldn’t it be a good idea for every law, regulation, and agency to be forced to justify its existence every once in a while? If all of our elected officials have expiration dates, why shouldn’t their work product?
Insisting on sunset clauses would be a significant structural improvement in the function and efficiency of government at all levels, and would protect Americans from an ever-spreading snarl of outdated laws and regulations, administered by a government incompetent enough to allow them to accumulate in the first place.
Limiting government means limiting the lifespans of its products: taxes, laws, regulations, and bureaucracies.
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— Tom Giovanetti is president of the Institute for Policy Innovation (IPI).On Saturday, someone started leaking the NSA’s secrets. A pop-up Twitter account called "theshadowbrokers" posted a link to a pastebin, which in turn led to more than 300 MB of exploits and scripts. According to the Shadow Brokers, the data came from the Equation Group, an advanced malware threat long linked to the NSA. Alongside the data, the attackers posted a manifesto in broken English. "We want make sure Wealthy Elite recognizes the danger cyber weapons, this message, our auction, poses to their wealth and control," the message read. The data has since been removed from nearly every site that hosted it — Pastebin, Github, and Twitter itself — but as with most leaks, the takedowns arrived too late to make a difference.
It was a startling dump, made even more complicated by the bizarre manifesto — but the data made it impossible to ignore. The link led to a large and sophisticated implant framework, including software to exploit previously undiscovered flaws in popular security tools. As researchers have looked more closely at that data, the seemingly haphazard leak now looks more like an international conflict. All evidence suggests the leaked data came from the NSA, and the timing strongly suggests Russia as the leaker. What’s less clear is how and why.
The seemingly haphazard leak now looks more like an international conflict
The strongest evidence comes from the leaked data itself. The dump contains uncompiled binaries for a sophisticated malware delivery system, the product of months if not years of sustained offensive security work. Security researchers poring through the dump have found novel methods for breaking through firewalls and other security tools — discoveries that would be very difficult to fake. Kaspersky Lab strengthened the connection even further, confirming that the leaked tools have "a strong connection" with the Equation Group, which the lab has been tracking for years and has long connected to the NSA. Attribution is never a sure thing, but all evidence points to the Shadow Brokers material coming directly from the NSA.
The timing of the dump is even more specific. Most of the files were most recently copied in 2013, suggesting the attackers have been sitting on the data for more than three years.
"probably some Russian mind game"
It’s unclear how the Shadow Brokers got their hands on those exploits, but the combination of broad data and specific exploits suggest it came from some third-party infrastructure targeted by the NSA but not properly sanitized. On Twitter yesterday, Edward Snowden offered an even more concrete theory, suggesting the materials came from a proxy server used by an NSA-targeted group, compromised by the NSA, and then counter-compromised by the Shadow Brokers. Of course, best practice would be to delete that material from the server after the compromise took place, but it’s exactly the kind of housekeeping that might slip through the cracks. Others are less convinced, arguing the dump is so comprehensive that it suggests a more direct attack: "someone walked out of a secure area with a USB key."
There are only a few groups capable of pulling off that scale of attack — and given the timing and method of the dump, all eyes (including Snowden’s) have turned to Russia as the most likely culprit. That attribution is far less certain and there’s far less evidence to base it on. We still don’t know when or how the Equation Group infrastructure was compromised, making traditional attribution all but impossible. Still, many foreign policy analysts see Russia as by far the most likely culprit, with James A. Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies describing the dump as "probably some Russian mind game" in a New York Times article this morning.
If true, the result would be unlike anything we’ve seen before. This surely wouldn’t be the first time a group has compromised an NSA-compromised server, but it’s the first time the resulting data has been released to the public. It suggests a new stance for signals intelligence agencies, one that wouldn’t have been possible even five years ago. The Snowden leaks made it impossible to deny the existence of NSA operations of this kind, and also gave us a powerful way to publicly confirm the docs authenticity. The fact that the Shadow Brokers’ matches exploits match code names and descriptions found in the Snowden-leaked TAO catalog is still among the best evidence we have that the dump is genuine. What would have been a conspiracy theory in 2012 is now far easier to prove. That makes the NSA far more public than its ever been, and far more vulnerable to the same sort of strategic leaks that Guccifer 2.0 used against the Clinton campaign.
That strategy has its risks. The operational damage caused by the dump appears to be minimal, burning a few three-year-old exploits but no major tactical tricks. It’s more of a provocation than an attack, maybe timed to coincide with the Guccifer 2.0’s ongoing Russia-linked leak campaign against the Democratic Party. It’s an alarming trend, but one that’s already hardening sentiments in and out of government against Russia and making it harder for actors like Guccifer 2.0 to claim independence. Even before the Shadow Brokers dump, support was growing for stronger action against Russia in response to the DNC hack. It’s too early to say if that push will amount to anything, but it suggests the Shadow Brokers are playing a very dangerous game.Contents show]
Synopsis Edit
In the world, the manipulation of tanks (Sensha-do) is one of the traditional martial arts especially for girls. Miho doesn't like Sensha-do and moves to Ooarai Girl's High School. But the chairperson of the student council orders Miho to participate in the Senshadou Mandatory Class on threat of expulsion from school, But changes her mind when her friends risk themselves for her, From then on she becomes, first angler fish team's Kaptain, then overall Commander and leads the Ooarai Team to victory at the national Sensha-do championships.
Part of the /ak/ scanlation project.
Tanks Edit
Tanks were moved to a new page (Girls und Panzer - Tanks) to make this page a little less cluttered.
Anime Edit
All anime-related materials has been moved to the Girls und Panzer - Anime page. Check there for all available /ak/ files.
Drama CDs Edit
Drama CD0 - Ichiban Kuji Original CD ~Watashitachi ga "Senshado" wo Eranda Riyuu~
Drama CD1 - Kondo wa Drama CD Desu!
Track 1 - Quiz taikai desu!
Track 2 - Fuuki desu!
Track 3 - Jidousha desu!
Track 4 - Darjeeling-sama no kakugen desu!
Track 5 - Pravda vs. Saunders desu!
Drama CD2 - Mousugu Anzio-sen Desu!
Track 1 - 2 kaisen ni mukete
Track 2 - Oarai Joshi Gakuen Eiyouka no jitsuryoku
Track 3 - Anzio tte donna gakkou?
Track 4 - Desert Time wa Positive ni
Track 5 - Kesshomae no gosan
Track 6 - Mimura Tokei-ten
Track 7 - Joy Shop Taguchi
Track 8 - Eguchi Yuushin-dou
Track 9 - Kurosawa Fujiemon Shouten
Track 10 - Marugo Suisan
Track 11 - Usuya Seinikuten
Track 12 - Oarai Hotel
Track 13 - Jidousha-bu no kougai katsudou
Track 14 - Fushou, Takebe Saori no Italia ryouri kouza
Drama CD3 - Ankou Team Houmon Shimasu!
Disc 1 Track 1 - Mata seitokai no muchaburi desu
Disc 1 Track 2 - St. Gloriana houmon shimasu
Disc 1 Track 3 - Saunders futatabi de arimasu
Disc 1 Track 4 - Anzio wa oishisou ne
Disc 1 Track 5 - Yakou-ressha wa tootte nainoka
Disc 1 Track 6 - Hisashiburi no Kuromorimine desu
Disc 2 Track 1 - Akiyama Yukari no Anzio sennyuu sakusen desu!
Disc 2 Track 2 - Korega hontou no Anzio-sen desu! Medley 1 (Mogi-sen ~ Shiai kaishi)
Disc 2 Track 3 - Le Fiamme Nere
Disc 2 Track 4 - Korega hontou no Anzio-sen desu! Medley 2 (Macaroni sakusen ~ Shiai shuuryou)
Disc 2 Track 5 - Funiculì, Funiculà
Drama CD4 - Gekkan Senshado CD ~Sensha Joshi Tokushuu Shimasu!~
Track 1 - Darjeeling to Orange Pekoe no Honke Senshado Kouza ~Impression-hen~
Track 2 - Chouno ga Kiru 1
Track 3 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 6:00 Ahiru-san Team
Track 4 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 7:00 Ankou Team
Track 5 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 8:00 Kamo-san Team
Track 6 - Chouno ga Kiru 2
Track 7 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 9:00 Kaba-san Team
Track 8 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 10:00 St. Gloriana
Track 9 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 11:00 Saunders
Track 10 - Chouno ga Kiru 3
Track 11 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 12:00 Usagi-san Team
Track 12 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 13:00 Leopon-san Team
Track 13 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 14:00 Pravda
Track 14 - Chouno ga Kiru 4
Track 15 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 15:00 Anzio
Track 16 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 16:00 Arikui-san Team
Track 17 - Chouno ga Kiru 5
Track 18 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 17:00 Kame-san Team
Track 19 - Totsugeki! Sensha Joshi 18:00 Kuromorimine
Track 20 - Chouno ga Kiru 6
Track 21 - Darjeeling to Orange Pekoe no Honke Senshado Kouza ~Jousha-hen~
Track 22 - Chouno ga Kiru 7
Drama CD5 - Atarashii Tomodachi ga Dekimashita!
Manga Edit
(10/2/18) Most series are available now, any other chapters that are not available are still a WIP in terms of uploading.
Main Series: Edit
Ch. 1 (English) - Mega
Ch. 2 (English) - Mega
Ch. 3 (English) - Mega
Ch. 4 (English) - Mega
Kapitel 5 (German 'joke' version) - To be re-uploaded ASAP
Ch. 5 (English) - Mega
Ch. 6 (English) - Mega
Ch. 7 (English) - Mega
Ch. 8 (English) - Mega
Ch. 9 (English) - Mega
Ch. 10 (English) - Mega
Ch. 11 (English) - Mega
Ch. 12 (English) - Mega
Ch. 13 (English) - Mega
Ch. 14 (English) - Mega
Ch. 15 (English) - Mega
Ch. 16 (English) - Mega
Ch. 17 (English) - Mega
Ch. 18 (English) - Mega
Ch. 19 (English) - Mega
Ch. 20 (English) - Mega
Ch. 21 [END] (English) - Mega
Little Army: Edit
Little Army 2: Edit
Motto Love Love Sakusen Desu: Edit
(Links for chapters 1 - 33 are broken)
note that all MLLSD web 4komas not yet included in the omakes can be found in a subfolder of the repository (broken link)
Ribbon Warrior: Edit
If you want to download all Chapters with one DL, there is also a complete Archive folder here
Fierce Fight! It's the Maginot Battle! Edit
GuP for Beginners Edit
Chapter 1 (end) - To be re-uploaded ASAP
Phase Erika Edit
Saga of Pravda Edit
Doujins Edit
This is not a list of mere fap doujins. Go to sadpanda for that. Instead, each doujin listed below has some specific reason that justifies it being here.
the original work of the author of Rabu Rabu BEFORE being hired to do Rabu Rabu because of how much it amused Mizushima.
Scanlations by /u/ scans they do some chapters for /ak/, we mirror some of their scans.
Talk of Little Love (Aki Eda) - To be re-uploaded ASAP The Proverb of Love (Aki Eda) - To be re-uploaded ASAP Uchi Kuru! (Hariyaa]) - To be re-uploaded ASAP
first part (second part raws only, go to sadpanda for it).
Nishizumi-Dono confessed to me (Yoshimura Kana) - To be re-uploaded ASAP
(working title, mangaka just posted some WIP pics)
Amai Junketsu (Pure codependence) (Ouma Tokiichi)- To be re-uploaded ASAP
GirlPan vs SeraJuu (Takeshi Nogami) - To be re-uploaded ASAP
Light Novel Edit
The light novels retell the main story told from Saoris' point of view. Full scans of the (untranslated) books :
(these links are dead)
Girls & Panzer vol. 1 - To be re-uploaded ASAP
Girls & Panzer vol. 2 - To be re-uploaded ASAP
Girls & Panzer vol. 3 - To be re-uploaded ASAP
References EditA Federal Communications Commission (FCC) decision issued Monday (PDF) will clear the runway for hundreds of new community radio stations that broadcast on low-power FM signals, bringing progressive, community voices to urban areas that have for decades only known what’s being broadcast by major corporations and America’s political right.
In other words, the dismantling of Rush Limbaugh was just the beginning, and the whole FM dial is next.
The FCC’s decision on Monday wipes away a massive backlog of applications for FM repeater stations, which are transmitters that repeat signals broadcast by corporate and religious radio operators — many of which rake in big listening audiences for right-wing syndicated talk shows.
“So, what a lot of right-wing, conservative radio stations have been able to do is expand their reach out in communities by just having these translators out in the wild, which is why Rush Limbaugh gets the type of audience that he has — because the networks take one signal and repeat it over and over and over across the dial all over the country,” Steven Renderos, national organizer with the Center for Media Justice, told Raw Story on Tuesday. “They’re constantly looking for opportunities to expand that, so there were a slew of these applications pending at the FCC.”
And that’s been the case ever since the FCC’s radio spectrum auction in 2003, which has led many activists to fear they would be forever choked out and kept away from the public airwaves. But after a long battle, activists with the Prometheus Radio Project have finally won.
“Now these right-wing radio networks won’t keep getting their translator applications approved,” Renderos added. “That will severely limit their ability to expand.”
The FCC’s decision also set clear criteria for community radio stations in heavily populated urban areas, which are otherwise bombarded by the endless droning of commercial media full of snide opinion masquerading as news.
“These [new, low power] stations can only be licensed to non-profit organizations, and you can only have one per customer,” Brandy Doyle, policy director for the Prometheus Radio Project, told Raw Story. “That way we won’t have these big corporate chains and media networks that are taking over the rest of the media landscape moving in on low power FM service. These stations have to be local, and they have to be independent. This clears the way for a real transformation of the FM dial.”
Instead of slowly grinding down thousands of repeater station applications that leave no room for community radio, the FCC essentially threw most of those applications away by limiting who can apply, how many filings a single entity can make, and which markets can consider new repeaters — all of which frees up the regulatory body to examine applications for new community stations. The regulatory agency still gave some deference to corporate broadcasters, however, by allowing them one shot at revising their applications to fit the new guidelines.
That means “as early as this fall, as in 2012, there will be opportunities for local community groups to plan and start their own independent radio stations,” Doyle said. “This is what we’ve fought for [over] more than a decade, and the FCC has opened the door to that.”
While there aren’t any official numbers yet, several “radio geeks” who spoke to Raw Story off the record estimated that as many as 10,000 applications for community radio stations could be filed in the coming years.
Prometheus activists and local radio affiliates all over the country played a dramatic role in helping shape media coverage of the “Occupy” movement last year, providing a sharp contrast to the often detached approach taken by mainstream, corporate sources. Their influence was broad enough to remind many listeners that community radio — an otherwise rare commodity in the U.S. — is often the dissenter’s best friend.
Though the FCC’s decision may not sound all that important, it really is. For the first time in decades, Americans living in major cities will soon be hearing the voices of their friends and neighbors flooding the airwaves — a far cry from the typical morning DJ fart jokes and the same “top hit” songs endlessly droning on a looping playback.
“Right now the Center for Media Justice is part of a national partnership with Prometheus Radio Project and Color of Change to try and identify organizations across the country — social and racial justice organizations — that could potentially benefit from owning and running their own radio station,” Renderos said. “What we hope to see in 5-10 years is a coordinated infrastructure of radio that doesn’t necessarily parallel what’s on the right, that at least helps to project a very different type of discourse on the radio dial.”
And it’s not just an outreach effort, either: The Center for Media Justice is actively taking inquiries from organizations that want access to their community’s airwaves, with the goal of helping them achieve that dream as soon as possible.
The FCC’s move Monday was the first step on a path laid out by the Local Community Radio Act, signed by President Barack Obama at the start of 2011, which represented the first real victory in activists’ long fight against the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) the radio industry’s biggest lobbying group. The bill freed up portions of the radio spectrum that had otherwise been kept empty by the larger broadcasters, who had long insisted upon four clicks of blank space on the FM dial to prevent interference. It also stipulated that new space on the dial must be reserved for community stations in urban areas where there might otherwise be none.
“There’s hardly news at all on commercial radio at this point, much less a diversity of viewpoints and a diversity of news.” Doyle concluded. “A lot of times corporate media doesn’t even cover things that are majority views, and there’s a disconnect between what we hear in the media and what we know most of our neighbors are thinking and feeling. This is a real opportunity for people to connect with each other and start building real alternatives.”
The National Association of Broadcasters did not respond to a request for comment.
Update: Following this story’s publication, the Center for Media Justice added that they are also working with the Urbana Champaign Independent Media Center on their low power FM affiliate program.
Updated from an original version for clarity.On October 2, 2014, I will be speaking in Indiana to an audience chiefly comprised of university students who have a passing understanding of the intentions of monied interests to usurp control of public education.
With a mind toward preparing for my upcoming engagement, I happened to read three pertinent (and powerful) articles: This one on September 26, 2014, in Chalkbeat on Indiana Governor Mike Pence's plan to use workforce data to determine what schools teach in order to subjugate education to the requirements of the job market, excerpted below:
...Indiana is quietly taking steps to position itself for a future where data drives much of what is learned in school. Gov. Mike Pence has made connecting education and workforce development a centerpiece of his administration's agenda... This year, a bill he wrote created a new state office, under Pence's direction, with a director who has been nicknamed the state's "data czar." That office will manage an expanded network of K-12, higher education and workforce data, working with an outside company to identify trends and opportunities to connect what is learned now to what students will some day need to know. Just last month, Pence named [state representative Steve] Braun as the state's new director of the Department of Workforce Development. [Emphasis added.]
Pence wants to tailor education to serve the workforce, not the individual being educated -- an important point.
Next is another article, a Living in Dialogue post by Professor Emeritus Denny Taylor, one that deals quite skillfully with the sinister push to make public education little more than the servant of the US economy. The second article refers to very-well-compensated "non-profiteer" Marc Tucker's 1992 "Dear Hillary" letter, excerpted below. Tucker's vision is
... to remold the entire American system" into "a seamless web that literally extends from cradle to grave and is the same system for everyone," coordinated by "a system of labor market boards at the local, state and federal levels" where curriculum and "job matching" will be handled by counselors "accessing the integrated computer-based program. [Emphasis added.]
Again with using education to create workers to serve the workforce.
Finally, in this dehumanizing, "student-as-object" vein, is a third article, from the August 1, 2014, Washington Post and written about the South Korean education system by former South Korean student and teacher, Se-Woong Koo. The entire article I find profoundly sad, but this part stuck me most:
Herded to various educational outlets and programs by parents, the average South Korean student works up to 13 hours a day, while the average high school student sleeps only 5.5 hours a night to ensure there is sufficient time for studying. Hagwons [cram schools] consume more than half of spending on private education. This "investment" in education is what has been used to explain South Koreans' spectacular scores on the Program for International Student Assessment, increasingly the standard by which students from all over the world are compared to one another. But a system driven by overzealous parents and a leviathan private industry is unsustainable over the long run, especially given the physical and psychological costs that students are forced to bear. Many young South Koreans suffer physical symptoms of academic stress, like my brother did. In a typical case, one friend reported losing clumps of hair as she focused on her studies in high school; her hair regrew only when she entered college. [Emphasis added.]
South Korean children are "typically" losing their hair from the pressure of becoming objects |
and as a hub for manufacturing. A managed bankruptcy may be the only path to the fundamental restructuring the industry needs. It would permit the companies to shed excess labor, pension and real estate costs. The federal government should provide guarantees for post-bankruptcy financing and assure car buyers that their warranties are not at risk. In a managed bankruptcy, the federal government would propel newly competitive and viable automakers, rather than seal their fate with a bailout check. [The New York Times, 11/18/08]
June 2011: Romney Said Automakers Should Have Gone Through Private Bankruptcy Without Giving Them Federal Funds. On June 9, 2011, the Associated Press reported that Romney said that the auto industry should have gone through bankruptcy without the rescue:
Romney may have grown up in Michigan -- his father, George, was the governor in the 1960s and an auto executive -- but he received a frosty reception yesterday when he returned there to campaign. Reason: Obama, through the bailout, will argue that he saved unionized autoworker jobs. Romney opposed the bailout. "Some people believe in bailouts. I believe in the process of the law," the businessman and former Massachusetts governor told reporters. "The idea of just writing a check, which is what the auto executives were asking for, was not the right course... It would have been best had the auto companies gone through the bankruptcy process without having taken $17 billion from government." [Associated Press 6/9/11]
February 2012: Romney Said Providing Funds To The Auto Companies "Was Crony Capitalism On A Grand Scale." In a February 2012 Detroit News op-ed, Romney claimed that the auto rescue was nothing more than Obama rewarding union bosses and "crony capitalism on a grand scale":
Three years ago, in the midst of an economic crisis, a newly elected President Barack Obama stepped in with a bailout for the auto industry. The indisputable good news is that Chrysler and General Motors are still in business. The equally indisputable bad news is that all the defects in President Obama's management of the American economy are evident in what he did. Instead of doing the right thing and standing up to union bosses, Obama rewarded them. [...] This was crony capitalism on a grand scale. The president tells us that without his intervention things in Detroit would be worse. I believe that without his intervention things there would be better. My view at the time -- and I set it out plainly in an op-ed in the New York Times -- was that "the American auto industry is vital to our national interest as an employer and as a hub for manufacturing." Instead of a bailout, I favored "managed bankruptcy" as the way forward. [The Detroit News, 2/14/12]
Reuters: Romney's Claim That He Supported A Plan Similar To Obama's "Is, To Put It Politely, Far-Fetched." A Reuters opinion piece by Nicholas Wapshott explained that Romney is trying to have it both ways by saying he had the same plan for Detroit as Obama. After detailing Romney's repeated attacks on federal funds for the auto industry, Wapshott concluded: "Romney's sly suggestion now that you can't slip a cigarette paper between his plan and Obama's is, to put it politely, far-fetched":
[Romney's] insistence in the second debate that Obama's rescue of General Motors and Chrysler was the same as his plan was only half the story. When Romney said "[W]hen you say that I wanted to take the auto industry bankrupt, you actually did.... That was precisely what I recommended and ultimately what happened," he was leading voters to believe there was little difference between restructuring by the federal government car czar Steve Rattner and his own prescription: to let the firms go bust, let the markets clear, then reassemble the broken parts. [...] In February, in the heat of the GOP primaries, when Romney needed to appease those who believe the "creative destruction" creed of Joseph Schumpeter, he expanded on his thinking in the Detroit News and derided the auto rescue as "crony capitalism," a cozy collaboration between government and private enterprise much derided by the Koch brothers, major funders of Romney's super PACS. "Obama stepped in with a bailout for the auto industry," Romney wrote. "[The] indisputable bad news is that all the defects in President Obama's management of the American economy are evident in what he did." Obama's plan saved millions of jobs, not only in the auto industry, but in the parts suppliers, dealerships, and all those who service motor production - and the storekeepers, realtors, teachers, and so on, who depend upon them - and, by the way, not only in Ohio but in all the Great Lake states and way beyond. Romney's sly suggestion now that you can't slip a cigarette paper between his plan and Obama's is, to put it politely, far-fetched. [Reuters, 10/17/12]
Even Though Government Funds Saved The Auto Industry
Ford CEO: Without Auto-Bailout The Entire Auto Industry "Would've Been in Real Trouble." In an interview with Fox's Neil Cavuto, Ford CEO Alan Mulally explained that without the federally financed auto-bailout the auto industry "would've been in real trouble." [Fox News, Your World with Neil Cavuto, 9/18/12, via Media Matters]
Congressional Research Service: Without Injection Of Federal Funds, "GM Would Not Have Been Able To Pay Creditors, Suppliers, Or Workers." The non-partisan Congressional Research Service determined that General Motors would have been unable to pay its debts without an injection of funds in late 2008 and early 2009. And while GM successfully emerged from bankruptcy after receiving funds, if the government had not provided such funds, GM would have faced bankruptcy "with a less certain outcome."
After credit markets tightened and the recession reduced auto sales in the fall of 2008, General Motors restructured its operations through bankruptcy and began operations as a new company in July 2009. The Bush and Obama Administrations used TARP funds to provide capital to General Motors during this time, in exchange for a majority ownership stake in the company. Without the U.S. government assistance, GM would not have been able to pay creditors, suppliers, or workers and would most likely have entered bankruptcy earlier with a less certain outcome. TARP support enabled it to reorganize itself in a more orderly manner and may have reduced collateral damage to many auto suppliers and some of the other automakers who buy parts from them. However, it exposed the U.S. government to risk that not all the assistance would be recovered. [Congressional Research Service, 9/7/12]
Governor Granholm: "We Would Have No Auto Industry" Without The Auto Rescue. Former Michigan governor Jennifer Granholm explained in an April 29 This Week appearance that there was no private financing available for auto makers, and without government intervention, "we would have no auto industry." [Media Matters, 4/29/12]
Moody's Zandi: Without Rescue, "Automakers Appear Headed For Bankruptcy And Liquidation." In a November 2008 post, Moody's Analytics Mark Zandi explained that because of the lack of private credit, the government had to intervene on behalf of the auto industry, intervention that ultimately materialized. The auto industry otherwise would have been on a path toward "bankruptcy and liquidation":
The U.S. auto industry desperately needs financial help, and the federal government should provide it. Without aid, the industry seems headed toward a quick liquidation, which would mean hundreds of thousands of layoffs at just the wrong time for the sliding U.S. economy. [...] Without government help, the Big Three will almost surely enter the kind of bankruptcy from which there is no exit. They could file for a Chapter 11 restructuring, but would most likely end up in a Chapter 7 liquidation. Their plants and other operations would be shut and their assets sold to pay creditors. Given the collapse in the financial system and resulting credit crunch, so-called "debtor in possession" or DIP financing would be all but impossible to get. Bankrupt firms need DIP financing to operate--to pay suppliers, finance inventories and meet payroll--while they restructure. It is risky for DIP creditors even in good times, but they do get first dibs on the bankrupt firms' assets and can earn high rates and fees. But in a credit crunch such as we are experiencing now, nothing will convince creditors to take the risk. [Moody's Analytics, 10/21/08]
Krugman: Attempting Privately-Financed Bankruptcy "Would Mean Wiping Out Probably Well Over A Million Jobs." In a 2008 New York Times op-ed, Nobel Prize-winning economist Paul Krugman explained that because credit markets at the time were not in "reasonably good shape," privately-financed bankruptcy would have resulted in over a million jobs lost:
If the economy as a whole were in reasonably good shape and the credit markets were functioning, Chapter 11 would be the way to go. Under current circumstances, however, a default by GM would probably mean loss of ability to pay suppliers, which would mean liquidation -- and that, in turn, would mean wiping out probably well over a million jobs at the worst possible moment. [New York Times, 11/16/08]
Center For Automotive Research Chief Economist: "Private Bankruptcy For Automakers Would Not Have Been Possible... Because Credit Markets Were Frozen." Reuters reported that the Center for Automotive Research (CAR) chief economist Sean McAlinden responded to Romney supporters' claim that the auto industry could've gone through privately-financed bankruptcy, saying that this was impossible given that "credit markets were frozen" because of the 2008-2009 financial crisis:
"There were two ways to do it - either use crony capitalism, where government picks the winners and losers, or you go through the traditional reorganization process," said Saul Anuzis, a Romney supporter and former head of the Michigan Republican Party. Sean McAlinden, chief economist at the Center for Automotive Research, or CAR, said there was one problem with that argument: a private bankruptcy for automakers would not have been possible during the 2008-2009 financial crisis because credit markets were frozen and GM and Chrysler were unable to get private financing to keep operating through bankruptcy. Without federal help, the companies could have been forced to shut down, which would have devastated parts suppliers and threatened solvent carmakers such as Ford and Toyota, McAlinden said. [Reuters, 2/10/12]
Center For Automotive Research: Auto Rescue Saved 1.3 Million Jobs. Reuters reported that the Center for Automotive Research also found that the auto rescue saved 1.3 million jobs in 2009. CAR chief economist Sean McAlinden called the rescue 'the most successful peacetime industrial intervention in U.S. history." [Reuters, 2/10/12]Today’s Washington Post has a must-read op-ed by Mark McKeon, who worked as a prosecutor at the International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia:
In 2001 and the following few years, we at the international tribunal built a strong court case against Milosevic. We presented evidence that he had effective control over soldiers and paramilitaries who tortured prisoners, and did worse. We brought into court reports of atrocities that had been delivered to Milosevic by international organizations to show his knowledge of what was happening under his command. And we watched as other heads of state were indicted for similar crimes, including Charles Taylor in Liberia and, of course, Saddam Hussein in Iraq. At the same time, I watched with horror the changes that were happening back home. The events are now well known: Abu Ghraib; Guantanamo; secret “renditions” of prisoners to countries where interrogators were not afraid to get rough; secret CIA prisons where there appeared to be no rules. I tried to answer, as best I could, the questions from my international colleagues at The Hague about what was happening in and to my country. But as each revelation topped the last, I soon found myself without words. I hope that the United States has turned the page on those times and is returning to the values that sustained our country for so many years. But we cannot expect to regain our position of leadership in the world unless we hold ourselves to the same standards that we expect of others. That means punishing the most senior government officials responsible for these crimes. We have demanded this from other countries that have returned from walking on the dark side; we should expect no less from ourselves. To say that we should hold ourselves to the same standards of justice that we applied to Slobodan Milosevic and Saddam Hussein is not to say that the level of our leaders’ crimes approached theirs. Thankfully, there is no evidence of that. And yet, torture and cruel treatment are as much violations of international humanitarian law as are murder and genocide. They demand a judicial response. We cannot expect the rest of humanity to live in a world that we ourselves are not willing to inhabit.
McKeon makes a fundamental point about this entire torture “debate”.
The simple fact is that we are now faced with overwhelming evidence of illegal torture conducted during the Bush administration. People can debate whether this technique or that technique amounted to “torture”; or whether torture “works”; or whether some Republicans are somehow sexually aroused by the idea of torturing people — but one fact remains: we have mountains of credible evidence that many people in the Bush administration broke US and international law.
If we just whitewash this, without conducting a full investigation, we will have absolutely zero moral standing in the world going forward with which to criticize rogue regimes and demand that they themselves investigate allegations of prisoner abuse.
What is the government of some terrorized African country going to say when we demand that they investigate and punish the torture and killings committed by their previous dictator? Why would they say anything other than “Oh, that stuff doesn’t happen anymore. We prefer to keep walking and look forward, not backward. Won’t happen again; sorry…”?
We will never again be able to condemn others for the use of torture unless we now swallow the bitter pill and investigate ourselves.A vote for a third-party candidate like Jill Stein shouldn’t be viewed as a wasted vote. (Photo: ~File photo)
As voters suffered through the third presidential debate in Los Vegas, Nevada, Wednesday night, with the top two candidates literally calling each other puppets, a crazy, wonderful idea came to me about how we might be able to do better than this miscarriage of democracy. Here it is: Vote for the candidate you want to vote for. Not feel compelled to vote for, want to vote for.
If you want to vote for Donald Trump, by all means vote for Trump. If you want to vote for Hillary Clinton, vote for Clinton. If you want to vote for Gary Johnson, vote for Johnson, so long as you can remember his name. If you want to vote for Jill Stein, vote for Stein. If you want to vote for a McMullin or a McMuffin, go for it.
I’ll be writing in the name of my own father, Bob Lott, because he’s a good guy and, frankly, because I’m sick of being told whom to vote for. Millions of people share this frustration as well. It’s time we did something about it.
This year, America’s two-party system has failed us as never before. We have two candidates who are unpopular and riddled with scandals. They don’t just have skeletons in their closets. They have graveyards packed in there, threatening to break the door down the minute one of them is elected.
This truly is a race to the bottom. But we are told that we have to vote for Trump to keep Clinton out of the White House, or vote Hillary to keep The Donald from the Oval Office. Any other choice amounts to throwing away one’s vote or, worse, helping coronate the most menacing of candidates.
But what if that’s exactly the wrong way of thinking? What if enough people so splintered the vote by voting third party, blanking their ballots on the president or doing write-ins that the winning candidate — still likely Trump or Clinton, unfortunately — had only 25-30 percent of the total vote?
The winner could attempt to claim a mandate with that vote, but who would buy it? Any nominees for Cabinet, ambassador and especially judicial appointments would be subjected to extra scrutiny. Budget proposals would be dead on arrival. Vetoes could be easily overturned. Impeachment and removal would be real possibilities. Primary challengers would form a long line, making a second term truly unlikely.
Democracy is based on the consent of the governed. By refusing to be herded or bullied into supporting one of these two candidates, we would be withdrawing a good deal of that consent and sending a clear message to both Democratic and Republican parties. Do a better job next time or maybe you won’t be around for much longer.
Again, if you want to vote for Trump or Clinton, I’m not here to persuade you otherwise. You have your reasons, and I respect that. But millions of us don’t want to vote for either of these choices. In a truly free country, we should feel free to do exactly what we want with our votes. It is our right, our choice and, ultimately, our independence.
Jeremy Lott is author of the vice presidential history The Warm Bucket Brigade.
Read or Share this story: http://mycj.co/2f4h6gfYOUNG people will not be able to get unemployment benefits until they turn 25 under reforms introduced by the Turnbull Government today.
The coalition has unveiled wide-ranging welfare reforms in parliament today, including changes to the Newstart program.
It hopes to stop people aged 22 to 24 getting Newstart or the Sickness allowance, and they will instead be shifted to the Youth Allowance payment.
This will reduce the amount of money that they will be able to get, costing a single person living away from home about $90 a fortnight.
They will also be required to study in order to qualify for the payments.
“The key aim of this measure is to provide incentives for young unemployed people to obtain the relevant education and training to increase employability,” according to an explanatory memorandum for the bill.
However, it says Youth Allowance does allow students to earn a higher amount of money from part-time or casual work than Newstart, before this begins impacting their payments.
Students can also have up to $10,000 in the bank before their savings affect their payments.
But young people will also be forced to wait a month, and made to complete a compulsory program before they can get any payments.
The changes would be grandfathered so that 22, 23 and 24-year-olds already receiving Newstart can continue to do so.
They are part of a number of budget-saving welfare measures unveiled by the Turnbull Government today, which it hopes to get passed through parliament.
CHILD CARE CHANGES
Parents will finally get more help with childcare fees three years after the federal government first laid out its plans — as long as a new push to convince parliament is successful.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has labelled the planned changes “a very big social reform”.
More than 843,000 families have children in some form of child care.
The plan to scrap the existing complex system of payments and establish a single-fee subsidy is unchanged from what the government proposed in May 2015.
But the government has rejigged the welfare cuts it plans to use to inject an extra $3 billion into childcare subsidies, in an omnibus bill it hopes will be more palatable to crossbench senators.
If the legislation passes in the first half of the year, the new childcare subsidy will start from July 2, 2018.
It would be means-and activity-tested, giving families between 85 per cent and 20 per cent rebate on childcare fees.
One key change is scrapping the existing $7500 cap on rebates for families earning less than $185,000.
Education Minister Senator Simon Birmingham said that meant an extra 90,000 families would have their fees subsidised for the entire year instead of facing several months of “a horror for budgeting” when their costs suddenly doubled.
Another 40,000 families on high incomes will have that cap lifted to $10,000 a year.
Labor childcare spokeswoman Kate Ellis complained the government had not done anything to fix problems the sector had raised regarding the activity test and uncertainty for indigenous and rural care services.
However, key crossbench senator Nick Xenophon said the reworking of the cuts was a step in the right direction and the childcare package was improved.
CHANGES TO PARENTING PAYMENTS
To pay for the changes the government will phase out Family Tax Benefit A end-of-year supplements but increase fortnightly payments by about $20.
“I suspect even Labor might have a look at this bill because it does all of the things that Australian families are crying out to have,” Social Services Minister Christian Porter told reporters.
But Labor has said it will not support cuts to family tax benefits.
“We think the government is going to hurt millions of Australian families with these cuts,” Opposition families spokeswoman Jenny Macklin told reporters in Canberra.
Families on FTB A would be $200 worse off for each eligible child, and those on FTB B would be $350 a year worse off as a family.
An earlier move to scrap end-of-year payments for Family Tax Benefits A and B to pay for the child care measures was blocked in the upper house.
The government has now agreed to increase fortnightly family tax benefit payments by about $20 to compensate families for the loss of their annual supplement.
PAID PARENTAL LEAVE
The 70,000 new parents who have a child each year, may have to consider going back to work earlier with the government wanting to cut paid parental leave payments.
Currently the government provides 18 weeks’ leave paid at the minimum wage ($11,826) to new parents earning less than $150,000, and this is on top of any leave provided by their employers.
Last year the Turnbull Government tried to change this so that parents could only use government payments to top-up their work leave to a maximum of 18 weeks. It has now boosted this to 20 weeks.
It means that a new mother who gets 10 weeks of leave from her employer, will only be able to get an extra 10 weeks paid by the government for a maximum of 20 weeks leave.
The changes will not start until nine months after the bill passed, so women who are already pregnant don’t miss out.
CHANGES TO THE PENSION
Seniors living overseas would have their aged pensions cut off after six weeks, down from 26 weeks
New pensioners will also lose the right to get the $14-a-fortnight energy supplement.
Those who started receiving it before 20 September 2016, will still get the payments but those who got it on that date or afterwards, will only get the payment until 19 September 2017.A box filled with dirty diapers and a note for a package thief. (Photo courtesy Angie Boliek).
A package thief got a stinky surprise after messing with the wrong mom in Hillsboro.
The mom, Angie Boliek, told KATU she was fed up after someone stole a package carrying her son's Christmas baby pajamas.
The child made his own contributions to her plan for retribution.
"It's the season for stealing, I guess," Boliek said Tuesday.
She and her husband are new parents of a mellow, 4-month-old named Ben.
"It's a really fun time and it's fun watching him explore the world," Boliek explained. "He just looked at Christmas lights the last week and just loved 'em."
She said it's a yearly tradition in her family to have children take a photo in their Christmas pajamas, so she ordered some online.
"Thursday I got an email from the store saying it was delivered and I did not receive it," Boliek said.
When she realized the package was stolen she got frustrated.
"I wanted to get my own, I guess, passive-aggressive revenge," Boliek said.
She taped up a box filled with 10 to 15 of her son's dirty diapers along with a note reading, "Enjoy this you thief!" and left it on the porch Sunday.
By Monday evening she said the box was gone.
How dirty were the diapers?
"Well, he's been sick the last week, so we'll just leave it at that," Boliek said. "It's pretty gross."
She called Hillsboro police.
An officer told a KATU reporter -- while laughing -- that they don't have any leads at this point in either the theft of the pajamas or the No. 2 package.
"It was kind of a little bit of a relief and it was fun to come home and see that it was gone," Boliek said. "We had quite a good laugh thinking about someone opening up the box of dirty diapers, thinking that they're gonna get something good and it's not."
Police don't necessarily recommend her tactics.
A Hillsboro police spokesman offered up some tips saying you're better off getting a tracking number and paying close attention to your front porch on your scheduled delivery date or picking up your package from a delivery center.
Boliek and her husband said they're installing surveillance cameras.
Police say that and requiring signatures for packages are also good ways to help stop and catch so-called porch pirates or in this case "poop pirates."By Sean Trende - October 31, 2012
The Hurricane Sandy-related lull in tracking polls gives us a good opportunity to look at one of the more interesting aspects of polling to develop this month: the divergence between national and state polls. Put simply, the national surveys point to a Romney win, while the state polls collectively point to an Obama win. Both can’t be correct.
The RCP Average currently has Mitt Romney up by 0.8 points nationally. He has held this lead fairly consistently ever since the first presidential debate.
Given what we know about how individual states typically lean with respect to the popular vote, a Republican enjoying a one-point lead nationally should expect a three-to-four-point lead in Florida, a two-to-three-point lead in Ohio, and a tie in Iowa. Instead we see Romney ahead by roughly one point in Florida, and down by two in Ohio and Iowa.
Of course, every cycle sees states shift their partisan leans, sometimes radically. Nevada has swung heavily toward Democrats in a relatively short time, while West Virginia has bolted for Republicans. So it wouldn’t be shocking to see the partisan lean in Florida, Ohio and Iowa shift leftward. Indeed, it may be that Obama’s ad war, ground game, and policy decisions over the past four years (i.e., the auto bailout) have “frozen” these states in place vis-à-vis the rest of the country.
The problem is that shifts in partisan lean are zero-sum games: If one state moves rightward relative to the popular vote, some other state or states has/have to move leftward. (If you doubt me, try constructing a scenario in which all states are to the left of the national vote.) To account for what we see, some have hypothesized that Romney is simply over-performing in the blue states and blowing the roof off in the Southern red states, both of which are untouched by Obama’s ground game.
But this theory immediately runs smack into the face of some inconvenient facts. For starters, Florida, North Carolina, and Virginia collectively represent about one-third of the population of the South, so if the “state poll view” of the races is correct, then it becomes difficult for Romney to run up huge margins in the South. He would have to really be doing well in places like Texas, Mississippi and Georgia.
But this doesn’t square with the reality of the Deep South with Obama atop the ticket. Georgia and South Carolina were single-digit races in 2008, and the latest poll has Romney up only eight in the Peach State -- just a three-point improvement over McCain’s 2008 showing. In places like Mississippi and Alabama, the GOP likely maxed out its potential vote share against Obama in 2008; McCain won 88 percent of Mississippi whites while Obama won 98 percent of the state’s blacks. There simply isn’t much room for the GOP to grow under those circumstances. Texas? McCain won 73 percent of the white vote. So unless the GOP makes big gains among Latinos or turns Austin red, Texas is unlikely to be a vote sink for Romney. There are only so many votes the remaining states, like Tennessee and Kentucky, can provide.
But rather than provide anecdotal evidence, we can reverse-engineer a national poll from the state polls, and compare that to actual national polling. Since the national vote is a collection of state votes, polls of all states should collectively approximate the national vote (since errors should be randomly distributed, they should cancel out). This is done by a simple weighted average. First, I took the states with RCP Averages or, if available, polling from October. This provides data for 31 states. By keeping the poll data post-Oct. 4, our data set is confined to a fairly stable period in the race.
For the 19 remaining states, I assumed Romney would do as well as George W. Bush, who won nationally in 2004 by a little over two points. This is probably a fairly generous estimate for how Romney will do in these states, since I find it highly unlikely that he will match Bush’s 20-point win in Mississippi, due to higher minority turnout.
There were two exceptions to this approach: I downgraded Romney a few points from Bush's showing in Texas, and upgraded Obama a few points from Kerry's Hawaii performance, owing to the “home-state advantages” the former now lacks and the latter now holds.
I took these percentages and multiplied them by the actual number of votes cast in each state in 2008. This produced an expected vote total for Obama and Romney in each state under current polling (or, if not polls were available, under Bush’s 2004 vote shares).Nine people who volunteered to have their mouth swabbed in a roadside drug test pilot project tested positive for a drug, Toronto police said.
According to mid-point findings from the pilot project, by Feb. 16, 187 drivers and 18 passengers had agreed to the mouth swab. Of those tested, nine tested positive, police said.
From Dec. 19 to March 6, Toronto police officers asked drivers — who did not appear impaired — to volunteer for testing as part of a pilot project through Public Safety Canada.
Traffic Services Const. Clint Stibbe said the testing detected the presence of these drugs:
Cannabis in three instances;
Cocaine in four instances;
Methamphetamines in two instances;
Amphetamines in two instances;
Benzodiazepines in two instances.
Some of the nine people who tested positive were found to have more than one drug in their systems, according to police.
"Cannabis is something we have seen on the road. We've also seen cocaine, amphetamines, methamphetamines, and benzodiazepines that are also being used by individuals that have been on the road," he said.
The project used drug-screening devices Alere and Securetec through random stops and R.I.D.E spot checks.
The devices malfunctioned in 13 per cent of the tests, according to police, which means any results would likely be inadmissible in court.
The devices measure the presence of the drug, not how impaired someone is.
Detecting drug-impaired drivers a challenge
The federal government is expected to approve roadside saliva tests to detect drug use in its marijuana bill that is expected to be tabled Thursday. But what device will be used and what the legal limit will be have not yet been announced.
The Cannabis Task Force recommended in their final report that the federal government, "support the development of an appropriate roadside drug screening device for detecting THC levels, and invest in these tools."
They also noted "roadside testing tools to measure THC presence in a driver's system are in development."
"Once the legislation is tabled, which will include the amount of drug you would be able to have on board...then we as a service, with appropriate equipment, we would be able to move forward with proper enforcement," Stibbe said.
Public Safety Canada is now reviewing the data.
Results from the second half of the pilot project are expected to be released soon.
In the meantime, specially trained Drug Recognition Evaluators (DRE) can conduct Standard Field Sobriety Tests to patrol for drug-impaired drivers.
Toronto police arrested 86 drug-impaired drivers last year.
This year to date, they have arrested 12 people for drug-impaired driving, compared to 10 people by this time in 2016.Okay, before we get started I have to declare the real intent for posting this piece. It is to get you to join The Big Data Contrarians professional group here on LinkedIn.
To apply to join the best Big Data community on the web simply navigate to this address http://www.linkedin.com/grp/home?gid=8338976 (or paste it into your browser) and request membership, the process is quick and painless and well worth the effort.
Now for the rest of the news…
There are many common misconceptions amongst the Big Data collective about Data Warehousing. There are common fallacies that need clearing up in order avoid unnecessary confusion, avoidable risks and the damaging perpetuation of disinformation.
Big Picture
In the dim and distant past of business IT, the best information that senior executives could expect from their computer systems were operational reports typically indicating what went right or wrong or somewhere in between. Applied statistical brilliance made up for what data processing lacked in processing power, up to a point, because even heavy lifting statistics requires computing horsepower, which in those days was really a question of serious capital expenditure, which not all companies were willing to commit to.
Then, and curiously coincidentally, people around the world started to posit the need for using data and information to address significant business challenges, to act as input into the processes of strategy formulation, choice and execution. Reports would no longer just be for the Financial Directors or the paper collectors, but would support serious business decision making.
Many initiatives sprang up to meet the top-level decision-making data requirements; they were invariably expensive attempts, with variable outcomes. Some approaches were quite successful, but far too many failed, until the advent of Data Warehousing.
Back then, most of the data that could potentially aid decision-making was in operational systems. Both an advantage and a problem. Data in operational systems was like having data in gaol. Getting data into operational systems was relatively easy, getting it out and moving it around was a nightmare. However, one of the advantages of operational data is that it was generally stored in a structured format, even if data quality was frequently of a dubious nature, and ideas such as subject orientation and integration were far from being widespread.
Of course, data also came in from external sources, but usually via operational databases as well. An example of such data is instrument pricing in financial services.
Therefore, briefly, a lot of Data Warehousing started as a means to provide data to support strategic decision-making. Data Warehousing ways not about counting cakes, widgets or people, which was the purview of operational reporting, or to measure sentiment, likes or mouse behaviour, but to assist senior executives, address the significant business challenges of the day.
Who's your Daddy?
Bill Inmon, the father of Data Warehousing, defines it as being "a subject-oriented, integrated, time-variant and non-volatile collection of data in support of management's decision making process."
Subject Oriented: The data in the Data Warehouse is organised conceptually (the big canvas), logically (detailing the big picture and) and physically (detailing how it is implemented) by subjects of interest to the business, such as customer and product.
The thing to remember about subject areas is that they are not created ad-hoc by IT according to the sentiments of the time, e.g. during requirements gathering, but through a deeper understanding of the business, its processes and its pertinent business subject areas.
Integrated: All data entering the data warehouse is subject to normalisation and integration rules and constraints to ensure that the data stored is consistently and contextually unambiguous.
Time Variant: Time variance gives us the ability to view and contrast data from multiple viewpoints over time. It is an essential element in the organisation of data within the data warehouse and dependent data marts.
Non-Volatile: The data warehouse represents structured and consistent snapshots of business data over time. Once a data snapshot is established, it is rarely if ever modified.
Management Decision Making: This is the principal focus of Data Warehousing, although Data Warehouses have secondary uses, such as complementing operational reporting and analysis.
In plain language, if what your business has or is planning to have does not fully satisfy the Inmon criteria then it probably is not a Data Warehouse, but another form of data-store.
The thing to remember about informed management decision making is that it needs to be as good as required but it does not need to achieve technical perfection. This observation underlies the fact that Data Warehouse is a business process, and not an obsessive search for zero defects or the application of so called 'leading edge' technologies – faddish, appropriate or not.
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Some Basic Terms
Before we delve into the meaning of Data Warehousing, there are a couple of terms that need to be understood first, so, by way of illustration:
Let's follow the numbers in the simplification of the process.
We gather specific and well-bound data requirements from a specific business area. These are requirements by talking to business people and in understanding their requirements from a business as well as a data sourcing and data logistics perspective. Here we must remember at all times not to over-promise or to set expectations too high. Be modest. These business requirements are typically captured in a dimensional data model and supporting documentation. Remember that all requirements are subject to revision at a later data, usually in a subsequent iteration of a requirements gathering to implementation cycle. We identify the best source(s) for the required data and we record basic technical, management and quality details. We ensure that we can provide data to the quality required. Note that data quality does not mean perfection but data to the required quality tolerance levels. Data Warehouse data models modified as required to accommodate any new data at the atomic level. We define, document and produce the means (ETL) for getting data from the source and into the target Data Warehouse. Here we also pay especial attention to the four characteristics of Data Warehousing. ETL is an acronym for Extract (the data from source / staging), Transform (the data, making it subject oriented, integrated, and time-variant) and Load (the data into the Data Warehouse and Data Mart). We define, document and produce the means for getting data from the Data Warehouse into the Data Mart. In short, a bit more ETL. User acceptance testing. NB Users must ideally be involved in all parts of the end-to-end process that involves business requirements, participation and validation.
This is a very simplified view, but it serves to convey the fundamental chain of events. The most important aspect being that we start (1) and end (7) with the user, and we fully involve them in the non-technical aspects of the process.
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all sometimes and if you're close to him he'll try and kick your leg for some reason.
my friendos are some of the popular guys and stuff on the football team i dont care about and im just that short person who sits with them but everyone still likes me anyways :) the group sits at a table with mostly mexicans and blacks with like a few white people. it was like 4 people who actually beat him up though.
so two of my friends tried to keep him in the hallway during a passing by period talking to him, so the other two could get there. and they acted as if they were friends with him. when the other two got there one of us decided "hey why dont we skip class??" and they decided they would skip in the bathroom. i was already with them and why not so i just followed. we started to play fight with eachother, and the tardo kid hit one of them, trying to join in. so of course they hit him back, which was the plan in the first place. they all started to gang up on him and hit him, and i was trying to get them to stop. they were throwing really hard punches and kicks, and you could tell, because the kid was tearing up. i wanted to walk out and go to class and act as if i was just late, but they tried to keep me and said i should have joined in. i really didnt want someone to say that i was there, so i just left.
i didn't hear their names get called, on the intercom which you usually are if you're in trouble by the principal or something. we met up outside at dismissal later on, and they were talking about what they did, as if it were funny or super cool. i wanted to tell them they are jackasses but i didn't. the retardo didn't seem to have told anybody but it was visible that someone had beat him up, so im surprised nobody has said anything. it's possible he told a teacher and something is gonna happen tomorrow. i feel super bad
tl;dr - my friends beat up a poor retardo and i havent told anyone about it yet yetWhen Croatian carmaker Rimac Automobili unveiled its Concept_One, the world's fastest electric vehicle (EV) this spring, we were blown away by both its design and performance figures.
Thing is, though, sometimes having the best specs doesn't always translate into real-world speed and performance. But in Rimac's case, it does.
On Tuesday morning, Archie Hamilton released a video depicting a drag race between the Concept_One, and both a Tesla Model S P90D and Ferrari LaFerrari — two of the fastest electrified vehicles (the LaFerrari is a hybrid) around.
SEE ALSO: Ford promises driverless car without steering wheel or pedals in 2021
For a refresher, the all-electric Concept_One is said to have 1,088 horsepower. The Model S P90D produces around 532 horsepower. And the LaFerrari's V12 engine and onboard electric motor together churn out 950 horses.
That said, horsepower isn't everything, which is underscored by the car's 0 to 60 mph times. The P90D boasts a 2.8-second 0 to 60 mph time. Rimac's Concept_One is pegged at 2.6 seconds. And the $1 million LaFerrari claims to make that same sprint in 2.4 seconds.
Amazingly, on that fateful day in Croatia, the Rimac won out. Heck, it's so fast it makes Ludicrous mode look downright sensible.
Here's where we come to a bit of a speed bump, so to speak. While both the P90D and LaFerrari were available to customers (I say were because the LaFerrari is sold out), the Concept_One isn't available for purchase in the strict sense; it can be custom-built on order, but you can't buy it in a store.
Regardless of whether its a production car or not, its accelerative capabilities are wildly impressive,
So let this stand as an example to us all. Just because we are privy to some astoundingly quick cars right now, the future surely holds much, much faster ones indeed.Disclaimer: The usage of the word “sick” in this article is to reflect the problematic, social stigma around mental illness, and not as a moral or social indictment of people with mental illnesses or disorders.
The first woman I ever loved told me that when you’re queer and Black, illness is a shadow that always follows you but that no one ever acknowledges. She sang the words “I’m fine” every day, and sometimes I wasn’t sure if it was the world or herself that she was trying to convince. You know, she wanted to convince herself that if she simply followed the advice of well-intentioned friends and strangers to smile a little more and to “cheer up,” that she truly would be fine.
I find my loved ones in the gossamer pages of dictionaries. I find myself when I read between the lines. We are a series of bullet points and over-simplified definitions. The New Oxford American Dictionary defines “sick” as:
1. Affected by physical or mental illness
2. of or relating to those who are ill
3. (of an organization, system, or society) suffering from serious problems, esp. of a financial nature
4. pining or longing for someone or something
One.
It took 19 years for me to see a therapist. I squirmed on an ugly love-seat that looked more comfortable than it felt, surrounded by posters that championed ways to feel happy. I didn’t know where to start when the doctor asked me what was wrong, so I blurted out my laundry list of despair all at once, just put it all out there. When I told the doctor that sometimes life feels too heavy, when I told the doctor that death looked more inviting, she replied, “Nothing’s wrong with you. I think you’ll be okay.” A box of tissues and a plastic smile prescribed to yet another queer Black kid.
To be queer and Black and unwell is to live in silences.
Like the doctor’s silence in a room too sanitized to hold my pain.
Silence.
Like my mother who cried wordlessly when she found the suicide notes I wrote in case I needed them.
Silence.
After that first appointment with the therapist, I was too ashamed to tell my family that I tried to get help.
Silence.
Two.
My chosen family consists of many Black queers the world deems “sick.” I was privileged enough to get better. No unpronounceable names were issued to define the way my mind works (or doesn’t work), or the way my body moves (or doesn’t move). In time, I found myself on the upside of a downward spiral. I was finally… okay. I didn’t understand that not everyone is fortunate enough to “get better,” especially as easily as I did. I held other people to unreasonable standards. I held and sometimes still hold my family to unreasonable standards. I held the woman I loved to unreasonable standards.
In a given year, one in every four US Americans experience a mental illness, according to the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). NAMI also confirms that LGB populations are two-and-a-half times more likely to have a mental disorder than heterosexual populations, while a survey conducted in 2010 reported that 41% of trans* individuals have attempted suicide.
One study explains, “In mainstream mental health settings, [LGBT folks] often feel compelled to hide their sexual orientation or gender identity; conversely, in the LGBT community, mention of their mental health status is often unwelcome.”
We tell each other to “come as you are” into a big, rainbow-decorated family, but we, who are neuro-typical, do not always make proper accommodations for our neuro-diverse siblings, or don’t always check our privileges. We may even roll our eyes when one of our queer siblings “forgets” to leave their depression, anxiety, PTSD, OCD, bipolarity, or other illness at home. I too have rolled my eyes before, reducing another person’s struggle to “extreme sensitivity” or “unnecessary drama”.
To be Black means to be 20% more likely to report having psychological distress than white US Americans. The disparity is compounded when socioeconomic class factors into the reports. Narrowing the categories complicates the results because the number and types of illnesses and/or disorders increase in proportion to the number of marginalized identities a person has. A study done from February of 2004 to January of 2005 details that 60% of Black LGBTQ people have some type of mental disorder.
Three.
My family used to joke that only white people need therapy. Black people go to church instead, find remedies on their knees in prayer, sing their sorrows away. Meanwhile, white academics told me that African-Americans merely fabricated ungrounded stigma around psychiatric help. As absurd as these two viewpoints may sound, these myths actually point to a greater phenomenon.
As of 2012, 15% of the US American population without health insurance was African-American. Considering the role economic status plays in healthcare sheds light on the racial discrepancy with respect to treating mental illness. Many people with health insurance find that their companies don’t cover the cost of mental illness treatment, and those without any health insurance find themselves facing incredibly high prices to pay for medical care, or opting not to pursue treatment at all. These obstacles often lead Black folks in the states to “rely on family, religious and social communities for emotional support rather than turning to health care professionals, even though this may at times be necessary,” states NAMI’s fact sheet on African American Community Mental Health.
Even if able to pay for treatment, many Black folks encounter prejudices and biases from medical caregivers. Black people, especially Black men, are frequently misdiagnosed when it comes to mental illness. For example, most prominently in the 1960s, white doctors institutionalized Black men involved in civil rights protests (particularly in Detroit) on the grounds that the behaviors these men defended as political activism was really schizophrenic rage and volatility. Also, medical practitioners’ prescriptions sometimes reflect discriminatory and generally racial assumptions that Black people do not need as much medicine as white people. Studies conducted by the University of Michigan’s School of Public Health discovered that Black US Americans are 1.5 times as likely to be denied antidepressant treatment. No one wants tell you that the system is sick. No one wants to tell you that the healthcare system intentionally keeps historically marginalized groups like queer folks, and Black folks, and people who happen to find themselves at the intersection of queerness and Blackness sick.
Four.
The first woman I ever loved was always just out of reach, every inch of her slipping through my careless hands, every word she spoke barely intelligible. I held her as if she were simultaneously fragile and lethal to convince myself that I wasn’t the one falling apart. Loving her meant learning to love the parts of me that sometimes cannot get out of bed, that sometimes feel broken for no apparent reason, that make me unwell. She said, “I’m not a fucking statistic,” but I could only see her through percentage signs and medical dictionary definitions. The first woman I ever loved told me that when you’re queer and Black, illness is a shadow that always follows you, but that no one ever acknowledges. I walked away because I didn’t know how to see it.Colin,
I used to work with JOHN, a black guy from Michigan who liked to “Fuck off at work” as he put it, “Because of what was done to his people”.
JOHN would rush through his work (metal finishing sheet metal parts for the high end Pickup trucks). When the poorly prepped parts came back to be done right, Eddie didn’t have to fix his work, it fell on all of his fellow workers.
Other forms of goofing off were shooting half-full bottles of soda into the garbage cans at far ends of the building, and talking on his cell phone for extended periods during work hours. I overheard him talking about it one day, and he said “If they fuck with me about it (management) I’ll fight it, and I’ll win”.
JOHN was proficient at playing the race card, and used his black privilege any time he could. When I mentioned this in a paper I wrote a couple years ago in college, my paper was down-graded because I “couldn’t say that”. My young social thinking white female Interpersonal communications Professor told me that even though it was true, I wasn’t allowed to speak that way about someone.
JOHN called me a “Stupid country fuck”, and about every other profanity in the book, I’m guessing that was okay, because he was obviously a very disturbed guy.
My family never owned slaves, or condoned slavery, so the Reparation theme is wearing thin with me, considering how hard I’ve had to work my whole life. Blacks I’ve worked and have been friends with, are for the most part ambitious, friendly, and helpful…except for the folks like JOHN.
They come in all colors and races, whatever you call it. According to the mounting evidence you present though, blacks in particular think they are “owed something”,
and it’s time to collect. It’s obviously time for the rest of us to organize, analyze, and do something about this increasing problem. I would suggest going beyond books, and making a movie, maybe Dinesh would be interested.
If people like Simone Shabazz can spew hate openly saying “If blacks wanna be free it’s time to kill some Crackers, you’re gonna hafta kill some of their babies, I hate every iota of a cracker” without being prosecuted for hate speech, then anybody should be able to say anything they want..period.
How many whites have been assaulted lately as a result of open racial hoStilities by blacks?
Thank you for bringing it out in the open Colin, keep up the good work,An overwhelming majority of likely Iowa Republican caucus-goers oppose accepting Syrian refugees into the U.S., according to a new Quinnipiac Poll released Tuesday morning.
Eighty-one percent disagree with President Obama’s decision to resettle Syrian refugees in America, while 82 percent oppose the refugees settling inside Iowa specifically. The poll shows that the more conservative a voter says they are, the less likely they are to want refugees on American shores.
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The Obama administration has stood by its plan to accept up to 10,000 Syrian refugees this year despite significant criticism from lawmakers amid reports that at least one of the terrorists who attacked France earlier this month may have come into the country with Syrian refugees.
A bill to halt resettling Syrian refugees passed the House with a veto-proof majority last week, and almost every GOP presidential candidate disagrees with resettling refugees in America, at least for the time being.
Strong majorities also support sending American ground troops to fight the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) — 73 percent — as well as believe that America and its allies are losing the fight against ISIS — 83 percent. Those in households where a member is in the military have almost the exact same views on both issues.
GOP presidential candidates Donald 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 and Ben Carson have come out in favor of an expanded military presence in Iraq but have balked at the prospect of putting troops in Syria. Former Gov. Jeb Bush (Fla.) has called for troops in both countries.
Others, such as Sen. Marco Rubio Marco Antonio RubioHillicon Valley: Senators urge Trump to bar Huawei products from electric grid | Ex-security officials condemn Trump emergency declaration | New malicious cyber tool found | Facebook faces questions on treatment of moderators Key senators say administration should ban Huawei tech in US electric grid Trump unleashing digital juggernaut ahead of 2020 MORE (Fla.) and Gov. John Kasich (Ohio) want NATO to intervene in response to the attack in Paris.
Quinnipiac University polled 600 likely GOP caucus-goers Nov. 16–22, days after the Paris terrorist attacks. The margin of error is 4 percentage points.For the fifth year in a row, global internet freedom continued its downward trend in 2015, with more governments censoring information of public interest while simultaneously expanding surveillance and thwarting privacy tools, according to the annual assessment by the U.S.-based Freedom House released Wednesday.
Since June 2014, 32 of the 65 countries assessed in Freedom on the Net (pdf) saw internet freedom deteriorate, according to the nonprofit, which monitors digital rights and advocates for democracy. Notable declines were documented in Libya, France, and—for the second year running—Ukraine, amid what Freedom House describes as "its territorial conflict and propaganda war with Russia."
While the end is the same—increasing erosion of privacy and human rights afforded by a free and open internet—the means have shifted slightly.
"Governments are increasingly pressuring individuals and the private sector to take down or delete offending content, as opposed to relying on blocking and filtering," explained Sanja Kelly, project director for Freedom on the Net. "They know that average users have become more technologically savvy and are often able to circumvent state-imposed blocks."
According to the report, authorities in 42 of the 65 countries assessed required private companies or internet users to restrict or delete web content dealing with political, religious, or social issues, up from 37 the previous year. Criticism of the authorities was most likely to attract censorship or punishment, while news about conflict, corruption allegations against top government or business figures, opposition websites, and satire were also subject to online censorship in over one third of the countries examined.
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In fact, the study found that over 61 percent of all internet users live in countries where criticism of the government, military, or ruling family has been subject to censorship online, and over 58 percent live in countries where bloggers or other internet users were jailed for sharing content on political, social, and religious issues.
Meanwhile, even as governments in 14 of 65 countries passed new laws to increase surveillance, and many more upgraded their surveillance equipment, encryption and anonymity tools crucial to securing freedom of expression were subject to restrictions worldwide.
"Given the mounting concerns over government surveillance, companies and internet users have taken up new tools to protect the privacy of their data and identity," the report reads, noting that UN Special Rapporteur David Kaye stated in May 2015 that encryption and anonymity are essential to basic human rights.
"Unfortunately," the report continues, "governments around the world have moved to limit encryption and undermine anonymity for all internet users, often citing the use of these tools by terrorists and criminals. Such restrictions disproportionately threaten the lives and work of human rights activists, journalists, opposition political figures, and members of ethnic, religious, and sexual minorities."Of the 2.5 million families in Michigan, only 7 percent fit the traditional stereotype: A married couple with children under 18 where the husband works and the wife stays home, according to data recently released as part of the U.S. Bureau's 2014 American Community Survey.
One factor: A shrinking number of Michigan families include children. In 2005, 47 percent of Michigan families had children under 18; in 2014, it was 41 percent.
Here are some other highlights about the latest Census data on Michigan families with children and on parents in the workforce:
Database: Family characteristics by county
by Caspio
to load this Caspio
.
1. There are a growing number of single-parent households.
Single-parent households with children in 2005 comprised 31 percent of Michigan families in 2005 compared to 35 percent in 2014.
Nationally, single parents headed 12 percent of families in 1960, 23 percent in 1980 and 31 percent in 2000.
2. Women are three times more likely then men to head single-parent households.
Women headed 74 percent of Michigan's single-parent households with children under 18 in 2014.
However, single mothers were less likely to have a job than single fathers. In 2014, about 22 percent of single mothers with children under 18 did not work, compared to 14 percent of single fathers.
3. There is a slight decline in stay-at-home mothers among Michigan's married women.
In 2005, 41 percent of children under 6 with two parents had a stay-at-home mother compared to 38 percent of children under 6 in 2014.
Among children ages 6 to 17 with two parents, about 27 percent had a stay-at-home mother in 2014.
About 4 percent of children with two parents have a stay-at-home father and a mother who works. That number has stayed about the same in 2014 compared to 2005.
4. Among Michigan families with children, the most common dynamic is a household with two parents, both of whom work outside the home.
Of the 1 million Michigan families with children under age 18, 44 percent are headed by a married couple with both parents in the labor force.
The second-biggest category: Families headed by a single parent who works, a description that fits 29 percent of Michigan households with children.
Meanwhile, 20 percent of families are headed by married couples with one working parent and one who stays home; 6 percent of families are headed by a single parent who doesn't work, and 2 percent are two-parent families where neither parent works.
5. About 70 percent of married couples with children have both partners in the workforce.
Of those dual-career couples, a little less than half consisted of two full-time workers. The rest had one full-time and one part-time worker, or in a smaller number of instances, two part-time earners.
6. The proportion of families with children headed by two full-time workers has grown.
Between 2005 and 2014, the percentage of married couples with two working parents stayed about the same, but fewer couples juggled two full-time jobs.
In 2005, about a quarter of all married couples with kids consisted of two full-time workers, compared to a third of such families in 2014.
7. About 9 percent of Michigan children live in households with two unmarried partners.
Of the 2.2 million children in Michigan under 18, about 201,000 live in a household with two adults who are unmarried partners, according to the 2014 Census data.
That percentage has gone up since 2005, when the Census estimated 6 percent of Michigan children lived in a family headed by unmarried partners.
8. Children living with a single mother were six times more likely to live in poverty than children living with two parents.
About 19 percent of Michigan families with children younger than age 18 live in poverty, but there's a significant gap between single moms and two-parent families.
The 2014 poverty rate was 8 percent for two-parent households, compared to 45 percent for families headed by a single mother.
Julie Mack writes for MLive.com. Email her at jmack1@mlive.com, call her at 269-350-0277 or follow her on Twitter @kzjuliemack.KFC is gifting Indians boxes of burgers and fried chicken with in-built mobile phone chargers.
The fast-food chain has launched limited-edition “Watt-A-Box” packages in Delhi and Mumbai to apparently add “an element of utility” to the otherwise humble paper boxes. Most of these boxes are up for grabs through an online contest, although some are being gifted to customers at select stores.
“Each one of us spends a considerable amount of time on smartphones daily. And the phone battery going dead is almost like a nightmare! No longer is that the case, with the Watt-a-Box around,” Lluis Ruiz Ribot, chief marketing officer at the fast-food chain’s India unit, told The Times of India, commenting on this India-specific innovation.
India is the world’s second-largest smartphone market with 220 million users. With mobile network providers offering affordable data plans, Indians are increasingly plugged-in to their smartphones. According to a July 2015 study, they spend an average of 169 minutes a day on their smartphones.
Besides, this isn’t the first time Yum! Brands—parent company of Pizza Hut, KFC, and Taco Bell—has tried such innovations. Earlier this year, the Nasdaq-listed company announced that it will deploy order-taking robots in its Pizza Hut outlets in Japan.
Companies like Yum! are under pressure to revive footfalls in stores amid growing competition and lukewarm demand in India. For the quarter ending March 31, 2016, sales at Pizza Hut and KFC outlets declined by 6% and 1% respectively, according to a report by The Economic Times.
Hopefully, charging points inside boxes of fried chicken will help the company’s top-line, unlike our waistlines.Ukraine's military and pro-Russian separatists have reported new casualties amid growing fears of an escalation of the conflict that has shattered ties between Moscow and the West, while Russia firmly denies it has any soldiers in eastern Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military said on November 13 that four of its soldiers had been killed and 18 wounded in fighting with the rebels over the previous 24 hours.
It said the fighting was concentrated in the area of the international airport outside Donetsk, one of two rebel-held provincial capitals in eastern Ukraine, and the village of Debaltseve near the border with the Luhansk region.
Separatist authorities in the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" said three people were injured by artillery shelling in Donetsk overnight and reported an ongoing bombardment of rebel positions near Debaltseve.
In Kyiv, military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said shelling by separatists in both the Luhansk and Donetsk regions had intensified, but that Ukrainian forces have no intention of renouncing a September 5 cease-fire.
The truce has been violated daily, with each side blaming the other.
Lysenko said a buildup of forces in the areas the separatists control signaled they were planning a new offensive in a conflict that has killed more than 4,000 people since April and driven Russia's ties with the West to post-Cold War lows.
Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, meanwhile, told journalists in Kyiv on November 13 that the border between Russia and Ukraine continues to be "repeatedly crossed by Russian regular forces."
'A Return To Full-Scale Fighting'?
On November 12, the UN Security Council -- in which Russia and the United States have the power to block resolutions -- met in an emergency session on Ukraine's crisis for the 26th time, again without taking action.
UN Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs Jens Anders Toyberg-Frandzen told the council that the UN was "deeply concerned over the possibility of a return to full-scale fighting" in eastern Ukraine.
He said the country could also face a months-long simmering conflict that would be catastrophic, or the situation in eastern Ukraine could become a "frozen" conflict that lingers for years or even decades.
Kyiv and Western governments are concerned that Russian President Vladimir Putin may want the separatists to seize more territory in Ukraine or solidify control over the areas where the rebels elected leaders and legislatures in November 2 elections dismissed by the United States and European Union as illegitimate violations of the September 5 truce agreement, which also called for other measures to end the conflict.
The meeting came hours after NATO's top commander said "multiple columns" of Russian tanks, artillery, and antiaircraft units had crossed from Russia into separatist-controlled territory over the previous two days.
Russian issued its clearest denial yet of a military presence in eastern Ukraine, saying that there are no Russian soldiers there.
"I tell you completely candidly and officially that there have not been and are no military movements across the border, let alone a presence of our military personnel on the territory of Ukraine," Foreign Ministry spokesman Aleksandr Lukashevich said.
He said Russia is doing everything it can to prevent an escalation of the conflict and accused Kyiv of violating the September 5 peace agreement.
Luakshevich said Russia was talking to the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) observer mission "about what they said in their report," referring to the monitors' sightings of unmarked military convoys in rebel-held territory in eastern Ukraine in recent days.
Lukashevich added that the collapse of the cease-fire "must not be allowed.... It would be catastrophic for the situation in Ukraine."
Kyiv and Western governments have dismissed Moscow's denials, pointing to evidence including sightings of convoys and numerous funerals of Russian soldiers that have been held in Russia in recent months.
Lysenko, the Ukrainian spokesman, said there has been no let-up in the flow of military equipment to the rebels from Russia.
A top official from the OSCE said the observer mission in eastern Ukraine faces "unacceptable restrictions" on its mandate to monitor the border with Russia.
Ilkka Kanerva, the president of the OSCE's Parliamentary Assembly, told the OSCE Permanent Council in Vienna on November 13 that monitors are limited to reporting "only what it sees pass through the official crossing along the tiniest strip of the border."
Kanerva asked, "If we are not permitted to do it right, the question is -- is it worth to do it at all?"
With reporting by dpa and InterfaxAdvances in Biologically Inspired Reservoir Computing
Download the Call for Papers
Scope and motivation
Reservoir computing is a family of techniques for training and analyzing recurrent neural networks, wherein the recurrent portion of the network is assigned before the training process, typically via stochastic assignment of its weights. The non-linear reservoir acts as a high-dimensional kernel space, which generates complex dynamics characterized by sharp transitions between ordered and chaotic regimes. The behavior of this model emulates the functioning of many biological (complex) systems, among which the brain.
Driven by the conceptual simplicity of the reservoir and by links with neuroscience, computer science and systems’ theory, researchers have achieved remarkable breakthroughs, both in theory and in practice. These include dynamical models for explaining the working behavior of reservoirs, unsupervised strategies for the adaptation of the network, and the design of unconventional computing architectures for its execution.
The recent upsurge of interest in fully adaptable recurrent networks, far from shifting the attention from the field, has brought renewed interest in reservoir computing models. In our era of extreme computational power and sophisticated problems, it is essential to understand the limits and the potentialities of simple (both deterministic and random) collections of processing units. For this reason, many fundamental questions remain open, including the design of optimal task-dependent reservoirs in a stable fashion, novel investigations on the memory and power capabilities of reservoir devices, and their applicability in an ever-increasing range of domains.
In light of this, the aim of this special issue is to provide a unified platform for bringing forth and advancing the state-of-the-art in reservoir computing approaches. Researchers are invited to submit innovative works on the theory and implementation of this family of techniques, in order to provide an up-to-date overview on the field.
Topics
The topics of interest to be covered by this Special Issue include, but are not limited to:
Theoretical analyses on the computational power of reservoir computing.
Deep reservoir models.
Techniques for the automatic adaptation of the reservoir and the readout.
Supervised, unsupervised and semi-supervised training criteria.
Non-conventional substrates for the implementations of reservoirs.
Parallel and distributed algorithms for reservoir computing.
Comparisons between reservoir computing and standard (deep) neural networks.
Reservoir computing for reinforcement learning problems.
Fundamental links between reservoir computing and neuroscientific findings.
Investigation of reservoir dynamic in a phase space of reduced dimensionality.
Applicative papers in all areas (including robotics, industrial control, etc.) are welcome, as well as outstanding surveys on specific aspects of the field.
Paper submission
All papers should follow the manuscript preparation requirements for the Springer Cognitive Computation submissions, see http://www.springer.com/biomed/neuroscience/journal/12559. For LaTeX submission, please use the svjour3 package available at http://www.springeropen.com/au thors/tex. The authors are requested to submit their manuscripts via the online submission manuscript system, available at http://www.editorialmanager.com/cogn/. During submission, authors should explicitly choose the title of the special issue in the Subject line. Should there be any further enquiries, please feel free to address them to the lead guest editor: Simone Scardapane (simone.scardapane@uniroma1.it)
Deadlines
Submissions Deadline (EXTENDED) 31 October 2016 30 September 2016 First notification of acceptance 30 November 2016 Submission of revised papers 15 January 2017 Final notification to the authors 31 January 2017 Submission of final/camera-ready papers 15 February 2017 Publication of special issue TBD
Organizers
For more information, please contact the Special Session organizers:Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
Sep. 11, 2015, 6:56 PM GMT / Updated Sep. 11, 2015, 8:42 PM GMT By Erin McClam
In a stunning upset, Serena Williams was bounced from the U.S. Open on Friday and lost her bid for the first Grand Slam in tennis in 27 years.
Roberta Vinci, an unseeded Italian ranked No. 43 in the world, beat Williams 2-6, 6-4, 6-4 in the semifinals.
Williams was aiming for her 22nd major title, which would have tied her with Steffi Graf for the most in the Open Era. She had won the Australian Open, the French Open and Wimbledon and needed only the U.S. Open to clinch the Grand Slam.
PHOTOS: See Serena Williams grow up over 21 Grand Slam wins
Vinci, 32, had never made it past the quarterfinals of a Grand Slam. In four previous matches against Williams, she had never even won a set.
"She played literally out of her mind," Williams said.
On court after the match, Vinci called it the greatest moment of her life.
"It's an incredible moment for me," she said. Told by an ESPN reporter that she was a 300-to-1 underdog against Williams, she said, "Really?", then repeated it in Italian to her coach.
She apologized — "for the American people, for Serena, for the Grand Slam." But she said, "Today is my day. Sorry, guys."
Williams had not lost a Grand Slam match since June 27, 2014 — and not at the U.S. Open in four years. The loss left her agonizingly short of what would have been the first Grand Slam since Graf in 1988.
Her bid was the most hotly anticipated event in tennis in years. Tickets to the women's final sold out days before the first match, and it was the first time in memory that the women's final had sold out before the men's.
Vinci will play the 26th seed, Flavia Pennetta, in the final on Saturday.Pep Guardiola, the Barcelona coach, said he was "frightened" of facing Arsenal after the two clubs were once again drawn together in the last 16 of the Champions League. The tie came as no surprise to Arsène Wenger, though, who had predicted his Arsenal side would meet the Spanish giants before the draw took place in Nyon.
While Manchester United drew Marseille, Chelsea face FC Copenhagen and Tottenham Hotspur are up against Milan in their respective ties, the third meeting between Arsenal and Barcelona is the pick of the round and a repeat of last season's quarter-final, which Barcelona won 6-3 on aggregate.
"Arsenal frighten me, but that is true of all the clubs in the draw," said Guardiola "I will be a little calmer when I start to watch their games if I can see any weaknesses. Arsenal are a classic of English football. They have been playing good football for years now. I think they will be stronger than they were last season with [Samir] Nasri now fully established in the team, plus the signing of [Marouane] Chamakh.
"Also there's a difference this time: Cesc [Fábregas] will be on the pitch," the Barcelona manager added. Arsenal's captain missed last season's second leg at the Camp Nou due to injury.
"If you're not at your best, Arsenal overrun you. It should be a fantastic game because we are two very similar sides. They are a very bold, daring team, a side that forces you to defend very well. They play and defend with the ball – they are a very good team who play nice football."
Despite Arsenal being demolished by four goals from Lionel Messi in last season's return leg, and having also been beaten 2-1 in the 2006 final in Paris, Wenger is confident ahead of the teams' meetings on 16 February, at the Emirates, and 8 March, at the Camp Nou.
"Revenge is not on my mind," said the Arsenal manager. "We want to qualify and we want to knock them out. So is it difficult? Yes. Is it possible? Yes. Barcelona are certainly the favourites [for the competition] and a famous team but they did not want us either because they know they will get a game. We are better than last year and we have a good opportunity to show that.
"It is too early to speak about this game concretely. The whole context might be completely different in two months. We don't know what we will do and how we will feel. But the best way of going into that game with confidence is down to what we do from today. If we do well in the league, the FA Cup and the Carling Cup that will give us the best chance of knocking them out."
While Chelsea and Manchester United got kind draws, the next round will be much tougher for Tottenham Hotspur, who take on the Serie A leaders. But Harry Redknapp, the Spurs manager, said: "I would have taken AC Milan before the draw. They are leading the league in Italy but it has the makings of a great game over two legs.
"You want to play the top teams in the world, that's what people want to see so it's a great chance to bring them to White Hart Lane for a great game. It's one to look forward to."
Chelsea will hope to progress further than last year when they lost 3-1 on aggregate in the last 16 to the eventual champions, José Mourinho's Internazionale. Carlo Ancelotti said of the tie against FC Copenhagen, which is to be played on 22 February and 16 March: "It was a good draw. We don't have to be happy because Copenhagen is a good team. They had some good performances in the group because they were able to |
, this is a way of thanking you for supporting us. After the campaign is over we'll be retailing the headband for $24.99 each on Amazon or anywhere else.Thanks a billion for your support!Samantha Bee is going full frontal with Hillary Clinton.
The “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee” host has been tapped to introduce Clinton at Tina Brown’s annual Women in the Word summit, which is set to take place April 5 – 7 at Lincoln Center in New York City.
Clinton will be on hand for a conversation with New York Times columnist and author Nicholas Kristof.
Also Read: Samantha Bee Edits Trump Tweet to Call President a 'Giant Baby'
Other participants at this year’s summit include Tracee Ellis Ross, Lena Dunham, Cecile Richards, Scarlett Johansson, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Masha Gessen, Dr. Annie Sparrow, Maria Bello, Zhang Xin, Nadiya Savchenko and Diane von Furstenberg, among many others.
The summit, which was launched in 2010 in New York and has since expanded to London and New Delhi, brings together female activists, artists, CEO’s, peacemakers, entrepreneurs, trailblazers, and firebrand dissidents from around the world who have saved or enriched lives and shattered glass ceilings in every sector.
Tickets for the summit are available here.Ms. Winfrey,
Can you lose weight while continuing to consume bread and other products made with wheat flour and grains? You absolutely can—though it is quite difficult physically and emotionally, requiring monumental willpower, as you already know. But I fear that you have overlooked crucial issues in your campaign for Weight Watchers and the exoneration of bread. You have, unfortunately, propagated some destructive misconceptions. And the people who you have hurt the most I suspect are the people who you would have preferred to help the most.
Losing weight by avoiding processed food products made with wheat and related grains is exceptionally easy because it means that you avoid the gliadin protein-derived opiates that stimulate appetite. The fact that you lost 26 pounds is testimony more to the power of your will than it is to the power of the Weight Watchers program. You have succeeded in losing weight—at least temporarily—despite having, I’m sure, to fight back against overwhelming hunger and cravings due to this effect of grains that you have chosen to remain in your diet. Yes: it can be done. But it is a test of willpower. Willpower wanes over time for most people, explaining why the majority of people who lose weight successfully by reducing calories and portion sizes regain the weight over time, often ending up heavier than at the start. I’d love to see you fit back into a size 4 dress, but it is far more likely that the 26 pounds you lost will return as soon as your resolve dissipates.
By embracing the Weight Watchers’ message, you have propagated the notion that people are overweight because they are gluttonous and lazy, just as government agencies claim. Americans are overweight, according to the USDA and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, because they eat too much and move too little. In other words, it is your fault if you struggle with weight. I believe that this is wrong. I believe the blame lies with the predatory practices of Big Food who have chosen to promote high-sugar, high-fructose corn syrup, and grain-based foods, a high-carbohydrate load that inevitably leads to weight gain. Blame also lies with organizations such as the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics and the American Heart Association who have clung to outdated advice to cut fat and saturated fat and increase consumption of “healthy whole grains,” in effect advising Americans to create a caloric deficit by reducing fat and to fill that void with the carbohydrates and appetite-stimulating properties of grains that yield gliadin-derived opiates. Obesity on the unprecedented scale we now witness—the worst epidemic ever in the history of man—is not due to gluttony and sloth; it is due to this convergence of phenomena. Big Food companies are to blame, the U.S. government and other agencies that offered this advice are to blame. People gained weight because of bad advice, not because they are weak-willed and indulgent. (There are indeed people who have gained weight due to gluttony and sloth, but the majority of hard-working, health-minded Americans have gained weight despite doing what they thought was “right,” given such guidelines.)
Your endorsement of a calorie-cutting, portion-limiting program thereby reinforces the false notion that people are overweight and that it’s their own fault.
Another very important issue that you should be aware of with your reliance on wheat- and grain-based products: Be prepared to have a future of health problems. Populations who do not consume grains enjoy freedom from autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, and psoriasis; type 2 diabetes; hypertension; acid reflux, irritable bowel syndrome, and constipation; coronary heart disease; depression and suicide; and bear a far lesser burden of cancer and dementia. These are the “diseases of civilization” that plague modern humans eating modern diets, but not societies that do not consume such Western foods. With your dietary approach, you have in effect endorsed a style of eating that can, with difficulty, achieve weight loss, but propagates risk for all of these modern diseases.
Segments of the population that have historically been exposed to grains and sugars via agriculture have less susceptibility to their adverse effects. This means that people of European and Asian origin have the advantage of partial adaptation to their consumption since they have existed in agricultural societies for 10,000 years. (Adaptation to grains and sugar is never complete, else we’d have no type 2 diabetes.) Native Americans, native Australian Aboriginal populations, populations of the South Pacific Islands, New Zealand and New Guinea natives, African Americans, and native Africans develop explosive levels of the “diseases of civilization” when exposed to Western foods, especially grains and sugars. This explains why, for instance, the Pima Indians of Arizona have the highest rate of type 2 diabetes in the world. It explains why primitive populations in the Amazonian basin develop rampant obesity and diabetes in as short as 2 or 3 years when exposed to Western foods. It explains why African Americans living in the U.S. have the worst incidence of type 2 diabetes, obesity, hypertension, stroke, and heart disease compared to other ethic groups in the U.S. The message that groups like this are overweight and that it’s their own fault is counterproductive and wrong—they, in fact, have been the most deeply victimized by bad dietary information. Sadly, these populations are also the most subject to predatory advertising practices by Big Food—once again, it is NOT the fault of the individual.
Your message that Weight Watchers “works” and that bread can be a part of a diet program thereby propagates destructive and widely-held misconceptions that are increasingly crippling the health of Americans. I fear you have failed in your due diligence, embracing an outdated program based on government pronouncements based more on politics, scientific misinterpretation, and ignorance than an objective review of the science. You may have increased shareholder value of the Weight Watchers’ brand, but you have done tremendous harm to millions of people who trust your judgment.
Perhaps it’s not too late to make amends: Sell your shares, learn and reflect on your mistakes, make the necessary apologies, come to understand that Americans have been misinformed, exploited, and used—refuse to be a part of it. And understand that solutions for weight and health will not come through conventional providers of dietary advice, whether government or private, as the profit motive is too strong and exerts too much influence. The solutions for weight loss and health are, in truth, simple, accessible to virtually everyone, and come at almost no cost. But those solutions won’t make anyone rich.
William Davis, MDThe NBN Co was rebooted at the end of last year, and ever since then it has been behaving...strangely. All of a sudden, Fibre-To-The-Premises (FTTP) is a giant steaming pile of arse. Wait, what?
To understand why, we need to go back in time slightly.
Before the Coalition won power in the last election, the National Broadband Network Company (to use its full name) was fully committed to delivering fast internet to Aussies via a mix of Fixed Wireless and Satellite delivery networks, with Fibre-To-The-Premise forming the cornerstone of the plan. Millions of Aussies would see their homes and businesses passed by the FTTP infrastructure, which promised download speeds of 100Mbps to each connection.
The Coalition thought it frightfully expensive, and decided to run on a platform of building it cheaper and "sooner", with something called Fibre-To-The-Node (or FTTN) at the cornerstone. FTTN would leave the copper in the ground through your street and up to your home, but instead of connecting to a Telstra exchange, it would hook up to a fibre box at the end of every street in the nation.
Combined with the beefed up Fixed Wireless network, Satellite coverage and existing hybrid-fibre coaxial (HFC) networks, the Multi-Technology Mix NBN was born.
A handful of Government reviews and a whole lot of talking later, the NBN Co was rebooted and started building the network the nation's geeks were all crying out for.
But while the construction folks were busy retooling the NBN to make it MTM friendly, the content farmers at HQ were busy pretending the last five years of FTTN hadn't happened. In short, they started to badmouth FTTN, despite the fact that it still makes up a sizeable portion of the deployed network infrastructure today.
Just yesterday, NBN Co announced in its half-yearly report that it had reduced the number of customers with unconnectable FTTP services, down from 31 per cent to 17 per cent in just one year of work. It's working to fix the FTTP that's already there, but doesn't want anyone pining for it in future.
Its public messaging tells a story of carefully managed customer expectations around speed, deployment time and technology used in the rollout.
HFC is great, says 2015 NBN Co despite the fact that the old NBN Co was going to close it down so Telstra and Optus wouldn't compete with the government-owned FTTP network.
The New NBN Co wants you to know that the "average Australian household" only needs 25Mbps of speed down the pipe, despite the fact that old NBN Co was promising a minimum of 100Mbps for everything from telehealth through to 4K video streaming.
Gigabit speeds delivered over FTTP aren't everything they're cracked up to be either, according to New NBN Co. Looking at Singapore's FTTP roll-out, it found that Gigabit connections were broadly cancelled because ISPs couldn't connect the vast number of customers who wanted to sign-up in a timely fashion. Gigabit has now been branded as "marketing hype" by unnamed industry executives in Singapore. Oh well, better not ever have it then.
Same goes for the FTTP "broadband wonderland" of South Korea, which many FTTP believers held up as the gold standard in FTTP network deployment. Not according to new NBN Co, which told us on 5 Feburary, 2015 that the ISP revenues and the overall customer experience fell victim to fierce competition between customers drove fierce competition between ISPs, which was ultimately "detrimental for the operators themselves as broadband access profit margins were pared to the bone".
Neither the South Korean nor the Singaporean blog posts reported any issues with the technology used to get customers fast internet, but they both had the underlying message that FTTP causes customer squabbles and poor user experience at the hands of inept ISPs. So why would we ever want FTTP, we're encouraged to ask? From these examples it's just a road to ruin, right?
The most telling headline comes from the coverage of Google's Fiber product roll-out in the US under the New NBN regime and the Old NBN regime.
The Wayback Machine tells us that NBN Co wanted to share the "amazing speed of Google Fiber in the US" back in September 2012:
Over in the US, Google is doing a broadband rollout of its own, using fibre to the premises technology. It's called, simply, Google Fiber.
Check out this demo on YouTube demonstrating the speed of Google Fiber.
The second half of the video, showing full high definition video, streaming from the internet, with the ability to instantly skip back and forth through the video is particularly impressive.
The post linked to a video which has since been stripped, but it was a demonstration of just how fast Google was able to pull speeds down over its FTTP roll-out.
Skip ahead to 20 Feburary, 2015, however, and you find that the agenda of throwing shade on FTTP in favour of the Government's MTM in the post entitled: "Google Fiber: Leading from behind?"
The post goes on to say that "despite huge amounts of publicity" Google Fiber product deployment is slow and inferior to other private deployments from Malcolm Turnbull's favourite, US telco AT&T. While the post is meant to be complimentary of Google's FTTN roll-out ("Despite launching back in 2009 Google Fiber is still available in only three cities – but its impact on the US broadband market has still been significant"), it damns with false praise.
"Whilst Google Fiber might not have yet become the broadband giant that many thought it would a few years ago the American broadband industry has already changed dramatically just by its presence on the playing field," NBN Co writes.
Translation? You thought you wanted Google Fiber, but look how wrong you are, and how right we are.
Get back in line.
During the Coalition's election campaign, Malcolm Turnbull went to market to sell his MTM NBN plan, and held up AT&T in the US and BT in the UK as the ones "doing it right" with vectored ADSL, FTTN and other technologies. In the same way that the February post about Google Fiber looked to continue that favourable AT&T commentary, the NBN Co blog is keeping is up to speed with BT as well.
"BT ready to kick off G.Fast broadband revolution," wrote NBN Co on 3 February, 2015.
The post talked about the UK broadband poster child's roll-out of G.Fast: a technology capable of delivering "Gigabit-like speeds" over copper lines.
"From an Australian perspective, the BT announcement again shows the possibilities offered by a adopting a technology agnostic approach to broadband deployment and utilising existing network assets alongside exciting new technologies such as G.Fast," it concluded.
The overarching message here is simple: our technology is best, and despite what you read, you don't have a real need for the speed "the other mob" promised you.
Of course, all of this started when the NBN Co decided to purge almost all the blog posts from before the last Federal Election.
Only one post really survived the pre-election cull. During Labor's tenure, NBN Co posted a blog about Han Shoing Siah. He's in the Northern Territory and signed up to the NBN Fixed Wireless service to boost his family's tropical fruit business.
"The NBN makes this connection so much easier and can help me expand my business," he was reported as saying before the election in a 10 paragraph post that went on to talk about the sort of speeds customers could expect from Fixed Wireless:
NBN Co finished the rollout of fixed wireless in the Northern Territory in early April. The fixed wireless network is designed to offer service providers wholesale speeds of up to 12Mbps for downloads and 1Mbps for uploads, with plans to increase these speeds to 25Mbps for downloads and 5Mbps for uploads from June 2013.
Fast-forward to 15 December 2014 after the cull, and the post shrinks dramatically to three paragraphs and a few bullet points. Gone are the references to speed in the slightest.
Let's give them the benefit of the doubt on that one, because as we now know, the Fixed Wireless network was up the proverbial creek without a paddle under the former Government according to a Coalition-led review.
This post shows, however, that some things from the old regime survived, even if NBN Co would rather they didn't. Much like the remaining FTTP network it would rather not talk about.
All of this has happened before. As usual: don't always believe what you read about the National Broadband Network. Just like the speeds you'll get from the new multi-technology mix rollout, what you hear about the NBN depends on where you stand.- A D.C. firefighter is under investigation for inflammatory posts he made on Facebook in response to the fatal police shooting of a 37-year-old black man in Louisiana.
Sources told FOX 5’s Paul Wagner that D.C. police were informed about the posts made Wednesday on the Facebook page of firefighter Norman Brooks and reported it to D.C. Fire and EMS.
One post said:
“Bottom Line:
“These racist [expletive] cops who are murder our people need to start turning up the same way… they shouldn’t feel safe walking the streets and neither should their supporters. Protesting is a lost cause and it makes us all look like a bunch a [derogatory term]. These evil [expletives] don’t have any compassion. They are gonna let them PIGS go free and probably start a gofundme and make em millionaires…….
“Its time to stop praying, stop protesting, start buying guns, and start protecting ourselves from these crooked [expletive] racist cops. If you are a cop and are not in support of these people then its about time to start turning these type a [expletives] in or at least givin out some addresses so we the people can handle em.
“End of rant (Please share)"
Another post said:
“The answer is ‘yes’…Im saying the citizens should take the law in their own hands and target racist cops. Those pigs in baton Rouge deserve nothing short of a bullet in their heads. See how their families feel after that”
The posts on Brooks’ Facebook page were later deleted.
Brooks is a 9-year veteran of the D.C. Fire and EMS Department and works at Engine 23 in Foggy Bottom on the campus of George Washington University.
D.C. Fire and EMS spokesperson Doug Buchanan said in a statement:
"The matter involving Mr. Norman Brooks was brought to the attention of the DC Fire & EMS Department this afternoon by law enforcement officials investigating this matter. Immediately upon learning of the allegations, Norman Brooks was placed on Administrative Duty pending the outcome of the law enforcement investigation as well as an internal review by the DC Fire & EMS Department. Norman Brooks has been with the Department since 2007."
FOX 5's Tisha Lewis spoke with Brooks later on Wednesday and he explained why he wrote the posts on his page.
“First and foremost, I don’t condone any cops being hurt or anything like that,” he said. “My post was in regard to something that happened in Baton Rouge, Louisiana this morning where what appeared to be two rogue cops shot a man who was on the ground pinned by police in cold blood. Amongst many things that have been happening in this country over the past couple of years, all of these police officers have been walking. I do not condone any violence against any good, innocent people, cops or whatever.
“All I’m saying is that if anybody, whether it is a criminal cop or a criminal person, tries to attack you or makes you feel some sort of way inside your own community, you have a right as an American citizen to defend yourself. And that is all I put in my Facebook status. Anyone else who received that differently, then I don’t know what to tell you because I have never committed a crime in my life. I love my people and I said what I got to say.”
Brooks said he is frustrated by the lack of punishment for officers in other police-involved shooting incidents of black men across the country.
“All I am saying is that if a person off the street commits a crime, they are punished for it,” Brooks said. “These people are not being punished. I don’t wish any harm on any innocent people or anyone in that instance. That is what my post is about. Maybe I used strong language, but that is just what it is. These events are starting to affect me, my family and my friends. And if you are a black person out there or just a concerned American, and you are not concerned about it, I feel sorry for you.”
Brooks said he apologizes if he offended anyone with his social media comments, but told us he has done nothing wrong, hasn't broken any laws and was just acting on his freedom of speech.
Brooks also said he could have "used a couple better choice words" when it came to his thoughts on Facebook. But when asked if he regrets making the posts, he responded, “I reacted as soon as I saw that video and as soon as I read what happened. It was a reaction to a horrific event. I’m pretty sure a lot of people when they saw 9/11 happen, they made some very strong statements about a lot of people. I’m sure they would take those back maybe somewhat if they were given a chance to think about it again. All I am saying is that I am a man reacting to the horrific things that are happening to my people in this country. I have no ill will to police officers."Trump on replacing healthcare law that took years to craft: 'Nobody knew it could be so complicated'
Donald Trump told a room full of state governors on Monday that “nobody knew” replacing the massive Affordable Care Act, which expanded health coverage to 20 million Americans, would prove to be so “complicated”.
Donald Trump's first budget: enormous defense spending as most agencies cut Read more
Trump reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to repealing and replacing the ACA, better known as Obamacare, and took a jab at new polls that show that its popularity is rising.
Uncertainty about how Republicans will replace the ACA has unnerved health insurers, hospitals, community clinics, doctors, constituents and even Republican governors.
“We have come up with a solution that’s really, really, I think, very good,” Trump said. “It’s an unbelievably complex subject. Nobody knew that healthcare could be so complicated.”
Trump also claimed that Barack Obama’s approval ratings rose only because he was leaving office, a phenomenon he said was also affecting public sentiment about the former president’s signature law.
“I see it happening with Obamacare – they hate it – but now they see the end is coming, and they say, ‘Oh, maybe we love it,’” Trump said. “There’s nothing to love, it’s a disaster, folks.”
Public approval for the healthcare law reached a new high last week, a Pew Research Center poll showed. The poll found 54% of Americans approved of the law and 43% disapproved, a significant change from a low of 35% approval in 2011, just after the law’s passage.
The ACA expanded public health insurance to millions of poor Americans through Medicaid, established subsidized state marketplaces for health insurance, set out what coverage insurers must offer, and barred insurance companies from excluding the sick from coverage.
Rising monthly fees in state exchanges have proved a potent problem, however, and Republicans have repeatedly sought to shrink the number of benefits that insurers are required to provide.
Trump’s assertion came before a meeting with health insurance executives and after a weekend of lobbying by Republican governors, some pushing to maintain provisions of the ACA.
Governor John Kasich of Ohio, one of Trump’s former Republican rivals for the presidential nomination, told the Washington Post he pushed Trump not to cut Medicaid.
Kasich’s pitch was significantly less drastic than plans being crafted by the House Republican leadership, which would cut Medicaid spending. The public program covers poor Americans and was expanded by the ACA. It now insures millions of constituents of Republican governors.
Other GOP governors, including Rick Scott of Florida, have advocated a full repeal of the law. Florida refused to expand Medicaid under the ACA, even though the federal government would have paid for the expansion. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, an expansion would provide insurance to an estimated 279,000 Floridians.
President Trump (@POTUS) Great meeting with CEOs of leading U.S. health insurance companies who provide great healthcare to the American people. pic.twitter.com/KlZJH6oJub
A leaked House Republican ACA replacement plan proposed major changes to Medicaid, including changing the program to a so-called block grant, or a set cash allocations for states that experts agree would amount to a huge cut in spending.
In addition, the leaked Republican plan would limit what services insurers are required to cover; allow insurance companies to charge the elderly five times more than the young; reduce subsidies and distribute them by age (not income); repeal taxes on the pharmaceutical industry; defund Planned Parenthood; and cut billions of dollars in funding for preventative medicine.
How the humble town hall became a battle arena for the Trump resistance Read more
Trump also suggested on Monday that Republicans would benefit from letting the law “implode” and “blame that on the [Democrats]”. He said, however, that the party needed to repeal the ACA in order to achieve “the fair thing for the people”.
“They will come begging for us to do something, but that’s not the fair thing for the people,” Trump said.
“As soon as we touch it, if we do the most minute thing, just a tiny little change, they’re going to say it’s the Republicans’ problem. But we have to do something because Obamacare is a failed disaster.”Gotham City Impostors is a FPS (First Person Shooter) video game set within the Batman universe. It was created by Monlith games company in 2012 and licensed by Warner Brothers games division. It is a fast paced, action filled game that has as much humor as it does mayhem. It is available cross-platform on XBox, Playstation 3 and on PC via Steam.
Recently, the Gamespy servers which host the matchmaking for game lobbies were bought by another company, Ziff Davis and Glu. They decided that the Gamespy servers should be shut down to focus on more advanced concerns. This is causing many, many games hosted by Gamespy to become obsolete as of May 31st of 2014.
Gotham City Impostors has a fairly large community of players that are passionate and devoted to the game. We are very upset that our consumer contributions have been disregarded and would like those in charge to know it.
Please sign this petition in order to let them know just how much this game means to us, in hopes that a migration to another server might happen.Despite Democrat calls for gun control legislation that would hamper suspected or known terrorists from getting a firearm, Syed Farook, one of the identified shooters during Wednesday’s shooting in San Bernardino, was reportedly not on a federal terrorist watch list.
Fox News Channel’s Catherine Herridge reported Wednesday night on “Hannity” about Farook not being on the terror watch list before government officials released his name.
“Now, for the last three to four hours, we’ve been working on a name here at Fox News. It’s a foreign-sounding name, if you will,” Herridge said. “We were originally told that it had washed out. What we now understand is that when they ran that name against the terror watch list, they did not have any positive hits. But at this hour, we’re told that that may well be the name of one of the suspects. We’re seeking a second source on that before we broadcast that name here at Fox News.”
Only moments later was Farook’s name aired on FNC.
Farook, a U.S. citizen, passed a federal background check and legally purchased the firearms and ammunition used during Wednesday’s attack against the social services facility in San Bernardino. His wife, shooting suspect and Pakistani citizen Tashfeen Malik passed DHS counterterrorism vetting for her K-1 visa, CBS News reports. Malik was also not on a watch list.
The Senate voted down measures from both sides of the aisle that would restrict known or suspected terrorists from gaining access to a firearm. California Democrat [crscore]Dianne Feinstein[/crscore] proposed an amendment that would restrict a firearm from anybody on the watchlist.
“This is not the way we’re supposed to do things in this country,” Texas Republican Sen. [crscore]John Cornyn[/crscore] said of the California Democrat’s measure. He later said, “If you believe the federal government is omniscient and all competent vote for the Feinstein amendment.”
Cornyn proposed his own measure that would delay an individual from getting a firearm for 72 hours if that person is on the terrorist watchlist. Democrats balked at Cornyn’s measure saying it would simply tie the hands of law enforcement.
The federal government’s terrorist watchlist came under scrutiny in the past few years. In 2009, Umar Farouk Abdulmutallab, otherwise known as the “underwear bomber”, boarded a commercial airliner, despite being on the terrorist watchlist and attempted to blow it up. His plan was foiled by other passengers.
A recent report out of the Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General says that 73 persons should never have been hired by the Transportation Security Administration due to those individuals being on the terrorist watch list.
Follow Kerry on TwitterIn its modern form, running in magazines weekly or monthly and then collected in book volumes known as tankobon, manga dates back to just after World War II, with series like Osamu Tezuka ’s Mighty Atom/ Astro Boy leading an explosion in manga publishing that still continues today. In America, however, manga only blossomed rather recently. Though heavily edited and dubbed anime like Astro Boy, Gigantor and Speed Racer were staples of 1960s kids' TV, manga only entered North America in 1979 thanks to translator/writer Frederik Schodt. As the 1980s rolled on, companies like Viz Media — today North America’s largest manga publisher — were founded. Marvel even got in on the game, printing Akira through its Epic Comics imprint.
Throughout the ‘80s and ‘90s, manga publishers targeted the direct market by printing manga like comic books. They were flipped — put in the American left-to-right reading order instead of the Japanese right-to-left — and in some cases, like Marvel’s Akira, colorized. While it succeeded at the time (issue #4 of Viz's translation of Pokémon : The Electric Tale of Pikachu is reportedly one of the highest-selling comics of all time), after the 1990s speculator bubble burst, it was clear manga needed to change to capture the audience that had grown up watching anime on Toonami.
In 2002, Tokyopop — a once-dead-but-now-resurrected publisher with a troubling reputation — hit upon the idea of translating and publishing manga in book format, with right-to-left formatting and at a smaller size, meaning lower cost.
The result, advertised as “authentic manga,” was an instant hit, selling out at bookstores all across the country and spurring what’s now called the 2000s “manga boom”. Teenagers and kids not only sat on bookstore floors devouring volumes of Naruto and Dragon Ball ; they bought them too. This made companies like Viz absolutely huge. Even as the Internet decimated other parts of the US manga industry — Viz discontinued its monthly magazine Shonen Jump (a version of the Japanese magazine of the same name) in 2012 for the digital Weekly Shonen Jump — print volumes of manga are a constant in bookstores, comic shops and libraries.
But despite its important market share, huge visibility and ever-rising, record-breaking sales numbers, manga is still largely ignored or scorned by the Western comics community — a term that here means retailers, readers, publishers and some creators — while the critical press and general public thinks of manga as something separate from comics. But why?
Tiger Mask
The perception of manga not being comics irks a lot of people. None more so than Deb Aoki. The former manga editor for about.com, Aoki — who grew up in the large Japanese-American population of Hawaii — now reports on manga for Publishers Weekly and her own site, Manga Comics Manga, where she frequently Storifies the lengthy Twitter conversations she holds about manga.
Aoki has loved manga since she was young. “I guess I first really got into manga when I was in 3rd grade [and] first went to Japan,” she says. “I was visiting relatives and my aunt took me to a bookstore and gave me a copy of Nakayoshi, a shojo manga magazine for girls. I got hooked on reading Candy Candy by Kyoko Mizuki and Yumiko Igarashi, partly also because the subtitled anime was showing on local TV too... My uncle who lived in Hawaii also read manga, so he had manga magazines with stuff like Devilman by Go Nagai and Tiger Mask by Ikki Kajiwara and Naoki Tsuji in 'em.”
Aoki gravitated towards manga because “the stories and visuals were so strong, I could understand what was going on even without being able to read Japanese fluently. I'm still not fluent in Japanese to this day, but I can enjoy manga in Japanese because the visual storytelling is so compelling… It was years until it hit me that making comics was considered a "guy thing" in the US --- shojo (girls’) manga had me under the impression that it was something that both men and women did professionally, equally.”
Mike Toole, a columnist for Anime News Network, also found manga as a kid. “I discovered manga via Eternity Comics' release of Area 88 in 1987,” he says. “I got floppy issues of it at New England Comics. The hook was simple — I'd just finished and loved Robotech, and Area 88 looked a little bit like it, with its elegant character designs and finely detailed fighter jets. Other early manga offerings --- Lone Wolf & Cub, Mai the Psychic Girl --- were similarly distinctive and interesting to me.”
In contrast, The Eisner-winning Canadian cartoonist Faith Erin Hicks detailed in a recent video interview with Viz how she discovered manga as an adult through Naoki Urasawa ’s Monster and Hiromu Arakawa's Fullmetal Alchemist.
“The way I think about drawing a comic page changed a lot after I started getting into manga,” Hicks says, “I started trying to decompress emotional scenes in a specific way especially. It was something I was trying to do already in my comics, but reading Urasawa's comics made it more clear how I could decompress effectively. I started drawing noses differently after I read Urasawa as well, so maybe he would've been more apparent in my art style if I'd found him earlier.”
Fullmetal Alchemist
Both Monster and Fullmetal Alchemist are published in North America by Viz which, through its various imprints ( Shonen Jump, Shojo Beat and the younger-skewing Perfect Square, to name a few), and huge licenses like Naruto and the various Pokémon manga, means they’re the largest manga/anime publisher in America. The company is even owned by Japanese publishing giants Shueisha and Shogakukan.
Yet despite their huge market share, Viz is rarely discussed in the same terms as Marvel & DC. There’s a variety of reasons for this. “As big as Viz is,” Toole says, “Marvel/DC are much bigger, in terms of licensed merchandise, diverse product lines, earnings… Also, I think that publishers like Viz will always get short shrift because they're pushing a product that isn't American-owned.”
“From a strictly business perspective, I don't know why [Viz isn’t] spoken about in the same breath as Marvel and DC, especially when it comes to comparing sales,” says Hicks. “But they are very different in that they don't publish non-Japanese creators, so it's not like young cartoonists can have a dream of working for them, unless they want to do translation, or move to Japan and work in the industry there.”
Aoki sees Viz’s (and manga’s) lack of profile as stemming from complexities on both sides. "'Manga', as it’s used outside of Japan, refers to Japanese comics, and that's fine with me," she says. "It's a useful label in that it quickly defines comics from Japan as something that's distinct from Western comics, in an art/aesthetics and visual storytelling tradition sense, and in a business sense, because the business and production of manga publishing in North America has different considerations than US publishing of comics.
"[M]ost US manga publishers are licensing content from the original Japanese publishers. So this creates a different level of complexity, because, one, business decisions to publish manga are not solely made by the US publishers, and two, because the content was originally created with Japanese consumers in mind; adapting it for consumption by North American comics readers requires additional work: translation, editing/localizing, graphics production work --- re-drawing sound effects --- and so on."
As to why comics fans tend to ignore manga, Aoki feels it's a generational thing. "Manga readers and anime fans in North America tend to be… younger. You can see that at any anime convention, where the average age of attendees tend to be teens to early 20s. Compare that to your average mainstream comics show… where attendees tend to be older, usually 30s–40s and up."
“People who now run the mainstream comics news sites and run comics shops tend to be older and may not have grown up with manga. Therefore, they may not have the same kind of fondness and familiarity with manga as their younger counterparts. That's changing… Eventually, the manga generation will assert themselves as a bigger part of the publishing, comics retailing, and comics journalism worlds.
Viz Media
“There's also some ‘otaku insider’ mentality from within manga publishing/fandom too, where there's a desire to keep manga as Japanese as possible to keep it ‘authentic’. I get this desire to prevent things from being white-washed or lost in translation but when you need pages of translation notes to understand what's going on in manga, that's got to be confusing and off-putting to new readers who aren't already devoted Japanophiles.”
A core component of Western manga fandom is piracy. While all media is affected by Internet piracy, it’s particularly endemic to manga, with scanlations (literal translations hastily photoshopped over the existing artwork) appearing sometimes mere hours after a new chapter is released in Japan.
So do these easy-to-find scanlations — often fan-made and poorly translated — negatively affect how comics fans perceive manga?
“I think the trend in general is really dismaying, and wish it were easier for the publishers to act against scanlation aggregators,” says Toole. “It's hugely irritating when I'm trying to pull up the Wikipedia page or official site for a manga title, and the first four or five search results are for pirate sites. I don't feel like scanlations are going to negatively impact comic readers' perceptions, however, unless the comics in |
Everything we are trying to do is geared towards securing a future for Christians.”
To what extent can the faithful be persuaded? If the question of security is the predominant factor, the provision of essential services – housing, warmth and basic utilities – are a close second. With the city’s electric grid bombed out, people are dependent on very expensive privately owned generators. We were told that it costs the equivalent of a third of the average public sector wage for the ongoing use of two light bulbs and a television.
Food and other basic provisions – until now only available on the black market – are unaffordable, especially in a city where so many people are jobless. Aleppo resident Joseph Hallaq, 55, told us: “People constantly say to us: ‘Let us find a job and we will be able to stand on our own two feet again.’” Joseph told us that his house was heavily damaged in a bomb blast and that early plans to repair houses would be crucial in persuading people to stay. He speaks with some authority as he is part of a team of volunteers who work with Aleppo’s Sister Annie Demerjian, supporting the most needy.
Aid to the Church in Need has prioritised helping Sister Annie’s outreach to 650 families and so it was a wonderful experience to accompany members of her group to visit some of those they help. We met Annie and Sarkis, an elderly couple whose fourth-floor flat in Aleppo’s Midan district directly abutted rebel-held east Aleppo. Conflict had brought the two together and they married only last year. They told me their story of love on the front line in an account which also related how, at the height of the bombardment, they used to hide in their tiny bathroom or even in the stairwell.
“Surviving the war was a miracle. And your help is a miracle too,” Annie said, praising especially the work of Vivian, an Aleppo University student. The 25-year-old risked her life to bring the couple food vouchers and funds to pay electricity and fuel to keep their flat warm.
Afterwards, stepping out into the cold night and picking our way along the bomb-damaged streets, I dared not ask Vivian what would have happened had she and Sister Annie’s group not come to the elderly couple’s aid. Indeed, for the suffering people of Aleppo as a whole – and perhaps especially for the city’s Christian community – it is a chilling thought to imagine what would happen if we forget them now.
John Pontifex is head of press and information for Aid to the Church in Need (UK)
This article first appeared in the February 3 2017 issue of the Catholic Herald. To read the magazine in full, from anywhere in the world, go hereApollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin didn't hold back his hilarious facial expressions as he listened to President Donald Trump's comments about space and security on Friday.
Trump announced a new executive order that will see the reestablishment of the National Space Council.
Aldrin was standing next to Trump when the president made his remarks that appeared to baffle the astrounaut.
Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin didn't hold back his hilarious facial expressions as he listened to President Donald Trump's comments about space and security on Friday
As Trump announced a new executive order that will see the reestablishment of the National Space Council, Aldrin was standing next to him when he made a baffled expression
Trump said that travels beyond Earth provides 'the space security we need to protect the American people'. But what really caused Aldrin to glance over at the president was what Trump said next
Aldrin gave the president a meme-worthy expression that has already become a gif on social media
Trump said that travels beyond Earth provides 'the space security we need to protect the American people'.
But what really caused Aldrin to glance over at the president was what Trump said next.
'At some point in the future, we're going to look back and say, 'How did we do it without space?'' Trump said causing Aldrin's eyebrows to shoot up.
Trump's question made it seem like he was referring to'space' as was one of the scientists on the team.
As Trump prepared to sign the executive order, he turned to Aldrin and asked: 'There's a lot of room out there, right?'
'To infinity, and beyond,' Aldrin quipped as others laughed.
But it seemed like the joke referencing Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase in Toy Story soared right over the president's head.
'This is infinity here. It could be infinity,' Trump answered in a rambling response.
'At some point in the future, we're going to look back and say, 'How did we do it without space?'' Trump said causing Aldrin's eyebrows to shoot up
As Trump prepared to sign the executive order, he asked Aldrin: 'There's a lot of room out there, right?' 'To infinity, and beyond,' Aldrin quipped as others laughed. But it seemed the joke referencing Buzz Lightyear's catchphrase in Toy Story soared right over Trump's head
'We don't really don't know. But it could be. It has to be something — but it could be infinity, right?'
Aldrin's expressions became instant gifs on social media as some Twitter users joked about how 'unimpressed' the astronaut looked while standing next to the president in the White House's Oval Office.
'Buzz Aldrin's reactions during Trump's 'To stupidity and beyond!' speech are things of wonder,' one user tweeted.
'Buzz Aldrin is all of us,' another person tweeted.
One users wrote: 'When body language speaks louder than words.'
Another interesting part of the executive order signing came as Trump and Vice President Mike Pence both failed to introduce the female astronaut in the room, according to the Washington Post.
Aldrin, former astronaut David Wolf and current astronaut Benjamin Alvin Drew were all present.
But so was Sandy Magnus, who is currently the executive director of the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
On Friday, the four astronauts witnessed as the president reinstated the National Space Council, which was last active in 1993.
Trump said the announcement sent a clear signal to the world about the United States' leadership in space.
Aldrin's expressions became instant gifs on social media as some Twitter users joked about how 'unimpressed' the astronaut looked while standing next to the president in the White House's Oval Office
But despite it all, Aldrin is 'happy that space is getting the attention it needs'
Talk of reviving the Space Council - which was dissolved in 1993 - had been in the works for several months.
Pence confirmed that a draft of the executive order was written in May, according to Space News.
At Friday's ceremony, Pence said: 'With the action he takes today, President Trump will bring a renewed sense of purpose to America's space policy that will benefit literally every facet of our national life.'
The council, made up of numerous cabinet members as well as the head of NASA, will coordinate spending and review the country's space policy.
It will also foster 'close coordination, cooperation, and technology and information exchange' between government agencies and the private sector.
The council's revival comes at a time when Elon Musk's SpaceX and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin, for example, are trying to reduce the costs of space travel.
It remains unclear how the Space Council's policies will shape the two competing goals between traditional aerospace companies like Boeing and Lockheed Martin and newer startups.
Talk of reviving the Space Council - which was dissolved in 1993 - had been in the works for several months. Pence confirmed that a draft of the executive order was written in May. Trump is pictured reinstating the National Space Council
Trump says the announcement sends a clear signal to the world about the United States' leadership in space
It remains unclear how the Space Council's policies will shape the two competing goals between traditional aerospace companies and newer startups
The traditional companies are more interested in building a Space Launch System and prioritizing the exploration of Mars and deep space, while newer startups are focusing on an International Space Station - a crucial step in making low-earth orbit more accessible.
During the 10-minute signing ceremony Trump said: 'The future of American space leadership -- we're going to lead again.
'It's been a long time. It's over 25 years, and we're opening up, and we are going to be leading again like we've never led before.
'We're a nation of pioneers, and the next great American frontier is space....
'And we have tremendous spirit, and we're going to have tremendous spirit from the private sector -- maybe in particular from the private sector.'
The president also joked: 'Our journey into space will not only make us stronger and more prosperous, but will unite us behind grand ambitions and bring us all closer together. Wouldn't that be nice?
'Can you believe that space is going to do that? I thought politics would do that. Well, we'll have to rely on space instead.'“Julie and Julia”
Directed by Nora Ephron
2009, PG-13, 123 min.
I have long admired Nora Ephron’s writing. But this year she not only wrote but also produced and directed a movie that IMHO (in my humble — or is it honest — opinion) is the best of the year, “Julie and Julia.” It’s also probably the most underrated.
“Julie and Julia” is a celebration of women, and their “traditional” domain, the kitchen and food. But as with much in life, the pinnacle of many a career is occupied by men, the kitchen included. And so it was in 1950s France when Julia Child arrived in Paris with her U.S. diplomat husband. Men dominated the top cooking positions. It was an all-male class that Ms. Child elbowed her way into at Paris’ famous Le Cordon Bleu.
Ephron shows Julia Child as pioneer, bringing her to life for a new generation of women to appreciate. And with Meryl Streep’s stellar and Oscar-nominated performance, there is much to appreciate.
Ephron also expertly weaves the modern-day blogging story of Julie Powell’s “Julie/Julia Project” with Child’s autobiography, “My Life in France.” Ephron manages to place each woman in her time, place and circumstance. Powell is in a thankless post-9/11 job answering questions from stressed out victims of that attack.
Child is in post-war France, at the beginning of the anti-Communist witchhunts in the U.S. and reaction against things “foreign.” (Ephron portrays the real-life State Department witchhunt interview with Paul Child.) And she embraces open air markets with live eels and other French food delights that would be considered strange by 1950s American cooking standards of tuna casserole topped with potato chips and marshmallow jello molds.
In Ephron’s and Streep’s world, Child is the definition of “joie de vivre” and embodies a never-quit, fearless spirit, refreshing to see in a woman in the kitchen chopping onions. Ephron’s nuanced portrayal of the Childs’ relationship also makes you realize Paul was quite a forward thinking man, un-intimidated by Julia’s exuberance and intelligence, happy to be her partner on this journey.
Julia Child embarks with two French women, Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, into unknown territory for everyone – man or woman. They write a French cookbook for the American kitchen (actually Child says for women without servants), “Mastering the Art of French Cooking.”
As a child of Saturday Night Live’s portrayal of Ms. Child, I never quite took her too seriously. Yet after seeing “Julie and Julia” I found a new and profound appreciation for the pioneer chef. If it wasn’t for Julia Child, who not only pioneered and mastered the complexities of French cooking in an American context, but also created the TV chef, where would the Food Network or Iron Chef be?
The story of blogging Julie was, for me, just a foil to modernize and bring anew the life and times and contribution of Julia Child – although Ephron’s expertise makes the character more interesting than she is reported to be in life.
“Julie and Julia” is a refreshing portrayal of two adult women, passionate about cooking and food science. It is funny and a welcome respite from too many female roles that can be put into either victim or object categories.
If I had a vote for Best Director, it would go to Ephron. And apparently the Oscar committee doesn’t agree with me since Ephron is not on this year’s list.
Photo: Meryl Streep plays Julia Child in the movie “Julie and Julia.”Why is a moose's nose so big?
by Ned Rozell October 30, 2004
Saturday
Alaska - A wolverine without tenacity is just a big weasel. A grizzly without a taste for flesh is an oversized koala. A moose without a big nose is a broad-antlered elk. The quality that makes the moose one of the stars of Alaska wildlife is also the subject of a recent study. Why, asked scientists from Ohio, does the moose have such a big nose? A moose's nose includes a unique adaptation for underwater feeding -- nostrils that close when it dips its head underwater.
Photograph by Ned Rozell And, one might ask, why do scientists from Ohio care? It can tell them about evolution, says Lawrence Witmer. Witmer is a biologist and professor of anatomy at Ohio University. As part of a study of unusual noses on dinosaurs and modern animals, Witmer and his colleagues examined the enigmatic nose of the moose. Because moose disappeared from Ohio long ago, Witmer looked farther north for help, and he found it in Newfoundland, Canada's easternmost province. There, workers for the Department of Natural Resources shipped him four frozen heads of road-killed moose. With mooseheads intact in his Athens, Ohio lab, Witmer dissected the noses for a closer look, finding enough compelling information to write a paper that was published in the April 2004 Journal of Zoology. Before Witmer's study, scientists had speculated on why the moose might have evolved such a long nose while other members of the deer family had relatively short noses. One argument was that a long nose could help a moose shed heat from its huge body after running long distances to avoid predators. Witmer and his coworkers found this adaptation unlikely because few blood vessels exist near the outside surface of a moose's nose, and moose are more apt to stand and fight predators than to try and outrun them. Another reason a moose might have a big nose is to better sniff out predators or potential mates. Witmer found that idea had merit, and his attention soon turned to a moose's nostrils. Just like a person's ears, a moose's large nostrils point opposite directions. The wide spacing of moose nostrils might permit a moose to better locate smells, as our ears help us locate the direction of a sound and its distance. Witmer couldn't rule out that moose use their unique nostrils for directional smelling, but all the complicated tissues that make up a moose's nostrils suggested moose used them for something more-a set of valves that close automatically underwater. "Animals like horses, dogs, and cats, can't close their nostrils," Witmer said. "Closing your nostrils is a common aquatic adaptation, but you don't see it in other members of the deer family." When a moose dips its head under water, the difference between the water pressure and the air pressure causes the nostrils to close, Witmer said. This adaptation, perhaps the main reason a moose's nose is so long, allows a moose to feed underwater without water flooding into its nose, an unpleasant sensation even for two-legged, short-nosed mammals like us. This column is provided as a public service by the Geophysical Institute, University of Alaska Fairbanks, in cooperation with the UAF research community. Ned Rozell (e-mail) is a science writer at the institute.
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Penni Mon May 28, 2012 7:17 pmPenniSam Heughan may be considered the sexiest man on television this summer, but Jamie Fraser has proven himself the sexiest man of the 18th Century. With his red locks, searing blue eyes, innocent smile, broad shoulders and Gàidhlig tongue-rolling r’s – he’s hot, hot, hot.
But can we stop objectifying him for one minute, ladies? Really. Let’s not forget, he’s educated and a master of foreign tongues, er, languages – including Scots, Gàidhlig, English (because there is a difference, ye ken?), French, Greek, Latin, a little Chinese, and a mishmash of Native American. I’m sure he picked up on Spanish, Italian, Hebrew, and Prussian at some point, as well.
He knows the bible like the back of his hand, has a mind for military strategy, is wise beyond his years, and has the steel fortitude of a nun.
Okay, back to objectification. You’re not here to read about Jamie’s head for figures. You’re hear to check out his fine figure. And I won’t let you down. Here we go again with a shiny new list of Jamie’s Top 30 Looks for Episode #103.
#30: Jamie’s Yeah Sure She’s A Bonny Lass Face – If you read my review, you know what I think of this scene. As annoyed as I am with Jamie, Claire isn’t much better. She really puts Jamie on the spot.
#29: Jamie’s Sorry I Dinna Remember Ye Face – Notice how different his smile is compared to when he looks at Claire? Night and Day. Have a heart, Jamie. You know what it feels like to pine, aye?
#28: Jamie’s Drink in the Face Face – He pretty much deserves this, being a bit of dog this episode. Boys will be boys, eh?
#27: Jamie’s Here Wench Take This Empty Glass To The Kitchen Face – Yeah, this is where I would have splashed the drink in his face. Crush over.
#26: Jamie’s Jerk Of The Head Face – Lesson #1 on how to be a man: Rip Your Ear Off. So many hidden messages in this episode. Did someone say jerk?
#25: Jamie’s A Man Enters A Bar Face – Castle Leoch is hopping tonight! Gwyllyn the Bard is in town and playing for two nights only. Jamie is stag and on the prowl.
#24: Jamie’s Dinna Tempt The Fates Face – He may be an educated man, but he ain’t stupid. Yep. There’s a big difference between book smart and street smart – or in this case, respectful of the Black Kirk superstitions. I love how Jamie makes the sign of the cross to ward off Claire’s pissing the spirits off.
#23: Jamie’s I Thought We Were Friends Face – Speaking of pissing off spirits... Dinna piss off the hand that bandages you, lad.
#22: Jamie’s I Bit My Tongue Face – Stat! Jamie’s tongue needs attention! Stick it out, so we can see.
#21: Jamie’s Do You Want Me Now? Face – Ooh, he’s a dog, isn’t he? We all know he’s using poor Leery to get to Claire. By the way, thanks for making me feel sorry for Laoghaire MacKenzie!
#20: Jamie’s Why Does She Want To Leave All This Face – Now, I feel sorry for Jamie. He just can’t figure out why Claire is desperate to get away from his ginger-goodness.
#19: Jamie’s How Do I Get Claire Alone? Face – It’s not hard, man. Just give her one of your looks. You know how. Try #1.
#18: Jamie’s I’m Working The Fillies Face – Are these the spirited fillies of which you speak, Jamie? You can’t seem to stay out of trouble around the ladies or the fillies.
#17: Jamie’s I Thought I’d Get My Ass Scalped If I Touched It Face – You say “skelped,” I say “scalped.” Oh, so many goodies in that single line even though I got it wrong. Where to start... where to start? 1) I’m afraid to ask, but exactly how hairy does one’s ass have to be to get scalped? 2) Touch what? Please be specific and descriptive. 3) An unrelated question but, does your ass look anything like Colum’s hairless kilt jewel?
#16: Jamie’s I Should Go Face – Let me finish that... Before Something Starts To Rise Again. And he doesn’t mean Claire’s blood alcohol level which is quite high at the moment.
#15: Jamie’s You’re A Miracle Worker Face – Yeah, I pretty much like Jamie’s face every time he speaks Gàidhlig.
#14: Jamie’s Overindulgent Face – Translation: You can overindulge on me any time, Sassenach.
#13: Jamie’s I’m An Educated Man Face – He knows he’s been a bad boy this episode and tries to impress Claire.
#12: Jamie’s S$*@ Why Did I Sit Here? Face – Never, ever, under any circumstances should a man sit between a woman he desires and a woman who desires him – unless he can handle the pain.
#11: Jamie’s Well This Sucks Face – Yeah, Claire keeps touching him but in all the wrong places.
Welcome to the Top Ten of Jamie’s Looks for Episode #103.
#10: Jamie’s A Man Has Needs Face – I hope you don’t think this is the same as #21. At this moment, he’s stealing a kiss from a young lass. In #21, he’s pretty much rubbing it in Claire’s face. I think this scene was perfectly written and aptly played. If Jamie had tossed Leery aside when he saw Claire, we’re back to jerk status. It’s bad enough he’s kissing someone he doesn’t really seem to like all that much, but she’s attractive and not preoccupied with thoughts of another man, so... I forgive you, Jamie. Give us a kiss.
#9: Jamie’s I Don’t Mind Face – Jamie doesn’t mind Claire seeing the scars on his back. Frankly, he doesn’t mind her seeing his front either, or what’s under his kilt.
#8: Jamie’s Chaffing Face – It’s amazing how the bandages on his shoulder are chaffing his groin.
#7: Jamie’s I Had A Good Tutor Face – Keep trying, lad. Claire’s distracted at the moment with thoughts of saving a young boy’s life, but she hasn’t forgotten you.
#6: Jamie’s Swollen Lips Face – Oh, she got you on that one, man! If you can’t stand the heat...
#5: Jamie’s I’m A Highlander Born And Bred Face – And we thank the Lord every day for that little act of creation!
#4: Jamie’s I Can’t Stop Staring Face – Jamie’s fallen hard for this woman and can’t keep his eyes off her face – and other parts of her anatomy. One day, Claire will be his Latin tutor...
#3: Jamie’s Still Staring Face – Jesus H. Roosevelt Christ, man! Claire is a bit clueless in this episode showing her ignorance of the customs, but how the hell is she missing these looks? Oh, yeah. She’s trying to save lives. You go, girl!
#2: Jamie’s Lily Of The Valley Face – Oh My God. I could listen to Jamie say “Lily of the Valley” over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over over and over and over...
#1: Jamie’s It Doesna Get Any Hotter Than This Face – This look requires multiple choices. Confession time, ladies. How many of you:
A) Forgot you were watching a television show?
B) Could feel yourself in the room with Claire and Jamie?
C) Screamed, “Claire, you fool!”?
D) Licked your television screen?
E) All of the above.
Whew! The looks seem to get steamier and steamier each week. I don’t know how I’ll survive putting together a Top 30 for THE WEDDING, but I’ll do my darndest when it gets here. You can count on me.
Outlander Episode #104: THE GATHERING airs on Starz on Saturday, 30 August in the U.S.
If you missed Episode 102’s Top 30, you can find it here: Jamie’s Top 30 Looks from Outlander Episode #102: CASTLE LEOCH
My recapped review for Ep103 is also available, here: A True Fan’s Review of Outlander Episode #103: THE WAY OUT.Just two years ago, the left-wing Washington Post published a study that claimed millions of illegal aliens might be voting. That survey, conducted in 2014, is backed up by a 2013 study the Washington Times uncovered earlier this month, a survey that shows that as many as 2 million non-citizen Hispanics are registered to illegally vote.
Washington Times:
The little-noticed Hispanic survey was conducted in June 2013 by McLaughlin and Associates to gauge the opinions of U.S. resident Latinos on a wide range of issues. Inside the poll is a page devoted to voter profiles. Of the randomly selected sample of 800 Hispanics, 56 percent, or 448, said they were non-citizens, and of those, 13 percent said they were registered to vote. The 448 would presumedly be a mix of illegal immigrants and noncitizens who are in the U.S. legally, such as visa holders or permanent residents. But James Agresti, who directs the research nonprofit “Just Facts,” applied the 13 percent figure to 2013 U.S. Census numbers for non-citizen Hispanic adults. In 2013, the Census reported that 11.8 million non-citizen Hispanic adults lived here, which would amount to 1.5 million illegally registered Latinos. Accounting for the margin of error based on the sample size of non-citizens, Mr. Agresti calculated that the number of illegally registered Hispanics could range from 1.0 million to 2.1 million.
If you are not going to vote, why would someone go to the trouble to register to vote?
And once you are legally registered to vote, who is going to stop you from illegally voting?
But here is the big question… Why, in the face of all this research and study, does our national media continue to deny widespread vote fraud might be a problem?
One of the corrupt national media's Big Lies comes in their form of their hysterical and rabidly dishonest pushback whenever someone suggests that there might be widespread vote fraud In America. In unison, everyone in the MSM screams LIE! and LIAR! and DEBUNKED! and CONSPIRACY! and RACIST!
This despite the fact they have done absolutely no serious reporting to back up their name-calling.
They political media doesn't want to discuss it, debate it, or look into it. They just want to silence those who raise it.
And we all know why.
Vote fraud disproportionately benefits Democrats. And in a 50/50 country such as ours, vote fraud can make all the difference. Had Democrat Senator Al Franken not won by the margin of fraud in 2008, by fewer than 400 votes, ObamaCare would have failed in a Republican filibuster.
Democrats and the media love, encourage, and protect vote fraud, and do so with every fiber of their corrupt beings.
And it is not just taking seriously this widespread fraud that the media attempts to bully away into the cornfield. Although poll after poll shows, that by margins as high as 70/30, Americans on both sides of the political aisle desire Voter ID, the media locks hands with the Democrats in fighting against Voter ID.
They do the same when it comes to cleaning up voter rolls filled with millions of dead people … that anyone can impersonate … when there is no Voter ID.
See how this works?
P.S. If you want to know how brazen this fraud is, here is video of Barack Obama in 2016 openly encouraging illegal aliens to vote:
Follow John Nolte on Twitter @NolteNC. Follow his Facebook Page here.A key point of President Obama’s State of the Union address on 13 February was the proposed EU-US trade agreement, which has been under preliminary discussion for the past year. (See http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2013/feb/13/state-of-the-union-free-trade-europe). As this agreement is supposed to remove regulatory barriers to trade, there should now be a serious opportunity to remove the US ban on metric-only labelling of most packages.
The problem is that the EU and the US have conflicting labelling requirements.
The EU’s Units of Measurement Directive requires metric labelling of packages, but following lobbying from both American and European exporters, an amendment in 2009 permitted a “supplementary indication” in non-metric units, provided that the supplementary indication was no more prominent than the legal, metric indication. Thus, the metric quantity is mandatory, but the non-metric is optional (and usually omitted except in the UK).
However, under the Fair Packaging and Labeling Act, the US requires that goods that are regulated at the federal level (i.e. most foodstuffs and some household goods) must be labelled with both metric and US Customary measurement units. (US Customary is similar to British “imperial” for mass (weight) and length, but differs for volume). Individual States may allow metric-only labelling for the minority of goods regulated at the State level, and all except New York have done so.
The one-sided result is that, as far as measurement units are concerned, US packaging and labelling is accepted in the EU, but EU packaging and labelling may not be accepted in the US. Consequently, any European exporter is faced with the choice of either (a) establishing a separate production line for export goods or (b) dual labelling all goods so that they can be distributed to either the home or the US market.
The reasoning behind the 2009 amendment to the EU Directive was that, if the amendment had not been agreed, exporters would have had to produce separate packaging for the two separate markets. It was claimed that this would be a significant additional business cost and hence a non-tariff barrier to trade, which would be illegal under the rules of the World Trade Organisation. Rather than insisting on an immediate reciprocal concession from the US, the European Commission decided, as a gesture of good will, to concede the point in the hope that the US Congress would relent and allow labelling that was legal in the EU to be imported into the US. So far, however, this has not happened as it is opposed by powerful industrial interests that are influential in Congress. The ostensible – and illogical – basis for their opposition, is that if metric-only labelling were allowed, manufacturers would have to change their package sizes to rounded metric quantities – e.g. 500 g rather than 1 pound (454 g), and this would entail major investment in packaging machinery. Since there would obviously be no such requirement, one can only conclude that the real basis of the opposition is protectionist.
The significance of all this for metric advocates on both sides of the Atlantic is this. If metric-only labelling were permitted in the US, then it would be possible for European manufacturers to dispense with supplementary indications completely. This would be particularly beneficial in the UK, where the ubiquitous presence of imperial units is a constant drag on adapting to metric units, as well as being a reminder that the process of metrication – begun 48 years ago – is still far from completion. In the US the increasing presence of metric-only labelling would provide an incentive for American consumers to visualise and familiarise themselves with the metric units that they may have touched on at school but have long since forgotten.
There are of course many other aspects of package labelling (such as specifying chemical contents and nutritional information) that may need to be resolved in the forthcoming talks, but metric-only labelling would be an easy win that it should be possible for the parties to agree. Indeed, as it will be several years before any new trade agreement comes into force, it would be nice if the US Congress could agree the necessary amendment to the FPLA without further delay.
( 0 ) Likes ( 0 ) DislikesAn Uber driver was arrested Tuesday on suspicion of robbing a passenger when he refused to give the driver a larger tip in Los Angeles.Los Angeles Police Department robbery detectives arrested Medhanie Meshesha, 35, at his Inglewood home on suspicion of robbery. His bail is set at $50,000.Authorities said around 2:40 p.m. Saturday, a victim walked into the department's southwest station to report a robbery. The victim said he hired an Uber driver the day before to take him somewhere.The victim said he realized he forgot his cellphone in the car after the Uber driver had dropped him off. He contacted Meshesha to get his phone back. When Meshesha returned with the phone, the victim asked for a ride back home.During the ride back, the victim said he offered Meshesha a tip for bringing him his phone. That's when Meshesha became upset, the victim said, and asked for more money for returning the phone.The victim told police he refused to give the driver a bigger tip and exited the car. When he walked away, Meshesha grabbed a large rock from a front yard and threatened to hit the victim with it, demanding money.The victim tried walking away, he said, and that's when Meshesha dropped the rock and allegedly grabbed the victim's phone from him, fleeing the scene.Anyone with more information on the incident was asked to call the LAPD's Southwest Area Robbery Division at (213) 485-2562. Those wishing to remain anonymous may call Crime Stoppers at (800) 222-8477.NeSE Profile Joined July 2011 United States 87 Posts Last Edited: 2011-08-06 17:23:11 #1
The National eSports Event StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty 1v1 & 2v2 Tournament A Season 1.
The NE-SE organization has established a multitude of great features throughout the tournament and game web site for all players to enjoy. The NE-SE structure brings a real opportunity for all gamers to earn cash prizes competing in a StarCraft II tournament. With round by round cash prizes, finals competition in Las Vegas, a fully interactive web site Profile System, some of the largest prize pools in North America and more; we promise we are here for the betterment of eSports.
The NE-SE organization has established a multitude of great features throughout the tournament and game web site for all players to enjoy. The NE-SE structure brings a real opportunity for all gamers to earn cash prizes competing in a StarCraft II tournament. With round by round cash prizes, finals competition in Las Vegas, a fully interactive web site Profile System, some of the largest prize pools in North America and more; we promise we are here for the betterment of eSports. How it works
It is free to register for the website and get access to most of the site’s features, but to participate in the tournament there is a $20 Entry Fee for 1v1 and a $20 Entry Fee for 2v2 ($10 per player).
Upon registering for a tournament your name is entered into the pool of names with all other registered players. From there, 48 hours prior to game play starting on October 3rd, each player will be randomly funneled into one of the many NE-SE four person brackets. You will also receive an email at that time to inform you that the brackets have been uploaded and provide |
best basketball of his life over the past two years, to take a flier on Justin Anderson and the same number of second round picks that Ersan Ilyasova netted.
In December, Colangelo said, “I will not make a bad deal for this organization.”
But he did, and put himself in a position to do so.
Considering how Noel has played over the past couple months, it seemed plausible he could reconcile with Colangelo as the two sides worked towards a long-term deal. After returning from knee surgery, he languished behind Jahlil Okafor, finally earning minutes once the team realized they could no longer justify playing Okafor to that extent.
Noel more than took advantage of his playing time leading up to the All-Star break. He displayed an improved mid-range game, more touch around the rim, all while continuing to be a ballhawk on the defensive end. It was easy to envision Noel being the perfect backup to Embiid (a role he publicly stated he was happy to accept), or hell, even playing next to the 7-foot superstar.
Yet the Sixers never even gave a Noel-Embiid pairing any legitimate thought. The two played a total of eight minutes together in early January, then abandoned it altogether. The decision was bizarre, not only because their two skill sets seemed like they could complement each other, but because they gave the disastrous pairing of Okafor-Embiid plenty of chances to make it work, and that was an unmitigated, floor-clogging disaster. There’s little justification for that, and the only logical conclusion for continuing to keep Embiid and Noel separated was they already had plans to move on from the former Kentucky standout.
Sorting out the Sixers front court situation was Colangelo’s first true test of his deal making prowess, and he failed. He held onto Nerlens Noel and Jahlil Okafor through the summer, despite having an offer from Boston for Noel that was superior to the one he took from Dallas, and attempted to justify it by saying the injury situation made them difficult to deal. That then led to a disgruntled Noel taking a blowtorch to whatever value he had, all while Okafor continued to display that his game is not cut out for the modern NBA.
Colangelo spent more time talking about the good deal he was going to make for so long that by the time Thursday’s deadline approached, he had backed himself so far into a corner that receiving a quality return was off the table. Since the start of this season, he’s operated under the impression that Noel and Okafor would be able to increase their trade value in a way that wasn’t feasible. No team is giving up a quality first-round pick for an expiring contract who wants a max deal, and the same goes for an offensive albatross who has gotten worse since his rookie season.
But there’s a certain flaw in the logic behind moving Noel as it pertains to his potential new deal. If the Sixers were primarily worried about having to match a max offer sheet from another team, then that should have been reflected in the type of trade offers they received. Except Colangelo struggled painstakingly to move Noel, and was forced to settle for Dallas’s measly offer, indicating that perhaps the general interest in him wasn’t what they anticipated. If that’s the case, then it’s possible the Sixers could have kept him on a much more team friendly contract. We’ll never know.
And while this deal may technically solve the Sixers logjam problem for the simple fact that they finally took a piece out of the equation, it doesn’t address the fact that Okafor is simply not a fit for this team. He clearly can’t play with Embiid. He makes no sense on the court with Ben Simmons. They are undoubtedly worse when he is on the floor, and with Noel out of the picture, he’s back to logging big minutes for them (especially with Embiid’s health in question). The worst part is, Colangelo knows all of this, which is why he came close to trading him twice within the past week. But once again, he misjudged his player’s value, which almost certainly will not rise in the remaining 26 games of the season.
So Colangelo will go through the same song and dance again this summer, attempting to offload Okafor during a time period where teams can turn to the draft and free agency to solve their front court issues. There will inevitably be a sense of relief when he’s moved, but any confidence in Colangelo’s ability to receive anything worthwhile was lost in the Noel deal.
Colangelo could’ve solved this situation last summer. Instead, he comes out of the trade deadline looking rather incompetent during a month where his decision making has already been deemed questionable.In 1800, Pope Pius VII assumed leadership of the Catholic Church in an unprecedented way — he rolled there. For the first time in the history of the church, the pope-elect came by carriage, not on horseback, to Vatican City. Since then, popes have employed all sorts of four-wheeled vehicles to get from place to place.
Below are 32 of those vehicles — some mammoth, others miniature.
Some similarities: Many of the cars display the S.C.V.-1 license plate, a Vatican City State tag reserved for the pontiff. Most are emblazoned with the papal seal of the pope aboard.
[What Pope Francis will do during his trip to Washington, New York and Philadelphia]
About a third come from luxury car maker Mercedes-Benz, but papal rides have been outfitted by local truck and car manufacturers, asked to design and deliver the vehicle in mere weeks. The Vatican almost always includes one request: provide high visibility for the pontiff to be seen by the crowds gathered for his blessing.
After an assassination attempt on John Paul II in 1981, security concerns became a major driver in popemobile design. Several features now familiar to many, such as the bulletproof-glass-enclosed “pope box” design, became standard. You won’t see any enclosed cars on Francis’s visit to the United States, though. For this week’s trip, the pope has shunned what he calls a “sardine can” design in favor of an open-sided Jeep Wrangler.POTENTIAL STUDS
Dylan Larkin: Solid rookie season and all the opportunity he could ask for as Detroit’s top centre. Projection: 27g 35a 62pts
Henrik Zetterberg: Not the same player he once was, but still more than capable of contributing above-average numbers. Projection: 16g 40a 56pts
Gustav Nyquist: He’s better than he was last year. 28 goals in 57 games in 13-14 and 14 powerplay goals last year. Needs to shoot more. Projection: 26g 25a 51pts
Frans Nielsen: The centre position is very deep in fantasy hockey, but with 58 powerplay points over the last 3 seasons, he’s worthy of filling out that last spot on your roster in deeper leagues. Projection: 19g 32a 51pts
Tomas Tatar: Progressing numbers dipped last season, but he looks ready to get back to the 50-point mark after an impressive World Cup. Projection: 23g 27a 50pts
IS THIS THE YEAR FOR…
Anthony Mantha: On the bubble to make the team. He’s a future stud but will likely see a lot of trips between the AHL and the NHL this season. Projection: 11g 18a 29pts
CONTRIBUTORS
Thomas Vanek: He’ll get plenty of opportunities to succeed with his new team, but anything above 50 points is a bonus. Projection: 20g 28a 48pts
Justin Abdelkader: Good for 40 points and is a good source of PIMS. Has value only in deeper leagues. Projection: 21g 22a 43pts
Niklas Kronwall: Consistently contributes on the powerplay and should be good for 40 points, but last years +/- (-21) was a low point. May be losing a step at 35. Projection: 5g 37a 42pts
Mike Green: If he gets his shots back up, he’ll return to the double-digit goal mark. Projection: 10g 30a 40pts
GOALTENDING
Petr Mrazek and Jimmy Howard: The duo entered last season under a timeshare, and Petr Mrazek stepped up and earned himself 60% of the starts, posting a.921 save percentage on a team that barely squeaked into the playoffs. He enters this season as the starter and will have no problem keeping the job.
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This is the moment passengers cheered as 'rowdy' women were escorted off an easyJet flight by police for allegedly shouting "Allahu Akbar".
The pair had been causing disruption throughout the flight from Prague to London Stansted, according to a fellow traveller who recorded the incident.
Thomas Hayward, 25, captured the moment officers boarded the flight at London Stansted airport to remove the two women.
Essex Police confirmed they were called to reports of disruptive behaviour and escorted the pair off the plane at 9.15pm on Valentine's Day.
(Image: SWNS)
Thomas, a teacher from Twickenham, south west London, was returning from a romantic break with his girlfriend.
He said: "The flight was only an hour-and-a-half but felt like forever.
"The two girls were sitting next to the emergency exit and were causing all sorts of dramas.
"They were being really loud, having strange conversations at the top of their lungs and refusing to be quiet.
(Image: SWNS)
(Image: SWNS)
"At one point they even shouted 'Allahu Akbar' - despite being two white British girls.
"Everyone on the flight sat quietly, but you could tell everyone was getting more and more annoyed."
Thomas was on his way back to London after a romantic holiday with girlfriend Megan Nisbet, 25.
He said: "Megan and I were coming back from a couple of days holiday.
(Image: SWNS)
"It was quite late at night and the flight attendant had told them if they didn't stop being disruptive we might not be allowed to land."
Thankfully, the plane landed shortly after 9pm and police were waiting to greet the two girls.
Thomas added: "When we landed, the pilot asked everyone to stay seated.
"But the first two to stand up were those two girls despite the seat belt sign still being on.
(Image: SWNS)
"They kept saying that they thought people would steal cigarettes in their bag.
"But then the police came on the flight and everyone started cheering.
"150 people were happy to see them being taken away, the whole plane was delighted."
A spokesperson for Essex Police said: "We were contacted at 9.15pm on Tuesday February 14 following reports that two passengers were being disruptive on a flight arriving from Prague.
"Officers attended the incident and spoke to two female passengers. No-one was arrested."
(Image: SWNS)
An easyJet spokesperson said: "EasyJet can confirm that flight EZY3068 from Prague to London Stansted on 14 February was met by the police on arrival as a result of a passenger onboard behaving in a disruptive manner.
"The passenger was escorted away by the Police. The safety and well being of passengers and crew is always easyJet's priority.
"Whilst such incidents are rare we take them very seriously, and do not tolerate abusive or threatening behaviour onboard."Pure oats and pure oatmeal do not contain gluten. However, most oatmeal brands on the market today are not pure—they contain oats that have been cross-contaminated with a tiny amount of wheat, barley, and/or rye. Therefore, if you have celiac disease or non-celiac gluten sensitivity, you should stick with brands that are specifically labeled "gluten-free."
In addition, you should know that some people with celiac or gluten sensitivity find they react to oats, as well. Therefore, you should be careful not to overdo that oatmeal until you know exactly how you'll react, and if you have questions about your reactions, discuss them with your doctor.
Why Isn't All Oatmeal Gluten-Free?
Since pure oats and pure oatmeal are gluten-free, you're probably wondering how gluten can get in. The problem is gluten cross-contamination that starts in farmers' fields and carries on through processing.
Most farmers and food processors who grow and handle oats also grow and handle the gluten grains wheat, barley, and rye. Using the same equipment for both oats and gluten grains means that a tiny amount of gluten winds up in your oatmeal. Here's the statement from Quaker Oats regarding this problem: "Yes, oats are naturally gluten-free. However, during farming, transportation and storage, gluten-containing grains like wheat, rye, barley and spelt may be unintentionally introduced."
It's possible to grow pure oats that are safe on the gluten-free diet, and companies selling certified gluten-free oatmeal are using oats that do not have any gluten cross-contamination. Those should be safe for the majority of people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity. However, some people will have reactions even with pure oats.
Which Brands of Oatmeal Are Gluten-Free?
Fortunately for those who can tolerate oats, there are a variety of different gluten-free-certified oatmeals on the market:
Bob's Red Mill produces a large variety of gluten-free oatmeal, including easy-to-prepare oatmeal cups in four flavors, quick-cooking oats, rolled oats, and steel-cut oats. Bob's tests for gluten down to 20 parts per million. Make sure you purchase only gluten-free labeled oatmeal—Bob's also has oat products that are not gluten-free.
produces a large variety of gluten-free oatmeal, including easy-to-prepare oatmeal cups in four flavors, quick-cooking oats, rolled oats, and steel-cut oats. Bob's tests for gluten down to 20 parts per million. Make sure you purchase only gluten-free labeled oatmeal—Bob's also has oat products that are not gluten-free. GF Harvest is a celiac family-owned business in Wyoming. The company grows its own oats and performs extensive testing to make certain its fields remain uncontaminated, including testing the seeds it uses down to 3 parts per million. GF Harvest holds gluten-free certification along with organic and Kosher certifications. Products include organic gluten-free rolled oats and regular gluten-free rolled oats, which you can use to make gluten-free oatmeal. The company also offers easy-to-prepare oatmeal cups under the Canyon Oats brand.
is a celiac family-owned business in Wyoming. The company grows its own oats and performs extensive testing to make certain its fields remain uncontaminated, including testing the seeds it uses down to 3 parts per million. GF Harvest holds gluten-free certification along with organic and Kosher certifications. Products include organic gluten-free rolled oats and regular gluten-free rolled oats, which you can use to make gluten-free oatmeal. The company also offers easy-to-prepare oatmeal cups under the Canyon Oats brand. Glutenfreeda Foods offers eight different types of flavored instant gluten-free oatmeal. All contain flax meal in addition to gluten-free oatmeal. In addition, the company makes plain instant oatmeal and bulk oats. Glutenfreeda, which guarantees its oatmeal contains less than 5 parts per million of gluten, sells its products online and in some specialty stores.
Montana Gluten-Free works directly with farmers to make certain the oats it sells are not cross-contaminated with gluten and certifies that its oats test to below 3 parts per million of gluten. The company offers cream of oats, "naked" oats, raw oatmeal, toasted oats, and oat-based baking supplies at the Montana Gluten-Free website.
works directly with farmers to make certain the oats it sells are not cross-contaminated with gluten and certifies that its oats test to below 3 parts per million of gluten. The company offers cream of oats, "naked" oats, raw oatmeal, toasted oats, and oat-based baking supplies at the Montana Gluten-Free website. Quaker Oats sells gluten-free oatmeal in three varieties: quick oats, instant plain oatmeal, and instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal. This brand is the one you're most likely to find in your local grocery store, right alongside Quaker's regular oatmeal (look for the purple "gluten-free" banner on the package). However, you should note that Quaker Oats doesn't source oats that have been grown away from gluten grains. Instead, the company buys regular oats (which generally are quite cross-contaminated with gluten grains) and then uses a controversial sorting technique that it says discards the gluten grains but keeps the oats. Quaker Oats tests its products to ensure they contain less than 20 parts per million of gluten (the minimum Food and Drug Administration standard). However, if you're particularly sensitive to trace gluten, you may want to consider a brand with more stringent testing standards.
sells gluten-free oatmeal in three varieties: quick oats, instant plain oatmeal, and instant maple and brown sugar oatmeal. This brand is the one you're most likely to find in your local grocery store, right alongside Quaker's regular oatmeal (look for the purple "gluten-free" banner on the package).
Note that other companies that sell gluten-free products also produce oatmeal that's not certified gluten-free—be very careful to double-check labels, and assume a product isn't safe unless it's specifically marked as gluten-free oatmeal.
Can You Eat Oats or Oatmeal If You Have Celiac Disease?
So can a celiac eat oats? In most cases, you can eat oats if you have celiac disease. But to make things even more complicated, a small percentage of people with celiac disease and non-celiac gluten sensitivity also react to avenin, the protein found in oats, which means they need to add oats to their list of prohibited grains.
It's not clear how many people with celiac disease also react to oats—some estimates are in the range of 10 percent to 15 percent, but research is ongoing. In addition, there's evidence that some types of oats are more toxic than others to people with celiac disease.
Here's what the experts have to say about oats:
The Celiac Support Association says in its Guide to Oats that people with celiac disease should be cautious: "Most physicians advise people, those newly diagnosed with celiac disease, to wait until their health is restored before ingesting oats. Waiting one year or so to introduce uncontaminated oats in the diet is commonly suggested to increase a successful introduction. If symptoms return while eating oats...go oat-free for several weeks before reintroducing the oats."
The Celiac Disease Foundation says, "Research indicates that pure, uncontaminated oats consumed in moderation (up to ½ cup dry rolled oats daily) are tolerated by most people with celiac disease. Look for oats specifically labeled gluten-free in all products containing oats, including granolas and granola bars."
Beyond Celiac urges taking "a great deal of care" with this possible addition to your diet, and to discuss it with your physician. "There is no way to determine if you will react, so proceed with caution. Be sure to use oats that are 'pure, uncontaminated,' 'gluten-free,' or 'certified gluten-free.' Experts believe that up to 50g of dry gluten-free oats are considered safe. Check nutrition labels for portion size. People who develop any new symptoms after adding gluten-free oats to their diet should talk to their dietitian or doctor."
Can Celiacs Eat All Oats?
There's some evidence that certain types of oats may be less toxic to people with celiac disease than others. A Spanish study looked at how components of the immune system reacted to the different oat varieties in people with celiac. That study found some types of oats provoked less of an immune system response than others.
And an Italian study used cell samples from people with celiac to see how those cells reacted to different oat varieties in test tubes. The study concluded that two oat varieties—Avena genziana and Avena potenza—didn't provoke major celiac-specific immune system reactions, at least in the test tube. But the researchers cautioned that both oat varieties did seem to cause some low-level immune system changes in the cell samples.
Research on all of this is ongoing, but it's too early to single out particular oat varieties as safer or less safe for us to eat.
A Word From Verywell
If you have celiac or gluten sensitivity, the only way for you to determine if you react to oatmeal is to try some (start with just a couple of spoonfuls) in its pure, gluten-free form. There is some anecdotal evidence that people who are more sensitive to gluten also react more frequently to oats, but there's no research to prove it.(Corrects Comey firing to May 9 in fifth paragraph.)
FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump and his senior advisor Jared Kushner arrive for a meeting with manufacturing CEOs at the White House in Washington, DC, U.S. February 23, 2017. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque/File Photo
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, a senior White House adviser, is under scrutiny by the FBI in the Russia probe, the Washington Post and NBC News reported on Thursday.
Kushner is being investigated because of his meetings in December and other possible interactions with the Russian ambassador and a banker from Moscow, the Post reported, citing people familiar with the investigation.
Kushner is the only current White House official known to be considered a key person in the probe, the newspaper reported.
The FBI, several congressional committees and a special counsel appointed by the Justice Department are looking into allegations of meddling by Russia in the 2016 U.S. election and possible ties between Trump’s presidential campaign and Russian officials seeking to influence the election.
The controversy has engulfed Trump’s administration since he fired FBI Director James Comey on May 9. Moscow has repeatedly denied the allegations and Trump denies collusion with Russia.
The interest in Kushner does not mean investigators suspect him of a crime or intend to charge him, the officials told NBC News.
It is not known whether Kushner has received any requests from the FBI for records, NBC News said.
One of Kushner’s attorneys, Jamie Gorelick, said in a statement her client would cooperate with the investigation.
“Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry,” Gorelick said.
The FBI and the White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.Malta rapidly expands progressive LGBTIQ laws but society struggles to keep up
Updated
Malta is ranked as one of the most progressive countries in the world for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, intersex and genderqueer (LGBTIQ) rights, and the Maltese Government is continuing to push ahead on the issue.
Key points: Malta has established a two-year action plan to extend IVF to same-sex couples
Civil Union Act recognises same-sex marriage as well as adoption and parenting rights
95 per cent of Malta's population is Catholic and the church has a difficult relationship with the LGBTQI community
But despite the progressive political momentum, the church and conservative pockets of society are still struggling to accept the change.
In the last two years, Malta has enacted the Civil Union Act, which granted recognition at par with marriage, as well as adoption and parenting rights for same-sex couples.
It introduced constitutional protection against discrimination based on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity, and that protection extends to refugees.
Malta also passed the Gender Identity, Gender Expression and Sex Characteristics Act, which recognises and protects a person's gender identity and their right to change it.
And more recently, the Government's Consultative Council established a two-year action plan that will extend IVF to same-sex couples.
"As far as legislation goes, we actually rank at the top, literally first place in Europe, and that's mainly because we have good partnership legislation, which includes parenting rights," said Gabi Calleja from Malta LGBTIQ Movement.
As far as legislation goes, we actually rank at the top, literally first place in Europe, and that's mainly because we have good partnership legislation, which includes parenting rights. Gabi Calleja from Malta LGBTIQ Movement
"We have the best gender identity legislation, which also includes intersex rights, we have anti-discrimination legislation in employment, anti-discrimination at constitutional level."
Malta's legislation has moved forward to protect the LGBTIQ community, but the church has a complicated relationship with the LGBTQI community.
Around 95 per cent of the population is Catholic, and the church has historically played a significant role in influencing Maltese politics and a conservative society.
Divorce was only introduced in 2011, despite the Church's vocal opposition, and it stands against many issues related to reproduction.
"The church is not present, it's everywhere," Mr Calleja said.
"It runs one third of our schools, a bit more than now.
"It runs a lot of our social care institutions and provides welfare services.
"About 50 per cent of the Maltese population still attend mass every Sunday, so it's quite a force.
"I think their political power, its strength is waning a bit since the divorce referendum, but it's still there."
LGBTIQ community still held back on some issues
Christopher Vella is from Drachma, a local NGO dedicated to sexual and religious integration, and a member of the steering committee for the Global Network of Rainbow Catholics.
"At first they were cautious, and slow to do anything for the LGBTIQ community," he said.
"It's one of our objectives to create dialogue with the church. They have reacted quite positively to that, but views are still quite mixed."
Mark Josef Rapa from We Are, an LGBTIQ organisation that works with Maltese youth, said the laws themselves were not enough.
"People need to be informed about these laws, how they can use them and how these laws affect them," Mr Rapa said.
"I think people have caught up with the idea that a gay couple can get married.
"They haven't been comfortable with gay adoption yet.
"We recently tried to introduce LGBT books in schools, which unfortunately received a negative reaction from parents and they had to be withdrawn."
Topics: lgbt, fertility-and-infertility, international-law, malta
First postedTexas health officials have asked an appeals court for permission to proceed with cutting payments to a therapy program for children with disabilities — the latest development in an ongoing lawsuit over the budget state lawmakers crafted this year.
The Texas Health and Human Services Commission is seeking to override an order by state District Judge Tim Sulak in September that temporarily stopped health officials from implementing the cuts, saying the move would jeopardize children’s access to necessary care. But lawyers for the state now say Sulak overstepped his bounds and had “no statutory- or rule-based right” to keep the state from cutting payments.
State lawmakers earlier this year ordered the health commission to cut $100 million in state funding by slashing payments to speech, physical and occupational therapists through Medicaid, the federal-state insurance program for the poor and disabled. Therapy providers cried foul, saying the cuts would cause businesses to shut down and limit children's access to care, and won an early but temporary victory in district court.
Now, state health officials are hoping the 3rd Court of Appeals will nix that decision. The health commission's motion, submitted Tuesday, argues that any complaint about how Texas sets its Medicaid payments to providers is the federal government’s concern, not a state judge’s.
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The health commission said Sulak’s order “usurps a power expressly reserved to the executive branch of the federal government” — and amounts to a veto of a state budget provision, a power reserved for the Texas governor.
Lawyers for the state also argued that the groups suing over the budget cuts — including in-home therapy providers and families of children who receives the services — should post a $100 million bond, up from the current $500.
The lead lawyer suing the state called that request “outrageous.”
“It is certainly disappointing to see that after a district court ruled that the state was in violation of the law regarding the Medicaid rate-setting process, the state attorneys are now arguing they should be able to go ahead and set new rates,” the lawyer, Dan Richards, said in a prepared statement.
Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick last month told the health commission that state lawmakers had given it "flexibility to strive for" $100 million in budget savings but that the state had permission to make less-drastic payment cuts in order to preserve access to services.
Sulak's court order prohibited the state from proposing a new, less-severe set of cuts while the lawsuit was still ongoing.
The Texas Tribune thanks its sponsors. Become one.Getting angular’s watches right can be quite a challenge. There are several ways to watch values from a controller, be it $watch, $watchCollection or $watchGroup. Luckily there’s this amazing article of different ways to watch data that will solve most problems you might encounter.
However, most doesn’t mean all: when creating the new admin screens for Small Improvements, it took us some time to find a solution for watching a tree structure that contains nodes with cyclic references.
The Challenge
Let’s say each tree node has parent and children references attached to it (to make traversing the tree as simple as possible). Each node will also contain a value property that links to the actual data. Thus, each node might look similar to this:
$scope.node = { value: { /* data */ }, parent: { /* another node */ }, children: [ /* list of more nodes */ ] };
How would you watch this data structure from your controller, so that changes to the node value will call a function?
Attempt 1/3: Not even close!
You might immediately answer: “just watch it … like this”:
$scope.$watch('node', function () { // do something });
At the first glance this code looks simple; and it doesn’t yield any error either. Unfortunately the watcher will not get triggered when a nested property from within the value object is changed.
This is because $watch will only shallow check the referenced value by default.
Attempt 2/3: Slightly better?
“I know that problem!” you might respond. “Just add true as the the third parameter in the $watch call to deep-watch the value”.
$scope.$watch('node', function () { // do something }, true);
That would work – if it wasn’t throwing an exception:
RangeError: Maximum call stack size exceeded
When deep-watching an object, angular will follow all references to other objects. Because of the parent and children attributes, this results in an infinite loop. The result is that lovely exception.
Attempt 3/3: The solution.
“I need a way to only watch the value property of each node” you will correctly recognize. Here’s how to do that properly:
$scope.$watch(watchNode, function () { // do something }, true); function watchNode() { return $scope.node.value; }
According to the docs, instead of passing an expression, you can also pass a function to $watch. This function is called in each $digest cycle and it’s return value will be compared to the previous one.
Done! This is how to deep-watch a circular data structure in angular.
Bonus 1/3: What about multiple properties on each node?
In the given example, there’s only one property per node that needs to be watched. Here’s how you’d deal with multiple properties:
$scope.complexNode = { even: { /* data */ }, more: { /* data */ }, properties: { /* data */ }, parent: { /* another node */ }, children: [ /* list of more nodes */ ] }; $scope.$watch(watchComplexNode, function () { // do something }, true); function watchComplexNode() { return without($scope.complexNode, ['parent', 'children']); } function without(obj, keys) { return Object.keys(obj).filter(function (key) { return keys.indexOf(key) === -1; }).reduce(function (result, key) { result[key] = obj[key]; return result; }, {}); }
Bonus 2/3: What about lists of nodes?
In this case, use a map function:
$scope.$watch(watchNodeList, function () { // do something }, true); function watchNodeList() { return $scope.nodeList.map(nodeValue); } function nodeValue (node) { return node.value; }
Bonus 3/3: What about performance?
These $watch functions will be executed at least once per $digest cycle, so be sure to not do any heavy computation.
Can you do better?
Do you enjoy tinkering with AngularJS? Do you have even better ideas on performance tuning? We’re hiring AngularJS developers in Berlin. Drop by for a coffee to learn more!Following the January transfer window closing the Crystal Palace FC 25 man squad has been submitted to the Premier League and is shown below.
Each club had a deadline of 4th February to submit a squad containing no more than 17 players who do not fulfil the "Home Grown Player" (HGP) criteria.
The remainder of the squad, up to a total of 25 players, must be Home Grown. An HGP means a player who, irrespective of his nationality or age, has been registered with any club affiliated to the Football Association or the Football Association of Wales for a period, continuous or not, of three entire seasons or 36 months prior to his 21st birthday (or the end of the season during which he turns 21).
Under 21 players are eligible over and above the limit of 25 players/squad.
1. Neil Alexander
2. Barry Bannan H
3. Yannick Bolasie
4. Marouane Chamakh
5. Damien Delaney
6. Kagisho Dikgacoi
7. Danny Gabbidon H
8. Dwight Gayle H
9. Wayne Hennessey H
10. Adlene Guedioura
11. Scott Dann H
12. Mile Jedinak
13. Joe Ledley H
14. Adrian Mariappa H
15. Patrick McCarthy H
16. Dean Moxey H
17. Stuart O'Keefe H
18. Jonathan Parr
19. Aaron Wilbraham H
20. Glenn Murray
21. Jason Puncheon H
22. Cameron Jerome H
23. Julian Speroni
24. Jerome Thomas H
25. Joel Ward H
H = Home-grown PlayerWarming winters in California mean that the state may no longer produce its fruit and nut crops in the 22nd century. A new study reveals that the state famous for its fields of delicious fruit could soon be barren.
The study, published today in PLoS One, is the result of work on climate modeling based on likely climate change in California's Central Valley. Researchers project that the region will lose more than half its winter chill by the year 2100. From the study:
Winter chill determines the ability of many deciduous trees from temperate climates to break their dormancy in the spring. Each species or cultivar has a specific chilling requirement, which if not met results in erratic growth patterns and economically unsuccessful fruit or nut production. The authors used modeled temperature records for two past and 18 future climate scenarios and calculated the amount of safe winter chill that will be exceeded in 90 percent of all years for each scenario. Their findings indicate that imminent climatic change is likely to make most of California's Central Valley, which annually produces 1.2 million hectares of tree crops with chilling requirements and produces valued at about 9 billion dollars, unsuitable for many crops such as walnuts, cherries, prunes and peaches. Pistachios and almonds might also be affected.
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What this means is that one of California's greatest sources of income will be strongly affected. Plus, many other regions will suffer since so many communities depend on California exports for fruits and nuts throughout the year.
Professor Minghua Zhang, whor worked on the study, said:
Depending on the pace of winter chill decline, the consequences for California's fruit and nut industries could be devastating.
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Get ready for the post-farm California apocalypse. Without fruit exports, the main export from Central California could become some futuristic crystal meth. Of course if we're lucky, scientists will come up with GMO fruits and nuts that can bloom even with warmer winters.
via PLoS One
Image by Bill Sharp.There's a lot of talk these days of the "Internet as public utility." In fact, if you parse the language of the stimulus package, you definitely pick up that perspective as part of the motivation for investing $7.2 billion in Internet infrastructure.
There's a lot of talk these days of the "Internet as public utility." In fact, if you parse the language of the stimulus package, you definitely pick up that perspective as part of the motivation for investing $7.2 billion in Internet infrastructure.
A couple years ago, I had a discussion with a friend, one of the few real experts in Internet traffic, who described the Internet as a public utility rather like public transportation systems — such as the New York City subway. The implication was that governments do a good job running subways — so why not the Internet?
I responded by pointing out that the NYC subway wasn't actually a public utility at its inception. Most folks don't know this, but the NYC subway started life (Oct. 27, 1904) as a for-profit initiative by the Interborough Rapid Transit company (IRT). The IRT was soon joined by the privately held Brooklyn Rapid Transit (BRT) and Brooklyn Manhattan Transit (BMT). The government eventually got into the act by developing its own system financed by taxpayer dollars, which competed directly with the IRT, BRT, and BMT.
During the period in which subways were largely privately owned and wholly competitive, there was an enormous amount of expansion and innovation. New lines went up and new technologies were pioneered. Prices stayed low. And the subway map of 1924 bears an eerie resemblance to that of 2009.
What happened? In the 1930s, when the great depression hit, the for-profit transit systems went bankrupt and were taken over by the city, which has operated them ever since. Happy ending, right?
Not exactly. On the bright side, the millions of folks who live and work in New York have had access to a more-or-less reliable, more-or-less affordable form of transportation for the past 80 years. On the downside, prices have risen, ridership has stagnated and some long-planned projects (such as the 2nd Avenue line, which would benefit yours truly) have been on ice for more than a half-century. (Metropolitan Transport Authority, I'm still waiting).
Last year, I mentioned all this to a financial analyst, Sanford-Bernstein's Craig Moffatt, who used the |
Claudius was ever before their eyes, a citadel, as it seemed, of perpetual tyranny. Men chosen as priests had to squander their whole fortunes under the pretence of a religious ceremonial. It appeared too no difficult matter to destroy the colony, undefended as it was by fortifications, a precaution neglected by our generals, while they thought more of what was agreeable than of what was expedient. Meanwhile, without any evident cause, the statue of Victory at Camulodunum fell prostrate and turned its back to the enemy, as though it fled before them. Women excited to frenzy prophesied impending destruction; ravings in a strange tongue, it was said, were heard in their Senate-house; their theatre resounded with wailings, and in the estuary of the Tamesa had been seen the appearance of an overthrown town; even the ocean had worn the aspect of blood, and, when the tide ebbed, there had been left the likenesses of human forms, marvels interpreted by the Britons, as hopeful, by the veterans, as alarming. But as Suetonius was far away, they implored aid from the procurator, Catus Decianus. All he did was to send two hundred men, and no more, without regular arms, and there was in the place but a small military force. Trusting to the protection of the temple, hindered too by secret accomplices in the revolt, who embarrassed their plans, they had constructed neither fosse nor rampart; nor had they removed their old men and women, leaving their youth alone to face the foe. Surprised, as it were, in the midst of peace, they were surrounded by an immense host of the barbarians. All else was plundered or fired in the onslaught; the temple where the soldiers had assembled, was stormed after a two days' siege. The victorious enemy met Petilius Cerialis, commander of the ninth legion, as he was coming to the rescue, routed his troops, and destroyed all his infantry. Cerialis escaped with some cavalry into the camp, and was saved by its fortifications. Alarmed by this disaster and by the fury of the province which he had goaded into war by his rapacity, the procurator Catus crossed over into Gaul. Suetonius, however, with wonderful resolution, marched amidst a hostile population to Londinium, which, though undistinguished by the name of a colony, was much frequented by a number of merchants and trading vessels. Uncertain whether he should choose it as a seat of war, as he looked round on his scanty force of soldiers, and remembered with what a serious warning the rashness of Petilius had been punished, he resolved to save the province at the cost of a single town. Nor did the tears and weeping of the people, as they implored his aid, deter him from giving the signal of departure and receiving into his army all who would go with him. Those who were chained to the spot by the weakness of their sex, or the infirmity of age, or the attractions of the place, were cut off by the enemy. Like ruin fell on the town of Verulamium, for the barbarians, who delighted in plunder and were indifferent to all else, passed by the fortresses with military garrisons, and attacked whatever offered most wealth to the spoiler, and was unsafe for defence. About seventy thousand citizens and allies, it appeared, fell in the places which I have mentioned. For it was not on making prisoners and selling them, or on any of the barter of war, that the enemy was bent, but on slaughter, on the gibbet, the fire and the cross, like men soon about to pay the penalty, and meanwhile snatching at instant vengeance. Suetonius had the fourteenth legion with the veterans of the twentieth, and auxiliaries from the neighbourhood, to the number of about ten thousand armed men, when he prepared to break off delay and fight a battle. He chose a position approached by a narrow defile, closed in at the rear by a forest, having first ascertained that there was not a soldier of the enemy except in his front, where an open plain extended without any danger from ambuscades. His legions were in close array; round them, the light-armed troops, and the cavalry in dense array on the wings. On the other side, the army of the Britons, with its masses of infantry and cavalry, was confidently exulting, a vaster host than ever had assembled, and so fierce in spirit that they actually brought with them, to witness the victory, their wives riding in waggons, which they had placed on the extreme border of the plain. Boudicea, with her daughters before her in a chariot, went up to tribe after tribe, protesting that it was indeed usual for Britons to fight under the leadership of women. "But now," she said, "it is not as a woman descended from noble ancestry, but as one of the people that I am avenging lost freedom, my scourged body, the outraged chastity of my daughters. Roman lust has gone so far that not our very persons, nor even age or virginity, are left unpolluted. But heaven is on the side of a righteous vengeance; a legion which dared to fight has perished; the rest are hiding themselves in their camp, or are thinking anxiously of flight. They will not sustain even the din and the shout of so many thousands, much less our charge and our blows. If you weigh well the strength of the armies, and the causes of the war, you will see that in this battle you must conquer or die. This is a woman's resolve; as for men, they may live and be slaves." Nor was Suetonius silent at such a crisis. Though he confided in the valour of his men, he yet mingled encouragements and entreaties to disdain the clamours and empty threats of the barbarians. "There," he said, "you see more women than warriors. Unwarlike, unarmed, they will give way the moment they have recognised that sword and that courage of their conquerors, which have so often routed them. Even among many legions, it is a few who really decide the battle, and it will enhance their glory that a small force should earn the renown of an entire army. Only close up the ranks, and having discharged your javelins, then with shields and swords continue the work of bloodshed and destruction, without a thought of plunder. When once the victory has been won, everything will be in your power." Such was the enthusiasm which followed the general's address, and so promptly did the veteran soldiery, with their long experience of battles, prepare for the hurling of the javelins, that it was with confidence in the result that Suetonius gave the signal of battle. At first, the legion kept its position, clinging to the narrow defile as a defence; when they had exhausted their missiles, which they discharged with unerring aim on the closely approaching foe, they rushed out in a wedge-like column. Similar was the onset of the auxiliaries, while the cavalry with extended lances broke through all who offered a strong resistance. The rest turned their back in flight, and flight proved difficult, because the surrounding waggons had blocked retreat. Our soldiers spared not to slay even the women, while the very beasts of burden, transfixed by the missiles, swelled the piles of bodies. Great glory, equal to that of our old victories, was won on that day. Some indeed say that there fell little less than eighty thousand of the Britons, with a loss to our soldiers of about four hundred, and only as many wounded. Boudicea put an end to her life by poison. Poenius Postumus too, camp-prefect of the second legion, when he knew of the success of the men of the fourteenth and twentieth, feeling that he had cheated his legion out of like glory, and had contrary to all military usage disregarded the general's orders, threw himself on his sword. Tacitus, Annals 14.29-37.Former football coach Barry Bennell has been charged with eight more counts of historical child sexual abuse.
The 63-year-old ex-youth coach at Crewe Alexandra faces allegations relating to two boys between 1980 and 1987.
The Crown Prosecution Service said the charges followed an investigation by Cheshire Police.
Mr Bennell, who also had links to Manchester City and Stoke City, will appear at South Cheshire Magistrates' Court on 13 March.
He is accused of two counts of indecent assault on a boy aged under 14, indecent assault on a boy aged under 16, and five other offences.
Mr Bennell previously appeared in court in January charged with eight separate offences of sexual assault against a boy aged under 16, between 1981 and 1986.
He pleaded not guilty at Chester Crown Court and was remanded in custody until a further hearing on 20 March.Ranjit Mahanti
THREE officers of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), Mumbai, are under the scanner for improper investigation and favoring bogus doctors. On instructions from the government of Maharashtra, the Medical Education Department Secretary has demanded reports on these officers from the FDA Commissioner. The officers are assistant commissioner B R Masal, Inspector Pravin Pawar and Inspector V D Chaudhary.
Dr Ved Tiwari, Vice President, Maharashtra Navnirman Vidyarthi Sena (MNVS), complained (copy with ABI) to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the FDA on October 27, 2009, March 15, 2010, and March 3, 2011, against around 20 bogus doctors, including Mahendra Prasad Yadav, Krishna Dev Singh and Jung Bahadur Yadav from Sakinaka and Powai areas. FDA officers inspected and found several doctors practising modern medicine without medical qualification. The officers registered an FIR against one bogus doctor, Sarfaraz Khan, at the Powai police station but apparently helped three other when on November 9, 2011, they submitted a report that said Mahendra Prasad Yadav and Krishna Dev Singh were compounders and not practising as doctors while and Jung Bahadur Yadav was a sweeper.
“Favouring the three bogus doctors, FDA officers reported in writing to the department that Mahendra Prasad Yadav and Krishna Dev Singh were found to be compounders and not doctors and also Jung Bahadur Yadav was shown as a sweeper,” said Tiwari.
Later in 2013, compounders Mahendra Prasad Yadav and Krishna Dev Singh and sweeper Jung Bahadur Yadav succeeded in getting registration with the Maharashtra Homeopathic Council (MHC) on the basis of a degree obtained from the Patna Medical College in Bihar. On March 5, 2015, Tiwari again complained against these three doctors to the Governor of Maharashtra. On March 7, the Governor of Maharashtra instructed the medical education secretary to look into the matter.
On August 26, acting on the Governor’s instructions and Tiwari’s complaint, the Maharashtra Homeopathic Council cancelled the registration of 70 bogus doctors, including Mahendra Prasad Yadav, Krishna Dev Singh and Jung Bahadur Yadav.
On September 15, Tiwari also complained (copy with ABI) demanding suspension of B R Masal, Pravin Pawar and V D Chaudhary, claiming these officers had failed to perform their duty properly and also favoured bogus doctors during inquiry. Last week Tiwari got information through Right To Information (RTI) Act that on October 26 the Secretary, Medical Education Department, demanded (copy with ABI) reports from the FDA Commissioner on Masal, Pawar and Chaudhary.
“I received information through RTI that the secretary of Medical Education Department has demanded a report on the three officers from the FDA Commissioner,” said Tiwari.Real-time view data is not available at this time. Learn more.
Every basketball star needs their own tiny replica just ask Penny Hardaway and Lil Penny; today Blake Griffin meets Lil Blake for the first time.
Actor Jerry O'Connell Actor McG Executive Producer Funny Or Die Writer NickCorirossi Director/Show Lead NickCorirossi Editor NickCorirossi Writer Charles Ingram Director/Show Lead Charles Ingram Editor Charles Ingram Cinematographer kevinstewart Producer Betsy Koch Sound Designer BoTown Sound Producer Alex Richanbach Costume and Wardrobe Aubrey Binzer Set Designer Ellie del Campo
Starring: Blake Griffin, McG, Jerry O'Connell
Lil Blake Builder and Puppeteer: Michael Earl
Police: Osmany Rodriguez & Douglas Reinhardt
Writer, Director & Editor: Nick Corirossi & Charles Ingram
Executive Produer: Mike Farah
Produced by: Betsy Koch and Alex Richanbach
Director of Photography: Kevin Stewart
Gaffer: Ricky Fosheim
G&E: Andrew Crighton, Jordan Downey & John Hafner
First AC: Ray Lee
Second AC: Devin Williams
Art Dept: Ellie Del Campo
Hair/ MU: Sara Irving
Wardrobe: Aubrey Binzer
Assistant Wardrobe: Bradly Bowns
Sound: BoTown Sound
PA’s: Ross Buran, Sam Varela, Kyle Mizono
Puppet Builder: Dallin Blankenship
Puppet Clothes Designer/Creator: Tomika Smalls
Special Thanks: Jaymee Messler, Amir Mohamadzadeh, DeWitt Cotton, Roberto Ferriera, Puppet SchoolNearly two years after the mother of all automotive scandals yanked nine years’ worth of Volkswagens out of the “law-abiding citizen” category and into the environmental slammer, U.S. regulators have approved a fix for older VW 2.0-liter diesel cars.
The fix, which many believed would never happen, received an official thumbs up from the Environmental Protection Agency and California Air Resources Board today. The move means potential salvation for 326,000 otherwise doomed VW and Audi vehicles in the United States.
Naturally, not all owners will jump with joy after hearing the news. VW’s massive settlement gave owners the choice of a fix or a lucrative buyback of their illegally polluting vehicle, with many choosing to take the money and condemn their car to hell. Still, others might prefer a future with their high-torque, high-mileage TDI Passat, Golf, Jetta and Beetle. The few owners of Audi A3 TDIs might wants this as well.
The crop of first-generation 2.0-liter cars, which makes up the bulk of the half-million vehicles sidelined in the U.S., span model years 2009 to 2014. An earlier two-phase fix already applies to newer models with Gen-2 engines. (Unsold 2015 TDIs went on sale in April.)
“With the approval, VW will offer owners of these vehicles the choice to keep and fix their car, or to have it bought back,” said the EPA in a release. “To obtain this approval, VW submitted test data and technical information that demonstrates that the modification will reduce emissions without negatively affecting vehicle reliability or durability. VW will thoroughly identify any differences in vehicle attributes (such as fuel economy) so owners may make an informed choice.”
After “fixed” European models caused a wave of complaints, U.S. owners will want to know if there’s a chance their beloved diesel could become a shuddering, gutless dog.
Regardless, the EPA’s green light means the automaker can begin notifying owners of their newfound option right away. Once the replies roll in, the cars can go under the knife.
“The approved modification involves both software and hardware changes,” the EPA stated. “VW will remove the defeat device software that reduced emission control effectiveness in all but emissions testing circumstances, and replace it with software that directs the emission controls to function effectively in all typical vehicle operations. VW will also replace the NOx catalyst and, for 2009 models, certain other emission control system hardware.”
[Image: Volkswagen of America]Guy Verhofstadt, the European parliament’s Brexit coordinator, has condemned David Davis for running a “witch-hunt” against British MEPs who recently voted in favour of delaying trade talks because of insufficient progress in the negotiations.
Davis, the UK’s Brexit secretary, has called – with the support of Theresa May – for 18 Labour MEPs and one Liberal Democrat who supported a recent European parliament resolution critical of the British government to be sacked for acting contrary to the national interest.
Who’s to blame for Brexit’s fantasy politics? The experts, of course | Aditya Chakrabortty Read more
The Conservatives have already removed the party whip from two Tory MEPs who supported the motion, Julie Girling and Richard Ashworth. Girling has spoken of her sadness at the move. “It is the party which has changed, not me.,” she said.
Verhofstadt, a former Belgian prime minister who played a key role in drafting the European parliament’s resolution, was said to be astonished by Davis’s demand in letters to the Labour leader, Jeremy Corbyn, and the Lib Dem leader, Vince Cable, for them to discipline their MEPs.
“Outrageous witch-hunt of British MEPs for standing up for the rights of UK & EU citizens”, he tweeted.
A source close to Verhofstadt said: “It is difficult to believe this is a real letter. We had to double-take. Is this real? It is not fair play.”
Q&A Why is the UK keen to discuss a future trading relationship with the EU? Show Hide Britain wants to discuss its future trading relationship with the EU because 44% of UK exports go to, and 53% of imports come from, the EU 27 countries. Post-Brexit conditions of trade could, therefore, have a major effect on Britain’s economy. The World Bank estimates UK trade with the EU in goods and services could fall by 50% and 62% respectively if no trade deal is agreed after Brexit, against 12% and 16% if the UK stays in the single market through a Norway-style agreement. Clean Brexit campaigners say the shortfall can be offset through more trade with non-EU countries, but those who argue the UK must retain close links with the single market doubt this, certainly any time soon. Both groups want certainty. However, the EU27’s negotiating guidelines for the two-year Brexit talks say discussion of the “framework” of a future relationship can only take place in phase two of the talks, once “sufficient progress” has been made on the separation phase and particularly the UK’s exit bill.
The resolution, passed by a large majority, advised the European council to rule that insufficient progress had been made in protecting citizens’ rights, finding a solution to the issue of the Irish border and reaching agreement on the principles of the UK’s Brexit divorce bill.
In his letter to Corbyn and Cable, Davis wrote: “While I would not expect opposition political parties to agree with us all the time about the end state we seek, it is self-evidently part of the national interest to support a discussion about our future relationship with Europe.”
Cable told the Guardian that Davis’s letter followed a pattern in which the government accused its critics, including the media, of acting against the interests of the nation.
He said: “It is both extraordinary and alarming that David Davis is demanding opposition parties sack representatives simply for doing their jobs. Conservative ministers should stop making these absurd demands and focus on protecting the country’s prosperity and security from Brexit.”
In response to losing the whip, Girling said in a statement: “I am disappointed to have had the Conservative whip withdrawn, especially since it happened before any discussion was held with me about the reason for my vote last week.
“I have been active in the party for 40 years – 20 as an elected representative – and for 39 of those years our policy has been pro-Europe. I have never considered myself a rebel and have not altered my beliefs. It is the party which has changed, not me, but that does not stop me feeling sadness that such a precipitate response was felt to be appropriate.”
Q&A What are the two phases of the Brexit talks? Show Hide The EU27’s negotiating guidelines for the two-year Brexit talks stipulate that they must take place in two phases: separation and “orderly withdrawal”, followed by future relationship. Only when the EU27 decide “sufficient progress” has been made on phase one can phase two begin.
Broadly, phase one is about providing “clarity and certainty” to people and businesses on Brexit’s consequences and agreeing a sum covering the commitments the UK made as an EU member: avoiding a legal vacuum, protecting citizens’ rights, solving the Irish border, and reaching a financial settlement. Phase two of the talks will then focus on agreeing the “framework” of the future trading relationship between the UK and the EU. A transition period can also be agreed as part of this second stage, but the detail of the future relationship can only be worked out once the UK has left. Britain wants to move to stage two fast, but in order to keep as much leverage as possible in talks on the future relationship aims to delay agreeing the financial settlement as long as possible. The EU27 are adamant that all phase one issues must be addressed to their satisfaction before any talk of the future relationship.
The party’s whip in the European parliament, Dan Dalton, said in a letter to the two Tory MEPs: “The Brexit negotiations are the most important negotiations our country faces and reaching a new partnership with the European Union is in the interests of both the UK and the EU.
“The resolution by the European parliament sought to delay progress in the negotiations between the UK and the EU by holding back talks on the future relationship. It also proposed that one part of the UK, Northern Ireland, could remain in the single market and customs union, while the rest of the UK departs – which is not acceptable.”
Downing Street has backed the calls. “It is surely in everyone’s interests, both in Britain and in Europe, that talks can progress on trade and our future relationship,” a source said.
The prime minister also raised the issue with Corbyn during prime minister’s questions.Jillian Michaels Scores for Adoption Cause
A celebrity kickball event raises awareness for adoption and foster care.
By Melanie Barker
Trainer Jillian Michaels and her daughter Lukensia Michaels Rhoades
On Saturday August 16 in Los Angeles, the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption hosted Kickball for a Home, a celebrity kickball event to raise awareness for adoption from foster care.
Celebrities who participated and attended in support of the organization included trainerJillian Michaels, Alex Newell(Glee),Dolvett Quince (The Biggest Loser), Aubrey Anderson-Emmons (Modern Family), Brendan Robinson (Pretty Little Liars), and Casper Smart, Robert and CortneyNovogratz (HGTV - Home by Novogratz).
Jillian Michaels adopted her daughter Lukensia from Haiti in 2012. She parents Lukensia and son Phoenix with her partner Heidi Rhoades.
The kickball tournament, sponsored by Coca Cola and Wendy’s, raised funds for the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, a nonprofit organization that works to connect children in foster care with forever families.A Oklahoma doctor has been charged with second-degree murder for prescribing excessive amounts of opioids and other drugs, causing the overdose deaths of at least five patients.
Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter announced the murder charges against Dr. Regan Nichols, 57, Friday. The five patients died while she worked at a Midwest City clinic.
Read more
The complaint said Nichols’ excessive prescribing showed “a depraved mind” and a lack of regard for human life which led to the deaths of Debra Messner, Lynnette Nelson, Sheila Bartels, Chealsy Dockery, and Deborah Hutcheson.
The affidavit alleges that over a five year period, Nichols prescribed more than 1,800 opioid pills to the patients even though they didn’t need them. She prescribed three of the five patients a lethal combination of painkillers, muscle relaxants and anti-anxiety drugs.
“The dangers associated with opioid drugs have been well documented and most doctors follow strict guidelines when prescribing opioids to their patients. Nichols prescribed patients, who entrusted their well-being to her, a horrifyingly excessive amount of opioid medications,” said Hunter.
“Nichols' blatant disregard for the lives of her patients is unconscionable.”
An investigation by the Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics into Nichols began after a concerned former patient tipped off law enforcement that five patients had died of multi-drug toxicity. A state investigation found that Nichols prescribed more than 3 million doses of controlled dangerous drugs from 2010-2014.
After a September 2015 hearing before the Oklahoma State Board of Osteopathic Examiners, the board stripped Nichols of her prescribing authority of controlled dangerous substances. She voluntarily surrendered her credentials to the Drug Enforcement Administration and Oklahoma Bureau of Narcotics.
Messner died on March 30, 2010. She was prescribed Hydrocodone, Aplrazolam and Carisoprodol. An autopsy showed she died of "acute combined drug toxicity."
Nelson, 46, succumbed on March 1, 2012 as a result of combined drug toxicity a month after she was prescribed several controlled drugs by Nichols. A review of Nelson's file shows that in four years, Nichols had only conducted one full medical evaluation, in December 2008.
Bartels, 55, had a large prescription filled on November 21, 2012, after seeing Nichols. She died the same day of "multi-drug toxicity." A review of Bartels' file by a medical expert showed that she was prescribed an "irrational combination" of drugs, according to the affidavit.
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Dockery, 21, died of combined drug toxicity on August 4, 2013 just three days after filling a prescription issued by Nichols.
On October 24, 2013, Hutcheson, 52, died of acute multi-drug toxicity. She was prescribed the drugs on October 8, 2013.
An Oklahoma County judge has issued a warrant for her arrest and will be held in lieu of $50,000 bond.
The murder charges against Dr. Nichols come as state officials embark on aggressive measures to tackle the opioid epidemic.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), more than 33,000 people died of opioid-related overdoses in the US in 2015, quadruple the rate in 1999. Opioids are the leading cause of overdose deaths in the US, with 91 Americans dying every day.
On Wednesday, the Missouri Attorney General became the third state to sue pharmaceutical companies for fraud. The civil lawsuit claims the firms carried out a complex, multi-year campaign in which they deliberately misrepresented the addictive risks of opioids, and “engaged in a deliberate campaign of fraud to convince Missouri doctors and consumers otherwise,” according to the complaint.
On June 16, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey announced that her office has been working with a bipartisan coalition of state attorney generals to evaluate “whether [pharmaceutical] manufacturers used illegal practices in the marketing and sale of opioids and worsened this deadly crisis.”
Read more
In May, the Governor of Ohio, John Kasich, introduced new rules to limit doctors prescribing pain medications to seven days for adults, and no more than five days for minors.
The medications also can provide a gateway to heroin, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, which has reported that nearly half of young heroin users state that they had misused prescription opioids first.
Placing limits on doctors prescribing painkillers has already been adopted in other states. Massachusetts limits first-time painkiller prescriptions to 7 days. Other states that have passed laws with prescribing limits within the last year include Connecticut, Maine, New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont.There is meme going around that Doc Brown in the film "Back to the Future", was planning to travel forward to this day, before he got gunned down by the Libyans. It all started with this tweet by @totalfilm (official Twitter account of the Total Film magazine).
"Marty: The future,? So where you going? Doc: That's right, 25 years into the future. I've always dreamed on seeing the future, looking beyond my years, seeing the progress of mankind. I'll also be able to see who wins the next 25 World Series." (source)
So what actually happened in the Film? Doc Brown is about to leave 1985 to go to the future, here's the quote:
Now, Back to the Future was first released in the USA on the 3rd of July 1985 and that's maybe where the confusion comes from. The current date as shown in the time machine is the 26 October 1985 so it's wrong. Total film did try to correct themselves, but, posting a photoshopped picture, was not the best way and attached tweet was unclear. The Guardian's blog also confirms that this incorrect.
It's now 7 hours after the original tweet and people are still passing on this information in vast numbers:
Twitter we have a problem
Twitter is fast moving system and sometimes people make mistakes and I can understand that. Typically the way to resolve this is to send an updated message to all your followers admitting you made a mistake. The problem however, comes in when people start retweeting your incorrect tweet, you can't inform all those who received the incorrect tweet about the error. In fact it gets worse as people remove the original attribution and pass the tweet off as an original tweet of their own (as you can see it the screenshot above). Of course blogs don't have this problem, people simply update the post with new information as it comes to light. Facebook and blogs also have comments so the post can be shouted down for inaccuracies there, even before the post is updated.
So is this a problem? Well today it's some tweet about meaningless facts from a 25 year old film, but tomorrow it could be mis-information about someone's death for example, though it's not like that hasn't happened before.
Update:
There is also a nice video on Vimeo showing the actual dates entered into the time machine http://www.vimeo.com/13099195 [Update: Now taken down]
Update 2:
Please help stop the spread of mis-information by retweeting the following tweet
My attempt to clear up the "Back to the Future" mis-information: http://bit.ly/9RK7e6 — Richard Cunningham (@rythie) July 5, 2010
(links here) which should make it to the top of Twitter's search page if enough people do it.
Update 3:
There are numerous people now reposting the photoshoppedpicture that Total Film did, but of course the copies don't say it's fake, sigh.
Update 4:
Total Film have now written a proper apology about the hoax they inadvertely created.
Update 5:
I don't think Total Film even started this hoax, though they claim to have come it with all by themselves, it was all over twitter for a day previously. From looking at the comments in Total Film's post, and looking at the Twitter search history, I'm pretty sure that @gavmccaughey's tweet at 4:40AM GMT/UTC on the 4th of July, was the first tweet of his hoax and that itself was retweeted over 100 times. Thanks to Brown727's blog for the information.
Also we can see that is the first tweet to mention it (I've looked through several pages and no one was tweeting about it before):I know Jennie Bharaj has come under attack recently. Some of them are valid, some perhaps a little less so. Now, I take below the belt shots myself all the time, so who am I to criticize? I’m just saying, I found some of these type of attacks on Jennie to be slightly distasteful. I’m not close friends with her at all, and would definitely consider myself closer friends with the ones who wrote the piece. Still, I want to share my thoughts on the matter, since it’s weighing heavily on my mind.
First off, BasedGamer.com is not likely to reach its fundraising goals, even with the extended time given. So what is the point in going nuclear on someone when what you’re worried about happening isn’t even going to happen? That was my view, and still is. I guess some people got worried when she extended the deadline, but she still wasn’t going to get it. That might pain her to read, and I’m sorry if it does. But it was the truth of the matter.
As for her past videos and stuff, I didn’t watch them all. They just looked like someone who was trying to make it with a persona, no different that millions of others. Also, I don’t feel like she was being disingenuous with a petition to put a female character in GTA 6. In fact, I don’t see anything wrong with that at all. It’s not a top priority of mine, but there’s nothing wrong with trying to take action to affect change that you would like to see. That’s much different that Kotaku mandating that there be one, or Polygon saying it from on high. She’s a consumer.
This is a short post, mostly to just say that no, I don’t think Jennie Bharaj is our “Our Own Anita Sarkeesian,” as the piece calls her. She was a guest on my show back in the early days, so I have a soft spot for her. She also had the killer segment on Huffington Post Live, which everyone saw. But the other reasons I like her, is because I find her to be funny, nice, and honest. She’s made some mistakes with this roll-out, (asking for too much money possibly, not enough community outreach beforehand, too few details, etc) I won’t deny that. But I still think her heart was in the right place. So, I wish her well in her future endeavors, and I think everyone else should as well. Also, there’s still 2 weeks or so left. I suppose a post-Christmas miracle is possible.
(Art credited to @Toshi_TNE)Hey there, ChipWINners! Welcome back to Quick Shots: the album review column in which I break down the finer points of some of the latest releases in the scene, then give you a numerical TL;DR to help you determine if a record is right for you. This month, I have two albums up for review that explore spaces I’ve yet to discuss on the blog. One is a metal album that incorporates vocals via the Hatsune Miku Vocaloid software, and has incredibly powerful lyrics. The other is an album from an accomplished pianist who has composed a very stirring concept album using the tracker software in the Pico-8 virtual console. Both albums albums caught me off guard and have a lot to offer their respective audiences. That said, let’s not waste anymore time! Sit back, relax, and plug in those headphones as I take the time to review the latest from 8-Bit Hero and Gruber.
‘Among Angels’ by 8-Bit Hero
Among Angels by 8-Bit Hero Hailing from Borger, Texas, 8-Bit Hero is a musician who is best known for covers of music from games such as Undertale, including a rather touching cover of the eponymous track of the game that’s up on his Youtube channel. Having put out a steady stream of music on Bandcamp since March of this year, 8BH has recently released a six track EP that shows off a particular combination of music I’ve not taken the time to indulge in, but am pleasantly surprised by: Vocaloid metal. Metal is something I’m no stranger to. From alternative bands such as Filter to the complex melodies of chip artists such as Danimal Cannon, metal has always been a place of comfort. Vocaloid, however, is something I’ve not dived into as much, as nightcore turned me off of the software pretty quickly. However, thanks to 8-Bit Hero’s stunning instrumentation, I’ve found a deeper appreciation for Vocaloid, and I think you will, as well.
‘Among Angels’ is an EP that has stronger leanings to rock that it does to EDM. As such, the album’s chiptune offerings are minimal, as the they often work as an addition to much larger compositions, as opposed to being the focus of the music. Thus, if you’re looking for something that fills the space in between Infinity Shred releases, you might be out of luck, as ‘Among Angels’ doesn’t quite scratch that itch other chiprock acts do. If, however, you’re simply in the mood for good metal and prog rock, it’s hard to go wrong with this EP. From the moment the intense, triumphant guitar joins the opening piano chords and strings on the opening track, ‘Among the Angels’, 8-Bit Hero makes it very clear that he’s here to leave his mark on the scene. This piece of aria is highly reminiscent of work by math rock bands like Maybeshewill, as the song invokes the same intensity ‘He Films the Clouds‘ does in its overall presentation.
From there, the album gets heavier and more Vocaloid centric, as ‘Among the Angels’ is one of only two instrumental tracks on the album. The EP’s second track, ‘Breathe’, is among the more experimental songs the record. Although it has a strong focus on the guitar and piano instrumentation accompanying the vocals, it also features a very unique synth melody working through it that is quite haunting. Additionally, the song features some rather dark lyrics that stand in stark contrast to Hatsune’s voice. They touch on themes of betrayal, pain, and inner strength in ways that are very impressive. This strength as a lyricist is one I wasn’t expecting from 8-Bit Hero, and isn’t limited to ‘Breathe’, either. Every song on the record that features Vocaloid on the EP tackles subject matter ranging from toxic love to finding hope in memories of loved ones. While all the tracks on this album are worthy of praise, the one that always sticks out to me is ‘Dawn’. The song is unique in that there are moments in which Hatsune’s voice sound purposefully out of tune against the wailing guitar. This makes for a striking aria that is impressively memorable. In addition, this piece of music has the most positive, hopeful lyrics on the album, and I can’t help but admire the message relayed by them.
‘Among Angels’ closes with two rather soft tracks that show off an unexpected amount of versatility on 8-Bit Hero’s behalf. ‘A Smile Worth Protecting’ is a gentle, ethereal piece that carries on the hopeful vibe of ‘Dawn’. This is then followed up by an acoustic cover of an earlier track, ‘My Angel’. ‘My Angel’ is a song of promise between two people who vow to be close enough to one another to make even God jealous, and has one of the best guitar solos on the album. The contrast between the original and the acoustic cover the album closes with is one of the best decisions I’ve seen an artist |
unless you’ve seen episodes five and six. Or do. Whatever, I’m not your boss.
So we’re another couple of episodes in, and none the wiser as to any of the surreal mysteries raised by David Lynch and Mark Frost.
After the mega-meta headspin of episodes 3 and 4, we seem to have settled down in to a more plot-driven and at times poetic storyline, the previous shows setting us up nicely for the story to move on.
There are a lot of different plotlines taking place in episodes 5 and 6, but it isn’t entirely clear at what point they intersect. We have Bad Coop, the glacially slow awakening of Agent Cooper, the magical drug dealer, the hit and run, Sheriff Truman’s nagging wife and the introduction, finally, of Diane – one character we’ve been waiting to see for nearly 30 years.
As I say, there’s a lot going on. Perhaps most important is Hawk’s discovery of what might be Laura Palmer’s diary’s missing pages. We’re not left with answers immediately, but intrigued as to what they might reveal.
As ever with Lynch, it’s not always about the story, but more about the mood that scenes can evoke.
We end episode 5 and start episode 6 with Cooper standing next to a cowboy statue, aware enough to know that the statue holding a gun is evoking something deep within him, but not yet aware enough to understand what that might be.
The clues are there for Cooper, yet he can’t quite grasp them. The evolution towards a fully restored Coop is frustratingly slow – generating a lot of discomfort for viewers eager for him to get back to Washington State. This isn’t a plot failure, or an error of pacing however, it’s a deliberate ploy by Lynch – I believe – to take the space and time to reflect on his own life and art.
Cooper, it could be argued, is the allegorical proxy of Lynch. He’s a character that reflects Lynch’s own life. From the agent’s rebirth to the world through the power lines to the playful childlike nature of discovering the clap-on lights in Sonny Jim’s bedroom, it’s clear that this is a man growing up in a world he is yet to fully understand.
How far this allegory runs will remain to be seen, but the notion of the new Twin Peaks acting a reflection of the life and work of Lynch himself appears to be becoming clearer with each episode.
As with the previous two episodes, there are enough clues stacking up to support of this theory. Whether it’s Cooper (as Dougie) being totally at odds with the humdrum 9-5 working world, or the ‘homework’ he has to undertake with his case files, we seem to be at a pretty early stage of development.
Cooper getting his first spark of creative genius looking at his insurance case files, scribbling enigmatic links between names and scenarios before submitting it to his boss, is another clue that this isn’t quite what it first seems. Lynch is a master of painting emotions and feelings with film, meaning that scenes aren’t always there to drive plot, but to make the audience feel a certain way.
If this theory is right – and I’m not saying it is, we’ll never be able to know for sure – then the representation of the years in which Lynch made Dune will be fascinating.
Some other thoughts:
Naomi Watts – putting in a superb performance as Dougie’s long-suffering wife Janey-E – must surely be one of the world’s best actors around right now. An award-winning display when her character stands up to the loan sharks.
See also Harry Dean Stanton – the guy is 90. Bloody 90! And he’s still acting his socks off.
The celebrity cameos keep on coming, from Jim Belushi’s brutal moment in episode 5 to Jeremy Davies looking ragged in episode 6. The standout had to be Balthazar Getty though, his drug dealer Red channelling Dennis Hopper was a magical moment in more ways than one.
The most worrying plot development has to be Ike “The Spike”, the psychopathic dwarf who’s now out to get Cooper. Will Coop wake up in time? We hope so.
Hats off to Lynch for giving this character some emotional feelings though, even if it’s his sadness in ruining a favourite murder weapon. In any other hands the scenario where an FBI agent has regressed to a childlike state while a stabby short dude is trying to shank him might have come off slightly OTT.
Finally, Chad is a total biff.This article is about the first edition of the video game series. For the rest of the series, see Legends of Wrestling (series). For the WWE television series, see Legends of Wrestling
Legends of Wrestling is a professional wrestling video game based on the greatest wrestlers of all time, from WWF/WWE, NWA, WCW, WCCW, AWA, ECW and various independent promotions. It was developed and produced by Acclaim. It was released in 2001 for the PlayStation 2, then in 2002 for the GameCube and Xbox. A sequel, Legends of Wrestling II, was released in 2002.
Reception [ edit ]
The game was met with average to very mixed reception. Metacritic gave it a score of 65 out of 100 for the Xbox version;[27] 55 out of 100 for the PlayStation 2 version;[26] and 50 out of 100 for the GameCube version.[25]
The Cincinnati Enquirer gave the PS2 version a score of four stars out of five and said that its characters "have an exaggerated action-figure look, but they move smoothly and have a robust collection of moves."[24] However, Playboy gave the same version a score of 60% and said, "Unless you're desperate to see Captain Lou Albano in action again (and who isn't?), scant reason for a purchase presents itself. Casual wrestling fans can pass."[28] BBC Sport gave said version a score of 56%, stating: "When you press a button to pull off a move there's far too long a wait for any action, and the game actually builds up a queue which can mean you are waiting for moves to happen before you can continue."[23]
See also [ edit ]FORTALEZA, Brazil — Amanda Nunes put her UFC bantamweight championship on the line for the first time Dec. 30 against MMA superstar Ronda Rousey, but she didn’t feel she was treated like a champion before the fight.
The UFC promoted the UFC 207 main event mostly based on Rousey’s comeback, a more than a year after she lost her belt to Holly Holm in Australia. Nunes made quick work of the former champion to defend the belt in Las Vegas.
"I talk about anger, but I was sad,” Nunes said during a Q&A before the UFC Fight Night 106 ceremonial weigh-ins in Brazil. "I felt alone, you know what I mean? Everything was for Ronda, and I was the champion, the best in the world. That’s why I say that. They hurt me a lot. I fought that day with anger.
"Every time I touched Ronda, connected a punch, I wanted more and more,” she continued. "That’s why the fight was so fast. Every time I connected, I felt that she couldn't take it, so I threw more and only stopped when it was over. But it was good.”
Nunes stopped Rousey by TKO in the first round, and admits she felt good punching “Rowdy" in the face.
"It was great, you know?” Nunes said. "Every punch I landed in that face made me wanna laugh, but I held it. It was great."
Despite the strong words, Nunes hopes Rousey comes back to finish her career with a victory.
"She needs to take some time to recover,” Nunes said. "A loss is something tough. I’ve lost before, you need great people around you, your family, people giving you positive energy. I want to see Ronda coming back, her finishing her career with a win. Every athlete deserves that. I don’t want it to end this way because it’s sad.
"I won, but I don’t wish her any harm. I want her to come back and maybe, who knows, a rematch in the future? It would be perfect."The case for a Beijing-orchestrated hack of health insurer Anthem has firmed up with new details suggesting that the sophisticated hacking group responsible for the heist shared zero days with rival outfits.
Symantec has overnight dubbed the perps "Black Vine", suggesting the group was responsible for goring more than 70 million personal records from the US company in February.
The security firm paints the group as ultra-sophisticated and unusually keen to share its precious trove of zero day vulnerabilities with rival hacking outfits, rare behaviour among hack-for-cash groups.
Symantec lead researcher Jon DiMaggio says in a report The Black Vine cyberespionage group (PDF), that the group appears to operate out of Beijing and has members with possible ties to security company TopSec which he says has previously hired known black hats and operates from that city.
"Based on the samples analysed in our investigation, Symantec identified that the Black Vine malware variant known as Mivast was used in the Anthem breach.
"[Open source data] suggests that some actors of Black Vine may be associated with a Beijing-based company known as Topsec."
Other links have tied the attack to TopSec. ThreatConnect goes as far as to name an individual teacher who it claims has been dubbed "a person of interest in the context of offensive Chinese cyber activity" and has conducted work for Bejing's secretive National Ministry of State Security (MSS) 115 Program thought to be associated with "ambigious" information warfare activities.
It says the stolen Anthem data could be used to better target the highest-profile victims as part of what remains the group's unknown but seemingly top-flight mission.
"If the MSS was involved, we can deduce that the Anthem hack could have been for the purposes of gathering sensitive information for follow-on HUMINT targeting via blackmail, asset recruitment or technical targeting operations against individuals at home," the researchers state.
Unnamed officials familiar with the breach say the group is stealing information useful to Beijing's counter-intelligence and internal stability.
Coordinated zero days
Four attacks in 2012 and 2014 tie Black Vine to a separate hacking group, and suggest ties between the two are built on shared goals.
Zero-day distribution and framework.
In 2012 Black Vine demonstrated its "extensive financial resources" when it unleashed a zero day exploit in Microsoft's Internet Explorer (CVE-2012-4792) to compromise the ostensibly high-profile visitors to the Council on Foreign Relations website.
The exploit was part of a watering hole attack in which a website popular with an attacker's preferred calibre of victim is compromised to serve malware to visitors.
That 2012 attack is remarkable in that it took place within days of a hack that turned manufacturer Capstone Turbine into a watering hole using the same zero day, and different attack vectors and malware.
Coordinated zero day attacks took place in February 2014 when Black Vine popped an aerospace firm with another then unknown Internet Explorer flaw (CVE-2014-0322). That occurred two days after the separate group busted the US Veterans of Foreign Wars.
A month later Black Vine would pop Anthem and remain inside exfiltrating records and pivoting within its networks for some 300 days.
The apparent tight coordination between the hacking groups is crucial because zero-day vulnerabilities are quickly considered burnt when used in high-profile attacks. Once the zero days are discovered patches and mitigations soon follow.
"The simultaneous attacks between different attack groups seen in 2012 and 2014 exploited the same zero-day vulnerabilities at the same time, but delivered different malware. The malware used in these campaigns are believed to be unique and customized to each group. However, the concurrent use of exploits suggests a shared access to zero-day exploits between all of these groups."
Black Vine like other high-profile hacking groups has targeted organisations in industries including healthcare, energy, and aerospace.
Symantec has released more tools, tactics, and procedures for Black Vine, including its use of the Elderwood hacking framework, which will help security responders identify if they have been targeted. ®CALPE, Spain (VN) — Mark Cavendish (Etixx-Quick-Step) doesn’t seem panicky about the coming season. Despite crashing out of the Tour de France last year without winning a stage for the first time since his debut, the Manxster is full of his trademark bluff and gruff ahead of what’s sure to be a very challenging season in the sprints.
When asked if he felt pressure to win a stage in the 2015 Tour against the likes of Marcel Kittel (Giant-Alpecin) and André Greipel (Lotto-Belisol), Cavendish just shrugged.
“Not really. I’ve won 25 stages,” he told journalists at a recent media day. “If I win one stage at the Tour, I’d be happy. One stage in the Tour is a rider’s career, it makes his career, so it’s a big thing to win one stage each year. You have to give the respect to the Tour de France it deserves.”
Cavendish might have had the same defiance when facing the media rabble, but there are serious questions about his place in the sprint hierarchy coming into 2015.
Once a dominator of the bunch sprints, Cavendish is being swarmed by all sides in what’s arguably the deepest, most talented sprint field in cycling history.
Not only are the likes of Kittel and Greipel bringing full-on sprint trains to challenge Cavendish, other teams are playing their chances in the sprints. Add in Peter Sagan (Tinkoff-Saxo) and the occasional fliers from one-offers, and winning any sprint these days, especially in grand tours packed with challenging stages, is no easy feat.
When asked if he’s losing any sleep over Kittel, Cavendish shrugged again: “I concentrate on trying to win bike races. I don’t concentrate on other bike riders. I concentrate on the finish line, and trying to cross it first.”
For 2015, Milano-Sanremo will present him with an early-season challenge before returning to the Tour. A possible start in the Giro d’Italia, a race Cavendish loves, remains up in the air.
For Etixx brass, pushing Cavendish back into the winner’s bracket in the bunch sprints is a top priority for 2015. The team will bring a solid leadout, with Mark Renshaw back in his second year with Cavendish following his seasons with Rabobank trying his own luck.
A few early wins would bolster the confidence, but sport director Rolf Aldag knows the Tour is what really counts when it comes to the peloton’s fastest men.
“Everyone is measured against the success at the Tour de France,” Aldag told VeloNews. “There was one year, when he won five stages in the Giro, and two in the Tour, and people said he had a bad season … that’s how big the Tour is.”
Aldag admits the competition is tougher than it’s ever been before, and accepts that Cavendish won’t be winning every sprint he contests. Those days are over, but Aldag also said Cavendish has nothing to prove.
“There is a lot of pressure on him, and he wants to prove himself, but he doesn’t have to prove anything,” Aldag continued. “He wants to, he doesn’t have to. If you look at his palmares, 99.5 percent of pro riders will never get there — so is there anything to prove? No.”
Cavendish, however, is one of the most emotional and competitive riders in the bunch. Settling for anything less than outright victory simply isn’t part of his makeup. Coming back from injury late last season, Cavendish was close to victory, but was pipped in London by archrival Kittel in the final stage of the Tour of Britain. Aldag said he’s not worried about Cavendish’s health.
“I am not worried at all that he is good. He will be as good as he can. Then we will see how that is compared to the others, mainly against Kittel,” Aldag said. “Kittel was the man [in last year’s Tour] … because Cav wasn’t there. We still have to figure him out. Looking at the first two stages at the Giro last year, he is unbeatable … but at the Tour, in London, he was unbeatable, but every other stage, Mark could have beaten him at his best. Kittel won them and he deserved them, but I do think we have a great chance for the Tour.”
Aldag said Cavendish’s pride and professionalism is pushing him.
“He’s a professional bike rider. He has the winning gene in his body. The sprinters have that. For his own motivation and his career, he has to do something, for him,” he said.
“His bank account should be fine, he doesn’t have to do it anymore, but the way I am seeing here, he wants to do it. And that’s the important thing. Just out of pressure, out of expectations, or that he has to prove something, he wants to want it.”Breaking News Emails Get breaking news alerts and special reports. The news and stories that matter, delivered weekday mornings.
July 8, 2015, 1:36 PM GMT / Updated July 8, 2015, 3:25 PM GMT By Tracy Connor
The FBI has opened an investigation into the 2013 death of Jermaine McBean, a Florida man who was shot by police while walking home with an unloaded air rifle, a court filing shows.
The disclosure came in a motion by the Broward County Sheriff's Office, which is seeking to put a hold on a federal lawsuit filed by McBean's family, who allege police covered up the circumstances of his death.
"I'm glad the Justice Department is going to take a look at it because the local authorities have had two years to investigate this case," said David Schoen, a lawyer for the family, who requested a civil rights probe.
The Broward Sheriff's Office did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
After McBean was killed, police said he had ignored their calls to drop the rifle, spun around and pointed it at them near a pool where children were swimming.
The shooting officer said the 33-year-old computer engineer had nothing in his ears that would have stopped him from hearing the police commands, and the detective in charge of the investigation said police at the scene confirmed McBean was not wearing headphones and and said they were found in his pocket.
Related: Photo Raises Doubts About Cop Version of Shooting
But as NBC News reported in May, a photo taken by a witness and only recently disclosed shows McBean was in fact wearing earbuds when he was shot.
In addition, another witness — a driver who called 911 in alarm when he saw McBean walking down the street — told NBC News that he never pointed the air rifle at police.
Michael Russell McCarthy, 58, said McBean had the Winchester Model 1000 Air Rifle he had just bought at a local pawn shop balanced on his shoulders behind his neck, with his hand over both ends. He was turning around to face police when one officer began shooting, McCarthy said.
"He [McBean] couldn't have fired that gun from the position he was in. There was no possible way of firing it and at the same time hitting something," McCarthy said. "I kind of blame myself, because if I hadn't called it might not have happened."
Watch: Ronan Farrow's report on the death of Jermaine McBean
Two years after McBean's death, prosecutors still have not presented the case to a grand jury. In a letter attached to the sheriff's motion, the Justice Department said it had received a complaint about the shooting and had asked the FBI to review the case for possible civil rights violations.R yan Smith is not happy with the flatiron steak that just landed in front of him. It’s grilled to an on-the-nose medium-rare, but a thin streak of gristle runs through the middle of each fanned-out slice. Most chefs would let it slide, but not Smith. He tells a cook to do another one “on the fly,” kitchen-speak for “drop whatever the f*#% you’re doing and make it again!” Smith, a burly 36-year-old who could pass for Seth Rogen’s lost twin, may look like a laid-back guy. But not right now. His intense focus at this moment gives that steak exactly no chance of leaving the kitchen. Too many people have sacrificed too much opening Staplehouse for things not to be perfect.
This Is America's Best New Restaurant
More dishes—seared sablefish bathed in a piquant sauce of puréed celery; duck confit on a swish of vadouvan-spiced yogurt—arrive for his approval. He cleans each plate’s edges with a vodka-moistened towel and raises his right arm—inked with a tangle of octopus, sea urchin, and clam images—extending his index finger. It’s his quiet way of telling servers that food is ready for pickup. But from where I’m standing a few feet away, sipping on a can of beer that Smith insists I drink while reporting this story, I read it as something else. He looks like an MVP who has just won a championship. It’s funny because in a way he has. Staplehouse is this year’s best new restaurant.
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The story of Staplehouse doesn’t begin with Ryan Smith. It starts with another Ryan—Hidinger—and his wife, Jen. The two met in Indianapolis, fell in love, and moved to Atlanta in 2004. He settled in as the chef at Muss & Turner's, a neighborhood place that’s a favorite of my family, and she worked at a kids’ clothing store. But they dreamed of opening a restaurant of their own. As a first step, from 2009 to 2012, the couple hosted more than 60 sold-out underground suppers and other events in their home. Restaurant-industry pros and those in the know filled the seats. Among them was Ryan Smith, who met Hidinger’s sister, Kara. The two would later start dating.
For the Hidingers, a bricks-and-mortar restaurant was beginning to look like a very real possibility. They even had a name: Staplehouse, a nod to the importance of simple ingredients in Hidinger’s cooking. The restaurant would be a philosophical extension of those dinners in their home.
In November 2012, Jen gave Hidi (as those close to Hidinger called him) an anniversary present: a day trip to New York City. Smith tagged along. Over a 12-hour period, Smith remembers hitting 15 places, including Roberta's for pizza and Momofuku Ssäm for late-night pork buns.
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Back in Atlanta, Smith got a call from Hidi, who said he wasn’t feeling so great. Four days before Christmas of that year, Ryan Hidinger, age 35, was diagnosed with stage IV gallbladder cancer. He was given six months to live.
In the frantic months that followed, the Atlanta restaurant community rallied behind the couple. Team Hidi, a charity gala, raised $275,000 to fund expenses associated with Ryan’s treatment. With the leftover money, Hidi’s boss at Muss & Turner’s, Ryan Turner (yes, another Ryan), suggested starting a nonprofit to help other restaurant workers facing unanticipated hardships. The Giving Kitchen was born. Soon after, the couple secured a turn-of-the-century brick building in the historic Old Fourth Ward neighborhood. Ryan Smith and Hidi’s sister, Kara, were now dating, and both signed on to help run Staplehouse.
Inside Staplehouse, the #1 Best New Restaurant 2016 Slide 1 of 13 Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden & Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden & Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden & Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden + Munk Pinterest Peden & Munk Previous Next
It was in early 2013 that I first heard the story of Ryan Hidinger. My mom sent me a clipping from Atlanta magazine in the mail, as she often does. The story hit me hard—Hidi was just a few years younger than I am. Despite the diagnosis, Hidi and Jen were trying their best to lead a normal life. They held more underground suppers while Ryan underwent round after round of chemotherapy. He gave talks about his illness and the mission of the Giving Kitchen. They continued to develop Staplehouse. Hidi had already beat the odds and outlived the doctor’s original prognosis by many months.
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Then on January 9, 2014, my mom forwarded me an obituary in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A little more than a year since he first walked into the hospital with flulike symptoms, Ryan Hidinger passed away at his home. He was 36 years old.
Hidi was gone, but Staplehouse was still alive. Jen would be the business manager and the Giving Kitchen spokesperson. Kara would be the general manager. Smith: the executive chef. After months of the usual bureaucratic red tape, Staplehouse debuted on September 4, 2015. This wasn’t just another opening. The restaurant represented the passion and perseverance of a community. To that end, Staplehouse was set up as what’s called a for-profit subsidiary of the Giving Kitchen. All of the restaurant’s profits after payroll and taxes go to the charity, which has raised nearly $3 million to aid crisis-stricken restaurant workers.
As an Atlanta expat in New York, I was proud when I heard about the opening of Staplehouse. I looked forward to eating there and supporting the restaurant’s mission. And yet I couldn’t help but wonder: Would I genuinely like the food?
What I did know was that Ryan Smith was an incredible chef whose cooking I’d loved when he’d worked for two of the city’s best: Hugh Acheson at Empire State South and Linton Hopkins at Restaurant Eugene. The two were instrumental in ushering in the new Southern food movement, where well-sourced local ingredients fused with traditional dishes to reenergize one of America’s unique regional cuisines.
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I visited Staplehouse in November 2015. After sitting at the eight-seat bar with a friend and eating our way through the menu, I quickly saw that Smith wasn’t just replicating what Hopkins and Acheson had already pioneered. Scraps of carrots, potatoes, and other veg (the stuff most chefs just toss) were puréed, dehydrated, and then fried so that they resembled puffier (and tastier) Funyuns. The subtle surprises continued with the oysters. Anyone can serve them raw or fried. Here, six grilled Isle Dauphine bivalves arrived in their shells with a sauce made from popcorn butter and nutritional yeast. I was about to order another round when Grandma Lillian’s warm potato bread showed up with a side of whipped bologna. Later, I asked Smith to share his grandma’s recipe, and there is a reason why he politely declined. I wouldn’t give that away, either.
A few months later, I returned with my parents—tougher critics than I am. “Sorry, Mom, but this chicken liver is better than yours,” I blurted out. Those are fighting words in my family, but my dad nodded in agreement. And so did my mom, begrudgingly. Smith’s chicken liver mousse was silky smooth, glazed with burnt and raw honeys and served in a tart shell. Shortly after, as we were devouring toothy farro piccolo tossed with a pestolike sauce, roasted mushrooms, and peanuts, a whiff of another dish, the red snapper, stopped us mid-bite. It was pungent in the way kimchi can be. I tasted the broth, which was made with fermented shrimp. On its own, it was too much. But when you combined it with a bit of the fish and creamy-but-firm Sea Island red peas, the dish came together. Did it taste Thai, or was Smith simply expanding the boundaries of what Southern food could be? As the meal evolved, I was leaning toward the latter.
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Yes, Smith’s food is technical and intricate, made with dehydrated this and preserved-for-24-days that and plated with tweezers, but it never sacrifices flavor for gimmicks. Classic Dixie staples like collard greens, pecans, buttermilk, and benne seeds share the plate with ats jaar vinegar, golden-raisin koji, and vadouvan. This is the next step in modern Southern cooking, and Smith is leading the pack as its brightest practitioner.
I was on my second Hemingway daiquiri on my third visit when A Tribe Called Quest’s “The Low End of Theory” came over the speakers. A server asked me if I’d watched the Falcons debacle on Sunday. And had I noticed the National Lampoon’s Vacation mural of John Candy on the restaurant’s garage door (“Sorry folks. Park’s closed. Moose out front shoulda told ya.”)? Despite its tragic roots, this wasn’t a somber restaurant; it was a seriously great time. The food may have been three-star Michelin stuff, but unlike how I tend to feel at those types of places, I was at home here immediately. It’s by design. There’s a front entrance at Staplehouse, but you enter the restaurant by walking up the driveway and going through the garage door, like you’re visiting an old friend’s house.
Standing in the kitchen one night, Kara handed me a can of beer. I’d had a few, so I finally got the courage to ask her about the shield tattoo that she, Jen, and Ryan all have on their arms. “It’s a Team Hidi shield,” she said. “I guess it’s a reminder of a lot of things. Mostly good things.”
Peden + Munk
A few feet away, Smith started to plate a beet dish. It looked like a rose made of thinly sliced beets and house-cured bresaola. A hibiscus-and-sunflower-seed purée rested beneath. I’ve had plenty of lackluster beet dishes in my life, so when I sat down later to eat, it wasn’t necessarily the course I was most looking forward to. I was wrong. The beets were cooked but crunchy; the sauce nutty and creamy; the cured meat gave it richness. It was like eating the greatest roast beef sandwich of all time—without the bread. It was both clever and comforting.
As I looked up, I saw Jen running around, clearing plates, greeting customers out on the floor, and, like me, enjoying every moment of the experience. That’s the thing: At Staplehouse, there are no tears, just smiles. The joy coming out of the place is palpable.
Let me make one thing clear: Staplehouse didn’t become my restaurant of the year because of a heart-wrenching story. It became my restaurant of the year because of the smart, innovative cooking of Ryan Smith and the warm, welcoming, unwavering hospitality of Kara, Jen, and the entire team. In every way imaginable, it floored me. It’s the best restaurant experience I had this year. Hands down.
In the open kitchen at Staplehouse, there’s an exposed wood beam covered with inspirational quotes, mostly from boxers. “Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face.” (Mike Tyson.) “If your dreams don’t scare you, they aren’t big enough.” (Muhammad Ali.) But the most powerful words come from a different kind of fighter. They are painted nearby on a wall that the staff of Staplehouse sees every day.
“Anything long-lasting or worthwhile takes time and complete surrender.”
It’s a quote from Ryan Hidinger, a person I never met but whom I feel as if I knew. A person who’s no longer with us but whose vision informs everything about this outstanding restaurant. I felt it. And I imagine a lot of people lucky enough to eat at Staplehouse will too.
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Ha ha that's brilliant!!!
This is new to me, this Freeman of the Land thing; is there more to it than just going around acting like Mr. Logic?
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:31, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:31, Reply
In the days of The Goat he made lots of 'interesting' posts about this subject.
It just seems to be idiots believing that if you say you don't accept the legal status of being a citizen of your nation, then you can ignore any laws or authorities or the TV License man. This is the first time I've seen it ending quite so spectacularly for the Freeman.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:55, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:55, Reply
I've seen it end pretty spectacularly for a couple of Mongrel Mob fellows in NZ
who live by the same code. But they don't whinge, they accept the downsides of living outside the law.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:17, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:17, Reply
I used to love these at DWP.
"Oh dear, I'd better put a stop on payments, seeing as how the money is being paid to a non-existent legal fiction."
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 22:00, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 22:00, Reply
He was a PITA for sure.
Dont forget kids, its good to question authority.
Dont let this put you off
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:32, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:32, Reply
I charge you with being a whiney little bitch
and find you GUILTY!
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:34, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:34, Reply
As much as I wish anal gerbils on the people who invented the taser,
that guy deserved it. But so do about 99% of the human race, by that standard.
The notion that freedom is a free-for-all really irks me as well.
/today I'm mostly just being angry! :)
gerbilicious
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:41, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:41, Reply
Pardon?
(, Tue 18 Nov 2014, 11:36, (, Tue 18 Nov 2014, 11:36, Reply
Hahahahahahahaha what a twat
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:58, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 18:58, Reply
I liked the bit when he screamed like a person being electrocuted.
It would have been better if they beat him repeatedly with lump hammers.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:06, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:06, Reply
Ball Peen
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:36, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:36, Reply
^this
then i'd wrap myself in copies of the daily mail and wank over his corpse
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 21:07, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 21:07, Reply
God's not worried about cameras sir, I am.
LOL
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:14, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:14, Reply
Harrr! What a cunt.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:18, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:18, Reply
Court matters are largely public record, so, assuming no jurors are in this area, I guess that you could argue that there is no good reason to prevent filming.
But I think preventing filming is a mild common consideration, for people in a fairly tough phase in their life.
Getting access to this area, presumably is restricted for the safety of the individuals in there - because someone, questioning authority, might like to come in and kick them in the balls or some such - quite reasona
I could write more, but I am also bored of this reply.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:25, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:25, Reply
Depression gets me filming every time.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:39, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:39, Reply
That was an extremely satisfying conclusion.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:54, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 19:54, Reply
Hahaha, beautiful.
America, all is forgiven! :)
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 20:34, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 20:34, Reply
That made me feel warm inside.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 20:46, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 20:46, Reply
Hahaha
That was beautiful
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 20:48, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 20:48, Reply
Marvelous.
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 22:02, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 22:02, Reply
what a fucking prick
(, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 23:25, (, Sun 16 Nov 2014, 23:25, Reply
i love
How the guy who shot the tazer was totally non |
hardly any Jews, to see if it was time to write a new narrative, even to forgive a country and a people many Jews blame as much as the Germans for the atrocities and destruction of European Jewry in the 20th century.
But an unexpected thing happened. The more I sought to understand what was happening with Jews in Poland, the more I realized that their story poses a challenge to us as well. There is something quietly subversive about the movement to resurrect life in the home of the death camps. It upends the narrative that Israel — or the golden streets of America, take your pick — are the places where 21st-century Jews belong. Poland was where we fled from or died, not where we are supposed to claim a future.
And more: Some of the Poles I met take not just Jews but also Judaism way more seriously than many American Jews do. One of the leaders of Krakow’s remarkable Jewish Community Center studied Yiddish at YIVO in New York. One of the leaders of the Forum learned Hebrew in Israel. And neither of these women are Jewish.
The way they are grappling with faith and identity and history puts to shame the nonchalance that characterizes many American Jews’ superficial connection to their heritage.
Who gets to carry forth Jewish culture, anyway? And if we do cede that task to these dedicated outsiders, for whom this is an intellectual pursuit and a personal cause, but not a religious or a tribal obligation, can the culture be sustained?
And then a piercing thought: The Poles have had only 25 years, since they overthrew the yoke of communism in 1989, to openly confront the Holocaust, and it’s obvious that the hard work already undertaken by, say, the Germans has not fully begun here. We still look at the Poles as perpetrators and enablers of genocide. They see themselves as victims of occupation alongside the Jews.
Are there not echoes of this same dynamic in Jewish history as well?
•
One of the fascinating questions in Poland today is whether a single museum can shift the national narrative. It’s a question the Poles have asked themselves before.
The focus now is on POLIN: The Museum of the History of Polish Jews, which has opened in stages since 2013, the latest debut being its vast core exhibition, stretching back in time a thousand years and rapturously received by critics (including the Forward) in late October. The theme coursing through the exhibition is identity — Polish, Jewish and any combination thereof.
“We avoid presenting the history of Polish Jews as a footnote,” Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett, the indefatigable scholar in charge of developing the core exhibition, told our group one afternoon. “We have one integrated story, period. We didn’t want an apologetic history. We are not proving a Jewish worthiness. That’s not good history.”
Judaism isn’t presented as a subject to be studied, but rather as, in her words, “a lived reality.”
Kirshenblatt-Gimblett is a force of nature in the cultural world, a petite woman with an outsized presence and a fierce intelligence, who has thought about these issues for, it seems, her entire life. (She’s 72.) You can see how the improbability of the museum’s very existence motivated her. It was a challenge to overcome — a first-ever collaboration between the Polish government and private donors, opening up all sorts of anxieties and fears among Poles who worried about how their controversial story would be told.
Besides, as Kirshenblatt-Gimblett said of the shimmering museum, “Who builds a glass building on the site of genocide?”
The museum has secured a grant from the government of Norway to bring every child in Poland on a visit, she said, and is developing a “mobile museum” to travel around the country. Clearly, it has an ambitious domestic agenda. But the museum also challenges Diaspora Jews to look at Poland, then and now, with more nuance, less anger and more compassion.
“A thousand-year history cannot be reduced to a lesson in intolerance,” she said.
Beth Kraft Street Art: Near the Jewish quarter in Krakow is this building covered with Art Deco-style graffiti. It says ‘broken finger’ in Yiddish. Share
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This isn’t an abstract point. Over and over, I heard Poles, Jewish and otherwise, complain about the “March of the Living” narrative — the story line that says Jewish life was destroyed in Poland and found safety and salvation in Israel. Kirshenblatt-Gimblett called it the “instrumentalization of the Holocaust”; there’s a widespread, if perhaps idealized, expectation that the museum will change that perspective.
Maciej Kozlowski, a former Polish ambassador to Israel, spoke of this resentment over dinner one night. “The Israelis are told that Poland is a dangerous place. They are seeing only Holocaust sites. This museum will change that,” he asserted.
The next day, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sebastian Rejak, the special envoy to the Jewish Diaspora — yes, Poland has such a position — echoed the same theme. “Do you really want to instill in youth a picture of Poland as a hostile country?” he asked rhetorically. “Why officially depict Poland as a place where the worst can happen?”
Well, the worst did happen here, but I take his point. Poland today is relatively free from overt acts of anti-Semitism. (The persistence of bigoted attitudes toward Jews is another matter, which I’ll get to in a moment.) And beyond the propaganda that a government minister might spout is a valid argument that it’s time for Diaspora Jews to move on.
“Sometimes we make the mistake of basing too much of our Jewish identity on the Holocaust,” Jonathan Ornstein told me over coffee one morning. The energetic director of the JCC in Krakow, one of the stars in the new Polish Jewish firmament, Ornstein was traveling in the States when I was in Poland, so I caught up with him later in Manhattan. He’s from Queens — you can still hear a trace of accent — and arrived in Poland 12 years ago via Israel, a circuitous route that gave him firsthand knowledge of Diaspora and Israeli sensibilities.
“The Holocaust is so huge for us, it’s hard to see past it. But instead of torturing ourselves about it, we need to see that there’s a country in the world that likes us,” he said. “The two places doing well by Jews in Europe today are Germany and Poland. That’s obscene in a certain way. But Jewish history has taught us that irony has a central place in our story.”
Indeed, when it comes to irony, I later realized that there’s more security at the JCC in Manhattan than at the one in Krakow.
•
If the new museum presents a message that is fundamentally subversive for Jews in Israel and the Diaspora — and I believe it does — how much more so for Poles who have become accustomed to the absence of Jews, and anyone else for that matter. (Poland is now nearly entirely white and Catholic.) For sheer dramatic contrast, do as we did and visit the Warsaw Rising Museum after being wowed by Polin.
The Rising museum opened a decade ago, on the 60th anniversary of the battle against the Germans, and it remains today the most popular museum in Poland. For a foreigner, it is, frankly, a horrible experience — dark, loud and confusing, I spent most of my time there watching grainy file footage of life under siege, filmed by the partisans for posterity, I guess. Watching the determinedly heroic images, you’d never guess that the Poles lost. Really badly.
By that time in 1944, the Germans, who had occupied Poland since 1939, were in retreat and the Soviet army was approaching. Rather than be “liberated” by the Soviets, the Polish Home Army fought to liberate itself. Vastly outnumbered and out-resourced, they were slaughtered — as many as 200,000 soldiers and civilians died during the 63-day uprising, while the Soviets essentially stood idly by.
It was certainly tragic, perhaps foolhardy. But haltingly in the decades since, the uprising has taken on a nationalistic narrative: a young and noble cadre of resisters fighting against German barbarians, a struggle which eventually gave rise to Polish independence.
In trying so hard to push this narrative, the museum exposes a deep vein of Polish insecurity. Consider its name. In Polish, it is “Warsaw Uprising.” But in English, it is simply “Rising.” Why? Because too many people outside Poland conflated the uprising in 1944 with the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising a year earlier, when the last Jews remaining before deportation to the camps staged a valiant and also futile fight not for liberation — they knew that was a pipe dream — but to prove to the Germans that Jews could resist.
And even though a few remaining Jews fought in ’44, “the museum reflects the mindset that Jews are somewhere else. The Jewish story is missing,” Joanna Wawrzyniak, a sociologist at the University of Warsaw, said during a conversation one day over lunch.
Traces of that missing story are everywhere in Poland, but only if you look for them. In Warsaw, the outline of the ghetto walls is carved into the sidewalk, barely noticeable as pedestrians tread over the words. Traffic streams by the Umschlagplatz, the haunting memorial built on the spot were 300,000 Jews were deported in railroad cars from the ghetto to almost certain death. On a busy thoroughfare, it seems forgotten.
Poland has yet to conduct the sort of therapy forced upon the Germans. There were no Nuremberg-style trials here. The atrocities committed by Poles against the Jews, including pogroms after World War II, were left unpunished. To publicly acknowledge what happened to the Jews diminishes the Poles’ own sense of victimhood.
The historian Jan T. Gross — who ignited controversy in 2001 when he argued that Poles, and not Germans, massacred Jews in the town of Jedwabne — also spoke at the Jan Karski conference. His words have lost none of their bite.
“We continue to live in fear that someone in the world will write the truth,” he said.
•
Those Polish Jews who survived the Holocaust and sought to return to their towns and villages faced deprivation and renewed anti-Semitism, so many fled to Israel, America or wherever they could find an open door. Jews fled again when the communist government made life especially miserable — in 1956 and 1968. As a result, many of the “Jews” in Poland today barely meet the traditional definition of Jewishness and are entirely secular. Intermarriage isn’t a new and growing challenge, as it is in the States. It’s the norm.
You are not going to find these would-be Jews in a synagogue or at an AIPAC meeting. Reaching non-traditional seekers is the animating goal of many Jewish organizations here.
So on my second day in Warsaw, our group walked through a lovely courtyard to a modest storefront that is the latest attempt at identity building: the Warsaw JCC, opened only a year ago. We met two inspiring women who are deeply involved in the Jewish community. Even if they aren’t so sure that they are Jewish.
The only “Jewish” thing that Marta Saracyn did as a child was go to the Jewish cemetery where her maternal grandfather was buried. Religion was repressed, an embarrassment. Now it defines her life, as the program director for the Warsaw JCC. Still, she said, “I don’t feel comfortable enough to call myself Jewish.”
Monika Elliott had a similar trajectory. “I always knew I was Jewish but it never actually meant anything. My mother kept it quiet. It was just a fact, without meaning,” she said. “My father is not Jewish. One day he took me to Krakow and said, ‘Look at this place. It’s the same as before the war, but what’s missing is the people.’”
Elliott started paying attention to family stories, reading books and attending lectures to educate herself. She’s now the program coordinator for the Joint Distribution Committee in Warsaw; her 5-year-old son is enrolled in a Jewish school. Even so, she is not sure that Jewishness will ever “come from the bones.”
I was struck by the seriousness with which these women defined identity. It was something to be chosen, acquired, not a free gift from the parents to be used when convenient and discarded when not. At the same time, their professional work disregards labels and traditional definitions to meet curious would-be Jews where they are. “It’s all outreach,” Elliott said.
Ornstein told me that nearly all of the members of the Krakow JCC are intermarried. “When someone is a half, a quarter Jewish, we work to make them feel included. We are forced to do it because that’s our reality. Our role is making people feel welcome,” he said.
One of the most hopeful developments I heard about came from Elliott, who runs the Polish version of Limmud — the annual conferences that are popping up wherever Jews want to learn, a worldwide movement run largely by young volunteers.
Limmud in Poland is so popular that this year’s session in late November sold out in six hours. Eight hundred people were expected, demonstrating a tremendous hunger for learning and connection. The theme: What it means to be a Jew. “The identity problems have always been there,” Elliot said, “but we’ve never talked about them. It’s like a therapy session.”
This Jewish awakening is accompanied by a wave of philo-Semitism that may be well intentioned, but left me feeling objectified. On Szeroka Street in Kazimierz, the Jewish quarter in Krakow, rows of restaurants broadcast a kind of Jewish-Israeli kitsch. “Hummus and happiness,” a place called Hamsa advertised. One of the eateries served “Jewish-style” pork.
There are now Jewish studies programs in universities all around Poland, mostly taught by non-Jewish scholars to non-Jewish students, and I know I should feel proud and even honored by this sincere interest. After all, the Forum for Dialogue was begun by Andrzej Folwarczny, whose grandfather, a Lutheran minister, was sent to Dachau. Ornstein said that every Shabbat at the Krakow JCC, about 50 non-Jewish volunteers serve the kosher chicken and clear the plates.
Beth Kraft Sober Visit: Listening to the guide (center) at Auschwitz were, from left, Jane Eisner, Hilda Chazanovitz, Henry Pinskier, Robert Kraft and Winne Sandler. Share
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Can non-Jews be tasked with transmitting Jewish culture? Is that sustainable? Poland is host to a huge experiment. At this point, outcome unknown.
•
Hilda Chazanovitz stood in front of Rynek 16, facing the old square of Radom, a city of about 200,000 people in central Poland. The building was being restored, so its façade was shrouded with construction materials. Only a curved window above the door hinted at what had been.
We had stopped in Radom to view firsthand the remarkable educational program that the Forum runs with students from the local high school. We stopped there, too, because of Chazanovitz’s painful connection to that very place on Rynek Street.
An accomplished marketing and nonprofit executive in New York, Chazanovitz waited many years to make this journey, not at all sure what it would bring. Her mother was one of six children raised in that building; only three survived, she after years in forced labor and concentration camps. Her father came from a nearby town, and survived Buchenwald and Auschwitz.
“I am struck by issues of silence,” she told me afterwards. “The Poles have not had the conversation about their past. Growing up, we didn’t have that conversation in our house, either.”
Now the silence is gradually evaporating. In Radom, that is thanks to the Forum.
The Forum works in 130 cities and towns throughout Poland to engage high school students in voluntary research about the Jewish history beneath their feet. Guided by Forum-trained educators, the students unearth the past and then present their findings on walking tours to townspeople and visitors.
“I didn’t know anything about Jewish here,” Agata Filipczak, 17, told me as we left the Kopernik School, along with about 20 of her fellow students on a brisk afternoon. “We learn about Jewish in all of Poland, about Auschwitz and Hitler, but nothing about the Jews of Radom. It was strange to think that Jews were living here. It was a big shock for me. You were very important for 400 years and now you are gone. Very sad.”
At each spot that the students stopped to make a brief presentation, it felt as if we were chasing ghosts. In a backyard courtyard was the fading remnant of a sign that advertised a kosher restaurant and hotel. At a pretty square was the place where Jewish residents were rounded up before deportation to Treblinka. The synagogue, gone. (Someone actually built a small replica of it.) There were two ghettos in Radom, their walls now a faint memory.
Through the students’ research, we learned that the street near Chazanovitz’s mother’s home hosted a tailor, a bakery, a dry cleaner, a brewery and a clothing store. Once a vibrant commercial district, it is now boarded up, covered with soot and graffiti, awaiting refurbishment and radiating gloom as dusk fell.
Our tour ended, almost defiantly, in a plaza that during the Nazi occupation bore Adolf Hitler’s name. It’s now a lively thoroughfare filled with shops and restaurants, an elegant fountain, and strollers taking in the pleasant evening. Music blared from a nearby café as Chazanovitz addressed the students.
“Thank you for giving me a much more positive story about Radom than I had before,” she told them. “I now have an appreciation for the wonderful life my family had before the war.”
The power of this educational exercise cannot be underestimated, not only because of the effect it has on the students’ consciousness, but also because of the legacy of facts and documentation they leave behind. Still, the tour made me angry.
As in so much of Poland, persecution of Jews didn’t begin with the Nazis. Centuries earlier, Radom was protected by a wall and a moat to keep out “dangerous people, wild animals and Jews,” we were told.
At other times, Jews were a central part of Radom’s life — 40% of the population in the 1920s — until they weren’t. If not for the Forum program, Agata and her classmates would have never met a Jew. They don’t encounter black people, or brown people, or Asian people, either. Poland is determinedly homogenous, racially and religiously, unused to dealing with the Other. It may stave off social unrest, but at what cost?
•
I had been to concentration camps in Germany and the Czech Republic. Nothing compared to Auschwitz-Birkenau.
The drive there, little more than an hour from Krakow, passed through tidy towns framed by trees brushed with gold and orange, a lovely autumn scene but for the secrets held beneath the forests. Fittingly, the sky was gray. The mood in our van was subdued.
I won’t take you on a tour of Auschwitz. Elsewhere, in history books and searing memoirs, you can read about its barracks, crematoria, guard houses, latrines, showers, train tracks, railroad cars, about the exhibits of shoes, spectacles, suitcases, prayer shawls, dishes, pots, prosthetic limbs, children’s toys and human hair taken from unsuspecting prisoners on their way to an ugly death, about the sickness and stench and cruelty that made life unbearable, and the mechanical horror that murdered about 1.1 million people, 90% of whom were Jews.
I’ll just say this: Auschwitz left me humbled. I will try never to use the name glibly. It represents genocide on such a massive scale that it defies comparison. Every Jew sent there was expected to die. So efficient was the process that it took only half an hour to kill 2,000 people.
The ashes from the crematoria were dumped into eight ponds. Our group said Kaddish, the mourner’s prayer, by one of them. Other than a faint sound of traffic from a nearby road and the murmuring of other visitors, the sprawling camp was quiet, starkly beautiful and disturbingly calm.
Here’s what I had trouble absorbing: A Polish family lives in a trim, white house next to a crematoria where thousands of bodies were burned. On the day we visited, a white van was parked outside.
•
This is the paradox of Poland. Lurking beneath the stirring Jewish renaissance is a stubborn anti-Semitism, grown in a land fertilized by ashes.
Beth Kraft Share
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Michał Bilewicz is vice president of the Forum and the coordinator of the Center for Research on Prejudice at the University of Warsaw, a tall man who expresses himself with a solemnity befitting his subject. One evening we discovered that our families hailed from the same town — Kolomyja, once in Galicia, now in Ukraine. I admired Bilewicz not just for his past, but also for his clear-eyed look at the present.
His research divides Polish anti-Semitism into three categories: traditional (Jews are responsible for the death of Jesus Christ); secondary (Jews abuse our feelings of guilt); and belief in a Jewish conspiracy (that we want to rule the world). It is, of course, “anti-Semitism without Jews,” since there are only about 20,000 to 25,000 Jews in the country. (There were as many as 3.5 million before the war.) Bilewicz’s research shows that 90% of Poles have never met a Jew. Still, the prejudice runs deep.
For example, 23% of Polish adults expressed traditional anti-Semitism in 2013, an increase from a previous survey in 2009. Expressions of other forms of anti-Semitism held about steady from 2009 to 2013, but at a frightening intensity — about 60% of adult Poles harbor contemporary resentments of Jews and believe in a global conspiracy.
And while a comfortable majority of Poles believe that Israel has a right to exist, more are sympathetic to the Palestinians each time the poll is conducted every few years.
What does all this mean? Bilewicz argued that anti-Semitic attitudes do not correlate with religiosity; rather, they tend to flourish during an economic crisis. His research also demonstrates a thoroughly depressing trend: A still small but growing percentage of Poles believe they were victimized more during the last war than the Jews. Consistently over decades, nearly half of the public believes that Poles and Jews suffered equally.
“A big part of Polish identity is to be a victim,” said Adam Leszczynski, a columnist for the highbrow Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper. Poles will tell you that tens of thousands of their countrymen helped save Jews during the war, that they suffered intensely under Nazi occupation, that German brutality was much worse in the East.
All true. But the other part of the story — the story of Poles as perpetrators and enablers — has been kept secret here for too long. In the end, it is in the Poles’ best interest to confront their tortured past, if only to more confidently face their future. The nation’s birthrate is 1.3, far below replacement level. Poland didn’t just lose its Jews; it lost the vibrancy and economic potential of a multicultural society.
On my last day there, I made a point of interviewing Henry Pinskier, a doctor and businessman from Melbourne, Australia, who was part of our Forum group with his wife Marcia. Normally filled with Aussie swagger and volubility, Pinskier was noticeably silent the day before in Auschwitz, where members of his family died and one uncle survived.
As we stood on Krakow’s cobblestoned Szeroka Street, across from a restaurant named Ariel and the refurbished Old Synagogue, I asked Pinskier for his assessment.
“We’re 25 years too early in this experiment,” he said. “If you come back then and see a thriving community in Krakow, if it’s good to live as a Jew here, then we will know that Polish society would have accepted Jews, number one, and minority groups, number two. But it’s too early in the process to tell.”
Contact Jane Eisner at Eisner@forward.com Follow her on Twitter @Jane_Eisner
This story "Chasing Ghosts, Reviving Spirits: The Fall and Rise of Poland's Jews" was written by Jane Eisner.Preferring defer
Mat Ryer Blocked Unblock Follow Following Apr 5, 2016
The defer keyword in Go is extremely useful for indicating that you want code to run just before a function exits, regardless of where it exits. It’s perfect for ensuring database connections get closed, that files are cleaned up, or that mutexes are always unlocked.
Quick recap of what defer does
Consider the following code:
func SetupUser() error {
db, err := ConnectToDatabase()
if err!= nil {
return err
}
defer db.Close() // here it is
user, err := AddUser(db)
if err!= nil {
return err
}
if err := CreateAPIKey(db, user); err!= nil {
return err
}
return nil
}
Once we establish a real connection to the database we defer the `db.Close()` call. This means that regardless of where the function returns (either if AddUser returns an error, CreateAPIKey does, or we return nil at the end), we can be sure that db.Close() will be called.
More importantly, it’s very clear what we are trying to say. We are saying that, regardless of what happens, we are going to close the database connection.
Using defer to clean up readability
Consider the following function that saves a user to an in-memory map called s.users, protected by a sync.Mutex called `s.mu`:
func (s *Service) SaveUser(id string) bool {
// do stuff first
s.mu.Lock()
id, present := s.users[id]
if present {
s.UpdateUser(id)
s.mu.Unlock() // unlock here
return false
} else {
user := s.AddUser(id)
s.users[id] = user
s.mu.Unlock() // and unlock here
}
// do more stuff...
return true
}
This kind of code is typical, and includes many Unlock() calls. This is manageable (readable) when we have two exit points, but gets messy and hard to follow as these increase.
It quickly becomes tricky to keep track of all the places you have to unlock, and it’s easy to miss one creating a deadlock.
It’s possible to use defer in this kind of non-function way by using an inline func to wrap a set of operations instead:
func (s *Service) SaveUser(id string) {
// do stuff first...
func() {
s.mu.Lock()
defer s.mu.Unlock()
// safely modify the map
id, present := s.users[id]
if present {
s.UpdateUser(id)
return
}
user := s.AddUser(id)
s.users[id] = user
}()
// do more stuff...
}
Here we lock once, and defer the unlocking once in a very clear and easy to read way. We define the function (without assigning it to a variable) and call it immediately.
Note that we’re not prefixing this with the go keyword, so it won’t run in the background, it’s just like having the code in the top-level function, except by wrapping it with func we can use the defer keyword.
A note about performance
Defer has some performance considerations, as does locking for long periods of time, particularly in high-frequent code (it all adds up), but the improved readability of the code is worth the hit in most cases and you can always come back and optimise it later if you need to.A total of 23 European cities were part of the study measuring air pollution. Copenhagen came in second, beaten only by Zurich, according to the European Environmental Bureau (EEA), a Federation of Environmental Citizens Organizations.
Zurich got the first prize for its commitment to reduce pollution from vehicles, the promotion of cleaner forms of transport and low levels of air pollution, according to the EEA.
“Both in Zurich and in the runner-up city, Copenhagen, the number of cars has been substantially reduced and there are restrictions on highly-polluting vehicles such as diesel cars, trucks and construction machines,” the EEA writes.
“At the same time, cleaner forms of transport, such as public transport, cycling and walking have been greatly expanded,” it continues.
Vienna and Stockholm third and fourth
After Zurich and Copenhagen, Vienna and Stockholm ranked third and fourth respectively in terms of “soot-free cities” in Europe, followed by Berlin.
Lisbon and Luxembourg featured at the bottom of the list as these cities’ efforts to tackle air pollution were considered “half-hearted,” according to the EEA.
Nine categories, five years
The ‘Soot-free Cities’ ranking project evaluated nine transport-related categories, including the promotion of sustainable transport, traffic management, public procurement and economic incentives, such as congestion charges and parking, according to the EEA. The ranking also took into account how successful each city had been at reducing the pollution at its urban traffic stations.
The ranking concentrated on measures put in place in cities over the past five years and looked at air quality plans for the next five years to take into account changes that were already in the pipeline, it notes.Pin Reddit Flip Share Buffer +1 Share 90 Shares
How do I Become a Social Media Influencer?
This is the question we heard most and the answer is simple: Build a social media strategy, dont just post on social media accounts. Too often companies sell, promote, beg, bother, and plead with their followers, making as much noise as possible in hopes of gaining one more click. If your social media marketing strategy is throwing as much against the wall to see what sticks, you do not have a social media marketing strategy. You have an account that most likely is stagnant and a time-suck that is not getting the results you want.
Want to be an Influencer? Buy 365 Social Media Posts
Evaluate Your Social Media Account & Choose Accounts that Can be Influencers
It starts by evaluating each of your accounts and understanding the value of each. You should focus on a very small number of accounts that offer the best return on investment, even if that investment is just your time. If you have 200 Twitter followers, you have a choice. Do you focus on it or cut it? If your YouTube channel gets 12 views per video, does the hour(s) it takes to produce that video really make sense?
Choose the social media accounts that reflect your business best and that you can commit to building into Influencer status. Find the personas below that fit your brand and your goals and choose social media accounts that help you attain the goal. If you can’t justify the time, de-prioritize the account.
Understand & embrace the commitment. Once you’ve evaluated which accounts you want to focus on, you have to put in the time and effort to be the best in your niche. The goal is to become an influencer, one of the accounts in your industry that everyone is following. Anything less and you are just more noise in a crowded room. This will not be easy and will take time away from 100 other things you can do to build your business, so think hard whether this is the path you want to follow.
Once you have pruned your accounts and pledged the time and effort needed to become an influencer in your industry, the hard work begins. Not all Social Media Influencers are built the same. Understanding what differentiates you from the crowd is key to building a social media strategy persona that will set you apart.
Here are five common social media Influencer personas to help you build your social media marketing strategy.
…
The Smartest Person in Your Industry
Overview
Do you have the best resume and the most experience? Don’t let it go to waste. If followers know that you will always have quality posts that offer value, your influence will continually grow. With this Influencer persona, it’s vital that you maintain high standards for what goes on your account and you vet everything you consider posting.
Social Media Conversations
The Smartest Person in Your Industry persona requires a two-way conversation. Because you are the expert, you should welcome questions and engage in conversations on each of your chosen platforms. Whether this is in the form of an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session, following topics in your industry and answering questions, producing content & images that promote and encourage a conversation, being available will take you to a new level.
Building conversations around content that you did not originally create is a great way to broaden your reach and make connections. Always be on the lookout for guest posting opportunities, interviews, case studies, networking events, speaking gigs, mentoring opportunities, etc. that you can be a part of and attach your expertise. These type of engagements outside of your company validate you as an Influencer and will help you build your network.
Type of Content to Create & Share
This type of persona is best utilizing your personal brand. Whether you are promoting a business or service you work for or a company or site that you own, your personal brand is important. Creating content explaining trends, guest posting on industry leading sites, and speaking at national conferences should all be shared on your social media profiles. Understand what talent you have that sets you apart and build a content strategy around that.
The Smartest Person in the Industry also knows that they don’t have all the answers. When someone has a great idea, they will share it, make sure they understand the thesis and add to the conversation. Find and follow other influencers in your industry and share their work. Depending on your industry, you should often share more content created by others than content from your own site.
Be sure to always be moving the conversation along and add your expertise whenever it makes sense. Avoid being condescending when you disagree by finding the worth in others opinions and help build upon it rather than defeat it. If they are dead-wrong, use 3rd party sources to ensure you portray your influencer status rather than coming off as a jerk.
…
The Industry Whisperer
Overview
Can you take topics that are very complex and make them simple? Do you have experience across multiple roles within your industry that give you insight into the whole picture? Viral content is content that has mass appeal, so the Industry Whisperer is a great persona if you can pull it off.
Social Media Conversations
The Whisper needs to be a researcher at heart, finding topics and ideas that others are struggling with and learn how they can simply. They should follow and network with the Smartest in the Industry persona to ensure they stay up-to-date on the cutting edge aspect and ensure they are part of the conversations and find ways to boil down the message to the essence.
These conversations often can depend on visual aids, infographics, videos, and other various mediums to help move the conversation forward. Think outside the box and understand your audience may be hearing the message for the first time on your social channels. Use your contacts and networking to help take them from initial idea to mastery of each and every concept.
Type of Content to Create & Share
The shared content should be easy to digest, with the use of visual aids, infographics, videos, and other various visual mediums. Explanations, guides, lists, and easily digestible content will help those new to the concepts. But part of the industry whisper’s persona is moving these users deeper. Build on your 101 content and develop or aggregate more advanced concepts.
…
The Witty Observer or LMAO Comedian
Overview
These personas couldn’t be more different in execution, but they are strikingly similar in strategy. The witty observer or the LMAO comedian bring levity and intrigue to their audiences. These personas are not for everyone and creating consistently witty or funny content is not easy. If done incorrectly or ineffectively, this type of content can quickly turn an entire audience. But if you get it right, this can be the most viral of the personas.
Social Media Conversations
Context is key. Without the conversational context, even the most clever comment or most well-executed joke can fall flat or be flat out inappropriate. Take for example DiGiornos Pizza as a cautionary tale. Their playful, bantering voice often times played well on Twitter until they stepped into a PR nightmare with one tweet out of context.
#WhyIStayed You had pizza
In isolation, nothing wrong with this tweet… until you find out that the #WhyIStayed trending hashtag was for domestic abuse survivors to tell their story. Not so clever in the context.
Humor and wit can be powerful tools and nail home the perfect message. But always understand the context of the conversation and ensure you stay out of a PR nightmare.
Type of Content to Create & Share
Create content that is interesting and presents information in a new, unique way. Use viral mediums like images, videos, vines, graphics, GIFs, etc. to help make a point. Touch on ways that your industry can be described using other mediums, from movies to tv shows to sports and the entertainment world. Creating interesting, viral content consistently can put you ahead of the curve.
Share content that both enriches your position and juxtaposes your points. Share opposing ideas and allow add your wit to debate your points in a productive way.
…
The Outsider
Overview
Are you outside the echo chamber? Do you have experience in complementary markets that give you a fresh perspective? You may be The Outsider persona. The Outsider can bring a unique perspective to their social following by offering insight that may never have been discovered.
Want an example? Say you are a professional graphic designer with a beautiful portfolio and looking to become an Influencer. You have options.
You can try to be the Best in Industry and offer tutorials, lessons, and feedback to other designers.
You could be The Industry Whisperer and explain how and why you chose the colors you chose and help break down the hottest trends so other designers can learn.
Or, you can be The Outsider and focus on how design is used in different industries. You could create a series on how to improve your retail site conversion rate by using certain colors on the CTA and utilizing more whitespace to improve your ROI on your landing pages.
The Outsider allows you to take your knowledge and apply it broadly to industries that need it.
Social Media Conversations
Find conversations where industry experts are discussing an idea or an issue and not touching on your specialty. You can elevate the conversation by being the expert outside their industry. Partner and network with Influencers in complementary markets and offer your time and talent. Be the first person they think of when they are writing an article, looking for a launch partner, or doing a PR campaign.
…
The Santa Claus
Overview
In the spirit of Christmas, this type of influencer has gifts for |
might rank along with September as the least likely to generate significant rumors with any amount of momentum, they are out there – with the usual caveats.
First, Andy Martino (New York Daily News) suggests the Mets don’t know if the Marlins would trade Giancarlo Stanton but “continue to monitor the situation,” and of course that’s a sentence that could easily be written about 28 other teams as well. Martino adds that one Mets official would include catcher Travis d’Arnaud and righthander Zack Wheeler in a Stanton deal “in a heartbeat” but concedes that the official willing to share that opinion “is not in [Mets GM Sandy] Alderson’s inner circle of decision-makers,” at which point you ask yourself what we’ve learned today, even when Martino quotes another “Mets person” as hinting “[t]here is heat there” between New York and Miami before he writes that the “Mets aren’t getting Stanton anytime soon.”
Then comes a tweet of reason over the weekend from Peter Gammons, who shares that “[t]eam after team – from Boston to Mets to Rangers and on and on – have checked in with Miami on Stanton, with [a] ‘not interested’ response” from the Marlins. And Buster Olney chimed in on the same day, noting that “[t]he Rangers are doing early reconnaissance and prep work on what it would take to land Giancarlo Stanton down the road.”
“Reconnaissance” is a ten-dollar word, but again, the real news would be if there were a Major League franchise not exploring the idea of Stanton internally.
It’s also not news that Stanton (shoulder) hadn’t played since April 10, and that Jurickson Profar (left side) hadn’t played since April 10, either, but it did generate plenty of tweets, most of which we can safely assume were typed with tongue in cheek.
But Jim Bowden means business when he tweets, and among his prolific contributions the last few days was that the Marlins “will listen to offers, but according to sources are not interested in a Profar-for-Stanton deal,” a note that will only embolden Bowden to continue to tweet and write and talk about his idea that Profar for St. Louis outfielder Oscar Taveras makes too much sense for both teams, considering their strengths and holes, not to think about and talk about in the Baseball Operations suite and lose sleep over, which I suppose qualifies as “reconnaisance.”
Make what you want of the fact that Profar (who did return to action on Sunday but sat out again on Monday) has played shortstop seven times and second base only once at Round Rock (last year at Frisco: 95 games at short, 25 at second), and what logic might lead you to conclude as a result. Ask yourself whether Leonys Martin might be an important piece of any talks between the Rangers and Marlins, even though Miami’s top two position player prospects, Christian Yelich and Jake Marisnick, are both center fielders. (And ignore it if Yelich plays some left field when he finally gets his 2013 season underway – he’s sidelined with plantar fasciitis. Marisnick, incidentally, is shut down as well, rehabbing a hand fracture.)
Second baseman Rougned Odor’s eye-opening start to the Myrtle Beach season is huge, as far as any mid-season trade talks are concerned – whether it means he’s moving himself onto a second tier for the other club or is in the process of making Texas more open to including someone else (who may not hit as much) on such a list. Frisco righthander Neil Ramirez continuing to reestablish himself would be a really good development. Mike Olt will get right, soon enough. (Right?)
But as far as any fit with the Marlins on Stanton is concerned, I keep coming back to a shortstop being involved, and Martin, and probably Luke Jackson. And more.
Jason Martinez, in a Bleacher Report piece that ran yesterday in the Los Angeles Times, spitballs Stanton for Profar, Olt, center fielder Lewis Brinson (who would have to be a player to be named until June 12), and first baseman Ronald Guzman (who is sidelined after March knee surgery).
Too much.
When prospect-laden Hickory visits Greensboro next week, I’d like to think Marlins officials might charge some of their own folks with an added assignment for those few days. There’s a lot more than Brinson on that club worth targeting.
They can look at catcher Jorge Alfaro but they can’t touch. At least not if Profar is in the deal.
Then again, Ken Rosenthal, asked simply on Twitter what the chances are that Texas makes some sort of “blockbuster move” this season, responded: “Don’t see it.”
I do.
And I don’t even know if I’d consider a trade for Houston righthander Bud Norris in that category, at least at this point, though if this keeps up he’s going to command a haul, and may be one of the only impact commodities that wouldn’t include a demand for a top-tier middle infield prospect.
Though if the Phillies decided in July to trade Cliff Lee, that would qualify, and Bowden predicts it will make Lee an Angel – or a Ranger again.
Speaking of the Phillies and trades, Michael Young has a very good surface line (.356/.420/.511). So do Josh Lindblom (one run on six hits and two walks in 12 Round Rock innings, 11 strikeouts), Lisalverto Bonilla (one run on three hits and one walk in 5.2 Round Rock innings, seven strikeouts), and Lance Berkman (.389/.500/.611). Yes, it’s early.
And while Mike Adams and Koji Uehara have, not unexpectedly, been fantastic, the Texas bullpen has been just fine – so far – and that $9 million-plus that Adams and Uehara will earn this year, if paid by the Rangers rather than the Phillies and Red Sox, might have made it more difficult for Texas to budget its upcoming July business.
As for a story that’s not premature to focus on, Olney tweets that the Orioles “have interest in the Rangers’ Julio Borbon, but have found the asking price to be high,” the takeaway from which is (1) of course Baltimore is considering a Texas player, (2) thumbs-up to the Rangers for letting the defined window to trade Borbon play out, and (3) when Buster Olney tweets about a player who fits in a certain category in which Borbon fits, it’s different from Jon Heyman tweeting about a player in that particular category.
The Borbon note that interested me the most was T.R. Sullivan’s over the weekend that the Rangers “are growing confident they can find a trade partner” for Borbon. The way the procedure works, we can probably expect that to happen today. Sullivan does suggest that “the Rangers aren’t expecting a big return” for Borbon, possibly something along the lines of “a reliever who could be a Major League option at some point this season.” You never have enough pitching depth, and so you don’t get comfortable just because you expect to add Joakim Soria and Neftali Feliz to the bullpen picture, and perhaps Nick Tepesch or Justin Grimm once Colby Lewis is back.
(Notably, the Rangers have positioned themselves to take on a 40-man roster member in exchange for Borbon, as long as the player has options. Reliever Justin Miller was transferred to the 60-day disabled list a few days ago, clearing a spot on the 40.)
There’s a suggestion from Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors) that Minnesota, fighting through a tough acclimation for blue-chip center fielder Aaron Hicks, is “kicking the tires” on Borbon, but probably wouldn’t trade for him, instead hoping Texas would end up running him out on waivers and that he’d get by the Astros, Cubs, and Rockies and to the Twins. But there are two extreme unlikelihoods in that sentence, both after the word “instead.”
I think back to Borbon’s electrifying big league debut (.312/.376/.414, 19 stolen bases in 46 games in 2009), less than two years after signing out of college, and I suppose it should temper my enthusiasm over the way Nick Tepesch and Leury Garcia and Fearless Joe Ortiz have contributed over their first few opportunities as big leaguers.
Still, I will never get tired of watching this.
Or of seeing schadenfreude-y things like Milwaukee shortstop Jean Segura leading the National League in hitting, nine months after fronting the Angels’ trade to get Greinke, who left them with no draft pick compensation since he was with them for less than a season when he bolted to pitch somewhere else.
Though neither Greinke nor Segura will make the cut for Casey Affleck, who already has far more material than he’ll be able to cram into a two-hour movie, as the Angels’ new right fielder keeps on giving.
Maybe it’s a reality show instead.
(#Gauche.)
It’s just half a month, and we can’t bank on the arrow pointing even higher for Segura, or for Tepesch or Garcia or Fearless Joe, and if you need a reminder on how those things sometimes work out differently than we thought, the Borbon narrative is fairly useful.
If you’re ready to bury the Angels’ season, you’re probably also giving up on Olt and Cody Buckel in the middle of April, and I’d suggest you tap the brakes on all of that.
It’s the time of the baseball year to overreact, but just as you don’t grade an off-season in early December, you don’t draw conclusions on a baseball season in April.
Moves at the Winter Meetings do start to define the off-season, though, and along similar lines April wins and April losses count, just as much as the ones in September do, even if the standings themselves matter as much at this point as a December 10 column labeling that winter’s “Winners & Losers” among the 30 front offices.
I’m capitulating to cliché in suggesting that while you can’t win a pennant in April, you sure can lose it, and while my radar is up on whether the 4-8 Rays will be able to stay with the four teams ahead of them in the AL East long enough to put off the thought of trading David Price, and on when the 2-11 Marlins will look honestly in the mirror and the stadium and accept what they see, in this April moment I’m intensely interested in the day-to-day drama playing out in Anaheim, in whether Texas can turn Julio Borbon into a piece that might fit down the road, and in the next time the skipper hands Joe Ortiz the ball or the next time Leury Garcia kicks that 80 run into gear to cut off a baseball more than 100 feet away, to make a play, to help win a game, because they count just as much in the first month as they do in the sixth.Groups of bicycle-riding vigilantes have been repainting 14 blocks of Williamsburg roadways ever since the city sandblasted their bike lanes away last week at the request of the Hasidic community.
The Hasids, who have long had a huge enclave in the now-artist-haven neighborhood, had complained that the Bedford Avenue bike paths posed both a safety and religious hazard.
Scantily clad hipster cyclists attracted to the Brooklyn neighborhood made it difficult, the Hasids said, to obey religious laws forbidding them from staring at members of the opposite sex in various states of undress. These riders also were disobeying the traffic laws, they complained.
Two cycling advocates were apprehended by the Shomrim Patrol, a Hasidic neighborhood watch group, as they repainted a section of bike lane at 3:30 a.m. yesterday, but when cops arrived, no one was arrested and no summonses were issued, police said.
“These people should apply for a job at the DOT,” neighborhood activist Isaac Abraham said of the repainting. “You put it on, they take it off — and they will probably do this again.”
A Department of Transportation spokesman said: “We will continue to work with any community on ways we can make changes to our streets without compromising safety.”
A source close to Mayor Bloomberg said removing the lanes was an effort to appease the Hasidic community just before last month’s election.
Abraham contends the bike lanes put children at risk of getting hit by cars or bicycles as they exited school buses.
But Baruch Herzfeld, who has tried to bridge the gap between hipsters and Hasids with a bike-rental program, said safety is not the issue so much as xenophobia.
“They don’t want the hipsters in their neighborhood,” he said. “It’s like in Howard Beach back in the day when they didn’t want black people in the neighborhood.”
The cycling advocacy group Transportation Alternatives has not taken sides in the dispute.
But bike lane or not, “cyclists have a right to be on Bedford Avenue,” said Wiley Norvell, a group spokesman.
Additional reporting by Maggie Haberman and John Doyle
jeremy.olshan@nypost.comThe Republican-dominated Assembly voted mainly along party lines, 53 to 42 in favor of the bill, during a tense and bitter proceeding punctuated by shouts of “No!” from angry lawmakers, cries of “Shame, shame!” from protesters in the gallery, and chants from thousands outside the locked-down chamber.
The vote had been delayed after law enforcement completely closed the Capitol for a time, when protesters filled a section near the Assembly hall and refused to leave. Some demonstrators were carried out.
Some lawmakers were locked out, and the police ignored their pleas to let them in so they could vote. They resorted to climbing in through first-floor windows.
The tenor of the debate took an angrier edge this week because of the legislative brinkmanship that helped get the bill passed.
Republicans complained that Senate Democrats had brought state business to a halt for nearly three weeks by fleeing the state and preventing a quorum.
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The Democrats fumed that the Republicans had ended the episode in less than a day, with the Democrats still out of town, by forcing a rewritten bill that needed no quorum through the Senate on Wednesday night and the Assembly on Thursday. Though the outcome of the vote was all but certain, each side made its case one more time in the final hours of debate.
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On the floor of the Assembly, Jeff Fitzgerald, the Republican speaker, said the state’s finances were on a “crash course” if collective bargaining remained the status quo. “We ran on this,” Mr. Fitzgerald said. “We were going to get the fiscal place in order. This is the first piece of the puzzle. We’re broke.”
Democrats, who noted that public-sector union leaders had already agreed to pay more for their pensions and health care costs, argued that slashing collective bargaining rights was no budget-saving measure, but a way to break unions in a state with deep labor roots.
Peter Barca, the Democrats’ Assembly leader, railed against the Republicans’ tactics. “Our democracy is out of control in Wisconsin,” Mr. Barca said. “And you all know it — you can feel it.”
Political analysts said they would watch for the fallout of the Wisconsin vote, and whether it would affect similar battles now playing out over collective bargaining issues in statehouses elsewhere, including Ohio, Michigan, Iowa and Indiana.
Republicans here, including Governor Walker, contend that Wisconsin residents were seeking change in the election last fall — when the state made one of the starkest flips in the nation from blue to red — and that this was just the sort of bold move they would ultimately embrace.
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Mark Jefferson, the executive director of the state Republican Party, said he felt Democrats had been particularly loud in their protests to send a warning shot to the other states considering such measures.
But Democrats say the collective bargaining fight may lead to a political shakeup in the Capitol, where more than a dozen senators, Republicans and Democrats, are now the subjects of heated recall efforts. That in turn could shift political equations, since Wisconsin has long been a presidential battleground, for the 2012 election.
“The voters absolutely sent a message that they wanted fiscal conservatism,” said Michael B. Wittenwyler, a lawyer who once served as a campaign strategist for Democrats like Russ Feingold, the senator who lost his seat last fall. “Now they learned what that really means and I think they’re saying, ‘Hmmm, maybe that’s not what we really want.’ ”
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Others, though, wondered whether the protests might fade.
“If things go back to normal and Wisconsin continues to improve economically, balances its budgets, bring jobs, there probably won’t be a lot of pain for Republicans down the road,” said Bill McCoshen, a lobbyist who used to be a campaign manager for Republicans like Tommy Thompson, the former governor, and is a supporter of Governor Walker. “I think things will get back to normal for the average Wisconsin citizen, but it’s going to take some time, though, before government employees get over this,” he added.
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For the moment, the wounds remained raw and personal in a Capitol where politics have long been more polite than intensely partisan.
A number of legislators told law enforcement authorities that they had received death threats, an Assembly spokesman said. And Democrats in the Assembly tried, briefly, to have Mr. Fitzgerald removed as speaker for what they said was his “incredibly impaired” judgment.
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Democrats said they planned to seek legal recourse for what they viewed as violations of the state’s open meetings rules. Republicans had announced a meeting to present their rewritten bill (the one that would not require a quorum) less than two hours before the meeting took place on Wednesday evening.
Democrats said 24 hours was required, except in cases of emergencies. But Republicans said that amount of time was not needed during special legislative sessions and that they needed to provide only enough time to, say, post a scheduled meeting on a legislative bulletin board.
At least some of the Senate Democrats — who have been gone from Wisconsin since Feb. 17 and have become known to some here, admiringly, as the “Wisconsin 14” — refused to even return to the state on Thursday.
Senators like Fred Risser, who was first elected to the Legislature in 1956, said he was concerned that the Republicans might have some other legislative trick in mind if the Democrats came back to the Capitol right away. “Why would I trust them now?” Mr. Risser asked.
Outside the Capitol Building itself, though, many teachers, state workers and others were taking stock of what the entire episode would now mean for their lives.
The bill, which Mr. Walker said he would sign soon, significantly alters most public-sector union rules, limiting bargaining to matters of wages and limiting raises to changes in the Consumer Price Index unless the public approves higher raises in a referendum.
It ends the state’s collection of union dues from paychecks, and requires most unions to hold votes annually to determine whether most workers still wish to be members. Firefighters and law enforcement personnel will be exempt from those changes.
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As the sun set, a crowd again gathered for yet another rally.
Peggy Coyne, a middle school teacher, predicted more big crowds, more rallies, more protest. “We’ll keep our presence known here,” she said. “I think they felt there would be a little fuss and we’d go away. But this continues to get bigger and bigger.”Born and raised in Southern California, Jeremy is a seventh generation Mormon of Pioneer heritage who reached every Mormon youth milestone. An Eagle Scout, Returned Missionary, BYU alumnus, Jeremy was married in the San Diego Temple with expectations and plans of living Mormonism for the rest of his life.
In February 2012, Jeremy experienced an awakening to the LDS Church's truth crisis, which subsequently led to a faith transition that summer. In the spring of 2013, Jeremy was approached and asked by a CES Director to share his questions and concerns about the LDS Church's origins, history, and current practices. In response, Jeremy wrote what later became publicly known as the CES Letter (originally titled Letter to a CES Director).
The CES Director responded that he read the "very well written" letter and that he would provide Jeremy with a response. No response ever came.Image copyright Reuters Image caption Cardinal George Pell says he is innocent of sexual assault allegations
The Vatican treasurer, Cardinal George Pell, has returned to Australia as he prepares to defend himself against sexual assault charges.
The 76-year-old cleric, a top adviser to Pope Francis, was photographed at Sydney Airport early on Monday. He had arrived from the Vatican via Singapore.
Police have said the accusations relate to alleged "historical" incidents.
Cardinal Pell, who has strongly denied any wrongdoing, is due to face a Melbourne court on 26 July.
Australia's most senior Catholic figure was granted a leave of absence from the Vatican to fight the charges.
He did not make any comment on arrival in Sydney, local media said.
Image copyright 9news.com.au Image caption Cardinal Pell (second from left) arrives in Sydney on Monday
Victoria Police said the accusations arose from "multiple complainants".
Last month, Cardinal Pell told a news conference at the Holy See that he would travel to Australia if his doctors permitted it.
"I'm looking forward finally to having my day in court," he said.
"I am innocent of these charges, they are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me."
Cardinal Pell is considered the third-ranking official in the Holy See.From the section
Hibs' pressure finally told in stoppage time
Hibernian moved level on points with Scottish Championship leaders Rangers after Dominique Malonga headed a late winner against Queen of the South.
With Rangers losing at Falkirk earlier in the day, the incentive was clear for Alan Stubbs' men.
Liam Fontaine, James Keatings and Jason Cummings all came close as Hibs probed.
And the hosts' pressure told in the fourth minute of stoppage time as David Gray crossed for Malonga to nod past Robbie Thomson.
The visitors defended stoutly all afternoon and were far from happy since the goal came when the ball was dropped to Hibs following to an injury to Kyle Hutton.
Hibs, who visit Rangers on 28 December, started strongly as Fontaine headed wide.
Queens then responded with Mark Millar's free-kick saved by Mark Oxley.
A stinging effort by Cummings was kept out by Thomson and, in the second half, Keatings fired a free-kick over before substitute Malonga's effort was deflected wide.
Queens, for their part, remained a threat and Millar drew another save from Oxley.
Any prospect of a winner looked to have dwindled until captain Gray broke forward from the drop ball and his deep cross was met by Malonga at the back post.
For the second week running, Hibs fans were celebrating a stoppage-time goal as their unbeaten run stretched to 17 games.PRISTINA (Reuters) - Kosovo’s government considers the possibility of attacks by Islamic State fighters returning from Iraq and Syria one of the main threats to national security, according to a new strategy document.
Around 300 Kosovars have gone to Syria and Iraq since 2012 to fight with the Islamic State group for the establishment of a caliphate ruled by Islamic law. Some 70 have been killed but many, including women and children, are still believed to be in the conflict zone, despite the group’s expulsion from almost all the population centers it had held.
The document, “State Strategy Against Terrorism and Action Plan 2018-2022”, was posted on a government website on Friday. It said potential threats included “attacks by members of terrorist organizations through foreign terrorist fighters, inactive cells, but also by sympathizers and supporters who may be inspired to commit violent acts”.
International and local security agencies have previously warned of the risk posed by returning fighters, and in 2015, Kosovo adopted a law making fighting in foreign conflicts punishable by up to 15 years in jail.
The report said there had been “public calls for terrorist attacks in Kosovo and the region” and called terrorism “one of the biggest threats to national security”.
Kosovo’s population is nominally 90 percent Muslim, but largely secular in outlook.
There have been no Islamist attacks on its soil, although in June, nine Kosovar men were charged with planning attacks at a soccer match in Albania against the visiting Israeli national team and its fans the previous November.
The state prosecutor said some of the men had been in contact with Lavdrim Muhaxheri, a prominent Islamic State member and the self-declared “commander of Albanians in Syria and Iraq”, from whom they had received orders to attack. Muhaxheri was reported to have been killed in the Syria the same month.
The government strategy, compiled by the Interior Ministry, said that a form of radical Islam had been imported to Kosovo by non-governmental organizations from the Middle East after the end of its 1998-99 war of secession from Serbia.TA-NIC is a proprietary vaccine in development similar to TA-CD but being used to create human anti-nicotine antibodies in a person to destroy nicotine in the human body so that it is no longer effective.[1]
TA-NIC is a vaccine in development as an aid to quitting smoking in motivated patients. TA-NIC is an immunotherapeutic vaccine similar in concept to TA-CD, designed to raise anti-nicotine antibodies. The antibodies bind to nicotine molecules in the patient's blood stream, reducing the rate and quantity of nicotine entry into the brain and thus reducing the positive reinforcement and addiction associated with nicotine and cigarette smoking. It is expected that the reduction of the positive reinforcement will in turn reduce the desire to smoke or use other tobacco products. Treatment with TA-NIC is expected to be part of a comprehensive smoking cessation management program that includes other supportive measures.
Notes [ edit ]Advertisement Former Newmarket GOP chair charged with falsifying vote challenge letter Joseph Barton arrested Friday, to plead not guilty Share Shares Copy Link Copy
The former chairman of the Newmarket Republican Committee was arrested Friday and charged with falsifying a letter from the state party chairwoman that purported to allow him to be a vote challenger at his town’s polling place in last November’s election.Joseph Barton surrendered to Newmarket police Friday morning and will be arraigned on Sept. 1, Assistant Attorney General Stephen LaBonte told WMUR.com.Barton's attorney, Mark Sisti, confirmed that his client turned himself in and said he will plead not guilty.Barton was charged with disorderly conduct, simple assault and resisting arrest on Nov. 4 after an altercation with an investigator from the Attorney General’s Office at the Newmarket Town Hall.LaBonte said Barton presented himself to election officials as the state Republican Party’s vote challenger with a letter purported to be written by state Republican Party Chairwoman Jennifer Horn.State law allows each political party’s state committee to appoint someone to act as a challenger of voters at polling places. RSA 666:4 says a statement signed by the chairman of the political party “shall be sufficient evidence of the authority” of the vote challenger.At the polling places, vote challengers are required to make any complaints about someone’s eligibility to vote in writing, but Barton was accused of complaining about certain voters verbally.When the attorney general's investigator, Peter Favreau, arrived at the polling place in response to a call to the Attorney General’s Office’s voters’ hotline, Barton allegedly got into an altercation with him and was arrested.Barton pleaded not guilty, and LaBonte and Sisti said Friday a trial on those charges is pending.LaBonte said a related investigation was then undertaken into the letter Barton used to present himself as a vote challenger.He said Barton was charged under RSA 641:3-II(C), which states a person is guilty of a misdemeanor when he or she “submits or invites reliance on any writing which he or she knows to be lacking in authenticity.”LaBonte also said: “Mr. Barton is charged with using the letter to deceive a public servant, that being the town moderator in Newmarket, in the performance of his official duties. He invited reliance on a letter that appeared to be signed by the New Hampshire Republican Chairman, Jennifer Horn, and he knew that letter was lacking in authenticity.”LaBonte said unsworn falsification is a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in prison and a $2,000 fine.Barton's attorney, Sisti, said his client “is pleading innocent and there will be a trial on this as well. This is just piling on. Our claim is that the letter was absolutely legitimate, without question. He received it properly and presented it properly.”The state Republican Party “cooperated in the investigation,” LaBonte said.Friday afternoon, Horn issued the following statement:“On November 4, 2014 (Election Day), there was an incident at the polling place in Newmarket, New Hampshire, involving an individual who claimed to have a letter from the New Hampshire Republican State Committee appointing him as a “challenger of voters” as authorized under RSA 666:4. The Office of the Attorney General began an investigation. The Republican State Committee cooperated fully.“Earlier today, we were informed that the individual involved has presented himself to law enforcement officials. We further understand that he has been charged with a violation of RSA 641:3, which prohibits unsworn falsification. The state committee will continue to cooperate with law enforcement. Because this matter is pending, it would be inappropriate to comment further.”Barton in 2011 was referred to as “my black ops” guy by former state Republican Party Chairman Jack Kimball during a celebration after Kimball had won the party chairmanship.A video posted by the GraniteGrok website showed Kimball making that reference to Barton.Also in 2011, Barton denied allegations that he threatened state Sen. Sharon Carson of Londonderry in an email and telephone call over her opposition to a right-to-work bill, according to several published reports at the time.20 Aug 2015
While few in numbers, the role of DevOps remains the most lucrative at early stage startups. DevOps engineers, by definition, are the jack of all trades of the engineering team - typically they are responsible for streamlining and facilitating the intersection between automation, deployment, operations, and site reliability at scale.
At early stage startups, the DevOps will often be writing code and handling infrastructure. Since the role of DevOps can have different expectations per organization, individual roles can require a different balance of programming, system administration, and automation tool skills. The rapidly changing skills required by most DevOps roles also make it a great way to get into an early stage startup. The most in-demand technologies have only been around a few years, or in some cases, a few months.
Ansible Leads DevOps Skill Growth
Early stage startups are increasingly looking to DevOps engineers to find infrastructure automation tools that will reduce the complexity around deploying sophisticated, durable, scalable, cloud-based applications. David Mytton, CEO of Server Density which provides infrastructure monitoring, noted "only the smallest of deployments don't use any automation, and even then it’s a wise choice to spend the time to set it up in anticipation of growth or even just to make management easier." Familiarity with deployment scripting frameworks like Chef and Puppet, platform services such as Heroku, automation servers like Jenkins, containerization technology like Docker, as well as familiarity with cloud services themselves like Amazon Web Services are all in high demand.
While monitoring the job landscape for DevOps, we at JobSignal have noticed the beginnings of an early trend - while still only representing a fraction of total openings, Ansible has shown impressive and durable growth in demand over the last 12 months.
Ansible Skill Growth
Ansible is a capable deployment automation tool that is similar to Chef and Puppet. Its use offers a company several key advantages, including a very simple syntax, an emphasis on security, tight integration with other cloud tools, and the ability to orchestrate clusters of different services. Relatively easy to learn, Ansible is a great candidate for your next DevOps skill to learn.
"Tools like Chef and Puppet are well established, particularly in enterprise environments, however we are seeing an increasing number of deployments using Ansible and Salt Stack," Mytton added. "These tools have the advantage of being very lightweight and feel a lot more modern. They don’t have all the features but the critical things are there, and developers are picking them up because of that simplicity and easy of use."
Ansible's growth over the last several months compares favorably with established options. Chef's demand, for example, has leveled off over the last 6 months, as appears to even be entering a decline. In July the total openings seeking experience with Ansible passed Chef for the first time, while Puppet remains slightly ahead in absolute terms.
DevOps Highest Compensated Tech Role
If you haven't considered a career in DevOps, now might be a good time to start paying attention. DevOps jobs consistently rank as the most highly compensated among the different roles we track, a trend that we do not see changing in the near term as scalability and infrastructure return on investment continue to be a critical need for startups of every stage.
Developer Salaries
The average salary for a DevOps role at an early stage start up has exceeded $110,000 in three of the last six months, typically earning at least $10,000 more than a developer role and even more than a frontend developer role.
Bay Area Attracts Huge Premium
As with most technical roles, salaries for DevOps roles are especially high in the San Francisco, Bay area where salary growth is also more marked.
DevOps Salary
Openings in this locale have begun approaching $150,000 for early stage startups, approximately $30,000 - $50,000 more than DevOps roles elsewhere and $10,000 - $30,000 more than New York. The Bay Area's sky high cost of living will surely eat away at that advantage though.
Interested in getting into technical roles but have no technical background? No worries - get started with the fundamentals with One Month's Programming Basics for Non-programmers
Additional ResourcesTrack Track One Track Two
09:30 The Big F# and Open-Source Love Story Tomas Petricek f#-4.0 paket fake functional-programming f# The Big F# and Open-Source Love Story
Tomas Petricek Day 1, 17 Apr starts 09:30 Watch now! True open-source is not about having the source code available on GitHub. It is about the community and the mentality in the community. In this talk, I’ll look at the thing that I love the most about F# - the active open-source community around it. You can see the spirit when you watch how people react when they do not like something about the ecosystem. Do they complain and say that someone (e.g. Microsoft) should fix it? Or do they instead find a way to fix it themselves? And what is the magical element in the community that makes the difference? This is not a sociological talk, so expect to see a number of concrete examples from the F# ecosystem! I’ll talk about F# 4.0, which has been a community-driven effort, open-source support for F#, the data-science libraries for F#, type providers and also a couple of tools that you’ll see later in the conference – including FAKE, Paket and Visual F# Power Tools. f#-4.0 paket fake functional-programming f# About the speaker... Tomas Petricek Tomas is a computer scientist and open-source developer. He is a Visiting Researcher at the Alan Turing Institute working on tools for open data-driven storytelling. He wrote a popular book called "Real-World Functional Programming" and is a lead developer of several F# open-source libraries. He is a partner at fsharpWorks where he provides trainings and consulting services. Tomas recently submitted his PhD thesis at the University of Cambridge focused on context-aware programming, but his most recent writings also includes two essays try to understand programming through the perspective of philosophy of science. Tomas tweets at @tomaspetricek, and his website can be found here. ×MAPLE, ONT. — Andrew P. W. Bennett, Canada’s first ambassador of religious freedom, is a Christian academic studying toward a theology degree in Ottawa, an expert on Scottish devolution, and a government policy analyst with experience in the Privy Council, Export Development Canada and Natural Resources Canada.
With four staff and a $5-million annual budget, his new role is to promote freedom of religion, belief and conscience around the world by ensuring it is reflected in Canada’s foreign policy.
“I’m very much looking forward to taking on this great challenge,” he said yesterday at an Ahmadiyya Muslim mosque north of Toronto, chosen for the announcement because the minority sect, which believes in a Messiah who died in Punjab in 1908, is persecuted as heretical in Pakistan.
By viewing problems as diverse as the oppression of Tibetans in China, the disenfranchisement of Coptic Christians in Egypt, and violence by Islamists against Christians in Nigeria, through the prism of religious freedom, he said he expects to give a louder voice to foundational Canadian values in a noisy world.
“It’s building awareness about the issue of religious freedom abroad,” he said of the job. “It’s about interacting with the various communities here in Canada who are in the diaspora from these areas where religious freedom is not respected. And, so, I think those are the early steps that need to be taken.”
“My role is not to get involved in all the aspects of Canadian foreign policy and commercial policy,” Dr. Bennett said. “My role is to promote religious freedom. This is not about a theological question. It’s about a human question. It’s a human issue, not a theological issue.”
First proposed by the Conservatives in the 2011 campaign, the Office of Religious Freedom was inspired by Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan’s minister of minorities, who was assassinated in 2011, three weeks after meeting with Prime Minister Stephen Harper to discuss the project.
Mr. Bhatti, a Christian, defended fellow religious minorities “knowing that it placed him under a constant and imminent threat to his life. He was an honourable and humble man,” Mr. Harper said, after introducing Dr. Bennett.
His death left a legacy of hope, Mr. Harper said, “that if there is goodness enough to inspire one man to speak out, even in the most harrowing of circumstances, there is goodness enough to inspire all of us to do our part.”
“This is not |
't work right with some apps Per-app permissions just don't work right with some apps
For instance, the way Xiaomi has created per-app permissions. Before Android 6.0 Marshmallow there were no built-in per-app permissions in the system, meaning OEMs that wanted their phones to have this feature had to built it into their own software. Most of the time this works out just fine, but because Xiaomi has created a very paranoid system it restricts even the most basic of permissions and doesn't ask you for them at times, leaving apps to simply not work at all. Android Wear, for instance, cannot send text messages or perform some of its other normal actions because of this odd permissions structure, even after all requested permissions were enabled in the security section of the phone.
This leads to frustrating incompatibilities with certain products, and the list doesn't stop there either. Some of my favorite apps like Fleksy keyboard, or the 3DMark benchmarking app we run on all reviewed phones, cannot be installed from the Play Store thanks to something Xiaomi modified on the system side of things. It's been shown many times that when you mess with Android on a fundamental level like this, it often times doesn't play well with everything Google has built the OS to do.
Features
While default behavior change may be annoying, the sheer amount and quality of features found in MIUI 7 are astounding and are absolutely welcome in the world of sub-$200 where the feature set tends to be pretty minimal. Xiaomi's apps and services are certainly a main reason to be using the phone, and given that many of them are targeted for or exclusive to China, users in China will likely find many of these services to work incredibly well. The list of included Xiaomi apps has grown rather large to say the least, and includes Xiaomi Music, Mi Wallet, Mi Remote, FM Radio, Mi Home, Mi Video, Mi Talk, Mi Games, Mi Weather, Mi Store, MIUI Themes, Mi Cloud and a handful of others.
These apps have deep integration with the OS, and in general it's best to stick with them when available in your country of residence. In all honestly, it may be worth checking other phones out if you're not planning on using Xiaomi's services and apps simply because of the way they've integrated their own products into the OS. The issues we ran into during testing of this phone, and even plenty of other Xiaomi phones in some cases, clearly show these devices are built to be used a certain way. When using the phone as Xiaomi intends it absolutely hums, and the cloud-based services in particular are a dream come true for users wanting a messaging app that combines data and SMS/MMS in a good way, not to mention the other apps and services included.
Looking at other features available like Child Mode, for instance, allows you to restrict the phone's usage to certain apps while this mode is enabled. One-handed mode allows you to shrink the screen's virtual size to 4.0 or 3.5 inches if one-handing a 5-inch phone is too much for you, which is done by swiping left and right on the buttons below the screen. Mi Drop is a quick way to share content with other folks who have Xiaomi phones or compatible phones running MIUI, and works by enabling a local area network hotspot and sharing files quickly via personal WiFi hotspot. Reading mode changes the hue of the screen to a more gentle warm color that's easier on the eyes while reading lots of text for a long period of time. There's even quick buttons for changing to guest mode and locking the buttons on the face of the phone in the quick toggles section.
Customization and Notifications
Ever since the start of MIUI one of the biggest features of the OS is customization. While you can't change the behavior of the OS you can completely transform its look via the MIUI Themes app. 5 themes are included with the phone, and there's a market that has thousands of free and paid themes with new themes hitting the store practically every minute. It's an incredibly powerful theme engine too that allows you to switch out everything from the font on the system, icons, status bar color, boot animation and more. Even some built-in Xiaomi apps will be themed depending on the theme itself, and all of these components can be mixed and match between themes to give you that one-of-a-kind look for your phone.
The notification shade will be familiar to anyone who's used MIUI, EMUI or many other Chinese Android skins out there. Pulling down the shade gives you a single column of notifications, of which are not expandable no matter how much information is in them. A button for quickly hiding notifications from nuisance apps (or ones you want to keep private) is found on the top, while a swipe over to the right will bring up the quick toggles and settings button. Dedicated music control is found on this screen as well and works as a system-wide music control, so it doesn't matter what app you're using to listen to, this will control its playback.
Sound
Overall sound output via the 3.5mm headset jack on the phone is pretty good, but is equalized by default to be far too bass heavy for most types of music. This drowns out the mids and the highs and leaves the audio feeling muffled and overpowered by bass. The built-in equalizer helps balance things out but overall it's not the most well-balanced audio output in the world. Still it's a high-quality DAC that provides good quality audio even if it's not balanced. Audio from the rear-facing speaker was actually incredibly loud and nice sounding, which is both surprising for a single rear-facing speaker and a phone in this price range. It's not going to compete with any phone with front-facing speakers, but often times this rear-facing speaker can best many bottom-facing speakers out there in every measurable way.
Camera
Xiaomi's efforts to improve its previously bottom-of-the-barrel camera experience on inexpensive Redmi devices is felt here without a doubt. This is absolutely among the best cameras you'll find at this price range and even a bit beyond too. Overall picture quality is excellent and exhibits great lighting balance, color accuracy and details. The 13-megapixel sensor here picks up lots of detail, and Xiaomi's excellent denoise filter helps keep noise to a minimum all while keeping details sharp, something many OEMs could learn a lot from. The problem with this camera isn't the sensor or the software per say, it's the ISO priority mode that's used rather than a shutter speed one. This means the camera attempts to keep the ISO level from rising too high by keeping the shutter open longer. Anyone who's ever used a phone that works like this knows what this means; even in good light you're bound to get blurry photos.
This is because the shutter is kept open far too long, even in direct daylight, in order to keep noise down so that the denoise filter doesn't have to work too hard. The fear of noise from so many OEMs out there is nothing short of puzzling, especially when the tradeoff is blurry and unfocused pictures. The results are picture that often times feel almost there but not quite, as many aspects are done so well but the overall image still keeps it feeling like it was taken from a budget phone. This effect will get worse as the light does, although the sensor actually picks up a ton of information even in dark lighting (see the moonlit shot below). It's really unfortunate to see this given how good the pictures do look when the phone gets it right, but you're best off using the burst mode in many situations and then cherry picking the best one. There's no automatic interface to do this with like Google Camera has, for instance, but it's better than a blurry picture.
The speed of taking a picture is super fast though, and that's all part of how the camera app is set up. Designed to grab the picture at a moment's notice, sometimes it'll take the picture so fast the sensor won't have time to properly focus the image before the shot. You'll likely want to pause for a second before snapping the picture for this reason, but if you've got to grab a quick snap for social networking or something similar the lack of proper focus might be an OK tradeoff for getting the shot on time. The software design itself is your typical iOS look-alike fare, but it's nothing different from what we've seen from Xiaomi in the past. Feature wise it's finally up to snuff with what we saw way back in the MIUI 5 days, something that couldn't be said of the camera software on MIUI 6, and features tons of modes, live filters and options as well. Even with some of the silliness above this is still an incredible camera for the price, and you'd be hard pressed to think the images below came from a $160 phone.
HDR mode is a bit obnoxious and ends up jacking the saturation up way too high, creating cartoon-like images, which is unfortunate because the picture taking is instant and processing is minimal. The front-facing camera is quite good, especially for your standard selfies, although it doesn't include a front-facing flash as some phones have started to do. Even still the overall quality of the shots in this mode are great for selfies, and you'll likely not complain. Those who enjoy using the image-softening beauty mode will be happy here too, as it's enabled and set to half strength by default. Video quality is pretty good overall, but in 1080p mode I found there were quite a few weird artifacts on the screen, particularly on high contrast edges (such as objects in the foreground of a sunset). Still this video quality is considerably better than most phones in this price range, and it's definitely worth checking out. See all our sample shots and videos at the Flickr link below.
The Good
Amazing build quality
Great screen at this price range
Mostly excellent camera
Epic battery life
MIUI features and service value (in China)
The Bad
Lots of pre-installed apps could be considered bloat
Deep changes in Android break some apps
Problems with MMS
Conclusion
Hit or miss performance and somewhat mediocre sound output are among the only negatives if you're a fan of MIUI. There's no doubt that Xiaomi's UI and overall OS changes in Android are going to turn a lot of people away, but likely just as many people will love the phone for the deep integration of Xiaomi's Mi services for the same reasons. There's a reason Xiaomi has grown as it has, and it's not just because they offer an incredible bang for the buck, but because their services are so good. This is still a phone that works best primarily in China though, and because of the hooks that Xiaomi has in MIUI over stock Android your experience will likely be marred by lots of negatives when not using said Xiaomi apps and services. This one's definitely up to you, so be sure to put it all together and see if the negatives of Xiaomi's heavy software modifications are less of a burden than they were for me, or if they might actually be positives in your situation. If you like what you see check it out at GearBest below!Police chiefs have admitted that a second undercover unit stole the identities of dead children in the late 1990s or even more recently in a series of operations to infiltrate political activists.
Growing evidence of the scale of the unauthorised technique – nicknamed the "jackal run" after its fictional depiction in Frederick Forsyth's novel The Day of the Jackal – now means the number of families affected could total more than 100.
The Metropolitan police's deputy assistant commissioner Patricia Gallan told a parliamentary inquiry that both secret police units broke internal guidelines when they employed the technique, which MPs criticised as "gruesome" and "very distressing".
She had been called to give evidence to the Commons home affairs committee following the Guardian's disclosures that the Metropolitan police had secretly used the tactic without consulting or informing the children's parents in order to bolster their fake persona when operating undercover.
But, despite mounting concern over the practice, she declined to apologise to the families of the children until Scotland Yard had completed an internal investigation.
She said: "I do absolutely appreciate the concern and I understand the upset and why people are very distressed about this."
Keith Vaz, chairman of the committee, told her: "I'm disappointed that you've not used the opportunity to be able to send out a message to those parents who have children who may have had their identity being used that the Met is actually sorry that this has happened."
In another development, a family who believe that their son's identity was stolen as recently as 2003 has lodged a complaint against Scotland Yard. Barbara Shaw, the mother of a baby who died after two days, is pressing the police to reveal the truth and to issue an apology. She said she was deeply upset to discover that her child's identity was used in this way. "He is still my baby. I'll never forget him," Shaw said.
The Guardian has disclosed that, over three decades, undercover police officers in a covert unit known as the special demonstration squad had been hunting through birth and death records to find children who had died in infancy. Once they found a suitable candidate, they then created an alter ego to infiltrate political groups for up to 10 years. They were issued with official records such as national insurance numbers and driving licences to make their personas more credible, in case the campaigners in the groups they were spying on became suspicious and began to investigate them.
The SDS adopted the technique after it was founded in 1968. The evidence suggested that the unit stopped using it in the mid-1990s when officials records became more computerised.
However it now appears that the tactic has been used more recently by a second unit which started operating in 1999.
The National Public Order Intelligence Unit (NPOIU), which is still running, was also tasked with gathering intelligence on protesters.
Gallan told the committee that the practice "has been from the evidence I have seen confined to two units, the SDS and the NPOIU".
Pressed by MPs on whether the squads had gone "rogue" and had gone out of control, Gallan said they were operating at the time outside of police's guidelines for undercover operations. "From what I have seen, the practices at that time would not be following the national guidelines." She said the units had departed from the accepted practices, but she had yet to find out why.
MPs also heard allegations that a suspected undercover police officer stole the identity of the dead child, Rod Richardson, when he posed as an anticapitalist protester for three years.
Jules Carey, the lawyer for the family, told the committee : "I am instructed by one family who have a son who was born and died in 1973 and we believe that a police officer used the name Rod Richardson which is the name of the child and was deployed as an undercover police officer in about 2000 to 2003 using that name and infiltrated various political groups.
He added that the mother of the child "is upset about the circumstances in which the child died in 1973 and she is upset about the fact that the child's identity has been used as it has. She wants to know the truth about that. She would like an explanation as quickly as possible from the police".
The Met, in keeping with its standard policy, has refused to confirm or deny that Richardson was a police officer. However, when first informed about the case 10 days ago, they immediately launched an internal investigation.
Shaw said: "We believe we deserve an apology for what has happened. It's wrong that someone took Rod's identity like that without us ever knowing."
That complaint is one strand of a long-running investigation into the activities of the undercover officers stretching back 40 years. Gallan who was called to the committee as she is responsible for the inquiry, disclosed that 31 police staff are working on the investigation which was set up in 2011 and has so far cost £1.25m.
She also revealed that she had seen evidence since last September of one case in which a child's identity had been stolen by a police spy, but the child's parents had not been informed.
She did not give a commitment that the police would inform all parents whose children have had their identities stolen when their investigation ended, as there were "legal and ethical issues" to consider.
• This article was amended on Wednesday 6 February 2013. It said a senior officer had admitted that "a second undercover unit stole the identities of dead children as recently as the late 1990s".For more info: http://vhemt.org/
It’s good to see the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement receive some badly needed publicity. This was a top story on Seattle’s Komo News. If only VHEMT’s important message about overpopulation were the subject of the article. It applies to everyone, by the way–what better way to phase out cops and the need for them. The key word is “voluntary,” but it will take a concerted, across the board effort…
TACOMA, Wash. — The Tacoma Police Department has launched an internal investigation after a patrol car was found with a sticker inside telling suspects, “Thank you for not breeding.”
A local mechanic took photos of the sticker after police dropped off the patrol car at his shop.
The sticker appears to have been produced by the Voluntary Human Extinction Movement, a Portland-based organization with a stated goal of “phasing out the human race by voluntarily ceasing to breed.”
When the police department was alerted about the incident, “the vehicle was located and the sticker was immediately removed,” according to Loretta Cool with the Tacoma Police Department.
“The Tacoma Police Department does not condone this type of behavior nor does this sticker reflect the values of the Tacoma Police Department. Also, the Tacoma Police Department does not tolerate offensive materials in Police vehicles or work spaces,” Cool said in an email to KOMO News.
According to department policy, officers aren’t allowed to “modify, alter, change, mar, mark, or deface any City equipment and/or property without the expressed approval of the Chief of Police.”
The department is now conducting an internal investigation to see if any further action should be taken.
http://www.komonews.com/news/local/Sticker-inside-Tacoma-police-car-Thank-you-for-not-breeding-285721101.htmlSpread the love
Thingvellir (Parliament Plains) is without a doubt the most interesting historic site in Iceland. It is right on the popular Golden Circle route so there are lots of great tours that take you there.
Hallowed Ground of the Icelanders
To Icelanders it is hallowed ground where our forbears founded a parliament and a commonwealth back in 930. It was a site of national revival in the nineteenth and twentieth century. Iceland was declared a free and independent republic in 1944 in Thingvellir and now it is a national park. Cue the Icelandic national anthem and wipe that tear from your eye discreetly.
The Ultimate Viking Party
During Viking times and in early middle ages it seems to have been a pretty fun place during those 2-3 weeks when the parliament was in session. Of course, the parliament dealt with serious issues, for example disputes between chieftains and their followers. It was just as much as a judicial body as an legislative body. Interestingly, Icelanders did not have an executive power until 1262 when they finally submitted to the Norwegian king. If somebody was found guilty of something the punishment had to be enforced by those who filed the grievance. This is much admired by many but this was probably what was the undoing of the commonwealth. Without centralised executive power to hold them in check the chieftains fought and intrigued against each other for decades like rats in a sack until exhausted or dead.
So where did we put the holy grail again?
One of those chieftains was the famous poet and politician Snorri Sturluson. There is a mysterious entry in the histories of him arriving at the parliament in Thingvellir in 1217 with 80 armored men “from the east” with no real explanation of their purpose. This passage has helped to convince some that the holy grail was hidden in the Icelandic highlands by Templar knights and Snorri was recruited by them to facilitate this. This sounds a bit far fetched to say the least but admittedly it is a fun theory. There is actually an Italian scholar who is actively searching for the holy grail in Iceland. I have no further comment!
Let´s get out of this hole and meet new people
But I digress. When the parliament was in session in the high summer during the first centuries of its existence each year Thingvellir turned into a carnival where people from all over the country would dance, drink, trade, gossip eat and be merry in every way. Except of course when they were fighting. Many young people would find their life partners at this gathering. It is well documented that people would do whatever they could to get to Thingvellir and to the 13 regional parliaments which were held during spring and the autumn. After all, Iceland was a rural society with bad communications where you spend long winters holed up with just a few familiar faces. Meeting new people and get drunk with them was just the ticket.
17 days long trip to go the party of the year. No problem
Nevermind you had to spend up to 17 days of traveling on horseback or on foot to get to the festivities. To be fair, the travel time to Thingvellir varied and for some it was just a easy jaunt of 1 – 2 days. This venue for the highest parliament in the land was selected to be central as possible. It´s southern location ensured good weather. The river running next to it was diverted for easy access to fresh water and the fields were perfect for camping and grazing of horses.
The decline and drearyness of Thingvellir
But times changed and over time Thingvellir lost its relevance. In 1000 AD Icelanders converted to Christianity after it almost came to a fight between pagans and Christians when Althingi was in session. The deal was you could still worship the old Norse gods if you did so in secret. In 1262 Iceland finally submitted to the Norwegian king and this seems to have ushered in a period of economic growth and peace. However, it made the Thingvellir parliament redundant as a governing body. In the middle of the 16th century the reformation swept Iceland and with it came harsh laws on morality. Or let´s be honest here, the rich patriarchs clamped down on poor young people, especially women. Thingvellir retained its place as a place of judgment but it is safe to say that nobody but the worst sadist was having any fun.
Sharpen that ax. Or not
When the executive power was introduced to Iceland it also ushered the novelty of the public execution and corporal punishments. There were four kinds of executions: death by drowning which was usually reserved for women found guilty of “loose morals”, hanging was for thieves, beheading (by a blunt ax wielded by an drunk and often reluctant amateur) for murderers and male adulterers and death by burning for convicted practitioners of magic. The most popular form of corporal punishment was lashing, branding, cutting off a limb/fingers or bruising. Thingvellir´s main role was in later centuries to be place of judgment and harsh punishment until it was disbanded in 1800.
The pool of shame and sorrow
There were 70 – 80 executions in Thingvellir from the 17th century onwards. Of those there are recorded 15 hangings, 30 beheadings and 18 women were drowned in the so called “Drowning Pool” which was where the bridge across the river is now. It is the only place of execution which is marked by a memorial plaque but there are also places at Thingvellir with self-explanatory names such as Gallows Rock (Gálgaklettur), Scaffold beach (Gálgaeyri) and Burning gap (Brennugjá). The treatment of the innocent and often abused women executed at Thingvellir is truly a stain on Icelandic history.
Bursting that plate boundary myth
One popular myth is that Thingvellir is on the plate boundary between America and Europe. This is strictly speaking not true, the plate boundary is on the Reykjanes peninsula where Keflavik Airport is located.
So where is all that history?
Today there is not much physical evidence of the over 1100 years of history of Thingvellir. Even the drowning pool itself was largely ruined when bridge was built over it. I say good riddance! The exception are the remains of turf huts. The huts that are visible now are probably no older then two centuries old. Most of them are built on top of older ones. But the waterfall which was created when the pioneers diverted the river is both visible and impressive to look at. And on it rumbles mournfully close to the pool where all those women were forced into large woolen bags and pushed underwater until they moved no more.
How to get there
From Reykjavik go out on Highway 1 past the town of Mosfellsbaer. Turn right on road 36. The drive will take about 30 – 40 minutes.
View Larger Map
Written by Jón Heiðar Þorsteinsson
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CommentsDear 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.
Hamas is putting together a delegation to negotiate for the release of prisoners in Israeli jails in exchange for returning the bodies of IDF soldiers Staff Sergeant Oron Shaul and 2nd Lt. Hadar Goldin to Israel, according to the London-based Arabic language Rai el-Youm newspaper.
According to the report, the new negotiation team will include high-ranking political and military figures in Hamas that took part in the negotiations for Gilad Schalit. The names of the figures who will participate were not yet published.
An official also said that Hamas is preparing a plan that will take into consideration Israel's demands. Furthermore, the official said that negotiations are expected to take a long time.Security analyst Yossi Melman discusses missing Israelis in GazaHamas said on Thursday that it would provide information about the two missing Israelis in the Gaza Strip only if Palestinians who were rearrested after being released in the Schalit prisoner swap were freed.“If Israel makes a gesture of goodwill and releases those arrested again after they were released in the Schalit deal, Hamas would also make a gesture of goodwill,” and would reveal details on possible prisoners it holds captive, Sheikh Hassan Yousef, a senior Hamas official in the West Bank, told Israel Radio.On November 3, the Knesset passed a law to prevent some murderers from being released in diplomatic negotiations. The legislation proposed by MKs Ayelet Shaked (Bayit Yehudi) and David Tzur (Hatnua) added another level of punishment beyond life in prison, which judges can choose in rulings on especially harsh murder cases, like terrorist attacks or murder of children.In such a case, the murderer would never be able to be released as part of diplomatic negotiations and cannot be let out on parole until having served at least a 40-year sentence. However, the law does not apply to current prisoners; rather, it can be used in future court rulings.Khaled Abu Toameh and Lahav Harkov contributed to this report.
Join Jerusalem Post Premium Plus now for just $5 and upgrade your experience with an ads-free website and exclusive content. Click here>>Peter Kay's Car Share left us on quite a heartbreaking cliffhanger earlier this year, with John and Kayleigh seemingly splitting up for good. But that was not the end of the story!
Despite Peter Kay swearing to the high heavens that Car Share was done, he's secretly been working on two more specials for the last few months — both of which will air next year on the BBC.
BBC
The comedian, alongside co-star Sian Gibson, shared the joyous news during an appearance on BBC One's Children in Need telethon with host Tess Daly on Friday night (November 17).
"Well, it's been a very hard secret to keep," he admitted. "I'm glad, we were getting constant abuse… but there is a series finale explaining what happens the next day, after the argument."
BBC
As Peter mentioned, there will be a proper series finale answering what happened next for John after Kayleigh fled his car in tears in the final moments of the second-series finale.
"We were completely overwhelmed by the response and even though we've no plans to write a third series, we knew we couldn't end the story there," Peter said Friday (November 17).
However, the second special will be a totally unscripted Carpool Karaoke-esque half-hour filled with clips of Peter Kay and Sian Gibson singing along to some of their favourite Forever FM tracks. Car Share: Unscripted won't actually be canon — it's just a bit of fun.
And here's a taster of it:
"We were always very fond of ad-libbing around the script when we were filming the series, so we decided to see what would happen if we took the script away and just relied on just our chemistry alone, reacting to whatever came on the radio," Peter explained.
BBC Director of Content Charlotte Moore also said: "I know it will be music to the ears of millions of fans of Peter Kay's joyous award-winning comedy to hear that Kayleigh and John will be coming back for one last time with a very special finale episode in 2018."
Tess Daly, Rochelle Humes, Graham Norton and more of your favourite celebrities hosted Children in Need 2017 from the BBC's Elstree Centre.
To donate to Children in Need, click here or text DONATE to 70410 to make a £10 contribution to help change the lives of kids here in the UK and abroad.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Twitter account and you're all set.‘It’s finally time – winter is here!” said the announcer on Sky Atlantic, counter-seasonally, given that we’re in the middle of sunny July. But, as fans of Game of Thrones are well aware, the show is in the worst cold snap Westeros has ever known.
UK viewers, who have been feverishly awaiting the seventh and penultimate season, had to stay up till 2am on Monday morning to catch the first glimpse, timed to simulcast with the US east coast premiere at 9pm Sunday – a transatlantic technique also recently used for Twin Peaks. With the David Lynch show, viewers had been waiting for 26 years. The Game of Thrones audience had only been frozen out for 11 months, but, as any canny franchise does, the opener made it easy for new or casual viewers to catch up.
The scriptwriters have become adept at hiding the “Previously On” recap within their dialogue. “That is the man who helped us slaughter the Starks at the Red Wedding,” someone will say. Or: “The one who murdered our father and our first-born son – he’s been seen at the head of an armada.” For anyone still confused, Cersei Lannister even painted a map of the competing territories on the floor, using her foot to identify key areas as she mentioned them.
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Has all the virtues that have made the series so feted … Emilia Clarke as Daenerys in Game of Thrones. Photograph: Helen Sloan/HBO
Once it had brought the audience up to speed, this 61st episode held all the virtues that have made the series so feted. George RR Martin’s novels offer a one-stop shop for myth and legend – Greek drama, Shakespeare, CS Lewis and JRR Tolkien are all there somewhere – but the TV version merges ancient narratives with the newest digital imagery, imposing plausible cities, castles and towers on the stunning natural settings the locations in Northern Ireland provide.
And, while it contains traditional elements of escapist entertainment – dragons, dungeons, dwarves and monsters – the story reflects the darkness and divisions of the real world. Its political imagery, of walls and wars and rifts between North and South, applies in almost any territory to which the series is shown, and the language – frequent uses of the c-word – and fight scenes are brutally real.
Game of Thrones’ other great asset is the strength of its casting. David Bradley, as Lord Walder Frey, cheerfully kicks off the seventh season with a mass poisoning. But in a show so starry that even a campfire sing-song features Ed Sheeran, there is still a thrill in the introduction of Jim Broadbent, a world-class performer, as an Archmaester, removing a diseased liver in an autopsy gorier than anything in Silent Witness, and making the most of one of the best lines in the script: “We are the world’s memory – without us, men would be little more than dogs.”
Facebook Twitter Pinterest ‘We cannot defend the North if only half the population is fighting’ … Jon Snow’s ruling on women warriors. Photograph: Helen Sloan/HBO
As the landmark series nears the end, it is increasingly dominated by strong female characters: Lena Headey’s Cersei, Emilia Clarke’s Daenerys Targaryen, Bella Ramsey’s Lyanna Mormont, Maisie Williams’ Arya Stark and Sophie Turner’s Sansa Stark. Following the announcement of Jodie Whittaker as the first female lead in Doctor Who, television is strikingly feminising a genre of battles and monsters that has historically been lad-led. It makes sense. As Jon Snow argued, announcing that women will now become warriors: “We cannot defend the North if only half the population is fighting.”A new study on the partially shelled fossil turtles suggests the broad-ribbed proto shell was initially an adaptation, not for protection, but rather for burrowing underground.
“Just like the bird feather did not initially evolve for flight — we now have early relatives of birds such as tyrannosaur dinosaurs with feathers that definitely were not flying — the earliest beginnings of the turtle shell was not for protection but rather for digging underground to escape the harsh South African environment where these early proto turtles lived,” said lead author Dr. Tyler Lyson, from the Denver Museum of Nature and Science.
The early evolution of the turtle shell had long puzzled paleontologists.
“We knew from both the fossil record and observing how the turtle shell develops in modern turtles that one of the first major changes towards a shell was the broadening of the ribs,” Dr. Lyson said.
While distinctly broadened ribs may not seem like a significant modification, it has a serious impact on both breathing and speed in quadrupedal animals.
Ribs are used to support the body during locomotion and play a crucial role in ventilating your lungs.
Distinctly broadened ribs stiffen the torso, which shortens an animal’s stride length and slows it down and interferes with breathing.
“The integral role of ribs in both locomotion and breathing is likely why we don’t see much variation in the shape of ribs,” Dr. Lyson said.
“Ribs are generally pretty boring bones. The ribs of whales, snakes, dinosaurs, humans, and pretty much all other animals look the same.”
“Turtles are the one exception, where they are highly modified to form the majority of the shell,” he added.
A breakthrough came with the discovery of several well-preserved specimens of Eunotosaurus africanus, the earliest-known (260 million year old) turtle.
“New fossil material of the oldest hypothesized stem turtle, Eunotosaurus africanus from the Karoo Basin of South Africa, indicates the initiation of rib broadening was an adaptive response to fossoriality (burrowing),” Dr. Lyson and co-authors explained.
“Similar to extant fossorial taxa, the broad ribs of Eunotosaurus africanus provide an intrinsically stable base on which to operate a powerful forelimb digging mechanism.”
“The adaptations related to fossoriality likely facilitated movement of proto turtles into aquatic environments early in the groups’ evolutionary history, and this ecology may have played an important role in proto turtles surviving the Permian/Triassic extinction event,” the scientists said.
Their findings were published online July 14 in the journal Current Biology.
_____
Tyler R. Lyson et al. Fossorial Origin of the Turtle Shell. Current Biology, published online July 14, 2016; doi: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.05.020It’s turning out to be one shitty week for mainland tourists with pictures out of Hong Kong starring one woman squatting down and taking a shit surrounded by shocked subway commuters.
A local surnamed Wong snapped the pictures of the squatter at around 8 p.m. on Monday evening inside the Tsim Sha Tsui Station. According to Apple Daily, he suspects that the woman and her companion were from the mainland because they spoke to each other in Mandarin.
Wong couldn’t help but paint a vivid picture of the incident, saying that woman seemed quite practiced at pooping on the floor. “It was completely disgusting. She just put the paper down and started shitting, for her it seemed totally natural,” he said.
He added that the woman also seemed wholly unashamed of what she was doing even as dozens of fellow commuters walked past, staring straight at her.
Unfortunately, Wong was in hurry, so he didn’t have time to wait and see how it all came out. However, as he was leaving he noticed two station workers headed toward the squatting lady.
Over the years, mainlanders — and especially those from the Pearl River Delta for whatever reason — have garnered the unenviable reputation of shamelessly pooping in public, in places like: Taiwanese airports, Shenzhen subway platforms, trash cans, elevators, planes and outside Burberry stores.
In the past, Hong Kongers have held very special sorts of protests against this kind of thing.
[Images via Apple Daily]
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PrintFour women are working like a family in a dairy cooperative in Qamishlo [Qamişlo / Qamishli / Al-Qamishli], to develop the communal economy. Since the beginning of the Rojava Revolution, people have made big and important steps in organising and forming communes and cooperative societies. The communal life is the basis of developing the society; it is a part of the system of the democratic nation in Rojava and is a new experiment in the region. Communal life develops through communes and cooperative societies, and continues in spite of the harsh circumstances. It is now starting to to show results.
One of these cooperatives is the dairy cooperative, Şilêr [pronounced Shi-lair], which is located in the eastern neighbourhood of Qamishlo. This cooperative opened 6 months ago, and it employs four women. Kolserin Mohamed Yones, a member of Şilêr, said |
very uncomfortable."
On Monday, Di Iorio rose in the Commons to apologize.
"Today in this House I wish to reassure the member, once again, that none of my words sought to embarrass or offend her." he said.
'Moments of learning'
"Despite this, before all my colleagues here in the House of Commons I wish to reiterate my most sincere apology."
Watts thanked Di Iorio.
"I know that there have been times in all of our lives where we have done things we wish we hadn't, where we've said things that we wish we didn't and there have been times when we wished we could take back the words or the actions that have caused pain or hurt in others," she said.
"Moments like these are moments of opportunity, moments of teaching and moments of learning and if we can all learn lessons then we are well served."
Also on HuffPostQ&A Sorting out claims about healthcare legislation
How would an overhaul really affect senior citizens? Abortion funding? Illegal immigrants?
The House bill would give seniors on Medicare the choice to sit down with a doctor for an "advance care planning consultation" every five years to discuss options should they become seriously ill or unable to make medical decisions. Topics could include the development of a living will and directives for care.
Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-N.C.) recently suggested that the Democratic healthcare bill would "put seniors in a position of being put to death by their government." There is no such provision.
No. This has become one of the most misleading, inflammatory claims made in the healthcare debate, advanced repeatedly by conservative commentators such as Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity and Republican lawmakers working to stoke fears among seniors.
WASHINGTON — With lawmakers home for their August recess, a fierce battle has broken out over what precisely is in the mammoth healthcare bills being pushed by congressional Democrats. There has been no shortage of misinformation, much of it advanced by critics of President Obama's overhaul effort who have made sometimes outlandish claims. Here is a look at a few of the most contentious points.
"These are important discussions everyone should have so they are fully informed and can make their wishes known," Dr. J. James Rohack, president of the American Medical Assn., said in a statement. "That's not controversial. It's plain old-fashioned patient-centered care."
The provision is endorsed by the AARP.
--
Would the government start paying for abortions?
That's unclear. Neither House nor Senate versions of the healthcare legislation contains any requirement that federal funding be made available for abortions. Claims that tax dollars will be used for abortions, as a television ad from the Family Research Council contends, are premature and somewhat misleading.
But the legislation is short on many details. Depending on how regulations are written, some women who got federally subsidized insurance might be able to buy plans that cover abortions.
Under the most popular Democratic proposals, millions of Americans would buy their insurance in a new, highly regulated marketplace in which private insurers and the government would offer a choice of health plans. Many of those people would qualify for federal aid to defray the cost of at least part of their premiums.
It appears unlikely that the government would require the plans in this marketplace to cover abortions. In fact, one version of the legislation explicitly prohibits such a requirement. But some private insurers in the exchange might cover abortion services. If a woman who received public subsidies for her coverage selected one of those plans, it could be argued that the government was helping to fund abortions.
--
Would illegal immigrants get free healthcare benefits?
Provisions in the House and Senate bills explicitly prohibit people who are "not lawfully present in the United States" from getting federal aid to help them buy health insurance in the new exchanges.
Congressional Democrats have resisted Republican efforts to put tougher documentation requirements on those applying for aid, arguing that that could discourage many poor people from signing up for health insurance.
No matter what happens with the legislation, illegal immigrants would almost certainly still be able to get care in emergency rooms, a major burden in some parts of the country.
--
Would the government ration care?
This is almost impossible to say, although if the legislation passes there may be less "rationing" than there is now.
Under the nation's current system, private insurers and the federal government put a variety of limits on what kinds of medical procedures, imaging and drugs they will pay for. Millions of people with preexisting conditions face even more limits, because private insurers refuse to sell them policies. A cornerstone of the Democratic healthcare overhaul is a larger role for the government in introducing more standards to regulate coverage and expand information about the most effective treatments.A bridge classified as structurally deficient in 2011 on Interstate 5 crossing the Skagit River has collapsed, throwing drivers and cars into the water below.
Reuters: Part of a four-lane freeway bridge over the Skagit River in Washington state collapsed on Thursday, sending vehicles and people into the water below, authorities said. The collapse on Interstate 5 took out the northbound and southbound sides of the span and occurred at about 7 p.m. local time in Mount Vernon, 55 miles north of Seattle, Washington State Patrol spokesman Trooper Mark Francis said. "I've got reports of vehicles and people in the water," Francis said. He added that he did not know if anyone was injured.
Every single news report says the cause is unknown. I don't really think one needs to be a brain surgeon to check the definition of "structurally unsound." According to Washington's own list of structurally unsound bridges, it means the "bridge requires repair or replacement of a certain component, such as cracked or spalled concrete or the entire bridge itself." Of course, that same definition contains a disclaimer that there is no imminent danger of collapse. Sure there's not. Just look at that picture and tell me what you think.
Does anyone here remember the American Jobs Act proposed by President Obama in 2011? The one he introduced while standing in front of a bridge in Ohio that was also structurally deficient? The American Jobs Act that Senate Republicans killed with glee and great pride? That one?
You think maybe if they had taken it seriously instead of playing gotcha politics those people wouldn't be in the water right now?
Is it too soon to ask which Republicans will not only be fired, but go to jail for injuries and or deaths caused by their inattention to our infrastructure? Not for me, it's not.
Update 1: I tried to add video of the Washington DOT spokesman reacting, but the embed seems not to work. Here is the link.
Update 2: Let's also not forget what Republicans wanted in exchange for a transportation bill. Oil company incentives for infrastructure!
Update 3: According to the AP there are 759 bridges in Washington State that are more severely deficient than this one.
Also, this somewhat bizarre report of a guy praying on the bank in front of the bridge and then taking photos of the collapse:Media’s greatest fear is that the election could turn out to be a referendum on the media.
Donna Brazile, a CNN contributor and at the time DNC Vice Chair (now Chair), was caught through the Wikileaks Podesta email dump feeding to Hillary’s campaign a question to be used at a CNN presidential town hall.
We covered the story previously, Brazile Gave Hillary Campaign Town Hall Question in Advance:
The Wikileaks dump of Hillary Clinton campaign chair John Podesta emails shows that then-CNN contributor, now DNC interim chair, Donna Brazile gave Hillary a question ahead of a CNN town hall. Brazile sent this email to Podesta and a few aides, with the subject “From time to time I get the questions in advance.”
While Brazile tried to obfuscate with general denials, the evidence was pretty damning:
This should be a huge media issue. Maybe the biggest issue.
What is more corrupting of the process than a CNN contributor and Clinton supporter feeding a question to her favored candidate?
This was a rigging of the town hall, but the mainstream media couldn’t care less. There is little outrage, few if any calls for Brazile to be fired from both positions, and a burying of the issue.
Jake Tapper is an exception, as IJ Review reports, ‘Horrified’ Jake Tapper Responds to WikiLeaks Emails That Expose Donna Brazile as Clinton Mole:
CNN’s Jake Tapper spoke to WMAL’s Larry O’Connor and Brian Wilson about his former colleague: “It’s a very, very troubling… look, I have tremendous regard for Donna Brazile. She’s a good person and a nice person and I like her a lot but whatever took place here… and I know I had nothing to do with it… and I know CNN, we were so closely guarding our documents… they weren’t emailed around. My understanding is the email to Donna came from either Roland Martin or someone around Roland Martin.” Tapper also responded to the fact that questions were apparently leaked to the campaign. He confirmed that, at the town hall hosted by himself and Roland Martin, Hillary was asked a question that matched the one forwarded to her by Brazile almost word for word.: It’s horrifying. Journalistically it’s horrifying and I’m sure it will have an impact on partnering with this organization in the future and I’m sure it will have and effect on… Donna Brazile is no longer with CNN because she’s with the DNC right now, but I’m sure it will have some impact on Donna Brazille. People at CNN take this very, very seriously and to have somebody who does not take it seriously and to have us partner with that person and then they do something completely unethical and share it with Donna Brazile who then shares it with the Clinton campaign… it’s horrifying and very, very upsetting and I can’t condemn it any more than… I condemn it in no uncertain terms, it’s awful.”
Yet who else among the media is speaking out about the Brazile story? When they are, it’s typical of what CNN’s Brian Stelter writes, that the Wikileaks revelations as to the media are no big deal and paranoia:
In Trump’s world, journalists are really just Hillary Clinton campaign workers in disguise, collaborating with Clinton in a conspiracy to “rig” the election.
This is a marked change from past Republican complaints about the press. In fact, he is doing much more than alleging a lack of objectivity. “Instead of talking about favoritism among journalists toward a candidate or cause, Trump is making a more extreme claim: doing politics and doing journalism are the same thing,” journalism professor Jay Rosen told CNNMoney. “In this way of thinking, ‘the media’ and ‘the left’ have an equal sign between them.” …. In recent days, Trump has cited a stolen cache of documents published by Wikileaks to claim that “the media collaborates” with Clinton.
But the documents show only isolated examples of questionable journalistic behavior — not the systemic fraud he alleges…. Accusations of bias are as old as the craft itself. Media watchdogs on the left and the right seek to hold journalists accountable. But Trump’s accusations are different. They suggest he sees no difference between the practice of journalism and the practice of politics. Trump is reflecting a growing view on the right that journalists are nothing more than “Democratic operatives with bylines,” as conservative blogger Glenn Reynolds likes to say.
Burying the Brazile revelation is part of a pattern of the mainstream media burying Wikileaks documents that expose collusion between the Clinton campaign and the media. We covered several such instances from the latest rounds of disclosures:
.@washingtonpost WH bureau chief @eilperin tips off Podesta abt upcoming story — this is y ppl don't trust media https://t.co/clU6I5pQKd pic.twitter.com/a1jColKu5e — Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) October 14, 2016
Wikileaks: Team Hillary planned to work w State Dept and AP to deploy Hillary spin on unproduced Blumenthal emails https://t.co/YBsezLayQ0 pic.twitter.com/VcEBQfWvp7 — Legal Insurrection (@LegInsurrection) October 15, 2016
For a media claiming Donald Trump is threatening democracy by claiming the election is rigged by a corrupt media, the Wikileaks revelations are uncomfortable evidence. So it must be ignored, as Joe Concha points out at The Hill, Trump has a point with media criticism:
Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump has gone thermonuclear on the media in a way we’ve never seen from any political figure — or any public figure — before…. Reaction to Trump’s critique of the media by many left-leaning media members and advocates was about what one would expect, referring to it as dangerous and dark and totalitarian and conspiratorial and just about every other word from the 2016 Hyperbole Style Guide. Those conclusions, of course, are just air without any real foundation in terms of numbers or data to support it. Speaking of data, try this on for size: In viewing recordings by The Hill of each major network’s evening newscasts, which are watched by an average total of 22 million to 24 million people nightly, the newest batch of WikiLeaks revelations was covered for a combined 57 seconds out of 66 minutes of total air time on ABC, NBC and CBS. Those leaked emails include derogatory comments about Catholics by senior Clinton campaign officials and more disturbing examples of collusion between the media and her campaign It’s newsworthy stuff) — On the other hand, allegations from four women of unwanted sexual advances by Trump were covered a combined 23 minutes. Add it all up, and one presidential candidate’s negative news of the day was somehow covered more than 23 times more than another candidate’s negative news of the day.
Media Research Center confirms the major network blackout on Wikileaks in general and media collusion in particular:
From Friday evening to Thursday morning, the morning and evening news shows on ABC, CBS and NBC dedicated 4 hours and 13 minutes to discussing the recent allegations of sexual misconduct surrounding Donald Trump’s campaign. Meanwhile, not only has the continual release of the WikiLeaks emails from top Hillary staff gotten a comparatively puny 36 minutes of coverage during this same time period, the coverage that is there continues to ignore specifics that could be damaging to Hillary. Still completely absent from the network coverage? Any mention of the emails where journalists collaborated with the Clinton campaign.
The media is burying these stories because it confirms their greatest fear, that the election could turn out to be a referendum on the media.There are any number of proposals to “reform” Canada’s pension system. Some may be good ideas, some may be less than good. But before we can evaluate the relative merits of a given set of pension proposals, we have to articulate the question: what, precisely, is the problem these reforms are meant to solve?
The original goal of the CPP/QPP was to solve the once-pervasive problem of elderly poverty—and it was largely successful at that. As UBC economics professor Kevin Milligan notes, elderly poverty declined sharply after the implementation of the CPP/QPP. In all of the measures produced in this Statistics Canada table, the incidence of poverty among the elderly is significantly less than among the non-elderly.
People save for retirement for the same reason that they take on debt when they are young: they are rearranging income across time in order to maintain a stable level of consumption throughout their lives. Capital markets are the mechanism with which income is shifted across time: current income is deferred to the future by saving, and future income is brought to the present by borrowing. If everything worked according to the simplest form of the standard life-cycle model of savings and expenditures, retirement would be characterised by a smooth transition from labour income to investment income that allowed people to maintain the same standard of living. In practice, of course, this doesn’t happen: capital markets are not perfectly frictionless, and people don’t always have access to all relevant information when making their savings and investment decisions. That’s why retirement is generally associated with a reduction in disposable income. The policy challenge is to make the transition less abrupt.
A key measure in pension policy debates is the replacement rate: retirement income as a percentage of pre-retirement income. This graph from a StatsCan study provides a representative snapshot of replacement rates for people in different parts of the income distribution:
Replacement rates of 66 per cent at the top end of the income distribution may be a problem for people who are in the top income quintile, but it’s not obvious that this is a problem for public policy. Two-thirds of a top-quintile income is a long ways from poverty, and these people generally have the means to take care of themselves.
The middle quintiles are the source of the greatest concern: savings rates for many—particularly those who do not participate in a registered pension plan—are too low to sustain their standards of living after retirement. And the transaction costs encountered by those who do save can be substantial. Financial service fees on the order of two-three per cent of assets per year are a significant obstacle to retirement planning.
On the other hand, people in the lowest income quintile are generally well-served by the current system: a significant number see their incomes increase when they retire. (Of course, an important reason why their replacement rates are so high is that their pre-retirement incomes were so low.) Low-income households generally don’t save much for retirement: the combination of CPP, the Old Age Security and the Guaranteed Income Supplement is enough to provide a retirement income that can sustain their consumption patterns in retirement. For people whose incomes will increase in retirement, saving for the future makes little sense: if anything, they would want to borrow against the higher incomes they will receive upon retirement.
It’s important to keep this last group in mind when thinking about pension reform. For example, an expanded CPP that forces low-income people to save more when their incomes are lowest is likely to make them worse off. And since retirees who will be receiving the Guaranteed Income Supplement will face a clawback rate of up to 75 per cent, the gains from an expanded CPP for this group are greatly attenuated.
“Canadians aren’t saving enough for retirement” is not the best way to pose the policy problem if it leads people to conclude that a program that forces everyone to save more is a good idea. The real problems are more specific: middle income earners don’t save enough and they are obliged to pay high fees when they do.Michelangelo is one of the best artists of all time, but he also said some profound words that echoed through centuries and inspired generations of artists and readers. We collected 5 Michelangelo’s quotes where he talks about his art and what it means to be a genuine and brilliant artist. It’s not just about the talent – without the hard work, greatness can’t be achieved.
During his lifetime Michelangelo Buonarroti (1475 – 1564) was often called Il Divino (“the Divine One”) because of his extraordinary achievements in art. Celebrated as one of the greatest geniuses who ever lived (Italians just adored Michelangelo), he had an outstanding career that lasted over 70 years. Unlike so many his contemporaries, he achieved great fame and wealth and was the first Western artist whose biography was published while he was still alive. (That’s why we know more about Michelangelo, his life and work, passions and opinions than about any other artist of his time.) In fact, he was so rich, some suggest he was the wealthiest artist of his time, that when he died, he left an estate worth 50,000 florins. And that’s about $50 million in today’s money. That’s no surprise because his admirers and patrons were kings and nine different popes.
He crafted several masterpieces including the “David”, the “Pietà”, frescoes on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, the dome for St. Peter’s Basilica, to name just a few. He was such a talent that he had sculpted “David” before the age of thirty – he used the gigantic block of marble, that no other sculptor wanted to work with, that had been quarried and then abandoned for over 40 years before Michelangelo claimed it. “Every block of stone has a statue inside it and it is the task of the sculptor to discover it,” he once said and after four years of hard labor liberated magnificent David from this giant rock.
Devoted to God and profoundly religious, unpredictable and brilliant, sharp-tongued and vengeful, Michelangelo was also a prolific poet – throughout his life, he wrote more than 300 poems where he talked about everything from love, lust, spirituality, and loyalty to aging and his overactive bladder. Although none of these poems were published in his day, they circulated widely among Rome’s 16th-century intellectuals. He disliked Leonardo da Vinci and vice versa, never married or had children (but is rumored to have had love affairs with men and women alike), rarely bathed or changed his clothes, lived in squalor despite being rich and in his old age he lived almost as a hermit avoiding all contact with others except when it came to his work.
Michelangelo is to this very day considered as one of the most influential artists in history and people all around the world can’t get enough of his extraordinary art and cool words of wisdom. That’s why we’ve collected 5 of Michelangelo’s most brilliant quotes that also stood the test of time and are highly inspirational.
5 Michelangelo’s quotes about art and life:
If you liked Michelangelo’s quotes and words of wisdom, you might also love best quotes by distinguished artists such as Pablo Picasso and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Never stop exploring!Officials at the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are trying to include wolverines as threatened members of the Endangered Species List (there are only about 300 remaining in the lower 48 states), and they have five excellent reasons.
They are the tiniest known enemy of bears:
[They max] out at 40 pounds and [are] tough enough to stand up to grizzly bears.
They resemble bears themselves, but on a smaller scale, and eat fruit. They are tiny, fruit-eating bear manqués:
Fewer than 300 wolverines, solitary creatures said to resemble small bears with bushy tails, are believed to exist in the lower 48 United States, where they mostly inhabit the high country of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming and Washington state. The reclusive animals, which eat everything from birds to berries, build their dens, reproduce and store food in areas with snow deeper than five feet in high-elevation environments unoccupied by humans and undisturbed by snowmobilers and skiers.
They are hungry and they are angry and they are non-stop runners:
Wolverines...are known for their cranky dispositions and voracious appetites. They may cover more than a dozen miles a day across rugged terrain in search of food, believed to be the primary factor driving the animals' movements and explaining the vastness of their home ranges, according to the Fish and Wildlife Service.
Wolverine pups are nurtured in the icy bosom of snow caves:
Females give birth from mid-February through March in dens they excavate in alpine snow, typically using them until late April or early May.
There is exactly one wolverine in the entire state of Colorado:
While reintroducing the animals further south might seem counterintuitive, Inman said Colorado's abundance of 14,000-foot mountains would make it well suited as a refuge for the animals as warmer temperatures set in at lower elevations. Only one wolverine currently inhabits the state, a male that wandered down several years ago from northern Wyoming's Teton Range, about 500 miles away.
[Image via AP]Jesse Harris, the writer of Norah Jones’ song Don’t Know Why, winning a Grammy for the effort, has a new album out in February, No Wrong No Right from Jesse Harris With Star Rover.
Included in the album is an instrumental based on the work of Japanese manga and anime creator and director Hayao Miyazaki.
“I got the flu really bad earlier this year, and I was pretty much laid up at home in this fevered state,” Jesse says. “Every night I watched a different Miyazaki film. One night, I was on the couch in this delirious state with my guitar, and I was playing this riff over and over again for an hour, and I turned it into an instrumental. In honor of my flu and all of his movies that I’d been watching, I named it ‘Miyazaki.’”Will Palmer claimed victory in the opening race of the BRDC F4 Winter Championship after Gaetano di Mauro was penalised for a jump start.
Pole-sitter di Mauro opened up a two-second lead on the first lap as Palmer briefly fell behind Connor Jupp, but the Brazilian was then handed a ten-second time penalty.
Di Mauro and Palmer would go wheel-to-wheel on-track later in the race, with the former managing to stay ahead. The duo opened up enough a gap over the cars behind that di Mauro was still classified second, 9.482s behind Palmer and two seconds ahead of third-place finisher Rodrigo Fonseca.
The Mexican passed Jupp on lap two and then managed to keep him behind for the remainder of the race. Jordan Albert and Harrison Newey followed closely at the flag, but Albert received a five-second penalty for exceeding track limits. That promoted Newey to fifth, completing an impressive debut race for the son of F1 design legend Adrian.
Zubair Hoque and Fernando Urrutia completed the eight finishers, with the latter visiting the pits after contact with Enzo Bortoleto that forced the latter to retire.
Race results
Pos Driver Team Time/Gap 1 Will Palmer HHC Motorsport 10 laps in 18:54.806 2 Gaetano di Mauro PetroBall Racing +9.482* 3 Rodrigo Fonseca Douglas Motorsport +11.550 4 Connor Jupp Mectech Motorsport +11.973 5 Harrison Newey HHC Motorsport +12.835 6 Jordan Albert Sean Walkinshaw Racing +17.277** 7 Zubair Hoque HHC Motorsport +37.285 8 Fernando Urrutia Sean Walkinshaw Racing +1:16.306 Not classified Enzo Bortoleto PetroBall Racing +3 laps
* 10 second penalty for jump start
** 5 second penalty for track limitsPresident Barack Obama on Monday waded into the debate on political correctness saturating American colleges, forcefully rejecting the idea of tailoring curriculum or cutting funding based on the sensitivities of students.
During a town hall in Des Moines, Iowa, Obama described liberal college students—the kind of students who ban speakers from campus due to their political beliefs, at least—as “coddled.”
“I've heard of some college campuses where they don’t want to have a guest speaker who is too conservative. Or they don’t want to read a book if it has language that is offensive to African Americans, or somehow sends a demeaning signal towards women,” he said, according to The Hill.
“I’ve got to tell you, I don’t agree with that either. I don’t agree that you, when you become students at colleges, have to be coddled and protected from different points of views.”
The culture of political correctness itself has generated a massive reaction, from liberal journalists, comedians, and researchers.
The debate is complicated, but, at the most basic level, those participating fall into two groups: critics who believe a rise in political correctness has a chilling effect on speech and/or minimizes the effectiveness of a college education in exposing students to wide range of challenging viewpoints, and proponents who argue that offensive, abusive, or “triggering” viewpoints add little value and heighten the risk of trauma for participants in conversations, debates, and classes. (In recent years, several colleges banned or withdrew invitations to speakers due to their political beliefs.)
Obama’s comments came after he was asked a question about whether the government should cut funding to schools with political biases—a notion Obama quickly rejected:
”The way to do that is to create a space where a lot of ideas are presented and collide, and people are having arguments, and people are testing each other’s theories, and over time, people learn from each other,” Obama said.
”The idea that you’d have somebody in government making a decision about what you should think ahead of time or what you should be taught, and if it’s not the right thought or idea or perspective or philosophy, that that person would be—that they wouldn’t get funding runs contrary to everything we believe about education,” he said.
”I mean, I guess that might work in the Soviet Union, but it doesn’t work here. That’s not who we are. That’s not what we’re about.”
Comedians have recently taken up the debate as well. “I hear a lot of people tell me, ‘Don’t go near colleges. They’re so PC,’” Jerry Seinfeld said. “They just want to use these words: ‘That’s racist’; ‘That’s sexist’; ‘That’s prejudiced.‘ They don’t know what the hell they’re talking about.” Speaking with Vanity Fair at the Toronto International Film Festival, however, Sarah Silverman disagreed. “I think it’s a sign of being old if you’re put off by that,” she said. “You have to listen to the college-aged because they lead the revolution.”Employees from MTA New York City Transit worked to restore the South Ferry subway station after it was flooded by seawater during Hurricane Sandy.
The metro-area mass transit system that moves millions of riders per day was crippled by massive flooding when Sandy swept through the area, and service is likely to be out for several days, officials said.
MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota said seven subway tunnels under the East River all had flooding, along with rail yards and bus depots. The 108-year-old subway system has never faced such devastation, he said.
Lhota told NBC 4 New York that he couldn't even begin to say when subways and commuter rails might be up and running. All the damage, he said, was to tracks, stations and tunnels; subway cars and buses were not harmed.
"It's like nothing we've ever experienced before," he said. "We are in the assessment stage."
But Bloomberg estimated it would be four or five days before subway service is restored. Officials said limited bus service would resume Tuesday, with fares waived.
Lhota said buses would be used to replace subway service along lines where repairs are expected to take longer.
The MTA cut power to some subway tunnels in lower Manhattan, after water came into the stations and tracks. The South Ferry station was flooded up to the ceiling, said Lhota.
Extreme Weather 2012
The Metro-North Railroad lost power from 59th Street to Croton-Harmon on the Hudson Line and to New Haven on the New Haven line. The Long Island Rail Road evacuated its West Side Yards and suffered flooding in one East River tunnel.
Lhota said the Hugh Carey Tunnel, formerly known as the Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel, and the Queens Midtown Tunnel also took on water. Each tube of the Hugh Carey Tunnel was filled with 43 million gallons of water.
Flooding was also reported in PATH train stations in Hoboken and Jersey City along the Hudson River.
A surveillance camera inside the underground station in Hoboken captured water gushing in through an elevator door.
PATH officials say flooding has also occurred at the underground station at Exchange Place in Jersey City. They are not able to say how bad the flooding is.
PATH service between Manhattan and New Jersey has been suspended since midnight Sunday, and will remain suspended "indefinitely," officials said Tuesday.
Copyright Associated Press / NBC New YorkA minor girl died in India on Wednesday after reportedly being gang raped and set on fire.
The unnamed child was assaulted by three village youths in the Sirsa Kalaar district of the northern city of Orai on Tuesday, Oct. 22, according to the Indo-Asian News Service. The girl's assailants reportedly set her on fire after she threatened to turn them in.
She sustained burns to 80 percent of her body and died in the hospital Wednesday, per IANS. Although the girl's parents have not filed a police complaint, authorities are said to be looking for the assailants.
A class-eight school student, the girl was likely around 14 years old.
This was not the only brutal attack in India within the past week. The Press Trust of India reported Wednesday that a class-seven girl was abducted and raped at gunpoint in a sugarcane field by alleged assailant Sumit Kumar. He has been arrested, and there is a case pending against him.
Last week, a 22-year-old technology professional working in the southern city of Hyderabad was kidnapped and raped by two cabbies, according to the Deccan Chronicle. The men threatened to hurt her or her family if she resisted or reported the attack. They were later arrested.
Four men were sentenced to death in September for the rape and murder of a 23-year-old New Delhi student. The gruesome attack made headlines around the world, and the case shed light on the pervasive sexual assault problem in the country.
After the sentencing, Jacqueline Bhabha, director of research for the François-Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights at the Harvard School of Public Health, spoke with the Harvard Gazette about India's rape crisis and the societal ills that need mending. She cited female feticide, child marriage, teen pregnancy and domestic violence.
"There’s an education challenge and a public culture challenge," she said. "Ultimately, I think these norm changes really cumulatively come not so much from the top down, but from the bottom up. It is from organizing, from establishing new norms that are considered to be impressive, powerful, worth emulating, from the bottom up. But it is also a question of women having skills and women having access to power and having places where they can complain and safe places."Bernie Sanders speaks at the University of Colorado campus in Boulder, Colo., on Oct. 10. (Cliff Grassmick/Daily Camera via AP)
LAS VEGAS — On the eve of the first Democratic debate, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) claimed his second endorsement from a member of Congress.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) said Monday that he had decided to back Sanders, citing the "massive crowds" he is drawing on the campaign trail, which Ellison argued are an indication that Sanders could drive up voter turnout.
Ellison's support came just a few days after Sanders was endorsed by Rep. Raúl Grijalva (D-Ariz.) during a rally Friday in Tucson, Ariz., that drew an estimated 13,000 people.
Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in June to discuss opposition to President Obama's trade deal. (Lauren Victoria Burke/AP)
Ellison and Grijalva are both co-chairmen of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, which Sanders helped co-found as a House member in 1991.
[Sanders focuses on gun violence, immigration as 13,000 attend Arizona rally]
While their backing is a boost to Sanders, it also serves as reminder of a big advantage that Hillary Rodham Clinton maintains in the Democratic race even as Sanders has gained or surpassed her in early state polling: More than 100 members of Congress have already endorsed Clinton.
In the nomination process, such party elites are more than just cheerleaders. Roughly one-fifth of the delegates who will pick the Democratic nominee are super delegates — elected officials and other party leaders who are not bound by voting in their states. And to this point, they’ve broken overwhelmingly in Clinton’s direction.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), a White House contender in 2016, is known for his stances on budget issues and war. Here are his takes on Obamacare, Social Security and more. (Julie Percha/The Washington Post)
In explaining his support, Ellison said that Sanders has "the ability to create a renaissance in voter participation, which was at its lowest in decades this past election cycle."
We’ve all seen the massive crowds he is attracting, and I think that is a testament to his message connecting with people — people we will need to turn out in November," Ellison said.
[100,000 people have come to recent Bernie Sanders rallies. How does he do it?]
One of Sanders's first eye-popping crowds was at an event in Ellison's home state that drew more than 3,000 people to a venue in Minneapolis, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
“Keith Ellison is one of the great progressive leaders in the country leading the fight for the rights of working families and the environment,” Sanders said in a statement Monday. “I look forward to working with him to create a government which represents all Americans and not just the billionaires.”Advertisement Rio Rancho pipeline project won't be done for another decade, mayor says Mayor: If we had all the money tomorrow, it might get cleared up in 3 or 5 years Share Shares Copy Link Copy
It's a problem Rio Rancho residents deal with all year long -- city water lines break, causing neighborhoods to flood.The city is trying to fix as many lines as it can, but the money to mend the lines isn't flowing in fast enough. Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull said the problem is the lines are made of a plastic material that has not stood the test of time. “It breaks, it leaks, it's subject to weather,” Hull said.These plastic lines take city water from the street into neighborhoods.When the pipes break, it causes a lot of damage. Not only do residents see water running out into the street, but to actually get to some of the fixes, streets have to be torn up.The city is working as fast as it can to replace the plastic lines with copper. Hull said the whole project won't be done for another decade.“If we had all the money tomorrow, we might be able to get it cleared up in three to five years,” Hull said.Around $1.4 million is coming from the state legislature to keep the repairs going into 2015.“That's going to purchase about 700 of the water line replacements,” Hull said.But the mayor said there is still close to 12,000 pipes to replace.“The sooner we can get this issue fixed, it's really going to provide an overall benefit to the community,” Hull said.Mobile users: Tap for videoThe governing body is set to accept that state funding at its meeting on Wednesday.The city also puts aside a small amount from utility fees each year to help buy the copper kits.The Builders - The Builders : Try to reach your supervisor. Click on a connected group of 3 or more items to remove the items just before...
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function words usually must carry the suffix ما when a VERB (فِعْل) follows them. But this is not always the case, because the word order can be tricky. You might find the subject of the second clause between the function word and the verb. Also in these situations the ما is NOT a negation!
The word-order is like this then:
1 2 3 4 function word subject ما verb لِغَايِة الْمُديِر ما تِمْشِي until the director leaves
An example:
I will stay with you until the director leaves. HafDal ma3aak lighaayit elmudeer ma yimshy حافَضْل مَعاك لِغَاية الْمُديِر ما يِمْشِي
Let’s see how the above mentioned expressions work – some examples:Wed, 27 Feb 2019 08:18:47 -0500
NIST Special Publication 800-63B Digital Identity Guidelines Authentication and Lifecycle Management Paul A. Grassi
James L. Fenton
Elaine M. Newton
Ray A. Perlner
Andrew R. Regenscheid
William E. Burr
Justin P. Richer Privacy Authors:
Naomi B. Lefkovitz
Jamie M. Danker Usability Authors:
Yee-Yin Choong
Kristen K. Greene
Mary F. Theofanos This publication is available free of charge from:
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-63b
NIST Special Publication 800-63B Digital Identity Guidelines Authentication and Lifecycle Management Paul A. Grassi
Elaine M. Newton
Applied Cybersecurity Division
Information Technology Laboratory Ray A. Perlner
Andrew R. Regenscheid
Computer Security Division
Information Technology Laboratory James L. Fenton
Altmode Networks
Los Altos, Calif. William E. Burr
Dakota Consulting, Inc.
Silver Spring, Md. Justin P. Richer
Bespoke Engineering
Billerica, Mass. Privacy Authors:
Naomi B. Lefkovitz
Applied Cybersecurity Division
Information Technology Laboratory Usability Authors:
Yee-Yin Choong
Kristen K. Greene
Information Access Division
Information Technology Laboratory Jamie M. Danker
National Protection and Programs Directorate
Department of Homeland Security Mary F. Theofanos
Office of Data and Informatics
Material Measurement Laboratory This publication is available free of charge from:
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-63b June 2017 U.S. Department of Commerce
Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., Secretary National Institute of Standards and Technology
Kent Rochford, Acting NIST Director and Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and Technology
Authority
This publication has been developed by NIST in accordance with its statutory responsibilities under the Federal Information Security Modernization Act (FISMA) of 2014, 44 U.S.C. § 3551 et seq., Public Law (P.L.) 113-283. NIST is responsible for developing information security standards and guidelines, including minimum requirements for federal systems, but such standards and guidelines shall not apply to national security systems without the express approval of appropriate federal officials exercising policy authority over such systems. This guideline is consistent with the requirements of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Circular A-130.
Nothing in this publication should be taken to contradict the standards and guidelines made mandatory and binding on federal agencies by the Secretary of Commerce under statutory authority. Nor should these guidelines be interpreted as altering or superseding the existing authorities of the Secretary of Commerce, Director of the OMB, or any other federal official. This publication may be used by nongovernmental organizations on a voluntary basis and is not subject to copyright in the United States. Attribution would, however, be appreciated by NIST.
National Institute of Standards and Technology Special Publication 800-63B
Natl. Inst. Stand. Technol. Spec. Publ. 800-63B, 78 pages (June 2017)
CODEN: NSPUE2 This publication is available free of charge from:
https://doi.org/10.6028/NIST.SP.800-63b
Certain commercial entities, equipment, or materials may be identified in this document in order to describe an experimental procedure or concept adequately. Such identification is not intended to imply recommendation or endorsement by NIST, nor is it intended to imply that the entities, materials, or equipment are necessarily the best available for the purpose.
There may be references in this publication to other publications currently under development by NIST in accordance with its assigned statutory responsibilities. The information in this publication, including concepts and methodologies, may be used by federal agencies even before the completion of such companion publications. Thus, until each publication is completed, current requirements, guidelines, and procedures, where they exist, remain operative. For planning and transition purposes, federal agencies may wish to closely follow the development of these new publications by NIST.
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Reports on Computer Systems Technology
The Information Technology Laboratory (ITL) at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) promotes the U.S. economy and public welfare by providing technical leadership for the Nation’s measurement and standards infrastructure. ITL develops tests, test methods, reference data, proof of concept implementations, and technical analyses to advance the development and productive use of information technology. ITL’s responsibilities include the development of management, administrative, technical, and physical standards and guidelines for the cost-effective security and privacy of other than national security-related information in federal information systems. The Special Publication 800-series reports on ITL’s research, guidelines, and outreach efforts in information system security, and its collaborative activities with industry, government, and academic organizations.
Abstract
These guidelines provide technical requirements for federal agencies implementing digital identity services and are not intended to constrain the development or use of standards outside of this purpose. These guidelines focus on the authentication of subjects interacting with government systems over open networks, establishing that a given claimant is a subscriber who has been previously authenticated. The result of the authentication process may be used locally by the system performing the authentication or may be asserted elsewhere in a federated identity system. This document defines technical requirements for each of the three authenticator assurance levels. This publication supersedes corresponding sections of NIST Special Publication (SP) 800-63-2.
Keywords
authentication; credential service provider; digital authentication; digital credentials; electronic authentication; electronic credentials, federation.
Acknowledgements
The authors gratefully acknowledge Kaitlin Boeckl for her artistic graphics contributions to all volumes in the SP 800-63 suite and the contributions of our many reviewers, including Joni Brennan from the Digital ID & Authentication Council of Canada (DIACC), Kat Megas, Ellen Nadeau, and Ben Piccarreta from NIST, and Ryan Galluzzo and Danna Gabel O’Rourke from Deloitte & Touche LLP.
The authors would also like to acknowledge the thought leadership and innovation of the original authors: Donna F. Dodson, W. Timothy Polk, Sarbari Gupta, and Emad A. Nabbus. Without their tireless efforts, we would not have had the incredible baseline from which to evolve 800-63 to the document it is today. In addition, special thanks to the Federal Privacy Council’s Digital Authentication Task Force for the contributions to the development of privacy requirements and considerations.
Requirements Notation and Conventions
The terms “SHALL” and “SHALL NOT” indicate requirements to be followed strictly in order to conform to the publication and from which no deviation is permitted.
The terms “SHOULD” and “SHOULD NOT” indicate that among several possibilities one is recommended as particularly suitable, without mentioning or excluding others, or that a certain course of action is preferred but not necessarily required, or that (in the negative form) a certain possibility or course of action is discouraged but not prohibited.
The terms “MAY” and “NEED NOT” indicate a course of action permissible within the limits of the publication.
The terms “CAN” and “CANNOT” indicate a possibility or capability, whether material, physical or causal or, in the negative, the absence of that possibility or capability.
Table of Contents
1. Purpose
2. Introduction
3. Definitions and Abbreviations
4. Authenticator Assurance Levels
5. Authenticator and Verifier Requirements
6. Authenticator Lifecycle Requirements
7. Session Management
8. Threats and Security Considerations
9. Privacy Considerations
10. Usability Considerations
11. References
Appendix A — Strength of Memorized Secrets
1 Purpose
This section is informative.
This document and its companion documents, Special Publication (SP) 800-63, SP 800-63A, and SP 800-63C, provide technical guidelines to agencies for the implementation of digital authentication.
2 Introduction
This section is informative.
Digital identity is the unique representation of a subject engaged in an online transaction. A digital identity is always unique in the context of a digital service, but does not necessarily need to be traceable back to a specific real-life subject. In other words, accessing a digital service may not mean that the underlying subject’s real-life representation is known. Identity proofing establishes that a subject is actually who they claim to be. Digital authentication is the process of determining the validity of one or more authenticators used to claim a digital identity. Authentication establishes that a subject attempting to access a digital service is in control of the technologies used to authenticate. For services in which return visits are applicable, successfully authenticating provides reasonable risk-based assurances that the subject accessing the service today is the same as the one who accessed the service previously. Digital identity presents a technical challenge because it often involves the proofing of individuals over an open network and always involves the authentication of individuals over an open network. This presents multiple opportunities for impersonation and other attacks which can lead to fraudulent claims of a subject’s digital identity.
The ongoing authentication of subscribers is central to the process of associating a subscriber with their online activity. Subscriber authentication is performed by verifying that the claimant controls one or more authenticators (called tokens in earlier versions of SP 800-63) associated with a given subscriber. A successful authentication results in the assertion of an identifier, either pseudonymous or non-pseudonymous, and optionally other identity information, to the relying party (RP).
This document provides recommendations on types of authentication processes, including choices of authenticators, that may be used at various Authenticator Assurance Levels (AALs). It also provides recommendations on the lifecycle of authenticators, including revocation in the event of loss or theft.
This technical guideline applies to digital authentication of subjects to systems over a network. It does not address the authentication of a person for physical access (e.g., to a building), though some credentials used for digital access may also be used for physical access authentication. This technical guideline also requires that federal systems and service providers participating in authentication protocols be authenticated to subscribers.
The strength of an authentication transaction is characterized by an ordinal measurement known as the AAL. Stronger authentication (a higher AAL) requires malicious actors to have better capabilities and expend greater resources in order to successfully subvert the authentication process. Authentication at higher AALs can effectively reduce the risk of attacks. A high-level summary of the technical requirements for each of the AALs is provided below; see Sections 4 and 5 of this document for specific normative requirements.
Authenticator Assurance Level 1: AAL1 provides some assurance that the claimant controls an authenticator bound to the subscriber’s account. AAL1 requires either single-factor or multi-factor authentication using a wide range of available authentication technologies. Successful authentication requires that the claimant prove possession and control of the authenticator through a secure authentication protocol.
Authenticator Assurance Level 2: AAL2 provides high confidence that the claimant controls an authenticator(s) bound to the subscriber’s account. Proof of possession and control of two different authentication factors is required through secure authentication protocol(s). Approved cryptographic techniques are required at AAL2 and above.
Authenticator Assurance Level 3: AAL3 provides very high confidence that the claimant controls authenticator(s) bound to the subscriber’s account. Authentication at AAL3 is based on proof of possession of a key through a cryptographic protocol. AAL3 authentication requires a hardware-based authenticator and an authenticator that provides verifier impersonation resistance; the same device may fulfill both these requirements. In order to authenticate at AAL3, claimants are required to prove possession and control of two distinct authentication factors through secure authentication protocol(s). Approved cryptographic techniques are required.
The following table states which sections of the document are normative and which are informative:
Section Name Normative/Informative 1. Purpose Informative 2. Introduction Informative 3. Definitions and Abbreviations Informative 4. Authenticator Assurance Levels Normative 5. Authenticator and Verifier Requirements Normative 6. Authenticator Lifecycle Management Normative 7. Session Management Normative 8. Threat and Security Considerations Informative 9. Privacy Considerations Informative 10. Usability Considerations Informative 11. References Informative Appendix A — Strength of Memorized Secrets Informative
3 Definitions and Abbreviations
See SP 800-63, Appendix A for a complete set of definitions and abbreviations.
4 Authenticator Assurance Levels
This section contains both normative and informative material.
To satisfy the requirements of a given AAL, a claimant SHALL be authenticated with at least a given level of strength to be recognized as a subscriber. The result of an authentication process is an identifier that SHALL be used each time that subscriber authenticates to that RP. The identifier MAY be pseudonymous. Subscriber identifiers SHOULD NOT be reused for a different subject but SHOULD be reused when a previously-enrolled subject is re-enrolled by the CSP. Other attributes that identify the subscriber as a unique subject MAY also be provided.
Detailed normative requirements for authenticators and verifiers at each AAL are provided in Section 5.
See SP 800-63 Section 6.2 for details on how to choose the most appropriate AAL.
FIPS 140 requirements are satisfied by FIPS 140-2 or newer revisions.
At IAL1, it is possible that attributes are collected and made available by the digital identity service. Any PII or other personal information — whether self-asserted or validated — requires multi-factor authentication. Therefore, agencies SHALL select a minimum of AAL2 when self-asserted PII or other personal information is made available online.
4.1 Authenticator Assurance Level 1
This section is normative.
AAL1 provides some assurance that the claimant controls an authenticator bound to the subscriber’s account. AAL1 requires either single-factor or multi-factor authentication using a wide range of available authentication technologies. Successful authentication requires that the claimant prove possession and control of the authenticator through a secure authentication protocol.
4.1.1 Permitted Authenticator Types
AAL1 authentication SHALL occur by the use of any of the following authenticator types, which are defined in Section 5:
4.1.2 Authenticator and Verifier Requirements
Cryptographic authenticators used at AAL1 SHALL use approved cryptography. Software-based authenticators that operate within the context of an operating system MAY, where applicable, attempt to detect compromise (e.g., by malware) of the user endpoint in which they are running and SHOULD NOT complete the operation when such a compromise is detected.
Communication between the claimant and verifier (using the primary channel in the case of an out-of-band authenticator) SHALL be via an authenticated protected channel to provide confidentiality of the authenticator output and resistance to man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks.
Verifiers operated by government agencies at AAL1 SHALL be validated to meet the requirements of FIPS 140 Level 1.
4.1.3 Reauthentication
Periodic reauthentication of subscriber sessions SHALL be performed as described in Section 7.2. At AAL1, reauthentication of the subscriber SHOULD be repeated at least once per 30 days during an extended usage session, regardless of user activity. The session SHOULD be terminated (i.e., logged out) when this time limit is reached.
4.1.4 Security Controls
The CSP SHALL employ appropriately-tailored security controls from the low baseline of security controls defined in SP 800-53 or equivalent federal (e.g. FEDRAMP) or industry standard. The CSP SHALL ensure that the minimum assurance-related controls for low-impact systems, or equivalent, are satisfied.
4.1.5 Records Retention Policy
The CSP shall comply with its respective records retention policies in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including any National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) records retention schedules that may apply. If the CSP opts to retain records in the absence of any mandatory requirements, the CSP SHALL conduct a risk management process, including assessments of privacy and security risks, to determine how long records should be retained and SHALL inform the subscriber of that retention policy.
4.2 Authenticator Assurance Level 2
This section is normative.
AAL2 provides high confidence that the claimant controls authenticator(s) bound to the subscriber’s account. Proof of possession and control of two distinct authentication factors is required through secure authentication protocol(s). Approved cryptographic techniques are required at AAL2 and above.
4.2.1 Permitted Authenticator Types
At AAL2, authentication SHALL occur by the use of either a multi-factor authenticator or a combination of two single-factor authenticators. A multi-factor authenticator requires two factors to execute a single authentication event, such as a cryptographically-secure device with an integrated biometric sensor that is required to activate the device. Authenticator requirements are specified in Section 5.
When a multi-factor authenticator is used, any of the following MAY be used:
When a combination of two single-factor authenticators is used, it SHALL include a Memorized Secret authenticator (Section 5.1.1) and one possession-based (i.e., “something you have”) authenticator from the following list:
Note: When biometric authentication meets the requirements in Section 5.2.3, the device has to be authenticated in addition to the biometric — a biometric is recognized as a factor, but not recognized as an authenticator by itself. Therefore, when conducting authentication with a biometric, it is unnecessary to use two authenticators because the associated device serves as “something you have,” while the biometric serves as “something you are.”
4.2.2 Authenticator and Verifier Requirements
Cryptographic authenticators used at AAL2 SHALL use approved cryptography. Authenticators procured by government agencies SHALL be validated to meet the requirements of FIPS 140 Level 1. Software-based authenticators that operate within the context of an operating system MAY, where applicable, attempt to detect compromise of the platform in which they are running (e.g., by malware) and SHOULD NOT complete the operation when such a compromise is detected. At least one authenticator used at AAL2 SHALL be replay resistant as described in Section 5.2.8. Authentication at AAL2 SHOULD demonstrate authentication intent from at least one authenticator as discussed in Section 5.2.9.
Communication between the claimant and verifier (the primary channel in the case of an out-of-band authenticator) SHALL be via an authenticated protected channel to provide confidentiality of the authenticator output and resistance to MitM attacks.
Verifiers operated by government agencies at AAL2 SHALL be validated to meet the requirements of FIPS 140 Level 1.
When a device such as a smartphone is used in the authentication process, the unlocking of that device (typically done using a PIN or biometric) SHALL NOT be considered one of the authentication factors. Generally, it is not possible for a verifier to know that the device had been locked or if the unlock process met the requirements for the relevant authenticator type.
When a biometric factor is used in authentication at AAL2, the performance requirements stated in Section 5.2.3 SHALL be met, and the verifier SHOULD make a determination that the biometric sensor and subsequent processing meet these requirements.
4.2.3 Reauthentication
Periodic reauthentication of subscriber sessions SHALL be performed as described in Section 7.2. At AAL2, authentication of the subscriber SHALL be repeated at least once per 12 hours during an extended usage session, regardless of user activity. Reauthentication of the subscriber SHALL be repeated following any period of inactivity lasting 30 minutes or longer. The session SHALL be terminated (i.e., logged out) when either of these time limits is reached.
Reauthentication of a session that has not yet reached its time limit MAY require only a memorized secret or a biometric in conjunction with the still-valid session secret. The verifier MAY prompt the user to cause activity just before the inactivity timeout.
4.2.4 Security Controls
The CSP SHALL employ appropriately-tailored security controls from the moderate baseline of security controls defined in SP 800-53 or equivalent federal (e.g., FEDRAMP) or industry standard. The CSP SHALL ensure that the minimum assurance-related controls for moderate-impact systems or equivalent are satisfied.
4.2.5 Records Retention Policy
The CSP shall comply with its respective records retention policies in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including any NARA records retention schedules that may apply. If the CSP opts to retain records in the absence of any mandatory requirements, the CSP SHALL conduct a risk management process, including assessments of privacy and security risks to determine how long records should be retained and SHALL inform the subscriber of that retention policy.
4.3 Authenticator Assurance Level 3
This section is normative.
AAL3 provides very high confidence that the claimant controls authenticator(s) bound to the subscriber’s account. Authentication at AAL3 is based on proof of possession of a key through a cryptographic protocol. AAL3 authentication SHALL use a hardware-based authenticator and an authenticator that provides verifier impersonation resistance — the same device MAY fulfill both these requirements. In order to authenticate at AAL3, claimants SHALL prove possession and control of two distinct authentication factors through secure authentication protocol(s). Approved cryptographic techniques are required.
4.3.1 Permitted Authenticator Types
AAL3 authentication SHALL occur by the use of one of a combination of authenticators satisfying the requirements in Section 4.3. Possible combinations are:
4.3.2 Authenticator and Verifier Requirements
Communication between the claimant and verifier SHALL be via an authenticated protected channel to provide confidentiality of the authenticator output and resistance to MitM attacks. All cryptographic device authenticators used at AAL3 SHALL be verifier impersonation resistant as described in Section 5.2.5 and SHALL be replay resistant as described in Section 5.2.8. All authentication and reauthentication processes at AAL3 SHALL demonstrate authentication intent from at least one authenticator as described in Section 5.2.9.
Multi-factor authenticators used at AAL3 SHALL be hardware cryptographic modules validated at FIPS 140 Level 2 or higher overall with at least FIPS 140 Level 3 physical security. Single-factor cryptographic devices used at AAL3 SHALL be validated at FIPS 140 Level 1 or higher overall with at least FIPS 140 Level 3 physical security.
Verifiers at AAL3 SHALL be validated at FIPS 140 Level 1 or higher.
Verifiers at AAL3 SHALL be verifier compromise resistant as described in Section 5.2.7 with respect to at least one authentication factor.
Hardware-based authenticators and verifiers at AAL3 SHOULD resist relevant side-channel (e.g., timing and power-consumption analysis) attacks. Relevant side-channel attacks SHALL be determined by a risk assessment performed by the CSP.
When a device such a smartphone is used in the authentication process — presuming that the device is able to meet the requirements above — the unlocking of that device SHALL NOT be considered to satisfy one of the authentication factors. This is because it is generally not possible for verifier to know that the device had been locked nor whether the unlock process met the requirements for the relevant authenticator type.
When a biometric factor is used in authentication at AAL3, the verifier SHALL make a determination that the biometric sensor and subsequent processing meet the performance requirements stated in Section 5.2.3.
4.3.3 Reauthentication
Periodic reauthentication of subscriber sessions SHALL be performed as described in Section 7.2. At AAL3, authentication of the subscriber SHALL be repeated at least once per 12 hours during an extended usage session, regardless of user activity, as described in Section 7.2. Reauthentication of the subscriber SHALL be repeated following any period of inactivity lasting 15 minutes or longer. Reauthentication SHALL use both authentication factors. The session SHALL be terminated (i.e., logged out) when either of these time limits is reached. The verifier MAY prompt the user to cause activity just before the inactivity timeout.
4.3.4 Security Controls
The CSP SHALL employ appropriately-tailored security controls from the high baseline of security controls defined in SP 800-53 or an equivalent federal (e.g., FEDRAMP) or industry standard. The CSP SHALL ensure that the minimum assurance-related controls for high-impact systems or equivalent are satisfied.
4.3.5 Records Retention Policy
The CSP shall comply with its respective records retention policies in accordance with applicable laws, regulations, and policies, including any NARA records retention schedules that may apply. If the CSP opts to retain records in the absence of any mandatory requirements, the CSP SHALL conduct a risk management process, including assessments of privacy and security risks, to determine how long records should be retained and SHALL inform the subscriber of that retention policy.
4.4 Privacy Requirements
The CSP SHALL employ appropriately-tailored privacy controls defined in SP 800-53 or equivalent industry standard.
If CSPs process attributes for purposes other than identity proofing, authentication, or attribute assertions (collectively “identity service”), related fraud mitigation, or to comply with law or legal process, CSPs SHALL implement measures to maintain predictability and manageability commensurate with the privacy risk arising from the additional processing. Measures MAY include providing clear notice, obtaining subscriber consent, or enabling selective use or disclosure of attributes. When CSPs use consent measures, CSPs SHALL NOT make consent for the additional processing a condition of the identity service.
Regardless of whether the CSP is an agency or private sector provider, the following requirements apply to an agency offering or using the authentication service:
The agency SHALL consult with their Senior Agency Official for Privacy (SAOP) and conduct an analysis to determine whether the collection of PII to issue or maintain authenticators triggers the requirements of the Privacy Act of 1974 [Privacy Act] (see Section 9.4). The agency SHALL publish a System of Records Notice (SORN) to cover such collections, as applicable.
The agency SHALL consult with their SAOP and conduct an analysis to determine whether the collection of PII to issue or maintain authenticators triggers the requirements of the E-Government Act of 2002 [E-Gov].
The agency SHALL publish a Privacy Impact Assessment (PIA) to cover such collection, as applicable.
4.5 Summary of Requirements
This section is informative.
Table 4-1 summarizes the requirements for each of the AALs:
Table 4-1 AAL Summary of Requirements
Requirement AAL1 AAL2 AAL3 Permitted authenticator types Memorized Secret;
Look-up Secret;
Out-of-Band;
SF OTP Device;
MF OTP Device;
SF Crypto Software;
SF Crypto Device;
MF Crypto Software;
MF Crypto Device
MF OTP Device;
MF Crypto Software;
MF Crypto Device;
or Memorized Secret plus:
• Look-up Secret
• Out-of-Band
• SF OTP Device
• SF Crypto Software
• SF Crypto Device
MF Crypto Device;
SF Crypto Device plus Memorized Secret;
SF OTP Device plus MF Crypto Device or Software;
SF OTP Device plus SF Crypto Software plus Memorized Secret FIPS 140 validation Level 1 (Government agency verifiers) Level 1 (Government agency authenticators and verifiers) Level 2 overall (MF authenticators)
Level 1 overall (verifiers and SF Crypto Devices)
Level 3 physical security (all authenticators) Reauthentication 30 days 12 hours or 30 minutes inactivity; MAY use one authentication factor 12 hours or 15 minutes inactivity; SHALL use both authentication factors Security controls SP 800-53 Low Baseline (or equivalent) SP 800-53 Moderate Baseline (or equivalent) SP 800-53 High Baseline (or equivalent) MitM resistance Required Required Required Verifier-impersonation resistance Not required Not required Required Verifier-compromise resistance Not required Not required Required Replay resistance Not required Required Required Authentication intent Not required Recommended Required Records Retention Policy Required Required Required Privacy Controls Required Required Required
5 Authenticator and Verifier Requirements
This section is normative.
This section provides the detailed requirements specific to each type of authenticator. With the exception of reauthentication requirements specified in Section 4 and the requirement for verifier impersonation resistance at AAL3 described in Section 5.2.5, the technical requirements for each of the authenticator types are the same regardless of the AAL at which the authenticator is used.
5.1 Requirements by Authenticator Type
5.1.1 Memorized Secrets
A Memorized Secret authenticator — commonly referred to as a password or, if numeric, a PIN — is a secret value intended to be chosen and memorized by the user. Memorized secrets need to be of sufficient complexity and secrecy that it would be impractical for an attacker to guess or otherwise discover the correct secret value. A memorized secret is something you know.
5.1.1.1 Memorized Secret Authenticators
Memorized secrets SHALL be at least 8 characters in length if chosen by the subscriber. Memorized secrets chosen randomly by the CSP or verifier SHALL be at least 6 characters in length and MAY be entirely numeric. If the CSP or verifier disallows a chosen memorized secret based on its appearance on a blacklist of compromised values, the subscriber SHALL be required to choose a different memorized secret. No other complexity requirements for memorized secrets SHOULD be imposed. A rationale for this is presented in Appendix A Strength of Memorized Secrets.
5.1.1.2 Memorized Secret Verifiers
Verifiers SHALL require subscriber-chosen memorized secrets to be at least 8 characters in length. Verifiers SHOULD permit subscriber-chosen memorized secrets at least 64 characters in length. All printing ASCII [RFC 20] characters as well as the space character SHOULD be acceptable in memorized secrets. Unicode [ISO/ISC 10646] characters SHOULD be accepted as well. To make allowances for likely mistyping, verifiers MAY replace multiple consecutive space characters with a single space character prior to verification, provided that the result is at least 8 characters in length. Truncation of the secret SHALL NOT be performed. For purposes of the above length requirements, each Unicode code point SHALL be counted as a single character.
If Unicode characters are accepted in memorized secrets, the verifier SHOULD apply the Normalization Process for Stabilized Strings using either the NFKC or NFKD normalization defined in Section 12.1 of Unicode Standard Annex 15 [UAX 15]. This process is applied before hashing the byte string representing the memorized secret. Subscribers choosing memorized secrets containing Unicode characters SHOULD be advised that some characters may be represented differently by some endpoints, which can affect their ability to authenticate successfully.
Memorized secrets that are randomly chosen by the CSP (e.g., at enrollment) or by the verifier (e.g., when a user requests a new PIN) SHALL be at least 6 characters in length and SHALL be generated using an approved random bit generator [SP 800-90Ar1].
Memorized secret verifiers SHALL NOT permit the subscriber to store a “hint” that is accessible to an unauthenticated claimant. Verifiers SHALL NOT prompt subscribers to use specific types of information (e.g., “What was the name of your first pet?”) when choosing memorized secrets.
When processing requests to establish and change memorized secrets, verifiers SHALL compare the prospective secrets against a list that contains values known to be commonly-used, expected, or compromised. For example, the list MAY include, but is not limited to:
Passwords obtained from previous breach corpuses.
Dictionary words.
Repetitive or sequential characters (e.g. ‘aaaaaa’, ‘1234abcd’).
Context-specific words, such as the name of the service, the username, and derivatives thereof.
If the chosen secret is found in the list, the CSP or verifier SHALL advise the subscriber that they need to select a different secret, SHALL provide the reason for rejection, and SHALL require the subscriber to choose a different value.
Verifiers SHOULD offer guidance to the subscriber, such as a password-strength meter [Meters], to assist the user in choosing a strong memorized secret. This is particularly important following the rejection of a memorized secret on the above list as it discourages trivial modification of listed (and likely very weak) memorized secrets [Blacklists].
Verifiers SHALL implement a rate-limiting mechanism that effectively limits the number of failed authentication attempts that can be made on the subscriber’s account as described in Section 5.2.2.
Verifiers SHOULD NOT impose other composition rules (e.g., requiring mixtures of different character types or prohibiting consecutively repeated characters) for memorized secrets. Verifiers SHOULD NOT require memorized secrets to be changed arbitrarily (e.g., periodically). However, verifiers SHALL force a change if there is evidence of compromise of the authenticator.
Verifiers SHOULD permit claimants to use “paste” functionality when entering a memorized secret. This facilitates the use of password managers, which are widely used and in many cases increase the likelihood that users will choose stronger memorized secrets.
In order to assist the claimant in successfully entering a memorized secret, the verifier SHOULD offer an option to display the secret — rather than a series of dots or asterisks — until it is entered. This allows the claimant to verify their entry if they are in a location where their screen is unlikely to be observed. The verifier MAY also permit the user’s device to display individual entered characters for a short time after each character is typed to verify correct entry. This is particularly applicable on mobile devices.
The verifier SHALL use approved encryption and an authenticated protected channel when requesting memorized secrets in order to provide resistance to eavesdropping and MitM attacks.
Verifiers SHALL store memorized secrets in a form that is resistant to offline attacks. Memorized secrets SHALL be salted and hashed using a suitable one-way key derivation function. Key derivation functions take a password, a salt, and a cost factor as inputs then generate a password hash. Their purpose is to make each password guessing trial by an attacker who has obtained a password hash file expensive and therefore the cost of a guessing attack high or prohibitive. Examples of suitable key derivation functions include Password-based Key Derivation Function 2 (PBKDF2) [SP 800-132] and Balloon [BALLOON]. A memory-hard function SHOULD be used because it increases the cost of an attack. The key derivation function SHALL use an approved one-way function such as Keyed Hash Message Authentication Code (HMAC) [FIPS 198-1], any approved hash function in SP 800-107, Secure Hash Algorithm 3 (SHA-3) [FIPS 202], CMAC [SP 800-38B] or Keccak Message Authentication Code (KMAC), Customizable SHAKE (cSHAKE), or ParallelHash [SP 800-185]. The chosen output length of the key derivation function SHOULD be the same as the length of the underlying one-way function output.
The salt SHALL be at least 32 bits in length and be chosen arbitrarily so as to minimize salt value collisions among stored hashes. Both the salt value and the resulting hash SHALL be stored for each subscriber using a memorized secret authenticator.
For PBKDF2, the cost factor is an iteration count: the more times the PBKDF2 function is iterated, the longer it takes to compute the password hash. Therefore, the iteration count SHOULD be as large as verification server performance will allow, typically at least 10,000 iterations.
In addition, verifiers SHOULD perform an additional iteration of a key derivation function using a salt value that is secret and known only to the verifier. This salt value, if used, SHALL be generated by an approved random bit generator [SP 800-90Ar1] and provide at least the minimum security strength specified in the latest revision of SP 800-131A (112 bits as of the date of this publication). The secret salt value SHALL be stored separately from the hashed memorized secrets (e.g., in a specialized device like a hardware security module). With this additional iteration, brute-force attacks on the hashed memorized secrets are impractical as long as the secret salt value remains secret.
5.1.2 Look-Up Secrets
A look-up secret authenticator is a physical or electronic record that stores a set of secrets shared between the claimant and the CSP. The claimant uses the authenticator to look up the appropriate secret(s) needed to respond to a prompt from the verifier. For example, the verifier may ask a claimant to provide a specific subset of the numeric or character strings printed on a card in table format. A common application of look-up secrets is the use of "recovery keys" stored by the subscriber for use in the event another authenticator is lost or malfunctions. A look-up secret is something you have.
5.1.2.1 Look-Up Secret Authenticators
CSPs creating look-up secret authenticators SHALL use an approved random bit generator [SP 800-90Ar1] to generate the list of secrets and SHALL deliver the authenticator securely to the subscriber. Look-up secrets SHALL have at least 20 bits of entropy.
Look-up secrets MAY be distributed by the CSP in person, by postal mail to the subscriber’s address of record, or by online distribution. If distributed online, look-up secrets SHALL be distributed over a secure channel in accordance with the post-enrollment binding requirements in Section 6.1.2.
If the authenticator uses look-up secrets sequentially from a list, the subscriber MAY dispose of used secrets, but only after a successful authentication.
5.1.2.2 Look-Up Secret Verifiers
Verifiers of look-up secrets SHALL prompt the claimant for the next secret from their authenticator or for a specific (e.g., numbered) secret. A given secret from an authenticator SHALL be used successfully only once. If the look-up secret is derived from a grid card, each cell of the grid SHALL be used only once.
Verifiers SHALL store look |
. Encouraged by these pharmacologic successes, my patient approaches me with an interesting problem. He is planning a trip to Saudi Arabia in a couple of months to bid for a lucrative contract. He thinks that learning Arabic would give him a decided edge over his competitors and is enrolling in an intensive crash course to learn the language. He wants to know if I can help. Because of data suggesting that amphetamines promote neural plasticity and improve recovery in aphasic patients, I advise him to take a small dose of dextro‐amphetamine half an hour before each of his classes. When he is ready to fly to Saudi Arabia I give him my recently patented “travel pack”—a hypnotic, zolpidem, to be taken when he gets on the plane and a stimulant, modafanil, to be taken when he gets off the plane. He goes to Saudi Arabia, impresses the royal family with his Arabic, and wins the contract. Triumphant, he makes a large donation to my research programme. And we all live happily ever after. Or do we? If such a scenario is plausible, is it desirable or is it dystopic? In what follows, I review what is plausible in the practice of pharmacological enhancements and the kinds of ethical issues that would surface from such a practice. While the hypothetical case described may seem extreme now, it might not in the future.
The promise What can be done in cosmetic neurology and what is likely to be possible in the near future? This topic has received some attention in the lay press1,2,3,4,5,6 and in the scientific literature,7,8,9,10 but relatively little in clinical circles.11 The possibilities for enhancement fall into three broad categories: motor abilities, cognition, and affective systems. The targets for enhancement of motor abilities encompass cardiovascular, peripheral motor, and central nervous systems. For cardiovascular systems, human erythropoietin is used to increase oxygen carrying capacities for better endurance.12 New transfusion methods are likely to be used in this way, and, as mentioned already, sildenafil may have similar effects.13 To enhance motor systems, athletes use anabolic steroids commonly, an issue that has preoccupied even those at the highest level of American politics.14 Insulin like growth factor may increase muscle mass and prevent muscular decline associated with ageing.15,16 Musicians frequently use beta blockers to dampen physiological tremors in order to improve their performances.17 Finally, targeting the central nervous system, dopamine agonists may improve the acquisition of motor skills. Such agonists are associated with greater neural plasticity, and the use of dextro‐amphetamine, when paired with physical therapy, appears to hasten motor learning following stroke.18,19 Intense research efforts in the last few decades are yielding novel treatments for cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and attention deficit disorder. These medications are also likely to modulate attention, memory, and learning in healthy individuals. Cholinesterase inhibitors may improve normal performance under some circumstances.20 Modafinil can be used to improve vigilance and reduce impulsive responding,21 especially in sleep deprived states, and it is being studied extensively by the armed services.22 New non‐addictive stimulant medications, such as atomoxetine, are also likely to improve levels of arousal in normal subjects. Based on the belief that these drugs improve test performance, the use of stimulant medications among college students in the US is widespread.23 Interestingly, the effects of these medications may be influenced by genetic endowments such as which catechol O‐methyltransferase alleles are inherited.24 This observation raises the possibility that enhancement cocktails might eventually be tailored to individual genetic profiles. Particularly intriguing are the development of new classes of drugs, such as ampakines and cyclic AMP response element binding protein (CREB) modulators. They are striking, because they are not being developed with a disease in mind. These medications promote the intracellular cascade of events leading up to the structural neural changes associated with the acquisition of long term memories.25,26,27,28 Most of the drugs discussed in this paper are developed to treat disorders. As an afterthought, they may also enhance normal abilities. By contrast, ampakines and CREB modulators are developed to augment normal encoding mechanisms. They might then also apply to disease states. Finally, we continue to refine ways to modify affective systems. Such developments are desirable given that some estimate that up to one in five Americans are depressed,29 and recent surveys suggest that close to half of adult Americans suffer from affective and substance abuse illnesses.30 Given that affective illnesses often lie on continua, more people than those who meet checklist criteria might actually benefit from these medications. Beta blockers, sometimes used for anxiety, appear to help with post‐traumatic symptoms in individuals who come to emergency departments after car crashes.31 Serotonin reuptake inhibitors are used widely and seem to promote affiliative behaviour in healthy states.32,33 Around the corner are a host of potentially new ways of controlling affective states with the modulation of neuropeptides34 such as substance P, vasopressin, galanin, and neuropeptide Y. Corticotropin release factor (CRF) seems to mediate the long term effects of stress,35,36 and blocking CRF may blunt these effects.37 The subtlety with which affective states might be modulated in the future is hard to predict. However, heralding the way in which emotional states might be “fine tuned”, a recent study found that inhaling oxytocin promotes feelings of trust, and that these feelings affect behaviour.38 The general point that I would like to highlight is the following. The armamentarium of drugs that could be used to enhance healthy individuals is growing. We can expect that this growth will continue for the indefinite future. Medications for impotence, hair loss, and obesity are sometimes referred to as “lifestyle” drugs.39 The medications under consideration here seem to have more pervasive effects—where the altering of substance rather than style is what is at issue. We can expect that drugs will be targeted for specific effects and that they will be targeted for specific genetic profiles.
The predicament Four reasons might give pause to the practice of cosmetic neurology. These concerns have to do with safety, character, justice, and autonomy. Safety concerns are familiar. Most medications can have unpleasant side effects. Are the risks of these effects worth the expected benefits? The use of drugs in various combinations could complicate the safety concern in unpredictable ways. Physiological and psychological addictions might occur. Since most clinical trials are designed to test safety over relatively short periods, potential long term toxicities are not known when drugs are introduced into the market. In disease states, one weighs the potential benefits versus the potential risks in making decisions. Thus, one might tolerate significant risk when the alternative is a relentlessly progressive disease like Jacob Creutzfeldt disease. Are any risks tolerable when the alternative is normality? In my view, safety is more of a pragmatic than an ethical concern. The nature of drug development is that some problematic effects will occur that could not be predicted. However, all the parties involved—patient/consumers, physicians, and pharmaceutical companies—are interested in having drugs that are safe. Since there are no inherent conflicts of interest, and as long as information about side effects is not suppressed, the ethical issues do not cut deeply. The character concern has to do with undermining our sense of identity and what gives meaning to our lives.40 The concern is often placed in a “no pain, no gain” framework. Struggling in some situations and experiencing distress and failure are quintessential aspects of human experience. Enhancing cognition is somehow cheating. Side stepping distress is somehow cheapening. These experiences give rise to desirable personal attributes. Recent studies find that observing someone in pain activates the same neural circuits that are involved when one experiences pain.41,42 One infers from such studies that some painful experiences are probably necessary in developing empathy. The character concern is hard to dispense with. While this remains a deep concern, it is hard to see how this concern would precipitate into public policy or even into consistent social norms. Who decides which pains should be suffered to build character and which can be reasonably avoided? The meaning given to pain that women might experience in childbirth has varied in different settings, from atonement for original sin to promotion of mother infant bonds.43 Pain and suffering more generally can take on spiritual significance.44 Yet many would not accept mandates that prohibit the amelioration of specific pains. In cultures with strong libertarian tendencies it is hard to see how individuals will not insist on making decisions about what to do with their own bodies and brains, for better and for worse. The justice concern is about equitable distribution of resources. Medications used for enhancements are unlikely to be paid for by insurance companies or by socialised healthcare systems. That means the wealthy will avail themselves of designer drugs, whereas the poor will be confined to coffee, booze, and cigarettes. On the assumption that the enhancement drugs work to improve abilities, unequal access to them will widen disparities at the ends of the economic spectrum. Concerns about distributive justice are also difficult to dispense with. Again, it is hard to see how these concerns will prevent the use of pharmacological enhancements. In the US, wide disparities in access to and quality of health care and education are tolerated. Pharmacological enhancement may not be so different from these other “life enhancers”. The autonomy concern is directed at the possibility that what starts out as a matter of choice ends up as a coercive force. These coercive forces may be explicit or implicit. Explicit coercion might be seen with classes of individuals who might be expected to take certain medications for the greater good. Such precedents exist in the military,45 and they may seep into other specialised professions. One study found that commercial pilots taking a cholinesterase inhibitor performed better in emergency situations on simulation experiments than did pilots taking placebos.20 If these results were robust and reliable could pilots be encouraged through financial incentives to take these? Could they be required to take such medications? Could individuals with medical contra‐indications to these medications be banned from the profession? The implicit coercive pressures are more complicated, and, in some sectors of society, they are likely to be quite forceful. In winner take all environments, slight incremental advantages have disproportionate consequences.46 This point is made most clearly in sports. Thus, the difference between being first or fourth in the 100 meters at the Olympics is huge, even though objectively both athletes are indistinguishable when compared to the population at large. Similar pressures apply to athletes in other professional sports, such as baseball or football. The pressure to take advantage of slight improvements is sufficient to have athletes risk significant side effects of medications as well as public sanctions for their behaviour. Also, many athletes are willing to engage in pharmacological enhancements in an environment in which “fairness” is explicitly valued. Many business and professional environments are set up to make the most of competition. It is not unusual for professionals to work 80 or 90 hours a week, while their children enrol in several sports programmes and after school music programmes to ensure they can make competitive applications to colleges. The pressures for such children to take stimulant drugs to help with academic performance are already evident. The worry is that we may encounter the “Red Queen” principle.47i When Alice in Wonderland finally catches up with the Red Queen she finds that they are both running hard, but not moving forward. The Red Queen points out to Alice that sometimes one needs to run as fast as possible, just to stay in place. In some sectors of our society one might need to make use of every possible advantage including enhancements, just to stay in place. In my view, the practice of cosmetic neurology is inevitable. This claim is predictive, not prescriptive.48 While the ethical concerns are real and run deep, the countervailing social pressures seem overwhelming. Pharmaceutical companies have significant economic incentives to expand their markets to healthy individuals. Since 1997, the Food and Drug Administration has allowed direct advertising to consumers. Television advertisements now give permission to indulge in a pepperoni pizza without the fear of heartburn because one could take an H2 blocker prophylactically. One would be surprised if similar advertisements did not recommend getting an edge with cognitive enhancers or a boost with mood manipulators. While the coming of cosmetic neurology is in my view inevitable, the specific shape it will take may vary in different locations—for example, winner take all pressures vary in different cultures and within different sectors of society. The ways that these promises and predicaments will settle into practice is likely to be reflective of cultural norms. Education is an example of an enhancer that is potentially available to everybody and has a huge impact on social wellbeing. Perhaps current disparities in availability and quality of education in different countries may predict future norms of access to pharmacological enhancements.
A (hypothetical) clinical scenario My clinical practice of neurology has changed. Having struggled through a classic winner take all environment, the world of National Institutes of Health (NIH) research funding, I have given up my career as a physician/scientist. In the last few years, NIH funding rates dropped by half of what they were in an already extremely competitive environment. Grant awards are based on increasingly slight and probably unreliable differences in judgments about the merits of an application. These small differences have disproportionate impacts on peoples' careers. Encouraged by my original patient, I open a cosmetic neurology clinic on elegant Rittenhouse Square in Philadelphia. My patient, who has invested in this clinic, is a great advocate. Largely fuelled by word of mouth, I soon have a busy and lucrative practice. The patients are wealthy and for the most part grateful. They sign all the necessary waivers, understand that no specific effects are guaranteed, and the medications are being used in ways not specifically approved by the Food and Drug Administration. I no longer bother with bureaucratic burdens imposed by insurance companies. Things go so well, that we open another clinic on Madison Avenue in New York. This clinic is also enormously successful. We are now negotiating to open a clinic in London, with a further eye to Paris and Milan. I am invited frequently to give talks at corporations. Motivational speakers routinely include a discussion of pharmacological enhancements in their exhortations. A few other brain spas are opening, but this simply increases the demand for services at my clinics. I work harder to keep ahead.
Conclusion My intentions in this paper are threefold. Firstly, I have tried to make the case that advances in cognitive neuroscience and neuropharmacology make cosmetic neurology plausible and in some form inevitable. The issue is not isolated to doping athletes or pharmacologically insomniac students. These examples are simply the nose of a camel that is well on its way into the tent. Secondly, I have tried to emphasise that the ethical issues that arise, particularly those centred on character, coercion, and justice are extremely difficult. My own views on these issues are not settled. I think it makes little sense to have a singular opinion about the prospect of cosmetic neurology. Each possibility would need to be considered on its own merits. Particularly tricky are situations in which individuals' desires to engage or not to engage in enhancements are at odds with societal desires. Thirdly, I expect that the practice of cosmetic neurology will challenge conventional notions of the role of physicians. In the last century plastic surgery struggled with its identity as demand for services shifted from reconstructive to cosmetic procedures.49 In the coming century, clinical neurosciences are likely to struggle similarly. The challenge for physicians will be sorting out their relationships with individuals as patients and consumers, especially when fiduciary and commercial interests collide.
Acknowledgements I would like to thank Lisa Santer for her enhancing suggestions on an earlier draft of this paper and Mette Hartlev for alerting me to social meanings that get attached to pain associated with childbirth. A version of this paper was presented at a EURECA workshop in Bologna, May 2005.
Footnotes iEvolutionary biologists use the Red Queen principle to describe pressures for survival among co‐evolving species.A school, a park and housing compete for Fort Lawton’s 28 acres of surplus federal property
By George Howland Jr.
Twenty-eight acres of surplus federal property should be a great opportunity for Seattle. Instead, it shows signs of becoming a terrible civic imbroglio. I fear that the interests of homeless people will be lost in the melee.
Currently, many in Magnolia are organizing against Mayor Ed Murray’s proposal to build a new 235-unit affordable-housing development, including 85 studios for homeless seniors, next to Discovery Park. The majority of the 2,000 public comments on the proposal support a new public high school on the site. There is also significant public support for using the surplus land to enlarge Discovery Park from 534 acres to 562 acres.
This opposition is not giving adequate weight to our city’s very real emergency. There are 8,522 homeless Seattleites. Whatever the final plan in Magnolia, it is imperative that housing for the homeless remain part of the mix.
Magnolia’s opposition has not come out of nowhere. Let’s quickly review the history.
Back in 2005, the federal government started a process that ended up with 28 acres of the Fort Lawton Army Reserve Center (Fort Lawton) being declared surplus. Fort Lawton is currently a motley collection of ugly, abandoned government buildings, parking lots and lovely open space.
The feds have also designated the city of Seattle as the Local Redevelopment Authority for the site. The city can have the land for free provided it be used for public purposes like housing, a school or a park.
In 2008, Mayor Greg Nickels tried to develop housing at Fort Lawton, and claimed that his plan did not require an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) under the State Environmental Policy Act. Magnolia neighbors had to band together and sue. They won in King County Superior Court. The city made things even worse by appealing to the Washington State Court of Appeals and losing again.
City Hall’s previous flouting of state law has left a strong feeling of distrust in Magnolia.
Magnolia hates Murray’s vision
Fast forward to 2017 and Mayor Ed Murray.
On June 9, Murray walked right into this hornet’s nest when he released his new vision for Fort Lawton.
Murray’s new development would include the following: 85 studios for homeless people who are 55 or older, 75-100 apartments of workforce housing (available to, for example, a single person who has an income of $40,000 or less—60 percent of the area’s median income) and 50 affordable town houses available for purchase, for example, by a single person with an income of $50,000 or less—80 percent of Seattle’s median income. It would also feature 15 acres of open space including playfields, an off-leash dog area and concessions.
Murray’s vision did not prove popular at the city’s recent open houses on the topic.
On June 19, three-hundred Magnolia neighbors packed the first open house and the level of hostility was so high that they seized a microphone from city staff and held their own public-comment session.
Murray has learned at least one lesson from Nickels’ mistakes. This time, city hall is conducting an EIS as required by state law. The EIS process requires that the city study a number of alternatives. Therefore, the city has suggested four: 1) a mix of affordable housing and a park (as detailed above), 2) a market-rate housing development, 3) a public park and 4) no action. The whole EIS process takes time and the final step, a vote by the city council on the mayor’s final plan, won’t occur until summer 2018 at the earliest.
The horse race between housing and a park
Let’s handicap these alternatives’ chances.
Murray has made it quite clear that he prefers the affordable housing option. Even though he leaves office in December 2017, it never hurts a proposal to be city hall’s favorite. Emily Alvarado, the Office of Housing’s Manager of Policy and Equitable Development, says, “The mixed-income, affordable-housing alternative most reflects the city’s vision.”
Unfortunately, there is no group in Magnolia that is pushing for the affordable-housing alternative.
The market-rate housing proposal seems unlikely to ever get support from city hall. When the average single-family home price in Magnolia is $838,358, using free land to subsidize this part of the housing market is a political non-starter.
Using Fort Lawton to expand Discovery Park has significant support from the Discovery Park Community Alliance. Its leader, Elizabeth Campbell, led the successful 2008 court battle. She says about the current fight, “The city is dealing with people who have money and are active in the community.” Their neighborhood support and their ability to tie up the city in court should not be discounted.
The no-action alternative is just a formality required by the EIS. City Hall is never going to let 28-acres of free land slip through its fingers.
But wait, things have gotten even more complicated!
A public high school comes on strong
The city received around 2,000 public comments on the alternatives, according to the Office of Housings’ Alvarado. Over half, 1,116, she explains, came from the Fort Lawton School Coalition that sponsored an on-line petition to add a Seattle public high school to the list of alternatives for the site.
Currently, Magnolia high school students are assigned to Ballard High School. There are, however, real capacity issues with the city’s schools including Ballard. And Magnolia has a lot of children—at least by Seattle’s standards. Out of 78 Seattle neighborhoods analyzed by StatisticalAtlas.com, Magnolia ranks 11th with its population of 3,500 children.
That is one reason that Seattle Public Schools has been planning a 2023 opening for a new high-school sports stadium and a 1,500-seat high school on the site of Memorial Stadium and its parking lot at Seattle Center. The new high school would serve Magnolia and Queen Anne as well as other neighborhoods. The site might, however, be too small.
This fall, the city can add a school alternative in the next step of the Fort Lawton EIS. The Office of Housing’s Alvarado says the city and Seattle Public Schools are now seriously evaluating Fort Lawton as a site for a new high school. “We are doing our due diligence with Seattle Public Schools,” Alvarado says.
If the school district decides that it wants Fort Lawton, city hall will seriously consider it. The city council knows the public schools are struggling and won’t want to be a roadblock.
If the school district doesn’t want the site, the Fort Lawton School Coalition is already lawyering up and may well mount a court battle.
Homeless people desperately need part of Fort Lawton for housing. Unfortunately, they lack the money and political power to safeguard their interests. The lack of dollars and clout is one of many reasons Seattle’s state of emergency on homelessness shows no sign of easing any time soon.
Questions, tips, comments: georgehowlandjr@gmail.com
Award winning journalist George Howland Jr has been hired by Seattle Displacement Coalition to write for Outside City Hall about city politics, housing, homelessness and land use. He is not a member of Seattle Displacement Coalition and no part of his writing serves as a statement of the Coalition’s views. He works under his own editorial direction. The Coalition plays no role in choosing his specific subjects or editing his copy. He has never even been to a Huskies’ football game with the Coalition’s John Fox.This article is over 5 years old
New flavour to be named Scotchy Scotch Scotch, after Ron Burgundy's love for his favourite tipple, though pud itself will be booze-free
Anchorman 2 to get its own ice cream from Ben and Jerry's
"I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly."
With that catchy chant, Ron Burgundy did more than establish his fondness for the drink of the gods; he also paved the way for a new flavour of ice cream.
As a tie-in for the upcoming Anchorman sequel, The Legend Continues, ice cream giants Ben & Jerry's have developed a limited edition variety of the frozen dessert, to be named Scotchy Scotch Scotch.
The new flavour, which contains "butterscotch ice cream with ribbons of butterscotch swirl", instead of any actual alcohol, was unveiled at a launch in New York.
The launch also featured the waterskiing squirrel from the first Anchorman film.
It will be available from US stores, but there are no plans as yet to bring it to the UK.
If nothing else, the ice cream has Burgundy's own seal of approval. The news presenter was quoted as saying: "Scotchy, Scotch, Scotch is a delicious ice cream and I hope Ben and Jerry consider my other suggestions. Malt liquor marshmallow, well liquor bourbon peanut butter, and cheap white wine sherbet."
We have been warned.
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Columbus, OH — A haunting video was uploaded to Facebook this week showing a Columbus cop allegedly dump a woman out of her wheelchair, then turn around and walk away.
The incident reportedly happened at the Huntington Bank building at Senator Rob Portman’s office during a health care protest.
According to FOX 28,
National ADAPT, an activist group on behalf of the disabled, was inside the lobby of the Senator’s office with the hopes of arranging a forum to discuss the potential issues that will arise for those on Medicaid, specifically the cuts to it and caps on coverage, under the proposed health care plan. The goal was for the senator to give them a firm “no” that he wouldn’t support the health care repeal. Some of Portman’s staff members said they took notes of the complaints, but it ultimately wasn’t enough for those who wanted to speak directly to the Senator. Portman has said he doesn’t plan on supporting the legislation, citing concerns about what it would do to Medicaid. Many fear that he could change his vote to a yes. The protests began on Thursday and continued over to Friday morning after several of them staged a sit-in at Senator Portman’s office at Huntington Plaza in downtown Columbus office. Some of them even slept in the Portman’s waiting room overnight.
Approximately 15 people were arrested during the protests while many others were physically removed.
Several videos were posted to Facebook of police forcefully removing protesters from the office — many of whom were in wheelchairs. However, the video of the officer dumping the woman on the ground is by far the most disturbing.
Below is one video showing multiple people — including those with disabilities — being brutalized by officers with the Columbus Police Dispatch.
As the brief video below begins, the officer appears to dump the woman from the chair. Once the officer realized they’d just been caught in the act, the officer appears to turn around and walk away.
Although the video is brief, none of the multiple cops standing around the woman immediately try to help her.
Luckily, we were told, the woman survived the fall and is okay.
It is also important to point out that it may not have been intentional, but the response of turning around and walking away certainly was. One Facebook user pointed out that she is in a wheelchair and people almost tip her over all the time.
I use a wheelchair at times and people who don’t have experience have almost thrown me out at times. The officer in front blocks us from seeing exactly what happened. But accident or on purpose that officer and all the others should have rushed in to help once she was knocked to the floor. We are dangerously close to being a police state.
Regardless of your views on the health care debate, which TFTP has shown is a dog and pony show at best, no one should be treated like this, especially those with disabilities.
Sadly, this type of treatment of those with disabilities is not uncommon. Just last month, TFTP reported a similar protest in Washington D.C. at which multiple disabled people were assaulted and forcefully removed from the Capital building while peacefully protesting.
That protest took place outside the office of Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who proposed the health care bill to which the group is opposed. According to Capitol police, they arrested 43 people for their roles in the protests.
Huge protest inside and outside of Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell's office happening right now. pic.twitter.com/Iu9wet6cXx — Mariam Khan (@MKhan47) June 22, 2017
The D.C. protest was also organized by ADAPT, a disability rights organization, whose protest targeted the bill’s cuts to Medicaid for low-income Americans.
Tense situation outside McConnell's Russell office as protesters gather. Capitol Police blocking off hallway pic.twitter.com/48H3KUipfK — Andrew Desiderio (@desiderioDC) June 22, 2017
The freedom of speech is not reserved for some quiet protest in a cordoned off safe zone far away from politicians. It was, in fact, designed so that people could fill the halls of government buildings, just like this, and voice their grievances directly toward those who ostensibly represent them. Sadly, however, that notion is now dead in this country.Eurogamer recently interviewed not one but six people from The Coalition about the technical aspects of the forthcoming (at least for PC) Gears of War: Ultimate Edition, and the site came back with a few interesting tidbits of information. The remake is one of the few that may actually deserve the name, since the devs are diving into the guts of the original game and, in a way, ripping the old renderer out and replacing it with a modern one that's shiny and chrome enough to make Immortan Joe salivate.
The Coalition says the PC version will be built with and optimized for DirectX 12, with an unlocked framerate and "a variety of graphics options." Not only that, the remake's textures were "re-authored with 4K in mind," possibly (and ironically) making this title one of the first "next-generation" PC games. The interview goes deep into the technical bowels of the project, and it's really good stuff. Heck, you know it's a good day when we're discussing illumination solutions and texture formats.
The team chose to use the original codebase and the latest version of Unreal Engine 3, ensuring the game would remain more or less playable from day one of development. Despite using UE3 at the core, the graphics engine has been massively improved. The team worked on parallelising the DirectX 12 renderer to take advantage of multi-core CPUs, and it's used some UE4 optimization features where possible.
The remake uses an updated version of Lightmass for HDR lighting, and the game's physically-based shading is based on the UE4 method, something which apparently has made life easier for the project's artists, who are already familiar with that technique. Although the artists increased the models' geometry by only 10 to 30 percent, texture detail has been increased, as well, a choice which is reportedly one of the biggest contributions to the remake's improved look. Too bad nothing could be done about the characters' oversized jaws and tree-trunk necks.Download Emerj.js is a tiny library I wrote, inspired by, and to solve roughly the same core problem as, Facebook’s React, but leaving you to generate your HTML however you like best. I think React is pretty cool, but its size and JSX language is not to my taste. A stray comment on Hacker News got me thinking, and I figured out I could achieve React’s DOM diff/merge technique using builtin browser APIs to compare the live document tree with a fresh render, and update only the modified elements. The result is a flexible, light-weight tool to keep a live HTML user interface in sync with dynamically-changing data. Here’s how I got there.Download Emerj.js here on GitHub
Web-based software has moved fast in five years, from mostly-static apps where the server sends an HTML page with a light seasoning of JavaScript (think the oldest versions of Hotmail), to fully client-side apps that render the entire HTML in the browser on the fly, and just pull raw data from a server via a web API (think modern Facebook).
The challenges of coding web UI have shifted considerably. In the old days, you’d pull some data from the database and populate this into an HTML template on the server side, and send this as an entire web page to the browser. You could make some amazing apps this way. And when your audience failed to be impressed, you would add some JavaScript to the page to do cool things like make a sidebar slide in when you clicked the menu icon.
When AJAX hit the streets, things got cooler. The user could push a button to add something to their shopping cart, and it would just zip into the cart without even reloading the page. You’d write some JavaScript to bump the number of items on the top-right, and the shopper would be so impressed they’d add a few more just to watch the number change before their eyes. Your code would look something like this:
<body> <div class='num-in-cart'>0</div> <ul class='cart'></ul> <button name=add value='product-42'>+</button> </body> -- var num_in_cart = 0; $('button[name=add]').on('click', function() { var button = this; $.ajax('/cart/add', function() { num_in_cart++; $('.num-in-cart').text(num_in_cart); $('.cart').append('<li>'+button.value+'</li>'); }) })
That was great, and websites started to feel more like software and less like pages, and we started calling them “apps”.
The trouble is, this way of doing dynamic UIs doesn’t scale. Note how most of the update function is DOM manipulation and ad-hoc HTML construction. And this is an overly simplistic example—I’ve left out loads of important edge cases and usability niceties. You end up writing your HTML twice (once server-side and once to render updates), and that innocent-looking $('.num-in-cart').text() will explode into a thousand strings of spaghetti if you have anything remotely non-trivial about your data.
An elegant solution to this is to use a client-side template language, like Handlebars or Nunjucks (my favourite). Your code might look more like this:
<script type=text/template name='cart.html'> <div class='num-in-cart'>{{ cart|length }}</div> <ul>{% for item in cart %}<li>{{ item }}</li>{% endfor %}</ul> <button name=add value='product-42'>+</button> </script> -- var data = {cart: []}; $('button[name=add]').on('click', function() { $.ajax('/cart/add', function() { data.cart.push(button.value); dispatchEvent(new Event('data:updated')); }) }) addEventListener('data:updated', function() { var html = nunjucks.render('script[name="cart.html"]', data); document.body.innerHTML = html; }) dispatchEvent(new Event('data:updated'));
It’s a bit more code for this tiny example, but the code complexity scales exponentially better: you can have an arbitrarily complex a data structure, and as fancy a DOM as you like, and you only need to write your HTML once, cleanly, in a language much more suited to creating complex HTML than JavaScript is.
But wait.
This works ok. But we have a problem: every single element is replaced with an entirely new one, whether it’s changed or not. This is majorly problematic for two reasons:
It performs badly. DOM rendering is among the slowest things a web browser does, so a full re-rerender on every update is bad. But it’s still waay faster than a page load, so this is a net win over server-side rendering. More importantly, you completely lose any element state. If the user had scrolled partway down a page, or typed some input, selected an option, or whatever, that disappears completely every time you re-render. Super annoying, and utterly non-functional.
You can avoid the second problem to an arbitrary extent by breaking your templates into smaller sub-templates and only updating portions of the page. But this also scales pretty badly, quickly becoming as crazy as the problem you’re trying to avoid.
The basic solutions
Rendering data seamlessly into your UI without a whole bunch of ad-hoc code, is (I believe) the basic problem that has driven the proliferation of frameworks and UI engines in the last few years, like Angular, React, and Ractive.js. It’s the trickiest part of writing a vanilla HTML/JavaScript UI. And some clever solutions have been uncovered.
Roughly speaking, they fall into these categories:
Don’t bother. The web was never meant to work like this. DOM manipulation. So 2000s, with all problems as above. Use templating, and obliterate your document state every render. Use real HTML with extra semantic attributes to help bind your data directly to the live DOM, like plates.js or pure.js. All the above problems just take care of themselves. At first glance, this seems like the One True Way to do dynamic JavaScript UIs, because you’re using the tools of the web. But all avenues lead (very) quickly to suffering, as you can see from a quick scroll beyond the simplest examples in the plates README. Either your data model, your code, or your HTML will hurt. A component-aware system that selectively updates only changed elements, something like Angular and friends. A component-aware system that doesn’t bother keeping track of which components need updating. Just update them all, compare the resulting structure with the current live document, and only update the differences. This is what React and Ractive do, if I may oversimplify somewhat. Component-aware? Who needs it. Keep reading.
Reacting to the problem
Facebook’s React and the React-inspired Ractive.js are my picks for the best of the bunch. For one thing, they just focus on rendering UI. They’re libraries, not kitchen-sink frameworks, and I believe that’s a Good Thing.
The React folks hit on a great solution to the problem of replacing your entire DOM—instead of overwriting it, React renders to a “virtual DOM” and diffs it against the current virtual DOM, updating only those parts that differ. They describe how this works in their reconciliation algorithm.
To write the UI code in the first place, React provides a custom language called JSX, which I don’t particularly care for (it reminds me a lot of the bad old days before Unobtrusive JavaScript when we mixed PHP and JavaScript into our HTML with mad abandon). No, I don’t want to hear about how I can use native JavaScript instead of JSX if I want.
I like Ractive.js a bit better, but it still leaves me a little uninspired. I also maintain a lot of web UI code written in Jinja/Nunjucks, and it’s infeasible to just convert it all to Handlebars or JSX. I’d rather not be forced to make a choice of template language if I don’t have to.
The emerjent solution
And there’s the thing: I don’t have to. The concept can be made language-agnostic, by accepting anything that spits out a usable document tree. React itself probably could never be this, because they’re invested in their component architecture, but after realising it could be done |
for 92 yards and a touchdown when running into the middle, right at the heart of the Steelers defense. There was nothing flukey about West’s production, and he’s looking like the real deal.
Many thought Charcandrick would be a part of a running-back-by-committee system along with Knile Davis, Jamaal Charles’ backup for the last two seasons. However, on Sunday West played 55 snaps while Davis played only 3 snaps, receiving 1 carry. Clearly the Chiefs feel confident in West’s ability to be an every-down back and carry the team’s workload.
In college, West was certainly a multidimensional player, finishing with over 900 rushing yards and over 400 receiving yards in his senior season. He played for the small FCS school Abilene Christian University, but ACU has produced its fair share of NFL talents such as former Bears and Texans safety Danieal Manning, former Rams running back Daryl Richardson, and former Bears receiver Johnny Knox who was becoming known as one of the fastest players in the league before a horrific back injury ended his career.
West now is trying to follow in the footsteps of these players from his former school and have some real success in the NFL. Next week he should feast on a Lions defense that has given up 123 rushing yards per game and 10 touchdowns through 7 games. His first real test may be after his team’s Week 9 BYE when the Chiefs face one of the leagues top defenses in the Denver Broncos. It appears as though the Chiefs are going to give him a chance to perform, and if he can continue to play at such a high level, especially against top talent, he could be one of 2015’s most exciting breakout players.Shamrock Rovers return to European action tonight when they take on FK Ekranas in the Champions League second qualifying round.
The Hoops created history last season when they became the first Irish club to make it to the group stages of a European competition.
And Stephen Kenny's squad will be looking to kick off this year's campaign with a win against Lithuania champions Ekranas in the game which kicks-off at 8pm at Tallaght Stadium.
Aaron Greene (knee) and Ciaran Kilduff will not be available for the tie, while there are slight doubts over Ken Oman who suffered a dead leg after Friday night’s league game against Dundalk.
Commenting on the game, Hoops boss Stephen Kenny said: "We are very proud to be the league and the country’s representatives in the Champions League – the top club competition in football.
"Ekranas have won their league four years in a row, and they’ll have no fear coming here. But we have done well at home this season, and our aim is to continue that."
"The players gained a lot of experience in last year’s campaign and that should stand to us over the two legs."
"Our results haven’t been consistent lately, but we have every belief in what we are doing, and we have confidence going into the game."Several suspects were arrested at a Manhattan building as investigators tried to determine whether they sold drugs to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead of an apparent overdose. Brynn Gingras reports. (Published Thursday, Feb. 6, 2014)
Several suspects were arrested on drug charges at a Manhattan building as investigators tried to determine whether they sold heroin to actor Philip Seymour Hoffman, who was found dead of an apparent overdose.
Two law enforcement sources said Hoffman's phone number was found on the cell phone of one of the suspects.
Three suspects -- Robert Vineberg, 57, Max Rosenblum and Juliana Luchkiw, both 22 -- were arrested on drug charges Tuesday after police searched three apartments in the Mott Street building and allegedly found about 300 bags of heroin stamped "Red Bull" and "Black List," along with three small bags of cocaine and some unidentified pills, according to NBC News.
A fourth suspect initially named by sources is not being charged because he does not live in the building and investigators cannot link him to the case, sources said.
Philip Seymour Hoffman: Life & Times
All three suspects appeared before a judge Wednesday and entered not guilty pleas through their lawyers. They're being held until their next court appearance.
Luchkiw's lawyer, Stephen Turano, said his client had no relationship with Hoffman and that she was "in the wrong place at the wrong time." He said he believes the large amounts of recovered heroin were found in the other apartments.
Rosenblum and Luchkiw are a couple and live in the same apartment. Turano said only small amounts of cocaine and marijuana were recovered from their apartment, not heroin.
Police are looking into whether the suspects supplied drugs to Hoffman, who was found dead in the bathroom of his West Village apartment Sunday with a syringe in his arm, sources say. The Oscar-winning actor had been dead several hours when he was found by a friend and is suspected to have died of an overdose.
The medical examiner said Wednesday that the autopsy was inconclusive as to the cause and manner of death. Authorities are awaiting further test results, including toxicology.
Dozens of bags of heroin were found in Hoffman's apartment, along with prescription drugs and a bag of white powder police were testing for cocaine. Some of the heroin found there was stamped "Ace of Spades."
Actor's Death Sheds Light on New Heroin Wave
The death of Phiilip Seymour Hoffman is shedding light on the new wave of heroin, the power of addiction, and the boom in the drug's popularity. Marc Santia reports. (Published Tuesday, Feb. 4, 2014)
Hoffman's last known contacts on Saturday night were with his longtime girlfriend around 8 p.m., and a screenwriter friend about 9 p.m., officials said.
Sources say bank records show Hoffman withdrew $1,200 from an ATM at a supermarket near his West Village home between 8 p.m. and 9 p.m. the night he died. A witness told investigators he saw Hoffman speaking with two men wearing messenger bags as he withdrew the money.
Detectives are looking into whether he bought the drugs the night of his death.
Hoffman, who was 46 and had three children, won the Oscar for Best Actor in 2006 for his starring role in "Capote." He was nominated for Oscars three other times, including for 2012's "The Master," and he earned two Tony nominations for his work on Broadway.
Hoffman spoke over the years about past struggles with drug addiction. After 23 years sober, he admitted in interviews last year to falling off the wagon and developing a heroin problem that led to a stint in rehab.
Philip Seymour Hoffman Found Dead: NYPD
Oscar-winning actor Philip Seymour Hoffman was found dead Sunday in his Manhattan apartment of an apparent heroin overdose, law enforcement sources said. Ida Siegal reports. (Published Monday, Feb. 3, 2014)
--Katy Tur contributed to this storyThis volume is part of a Foreign Relations subseries that documents the most important foreign policy issues of the Jimmy Carter administration. The focus of this volume is on the Carter administration’s approach to events in Afghanistan during the buildup of the Soviet Union’s presence in that country beginning in early 1978 and culminating in the large scale invasion of Soviet troops at the end of 1979. Officials in the Carter administration regarded Soviet actions as among the most flagrant violations of international norms during the Cold War. The volume is arranged chronologically, with the majority of documents concentrated around the crisis period during the lead-up to the invasion, and during the aftermath, when the Carter administration formulated a range of policy responses to challenge the Soviet Union’s domination of Afghanistan.In an interview released earlier this week, John Dickerson of CBS News asked President Donald Trump 10 times about his claims of surveillance by the Obama administration. Dickerson began by asking if Obama had given Trump any helpful advice. Trump said Obama had been nice but that words were less important to him than deeds, and referenced “surveillance.”
Trump said the surveillance was inappropriate and Dickerson asked him what that meant. They went back and forth a bit, with Dickerson asking if Trump stood by his claims regarding Obama being “sick and bad” — a reference to his March tweets claiming Trump Tower had been wiretapped.
Let’s revisit those tweets from March 4. They said:
Terrible! Just found out that Obama had my “wires tapped” in Trump Tower just before the victory. Nothing found. This is McCarthyism!
Is it legal for a sitting President to be “wire tapping” a race for president prior to an election? Turned down by court earlier. A NEW LOW!
I’d bet a good lawyer could make a great case out of the fact that President Obama was tapping my phones in October, just prior to Election!
How low has President Obama gone to tapp my phones during the very sacred election process. This is Nixon/Watergate. Bad (or sick) guy!
Now, by the time Trump tweeted this in early March, it had been reported for months that Trump Tower had been wiretapped in October, but the reporting was mostly done by conspiracy theorist Louise Mensch, so it was not taken very seriously. She had also reported that an initial request for a FISA warrant against Trump and associates had been turned down.
The media responded to these tweets from the president by, reasonably, asking him for proof of President Obama literally wiretapping Trump Tower. No evidence of wiretaps being laid down in Trump Tower has been provided by the president or anyone else. Congressional committees investigating both Russian meddling and illegal leaks by U.S. officials have said they have no evidence of literal wiretaps, much less ones placed personally by President Obama. And intelligence agency chiefs have said they have no evidence of literal wiretaps of Trump Tower.
Because President Trump made incendiary and unsubstantiated claims about wiretapping that he’s been unable to prove, the media have interpreted this, for some reason, as an excuse to pretend that there is nothing at all whatsoever to claims that the Obama administration spied on members of the Trump campaign and the incoming administration. That question — of surveillance of Trump and associates by intelligence agencies — is a separate question from whether President Obama snuck into Trump Tower one night on hands and knees to personally lay down some taps on Trump’s phone lines.
When I’ve raised this point with journalists, most if not all of them have been unable to separate these issues. Some have accused me of wanting to talk about Obama administration surveillance against Trump in order to defend Trump’s erroneous tweets. One claimed I was “twisting theories to try to make a Trump falsehood true.” Wrong. I’ve repeatedly acknowledged that Trump has provided no evidence for his surveillance tweets. With full credit to the literal-serious divide on the president’s rhetoric, he should be more precise with his language if he wanted to talk about general surveillance instead of the comparatively specific claims he made in his tweets.
In any case, I’m beginning to wonder if journalists’ refusal to discuss, much less really dig into, the information collection and dissemination on Trump associates is itself a desire to not give any credence to Trump’s more outlandish claims in his tweets. It reminds me a bit of an ex-boyfriend who accused me of cheating on him. I wasn’t, but he was not faithful.
Journalists need to know that they can and should separate Trump’s irresponsible tweets from the general questions about Obama officials and others in intelligence agencies surveilling a political campaign and presidential transition.
A ‘Shockingly High Percentage’
Last week, ABC News and the Washington Post put out a poll that “alarmed” CNN’s Jake Tapper. He focused on it for an end-of-show lecture on fake news. “A shockingly high percentage of Americans believe President Obama intentionally spied on Donald Trump and members of his campaign,” Tapper reported.
He mentioned Trump’s tweets and showed clips of Speaker of the House Paul Ryan and FBI Director James Comey saying there was no evidence of wiretaps. He could have mentioned the many other knowledgeable people denying the presence of a Trump Tower wiretap. He went on:
So that would have seemingly been that, except that the president and his team kept pushing ways to try to make this evidence-free claim somewhere sort of possibly in the neighborhood of almost not entirely false. Now they failed, but they muddied the waters quite a bit. And now here are the shocking numbers from today. 32 percent of the public thinks President Obama intentionally spied on Donald Trump and members of his campaign and 52 percent of Republicans believe this charge. A charge that there is literally no evidence to support. It is the definition of fake news.
There are several problems with this complaint. The poll question was fairly broad, if awkwardly worded. The wording is slightly different than characterized above. It was: “Do you think the Obama administration intentionally spied on Trump and members of his campaign during the 2016 election campaign, or not?” What is “intentional” spying referring to, exactly? And would respondents have an agreement about what that means? Who is considered a part of the Obama administration, exactly? Is the timing of the question meant to exclude the leaks that occurred after Trump won the election? After the Electoral College voted? Until inauguration?
Still, the only shocking thing about the number is that it isn’t higher. What Tapper doesn’t mention is that CNN itself reported the previous week that the FBI began spying on a Trump campaign advisor last summer. Here’s how their story began:
The FBI last year used a dossier of allegations of Russian ties to Donald Trump’s campaign as part of the justification to win approval to secretly monitor a Trump associate, according to US officials briefed on the investigation.
That story, which probably arose out of a desire to cushion the blow from questions Sen. Chuck Grassley began asking about the FBI’s use of a shady and discredited dossier, explained that the FBI was spying on a member of the Trump campaign named Carter Page. I repeat, the FBI had secured a FISA warrant to spy on a member of the Trump campaign, according to CNN. I know that the media have serious credibility problems, but you can’t get mad at people for believing what you report.
The FBI is in the executive branch’s Justice Department, although its intelligence activities are overseen by the director of national intelligence. Obama’s DNI was James Clapper, who has repeatedly denied the frequent speculation of his involvement with leaks against Trump.
Another complicating factor is what we know about unmasking of Trump associates. In an era where nearly all the stories regarding intelligence officials leaking information on Trump come from anonymous sources, we have Rep. Devin Nunes, who chairs the House Intelligence Committee, saying on the record that he’d seen documents that show:
1) Information was collected on the Trump team by Obama administration agencies.
2) This information, which was politically valuable, had little to no reason to be shared in intelligence reports to Obama officials, but was disseminated widely.
3) Obama officials may have flouted legally required attempts to minimize and mask personal identifying information.
4) The unmasking had nothing to do with Russia.
It was later reported that Susan Rice, President Obama’s national security advisor, was one of the Obama officials who had requested the unmasking. While some anonymous sources, some of whom have been included in news reports despite not having seen the documents in question, claim there are non-nefarious reasons for such unmasking and dissemination of politically sensitive information on political opponents, it doesn’t change the claim that unmasking and dissemination of politically valuable information with no intelligence value was committed by the Obama administration.
Would it be reasonable to answer a question on the Obama administration spying on Trump and associates in the affirmative with the knowledge of this claim of unmasking and dissemination of politically sensitive information with little to no intelligence value?
Our media have been little other than anonymous leak receptacles for months. Whether it was leaks about Trump campaign associates supposedly having nefarious ties to Russia, the criminal leak of Mike Flynn’s name, the criminal leak of information about a FISA warrant being secured against Carter Page, the orchestrated release of information about the presentation of a shoddy dossier to President-elect Trump and President Obama, or any of the dozens of leaks used to orchestrate a Russia scare narrative, it doesn’t take a tremendous amount of smarts to figure out that when transcripts or snippets of information are shipped to reporters, the information must first be collected via surveillance and other means. Many of these leaks were sourced to senior intelligence officials during the last days of the Obama administration, after which many of these leaks were sourced to former senior intelligence officials.
There’s also the issue that the same ABC News/Washington Post poll mentioned above showed that 72 percent of Clinton voters think not only that Russia tried to influence the election, but that the Trump campaign intentionally tried to assist such an effort. A few months ago, the last time I saw the question asked, a majority of voters believed that Russians had actually hacked the vote tallies in the election. Needless to say, there is as much evidence to support these claims as there is to support Trump’s wiretap tweets, which is to say none at all.
Is it more alarming that 52 percent of Republicans believe the Obama administration spied on the Trump campaign or that 72 percent of Clinton voters think that the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia in their hacking and release of Democratic emails? Is it embarrassing to mention the Clinton voter figure on account of how much media outlets have perpetuated this unfounded story?
In his segment, Tapper intoned:
We learned in the campaign that Donald Trump can be cavalier about facts and truth. We learned in his first 100 days that that’s not going to change. Indeed, that some in the government and some of his friends and conservative media will even work to tried and make his falsehoods seem true.
Again, while all of that may be true, it’s also true that we have a media establishment that works to downplay, denigrate, and dismiss legitimate stories if they fear that those stories in any way help a president they oppose.
That reflexive refusal to fairly cover — or just cover, period — stories that might help the president is not how readers or viewers are served. Journalists should go where the stories lead, even if they threaten to harm their best Obama intelligence sources and leakers from the last few months or help a president they worked very hard to defeat. If they need to mention their frustration with his tweets 18 times before they cover FISA warrants, unmasking, or other intelligence actions, that’s fine. But they can’t let that frustration keep them from covering a big story in the public interest.by Brett Stevens on March 19, 2016
The term American Nativist refers to those native to America, the nation that was carved out from a mostly-unpopulated land — partially inhabited by dangerous and unpredictable Siberian-descended Indians — and was a political movement that opposed immigration from groups other than the Western European tribes who had settled the land: English, German, Scots, Dutch, Scandinavian and some Northern French.
Their vision was shared by the Founding Fathers, who saw America as a chance to break away from the rotted power structures of Europe, which had been usurped in the previous centuries but after the Mongol attacks by revolts of peasants and mercantile groups who hired their own mercenaries. With the Magna Carta, it became clear that commercial interests — hand-in-hand with popular revolt, as usual — had taken over local leadership and would use the king much like a democratic leader, as a shield for their activities.
Under the original concept, America was little more than a place with as little government as possible. The idea was that by selecting people who were all of roughly the same stock, namely Western European middle and upper classes, and letting them manage themselves through culture and religion, Americans could escape the corrupted power that now reigned in Europe. The country was designed to run itself, not be run by government.
As part of the first round of patches to the Constitution, the Founding Fathers added the Bill of Rights — and the 1790 Naturalization Act:
This article of legislation allowed an individual to apply for citizenship if they were a free white person, being of good character, and living in the United States for two years. Upon receiving the courts approval they took an oath of allegiance which was recorded. The individual’s citizenship was also extended to any children under the age of 21, regardless of their birthplace. If the applicant had never been a U.S. resident the application was disregarded.
At that point in time, “white” was understood to mean “Western European.” This was a cultural definition and not a legal one. It excluded two other groups, Southern Europeans (including the Irish) and Eastern Europeans, because those groups were racially-mixed and came from societies with lesser standards than those in Western Europe. The English found Italy and Spain to be wild and unprincipled, and described Eastern Europe the same way people talk about Mexico today.
There was immediate pushback to “expand the franchise.” Americans realized that as Europe crashed downward after the French Revolution, they had a property they could sell, which was inclusion in the American experience. A citizen here could make money by importing cheap labor, which would come for the higher standard of living, and using those to make cheap products. These people saw Southern and Eastern Europeans as business sees Mexicans today: a chance to profit and get out of the game.
The mercantile drive toward inclusivity was not the product of a shadowy cabal of “merchants,” but the mercantile instinct which arises in all of us and is always corrupt; “making money” usually means exploiting resources, including people, and cutting corners in order to pocket the cash. The aristocrats had old money, made by earning a position in a society; the gentlemen farmers of the South saw their money-making as resulting from bringing benefit to the community that sprung up around a plantation much as it had around the European manorial estates.
Naturally, these people — being canny salesmen — did not state their motives (causes) but talked in terms of benefits (effects). They cloaked their gambits in altruism, and claimed that they were rescuing poor Christian souls from horrible lives under cruel leaders, forgetting that genetics is destiny and each person from a broken state carries it with them. As Spengler and others have observed, government is a response to its people; a chaotic and unruly third-world style population creates those cruel taskmasters as the only way to maintain order and productivity.
Formed from those who were cynical about this whole process, and about “progress” — which back then meant cutting down all the trees and putting up more and more settlements — itself, the American Nativist movement had several births and rebirths and lives with us today anytime someone says, “You know, this country ran better under the WASP — a code word for ‘Western European’ — Establishment.” Their point was that America and Americans did not need growth, even if commercial interests in the cities wanted it.
Eventually they got shouted down, using ancestors of familiar terms. They were called bigots, ignorant and cruel-hearted, and so most of them backed down. The commercial interests swarmed in and imported tons of people, starting with the Irish who were quite controversial at the time. The Irish had higher rates of crime, drunkenness and domestic violence, as one might expect from people from a society closer on the spectrum toward the third world.
The new group could vote, and they hated the Nativist remnant. So much so that they picked a fight with them over slavery, and went to war with the gentlemen farmers of the South, who viewed slavery as a positive thing for African-Americans as it guaranteed employment and protected them from their own third world tendencies; this seems unkind to say, but being realistic is always kinder because it tends to produce better results, where fantasy creates misery.
In this way, the Civil War was the first American Race War: all European immigrants against those who were upholding the Western European core. This was only seventy years past the French Revolution, the same time-distance between now and the end of the Second World War. After the insurrection was put down, the new group held power. The WASP establishment hung on only in name and by virtue of pleasing these new citizens, which is why the East Coast WASP Establishment collapsed within fairly quickly, so that by the 1920s it had become mostly decadent, effete and impotent.
The First World War was built on the same model as the American Civil War: democracy accepts everyone, and not all people support democracy, so we will wage this war until everyone in Europe uses the same system. The anti-Nativists seized on this because democracy, or the political system of equality, was the force that compelled others to include them in American society or even German society. The First World War continued the tradition started by the Napoleonic Wars of attempting to “unify” Europe to make it powerful, all done under democracy so it could be “stable.”
This is why young men marched off to battle being told they were fighting the War to End All Wars, and yet had so much despair in their hearts they threw their lives away. On a subconscious level, which they could not articulate, they knew this was another vainglorious quest to find a System that could manage man, and that it would end in their eradication. It did: it opened the borders within Europe further and started obliterating the Native populations in Germany and France much as it was doing in the USA.
After that war, America doubled down on the ethnic experiment. It opened the gates to Eastern and Southern Europeans, including Spanish, Greeks, Italians, Russians — especially as they fled their own disastrous revolution, Jews, Gypsies, Poles and more Irish. This further adulterated the power of the Natives, which made the mercantile overlords quite happy. Before that time, these groups had existed only as trace elements, so that one in ten thousand people might belong to one of these groups.
When the Second World War — a continuation of the unfinished business of the First — began, the governments of European states were essentially held hostage by the anti-Natives. Democracy defended anti-Nativism; to not defend democracy, then, was to call into question the unchallenged legitimacy of this new mixed-European status. As a result, the Americans maneuvered themselves into war and then won it by flooding Europe with people, much as the Russians did. The anti-Nativist reverse race riot had begun and ended in mixed-blood American and Russian troops raping their way across Europe. In the model of democracy itself, this was a victory for the reversal of Darwinism.
The wars since that time have been ideological, because ideology drops a veil of confusion over the actual issue, which is civilization decline through demographics at the hands of the mercantile elites and their supporters among the masses. Most of these have been well-intended but poorly fought because democracy can only fight wars when it styles itself as a victim, which is to say pretends to be a victim but avoids actual victimization, so the first pictures of napalmed children or American boys facing one million well-fed Red Chinese tends to blow the story. The first does it because it removes our victim status and makes us a victimizer; the second, because it shows we might actually become victims.
This is the rot into which our time falls. It turns out the American Nativists were right, and all of the people calling them racists were just self-interested parasites. The same is true today. If you want to make your nation healthy, make it homogeneous by (1) telling others they must leave and (2) giving them financial incentive to do so:
Our civilization has been in decline for some time. The Middle Ages were a response to Greek and Roman decline, using the religion of Christianity to achieve unity of purpose. When those collapsed, under Mongol attacks and the resulting peasant and mercantile revolts, we were thrust into a degenerate time which peaked with the French Revolution, and since then has spent its time trying to make The System work. Maybe with just a few more patches… and yet, it always fails.
We need to get out of The System mentality. We do not need a system; we need a healthy demographic, very little government, and a values system including something above the material, whether that is simply ideals or metaphysical in nature. This will require some hard choices, like at Taranto, but this is the only way we will survive. From lofty perches of historical accuracy, the American Nativists cheer us on.
Tags: american civil war, american nativism, demographics, devolution, first world war, napoleonic wars, race war, second world war
Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.Jon Stewart speaks to Charlie Rose about Donald Trump and what the result of the 2016 presidential election says about our country. Stewart, former host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, said to label every Trump supporter racist is "hypocrisy." He said it is akin to treating Muslims as a "monolith" because of the actions of some Muslims.
From Thursday's broadcast of CBS This Morning:
JON STEWART: Here's what I would honestly say. I don't believe we are a fundamentally different country today than we were two weeks ago.
The same country with all its grace and flaws, and volatility, and insecurity, and strength, and resilience exists today as existed two weeks ago. The same country that elected Donald Trump elected Barack Obama.
I feel badly for the people for whom this election will mean more uncertainty and insecurity. But I also feel like this fight has never been easy. And the ultimate irony of this election is the cynical strategy of the Republicans, which is: 'Our position as government doesn’t work is we're going to... make sure that it doesn’t work. And then I'm going to use its lack of working as evidence of it.'
Donald Trump is a reaction not just to Democrats but to Republicans. He's not a Republican. He's a repudiation of Republicans, but they will reap the benefits of his victory, in all of their cynicism. I will guarantee you Republicans are going to come to Jesus now about the power of government...
I think what many would say is what makes us great is America is an anomaly in the world. Nobody -- there are a lot of people, and I think his candidacy has animated that thought, that a multi-ethnic democracy, a multi-cultural democracy is impossible. And that is what America by its founding and constitutionally is...
I would rather have this conversation openly and honestly than in dog whistles. You know, somebody was saying, 'There might be an anti-Semite that's working the White House.' And I was like, 'Have you listened to the Nixon tapes?' Like, forget about advising the president, the president. Like, have you read LBJ? Do you know our history? We also have to caution ourselves to the complexity of that history.
I thought Donald Trump disqualified himself at numerous points. But there is now this idea that anyone who voted for him has to be defined by the worst of his rhetoric. There are guys in my neighborhood that I love, that I respect, that I think have incredible qualities who are not afraid of Mexicans, and not afraid of Muslims, and not afraid of blacks. They're afraid of their insurance premiums. In the liberal community, you hate this idea of creating people as a monolith. Don't look at Muslims as a monolith. They are the individuals and it would be ignorance. But everybody who voted for Trump is a monolith, is a racist. That hypocrisy is also real in our country.
And so this is the fight we waged against ourselves and each other. Because America is not natural. Natural is tribal. We're fighting against thousands of years of human behavior and history to create something that no one’s ever done. That's what's exceptional about America. And that's what's -- like, this ain't easy. It's an incredible thing.In a blog post today, Oculus CEO Brendan Iribe announced that he will be stepping down as CEO of the Facebook-owned virtual reality company:
Looking ahead and thinking about where I’m most passionate, I’ve decided to lead the PC VR group — pushing the state of VR forward with Rift, research and computer vision. As we’ve grown, I really missed the deep, day-to-day involvement in building a brand new product on the leading edge of technology. You do your best work when you love what you’re working on. If that’s not the case, you need to make a change. With this new role, I can dive back into engineering and product development. That’s what gets me up every day, inspired to run to work.
The executive shake-up accompanies what looks to be some major internal restructuring as the company silos its efforts on mobile VR and PC-based VR experiences in a more significant way. Iribe will be shifting his role to leading the company’s efforts on PC-based virtual reality. Jon Thomason, who joined Oculus this summer after previously working as VP of mobile shopping at Amazon and VP of Engineering at Qualcomm, will be heading up efforts on the mobile VR front.
While Oculus has not released any numbers for sales of its PC-based Rift VR headset, it has detailed that it has over 1 million monthly active users on its $99 Gear VR system which it’s built in collaboration with Samsung for compatible Galaxy and Note devices.
Iribe, along with Facebook CTO Mike Schroepfer, will be leading efforts to select a new leader to manage the pair of teams at the virtual reality company.
Iribe originally came on to the team as CEO in 2012 following Oculus VR’s successful Kickstarter campaign. He was tasked with ensuring that the product didn’t end up as crowdfunding-backed vaporware.
“The core technology is already there. Now it’s up to the growing team at Oculus to get it into the hands of both developers and gamers everywhere,” Iribe said at the time.
Iribe went on to lead Oculus through its $2 billion acquisition by Facebook in March of 2014.
This latest announcement comes as the bumpy rollout of the first generation of Oculus’s Rift virtual reality at last appears to come to a close.
The company’s $199 Oculus Touch motion controllers were released to positive reviews earlier this month, despite months of delays that frustrated consumers. The $599 Rift VR headset went on sale in late March and suffered a good deal of supply constraints that left pre-orderers waiting months after launch to receive their consoles. These delays cost Oculus a good amount of momentum and developer favor to Sony and HTC, which have also released consumer headsets this year.Share with:
This week we feature Klod M’s VR6 swapped Mk 3 Golf.
The Mk3 Golf is generally thought of as an economy car, a practical daily commuter. But it’s also the start of many amazing builds.
Such is the case with Klod’s Golf, as it has not only a 2.8 liter VR6 engine swapped in, but is also turbocharged. It features custom intake and exhaust manifolds, running just a shred under 22 psi (1.5 bar) of boost and has an 8.5:1 compression ratio. This VR6 swapped creation blitzes the quarter mile in 13.160 seconds, with a trap speed of 120.6 Mph (194 Kilometers per hour). Upgraded head studs, connecting rods, and injectors complete the engine modifications, it also has a 76 mm exhaust with catalytic converter delete.
A couple of drag slicks on the ready to hit the strip are also a part of this build.
The highlight of this build is its VR6 engine, which is not only compact and laden with tuning potential; it also features one of the most unique cylinder layouts in modern engine history, with the cylinders stacked overlapping each other in a narrow angle V, providing a small package that fits snugly in the Golf’s engine bay. Throw a turbocharger into the mix and you awaken the VR6 in all of its intricate engineering glory.
This is car is not just an ongoing project, it’s also this owner’s daily driving VR6 swapped machine. And that’s something that cannot be said about a vast number of builds. Too often we see custom machines towed to location, raced, and locked away in a trailer. While this might be a requirement for non street legal cars, it’s a trend that is becoming more popular with road legal racers. But this turbocharged machine is a daily driven, drag racing bucket of madness.
As for this VR6 swapped Golf’s styling, aside from an aftermarket bonnet, front lip, discreet side skirts, and other small changes, there are no major body modifications. Various sets of wheels are tasked with donning the corresponding rubber whether it be for street or strip use.
There is a clear no-nonsense ethos surrounding the car, as form is dictated by function. Focused on quarter mile times; no excessive camber, no impractical ride height, just pure, untainted Hot Rodding spirit.
We can all take a page from the book of pragmatic excellence that this car is, chasing form prepare us for when the curtain is drawn, pursuing function readies us for the standing ovation.
Watch this machine in action below.The health-care debate has generated intense levels of frustration among the bill's opponents, and those who say they are outright angry almost universally believe that the country is going in the wrong direction -- some say toward an America they no longer recognize.
Of the 26 percent of people who described themselves as "angry" about the new law in a recent Washington Post poll, virtually all also said the country was on the wrong track. In follow-up interviews, many went beyond health care as they spoke of their deep misgivings about the country's leadership and the changes taking place around them.
"I grew up in the '50s," said Hugh Pearson, 63, a retired builder from Bakersfield, Calif. "That was a wonderful time. Nobody was getting rich, nobody was doing everything big. But it was 'Ozzie and Harriet' days, 'Leave It to Beaver'-type stuff. Now we have all this MTV, expose-yourself stuff, and we have no morality left, not even by the legislators."
Pearson and others described a rising concern about illegal immigrants who they say fill hospital emergency rooms and drain public resources. In the follow-up interviews, they expressed a distrust with a government they believe is taking from the many and giving to the few. Nearly nine in 10 of those who are angry about the health-care bill say it represents a major and negative change for the country, with some interviewed after the poll saying they believe the country is moving toward socialism.
Tricia Farmer, 42, a pension administrator in Glenville, N.Y., said she is a Republican and a fiscal conservative who worries about the creeping expansion of the federal government. At the same time that Congress appears to be increasing spending, her own local school district is facing budget cuts. She worries about the world her elementary-school-age children will inherit.
"What I worry about is that they aren't going to have the choices that we had," she said. "There are going to be mandates for everything. Mandates and taxes, more and more, a heavier burden on them. I'm feeling we're headed toward a socialist society, and I feel that it's not going to be reversible if it keeps going the way that it is."
In the late-March poll, the |
Wilkos: https://www.columbusunderground.com/tag/michael-wilkosCrossFit To Gain Weight
How CrossFit Changed The Life Of A Skinny Kid
I was chronically underweight for most of my life.
When I gained the fabled "freshman fifteen" at UCLA I was ecstatic — because, according to the faded charts on your doctor's wall, a 5'10" man shouldn't weigh 135 pounds. For those of you reading who are overweight, you might be thinking that this is a good problem to have, but I assure you, it came with its own set of drawbacks.
Women judge you if you're underweight — they never seem to want to date a man who's smaller than they are. Men are supposed to have giant forearms and tree-trunk legs so we can get into bar fights and wrestle bears. At some point in my mid-20s, I resigned myself to the fact that I would be always be this skinny, so I tried to compensate by always wearing two layers of clothing or rarely taking my shirt off in front of others. I accepted that this was how life was going to be; I gave up.
Four years of CrossFit later and I'm 170 pounds — and in the best shape of my life.
I didn't play very many sports growing up, unless you count father-son baseball games and being the greatest dodgeball player ever to set foot at Atwater Elementary. It wasn't until college that I really got in to sports, but by that time, working out wasn't ingrained in me. I would put in the time and go to the gym, but I had no idea what I was doing when I got there. So going from vague workouts at globo gyms to doing something like Olympic lifting in CrossFit was a huge leap for me.
When I heard about CrossFit, I was as skeptical as many are — but I went in for an intro session because, well, what did I have to lose? When I arrived, the coach, Bryce, wasn't a swole meathead who slammed Monster energy drinks and head-butted old ladies in the street. His temperament was similar to mine — so I signed up. Thirty days later, I was hooked.
Unlike what the negative propaganda on the Internet about CrossFit might have you believe, I'm not a roided-out douche bag that snorts lines of protein powder; I like wine and old Westerns. That's not to say that I can't growl into beast mode and destroy you in a workout at the gym, though. That part of my personality just doesn't carry over to the rest of my life, because I don't let it. There is a middle ground between chronically underweight and jacked meathead. With effort, I went from the scrawny guy that worked on his high school yearbook to a guy who can now do 200-pound cleans and 350-pound deadlifts.
If you read any fitness article that doesn't have a marketing agenda, it'll probably say that you should do whatever kind of physical activity is fun for you, because then you'll keep doing it. It's better to do any physical activity than none. If you like running, then go run. If you like cycling, go cycle. But if you want to change body composition enough to gain or lose weight, you're going to have to lift barbells. CrossFit is fun for me because I've made it fun. I go to class at the same time each morning and work out with the same people because I love the family atmosphere and male camaraderie. We keep each other going and push each other to be better. Now CrossFit, to me, is just hanging out with my friends — with the byproduct of fitness. The moment I took the pressure off myself is when I really started to see results.
I'm in the best shape of my life in my 30s — not many men can say that. That's not to say that you have to look like The Rock to be a man, but increasing your confidence in your looks can have a huge impact on your life. And although we're not hunting saber-toothed tigers anymore, we are still lifting heavy objects and trying to extend our lives for our (potential) mates and children. CrossFit makes me more confident, frames my day with accomplishment and, oh yeah — now I look better naked. Now I just have to get rid of this farmer's tan.
Chris Backley is a paramedic-turned-writer from the east side of Los Angeles. He loves his passport, old Westerns, gourmet burgers, the 17th arrondissement, and women with a deadly sense of style. He is the author of How Much Does Love Cost: 33 Essays on Modern Dating. Follow him on Twitter @BackleyChris.(Note: This part of our Ouya review covers the system’s hardware and general performance as an emulator. The second part, which focuses on the games it offers, can be found here.)
I’m still struggling to form a solid opinion on the Ouya. As a professional game reviewer – i.e. someone whose entire job is to have opinions about things – I understand this isn’t a good position to be in. It’s a pretty machine, sure, and its $99 price tag makes it as inexpensive a game console as we’re likely to see. It also packs a heck of a feel-good story: Were it not for a wildly successful Kickstarter campaign, which raised over $1 million in eight hours, there’s a good chance it might not be around at all, for better or worse.
But even with all that… I don’t know. Part of me very much wants to like the Android-powered wunderbox sitting under my television. The other part wants to package it up and get it back to the electronics store I purchased it from before the return period expires. It’s kind of like having an angel on one shoulder and a devil on the other, except neither of them really have any moral guidance to offer and they’re both super nerdy. Let’s look at the facts and see if you kind readers can make heads or tails of the thing.
Opening The Box
The gig of RAM and Nvidia Tegra 3 powering the Ouya aren’t going to burn the world down – a lot of tablets and smartphones boast gaudier hardware already – but it’s a solid start, and most consumers aren’t going to expect Xbox 360- or PS3-level visuals and gameplay from a hundred-dollar console. The smart ones won’t, anyway. Having worked as an electronics-retail wage slave for several years, I’m sure more than a few people will come away from their Ouya experience disappointed based on a skewed comparison like that, and it makes me glad my current employment situation keeps me out from behind the cash register. (On a side note, if you do hawk electronics for a living, make sure to share your Ouya return stories in the comments. I love reading about dumb customers.)
Middling internal components or not I’m very impressed with the sheer number of connections available on the back of the box. The full-sized HDMI out means no searching for a mini cable, while two USB ports (full and micro) make connecting the console with flash drives and other devices as easy as, well, plugging in a USB cable. If you have Internet connectivity at home but no Wi-Fi, fret not: With the standard Ethernet port, you’ll be gaming through your wired connection in no time flat. That said, if you have a hundred bucks to spare on electronics and you don’t have a wireless router yet, get that first. It’s so much better.
A Surprisingly Solid Controller
At $50, the Ouya’s controller makes for a pricey extra purchase if you want multiplayer capability. As a pack-in, on the other hand, the single unit you get when you purchase the console is downright impressive. It feels every bit as solid and (for lack of a better term) right in the hand as hardware from a higher-end system, and its analog sticks, D-pad, and buttons offer just the right amount of resistance and general tactile feel. My biggest gripe revolves around putting batteries in the damn thing. My wife and I struggled to figure out where they went for a solid half hour before one of us had the brilliant idea of looking up instructions online. For the record, you have to snap the faceplate off each side of the controller. You can thank me later.
More Than a Game Box
Though I struggle to consider the Ouya an Android device – the software’s so heavily modified you can’t really tell you’re looking at one until a system prompt appears on screen or you start digging through menus — the OS’s influence is still very much present. The above-mentioned USB ports, for instance, make sideloading apps a breeze, which is huge considering the thousands of standard Android applications that’ll work on the console. You’re also able to tweak various graphics settings with ease through the built-in menu systems.
An Emulator Fan’s Dream
Even those perks pale in comparison to what I consider the system’s biggest pull: emulation. Tons of old-school systems, from the SNES, N64, and OG PlayStation to lesser-known (but still awesome) alternatives like the Neo-Geo and Turbografix 16 work out of the box, while software for others, like Sega’s tragically ill-fated Dreamcast, can be found with a little online sleuthing. Popular game-streaming app Kainy will even work on the device, making it possible to access your PC game library straight from your system if you’re so inclined.
Emulation is an imperfect science on even the best hardware, however… and the Ouya’s hardware is far from perfect. My console consistently struggles with certain games, like Mario Kart 64, and feels pretty hit-or-miss with a lot of others. N64 games in particular seem to disagree with the system; every title I’ve tried on the built-in emulator throws a new framerate issue or graphical bug at me. Conker’s Bad Fur Day, for instance, plays sound but won’t display a single visual asset. I’ve found that 16-bit and 32-bit systems tend to work better overall – not surprising, perhaps, but disappointing all the same. Especially when you love Conker’s BFD as much as I do. I’m not too proud to admit one of my favorite games involves a wisecracking squirrel and a monster made of human waste.
More to Come
From a sheer novelty perspective the Ouya has a lot to offer, and the $100 price point is about as pocketbook-friendly as gaming hardware gets. As compared to, say, an Apple TV, which costs the same but comes with a media-heavy focus, it’s a great value… especially considering all the video apps (including Netflix) you can put on the thing with a bit of technical know-how. Why am I still on the fence about my own purchase, then? The games, which we’ll discuss at length in a future review. If you’re on the fence about buying one, here’s the best advice I can offer: Buy it somewhere with a good return policy, keep your receipt, and check it out yourself. It’s certainly not for everyone – I still can’t tell you for sure that it’s for me, and I’m the guy reviewing the darn thing – but there’s some definite promise on display here. If you want to look at some games before making your decision, on the other hand, stay tuned. We’ll have a look at several top-end titles in a few days. Thanks for reading… and for not mocking my love of anthropomorphic, foul-mouthed squirrels.The technology: Image Sensing and Click EQ
The experience
Synaptics Scrybe
Wrap-up
We'll spare you the history of touchpads, but for now it is important to know that older ClickPads, like those found in laptops like the HP Envy, Lenovo IdeaPad S10-3 or Gateway ID series, use profile sensors. In contrast, the new ClickPad 1.5 and 3.0 series use a new capacitive sensor technology known as image sensing (IS), which independently tracks each finger on the pad. It's the same technology that's used in Synaptics phone / tablet screens as well as in Apple's touchpads. Synaptics actually claims that it can track up to eleven fingers – though, even if we did have that many fingers, you can't actually fit more than five on the pad itself.So, what does the new IS technology aim to solve? It should improve gesture detection and what Synaptics calls "accidental contact mitigation," a fancy term used to describe what happens when you mistakenly swipe the pad when you didn't mean to. The company claims that its SmartSense technology uses the image sensors to identify both the size and shape of the different contact points to determine what is actually happening on the touch surface. That means it should be intelligent enough to know when you are trying to move the cursor versus zoom in on something.That's the first part of the improvements, but in addition to bettering the touch experience, the pad now has what's called ClickEQ technology, which in essence means the pad is now one big button. The hinge in past ClickPads has been removed entirely so now the whole pad is pressable and you can right click anywhere to make selections. The mechanical design is said to provide a consisent click force and should reduce accidental clicking. In other words, the experience should be closer to using a traditional touchpad and easier on new users.Improved technology with fancy names is all well and good, but does it actually work? Synaptics sent us a Samsung R480 that it had retrofitted with its new ClickPad IS Series 3.0 to find out. Before we get into the experience we should mention that the panel is very clearly marked as a concept design and it very much feels that way – the plastic pad is a very wobbly and doesn't match the manufacturing quality of the rest of the system. However, it still gave us a good feel for the new pad, and right off the bat we could see a real difference. We didn't have to change our usual or "traditional" finger positioning, meaning we were able to keep our right thumb in the bottom left corner of the pad and use our index finger to navigate. (Even if our thumb moved slightly up on the pad it still worked.) Best of all, while using that finger positioning we rarely zoomed in on something by mistake. Yep, you can keep the multitouch gestures enabled since the pad is now smart enough to decipher between them and regular navigation strokes. Speaking of those gestures, we found pinch-to-zoom and two-finger scrolling to be incredibly responsive. In fact, we'd say it was the most responsive we've ever seen those gestures on a Windows laptop. Scrolling was especially smooth, and in Firefox we didn't have to try multiple times to fluidly scroll down the length of this very website.Beyond those typical gestures, Synaptics has also configured the pad to support three- and four-finger swipes, much like the Apple pads. The gestures are all predefined, but the new settings menu, which also takes a page from Apple's playbook and places instructional videos alongside each gesture, makes it easier to understand how they work. Out of the box, swiping four fingers upwards brought up Windows Aero Flip 3D and then swiping a finger across let us toggle between the windows. Swiping four down brings you to the desktop. Three finger gestures control music and video playback, and swiping three fingers to the right or left in the browser doubles as your back and forward shortcuts.For the most part we had no issues with the pad and navigating the desktop; however, because the pad is closely located to the keyboard we mistakenly hit it while typing, which caused the cursor to jump around quite a bit. We guess that's what Synaptics means by "accidental contact mitigation." It's extremely frustrating, and even while writing this very post, we ended up typing words in the wrong place quite a few times. Turning down the sensitivity of the pad helped things a bit as did turning up the SmartSense settings to "Max," but that subsequently resulted in scrolling and other gestures not being as responsive. We also noticed the pad not being as responsive as others when navigating narrower menus -- we had to push it a bit more even with the sensitivity turned up. Ultimately, these are the remaining problem areas.Scrybe isn't really a new feature of the Series 3.0 ClickPads, but it's Synaptics own software that aims to get you doing more with that multitiouch pad of yours. Tapping three fingers on the pad brought up the interface above, which lets you simply sketch a letter or symbol on the pad as a shortcut. Naturally, we configured the "e" to launch "engadget.com" in a browser, but there's even more you can do with it. For instance, when you highlight a word, you can sketch a "?" in the box and it will automatically search for that aforementioned highlighted term on Google or your search engine of choice. For the most part it recognized our sketched shortcuts -- it turns the letter or symbol from red to blue when recognized -- and it's a pretty neat piece of software, but, to be honest, once you get over the novelty of it we're not sure it would work its way into your everyday routine.It sure does look like touchpad, er ClickPad hope is on the way! In all honesty, we didn't think it was possible to ever use one of these ClickPads and feel comfortable with the navigating experience, but the Series 3.0 with its new IS and ClickSmart technology doesn't require the patience and adaptation that previous versions demanded. It's still not as silky smooth as the Apple touchpad experience, but of course, this is all based on a concept model given to us by Synaptics itself. There's no telling what the final implementation will look like, but our hope is that the laptop manufacturers out there -- we're looking at you, HP, Lenovo, and Dell -- are working with Synaptics' Series 3 so we can finally retire that repetitive touchpad complaint.RadioShack Goes Bankrupt For Second Time In Two Years; Sprint Will Take Over Some Stores
That was quick. Barely two years after filing for its previous bankruptcy, RadioShack has again run out of money and options, resulting in the retail chain’s second Chapter 11 filing since Feb. 2015.
The company that filed for bankruptcy protection today isn’t technically the same business that went under back in 2015. Instead, today’s filing came from General Wireless Operations — a partnership between Standard General and Sprint.
That arrangement allowed around 1,700 corporate-owned Shacks to remain open, including a few hundred locations owned by franchisees. Since then, the Texas-based chain has closed stores here and there, but bankruptcy rumors began heating up in the last week amid reports that 200 locations were being shuttered around the nation.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, Sprint said it would be converting “several hundred” RadioShack locations into corporate-owned Sprint stores.
“Recognizing the risk in this business model, we entered into an agreement that would protect Sprint’s interests even in the event of another bankruptcy,” explains the company, which contends that the Shack bankruptcy and related store closings “are not material to Sprint’s overall sales results.”
The company has not identified which locations these will be, or what will come of the remaining RadioShack stores, though Sprint claims it will provide job opportunities elsewhere for those Sprint employees currently working at the stores-within-stores at RadioShacks.
While the official General Wireless line is that it is reviewing options for the remaining stores, Bloomberg is reporting that sources say these RadioShack locations will likely be liquidated.
We’ve already heard from a number of employees at these stores, but anyone still working at a RadioShack can still write us (tips@consumerist.com; use the subject line RADIOSHACK) if they want to share their feelings on what’s happening with their employer. We will not share your identity with the public or your employer.Netflix Exec: You’ll Keep Watching Our Movies, Even When We Don’t Offer You Many Good Ones
Longtime Netflix subscribers may have noticed that the selection of movies on the streaming service has shrunk significantly over the last few years, but customers keep watching movies anyway. That’s according to the company’s head of content, Ted Sarandos, who explained at a conference this week that people love to watch movies on Netflix no matter how large the selection.
U.S. viewers have a lot fewer movies available to us than our neighbors up in Canada, since Netflix has licensed content libraries up there that the much larger audience here doesn’t have access to.
Here’s the weird thing, though: Business Insider shared Sarandos’ observation that no matter how many movies are actually available, about a third of what customers on both sides of the border watch is always movies.
What’s the company’s solution to that? Gradually reducing how many movies it pays for is one possible solution, finally leaving all customers spending 33% of our screen time streaming Gigli over and over. Netflix’s actual solution has three parts, though:
Developing original movies. This makes sense, and goes along with its original TV strategy. Creating its own content means that there will always be movies that customers can only get from Netflix, instead of them being commodities that could be available from any of the popular streaming services.
New releases. Most of these will be Netflix’s own productions, but the company still wants to have new films available to its customers the same day that they’re released in theaters, since there’s always a portion of the public that prefers to watch movies in their pajamas. Netflix CEO Reed Hastings has said that the current movie theater business model is “strangling” the industry by keeping new releases artificially unavailable.
Licensing Disney movies. The Disney library consists of films that people enjoy watching repeatedly, and that small children enjoy watching multiple times per day. A Netflix-Disney content deal is good for both sides, and will also make the movie-hungry public happy.Another work for from France!
This is an OC created in the universe of 'Shadowrun', a table-top game.
Shadowrun has a blend of fantasy elements set in a futuristic sci-fi world, I think.
The story is about this black elven woman, Ekundayo, who is a former child soldier trained as a sniper. She had a rough young life, but eventually managed to leave the camp, started a new life and had two children. It was almost a perfect life but when her husband died, they were having a big money problem. One day, an old acquaintance showed up out of nowhere and offered Ekundayo a way to get them rid of their money problems. She didn't hesitate for long, even if it means she needed to take her old rifle out once again. After all, she had no other option. She's reclaiming the nickname she got at the camp; "Akachi", which means 'the Hand of God', which was also engraved on her rifle.
See my Artstation for the step-by-step images: www.artstation.com/artwork/g4L…
Other works for Veneris:
Thanks for viewing!
Photoshop CC 2015 + Cintiq13HD
Come and bug me some more on: Facebook // Instagram // ArtStation // DrawCrowd //Authorities have called for calm after the release of an “evil document” by terror group ISIS, which urged followers to attack iconic Australian landmarks.
The English-language Rumiyah magazine from the terror group urged followers to carry out “lone wolf” attacks on sites including the MCG and the Sydney Opera House.
It is the first time an English language publication has come out from the group, which has also distributed similar newsletters in other languages including French, German and Indonesian.
"Stab them, shoot them, poison them, and run them down with your vehicles," the article reads.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews today advised everyone to “go about their usual business” to thwart potential threats.
“Nothing can be taken for granted, we take every threat seriously, however there is no change to the threat level,” Mr Andrews said.
“It’s important that we go about our business and send a message that we won’t be intimidated by these threats.”
Iconic Australian landmarks were mentioned in the magazine. (AAP) ()
Victoria’s top cop Graham Ashton echoed his sentiments, stating the current threat level for the state would remain at “probable”.
The magazine gives chilling detail into demands for followers to “kill them on the streets of Brunswick, Broadmeadows, Bankstown and Bondi”.
“It’s almost all material that is re-printed from the Arabic text. The only new content is making references to Australian locations,” Mr Ashton said.
“There’s nothing at this stage that suggests there are specific threats in relation to those particular suburbs, but we will continue to work on that.”
The latest call for action follows the death of convicted Australian terrorist Ezzit Raad, who was jailed over the 2005 plot to bomb the MCG.
ISIS announced overnight in the newsletter the Melbourne terrorist was killed while fighting with the terrorist group in November last year.
The MCG, the SCG and the Sydney Opera House are also mentioned as possible targets.
“Kill them wherever you find them until the hollowness of their arrogance is filled with terror,” the article reads.
The editorial pays tribute to Raad, who fled Australia for Syria three years ago, accompanying an image of what appears to be his body.
Justice Minister Michael Keenan said the propaganda magazine was "another desperate attempt to attract more supporters".
"ISIL morale is imploding and their brand is crumbling. The aim of extremists, including those committing violence through a warped and nihilistic interpretation of religion, is to divide us and to turn our citizens against each other - but we will not let them win," he said.
"We are stronger when we stand together, and will defeat division and weakness with unity and strength."
© Nine Digital Pty Ltd 2019Death penalty opponents hail ethics ruling that could further restrict availability and increase pressure on state authorities to halt capital punishment
A leading association for US pharmacists has told its members they should not provide drugs for use in lethal injections — a move that could make carrying out executions even harder for death penalty states.
The declaration approved by American Pharmacists Association delegates at a meeting in San Diego says the practice of providing lethal-injection drugs is contrary to the role of pharmacists as healthcare providers.
The association lacks legal authority to bar its members from selling execution drugs but its policies set pharmacists’ ethical standards.
Pharmacists now join doctors and anaesthesiologists in having national associations with ethics codes that call on members not to participate in executions.
“Now there is unanimity among all health professions in the United States who represent anybody who might be asked to be involved in this process,” said association member Bill Fassett, who voted for the policy.
The American Pharmacists Association has more than 62,000 members.
Compounding pharmacies, which make drugs specifically for individual clients, only recently became involved in the execution-drug business.
Prison departments have turned to made-to-order cocktails from compounding pharmacies because pharmaceutical manufacturers started to refuse to sell the drugs that had been used for decades in lethal injections after coming under pressure from death penalty opponents.
The compounded version is also becoming difficult to obtain, with most pharmacists reluctant to expose themselves to possible harassment by death penalty opponents.
The prison agency in Texas scrambled this month to find a supplier to replenish its inventory before getting drugs from a compounding pharmacy it will not identify.
After a troubling use of a two-drug method in 2014, Ohio has said it will use compounded versions of either pentobarbital or sodium thiopental in the future, though it does not have supplies of either and has not said how it will obtain them. All executions scheduled this year were pushed to 2016 to give the state more time to find the drugs.
Others states are turning to alternative methods.
Tennessee has approved the use of the electric chair if lethal injection drugs are not available, while Utah has reinstated the firing squad as a backup method if it cannot obtain the drugs. Oklahoma is considering legislation that would make it the first state to allow the use of nitrogen gas as a potential method.
Fassett, a professor emeritus of pharmacy law and ethics at Washington State University, said the united front by health professionals might force people to finally face the death penalty’s harsh realities.
Lethal injections had created a sterile setting for executions, he said.
“It’s like we’re not really executing. We’re sort of like taking Spot to the vet. We’re just putting him to sleep, and that’s not true,” he said.
Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, executive director of SumOfUs.org, an international corporate watchdog that has been campaigning for such a policy, said the American Pharmacists Association’s stance did not directly end lethal injection as a form of execution, “though that may well be the outcome”.Remember that time that Kansas City drafted Dan Marino and John Elway …
Imagine, if you will, the 1979 Major League Baseball draft. I was not alive. So, I don’t begin to know what the draft was like back then. It was certainly not the spectacle that pro sports drafts have become at this point. There were probably no groups of fans booing the commissioner at every turn. There was no green room of high draft pick hopefuls. There was no ticker at the bottom of your screen giving pick by pick updates. There were probably people smoking cigarettes in the room. There may have not even been “a room” as drafts of that era were often done entirely by conference call.
In that fashion, it was also a pretty unspectacular draft for our hometown team. Of the 37 players selected, only five ever reached the majors, with 3rd round selection Pat Sheridan being the only one to log any significant time in KC. Atlee Hammaker (1st round) and Craig Lefferts (7th round) went on to enjoy long MLB careers in the NL. Otherwise, like any draft it was mostly populated by a long list of future insurance salesman and beer league softball heroes.
But amongst this ho-hum lack of spectacle, the Kansas City Royals inadvertently tried to alter the course National Football League history.
With the 99th pick, they selected a right-handed pitcher out of Central Catholic High School in Pittsburgh, PA by the name of Daniel Constantine Marino, Jr. Yes, THAT Dan Marino. However, being a Parade All-American at quarterback, he chose to go play football at Pitt instead. Back then signing bonuses were much smaller and the allure of playing to sold-out stadiums on Saturdays was more appealing than mostly empty minor league parks every night of the week. In hindsight, it is safe to say that although he never got the Super Bowl ring he so desperately wanted, he certainly made the right choice and will go down as one of the top quarterbacks in NFL history.
But one future Hall of Fame quarterback just wasn’t enough for the Royals. With the 463rd overall pick in the 18th round, the Royals reached out for a dual sport star athlete again. This time, a power hitting outfielder and pitcher out of Granada Hills High School in Granada Hills, California named John Albert Elway, Jr. It was a long shot though, as Elway was considered the #1 football recruit in the nation and supposedly had offers from over 60 colleges. Not surprisingly, he picked football and Stanford cardinal over Royal’s blue. And so began the series of events that led him to becoming probably the most hated athlete in Kansas City (if he’s not #1 on that list, he’s certainly in the top three).
Across the parking lot at the Truman Sports Complex, perhaps the Chiefs should have been watching that 1979 draft a little more closely. Four years later in the 1983 NFL draft, they did not draft Elway (though he was gone by the time the Chiefs came up with the 7th pick). They did not draft Marino. As we are all reminded at least four times a week on local sports talk radio, they hitched their wagons to Todd Blackledge. The rest, as they say, is unfortunate history.
But imagine for one moment that scraggly horse face belting homeruns into the fountains. That mop-topped lightning bolt arm striking out batter after batter in the blazing Royals Stadium sun. Imagine that joyous huddle around Saberhagen at the end of game 7 in 1985 with Elway and Marino hopping and screaming along. Imagine what the Miami Dolphins or Denver Broncos franchise encyclopedias might read like without their respective best players ever.
The Royals had a great eye for drafting talent. It was just for the wrong sport.
Previous Post A "Cat"erday at the K for Jeter Royals Blue writer X. Grieves was fortunate enough to run into these fine fellows Sunday at the K. Their form fitting cat singlets were just what the vet ordered to send off Derek Jeter in purrfect fashion. It is no wonder the Royal send off... Read more Tweet Next Post Indians at Royals: Series Preview The Royals will try and cool off the red-hot Indians as they cruise into town going 9-1 in their last 10 games. Kansas City is in the midst of a stretch where they play 21 games all against contending teams. Honestly, you could throw... Read more
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Meanwhile, our Weekend of Races will be in full swing with plenty of prizes up for grabs. For more information on the events, schedule and prizes, click Tired of being a beast of burden? Too much clutter? We've got you covered! This race weekend we're holding a sale on every type of stash tab. This includes everything from Currency Stash Tabs and Premium Stash Tab Bundles to Guild Stash Tabs.Check out the full selection of this weekend's specials here. These sales run all weekend and end at Nov 06, 2016 6:00 PM.Meanwhile, our Weekend of Races will be in full swing with plenty of prizes up for grabs. For more information on the events, schedule and prizes, click here. Best of luck to everyone!TL;DR, flawed, but still a goodie
I really enjoyed the game, personally. The story did feel like filler in comparison, albeit engaging none the less. Ending left me disappointed though, I suppose. They tried, but it just didn't feel like a satisfying closure of a game to me. The build up to ending definitely was bigger than the actual ending in my opinion. But that said, if you enjoyed the characters from Bravely Default, this game is a fun direct sequel for that alone. It does feel like an OVA, a movie, or just a filler episode writing style wise, character development wise even on old, established protags, etc. But it's fun, gave me a good laugh countless times, and all the extra dialogue pushed me to keep completing the bestiary out of sheer curiosity, etc. There's a lot of charm and personality, and it's just very lighthearted for the most part. There were some parts that gave me feels too. It did, though, try a bit too hard to be edgy and depressing at times, but it's not on an annoying level at least. The battle system had some upped overhauls which I find neat, in general UI and feature improvements here and there, and albeit relatively small changes, they contributed to the experience. Only biggest flaw in my book aside of the ending, is the music. In comparison to Revos work on Default, Ryo's soundtrack is a 3/10. Aside of like, 3 or so tracks from the newly composed ones that I did like, it's all obnoxious, forgettable, generic, and a big disappointment from every angle. Special Attack themes, and all battle themes spare for the Kaiser battle theme ( it's my favorite ), are the biggest offender on this. The game constantly bringing back Revos music felt like a blessing.
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Verified purchase: Yes | Condition: new | Sold by: js-superdealsFor over ten years now Henry Herskovitz and Jewish Witnesses for Peace and Friends have been standing vigil outside Beth Israel Temple, Ann Arbor, Michigan.
This is their latest report.
Raul Hilberg: “I am at a loss.”
Three members of JWPF gathered around a small table this week to discuss The Great Holocaust Trial by Michael Hoffman. Mr. Hoffman was a reporter at the “false news” trial of community activist Ernst Zundel in Toronto in 1985 and also at the 1988 re-trial. Though Ernst was handed guilty verdicts on both occasions, they were overturned by the Canadian Supreme Court in 1992, when they declared the country’s “false news” law unconstitutional.
Instructive in understanding revisionist history is the following exchange, reported by Mr. Hoffman, between Zundel defense attorney Doug Christie and Raul Hilberg, certified by the Court as an expert witness, and lauded by the Canadian Jewish News as “one of the world’s foremost authorities on the Holocaust”. This exchange was also reported in The Sault Star on January 18, 1985 under the headline “Scientific evidence of Holocaust missing.”
Christie: “Can you give me one scientific report that shows the existence of gas chambers anywhere in Nazi-occupied territory?” Hilberg: “I am at a loss” Christie: “You are (at a loss) because you can’t.”
When asked by the Crown to testify three years later at Ernst’s retrial (1988), Hilberg declined, writing “I have grave doubts about testifying in the Zundel case again… Were I to be in the witness box for a second time, the defense would be asking not merely the relevant and irrelevant questions put to me during the first trial, but it would also make every attempt to entrap me by pointing to any seeming contradiction, however trivial the subject might be, between my earlier testimony and an answer I might give in 1988. The time and energy required to ward off such an assault would be great …”
Hoffman: “Neither did a single ‘Survivor’ take the stand in the second trial. They too feared what would happen to the credibility of their tales when subjected to critical scrutiny by Zundel’s defense team”. [p. 95]
To the three JWPF’ers in the discussion, Hilberg’s revelation comes with breathtaking implications. Has the world indeed been duped into believing that the National Socialist government of Germany were the all-time perpetrators of ultimate evil in the world, or has the fabric of the standard Holocaust narrative been ripped substantially by Hilberg’s admission, now thirty years old? If claims about homicidal gas chambers are false, doesn’t that challenge the heart of Zionist defenses protecting the state of Israel? Is going after the Holocaust a worthwhile endeavor for the goal of liberating Palestine?
Paul Eisen thinks it is. In “Holocaust Wars” He quotes revisionist Robert Faurisson:
Zionists truly fear the weapons of the poor (children’s stones, their slingshots like that of David against the giant Goliath, the suicide attacks) and all that may endanger |
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